"Yes I am aware." She responded in a clipped tone while folding her hands
behind her back.
"Good. Then I can inform you that we have sided with the Rebel Alliance. They have told us of the injustices that their Empire has enforced. Tonight we will be hosting Lord Darth Vader, the second in command of the Empire. We will try to work out a peace treaty with him."
"Are you sure that it was a wise idea to join with the Rebellion? After all they do not have the resources the Empire does to continue this fight."
"You've done your research too. What else can you tell me about these two groups?
"Not much except for that," she told him, but she was thinking to herself, "You're in for a surprise Captain. My father will love this little bit of info."
"Riker has told me to advise you not to wear black tonight. It doesn't suit you as well as blue does and we don't want to give the wrong impression. When did you start to wear black and when did you talk with Riker?" He asked through short fits of laughter.
"Oh I would say about a year ago I started wearing black, but I just talked to Riker recently."
Picard regarded her for a moment, "You have changed so much Kristen. It's as if you are not the same little girl I used to know."
"I've seen too much to not be affected by it." She purred the reply to settle his uneasy mood.
Not satisfied with her answer, he turned and faced her. Now that he was looking into her blue eyes, the bluest he had ever seen, he asked, "What do you mean?"
"As much as it pains me to say this, I can't tell you." She replied as she looked down at the floor. She could not bear to meet his eyes because is she did she would laugh in his face.
"I don't understand. You've told me before that I am like a father to you and that you could tell me anything, but yet you can't tell me this."
"You wouldn't understand. I'm not the innocent little girl I was when I left and I'm not as innocent as the crew, either."
Picard lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. What he saw made him shiver. Unlike the crew and himself her eyes did not have the usual sparkle, the sparkle that one gets when they see the galaxy for the first time. It was almost as if she had been in a battle and had seen a lot of action, but he thought it too unlikely since she had been on Earth away from war. He felt as if he was missing something, but decided to ask her later. He let go and they continued down the corridor. Eventually the two reached Kristen's quarters. They stopped outside for a moment to continue their conversation. A passing officer, with his nose in a data pad, did not notice them and walked right into Kristen.
"Watch where you're going! If you can't walk then stay in your quarters or have someone escort you through the ship." Kristen chided without a second thought. If she had been on her father's ship, the man would have been dead by now for his incompetence. Neither her father nor she would tolerate this sort of stupidity, but since she was on the Enterprise she could not make herself appear to be that much different or else the captain would become even more suspicious of her than what he already was.
"Good. Then I can inform you that we have sided with the Rebel Alliance. They have told us of the injustices that their Empire has enforced. Tonight we will be hosting Lord Darth Vader, the second in command of the Empire. We will try to work out a peace treaty with him."
"Are you sure that it was a wise idea to join with the Rebellion? After all they do not have the resources the Empire does to continue this fight."
"You've done your research too. What else can you tell me about these two groups?
"Not much except for that," she told him, but she was thinking to herself, "You're in for a surprise Captain. My father will love this little bit of info."
"Riker has told me to advise you not to wear black tonight. It doesn't suit you as well as blue does and we don't want to give the wrong impression. When did you start to wear black and when did you talk with Riker?" He asked through short fits of laughter.
"Oh I would say about a year ago I started wearing black, but I just talked to Riker recently."
Picard regarded her for a moment, "You have changed so much Kristen. It's as if you are not the same little girl I used to know."
"I've seen too much to not be affected by it." She purred the reply to settle his uneasy mood.
Not satisfied with her answer, he turned and faced her. Now that he was looking into her blue eyes, the bluest he had ever seen, he asked, "What do you mean?"
"As much as it pains me to say this, I can't tell you." She replied as she looked down at the floor. She could not bear to meet his eyes because is she did she would laugh in his face.
"I don't understand. You've told me before that I am like a father to you and that you could tell me anything, but yet you can't tell me this."
"You wouldn't understand. I'm not the innocent little girl I was when I left and I'm not as innocent as the crew, either."
Picard lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. What he saw made him shiver. Unlike the crew and himself her eyes did not have the usual sparkle, the sparkle that one gets when they see the galaxy for the first time. It was almost as if she had been in a battle and had seen a lot of action, but he thought it too unlikely since she had been on Earth away from war. He felt as if he was missing something, but decided to ask her later. He let go and they continued down the corridor. Eventually the two reached Kristen's quarters. They stopped outside for a moment to continue their conversation. A passing officer, with his nose in a data pad, did not notice them and walked right into Kristen.
"Watch where you're going! If you can't walk then stay in your quarters or have someone escort you through the ship." Kristen chided without a second thought. If she had been on her father's ship, the man would have been dead by now for his incompetence. Neither her father nor she would tolerate this sort of stupidity, but since she was on the Enterprise she could not make herself appear to be that much different or else the captain would become even more suspicious of her than what he already was.