Her footfalls were absorbed by the carpet as she moved through the corridor and added to the strange silence that permeated the ship. Normally there were subtle things she could hear and feel- the subtle engine vibrations, the chatter of crew, the feel of the 450 crew members. That was the thing that got her about using Kane’s headband: she didn’t have the weight of all the thoughts and feelings, yes, but she no longer felt part of the whole. She was alone. Isolated.

Walking down the corridor, the silence felt damn near oppressive.

Dira… a voice whispered almost like a sound carried on wind. She spun, but no one was there and still there were no sounds, except for her heart beating in her ears.

“Who’s there?”

There was no reply.

She carried on down the corridor and stepped into a room. It was empty. Moving out she crossed to the other side and stepped into another room. It too was empty. She was missing something, what was it? She had to keep going!

She kept going down the corridor, searching room after room, but no one was there. Where was everyone?

Dira… it’s time.

She hurried down to the turbolift and the door slid open. She stepped in…

…and was standing on the porch over looking a lush green field, a wooded area in the distance. From behind, hands rested on her shoulders and ran down her arms, a breath blowing past her ear. “You are radiant,” he said, his tone expressing all the happiness she couldn’t feel from him. His hands moved to her abdomen and Dira looked down at the giant belly before her. Panic flew through her…

… and she woke up in a cold sweat.

Heart racing, she threw off the covers and moved to the fresher, plashing cold water on her face. It was not the first time she had had the dream.

Nor would it be the last.

Captain Myqian, CO