Author's Note: This story contains elements of Michael Chabon's Romulan mythology for the Picard series. This will be a three-party story.
Apologies in advance as this a deviation from what I typically like to compose - adventure, fluff, and humour.
Contrary to that, this was bittersweet to write.
It's sappy. Melodramatic. And although there are some touching moments, this story is littered with tragedy.
That said, ploughed forward with it regardless because it would not leave me alone.
AU Yesterday's Enterprise. Data/Tasha.
In this story, Tasha holds the rank of Commander. In the original promotion media releases for the show, she was referred to as "Commander Yar" and I'm actually quite salty this didn't come to fruition.
This is a fan-made work written solely because the idea wouldn't leave me alone. I make no profit from this. The Star Trek Universe and the characters contained within it were created by Gene Roddenberry.
C/W: This story depicts the destruction of the Enterprise, Romulan prison, major character deaths, abuse, sexual assault, and all-around pretty heavy subject matter. You've been warned.
Chapter One | Twilight
His first memory was the feeling of sunshine on his face.
He did not immediately open his eyes. He would like to tell himself that this is a whimsical moment in which he had savoured the feeling of light and warmth on his skin.
His mind tells him that is not the case. Rather, his sensory receptors received the signal of light and warmth, ran it through his synthetic somatosensory system and directed the input to his positronic brain for analysis where his information bank deduced it was sunshine.
Yet, there was something nagging at him. He had been sitting on the holodeck for the last ten minutes, recreating the sensation of the sunlight on his polymer skin – as he had done many times before – and it did not illicit the same response.
He did not know how else to explain it, but it felt different.
No matter how many times he had attempted to study the phenomenon, he had never been able to replicate the same magical feeling of the first time he felt the sun on his face.
Over the course of his 26 years in Starfleet, Data had attempted this on 208 occasions. Fifteen minutes on the holodeck once a month was one privileges, he was afforded as Second Officer. Many of the officers found it strange that an Android would even use a holodeck.
"Captain Picard for Commander Data. You're needed on the bridge," Picard's voice rang out through his combadge.
"Analysis, Mister Data," Captain Picard orders.
They were reading some kind of gravimetric fluctuation. It was unlike anything Data has ever encountered before. There appears to be some kind of time displacement. He considers the possibility that it could be a wormhole but concluded this time displacement was different.
But wormholes have event horizons. This did not.
"I do not have sufficient information to make an analysis as yet," Data advises as his neural net races to process the information coming from the scan.
"There's been a change in the sensor readings," Tasha informs them from the tactical position.
"Mister Data?" Picard asks.
Data is scanning the sensors as quickly as he can, but the information is unlike anything the Enterprise has encountered before.
Ahead of them, a ship emerges from mysterious time displacement.
"Commander, what are the sensor readings? Is that an enemy vessel?" Picard questions.
There is too much interference to get a clear scan of the ship in front of them. Commander Tasha Yar works quickly. With the deft skill of a seasoned battle office, she diverts power from the idle torpedo bay to boost the scan.
It is a risk. At any moment they may need those torpedoes online.
The Federation is in the midst of a bitter, decades long war with the Klingon Empire. It is a war in which the Federation is losing – badly.
The Enterprise has been on assignment along the neutral zone for over a year to support a blockade of Romulan supply ships headed for Klingon territory.
"Definitely a Federation Starship, Captain. Accessing registry," Tasha advises.
"Looks like they've had a rough ride," Commander Riker says as he observed the ship on the viewscreen.
It has certainly seen better days. The hull is patterned with blast markings from plasma torpedoes, and it is evident from the scans the ship is barely drifting along. It has hull damage on several critical decks and sporadic life signs aboard.
"NCC1710C. USS Enterprise," Tasha says with disbelief.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard would later note in his combat log that the unusual anomaly had led the Enterprise to encounter a "ghost from its own past." It would be an apt assessment.
The ship that has emerged from the unexplained time distortion is none other than the Enterprise C.
She's been missing for over 24 years. It had last been spotted near the Klingon outpost of Narendra III and was presumed to have been destroyed. She's been gone, lost from time, and with a crew of over 700 never to be heard from again.
"Sensors confirm design and specifications, Captain," Data says, confirming Commander Yar's initial registry scan.
The Enterprise C is broadcasting a general distress call. They claim to have suffered heavy damage at the hands of a contingent of Romulan warships. Her warp capabilities are down, life support is failing, and Captain Garrett is dying.
Captain Picard is sceptical of this claim. The Enterprise C disappeared near Narendra III and there was never any evidence that a Romulan attack had been the cause. For 24 years it has been assumed she was taken down by the Klingons or, like many Starfleet ghostships, disappeared due to one of the many risks of space travel – known and unknown.
Reluctantly, Jean-Luc Picard agrees to allow emergency teams to help stabilise the vessel and her few survivors. There are Klingon battlecruisers headed for their sector. They will not be able to remain here long.
He orders yellow alert, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
For this is their natural state. There is no 'at ease' on the Enterprise D. For most of the crew, they have only ever known war with the Klingon Empire.
There had been a time when the Federation and the Klingon Empire had been more evenly matched. But as Jean-Luc recalls, approximately twenty years earlier the winds had shifted, and the Federation had found itself fighting a losing battle.
'Curiously, around the same time Enterprise C disappeared,' Jean-Luc muses to himself.
Only one senior officer survives the assault on the bridge. He's a helmsman named Castillo. He's trying his best to stay in good spirits, but everyone on board knows it's a façade. It's the same mask they all wear day in and day out.
Captain Garrett dies shortly after she is brought aboard the Enterprise D.
Out of a crew of 768, they find 125 survivors.
An hour later, the crew of the Enterprise D are working to repair life support and restore critical systems. Captain Picard is wary. He knows he must be careful so as not to disrupt the timeline. He orders Lieutenant La Forge to provide only support at an equal level to that which had been available 24 years earlier.
Data informs Captain Picard that sending them back will be a death sentence.
Across the ship, Tasha escorts Lieutenant Castillo to Ten Forward to get a ration pack for lunch. He's figured out they've travelled through time and he doesn't seem phased by it.
"Hey Guinan," Tasha says with a smile.
Guinan turns at the bar to greet Tasha but her smile drops the moment she makes contact with the blonde commander. It's as if she has seen a ghost.
Guinan's smile has always been like a sun – warm, full of light and life.
Seeing Guinan like this sends a shiver through Tasha.
Without warning, Guinan is overcome with a sensation that nearly breaks her. Hours earlier, the feeling had started has trepidation like it was going to be a bad day.
That wasn't unusual for Guinan. She was used to having a strange, extra-sensory perceptiveness.
But with each passing hour the feeling had grown. She feels out of place, like a dream.
Now, looking at Tasha, Guinan knows – there is something wrong with the timeline. She doesn't know exactly what that something was, but she knows something was off.
Tasha looks at Guinan worriedly.
Guinan brushes off the feeling.
She likes Tasha. A lot.
Four years earlier, Guinan had befriend the young security officer. Adaptable, clever, and steadfast in her Starfleet values, Tasha has endeared herself to the mysterious bartender. Through hard work and the high casualty rate of Enterprise Security Chiefs, Tasha has risen through the ranks quickly.
Reminds her of a young Jean-Luc Picard in many ways.
But what Guinan likes most about Tasha was she had a sense of duty to others. Tasha cared more about everyone on that ship than she did herself – including their resident Android whom Guinan also counted as a friend.
Data was a truly unique lifeform. She knows most of the crew view him as nothing more than a machine. But Guinan has always seen Tasha treat him as a person.
Guinan recognises the feeling, and it sends an unwelcome chill into her the deepest part of her soul.
Guinan is looking at a spectre, a phantom of a timeline that shouldn't exist.
Tasha eyes Guinan carefully. She doesn't understand, but the way her friend is looking at makes her feel uneasy. This is the first time Tasha has ever seen Guinan afraid.
It takes all of Guinan's strength to approach Captain Picard.
As she walks out of Ten Forward, she runs into Ensign Kessler and is struck with the same eerie feeling.
At the turbolift, Lieutenant Moran and Ensign Piven are inside it, chatting about their weekly poker game. When she looks at Piven, she senses nothing.
She can't look at Moran. She knows just by standing next to him that Moran isn't supposed to be here either.
Every time she locks eyes with a new crewmember, she can sense more things that are out of place – Lieutenant Fetterman isn't meant to be an operations office, Ensign Travers should be married, and Ensign Havel is supposed to be half-Bajoran.
With each person she passes, she gains a greater understanding that things are not as they should be.
When she reaches Picard's office, he can sense she is distressed.
She knows she must sound crazy. She's relieved that he doesn't dismiss her outright.
Their bond is deep. He knows he can trust her more than anyone in his command. But he's not ready to send 125 survivors back to their deaths.
"Guinan, they will die moments after they return. How can I ask them to sacrifice themselves based solely on your intuition?" Picard argues.
She's at a loss for words. She can't explain it. She just knows.
"I only know that I'm right," she tells him.
This does not satisfy Picard's need for evidence. He refuses to send the survivors back to a certain death.
Guinan hesitates to tell him about Tasha. She doesn't want to because she knows in whatever timeline that is 'right' that she and Tasha Yar are never supposed to meet.
She also knows that Captain Picard regards Tasha as one of his most trusted officers. She's his protégé and the only Security Chief that's managed to last longer than a few months.
Tasha's been the Security Chief for nearly three years now.
This is another red flag for Guinan. Tasha was fresh from the Academy when she boarded the Enterprise. It is her first posting and yet she is now the youngest Security Chief of a Flagship vessel.
As Guinan's thoughts settle on her friend, she draws inspiration from Tasha's sense of duty.
Guinan knows she has to tell the Captain.
"Do you remember Admiral Quinn?" Guinan asks, broaching the subject carefully.
Captain Picard nods. Admiral Quinn and Picard had gone back a long way together at Starfleet. Two years earlier, Admiral Quinn had been the victim of an invasive parasitic species that had tried to destroy the Federation.
Guinan had been the first to suspect the Admiral, and Picard had trusted her, reluctantly.
"Are you saying there is some sort of-" Picard starts to ask but stops as Guinan shakes her head.
"How about when we went through the energy vortex and we found you, the you from the future?" Guinan asks softly.
Now he understands.
"Guinan what did you see?" Picard questions.
"When I look at some of the crew I can tell. I just know, things aren't right," she says vaguely.
"Guinan, please," he presses.
She wants to stop herself, but she knows she can't.
"When I look at Tasha Yar, I know she's not supposed to be here. She's dead Jean-Luc. And I know she died in a senseless act of evil," Guinan says hauntingly.
"Tasha?" Captain Picard says as he sits down behind his desk.
She knows this hurts him. The two are close. Jean-Luc is a private man, but Guinan knows he sees the bright, young security chief as a protégé and a daughter.
"Not good enough, damn it. Not good enough. I will not ask them to die," Picard replies angrily.
"Forty billion people have already died. This war's not supposed to be happening anymore. You've got to send those people back to correct this," Guinan argues.
"Every instinct tells me this is wrong, it is dangerous, it is futile," Picard replies.
"This timeline must not be allowed to continue. You have only your trust in me to help you decide to do it," Guinan explains.
Her words weigh heavily on him.
Guinan has never before steered him wrong. He knows what he must do but he doesn't like it.
"And you're struggling with this. When I look at you, I know that you're not supposed to be this," Guinan says as she motions vaguely to his war room.
"Captain of the Enterprise?" Picard asks.
"No. A man of war. You are a diplomat and scientist. You're a man of peace. In whatever timeline is right, you're exploring not waging war," Guinan explains passionately.
Tasha can't shake the feeling of her encounter with Guinan. The way she had looked at her has left Tasha feeling spooky.
She steps onto the turbolift and Data can see there is something that occupies her thoughts.
"Engineering," he orders the computer. "Is Engineering your destination as well?"
"What?" Tasha asks as Data startles her. "Oh. Deck six. Sorry."
She's distracted by something. He can tell.
Data has catalogued every one of her smiles to memory because each time she smiles it is the closest he has ever come to the feeling of the sun on his face the first time.
Tasha doesn't smile often, even when they are alone.
He would like nothing more than to tell the world that she loves him. On the days when he's been called "the android" or "the machine" one too many times, she looks at him, blue eyes full of concern and love and he is reassured he's more than the sum of his parts.
She knows of his secret desire to be more human. There are only a handful of other people that know – Captain Picard, his best friend Geordi, and Guinan.
There was a time that Starfleet wanted to disassemble Data. Starfleet Cybernetics figured an army of Datas at their disposal would turn the tide of the war against the Klingon Empire.
But Captain Picard had argued successfully that he relied upon Data's uncompromising objectivity was a critical asset. There was no guarantee that Data would survive the procedure intact, and it was too great a risk to lose him.
Data's very survival depends upon being uninfluenced by emotion.
"If I interpret your facial expressions correctly, you are preoccupied with something unpleasant," he says as he notes the tension in her shoulders.
"I'm just thinking about a lot of things. I'm worried about what's going to happen to the crew," she lies.
She wants to tell him about Guinan but something tells her she should speak with Guinan first.
"We may never know what happens. If they succeed, we will not even realise this conversation has occurred," Data tells hers.
His words unsettle her.
"Don't say that," she says in a barely audible whisper.
He orders the turbolift to halt and turns to study her. She's clutching her arms against herself. Her heartrate has increased. She's breathing in short, shallow breaths.
"Tasha?" Data asks as he places a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't say that. I don't want to think about the possibility that we don't, that we're not," she can't finish the thought because now it's overwhelmed her.
She can't face the possibility that if there is another timeline that they aren't together.
He turns her to look at him and she relaxes. He claims he cannot feel emotion, but she can see the concern in his eyes.
His eyes were the first thing she had noticed about him. Many aboard the Enterprise found the unnatural shade unsettling.
To her, his golden eyes reminded her of sunshine.
When he finishes his tasks in Engineering, Data heads up to brief Captain Picard on their latest progress. On his way to the Captain's war room, he runs into Guinan.
She is leaning against the wall in the corridor outside of the Captain's door.
"Data," she greets him with a strange, faraway voice.
"Are you alright, Guinan?" Data asks as he notes that she appears exhausted.
"Yes, Data. I'm fine. Things just feel a little out of place and I don't like thinking about it," Guinan replies.
Data cocks his head as if to indicate that he doesn't believe her.
"What is it?" She asks him.
"It is strange. You are the second person I have spoken to that is experiencing unsettling thoughts about things being 'off'," he says.
Guinan's blood runs cold.
"Commander Yar earlier expressed an unexplainable concern about unnerving thoughts regarding the other timeline," Data goes on.
Guinan hates being right about this. She knows about the Security Chief and the Sentient Android. It's a secret from everyone – everyone that is, but Guinan.
She's never spoken of it aloud but knows.
She's observed these two carefully. She's seen the way they look at each other. She's watched these two people come together and fall in love in this dark place.
It's a bittersweet thing because in many ways, they're kids. She knows they would dispute that assessment. They both grew up too fast. But in the grand scheme of the universe, their babies compared to Guinan.
This notion only adds to the pain in knowing that in whatever timeline is right, Tasha is both so young and very dead, her existence extinguished.
"Data, what was Tasha worried about?" Guinan asks.
Data looks down as he contemplates how to respond. Guinan can see he is thinking.
Data glances quickly to the left and the right to ensure they are alone before he leans in close.
"She is concerned that in whatever timeline is right that we are not together," he watches to ensure she understands his meaning.
Guinan looks at him, her big brown eyes full of pity.
"I only say this because if the timeline is reset, it is possible we will not remember this conversation. If it is not, may I ask for your discretion?" Data asks.
Guinan takes his hand and nods before returning to her quarters.
The time rift is growing increasingly unstable and there are Klingon battlecruisers moving into their section. If they remain much longer, there is a risk they will have to engage them in battle.
Data has theorised heavily about the possibility. He has analysed every record about Enterprise C, Narendra III, and any impact its disappearance could have had on the outcome of the war.
Data's conclusion is that there is an 83.1% chance that the Enterprise C must have been involved in protecting the Klingon outpost on Narendra III against a surprise Romulan attack. That action leads to a thaw with the Klingons. The balance of power remains intact, and the war does not escalate.
Captain Picard decides to trust his oldest friend.
They've done all they can for the Enterprise C. Now it is time to send it back through to the past.
The young helmsman, Castillo, readily accepts command knowing it will likely mean his death.
They begin beaming the survivors back. The senior officers assemble to see Castillo off and Picard hides how sick he feels inside sending this young man to his death.
Guinan has returned to Ten Forward. She needs work to occupy her, anything to take her mind off what is to come. She knows that in whatever timeline is correct, she will feel this rift. She will feel the pain. And she will be equally as torn between a vague understanding of it and the inability to explain it.
The door slides open and Tasha walks in.
Guinan turns away. She is relieved to see her friend, but also concerned. She doesn't know how long after the rift closes that the timeline will shift.
Something tells her this will be the last time she will see Tasha Yar.
"Can I get you something, Tasha?" Guinan offers.
She doesn't want this to be a goodbye and she doesn't want to tell Tasha what she knows.
But from the moment she locks eyes, she knows Tasha is on to her. She's a wickedly bright woman and Guinan feels another sting of pain in knowing that Starfleet will lose such a fine officer.
"Guinan, I have to know. What happens to me in the other timeline?" Tasha asks boldly.
"I don't have alternate biographies of the crew. As I said to the Captain, it's just a feeling," Guinan tries to deflect with a joke.
"But there's something more when you look at me, isn't there. I can see it in your eyes," Tasha presses.
Guinan smiles and shrugs.
"I know you know. Because I feel it feel it too. Guinan, we've known each other too long," Tasha pleads.
Tasha's fighting back tears. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she somehow, she knew what to expect in coming here.
"We weren't meant to know each other at all," Guinan says sadly.
Tasha is struggling to keep her emotions in check. Data's words from earlier haunt her. As much as she wants to hide from this, she's compelled to push forward.
"Where am I supposed to be?" Tasha asks.
"Dead," Guinan says flatly.
The fact that Tasha doesn't flinch does not surprise either of them in the least. It's out in the open now, the unspoken ghost that has followed them around all day.
"Do you know how?" Tasha asks.
"No," Guinan replies darkly. "I know that you've been dead for a few years. I don't know how. But I do know it was an empty death. A death without purpose."
This hits Tasha hard. She has no delusions of grandeur about her place in the world. She knows she is a mere speck of dust in vast expanse of the universe. But to know that her death would be empty has left her hurt in a way that she can't put words to.
Tasha squares her shoulders and makes a decision. She refuses to go out like this.
"I guess I'm very lucky to have met you in this timeline at least. Thank you," Tasha says as she turns on her heel and goes to leave.
She stops and spins back to Guinan.
"Guinan? Can I ask you one more question?" Tasha asks.
There are tears leaking down her face now.
"In the other timeline is Data…is he, well, are we-" she can't finish her thought.
She bites her lip and looks down at the floor.
"Tasha, you and Data are the only thing that feels right about this timeline," Guinan says.
Despite the tears, Tasha smiles.
It's not a lie, but it's the best way Guinan can say it. She's watched this strange, beautiful couple have almost four years together.
It may have been four years spent in the hell of war on the edge of the neutral zone, but it's together none the less.
She knows that in the infinite diversity of other timelines, their time together is but a blink of the eye.
And in this timeline Tasha is her friend, and she deserves to die knowing that love is real.
Tasha returns to her quarters and packs a small overnight pack. She's partway through packing her comb and a flannel when she stops and laughs at herself bitterly.
You can't take it with you. She chides herself.
The chime to her quarters alerts her that there's someone at the door. She calls for them to enter and Data steps inside.
He notes the overnight pack and cocks his head to the side.
"Tasha?" he asks.
She follows his eyeline to the bag. This is the moment she has been dreading. She doesn't want to say goodbye and she's been clutching to Guinan's words that her relationship with Data seems 'right.'
"There are an infinite number of possible deviations in the timeline, right? Like forks in a Jefferies tube?" Tasha asks him desperately.
He shuts down the portion of his brain that seeks to answer thoroughly and scientifically. He recognises this is not the time for such things.
"Promise me that whatever happens you'll keep yourself safe?" she asks as she tucks a hair behind his ear.
"Is it your intention to transfer to the Enterprise C?" he asks.
He can be irritatingly straightforward at times.
"Do you remember earlier when you asked me if I was ok on the lift?" she questions.
Data nods.
"I'm not OK, Data. There's something wrong with the timeline and I can feel it. And Guinan can feel it. And I have to help fix it. Because however the timeline is supposed to be – war or no war, Klingons or not – you and I are meant to be together," Tasha explains.
He stares down at her, yellow eyes struggling to comprehend the sensation he is processing.
"Just promise me you'll look me up?" she says.
She's trying to lighten the mood with her dry sense of humour, but her eyes are red and her cheeks are too wet for this to be funny.
"Look you up?" Data questions as he looks at her, brow furrowed.
"Yeah, come find me," she says with a sniffle.
"Tasha that is not how timelines work. If the timeline were to change, then I would have no recollection of-" Data starts to explain but stops as she silences him with a kiss.
He pulls her close and relishes in the feeling of this act of such a deep, human connection with another being.
"I love you, Data. You don't have to say it," she says as she takes his hand knowing that he will grieve in his own way.
Data watches as their fingers intertwine.
"There are great many things I would like to say," he confesses.
"I don't like goodbyes, so how about until the next timeline, then?" she suggests.
She moves to leave but Data does not let go of her hand.
"I have to do this," she tells him, pleading with him not to make it any harder than it already is.
"I know," he responds.
They leave her quarters together for the first time. He does not let go of her as he escorts her the entire way to the transporter room.
He walks with her onto the platform, still holding her hand.
"Two to transport, Lieutenant," Data orders.
She looks at him.
"Belay that order," she says to the Lieutenant behind the console.
"If the timeline is reset it is irrelevant what I do here. And since it does not matter, I am going with you," Data explains.
She smiles back at him and Data feels like's he is standing in sunlight.
"Commander Riker, where is Commander Data?" Picard asks his First Officer.
The Klingon Battlecruisers are closing fast, and they are just moments away from getting out of the area.
Picard is not in a good mood. He's reluctantly agreed to transfer Commander Yar to the Enterprise C knowing he has sent her to her death.
It's the loss of a fine officer.
More than that, he knows he's losing a friend.
As he reflects on this, Captain Picard realises it's possible that Data has gone to see Tasha off. He's never had confirmation, but he has suspected for some time that the two are closer than they let on.
"Bridge to Transporter Room 3, is Commander Data there?" Picard asks as he taps his combadge.
"Commander Data to Captain Picard," Data's voice rings out from the combadge as he acknowledges the Captain's hail.
"Where are you Mr Data. We need to get out of here and I need you on the bridge," Picard asks.
"Sir, I am aboard the Enterprise C and it is my intention to remain here," Data explains.
"We are beaming you back," Captain Picard orders.
He is not prepared two of his officers and friends in the same day.
"Sir, the Enterprise C has engaged shields. We cannot get a transporter lock," Ensign Crusher says as he scans the readings from the other ship.
"No, sir," Data states frankly. "We must fix the timeline, Sir. It is highly probable the Enterprise C will be destroyed. My choice is irrelevant as it's destruction will ensure my decision to come aboard cannot influence future events."
Jean-Luc loathes that Data is right.
"It is likely that you and I will never have had this conversation," Data goes on. "But for what it is worth, I ask your forgiveness."
There is a pregnant pause.
Before Jean-Luc can answer, the Klingon Battlecruisers have dropped out of warp and surrounded the twin ships.
"Captain, Klingon battlecruisers have powered weapons," Ensign Crusher reports.
Picard looks at Commander Riker.
"Shields up. Red alert," Riker orders.
"Keep us within 200 meters of the Enterprise C, Ensign Crusher. Defend that ship at all costs," Picard orders.
The Enterprise D powers brings her phasers online and readies itself to defend its sister ship. There is less than a minute before she will reach the rift.
"I want the Enterprise C on screen," Picard orders angrily.
Acting Captain Castillo nods to Picard. Tasha is behind him at the tactical position and Data has assumed the position at the operations console.
Captain Picard rises from his chair and stands at attention.
"It has been an honour to serve with you," he says simply. "Godspeed, my friends."
A minute later, Lieutenants Baker and Hawk stumble into Ten Forward looking shaken.
They sit down at the bar, oblivious to the world around them.
"I never…I mean, how?" Hawk says in disbelief.
"They were hand in hand," Baker says, stunned.
Guinan sets their drinks down in front of them, turns around, and smiles to herself.
Some days there is good in the universe.
"We have casualties on decks four, seven, nine, twelve, and eighteen," Data reports from the operations console.
"Somebody get that fire out," Castillo orders pointing at the plasma fire that's broken out on the science station.
The Enterprise C is taking heavy damage from the contingent of Romulan ships that has been waiting for them.
"Shields are at thirty-eight percent and dropping. We've expended nearly our entire supply of photon torpedoes, Sir," Tasha advises.
Their situation is critical. They've managed to hold their own for nearly twenty minutes against three Romulan warships.
Upon their arrival at Narendra III, they had radioed the Klingon outpost and advised they were prepared to provide support to help the Klingons evacuate. A Klingon warbird has joined their fight, but they are still outnumbered and outgunned by the superiority of the Romulan force.
They can only hope it is enough to set the timeline right.
One of the vessels lands a direct hit on the main bridge. Acting Captain Castillo is thrown from chair and hits the helm with a sickening crunch before landing on the floor, motionless.
Data looks down at the young Lieutenant and his sensor receptors pick up weak life signs. He turns in his chair and looks back at Tasha.
They lock eyes.
She doesn't have to say it, he knows this fight is over.
Data stands and assumes the command chair. He punches the comm and issues the order to abandon the ship. He orders the bridge crew to get to their evacuation pods. The remaining bridge crew begin to evacuation. One of them grabs the injured Castillo and drags him to an evacuation pod.
Without his order, Data can feel the ship shift to a new course as it accelerates to ramming speed. He doesn't need to turn around to know she is behind him – as she has always been.
"Tasha, please," he says firmly.
"Impact in two minutes, thirty-eight seconds," she advises.
He sighs to himself in a most unlike-android fashion and rises from the command chair. He steps up to raised platform behind the command post and grips her hand, turning her toward him.
"Two minutes, fifteen seconds to impact," the computer announces.
They stare at each other for a moment as he is overcome with a strange sensation. There are a great many things he would like to say to her in this moment, but there isn't time.
More than that, he knows they don't need to be spoken aloud.
Wordlessly, Data pulls her close and holds her. He shuts down his audio receptors just for a moment, shutting out the intermittent sparks from the hull breach, the computer's warning countdown, and the sound of the klaxons.
The embrace lasts only seventeen seconds, but for android it is an eternity.
"One minute, forty-five seconds to impact," the computer warns.
"No!" Tasha protests as he picks her up and walks toward the remaining escape pod.
He does not respond. He cannot. There are thoughts attempting to overwhelm his neural net, thoughts that are more human than android – what could have been? Will they be together in the corrected timeline? When the moment of impact comes, will it hurt? What comes next?
"Don't do this," Tasha cries.
He pushes the console on the wall and with a small 'whoosh' the door slides open.
"One minute, thirty seconds to impact," the computer announces.
She's clutching onto his uniform shirt. He tries to remove her, gently, but she refuses to let go.
"I do not wish to hurt you. But I will break your hand if it means saving your life," he warns as he grips her hand.
She glares back at him fiercely. She will not let go.
"Please," he implores her.
He knows that in order to survive the impact, the escape pod must launch in the next eight seconds to reach a safe distance.
Data recognises his efforts have been futile. It takes him less than 0.027 seconds to determine an alternative option.
He crushes his lips against her mouth, and he hopes the kiss will prove a useful distraction.
But as their lips make contact, he reflects back to the first time she kissed him.
As he left hand unclutches from his uniform shirt, he makes no move to stop her. Her hand finds her way to the back of his neck.
In a moment of human weakness, he instinctively moves forward. Her back makes contact with the wall. Without breaking apart, her hand finds the button to close the escape pod and the door closes behind him.
When the Enterprise strikes the Romulan battlecruiser it breaches the warp core.
When the blast occurs, Data cannot see it directly. He's facing away from the reinforced window, his body pressed against Tasha in the claustrophobic escape pod.
But he can see the light when it hits her face, her mouth barely open and eyes wide with wonder until like a sun, the intensity of the brightness is too much, and she is forced to turn away.
"If the pod survives re-entry it is likely the Klingons will kill us," Data states.
"We're already living on borrowed time," she replies in a strange, faraway voice.
She doesn't welcome death, but she is glad that, at the very least, he is here with her.
Data presses the button to open the door to the escape pod.
Narendra III is largely uninhabited. There is a remote Klingon outpost, but little life. Data surmises they have landed in the northern region of the planet's main continent. It's a wet, windswept land dotted with jagged mountains.
He helps her out of the pod, and she surveys the landscape.
Her involuntary shiver does not go unnoticed. His internal atmospheric sensor registers the single digit temperature. It will get colder when night falls, and he knows that Tasha's human physiology will require warmth in order to survive.
But she's already two steps ahead of him.
"It looks like there are shrubs over there. We'll need the firewood," she says pointing off in the distance.
Data grabs the emergency pack from the escape pod, and they head off in the direction of the sparse vegetation.
Tasha makes quick work of the short shrubbery with a camp knife from the emergency pack. With a little effort she's able to get spark. She gently blows on the kindling and soon a small fire erupts. She feeds the flame, breaking off pieces bit by bit from the dried twigs she gathered from the ground.
"If this runs out, we can use the phasers on the rocks," she says as she takes stock of the limited burnable material at their disposal.
"The Romulans will be able to detect and track the escape pod," Data states.
He hasn't sat down since they landed. He's on guard, watching in every direction. Even though his eyesight is far superior to that of either humans or Romulans, it provides little benefit. The vast emptiness of the terrain means their current position leaves them quite exposed.
Data has been on edge since they've landed. He knows that the Romulans will be looking for survivors. He continues to stand guard, even as darkness falls.
It is too overcast for much moonlight to break through, so Data eventually decides the Romulan patrols won't see their campfire.
He lies down next to her on the ground and pulls her close.
"It is likely we will be discovered in the morning," Data warns her.
"Should we look for survivors?" Tasha asks.
It's the question they've been dancing around since they landed.
"Aiding survivors could alter the course of history. However, it is also possible that aiding the survivors is required to sufficiently reset the timeline. I do not have enough information to determine which course of action is correct," Data explains.
She doesn't respond. He has suspected there was more to her conversation. The fact that she has been scarce with information leads him to believe that she is hiding something. He knows it is her way to hide things that are painful. It's a matter of survival for her.
"Why did you leave the Enterprise?" he asks her bluntly.
She takes his hand in her own but doesn't reply. He can see she is chewing on the inside of her cheek, a habit she has when she's deep in thought.
"We aren't supposed to be here. We shouldn't have left the Enterprise C," she says darkly. "I feel like we're playing with things that are far beyond our scope of understanding."
If the Romulans or Klingons don't find them, it is likely that she will die in a matter of days from exposure, starvation, or dehydration – leaving Data alone.
A pang of guilt hits her at the thought. After a few years of a relationship that they had to hide from the world, she's now drug him to a life of loneliness.
Guinan told her that their relationship was the only thing that felt right about this timeline. She knows in whatever timeline is right, that she is dead. According to Guinan, she has been dead for several years.
If that's true, did she never meet Data? Did they have even less time together?
Is this really it? She thinks to herself.
In the grand scheme of the universe, is their love nothing more than a footnote?
It's a thought that unsettles her and Tasha feels her throat go tight.
Data sees her wipe her face with her sleeve and realises she is crying. She cries even less than she smiles, and Data is unsure of how to respond. It's difficult for an android raised by a militarised Starfleet to have much exposure to comforting behaviour.
He relies on what he has read from the stories he enjoys and pulls her closer and rocks back and forth gently.
He has read it comforts human infants and hopes it works on adults too.
"I will admit I am uncertain if my attempt to emulate human comforting behaviour is sufficient," he says.
She laughs and sniffles.
"The rocking is nice," she assures him.
His neural net begins to theorise about what could happen tomorrow. His information banks know that at this time, the Klingons have abandoned most of the outer lying colonies on Narendra III. If they can reach one, it may be possible to find the infrastructure they will need to avoid Romulan or Klingon detection and for Tasha's survival.
"I don't have any regrets," she tells him.
She shivers against the cold and he pulls her in a little tighter.
He feels her relax against him, but sleep doesn't come. Something has settled deep within her. She feels her position in the universe is precarious at best.
Time travel is a dangerous concept and one that Starfleet Academy graduates are trained not to mess with.
Tasha doesn't have as much theoretical background study as Data, but she understands enough to know that no one knows what happens to people who travel through time.
She recalls Professor Moran explaining one theory suggesting people out of time just disappear. She hopes that, if that theory is true, it will be painless when it happens.
He knows her well enough to sense that something is wrong. He can deduce from her breathing that she is awake. He's accustomed to Tasha having trouble sleeping but is unsure if their current setting is suitable for her preferred solution.
He doesn't have long to think as she takes his hand and kisses each of his digits one by one. She guides his hand the waistband of her uniform. She rocks back against him and Data leaves to nature what some assume is only programming.
With his hand across her stomach, he pulls her against him. His breath is hot on her neck, just behind her ear. She throws her leg back over his, hooking her foot under his ankle.
When he takes her it's slow, and sweet, and everything she could have hoped for if she's going to disappear from this timeline.
And when she finds her release its drawn out by soft words and gentle hands from the tender-hearted android that's captured her heart.
She turns in his arms to face him. He cocks his head at her, confusion on his face.
Tasha traces his jawline with her fingers. She watches the reflection of the firelight dance in his eyes. On this bleak, cold planet his eyes are her only sunshine.
The next morning, Data and Tasha head out on the rocky highland terrain. There's a light drizzle and within an hour, Tasha is soaked and cold.
Tasha's thoughts drift back to the night before. Everything about it had felt right. She doesn't know what they're going to find out here but if it means being together, it's worth it.
Data and Tasha do not find any abandoned Klingon villages or fresh water.
They do find Lieutenant Greene and the injured Lieutenant Castillo. The two have made it through the night, but they are in bad shape.
Castillo's life signs are weak, and Greene is in the second stage of hypothermia.
But they don't have long to plan.
Shortly after finding the injured crewmen, they are all discovered by a Romulan search patrol.
They're transported aboard one of the surviving battlecruisers where they see that Romulan search parties have picked up nearly forty survivors. Most of the surviving crew are in bad shape.
"He's not going to make it long without medical attention," Tasha says as she examines Castillo's wounds.
"It is likely the Romulans will take us to Romulus for questioning. I expect you will be all be killed, and I will be deactivated for study," Data says solemnly.
Tasha shoots him a look.
"Radical acceptance of our circumstances is necessary to ensure we do not place false hope in any Romulan promises of mercy," Data explains.
She hates that he's right, but she understands the logic.
By the time they reach Romulus, another eighteen crewmembers have succumbed to their injuries. They are escorted to a Romulan prison and Data suggests the facility is Tal Shiar.
"If this is the Tal Shiar, they will likely single us out. Not only are our uniforms different that the rest, but we are also the highest-ranking officers to survive," he warns her.
The remaining survivors are held in cargo room under guard. Their lined up in rows, kneeling and waiting for the Romulans to come.
The Romulans do come with offers of mercy – medical attention and food for anyone willing to give them the name of their commanding officer.
"If you do not cooperate, we will kill you one by one, starting with you," the Tal Shiar Commander states as he points a disrupter at a young ensign.
"Our Captain is dead," she says.
"Then who is the First Officer that took over commander?" the Commander demands.
"Dead," the ensign repeats.
The Commander powers the disruptor and Tasha knows she can't let this happen.
She's already living on borrowed time.
She's not even supposed to be here.
Tasha feels it is her responsibility to save them.
"I am," Tasha says.
Data shoots her a look but she can't meet his eyes. Their plan had been to draw as little attention to themselves as possible.
"I'm dead anyways," she whispers to him.
Data is powerless to stop her.
"I am!" Tasha repeats louder and she pulls herself up to her feet.
The Romulan General approaches her slowly, studying her unusual uniform. He knows the pips on her signify the rank of Commander. He reasons that it would seem possible that if the Captain and First Officer had indeed died, that a Commander would assume control.
But General Velius has an astute eye. He notices the pale man next to her in the similar uniform.
"Were they found with anyone else?" Velius asks the Romulan Commander next to him.
"These two," the Commander advises as he points at the Lieutenant Greene who is supporting the injured Castillo.
The four are escorted to a room where Velius has Greene, Data, and Tasha seated on bench along the wall. Castillo is laid on a bench across the room. Moments later, a Romulan physician enters and scans his life signs.
Velius orders the physician to heal Castillo and then leaves.
The physician gives him a hypospray and begins to treat his head trauma. Data, Tasha, and Greene remain silent.
After an hour, the physician leaves. Moments later, a Romulan leaves a bowl of hot water and clean towels near Castillo and exits.
Tasha doesn't hesitate, but Data reaches out a hand to stop her.
"They are likely observing us," Data warns.
She turns to him and shoots him a glance that tells him to back off.
Tasha cleans the blood from his Castillo's head face and rinses the rag best as she can.
"We should clean that wound on your hand," Tasha says to Lieutenant Greene.
Greene nods and allows Tasha to wipe clean the gash across her hand.
"Why would they want us alive?" Tasha asks Data quietly.
"I do not know. But it is not a comforting thought," Data tells her.
The feeling continues to grow with each passing hour that they are left in the cell. A Romulan guard brings them food but they leave it untouched.
Tasha orders Green to get some sleep.
She keeps a silent vigil next to Castillo.
Data uses his time to study the cell.
His audio receptors have determined that the guards are walking a path that brings them past the cell every fifteen minutes.
Once it is dark, Data kneels next to Tasha under the guise of checking on Castillo. His hand her back startles her.
"Tasha, it is vital that the Romulans are denied the opportunity to study my design," he whispers.
"So how are we getting out of here?" she asks.
"No. There is no viable option for escape. I would like you to deactivate me and then initiate the protocol 817," Data explains.
"Self-destruct?" Tasha says with alarm.
"It will melt the circuitry in my positronic brain. You will be unharmed," Data informs her.
Tasha sits back on her knees and looks at him.
She knows how to deactivate him. That's one thing. He's been deactivated before.
Deactivation isn't permanent but protocol 817 is.
"We will only have nine minutes until the guard passes by again," Data cautions.
He rolls up his sleeve and shows her the panel under his forearm. She watches as he quietly explains the sequence needed to activate the self-destruct protocol.
"So, this is goodbye," she says as her breath hitches.
"You do not like goodbyes," Data replies.
"Over here. If you fall, the sound will alert the guard," she says, motioning to the wall.
He moves back against the wall and she kneels next to him.
Her hand finds his lower back. Her fingers trace down along his chronometer and then across the switch that she knows will deactivate him.
She buzzes his lips with a chaste kiss his lips and flips the switch.
Data falls limp against the wall and Tasha rests her forehead against his for a moment.
She feels sick to stomach. She knows she has a duty to ensure the Romulans don't have the opportunity to study his design, but she feels like she cannot breathe.
Tasha turns and rests her head back against the wall. She closes her eyes and tries to work up the resolve to do what she needs to do. She leans to the side and rests her head on his shoulder.
She takes his arm in her lap and rolls up his sleeve gently. She runs her fingers across his own and cannot help but think about how much she wishes his hand would move.
She opens the panel on his forearm and goes to press the part of the sequence necessary to initiate the protocol that will melt his circuitry.
Tasha stops. She closes the panel quickly and rolls down his sleeve.
She can't do this.
She knows she will never be able to do this.
It's not just that she loves him. He's the only one of his kind – a completely unique, beautiful, and sentient lifeform. Everything inside of her is screaming that this is wrong.
She stands up and goes over to Castillo. He's still breathing, which gives Tasha a little relief.
Sitting down on the ground across from Data she watches his lifeless form.
"I love you," she says softly to him.
Tasha knows Data's intention is correct, but she theorises that there must be a way to keep him alive and unharmed.
Because Tasha Yar hates goodbyes.