Star Trek Next Generation
A Short Story
The Star Child
First officer Riker and Captain Picard came onto the bridge at the same time to find Data scanning a planet that looks like Earth.
"Data is that Earth?" Picard asked
"I thought you'd be interested Sir. It appears to be Earth, in every way accept..." Data began but then he stopped and tilted his head to the side
"Accept what Data?" Riker asked
"There are no rivers, only one structure and one living entity. It shows all the markings of being a child but there's more sir..." Data said
"It can wait Data, if there's a child down there on his own then he needs our help" Riker said
"Get an away team together, take Doctor Crusher with you and Data"
Data nodded and got up from his chair to join Riker and Warf, who Riker had gestured to, to join him.
Riker, Doctor Crusher, Warf and Data entered the transporter room,
"There's a strange signal interfeering with the console" O'Brien said
"Can you get us down there?" Riker asked
"Yes, that's not a problem..." O'Brien began
"Do it" Riker said
"I..." O'Brien began
"Whatever it is we'll figure it out" Riker said, "There's a child down there that needs our help, we're waisting time"
O'Brien energised the away team and then looked at Geordie as he came running into the room,
"Why did you let them leave?" He asked
"I can't go against Riker' orders" O'Brien responded
Geordie sighed, O'Brien was right of course,
"Let's hope I can freeze the signal long enough for us to bring them back from the planet' surface"
Riker, Doctor Crusher, Warf and Data materialised before a manor house covered in ivy. Warf scanned the structure,
"This makes no sense, the equipment must be faulty" Warf sighed
"What is it?" Doctor Crusher asked
"I'm picking up on three structures but they are metalic and this is brick" Warf said
"That's what I was trying to tell you Sir" Data said looking at Riker, "Three Feberation ships disappeared this month alone and despite none of the actual craft being detectable nor crew their radios are still transmitting, I believe Mr O'Brien was trying to alude to the fact that we may well be stuck here for the duration"
"Great!" Riker said in a flap,
He tapped at his badge but could get no response from the Enterprise,
"What are your orders Sir?" Warf ashed
"Let's search this manor for the kid but we stay together" Riker replied
"Inquiry...in what way does this structure relate to a form of behaviour?" Data asked
"What?" Riker asked
"You said we should search this manor, this is a building not a form of behaviour, though I suppose if it could interact that would..."
"Data, a manor is also a type of structure" Doctor Crusher explained
"Interesting" Data said, tilting his head, "A brick like structure used to express wealth, housing biggots, exploiting the rich" Riker grinned, "I do not like this building" He added before moving off, "Shall we?"
Riker, Doctor Crusher and Warf followed Data through some overgrown shrubs to the entrance of the manor.
Meanwhile Captain Picard was now in his chair reading a children' book.
Geordie came onto the bridge, confused by not just Picard' relaxed attitude but everyone else on board,
"Captain" Geordie said
"Ah, there you are I'm ready for my morning tea" Picard said, not looking up from his book
"Captain" Geordie said again
Picard looked up,
"Sorry, I thought you were one of the servants"
"Excuse me?" Geordie said offended
"What can I do for you?" Picard asked
"Picard! The signals, the missing craft, the crew down on the planet! We can't get them back" Geordie said
"Really, what a story, you should write these ideas of yours down" Picard replied
"Don't worry, I intend to" Geordie said and with that he left.
Back down on the Earth Riker, Doctor Crusher, Warf and Data had managed to break into the manor house where they had just found a lobby full of mannequins.
"This can't be right" Doctor Crusher said, "I'm picking up on vital signs but as you can see from this Tri-Pod they're just wax"
"Was the wax organic?" Riker suggested
"It could be" Doctor Crusher replied, trying to reason with herself, "There could be critters on the material, I could be picking up on that"
"Hello!?" A sudden childlike voice called out
"Hello!" Data called back, "We're here to help! Where are you?"
"I'm in the playroom! Upstairs! You'll have to find a different route up here the stairs are a trap!" The child' voice called back
"This is absurd!" Warf complained and he put a foot on the step
His foot sank into it and tried to take him down,
Data grabbed him and pulled until they both landed on the floor.
"How?!" Riker exclaimed in question, pointing to the floor
"I know not Sir. Sir whatever caused this, that child is stuck on the upper floor, perhaps I could climb the outer wall of the building to reach him" Data suggested
"Do it but hurry up about it, this place is starting to give me the creeps" Riker replied with a shiver
"Are you cold Sir?" Data asked
"No, I'm scared" Riker replied
"Understandable Sir but I believe the young child has more to fear at this present time" Data said and he left the building.
Geordie rubbed his neck and went into his room. As the door closed he could only stare. It was like something from a manor house, the windows were still tilted but now wood and iron framed stained glass,
He has a reading chair and a fresh pot of tea waiting for him,
"What the...? Computer, explain the change to my room please"
No response.
Geordie turned and screamed to find a young girl in a servant's outfit behind him,
"You are displeased?" The servant said in question
"Uh...no, concerned and why are you dressed like that? Where is your Starfleet uniform? Look at what I'm wearing" Geordie said,
He had to check himself to make sure he still had his own uniform,
"Sir, this is my uniform now. If I agree I get to stay like this and not...like that" The girl said, suddenly she freaks out, "I've said too much" She looks up on the way out the door, "Please don't punish me!"
"What the hell is going on around here?" Geordie said to himself, "I need Data"
Data was half way up the wall of the manor when he felt compelled to press his badge,
"Data to Geordie! Come in please"
"Data! Boy am I glad to hear your voice" Geordie said, "How are the others?"
"I do not know, I left them inside. Right now I am climbing the walls" Data said, "Literally, the stairs inside this manor house aren't real stairs, we believe there to be a child on the upper floors, trapped and yet we picked up on the energies of three Starfleet ships in the same space"
"Data! I think we're the only one's not being affected by this...whatever this is. Captain Picard has become...a Lord! We have servants up here Data, one told me that she was told she could stay like that and not...but she didn't tell me what she'd look like if she didn't agree, nor did she tell me, who was behind this" Geordie told him
"Geordie, we found a whole lobby full of mannequins in starfleet uniforms...hold on I've just reached a window on the first floor, I'm climbing through. O'Brien was concerned about the signals, we can't get back up to the ship" Data revealed
"I'll see what I can do" Geordie replied
Data tried to open the window but couldn't,
"Curious"
Data looked around and discovered a hatch in the wall, completely out of place. He leaned to and kicked the hatch cover off so that he could climb in.
Geordie walked into the transporter room and found O'Brien trying to rangle a chicken,
"What is that?"
"A chicken Geordie" O'Brien said
"That wasn't what I meant, what's it doing in the transporter room?" Geordie asked
"Ask it" O'Brien said
"No need for that" Geordie said offended, "Leave it be, we need to get the others back here"
"He swallowed a voice chip, if I could just catch him we could find out whats behind all this" O'Brien said
"Stop chasing me then" The chicken said
Geordie and O'Brien backed up
"This has to be a computer glitch" Geordie said
"In a way, yes" The chicken said
"I need to block out the signals from the other three ships down on the planet' surface to bring Riker, Crusher, Warf and Data back up here" Gerodie said
"There is only one down there that can be brought back" The chicken said
Down in the manor Riker, Crusher and Warf were now mannequins.
Data climbed through a shaft and kicked his way out, into a corridor not too disimilar to the Enterprise but for blue walls and black carpets throughout,
"Riker, I have reached a corridor on one of the missing Starfleet ships" Data said
"He's not going to answer you Data" The child called
"You no longer sound in distress" Data noted
"How can you tell? You're an android" The child said, then sounding shocked by his own findings "You're an android...it's too late"
"What is too late?" Data asked
In a control room at the very top of the manor stood the child in a professor' overcoat, that has stars on it. A computer in front of him revealed a beam of light around the Enterprise,
"The beam from my maker' computer sucks in ships and turns anyone that won't play with me into mannequins" The child said
"Play with you?" Data enquired
"I'm coming down Data!" Came Geordie' voice
"Don't!" The child called
"I have to shut of the signals coming from the other three ships! I'm sorry kid, whoever you are, you don't get a say" Geordie said
Geordie appeared beside Data in the corridor,
"I think that's the problem Geordie" Data said
"Woe!" Geordie replied, looking around
"I think this child is an android Geordie" Data said
There were a series of clicking sounds and a door opened out in the wall, beyond was a set of stairs with windows either side, leading up.
Data and Geordie ascended the stairs and through the windows, saw the other ships. They went right to the top and then through a vault door, leading to the control room,
"Hi Data, Geordie" The child said with a wave
"Hello" Data said
"You have a visor, you're fine" The child said
"What was too late?" Data asked
"I can't stop your ship from crashing" The child said
"We can...why does my visor make a difference?" Geordie asked
"Something that's part of a being my computer would class as someone like me wouldn't be affected or altered by the never ending game being played out here" The child said
"Anyone, that won't play end up like your friends and the computer brings down the ship so I have new rooms to explore while I'm waiting for someone to play with" The child said
"Geordie, the Enterprise" Data said
Geordie got to work on cutting out all signals to the other craft and shutting down the beam around the enterprise,
"I don't want them all to go" The child said
"Where do you come from?" Data asked
"Earth 2020, a great virus swept through our world, with everyone online my maker worried the computers would all crash and I'd be scrapped for parts so he put me on this shuttle and programed it to find a new Earth. Once I had I would send word back to him but apparently I've been travelling for thousands of years, maybe even more" The child said, "The game was based around his favorite film Cludo. The ship would bring me friends to play with, new mysteries too. The signal would bring the remaining humans here from Earth but no one came because the virus was defeated. My master lost me and his life' work"
"Maybe he built more of you" Geordie said
"How could I know that? My information and my computer is limited to what I was given by my master at the time" The child said
"We can find them, we can take you to them" Geordie said, "Trust us"
"I'll trust Data" The child said
"That's good enough for me" Geordie smiled.
One by one the federation ships and their crews were restored, Geordie, Data and the child met Riker, Doctor Crusher and Warf down in the lobby, which was really a shuttle bay before they were all transported by aboard the Enterprise.
Here Data discovered a new planet with a natural gravitational pull of a specific kind of ship. Here Data and the child transported together, where they met...the child' maker.
"My star child!" He exclaimed grabbing him, "Where have you been?"
Data explained it all to him,
"This is amazing, another Android!"
"How did you survive all this time?" Data asked
"I too am an Android...my maker' name was Lore, I hope you get to meet him one day"
"Lore is my brother" Data said, "He is a questionable persona"
"Punish not the offspring for the sins of the father, I know right from wrong, it is my intention, knowing I can succesfully build a child, to create a whole world where are existiance isn't questioned nor motives we cannot possess without being programmed. Send the broken to me and I will fix them, they will be your children"
"I failed once already" Data said
"Then we'll find the solution together, you must know someone, who could help"
"Actually...I do"
The End