Sometimes All It Needs Is A Friend...

Posted on Monday September 16th, 2019 @ 1:06am by Lieutenant Commander Freya Mannerheim & Lieutenant JG Sydney Allen

1,234 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Departure and Trial Run
Location: LT Freya's Quarters, Deck 4
Timeline: The evening before launch

Freya sat in her armchair, staring into the void, deep in thought. Tomorrow morning, she would take the helm and move the Poseidon out of drydock. Tomorrow, she would finally become a fully active officer of the Federation's Starfleet. Absent-mindedly, her hand traced the outline of the combadge on her chest. She truly had become Lieutenant Freya Svanirsdottir of the United Federation of Planets. That young officer who had died in a failed escape pod, somewhere in the Badlands, who would never see her family again. Sora - the thought of her sister made tears well up in Freya's eyes. She had not had the courage yet to contact her counterpart's family. It would have been wrong, she told herself. It would have been a lie. Their Freya was dead.

Slowly, she stood. "Computer, mirror." Staring at her holographic reflection, Freya shook her head. "This is not me. It can't be me." With a shout of frustration, she ripped the Federation combadge from her jacket and threw it against the wall, where it shattered.

Sydney was pondering the walkways thinking about tomorrow and starting to realise that she was going to man up and get on with this tour. It was her first mission away from home so she was nervous.

Whilst walking past Freya's quarter she heard the clattering of the combadge against the wall. She buzzed the door so quickly she didn't even know what she was doing as it was just natural instinct to investigate what had happened to her friend.

The sound of the buzzer ripped Freya out of her thoughts. "Computer, disable mirror," she quickly commanded, before straightening her jacket. "Come!"

Sydney rushed in all panicked noticing the combadge shattered across the floor, "Hey Freya, everything okay darling? I heard the noise outside."

Freya forced herself to smile. "Ah, just the person I needed. My combadge stopped working. I'm going to need a new one." Without a word, she went to a locker and pulled out a bottle of dark, spiced rum and two glasses and put them on the table by her two armchairs. She poured the drinks and gestured for Sydney to sit. "Join me. Big day ahead."

"What the hell happened, It looks like you smashed your badge and that made it stop working." Sydney sat down next to Freya who could tell was in a not so normal mood. "I can't drink I'm duty officer for Operations today. So tell me, darling."

"Will you stop calling me that, quartermaster," Freya laughed, and tipped the contents of Sydney's glass into her own. "Well, it wasn't working before - I had been trying to call you actually before I chucked it against the wall in frustration." She emptied the rum in one go and poured herself another one. "You sure you don't want any of this? It is rather good."

"Oh, I will look into getting you one of the newest batches that just arrived today on the ship. And unfortunately, I can't due to being on duty. I would have loved to but I'm on call. So tell me everything that's on your mind." With a smirk "My Dear." Winking to Freya.

Freya shook her head. "Right then, Lieutenant Junior Grade Allen. If I have to pull rank to stop you, I will." She burst out laughing. "I guess I'm just nervous about the launch tomorrow. Not every day that a linguist gets promoted to chief conn officer." She downed another rum, before refilling her glass once again, and pouring some for Sydney. "And you will take a drink. That is an order."

Sydney giggled to herself "Yes Chief. " throwing down the shot, "Goodness me, that has a kick to it. By the way, you have nothing to worry about, you'll do fine. It was scary taking on the role of QM and Acting Assistant Chief Operations Officer." Sydney started to think, "So how did you get the job of CFCO? it just seems a bit out of your way."

Sydney raised her hand to Freya to pour her another one.

"That's more like it," Freya responded, refilling her friend's glass. "Well, I have some experience flying freighters, I helped my parents back in the day. They were traders." She knocked down another drink and refilled it. "Don't know what you mean, Syd, this stuff is lovely, is it not? Straight from the Caribbean. Took me ages to find a trader on the starbase who stocked genuine Terran liquor. How come you became quartermaster, anyway?"

"Yes the rum is lovely, I don't drink often." Sydney trying to not to slip the truth about her past, " I just applied to Starfleet Academy and was assigned Operations where I picked up the knack for sorting and organising stuff so I was offered the QM Course and past it with flying colours." Necking down the rum again. "To be honest I am really scared of what lies ahead for us as a crew, I have an uneasy feeling about this assignment. Do you have the same feeling."

Freya turned the glass in her hands before necking it once again. "You ever have this feeling that you are only acting a character, that you are presenting an image that is not who you really are, Syd?" She took off her glasses and held them in her hand for a moment. "Do you ever get this feeling that you aren't sure who you are any more?"

Sydney tilting her head to the side "I haven't really thought it that way, but kinda yes."

The bottle, by this point, was getting empty, but Freya poured them both a refill. "I feel lost, Syd. Why am I here? On this ship? In this universe?" She necked another shot. "And why the hell am I not getting drunk?"

Sydney not really thinking of what Freya just said, started to look at her in a different way. Sydney put her hand Freya's thigh, "You got anymore booze we could have." Sydney winked at Freya.

Freya smirked. "The trader did also have some other stuff. I have some Romulan ale in that locker, too. Might do the trick." She stood, and, in one movement, unzipped her jacket and threw it off, before walking back to the locker and taking out a clear bottle filled with bright blue liquid. Without bothering with a glass, she took a swig, before offering it to Sydney. "Careful, Quartermaster. This stuff is potent."

Sydney took off her jacket and took a huge dose of the ale, and instantly regretted it she went from sober to really tipsy. "Holy cow, what is in that?"

"No idea, but it sure is strong." Freya took the bottle back and took another swig before letting herself fall onto her bed and holding the bottle out for Sydney to take it. "Screw duty, quartermaster. You're relieved for the night."

"I believe I am. " Sydney jumped up from the chair and stumbled over to the bed where a very pretty Freya was lying. "Hey, you want to cuddle up to for the night. I feel safer with you around."

Freya pulled Sydney onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her friend. "We all need someone who makes us feel that way, Syd."

Sydney smiled "Hey lets do it."

Freya leaned closer to her friend. "Do what?" She giggled, before moving in to kiss Sydney.

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