Epilogue: New Lifeforms, New Civilizations…

The transport shuttle slid smoothly out of warp, and Natty could suddenly see the Enterprise out the narrow viewport. Even clamped in space dock, her father's ship had a serene elegance about her, a compelling beauty that made the young Starfleet cadet catch her breath in awe.

"I'm home…"

The girl quickly twisted and secured her waist-length auburn hair into an efficient, regulation bun, grabbed her silvery travel bag, and strode up the aisle toward the transporter, but if her aim was to be first in line, she was disappointed. Another woman stepped in front of her, a stranger Natty didn't recognize from the passenger manifest. The woman was dark skinned, taller and broader than the pale, willowy cadet, and wore a large Stetson hat over a mass of layered braids. Natty reflected that she must have slipped aboard during their last Earth-stop; a hypothesis that fit the Las Vegas-style clothes she was wearing.

"Hello, there," the woman said, removing her dark shades to look the cadet in the eyes – eyes that sported striking green irises flecked with a familiar gold. "You're Cadet Soong, aren't you?"

Natty blinked, and the woman beamed. Despite her confusion, Natty found herself returning the smile with one of her own.

"You are correct," she said politely.

"You take after your grandmother," the woman observed, her expression warm. "But I see more of Data in your smile."

"I'm sorry…do you know me?" Natty asked.

"Not yet," the woman said. "Though you've probably heard of me. I'm called Guinan. I'm an old friend of your father's."

"Ah!" Natty said, her eyebrows shooting high up her forehead. "The El'Aurian bartender on the Enterprise-D! You must be on your way to Twoey's Naming Ceremony! I am called Natty. I am Twoey's big sister."

"Let me guess," Guinan said. "Might 'Natty' be short for 'Natasha'?"

The young cadet chuffed a slight laugh and shook her head.

"No," she said. "My full name is Natalie. Natalie Soong. I'm sure Father would have liked me to choose the name 'Natasha', but I would not have been comfortable being named in memoriam. Besides, I feel more like a Natalie, and is that not what one's Naming Ceremony is all about? Choosing one's own form and identity?"

"Well, I'm not all that up to date with android customs," Guinan said. "But I gather that's the basic gist."

Natty nodded and peered around Guinan's broad-brimmed hat.

"The transporter room's light is on. We can go in now," she said.

"You're certainly eager to get moving," Guinan said, gliding into a cramped room dominated by a small, two-pad transporter set into a polished, obsidian-black wall. Natty followed close at her heels, casting a brief glance at the line of people growing behind them, some headed for the planet, others to the orbiting Starbase, and still others to the various ships in spacedock.

"I am indeed. I have been away from my family since I left for Starfleet Academy nearly four months ago," the cadet told her. "We have been in holo-viewer contact over subspace, of course, but a hug from a hologram is just not the same as a hug from your real parent and sibling."

"Have you been homesick?" Guinan asked curiously.

"Yes…" Natty shrugged slightly, then looked up with a smile. "But I would not trade my time at the Academy for anything. I believe my experience there has been markedly different from my father's, and I look forward to comparing notes with him – particularly on matters of social interaction."

"I'm sure that will be an interesting conversation," Guinan said and, at a signal from the transporter operator, she stepped onto the platform. Natty took her place on the pad beside hers, practically bouncing on her heels in anticipation.

"Name and destination?" the operator asked.

"I am Natalie Soong, and this is Guinan," Natty said. "Our destination is the U.S.S. Enterprise."

Guinan couldn't help but smile at the happy pride in the girl's voice.

"Passengers' retinal scans confirmed. Stand by…" The operator tapped at his console, awaiting confirmation from the ship. "Energizing."

"Energizing," Chief Lorenzo announced aboard the Enterprise.

"Is it Natty this time, Father?" Twoey asked brightly as the transporter powered up. "Will Natty be arriving for my Ceremony now?"

Commodore Data smiled warmly at his android offspring, reflecting with a bittersweet pang that this was probably the last time he would see his younger child in this infant form: small and slight, about five feet tall, with golden skin and no clearly defined features. Data gave the android's little hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, Twoey," he said. "Your sister is on her way."

Two shimmering beams of light coalesced over the transporter pads. The moment she could move, Natty dropped her bag and jumped down from the platform to sweep her younger sibling up into her arms, using her android strength to spin the giggling child around and around before drawing it into a powerful embrace.

"Oh, Twoey, I have missed you!" she said.

"And me?" Data asked.

"You too, Father." The young cadet laughed, and stood on her toes to peck his cheek before setting her sibling back down. "I have ever so much to tell you, and I brought presents from San Francisco!"

"Presents for me?" Twoey asked.

"Of course for you, and for Father too, and Uncle Akira and all the rest of the Family," she said. "Oh yes, and Father, this is Guinan. She has come from Earth for Twoey's Naming Ceremony."

"Guinan! How are you! Welcome aboard the Enterprise-G!"

Data smiled brightly and moved to greet her. Guinan took his extended hand and used it to pull the android into a fierce hug.

"Mmmph!" she grunted, ignoring Data's startled posture. She gave him another powerful squeeze before finally letting him go.

"Thank you," she said. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time.

Data blinked, and tilted his head.

"Guinan, are you all right?"

"Data, I'm better than all right," the El'Aurian said. "I'm whole. Whole, for the first time since…well, you know." She smiled. "The Nexus is gone, Data. Gone from the universe, and gone from our lives. Even the residual effects of the implosion have finally begun to fade. And, thanks to you, to the way you choked that damn ribbon with your marvelous mechanical mind, there are nearly sixteen thousand more of my people in the universe than there would have been – far more than I ever expected had the mental strength to make it out. And, now, like me, they are safe and whole and healing. Really, I can never thank you enough for all that you and your crew have done for us."

"Then, am I to assume the Federation Council has made its decision?" Data said. "That they have accepted my recommendation?"

Guinan smiled happily.

"I wanted to be the first to tell you," she said. "Our petition to colonize has been accepted. Terraforming has already begun, and we start building next month. It will never be the same as the planet we lost to the Borg, of course, but it is quite a lovely world. Our world." She shook her head. "It's a strange thing to realize but, with this decision, my people and I are no longer 'survivors,' no longer 'refugees.' After all these years of separation, exile, and entrapment, we are once again simply El'Aurians, living and growing together at last."

"Then, it seems we have both found what the Nexus could not provide," Data said, his amber eyes turning to his children. "A future."

Guinan furrowed her brow.

"Are you sure about that, Data?" she asked. "I heard what Q did to you—"

But, Data held up a hand.

"If you are referring to my mortality, Guinan, I would argue that Q has granted me the kind of life I have always wanted," the android told her. "And he has assured me that my death, when it comes, will be…human."

"Oh, Data…" Guinan shook her head at him, and reached up to squeeze his shoulder. Data rested his hand over hers, and smiled.

"Father," Natty said. "Twoey and I should get going if we're going to be ready in time for the ceremony."

"Wait, wait! Allow me one last look at you," Data said, crossing the room. Crouching down to Twoey's eye level, he smoothed a proud, affectionate hand down the android's golden cheek, then gave the child's arm an encouraging squeeze.

"All right, go on," he told them, rising slowly back to his full height. "Are you certain you don't want my help with assembly?"

"And ruin the surprise?" Natty exclaimed. "Come on, Twoey, let's get you to the cybernetics lab."

Since it was Twoey's party, the party-goers had gathered in Holodeck Two, those who were physically there, aboard the Enterprise, mingling easily with those who could only attend the event holographically. The Trois had linked up with the Enterprise program from their house on Betazed, Picard and Dr. Crusher's son Rene from Earth, and Alexander and his family were joining in from their home in the Klingon capital.

"I know I use it nearly every day, but I still can't get over this 'viewing' technology," Admiral Troi said to his wife and to Worf, fondly watching his three small grandchildren play with Alexander's little daughter and Data's hyperactive orange cat – none of the kids seeming to notice or care which of the others weren't 'really' there.

"It really is incredible how far holography has progressed in just the past few years," Deanna agreed, but her attention was more on the kids than her husband.

"Hey, hey!" she warned the little roughhousers. "Remember, a cat's a friend, not a toy!"

The holodeck was running a familiar program: a woodland park on Earth, warm and green with placid lakes, rippling streams, and mossy stone walls. The admiral smiled in greeting as Geordi strolled over from the buffet table to join them, leaving Wesley chatting animatedly with Akira, Rudy, Asil, and Dr. Zipok.

"You know, I was just thinking," the admiral said to the gray-haired group. "If I'm not mistaken, Data was running this very program the first time we ever met. I remember him telling me how coming here almost made him feel human."

"Well, he's all but made it now," Geordi said, munching on a chicken sandwich and brushing the crumbs from his white, neatly trimmed goatee. "Those kids of his are really something, aren't they? What gender do you think Twoey will pick?"

"I want to be surprised," Deanna said, and chuckled. "Oh, Will, do you remember back when Natty had her Naming Ceremony? I don't think I've ever seen Data as happy as when he and his daughter shared that lovely dance by the lake."

"Data really is going all out for those kids, isn't he," Will said. "It's like he's trying to build them an entire android culture, complete with special holidays and ceremonies and traditions…"

"And, why not?" Geordi said. "He's gone through his whole life being 'a culture of one.' Now he's got a family to share things with, I think it's great he's stopped trying to imitate us all the time and started finding ways to celebrate life his own way."

"I agree, Geordi," Deanna said. "And, it's true that an android's stages of development are quite different from a human's. Why, Natty's barely five years old, chronologically, and already, she's a first year cadet at the academy."

"Data was even younger," Geordi said. "What was he…one or two?"

"I don't want to think about it," Will said, and chuffed a little laugh. "Data was, what, twenty-six when we first met him, and he was still naïve as hell. Can you even imagine what he must have been like as a cadet?"

"Well, we went out looking for new lifeforms, new cultures," Geordi said, and shook his head with a smile. "Who knew we'd find just that sitting right on the bridge of the Enterprise, already in Starfleet uniform?"

The holodeck doors slid open and Data walked in with Guinan beside him. The older generation watched with warm smiles as Data's senior staff swarmed around him, offering cheerful congratulations and eager speculations regarding Twoey's impending choice. Data introduced them all to Guinan, then politely broke away from the group to join his waiting friends.

"Geordi!" He grinned, opening his arms wide for a hug. Geordi gave the android a fierce, brotherly squeeze, clapping him on the back before letting go. "I am so pleased you could make it in person, my friend," Data said. "Not that I'm not delighted to see the rest of you!"

"We're proud to be here, Data," Deanna said warmly. "Where's Natty?"

"She is assisting Twoey," Data said, his nervous anticipation making him fidget. "They would not allow me to help. Twoey is quite insistent that I be surprised."

"Now I'm even more curious," Will said, and smiled teasingly at Data. "This really is a big decision you've given that kid, Data. And, there's no guarantee the form Twoey picks will be human, is there. Maybe it won't even be bipedal."

"That is a possibility…" Data acknowledged, and ran a nervous hand through his neatly brushed hair. It was still very dark, overall, but his friends couldn't help noticing a few new white strands had appeared near his temples over the years.

"Maybe I should go check on them," Geordi offered. "Assembling an android's external anatomy isn't as straightforward as it might seem."

"Thank you, Geordi," Data said, "but I am sure Natty and Twoey can handle this. It is just…the waiting. I know I should be savoring the anticipation, but in all honesty, it is driving me a little crazy."

"You really don't have any clues?" Will asked curiously. "I mean, Twoey's behavior hasn't given you any indications?"

"Natty's certainly did," Data said. "She made it clear from the day I first activated her that she was to be addressed as a female. But, Twoey is a very different personality…shy, while Natty is assertive. I believe I have a suspicion as to what Twoey's choice will be, but I can't be certain just what to expect."

"What if Twoey doesn't want to choose a gender," Geordi asked. "Have you considered that, Data?"

"I have," he said, "and I promised both my children that any choice they make is entirely fine with me. Female, male, neuter, human, non-human, biped, anything. This is their choice, their identity."

"And their name," Worf spoke up.

"Yes," Data said. "And their name…"

The holodeck doors slid open again, and Natty strode through with theatrical flourish. She had changed from her cadet uniform into a sleek, elegant dress in shades of green and gold that highlighted her eyes, and complimented her neatly styled auburn hair.

"Friends, Family, Father," she called out over the chatter and laughter. "Lend me your ears!"

A few low chuckles slowly faded and all eyes turned to the grinning young android. Deanna and Will quickly herded their grandkids, and Tigger, into a reasonably settled group, while Alexander caught his daughter up in his arms and walked over to join his wife and father.

"As you all know, it's Twoey's Naming Ceremony today!" Natty continued to a few cheers and whistles. "This is a very, very special day in an android's life: the day we choose how we are going to look to those around us. Twoey has thought long and hard about this choice and, today, has finally come to a decision. As of this moment, the android known officially as Soong Prototype Two will embrace a new name, a new identity. As Twoey's big sister, it is my honor, privilege, and pleasure to present…"

Data pressed his clasped hands to his mouth, not even aware he was holding his breath as his daughter stepped dramatically back, just far enough for the doors to slide open.

"…my little brother!"

The group burst into applause and a rather shy-looking young man shuffled out of the corridor and onto the grass, dressed in a loose-fitting shirt, vest, and trousers in shades of white, blue, brown, and tan. He was taller than Natty, but just as pale with a large, straight nose and a surprisingly unruly mop of straight, brown hair. Like the impatient big sister she was, Natty grabbed the nervous android by the arm and pulled him up beside her, into the crowd's view, saying, "Go on, tell them your name!"

The young android looked up, his blue eyes scanning the crowd until they found his father's beaming face. Only then did he straighten up, brush his hair out of his eyes, and start to smile.

"I know a name is an important thing," he said in his new voice…a voice that sounded very much like Data's if, perhaps, not yet quite as deep. "Like one's outer appearance, it is a marker of a person's identity, family and…and cultural background. It was with this in mind that I made my choice. Well, that, and I like how the name looks, with two a's and two o's… And, if I'm not going to be Twoey anymore, I want a name that reminds me, not only of who I'm becoming, but also of who I've been. I have been SP-2. Now, I'm going to be Isaac. Isaac Soong."

Isaac's friends and family clapped and cheered, and the young android flushed straight up to his ears. Natty gave him a happy hug, followed by their Uncle Akira and the rest of their Enterprise 'family,' just as Data was being hugged and jostled by his close friends.

"Congratulations, Data," Deanna said. "You have a son!"

"Yes," Data said, his face awash with awe and pride. "A son named Isaac."

Breaking away from his cluster of friends, Data ran over to embrace his children, the three ecstatic androids falling into happy, rapid chatter too fast for most humans to make out.

"They really do look like a family," Alexander observed, balancing his daughter on his hip. "The resemblance is remarkable. Isn't it intriguing that, given the option to look like pretty much anything, both children chose to wear a face so similar to his."

"Well, that's love for you," Geordi said.

"I suppose it is," the ambassador said, and held his daughter close.

"So, Isaac," Admiral Troi said, wandering away from the crowds milling around the buffet. "What do you think? Are you planning to join Starfleet like your sister and your old man?"

Isaac shrugged and shook his head.

"Father has said that Starfleet is not a vocation, but a calling," he said. "If that is true, it is a call I have not yet heard. I like music and…and writing. I think, perhaps…I might like to write…for the theater."

"You never told me that," Natty said. "You only said you didn't want to join Starfleet."

"The idea only just started to come together today," Isaac mumbled, his dark hair falling over his eyes until he reached up and brushed it to the side. "I don't know…I might change my mind."

"Hey, no rush kiddo," the admiral said. "That's what childhood is for. To try different things, find out what you like, and what you're good at."

"The admiral is quite correct," Data said, and gave his son's arm an affectionate squeeze. "Your Naming Ceremony is only the beginning of your journey, Isaac…your first step out of infancy, as it were. There is no need for you to grow up all at once."

"Thank you, Father," Isaac said shyly. He took Data's hand in his and leaned against him, shoulder to shoulder, until Data staggered back and they both embraced and began to laugh.

"That's the spirit," the admiral said, then turned to Natty, who was smiling too. "And what about you, Cadet? Any thoughts on your future career?"

"Yes, sir," the girl said. "I was just telling my father, I have decided I would like to become a cultural liaison officer – to travel to new worlds and oversee first contact missions. My plan is to study history, then law, then try for an internship at a Federation Embassy."

"You might want to talk to Ambassador Rozhenko about that," the admiral said. "I'm sure he has plenty of contacts."

"I will, sir," Natty assured him, then looked up in surprise as the doors opened once again.

Juliana hurried in looking nearly as young as her granddaughter, her own auburn hair piled in a loose bun near the top of her head. Since her reactivation and subsequent marriage to the immortal Akharin, Juliana had come to embrace her android nature, building a new identity for herself that respected the woman whose memories she held, but was no longer entirely beholden to them. To Data, she had become more of a sister than a mother, but around Natty and Twoey she delighted in playing the doting 'Granny.'

Juliana was trailed by a slender blonde woman with large, dark eyes none of them had ever seen before. This woman looked to be somewhere in her mid-thirties, her hair done up in an elegant, almost regal ponytail that fell to the middle of her back. She was dressed in formfitting silver that, like most Federation garments, left little about her figure to the imagination.

"Hm!" Data swallowed slightly at the sight of her, suddenly uncomfortably aware of the white strands in his hair, the fine lines around his eyes… He cleared his throat and squeezed his son's hand, as if for support. Isaac looked a bit befuddled, but Natty shot her father a curious, slightly amused glance.

"Data, there you are!" Juliana exclaimed as she glided across the crowded lawn, her smooth face a bright, open smile. "I'm so sorry we couldn't inform you we were coming. As you'd probably guess, my husband couldn't make it, but I did so want to be here for little…Twoey…"

She trailed off as her startled eyes fell on Isaac, and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh…" she gasped, looking him up and down in wonder. "Twoey? Oh, Data…he's the spitting image of Noonien…"

Isaac canted his head.

"Inquiry, Granny. 'Spitting' image?"

"It means you look exactly like your grandfather," she said fondly.

"Ah. That is not entirely correct," Isaac told her. "My appearance is actually a composite of—"

"Yes, yes, but still…" She slowly lowered her hand and gazed up at the boy with a wide, beaming smile. "You look wonderful, Twoey. Have you chosen a new name?"

"I have," the android said proudly. "My name is Isaac Soong."

"Of course," Juliana said, and chuckled. "It's a lovely name, Isaac. And where's my brash little Natalie?"

"Right here, Granny," Natty said, and gave her a quick hug. "Who's that with you? Father wants to know."

"Natty-!" Data gasped, thoroughly flustered…although he couldn't for the life of him determine just why. True, the woman was staring at him…much in the way he couldn't seem to help but stare at her…but that didn't explain the peculiar fluttering sensation in his stomach…the quickened pace of his heart… Did it?

Juliana looked as amused as her granddaughter, and more than a little delighted.

"Of course," she said. "Introductions! Rayna, my dear, come over here. I'd like you to meet Commodore Data and his children, Natalie and Isaac. Data, this is my husband's daughter, Rayna."

"Hello, Data," the woman said in a low, soft voice, smiling slightly as she and Data clasped hands. "I have read about you since...well, since you and I were both very young. I've always wanted to meet you…I have been asking for an opportunity for so many years…but this is the first time Juliana and I were able to convince my father to allow me to leave our world… I'm afraid he's a little...overprotective..."

"Well…Rayna..." Data managed to stammer. "I am…honored…"

"Rayna is an android, Data," Juliana said through her smile. "Her design differs from ours, but her brain is also positronic. I was rather hoping you might take this opportunity to...learn from each other."

"Indeed…" Data said rather absently, neither he nor Rayna quite realizing they were still clasping hands.

Juliana's smile grew, and she put her arms around her grandchildren's waists, drawing them toward the buffet. Since first meeting her husband's sheltered daughter, Juliana had felt Rayna and Data each carried a certain...loneliness. A wistful longing to share...and to care... As she'd caught her husband muttering, just as they were leaving, perhaps this meeting would serve as a trickle of water, nourishing and connecting two desert flowers that had grown up so alone...

"Come along, children," she said. "Let's leave these two to get acquainted."

"But why must we—" Isaac started only to be cut off by Natty's sudden fit of giggles.

"Natty, what is so funny?" Isaac asked, deeply confused.

"Just life," she said, casting a warm, happy glance back at her father. "The way it moves and flows and twists and turns… I know! This party needs some music. Granny, are you up for a jam?"

"Depends on what you kids have in mind," Juliana said a little warily. "I quite like Handel, and Chopin… Brahms, of course, though he can be rather stuffy..."

"I like them too. But, let's try for something new," the young android said. "Doodle around with different sounds and themes until we hit on something we all enjoy. Computer, we'll need a keyboard with a stand and pedal for Isaac, a viola for Granny, and a cello and chair for me."

"But, Natty," Isaac protested nervously. "I do not know how to play the keyboard."

"Access your memory files, piano method and technique levels one through eight."

Isaac frowned a little, his blue eyes shooting back and forth as he processed the relevant data. After a moment, he brightened and looked up.

"Ah!" he said. "I understand!"

Juliana grinned, and lifted the newly materialized viola.

"I knew I was right to insist on giving your father that creative aspect," she said. "Still, I never guessed it would be passed on to the next generation."

"Well, you know what Father says," Natty said, sitting down, arranging her skirt, and making sure her cello was in tune. "We must appreciate the past, even find inspiration there, but always keep an eye toward the future. That's where the new adventures lie waiting."

"For the next generation?" Isaac asked brightly, taking his place behind the keyboard.

"The next generation," Natty agreed, and happily raised her bow. "Let's play!"

~fin~

References include - TNG: The Offspring; Encounter at Farpoint; Inheritance; Birthright I; Datalore; TOS: Requiem for Methuselah; the movie Generations; the novels Immortal Coil; Cold Equations 1-3; and The Light Fantastic, and the works of Isaac Asimov.

And that's it! I hope you liked the epilogue. Thanks again for reading, for your fantastic reviews and encouragement, and for sticking with my story all this time! Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Skin Deep," coming soon! :)