Chapter 112

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Note: Data and Seven of Nine are from the "Star Trek" franchise. Five's and the Trade Federation droid are from "Star Wars: Clone Wars."

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Data had learned how to play poker while serving on the U.S.S. Enterprise. He'd had a good teacher in Riker, even played alongside sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking. In many ways this recreation helped Data become more human. Now he was playing alongside Seven of Nine, an unnamed Trade Federation droid, and a clone trooper known as Five's. Data bluffed this hand, made his opponents think he had a good hand, and tricked them into folding. Some were suprised when Data then showed them his hand.

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Droid: I don't understand. Why bet big when you had nothing?

Data: Because you didn't know I had nothing. It's called bluffing.

Seven: Not my strong suit. Amongst the Borg deception was impossible.

Five's: Sounds like it would be difficult to decieve your enemy.

Seven: The Borg were not concerned with that. They were arrogant, wanted everyone to know exactly how powerful they were. Only after I was removed from the Collective did I learn certain things.

Five's: We were used as slaves, cannon fodder, had chips implanted that made us kill our best friends on command. But even the Empire let us have clubs, drink with our friends and play cards.

Droid: You were lucky, Grievous and the others killed us on a whim, we had no rest or fun.

Data: I once had to go to court and argue in favor of my right to live, to exist. I'm guessing that wasn't an option for any of you. Throught the history of our respective universes, certain undesireable peoples were always given cetain functions. Functions that were considered too dangerous or otherwise unpleasant for "normal people."

Five's: You're talking about slavery, which the Galactic Republic suppossedly outlawed but which the people were pretty okay with because of the war.

Data; Indeed. In times of war many people are suprisingly willing to sacrifice liberty, or more accurately sacrifice the liberty of others. Things like slavery, torture, even genocide become more acceptable.

Seven: The Borg did engage in what could be called slavery and genocide, but not torture. Even when torture is effective it takes time, and gives the subject every motive to lie and give false intel. It was much simpler to assimilate someone if we wanted intel from them.

Droid: I supposse it helps if you view your enemies as something inferior. A clone, a droid.

Five's: Yeah, I guess all our hands were dirty during the Clone Wars. All so that our leaders could gain more power for themselves and throw us away once we were expendable.

Data: I've heard an expression since we returned, "War is Hell, no matter what galaxy you're in.

Five's: Amen to that. Maybe a good start is for us all to have names. I'm okay with Five's, you okay with Seven?

Seven: Yes.

Droid: What should I call myself?

Data: That should be up to you.

Droid: Four, since I'm the 4th individual here. Maybe I'll come up with a better name later, but for now I prefer Four.

Five's: Four it is.