In the holodeck aboard Eos Station, Sezra Prad found herself surrounded by the holographic representations of her past hosts. She had been prepping for this session for some time now, but nothing had prepared her for the moment she saw them. It was odd, looking at people that were both her and not her. She wasn’t sure she could describe it to someone who wasn’t Trill.

She walked past Ariella. “I can’t tell you how strange this is,” she said, never taking her eyes off the figure. “She’s me, but she isn’t.”

“Sezra,” a gentle voice called out, pulling her from her reflection. She turned to see Jason Okafor, Head of Psychiatry aboard Eos Station, standing before her. His presence was a reassuring comfort in the midst of the holographic display. “You’ve been coming to therapy for some time now. Are you ready for this part?”

With a nod of acknowledgment, Sezra followed Dr. Okafor deeper into the simulation. As Okafor instructed the computer to activate the program, Sezra prepared for the memories that would follow. Each holographic replica had left a distinct impression on her, but meeting them face to face was something was completely different.

“Did I tell you that I never wanted to be joined?” she stated, still looking at her first host. “Growing up Trill, it’s all you are taught as a child: the duty of carrying on a tradition.”

“Many times,” Okafor replied.

As Sezra continued to look at her first host, the figure came to life. “Ariella Prad, the diplomat,” Sezra started to explain, “she was a voice of peace in conflict.”

Ariella smiled, “Peace is not merely the absence of conflict,” her voice echoed in Sezra’s mind.

“Peace is a lot to think about now, especially after…” Sezra responded

“It is the culmination of understanding and empathy,” Ariella interrupted. 

As Sezra looked past Ariella, the scientist came into view. “Joran, he’s probably the host I least understand. While I remember every experiment, lecture, and theory he tried to study…” her mind drifted off. “It’s all chaos; I don’t understand it.”

Joran looked at her, his stoic demeanor revealing a mind full of complexities. “The universe is a symphony of music,” Joran’s holographic image echoed through Sezra. “To truly understand it, one must listen to the harmony beneath the chaos.”

“Easy for you to say,” Sezra sighed; the thought that she was arguing with herself wasn’t lost on her. She looked over at Lirra Prad, who just gave a puzzling smile.

“Everything tells a story; it is up to you to listen and learn,” Lirra whispered.

“I don’t remember myself being so cryptic,” Sezra looked at the Psychiatrist.

“Artistic licensing,” he just grinned, answering the unasked question.

Sezra looked at Lirra. ” She was my shortest host. We were alive, traveling to a newly discovered set of ruins, and then we weren’t,” she paused. “alive.” She added, “The next thing we knew was a new host.”

Further down the line was Tharin, the historian, Etena, the Engineer, and then… her eyes drifted past the two hosts to the figure she wasn’t ready to see. “Kael,” she whispered. His was the face she knew all too well; he was her Captain. The Rome was her first assignment. “I’m not sure I am ready for him,” she spoke, a hint of sadness filling her mind.

“He was a strong leader and a beacon of courage on that day,” she spoke as if he was someone else. It was strange with Kael; she mourned a host’s loss, but that host came with a whole new set of grief. The souls lost when the Rome met the Borg at Frontier Day. Sezra reached out to Kael as if to draw from his strength and determination. “Kael,” she whispered, her voice barely audible in the simulated environment. “Your end was not expected, and…”

But as Kael’s holographic memories began to unfold, Sezra felt a sudden surge of overwhelming emotion. The memories of Frontier Day flooded her consciousness, each moment filled with pain and sorrow. The chaos of that battle, the loss of friends, and the sacrifices made were too much to bear.

With a cry of grief, Sezra flinched, pulling away from Kael’s memories with such force that it disrupted the holographic display. Dr. Okafor rushed to her side, his presence comforting. “Sezra, it’s alright,” Dr. Okafor whispered.

But Sezra could only shake her head, the memories of Frontier Day still fresh in her mind. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, her voice choked with emotion. “I can’t… I can’t do this. I wasn’t supposed to be there, I wasn’t supposed to be any part of this.”

Okafor placed a comforting hand on Sezra’s shoulder, offering comfort in his gesture. “It’s alright, Sezra. This process can be overwhelming, especially when confronting such intense memories. Trills go through extreme training for this,” he reassured, his tone carrying a hint of understanding.

Glancing at the holographic representations around them, he continued, “Testing, training, evals.” His eyes met hers, a silent acknowledgment of the challenges she faced. “What did you get?”

Taking a deep breath, Sezra felt the weight of her experiences bear down on her. “I know, Doctor,” she responded. “I know what we have to go through to get joined.” Her voice wavered, betraying the stress she carried. “But it’s just so much to handle sometimes.” There was a vulnerability in her words, a silent plea for understanding.

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Okafor assured her, his tone gentle but firm. “Therapy is a journey, and we’re here to navigate it together.”

Just as they were about to resume the session, the entire station shook violently, causing the holographic display to flicker. An emergency alarm blared through the holodeck, indicating an explosion in the civilian district, specifically at the Romulan embassy.

Okafor’s expression turned serious as he quickly assessed the situation. “We need to go,” he said, urgency coloring his words. “We’ll have to continue this later.”

Sezra nodded, her mind already shifting to the emergency at hand. With a heavy heart, she closed the holodeck program, leaving behind the echoes of her past hosts. In the midst of the chaos, Sezra couldn’t shake the lingering feelings stirred up by the holographic reunion with her past hosts. Each encounter had been like revisiting a chapter of her own history, a history meshed with the lives and experiences of those who came before her. 

As she followed Okafor out of the holodeck, her mind raced with unanswered questions and unresolved emotions. The sudden interruption by the emergency only added to her uneasiness. Despite her training and experience, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the significance of it all.

She took a deep breath as they entered the lift; she knew the Commander would bring her back. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see this again, but only one thing was certain: Okafor was confident that this was necessary to heal and accept the new memories that filled her conscience.