Nightmare Eased

Posted on 09 Jun 2026 @ 1:20pm by Captain Jasmine Somers FCapt & 1st Lieutenant Gavin Ross Dr.

4,455 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: S04 Episode 02 The Hackers Backdoor (Incidentals)
Location: USS Tomcat Various
Timeline: During Current mission

[ON]

1900 hours

After her shift, Jasmine returned to her quarters, took off her tunic and undershirt, leaving only her standard-issue vest. She pulled out a new bottle of Brandy and poured herself a glass. She walked over to the replicated old-fashioned stereo, put on some Irish folk music and sat down and relaxed. She was finding it hard to relax as she was fearful of the nightmares that always came; she was wondering how they had become so severe of late, even her condition and the mind translating nightmare injuries into real life should not be as severe as they currently are.

2200 hours

When she was relaxed enough, feeling a little tipsy, she turned the music off and headed into the bedroom, where she got undressed, these days she slept in the bare flesh, as the injuries that followed the nightmare made her body hurt upon waking, she replicated a Pint glass of cold water and drank it down, then she got into bed "Computer activate sound dampeners" she said then laid down and closed her eyes, it took her body sometime to relax, but eventually she entered REM level.

- Dreamscape -

Once again, she was in chains and also naked, dirty, grimy and covered in dried blood and getting kicked, she had no idea for how long this had gone on, but suddenly it stopped. She was still hanging there in chains, but her tormentors had vanished; the next thing she was unchained and on her hands and knees as she looked up through swollen eyes. She reared back in surprise as she saw herself all prim and proper and without injuries, looking down at her.

"In the name of all that is holy, is this how you see yourself!" the mean version of herself said.

"What do you mean?" the tortured version asked, suddenly able to see properly although she was still naked and covered in dirt, blood and grime.

"You do know that you can end this nightmare anytime, but you choose to remain here, so why are you here?" The mean Jasmine asked as the surroundings changed to narrow corridors with doors.

"What the hell!!" the griny Jasmine responded as she looked around, "this is the corridors of the Tomcat", she said.

"Yes, but it is also how your mind is interpreting things, giving you familiar surroundings. Now, these corridors are the representation of your mental channels, so bland, so boring, you could imagine that they were anything, but you imagine starship corridors *sigh* the doors along both sides have segments of your life, but this is nothing compared to what is ahead," the mean Jasmine said.

Both versions walked the corridors until they came to a room labelled "main engineering".

"In your mind travels you came this far, then you were back in your prison getting tortured, and you forgot about it" the mean Jasmine said.

"Why did I forget? And why or how am I still here and no repeats?" the dirty Jasmine asked.

"Because the side that still has the will is keeping you here", she said, and saw the other woman hold her head in pain "Yes, that pain you are feeling is what stops you from finding out what is behind the door, but tonight we will find out what the reason is for you not wanting to go any further", the mean Jasmine said.

Then another figure appeared in front of them, it was the guy who tortured her "You cannot be here, you must return to your chamber, nothing bad is behind this door", he said.

Feeling the pain in her head, the grimy Jasmine pushed through the pain "I killed you on the shuttle that rescued me, how can you be here?" grimy Jasmine asked. The other version of her remained silent, just stood there.

"That was my physical body. I put a part of me into your mind during your interrogation. Your will is all but gone, you do not have the strength to fight me and do not look to your other self; she cannot interfere, she is a guide, now return to your position," the figure said.

"Screw this!" the grimy Jamsine exclaimed and walked through the figure, who looked angry "YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!" he said loudly and vanished.

She turned back to her clean self, "What the hell was that?" She asked.

The mean Jasmine actually smiled, and it was not mean "well done, you still got some backbone I see, that was a mental manifestation of the guy you killed, he was an advanced being and could plant a safeguard like that, you subconciously suspect that there is something behind this door that is the cause of the extreme body reaction to what you suffer in your mind" the other Jasmine said.

"So, he is the one person I have to beat and the reason for stopping me here?" she asked.

The other Jasmine nodded, "So I ask again, why are you here, and what do you want? These questions only you can answer", the other Jasmine said.

"That is both of the questions that I cannot answer," the grimy one said, "at the moment," she added.

"Then your pain will continue until you do. But now back to this, while I was wandering your pathways, I saw what was on the other side of this door, and I believe that it is what is stopping you from breaking this violent cycle, well, part of the reason," the clean one said.

"I have seen a blonde female, young, who has been with me on occasion; it turned out she was someone called Annabel, a friend of my cousin, but this woman died decades ago!" the dirty one said.

The clean one shrugged, "Beyond me now, are you ready?" the clean one asked, all warmth in her voice gone again.

"As ready as I will ever be", the dirty one answered.

Both entered into a bright light, which resolved into the Tomcat's engineering room, but where the warp core should be was a tangle of light surrounded by the guy who was her tormentor.

"Oh geeze!! Really, as if one was not bad enough, now there are multiple!" the dirty one exclaimed.

The many images of the guy spoke at once, "Well done, you got to the second part, but you shall get no further!" he said.

Both versions sighed and rolled their eyes.

Looking at the clean one, "I assume you cannot get involved in this bit, and it is something I have to face?" the dirty one asked "Yes," was all the other one said.

A battle of mental will commenced. The moment she started to get the upper hand, she ended up with no bruises. The dirty one quickly figured it out.

"The more victories you get, the more damage your physical body takes. Should you defeat me, the final stage will require all your remaining strength, and it will kill you," he said with a smile that turned into an evil laugh.

It took some time and sapped her strength considerably; the injuries she was suffering were beginning to hurt, but eventually she defeated the guy, who left with an evil laugh.

The mean version of her stood by with a satisfied smile on her face, with great struggle, she deactivated the glowing orb which represented the Bio-neural semi-organic implant.

She looked at the other one, "The thing that was making it worse has been nullified, from this moment on, if you remain here, it is because you want to remain here", her mean self said and vanished.

- Real World -

Jasmine woke up in a cold sweat; this time, it was only bruises that covered her body, but she was weak and exhausted "Computer open channel to doctor Ross", she said.

When the line was open, sounding exhausted=/\= Doctor, report to my quarters promptly. There has also been some headway in bringing a scanner that can detect a bi-neural semi-organic implant in the head. When you get there, you are free to enter. I am mentally and physically exhausted and am currently covered in bruises, thankfully only bruises this time =/\= she said.

- 2230 Hours – Captain’s Quarters, USS Tomcat -

Doctor Gavin Ross steps through the door the moment the comm cuts out. His coat is already half-unzipped, tricorder in hand and beeping steadily.

He finally arrives at the Captain's quarters and enters, and heads straight to her sleeping area.

The soft blue scanner light sweeps across the Captain’s bruised body as he moves straight to the bed in a few quick strides.

“Captain, Doctor Ross. I got your call. Let’s take a look right now.”

He kneels beside her without wasting time, running the tricorder slowly from her head down to her chest. The readings come fast—lots of activity lighting up on the display. He watches the data scroll, eyebrows pulling together.

“That anomalous reading from my last visit is persisting. We can’t treat this properly here.” "Do you mind if I have you in sick bay? I need to check you out properly."

"That would be the best place to locate this item that is in my head

"Transporter Room Two. Medical priority site-to-site — Captain Somers and me, direct to Isolation Suite One in Sickbay. Lock on and energise when ready.”

He placed a gentle, professional hand on her shoulder. “Private suite, full diagnostic array, no one else around. You can rest and recover properly. I’ve got you, Captain. Ready when you are.”

The transporter hum began to build around them as Dr Ross stayed fully present, eyes calm and confident...

- Main Sick Bay -

Jasmine stumbles and holds onto the wall "Help me up onto the diagnostic bed", she said

Ross immediately and strategically helped Jasmine up from the side wall of the sickbay, carrying her with his formidable, understated strength to the main sick bay, bio and surgical unit. Lying Captain Somers gently on the bio bed, Ross activated the various technical settings, instrument programming, as he furiously turned on the overhead light in the bay, opening the room, as the lighting flickered a bright white to life in the whole circular layout, with a bio bed smack in the centre.

“You're going to have a DNA level scan around the 'item,' and the item itself for any kind of metallurgical, RF designing.” Gavin levelled a device that was close to the Captain’s head, hovering above.

The nurses coming around, Nurse Otes Ze is informed by Dr Ross of which lab readings he wants done, without involving him too much in the whole Captain's care. As it is sensitive, an ‘Item’ in the head could be considered as medical privacy at the Captain’s discretion.

“Tell me when you feel a cold sensation in your forehead; it should indicate where the computer believes the device is,” Gavin instructed Captain Somers. He then checked through the information… “How are you doing?” Ross was concerned.

"Surprisingly fine, but then again, I am not sleeping, thanks to your tender care; my bruises are gone, and we are about to find out what device is amplifying my nightmares, making it harder to deal with them when asleep. I feel a Cold sensation, Doctor!" She said.

Ross reached over and adjusted the re-scan wand across her shoulder, the soft blue pulse washing over the fading bruises.

“The computer’s locked onto it,” he said quietly, eyes on the readout. “Solid DNA trace and the metallurgical signature is coming back now. It’s artificial — RF-tuned, nothing organic. We can isolate it without hitting any neural tissue.”
He leaned in closer, voice dropping.

“I am getting you lunch and a refreshment, you’re being a good sport,” Gavin ordered a meal prep for her, as Jasmine might be over lunch in the scanning and body mapping unit. "At the same time, I am re-scanning your body sores once more. How bad was the dream this time?!" Ross concernedly kneeled to the side of the bio-surgical bed, as he was eye-to-eye with Jasmine.

"This time, the bruises were from getting to the ball of light, from what was said by a mean version of me that the energy ball represented a foreign object in my mind, making my mental punishment worse than it should be. I got the latest bruises fighting the device's mental defences, but I managed it; only the bruises were the result of that; to be honest with you, doc, I was relieved that it was only bruises this time," she said, taking the food and wolfing it down.

“I’m glad it was only bruises this time, Jasmine. That ‘mean version’ of you… That’s the device pushing back. It’s using your own doubts against you, making everything worse. But I’m not letting it keep hurting you while you sleep. We’ll start the full neural dampening protocols tonight once the scan’s done. Just focus on the food for now. You’re safe. I’ve got you, Captain.”

Ross glanced up at the hovering display, then met her eyes with a quiet, determined smile.

Speaking around a mouthful of food, "I want the implant out, Gavin, I want it gone, then perhaps my subconscious can deal with the Trauma in a normal fashion where I do not suffer such injuries," Jasmine finished.

Gavin heard the captain’s request and felt it too. Rightly so, she wanted the device removed from her body, and he understood that the situation was dire for Jasmine. He understood the situation quite well.

“Captain… Jasmine.” Ross nodded, bringing his hands together.

“I need a few hours to determine the best thermal retraction treatment.” Ross searched the main sickbay computer for the procedure, tapping a few buttons, opening program files and metrics, and entering them for Jasmine's neural implant device.
He turned back to Jasmine, watching how quickly she ate the sandwich. “More?”

*Looks up, surprised mid-chew* She quickly swallowed "Please", she responded, finishing her food off.

Ross smiled. She was famished and probably had not been eating well. “I can give you a nutrient infusion to help the body recover.”

"If it helps, but I know I will be replicating a Medium Pepperoni Pizza when I get back to my quarters and having me an ice-cold beer or two from my chiller, do not worry it is low alcohol, so I am not going to get drunk", she said with a smile. "What of the Procedure, Gavin?" She asked.

“As for the procedure, I need to tag the device with a BAL-4 Resistance Indicator. I will use a biotherme transporter to remove it.” Gavin saw her tired face and eyes, and Jasmine’s body was becoming frailer. “I will remove it within the hour, Captain.”

Putting her dish to one side and lying back, suddenly feeling exhausted, "Excellent, hopefully my subconscious can then deal with it more easily because this implant is a %$*%* pain in the head", she said, looking sheepishly," Sorry for the cursing" she added.

Dr Gavin Ross gave her a small, tired smile of his own.

"That pizza and a couple of low-alcohol beers actually sound like a solid plan once we're done here, Captain. We'll make sure you're good to go." He softened. "And don't apologise for the cursing. You've had every reason."

He reached for the hypospray, the Bio Surgical Unit already prepped and humming around them.

"Light neural relaxant first... just to take the edge off while we work." It hissed softly against her neck. "We're staying right here. No need to move you."

Jasmine nodded and felt herself relaxing.

The cranial scanner came online with a quiet tone. Ross studied the display for a moment, then picked up the applicator.

"First, the BAL-4 Resistance Indicator. It locks the implant down so it can't resist or keep pushing signals into your head."

The field engaged with a soft glow, then chimed once it was set.

"Tags in place. Now the biotherme transporter. It'll phase the device out at the molecular level. You might feel some warmth or pressure for a second... nothing sharp."

He checked the monitors, then looked at her.

"Ready, Captain? This should finally let your subconscious settle and ease those night terrors and the metaphysical bruising."

*Smiling* "So ready, do it, Doctor," She said.

The transporter field shimmered into being, held for a few seconds, then faded. The sick bay computer then alerted as the inert device materialised in the containment vial.

"It's out," he said quietly, watching the readings. "No residual resistance. Your pathways are already starting to calm down."

Gavin turned back to her, expression steady but open.

"How does your head feel now? Any change in the pressure or that background ache?"

She placed her hand to her temple, "a little ache, but nothing to write home about. I hope I can come to terms with things in my mind now that this device is out. I had no initial idea the implant was there; I only knew normal psychosematic damage is not normally as extreme as I was suffering, damn that guy," she responded.

"In your medical file. I've..." Gavin paused. "Never had the nerve to ask. Since you are the Captain. I know you are very personal." He asked. "What man did this to you? In the records, his name is redacted, I would assume for security purposes. But you... You were tortured, Jasmine. Have you not sought payback?" Gavin was enraged inside since finding out this whole ordeal that Jasmine was enduring, not just the horrendous torture she had to endure in her near past, but the after effects, this device that lingered on, it was sickening.

She stopped rubbing her temples and looked up at Gavin "The guy was an evolved being, slightly less evolved than a Q. He could only manipulate an individual's biology, and he was a very good scientist, very smart, but a high-functioning psychopath. His initial colony world somehow got infected, and all the colonists became zombies, of the worst kind. Forget the old Romeo Zombies or those that were in The Walking Dead TV show; these Zombies had some limited intelligence, and you could see pain in their mad eyes as their brain neurons rapidly rotted. I am told that some colonists managed to retain some semblance of themselves, commandeered a shuttle and headed to a neighbouring Class M world in the same system, which had uninfected colonists on it. The Tomcat Commander at that time had to destroy the shuttle under the command of a quarantine rule; they were too far gone to be saved" She paused.

"As much as my PTSD is affecting me, the Acting Commander of the Tomcat at the time would have had to have dealt with an order never given since Starfleet was first founded, the Commander had to get clearance from CinC Starfleet after supplying all evidence, both medical, visual and such and even then CinC reluctantly authorised a Base Delta Zero" she said and fell silent allowing GAving to absorb what she had just said, she had no idea if he knew what a Base Delta Zero meant, not many in the Federation actually knew, but she would get around to answering his question about payback.

Gavin, in all his career, had never heard of such a sickening situation. “Psychopath level 01. This ‘evolved being’ has such powers, infinite intelligence it seems, yet uses them to torture humans. Doesn’t sound all that evolved to me at… all.” Gavin could not comprehend such a horror inflicted on subjects. He had heard of historical doctors using patients for sick tests back in earth history under the guise of science, but this was… Wow.

“I can empathise with the former Tomcat commander. This was obviously before your current tenure…” Gavin took a hypospray that aided the brain in neuroplasticity, instantly recovering the sections of the Captain’s brain, revitalising traumatised neuron links, down to the molecular level… “Your headache should improve momentarily. I know it still hurts, Ma’am.” He badly wanted to erase this pain from her. It was his duty and ethical obligation to do everything in his power, and the new technology was updated on the Tomcat.

“I’m now…” Ross reached over head to the nearby sensor cluster above the bio bed, gently guiding it to pinpoint just above the Captain's noggin. “Jasmine. Ma’am. Please keep your head still for a moment. I am using a PIT reference LT-440 (Point In Time) scan, which again analyses down to the molecular and neutron levels. Since I have no idea what the alien implant was doing all these years… Was it years?” He had so many questions.

"Nope, you might remember Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers! She was the acting CO when it all went down, and it has been about a year since the abduction of me, the PIT! " Elaborate, please, Gavin," The Captain said.

“The PIT references the Main Sickbay Computer, its super charged to extrapolate the data received and correlate over a million potential effects to the brain, which I can not establish myself. If the PIT scan shows you are clear for the next three months of stable, normal brain parameters, then you will be good to go for some much-needed, trauma-free sleep. No more drugs to calm you down, no more alcohol. Just the few drinks we mentioned for tonight are fine, you’ve earned them and more…” He raised a slight smile, letting the Captain know she would be recovering quite well. Hopefully, she would seek counselling next; he would make it a priority patient call to Counsellor Kildare.

"Drinks tonight, what are you on about, Gavin?" she asked. She had to admit her memory was a little fuzzy at the moment, so soon after surgery "I just hope I can mentally resolve my torment, but I am no fool, I know that even if I break it, what happened will still effect me to some extent, perhaps it is just as well this is my last mission as Commander, the stresses out in this area of space makes it perilous for the ship" the Captain said.

Ross turned to her, brow furrowed like he was trying to make sense of it himself.

“Jasmine, you just said to me a moment ago..." He looked right at her softly. "You me", Gavin looked at the sick bay chronometer, "that once you got back to your quarters, you were going to replicate a medium pepperoni pizza and grab yourself an ice-cold beer or two from the chiller. You even said not to worry, it was low alcohol, so you weren’t gonna get drunk."

Gavin stepped in a little closer, voice low and steady, but there was real worry in his eyes.

“Captain… I need to be honest with you. You need professional psychiatric help. This isn’t something you can just wish away or push to the back of your mind. I’m not a psychiatrist. I can only do so much in a real medical emergency. But I’m concerned about you. I understand this is your..." Ross was sad about it.

"The last mission as our Captain aboard the Tomcat." He paused, addressing the elephant in the room. "About your mental health. The fact that you don’t remember saying any of that to me just a short while ago… that’s not normal, and it’s worrying me. I think you should talk to the ship’s counsellor. It’ll be completely confidential, and it won’t affect your standing as captain of the Tomcat at all. The choice is yours, but I really hope you’ll do it. For your own sake.” Doctor Ross was sincere, soft, and not demanding, but offering help.

Looking at him and smiling before looking forward, "Oh, I remember saying about the Pizza Gavin, I just do not dwell on it, fuzzy memory notwithstanding. Also, Doctor, I am not a fool as that is another reason for my taking command of SB51, it has one of those people, I also know defeating my nightmare mentally is only part of the solution, the rest is therapy," Jasmine said and her tone went dark when she said "therapy" she looked up at him with a smile, thanks to you Doctor my mental future looks bright, but I also hope you understand why this mission is my last, I am manythings Gavin, and stupid is not one of them" she paused.

"Also, you will have to meet Captain Alexandria Somers when she arrives. She has dealt with her PTSD as it happened decades ago; mine is recent. You will likely find some healed, fractured and broken bones on her body, but she has dealt with her Truma and has been cleared by Starfleet Medical. As a former Rifle Officer, you may find she is stubborn in other areas, but she is good at what she does and is the Commander this ship and crew need going forward. I can do no more for them" A pause. "Hey Gavin, when can I get out of here so I can get my Pizza and Beer, kind of fancying it at this moment," Jasmine said.

Dr Ross offered a warm, tired smile, one hand resting lightly on the biobed controls while he kept half an eye on her neural readings.

“Glad you remember the pizza, Captain,” he said softly, a hint of amusement in his voice. “And I’m relieved you’re already planning on seeing the counsellor. That’s a smart move.”

Gavin gave a small chuckle. “As for the new Captain, Ma’am, you have my word. I will give Alex a thorough examination when she arrives. Ten more minutes and you’re free to chase that pepperoni and beer. Just do me one favour... Throw some vegetables on that pizza, yeah? Doctor’s orders.”

His tone grew quieter, sincere. “I’m proud of you, Jasmine. You’ve been nothing but the exemplification of a Starfleet Captain and a true friend. You’ve got this. Now go eat before I change my mind.”

"Change your mind, huh... Interesting response, I will keep you apprised on said nightmares and such, but for now, thank you for your excellent care," Jasmine said with a smile, nodded and left medical, her stomach suddenly rumbling at the thought of solid food.

[OFF]

 

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