A Random Thought

Posted on Tue Oct 22nd, 2024 @ 4:44pm by Ensign Aenardha Sh'vastarth & Lieutenant JG Olivia Keith

Mission: The Only Thing Left Was Hope
Location: Science Office
Timeline: 1 Day From Earth

Aenardha was taking a break from her work in Intelligence and, tapping into the public vision of the crew that she passed in the corridor as well as her own knowledge of the ship, she was able to make her way easily to the small room that doubled as the Science Office. The door slid open invitingly before she could depress the call button. She disallowed herself from tapping into Olivia's vision just yet as she recognized the mental tags that the LT was looking over Science reports. Possibly not something Aenardha should see. So, she waited, blindly, to be recognized.

Olivia was engrossed in reading the reports, catching up on what she needed to know from prior Pandora missions. She paused as she realised she wasn’t alone, looking up to see Aenardha. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She put the PADD down that she was holding. “What can I do for you?”

Aenardha, then, tapped into Olivia's vision and used that to see herself into the small office. Aenardha also looked back at herself through Olivia's vision to ensure she was looking the woman in the eye as the took a chair. "I understand you are our resident archeologist and anthropologist. Please, if you will, do you know much of how memories work within Andorians, especially the Aenar subspecies?"

Olivia gave Aenardha a surprised look, she wasn’t expecting a question like that. “That’s a pretty specific area of study, I know about Andorians and their culture, and of course the Aenar, but as to how memories work...” she paused. “Is there something in particular you’re looking for?”

"We Aenar are generally known for our impeccable memories. Even decades ago, we can recall events as though they had happened yesterday. I have a memory that I cannot place. It is of a little girl, skipping along. I never see her face and I cannot see if she is skipping on grass, an ice field, in a house. She is humming a tune that I cannot place. All I have is a girl skipping and humming an unknown tune. I have no recollection of ever seeing this, or experiencing this event, of meeting this girl." Aenardha finished laying out the symptoms. "I know, as an anthropologist, you are not a biologist nor a neurologist. Of everyone on the ship at the moment, I feel you are the one best qualified."

Olivia nodded. “Okay, that’s very odd. Could this be some kind of suppressed, or forgotten memory that’s just surfaced? If it is then it might be worth involving...” she paused. “It’s Krysia I think, the ship’s Counsellor. Otherwise it could be something implanted in your mind. You see through other people’s eyes correct? How exactly do you do it? Do you connect to them telepathically mind to mind?”

"There are 2 ways of telepathic connection. The most widely used is mind to mind. Us Aenar can produce near-physical telepathic connections with each other or with Andorians by touching the cups of our antennae to the cups of others. We can also attach to...yours...per se. You do not have antennae but the temples behind your eyes," she motioned with a hand, "can oftentimes provide us with a similar near-physical telepathic connection." Now she had to get back onto the topic at hand. "I do not think this little girl is some suppressed memory and I know that is not something someone implanted in my mind. At least I do not think so. And we see through the visual corteces of others. Right now, for instance, I am looking back at myself through your visual cortex. Starfleet regulations allow, unless specifically denial is expressed by the person, to utilize the visual corteces of those around us for public vision. You visual cortex translates what your eyes see, live, time now, before entering your brain as a memory. That is the regulated limit of our sight abilities. And this little girl is not something someone else saw because I could dismiss it outright. If I were to say the word 'elephant,' you will think of an elephant but you can dismiss the image outright. It is the same for us Aenar." Aenardha shook her head. "This little girl I keep seeing is something else. I know it. But I don't know." She looked at herself through Olivia's vision and made a confused expression as though asking if any of that made sense in the least.

Olivia nodded. “It’s a real mystery, and I love a mystery!” She offered a warmer smile. “For what it’s worth you’re welcome to use my visual cortex for sight anytime you need to. I’m fascinated in the whole telepathic, empathic, and everything along those lines. Anyway, back to the task at hand, do you see this little girl in your dreams? Nightmares? Or is it more in the way of a waking dream, or just a flash of a memory?”

Aenardha was nodding her head to every instance Olivia was detailing. "All of the above. But not always. I dream and she shows up, always skipping away from me and humming this strange tune. I walk the corridor and suddenly there she is skipping away from me. Always away and never toward. I form a telepathic link with someone and she shows up again. There seems to be no reason and no common denominator that I can find for her appearances."

Olivia frowned. “It’s almost like she’s a part of you, almost a memory but...” she shook her head. “It could be part of a repressed memory that’s resurfacing.” She paused. “Have you tried talking to her? Does she acknowledge your presence in your dreams and memories?”

"I've tried," Aenardha said. "She never responds or shows the slightest sign of recognition. Though I cannot rule out that it is something suppressed or implanted, I am confident it is not. This is not urgent, just an annoyance to be true. If you want to run any tests or have other ideas, I would be open to discussion. I will also keep you apprised of any developments." Aenardha knew no answers would come this day, but answers never came to those who never sought them out. And this search had to begin somewhere.

“Perhaps this might give us some answers” Olivia pulled out a small cortical monitor from one of the drawers. “It’s just like the monitors from Sickbay but we can use it to monitor your sleep pattern, and brainwaves. If there’s anything untoward going on then this might give us some answers.”

"I will start using it tonight," Aenardha said. "Whatever this memory is, I think this will point us in the right direction."

“I just hope it helps” Olivia smiled. “Maybe we could take a trip to the holodeck too, to recreate your vision.”