Mission Archive

The words of Ensign Dalziel weighed heavily on the mind of the ILO. The ANUBIS had become her new home and as such its crew her new family.

This reality proved difficult for Shar'El to just accept.  The concept of a family had been distorted because of her own experiences.  Many of the memories she had scanned from the crew had dealt with this very subject, but none came even close to match her own.

This served only to prove to Shar'El that something had been missing from her own set of memories. The senior staff of STARBASE 118 had done their best to raise the child but something had always been missing.  Time had been short and the demands many.

The aged Admiral who had enlisted the Ensign direct from the Academy and who had helped train her seemed more than happy to have Shar'El be a loner. The memories he had selected to share with the Ullian supported that idea. Intel was a dangerous field of work and having a family, or even close friends, could prove to be a fatal flaw for others to exploit.

Still the logic offered by the CNS has been sound, well as far as Cardassian logic went.  Human memories and history were full of instances where the bonds of friendship helped turn the tides of conflicts. Situations that would have been impossible for a single person to overcome were conquered when friends put their own lives at risk.  What many saw as a weakness, others saw as an ultimate strength.

Could the Admiral have been wrong? Could his own experiences have tainted his ideas and views as to how best an Intel Officer operated? Had he wanted to shape Shar'El into his own image, be it right or wrong?

The final and ultimate decision would be hers to make but first the ILO needed more time and certainly more information.

Seeing on the large divided screen that the ship's CO had not been occupied Shar'El reached for her comm badge.

"Ensign Shar'El to Captain Morningstar."

=/\= Go ahead Ensign. =/\=

The ILO smiled as she heard a hint of surprise in the man's voice. "I just wanted to know if you had a moment to give me?  I would like for us to speak."

=/\= Of course. I always have time for my crew, especially the ILO. =/\=

"Thank you Sir. Shall we say the BLACK HOLE Lounge, in 10 minutes?"

=/\= That would be perfect, I am almost there. =/\=

"I know," the ILO ended with as she closed the comm channel.  On the divided screen Shar'El could see the puzzlement in the man's face as it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, being instead replaced by an unwilling acceptance.

After all, Shar'El was the ILO for the USS ANUBIS, and Intel cruiser. It had not been a far stretch to imagine the woman knowing where her CO was at all times. 

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