Fellow Feeling by Sally Manton (G)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: sallymn
Author Website: none, but she has some stories in the Hermit Library
Why this must be read:

This story follows immediately on the events of Voice From the Past. Orac continues Blake's eradication therapy with the help of Jenna, Avon, and Vila who must take turns helping by sharing Blake's memories--or lack thereof--under Cally's supervision. The story is told by Vila, the only other member of the crew who was also 'readjusted' by the Federation. Although the author is Australian, Vila's third paragraph is disconcertingly American, but apart from that, his voice is perfect and his characterisation is superb.

Vila doesn't want to take part in the therapy, but his pride is hurt when Blake says he doesn't want Vila to do it either. However Orac insists. This is a thoughtful and perceptive story in which we see the others through Vila's eyes. He makes a good narrator as he notices a lot and is devastatingly honest about himself. Avon and Blake in particular are very well drawn, and the centre of the story is the common experience that Blake and Vila share and the subsequent 'fellow feeling' of the title. The following excerpt will give you a taste.

I've seen his nightmares. Hell, I always knew first when they were coming. Like he saw mine. Because we've both been there, haven't we? The place where they come from.

I could always see them, y'know, even when he couldn't feel them yet. When he was going to have one of those nights. White nights. That's what he called them the first time he saw me through, and it fits.

...

So it was always me, the fifth grade ignorant, who went and dug out the strongest drink I'd liberated from our last planetfall and took it down to his cabin and left it there. And later I went back and checked if he'd drunk enough to drown the emptiness, and the pain that was just as bad whether he'd remembered a whole lot of important stuff, like all the names and faces of his followers from before, or a whole lot of nothing, like the colour of his mother's eyes.

When it was my turn, when none of the jokes drowned out the nothingness, Blake would bring one of those bottles he pretended to believe I didn't know about to my cabin. After a while, he didn't seem to get the nightmares so much, or so bad. We didn't talk about it much, it was just one of those things, parting gift from the Federation's best.

Fellow Feeling (complete story)
Fellow Feeling (page 1 of 5)

Comments

[hafren.livejournal.com]

meant to post an "ah, buggrit" - I was going to rec that!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I felt the same way when I found someone else had done Haunting of Haderon. :-)