Shell Shock: Enduring the Past (open)

[Deleted]

2345 Hours; April 17th 2582
Peerless over Sweethome

Pacifica's feet slammed on the wet steel ramp of the RDTT-3b and out in to no less then sixteen inches of cold salty water swaying back and forth over the glistening white sand. Drop Ship Zero-Niner, the one Pacifica was on, landed north most in the first wave. They had landed on a peninsula that stretched 1,100 meters wide at its widest point, 6,500 meters long from tip to where it met the main land. Zero-Niner was 1,300 meters south of where it met the main land. Their target was a bustling fishing town 5 miles west along the beach. It was there that the whole 'Operation Night Fall' was to be based from on Maria. They were the first of four waves totaling 10,000 soldiers making land fall in under 30 minutes. Everyone knew it was going to be a cluster, but there was no way they could know it was going to be as bad as it was. There was little to no resistance expected. Intel had told them there were no more then 600 Reds in the fishing town of Quest. They were wrong, the Reds got word of the coming invasion and prepared for it. 

Pacifica's boots filled with water as she trudged toward the beach, her boots sinking in to the fine white sand in the water slowing her movement with every step. It was cold, the middle of winter on Maria and the air temperature couldn't have been any higher than 40 degrees. The high powered whistle of the RDTT-3b's engines filled the cold morning air as the first wave of 25 descended down around her. What had only been a few seconds to make it to the beach seemed like a lifetime as the hail of gunfire erupted from the distance. Pacifica could see puffs of sand rising from the ground from each bullet that hit creating a line from the far off machine guns nest. with each passing second the line of impending death approached her direction. Pacifica pivoted on her heel and sprinted for the rear of the near by drop ship taking cover behind its heavy frame. She looked to the trail of fire ripping through two whole squads of men in a red cloud of bloody mist. 

Pacifica raised her rifle and slung herself around the corner pointing down range at the nest. Her right eye focused on her target down through the iron sights. Everything faded away outside the black iron circle while her target came in to focus. Her finger slowly squeezed down on the trigger pulling it back till it clicked and gave way sliding all the way back. The hammer slammed forward in to the shell casing. The powder ignited sending the butt stock slamming back in to the pocket of her shoulder. The round burst forth in a flash of fire and flew forward at blistering speeds till it tore through the bridge of the machine gunners nose. His lifeless body slumped forward over the sandbag barrier. All the while every sound faded away except the sound of the compressing buffer spring and then its return to the resting position. The sound was all she needed, for a moment everything seemed peaceful. Pacifica quickly turned her sights on the man in the nest next to him and again squeezed off a round as the man frantically fumbled for the machine gun. Just as he got a grasp on the weapon he to was left lifeless and the nest was out of commission for the moment.   

Pacifica raced forward from her cover as the ships engines roared to life lifting it upward. As she reached the soldiers who had just off loaded from it she pointed to the nest and yelled over the noise of the ship. "Take the nest." She said as she gained a small groups attention. They had to keep the guns from being regained and pointed on to others on the field. She dug the toe of her boot in to the ground and launched herself forward toward the nest with five others hot on her heels. The whistling sound of mortars descended down growing louder as they approached followed but the explosive burst sending fine white sand flying in to the air all around them. The whole operation hinged on this landing and now who knows how long they would even last.  Shell after shell was sent in and they were losing troops by the handful at this point. 

By the time Pacifica reached the nest only two of those following her were still running behind her. She dove in to the nest and immediately began opening fire on the next nest. The other two joined and picked up the gun and began to reload it with the ammo dropped by the others. "Cover me." She announced to the pair as she burst forth from the nest and went to one of the wounded men who had been with them. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and drug him over to the covered position and slung him in. Two other soldiers ran up joining them in the now crowded nest. "You two on me, were moving forward. Keep hell raining down on them were going for the ridge."

Five hundred meters back was a short seven foot ridge that ran along the rear of the peninsula. The point from which the mortars were being fired. It was there that they had planned on establishing a perimeter to protect the lower drop zone area. Now it had become a place for the Reds to rain down death upon them. Pacifica and the two others raced from the nest making a line for the ridge. Two other nest had already been taken and were now turned on the ridge slowing the Reds ability to launch mortars. Ahead Pacifica could see several small groups gathering to make the assault on the ridge, maybe ten of them so far but with each passing moment more would gather and they would finally have control of the LZ. 

Just then Pacifica could hear the hissing sound of SR-27 'Phantom' AA rockets flying over head. a second later a echoing boom sounded, a flash of frames lit the sky and RDTT-3b designation one-fif was disabled and falling to the ground, right on their very spot. Pacifica picked up her pace, narrowly avoiding the crash as the ship began to break apart and fuel lines ruptured in to flames sending shrapnel flying a concussive boom slammed in to her as she ships fuel tanks gave their last testament of their sheer size. Pacifica was knocked to her knees then flat to her chest. for a moment she laid there, face to the side. her ear rang, her vision was blurred, but she was alive. She placed her palm down on the wet sand and began to push herself up and that is when it hit her, the searing pain of hot steel chuncks in her back. She let out a scream that could curdle the very blood in your veins.

The Fashion

Then everything faded from the battle field to her bunk where sitting up in a cold sweat she let out the same scream she had so many years before. She was not there there though, she was home, on the Peerless where she had been for the last three years. Her breathing was fast and deep she had gone a long time with out a night terror like this but something about this mission with cobalt had gotten her on edge. Her hands shook as it reached out for her lamp and turned it on. Her eyes darted around the room as if she expected it to fade back in to the battle. A long silents fell over the room before she finally was satisfied that she was in the real world. 

Pacifica stood from her bunk and grabbed her mug and walked toward the door. Her leg barely working for her, like most mornings. She had to stretch it out before she left the room usually so she wouldn't have a noticeable limp but she had yet to wake up yet to focus. She left her room and went straight to the elevator heading down to the galley. She had long ago stopped taking medications, ever since joining the Peerless. At one point she was taking Clonazepam to sedate herself at night to avoid night terrors, Cyclobenzaprine to control muscle pain and spasms, and Ativan to control anxiety. She still had some of the Cyclobenzaprine but the others she was out of and at this very moment she was tempted to see if Ros could offer the others up to her. That would mean admitting she needed them to someone on the ship and she wasn't quiet to that point yet. Pacifica walked down the hall when the elevator hit deck to and went to work making a pot of coffee for herself. She looked over the dark galley she had expected it to be in an uproar from all the noise she made. She was glad the crew had all learned to sleep like a bouch of deaf children.




Notes:
1)RDTT-3b is the standard issue transport ship used by the New Melborne military. It has a capacity of 100 passengers in tight quarters and a crew of four. The name stands for; Rapid Deployment Tactical Transport, 3rd series model Bravo.

2)SR-27 Phantom AA Rockets, are a commonly used rocket by both the Red Pact and the Commonwealth. They are a short range aint-aircraft rocket made by Blue Sun Corp

[Deleted]

Elijah's eyes groggily opened at the repeated beeping sound of his alarm. It was slow and quiet, hopefully low enough that it wouldn't wake Kalli. Elijah's hand slide under is pillow and searched around till it found the small button then firmly pressed down ending the tierless beeping. It had been set for 0030 hours, early enough for him to get ready and woke up for his departure from the Peerless to the recon mission at 0300. He let out a yawn and stretched his arms to the sky.

Just around the corner of the room the ships mechanic was resting, likely just having gone to see a few hours ago. After their ordeal with the operations officer Kalli had stayed up the last two nights making sure she had checked every system on the ship before they finally started the operation here on Sweethome. Elijah lifted himself from his bunk and carefully I walked to the wall locker, opened it and removed his bag of equipment alone with his toiletries bag. Before he walked,out he,peeked around the corner and smiled when he saw he had not woke his roommate.

He turned and tapped the controls sliding the door open and walked out in to the hall, the door closing behind her. Elijah slung his bag over his shoulder with his left hand, in his right hung his toiletry bag and walked toward the lavatory. As he walked in to the galley on his way to the lavatory he halted when he scanned the room and found he wasn't the only person up this early, or at least not in their quarters. 

The ships operations officer sat there up right in a chair atthe main table in the room, but her eyes were shut. She was sleeping, or at least resting, right there in the galley with her regular mug clasped by her left hand. Elijah set his bags down on a side table and walked over to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder he spoke to her softly as not to surprise her to much.

"Alexander? You sleepin' out 'ere for a reason?" He asked as he squeezed her shoulder just a little. He may not,have known every detail about her but the two of them. Had bonded to some extent over the last two years. That had traded war stories and tales of their pasts from time to time. They had a mutual respect for the fact that each had served as soldiers in their past. Though his history paled compared to hers. 

He had never seen her fall asleep outside her room before, yes a curious thing to remember, but you would be surprised how many people could just find a spot in a room and just fall asleep if only for twenty minutes. Elijah had himself been guilty of it, but Pacifica was a private and professional person. "Come on Alexander, let's get you to your rack."  Elijah said as her eyes peeked open from her little nap.

[Deleted]

Pacifica leaned on the counter as the coffee brewed and dripped in to the pot, waiting only long enough for it to fill far enough for her to fill the mug. She pulled the pot out and poured it, all the while it dripped on to the hot pad hissing with every drop. The coffee filled the mug to the brim before she deposited the pot back in to its place. With each clunking step she approached the nearest seat at the main table, ever few steps the blistering hot coffee splashed over the top of the mug and on to her hand. She hardly noticed the burning on her hand with her attention focused on the pain she felt in her back, as if the shrapnel was still there. A short series of steps later and she arrived at her destination at the table and she melted in to the seat. She let out a heavy sigh as her hand maintained its iron grip on the mug. 

Her eyes gazed around in the darkness looking for exactly nothing, and that is what she found. It was quiet and still, peaceful really. Her eyes blinked with every passing second growing heavier each time. Pacifica leaned further back in her chair as her head rolled to the side. It was less then ten minutes from when she sat down that she had again fallen back asleep. The clock ticked away as the day passed from the seventeenth to the eighteenth. Her mind drifted in to emptiness a darkness like death flowed over her mind. She had rejoined the rest of the crew in slumber, and for a time it was as it should have been. One by one her senses kicked in.

She could smell burning fuel filling in around her. Her hands were cold and wet against the grit of sand. The sounds of gunfire grew louder and louder. Her eyes shot open, she looked left, there was burning debris with a field of crystal blue ocean water. Her eye shifted right to see the machine gun nests back behind her and men gathering behind groupings of boulders not far from the ridge line.  She placed her palm down on the wet sand and began to push herself up and that is when it hit her, the searing pain of hot steel chuncks in her back. She let out a scream that could curdle the very blood in your veins. Pacifica pushed through the pain raising to her knees before she reached down and grabbed the rifle laying beside her. 

She scrambled to her feet and began to run forward. Her eyes were blurry and stinging, why were they blurry? She pushed herself on as the sound of gunfire continued. Her mind focused on her eyes, trying to focus. She blinked her eyes each time her  vision shifted and blurred. She slammed in to the boulder with her shoulder and dropped the magazine from her rifle and replaced it with a fresh one. Her face was cold and wet, her eyes had been watering, she was crying silently from the pain. She couldn't stop the tears, why couldn't she stop the tears? She wiped the sleeve of her blouse across her eyes and looked down at it as it lowered back to her weapon. Her sleeve was soaked from the ocean but also stained red with blood. Was she bleeding? It was a lot of blood, she had to be bleeding and severely too. She unbuttoned the blouse and pulled it back of her body exposing the OD green shirt under it. Pacifica's eyes scanned up and down her arm, it was covered in blood but she couldn't find any wound. The blood must have come from somewhere else. She stood up and scanned the area she had just been. There was bodies all around the downed ship, blood everywhere. She looked to where she had been knocked down as if she was trying to confirm there had to have been someone else there whose blood it was. it had to have come from someone else. 

Before she could decipher any clues to where the blood had come from she was snapped from her wondering track by a series of snapping sounds from rounds flying close by. Pacifica slammed her back to the boulder sending that searing pain through her again as she drove several shards of shrapnel deeper in to her shoulders. "PFC.. Hey PFC!" a voice called out from beside her. Then she felt a hand pull on her shirt wrenching her face toward him. "Private Alexander" The man started as he looked at the name tap on the blouse on the ground beside her. "You see that berm further up, just before the ridge?" 

"Yes Master Sergeant" Pacifica replied as she looked around the corner of the boulder. It was only twenty five meters up. It was the final piece of cover for them before they would have to make it over the ridge. Just ahead of the berm was an easy way up the ridge and their access point for the assault on the ridge. "Good, take this and get to that berm. I'll have the others provide cover. I'll be right there with you." The master sergeant told her as he handed her an APR-7 along with holding on to one himself. 

"Understood Master Sergeant." Pacifica confirmed as she slung the weapon over her shoulder and waited for his go ahead to make the sprint. "All teams open fire. Alexander Go!" The second 'Go' slipped from his lips she took off with all her might carrying the heavy weapon every step of the way. Behind them the deafening sound of gun fire dulled out the sound of everything else. Pacifica came to the berm and dropped to one knee pointing the ARP-7 at the left side of the weak point in the ridge. She flipped up the sights, pulled the pin, depressed the little red button and pulled the trigger holding it as she felt the shock of the rocket leaving the tube. A second later she felt the shock of a second weapon going of. One round hit the at the top of the ridge sending frames bursting out around the location of the hit. The second round flew past the edge of the ridge and further back sending flames in to the air past the ridge. 

Pacifica stood from her position and advanced on the ridge reaching the base in less then ten seconds. For a moment the battlefield seemed quiet. "Ready when you are Master sergeant.... Master Sergeant?" She looked to her side, the man was no there with her. Her eyes went back to the berm, where hey was laying in a pool of blood. It was then she realized why he hadn't advanced with her, why his shot had missed the mark. She climbed the lose rocks till she peeked over the ridge. She leveled her rifle and one, two, three she sent rounds flying from one target to another. Four, five, six, the mortar Reds were scrambling to put out the fires on their fellow soldiers. She pulled a grenade, slipped the pin out and lobbed it toward a cluster of Reds. Her head tucked back down from the ridge top as it exploded.

"Alexander? You sleepin' out 'ere for a reason?" The words didn't make sense, and the world began to fade away. "Come on Alexander, let's get you to your rack."  Her eyes slowly open an she saw Elijah standing there in front of her. Her heart was racing as she stared in to his eyes.

"I uh.. I must have fallen asleep on accident." Pacifica replied, as she got her baring again. She reminded herself the war was over and she was on the Perrless.  Elijah's hand reached out to her offering to help her up. For a second she grasped the cup before finally leting go of it and grabbing his hand to get to her feet. 'Thanks Eli. I guess it was just a bad night." She began to explain as her right hand reached for the mug. She wasn't ready to explain what had happened but she didn't mind a little company right now, something to keep her from falling asleep. She had grown to trust the man as someone she could talk to when she felt ready, she had felt he understood where she was coming from, not that there wasn't a lack of other war vets on the ship to confide in. 

 


Notes: 
APR-7 is an anti personnel rocket that uses a high temperature incendiary explosion that is highly effective against troops in the feild as well as super heating an APC to eliminate any threats inside of it.  

[Deleted]

When she finally relaxed and let go of the cup and grabbed Elijah's hand he pulled her to her feet. Pacifica was a creature of habit and he knew that. It was out of character for her to be up in the middle of the night. He could tell something was bothering her just by the way she spoke. She had a commanding presence and in this very moment she seemed almost... meek. The fact was confirmed with her little statement. "Thanks Eli. I guess it was just a bad night." It was such a small comment but it said a lot. Elijah stood there beside her till she began to walk making her way from the galley back to the elevator to head back to her bunk. 

He had already decided he would escort her back to the room before they parted ways and he went to getting himself ready for the coming day. "You know Alexander, if you ever need to talk I'm told I am not bad a listening." Of course it had been Pacifica who had told him he wasn't a bad listener. She had spoken to him before said the things she needed to get off her chest and he would just sit there and listen. She had said it in a mocking way to him before, sure he listened but he wasn't much of a talker. That was a trait he got from his grandfather Sidney. Sidney's friend Tristrum had always told Elijah and Gavin about how Sidney almost did more grunting then talking when trying to communicate. Elijah may have been a bit better but it still showed through he kept things short and sweet. Only talking when he absolutely had too. Pacifica had been kind enough to point that out to him. 

"I know Eli." Pacifica replied to him as the two walked down the hall and stopped at the elevator. The entire place was silent, aside from the normal hum of the ship, as they waited for the elevator to arrive back on the second deck. "I hope your not worried about Rio and Dez. You know I will be there on the recon to keep a close eye on the demo twins." Elijah said jokingly in an effort to try and lighten the mood. Whatever was bothering her, he was hoping to distract her from so that maybe she would be able to get back to bed and get some sleep. She wasn't going to have to be on the comms with them this morning so she didn't have any place to be till later. At least someone could enjoy a bit of shut eye while they were gone. It was the day after that they would all be busy when the real battle comes. It was as that thought when through his head he realized what it had to be that was bothering her. She was worried about them all having to go in to battle. it didn't matter how experienced or disciplined one was there was always that part of yourself that couldn't help but fear the worse. He would willingly admit there was a part of him that worried every time Roger sent them out in to combat. What could go wrong what they would do. How they would all cope with whatever happens.


Finally the elevator doors opened and the pair stepped in, Pacifica's hand reached for the button, the doors shut and the elevator ascended. At least from their perspective they were ascending. Of course if you looked at the positioning of the ship over the small moon they were actually descending toward the surface. The glories of spacial perspective, was a wonder to behold. Elijah looked over to Pacifica scanning her face for any sign of how she was feeling. He had never been good at figuring out what people were feeling but Pacifica was especially hard. Her face was always cold and calculated from the moment she walked out fo her room in the morning to the moment she retired back to it. One could only assume it was the same when she was sleeping.    

[Deleted]

Pacifica stood there a moment leaning her weight on him not saying a word. She hated the fact that she had spent even a second letting him hold her weight. She had tried her best to refuse to accept her disability and even the slightest little signal that it was there, especially ones others could see, was hard to bare. "You know Alexander, if you ever need to talk, I have been told I am not a bad listener." Elijah said to her mocking, in a playful way, what she had said to him before.

She made no attempt to smile. No attempt to show she was grateful for the offer or upset at the thought,of talking to him. In truth she was grateful, maybe even happy that he had offered, she just wasn't able to show it, or any emotion at that exact moment. If she did she wasn't sure she would be able to hold back the flood of emotions that his beneath the surface of the woman's phyche. "I know Eli." She said simply and quietly to him. She couldn't even muster enough to say thank you. She wanted to and the whole walk to the elevator, the elongated wait for the elevator. It was all a big hesitation to thank him for his offer of kindness. He had no obligation to do so for her. They were crew abOaes the same ship and that meant he had only a professional obligation.

When the elevator finally arrived the two walled on and she quickly sent it up to deck one. The doors slid open and with the opening doors she broke the silence. "Does New Omaha ever plauge you?" The question was simple but powerful. It left her exposed as well as him. He had told her about his past in the service. He too had served in combat and seen the tolls of war. Her comment would tell him more then just an interest in hismwar history. It was a clear display of what was bothering her. An attempt to have him insist for further details in what was troubling her.

[Deleted]

The elevator ride was a quiet one, no words were exchanged between them. That isn't to say that nothing was said by either one of them. Body language can say far more than words, Elijah could see the tension, and frustration in the way Pacifica's every move. The elevator slowed to a stop and Pacifica broke the silence. "Does New Omaha ever plague you?" 


At first the question seemed simple enough to Elijah. They had talked about where they had served, exchanging stories the good times and the bad time alike. It had been how the two had bonded so quickly after he joined the crew. It had been two years on the ship actually, and there were members of the crew he was still working at building a connection with. "I don't know, maybe from time to time. I guess you never really get pa..." Elijah paused mid sentence when he realized exactly what was going on.

It wasn't as simple of a question as he had first assumed. It was about her past, about the Red Pact War. He had heard some of the stories of hers. Mostly those of the good times with those she served with. He knew she hadn't spoke of the other times because it was to hard to. Sure he experienced war, if you could really call it that. The difference was she had experience true war. She had suffered, sacrificed and lost those close to her. She had seen the true horrors of war and to this day she truly suffered for it. 

Back when Elijah was in the HDF on New Omaha they talked a lot about the war going on in Red Sun. It was called the Red War back on Haven, and the troops had talked about how when they were done on New Omaha that they would be sent off to do their part in the Red War. They all had dreamed that they would serve like many of their fathers had. Elijah most then most imagined being sent off to save the 'Verse like his father and grandfather before him.

It was naive but having grown up listening to his grandfather Sidney spin tales of the 217th made him dream of doing the same. Where Elijah had wished for the chance to join the Red War, Pacifica had been thrust into the depths of that very war. In a way she never did get to leave that war, at least not all of her. "This isn't about New Omaha though is it?" He didn't expect an answer to the question or leave time for her to do so before he continued. "What is it that's bothering you? It might help to talk about it finally." Elijah stopped at her door leaning against the wall next to it. He wasn't sure if she would want to talk or make for the door and escape the situation. Either way he wouldn't blame her for her choice.

Elijah stood silently there as she reached forward and opened the door avoiding the question. He looked forward at her studying her face, a glimpsmin to what she was thinking as she staired forward at the controls. For a moment Elijah thought she was going to walk in to the room with out saying a word. The door slide open and still she didn't say a word. Neither did she step forward leaving the situation. Finally she looked over to him. He could tell she wanted to say something but had yet to take that next step. Elijah smiled at her waiting for her to break then silence once more.

[Deleted]

Pacifica was could feel a sense of relief wash over her when Elijah began to talk of New Omaha. She deep down really did want to get things off her chest, but that was the twinge of fear inside her telling her never to talk about what really got to her. She had left the conversation open and she could tell herself later that she tried to bring it up. She could lie to herself and even convince herself she was not avoiding her problems this way. Her theory lasted only a moment though before Elijah popped her happy little bubble.  


This isn't about New Omaha though is it? What is it that's bothering you? It might help to talk about it finally." His line of questioning sent her mind racing. What was she to do at this point. That part of her that had tried to open up to this line of conversation had run for the hills the second he changed the direction of the conversation. Pacifica was left there standing almost shocked. Pacifica scrambled for the door controls opening it with out saying a word. There was a moment, a very long moment, that she debated stepping inside and pretending she hadn't heard what he said. he knew as well as she did though that, that wasn't true. She heard him clear as day and if she went in without ending this conversation she would only have to face that in the morning when she next saw him. She wanted to tell him it wasn't his business. Yet she wanted to tell him everything, even if it left her in tears there on the floor. She didn't cry though, not anymore. Crying was for the weak and she was not weak, she never was going to be weak, not here, not now or ever. 

She had stood there frozen long enough, and finally turned to see his smiling face. Now all that was left was to force the words out. "I don't even know where to begin Eli." She tried to explain as if that would be enough for him to back down now. She hesitated as she looked in to his eyes. He said nothing, no simple acceptance or request for more details. See this is what she had talked about when she joked about him being a good listener. Sure he was a good listener but he just never talked enough. She wished he would do the talking so she didn't have to, but how could he. It was her problem and he was just there to listen. "Its this job. Davis has us going after one of the largest PMC's out there and now here we are orbiting around a moon that has one of their bases on it." She sighed trying to think of what she wanted to say. It was harder then she ever imagined what was she supposed to say? 'I can't sleep because I am like a five year old having nightmares.' That wouldn't do, nor would she ever be willing to admit to being scared of something. "I guess it's just making it hard to sleep you know? I'll be sitting up here on the Peerless while I watch you all go off in to battle. We cover small time jobs and this isn't one of them." It wasn't the same as what they had done before. She had covered the ships assets from above many times before. That wasn't the issue, the issue was the fact that she would be watching them go in to a situation that was to much like the Red Pact War all those years ago. She had grown accustomed to being cold and inhuman when watching the battles. She could handle that here to losses happened, and it was her job to make sure they avoided them if at all possible. That didn't keep her up at night. It was all a reminder of what happened to her now. She knew she could play a vital role even from the ship but not being able to be on the ground was still hard for her to accept, and that is what brought her past to the forefront. 

She had touched only on the surface of what was getting to her but at least she had started to talk. Pacifica stepped forward to inside the door then turned to look at Elijah. She made no effort to smile, greeting him with a simple straight and stern face like was so common for her. "It's the war. This situation just brings it up and I don't want to sleep right now." She told him finally breaking in to the truth behind it all. "Good luck this morning Elijah." With that last comment she closed the door and walked deeper in to her room coming to rest on the small chair next to her bed. She opened the drawer to her night stand and pulled out the bottle of Cyclobenzaprine. After unscrewing the top she pulled two small pills and popped them in to her mouth. They had been for the pain associated with her injuries but they also made one drowsy. They would help her get back to sleep, and if she was lucky she would be able to sleep through the rest of the night. She needed a way to get some rest. Pacifica recapped the pills and stowed them back in the nightstand before she slipped back in to her bed.