Shared dream or shared nightmare exposed

Posted on Sunday, 28 February 2021 - 3:22pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

Mission: Operation: Trail of Tears
Location: USS Standing Bear | Observation Lounge
Timeline: 2394 (Shortly after shared nightmare post)

ON:

"Soral no-" The Italian screamed but was cut off by the vacuum of space. It stole her breath and very being as it hurtled the pair out into the starry abyss.

***

Adrianna blinked away the dark memory of the nightmare as she stood looking at an airlock on her way home for the evening. Between her nightmares, going through where her tallies had come from and the orbs omen, she had lacked a proper night's sleep for what felt like weeks.

Her other thoughts made her question what happened between her current tallies and her 'final' ones that the orb had foreseen. Many potentials crowded her mind and scared her. It was probably why the nightmare with Soral haunted her. Anything was possible; the unknown tallies could be anything. Anything.

Soral, disturbed by nightmare, left the warmth of his bed and headed for a walk. He found himself with a hot tea in the observation lounge staring at the stars. The very same ones that he'd dreamed about.

Adrianna saw something move out the corner of her eye and jumped out of her skin, turning rather pale on the recognition of her dreamt murderer.

Soral hadn't noticed Adrianna until she'd jumped and yelped. "Apologies. I did not know that anyone was here. I can leave."

"Depends," she shrugged a little, "are we both awake?" It was a bizarre question, but Adrianna wasn't sure lately. Night's had turned to days and days somehow to nights.

"I believe we are of course there are those who would philosophically argue that life in itself is a dream and upon death we wake into what is reality."

Boring enough to be awake. "Si then," Adrianna offered a small smile, "Grol mentioned you'd been dreaming of airlocks. Being that you're here, I'd suggest they are nightmares."

Soral shifted a little. He had dreamt of airlocks and Adrianna "Grol has a big mouth." He sighed.

"Why do you think he's not in comms?" Adrianna offered to try and lighten the mood, "he didn't say what happened. But if they are anything like the dreams I've been having, I'd assume there was some satisfaction for you for the ending."

"No Petty officer. Not at all." He sat down. He looked up at her. "If I have been dreaming of air locks what have you been haunted by?"

"Airlocks and more specifically what happens when I vaffanculo a Vulcan," she decided to keep profanities in her native tongue out of politeness. Just because neither of them were on duty, did not mean she could let her guard down, "that and reliving my tallies."

Soral studied her. "Tell me of your dream."

"The one with you," she clarified, "Alex died whilst we were in Rome. You then come after me. You drag me into an airlock and kill us both, our of anger and grief." Adrianna looked to Soral, "love makes people do crazy things, but I would have expected you to do worse than kill us both. I expected you to just kill me in a Vulcanised rage, instead of performing a murder-suicide."

He raised an eyebrow. "Odd."

Adrianna nodded.

"It appears that both you and Alexandra and myself have had a shared...nightmare."

"As long as you also feel it was a nightmare," she replied, "stranger things have happened."

"Indeed. It could be this," he motioned towards windows. "This space...is haunted."

"Regardless of my experience a few months back," Adrianna stated, "I don't believe in ghosts. I do however believe in karma. I believe I have found my equilibrium." She looked to Soral, taking her eyes from the stars, "If we did have the same dream, then it is mere coincidence. It is a subject that has crossed all of our minds of late. I did not, and will not put a friend's life at risk, if I have opportunity. You know that, si?"

"Yes, I do. Contrary to what you may think Petty Officer I do not dislike you." He said.

Adrianna couldn't help but smile, "I think that's the first time you've complimented me without a 'but'." She looked back out to the stars, "I always thought that if I was to be murdered it would be because of my mouth, not my actions." Adrianna chuckled and looked back to Soral, "there's still time."

He allowed his stoic face to wear a hint of a smile, "Indeed." He stared out at the stars. "There is one thing I wish you to remember, with respect to being on this ship."

"Never be with you and near an airlock?" she offered with an attempted grin before looking back to him, "go on."

He raised an eyebrow. The silence was deafening and then he said, "Alright, two. That and the fact that Standing Bear is a family and you are a a part of it now. We all have pasts and family pain that is why this family aims to be a little more functional."

"You've said several times," Adrianna replied, somewhat bored of being told the same things over and over again. Why did people continue assuming she hadn't grown personally. She sighed and went to leave, "enjoy the rest of your evening, sir."

He gave a nod as she left.

OFF: