Star Voyager - Part 18
By Iejasu and Miklinar
Vader woke slowly. The ceiling was that of his
cell-quarters, yes, but now the lock on the door would
answer to him. He rolled over onto his side.
"Computer. Cocoa and coffee, mixed, hot."
The mug materialized on the replicator shelf. The
steam from the liquid inside bore its aroma to him,
urging him out of bed.
Someone had re-set his 'fresher, too -- it was
delivering water now, like the convalescent quarters.
He took a long time letting the needles of liquid
pepper his skin, breathing the steamy air.
There was a message waiting from Tom Paris.
"Something's come up -- I'll meet you in the hangar at
1500 hours to check out your ship. Try not to get into
any trouble before then, okay?"
Vader snorted. Still, it left him time to make his
farewells.
"Computer, breakfast... wait." He thought. When he had
been forced to eat in in the dining hall, he had
bitterly resented it, even though it had been simple
justice. The solitary meal, now, was a symbol of what?
His original freedom as a convalescent? His status as
a prisoner? He scowled. "Computer, cancel breakfast
order." He dressed in basic utilities -- he was going
to be readying a ship for a long journey. But first,
breakfast.
------------
Neelix had more than his usual twinkle in his eye as
he set up a breakfast tray for Vader. "I'm happy," he
said, "that you could help Naomi. She was asking about
you this morning, but I told her I didn't know if you
were going to be coming here for breakfast."
"I didn't know earlier, myself." Vader looked around.
No sign of the child. "She's gone?"
"She has an early class this morning. She'll be back
for lunch, later."
Vader sat alone with his meal. Occasionally someone
would greet him, but they seemed to know he was
leaving, and the ones who weren't his acquaintences,
while they might wish him well, didn't bother to
introduce themselves now.
-------------------
Vader entered the pub in appropriate clothing for Fair
Haven. Sullivan greeted him at once and set up a pint.
"It is hearing I am that you are leaving soon, m'lud?"
the owner asked him.
Vader nodded calmly. "Yes. It is time for me to go
home. My estate has been too long without my hand on
its reins." He smiled a little at that.
Then he suddenly realised that there was no telling at
this stage of research _when_ he would be back, how
much time had passed since the destruction of the
second Death Star or if he could even come
back _before_ he left. An interesting thought that
held many possibilities, he mused. Not the least of
which would be finding himself already there, a young
man -- or even a child.
"Do you have family, m'lud?"
Vader looked over at the innkeeper. "Yes, I _have_ a
family." But suddenly he avoided the eyes of the
barkeeper. Yes, he had a family, if the family wanted
him. He was not so sure about that. Luke would perhaps
accept him but Leia, his daughter, was just as proud
and stubborn as he was. It would be hard, maybe
impossible, to talk to her. Pride was his family's
downfall. Pride, anger and stubbornness.
Sullivan nodded and set out a platter of fine bread,
cheeses, and sausages. But the finely-dressed man
seemed to have neither a thirst nor a hunger. Sullivan
smiled. "It's company you'd be wanting, then, m'lud?"
That drew Vader's attention. "Not precisely, but...
when will Brigid be here?"
"She's gone, m'lud, to tend her mother's sister who's
laid up in bed with the fever. Father Mulligan is
going to visit her later today."
Vader's eyebrow rose. Mulligan was the name the
holographic doctor used in Fair Haven. Was he curing
virtual ailments, then? No, this seemed to be more of
a religious function. He shook his head. A computer
program with religious leanings.
Then again, he owed the doctor a goodbye as well. In
spite of the initial clash, the doctor had done him a
great service, freeing him from his infirmities.
"And where would I be finding Father Mulligan?"
Sullivan gestured toward the church, visible through
the windows of the pub. "He should be taking
confessions right now. You might wish to unburden your
soul before you start your journey home."
Vader kept from laughing. He had no intention of
confessing anything to the doctor that the hologram
didn't already know. Instead, he nodded solemnly.
"Indeed I might."
Outside, the sun was warm and gentle, nothing like the
harsh suns of Tatooine. The church was on the edge of
town, next to a small fenced field with engraved white
rocks. The doctor, in the robes of his Fair Haven
character, was standing at the door of the church,
bidding farewell to a parishioner. "Ah, Mister
Skywalker. Come to make confession?"
Vader bit back a growl. He was glad that he would soon
be rid of the doctor's pre-programmed hearty
cheerfulness. "You are visiting Brigid Murphy's
kinswoman. I will accompany you."
"I... see." The doctor shrugged, and set out on the
road, waiting only a moment to see if Skywalker was
behind him. Once the larger man caught up, the doctor
slipped out of his priest personna to rattle
cheerfully about his "cure" of Seven, and,
coincidences need not apply!, his testimony that
cleared Vader.
"A non-corporeal person was trapped inside what you
were describing as a 'Force void bubble.' Seven was
hearing his voice as commands from the Borg
collective, and she has very little resistance in that
area, although she has improved considerably from when
we rescued her from the Borg."
It was very like the doctor to call Kenobi a
"non-corporeal person" rather than a ghost or other
spiritual phenomenon. "Is he gone? Were there any
memory residues left?"
"Her EEG is back to normal, but she retains only
partial memories of the time period."
A silence, walking, then, "I adjusted her cortical
node so those frequencies are blocked now. She will no
longer be vulnerable to the collection of formerly
living persons you seem to have hovering around you."
Well! "Formerly living" was as close to "ghost" as the
hologram would ever get, at least outside of a
story-telling, but... "Collection?!"
The doctor/priest turned to look at his former
patient. "You didn't know? Seven reported at least
three different voices. One, she might have fought
off, but three -- and they quarrelled."
Vader took the doctor by the shoulders and nearly
shook him. "This wasn't in your testimony at the board
of inquiry. Explain yourself!"""
"My complete report to the captain would have taken
several days to read aloud. My _summary_ was even cut
to an absurdly short length, and presented as my
complete testimony," the doctor protested. "That
testimony helped clear you, Mister Skywalker. Does it
matter how many voices Seven heard inside her head?"
The doctor seemed to be unsure whether to regard
Seven's problem as three non-corporeal persons or just
one, talking in different voices.
Between clenched teeth, "It matters for when I return
home. I want to see your entire report."
"Very well. The record is available in sick bay. In
the mean time, I have a sick parishioner to visit."
Brigid's "mother's sister." But Vader was too much in
a turmoil to deal with Brigid right then. "I need to
look at that report."
By Iejasu and Miklinar
Vader woke slowly. The ceiling was that of his
cell-quarters, yes, but now the lock on the door would
answer to him. He rolled over onto his side.
"Computer. Cocoa and coffee, mixed, hot."
The mug materialized on the replicator shelf. The
steam from the liquid inside bore its aroma to him,
urging him out of bed.
Someone had re-set his 'fresher, too -- it was
delivering water now, like the convalescent quarters.
He took a long time letting the needles of liquid
pepper his skin, breathing the steamy air.
There was a message waiting from Tom Paris.
"Something's come up -- I'll meet you in the hangar at
1500 hours to check out your ship. Try not to get into
any trouble before then, okay?"
Vader snorted. Still, it left him time to make his
farewells.
"Computer, breakfast... wait." He thought. When he had
been forced to eat in in the dining hall, he had
bitterly resented it, even though it had been simple
justice. The solitary meal, now, was a symbol of what?
His original freedom as a convalescent? His status as
a prisoner? He scowled. "Computer, cancel breakfast
order." He dressed in basic utilities -- he was going
to be readying a ship for a long journey. But first,
breakfast.
------------
Neelix had more than his usual twinkle in his eye as
he set up a breakfast tray for Vader. "I'm happy," he
said, "that you could help Naomi. She was asking about
you this morning, but I told her I didn't know if you
were going to be coming here for breakfast."
"I didn't know earlier, myself." Vader looked around.
No sign of the child. "She's gone?"
"She has an early class this morning. She'll be back
for lunch, later."
Vader sat alone with his meal. Occasionally someone
would greet him, but they seemed to know he was
leaving, and the ones who weren't his acquaintences,
while they might wish him well, didn't bother to
introduce themselves now.
-------------------
Vader entered the pub in appropriate clothing for Fair
Haven. Sullivan greeted him at once and set up a pint.
"It is hearing I am that you are leaving soon, m'lud?"
the owner asked him.
Vader nodded calmly. "Yes. It is time for me to go
home. My estate has been too long without my hand on
its reins." He smiled a little at that.
Then he suddenly realised that there was no telling at
this stage of research _when_ he would be back, how
much time had passed since the destruction of the
second Death Star or if he could even come
back _before_ he left. An interesting thought that
held many possibilities, he mused. Not the least of
which would be finding himself already there, a young
man -- or even a child.
"Do you have family, m'lud?"
Vader looked over at the innkeeper. "Yes, I _have_ a
family." But suddenly he avoided the eyes of the
barkeeper. Yes, he had a family, if the family wanted
him. He was not so sure about that. Luke would perhaps
accept him but Leia, his daughter, was just as proud
and stubborn as he was. It would be hard, maybe
impossible, to talk to her. Pride was his family's
downfall. Pride, anger and stubbornness.
Sullivan nodded and set out a platter of fine bread,
cheeses, and sausages. But the finely-dressed man
seemed to have neither a thirst nor a hunger. Sullivan
smiled. "It's company you'd be wanting, then, m'lud?"
That drew Vader's attention. "Not precisely, but...
when will Brigid be here?"
"She's gone, m'lud, to tend her mother's sister who's
laid up in bed with the fever. Father Mulligan is
going to visit her later today."
Vader's eyebrow rose. Mulligan was the name the
holographic doctor used in Fair Haven. Was he curing
virtual ailments, then? No, this seemed to be more of
a religious function. He shook his head. A computer
program with religious leanings.
Then again, he owed the doctor a goodbye as well. In
spite of the initial clash, the doctor had done him a
great service, freeing him from his infirmities.
"And where would I be finding Father Mulligan?"
Sullivan gestured toward the church, visible through
the windows of the pub. "He should be taking
confessions right now. You might wish to unburden your
soul before you start your journey home."
Vader kept from laughing. He had no intention of
confessing anything to the doctor that the hologram
didn't already know. Instead, he nodded solemnly.
"Indeed I might."
Outside, the sun was warm and gentle, nothing like the
harsh suns of Tatooine. The church was on the edge of
town, next to a small fenced field with engraved white
rocks. The doctor, in the robes of his Fair Haven
character, was standing at the door of the church,
bidding farewell to a parishioner. "Ah, Mister
Skywalker. Come to make confession?"
Vader bit back a growl. He was glad that he would soon
be rid of the doctor's pre-programmed hearty
cheerfulness. "You are visiting Brigid Murphy's
kinswoman. I will accompany you."
"I... see." The doctor shrugged, and set out on the
road, waiting only a moment to see if Skywalker was
behind him. Once the larger man caught up, the doctor
slipped out of his priest personna to rattle
cheerfully about his "cure" of Seven, and,
coincidences need not apply!, his testimony that
cleared Vader.
"A non-corporeal person was trapped inside what you
were describing as a 'Force void bubble.' Seven was
hearing his voice as commands from the Borg
collective, and she has very little resistance in that
area, although she has improved considerably from when
we rescued her from the Borg."
It was very like the doctor to call Kenobi a
"non-corporeal person" rather than a ghost or other
spiritual phenomenon. "Is he gone? Were there any
memory residues left?"
"Her EEG is back to normal, but she retains only
partial memories of the time period."
A silence, walking, then, "I adjusted her cortical
node so those frequencies are blocked now. She will no
longer be vulnerable to the collection of formerly
living persons you seem to have hovering around you."
Well! "Formerly living" was as close to "ghost" as the
hologram would ever get, at least outside of a
story-telling, but... "Collection?!"
The doctor/priest turned to look at his former
patient. "You didn't know? Seven reported at least
three different voices. One, she might have fought
off, but three -- and they quarrelled."
Vader took the doctor by the shoulders and nearly
shook him. "This wasn't in your testimony at the board
of inquiry. Explain yourself!"""
"My complete report to the captain would have taken
several days to read aloud. My _summary_ was even cut
to an absurdly short length, and presented as my
complete testimony," the doctor protested. "That
testimony helped clear you, Mister Skywalker. Does it
matter how many voices Seven heard inside her head?"
The doctor seemed to be unsure whether to regard
Seven's problem as three non-corporeal persons or just
one, talking in different voices.
Between clenched teeth, "It matters for when I return
home. I want to see your entire report."
"Very well. The record is available in sick bay. In
the mean time, I have a sick parishioner to visit."
Brigid's "mother's sister." But Vader was too much in
a turmoil to deal with Brigid right then. "I need to
look at that report."