7.
"His memories are returning, Captain," Troi reported as Picard took his hot Earl Grey from the corner replicator and sat back behind his desk. "But, they seem to be doing so through his dream program. Data still can't consciously access any information about the time he spent on Barkon IV."
"Then, what do you recommend, Counselor," Picard asked. "Starfleet's position on this matter is quite clear. Any direct violation of the Prime Directive by a Starfleet officer must be investigated. If Mr. Data did, in fact, willfully and purposefully enter that village, no matter how benign his intent, his future career in Starfleet may well be in serious question."
Troi pursed her lips and stared down at the polished desk.
"I think the only way to find out for certain what happened down there is to confront the one man who was present."
"But, you just said that Data can't consciously recall the Barkon IV mission."
"I'm not talking about Data, sir," Troi said.
Picard frowned.
"Then, I don't understand."
Troi straightened, her expression sharp and serious.
"Captain, I have a theory about what happened to Data during that mission. A theory that has, so far, been borne out by Commander La Forge's scans of Data's positronic brain since his return from Barkon IV, and by my own recent interviews with Commander Data."
"Please, explain," Picard invited, sitting back in his chair with his cup of steaming tea.
"We know that when Data attempted to download information from the crashed probe, he received a powerful electromagnetic shock," she said. "But, we didn't realize that shock had caused his brain permanent physical damage."
"Permanent?" Picard repeated, his eyes narrowed with concern as he set his tea back down and leaned forward. "How serious is this, Counselor?"
"Data's fine, now," she assured him quickly. "Every diagnostic shows his functions are well within their standard operating parameters. But, that wasn't the case on Barkon IV," she said. "While there, Data was damaged, and that damage was serious enough to impair his functions and, yes, even alter his behavior. I would go so far as to say that the physical damage sustained by his positronic brain is comparable to the type of organic injury a human brain would receive from a severe stroke."
"A stroke? Is that even possible?"
"Data believes it is. And, so does Commander La Forge," Troi said grimly, and sighed. "Captain, you know I'm not an expert in cybernetics, but as Geordi explained it to me, following the initial shock, Data's diagnostic and self-repair programs were able to handle the worst of the damage, rerouting vital functions and patching severed links. But, to ensure the stability of these new links, some circuitry was left dormant."
"What exactly does that mean in this case?" Picard demanded.
"I believe that Commander Data is suffering from an android-version of retrograde amnesia," Troi told him. "A condition resulting from the severe injury he sustained on Barkon IV."
"Amnesia?" Picard frowned. "Then, are you suggesting Data has no memory of the Barkon IV mission because those memories were never formed?"
"Not exactly," Troi said, and Picard's frown deepened. "I believe Data did form memories while on Barkon IV. But, he did so in an altered mental state. A state in which he could not remember his own identity or purpose. Captain," she said, "if I'm right about this, when Data entered that Barkonian village, he did so, not as Lt. Commander Data of the Federation starship Enterprise, but as a stranger – to the villagers, and to himself. A stranger the villagers named 'Jayden'."
Picard's eyebrows lifted as the implications hit.
"Jayden," he repeated. "Wasn't that the name in Dr. Crusher and Commander Riker's reports? The name the Barkonian girl pointed out to them on the memorial in the village square?"
"Yes, sir," Troi said. "In fact, just this morning, Data told me that a young girl named Gia gave the name 'Jayden' to the man in his recurring dreams. And, I can assure you, Captain, Data has not seen either of those reports."
"How interesting..." Picard mused. "Then, those dreams Data has been having since recovering from the ion storm… Could they be—?"
"It's my opinion that those dreams are really salvaged memories," Troi confirmed, "cut off from Data's conscious awareness by damaged and re-routed neural links."
"And the overload from the recent ion storm jolted these dormant memories back to life, as it were?"
"Geordi thinks it's possible, sir," Troi said. "But, because of the physical damage caused by that probe, Data can only access those memories while in an altered mental state similar to the one he was in when the memories formed. In other words—"
"Through his dream program," Picard finished, and shook his head. "This is all most intriguing, Counselor, as Data might say. But, if we're to convince Starfleet Command that Data truly was not responsible for the apparently deliberate introduction of advanced knowledge into the Barkonian culture, we're going to need more than theories and dreams."
"I know, sir," Troi said. "Which is why I propose we consult the only real witness to what happened on Barkon IV."
"Jayden." Picard frowned thoughtfully. "We've learned from our experience with those interphasic parasites that it is possible to link Data's dream program to the holodeck, so others can 'see' what he 'sees' in his unconscious state. But, I'm still not certain an 'interview' with this Jayden character would be enough to stave off an official inquest. Whether they can be passed off as dreams or not, these newly recovered memories do indicate Data's direct involvement with the Barkonians."
"Jayden is not merely a made-up character, Captain," Troi said. "For all intents and purposes, Data was Jayden for as long as he remained in the altered mental state caused by his 'stroke'. Jayden's thoughts, actions, motivations and memories therefore derived solely from Jayden - from his limited experience and frame of reference. They were not derived from Data's sense of identity as a Federation citizen, or his lifetime in Starfleet."
Picard shifted in his chair.
"Counselor, you speak of this 'Jayden' as if he were his own person. A personality separate and apart from Data's own."
"I'm not sure I would go that far, sir," Deanna said. "In most cases of retrograde amnesia, even when an individual can no longer remember his past identity, the core 'essence' of what made that person who he was can still be recognized by friends and family members who knew him before the injury, and even by former classmates, teachers, and work acquaintances who'd had only limited contact with him. In that sense, the Jayden personality can be interpreted as a version of Data who has been disconnected from all the layers of experience that have shaped his life so far. He is who Data would be if he did not know he was Data. If he'd never served on a starship, or gone through the academy, or even been told that he is an android."
"A tabula rasa," Picard said musingly. "A blank slate. With no knowledge of the Federation…"
"Or Federation technology," Deanna said, shooting him a significant look.
Picard nodded.
"Very well," he said. "Contact Commander La Forge. If Data agrees to this, I want both him and the holodeck ready to host an interview with this Jayden by 1500 hours."
"Aye, sir," the counselor acknowledged.
Taking Picard's nod for a dismissal, she left the ready room to start carrying out the captain's orders.
To Be Continued…
Thanks so much for your very kind and encouraging review! It's great to know you've been enjoying this story! Next time, Data's friends enter his dreams. There are a lot of questions they, and Data, still need to confront, and not just about Barkon IV. Stay tuned! :D
References (besides "Thine Own Self") include TNG: Phantasms.
