Reckless

Posted on Thu Jun 29th, 2023 @ 6:45am by Lieutenant JG Ryland Dedeker & Lieutenant Sophie Xiong
Edited on on Thu Aug 10th, 2023 @ 1:55pm

1,330 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Season 1 Interlude II (E5.5)
Location: Dreamscape
Timeline: Night between MD5-6

While she had been busy repairing and upgrading the shuttle, Sophie’s mind had turned from trying to escape to something more sinister. The thought had actually given her so much glee she had caught herself giggling maniacally under her breath on more than one occasion. She always squashed it quickly, though, it wouldn’t do for the Pakleds to hear and start asking questions.

She was still in the middle of an upgrade when exhaustion overwhelmed her and she leaned against the nearest wall to rest a moment. Just a moment and then she’s get back to work. She’d just close her eyes for a moment….

---

A field of poppies surrounded her as billowy clouds floated by within arm’s reach. Lazily, Sophie reached up and allowed a finger to trace a lazy line in one of the clouds. Some of it stuck to her finger and she examined it before tasting it. “Banana!” she exclaimed, surprised. Another cloud floated on front of her- this one giggled when she traced her finger through it- and it tasted like cherry. How curious.

There was a crowd walking below Sophie's cloud. It was a parade of sorts with robed figures ringing bells and forcing a man to march naked down a muddy road to the entertainment of angry peasant folk. "Shame! Shame! Shame!" declared the lead crier. Behind him, a chorus repeated the words in a harsh cacophony of voices. "SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!"

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Damned Vulcans,” she muttered under her breath. “Hey!” she yelled at them. “Be quiet! Some of us are enjoying the fruit salad clouds!”

At the head of the shame parade, the naked man looked up for a moment before shouting, "Soph? Is that you?" It was distinctly Ryland's voice.

"SHAME! SHAME! cried the choir behind him.

This time, Sophie propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look. “Dedeker!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing with those Vulcans? And where are your clothes?”

"I think I'm having a nightmare!" Ryland shouted back. "But usually naked dreams are the good ones!"

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” she called back. “Maybe you should come up here.”

With a shrug and a grunt, Ryland through his fist in the air and gave a jump. At first he just landed on his feet, but after a second try, he launched into the air like a rocket and flew toward Sophie's cloud. "Hey, baaaaby," he said as he reclined on the cloud next to her in over-the-top seduction.

“If this is one of those dreams, how come I have clothes on?” she asked. “And why are their fruit flavored clouds?”

Ryland shrugged. "Same reason why there are other people? Some of the others said they remembered the dream from before. You know, the one where Reggie and I fought each other?" The one where Reggie's hand inflated into a super fist and sent him sailing, but who needed to mention that? "Anyway, they think you're kidnapped by Pakleds."

“I was!” she replied. “They’ve got me fixing up their shuttle. You’re never going to believe it. They have an old Maverick Mark VI! And they’ve got me fixing it up to be space worthy. Have you ever heard anything so stupid in your life?”

"How in the hell did you get kidnapped by Pakleds?" Ryland laughed hard enough he grabbed his bare ribs. "And they're making you work on a piece of shit shuttle!" His laughter peaked to howling.

“You’re not supposed to laugh at the girl you want to get lucky with,” she scolded sternly. “It was a case of mistaken identity. I thought they were actors from the tour company I signed up for a special tour with and they thought I was a Vulcan they were supposed to kidnap for ransom.”

Ryland only laughed harder. "Vulcan? You? Who the hell makes that kind of mix-up?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Pakleds, obviously,” she replied. “I’ve vastly underestimated their stupidity.”

"All right, all right, I'll come to your rescue," Ryland said arrogantly. "You don't have to ask me twice."

“Don’t be ridiculous,” scoffed Sophie. “I’ve already like 18 opportunities to escape. These are Pakleds we’re talking about here.”

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were leaving me for someone with a bigger dick." Ryland snickered at his juvenile joke.

“I don’t think Pakleds even have dicks,” replied Sophie with a roll of her eyes. “But forget about that for now. When I’m ready to escape, they won’t even know I’m gone until it’s way too late. For them and whoever is representing the Black Nagus out there.”

The mention of the Black Nagus took all the fire out of Ryland's amusement. "Black Nagus? Seriously? Shit, Soph, you don't want to fuck with those guys. We need to get you long gone pronto."

“Not a chance,” replied Sophie flatly. “I’m going to try to kill him.”

"Don't be dumb," Ryland said. "Nobody's gotten near the actual Black Nagus in years. Mrazak brags he has and I don't believe that for a second. The closest you'll get is some stupid go-between who will kill you as soon as you aren't worth anything." A bit of panic tinged his voice. "Seriously, Soph. Whatever you're planning to do, don't do it!"

“I’m sure it’s not the Black Nagus,” she replied. “But, it would send a message for sure.”

Ryland shook his head in frustration at the stubborn woman. "What message? That you have a death wish? The Black Nagus group kills people who cross them, Soph. Just for the fun of it." He shook his head harder in disagreement. "No, I'm going to get you. Any idea where you're being held?"

“Somewhere in the jungle,” she replied with a shake of her head. “Never mind that. Do you think you can remember a ship registry number when you wake up? You could track their Maverick. That would be easier.”

"Maybe," Ryland said with a shrug. "Shit's gone wild and Pakleds tend to piece scrap together. I'll find you one way or another though. I promise."

Sophie rattled off the registry of the Pakled ship. “Even if it’s not exact, it should be close enough to find a match,” she said. “I should kill then. They’re a menace.”

"Kill whoever you have to but have an exit plan," Ryland said. Then, realizing he was still naked and remembering he was dreaming, he said, "Shit, I hope I remember all this when I wake up..."

Sophie shrugged. “If not, I’ll just go with my original plan,” she decided.

"I'm still going to find you," Ryland promised. Looking down at himself, a smirk came over his face. "While we're here and dreaming and all, you wanna' make my dreams come true?"

“Yeah, okay,” said Sophie with a shrug, hand going to her shirt, only to find it not there. In fact, all of her clothing was gone. “Hm, that’s interesting,” she said sounding almost bored. “I’ve never had a naked dream before.”

"Not one you were in, at least," Ryland said. "Hey, since we're dreaming, we could always, you know, look for company..." His eyes waggled.

“I’ve done that,” she told him. “It’s too much to concentrate on. Plus, the only other people here are those weird Vulcans and I can’t see any of them being interested.”

Ryland laughed hysterically at the thought. So much so that his body winked out of the dreamscape before they could get to business.

Sophie sighed. “Figures,” she muttered. She looked down at her naked body and shrugged. No use being embarrassed in a dream, was there? So, she simply laid back in the poppies and continued to enjoy watching the clouds float above.

 

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