[Original story formerly published in paper by the Star Trek Italian Club, which graciously granted permission to publish it digitally. Cover and drawings by Chiara Falchini.]
Chapter XI
After dinner, Lady Gwyneth invited them to spend the evening in her sitting room, where a minstrel delighted their ears with music and tales. At a certain point Alisander, trying to impress Deanna, plonked away a few passages on a harpsichord, showing some ability; Fiona sang along a ballad with her beautiful voice.
Weary because of the long march of the day, soon enough the guests took their leave to go to bed, with many thanks to the castellan. Viviana waited the other ones to be gone, then she addressed the woman:
"Lady Gwyneth, your hospitality is exquisite, and we'd really like to enjoy it for some days more. Unfortunately, urgent obligations call us elsewhere, and we must depart tomorrow already."
The castellan showed her regret:
"It's a shame, having guests is a rare pleasure for us. Are you sure you cannot stay for at least another day, Sister Viviana?"
"Alas, this isn't possible, Milady, and I say it with regret."
"I see. Very well, in this case I'll get you some travel provisions, and I'll give you horses", Viviana inhaled, preparing to protest, but the noblewoman prevented her with a gesture, "I'm sure you'll find a way to repay or to return them: Bryan Darksword spoke very well of you all, but particularly of you, Sister Viviana", she added with a smile. The young woman blushed as a child caught red-handed, but controlled herself:
"You're very generous, Milady. Your trust is well placed."
She took her leave with a curtsy and went upstairs to her room. She was tired, but she wasn't sleepy at all, therefore she opened the French door and exited on the balcony. She leaned on the balustrade, lifting her eyes to the starry sky; she tried in vain to recognise the constellations, but the world of Sword & Sorcery was totally invented, including the stars shining upon it, which consequently didn't resemble to any known configuration.
The soft sound of an opening door made her turn; Bryan's tall shape appeared on the threshold of one of the rooms. Catching sight of her, he addressed her with a greeting gesture and joined her.
"Are you gazing at the stars?", he asked in an amiable tone.
"Yeah", she answered laconically, "It helps me to sleep", she moved to go away, "I wish you a good night."
Bryan stepped sideways and got in her way, so suddenly she almost bumped into him.
"Did I do something wrong?", the warrior enquired.
"No, nothing...", she answered, surprised, "Why do you ask?"
"So maybe I got the wrong picture?", Bryan insisted. Viviana felt a little confused:
"What picture?"
"I thought...", Bryan stopped short, stepped aside and leaned on the balustrade, staring at the underlying courtyard with an empty gaze, "I'm not good at these things", he went on, "I spend most of my time fighting for this or that cause, surely not in palaces, therefore I never learnt the art to speak to women. But... I like you, Viviana. I thought you felt the same for me. I never met a woman like you, and I'd like to get to know you better", he turned his face toward her and, unexpectedly, took off his mask, "Will you allow it, or will you keep me at distance like tonight?"
Viviana felt lost in an emotional turmoil. Bryan's declaration surely didn't catch her by surprise, but the words he had chosen, so frank and straightforward, so charming in their openness, struck her deeply. He was only a hologram, but he acted in such a... real way! According to her character, she couldn't help but answer with the same frankness:
"Me too, I like you, Bryan, I like you really much", she confessed therefore, but she was aware she had to find a reason not to go beyond this point, "But... tomorrow we must away."
"Then I'll come with you", the warrior declared, simply, "I know I've made the encounter of my life, and I won't let you go easily away!"
His honest and passionate tone thrilled her deeply. Unable to control herself, she approached him and laid one hand on his arm. Consciously, she just wanted to show him her understanding, but it was what happened immediately after this to actually correspond to her true wish.
Her touch seemingly lighted a fuse inside of Bryan, who turned and, all of a sudden, wrapped her in his arms. Before Viviana could realise what was about to happen, he bent down his head and kissed her. For a moment, only for a moment, Viviana thought about to resist, but her feelings dragged her away in an irresistible vortex, so similar to her first kiss to have her knees bending. She held on Bryan's wide shoulders, her mind clouded by a storm of elating sensations, and reciprocated the kiss passionately.
*****
In the engine room, the security agent watched what was going on with professional distance: during his career, he had witnessed much more indecent scenes than a kiss, even as passionate as this one.
Meanwhile, La Forge and Barclay were helping Saunders in the preparation of the Nanites outburst, meant to dissolve the block in the computer.
"We're almost done", Saunders announced.
*****
On the terrace of KwynaghCastle, Viviana and Bryan were still holding tightly to each other, exchanging more and more fiery kisses. The young woman felt her head spinning; for her, time had stopped, nothing else existed except the two of them and the desire overwhelming her like a rising tide, a desire transcending flesh to perfuse heart and soul. The world could fall apart, and she wouldn't notice it.
With an apparently effortless movement, Bryan lifted her in his arms and carried her in her room.
*****
"Ready", Saunders said.
"Execute", La Forge ordered in a tense voice. The lieutenant pressed a single button, and the burst entered abruptly the computer circuits. In just a few moments, the Nanites arrived to the block, examined and attacked it. It was a matter of seconds, but to the three waiting by, it seemed half of eternity.
"The block's gone!", Barclay announced excitedly. Saunders lighted up like a Christmas tree, and La Forge smiled at him:
"You do the honours, Lieutenant."
Saunders stood straight in his whole considerable height and articulated:
"Computer, end program Sword & Sorcery on Holodeck 2."
"Accomplished", the computer simply answered.
*****
Laying on the bed, Viviana reciprocated Bryan's kisses and caresses; her heart beat wildly, almost painfully, and she felt her soul tremble as well as her body.
In her mind, Bryan wasn't just a hologram anymore – supposedly he had ever been – but had gained all the substance, dignity and stature of a human being in blood and flesh, and she was ready to love him with all she had. She had never become aware before of the cold and dark emptiness inside of her, banished in a remote corner of her soul, ignored, hidden. It was like all her life she had only been awaiting for Bryan; now finally she had met him, and she could call herself at last complete.
There was a sound like a long, soft hiss, then all of a sudden Viviana felt everything go missing around her. With a scream, she smacked on the ground, hitting it painfully with her back.
Everything had disappeared – Bryan, the room, the clothes.
Feeling like in a nightmare, she looked around, blindly, struggling to focus her gaze on the grating of yellow lines outlining the holodeck. Nearby, Deanna, Riker and Data, the first one lying, the others standing, were watching around, confused.
The first to recover was Data.
"The program has been turned off", he announced. Riker and Deanna needed a few seconds to understand what he had said, so great was their surprise; realising they were half-naked, they quickly recovered their real garments to put on again. Data, who hadn't changed his clothes, didn't need it.
Viviana was frozen, unable to realise what had occurred. Her breath ragged, her limbs lacking any strength, her eyes wide open, she stared wildly around, desperately looking for what was no more... never had been.
Deanna felt all her torment, and was shocked. Only her considerable experience, having taught her the emotional distance indispensable to her profession, prevented her to scream out of anguish, however she couldn't stop her tears: she had rarely felt such a great sorrow. How was it possible that a simple hologram had caused it? But so it was: she remembered Riker's grief for having lost Minuette, a grief surfacing again now and then in spite of the passing time. Yearning for something, or someone, impossible to obtain is perhaps the worst existing form of soul torture.
She ran to embrace Viviana, who grabbed on to her like a shipwrecked person on a wooden board, and tried to project a tranquilizing sensation into her mind.
Viviana didn't speak, fighting furiously to regain at least a semblance of clarity of mind. Luckily, she had a strong, balanced and determined personality, and Deanna realised relieved that, even if deeply hurt, her psyche wouldn't suffer permanent damages.
*****
Outside the access door to Holodeck 2, Worf was impatiently waiting La Forge to give entrance permission. At his side there were two security agents, but none brandished any weapon.
Finally the Klingon heard the chief engineer's voice:
"La Forge to Lieutenant Worf, green light."
Worf approached the double door, which had been closed after removing the useless containment field, and ordered curtly the computer to open it.
The scene appearing to his and his subordinates' eyes was almost unbelievable: Riker, standing not far away, was wearing only his slacks; Deanna, kneeling on the floor, revealed bare feet under her long dress; Viviana, in the Betazoid's arms, was half-naked and looked dishevelled. The only one who could be considered of normal appearance was the android Data.
Worf, who had been ready to swamp and crush whatever danger, seemed to freeze on the threshold while watching around, stunned. The facial expression of a stunned Klingon is very similar to that of a furious Klingon, and Riker decided to prevent a possible violent act by crying:
"Everything's fine, Lieutenant, stay calm!"
Worf's stance relaxed visibly, and Riker breathed better: he already had to deal with enraged Klingons, and it was an experience he didn't like to remember. He realised he had been pointlessly worried as soon as Worf asked:
"How are you all?"
This wasn't for sure a question he'd ask if he had just overcome a rage attack.
Riker looked toward Deanna and Viviana:
"Physically we're all perfectly well, Worf", he answered, "but I'm afraid it'd be better to take Viviana to sickbay."
He put on the leather shirt he had worn under his armour, then he approached the two women.
"How is she?", he asked to Deanna. The Counsellor was rocking Viviana back and forth like a little child.
"She's shocked. Something happened, immediately before the program deactivation. Very probably, Bryan was involved. Better we take her to sickbay and give her a tranquiliser."
"I carry her", Riker said, bending on his friend. He lifted her in his arms and looked around, but Data had preceded him and arrived with Viviana's cloak, which he had taken from her backpack. They covered her, not because of modesty, not existing particular taboos about more or less quantity of exposed skin, but much more simply to prevent her to catch cold, as the ship's temperature was set for clothed and active persons, and not naked and still.
In sickbay, Doctor Beverly Crusher moved her medical scanner up and down the young woman's body, finding her in a strong emotive stress, and injected her a sedative hypospray, which made her sleep almost immediately.
Riker felt guilty.
"I wasn't able to prevent it", he murmured. Deanna had no need for him to explain what he was referring to.
"You did your best, Will", she reminded him, "but the heart wants what it wants. Viviana could simply not prevent herself to fall in love with Bryan."
Beverly heard her:
"What to you mean, Deanna?"
The Counsellor told her summarily the sequence of events while the doctor examined her.
"You're a little dehydrated", Beverly said, giving her an adequate hypospray, "That's nasty business", she added, beginning to examine Riker, too, "Psychological damages?"
"Relevant, but not irreparable", the Betazoid answered, "She has a very strong spirit, she'll recover soon."
"But the emotional scar will remain", Riker observed in a bitter tone. Deanna gave no reply: to this, there was no remedy.