Of Time & Dreams

As most of you know, ever since the USS Enterprise-D exited the Devron Anomaly, I have been experiencing what I call, “temporal dreams”. I go to bed some nights, and I time travel into the lives of other people, usually in the past. This happens randomly, and I have no control over where I go, or whose life I visit. I consciously inhabit the mind of that person, and I experience a period of time, as me, in their body. No matter how long I spend in the life of that person – hours, day, months, even years – I wake up again, in the present -- as me -- the next morning.

I retain the memories of my temporal dream experiences, and when I research that person’s life (once I am me again), history records their life moments exactly as I experienced them. I have free will in the lives I visit, and I try to confine my actions to what I discover about each person, however, when I ponder these experiences, I have to wonder… am I really experiencing history as it has always been, or am I unwittingly writing it anew? Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing for certain, because my experiences are the only history I, or anyone else, remember.

So far, I have experienced dozens of “temporal dreams”. These are a few of them:

I was Liliana Barton, the young woman passenger on the RMS Titanic, in 1912, who, I like to think, kept the famous ocean liner from striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic – during its maiden voyage. I was the woman who insisted that the captain make sure there were suitable binoculars in the crow’s nest. Liliana may be a footnote in the history books, but she helped keep the Titanic from sinking. I cannot imagine what history would have been like if that had happened.

I was Josiah Whitley, one of Zefram Cochrane’s scientists in 2063 Bozeman, Montana (on Earth). I made sure the iconic warp engineer had his rock music on hand before his successful launch. I helped to replace a vital component on the Phoenix. I shook the hand of Solkar, the Vulcan captain of the T’Plana Hath. I – as Josiah – was present for Human-Vulcan first contact.

I was a young woman named Edith Keeler in 1930 New York City. I ran a soup kitchen, and – dare I say this – I met a time-traveling Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy, although, there is no real-world evidence that any of those iconic Starfleet officers, from our present timeline, ever traveled into that past. I experienced Edith’s death, when she fell down a flight of stairs.

I was Darren Drake, the Secret Service agent who was killed saving the life of American President Ronald Reagan, in 1981. I – as Darren – stepped in front of the President, and was killed by the third bullet. President Reagan survived an assassin’s kill-shot, and I was there to experience the whole thing. Waking up from that “temporal dream” was greatly disorienting.

I was even a Union soldier, during the American Civil War. I was a Private in the 102nd New York Infantry, participating in General Sherman’s march on Atlanta. During the Battle of Pine Mountain, Georgia, in June 1864, I helped my commanding officer, Colonel Thaddius Riker, to safety after he was wounded. Another officer was so grateful for my actions, that he insisted I be photographed with the Colonel. Later, when I awoke to the present day, I found that very photograph in the historical archives.

I have also experienced the future – twice.

In one future, I was actually aboard Enterprise Station -- before the USS Enterprise-D was stationed at the mouth of the Bajoran wormhole, and before the ship was redesignated as a starbase. I won’t say whose body I was inhabiting during that experience (out of respect to that person), but I can confirm that what I experienced -- during that “temporal dream” -- became our present reality. For a short while, I experienced our then-future, I just didn’t realize it at the time.

I also experienced events in which I was a Starfleet officer, aboard a class of starship that has not yet been commissioned. That ship time-traveled into Earth’s past – 1996 to be specific, and was the famous “July UFO” that streaked across the sky above the city of Los Angeles. Anyone familiar with Earth history probably knows of that event. It garnered a great deal of press at the time. I – as the Starfleet officer – was aboard that “UFO”. I even had the opportunity to visit 1996 Los Angeles during that “temporal dream” (in disguise, of course).

Exactly two weeks ago, I experienced my longest “temporal dream” – the dream that led to me being off-duty in the PAO for nearly two weeks. In that dream, I got to do something I’ve always wanted to do – play professional baseball. I time traveled into the life of Milwaukee Brewers baseball player, Cale Bryson, and was him for his entire 11-year career. He was Milwaukee’s starting second baseman from 2000-2010. He earned four World Series rings, was awarded two Gold Gloves for his fielding, and was a much-loved franchise player, having played his entire career with the team. I, Sam Archer, have been a fan of old Earth baseball history since I was a child. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I have loved the historic Brewers team just as long. To experience Cale’s entire career, has been nothing short of astounding. I WAS Cale.

What I have struggled with the most, however, is that, during the twelve years that I experienced life as Cale Bryson, he – I – met a girl, fell in love, married her, and became a father to two daughters. The world, during those years, may have seen Cale Bryson, but I was the personality behind his name. I was the baseball skill behind his career, I signed those professional player contracts. I met his wife, Olivia. I became the father to those two little girls… I WAS Cale.

I looked up Cale Bryson’s career, his statistics, his awards, and they are exactly as I experienced them. What confuses me a bit, however, is that, Cale never played in the Minor Leagues (before I became him). He has a history that I came to know, but I couldn’t find many actual records of that history. I became him just before he attended a tryout with a team scout. He earned the second baseman role straight out of that tryout. That rarely happened in the big leagues back then. And what concerns me even more, is that Cale Bryson disappeared shortly after his retirement. He was never found, and his daughters finished growing up without a father. His disappearance was actually a major headline in 2010 USA.

I have since found reference to other people that I have “leaped into”, disappearing, or going missing after I returned to the present as well. Liliana Barton disappeared in 1912 New York City, after getting off the Titanic. Josiah Whitley vanished without a trace after meeting the Vulcans. Darren Drake, Edith Keeler, they died. The person I time traveled into, just before the USS Enterprise became Enterprise Station, supposedly transferred off the Enterprise. Cale Bryson went missing. These revelations make me wonder… History records these names, and remembers their accomplishments, while I was them, but they seemed to vanish from history when I left. Were these people real, were they – somehow – me “in disguise”, or is it just a coincidence that all of them were mysteriously lost to history when I awoke to the present?

The investigation continues – I need to know more about these people. But, at least now YOU know why I was off-duty for nearly two weeks. I’ve had a few issues to work through. I am me again, of that I am certain, but I am also still every single person whose lives I have visited, lived, or, quite possibly written into history. And why this temporal dreaming occurs, or who directs it remains unknown. I seem to be tied to history, far more than I realized. I need to know why.

-Lieutenant Commander Sam Archer

-------------------------------------------------------------
October 24, 2369 – (Devron Timeline 3.0)