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So, I've been thinking.

Chances are, some people don't believe everything we were told about home and the Ohm. And might want proof.

Thinking about it though, seeing your universe end is really horrific.

So I was thinking of suggesting something.

I mean, we can't trust the ship, but we trust each other to a degree, right? I mean, there can't be a bunch of us who are plants.

So I was thinking, for the skeptics of the ship, maybe instead of having everyone doubting do it, because a good number of people who doubt probably are just in denial of something so horrible and it'd be bad for them to see, that only a select few people do it. Like, people who can deal with that sort of horrific thing for one reason or another.

Like I believe I could. I've been in horrible dreams before, and they felt real to me because they kind of are to me. So...I think I could deal with whatever it was that was suppressed.

And some other people might be able to deal without heavy therapy can do it too.

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Memories can be tampered with, though. Just because the ship restores someone's memories doesn't mean they'll be accurate memories of what really happened.

Yes, but with them reawaken, there are ways to see if they have been tampered with.

How would you tell?

There are signs. There are always signs when a memory isn't quite right. Even if it takes a psychic to look at it to see what it is.

What kind of signs?

That depends on what does the tampering. Psychic, machines, they live different signs.

Though, usually the subconscious isn't changed. It's a lot harder to mess with that.

You sound like you have a lot of experience with this kind of thing.

I don't quite understand the distinction between someone's memories and their subconscious. Would you mind explaining?

I do.

Well, it's more of the difference between the conscious and subconscious. The conscious is what you're thinking right now. The subconscious is what you're not thinking, but what you know and believe. Your subconscious is what makes your dreams as well.

Anyway, the subconscious pretty much has...everything you know. It hold your 'true' beliefs. Like if you said you don't believe in ghosts, and you consciously think it, your subconscious still does and that's why you are afraid of ghosts.

Of course, there can be different levels of subconscious. Like if someone is brainwashed, it can affect their subconscious mind. If you want to believe someone who says something is true and tell your conscious mind it is, your subconscious might provide reasoning why you don't, but beyond that justification, are the memories that have been brainwashed for you to forget. Once you get some memory trigger your subconscious can't justify, it lets those memories out.

At least for the usual brainwashing.

So if you're gonna alter a memory, you have to alter it in the conscious mind as well as the subconscious mind. Not only make it so your subconscious gives reasoning for why something is or is not, but remove the real memory from the subconscious completely so the truth can't be recalled.

I think I understand now. So the subconscious would be harder to alter because it's more deeply rooted than the conscious, tied in to someone's personality? Based on what you're telling me and some things Stacy has said, it sounds like trying to alter the subconscious might result in serious damage to the person's mind.

Pretty much. It's easy to manipulate the subconscious, but if you try to actually CHANGE what's there, you can cause some major side effects.

The idea has merit. I'll run it by the ship's command crew. We don't want any unnecessary problems due to peoples' minds being tampered with just yet.

Yes sir. Just thought I'd say before someone emotionally distraught demanded the memory back.

Agreed. Thank you, Miss Jones.

You're welcome, sir.

I request to be informed of the final decision as soon as possible, if that's okay as well.

Certainly.

Thank you, sir.

My memories and those of Arha Masaari and Ghanima Atreides would be difficult to tamper with. They would have to alter the experience of all our thousands of Other-Memory-Lives too.

Other-Memory-Lives?

Do you think you could take seeing your world and universe destroyed?

That sounds like a good idea, Selene. Personally... I do not know what to think about this revelation.

I'm either detached from it instinctively to not have a break down or the shock hasn't hit me completely yet. It's always a bit hard to tell.

I would think it's the latter. Based on how well I know you, that seems more likely.

It might be. I've just done it before to horrible things. Detach myself and don't think about it too much and I kind of treat it as the 'not-reality' sort of thing in my mind where dreams go.

I will be having my removed memories returned as soon as possible.

You think they couldn't alter your memories?

It makes me suspect. My intelligence has only a partially physical manifestation.

...what does that mean exactly?

My physical brain is only part of the equation. The core elements of my sentience reside within my soul.

So it's harder to manipulate that?

It should be.

That would certainly be a good thing to try.

The Command Crew want to talk about it first though.

If it won't help me I don't care much about what they have to say, but I can wait.

It wouldn't hurt to see what they have to say.

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