Sweet Dreams
Posted on Thu Nov 5th, 2026 @ 12:07am by Sublieutenant Juno Langley & Lieutenant Commander Mila Lynn
2,913 words; about a 15 minute read
Mission:
Chapter IX: Shady Business
Location: Juno Langley's quarters, Ourainavassa
Timeline: 2387-10-19, evening
An hour of socialising was enough for Juno. More than enough, in fact. She'd retreated to her quarters, with the platter of chicken, for sanctuary. After a brief shower, Juno decided the rest of her evening would be spent reading. Laying on her bed, the autobiography of Captain Beatrice Langley, Endeavouring to Live, was held in one hand. The other was available to help herself to the now dwindling pieces of chicken on the platter. They were now, as expected, cold. But still enjoyable. And would be enough to keep her from having to socialise in the mess the next morning. Without the need for a meal, a cup of tea from the replicator would be enough to get her going.
Unpacking of Juno's belongings had been minimal. Clothes she had yet to wear, books, rifle all remained in her bag, under the bed. She considered as she wasn't going to be around for very long, making herself at home was pointless. There was also the reality of, if Juno needed to leave in a hurry, keeping most of her things packed was sensible. Of course, it was unlikely she'd even get off the ship if her planned deceit was discovered. Even with the help of Taryn's associates, Penka. The synthetic humans had the advantage of being stronger, more resilient. But Ourainavassa's security systems meant any attempt at a rescue mission would be futile. Juno knew she would have to be clever, meticulous.
Feeling the need to quench her thirst, Juno placed her book down next to her pistol on the bedside table. She stood up, walked to the replicator. "Orange juice and lemonade. Room temperature. Slice of lime." requested Juno. Moments later, the cool, refreshing beverage had materialised. Just as she was about to retrieve the drink, the door chime sounded. An unwanted, unexpected visitor had arrived. "For fuck's sake." she cursed. Retrieving an oversized t-shirt from her bag, she quickly pulled it on. The door reached, Juno opened it manually.
"Oh." a pause. "It's you."
Mila smirked as the door opened and Juno appeared, clearly haven quickly thrown the first available shirt on. "You did say we should finish the bottle," she said, holding out the bottle of rum she had taken from the dining hall. "I did pick up a full one, though, since the last one was getting a little empty for my taste." She shrugged. "But if you don't want the company, I'll leave you be and just drink this on my own."
This unexpected guest was far from unwanted. Juno recalled suggesting Mila should visit, but didn't expect her offer to be taken seriously. "I wouldn't say no." responded Juno. She gestured for Mila to enter, then closed the door behind her. "You'll have to forgive the organised chaos." a pause. "...but, I didn't think you'd actually come." Once the platter, glass of orange and lemonade were placed on the workstation, Juno retrieved a pair of glasses from the replicator. She gently placed one next to Mila, the other next to her intended seat.
"Oh, please," Mila replied with a laugh. "You call this chaos? This is nothing compared to how my brother lives." She sat and filled her glass, then set the bottle down. "Help yourself. Interesting choice of attire, did I catch you just as you were planning to go to bed or something?"
Needing no further invitation, Juno poured herself a glass. "Not for another couple of hours yet." a pause, as she placed the bottle down, then screwed the lid back on. "I was reading after having a shower." she responded, pointing to the upside-down copy of Endeavouring to Live. The cover was striking, adorned with an illustration of NX-06 imposed onto a larger upper-body portrait of Captain Langley. Juno picked up her glass, raising it in toast.
Mila raised her glass in kind as she glanced at the book. "History, eh? And a proper book, too. I knew I had a good feeling about you. That's an NX-class on the cover, right? From around the time of the Federation's founding? I have to admit, I'm not much of an engineer myself, but I can appreciate beauty when I see it."
Juno wasn't sure whether to state she was actually related to Beatrice Langley, or not. Doing so would make it extremely easy for Mila to discover her first name. This was something Juno didn't want Mila, or anyone on Ourainavassa, to find out. She decided to say something else. "I've actually visited Endeavour at Alpha Centauri." responded Juno, truthfully. "It was a pretty humbling experience, actually. I'd recommend it if you ever get the chance."
"Maybe," Mila replied with a shrug as she took another sip from her rum. "I have to say, I'm not sure if I'll ever end up in the core worlds of the Federation again. Let's just say that things didn't all go that well when Major Rogers, my brother and I visited Earth last year. Mind you, that was mostly due to the Major having some drama with her family going on. And, apparently, an arrest warrant for some reason."
Mila placed her hand on her chin in thought. "Endeavour. Second run of the NX-class, I recall. Didn't it play a prominent role in the first war between the Federation and the Romulans?"
"You and me both." said Juno, a pause. She too doubted she would ever return to those territories. Not because of an arrest warrant, but a bounty on her head. Killing one of Section 31's most senior leaders was not something they would let slide. They would hunt Juno relentlessly for the rest of her life. "It did." she continued. "Battle of Sol. Ordered to hold the line until reinforcements arrived. She ignored orders." another pause, pointing to the book. "Her defiance and intuition turned the tide in Earth's favour." A large sip of her rum was taken, enjoyed. The admiration Juno had for her distant ancestor was great. But she remained determined to tread carefully. Then again, Juno knew Mila wasn't stupid. It wouldn't take a genius to make the correct assumption.
"Ignoring orders because following them would have been stupid and gotten everyone else killed. Yeah, been there, done that. Gotten yelled at for it." Mila took a big swig from her glass, draining it, and immediately reached for the bottle. Slowly, she was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. "Would you be so kind and replicate a pitcher of water and a glass for me, please? Simple hangover prevention trick I've learned. Because I have a feeling I'm not leaving here before this bottle is empty."
Juno obliged. Several seconds later, she placed the pitcher of water on the table. This was joined by her glass of orange and lemonade, then the remainder of the chicken. "Eating helps, too." said Juno, sitting back down. Her glass of rum also became empty in short order. It was refilled, but Juno opted for food, her soft drink before continuing. The last thing she wanted was to turn up to her first shift hung over.
"I'm stuffed from the buffet, but thanks," Mila replied with a chuckle. "So, that book. General interest in the era, or specific interest in the ship?"
"A bit of both." responded Juno, taking a swig of her drink to buy herself a few seconds. "Endeavour is my favourite ship of the class because it's the only one with a British name. Even if the space shuttle itself was American." a pause, pointing to the book again. "There's also the fact that absolute legend was also British."
"I see." Mila got up and walked over to the bed to take a closer look at the book. "Endeavour to Live," she read out loud. "Very clever title. Huh. Captain Beatrice Langley." With a smirk, she turned back to look at Juno, now noticing a very faint resemblance between her and the photograph of the woman on the book's cover. "Any relation, Miss Langley?"
After weighing things up for a few seconds, Juno decided to carry on with the story. She did not like being dishonest with Mila. But, the fact was, Juno didn't want to talk about her origin. "I wish I was." she responded. Her eyes remained fixed on Mila as she continued. "But..." a pause. "...I'm from the same chapter of the book." another pause, slightly longer. "I think we should read it together before I leave."
The young scientist raised an eyebrow, curious at what Juno meant. "You will definitely have to explain what you mean by that." Mila smirked. "So, you're saying that you'll stick around until we've read that book together? I will have to make sure to not have time for that, then." She giggled. "I knew I'd find a way to keep you around."
"I could tell you what I mean..." began Juno, standing up. Mila's laughter was like music to her. In response, Juno's heart began to beat faster. Harder. Her stomach filled with butterflies as she approached Mila. Neither of these sensations were experienced during her only other prospective intimate encounter several months prior. They confused Juno. But, she decided to continue. "...or if you'd prefer...I could show you." By now, Juno was no more than a foot away from Mila. But she also considered, unless she reciprocated her feelings, desires, it may as well be a mile.
"Um," Mila stammered, slightly surprised by this sudden turn of events. "I mean, if you mean what you think you mean, I guess, well." She shook herself, her usual confidence abruptly completely broken. But despite that, she found herself not moving away. Quite the opposite, actually, as she took a short step closer to Langley. "I've not really got any experience with this kind of thing," she admitted, speaking softly. "But I do know that I don't want to do it with someone I'm not even on first-name terms with, you know?"
With her guard lowering, Juno whispered her first name into Mila's ear. Like Mila, she had not progressed to this stage before, either. Juno's last encounter did not progress beyond a near-kiss. Being disturbed by a visitor to the other woman's quarters had given Juno the window to realise, she wanted her first time to mean something. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, Mila." responded Juno, sensitively. "But, if you do..." a pause. Her growing feelings for Mila were strong. But so was her anxiety, nervousness. "...we can work it out together." To try and reassure Mila, she offered out her right hand.
"Juno. Wait." Mila took a deep breath, then, rather than taking her hand, reached around her to grab the bottle of rum. "I need some more liquid courage," she joked as she unscrewed the lid on the bottle and took a swig. "Want some?"
She understood Mila was nervous. So was she. "Yeah, sure." she replied. Retracting her outstretched hand, Juno retained her reassuring tone. Once Mila had finished, Juno accepted the bottle from her. A swig, then another was taken. The bottle placed back on the table, Juno again held out her hand.
"Well then," Mila chuckled as she took the hand and pulled Juno towards her. "Let's do this."
A few hours later, Juno lay awake in the darkness of her quarters. Her left arm was gently, but securely, wrapped around Mila as she slept next to her. What had started as a simple crush at first sight had, at least in Juno's case, rapidly escalated to emotional feelings. Feelings she had never experienced. Feelings she did not understand, at least not yet. But Juno couldn't give herself time to unpack them. Time was not something she had. However, the fact Mila had trusted Juno enough to engage in intimacy with her meant so much. It always would. Especially as they barely knew each other. Even if Juno, Mila decided not to repeat the experience, she could at least say the one they had shared meant something. The tears which had been running down Juno's cheeks for the past ten, fifteen minutes were, finally, wiped away with her free hand. She turned to Mila, kissed her forehead sweetly. Within a couple of minutes, she was once again asleep.
When Mila woke up, she was briefly confused. She was naked, she could feel the touch of another person, and she could hear that person breathing in their sleep. Wait. Hear? Why weren't her implants switched off like usual, why wasn't she wearing the t-shirt she usually wore to sleep, and why was there someone else next to her? In fact, where was she?
After a moment, the events of last night came back to her. The conversation with Langley - no, with Juno at the Captain's dinner, coming to her quarters afterwards, and how things rather quickly escalated. It had been unexpected, to say the least, but she felt happier than she had in a long time. Still, there were many things to consider, not least of which the fact that Juno was planning to leave again after the conclusion of the mission. She'd had already decided that she wanted their new tactical officer to stick around, but for what reason? Was it solely to have a dedicated tactical officer, to lessen the burden on Ash's work? To have someone her own age around, now that Miles had left? Or was there something more?
Gently, Mila moved Juno's arm off herself before sitting up. First things first. After briefly looking around the dark room, she spotted the shape of her dress from the previous night on the floor across the room, next to Juno's shirt, where it had been discarded in the excitement of the moment. Trying to be as silent as possible, she slid out of bed and walked over to grab her badge. She had made a few personalised modifications to her own badge to accommodate for her deafness, the same modifications she had also made for Savin. The most important of which right now was the inclusion of a holographic display that could not only provide "subtitles" for what was spoken either around her or via comms, but also served as a visual output for information from the ship's computer that would normally be said out loud. Right now, the information she needed was simple: what time it was. A long tap of the badge activated its sign language input, and she quickly signed [Time].
Text appeared projected from the badge, shimmering blue: 0355 hours, ship's time. The normal duty time for Alpha shift was 0830, which meant four and a half hours until both Mila and Juno would have to report for duty. Usually, she would set her alarm for 0630, to have plenty of time to get ready and have breakfast. After thinking for a moment, Mila went back to the bed and gently shook Juno to wake her. "Hey," she whispered softly. "I think I should go back to my own quarters while most of the ship is still asleep."
It took a few attempts to rouse Juno. She was groggy, to say the least. It was the second time she'd woken up that night. "Wait, what?" she asked, not yet fully alert. "What time is it?"
Mila smiled. "About 4 am. There's just a few things I need to do, that I usually take care of before going to sleep. But, well." She blushed slightly as she realised that she was sitting on Juno's bed, leaning down over her, still completely naked. "I kinda had other things on my mind last night, you know."
Juno, still not quite awake, had hoped Mila would stay a while longer. At least until her alarm went off in a couple of hours' time. Sitting up a little, she did her best to hide her disappointment. Juno had just had the best night of her life, and Mila was leaving already. Thoughts it was because Mila had buyers' remorse quickly entered Juno's mind. "Okay." a pause. Her tone of voice gave away just how tired she still was. "If you need to go...then." another pause. A yawn. "...I won't stop you."
"Believe me, I'd stay if I had my meds and my uniform with me," Mila replied with a chuckle and leaned in closer. "I could wake you up, if you want," she whispered in Juno's ear as she smirked.
As good as that sounded, Juno was confused. Mila said she had to leave. Now she was suggesting she improve Juno's level of alertness? What was it? "I thought..." a pause. "...you had things to do in...your quarters?" responded Juno, still not really alert. She didn't care what time Mila woke up. But this was far too early for Juno.
"I do," Mila replied, smiling. "But, I mean, I could come back before shift? Sorting out my medical stuff and picking up a change of clothes won't take that long, you know."
"Well." a pause. "If you're sure." responded Juno, turning to face Mila. Her hair was a mess. She needed a shower. But most of all. She needed more sleep. "My alarm is set for 06:30."
"It's a date." With a wink, Mila leaned in for a kiss, then stood and picked up her dress, quickly slipping it on. "Sweet dreams, don't oversleep."
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