Beware that some events are different or happen at different times in this universe than the canon one, so you'll see episodes out of sequence and different from (and unfortunately shorter than) the originals. Some other things are different too: Data using contractions (because an inability for him to do so would be patently absurd), Data having lived yea many years and not having really figured out how to hold a 'normal' conversation or how to engage in smalltalk (same reasoning but to a lesser degree), etc.
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Rough timeline:
2337 - Tasha born (November 24th)
2351 - Data activted (February 2nd)
2352 - Omicron Theta attacked by Crystalline Entity
2352 - Tasha entered Starfleet
2353 - Data entered Starfleet
2356 - Tasha graduated Starfleet
2356 - Data graduated Starfleet
2363 - Enterprise 1701-D commissioned
2363 - Data assigned to Enterprise
2364ish - the beginning of this 'fic
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=/\= "The Child" =/\=
It had been approximately nine months and twenty days since he first boarded Enterprise, since she was launched from the Utopia Planitia shipyards in the Sol System. It had been approximately nine days since Doctor Crusher had been temporarily reassigned to Starfleet Medical. It would be approximately twenty seconds before he arrived in sickbay. If he were human, a reason to mentally note these facts might be that he was distracting himself from considering his first one-on-one meeting with the new doctor.
He had first met Doctor Pulaski eight days prior during a senior staff meeting, wherein she openly professed she had not been informed that she would occasionally be working with and reporting to a "machine" and had roundaboutly raised concern over his ability to function as the chief of operations and chief science officer. She didn't address him directly, though; instead she talked about him, in front of him, to the captain and the others and, when looking at him, it was almost as if she were observing a photograph or a statue of him instead. Her conduct was very rude, certainly, but she showed no embarrassment over it. And, thankfully, lacking emotional capacity, it didn't bother him personally either. But the expressions of most of the others around the table ranged from frowns to glares to open-mouthed astonishment. The captain had asked her to stay after the meeting, but what was said he did not know. Now almost to sickbay, he speculated as to whether or not she would act in a similar manner this time around.
She was sitting in front of her office desktop console when she saw him enter from the corner of her eye and flagged him down as if she expected he might otherwise get lost before finding her. "Datta, look at this."
"Dayta.", he immediately corrected as he approached her, wondering if she had pronounced his name that way on purpose or absent-mindedly. She had heard his name spoken before, so he made the assumption that the former was likely the case.
"What?" She blinked, seeming innocent.
"My name. It's pronounced Dayta."
"Oh?", she smiled wryly. "What's the difference?"
Inexplicably simple. "One is my name, and the other is not."
"Is this possible?" She regarded him carefully as if seeing him for the first time.
This was an apparent non-sequitur, and he supplied a look that prompted her to explain.
"In all of your neural nets, algorithms, and heuristics, is there some combination which makes up a circuit for bruised feelings?" Unknown to him, her intention upon meeting him, she had decided, was to toy with him a bit, see what she could discern. Was he really worth the intrigue, or was he just a machine, carefully programmed to react to its environment, remember the experiences, and adapt? From the outset she was nearly convinced of the latter, but she thought she should put a little entertaining effort into the diagnosis anyway.
"I do not have the ability to be offended, Doctor, if that is what you're suggesting; I simply request that you respect my preference."
"A preference, hmm? I wasn't aware you could have those either.", she hassled.
Because Picard had spoken with her, and because she was above him in rank, he chose the restrained approach for a temporary resolution. "Doctor, if we may discuss the matter that brought me here." He would take the time to ascertain her issues later, but at present, time was of the essence to review and approve a specimen manifest so Enterprise could head for the Rachelis system.
Her amused look didn't lessen, but she did at least return to the business at hand, beginning by indicating the monitor to him.
