Shattered Lives

Posted on Nov 14, 2016 @ 11:28pm by Ensign Sofia Andersson
Edited on on Nov 14, 2016 @ 11:29pm

Mission: Aftermath

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“Shattered Lives” (Continued from “The Purge” written by the Great and Powerful Jerome)
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LOCATION: EARTH
SCENE: Stockholm, Humlegården Gardens
TIME FRAME: Roughly 12 years ago


Becoming a member of the medical profession had not been something out of the ordinary for the Andersson family. The hippocratic oath had been carved into their soul for generations and the ideals of this oath echoed in everything the family did, either as a whole or as individual.


Sofia had only been 14 years old when her brother Nathan obtained his Medical Doctorate and today was the celebration of that achievement. As much as he hd followed in the family's medical path, Nathan had always been the odd one, the black sheep, the one who did things not entirely the way that had been expected. Such uniqueness had become something that over time Sofia had come to both admire and dread. She could easily recall several the heated arguments he would get into with their parents, the yelling being so loud that at times she feared he would simply walk out to never return.


Everyone had survived those stormy times and today was going to be his day. The celebration in the gardens had been for him and he made sure to take full advantage of it. Friends and family had gathered to congratulate him on having followed the family's long standing path of being part of the medical community, but still he found a way to set himself apart.


When he made his grand announcement and informed everyone present that he would not be joining Starfleet but instead become a 'Fringe Doctor', everything changed.


Natasha, the eldest of the three children, was mad beyond words. Mom and dad remained silent for weeks after the announcement from their middle child and only son. This had been his way to set himself apart from the rest of the family and in doing so he insured that his younger sister would not have the opportunity to do the same. It had not been his intent but it was the price required for him to make one last stand as an individual against their parents,


The next year Sofia was enrolled into Starfleet Academy with extra courses in Medical Sciences. Not only would she become a Doctor, but she would do so as a Starfleet Officer as everyone else had, as Nathan should have.


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LOCATION: EARTH
SCENE: Starfleet Academy, Memorial Gardens
TIME FRAME: Roughly 2 years ago


A group of Cadets counting in the four to five dozen had gathered to listen to the charismatic supporter of the Neo Essentialist movement. Having been a Starfleet graduate himself only lend his words that much more credit, and his personal charms had insured that the majority of his audience had been young and impressionable women like herself.


As much as she found her thoughts drifting to a more romantic and even daring scenery involving some alone time with the speaker, Sofia found herself drawn in by his words and his passion. A lot of what he had to say made sense and the more she listened the more she found herself wanting to hear more.


For the next year Sofia made sure to be present to each and every gathering he led or was part of, going as far to make sure that he knew she had been there. The first time he had acknowledged her presence they shared a few words and he asked for her name. A few weeks later at another gathering he had asked for her help in distributing pamphlets, a task that she had been more than happy to do for him. By the end of that month she had become a devoted assistant hanging to his every words and increasingly willing to do anything he would ask of her.


In less than a month she would graduate from Starfleet Academy with full Medical honours making her family proud, but all she desperately wanted was to have his approval. He had said that he wanted her to finish her studies before he would consider moving their relationship to the next logical level. So she dedicated each and every second of every day to her schooling, her ring finger longing for the symbol of his feelings for her. Through his granting her that wish she hoped to feel a passion that she could only hope would match that of his dedication to the Neo Essentialist movement and to its leader; Richard Edgerton.

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LOCATION: EARTH SD: [2.16]1115.1330

SCENE: Waiting room -> Conference Room TIME FRAME: Following the defeat of Richard Edgerton



She stood in the middle of the room, nervous, trembling, feeling as if her heart had been ready to beat out of her chest. Her hands cradled her face which had been scorned by horrifying sadness and torment. The indent on her ring finger told a sad story of love lost, and heartbreaking betrayal. So much had happened that it had been impossible for her to make sense of it all. She had believed in him, in Edgerton and in the Neo Essentialists. Their ideas, their passion had been hers without reservation. At least that was until he followed their leader down a path of darkness that she had never imagined possible. From there they both did something horrible, reprehensible, unspeakable... Paris.



Truth be knownst her doubts had started long before that fateful day but the core ideas of the organization had still echoed true in the ears of the young Ensign. She had actually felt a surge of pride when she had signed her name to the manifest making her an official member. To belong to something greater than herself had felt amazing, even more than having graduated from Starfleet Medical. Being part of the Neo Essentialist movement had been her achievement, not something that had been required of her by her parents, and that's what had made it so special.



If only she had known. The guilt she felt had taken over her soul in ways that she could never have imagined and now she nervously waited before being brought in front of a board of inquiry to review her involvements with the Neo Essentialists.



She had done nothing illegal. As a member of the Neo Essentialists Sofia had taken part in some rallies and had been part of the crowd when Edgerton had made his speeches. Her involvement had been limited at best yet the Ensign could not help feel her hands stained with the blood of the 28 million people who had been in Paris. Her thoughts desperately tried to offset the emotions from her heart, a sadness that threatened to swallow her whole and leave nothing but a shattered shell behind.



All she wanted to do now was to distance herself from the man and the organization, to erase any evidence of her having been part of this travesty of beliefs. As a member of Starfleet Medical she wanted to be out there helping those in need, those who had been hurt and injured fighting against the organization that she regretfully had belonged to.



"Ensign Andersson."



The disgust in the voice of the security officer had been tangible, not that she could blame him for that. The man had started with 28 million reasons to hate her and those she had been associated with, and that number had most certainly gone up following the battle that had taken place. Sofia wanted to apologise, to reach out and offer her condolences to the man and everyone else, but all she could do was to nod her head and hold back her tears.



Whatever her role had been within the Neo Essentialist organization, the simple fact remained that she had been a willing member who supported the ideals of a man, a man who history would undoubtedly label along the likes of Hitler and Green. A madman who had used his influence to bring upon changes to a world that would need decades to begin the healing process. The problem was that regardless of how much time would come to pass, the scars left on the planet and its people would never fully heal.



The weight of her guilt made it almost impossible for her to put one foot in front of the other as she followed the security officer. As much as she wanted to run and hide, the only option available to her was to hope on the leniency and understanding of the members of the board of inquiry. There had been no escaping her guilt in having been part of the Neo Essentialist group and her belief in their message, but never had she wanted what had come to pass. Her entire life had been dedicated to helping and healing people, not hurting them on a small or global scale.



"Miss Andersson, you stand accused of being a member of the Neo Essentialists. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"



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LOCATION: EARTH, Prison Complex

SCENE: Isolation Cell


Her guilt echoed off the four walls that surrounded her so tightly with such intensity that it threatened to crush her into nothingness. Sofia had been able to hold her tears during the hearing but as soon as the door to the cell had been slammed shut behind her, the waterworks began.


How had all of this happened? How could she have fallen so low and help in hurting so many others? Whatever Nathan had done so many years ago would be erased from the family history books, her involvement with what had happened would certainly be made to be the largest and darkest chapter. At best she would be branded the black sheep of the family, someone who is rarely spoken of and who is looked upon with disdain and contempt. At worst she would be disowned and become an unwilling orphan carrying the guild of the death of 28 million people alone without any sort of emotional support from those who had once loved her.


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LOCATION: Runabout

SCENE: Passenger area

TIME FRAME: A few hours later



With tear filled eyes Sofia had been pulled out of her cell and escorted back to stand before the board of inquiry. With what had felt like seconds later she had been taken to the landing platform where she was unceremoniously brought onboard. Sitting in the chair that she had been forcefully assigned the confused woman found it difficult to breathe and even harder to recall what had happened. The second session of the board of inquiry felt as if it had been nothing more than a dream; a nightmare that she was desperately struggling to wake from.



"Questionable decisions."



"Severe lack of judgement."



"What could have been a promising career."



"Sentenced to active rehabilitation."



"One year probation with monthly reviews."



Those were some of the lines the board of inquiry had hurled at her, the words and tone in which they had been spoken having been as sharp as a laser scalpel. More than once she had felt on the edge of fainting, and thinking of the 28 millions now dead only made her sick.



Sofia could recall having accepted their final judgement, not that she had a choice. Something about her having been a young woman who had been easily influenced had also been mentioned, something that the Ensign had not been sure had played in her favour once everything had been said and done.



Her eyes closed tightly as she tried once again to hold back her tears. Ensign Andersson had been ordered to report to the runabout, and the security officer who accompanied her had made sure that she made it there without delay as he would insure that she arrived at her destination. Where she would end up from there had been stated but thanks to her emotional state Sofia had not taken note of it. Whatever physical location her destination would be, guilt would be all that she would find there.



"We're almost there," the security officer hissed leaving Sofia uncertain as to the reason for his audible disdain. Had be been directing his anger at his charge for her involvement with the Neo Essentialist or had he been angered by the leniency of her sentence? Be it either or both she could not find fault in the man's actions for she had been guilty as charge and had deserved far more than what she would be made to endure. How could she ever make amends for the over 28 million lives lost?



Lost in a whirlwind of grief and sorrow Sofia had failed to notice the runabout leaving the emptiness of space for the security of a shuttle bay.



"We are here. Get up, and put this one" the security officer ordered, anger still very much present in his voice and mannerism as he tossed a HAZMAT suit to the sitting woman



She had wanted to ask where they had been. Wanted to get an idea of what sort of punishment she had been handed for her involvement with the Neo Essentialists. Wanted to know if she would ever be able to look into a mirror and not see a family disappointment and a traitor to the Federation. In the end it mattered not the name of this location, only that she had been here and needed to prove her genuine desire to make amends for what she had help bring about, no matter how daunting that task would be.



As soon as the Hazardous Material suits were put on and secured, Sofia cautiously stepped out of the Runabout closely followed by the security officer, once outside she rapidly discovered that they had still been on EARTH. A quick scan of the surrounding buildings, their architecture and the language displayed on the signs indicated that they had landed in Versaille, not all that far from Paris.



"Why am I here?" Sofia asked as a lump formed in her throat, the dead city in the distance having caught the edge of her eye.



"You are going to be helping them," the security officer snarled as he pointed to a group of people also in HAZMAT suits sorting through personal belongings and corpses, whatever had been left from the devastating attack on Paris. "Count yourself lucky that you are not alone trying to identify the 28 million people you killed."



Her legs rapidly became too weak to support her weight leaving the young blonde haired woman no other choice but to collapse onto the ground, but that situation lasted only a few seconds before the strong grip of the security officer took hold of her arm to force Sofia back onto her feet. Without offering any resistance, not that she had any strength to be able to do so, the Ensign followed as best she could to what would be her work station; her punishment; her first of countless other attempts to make amends for what she had helped bring about.



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NRPG:



Hello you wonderful writers of the PHOENIX. It is truly an honour to be writing with you all and I hope that I can prove myself in the slightest way possible worthy of being here with you. I will do my best to keep up with the standards that you have all set and welcome you all to point out any mistakes that I will make. I have never been afraid of being told that I did something wrong as that is the only way that I can learn and improve.


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Tiffany Reeve

Ensign Sofia Andersson
Currently sentenced to the
VERSAILLE Triage Center