Trektober Day #11: Nightmares

Cardassians don't dream.

It is one of the aspects of their physiology that Julian is most grateful for when he begins practicing medicine on the planet. The people are traumatized enough, followed in their waking moments by the memories of bombardments and charred flesh. They already struggle to fall asleep and wake up. The last thing they need is nightmares in between.

He is envious of the fact that Garak, whose past haunts him even at the best of times, can sleep in peace. It is only Julian who wakes up screaming, unsure if he is in his bed or a lab or a simulation or a prison camp. It is only Julian who sees the faces of those he has killed when he loses consciousness.

But perhaps it is better that way. There is a safety to knowing that waking up will end the nightmare. The Cardassians also do not have that.