Delusions and Death Part 1

Posted on Fri Nov 20th, 2020 @ 12:50am by Lieutenant Xavier Leiko

Mission: The Shadow of Arachne
Location: Xavier's Quarters
Timeline: MD-05 (Late)
1135 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Xavier ran his hand through his short hair and sighed. This was the longest he had spent in his quarters since arriving on the Athena and all he could think about was work. He was trying to work out how to restore power back to the main deflector and get the ship back to normal space but all the computer simulations he was working on did not look promising. Every time he replaced one of the power circuits, the ODN line would short out and blow, and he was back to square one.

He had been ordered back to his quarters to get some rest since he had been on duty for nearly 24 straight hours. However, he couldn't sleep, far from it. When there was a problem to solve he couldn't help but get to the bottom of it, almost like an itch that he just had to scratch, even if he couldn't quite reach it. He knew he should get some sleep, he knew it would probably help him crack this case but for some reason he couldn't shut his brain off tonight. There was so much tension on the ship, it was almost giving him a migraine. Though it wasn't just tension, he was used to that feeling on a Federation starship, this was... different.

Xavier couldn't quite place the ambient feelings in the air. Normally, during a situation like this one, Xavier would be able to feel tension, apprehension, nervousness, and so on and so on. These were common place onboard a ship that was tasked with exploring the galaxy and not knowing what they were going to find from one minute to the next. But the crew's feelings today were more chaotic, leaning more towards fear and panic than what was considered normal, well what he considered normal. The feelings seemed to be coming from all around him, like they were closing in and creating a wall, a wall of doom. It was very overwhelming to say the least.

"Maybe if you practised your telepathy more, you would have better control."

Xavier looked up with a start, but there was no one else in the room with him. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and shook his head slightly. Clearly he was more tired than he thought.

"Your brothers would have no trouble "seeing" through this noise and finding out what was going on."

"That's a lie," Xavier replied before he could catch himself. "I may be the youngest but my telepathy has always been stronger." Wait... why was he replying to his mother? She wasn't even here, was she? Xavier looked around the room but as expected he was alone and the Athena was hundred of lightyears from Betazed. So where had that voice come from?

"Says who? Your father? HA, he always did like to protect you. 'Got to protect the runt' he used to say. He made you weak if you ask me, I mean, look at you."

Xavier rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. "There's no one here, there's no one here," he whispered to himself.

"That's right, ignore me. I only gave birth to you. Your problem is, you can not take criticism. You have no backbone. Always running to your father, always craving attention. Wild little thing you were, still are actually."

Xavier stood up so quickly the table rocked. He made his way over to the replicator. "Vulcan spiced tea, extra sweet," he ordered.

"Even now you have no identity of your own, drinking Vulcan tea, like you have reached a higher level of understanding. Have you forgotten your heritage boy?"

"I like spiced tea," Xavier mumbled as the drink materialised in the replicator. He grabbed the cup and made his way to his bedroom, maybe sleep was the best idea.

"If you are going to speak Xavier Richard Leiko, then speak clearly, and proudly. And stop slouching Cadet!"

"Yes Ma'am," Xavier replied as he stood to attention with his arms wrapped around his back. He was standing in her office on Betazed, she was sat behind her desk with her chair turned away from him, her small frame silhouetted against the floor to ceiling window. He hated this office, he always had. He was only summoned in here when his mother wanted a word, and it was never a good word. Despite the vastness of the window, the medium sized room never seemed to get enough light. It was probably because all of the walls and furniture was made using a dark wood, almost like a mahogany from Earth, but a few shades darker. It didn't help that today was not a sunny day in G'tari Lands and the clouds had gathered for an epic storm to match that of his mother's mood.

"It is always you here, is it not Cadet?" It was a rhetorical question and he knew better than to answer. "It is always you taking up my time, demanding attention, suckling on my bosoms. Why can you not be more like your brother? Why can you not be more independent? It is not like I am not busy. It is not like I am an admiral and a single parent?"

'Wait, single parent? What about dad?' Xavier thought.

"Your dad?" His mother echoed, clearly reading his mind. "You know where your dad is. You killed him!"

Xavier took a step back in shock. That wasn't true, dad wasn't dead. But as if responding to his thoughts his father appeared in a crumpled heap on the floor next to the desk. He gasped, tears streaming down his face.

Xavier had seen his dad like this once before, after the shuttle accident. He had been scared his dad was dead on that day, but thankfully they were rescued, his dad had survived, hadn't he?

"You're lying!" Xavier screamed as he slammed his hands down on the wooden desk. Expecting to feel a shock of pain up his arms, but he only felt confused when the room melted away to reveal his quarters on the Athena, and the cup of spiced tea, hurled across his bed. He felt confused and disorientated. What the hell was that?

Xavier ran his hand through his hair as he tried to get his bearings. There were two things he was certain of; one, whatever this was it had nothing to do with how tired he was, it was all too real, and two, he couldn't be here, not now. He made his way to the door that led out of his quarters. As they slid open he took another glance back at where his dad's dead body had been lying on the floor, he shuddered and left.

END

Lieutenant Xavier Leiko
Assistant Chief of Operations
USS Athena, NCC-80742