PNPC Azera - Peaceful Sleep (NT)

[armiece]

((Unknown Space))

Sleep was a difficult thing. It so often broke down mental walls. The conscious mind could detect such a drift, put a stop to it, but in sleep it was so easy to simply walk into areas of memory best left untouched. Especially those constantly trying to come to the forefront.

Her daughter stood there, framed in white light from beyond the airlock door. Her black hair streamed around her, her warm blue eyes full of love. Her smile had always quirked to the side a bit, and even as it was tinged in fear and sadness, she did her best to grin.

The disconnect of the airlock and the hiss of the door slamming shut cut her off forever.

Someone was screaming. It was her; her body and mind shutting down as reality overcame her. Jakarn was there, grabbing her, dragging her back to the transport. She hit him, smashed the side of his face til blood and oil leaked in equal measure, but he still held on; he held on as she broke his bones, as she screamed whatever foul curses she could think of.

As she watched the Spire turn, Seyra at its controls, and slam itself into the transwarp gate; as the gate began to shatter, the lights of it surrounding their transport turning to a flash and then -

Space, black and featureless. The transport drifted, uncontrolled, through silent and unknown space. El-Auria, its beautiful structures and the black cloud of the Borg, gone in an instant.

How she’d begged they go back, her fingers clawing at the control console, pulling its wires away and smashing glass in her desperation. But the transwarp signal was gone. Where there should have been a thread to follow - silence. Nothingness. Just as Seyra had hoped.

Jakarn lay at her feet, bloodied and broken, his eyes staring into space. She beat him more, begging him to wake her up, to undo this, to - to do something, anything. But all he could do was cry with her, to take the pain she delt him even as she clung to him for comfort.

She’d not been able to restrain her strength. Her mind and systems screamed and screamed, and still her home would not come back.

The names and faces of her loved ones were now a list of the dead. Of people she’d never see again; of promises unfulfilled, of words unsaid. If only she could see them all one last time; all would be forgiven, if only she could say what she’d failed to say…

If only, if only, if only...

And now, what was she? Without them, what was her purpose? They’d died to save her, and all she could do was scream.

Her heart ached like an open wound, her chest threatening to burst. Her instinct was to suck in air, to hyperventilate, but her lungs and throat were all machine, now. Tears tried to fill her eyes, her body writhing in half-sleep. She couldn’t take it; she wanted to…wanted…

ACCEPTABLE CORTISOL LEVEL EXCEEDED. ACTIVATING COUNTERMEASURE.

The cold feeling of numbness washed over her like a wave as her control system kicked in, and she opened her eyes. The pain was still there, sliding back into its lock. In the place she could keep it, nurture it, and eventually unleash it.

One day it would take her away; she would lie in that pain, die in it. But not today.

She disconnected from her maintenance unit, taking back control of her mechanical body. Her fingers curled around the controls of her flier as the bridge re-formed around her. She did not have time to wallow in her painful nightmares.

The ship’s machine-mind spoke as she took control. It made no mention of her panic and nightmare.

Tertori: Good morning, Daughter. We will reach your requested destination in approximately 2 hours.

The glitter of lightspeed streamed by the bridge’s windows. She watched, and settled in.

Azera: Good. Switch my chassis to standard.

The machine at her back began its work, disconnecting her extra arms, removing her combat modules and replacing them with a body that would pass as organic. Her skull was covered in long hair modules, her legs switched to feet from their armored appearance. Long black hair fell around her shoulders, pushed gently forward so as to not get in the machine's way. 

Today, she had work to do. And when the Borg were finally dead, the world free of their terror, she could die too. 

PNPC Azera

113th Daughter of Cantavi

Civilian Scientist, Mother of Taelon

as played by

Lt. JG Taelon
Starbase 118 OPs
O239303T10