Author's Note: Thank you all for your kind words, kudos, favourites, reviews, and support.
This is the LAST chapter on the Edo. I promise this time! Up next we've got Q, the Traveller, and a holodeck adventure in store!
As always, this is a work of fan fiction for entertainment only!
Now just grab a cuppa, sit back, and imagine:
Majel Barrett's voice: And now the conclusion….
When they beamed back aboard the Enterprise the next morning, Data was ready to get work on finding the link between the storm and the meteor shower.
Stepping onto the Bridge, Captain Picard was looking pleasantly relaxed after having seventy-two hours rest.
"Was it as good as reported?" Riker asked eagerly.
He was on the beta shift and was looking forward to enjoying his time on shore leave.
"Oh, I think you'll like it, Number One," Picard said as he took his seat in the command chair.
"They're wild in some ways, actually puritanical in others. Neat as pins, ultra-lawful, and they make love at the drop of a hat," Geordi reported.
"Any hat," Tasha added as she made eye contact with Data briefly before he turned in his Operations seat to face the viewscreen.
"Any negatives?" Riker questioned.
"There was a large storm the first night," Worf explained. "Otherwise, the weather was most pleasant."
"No problems?" Riker asked in disbelief.
"None, sir," Tasha responded.
"But there is a problem here, Captain," Data said as he scanned the readings on his console.
"It's a faulty reading that I reported on our first day, sir," Lieutenant Wu advised.
She had been the Lieutenant sitting in at the Operations post during alpha shift the last three days.
"I'm reading something off the starboard bow, but there is nothing there," Data explained.
"Sensor technicians are working on it, sir. They've identified a glitch in the system," Tasha said as she scanned the report at the Tactical station.
"Captain, with your permission, I'd like to begin beaming our people down for the second shore leave rotation," Riker requested.
"Of course," Picard nodded.
Tasha and Worf joined Commander Riker, Counsellor Troi, and the Crushers on the transport pad. Although they were beaming back down to the planet, this time Tasha and Worf were there in their roles as security officers, just as Lieutenants Moran and Ross had done during the first rotation.
Several of the Edo came running over upon their arrival to greet them.
"You have returned with your second grouping!" Liator said as he greeted the team.
"Health and happiness," Rivan said as she greeted Commander Riker with a hug.
"This is Counsellor Troi," Riker said as he introduced Liator to Deanna.
"Slowly, slowly. I must welcome this lovely one," Liator said as he leaned down to give Deanna a hug.
"Healthy sensuality, sir. I feel mainly friendship and happiness," Deanna reported as she read their feelings.
"Welcome back huge one," Rivan said as she threw her arms around Worf in a warm embrace.
"Nice planet," he said seriously as he caught Tasha holding back a smile.
"You have returned," Farren said brightly as she gave Tasha a hug.
Deanna gave Tasha an inquisitive look as she read the feelings coming from Farren.
"That's a story for the Circle of Secrecy," Tasha whispered to Deanna as Farren moved on to hug Commander Riker.
Back aboard the Enterprise, Data and Geordi had traced the strange sensor readings back to some kind of object that was in orbit around the planet. They still did not have a visual, but their investigation had been thorough.
"Captain, it's like a shadow," Geordi advised from the helm.
"Exactly, as if it were neither in nor out of our dimension," Data added.
Despite his attempts to enhance the sensors and adjust their frequency, Data was unable to get a lock on the mysterious object.
There was a growing sense of trepidation in his positronic brain.
"It is not cloaked. And it is neither Romulan nor Klingon," Data explained. "Whatever is sitting out there it is doing so without triggering our alarm relays, sir."
Captain Picard ordered them to centre the main viewer on the area.
"Enterprise to object off our starboard bow. Request that you identify yourself," Data ordered.
They were hailing on all frequencies in all languages in hopes that whatever was out there would respond.
Suddenly, a mysterious looking ship materialised off the starboard bow. Data was picking up definitive signs of something onboard, not necessarily humanoid life, but definitely an energy pattern that signalled intelligent life.
As a precaution, Captain Picard ordered shields and deflectors up.
"There's a message coming through, Captain. It reads 'stand by'," Geordi said with confusion.
"Be safe, and don't do anything I wouldn't do," Beverly said as she gave Wes a hug.
Although she had anticipated he would want to spend his shore leave on the Enterprise, Wesley had eventually decided he wanted to head down to the planet. Beverly had found him lodging in the main Edo village and Tasha and Commander Riker had both promised to help keep an eye on him.
"I'll be fine, mom," Wesley said.
Beverly gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then joined a group of Edo that would be heading to the lodge where she was planning to stay. It wasn't far outside of the main village, but it was far enough that Doctor Crusher would get some time alone.
Wesley joined a group of young Edo while Commander Riker and the gang headed off to the main building in the centre of the village.
"This is the good life, Worf," Riker said with a grin as he took in the sights surrounding them. "What did you spend your time doing?"
"A quiet lodge on the backside of the mountain," Worf said cryptically.
"Quiet huh?" Riker said with a smile.
"Commander, I'm sensing there is something wrong," Deanna said as her eyes grew wide. "Something is wrong up on the Enterprise."
Commander Riker tapped his combadge to contact the Enterprise but there was no response.
"This isn't like last time," Tasha said. "Last time there was a storm."
She was right, the sky was clear blue and there was hardly a cloud in it.
"Tasha, how long would it take to round all of our people up?" Riker asked.
"Thirty minutes, maybe twenty if we split up," Tasha advised. They weren't incredibly spread out yet, so it was still reasonable to assemble the crew.
All of a sudden, she had an idea that might speed up the process.
"Liator, do you have any security or police?" she asked. "The people that enforce laws?"
"Oh, we have very few. They are called Mediators," Rivan explained.
"Could these Mediators help us gather our people up?" Tasha asked.
"They are only ever needed in one place each day," Rivan said.
"The punishment zone. It is an area that's selected for a period of time," Liator described.
"No one but our Mediators know what place or for how long. We're very proud of the wisdom of our ancestors. No person knows where or when a zone will be nor for how long," Rivan went on.
Tasha suddenly felt an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach.
"So, no one ever breaks any laws," Liator explained.
"Because no one wants to risk death," Rivan finished brightly.
"Death?" Worf asked angrily.
Tasha met his eyes and wordlessly they shared the same thought.
"Yes, death for breaking any law. One punishment for any crime," Liator said.
"Even a small thing, like keep off the grass?" Tasha inquired.
Rivan nodded.
"Then no breaks that rule. Who wants to risk execution? And there's always a white wall or fence to remind anyone of a forbidden area," she said.
"And just who tells visitors about these rules?" Tasha asked heatedly.
Back aboard the Enterprise, they were monitoring a small orb that had somehow penetrated both the shields and hull. It had travelled through the corridor, drifted through main Engineering, and eventually emerged on the Bridge.
It was a small orb and Data's optical scanner determined it was approximately eight centimetres in diameter. It appeared to be a glowing mass, and it was off the charts when it came to energy readings. His working theory was that it must be some kind of advanced probe and not a weapon as it appeared its purpose was to collect information rather than inflict damage.
The globe of light hovered in front of the viewscreen briefly.
"We've lost contact with our people on the surface," Data advised.
His neural net began to race with concerns. Unable to control his thoughts, his mind was overtaken by the thought this strange intruder had to be related to the storm, the meteor shower, and their communication problem.
Deductive reasoning. He mused to himself.
"STATE THE PURPOSE," a loud, forceful voice said.
The noise was loud enough that it caused the entirety of the Enterprise to shake. It was so powerful that Data's audio receptors were lightly damaged by the vibration.
The orb seemed to adapt and adjust the volume. It repeated its question at much more natural volume for humanoid ears.
Captain Picard stepped forward and introduced himself, but the orb seemed unimpressed with his answer.
"We are visitors," Picard explained.
"Do you plan to leave lifeforms here as well?" the orb inquired.
"No, we are merely visiting," Picard stated.
"But you did more on another world," the orb said angrily. "You left lifeforms."
"We are colonising an uninhabited world," Picard said acknowledging their recent nearby trip to the Strnad colony. "Life on our world is driving to protect itself by seeding itself as widely as possible."
"Do not interfere with my children below," the orb commanded.
The orb drifted around the Bridge before setting in front of Data.
He couldn't explain it, but he could sense the orb was probing his neural net. They could communicate wordlessly as if the orb could read his thoughts.
'You are a being of more sophisticated electronic makeup than those of flesh,' Data heard the voice say in his head.
Focusing his attention, Data tried to mentally ask the orb who or what it was.
'You do not like us probing your thoughts,' the orb said.
Data was afraid. It was true, he did not like the idea that the orb could probe his mind. It felt like a violation of his privacy and he had to surpass the urge to shudder.
'We do not wish to harm you. Do you consent to an information exchange?' the orb inquired.
He was unsure how he could tell, but he just knew – this orb was powerful but not malevolent. Listening to his gut, he decided to rely on the feeling.
"Captain, I do not understand how, but it is asking me if I was constructed for information exchange," Data said aloud.
A part of Data hoped the Captain would say no, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of sharing his mind with this mysterious orb.
"If there is any way of finding out whatever is out there, Data," Picard began to say.
In his mind, Data understood the Captain's wishes. Despite his reservations, he felt his duty to Starfleet required him to open his mind to the orb.
Wordlessly, the orb sensed this.
It moved close and attached itself to Data's forehead, entering his positronic brain in both a literal and figurative sense.
As soon as it made contact, Data fell back hard against the floor of the Bridge, unable to control himself.
Geordi rushed over and knelt down next to Data.
"Captain, these energy readings are off the charts," Geordi said as he scanned Data and the orb with his VISOR. "I can't make heads or tails of it."
"Lieutenant Hawk, although our communications are down, is the transporter functioning?" Captain Picard inquired, turning back to the Tactical panel behind his command chair.
Lieutenant Hawk scanned the transporter function readings and nodded.
"Yes, sir. The transporter is still online," Hawk advised.
"I want Doctor Crusher beamed back aboard immediately," Picard ordered.
"Aye, sir," Hawk acknowledged as he punched in the transporter command.
Down on the surface of the planet, Doctor Crusher was barely to the edge of the Edo village when she felt herself begin to dematerialise.
"Nurse Ogowa to Enterprise," Nurse Ogowa said as she tapped her combadge.
"What's going on?" Lieutenant Powell asked.
"I don't know but there must be some kind of emergency if they beamed Doctor Crusher back without warning," Nurse Ogowa explained.
She tapped her combadge and tried to hail the Enterprise again but there was no response.
"Something is wrong," Powell said.
A moment later Worf came running toward them.
"Where is the Doctor?" Worf asked urgently.
"She was beamed away," Powell informed him.
"Lieutenant, please. What's going on?" Nurse Ogowa asked.
"We need to get everyone back to the main village. Do not touch or cross any white barriers. It seems these people have a strange law. Young Mr Crusher has been arrested and we need to be sure no one else breaks their rules," Worf advised.
It didn't take them long to assemble everyone that had beamed down thus far. They were only about ten percent into the transport when the combadges went offline. Thankfully, the bulk of the crew were still aboard the Enterprise.
Commander Riker, Counsellor Troi, and Tasha were with Wesley in a room where they were holding him.
"Where's my mom?" Wesley asked as he saw Worf return alone.
"It seems she was beamed back aboard the Enterprise," Worf said.
The senior officers exchanged a look. There had to be some kind of trouble up on the Enterprise if they had pulled Doctor Crusher despite the combadges being down.
"Alright, I'm going to speak with Liator to see if we can determine what's blocking our communication signal," Riker ordered. "Deanna, I want you to speak with the Elders. See what you can find out about this God they keep referencing."
"Commander, you're not going to leave me alone?" Wesley asked Riker, gripped by fear.
"Of course not," Tasha said as she took his hand. "I'll stay right here with you. And nobody is going to hurt you."
Riker nodded in agreement. It was best to keep a security detail with Wesley for the time being and he knew he could count on Tasha to keep him safe.
"Worf, I need you to keep our people in line," Riker commanded. "Keep your chin up, Wes. We'll get you out of here."
"Sir, if communication is restored, I think we need to be cautious about how we inform Doctor Crusher of what has transpired," Deanna advised.
"Understood," Riker said solemnly.
Twenty-two minutes later, Tasha's combadge pinged and she was relieved to hear the voices of both Captain Picard and Commander Riker.
Picard was now apprised of the situation and took it upon himself to inform Doctor Crusher. Picard also informed them that he would beam down to the planet following the discussion.
"Captain Picard is going to be pretty angry with me," Wesley thought aloud.
He was pacing back and forth in the room. The Edo did not have any kind of holding facilities. As they had only one punishment, there had not been a need for any sort of jail cell for hundreds of years. Instead, they were waiting in a side room off of the main hall.
"You didn't know. This isn't your fault, Wesley. Captain Picard is going to sort it out," Tasha said, trying to reassure him.
"Still, this is all my fault," Wesley said as he slumped down onto one of the cushioned benches.
Suddenly, Tasha's combadge pinged.
"Lieutenant Yar?" Beverly's voice rang out. "Is my son alright?"
"Doctor, yes. He's here. We're going to get him out of here," Tasha replied.
"May I speak with him?" Beverly asked.
Beverly was alone in her office in sickbay. She had slipped away for a moment and was trying her best to keep her calm. She trusted Jean-Luc, but there was no amount of trust that would reassure her everything would be alright until her son was back, safe aboard the Enterprise.
"Of course," Tasha said.
She detached her combadge and handed it to Wesley. She moved to step away and give them some privacy, but Wesley looked back at her- eyes wide with fear- and Tasha found she couldn't leave him.
"Mom," he said as he tapped the badge.
"Wes, how are you doing?" Beverly asked.
"I'm fine, Mom," Wes replied.
He didn't feel fine, but he didn't want to scare her. Truth be told, he didn't want to admit to himself how not fine he truly felt. He was scared of the Edo. He was worried he had let Captain Picard down. And he was confused by all of it.
"Wes," Beverly said, as if she could sense his feelings.
"I'm not fine, Mom. I'm…I'm…I want to go home," Wesley said, unable to put words to his fear.
Tasha threw an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, her nurturer instinct kicking into full gear.
"You're not alone," Tasha said.
"Do you think Captain Picard is going to be angry?" Wesley asked his mother.
"Wes," Beverly said.
Alone in her office, she closed her eyes for a moment and steadied her voice. She didn't want to alarm him. She also didn't want him to misunderstand her. She was incredibly proud that, even in this moment, his concern was for letting down the Captain rather than his own safety.
Just like his father. She mused to herself.
Tasha didn't need to be in the same room to sense this was probably hitting a little too close to home for Beverly.
"Captain Picard is going to get you out of here. He is not going to be angry with you," Tasha said, tapping the badge in Wesley's hand.
"I will beam down and join you as soon as I can, Wesley," Beverly explained.
"Mom, I want you here," Wesley confessed.
"Soon, son. I promise," Beverly said, her voice shaking.
She cleared her throat before continuing.
"I need to speak with Lieutenant Yar now, Wesley," Beverly advised. "Alone."
"About me? About what happens if Captain Picard can't save me?" Wesley said sadly as he looked at Tasha.
He didn't want to be alone. He wanted his mother. And most importantly, he didn't want to be left out of any conservation about his execution.
"Actually, I need to ask Lieutenant Yar some security questions about Mr Data," Beverly explained.
Tasha's breath hitched for a moment, suddenly afraid of what was coming next. As much as she valued the private nature of their relationship, one look from Wes's sad brown eyes and she couldn't find it in her heart to tell the kid to scram.
She brought a finger to her lips to indicate to Wesley he could stay if he were quiet.
"Go ahead, doctor," Tasha said as she tapped her badge.
"I need to know if Data has some sort of reboot or activation option," Doctor Crusher said.
Tasha felt like she couldn't breathe.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I'm not exactly sure," Beverly told her.
Doctor Crusher explained that there was something drifting in space near the Enterprise.
It was like a ship, but it wasn't entirely there – like a non corporeal being. Some kind of object had drifted from the ship and attached itself to Data.
He had collapsed on the Bridge. A moment later the orb had shrunk in size before disappearing into Data's head.
They had taken him to Sickbay, but Doctor Crusher was concerned about the readings she was getting.
It was as if he were all over the place – his artificial circulatory system for temperature regulation was running at an alarming rate, he had had several convulsions not unlike a human seisure, and his brain scans were indicating sensations of pain and fear.
Tasha absorbed Doctor Crusher's words but was having a hard time accepting them.
"I'm worried this object is damaging him. If there were some way to shut him down or restart his system," Beverly trailed off. "I don't know what else to do and Geordi is trying to-"
"Run your hand along his spine until you feel a small ridge under the bioplast. In the lumbar region. Press it," Tasha said.
She knew about Data's deactivation switch.
She also knew that it was something he regarded as private information.
"Doctor, promise me you won't say anything in your report about the switch?" Tasha asked.
She also looked at Wesley who nodded in understanding.
"You have my word," Beverly said.
Beverly ran her hand along Data's back. She found the spot Tasha had mentioned. It was like a ridge under the skin. With two fingers she gently pressed the spot. Instantly, Data's eyes stopped flipping back and forth under his eyelids and his brain scans on the computer flatlined.
A moment later, Beverly watched with wonder as an orb of light appeared to travel out of Data's head. It floated above him for a moment before drifting through the hull and out into space.
Beverly looked back to the computer screen. There was still no brain activity coming from Data. She whipped out her tricorder and scanned it along his body looking for any signs of activity from his positronic brain.
Panic began to set in. If he were a human, she could diagnose the reason as to why his body had stopped functioning. But there was no amount of adrenaline hypospray that would help an android. Unsure of what to do, but know she needed to do something, Beverly ordered Ensign Black to grab the neurostimulator.
There was no way of knowing if it would work.
But she had to do something.
Down on the planet, Tasha was counting the time, each passing second feeling like an entirety as she waited.
"Tasha," Beverly's voice came softly from the combadge.
There was something very wrong, she could sense the hesitation in the Doctor's voice.
"What's wrong?" Tasha asked as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall.
A part of her didn't want to ask the question. But she had to know.
"I don't want to tell you like this. But, Tasha, he's not…there's no brain activity," Beverly said. "I've paged Geordi but the situation on the Bridge is critical."
Tasha didn't respond and Beverly didn't know what to say.
"I'm not exactly sure what to do here. I'm a doctor, not an engineer," Beverly said sadly.
Tasha's throat was tight. Her hands were balled into fists. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop the flow of hot tears that were threatening to leak down her face.
"I'm sure once Lieutenant La Forge is done on the Bridge, he can figure out what's going wrong with Mr Data," Wesley said in an attempt to be supportive.
"Everything went off after I hit the switch. It's like he's not rebooting," Beverly explained.
Tasha sat up and opened her eyes as a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Could it be that simple? She thought to herself.
"Doctor, did you press the deactivation switch once or twice?" Tasha asked. "Maybe you have to hit again to reactivate his system."
She metaphorically crossed her fingers in hopes that this would work.
Beverly found the switch again and pressed her fingers onto the ridge. As if on cue, the computer began to beep as registered brain activity.
Doctor Crusher smiled to herself, Data was coming back online.
"That was good thinking, Tasha," Beverly said as she monitored Data's readings.
Her tears flowed a little freer and as she found herself simultaneously laughing and crying.
At the very least, it had gotten young Mr Crusher to smile despite his situation.
"I need to run some scans. I'll be back in touch as soon as I can. And Tasha," Beverly said. "Watch over my boy."
There was a brief pause.
"Back at you, Doc," Tasha said as she tapped her combadge.
Aboard the Enterprise, Data stirred. Beverly watched as the brain scan began to suddenly show rapid brain activity. A second later, Data sat up.
His head was twitching involuntarily, and he seemed to be struggling to concentrate.
"I need to speak with-" he paused and grimaced as if in pain.
His brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it quickly, tilting his head to the left as if he were deep in thought. It was like he was unable to find the correct words.
He looked at Doctor Crusher pleadingly and tapped the pips on his collar four times.
"Data, I don't-" Beverly said as she shook her head.
Data looked frightened. He was rocking back and forth. After a moment, he tapped on his pips four times once again.
"Four. You need four what?" Beverly asked.
In his mind, Data could see exactly who he needed to speak with. But he was unable to state his request. The orb had nearly fried his neural net and Data knew it would take time for his system to correct itself from the surge that had scrambled his system.
Rocking faster he tried to reroute all of his free processing capacity into explaining his request.
"Make it so," Data said as he tapped his pips again.
Beverly nodded excitedly in understanding.
"Doctor Crusher to Captain Picard," Beverly said as she tapped her combadge with a smile. "Mr Data is awake and he's insisting on speaking with you."
"Then put him on the com," Picard ordered.
"It's hard to explain, sir. But I don't think that's going to be possible right now. You'll need to speak with him in person," Beverly advised.
Captain Picard was frustrated. Negotiations with the Edo were having little impact on the situation and Jean-Luc was having a hard time separating his role as Captain and his personal concern for the Crusher family. Between the communication and transporter issues they had experienced, he didn't feel right beaming back aboard the Enterprise and leaving Mr Crusher on the planet.
However, he knew that whatever information Data had gained from the mysterious object would be necessary to solving this enigma.
Picard was beamed directly to sick bay where he found Data sitting on an exam bed near Doctor Crusher.
"What can you tell me about this object?" Picard asked, eager for information.
"They communicated quite," Data paused. "I was about to say 'easily,' but there was nothing easy about it."
"Please, Data," Picard pressed.
Data closed his eyes and tried to formulate a coherent response.
"They, they overloaded my circuitry," Data said with considerable effort.
"They? You said 'they.' Is this some sort of people? Or vessel?" Picard inquired.
"They," Data nodded. "Not a single entity. They know the Edo worship them."
He could feel a few of his neural pathways had managed to unscramble and realign themselves.
"The dimension they occupy allows them to be in several places at once. They consider this star cluster to be theirs. It was unwise of us to place a human colony in this area. They are displeased with our capture of the Byaki creature at the colony. They regard it as one of their children, just like the Edo. There are other planets we could have colonised. The largest and closest of-" Data said.
He wasn't sure how long this level of comprehension would last and wanted to be sure to get out as much relevant information as he could.
"Data, don't babble," Picard said, his patience wearing thin.
Data looked at the Captain quizzically.
"Babble, sir? I am not aware that I ever babble, sir. It may be that from time to time I have considerable information to communicate, and you may question the way in which I organize it-" Data was again cut off by the Captain.
"Please organise it into brief answers to my questions," Picard said, exasperated. "We have very little time! Do we need to remove the colonists? Will they release Mr Crusher?"
"Undecided, sir," Data answered in his best attempt to be brief.
Picard's shoulders slumped. Leave it to Data to miss the nuance of his statement and swing the pendulum to the opposite.
"Data, please. Feel free to volunteer any important information," Picard said softly.
"I volunteer that they are now observing us," Data offered.
He didn't mean to sound flippant but most of his circuitry was still scrambled and he could sense that the programme that typically regulated his speech to an exceptionally polite pattern was not up to factory specs at the moment.
"To judge what kind of lifeforms we are?" Picard asked.
"Curiosity, sir. They do not expect us to abide by their value system," Data explained.
"Do they know of the Prime Directive?" Picard questioned, concerned.
He theorised this strange lifeform would consider violating the Prime Directive to be a sign of bad faith and a threat.
"They know everything I know, sir," Data advised darkly.
"And if we violate the Prime Directive?" Picard asked.
"It would be a case of judging us by our owl rules, sir. They cautioned not to interfere with their children below. The Edo are very precious to them," Data said.
He could see that Doctor Crusher seemed to be very emotional.
"What has happened?" Data asked as he pieced together something had to be wrong.
"The Edo want to execute my son. I will not allow that to happen, Jean-Luc," Beverly stated defiantly.
"Motherhood. Compared to all others felt by," Data stopped as his neural net began to race with the same feeling he had experienced back on the planet.
It was stronger than any desire he had ever experienced before – family was something he desperately longed for.
Suddenly the same orb from before floated through the hull of the ship. It danced around sick bay before settling in front of Data.
"No," Data said as he put his hand up to try and signal that he was not comfortable with doing it a second time.
"DO NOT INTERFERE WITH MY CHILDREN," the same strong voice from before said, shaking the ship and causing supplies in the medical storage to fall to the floor.
"Data, whatever you can do to communicate to this 'God' that we have no wish to interfere," Picard ordered.
"Sir," Data said pleadingly as the orb hovered inches away from his face.
"Data, please," Picard implored.
Thus far, Data had been their only link to the strange beings and Jean-Luc was going to do whatever he could to ensure the safety of Wesley Crusher.
The orb disappeared into Data's forehead. He slumped over and was caught by Captain Picard who pushed him back onto the table.
A moment later he began to spasm violently. Beverly looked to the viewscreen and could see the readings of fear and pain from earlier had returned.
"Captain, this is dangerous," Beverly warned. "Whatever this being is, it is scrambling Data's positronic brain and there's nothing I can do."
"Beverly, please," Jean-Luc said. "I'm trying to save your son."
It was hard for Captain Picard to watch but he had to make a choice and the choice he was making was for Wesley. He couldn't allow the boy to be executed. He admitted to himself, he did care more about Wesley Crusher than he ought to. And he knew a large part of that came from an unwarranted sense of duty to care for the boy after Jack's death under his command.
"I don't know how to communicate this to you, but the question of justice has concerned me greatly of late. We have no desire to interfere with your children. I am merely trying to reunite a mother with her child!" Jean-Luc said loudly to any deity or being that was listening.
Without warning, Data stopped convulsing. He sat up straight and opened his eyes.
"Our laws have been violated," he said in a neutral tone.
It was apparent the beings had overtaken his communication programme to use Data as an intermediary.
"My son had no warning," Beverly pleaded.
"We cannot permit ignorance to be a defence," Data replied plainly.
"I say to any being that is listening that there can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions," Captain Picard argued.
The beings did not respond. Data stared blankly at nothing for a few seconds.
"Captain, the object off the starboard side of the ship is pulling away," Geordi's voice rang out from the Captain's combadge.
"Is that a signal?" Beverly asked.
"I was hoping for more," Picard admitted.
He wasn't entirely certain that appeal for mercy had been successful.
Suddenly, Data fell back against the exam bed. A moment later the orb appeared to pull itself out of his forehead. It hung for a moment above his face.
"You are a most interesting lifeform," the commanding voice said. "We understand and share your desire for procreation. May your children be blessed with health and happiness."
Without another word, the orb flew over to the hull and disappeared out into the vacuum of space.
Beverly wanted to rush down to the planet and grab Wesley, but she knew she couldn't leave Data.
And unspoken understanding passed between the Captain and the Doctor.
"I will bring him home," Jean-Luc said softly.
Beverly nodded as she fought to keep her composure.
Captain Picard stepped out of sickbay while Beverly scanned Data. It appeared the spasms had stopped. His brain activity was minimal, but it was present and slowly growing.
She surmised she would not have to reboot him like she had earlier although she was deeply worried about what kind of lasting damage there may be to his system.
She didn't know how she would ever be able to thank him for going through that to help save her son. Beverly had no understanding of what he had experienced during his fusion with the beings, but she knew that it had driven his processing into overdrive.
After a moment, Data sat up and looked around as he took in his surroundings.
Beverly smiled and took hold of his hand.
"Mr Data, how are you feeling?" she asked.
His head flipped back and forth to the left and right quickly before it finally stilled. Beverly let go of his hands as he raised them in front of his face.
Eying his hands, he turned them over as he inspected each of his palms.
Data opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words there a garbled mechanical noise was emitted from his auditory programme.
Data closed his mouth quickly and tried to calm the sense of panic that was rising inside of him.
Doctor Crusher tapped her combadge and asked if Geordi could come down to sickbay.
"Damaged," Data said after a moment.
He could feel internally that his system was working to correct itself. But he also knew the damage was extensive and it would take time for all of his neural synapses to properly reroute themselves back to their correct functioning.
"You saved my son," Beverly said. "Thank you."
"Friend," Data replied as he looked at her.
"Yes, we are friends," Doctor Crusher said with a big smile.
Data shook his head. He could see the person in his mind that he needed but he didn't know how to communicate it. He didn't know their name.
"Geordi is coming to sickbay and will be able to help," Beverly explained.
"Geor…di?" Data asked, struggling to piece together the name.
Beverly nodded.
Strangely, Data began to hum. He knew deep down that he knew the words, but for some reason they were out of his grasp.
He brought his hand to his chest and continued to hum as he stared off into space.
Geordi stepped through the doorway and looked at Data, his face full of pity.
"Oh Data, what happened to you?" Geordi said as he scanned his friend's body.
It was evident there was some pretty extreme damage to Data's neural net and internal systems.
Data nodded to Geordi, trying to convey that he was glad to see him.
He put his hand on Geordi's shoulder and looked back at Doctor Crusher.
Data shook his head in the negative.
"Friend," he repeated.
"Tasha? Do you want Tasha?" Beverly asked, trying to understand.
"What is Tasha?" Data inquired as he tilted his head to the side.
Geordi froze. This was not a good sign.
There was something in the way Beverly and Geordi looked at him that told him whatever 'Tasha' was, it was a bad sign he didn't understand.
And that thought troubled him. Deeply.
Down on the planet, Wesley and Tasha were still sitting in the room. It had been quite some time since they had heard from anyone, but Tasha wasn't about to leave.
"I think it's grand, you know. You and Mr Data," Wesley said.
Tasha eyed him hesitantly, unsure of how to react.
"Everyone at school does," Wesley said with his signature smile.
Tasha was dumbstruck.
"You see we're all really fond of Mr Data, he's our favourite guest lecturer," Wesley explained. "And when word got around that he had a girlfriend we were all so proud of him."
Tasha blinked slowly, trying to fathom what Wesley was saying. She knew Data was a frequent guest lecturer at the school aboard the Enterprise. Geordi and Data did a weekly reading class for the primary aged kids. He also taught painting for the junior school and occasional exobiology lessons for the older students.
"He didn't say anything," Wesley said in an attempt to reassure her as he noted her surprise.
"Well then," Tasha said.
"I just, I wanted to say I think it's really neat. He treats us like people and not just a bunch of kids," Wesley confessed. "I don't have a lot of memories of my dad, but I'd like to think he'd be like Commander Data."
Tasha smiled to herself.
"He'd make a really great dad someday. That is if you ever thought about, well, you know," Wesley got quiet, suddenly feeling like perhaps he had stepped over a line before quickly adding "I'm sure he's going to be fine."
He glanced out the window and the circumstances of his imprisonment came back to the forefront. The sun was beginning to set.
As if on cue, a group of Edo led by Liator stepped into the room.
Tasha was quick to her feet and bowed politely to them.
"It is now sunset. We have upheld our end of the agreement to delay punishment until sunset. It is now time that we carry out punishment for the transgression," Liator said.
Tasha stepped in front of Wesley.
"I can't allow that," Tasha said.
"Our laws have been violated. What of justice?" Liator asked.
"What of justice for Wesley? Does he deserve to die?" Tasha replied.
"Our ways have served us for centuries. We must preserve our laws as sad as it may be," Liator responded.
"And you would execute a child to preserve them? Your system has failed this child," Tasha countered. "There can be no justice when the law is blind."
"Please step aside," Liator asked. "We do not wish to harm you."
"No," Tasha said, refusing.
There was nothing that could make her step aside and allow this to happen. Tasha pulled her phaser out and pointed it at the Edo.
"Yar to Enterprise, two to beam out at my position," Tasha instructed.
It was a direct violation of the Prime Directive, but she felt her obligation to the safety of a child on the Enterprise outweighed her duty to Starfleet.
"Belay that order," Captain Picard said as he stepped into the room, accompanied by Commander Riker and Deanna.
The Edo greeted Captain Picard with a curt nod. It was a far cry from the warm affection they had shown the crew only a few days prior.
"I am truly sorry our relationship has soured, Liator. Your people are wonderful, but this punishment is unacceptable," Captain Picard stated.
Suddenly, the room began to shake. Tasha grabbed Wesley and pulled him close as she gripped the wall to remain upright.
"THE CHILD WILL BE GRANTED MERCY," a powerful voice stated.
The Edo dropped to the ground in fear.
"It seems God agrees with you, Captain," Liator said apologetically.
Captain Picard motioned for Tasha and Wesley to join the other three for transport back to the ship.
As she passed by the Edo, a hand reached out and gripped Tasha's.
"I am sorry our friendship has had to end this way," Farren said.
"I am too," Tasha replied.
"Health and happiness to you and your pale one," Farren smiled sadly.
Tasha nodded, unsure of how to respond.
"Thank you, Liator," Captain Picard said. "Transporter Room, energise."
When they rematerialised on the transporter pad, Deanna looked over to Tasha and raised her eyebrow.
'Later' Tasha mouthed silently to her friend.
Deanna gave her quick nod to let her know she got the message loud and clear.
"Mr Crusher, if you will follow me to sickbay," Picard said as he stepped off the pad. "I believe the rest of you are needed on the Bridge."
The two headed off in the direction of sickbay while Commander Riker, Deanna, and Tasha made their way to the Bridge.
When she stepped onto the Bridge, Tasha noticed Data was not at his post.
"Where is Lieutenant Commander Data and Lieutenant La Forge?" Commander Riker asked Worf as he assumed the command chair until Captain Picard's return.
"They are in sick bay," Worf advised.
Tasha had to remind herself that she was on duty. As much as she wanted to race down to sickbay, they had agreed they could separate their relationship from their duties as Starfleet officers.
Stepping to the Tactical position, she assumed her post and tried to focus her thoughts on the console she was staring down at.
"Set a course for the Strnad colony, Ensign," Commander Riker ordered.
They had to return and begin the ugly process of relocating the colony they had worked so hard to set up.
Down in Sickbay, Beverly pulled both Captain Picard and Wesley into a strong embrace. She knew it was perhaps inappropriate, but in the moment she couldn't have cared less.
Beverly directed Wes to her office and Jean-Luc felt a strange, warm feeling when she invited him to join them with a wave.
"Jean-Luc, please," Beverly asked.
Data was still seated on the exam table as Geordi tried to make sense of what had happened.
The damage was extensive.
However, it didn't appear to be permanent. The being had completely scrambled his positronic matrix. Data's system was capable of correcting the issue on its own but Geordi surmised it would take about theiry-six hours to be fully corrected.
At the very least, it seemed that the more Data interacted, the faster his neural net was able to re-establish the correct pathways.
Maybe. Geordi thought, reconsidering his hypothesis as he observed Data at the science station in the corner.
Usually, Data's hands danced across a console, adeptly punching in commands at speeds that far exceeded human capabilities. Geordi had been watching Data for about ten minutes and there seemed to be no improvement.
"How is he?" Picard asked, stepping up next to Geordi.
"There's not much I can do. The damage isn't physical in a sense that I can fix it. Whatever that thing was, it scrambled his brain functioning. Data's system is working to correct itself but it's going to take time," Geordi explained.
Captain Picard furrowed his brow as he watched Data slowly tap the console in front of him.
"Based on what I've observed, I would say it will probably take thirty-six hours for all of his neural pathways to correctly reroute themselves," Geordi said.
Unbeknownst to Geordi and Captain Picard, Data was trying to access the personnel files. He could see her in his head – but he couldn't remember who she was. He knew that he knew her. He knew that she was special to him. And he knew that there were memories buried deep in his engrams that just weren't accessible at the moment.
Data also knew he was moving slowly. Although it would appear to be a casual pace for a human, it was a tortuously slow entirety for an android.
"There's another problem, Captain," Geordi said in a low voice as he turned to the Captain.
Captain Picard gathered from Geordi's voice that this was probably a personal matter.
"Data doesn't seem to have any memory of Tasha," Geordi said.
"I thought you said his system was working to correct itself?" Picard asked, not fully understanding.
"It is. But with you, me, hell even mundane things he has a sense. And the more I jog his memory the more it seems to come back to him – except when I ask about Tasha," Geordi explained.
"I see," Captain Picard said with a stiff nod.
"Is she on the Bridge? I think I better speak with her," Geordi suggested.
"Thank you, Lieutenant La Forge, but I am afraid this is my doing," Captain Picard said.
He didn't feel well. There was a sickening feeling that had settled in his stomach. It was the same feeling he had experienced when he'd carried Jack Crusher's body back to Beverly all those years earlier.
"Beverly, would you escort Mr Data to his quarters? Perhaps it will help him to repair his systems faster to be in a familiar setting," Picard commanded. "And Mr La Forge, if you will accompany me to my Ready Room. We have a meeting with what I anticipate will be a rather angry Security Chief."
Doctor Crusher escorted Data down to his quarters. Once they reached the door, he stepped inside and glanced around.
He circled the main room of his quarters as he took in the surroundings. There was a painting on the floor. It was leaning against the wall next to the door.
He knew it was recent because it hadn't been hung yet. There was blue water and large fir trees. His eyes followed the steam rising from the water upwards to the rocks and into the sky above. His fingers traced a streak of lightning that was painted across the sky.
He knew this painting was important. He could sense there was a memory, buried deep in his engrams.
But he wasn't able to access it.
Data set the painting down against the wall and looked to the built-in shelf along the side wall. There was a book there. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. It was a copy of the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Suddenly, he was struck by a memory.
"Don't ever change who you are, even if it's for me. Because I love you just the way you are – smelly pipe and all. Promise me this."
She had said those words to him in this very room. He could recall the sound of her voice, but he couldn't recall her name.
Data set the book down and turned to the plant in the corner. His informational databank told him the flower had a value of red 168, green 211, and blue 196. He knew it was a Himalayan blue poppy and he knew it was the same shade of blue as her eyes.
"She's beautiful," Doctor Crusher said, pointing to the flower as she stepped next to Data.
He was deep in thought as he stared at the flower.
"Jewel," Data said as he traced his fingers along the petal.
He began to hum. Beverly recognised it as the same tune he had been humming earlier in sickbay.
"Nothing but blue skies from now one," he sang softly.
The door to the turbolift opened. Tasha looked up from her console and locked eyes with Captain Picard and he and Geordi stepped onto the Bridge.
She knew something was wrong even before he asked her to step into his Ready Room.
When Geordi followed them in, Tasha felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.
Captain Picard motioned for them to take a seat as he stepped behind his desk.
"Lieutenant Yar, you are aware that Commander Data made contact with an alien entity," Picard said, struggling to explain the problem.
"We believe it nearly overloaded his system," Geordi said.
Tasha didn't respond.
"He's alert and active," Picard said. "But as Mr La Forge has explained to me, there appears to be damage."
"It's like whatever that orb was scrambled all of his neurological pathways. It's not something I can go in and fix. His system is going to have to correct itself. And it's working to do so, but it is going to take time," Geordi explained.
"But there's something else, isn't there?" Tasha asked.
She looked up from the floor and straight to the Captain.
"That's why I'm in here," Tasha said.
"Tasha, I want you to know that I ordered Commander Data to do whatever was necessary to communicate with the beings above the Edo planet and I take full responsibility for what has happened to him," Captain Picard said.
"I estimate it will take about thirty-six hours for his pathways to correctly reroute themselves," Geordi told her.
"Will one of you please just tell me what's happened?" Tasha said.
"It may change. This is all very new, and it may be that in time-" Captain Picard started to say.
"Captain, please," Tasha pleaded.
"The damage, Tasha. It appears the part of his brain that contains memories of people has been impacted," Captain Picard tried to explain.
"You mean me," Tasha said as she looked back down to the floor.
"He doesn't remember you," Picard said bluntly.
"At all?" Tasha asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"It's possible it may come back with time," Geordi said.
"The neural pathways of his brain just need time to realign but otherwise he's operating perfectly fine," Picard said trying to reassure her.
"Operating perfectly fine?" Tasha repeated. "Operating perfectly fine?"
Captain Picard figured it would be best to let her speak her mind. He felt horribly guilty about Data's condition, but it was a necessary choice in order to communicate with the beings.
"If he were human and this had happened, would you still say he was perfectly fine?" Tasha said angrily.
"Tasha, I take full responsibility for what has happened to Mr Data. And I want you to know how much I regret that it was necessary, but he was the only one that could-" Picard started to say but was cut off by Tasha.
"Because he's just a machine, right? Did you even consider his feelings in doing this? You would have asked a human before ordering them to something like this. But that doesn't matter with Data to you, does it? You only see him as an android. A machine. A tool," Tasha scoffed.
"Tasha," Geordi said in shock.
"Tasha, I am so sorry," Captain Picard said apologetically.
And he meant every word of it. His heart went out to her.
"Lieutenant La Forge, you mentioned that it seemed to stimulate his neural pathways when he interacted with familiar things?" Picard asked.
"Well yes, Captain. But that's just a theory," Geordi replied.
"He mentioned how much he enjoyed you reading to him," Picard said looking to Tasha. "Doctor Crusher is with him in his quarters. Lieutenant Yar, I don't want to see you back on the Bridge for the next thirty-six hours," Picard ordered.
"You're putting me off the Bridge?" Tasha asked irately.
"I'm asking you to take care of the person you love," Picard said.
When she stepped out of the Captain's Ready Room and onto the Bridge, she suddenly felt as if all of the eyes of the Bridge crew were on her. Geordi walked with her to the turbolift.
"Tasha, we're going to figure this out," Geordi said as he took hold of her hand.
She bit her lip to stop it from trembling.
"Why don't you go collect that book and I'll stay with Data until then," Geordi suggested.
Geordi headed off for Data's quarters while Tasha made her way to her own quarters.
As she made her way down the corridor, she tried to keep it together.
She knew she had to keep it together.
For Data.
Tasha felt horrible. She regretted having turned away all those months ago. She regretted that she had waited so long to tell him that she loved him. She couldn't put to words how much it hurt to know what he'd lost – not just their time together – but that he didn't know how much she really cared.
When she reached her quarters, she rushed to her bedroom to grab the book from her nightstand. As she stepped into the room, she spied the book on the edge of the nightstand where she had left it several days earlier.
As she reached for the book, she paused. Tasha turned to the built-in cabinet along her wall. She tapped the drawer and it opened. Inside, sitting on top of a clean uniform was a calabash pipe. It was a gift that she had been saving for him with the intention of presenting it to him once they had finished the Sherlock Holmes holodeck programme.
A tear escaped and ran down her face as Tasha traced her fingers along the black, curved stem.
She picked it up and sat down on the edge of her bed. She turned it over in hands and felt horribly guilty for the pipe Data had destroyed previously on her behalf.
She lay back on the bed and turned over. She pulled her legs up onto the bed. Clutching the pipe to her chest, Tasha curled up and let herself cry.
Down in Data's quarters, Geordi had joined Doctor Crusher.
Data was flipping through a stack of paintings that he'd found in his bedroom. He was looking for a clue – anything – that could help communicate.
He wanted to see her. He needed to see her.
"He's still having trouble communicating," Doctor Crusher said to Geordi.
Data sighed, frustrated, and set the stack of paintings back against the wall. His eyes drifted over to the wardrobe that was built into the wall.
He glanced at the bed and then back to the wardrobe. Data knew that he had no biological need for sleep, nor did he have many possessions.
And yet, there was a bed in his quarters.
For her. He told himself.
He looked back to the wardrobe, suddenly struck with an idea that perhaps there would be a clue to communicate to the people out in the main room who he wanted to see.
Data flung open the door to the cabinet. There wasn't much inside, but there was a dressing gown. He had seen her wear it. He could picture it in his mind. He pulled the garment off its hanger. Closing his eyes, he pressed it to his face and inhaled the scent of lavender.
"Data, do you want to play a round of cards?" Geordi suggested as he leaned against the doorframe.
He thought maybe something as familiar as cards would help to jog Data's memory.
Data turned to Geordi and cocked his head to the side. He set the dressing gown down on the bed and pushed past Geordi.
"Data?" Geordi asked as his friend passed him.
Unphased, Data headed straight for the door.
"Data, where are you going?" Geordi asked as he followed Data out into the corridor.
Data walked with speed and determination, counting each step as he headed for the turbolift. Geordi and Doctor Crusher rushed out after him, but it was as if he were ignoring their questions.
They managed to slip onto the turbolift before the doors closed and Geordi decided to try again.
"Data, where are we headed?" Geordi questioned.
"Maybe we should get you back to your quarters?" Doctor Crusher said as she put her hand on Data's shoulder.
Data looked down at her hand but said nothing.
As soon as the door opened, Data stepped out and made a quick turn to the left. He was walking fast enough that Geordi and Doctor Crusher had to jog to keep up with him.
"Slow down, Data," Geordi said but Data showed no sign of stopping.
Looking around, Geordi realised they were almost to Tasha's quarters.
Data rounded the corner outside of her quarters too fast and felt something – or rather someone – hit him and bounce off. His android frame was heavy. On instinct, he reflexively reached out and grabbed the hand of the person to stop them from falling back onto the floor.
"Data," Tasha said in shock.
He stared back at her. His breath hitched. He had hoped that when he saw her, he'd be able to place her name. But now here she was, in front of him, and he was still unable to put a name to her.
Data could see she had been crying.
She searched his face for any sign that he recognised her.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked.
He couldn't find her name, but he knew her.
He just didn't know how to communicate that to her.
It took him 1.87 seconds to formulate a response that would convey his meaning.
Gripping the sides of her face, he leaned down and kissed her.
"That's not exactly what I had in mind but it seems to be working," Geordi said in a low voice to Doctor Crusher.
After a moment, Data broke the kiss.
Tasha's hand moved to her mouth and traced across her lips in disbelief.
"Data, do you remember me?" Tasha asked.
She could see he was struggling.
"Gentleness and joy and love," he said as he ran his thumb along her cheek.
"Close enough," Tasha replied as she grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled him in for another kiss.
His hands found her waist.
Her back found the wall.
And their lips found each other.
"I think they can probably figure out the rest on their own," Geordi said as he grabbed Doctor Crusher's arm.
Later that evening, Beverly was back at her own quarters. She was seated on her sofa with her legs curled up underneath her and deeply engrossed in the pages of a novel Deanna had recommended to her.
There was a soft chime at the door, and she wondered who it could be at this hour.
She set her PADD down and pulled the sash on her dressing gown tighter. Checking her appearance once in the mirror, she smoothed her hair down and headed for the door.
"Captain," she said as the door slid open to reveal Jean-Luc leaning against the frame.
"Beverly," he said, standing up straight and adjusting his shirt.
She could see he was bothered by something.
"I wanted to make sure that your son is alright," Jean-Luc said.
"He's sleeping," Beverly smiled. "Why don't you come in?"
"I wouldn't want to impose," Captain Picard said as he shook his head, unable to look her in the eye.
"What's troubling you, Jean-Luc?" Beverly asked.
He didn't need to lift his head to know exactly the type of look she was giving him.
"Please," Beverly said as she stepped back.
They stepped into the main room of her quarters and Jean-Luc took a seat at the table. It was less intimate than the sofa and it allowed him to keep some much-needed professional distance.
Beverly stepped over to the replicator and ordered a cup of Earl Grey tea, hot. She set the saucer down in front of Jean-Luc and took the seat opposite of him.
"What's on your mind?" Beverly inquired.
She had known him long enough to know something was disturbing him. Jean-Luc took a slow sip of his tea and set the saucer back on the table. He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair.
"Was Wesley alright?" Picard asked.
"He's fine, Jean-Luc," Beverly assured him. "You know he was most worried he had disappointed you. Let you down."
"So much like his father," Jean-Luc said with a short laugh.
Beverly didn't respond immediately.
A wordless understanding passed between them - Jack.
Jack was one thing that had brought them together. It was also the thing that had hung between them, keeping them at a safe distance from one another.
"But that's not what's bothering you," Beverly said after a moment.
"This business with Commander Data has left me thinking about things that I've left unsaid," Jean-Luc said.
A moment of silence fell on the pair.
It was a subject they had danced around for the better part of a decade.
"Some things are better left unsaid," Beverly replied with a shy smile.
Stalemate.
Nothing had changed. Both of them unable to take the next step and yet simultaneously unable to let go of one another.
"Perhaps," he said as he cleared his throat.
There was another pause in the conversation, neither of them exactly sure what to say.
"You know I would have done anything to protect him," Picard said.
"I know," she said.
Jean-Luc knew he had to change the subject. The conversation was growing too intimate.
"How was he?" Picard asked.
"Data?" Beverly questioned as she sat up.
Picard nodded as he took another sip of his tea.
"Knowing I caused this memory loss weighs heavily on my conscience," Picard admitted.
"Oh, I think they're going to be just fine," Beverly said with a knowing smile as she leaned back in her chair.
Jean-Luc cocked his head at her as he raised an eyebrow, waiting for further elaboration.
"Well, I haven't been kissed like that in forever," Beverly said with a casual shrug.
"That good?" Jean-Luc asked, trying to suppress a smile.
"The kind of reunion I thought only existed in cheap holonovels," Beverly replied.
"Well, it seems some days there is justice," Captain Picard said as he felt some of the weight of Data's injury melt away.
It wasn't gone entirely, but there was enough relief that he'd be able to sleep now.