Off-world, in an old bar located somewhere on a planet that would take most people light-years to get to, a most curious crowd had gathered together to celebrate one of their own.

The members of this crowd came from all walks of life: old, young, hairy, spiky, big, small. Yet they all had one thing in common: they'd all known a man named Vincent. (known to his closest friends as "Vinnie" for short).

Some of them had come prepared with a song or a story about their favorite Freedom Fighter. However, none of them were prepared for the unexpected arrival of the old scientist who, with a cane, slowly made his way up to the podium and faced the crowd.

None of them, certainly, were prepared for his opening. "Hey fellow Ball Fondlers! Wait—I mean, fellow fans of Ball Fondlers—Or—Oh, scratch that-Nevermind!—Let's just start that one over from the beginning then, shall we?" Several groans were his reward for attempting to open a tense moment with a joke. "So—what is there to say really—about this guy, huh?" Rick nodded at the blow-up photo of Vincent to his right. It was a photo from his younger days—and Rick couldn't believe how handsome he'd been, even more so before they'd met. "Well—there's a lot to say actually—because Vin, well—Vin was, was a one-of-a-kind, kinda dude, amiright ?"

The crowd was silent. Gazing out at a sea of unfamiliar faces, Rick started to smile—because he had discovered at least four—no, six—no, eight familiar faces at the very back of the room: Morty, Beth, Summer (and yes—even Jerry). Right next to them standing were Sandra and Benji. On the other side of the room were two veteran Freedom Fighters: a tall bird-man and a catlike creature. All were watching him, smiling back at him, encouraging him silently to continue. Rick was grateful to their presence more than they would ever know. (He was even pleased to see Jerry—though he would never admit it.)

"What can I say about Vincent? Well…" Rick paused to clear his throat and take a long drink of water. "He was the kinda guy that would…that would always stick around in the foxhole with you…." He paused again, as the faces began to swim together. "He…" What the heck was he doing? "Aw NUTS!" as he practically kicked the stand in frustration. "This dude—he was a motherfucking LEGEND!" With that he crumpled the piece of paper and let it fall to the ground with abandon.

"Vincent was the best goddamned person I've ever met in my fucking life, yo." Rick gripped the podium to keep himself in place. "He'd be cracking jokes even when—even when there were a dozen bullets whizzing by right over us. It was a goddamned war but…somehow…he kept us both sane in our darkest hours." Rick choked back tears as he took another, much longer sip of water. "He gave me some of the best moments in the darkest days of my life." He dared to look at the photo that was so life-sized he could almost pretend that Vincent was actually there. "If it weren't for Vincent…" his voice hitched. "I wouldn't be standing here right now." Somehow he managed to turn towards the photo once again. "You saved my life, buddy," he declared, "in so many ways….and far too many times….even for the smartest man in the universe to count."

Before he lost his nerve, he raised his glass of water towards the photograph, then turned back to face the crowd. "To Vincent," Rick said for all to hear, "the Greatest."

"To Vincent," the crowd repeated, raising their glasses in return.

"The Greatest One of them All."

~ FIN ~