Chapter Seventeen
Emmanuel
The rendezvous with the ship from Union Security was disturbing. While it's true he wasn't turning over his ex-wife and First Officer to the six armed men, the scene was still eerie. As the red and black uniformed officers took the woman and the two corpses on stretchers to the shuttle, the live captive in thick restraints, he found he couldn't speak and she did not. The whole affair had a surreal pall that made him long for the second when it would be over.
Alara and three of her men had overseen the transfer, a total of ten uniformed guards to handle the lone woman and two cadavers, three who had posed and continue to pose an indefinable threat to the Union.
He wishes he could wash his hands of her as easily as getting her off the ship had been.
x
He'd said nothing on the way to the bridge, his First Officer his only company and he doesn't want to think of her silent thoughts.
"I picked England, Renaissance era."
"That's goo–" He slams to so hard a stop he nearly falls and turns to her. "What?"
"Gordon has an informal pool up and I picked Renaissance England as where the site will be for this Christmas Eve Service at 1700." It's very near that time now. "Chaplain McGee has the entirety of Earth's Cathedrals, Churches and so forth for the setting in the Holodeck, and most of the crew are wondering what she'll choose."
"Kel, I – We've had the most hellish experience I can imagine; I don't want to think of what it's doing to you and you're –."
"It's because I don't want to deal with this right now that I'm doing this." She sighs so sharply her shoulders crash. "I never thought I'd ever hear myself say this but I need this, the Service and all, or I'm going to lose my mind before I have time to begin processing this. The pool, well, that's just a distraction."
And the rest of the trip is covered in that silence where too many words demand entrance.
xx
Their return to the Bridge brings the silence with them. As they'd approached, they'd heard conversations but those stop like the closing a coffin lid as they enter and take their places.
Finally, it's 1642 and Ed has had all the quiet he can take. Beta Shift had come, the officers taking their places but Lt. M'Goya had to stand off go the side until a place opened up where he would sit.
In fact, only four Officers had made the transition, and even Bortus remains at his station, obliging Paul Darrow to occupy a place nearby. Isaac does not seem inclined to depart and Sportelli has remained to carry over into her actual shift.
With the Orville ready to depart Earth orbit to resume its interrupted journey to Catonis II all is in order, a vast improvement over the past two days.
"I don't know about you," Ed says, "but spending the night awake on a steel deck is –"
"The worst."
"After Church I'm going back to my quarters, catch up on that beauty sleep."
"Ditto. You'll need it."
He decides to let that one pass, deciding she has a lot to work through and he can expect a lot of shrapnel as she deals with what that other Mercer did. He's going to carve out a lot of time with her and will enlist Clair and their new Chaplain on the front line.
This evening is a good time to start. They could use an early nightcap but he's sure that when the drinks start flowing so will her words. It's either that or she, and he, may retire to one of their quarters and become roaring drunk. He's in favor of either, or both.
"How are you?" he asks his once and present partner.
"Freaked. There's another me out there. I sometimes wondered at the Australian saying that if you travel too far, you'll wind up meeting yourself. I once wondered seriously if that could happen, what I'd do if I did meet myself one day."
"Freak."
"Freak," is the inevitable admission. "But she's absolutely nothing like me."
"Tell me about it. It was like looking in a Fun House mirror, but warped into some madman. I wouldn't want to spend any time with him."
"I'm glad he's dead."
Kelly, he thinks, has always been a mistress of understatement.
x
"But she's with Security Central," he reminds her of their sole recompense. "I wish I had gotten through to her, gotten some answers."
"She's out of our hands. That's what 'Relieved of Responsibility' means."
"But I wish."
"So do I. I give it until we get done with Catonis before I'm on subspace trying to wear Halsey down."
"I wasn't even going to wait until the approach."
xx
But first comes the evening Eucharist, the first one on Orville and he's definitely going to put in an appearance. This is more than a Captain setting an example for his crew, he wants this.
He needs this.
Standing up, he motions for Kelly to precede him.
"Captain," Bortus says from his port side station, "are you on your way to the Holodeck?"
"Yes, we are," Kelly answers for her chief.
"I would like to join you. If I may."
"Of course, Bortus." Keeping his surprise in check is too difficult to try. "I didn't think you'd be interested."
"On the contrary, I am very curious."
"Well, the more, the merrier. Come on." He catches M'Goya's eye, gives the man a quick wink and signal, then glances back to the pilot board as the three depart. "Ensign Sportelli, you have the Conn."
None glance back as they head through the wide portal in the rear of the bridge as the red-haired woman looks back over her shoulder, her eyes wide, mouth slowly falling open as her face loses four shades of color.
xxx
M'Goya had veered off for a well cherished break; he'll rescue his Navigator in four or five hours (the experience will do her good) so as Mercer, Grayson and Bortus approach the intersection closest to the Holodeck Ed and Kelly continue their friendly wagering on the likely setting for the Service, to the Moclan's considerable surprise.
"It is my understanding, Captain, that you had forbidden the use of such 'games of chance' as this pool reflects."
"I'm, well, relaxing that rule for this one occasion. I think that if there's one thing this crew doesn't need today it's too much regulation."
"In that case, I select the St. Francis Basilica in your Santa Fe region."
Both senior officers are too surprised to find a comment. The Moclan had obviously done some research and made his selection earlier, and as they round the final corner to the short approach to the holodeck, they find something more impressive.
x
Reverend Crystal McGee stands outside the huge closed portal, her ancient traditional garb standing out a shining white in the lights above her.
Of those they can see, a long white robe ends three inches above her white high heeled slippers. The large garment she wears above it is ornately trimmed in gold, and this knee length covering, ending in a wide curve, is accented by a white and gold sash that hangs nearly as long from behind her neck under her flaming hair.
The ends of the sash are decorated on their left with a golden trough overfull with, of all things, hay while on their right shines a refulgent sun.
"Good evening, Reverend," Mercer says for them, the others' greetings are quieter.
"Good evening Captain. Commander. Lieutenant Commander. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." He'll find a way to break her of formality later, unless this is her 'Service Persona'. He'll find out later.
"Captain? Commander? Would it be possible, that is I wonder if I might, well, meet with either off well, talk to one of you later? That is, Commander, I promised I'd set some time for you as soon as possible, but I'd… if I may…."
"You want to talk," Kelly doesn't have to work at the guess, "about the possibility there could be another you out there somewhere."
"I know it's not the sort of thing I should dwell on, I mean if there is another me out there … somewhere … she wouldn't be me, but I can't put it out of my mind."
"I dare say," Mercer says, "we'll all be dealing with that unknown some time."
"And when there's a crisis of faith people would normally come to the Chaplain, but I…."
"Sure," Kelly says. "Ed and I were going to get together in my quarters at twenty hundred. Join us?"
"Thank you," comes in a near gush of relief.
x
"So, that's settled," Mercer says. "We were wondering what you've got for us."
A sharp gasp and jump in her vestments brings the young woman back to herself. "Oh dear oh dear oh dear, I should have started already. First time and I'm nearly a minute late!"
"Don't worry," Ed counsels. "Remember, there are three kinds of time. Objective, Subjective and Orville."
"Oh, that's good," she breathes, coming down from her fright. "I usually like to greet everyone, but we're ready to begin," she says, recovering her aplomb. "If you'll step in and choose a spot, we'll get started."
A glance to Kelly confirms to Ed that she's setting up to see if any of her choices had been selected. He has no preference, just a hope that this evening will help them all.
McGee steps to the door which opens at her presence and as the quartet enters to pause at the entrance, McGee steps forward to the far side of the setting while Ed, Kelly and Bortus stand where they are, impressed by the utter failures of their guesses.
x
It's not a barn, it's a stable, a place for keeping and feeding animals, and those animals move about intermingled with the crew. John is nearly wedged between two cows which chew on mouthfuls of hay while Gordon and Alara seem to wonder what to do about the sheep that don't quite nudge them off their feet. Chickens and at least two roosters make their ways through feet of two score crewmen and -women, one of whom leans upon the side of a donkey. Down the middle of the stable's length, which McGee passes along, her regalia flowing, runs a long trough filled with hay and other fare fit for various animals which contentedly eat their meals. Though they are quiet, and there is no olfactory enhancement to the image, had they been left to their inclinations they may have set up a frightful din at the intrusion of so many humans and others into their territory.
The Officers step in and the widely open door that appears behind them as the metal portal closes shows a dark night and ancient buildings not close, a town of several hundred attempting to accommodate several thousand. When they look up and behind them, they can see a myriad of stars filling the heavens.
There are three people who are distinguished by the fact that they wear neither uniforms nor off-duty attire. A short-bearded man wearing ancient and hard worn robes reclines against the edge of the long trough while a woman sits reclined at his side. Resting in the hay, undisturbed by the livestock dining a meter beyond his feet, a newborn baby, small and snugly wrapped in bands of cloth, rests awake, his small fist wrapped about his mother's finger while his father strokes and arranges his thatch of brown hair.
x
"I do not understand," Bortus says, his voice an answer to the occasional question 'do Moclans ever whisper?' "I had been told this event is a Festive one."
"That's right," Ed says considerably more quietly. "This is the greatest event to take place on our planet."
"Good evening," Crystal's voice, as she stands at the head of the room just beyond the end of the long manger and close beyond the young family, is not loud but fills the silence. "Welcome, and a Blessed Christmas to you all.
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.'
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and on Earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
"When the Angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord told us about,'
"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."
x
Music begins, falling from the overhead speakers in what is still the Orville's Holodeck, and those who know the words join with the invisible singers:
"Hark, the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the newborn King. Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled…."
.
.
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Next Voyage: Answers to horrible questions threaten nightmares, and the Planetary Union may never be the same