a bad penny just keeps coming back
Now, after all of this time, since you asked, I can tell you-I hated him. He came to the house. Everyone’s seen the footage, of course. Hell, they show it in history classes all over Earth. You wouldn’t even be here if they didn’t. I’ve seen and done a few things in my life but nothing to warrant attention if it weren’t for his visit. So, he came to the house to tell me that Mom was dead.
He must have known that the reporters would follow him. I know for a long time I thought he had come to see me just for the favorable press. He certainly knew they’d follow, with their hoverball cameras and their eye-cams. I do remember, he knelt in front of me even though he didn’t really need to. I was twelve and stood almost five feet tall at the time. Girls grow faster than boys for their age. He looked into my eyes and I can admit, now, that he had pain in his eyes. I don’t know if it was the pain of having to tell me about Mom, facing the family as it were, the difficulty of delivering the news in front of all those cameras or just a personal thing. I’ve read about him and checked the records available to the public. I think, now…, after all this time, I think it just tore him apart to lose a member of his crew. Back then-I hated him for telling me Mom was dead. He told me, and then he transported up to the Enterprise-B and he died. That’s why you’re interviewing me. I was one of the last to interact with him on a human level-and that’s what you want to hear about. It’s been a hundred years since his death-although I’ve heard rumors that may not be accurate.
You don’t know? Please, you’re one of the most famous reporters in the Alpha Quadrant. You know what I’m talking about. That thing with Ambassador Picard back when he was captain of the Enterprise. How ironic-his ship. We heard what leaked out of Starfleet’s old boy’s club. That he came back and helped once again, that he made things better even as he died, finally died. But he hasn’t, has he? He’s still alive in so many hearts across the cosmos you felt it necessary to come and talk to me. Just because I’m one of the last to see him alive. It’s the hundredth anniversary of his official death and you’re talking to someone who saw him for ten minutes a century ago. I’ve seen a lot. I was in San Francisco when the Breen attacked, I was there when the Borg came and killed my brother at Wolf 359, him and a lot of other good men and women, I stood with the first official time-travel team as they returned. All you care about is what I thought about him, though, right?
Fine. He was interesting. He affected my life for decades. I finally distanced myself and made a life of my own but he always lurked in the background. That moment, when he told me about Mom-there was pain in his eyes. You want to know what it looked like? Ok, fine, look into my eyes. I’ve lived one hundred and twelve years and the doctors say I won’t see one hundred and thirteen. I’m dying, and he was too. Not from an incurable disease like Garov’s Syndrome, but from ennui. He hated his life. It took me fifty years to realize that the pain in his eyes was from telling too many children Mommy or Daddy wasn’t coming home. Too many years of flying a desk. I can say that now. I’ve moved beyond. Soon, I’ll cross the Great Beyond. I’m at peace. But you know, these stupid interviews-it’s like he won’t go away. Even now, after a century, y’all are still badgering me. Read the logs, look at the historical holos, and examine the studied professor’s analysis. He is what you make of him. Personally, I wish he hadn’t come to me that day. I have to keep doing this and it’s like I’m reliving Mom’s death over and over for a century. Do you have any idea what that’s like? He visited for a few minutes. He left. He died. I went out and lived a full life. This repeated questioning is useless-he lived and you can judge him by the results. My perspective means nothing. I wish I’d never met him. He’s some kind of bad penny that just keeps cropping up. I think you need to leave now, my blood pressure is rising and my doctor says that’s not helping my situation. Good-bye.
Now, after all of this time, since you asked, I can tell you-I hated him. He came to the house. Everyone’s seen the footage, of course. Hell, they show it in history classes all over Earth. You wouldn’t even be here if they didn’t. I’ve seen and done a few things in my life but nothing to warrant attention if it weren’t for his visit. So, he came to the house to tell me that Mom was dead.
He must have known that the reporters would follow him. I know for a long time I thought he had come to see me just for the favorable press. He certainly knew they’d follow, with their hoverball cameras and their eye-cams. I do remember, he knelt in front of me even though he didn’t really need to. I was twelve and stood almost five feet tall at the time. Girls grow faster than boys for their age. He looked into my eyes and I can admit, now, that he had pain in his eyes. I don’t know if it was the pain of having to tell me about Mom, facing the family as it were, the difficulty of delivering the news in front of all those cameras or just a personal thing. I’ve read about him and checked the records available to the public. I think, now…, after all this time, I think it just tore him apart to lose a member of his crew. Back then-I hated him for telling me Mom was dead. He told me, and then he transported up to the Enterprise-B and he died. That’s why you’re interviewing me. I was one of the last to interact with him on a human level-and that’s what you want to hear about. It’s been a hundred years since his death-although I’ve heard rumors that may not be accurate.
You don’t know? Please, you’re one of the most famous reporters in the Alpha Quadrant. You know what I’m talking about. That thing with Ambassador Picard back when he was captain of the Enterprise. How ironic-his ship. We heard what leaked out of Starfleet’s old boy’s club. That he came back and helped once again, that he made things better even as he died, finally died. But he hasn’t, has he? He’s still alive in so many hearts across the cosmos you felt it necessary to come and talk to me. Just because I’m one of the last to see him alive. It’s the hundredth anniversary of his official death and you’re talking to someone who saw him for ten minutes a century ago. I’ve seen a lot. I was in San Francisco when the Breen attacked, I was there when the Borg came and killed my brother at Wolf 359, him and a lot of other good men and women, I stood with the first official time-travel team as they returned. All you care about is what I thought about him, though, right?
Fine. He was interesting. He affected my life for decades. I finally distanced myself and made a life of my own but he always lurked in the background. That moment, when he told me about Mom-there was pain in his eyes. You want to know what it looked like? Ok, fine, look into my eyes. I’ve lived one hundred and twelve years and the doctors say I won’t see one hundred and thirteen. I’m dying, and he was too. Not from an incurable disease like Garov’s Syndrome, but from ennui. He hated his life. It took me fifty years to realize that the pain in his eyes was from telling too many children Mommy or Daddy wasn’t coming home. Too many years of flying a desk. I can say that now. I’ve moved beyond. Soon, I’ll cross the Great Beyond. I’m at peace. But you know, these stupid interviews-it’s like he won’t go away. Even now, after a century, y’all are still badgering me. Read the logs, look at the historical holos, and examine the studied professor’s analysis. He is what you make of him. Personally, I wish he hadn’t come to me that day. I have to keep doing this and it’s like I’m reliving Mom’s death over and over for a century. Do you have any idea what that’s like? He visited for a few minutes. He left. He died. I went out and lived a full life. This repeated questioning is useless-he lived and you can judge him by the results. My perspective means nothing. I wish I’d never met him. He’s some kind of bad penny that just keeps cropping up. I think you need to leave now, my blood pressure is rising and my doctor says that’s not helping my situation. Good-bye.
