Chapter 4

The trio entered the main shuttlebay to see Armis's ship hovering about a meter off the deck, it's wings split apart to form an "X", and some kind of red and silver dome spinning left to right just behind the cockpit emitting a series of whines and whistles that could barely be heard over the sound emanating from the strange X-winged craft, sound that reverberated loudly throughout the enclosed area of the shuttlebay.

Armis stepped forward and called out in a voice far louder than one would expect: "Creak! Close the S-foils and power down all offensive systems right now! Then land and shut everything down to stand-by!" Immediately as Armis gave his orders, the wings closed with a servo-mechanic hum-click and the ship landed facing the shield wall of the shuttlebay that separated it from the void of space.

Picard, Troi and Laforge all watched as Armis pushed the ladder that Geordi and his crew had used to get aboard and examine the ship earlier over to its side where it latched on with a weak magnetic 'thunk.' Armis stepped onto the upper wing surface and then to the back of the ship nearest the dome and start speaking to it and patting it reassuringly.

As Laforge and Picard neared the ship, Armis turned his attention to them and said: "Creak would like to apologize for going off half-cocked like he did and says that it won't happen again." Laforge was the first to speak. When he did, it was with undisguised surprise. He said: "You understand it? How is that possible?" Armis looked to Geordi directly and said: "With respect, Creak is not an 'it', he's my astromech assistant and friend."

Geordi said: "I apologize . . . Mr . . . .?" Armis spoke: "Rau. Armis Rau. Apology accepted." Picard stepped up and said: "Armis, this is Lieutenant Commander Geordi Laforge, Chief Engineer aboard Enterprise. Mr. Laforge, as you have just found out, this is Armis Rau, Jedi Knight and Creak."

Geordi looked to his Captain and then to Armis and finally to Creak and said: "Hello Creak, sorry if there's been a misunderstanding." Creak's dome rotated to look at Geordi and bleeped the binary equivalent to 'no blood/oil, no report.' Armis got down off of his ship and shook hands with Geordi.

Creak began to rise out of his interface socket aboard the ship as Geordi said: "Let me get some anti-gravs down here and get Creak down for you." Armis said: "Thanks but no thanks Mr. Laforge. I've got it covered." Before Geordi could ask, Armis turned away and raising his hand at Creak, lowered him to the deck with no assistance whatsoever. Geordi started to ask when Picard said: "It sounds like a long story Geordi. Later we can all hear it." Geordi remained silent.

Picard turned to see where Troi was as she stepped forward with tears visible in her eyes. She knelt down to sensor eye level with Creak and said: "Captain, this droid is sentient; he has a genuine emotional presence. His personality is also well and truly formed. I can feel affectionate warmth towards Armis . . . and me as well. He's amazing." Armis smiled at Creak's next beeps and whistles as he said: "Creak thanks you for your kind words. He does like you. Some people think of droids as nothing more than property or chattel and treat them as such. It's not often that either of us meets someone who accepts him so quickly."

Armis continued: "Creak is technically an Industrial Automaton Astromech, model type R2-D9 or 'R2' for short. Where I come from, droids are sentient but are considered property by galactic law and have few rights. You'll encounter what is called a 'manumitted' or independent droid on occasion but not often. Creak was originally assigned to me during the Rebellion but soon he and I started working together so well that as soon as I could, I bought him from the Rebellion and removed his restraining bolt, in effect, manumitting him, but by then we had gotten to be such good friends that he chose to stay with me of his own free will."

Picard said: "This sounds like an interesting story. Perhaps we can continue it a little later in a conference room instead of the Shuttlebay?" Armis said: "Of course Captain. Whenever you like, I'll answer any questions you have." Turning to Geordi, he said: "So long as you don't disassemble anything, you may examine my ship to your heart's content. Do you read Basic?"

Geordi confusedly said: "Basic? What's that? To me, you're spoken language is the same as mine. Are you saying your written language is different?"

Armis said: "It appears that way. Just as it sounds like your language to you, yours sounds like mine. We call it Galactic Standard or Basic, whichever you prefer." Picard spoke again: "Again, let's continue this discussion elsewhere so that all of us can be up to speed."

Geordi and Armis spoke in unison: "Sorry Captain." Silence reigned for a few seconds before everyone broke out in a chuckle.

A short time later, in the main conference room adjacent to the bridge, Armis Rau told his story to the assembled Command staff of the Enterprise; Picard, Troi, Riker, Laforge, Worf, Crusher, Data and the department head of Xenophsychology, a Vulcan named T'lan.

When he finished, Riker spoke: "So what you're saying is that there was a civil war in your galaxy because of this Emperor Palpatine?" Armis said: "Correct. I wasn't able to join up until just after the Battle of Endor before the Rebel Alliance changed into the New Republic." My Master, a man named Ronin Jayks, did fight in the Rebellion.

T'lan spoke next: "Please explain the Jedi Master, Padawan Learner relationship. It sounds like some kind of slavery." Armis laughed and said: "It's far from slavery Dr. T'lan. The Master-Padawan relationship is kind of like that of parent. Mother and Father rolled into one. In the days of the old Republic, the Master trains the Padawan in all things Force related and life related as well because the Padawan is usually found in infancy and taken, with the birth-parents permission of course, to the Jedi Temple where it is raised until five or six standard years of age. At that time, a Master will choose the student, with the guidance of the Force and begin their training."

He redirected his answer to the command staff at large as he continued with: "After the fall of the Republic and the near annihilation of the Jedi, much knowledge was lost. My Master, Ronin, came to the galaxy quite unexpectedly. His Master, a being named Yoda took him on and trained him in the Force. A few years after that, Yoda would train Ronin's wife, a wonderful woman by the name of Gabrielle and still more years later, went on to train the one person that Yoda had waited for most, Luke Skywalker. It was he that would be instrumental in defeating the Emperor and his servant Darth Vader."

"Several years later, Luke would take his first students and from there, for me at least, the rest is history. I was found by Luke after I had been with the New Republic for a few years. He started my training and then asked me to become Ronin's Padawan. Now, my Master and his wife are one with the Force, leaving me to make my way in the universe. The New Republic asked me to help find a minor warlord by the name of Regis, who's been making trouble. I found him but only after being ambushed. The last thing I remember was making a break for it and having to make a blind jump into hyperspace."

"When I came out, Creak couldn't find any navigational references. Rather than fly blindly around until my fuel ran out, I put my trust in the Force, put my ship's systems to minimum and placed myself into the Rest Trance. I've been there for over a month now, coming out of Trance to have some rations and what water I had and then back into Trance. When I awoke this time, it was to see your medical officer be caught by surprise and jump a few feet away from me."

A short chuckle sounded around the table as Picard asked the next question. "Do you think this warlord will pursue you?" Armis said: "I honestly can't be sure Captain. The Force enables me from time to time to see short glimpses into the future but is rarely direct in its guidance, more like being given a series of choices with several possible outcomes. Some of what I see says that Warlord Regis will chase me, others he won't."

Doctor T'lan had been largely silent until now when she said: "Seeing into the future is a statistical improbability and therefore illogical. I do not see how it can be done." Armis smiled and looked directly at her as he said: "It's been a long time since I encountered anyone with such a lack of faith. Trust me when I say difficult to see into the future, always in motion it is."

Before she could rise to the challenge, Picard said: "That will be enough of that doctor. Since this is your first tour aboard the Enterprise, perhaps you should look up the ships' logs from the last few years. We have had more than our share of alternate realities and choices with many possible outcomes." T'lan said: "Yes Captain, I apologize for being rude Mr. Rau." Armis smiled again and said: "No offense taken doctor."

Picard smiled in turn and said: "Thank you for the information Armis. With your permission, I'll have Mr. Laforge go over your sensor readings. Maybe we can help you get back to where you come from." Armis said: "Thank you Captain. Here," he said as he slid a pair ofdatapads across the table to Worf, "I took the liberty of having Creak transmit a primer on Basic to these. One is for your engineers so they can examine my ship more efficiently, the other is for your Tactical Officer regarding the Star Destroyer that Warlord Regis commands. If he has pursued me, you will need all the information you can get."

Picard said: "I'll have a Security Officer take you to guest quarters and also I want to issue you a commbadge while you're aboard in case Mr. Laforge or Mr. Worf has any questions concerning the information you're willing to share with us." Armis said: "Thank you very much Captain Picard, I could do with something other than rations to eat and a chance to stretch out and get some real sleep. The Rest Trance is only for emergencies anyway." The Security Officer came in then, received her orders and took Armis and Creak out with her.

Picard looked around at his command staff after Armis left and said: "Opinions?" T'lan spoke first: "It is clear he is from a culture both alike and unlike ours. His society has developed along similar lines as the Federation except is older, much older. No offense intended but the best parallel I can draw right now is that while humans in the Federation have only had things like warp drive, artificial and anti-gravity for about 200 years or so, the humans and aliens alike in his galaxy have had such things for millennia." Picard said: "No offense taken doctor, anything else?" T'lan said: "Without actually sitting down and giving him a complete psychological screening, I have insufficient data to compose a more detailed hypothesis at this time."

Doctor Crusher spoke next: "I can tell you that for a human, his biological systems are the same as ours yet much more efficient. His blood, with one difference, is as red as yours or mine, he breathes the same atmosphere as us, his brain is the same size, and all of his internal organs are in the right place. In short, he is perfectly human. The difference I did discover in his blood is on the cellular level. I think it must be the 'midichlorians' he spoke of. Just from my preliminary exam, I can tell you that they enable his body to be as efficient as it is and also allow him to use more of his total brain. We've already seen faster reflexes, empathic and limited telepathic abilities, and telekinesis. There's no telling right now what else he can do."

Picard turned next to Troi and said: "Counselor, you told me that you felt like you had lost something that you never had in the first place. Can you be more specific now that you've spoken with him?" Deanna put her hands together in thought and then putting them back on the table said: "His awareness is immense Captain. He can do what he says. For me, it is a constant yet gentle pressure in the back of my mind, the background noise of everyone aboard this ship. For him, it seems like just another day. He can be aware of practically everything on this ship if he chooses to be. In fact, I'm quite certain he's aware we are discussing him right now." Riker blurted out: "You mean he's reading our minds!"

Deanna continued with: "Nothing so blunt. Will. More like the surface thoughts of those he focuses on and then only if they are directed at him. I imagine he could do a deep scan if he wanted to but from what he tells us of the Jedi, they don't do that except in extreme emergencies and even then, only with the permission of the person to be scanned. I can also sense a great burden within him. His abilities constantly make him choose which path to follow, good or evil, light or dark. It can't be very easy for him. When I said that it felt like I had lost something that I never had, I meant that in him, I can sense what humans could be in say, a thousand generations. Because I'm only half Betazed, I also get a sense of how strong I could've been had I been full Betazed."

Picard was about to continue when a half-mumbled comment from Worf caught his attention. "It will be a good day to die." said Worf. Picard said: "Something you would like to share with us Lieutenant?" Worf looked up from the datapad he was studying and said: "If this information is accurate, and I'm forced to assume it is, this 'Star Destroyer' as Mr. Rau calls it, is nothing short of a juggernaut whose sole purpose . . . is destruction. It completely dwarfs us in size and firepower to say the least. Its crew complement alone is 5000 people as well as a separate detachment of ground and air/space forces, total number is approximately 37,085. It is armed with 60 turbolasers, 40 point defense laser cannons, 60 ion cannons and 10 tractor beam generators and shielding to rival anything we have, except on a planetary scale. We would quite literally be like a fly buzzing in the ear of a giant. As I said, it will be a good day to die."