Sleepless In Montana

Posted on Sat Aug 30th, 2025 @ 7:03am by Ensign Fiona Flores & Lieutenant JG Brandon Smith

1,121 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Children of the Stars
Location: Quarters/Sickbay/Shuttlebay
Timeline: 0230hours

Fiona lay on her back beneath a set of blankets and sheets in her bed, groaning as she looked at the featureless ceiling in her darkened quarters. She had tried everything from warm milk, meditation, a follow-up session on the treadmill in the gym, and even reading the ship's schematics. Yet, despite her best efforts over the previous four hours, Fiona was unable to fall into slumber.

Gritting her teeth, Fiona rolled over onto her side and aggressively thumped her neighbouring wall, shouting, "SHUT UP!" The low pulse of music emitting from her neighbour's quarters had been playing non-stop. Fiona had attempted door knocking, initiating a video call, playing loud music of her own, and, finally, profanity-laden shouts. Nothing. It was still persisting.

Growling, she shoved the bed dressings off her slender body, rolled out of bed, and strolled across her quarters in an orange sports bra and matching panties, "LIGHTS, MIDNIGHT SETTINGS - 20%!"

Fiona's quarters were suddenly illuminated in soft blue as she stormed toward her wardrobe. Sliding open its door, Fiona collected a navy-blue blazer with three gold buttons and a pair of white leggings. Pulling her blazer on over her orange sports bra, and getting into her leggings, Fiona sat on the edge of her bed as she slid her bare feet into a pair of navy blue low-top flat sneakers.

Furiously exiting her quarters as she tied her hair into an upstanding ponytail, Fiona kicked her neighbour's quarters as she marched toward the Turbolift. Once inside, she barked, "DECK 3!"

No more than a minute later, she had arrived in sickbay. To her relief, there were no other patients. Instead, the circular-shaped sickbay consisted of three empty beds and, to the left, an office partitioned by a transparent floor-to-ceiling wall. Clearing her throat, Fiona approached the glassy wall, tapping her right knuckles against its surface to alert the Doctor of her arrival. The tanned male in a medical uniform, approximately in his fifties, with greying dark hair and a moustache, looked up from his computer with a welcoming smile.

Exiting his office, he clasped his hands together, "I don't believe we've met."

Fiona smiled faintly, "Flores. Ensign Fiona Flores. I'm a new arrival."

"Flores...Flores," he gazed up to the ceiling a moment as he connected the dots. Clicking his fingers, he looked back at her, "Communications."

A smirk crept onto her face, "There is no way you remember an entire crew manifest."

He tapped the side of his head, "Almost the fastest computer in the quadrant. I'm Doctor Sanguina."

Fiona nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

"What brings you to sickbay?"

She sighed, "Insomnia."

"I see," he gestured toward one of the beds. "Take a seat." As Fiona sat, he asked, "Do you have a history of it?"

Fiona, now seated on a medical bed, shook her head, "It's not like that. It isn't lifestyle or health-related. Not mine anyway. My neighbour is playing loud music, and I cannot sleep."

Giving the illusion that he was about to answer, Sanguina stopped himself. Noticing his hesitation, Fiona asked, "Doctor?"

He insisted, "No. No, nothing. Just thinking. Which deck are you on?"

"Deck 3."

"Ah-huh. Right," he answered, looking down.

Furrowing her eyebrow, Fiona asked, "So, I need something that will help me sleep. Is any of this making sense."

Standing stiffly with his hands behind his back, Sanguina answered, "Complete and total sense. I can recommend some counting techniques, stretches, even some recipes."

Fiona waved her hand dismissively, "Forget it. I've tried everything. Literally. I need a sleeping agent."

"That's out of the question."

"Why?"

"Your condition isn't medical."

Fiona tilted her head back, "Tell me you're kidding."

"I'm afraid that i'm not."

"So, what the hell do I do?"

Sanguina paced back and forth, asking, "Have you spoken to your XO?"

"At nearly 0-300 hours? On my first sleep on board Montana?"

"Ensign, you know the grounds for the issue of medication. Sleeping drugs require a prescription."

Fiona slid off the examination bed, "I'm not counting sheep."

"Just do the best you can. Rough it for one night."

"The night before a potential first-contact mission? The same eve i'm due to run reports in Astrometrics?"

"Ensign, i'm sorry."

She groaned, "Fine. I''ll come up with something. Enjoy the graveyard shift, Doctor." Fiona sauntered out of sickbay without a comment further, leaving Sanguina to shake his head.

Fiona returned to Deck 3, and stopped outside of her quarters to hear that the music was still persisting. Before she entered her own quarters, Fiona kicked her heel against her neighbours door. Collecting a leather overnight bag, Fiona stuffed some fresh clothes and toiletries into it, and also took a sleeping bag with her.

Remaining on the same deck (Deck 5), Fiona walked to the shuttle bay to see that she was mostly alone, barring the graveyard shift which comprised of no more than half a dozen officers. Standing to the side, she waited to ensure that none of them noticed that she was present. Fiona surreptitiously crept toward the nearest shuttle which had its rear hatch lowered. Taking a minute to look behind her, Fiona was convinced that she had boarded the shuttle without anyone noticing.

She then lay her sleeping bag out in the wall-built bunk, kicked her sneakers off, and climbed into her bag. It only took her twenty minutes to fall asleep after pressing her head against the pillow.

=/\=



Hours later, Fiona's eyes flicked open at the sound of footsteps entering the shuttle. Rolling over onto her back, Fiona sat up slightly on her elbow, cocking her head to the right to see three security officers entering the shuttle. Smiling, she slurred, "Heeeey. I guess you guys need this for a morning spin?"

In the middle of the three stood a male in his late twenties, dressed in full uniform, sighing, “Ensign, this shuttlecraft is needed for a routine inspection. Have you cleared this with the Captain?”

Fiona blinked wearily, punctuated by a yawn, “No, no he hasn’t. I was just working overtime, and crawled into this bunk here. I missed your name.”

He answered, “You must be one of the new arrivals. I’m Lieutenant Brandon Smith. I work in security.”

She sat up in the bunk, clutching her sleeping bag to her chest, attempting her best show of puppy dog eyes, “Am I in trouble?”

Brandon briefly took in his surroundings, “Since i’m not seeing any evidence of alcohol or drugs, I can overlook this misdemeanour once. But, in future, perhaps you would be best to observe regular working hours rather than sleeping on the job?”

Fiona playfully saluted, “You have my word, Lieutenant Smith.”

 

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