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— Why does he want to see me?
— We hope you can explain it to us.
The doctor in front of him wore a purple collar. No wonder the Sabosen family was concerned and sent their own medics, considering whose health it was about. The security officer standing beside her was, like Thrawn himself, wearing a uniform without color distinction: so this was not just a private matter of the Family. Was it about the security of the Ascendancy?
— I am surprised that Sabosen'ni'koru summoned me. I am a fan of his work, but not his confidant or friend. We have only met a few times.
There was no reflection on the officer's face; the doctor spoke instead.
— It's a very delicate matter, Mitt'rau'noruodo. You'll understand, when you see him, I suppose.
— It's a very important matter, — the officer interrupted her. — And it's not just the state of Sabosen'ni'koru, but the fact that he's the only witness to what happened at Wide-Awake Station — although I don't need to tell you what happened.
— There are no official results of the investigation yet, — said Thrawn. — It could have been anything: sabotage, attack... Unforeseen effects of the supernova near where the station was located. All we know is that there were no survivors...
— Wrong, — now the officer interrupted him. — There was one survivor, and that was Sabosen'ni'koru. But his injuries were barely compatible with life, and to this day he remains in a confused state of mind. He has consistently refused to speak to all of his relatives and even Aristocra. The efforts of the medics were also unsuccessful, — she grinned. — Then he began to demand that you must be allowed to see him. It would have been difficult for the Sabosen family to summon you, — she said with pressure, — but fortunately for him, the Expansionary Defense Fleet was interested in his testimony.
— And Sabosen's family is interested in allowing all available treatment to be applied to him. If your visit helps stabilize his condition, it will not be forgotten,— the doctor said curtly. She hid her anger well, but Thrawn could hear the hissing sounds prominent in her speech.
And that's how they've been swearing over Senniko's head since the beginning, he thought. Senniko, who was one of Domination's greatest artists, a visionary and a singer of what lies beyond the boundaries of the known. Senniko, whose imagination served as a guiding star for hundreds and thousands of other artists, scientists, and simple Chiss like Thrawn himself, who were not endowed with the ability to translate from the language of thought and intuitive images into the language of form and color. Senniko, who was the pride of the Sabosen Family — the only reason he, a civilian, was allowed to go to the research station Wide-Awake, on the very frontier between Domination and the thick clouds of space dust from the supernovae. They let him in, as it turned out, on his own mount.
— Is there anything I need to know before I talk to him?
— Please be as gentle as you can, he's very badly traumatized, — the doctor immediately interjected.
— But convince him to let himself be treated and be able to give an intelligible statement, not this... nonsense, — the officer grumbled.
They looked at each other grudgingly.
— I understand, — Thrawn said. — I'm ready.
The ward in which Senniko was being held was spacious and well-equipped. Too well, even: as Trawn looked around, he noticed small cameras in addition to the standard medical equipment.
This both perturbed and worried him.
Senniko was half lying on the bed, and for the first minute Thrawn thought he was fine. He looked almost normal-almost as Thrawn remembered him.
— Mitt'rau'nuruodo? — Senniko said uncertainly.
— Sabosen'ni'koru, — Thrawn replied.
— Thrawn! — Senniko fidgeted on his bed; the smile that spread across his face was a twisted one. It was obvious now how badly he was hurt. — It is you! What a luck! Come over to me.
Thrawn approached his bedside.
— I did not think they would let you in here, — Senniko said, lowering his head and lowering his voice. — But it really is you.
— I am honored that you called me, — replied Thrawn. — But I will not hide the fact that I do not understand why you need me here.
— Because I remember you. You were always one of the few people I could talk to. You couldn't be fooled... And you're Mitt Family, not... these, you see..... I need your help, — Senniko whispered, leaning toward him.
Something about the way he did it alerted Thrawn. Senniko looked tensely beside from him.
— I am always at your service, Sabosen'ni'koru, when it does not conflict with the interests of the Ascendancy.
— The interests of the Ascendancy, yes, of course... Thrawn, I need you to help me escape from here.
Thrawn raised his hand and slowly held it in the air in front of his face. Then, chilling at his discovery, he repeated the gesture, this time almost touching Senniko's nose. Senniko sat as if nothing had happened, staring hopefully into the void to Thrawn's left.
— I'm afraid, — Thrawn said slowly, — it's not safe for you to leave the hospital yet. You need medical attention.
— I am well, Thrawn! — Senniko said irritably. — A few scratches and a little numbness have never killed anyone. They don't... they don't cure me. On the contrary. Don't you see?
— What exactly do you mean, Sabosen'ni'koru? — And Thrawn added quickly: — I didn't realize that... they were such a threat.
— They convince me that I am blind! They say they need to gut my skull in order to install what they claim are shunts for nerve impulses. They insist that otherwise my chances of recovery are negligible! — Senniko laughed frightenedly. — Thrawn, it's all about what happened on that station.
— What happened at the station? — Thrawn said slowly.
— I don't know, there was some kind of explosion... I came to my senses here already. And they started processing right away, right away. I can't trust any of my family, even the Aristocrats are involved in the conspiracy! So far I've managed to let them dust my eyes, but I'm afraid they're going to crack my skull open by force. Thrawn, you are not Sabosen, and I know that your loyalty to Domination is not blind. Help me.
— I find it hard to imagine the Sabosen Family wishing you bad.
Thrawn glanced at the monitors. Senniko's readings were starting to go off the rails.
— I'm not sure it's my Family's will, — he whispered with a shudder. — They say I'm blind, but... the truth is, now I can see much better. I can see clearer than I've ever done before. I can see these light snakes coming down from the lamps. I see them, Thrawn, they exist.
— Sabosen'ni'koru...
— I see them! Sometimes they weave into figures, and at first I even confused them with real Chiss, but the thing is, they have concave faces. They know how to disguise themselves well. Probably control space somehow. I saw them stretch out my room so that the far wall was the size of a fingernail... the light from the lamps didn't reach me, and I was left in the dark. And that's just the most harmless thing they can do. They torture me all the time... Thrawn...
Senniko waved his hand: his fingers scooped the air, and he froze in bewilderment. Then he moved his hand until he came across Thrawn's elbow and squeezed it forcefully — and then immediately continued speaking.
— Maybe they're to blame for what happened back there on Wide-Awake. Then I am in even greater danger...
— Listen to me, please, — Thrawn leaned toward him and touched his elbow in response. — Sabosen'ni'koru. You really need help. You have lost your sight. If you get it back, your imagination will stop torturing you, otherwise it will drive you mad.
Senniko looked at him, and his lips quivered like a pouting child's. Then resentment was replaced by anger.
— And I thought you were smarter than the other soldiers... Or were you with them?!
Thrawn did not have time to answer: the devices connected to Senniko began beeping, and almost immediately two medics entered the room at a rapid pace, one of them that very one with purple collar, who met him back then.
— Give him the sedatives, quickly, — she commanded. — And start prepping him for departure. We finally have the permission.
— What... No! — Senniko clutched at the bedspread. — Don't you dare! Thrawn!
— ...and you, — She said to Thrawn. — Thank you for your participation, although the result was... minor...
— Thrawn, this is not a real doctor! Please!
— Now if you will kindly leave the room, — she said, ignoring Senniko's cries. And Thrawn obeyed.
He stood in the corridor for a while, calming down. Then he straightened up and headed for the exit.
The officer, the same one, looked at him without interest as he passed. Thrawn couldn't stand it.
— You should have warned me that he was blind.
— I beg your pardon?
— It's unjustifiably cruel of him to let visitors in to convince him over and over again of what he fears most.
— But he's not blind,— the officer said simply. — His eyes are intact, his nerves and blood vessels are normal, and his pupils respond to light. That's what the medics say. He's not blind. He's crazy, but he's a sighted crazy.
Not a nerve twitched in her face.
— In that case, — said Thrawn, — the therapists who know how to deal with such conditions should be allowed to see him.
— They have been admitted. To no avail. They say you can't cure someone who don’t want to be cured and Sabosen'ni'koru don’t want to be cured.
— I don't believe that, — Thrawn cut her off.
The officer shrugged her shoulders.
— He came willingly to the Wide-Awake. If you ask me, he was too bored with our reality. He was looking for something supernatural, and here he is. Whose fault is it that he has nightmares instead of grace? Apparently, even nightmares are more interesting to him than what real life has to offer. From our point of view, he's trapped himself in a personal hell, and from his point of view, his art is finally his reality, — she grinned.
— Have you ever thought, — said Thrawn, — that since his eyes are all right, his visions are actually real. What if it is you who are living a nightmare that is so unpredictable and horrible that you prefer to convince yourself that it does not exist. Trapped yourself in the world of your own feeble imagination. Going crazy just to avoid seeing reality.
And, watching her face tighten, Thrawn finally felt satisfaction.