Sleep Deficiency (Part One)

"I couldn't sleep last night, Bev." I tell her, "It's the second sucessive night."



"I noticed you were tossing and turning." she replies, "As it happens, neither could I."

"I guess we'll just have to go through the day at half speed and hope that nothing complicated happens." I comment, "The ship didn't seem to be passing through any space storms, so I don't know what it was."

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Two hours later, the senior staff are all assembled in my Ready Room for the morning briefing. All of them look a little peaky for some reason. Even Data is yawning.

"Sorry if I look a little dozy." I tell them, "Neither I nor Doctor Crusher got any sleep in bed last night."

Bev reddens, and I hastily add that neither of us could get to sleep for some reason.

This provokes a whole barrage of comments, with everyone trying to talk at once, with the consensus being that they could not sleep as well.

"Deanna and I didn't either." Riker informs us.

"Nor did Jadzia and me." Worf tells me.

"Neither did me and my soulsistah T'Pol." Ensign Britney comments, while sleepily chewing gum.

"My alcove is failing to re-energise me sufficiently." Seven tells us, "Therefore I am not at optimum strength right now."

"Ensign Baxter and myself failed to as well." Data states.

This last comment raises a few eyebrows.

"You, Data?" I ask, "You're an android. How can a non-sleeping bug affect you?"



"I do not know." he answers, "I am fitted with an EverReady superpower rechargable battery that would go for 100 years even if I did not charrge it up at night. When I activated myself this morning, I was in a state of extreme sleepiness, but not enough to make me sleep."

"Just like the rest of us." I say to them all "Something has happened, or somebody has done something to prevent us all sleeping. In the state we are in, the Enterprise is very vulnerable. This this goes on, any alien could just walk on in a couple of days and take over the ship."

"What can we do to prevent this anti-sleeping bug." Riker asks, "We all need to hit the hay."

Data looks confused, but Jennifer Baxter tells him that she will explain it later.

"A lullaby always worked wonders when I was young." Jadzia tells us.

"I am a Klingon warrior!" Worf retorts, "Klingons do not have lullabies!"

"Well we'd better think of something soon." I tell them all, "Before something bad happens."

To be continued...