"Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Counselor." The Captain was the first to approach me, hand extended. He gave a bright smile and nod as we shook hands. "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard. We are happy to have you on board."

"Thank you, Captain." I smiled in return and looked around the transporter room, trying to get my bearings. The feeling of being 'beamed up' was jarring and left my head spinning.

A Klingon stood behind the panel, hands folded behind his back. He did not smile, but offered a respectful nod. I turned back to the Captain who was now turning to motion me to someone who had been standing behind him by the door.

"This is Counselor Troi. I'm sure you remember speaking with her."

I extended a hand to her and she eagerly took it.

"It is nice to finally meet you face to face!" I said warmly.

She reciprocated the same feelings. "I'm sorry for how rushed things have been. Your head must be spinning."

I laughed. "That is true. I've never been off planet- or even through a transporter until now."

"We are glad to have you on board Counselor Rees." The Captain interrupted. "I am sorry to cut our introduction short, but I am needed on the bridge."

"Oh! It is no problem."

"I will leave you in the care of our ship's counselor. Please show her to quarters and make sure she gets settled." He flashed a smile and a quick nod to the both of us before rushing out of the room.

This amount of professionalism I was used to, but the air on the ship seemed different. Instantly I could feel a tenseness in the room. A sense of urgency. Back on Earth I had become relaxed in my day to day schedule… but ever since I was contacted about this job things moved at an unnatural pace. Very rushed. Very eager.

"Are you feeling alright?" Counselor Troi gazed at me worriedly.

"Oh! Sorry. I'm okay. I'm just a bit… dazed. I feel as though I've been flung into space.. In a way I literally was."

Deanna laughed. "Follow me and I'll get you settled in."

"Alright."

I was thankful that she did not start off down the hall quickly like the Captain had. I followed close by and took in the muted sights the hallway had to offer. The lighting. The crew members that periodically passed dressed up in their color coded uniforms. The air smelled strange. Not stagnant, but you could tell it was recycled and treated in some way.

"Are you nervous?" Troi looked back at me as she continued walking.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't… I've never been so far from home before. Being on this ship will be a completely new experience for me."

"May I ask what made you decide to take this position?"

I took a moment to gather my thoughts as we stepped inside the turbo lift. The Counselor called out a number and it began moving instantly.

"To be honest… I overheard my colleagues talking about it. I'm sorry to say, but they found the case to be a lost cause and a few thought it was a joke. An android learning human emotion? It was something they couldn't believe. I wasn't sure I could either until I did some research into Commander Data's service records. I found myself becoming fascinated and when I connected with you about the job I knew I had to try."

"Even if this was a lost cause?"

I nodded. "Even before installing this 'emotion chip', Data has proven he is a life form with free will. He has that drive to become human.. He deserves our support just like anyone else."

Deanna didn't speak more on the subject, but she flashed me a look of approval before leading the way out of the lift. She looked a bit more relaxed as well. This hallway looked the same as the last.

"Your quarters will be here on this floor." She grew quiet as we passed by a door guarded by two people in yellow uniforms. We stopped at one of the nearby doors. "This one will be yours."

The door opened and she allowed me to go inside first. The walls were cream and the floors and furniture were a matching gray color. I set my luggage down on a nearby table and gazed through the huge window on the wall.

"If the vastness of space ever becomes too disorienting for you, you can always tell the computer to show an overlay."

I hummed a soft laugh and turned back to her. Deanna's face grew serious and she took a breath before continuing.

"That guarded room we passed was Data's. We decided to relocate the previous tenant of this room so that you could be closer in case of emergency. For the past week he has been confined to quarters as a safety measure for himself and the crew…"

"So he is a danger…?"

"Mostly to himself but lately he has become more unstable. Occasionally he will lash out in anger and due to his strength we felt it was necessary to have security posted just in case." She sighed heavily and a pained expression grew more prominent on her face. "I wish I had more time to work with him… but I just do not have the time I need! I definitely feel that he will benefit from 24 hour care."

I nodded, biting at my lip in thought.

"I have sent you my report history on Data from the date the chip was installed. I would like for you to look over those before introducing yourself to him…" She paused again for a moment. "I should let you know that we did not tell him you were coming."

"Why not?"

"We decided it was best to keep this information from him in case he would react negatively to the idea. You see… He is adamant on being shut down or disassembled. He is not thinking rationally-"

I nodded. "I see. You were probably right in your decision."

Deanna took a deep breath. She looked very worried, almost exhausted. "Data…. He has made a lot of friends here on the Enterprise… We do not want to lose him."

I walked over and tried to offer some comfort. "I will do everything I can for him. I promise."

She smiled weakly before switching the subject. "Due to how rushed this has been we do not have a badge for you yet, but I will try to get that to you as soon as I can. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have as well -Whether it is Data related or not."

I nodded. "I can start with my duties immediately then?"

"You may. You have been granted clearance to Data's quarters, my counseling room, common areas of the ship, and sick bay. I will introduce you to Dr. Beverly Crusher at a later time. If you don't have any questions I will leave you to unpacking."

I shook my head and smiled. "Thank you for your help."

With that she gave a quiet "you're welcome" and left the room. I turned around and went back to the window, gazing out at the stars. My mind was still buzzing. I took a seat and tried to relax, but felt too restless. I opened my suitcase and began unpacking my clothes.

I was thankful that the room was not completely silent. I was able to hear the whirr and the movement of air through the ship. Complete silence was always something I had to fight with on Earth. It unnerved me and made me anxious.

I hoped I had packed enough clothes for the trip. The assignment was open ended after all and I myself was not an active member of Starfleet. I would not have an assigned uniform so I brought along all the respectable clothing I could fit into my bag.

I called for some water and sat myself back down onto the couch, pulling my tablet out of my bag and turning it on. It opened to Data's service records which I had been reading the night before. I scrolled up to look at his photo once more, stopping to think. I had never seen or interacted with an Android before. Someone alive but artificial. I tried to think of how our interaction would be. What would he do? Say? Would he reject me completely or would he treat me like one of his friends?

I bit the nail on my thumb. The way Counselor Troi described it… it was as if Data was already in a suicidal state. He had given up on trying to figure out and understand these emotions and started begging them to take him apart. I wonder if….

I closed the program and located the files Troi had sent me. It looked to be about a month's worth of logs. Personal logs, official logs, notes on appointments between Data and Troi, and security logs. Not just from the counselor but from other members of the ship as well. They started off short and passive but as things became more serious the length and the level of documentation increased significantly.

Everyone was optimistic and supportive of Data's choice to install the emotion chip he had been holding on to since the deactivation of his brother. Data was insistent on getting it installed as well. From a report filed by Geordi LaForge, he was hesitant on the idea but Data had said he felt he was at his limit to the things he could learn or currently accomplish and was ready for the next step. He installed this feature and after a recorded overload it had fused itself to Data's positronic matrix. Geordi had tried to find ways to remove or dampen the effects of this chip but was unsuccessful.

Recent notes stated that their friendship was currently strained and Geordi refuses to visit Data since his last recorded outburst of anger. On that day, Data had begged for Geordi to disassemble him again and this resulted in an argument where Geordi ended up injured. It was a mild injury, but it had greatly upset both of them.

I sighed, reclining myself more into the sofa. I reached over and took a drink before setting it back on the table. Should I invite Data to breakfast tomorrow? Or perhaps it was smarter to introduce myself first and assess his mental state. The logs showed little contact with him since the injury. The Captain was the only visitor just a few days ago and he reported nothing of significance.

My mind grew too tired for work so I switched to my mail to send my mother a message. I didn't say much, but I let her know that I had safely made it aboard. I left out the scary details of the transporter experience as I knew it would unnerve her. She, after all, was against me leaving the planet. She tried to talk me out of it but I would not listen. I longed for the opportunity. For the adventure. Although I felt under-qualified and unprepared, I was determined to help.