King's Court...Chapter 2

[Night Manager]

Chapter Two:
NIGHT TERRORS!

                                    I settle the floor panels back into place over the secret hold then turn to stare at the stacked cargo containers strapped down in the middle of the prep bay. Then I pull up the virtual holo and set the C.O.P. to wake me in one ships shift. With one glance back at the cargo containers I start up ship for my quarters to bunk down.
                                    I settle the floor panels back into place over the secret hold then turn to stare at the stacked cargo containers strapped down in the middle of the prep bay. Then I pull up the virtual holo and set the C.O.P. to wake me in one ships shift. With one glance back at the cargo containers I start up ship for my quarters to bunk down.
                                    I settle the floor panels back into place over the secret hold then turn to stare at the stacked cargo containers strapped down in the middle of the prep bay. Then I pull up the virtual holo… wait… what’s going on?
            The holographic lights of the C.O.P. dance before me. I stop myself from sending the subvocal command to activate them but that doesn’t seem to bother the holo; the C.O.P. still registers the command to wake me after one shift. What’s happening?
            Suddenly…I’m in the access stairwell headed up ship. This…oh…I get it.
            I’m dreaming.
            During my time in the ADF, I, along with my fellow soldiers, was indoctrinated into the Wars Of The Blade by means of Arcadian Combat Memory Training; a method of implanting combat memories into a fresh recruit via a means of lucid dreaming. Gave us much needed combat experience before we ever actually came under fire.
            It was a boon but it did leave a few nasty side effects, one being that many of us would never dream the same way again. After memory training forced us to remain conscious during the implantation of memories some lost the ability to dream with subconsciously. So we would remain lucid even after entering the rem stage of sleep. Also our dreams are no longer cobbled together images and experiences from our memories, no longer our subconscious imagination at work. Our dreams are memories, full and intact that play over and over again while our bodies sleep…they’re usually the worst memories.
            But this is different. I usually dream an old memory but here I sit, back in the prep bay locking down my gear. What’s the mal? Maybe the stress I’ve been under has finally popped something in my brain?
            As I slide the panels back into place again I try and look around. Like in most of my dreams I can get at least a blurry image of what I did not directly look at. This memory I just lived. This is me stowing my gear and then heading for some rack time.
            Sometimes I can control what I dream. If I go to sleep thinking about my ship, I might dream a memory of when I first found her or of repairing her. If I’m thinking about food then I’ll dream about a time I was eating that food.
            For the most part though, no matter what I’m thinking, I dream about the Blade. I dream the skirmishes over and over again. I see my friends die in exacting detail on a nightly basis. I see Arcadia fall…
            But never have I dreamt about something as simple as stowing my gear and checking my cargo. Why is this?
            I settle the floor panels back into place over the secret hold then turn to stare at the stacked cargo containers strapped down in the middle of the prep bay…again! This is going to get monotonous real fast. Because I dream lucidly, I can’t wake myself. So I’m trapped in my sleeping body until either it wakes on its own or the C.O.P. pings and jolts me awake.
            Still, I’ve had worse dreams. This could be much worse so I guess I shouldn’t complain that…
            OH FEK! Did I just see what I thought I did? I struggle to turn around but I’m already heading up ship with no way to stop myself. Okay…don’t panic…I did NOT just see that.
            Finally, I’m in my bunk again and settling down to sleep.
                                    I settle the floor panels back into place over the secret hold then turn to stare at the stacked cargo containers strapped down in the middle of the prep bay.
            Where is it? I stare down the containers but everything looks fine. Maybe I just imagined it; if that’s even possible in a lucid dream.
            But there’s nothing there. I should be fine. The holo pops back up and I watch as the C.O.P. sets the wake up time again. Then as I reach the hatch I turn and…
            FEK! There it is. I didn’t notice when I was awake but there… just on the outside of the hologram that is the cargo container, is a brown muscular arm feeling its way around. Somehow the “package” got his arm loose of the control bar.

            Buck me; this dream has looped at least five times! By now he’s free!
            Cassad is loose on my ship and I’m trapped in my sleeping body!

[Penelope Flynn]

Okay...that is completely messed up!  That is the most hateful feeling when you know something is out of place, that something has gone wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it...until it's too late.

[Bro anton]

DAMN!