Kobayashi had a massive headache. When he opened his eyes, the lights were on above him, illuminating the hallway. Kerrick was unconscious beside him, as well as Carh'la and Cdr. Chupa-Pau.
Groaning, Kobayashi sat up and looked around. The power was back on. What had happened? The last thing Kobayashi remembered was cornering Vader and then… the oxygen levels…
Kobayashi shuddered; if the life support hadn't come back on, they would have been dead. The lack of oxygen must have knocked them out… but where was Vader?
Looking around, Kobayashi saw someone collapsed on the floor down at the other side of the hallway. Obviously Vader lasted longer than the rest of them; he must have tried to escape when they passed out.
Kerrick stirred beside him, his eyes fluttering open. "What happened?"
"I think we ran out of oxygen," Kobayashi replied bluntly.
"Are we dead?"
Kobayashi laughed. "Yes, we're dead."
Kerrick shot up. "What?!"
Kobayashi only laughed some more. Kerrick growled but before retorting caught sight of Vader. "He's still here!"
"What do you think he did, dematerialized?" Kobayashi stood up and helped Kerrick up as well.
Kobayashi walked over to his superior officer and woke her up. Then, as Kerrick went to wake up the commander, Kobayashi headed over towards Vader.
"Don't wake him up!" Carh'la whispered urgently.
Kobayashi nodded, acknowledging her order. He crouched down beside Vader, whose eyes were twitching. "He's trying to wake up,"
Carh'la looked over Vader and then kneeled down beside Kobayashi. "Let's get him out of here."
Kerrick walked over and hesitated for a moment before picking him up. The four then walked back down the hallway towards the med-wing, where they last saw Capt. Mentzer.
The captain was still there, awake and waiting for them as the rest of the doctors and patients stood up.
"What should we do with him, sir?" Cdr. Chupa-Pau asked the captain.
Capt. Mentzer looked at the young man in Kerrick's arms. "Put him in his quarters."
"Wait, sir, does he even know what's going on?" Carh'la piped in.
"We believe he has a severe case of amnesia, considering how he reacted to his surroundings. With such a drastic change, I can understand." A doctor explained. "But we don't know how this happened."
Kobayashi shrugged. "What matters now is how we deal with it."
Capt. Mentzer nodded. "Lt. Beillane has a point. Still, Lord Vader should be kept in his quarters. Putting him in the med-wing would probably prove to be… problematic."
Shuddering, Kobayashi remembered the last time the man was in the med-wing.
"Wait!" Carh'la said just as Kerrick turned to take Vader to his meditation chamber. "Don't put him in his quarters if he doesn't remember!"
"Why is that, lieutenant commander?" Capt. Mentzer challenged.
"Sir, I'm a mother of seven, I know how a youngling's mind works," the lieutenant commander explained quickly. "Putting him in that room will just scare him… and considering what's been happening whenever he gets scared, I do believe we should avoid doing that."
Capt. Mentzer sighed and shook his head. "We're running a military ship, not a nursery! Put him in his quarters!"
"Sir, I must agree with Lt Cdr. Tade," Cdr. Chupa-Pau interrupted. "We don't want to scare him. He's the one who's been causing all the trouble these past three days."
"What are you talking about?" the captain barked.
"Sir," Cdr. Chupa-Pau responded for the others. "When Lord Vader disappeared, people started getting stressed, nervous, and even nauseous. People were having nervous breakdowns, migraines due to stress, and they were passing out from exhaustion. At first we thought it was because of a mission or because Lord Vader was missing. In a way, we were right; it was because Lord Vader was missing, but not in the way we expected.
"Darth Vader can use the Force, nobody argues that. Some don't really believe it can do a lot, but we all know he can use it. So, some of us know from experience or rumors that Force-sensitives have the ability to transfer their emotions and thoughts to others. In other words, if Lord Vader is angry, he can—if he wishes to do so—make others feel his anger, but since he doesn't remember who he is or what's going on, his powers are out of control. Therefore, he accesses them without even thinking. He uses them instinctively. That's why everyone was feeling so stressed. It was because Lord Vader was stressed. If he was afraid, the crew was afraid. I'm assuming that our close proximity to him is what made us so susceptible to the effects.
"Lt Cdr. Chelcu said that when they brought the strange boy onto their ship, everyone started suffering the same symptoms that people on the Executor had been dealing with. It was because Lord Vader was on the ship and he was terrified. Now that he's with Death Squadron once again, he's influencing the whole fleet, especially us because he's on the same ship.
"When Darth Vader entered the medical wing, he obviously did not like being near needles or doctors of any kind, so his surroundings reacted to his reaction; things started breaking because he was afraid. Then, later, when he was put in his cell, he probably got scared and so the power went out. If he gets scared again, who knows what could happen!"
Capt. Mentzer, although not seeming to like what he was hearing, did see the logic in the explanation. "Very well; where do you suggest we put him, Lt Cdr. Tade?"
Car'la looked over at the unconscious Vader. "Do we have any vacant rooms, sir?"
"A few," the captain replied evenly.
"One of those, sir," she answered him. "Preferably one on the same deck as people who know how to deal with a child,"
"Lord Vader is not a child," the captain said heatedly.
"If I may, Capt. Mentzer," a doctor—the same one who managed to calm Vader down earlier—interrupted. "From the test results we got, we know that he is actually twenty-two standard years old, and that's not quite an adult. Not to mention he doesn't seem to be in his right mind at the moment. In all respects, he is a child."
The captain looked he was about to burst a blood vessel, but he nodded nonetheless. "Very well, lieutenant commander; there is a vacant room on your deck. He will stay there until further notice."
"We're going to have to assign someone to watch him, sir," the commander said, looking like he was enjoying getting the captain irritated.
Kerrick looked down at the boy in his arms. "And not a stormtrooper, sir; he needs a guide."
Kobayashi was on the verge of bursting into fits of laughter; Capt. Mentzer looked like he was going to blow up.
"Perhaps I could watch him for now, captain?" Carh'la slipped in.
"I think," Kobayashi interrupted. "That it is in the best interests of the crew that everyone takes part in taking care of Lord Vader."
"Everyone?" the captain repeated.
"Yes, sir," Kobayashi replied. "Lord Vader is going to need plenty of care and with all her duties as an officer of higher rank, Lt Cdr. Tade won't always be there for him. It'll make sure that Lord Vader gets constant care and it'll boost the ship's morale. Taking care of a child always helps cheer someone up!"
Kerrick decided it was time for him to step in. "Uh, sir, Lord Vader seems to be stirring. Shouldn't we make these decisions quickly?"
"Yes, of course," Capt. Mentzer said hastily, looking at Vader cautiously. "Take him to his… er, new quarters. Everyone can take care of him, but you take priority of the issue, Lt Cdr. Tade… and you too, Lt Cdr. Chelcu. And… in fact, all of you take good care of him. The whole ship,"
The captain nodded to himself awkwardly and confusedly and then rushed off. The four stared as they watched the captain leave the hallway and enter a turbolift to go to the bridge.
"Well… that was…" Kobayashi tried to say. "Um…"
"Uh, why don't we go talk in my quarters? They're roomier than yours," Cdr. Chupa-Pau suggested.
The four agreed and started to walk off when one of the doctors, the same female doctor from before, called out to them.
"Hey, wait! I'll talk with you guys too! You need a medical opinion after all!"
The commander laughed and waited for her to catch up before they went to his quarters.
After arriving there, Kerrick laid Vader on the cot and the five sat on the floor.
"We need to make ground rules for him," Carh'la said.
"Good Force, what is he, a two-year-old?" Kobayashi asked.
"Let me explain something," Carh'la started off. "If Darth Vader really does remember nothing—and he's given a huge impression that he barely understands what we're saying—then he's pretty much going to have the mentality of a youngster. That means he'll be completely out of control. We have to set ground rules; we need to teach him what to do and what not to do, how to do this and that, what to say, what not to say… everything,"
The doctor smiled. "Perhaps we should start this by suggesting who else should help us out. Trust me, this isn't going to stay a secret very long and everyone will want to be part of it. We need to pick people who will know what to do and how to deal with the situation. Everyone can take care of him like… uh, what's your name again?"
"Lieutenant Kobayashi Beillane, doctor," Kobayashi provided. "Just call me Kobayashi,"
"Right," she said, nodding. "Well, like I was saying, everyone can take care of him like Kobayashi said, but we have to have a special group of people to whom he can turn. People who will know how to deal with situations that he might bring up.
"If we're going to be taking care of him, let me tell you, we'll leave a big impression upon him. What we say will be law to him. If we tell him the Rebel Alliance is the best thing since interstellar space travel, he'll believe us and he'll even defend us on it."
"Okay…" Kobayashi said, suddenly feeling a lot of pressure. "Um, so does anyone have any suggestions? I know someone who might be able to help us out. Well, I know a few people."
Kerrick laughed, dropping the Imperial manner. "Koby, you know everybody on this entire ship!"
"Well, then, I have a few suggestions for who can help us," Kobayashi went on. "First, there's Cdr. Mormi Leeel (she's the aunt of one the largest families in this crew; seventeen kids!), Lt Cdr. Zan Dryker (he's got a wife and two kids at home), Lt Cdr. Moeema Norhek (she's got five of the craziest kids I've ever seen!), Lt. Ooke Tunrott (very easygoing), Lt. Shiine Reukli (great with younglings, even though he's single), Ens. Marrax Mothezsh (he'll be expecting his first child within a few months), and Ens. Jifo Hu (a little shy but he sticks to his blasters). That's about it for me."
By the time Kobayashi finished, they were all laughing.
"Wow," the doctor laughed. "You know, I've heard my patients talking about you; they say you're really social… they weren't kidding!"
"So what's your name, anyway?" Kobayashi asked her.
"Doctor Ryatsi Tunbaoth," she introduced herself.
Kerrick folded his arms and looked over at Carh'la. "Well, I don't know any new recruits… how about Lt. Numel Sanus?"
Carh'la nodded. "That's who I was thinking."
Kobayashi and Ryatsi exchanged looks. "Who?"
"Lt. Numel Sanus just transferred over from the Stalker; he thinks on his feet… not to mention he's a great deal of fun to be with." Kerrick explained.
"Anybody else got any suggestions?" Cdr. Rowan Chupa-Pau asked.
Nobody spoke, so the commander stood up. "Then it's decided. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Lord Vader while you all go get your people and bring them here. See if they have any suggestions too, but try not to get too many, all right?"
Everyone nodded and left the room, going their separate ways. Kobayashi and Ryatsi headed towards the left while Kerrick and Carh'la went to the right.
Kobayashi sighed. "You know, when I was assigned to Death Squadron three years ago, raising Darth Vader wasn't on my list of things to do… but it'll certainly be an adventure to remember… and I think it'll finally bring the crew together like no other mission!"
"What do you mean?" Ryatsi asked him, giggling.
"Well I've got to make sure everyone's in high spirits. What better way to do that and to allow people to bond than raising a youngling, particularly one as challenging as Lord Vader?"
"You seem to think about the crew a lot," Ryatsi noted. "Don't you spare some time for yourself?"
Kobayashi laughed. "If you knew my background, you'd understand. Let me put it this way: I'm here to help, and I'm happy to help."
Ryatsi nodded, knowing better than to push the subject. They reached the turbolifts and split up. Kobayashi leaned against the turbolift as he went looking for his long list of people.
Kobayashi bumped into Lt. Shiine Reukli first. "Hey, Shi!"
Shiine turned around and saw Kobayashi smiling and walking over. "Hey, Koby; this had better be quick. I've got to get down to the detention block to check up on repairs. How'd you fare with the power going out?"
"Uh, pretty okay," Kobayashi answered awkwardly. "I'll explain it in full detail if you come with me. By the way, I've got a simple question for you: If someone had a young one aboard who was completely clueless about discipline or anything of the sort and was… special… uh, who would you suggest to take up the challenge?"
"Um," Shiine paused, mulling it over. "To tell the truth, I'd suggest one of the new recruits who's working under me; Ensign Zhymmia Kenzee. She just transferred in three days ago—when this whole fiasco started—and I think she'd be great for it. She's the rough-and-tumble type who'd be good at dealing with challenging types... when she isn't too busy trying to impress her superiors, that is."
"Great!" Kobayashi clapped his hands together. "Go get Zhymmia and meet me in the mess hall with her, okay?"
"Koby, I have to worry about my own problems right now. I am in charge of quite a few detention blocks, you know." Shiine quickly argued.
"I know, but this is very important," Kobayashi said with heavy emphasis in his voice to make a point. "Go check on your detention blocks, but come to the mess hall with the ensign when you're done."
"Okay..." Shiine replied unsurely. Kobayashi smiled reassuringly and then took off, looking for the others.
He found the others at their posts checking over everything. Since he thought he had enough people, he didn't bother asking them about any other help, so he merely brought them all to the mess hall.
Within half an hour, everyone was there and waiting for Shiine and Zhymmia, who arrived a little bit after.
"Okay, we're all here," Shiine said to Kobayashi as he looked at all the others gathered with him. "Now what in the blazes is this about?"
"I can't tell you here, it's too public," Kobayashi explained quietly. "Come with me."
Kobayashi led them to the turbolift and up to Deck 65. As they exited the turbolift and walked towards the officers' quarters, Zhymmia piped in.
"Where are you taking us, sir?"
"First, you don't have to call me 'sir' here," Kobayashi explained. "I may be a lieutenant, but as everyone on the ship can tell you, I have a tendency of disregarding the whole "yes sir" "no sir" thing unless in a setting that demands it. Since we're strolling down the hall, the situation doesn't demand it.
"Second, I'm taking you to a private place where we can talk about confidential and classified information. You all have been privileged to this opportunity, and you'll know what it is soon enough."
Zhymmia nodded, looking confused, similar to the rest of them. When they arrived at Rowan's quarters, everyone paused. Kobayashi opened the door to reveal that everyone else was present and waiting for them. Mercifully, Vader was still fast asleep.
Everyone entered and sat on the floor, some casting curious glances at Vader.
"All right, everyone," Rowan started off. "Now I'm sure you've heard the rumors about a strange boy being picked up by Lt Cdr. Chelcu at the outpost?"
Everyone nodded, and fair-skinned, chocolate brown-haired, crystal blue-eyed Marrax added, "I've heard rumors that he was a high-up Imperial officer!"
"He's more than just a high-up Imperial officer," Rowan explained. "He's Darth Vader himself."
Everyone gaped.
"What?" Numel, Kerrick and Carh'la's friend, exclaimed.
Vader moaned softly and shifted in the cot, but made no other movements. The whole room tensed for a moment before relaxing.
"Are you telling me that that boy is Lord Vader?!" Mormi Leeel whispered.
Rowan nodded. "Yep; that's him. Now, nobody knows how it happened, but what we do know is this: he doesn't remember a thing. I hear he went to your detention block, Shiine and Zhymmia."
Shiine nodded. "Yes, the stormtroopers that escorted him there told me he was a handful."
Zhymmia added, "When he broke out and ran off, we investigated the cell while the power was still on. We don't know how it happened, but the wiring that Lord Vader personally oversaw getting installed got tampered with. Some currents were switched."
"That's because he is Lord Vader," Ryatsi piped in. "I believe that subconsciously he might remember a few things about being Darth Vader. For instance, if he gets into a situation of some sort, he would probably react instinctively as Lord Vader would; so, when he was stuck in a cell and he didn't like it, he subconsciously remembered when he watched it being installed. Therefore, hacking into it and tampering with it would easy."
Zhymmia nodded, understanding but still a little unconvinced that Darth Vader was a young man.
"There is undeniable evidence that he is Lord Vader," Ryatsi continued. "We got a blood sample from him. That is Darth Vader."
"So, why are we being privileged to this information, then?" Moeema Norhek asked. "Shouldn't Capt. Mentzer know about this too?"
"He does," Kerrick answered. "He assigned us to take care of Lord Vader, and we're getting you all to help. No one else is to know of this."
"I'm not saying I'd tell anyone, but… wouldn't the entire fleet hear about something this drastic?" Zan Dryker said hesitantly.
"We have no doubt that the news will spread throughout the ship in various forms, none of which will contain the whole truth, but once the information gets out, everyone will swear to hold it secret to the grave. No one must know. Can you imagine how the Emperor would react?"
"Oh, Force, I don't even want to think about that…" Kobayashi muttered.
"Can you imagine what he would do?" Carh'la prompted. "He'd probably kill us and Force only knows what he would do to poor Vader."
"Poor Vader?" Everyone looked over at Carh'la in amazement.
Carh'la only shrugged in response. "He's a boy, people. I'm not going to incriminate him for something he doesn't even remember. It wouldn't be fair to him. Now we need to talk about those ground rules I mentioned earlier."
"Hey, uh, before we start that, I have a question," Ooke Tunrott interrupted. "What are we going to call him? I mean, if we don't want him remembering, or if we don't want anyone else knowing, we can't call him Lord Vader."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"How about "junior"?" Rowan laughed to calm people down.
"Maybe something like… uh…"
"Why don't we just call him "little one" for now?" Kobayashi put in. "I'm sure he won't mind."
Carh'la shrugged. "I suppose. Now, we're going to have to set some ground rules."
"Here's one: Don't go on the bridge." Ryatsi said.
"That's a good one!" Kobayashi agreed, laughing with everyone else.
"Um…"
"Don't trust Rebels!"
Everyone started joking and laughing while deciding over different rules and matters that had to be attended to. While all of that was going on, Vader began to stir silently. His eyes fluttered open while they were talking; none of them noticed that he was wide awake until they all suddenly felt nervous and frightened.
"What the…" Zhymmia muttered, but Kobayashi, Kerrick, Carh'la, Rowan, and Ryatsi knew what that was.
"He can make us feel what he's feeling," Kerrick quickly explained to the others under his breath. "It's a Force-sensitive thing that he obviously isn't aware he has."
"But if he's feeling scared or nervous that would mean…" Shiine trailed off as everyone jumped and looked over towards Rowan's cot.
Vader was propped up on his elbows staring at them uncertainly. Fear glittered in his deep blue eyes.
Carh'la slowly stood up and sat on the edge of the cot, putting her hand on his. "It's okay, little one. We're not here to hurt you."
Vader looked down at her hand curiously and then looked at her. Immediately, they all felt relaxed; Vader had calmed down.
"Whew," Kobayashi muttered under his breath. "This is going to be interesting."
"Okay, now that we have all the goals and lessons that we're going to teach him decided," Kerrick said. "There is one thing that we need to take into account: Liberty."
Everyone started and looked over at Kerrick.
"Oh, star's end," Rowan cursed. "I completely forgot about liberty…"
"That's right," Kerrick went on. "When this crew gets liberty and we're allowed to go anywhere on a planet—or especially when vacation time comes and everyone gets to see their families before they head off once more—what are we going to do with 'little one'?"
"We're going to have to teach him everything by then," Zhymmia realized. "I guess that'll be his test."
Ooke leaned against the wall from where he was sitting. "These next five months are going to be busy, aren't they?"
Marrax laughed halfheartedly. "Yeah, they are…"
Quite frankly, I'm not very thrilled with this chapter, but it had to be written. Tell me what you think! :-)
Oh, and yes, twenty-two is technically an adult, but your brain is still developing, so you're technically still growing, haha... besides, these "humans" live to be nearly two hundred, so I took a bit of creative license on how long it takes them to grow up and develop. As a 22 YO Vader is somewhere close to 19-20 to us.