The Morning after

Posted on Thu Feb 4th, 2016 @ 12:54am by Commander Bertrand Cuprum

Bertrand's vision swam. His body ached and his head throbbed. With a groan he reached around him, feeling the familiar couch that meant he had at least made it to his quarters.

Quick mental inventory. Could he feel all of his body? No. His arm was missing... well of course it was missing, but the replacement limb responded when he sent a signal to lift, so it was still attached.

Right, now the dreadful bit. How much did he remember? Yesterday had been that accursed mission; so many died. He had gone to 10 forward with the others. He'd had a scotch... just one? wait, hadn't Mikey given him some Romulan ale? No, that doesn't seem right.

Memories started to crawl out of the corners they were hiding in. So far none of them involved a bar fight or table top dancing. Had he gone to the holodeck?

"Computer? Time"

-The current time is 09:14-

"Not on duty 'till 14:00," he murmered. Maybe he could try and...

His stomach clenched and he rolled quickly to his feet, making it as far as the bathroom before emptying what it contained. He washed it away, and drank from the faucet. His head was suddenly a lot clearer but he was very thirsty.

Damn Nanites were cleaning his system, weren't they? detecting poisons and working his liver overtime, pulling any extra resources they needed from the rest of his system.

Memories now came back much clearer. Damn it, he had told Wade not to give him a second! At least Mickey had tried to help him. That was a surprise.

He showered and stood for a long time under the sonic jets as his body tried to recover its equilibrium. He was starting to get hungry, so that was a good sign. Probably best not to go to ten forward for breakfast though.

He threw his old uniform in the reclimator and replicated a replacement. As he climbed into it his mind played the record of the previous day again. He stood looking at the Marine, or what had been the marine, but there was nothing in the mind left. It was only natural that it would take him back to Wolf 359.

He had gone to the holodeck and played it out again. One of his councilors ideas; apparently repeating a traumatic event over and again dissipates its effects. He was not finding that to be true. Perhaps he was doing it wrong.

He had stood in that corridor again and watch them take the sergeant. The difference with the holodeck is there was never the emotions in the hologram; the force field emitters didn't have that level of complexity. You didn't get the sense of the mind being pulled away or... the echos...

Bertrand shuddered involuntarily and reached for his boots. Food and work, that was the answer. He'd get something solid and high in carbs from the replicator, then maybe get some training in.

And when he was on duty again the CSecO would have a word about the Bartender supplying only synthahol from now on, baring Captain's special permission, to reduce the risk to recovering alcoholics, apart from anything else.