Charlie trudged along the corridor wearily after a long shift. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she turned the corner, she was looking forward to her warm bed.

She reached her quarters and made a beeline straight for her bedroom. She slowly got into her pyjamas and slumped into bed. Her head had barely hit the pillow before she was asleep.
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… “Charlie?!…” her little sister Mimi’s shrill voice cut through the noise of burning rubble as she huddled under her blanket, shaking like a leaf. Charlie coughed from the smoke which was building up in their house which was still being bombarded by weapons fire. At just 8 years old, Charlie was terrified as she nervously crawled across the floor towards her sister’s bed. Daddy had gone to help protect the colony but Charlie had no idea where her mother was but that wasn’t important, her little sister was in trouble.

She finally made it across the room, each inch feeling tougher than the last, and pulled back the cover to reveal her trembling sibling. She quickly scooped up the little girl and popped her on her back.

They made it out to the lounge just as a federation officer appeared via transporter and picked up the two children.

As they were beamed out to safety, Charlie’s mother, Elena, came staggering out of the hallway, her face markedly burned. Their eyes locked together as Charlie and Mimi disappeared to the safety of the federation rescue ship.
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Charlie woke with a start again and lay panting in the bed, her sweat sticking her pyjamas to her skin. She took a few moments to calm down before reaching over and turning on the light. As she rolled back, the charred and deformed face of her mother stared back at her. Charlie screamed and pulled the cover up to her neck, shaking in fear.

“Why Charlie?” Her mother asked plainly. “Why did you leave me?!” She demanded, a look of vengeance in her eyes. “Do you know how I died?!” She yelled. “It was agony! I felt my blood boil, my skin peel…” Elena’s voice took on a more sinister tone.

Charlie trembled with fear and shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “…mum…I didn’t know…I couldn’t find you…” she whispered through her sobbing. Elena stroked her cheek and Charlie recoiled as she felt the charred and crisp skin on her mother’s hand. Elena moved in closer and whispered in her ear, “You didn’t try…” She spat venomously.
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Charlie woke again, this time for real, with a blood curdling scream. “MUM!!!” She screamed as she hurriedly turned the light on and leapt out of the bed, immediately looking underneath. In a blind panic she ran around her quarters, checking every nook and cranny that she could find, getting more and more frenetic by the second.

Satisfied that no one was with her, she perched on the edge of the sofa, trembling and weeping uncontrollably. She could feel that her pulse rate was through the roof and she was starting to hyperventilate. She briefly thought about calling Dr Janvier but she knew her boss was on duty. As she pulled her legs in close and wrapped her arms around them, she tentatively tapped her comm badge.

=^= Ensign Bailey to Lt Cmdr Nunn… =^= she started as she sobbed. =^= Please could you come to my quarters if you’re free? =^= her voice crackling with emotion.

Dr Bailey