There's something about Atna

Posted on Sat Oct 25th, 2025 @ 12:37pm by Lieutenant Commander Intharia T'Zor & Commander Alex Flynn

1,627 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave [3-4]
Location: The Wintergarden, Level Four, DS13
Timeline: Late Night - MD28

Alex and Thari had maybe overdone it a bit on their scheduled night out. They'd quickly made friends in the Wintergarden with a pair of Romulan men 20 years Alex's junior, and two centuries younger than Intharia. They were merchants, just passing through, but they went drink for drink, and they were charming enough to keep both women talking into their fourth hour.

Together, the four of them impulsively booked a holodeck and powered through four separate adventures powered by booze and enthusiasm. Just when it seemed like things might settle down and the pairs might go their own ways for the evening, one of the Romulans received a call, then had to tell the other about it. Then they both left suddenly in a transporter flash.

Disappointed and feeling more than a little teased, both women agreed that Freddie's was the best place to go, and they let their host know the story of the evening. In sympathy, he opened one of the older bottles of Aldebaran whiskey he'd been given by Ambassador Velt on his last birthday, and made Debrune Solar Floats for each of them.

After some passionate but technically limited karaoke on Freddie's stage, the two women looked more than a little ready to call it a night as they lounged about one of the booths, still singing the instrumental portions of the chorus of the last song they did in something approaching harmony.

Despite this, security knew better than to try to call the XO's night for her, and T'Zor being centuries old made anyone hesitant to tell her off. So the two were left to their meandering discussion.

"I know, I'm not supposed to say this, but he'd look so much better with a wig." Alex said, her staggering tone suggesting both a higher-end level of intoxication and that what she said was genuine.

Thari snorted with laughter at the unexpected suggestion. Flynn joked like the soldiers she'd known. Well, not quite so blue, but getting there.

"That's funny for me for different reasons, I think. Did you know I don't have hair?" Thari asked like it might shock Alex.

"Yeah it's like... cartilage? Can you shape it?" Alex asked. "Does it grow? Do you have to cut it?"

"You can shape it with grips and elastic bands and other stuff but it just goes like this if you leave it alone. I can't be assed with all that." Thari said, trying to reach the straw nearest her with her mouth, but not quite making it.

"I hate hair." Alex said, having imagined something more eloquent in her head.

"I love it. Probably because I don't have it. Atna had wonderful hair. She'd practiced the same routine every day since she was two. And it worked, perfect Vulcan hair." Thari said, not realising how revealing she was being.

"What uh, whatever happened there with you guys? I didn't want to ask when I got the notice."

"I have no idea. She just left for Earth with Rovak and never came back."

"Just like that?" Alex asked, absent-mindedly lighting the wrong end of a cigarette.

"Just like that. She was still recovering after that thing attacked her so I didn't see much of her, but then she left before we saw each other again, and she was gone."

"I'm so sorry that happened. But it's not like she didn't have a once in a forever-type deal offer." Alex said, finally lighting the correct end of a new cigarette. Freddie erected a privacy barrier to ensure the smoke didn't leave their radius.

"No, I get it. I do. And I didn't want to say anything. I haven't said anything. But it's just.. not her. And I know I sound like a jilted ex, but I can almost prove it." Intharia said, a sudden level of emotion she wasn't expecting flooding out.

"What do you mean?"

"We did a lot of mind-melding. I mean a lot of mind-melding. Her way and mine. I don't know if you've ever done a Vulcan meld, but the Asari variety is significantly more intense and intimate. Combining the two, minutes feel like days, hours felt like years. I know we were only together for a couple of months, but it's like we each experienced a version of each other's lives. And.. there's a version of her. A sort of thought-form that forms from the residue of all her memories."

"..Okay?" Alex wasn't sure she was following.

"It's a little Atna that lives in my head. And she says this is wrong. This isn't what she would do. That isn't her."

"Have you talked to Yy about this?" Alex asked with a sudden concern that was dulled by her blood alcohol level.

"Hey, I'm two-hundred and whatever years old. I know when there's a presence in my head that isn't mine. And if there's one presence I recognise best of all, it's Atna's. And that's what's there, tapping at the window and shouting criticisms."

"I don't think that's admissable in court, if I'm being honest."

"I know. And there's a reason I haven't said anything. I feel stupid that I have now. She made another choice. She's Vulcan, she can choose not to have inconvenient emotions or conversations. She knew when she left I couldn't chase after her, being stuck in the Dreizhen system. Like a prison relationship." Thari said, the booze getting the better of her and driving her to self-pity.

"Hey. I've known Atna a long time. I don't know why she did what she did but she must have a good reason. What's the alternative?" Alex asked, not wanting to play too far into the devil's advocate position.

"That she can be a much greater bitch than either of us expected." Thari theorised.

"Yeah, good point." Alex agreed. "This little Atna in your head, do you have to feed her? Play with her or she complains?" Alex asked.

"It's something subconscious. You'd need to have spent multiple days with your consciousness merged with someone else's before you begin to recognise it. It's not something I can converse with. Just feelings, impressions. And when they reflect on what she's done since she was attacked, they're all saying it's wrong." Thari said.

"It's not that I don't believe you. But maybe it's worth talking to Yy about?" Alex suggested.

Thari sighed. "Maybe."

"But you can remember everything Atna ever did?" Alex asked.

"If she remembered it, yeah." Thari said.

"Even the Mardi Gras on Bligh 3?" Alex asked, trying to remember the most inebriated she'd ever seen Atna.

"Bits of it." Thari admitted.

"Even when we met the Watchman?" Alex asked, sitting up suddenly as she remembered.

"The glowing naked man?" Thari asked.

"Yeah, him." Alex confirmed.

"Yes. I think often of him when I dwell on how I ended up here. He was the supposed custodian of my container." Thari said.

"I forget this wasn't your first universe other than your own. Bet we're your favorite, though." Alex teased.

"Oh I don't know, the medieval reality had its charms. And the smells! You wouldn't believe." Thari said, laughing.

Alex also laughed in response. "I know it's selfish and not at all in your interests, but I hope you don't find your way home until long after I'm dead. You can spare a few decades." Alex said.

"Aw. I'll take that as the complement I'm sure it is." Intharia said in response. "I've been here long enough now that I can't imagine anything else. It's different without Atna. But it's still home. And besides, even in my original universe, we never had anything as interesting as your anomaly."

"Yeah it's pretty fucking odd, hey." Alex observed, finally putting out her cigarette in one of the basically-finished drinks that was primarily icemelt.

"You're odd too, Alex Flynn. But I like it." Thari said with a smile.

"You're just saying that because I got you hammered." Alex teased.

"Maybe. But thanks for doing it. I needed a night off from thinking about Atna while pretending to review duty summaries."

"You're going to wish you didn't tomorrow. Or maybe you won't, I don't know if your people get hangovers. But I'm going to wish you didn't for you, in any event."

"We only get them when we deserve them." Thari said, rolling her eyes at her own self-serious delving into asari mysticism.

"Ladies, I'm terribly sorry, but we're closing up for the evening so I can install some updates." Freddie said, appearing at the end of their seats. "So you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." He said politely, quite aware of their state.

"No, no. I'm gonna call it. I am responsible First Officer, and I can get back to my quarters without spewing." Alex said, as much to convince herself it was true as to let others know. She gradually stood herself up.

Intharia was a bit more spritely, but no less wobbly for it as she made it to her feet. "Good evening, sweet Freddie." She said to the hologram, stroking his cheek. He put his hand to hers lovingly, leaning into her palm before releasing her.

"I'll tell you what, next time we've both got time off and an excuse to go to Earth, we'll go see Atna, put the hard word on her. Promise." Alex said as they entered the promenade.

Thari considered it silently.

Together, they stumbled back to their neighboring quarters and hugged each other goodnight. Within ten minutes Alex was asleep, even though she'd just lined up a sequence of music that continued to play loudly.

In her own quarters, Thari sat there looking at a portraited holo of herself and Atna, thinking far too long and too hard about it.

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