=-=
"Reality of Dreams"
[previous post was "Adlibbing" by the sneaky Lorraine]
=-=

Setting: MASQUERADE DREAMS, Room 22-031 (Shar'El)
Stardate: 30152.0210

It is the philosophy of certain races that the universe which surrounds us is shaped by the thoughts and beliefs of the observer.  Reality therefore takes on the form that they wish it to, but what of dreams?  If reality is nothing more than ideas and dreams given form, would it not be logical to agree that those same dreams are a reality onto themselves?

Before the events surrounding Ensign Ya'Han had begun, the raven haired acting ExO/ILO had been listening in on the memories of those in the ballroom.  With so many people present in a single area, it had taken all of the Ullian's concentration to not let these surface memories overwhelm her.  Making sense of all these images and emotions had been the next imposing challenge.

Parents remembering events of importance in the lives of their children; diplomats recalling difficult negotiations with other races; politiciens explaining how they had been forced to bring drastic changes in their world's social structure; as well as a few high ranking military officials boasting about their victories against ruthless, bloodthirsty invaders.  All of these had been but a small sample of what Shar'El had observed through the broadcasted memories of others. The ILO had also listened in on other's personal accounts which had allowed her to identify the players amongst the crowd whose interest had been nothing more than to add new conquests to their already lengthy list.

Once she had retreated to her room, Shar'El had calmed her mind to review all that she had learned.  Through this jumble of disconnected memories, the acting ExO/ILO had done her best to make sense of it all hoping to find some bit of information that would help Ensign Ya'Han and the rest of the undercover team of the ANIBUS to locate the Chief of Security's older sister Ya'Jan.  Her efforts had proven futile as no one seemed to remember anything having to do with the runaway daughter of the High Sovereign of NYLA IV, but the physical demands of the evening and current research had proven too much for the Ullian.

As various memories came and went while she slept, some of Shar'El's own memories began to surface despite her desire for them not to.  Some of these had been from her time at STARBASE 118 and Starfleet Academy, but others dealt with time and events that had never been hers to experience.  Subconsciously the Ullian knew that these memories had been taken from the ancient machine discovered on the moon of PI ALPHA III, but this knowledge had not helped the raven haired woman to sort through the countless images that came into view.

In the world of reality, the occasional twitching and involuntary movement of her arms and legs were the only hints as to the struggle she faced in the realm of dreams.  Her time connected to the ancient machine had given her a gift, one that had been pried open and analysed during her extensive debriefing after the mission.

Her promotion and reassignment to the USS ANUBIS as acting ExO had been because of these memories and the knowledge that she had gained through them. The ideas and beliefs of several cultures and civilizations that had long vanished had made their home in her head, each one giving Shar'El a new perspective into the universe.  Logic and emotions, believed by some such as the Vulcans as being on opposite ends of the equation of life, had slowly come to be together in near perfect harmony within the ILO's dreams.

The mission that they all had been on began to slip from the acting ExO/ILO's mind as her dreams began to shape a new reality around her, a universe where personal conflicts and individual power gave way to a greater universal understanding.  Shar'El found herself awestruck by this concept, one that she could not truly understand, but one which had served its purpose; to help the raven haired woman understand a little more the fundamental building blocks of individual realities.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Lieutenant Commander Shar'El
Acting Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS