So totally hating the 'flu.
Kerrn paced his office. With him sat Bruce Maddox and Admiral Haftel.
"They were always bound to do well. Superior intellect leads to superior ambition and all that guff." Haftel said.
"They're not even people, their intellect is only electronics!" Kerrn fired.
"Funnily enough, so is ours." Haftel smirked back.
"This is ridiculous, they're MACHINES. They're pre-programmed computers!" Maddox snapped.
"Not according to the trial of 2365." Haftel quipped.
"You're the one who tried to take that bloody androids daughter off him." Kerrn fired.
"I was wrong." Haftel got up. "I don't know what your argument is. The Augments are their own species now, and they will make fine allies to the Federation."
"They're monsters. Remember the Eugenics Wars, what their kind did to ours?" Maddox said.
"Their kind?" Haftel scoffed before walking out of the office.
–
"Will, what's wrong?" Deanna took her husbands hand as he looked out of his Ready Room window.
"I feel uneasy. Something doesn't feel right about the Augments." Riker sighed.
"I don't understand what your problem is, we know the Soong family." Deanna frowned.
"Lore is a known killer, B-4 sold us to Shinzon, Melina has a history of being volitile and Data has been corrupted by the Borg." Riker replied. "And Issac is a known troublemaker."
"Will, I can't believe what I'm hearing! What about Alexander and Worf? Surely they won't let anything happen!"
"They went behind Starfleets back for the Augments. I don't trust anyone in the Ceti Alpha system at the moment. Surely you know what they are?"
"They were embryos when that was happening, they had NOTHING to do with the Eugenics Wars! They have their own race now, their own world!"
"And what happens when that is not enough? They'll come for us."
"WILL!" Deanna walked out of the room, angered. How could he be so prejudiced?
–
"Oh Q, lighten up." Picard chuckled, sitting on the Enterprise Bridge.
"I will NOT lighten up! There are Augments all over the Continuum! They're using it as a means of transport!" Q cried.
"You were the idiot who got cocky and allowed them to adapt to your powers." Sarah laughed.
"Still, they shouldn't be as powerful as they are." Q sulked.
"Why didn't you help them? They wouldn't have had to become so strong if you did." Worf pointed out.
"They never asked." Q snapped.
"Uh-uh!" Picard stood up. "Remember how you promised Melina that you would help the Augments in their escape? And you said..."
"No!" Q cried.
"Yes." Picard couldn't hold back his triumphant laughter. "Your arrogance has become the Continuums undoing! YOU MADE A MISTAKE!"
Tim frowned. "A very costly mistake."
"Oooooooooh!" Q raged. "I can NOT believe this! How could I have been so-,"
"Human?" Geordi quipped.
The whole Bridge except for Tim roared with laughter. Q had finally gotten his. One broken promise had undone him forever.
Tim sat silent. He didn't trust the Augments either.
–
"Gosh this makes things so much easier." Melina sighed happily. "Having SOME of the powers of the Q is a luxury I thought I would never have!"
She looked in the mirror one more time, then used her positronic arm to create a portal through the Continuum to the Soong.
-I envy you Queen Mother. If I want to use my power to create a portal, I need to channel it through a conduit.- Joh smiled as Melina inspected her ship. Conduits were a similar shape to a Phaser, and allowed the Augments to fire electrical pulses, balls, and create portals. The only one who didn't need one was Melina, and now Data was learning to not need one.
-At least it helps you control your power. If I'm not careful I'll use my power up!- Melina replied. -Have you seen Data?-
-King Father is in Engineering arguing with the Duke and Duchess of Lore.- Joh said, leading her through the ship.
-About?-
-Something about the warp core.- Joh shrugged.
Melina groaned.
-It won't work!- Lore was insisting when Melina made her way down to Engineering.
-Brother, it will work. Our ships should need no modifications to traverse the Continuum.- Data replied.
-I'm not sure.- Leah frowned.
-Can't we just send a remote controlled shuttle though, and see what happens?- Melina piped up.
Silence reigned.
-God I love me.- Melina smirked.
–
"GET OUT!" Q screamed as the Soong floated through the Continuum a month later.
-Q, rack off.- Melina groaned.
"Get out of my Continuum!" Q pouted. "You shouldn't even be able to comprehend being here!"
-And you shouldn't be anywhere near my ship. Remember what happened last time?- Melina smirked, remembering the last time she'd had the upper hand on the intergalaxic troublemaker. The entire Q Continuum had tried to attack the Augments, and failed miserably.
"Oh shut up." Q frowned. He disappeared from in front of the Soong, allowing her and her crew to make it safely to the Sol system, where Melina was going for a diplomatic conference with the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans and the Cardassians.
The Soong glided into Space Dock, and the Augment crew made their way inside, where they were taken by shuttle to San Francisco. Melina missed Earth greatly sometimes, especially Brisbane.
"Something doesn't seem right." She mentioned to her husband that night as they put their things away in their quarters for the next month.
"That is because the only ones who trust us here are the Klingons." Data replied. He held out his hand to her, and she took it. "Everything will be fine."
"I've learnt to expect the worst when you say that." Melina smiled.
"And I've learnt to accept your lack of faith in positive situations."
"Data?"
"Dear?"
"Kiss me."
–
"Puh-LEASE?" Q begged.
The large rock with a hole in the centre stood ominously above the pathetic Q.
"No. I am not here to fix personal mistakes. You had your chance Q, and you failed. The Augments will do well." The Guardian of Forever told the petulant man in front of it. "Now leave me!"
"You'll regret this!" Q cried.
"I don't think so." The Guardian replied.
"I can't believe it. I'm omnipotent, powerful, the galaxy is my oyster, REALITY bends to my will and yet Time, TIME is my only master! Why, why Guardian? Why were we created with one fatal flaw, the flaw of uncertainty?"
"Q?"
"Guardian?"
"Shut up."
–
Melina watched the conference with a disconnected look on her face which betrayed none of the intense interest in the words being exchanged. Most of what she heard filled her with hope, but there was a fair bit which filled her heart with dread.
Admiral Haftel approached her after the first round of negotiations. "How are things?" He asked.
"Fine. You should visit sometime, it'd do you good." Melina smiled. "How have you been, you look considerably older than the last time I saw you."
"I'm fine." Haftel tried to smile.
"You're lying." Melina smirked.
"I fear there may be an uprising in Starfleet. There is a movement afoot against the Augments." He whispered.
"Why are you telling me?" She asked.
"Because I have been responsible for the death of one of your children. I don't want to see more die." Haftel looked at her sadly.
"It wasn't your fault-," Melina started, when Haftel shushed her.
"It was my fault. If I had left her to her parents...maybe we would have a Queen of the Augments." Haftel smiled wistfully.
"You REALLY think Rex would allow that?" Melina chortled. "He's stubborn as all heck that boy."
–
"The Guardian of Forever said no." Q told the assembly flatly.
Kerrn, Maddox, Riker, Tim and Dr. James Drowse frowned. They were joined by the Romulan, Vulcan and Cardassian Ambassadors.
"So what now?" The Vulcan Ambassador said. "We cannot allow them to continue."
"I'd say it's time for the Neo-Federation to make its presence known." Riker smirked.
Memories: The Queen of the Augment (The Offspring)
"Excuse me?" Melina cried as Data told her about his meeting with the Captain. "There is no WAY that Admiral Stick-Up-His-Arse can take your daughter away from you!"
"Our daughter, Doctor. Remember Lal does consider you her mother." Data corrected her as they walked towards Ten Forward.
"I don't know Data, I mean, I had no part in her creation." Melina sighed.
"I based quite a few of her schematics of designs that you had come up with. Not to mention you have had quite a hand in her development." Data replied. "I would have picked you as her mother had she not chosen you."
"I'm flattered." Melina smiled. "Anyway, if you have time later, I found some of my old picture books, if you'd like to have Lal take a look at them."
"I believe that would be most beneficial to her..." Data stopped dead in his tracks, and Melina growled slightly. Both of them had just witness Lal and Riker kissing.
"Commander, what are your intentions towards our daughter?" Data asked, Melina still glaring.
"Your daughter? Nice to meet you!" Riker made a quick exit, Melinas glare following him.
–
Melina sighed as Lal lamented never feeling emotion.
"It is a limitation we must learn to accept Lal." Data told her as she realised she would never know love.
"Oh come on." Melina frowned. She sat down next to the wounded android. "Lal, you will know love. My love, the love a mother has for her daughter. Nothing can take that away from you."
Lal blinked.
"I will never be able to reciprocate your love. Why?" She turned to her father. "Why do you still try to emulate humans? What purpose does it serve except to remind you that you are incomplete?"
"I have asked myself that, many times, as I have struggled to be more human. Until I realized, it is the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be more than we are, Lal. It does not matter that we will never reach our ultimate goal. The effort yields its own rewards." Data sat next to Lal.
Melina had to hold back a snort.
"Mother?" Lal asked.
"Your father is wise Lal, but he'll never learn. I hold high hope for you though." Melina sat down on the other side of her daughter, ignoring Datas indignant look.
Lal was quiet for a second.
"I learned today that humans like to hold hands. It is a symbolic gesture of affection." The young android took her fathers hand. Melina smiled as Lal took her hand too.
"Do you know what else humans like to do? Embrace." Melina told her.
"Embrace." Lal repeated.
"Here, your father and I will show you." Melina got up, pulling Data reluctantly to his feet. She wrapped her arms around his body, and he reciprocated.
"Here." Melina pulled away and took Lal in a hug.
"I like embrace." Lal said.
"The best thing about an embrace is that you can embrace more than one person at a time." Melina smiled down at Lal. She reached out an arm to Data, and Lal mimcked.
"Family!" Lal said.
"Yes. Family." Data said, looking at the two women in front of him. Family. His family. He gripped both of them a little tighter, brought both of them a little closer.
"Anyway, I need to sleep. Unfortunate side-effect of the human condition. Goodnight Lal." Melina pulled away and kissed Lal's forehead.
"Goodnight Mother." Lal kissed Melina's forehead in return.
Melina smiled and bade Data goodnight before leaving.
"Lal, I will return momentarily." Data followed Melina out of the quarters. "Doctor?"
"Yes Data?" Melina turned around.
Data hesistated.
"Would you...would you consider sharing quarters? For Lals benefit?" Data asked.
Melina was taken aback.
"I'd like that very much Data." She replied. She moved closer to him.
"I'm quite honoured that you've chosen me for all of this."
"I evaluated all of the valid choices, and you were by far the best candidate."
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Everything you have taught me." Data replied.
"You've forgotten something though." Melina gazed up at him. "Everything you have taught me."
Their faces were quite close now. Data wanted so badly to grab her lips with his, and he didn't know what had brought it on.
They drew back fast as anything when they heard roaring laughter down the corridor. Riker, Troi, Geordi, Sarah and Tim were heavily intoxicated with sythenol, and were letting the whole ship know about it.
"Gala night. I don't understand how people get so rowdy on that stuff, I once drank two litres of the stuff and I was fine!" Melina shook her head.
"You are immune to synthenol?" Data asked.
"Synthenol, alcohol, Psi 2000, I seem to be immune to it all." Melina chuckled. "Anyway, goodnight."
–
"I won't let you take her! I will NOT let you take my daughter!" Melina flew at Haftel, but was held by Data.
"Lieutenant, you are behaving like a lunatic!" Haftel cried.
"She's behaving like a mother!" Picard replied.
"How would you feel if you had your children ripped from you?" Melina snarled, venom spewing from her lips. "I swear I will die before you take her from us!"
"Doctor!" Data tried to hold her back, but he was struggling.
"Did you know she kisses me goodnight? She hugs me! I have taught her how to play with the other children! She likes poetry and writing programs. She's a beautiful individual Admiral. I'm teaching her how to dance." Melina almost pleaded.
Haftel wavered. He looked towards the floor, when they heard that Data was needed in the Lab.
All had been for nought.