Author's Note: Just a one-shot I came up with. Star Trek does not belong to me, etc etc… Please let me know via review what you think and if you'd like to see this expanded. Thanks!
Data stood crouched on the earthy ground, waving a tricorder above the body of a small human girl they had found several days earlier when the caverns had collapsed. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and was a perfectly normal and cheery eleven-year old. Except for the fact that she was deathly ill, coming down with a very high fever. However, this girl, who was named Tabby, was the only live being that they had found who had survived the cave-in of these mines that originally brought the Enterprise to the planet.
Worf stood a few feet away from the android, shaking his head. He could not believe that Data was going through so much to try and save Tabby. She was likely to die before they ever got ahold of the Enterprise again.
The pale-skinned android snapped his tricorder shut. "Her vital signs are still stable," he said stoically. "However, if the fever does not cease there is a good chance that she will die. I have attempted many procedures and medicines to try and cull it, but nothing has worked so far." Data frowned, looking toward the girl. "The only thing we can do now is wait."
"Commander Data," Worf finally said. Data stood up and faced the Klingon.
"Yes, what is it, sir?"
"I question your efforts to keep the...girl alive. The chances of her death are much greater than the chances of her survival. You said that yourself."
"Captain Picard stated that we must help any survivors. I am merely following his orders."
"Mr. Data," Worf emphasized again. "She will probably not live through this ordeal. You have been carrying her through the caverns, which has been slowing us down. And she is dwindling our food rations. We may not have enough to last assuming that we cannot contact the Enterprise."
"Sir, last time I calculated I moved as fast if not faster when I was carrying Tabby," Data pointed out. "Perhaps it is that you cannot keep up."
"That's nonsense! I -" Worf spouted angrily.
The android continued. "Captain Picard knew that the chances of another cave-in occuring were high. He gave us extra food rations and supplies, enough to support other survivors as well. With her sickness, the girl in question is eating very little, and I do not require edible sustenance to thrive."
Worf opened his mouth as if to say something and shut it quickly. He grimaced. Data had just swiftly countered all of his points of argument.
"Is there something else that is distressing you, Commander?" Data asked concern clear in his voice.
Worf sighed at Data's question. "I –" he trailed. "It pains me to see her dying and being unable to help. It just seems pointless to continue to take her with us," he said, looking over near Tabby. "There is nothing that can be done for her. We are giving ourselves false hope by continuing this charade. We could just leave her here and no one would ever know," he added fiercely.
Data raised an eyebrow in response. "Your logic does contain quantitative truth, sir. However there are also flaws in that logic. Tabby is the only being who can tell us what happened in these mines. She may be able to lead us to a conclusion. What she was doing in a mining facility in the first place may also be important. It would also be unwise to leave here because she is still alive. Ill as she may be, there is the chance that she will recover. But we will never know what would happen to her is we leave her to perish." He paused, looking toward the girl once more. "She has the potential to do a great many things with her life if she survives. I will not leave her behind," he said firmly. "Besides, Commander, it is not true that no one would know if we abandoned her." The android paused. "We would know, sir."
Worf stood gaping in the aftermath of Data's speech. He had known that the android would object to his plan, but he had not imagined it quite like that. Finally he said awkwardly, "That is true, Mr. Data."
"Indeed," Data replied. "You should get some rest sir; it is late. I will continue scanning the corridors for safe passageways." He left the Klingon then, to wrestle with his own issues of ethics. It seemed that it would not be humane to do that here. Then again, it was torture to see her suffer. Alexander was around her age, and he could not stand the thought of losing him. What would her parents or guardians say if they were still alive and seeing her dying? They would not leave her, he decided, even if she died in her arms. He had been being too objective in judging Tabby as a being who was not loved. Someone out there does not want to see her die, he thought, and I was too blind to see that. With those thoughts Worf rolled over on his cot and fell asleep.
Several hours later, the Klingon felt the lieutenant-commander prod him with a phaser. "Sir, another collapse is imminent. We must leave now."
Worf got up and watched Data pick up Tabby and begin to maneuver the caverns. The Klingon shook his head, moving to follow his fellow officer. He had not believed in Data's futile attempt to save the child, but now he could not argue with the android's insistence that Tabby's life was valuable. They trudged ahead, not knowing what paths lay ahead of them, but knowing that they would have each other's support and friendship to carry the two forward.