FAIR HAVEN
Episode 131
Part F
Kim: "I don't believe it!"
Sullivan to Seamus standing in the background behind him: "Shut your mouth, man, or I'll shut it for you."
 | That evening, in the Fair Haven holoprogram, at Sullivan's, Seven has so far attained a perfect score in the rings tournament, amazing Seamus who is admiring her not just for her perfect rings score.
As she throws yet another ring onto the peg, Seamus exclaims: "Saints preserve us!
Seven: "I have superior hand-eye co-ordination."
Seamus, frankly admiring: "That's not all that's superior. The Lily & The Rose are staging a competition on your face.
Seven: "Clarify."
Seamus puts his hand on his heart and declares in a lovelorn way: "The fullness of your lips and the paleness of your cheeks - it's enough to make a man faint."
Seven: "Then in that case, perhaps we should sit down."
He and Seven move to a quiet table.
At the bar, Kim, Paris and the Doctor have been watching.
Kim, bearing in mind his past romantic interest in Seven, remarks on the smooth way Seamus has charmed Seven and effectively got himself an instant date with her: "I don't believe it!"
Paris: "It's called old-world charm, Harry."
Neelix is behind the bar. "What'll it be, gentlemen?"
Doctor: "Nothing for me." As a hologram, of course, he cannot imbibe. "Temperance is a virtue."
Paris: "Where's Michael?"
Neelix: "Over there."
They turn and look. Sullivan is alone at a table, drinking neat whisky. His bottle is far from full.
Paris: "Well, that's strange. I programmed him not to drink."
Neelix: "Must be a glitch in his subroutine."
The Doctor and Paris go over to Sullivan's table."
The Doctor indicates the empty chairs. "Are these seats taken?"
Sullivan: "Sit anywhere you like." He downs a glass of whisky in one. He comments: "Vile. It's been 15 years since I touched the stuff."
Paris: "You making up for lost time?"
Sullivan: "I was hoping it might ease the pain."
Doctor, his medical interest aroused: "Are you in discomfort?"
Sullivan: "Agony, more like. How could you do this to me, Lord?" He turns to the Doctor. "Why don't you ask Him? You've got His ear, don't you?"
Doctor: "Well...."
Sullivan: "Three days. The happiest three days of my life. I was a fool to think she felt the same. I was such a fool!!" He slams the table and stands up angrily, drawing the attention of everyone in the pub.
Seamus: "Oh sit down, Sullivan!"
Sullivan warns grimly: "Shut your mouth, man, or I'll shut it for you."
Seamus: "Oh you will, will you?!"
Paris "Hey, hey, take it easy." To Sullivan: "Why don't you tell us what happened?"
Sullivan sighs. Miserably he explains: "We spent a perfect day together, by the lake. I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, she was gone." He looks up at Paris. "Where is she, Tom?"
Paris: "Who?"
Sullivan: "Katie O'Clare, who else?"
Paris: "Katie O'Clare??"
Sullivan: "Your friend."
Paris now understands he means Kathryn Janeway. "Erm. Are you sure you didn't.....misinterpret....her interests? I mean, we're all friends here. Maybe she was just being friendly?"
Sullivan: "Are you calling me a liar?"
Paris: "Er no, no, not at all."
Sullivan: "I thought Katie and me were in love."
Paris whispers to the Doctor. "I may have to do some reprogramming."
Sullivan: "I mean, what's the matter? You don't think I'm good enough for her?"
Paris tries to placate Sullivan's rising rage: "I didn't say that."
Sullivan, desperately: "Then tell me where she's gone!"
Paris: "I don't know!"
"I think you do!" He attacks Paris.
Everyone piles in as they all enjoy a good brawl. Only the Doctor tries to stop it, shouting: "Gentlemen, please! Love thy neighbour!" But he is unable to penetrate the scrum of fighting flailing bodies. |
 | USS Voyager, still stationary, awaiting the arrival of the neutronic wavefront. |
 | Kim, Neelix and Paris are in sickbay for the injuries received during the brawl. The Doctor treats Neelix. |
 | Paris is attending Kim.
Kim: "Let's see: I remember trying to reach the holodeck controls, then er somebody grabbed my leg."
Paris, who is sporting a bruised and swollen lip, jokes: "Maybe it was the talking pig."
Kim laughs. "If it was, he had one hell of a left hook." |
Janeway enters.  standard doors She observes the black eyes and other injuries. "What's all this?"
Doctor: "I'm afraid there's been some trouble in paradise." He explains: "An altercation in the pub this afternoon. Several crewmen were injured, nothing serious."
 | Janeway: "Arm-wrestling get out of hand, boys?"
Neelix: "Not exactly."
Kim: "It was Michael Sullivan, Captain. He was-"
But the Doctor comes up close behind Janeway and deliberately says a loud, "Ahem!" to interrupt Kim. Kim suddenly remembers the reason for Sullivan's fight and finishes as best he can: "-looking for someone."
 |
 | Doctor to Janeway: "Why don't we take a little walk?"
Janeway realises there is more to this than meets the eye, that it was more than a simple pub brawl in which fists met the eyes. |
 
Doctor: "All I know is: Michael Sullivan was up in that tree, shouting your name."
| The Doctor follows Janeway out of sickbay.
Doctor: "I don't mean to pry, captain, but we've got a broken-hearted hologram who believed that the two of you were in love."
Janeway: "Oh I'm sure he'll be onto the next lass by now. I hope he's alright."
Doctor: "Far from it. The fight spilled out onto the street. Before long he climbed up a tree and began shouting your name. Mr Neelix managed to talk him down."
Janeway: "It could be a malfunction in his behavioural subroutines."
Doctor: "I've already checked that. His subroutines are fine. But I did notice you've made quite a number of alterations to his program."
Janeway: "Minor improvements."
Doctor: "To make him more appealing?"
Janeway waggles a finger reprovingly but keeps her tone light: "You're beginning to pry, Doctor."
Doctor: "I apologise for overstepping my bounds. But I'm worried about you. Michael Sullivan is a hologram. His broken heart can be mended with a flick of a switch. Your feelings, however, are a little more complicated."
Janeway: "I'm not going to be climbing any trees, if that's what you're worried about."
The Doctor realises he cannot push her to talk if she does not wish to. "If you decide you want to talk - I've been hearing a lot of confessions lately - let me know." He starts to leave.
Janeway stops him after he has gone a few steps, suddenly deciding she wants to talk about it. She calls out: "You want a confession, Doctor?" He stops and turns to look back at her. "Alright." He comes back. "I've become romantically involved with a hologram, if that's possible."
Doctor: "Tell me what happened."
Janeway tries to speak lightly: "Oh you know the story: girl meets boy, girl modifies boy's subroutines."
Doctor: "Did you have intimate relations?"
Janeway: "That's none of your business. Let's just say it was a memorable three days."
Doctor: "I don't see the problem."
Janeway: "Don't you? Michael Sullivan is exactly my type: attractive, intelligent, we share the same interests, and if there's something I don't like," she snaps her fingers, "I can simply change it."
Doctor: "I've noticed that humans usually try to change the people they fall in love with. What's the difference?"
Janeway: "In this case, it works! We had a picnic by the lake yesterday afternoon. Michael drifted off to sleep. His head was lying on my shoulder and I remember thinking 'this is close to perfect'. Then he began to snore. Did I nudge him with my elbow hoping he'd roll him over and stop, did I whisper in his ear to wake him? No, why bother when I could simply access the computer and alter his vocal algorithms? And that's exactly what I was about to do when I realised that everything around me was an illusion, including him. So I left. I almost wrote him a note to say goodbye. Could you believe that? A 'dear John' letter to a hologram!"
Doctor: "I understand your trepidation." They reach the turbolift. He presses the turbolift call button for her. "But you're the captain. You can't have a relationship with a member of your crew - they're all your subordinates. Where does that leave you, the occasional dalliance with a passing alien? Voyager could be in the Delta Quadrant for a very long time. A hologram may be the only logical alternative."
Janeway: "He's not REAL."
Doctor: "He's as real as I am. Photons and forcefields, flesh and blood, it's all the same as long as your feelings are real. He makes a joke. You laugh. Is that an illusion? He says something that makes you think. Does it matter how his molecules are aligned? Did it ever occur to you that it's not just a question of whether or not he's real?"
Janeway: "What do you mean?"
Doctor: "I think you should stop trying to control every aspect of this relationship. Romance is born out of differences as well as similarities; out of the unexpected as well as the familiar."
His words hit home.
Janeway: "Maybe I just needed to be sure he'd love me back."
Doctor: "But isn't that the risk you always take, hologram or not? All I know is: Michael Sullivan was up in that tree, shouting your name."
Janeway: "I've never been afraid of taking risks."
Doctor: "Then perhaps next time, you should just let him snore."
Janeway, in the turbolift, still looks unhappy but she will take his words to heart. |
Thanks to for the page backgrounds and buttons from the set Shamrock.
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