On Serpent Worms and Philosophy (1)
Posted on Wed Jun 10th, 2026 @ 1:04am by Commander Erris Sudis & Lieutenant Jennifer Richardson M.D.
2,820 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Preamble
Location: Bajoran Shrine, Deep Space Nine
Timeline: (To Be Adjusted Later)
The silence of the meditation room shattered, replaced not by sound, but by the heavy, suffocating weight of realization.
The Prophets didn't speak in straight lines. They had pulled him across the quadrant, using a riddle in Verath to nudge him back into uniform, back to the Venture, and back into the stream of linear time. But this new riddle was different. It wasn't a puzzle to solve for a promotion; it was a mirror forced in front of his face.
"But ahead... a borrowed star wears her face, waiting for your confession."
The words hung in the quiet air, refracting through his mind.
A borrowed star. Jennifer wasn't his. She belonged to someone else—a subordinate. And yet, the Prophets were using her visage, weaving her into the fabric of the Celestial Temple. They weren't just predicting a meeting; they were demanding a price for it.
His eyes snapped open, the sparse, tranquil surroundings of the meditation room rushing back into focus, though his mind remained trapped in the shimmering blue of the wormhole. The transition from the rigid logic of a Starfleet First Officer to the raw, exposed vulnerability of a man haunted by the prophets was jarring.
He swallowed hard, the name tasting like ash and old longings on his tongue.
"Doctor Jennifer Richardson."
It had seemed like a good idea, come to Deep Space Nine while there was some downtime and take in the sights. Haven never been to this part of the quadrant before, everybody knew the stories of the wormhole and the prohets; the station that stood guard at the entrance, she even remembered the stories an old friend had told in the past.
Jennifer had just under estimated her ability to swim when thrown into deep waters.
The promenade had been stifling, the movement of bodies and the multitude of conversations that occured around her mind. It had all threatened to overwhelmed; the loss of any inhibition to control the memories of screaming and chaos echoing through her mind from years of being a trauma medic. The isolation she felt, alone with nobody to reach out to despite being surrounded by so many.
Head down, just pushing through the bodies, something had pulled her in this direction. The space after Quarks offering more quiet with each step that she took, a lessening in the hive of activity that allowed the woman a chance to gather control of her mind and thoughts.
The opening space allowed her a chance to just breathe, with each breath the stale stench of body odour and alien smells gave way to the fresh air that filled her lungs, allowing a grounding. She knew she had been spoiled by the year on Earth. While San Francisco was as equally busy as the station, there was a big difference between breathing in a natural air on a planet than the recycled oxygen pushed out by a stations air filtration system.
Jennifer shook her head as a small smile took to her lips, "Just breathe Jenni; anyone who saw you now would struggle to believe your a starfleet officer, nevermind being a counsellor. Every experience is going to be like new compared to before...new because you have to forge your own path now. New because you have to learn to lean on yourself without David." Even saying his name aloud cause a slight tightness in her chest. They say that you never get over grief but after the first year it gets easier to manage. After eighteen months she was still waiting for that moment where it got easier.
Erris made his way through the Temple from the meditation shrine to the Lower Promenade. His earring received several looks from Bajorans in the crowd with mixed reactions. It was uncommon for a non-Bajoran to practice their faith. There were hushed verbal reactions amongst the crowd. A Bajoran child walked over and pulled at his uniform trousers, "I love your earring, Mr. Starfleet." She pointed at it.
He smiled at the young girl's compliment, "Thank you for saying so."
The young girl nodded and ran back to her parents. Her father patted her on the shoulder. Sudis watched the trio enter the temple for their prayers and blended into the crowd. Then he saw a woman he recognized: Doctor Jennifer Richardson -- the Prophet's riddle rattled at the top of his mind, "But ahead... a borrowed star wears her face, waiting for your confession."
Jennifer ran a hand over her arm in a self-conscious movement. Despite the personal pep talk, she couldn't help but feel out of her depth. Her eyes drifted back and forth between the few people who milled around her; the conversation and laughter of families echoed around her.
It wasn't meant to be this difficult; the time spent in medical was meant to have given her a chance to rebalance and find herself again. To put the pieces back together, to be able to move forward. But standing here now, a body amongst strangers, she wondered if she really was ready. The ship had been different...a confined space in which to build your day and structure with a purpose. The station just felt confusing, vast, endless; a space in which to get lost.
As she passed the Bajorian temple, she stopped momentarily and looked up at the emblem above the door.
Religion was always something that had confused her before; the belief in a higher entity or entities in the case of Bajorians. She could respect the comfort it offered to people, a belief system that kept them grounded in their culture and themselves; it made sense.
It also made her wonder if there truly was more to what happened when you died. Was there a place your soul went to where it could truly find peace. In those moments that sometimes she felt a supportive presence when nobody else was in the room; was it David existing in a way that couldn't be imagined and continuing to support her in life?
Trying to ease the confusion in her brain, the woman's hand grasped her arm as she turned on her heel and made to leave, not expecting to come to a sudden stop as she recognised a figure in the crowd. Confusion entered her mind as she hesitated, wondering if her mind was playing tricks. "Sudis?"
The Commander walked through the busy promenade deck in the direction that he saw her. He found himself where she had originally been. He looked around for her again. He wondered if his mind was playing tricks with him with a woman associated with his service record during the Liberation of Betazed.
Shaking her head and looking up again, the man came into focus and suddenly looked nothing like Sudis. "Great...on top of potential panic attacks, now your also hallucinating Jennifer."
Running her hand along her arm once more, the woman turned to backtrack the way she had originally came.
The chaos of the promenade engulfed her once again, placing one foot in front of the other as she focused on returning the way she had originally come while now trying to understand why Sudis had come to mind out of the blue. Their last communication had been mere weeks ago, she understood he was back on Bajor with his parents. Coincidences were few and far between so the chances he'd be here on the station in this exact moment had to be slim to none.
"Doctor Richardson," a familiar voice came from behind from her. He had found her standing outside of Quark's Bar. He offered her a curt head nod, "What brings you to DS9?"
Jennifer closed her eyes, clearly at this point figuring she was going mad. First she was seeing Sudis and now she was hearing him? "I'm sorry I..." Forcing herself to look in the direction of the person who spoke, the woman found herself momentarily stuck for words. Once again, a man stood in front of her who she could swear was Sudis, but it didn't make sense. "Sudis?"
Sudis Erris' facial muscles relaxed while he saw her anxieties of the busy deep space station full of thousands of individuals packed on the promenade. He had loss track of her in the crowd. He softly took her hand into both of his, "Yes. Its Sudis. Sudis Erris."
Jennifer felt the hand in hers but still couldn't fathom the man standing in front of her. She could feel the warmth of his skin, the rough calluses that showed a man who put as much effort into helping out as he did handing out orders. "Sudis..." This time as she said the word, a smile touched her lips as a flood of comfort entered her mind, a reaction to the memory of what this man had offered her during her biggest time of need. "What is it about you always managing to be in the right place at the right time?"
Erris kept it short and direct, "By the Prophets' guidance." He smiled as he released her hand from his, "Have you eaten?"
Taking the hand he had held, Jennifer rubbed it against her arm in a nervous gesture; glancing around before looking back over at Sudis with a smile. "No actually...I had thought to do some sight seeing, grab some food but I hadn't accounted for what to expect being back on a station. Earth spoiled me after so long away."
Sudis watched her hand move to her arm. He noted that. Filed it alongside everything else the last few minutes had given him. The Prophets had placed her here — he knew it with the same quiet certainty he knew anything they arranged. Whether she was assigned to the Venture or to Outpost Rekantha mattered less than the fact that they had been brought together on this promenade, at the threshold of the Celestial Temple itself.
"I've heard there's a gagh restaurant aboard. They bring it fresh from Qo'noS daily."
Jennifer blinked as she tried to process the information. "Klingon food? Ah...I mean I guess." Laughing a little as she shook her head, the woman indicated for Sudis to lead the way. "I guess not much about you has changed; your food preferences back on the 'Gale was just as bad. You shocked a few of our nurses at times."
"I remember you not being quite the adventurous eater," Sudis continued, "We could always go to the replimat if you prefer I just remember during our time together on the 'Gale that you wished to redefine your palette."
"No..its ok. I'm happy to at least try." Jennifer glanced around as they walked, clasping her hands loosely behind her back as she tried to relax. "The comfort of Earth and home cooking sidelined the adventurous food side. Dad always insisted on fresh not replication. I'm not quite sure Earth worms would have had the same effect as the Klingon Serpent worms...although if we are being honest. Surely we've all tasted a worm or two in our youth before our parents could stop us on time?"
Jennifer finally paused for a breath, a slight flush alighting her cheeks as she quickly glanced at Sudis and back at the crowds around them. "I'm sorry...I'm rambling again."
"No need for an apology," Erris said pragmatically. "I'm not sure if I told you much about my upbringing on Bajor. I grew up in Verath in the Southern Jungles by the sea. There was an abundance of varieties of food while it was mostly jungle there's horticulture spread throughout. Growing wild kava, fruits and various other vegetables. However, in Verath, we are known for our seafood and our coffee. I hadn't returned home to Bajor since I was sixteen when I went on my migration, my paghsorah. I ate the same foods my parents prepared during my childhood. It was like I was fourteen again so I understand where you are coming from about the comforts of home and food which is why I suggested gagh in the first place."
"But isn't the suggestion of gagh the complete opposite to comfort?" Jennifer kept an easy stride with Sudis, her body beginning to relax as she embraced the familiarity her comrade offered in the sea of unfamiliarity.
"Comfort is familiarity. It's not a weakness nor a strength but it grounds us. It helps us meditate and stay present yet brings forth nostalgia. Familiarity can be healthy until it isn't," Sudis continued, "Gagh requires you to be present. To focus on your pagh," he brought his hand to his chest, "You cannot eat it without being present."
A beat.
"I find that useful."
"I would think it easier to disassociate with gagh though, I mean come on Sudis...the thought of a slippery worm in your mouth, wriggling around as you try to chew down." Jennifer's smile extended as she looked across at Sudis.
"I think you might be missing the point of our philosophical conversation or maybe I misspoke and we both know that's something I do not do," Sudis laughed lightly and continued, "I haven't had gagh myself."
Beat.
"But I've heard that it goes down easier after the third one."
"We were having a philosophical conversation? And here was I thinking that we were talking about eating worms." Catching his eye, Jennifer laughed for what felt like the first time in awhile before looking away as she nearly crashed into a body that equally had not been paying attention in the busy area. Her hand instinctly went to steady herself on Sudis' arm as her focus turned back to watching where she walked, taking her hand away again. "What were you like as a child? Did your inability to never misspeak go all the way back to then?"
"You should know by now that I don't do half-attempts at anything," Sudis replied to her comment. "Especially when having philosophical discussions about Klingon serpent worms." He had never heard her laugh before their reunion onboard Deep Space Nine. Her late husband David Richardson had spoken to great length about his wife's laugh. It could fill the room and that his heart wouldn't skip a beat in those moments. Her laugh was infectious. Sudis had felt a laugh of his own pass his own lips. He looked down when her hands touch his forearm, "It would depend who you would have to ask. If you were to ask the Tibetan monks, they would have suggested I have always been this way."
A beat.
"Anara - my mother - would have told you I came to her already headstrong, stubborn, opinionated like the village's mule."
A beat later.
"She would have also told you that I ran into her shrine uninvited and tried to argue my way past her."
Another beat.
"I didn't misspeak then either."
Jennifer glanced again at Sudis, realising that this was possibly the most she'd heard about his life before. A certain sadness crossed her eyes as she realised there was a possibility that some of this he'd told her before but the time had been wrong. Trauma and grief made her memory of that time distorted; memories were fractured and not easy to recall. People and names came easier than remembering words spoken.
"It's part of what has made you such a good leader, you've no fear to speak your mind as you see it to be. That curiosity and wish to know and understand the unseen; meant you strived to push those under you to do the same."
"Thank you for the compliment," Erris looked over at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. His hand reached out and placed it on her shoulder, "It wasn't my intention to upset you but for you to remain jovial. For my part, I'm sorry."
Keeping his gaze, Jennifer hesitated before reaching her own hand up to gently squeeze Sudis'. "It's not your fault...each day has become a learning curve to understanding living. I'm the one who needs to apologize. There's much I don't remember...I remember when the recovery team brought you and your team onboard. And I remember your daily presence before you were shipped back. It's like someone took a hammer to the memories and smashed them like a mirror. There's times I glance and see a flash of recognition, but other times I realize how much is missing and impossible to piece back together."
Hesitating a moment more, Jennifer broke their gaze with a small smile; indicating to an establishment they now stood outside of. The darkened interior and dull intense music emitting giving an indicator they may have reached their destination. "I believe you promised me a culinary adventure."
"After three it gets better."
The two of them walked into the pagh restaurant.
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