The Complication

by CharlieFenwick

Data struggles to reconcile the discrepancies between Tasha's verbal and nonverbal communication during and after the events of Ligon II. "Am I the 'complication?" Data asked. Data begins to develop emotions. Tasha/Data fluff & angst. Data/Geordi friendship. Covers the events of TNG season 1 with- missing scenes, original adventures, and some mild AU retelling of events.

64. Life As We Know It

Author's Note: You all are simply the best! I cannae tell you how reaffirming it is to wake up to your kind words, DMs, and support.

The events of Home Soil are going to play a significant role in Data's life – all the way up through The Compass (AKA our retelling of Picard).

When I set out to write this series, I really wanted to provide an immersive experience. The hope is to build on the Trek we know and love while upping the ante. The beauty of fanfiction is that without budget or production restraints, we are free to explore plots, subplots, character development, and relationships that fell by the wayside.

Home Soil is one of those storylines.

The events of this chapter are going to ripple down through Measure of a Man, The Offspring, the Borg arc, and the events of Picard.

I feel this is not only important to Data's development as an artificial lifeform, but also to his personal development as an individual.

Thank you for taking this journey with me!

---

"And there was no indication of anything unusual about his behaviour prior to leaving the canteen?" Data inquired.

"N-n-no," Sonya said as she tried to keep pace with the rest of the team.

Commander Data was a great deal taller than Sonya. The combination of his long legs and his concern for Geordi had him walking at a steady pace.

Even Tasha and Worf were almost jogging to keep up as they swept through the corridor.

"I want Jae, Jeffords, Olivet, and Wen geared up and ready to go in fifteen minutes. We'll rendezvous in Transporter Room Two and accompany the search team," Tasha ordered.

Tasha tapped her combadge to communicate these orders on to her team.

"Maybe there's a reason he went down there?" Deanna suggested.

"Geordi would not return to the planet without authorisation," Data said.

"Something's fishy," Riker commented.

He didn't like it one bit.

There was no explanation for the officers that had been attacked in the Transporter Room. They were not yet conscious to offer any information. Lieutenant La Forge's access codes had been used to override the security controls, disable the phaser alarm, and activate the transporter pad.

However, it remained unclear if Geordi did this of his own volition or under coercion. Either way, it had left everyone rattled.

After his abrupt departure and Sonya's discovery in the Transporter Room, she had radioed the Bridge.

The team had immediately sprung into action.

"You're really taking a whole Security team? Is Geordi in danger?" Sonya inquired.

"Ensign, why don't you head back to your quarters? We'll keep you posted once we know more," Tasha said.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Sonya asked.

"I'll meet you there," Tasha said, giving Worf's elbow a squeeze.

She paused and let the others walk past. Sonya stopped and watched them go.

"I-I want to help," Sonya insisted.

"I know," Tasha assured her.

She put her hand on Sonya's shoulder.

"We're going to do everything we can to find him," Tasha promised. "I understand you're worried about Geordi. But the best thing you can do to help is stay here."

Sonya was an engineer. She had never been on an away mission outside of simulations during her training.

"But-" Sonya protested.

"I recognise how worried you are. But Sonya, please. I know it's hard emotionally when you feel like you're waiting around. If you don't want to wait in your quarters, you're welcome to wait in the Security Office," Tasha offered as a compromise.

She could sense Sonya was itching to help.

But the last thing her team needed was someone to babysit down on the planet. There was no telling what they might beam down into. It could be a hostile welcome.

"Data's probably emotionally compromised too!" Sonya argued as she gestured down the corridor.

It was a ridiculous notion, but Sonya felt horrible for not immediately paging Security when Geordi walked out of the canteen. She felt like this was her fault.

If I only had paged them straight away. Then none of this would have happened. Sonya lamented.

"We're all concerned for Geordi. But Commander Data is trained for situations like this," Tasha explained.

She avoided using the words 'possible combat situation' in order to avoid scaring Sonya.

"I promise that I will keep you in the loop," Tasha said as she gave Sonya's shoulder a quick squeeze.

Sonya didn't know what to say.

It all felt wrong.

Before Sonya could say anything more, Tasha was off – there was not a moment to waste.

Sonya closed her eyes and fell back against the wall with a sigh, trying desperately to push away the queasy feeling in her gut.

---

When she reached the Security office, most of the team was already geared up and ready to go.

Except Data.

He was right by the door, itching to get down there and find Geordi.

"Commander, your gear?" Tasha inquired.

"I do not require a pack," Data responded automatically.

"Sir, we're beaming down into a possible RHS," Tasha said quietly.

She didn't want any of the others to overhear their disagreement lest they mistake a professional back and forth for a personal conflict.

Tasha also wanted to give Data the respect he deserved as a senior officer. She did not want to openly question his judgement in front of the other crew members.

"We should depart," Data advised.

Tasha subtlety put out a hand to stop him.

"Sir, please. I don't want to override you," Tasha pleaded in a hushed voice.

There were very few situations in which she had the authority to overrule a senior officer – but beaming down into an RHS - "Rapid and/or Hostile Situation" - was one of them.

As they were still working with the possibility of Romulan or Cardassian interference, Tasha wasn't going to take any chances.

Someone had stunned those officers in the Transporter Room.

"I'll show you where the gear is located, sir," Tasha said, directing Data to the locker room.

It wasn't necessary. Data had every millimetre of the ship denoted to memory. But Tasha needed to talk to him before the mission.

And she needed to talk to him alone.

As soon as the door was closed, Data made quick work of gearing up – attaching a disruptor blast dampening tactical vest and a holster for a level two phaser.

"Thank you, sir," Tasha said once the door closed.

"The irony of you insisting on these safety measures is not lost on me," Data remarked.

Tasha bit her lip.

It wasn't like Data to act callous.

"No one would blame you if you sat this one out," Tasha suggested. "I'm sure we could use your assistance from on the Bridge."

Data turned and focused his attention on securing the latch of his holster around his thigh. While such a task would normally only take him a fraction of a second, Data was doing it at an intentionally slow pace as to avoid Tasha's gaze.

All of a sudden, Data felt her hands on either side of his face. Tasha encouraged him to look up.

"Data, I need to know if you've been emotionally compromised," Tasha said as they locked eyes on one another.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Data?" Tasha inquired.

Data reached up to grip her hands.

"Knowing Geordi is down there and in danger is most troubling," Data confessed. "But I must admit that the thought of you going after him alone is more emotionally distressing than I believe I am capable of handling at this time."

It was bending the rules of their agreement to keep their personal relationship separate from their duties, but Tasha knew Data needed some emotional support.

She leaned forward, closing the distance between them to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Let's go find Geordi," she said.

---

Captain's Log. Stardate 41317.4. What began as routine detour to check on a communications breakdown with the Velara III terraforming project has turned into a murder investigation and now a possible rescue mission.

Forty-eight minutes ago, Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge beamed down to the planet without authorisation. All attempts at communication have gone unanswered. We can only speculate that he has been coerced by whoever is responsible for killing the Hydraulics Specialist, Arthur Malencon, and the mysterious attack on Commander Data.

Commander Riker is leading an away team down to the surface to try and locate Lieutenant La Forge.

Meanwhile, the crew from the terraforming station will remain aboard the Enterprise whilst Doctor Crusher continues her analysis.

---

The team rematerialised in the storage locker of the terraforming base. It had been Worf's suggestion and one that Tasha had welcomed. The storage locker was located near the main operations centre and would provide good cover if they ran into a firefight.

Fortunately, their arrival seemed to have gone unnoticed.

Worf took the point position as they made their way out of the room and into the corridor. Crouched against the wall, the team approached the operations centre.

Data's system had the ability to release excessive condensation from his temperature regulation system through a rapid cooling process.

It was rare such a procedure was required. Data had only used it a handful of times – namely during an assignment on Quelios IX where the average air temperature hovered around 58°C during the daytime.

His body would implement a rapid cooling in order to maintain processing functionality. This creative excessive condensation. To preserve his circuitry, this condensation was evacuated by seeping through his bioplast.

In essence, it was similar to perspiration.

And for Data this was an uncomfortable feeling.

As he gripped his phaser, he could feel that his palms were sweaty. Data calculated this caused a fourteen percent decrease in his ability to properly carry the phaser.

That inability meant he was twelve-point eight percent more likely to make an error.

Both were unsettling thoughts.

This was Geordi and Data could not afford to make any mistakes.

Data realised this must be what it felt like for humans as they experienced fear and anxiety. In this instance, Data did not want these emotions. It was one human experience he would be glad to never go through again.

As the crept closer to the operations centre, Worf paused.

Silently he put up his hand to signal for the team to stop.

Data's artificial breathing programme slowed as he waited in the corridor. Staying low, Worf peered around the corner to assess the situation.

The emergency lights were no longer operating, and the terraforming base was dark.

Worf gave the team a small nod and they fanned out into the operations centre, clearing behind each corner and panel as they went.

There had been no team of Romulans or Cardassians waiting for them – a notion that proved more disconcerting.

"Run a sweep for any explosives," Tasha ordered, turning to Lieutenant Olivet.

She nodded and extracted her specialised Security tricorder and began to scan the immediate area. Worf and Ensign Jeffords began to examine the nearby consoles for any signs of tampering.

"Lieutenant Yar?" Riker questioned.

"Our friends across the Neutral Zone have a knack for rigging explosive welcomes. The team that beamed down to the planetary expansion projection on Starbase 45 found that out the hard way," Tasha replied as she swept part of the room with her tricorder.

All of a sudden, she frowned.

"What is it?" Data demanded.

"I'm not seeing any signs of an explosive here. But there's a power drain," Tasha reported.

"That would explain why these terminals are all down," Worf said.

"And why the emergency lighting is off," Riker chimed in.

Data's neural net fired rapidly as he tried to theorise what could possibly be causing a power drain.

"Where is the power draining to?" Data inquired.

Something had to be consuming the power.

Tasha looked up and locked eyes with Data.

"The control centre," Tasha said darkly.

---

To Tasha's relief, Data hadn't raced out of the operations area. He'd followed Commander Riker's orders – allowing the Security team to clear each corner and conduct a quick sweep as they advanced their position.

The control centre was the central hub of activity. Located on the opposite end of the base, it served as a joint security checkpoint and secondary operations backup. From the control centre, anyone could use sensors to track the crew, monitor the progress of the project, and control the life and environmental systems.

As the crew approached the control centre, they noticed flashing lights.

"This is similar to the blinking phenomenon Geordi and I observed in the bore tunnel," Data advised.

They were approximately ten metres from the door to the control centre when Worf ran straight into a forcefield.

He stumbled back from the impact and Commander Riker and Data caught him.

"Obviously someone is in there," Worf grumbled.

"And they don't want us disturbing them," Tasha thought aloud.

All of sudden, the klaxons on the base began to sound.

"What now?" Riker shouted above the siren that was blaring in the corridor.

"Sir, I'm reading a build-up of energy in the generator we brought down," Jeffords warned.

Data and Tasha exchanged a dark look.

Yesterday the team had brought down a portable power source in order to complete their investigation. It was situation in the control centre.

"How much damage could-" Tasha began to ask.

"Considerable," Data replied, anticipating her question.

Data stepped up to examine the forcefield at close range. He scanned the walls and ceiling looking for any clue as to the emitter's location.

"We must find a way through this before-" Data trailed off.

As he had reached up to gently tap the forcefield, Data's hand went straight through it.

Curious, Data retracted his hand and then tried again. Once more, it was able to pass straight through with no resistance.

Feeling confident he would not suffer any adverse impact, Data stepped through to the other side.

He turned back around to the group.

"It would seem this forcefield is calibrated only to stop organic lifeforms," Data surmised. "The technology necessary to create such an intricate and specific barrier would require incredible programme skills."

"Like Lieutenant La Forge's capabilities?" Tasha inquired.

Data shook his head.

"Perhaps Lieutenant La Forge, myself, and Chief O'Brien together," Data responded as he admired the barrier. "It is a remarkable feat of engineering."

"Data, get in there and see if you can disable it," Riker ordered.

"Yes, Commander," Data responded.

There was no hesitation in his voice, but Tasha knew Data was feeling it in his heart.

Data made his way over to the door and tentatively stepped forward to activate the automatic opener. When it did not respond, Data reached forward and gripped the opposing sides.

Geordi is likely inside. Data reminded himself.

Using his android strength, Data forced open the bulkhead door.

He was immediately met by phaser fire. Data rolled back behind the door just in time. The beam hit the forcefield and was absorbed.

Data carefully glanced around the corner of the door to get his first look inside the room.

"Geordi!" Data said in alarm.

He ducked just in time as another phaser blast rippled past the door.

Data noticed that the phasers were firing from an automated defence system that was built into the ceiling. The room was circular and similar in size to the hydraulics chamber.

Geordi was standing at one of the main terminals. He was typing furiously at the computer system.

"Geordi," Data called out.

There was no response.

Dodging phaser fire, Data carefully crept into the room and close to Geordi. As he drew closer, Data realised the phasers were closing in on his position. They were focusing their fire pattern in order to trap him.

As best as Data could tell, the phasers were powered by the portable generator that the team had brought down. It ran on a small dilithium shard. From where Data was near the floor, hugging the back of a science terminal, it appeared that the generator had been tampered with.

It was going to overload and blow.

Data looked from Geordi to the generator and back again.

Geordi's help would be beneficial. Data thought.

"Geordi," Data said as he came up behind him.

Data had only tapped his shoulder.

Geordi turned around quickly – his phaser aimed directly at Data.

"Geordi?" Data repeated in confusion.

Geordi said nothing. It was almost like he was in a trance. Fortunately, Data's quick reflexes allowed him to detect the minute movement in Geordi's hand as he pressed to activate the phaser.

Data rolled out of way just in time. It took him less than a second to determine it would be best to roll toward the generator.

Data was able to easily identify the proper cord and detach the generator from the Security console that controlled the overhead phasers.

One less threat. Data thought with satisfaction.

But there was no time to celebrate. Geordi shifted and trained his phaser in Data's direction, firing once again. Just as before, Data managed to duck out of the way before it could impact his body.

In disabling power to the Security station, Data had also knocked out the forcefield in the corridor. He could hear that there was backup on the way.

Worf was first to the door.

Not anticipating an attack from Geordi, Worf was hit squarely in the chest. The force was enough to send him back into Lieutenant Olivet and Ensign Jeffords as he collapsed onto the floor.

Commander Riker and Tasha took up positions on the opposite sides of the door as Jeffords drug Worf down the corridor to safety.

"Looks like a level six phaser hit," Jeffords informed them.

"Get him back onto the Enterprise," Riker ordered.

Jeffords tapped his communicator and requested an immediate medical beam out.

As they dematerialised, Tasha and Riker evaluated their plan of attack.

It seemed the only person in the room was Geordi – and he had a phaser aimed directly at their sole access point.

While Geordi was distracted by the team at the door, Data crept out from behind the console where he had sought shelter.

Everything inside Data was screaming it was wrong, but he felt he had no choice other than to hit Geordi from behind with a phaser.

Reluctantly, Data pressed the trigger.

Instead of knocking Geordi to the ground, the phaser blast didn't seem to have any effect other than alerting Geordi to Data's presence.

Data found himself perplexed. His phaser had been set to level three. That setting should have been more than enough power to incapacitate a human.

Geordi turned in an almost cold, mechanical manner and took aim at Data.

"I am sorry," Data confessed before pressing the trigger to fire again.

Geordi stumbled back into the panel behind him as the blast rippled through his body. He then straightened up and took a step toward Data.

Convinced phasers weren't the answer, Data was about to physically restrain Data when Tasha jumped up from behind catching Geordi with another phaser blast.

It seemed his system had finally taken enough hits to go down.

Geordi collapsed on the floor.

Data rushed over to him, kneeling by his side.

"Geordi," Data said softly as he rolled him over.

"Data, the generator," Tasha reminded him.

Neither her nor Riker were capable of deactivating the overloaded equipment.

Data paused as he squeezed Geordi's arm.

"Data," Tasha urged.

She hated that she had to do so, but if Data didn't get it squared away quickly then none of them would be walking out – including Geordi.

Data understood. He turned his attention to the generator. The indicator light on the side was already reading a dangerous pressure level. Data quickly calculated that he had less than two minutes to deactivate the power cell before it would reach a critical level.

He reached down and attempted to open the access panel and was struck with jolt of energy.

When Data tried again, the sensation repeated at a much stronger level. It shocked his system and temporarily scrambled his neural pathway. It took Data a few seconds to reset before he could attempt to move his arm once more.

As he reached for the panel a third time, Data found himself unable to proceed. His arm was stuck.

"Problem, Mr Data?" Riker asked.

"Sir, I seem to be experiencing a malfunction," Data said.

Tasha scrambled over to Data's position.

"What's wrong?" Tasha demanded.

"I find myself unable to, to," Data paused.

He opened and closed his mouth. Instead of words, the only sound was a garbled noise like feedback.

Data's eyes widened with panic.

He physically could not disable the generator. Worst of all, he was prevented from communicating this to Tasha.

Wordlessly, he attempted to convey there was a problem.

Tasha ripped off her communicator and placed it onto the generator.

"Enterprise, lock onto my combadge signal. Beam the object three kilometres-" Tasha began to order.

Data shook his head violently and pointed up, hoping she would understand.

"Five kilometres," Tasha corrected, watching carefully for any sign from Data.

He nodded.

"Five kilometres from the Enterprise into open space," Tasha commanded.

Just in the nick of time the generator was beamed away.

---

Up on the Bridge, the crew watched from the viewscreen as it exploded in empty space.

Captain Picard stood up from the Command Chair in alarm as the flash from the object reflected on the screen.

"Away team?" Picard inquired.

"We're alright," Riker responded a moment later.

Picard breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sir, we need to brief," Riker went on. "In the meantime, Lieutenant Yar would like to send down a small Security team to keep an eye out hear at the base."

"I think that sounds wise," Picard concurred.

---

On their way to the briefing, Tasha and Data stood behind Riker in the lift.

Tasha reached across to take hold of his hand. She could tell his mind was in a spiral. The emotional toll of Geordi's mysterious behaviour had left Data feeling deeply concerned.

They all were worried.

But Data couldn't shake firing a phaser at Geordi.

It haunted him.

And because of his ability to replay his memory engrams exactly, he was watching it happen again and again in his mind.

Tasha gripped his hand tightly, pulling him back to the present and wordlessly offering her reassurance.

They were due for a briefing with Captain Picard. That came first, then he could stop off to check in on Geordi.

---

"I'm telling you, I don't remember a thing," Geordi insisted.

"Your neural scans don't show anything abnormal," Beverly explained.

She had checked him three times – once upon his arrival, an hour later, and again just to be sure.

"There had been a small uptick in neural activity in the pons and medulla along the midbrain, but it was hardly anything worth noting," Beverly informed them.

Such activity was common during physical activity.

"I only thought it was unusual given that you were unconscious," Beverly said.

Geordi sat up and sighed.

"It was the strangest thing. I remember getting coffee this morning with Ensign Gomez. The next thing I know, I woke up here," Geordi shrugged.

It was like he'd experienced some kind of mental blackout.

Beverly had checked his neural implants from his VISOR, but there was no indication that the device was the cause of such a blackout. While Geordi experienced migraines, this was entirely different.

"I can't find any medical reason your VISOR would be responsible for this. However, you'll probably want to have it looked at by an Engineer before using it again. There's damage to the circuitry," Beverly warned.

Geordi felt horrible.

There were two members of the Operations team lying across from him in Sickbay healing from injuries sustained during Geordi's blackout. He'd been responsible for firing the phaser that had sent them there.

He had nearly destroyed the entire terraforming project. Geordi had come shockingly close to succeeding.

And Geordi was still grappling with the knowledge that he had injured Worf and aimed a phaser at Data.

One cot over, Tasha was sitting next to Worf. The two friends were chatting quietly, swapping theories about what may have happened.

Despite Worf's protestations, Doctor Crusher had required him to stay in Sickbay for at least the night. His phaser burns were moderately severe and would require several more treatments with a dermal regenerator.

"I'm sorry," Geordi confessed, unsure what else to say.

A part of him felt like no matter what he said, it wouldn't come close to the apology necessary for his actions.

"This was not your fault," Data assured him.

Following their return to the Enterprise, Data's system had quickly reset. Data theorised that his neural pathways had simply required time to adjust to the shock to his system.

In some ways, it was not unlike the surges that Bruce Maddox had used to on him years earlier.

Data was grateful that it hadn't caused any permanent damage.

He was about to ask Geordi another question when the door to Sickbay slid open.

Data turned to see Ensign Sonya Gomez standing in the doorframe.

Tasha had paged her that Geordi was now awake, and Sonya had wasted no time in rushing up from the Security office.

Sonya was only a few metres in the doorway when she suddenly stopped. She didn't want to interrupt what she presumed was an important conversation between Geordi and Commander Data.

Tasha glanced from the door over to Data and back again.

"I'll be back later," Tasha said as she gave Worf's hand a squeeze.

Turning around, she leaned in close to Data.

"We can talk with Geordi later," Tasha advised. "I think he's in good hands."

Data got her meaning loud and clear.

"I will return at a future time," Data said as he rose. "And Geordi, I am very glad you are alright."

"Data, Data wait!" Geordi said as Data left.

Tasha took hold of Data's hand to guide him away. Simultaneously, she motioned with her head for Sonya to head over as she flashed her a bright smile.

Sonya nodded nervously and stepped up to his cot as Geordi flopped back down.

He really didn't want to be left alone.

"Doc, can I at least have some music or something while I wait here?" Geordi asked.

"Hi," a familiar voice said.

Geordi froze.

"Sonya?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

She wasn't exactly certain what she should do. Sonya felt compelled to do something. But their relationship was so new. Over the course of several months, Sonya could count on her hand the number of times she had ever shared a shy kiss with Geordi.

They had only held hands once in great while – usually while strolling early in the morning before most of the ship was awake.

Geordi cleared his throat and tried to calm his nerves.

It was bad enough to be in Sickbay. He only hoped he didn't look affright. Geordi took great personal pride in always looking his best – carefully selecting his wardrobe and aftershave to give a good impression.

It was a huge part of his sense of self.

Geordi could only imagine that he must look unkept after his experience down on the terraforming base.

He shifted uncomfortably as he pulled himself up against the headboard.

"How are you feeling?" Sonya inquired.

"Look, about what happened this morning. I am so sorry," Geordi apologised.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Sonya assured him. "I'm just glad you're alive."

Silence fell between the pair.

"Um, I could get you your PADD and earphones if you wanted to listen to music," Sonya offered awkwardly.

"No," Geordi said quickly.

He didn't want to be alone.

Before Sonya could step back, Geordi reached out and found her hand.

"Please," Geordi said. "Stay."

Sonya sat down next to his cot.

"Oh, um, okay," she replied.

"Will you do me a favour?" Geordi asked. "Will you just talk for a while? About anything? Please?"

---

"We're not sure what happened," Riker reported to Captain Picard.

"Sir, I believe Lieutenant La Forge's VISOR may offer a clue," Data suggested. "There was damage to the circuitry. With your permission, I would like to analyse this for any recognisable energy signature."

"Make it so," Picard ordered.

Data theorised that Geordi's VISOR may be the key to solving just who was behind this incident. Both Romulan and Cardassian technology left distinct energy signatures. In analysing the damage, Data thought it might be possible to identify the culprit responsible.

"In the meantime, I'd like to take a team down to the planet," Tasha requested.

She tapped her PADD and handed it over to Captain Picard.

"That's an energy signature," she explained, pointing at a spot of colour on the map of the surface. "It's approximately three kilometres away form the base. And it's strong enough to register on our sensors."

Upon their return, Tasha had requested the Security office run an advanced sensor sweep of the area.

"I think that whoever is responsible could be using this as a staging area," Tasha went on. "Sensors indicate this is a cave system."

Tasha explained that they wouldn't be able to beam directly inside. The terraforming base itself had transporter boosters built-in to the construction to enable beam ins.

However, the bulk of the planet suffered from dangerous windstorms. They created serious interference and inhibited transporter function.

Additionally, the caves were lined with heavy deposits of kelbonite and fistrium. It rendered the transporters ineffective.

"It will be quite a hike in the EV suits, but I think we need to check this out," Tasha said.

"Alright, but I want you on this too, Number One," Picard agreed as he looked to Riker.

---

Less than thirty minutes later, Tasha and Commander Riker beamed down to the surface of the planet along with Lieutenant Hawk.

Hawk also had advanced EV suit training and was an adept athlete.

Such skills would be required for the journey they were about to make.

Worf was stuck in Sickbay, pouting that he had been denied the opportunity to participate. He had protested – raising quite a ruckus - in an effort to be released early.

But Beverly had refused to back down. To Worf's dismay, Tasha had stood behind Beverly. Worf was far too injured for the journey.

"Everybody got your hiking boots on?" Riker teased.

With a nod from Riker, Tasha released the switch to adjust the pressure in the airlock.

The door opened and the three stepped out onto the barren, windswept surface of Velara III.

"After you," Riker said, waving them out the door.

---

Back on the Enterprise, Geordi had given Data permission to investigate the damage to his VISOR. Data had taken it down to his lab.

Presently, he was pouring over the circuitry. At the spot where the VISOR attached to his neural implants, Data discovered an interesting damage pattern.

It was certainly electrical in nature.

Most interestingly, there was bitrium deposited there.

Bitrium was an uncommon element found on any number of planets. It wasn't rare, but it also wasn't abundant.

It had a number of uses in select Engineering applications.

However, it was not an element used in Romulan or Cardassian technology.

In fact, there had only been one place Data had ever seen bitrium deposited like this.

Without warning, Data sat up straight. He dropped the VISOR unceremoniously on his desk and turned in his chair.

Data rose and marched for the nearest operations terminal as if someone or something were controlling his movements.

---

Up in Sickbay, Geordi and Sonya were chatting about the sea turtles on Haven.

"So, they hatch overnight. All we have to do is help them get down to the water," Sonya explained.

"I think it sounds great," Geordi replied.

All of a sudden, Sonya frowned.

"Do you hear that?" Sonya asked.

There was a low hum emanating from the area over by Doctor Crusher's office that carried throughout Sickbay.

Geordi strained his ears.

"Yeah, yeah I hear it," Geordi said.

"It also seems like it got brighter in here," Sonya observed.

"What is that noise?" Worf inquired.

From her office, Beverly had heard the change too.

She got up from her chair and approached the sample.

There was definite movement and a shift in the energy pattern.

"Doctor?" Worf asked from across the room.

"It's changing," Beverly said in astonishment.

The light patterns were blinking more rapidly. The colours circulated and swirled. In a way, the sample appeared almost more stable and less liquid than before.

"Warning, input overload," the computer cautioned.

The hum intensified, growing to a point that it was nearly uncomfortable on the ear.

"Magnification deactivated," the computer reported.

Beverly gasped as the sample split.

Where there had been only one flickering, glowing substance, there were now two distinct pieces.

"Two of them," Sonya said as she stepped closer.

She had been curious about just what had the Doctor so preoccupied.

"Only life can replicate itself," Beverly remarked. "Inorganic or not. This is alive."

The sample hadn't just split into two pieces – it was expanding.

"Computer, activate quarantine field," Beverly ordered.

The sample had grown so rapidly that it was pushing against the canister.

"Quarantine field full," the computer responded a moment later.

The canister began to crack.

"Full shield backup!" Beverly ordered.

Geordi sat up and instinctively looked in Worf's direction. He had picked up on the hint of panic in Beverly's voice. It wasn't like the good Doctor to get rattled.

The computer sounded an error report, indicating that the shield had failed.

Beverly didn't hesitate.

"Evacuate Sickbay," Beverly commanded.

Worf got out of bed and scooped the unconscious Lieutenant Dale from his cot, carrying him out of Sickbay and into the corridor.

Nurse Ogawa assisted Miles to the door.

"What's going on?" Miles inquired as he was shooed out.

Lieutenant Oliver Adams picked up the two-month-old Turner twins who had come in for a routine inoculation and rushed out with the crowd.

"C'mon," Sonya said as she threw her arm around Geordi's waist and helped him toward the door.

"Bridge, this is Crusher. Request emergency power to initiate lab quarantine seal," Beverly ordered.

---

Up on the Bridge, Captain Picard had received their request.

"Ensign Crusher, make it so," Picard ordered.

Wesley was temporarily sitting at Operations. He tapped the screen to activate the emergency power transfer.

Nothing happened.

Wesley made a second attempt.

He turned in his chair and gave Captain Picard a sombre look.

"Sir, we've just lost visual," Wesley advised.

Captain Picard sighed and tapped his combadge.

"Bridge to Commander Data," Picard said. "Please report to my Ready Room."

Picard turned back to Wesley and Deanna as they waited for a response.

"Counsellor, do you sense anything?" Picard inquired.

Deanna shook her head.

"I wonder if this lifeform is trying to communicate with us in some way," Picard pondered.

He wanted Data's input on the matter.

"Picard to Data," he repeated as he tapped his communicator again.

There was no response.

"Ensign, where is Commander Data?" Picard asked.

Wesley turned back to his console. He'd lost visual but was still able to get crew location readings from the terminal.

"The computer shows Commander Data is on turbolift three. He appears to be headed for Deck 5," Wesley reported. "Perhaps our communication issues are impacting our combadges, sir?"

Picard nodded as he considered this suggestion. It was, after all, a reasonable assumption.

Captain Picard ordered Ensign Silva to run a diagnostic and resumed his seat in the Command Chair.

He had no sooner sat down than Sickbay paged with an urgent message.

"Crusher to Bridge. We need a Security team to Sickbay! It's Data!" Beverly ordered.

---

When Data had first exited the turbolift, Beverly had assumed he was there to help with the quarantine field. The lifeform they had discovered on Velara III was dangerously close to breaching the secondary security field.

But Data had walked straight past them, ignoring Beverly and Geordi, and had begun typing furiously at an external operations terminal.

Miles was the first to realise something was off.

"He's trying to override the field," Miles said in alarm.

"Data?" Geordi inquired.

Miles carefully crept up to Data.

"Sir, what are you doing?" Miles asked.

The moment Miles put his hand on Data's shoulder, Data reacted. He gripped Miles's hand with crushing strength and tossed him down the corridor.

Worf didn't hesitate.

He marched up to Data and attempted to physically remove him from the space at the terminal.

"Commander, you must stop," Worf ordered.

But a Klingon was no match for an android.

Data tossed Worf as if he were nothing more than a feather. Geordi was trying desperately to reach Data's mind, reminding him that he was on the Enterprise and with his friends.

Beverly paged the Bridge to request assistance and ordered her staff to begin evacuating patients out of the corridor and to a safe secondary location.

"Here," Lieutenant Oliver Adams said as he handed Sonya and Geordi the Turner twins. "Get them out of here."

Adams was the first to think of grabbing a phaser from the Security checkpoint at the end of the corridor.

He returned a moment later with the phaser aimed at Data.

"Sir, please step aside," Adams requested.

Yet, Data made no move to vacate his position.

Adams reluctantly fired the phaser. Just as it had done with Geordi, Data seemed completely undisturbed by the impact.

He turned and stared at Adams for a moment as if sizing up the threat he posed.

Adams quickly attempted to reattune the phaser to a higher setting. He had no intention of harming Data – they just needed to prevent him from overriding the quarantine field.

He took a few steps back as Data closed in on his position.

Before he could finish the adjustment, Data had grabbed the phaser right out from his hand. Data crushed the device with one hand, and it dropped to the floor.

Adams felt trapped. He had nowhere to run.

Worf dove at Data. Miles joined in a moment later and Adams grabbed him from the front.

Together, the three of them seemed to be able to at least slow Data down.

A Security team rushed out a moment later from the nearby lift.

It took an entire team to subdue Data – and more than four level six phaser blasts before his system rendered his body unconscious.

---

Captain Picard stepped off the lift. His posture indicated agitation, but Beverly recognised it was actually concern.

Deanna had accompanied him down from the Bridge.

Beverly, Worf, Deanna, Geordi, and Captain Picard stood outside of a cell in the Brig where the Security team had detained Data.

Data was now alert and awake, but he appeared to be almost in a trance.

Geordi had attempted to make communication with him for the last ten minutes. It was to no avail.

"The quarantine field remains stable. But that lifeform is generating enough energy to interfere with surrounding systems," Worf advised. "Chief O'Brien is working on a possible buffer to delay the effect."

In less than thirty minutes their situation had gone from stable to precarious.

Jean-Luc had four senior officers that were in need of medical attention and two that were temporarily unreachable down on the surface of the planet.

Beverly was locked out of Sickbay. Worf was limping. Miles wasn't in any condition to be on his feet. Geordi had suffered a serious blackout.

And now Data appeared to be experiencing the same strange brainwashing that Geordi had undergone.

"Captain, I sense a presence," Deanna shared as she observed Data. "There's something or someone inside Data's mind."

Jean-Luc stopped and turned to Deanna for further explanation.

"But it's struggling to communicate," Deanna shrugged.

Captain Picard's combadge pinged.

"Sir, the crew from Velara III are in the Observation Lounge as requested," Wesley informed him.

---

"Director Mandl, I put it to you again. What do you know about this lifeform?" Picard demanded.

"Not. A. Thing," Mandl insisted.

"Enough!" Picard snapped in a terse tone.

Mandl rose from his seat. He wasn't keen on being interrogated.

"Sir down. You have been deliberately evasive, and it must stop," Picard said. "This lifeform has taken possession of our Sickbay. It is affecting our systems. We are all in danger if we lose control of this ship!"

The team in Engineering was working to isolate as many systems as possible. But it seemed with each new system, this lifeform found a way to overtake them. They were doing their best to stay ahead. However, Miles had estimated they would only have another three hours or so before the entire ship was at the mercy of the lifeform.

Knowing what it had done down on the Velara III base, Captain Picard refused to surrender the Enterprise. Most importantly, he was growing increasingly concerned that this had nothing to do with Cardassians or Romulans at all.

This lifeform seemed intelligent.

It was determined.

And Jean-Luc desperately wanted to try a diplomatic approach.

"More and more I get the impression that this lifeform is simply trying to communicate. It seems almost desperate to make us aware of its existence," Picard observed. "You knew of its existence."

Mandl sighed heavily. His shoulders slumped as he looked out the window.

"A decade worth of analysis. The planet was lifeless," Mandl said, his voice breaking.

He sniffled.

"Energy patterns, yes. I knew that. But not life. Not by any definition-" Mandl trailed off as he struggled to acknowledge his own failure to consider the possibility of inorganic life.

It went against everything he thought he knew about terraforming and biology – as if his entire career meant nothing.

"It's silicon crystals," Mandl sobbed.

"And those silicon crystals are attempting to communicate with us," Picard reminded him.

Malencon's cryptic warning from earlier now made sense.

In further conversations with Bjorn and Luisa, it became apparent that Malencon had shared his suspicions with Mandl.

Mandl had shut down Malencon's concerns and threatened to have Malencon removed from the project.

"That's what Arthur and you were arguing about," Bjorn realised aloud.

"Yes! But I didn't kill him!" Mandl asserted.

Deanna could tell Mandl wasn't lying. There had been tension between the two crew members, but it had never escalated beyond professional animosity and retaliation. Mandl was fixated, almost obsessively, on his project – but not enough to kill.

At least, not enough to kill organic life.

"Picard, we were assured, not once – but many times – by the best scientific minds in the Federation that this planet has no life," Mandl said, continuing to defend his position. "We weren't looking."

Mandl paused.

"We weren't looking. Therefore we didn't see," Mandle concluded sadly.

But Picard was finished working with Mandl. He surmised Luisa and Bjorn would be a better source of information. Their eyes weren't clouded by project timelines or career responsibilities.

Deanna had advised that their personality assessments indicated the two were true dreamers – terraformers with beautiful scientific minds that were open to the possibility of inorganic life.

"When did you first notice something was different?" Picard asked as he turned in his chair to the other two Velara III crew members.

"There were these patterns in the sand. They were so specific. Geometric shapes that suddenly appeared and disappeared. Changing location, changing size. So individual. Almost like snowflakes," Bjorn shared.

Luisa wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before speaking.

She was truly devastated to learn that they had been responsible for harming a lifeform.

"They must have been trying for months," Luisa realised, wracked with guilt. "After we began the new aquifer drilling we began to experience problems with the drill. Minor at first. Then bigger issues."

"It was like anything that could go wrong, did," Bjorn explained.

The team shared that they initially had considered these shapes to be part of some strange weather phenomenon. They also thought they might have been left over from some forgotten ancient civilisation that may have once inhabited the planet.

In retrospect, such an idea was preposterous. The windstorms on the surface were far too strong for any ancient sand art to have remained undisturbed.

"At the time, I didn't think it was life. But knowing what we know now, I don't know how it could be anything else," Bjorn said.

---

Captain's Log. Supplemental. The inorganic life form from Velara III has taken over our Medical Lab and Sickbay facilities. We now believe this lifeform may have, in some way, been responsible for the sequence of events on Velara III and for the issues on the Enterprise.

Both my First Officer, William Riker, and Security Chief Yar are down on the planet looking for what I suspect is now a dead end.

Lieutenant La Forge is attempting to analyse the blinking pattern for any possible clues to understanding this lifeform's language. Chief O'Brien and Mr Worf are working to stay ahead as this lifeform continues to override our ship's systems.

My Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Data, is perhaps best equipped to solve this problem. Unfortunately, he remains confined to the Brig. We believe this entity or lifeform has entered his neural net in an effort of self-preservation.

Counsellor Troi remains with Data in an effort to facilitate communication.

Our Engineering team suspects that the lifeform was able to use Lieutenant La Forge's neural implants for his VISOR as a means to enter his mind.

I have apprised Starfleet Command of our situation via a priority one subspace communication in the event that we lose communication abilities like the terraforming base did previously.

---

"Data?" Deanna asked softly.

She was standing at the edge of his cell.

There was a sense of frustration emanating from his mind.

It was accompanied by confusion and fear.

And anger.

A deep-seeded anger.

The type of anger that had festered over time.

From across the cell, Data stared back at Deanna. Occasionally, he would open his mouth and make a garbled, inconsistent noise.

But Deanna couldn't understand what he was trying to communicate.

All of a sudden, Deanna was struck with an idea.

The pattern that they had first detected was blinking lights.

"Computer, lower illumination in cell A," Deanna instructed.

The lights dimmed several standard candles. To her delight, Data perked up. He glanced up at the light source and then back to Deanna, eyeing her carefully.

"Computer, kill lights in cell A," Deanna requested.

The lights went out.

A second later, Deanna stumbled back, tripping over her own two feet. She was startled by a pair of yellow eyes staring back.

Data's quick reflexes meant he was suddenly just on the other side of the forcefield.

"Data," Deanna said breathlessly as she clutched her chest.

She flinched as Data brought his fist down against the forcefield.

The impact rippled out before it reset.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness in his cell, Deanna could see that he was scanning the perimeter.

"Data, let me help you," she pleaded.

Data bashed at the forcefield again. This time the impact was enough to create a small, momentary crack in the field. It was sealed a moment later as the field readjusted – but it signalled that the shield could be destabilised.

---

Over in Main Engineering, Geordi stopped working as he caught sight of an unwelcome alert.

"Computer, spectral analysis magnification twelve K," Geordi ordered.

The sensors focused their attention on following energy seeping from Sickbay as it coursed through the ship's systems and down to the Brig.

"Silicon, Germanium, Gallium, Cadmium selenide," Geordi read aloud as he watched what appeared to be a power transfer.

"What's happening?" Miles asked as he hobbled over.

Geordi tapped the communication array to signal the Bridge.

"Captain, whatever this lifeform is, it appears to be converging in the Brig," Geordi warned.

---

"Up ahead," Tasha said as read her scanner.

"That?" Riker asked as he pointed to a rock formation.

Well, at least he thought it was a rock formation.

There was so much sand and dust blowing around that everything was a blur.

It was difficult to see more than a few metres ahead.

Occasionally, the wind would whip up and give them a small reprieve. But it was hard to get their bearings in such a violent and steady sandstorm.

The storm also made it difficult for the tricorder and handheld navigation device to function. There was so much interference they were left relying on the ancient navigation method of following the magnetic compass that was located in the device.

It served as an emergency backup in the event of such interference.

Tasha only hoped she had been capable of getting them all there in one piece.

"C'mon," Riker said. "I'll race you there!"

---

"No matter what we do, the energy goes somewhere," Geordi explained as he and Captain Picard raced for the Brig.

The doors slid open just as the lifeform disabled the forcefield on Data's cell.

Data took two steps forward and then paused, staring at the Captain.

"Let him go," Picard ordered. "Stand down and let him go. I want to see what happens."

Data walked past them and out into the corridor. Captain Picard, Deanna, and Geordi followed at a safe distance as Data headed for the nearest Operations terminal.

He began to type away furiously, his hands moving almost fast enough that they were a blur.

"Lieutenant La Forge, can you see what he's doing?" Picard inquired.

Geordi strained to see with his VISOR. It was all moving so fast. Images disappeared from the LCARs screen nearly as fast as Data brought them up.

"I think he's accessing the universal translator base code," Geordi guessed.

Without warning, Data convulsed and then collapsed next to the panel.

Picard, Geordi, and Deanna rushed forward.

"Ugly bags of mostly water," said a foreign voice.

It rang out throughout the ship wide communication channel.

"Bags of mostly water?" Picard asked as he looked to Deanna for assistance.

He was aware that sometimes the translator needed time to accurately convey the meaning of a new language.

"It is an apt description of humans, sir," Data said in a weak voice from the ground. "You are ninety-percent water."

Data was sitting on the floor and leaning heavily on the wall. He did not appear to have the strength to stand.

"Do you understand us?" Picard asked aloud, hoping this lifeform could hear him.

The pattern on the terminal screen shifted. The LCARs screen faded as the panel lit up, almost like dancing lights.

"We understand," the voice responded. "But the time for talk is over."

"We request that you return our ship command functions. We would like to resolve whatever difference we may have diplomatically," Picard requested.

Surely a lifeform this intelligent was capable of diplomacy.

"We have tried peace. You do not listen. You drill and destroy our home. We stop you. You do not listen," the lifeform said. "We do not wish to harm you. But we had no choice. And you still do not listen."

Captain Picard and Deanna shared a dark look.

"Sir, the terraforming project is destroying their home," Data explained.

"We have learned from this one that your kind does not respect inorganic life," the lifeform announced. "You view us as inferior."

While the lifeform had been inside of Data's neural net, it had been exposed to all sorts of memories and emotions – including the comments made by Director Mandl.

It had reaffirmed the experience they had suffered ever since the drilling had begun.

"Many of our kind died attempting to destroy your base. Our plan was unsuccessful. Now we will use this ship to save our home," the lifeform explained.

Captain Picard's brow furrowed.

"The generator, sir. It was an attempt to destroy the base and preserve their environment. Many of them perished when we beamed the overloaded generator into space," Data clarified.

"We were unaware that we were hurting you," Picard said, attempting to diffuse the situation.

"This is deception," the lifeform responded.

"We didn't understand," Picard clarified. "We see and hear you now. We didn't know you were there!"

"You are beautiful to us," Deanna said in an effort to recognise their unique nature. "We think all life is beautiful."

Unfortunately, her words did little to soothe a lifeform that felt so wronged and neglected.

All of a sudden, the entire ship shook violently.

"Now we are stronger. We are stronger and we will use this vessel to save our colony," the lifeform said.

It was a terrifying thought.

The Enterprise certainly had the capability to destroy the base from the surface.

"Our lifeforms are incompatible. And to ensure you will not rebuild, we will send a communication to your Starfleet. And then use you to rebuild our colony," the lifeform said.

Use you.

Jean-Luc didn't like the sound of that one bit.

---

The team down on the surface was completely unaware of the dangerous situation unfolding up on the ship.

Tasha, Commander Riker, and Lieutenant Hawk had discovered a cave system.

It was a relief to be sheltered from the howling winds outside.

With their torches in hand, the three set off to explore the cave. It was isolated from the windswept landscape of the surface.

"It's beautiful," Tasha remarked.

The light from her torch danced off the crystalline structure of the cave wall. It was cold. And there was no breathable atmosphere.

They would have to keep their EV suits on, but the three were glad to have the opportunity to lay eyes on such a fantastic sight.

In all her years of caving, Tasha had never seen anything quite like it.

All of a sudden, Tasha stopped.

She put out her hand to stop Riker and Hawk from going any further.

The cave system dipped off into a large, open cavern below. It was so deep Tasha had no way to tell where it ended or how deep it ran.

"Whoa," Hawk said as he paused.

Tasha turned her torch off. She reached over and deactivated Riker's torch too. Hawk followed suit.

The three colleagues stood at the edge of the cavern and watched the light show as various colours and flashes blinked in the darkness. It was like staring at stars blinking in the night sky.

The longer they kept their lights off, the more brilliant the light show became.

There were great crystalline pillars that were covered in small growth formations. They looked almost like rock candies, and they came in all sorts of shapes and colours.

"I think we can definitively say this isn't Romulan," Riker commented.

It was too natural, too organic to have been built by humanoids.

Organic. Tasha mused as she remined herself this was technically inorganic life.

And it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen – second only to her favourite inorganic lifeform.

From the abyss, a series of small, snowflake-like structures began to float upwards.

They danced in the darkness and Riker was reminded of the mating dances that butterflies performed.

The lifeforms flitted about. They were no bigger than a few centimetres in diameter. As the team watched, several of them grew closer to the three.

It was mesmerising. Hypnotic.

Like prey to angler fish, the three officers barely even registered that the lifeform had drifted dangerous close.

"Ah!" Lieutenant Hawk hissed as something sharp impacted his leg.

One of the snowflakes had punctured the thigh of his EV suit.

Inside the suit, his depressurisation alarm began to sound. It took both Tasha and Riker a moment to recognise there was a problem, they had been so fixated on the watching the lifeform's movement.

Riker activated the emergency seal button on the shoulder of Hawk's suit.

A moment later, the suit clamped down around his waist to secure breathable air above.

Tasha instructed Hawk to turn around as she grabbed an emergency quick patch from the back of his pack. It was a thick substance that could be used to temporarily repair minor holes in order to maintain pressurisation.

"This is only going to hold for about three hours," Riker advised.

"Our oxygen will be gone before then," Tasha responded.

---

"All non-essential personnel have been moved to the most distant areas of the ship, sir," Worf advised. "But the shuttlebays remain sealed. We are prevented from evacuation."

For the last ten minutes, the lifeform had gone silent. All attempts at communication had been unsuccessful.

On the bright side, Geordi's team had made progress in isolating some of the command functions. They were able to regain control of life support, environmental controls, and lighting.

"This lifeform feels that we have wronged it. And we have," Deanna shared.

She could sense just how hurt and distrustful it was of humans.

"But why ignore us?" Picard wondered.

"Perhaps it is not ignoring us?" Data theorised. "It stated it intends to use us to rebuild the colony."

Beverly clapped her hands together.

"And in single-cell lifeforms, at least organic ones, cell division is preceded by a resting state," Beverly chimed in, following Data's train of thought.

The calm before the storm? Picard thought.

"Data, can you confirm if the lifeform is dormant?" Picard asked.

"Uncertain," Data responded.

He was not sure the lifeform had entirely left his neural net. While he no longer felt out of control, he still sensed a connection.

"I believe the lifeforms on this ship are dormant. However, you should be aware that I believe they are interconnected. Sharing thoughts and experiences collectively," Data informed them. "And I believe that I am still connected to that."

He needed Captain Picard to understand that. If he were still connected to the lifeform, it was possible he may still be influenced by it.

"Data, what did it mean when it said it learned from you that we do not respect inorganic life?" Picard asked.

"Just that," Data responded honestly.

Captain Picard felt a pang of guilt.

Data could see that his comment didn't quite land as intended.

"Captain, while you and a number of other Starfleet officers generally recognise and accept my sentience, such an occurrence is not common," Data shared.

His face darkened.

"In fact, I would say that outside of my service under your leadership, I have rarely encountered anyone that has recognised my sentience and personhood," Data explained. "This lifeform was capable of accessing those memories."

"That combined with the experience with the drilling would certainly account for their feelings towards humans," Deanna said.

Picard grumbled, muttering to himself.

It wasn't Data's fault. But his blending with the lifeform had undermined Picard's ability to find a diplomatic solution.

"Is there no way we can make this microbrain realise that-" Picard began.

"Sir, this lifeform may replicate in a manner similar to single-cell organic life. But it is from a civilisation far more advanced than we are," Data warned.

"Point taken," Picard responded.

He knelt down on the floor next to Data.

"Is there anything you can theorise about how to fix this? Any possible reference to ever coming across something like this before? Anything we can use to understand it?" Picard asked.

He was desperate to find a peaceable solution.

"We have encountered a similar lifeform before, sir," Data advised. "At least, similar in structure."

Picard's eyebrows shot up.

"The Crystalline Entity," Data said.

---

"Riker to Enterprise, come in?" Riker tried again.

Inside his helmet, there was only static.

He shook his head and deactivated the micro transmission booster they had brought with them to allow radio waves to penetrate the cave.

"It's no use," Riker advised.

"You know this entire structure contains the same saline-based water found under the base. I suspect they must need it to survive," Tasha said.

"They?" Riker questioned.

"Well it is a lifeform. Or rather, lifeforms," Tasha shrugged as she watched them bop about in the cavern.

"You know ancient humans on Earth used to think that moonrocks were alive. That they could glow. And that they were some sneaky lifeforms posing as harmless, beautiful rocks," Riker said.

Tasha chuckled.

Sure, Turkana had its own fair share of unusual folklore. But there were times that she reasoned nothing compared to Earth.

Where there had previously been a handful of these beautiful snowflakes buzzing around, there were now more.

And the number was growing.

"Maybe they don't like us being so close?" Hawk suggested.

Riker and Hawk began to back away from the ledge.

"Maybe," Tasha said.

She wasn't sure what compelled her to do so, but Tasha stuck her hand out and let one of the lifeforms float around it.

"Maybe they're studying us?" Tasha proposed.

"We should be heading back. We're going to be cutting it close on oxygen," Riker advised.

They would have to move slower because of the puncture in Hawk's suit.

The team turned to leave and found the lifeforms had swarmed behind them, blocking their escape.

Commander Riker bravely tried to move toward them, but the glow changed. Rather than a random pattern of colours flashing, they began to glow in an eerie, almost blinding, brilliant shade of white.

And there was a strong hum that shook the cavern.

"Maybe we should stay put?" Hawk said. "Or still?"

"We need to get out of here," Riker reminded him.

He turned around to ask Tasha for suggestions when he realised she was standing precariously close to the edge.

"Tasha!" Riker shouted.

"I think they just want to learn," Tasha said as she gently poked one of them.

"Argh!" Riker said through gritted teeth.

One of the 'harmless' snowflakes had shocked him – and more were moving in close.

He hissed and jumped as a second one shocked him, sending an uncomfortable spark through his arm.

Curious, Tasha reached out to touch another one.

There was no painful spark.

"Maybe it can sense you don't like them?" Tasha remarked.

"I'd like them a lot more if they didn't yeowch!" Riker grunted as he was hit with a particularly painful zap of energy.

To Tasha's delight, a flock of teeny-tiny glowing snowflakes detached from the walls. They looked almost like a dandelion fuzz blowing in the wind.

The drifted over to the ledge and began to circle around her.

"Tasha, get out of there!" Riker warned.

"I think they're harmless," she said.

Suddenly, her smile faltered. Tasha's eyes went wide as she felt suffocated. These tiny snowflakes had nearly encased her body in a matter of seconds.

"T!" Riker said as he dove at her.

Hawk was half a step behind him.

Soon the three of them were completely encased as they went over the ledge.

---

Data sat upright. His head jerked painfully.

Tasha was in peril.

He could feel it. Hell, he could see it.

Sort of.

Data could sense that she was falling. He also knew that she was panicked and confused. More than that, Data realised that he was communicating on a semi-conscious level with the lifeforms down on the planet.

"Data?" Deanna asked.

His emotional output had spiked, registering genuine fear.

Data squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to find a way to communicate with them. The lifeform on the ship was still dormant and Data was worried that he needed it in order to boost his own weak link.

But all he could concentrate on was the fact that Tasha needed him.

She was falling.

And that would mean losing the person he loved. The one person that had always been in his corner.

The person that had seen him for who he was and adored him for it.

The woman that had given him the encouragement necessary to assert his own rights.

Data's throat went tight. His chest cavity felt cold.

---

Tasha, Riker, and Hawk were falling. There was nothing they could do to shake the strange lifeforms that had swarmed around them. It was like being encased by a swarm of bees.

Well, angry bees.

And bees that had the ability to shock them.

As quickly as they were falling, they suddenly stopped.

It took the three of them a few seconds to get reoriented as their momentum was halted.

On instinct, Tasha flattened her body as she had done countless times during controlled falls for training.

The lifeforms were still drifting around them, and Tasha suspected they were responsible for slowing their descent.

Just as before, they were peaceful and curious.

"What just happened?" Riker asked.

"I don't know," Tasha responded.

One of the entities drifted toward her. It did not stop. It passed clean through her body, filling her with a sense of emotional warmth that Tasha had always associated with an embrace from Data.

Tasha smiled to herself.

---

This ugly bag of water is special to you. This lifeform accepts your existence. Data heard the lifeform say in his mind.

It was difficult to discern exactly what the lifeform was communicating. There were so many feelings and images.

Data could see Sickbay and the quarantine field.

He knew that the lifeform inside there was dormant at present. However, Data also recognised that this lifeform was intending to crash the Enterprise onto the surface of the planet. The one on the ship was planning to sacrifice itself in order to provide fuel for the others.

They are special to us. Data heard the lifeform say.

Data tapped his communicator.

"Data to Bridge. Lock onto the lifeform in Sickbay and beam it down to the hydraulics chamber," Data ordered.

Captain Picard and Data shared a look.

It was enough for Picard to get the message that Data was onto a solution.

---

"What's happening?" Riker asked.

His body felt strange.

He glanced down at his hands. They were still floating down the shaft of the cavern, but his hands began to glow.

"Sir?" Hawk asked.

---

Simultaneously as the lifeform in Sickbay was beamed off the ship, there was a blinding flash of light in the corridor outside of the Brig.

"It's blinding!" Deanna said as she covered her eyes.

There was a loud thud as Tasha, Commander Riker, and Lieutenant Hawk dropped to the floor in their heavy EV suits.

For a moment, no one said anything.

Riker was the first to find his voice.

"What the hell just happened?" Riker asked.

"I believe we just exchanged hostages," Worf guessed.

"Not exactly," Data and Tasha said at the same time.

---

"There was one final message before the, shall we say, exchange," Data advised.

From behind the desk in his Ready Room, Captain Picard quirked an eyebrow at Data.

"Leave. You are too primitive. Come back in three centuries. Perhaps we will trust you then," Data said, relaying the strange lifeform's final request.

"Quite right," Picard acknowledged with a small nod.

While the lifeform may have lacked the nuance to say so in a polite way, the message was no less untrue. Humanoids had been far too arrogant to consider the possibility of inorganic life. They had ignored all of their communications.

And they had been so brash as to assume a magnificent lifeform had been a threat.

They were primitive.

Well, at least some of them were.

As Data surveyed the room, he was reminded that there were some humanoids that were capable of such acceptance and the senior officers that had become his found family were certainly no exception.

Yet, even among this group there were still inherent biases.

But people like Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Geordi were willing to acknowledge it and work toward seeing Data free of that prejudice.

"It will be another hour before we're warp capable," Geordi advised.

The lifeform had done quite a number on their system. It would take time to repair all of the damage. But their immediate priority was the vacate the vicinity as a show of good faith.

On the way out of the Ready Room, Commander Riker suggested the team grab a drink at Ten Forward.

The Beta Shift Engineering squad just needed time. Geordi didn't have to be present. And the other officers simply had paperwork to complete.

Well, and Riker and T needed to shed their EV suits.

But it wouldn't hurt to wear them a bit longer. After all, they had already removed the helmets.

---

Ten Forward was largely abandoned. The situation with the lifeform had left plenty of crew members and civilians rattled. Those that weren't cleaning up lab spaces following the ship's shake were spending time at home with their families.

Guinan greeted everybody with a welcome smile and ushered them over to one of the long tables that lined the window.

As they stepped inside, Data had finally worked up the courage to say something to Tasha that he'd wanted to since her reappearance in the corridor.

"May I speak with you?" Data asked as he took hold of her hand.

Tasha nodded.

She had something she wanted to say too. Something that she hoped would cheer him up after such an emotional experience.

"Hey," Tasha said with a small smile.

"Hey," Data replied as he stepped closer.

They had slipped away to one of the secluded corners of Ten Forward.

"I believe that you-" Data began to say.

"I wanted to say that-" Tasha said at the same time.

They both stopped.

"Go ahead," Tasha encouraged.

"No, please. I would like to hear what you have to say first," Data requested.

Tasha glanced out the window and then back up at Data.

"I don't know how to explain it, but when we were down there these wee snowflakes seemed to get angry. And then it was like they stopped all of a sudden. One of them actually passed through me. Like a spectre," Tasha explained. "And it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Like you," Tasha confessed.

Data's mouth fell open ever so slightly.

It was confirmation of his theory.

"Tasha, I believe that the lifeform gave us another chance because of you," Data said.

Tasha blinked in confusion.

"I could communicate with it. It could sense my feelings. See my memories," Data informed her.

His expression changed.

"It knew what humans have done to me. It saw my time with Bruce Maddox. And the time that I spent boxed in. Even Director Mandl's comments," Data went on. "And it became angry."

Data reached up and covered her hand with his own.

"And when I realised you were in danger, all I could think about was how terrified I was of losing you," Data continued. "And all that you do for me. How your presence has so enriched my life."

He meant every word.

"If I am correct, the lifeform recognised that humans are not all prejudiced against inorganic life," Data concluded. "I attempted to share memories of Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Geordi. Most of all, I believe it was my relationship with you that convinced them of this fact."

"It was the most beautiful lifeform I've ever seen," Tasha said. "Next to you."

She grinned as she brought his hand to her lips and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of it.

---

While waiting for the ship's engine repairs to be completed, Jean-Luc took the opportunity to relax with a cuppa Earl Grey.

It had been a stressful day.

Adding to that stress was an unshakeable sense of guilt over Data's confession.

Jean-Luc recognised that there was a certain level of prejudice toward Data. He didn't always get idioms or jokes. He was the last person in the room to pick up on social cues. He had a tendency to hyper fixate on subjects of interest and his appearance could be unsettling.

But Jean-Luc also knew that Data was a tender-hearted soul – whether he acknowledged having one or not.

He appreciation for art and the written word was unrivalled. He saw beauty in everything – particularly plant and animal life.

Data was also a fine officer. His ability to take command was unrivalled. Were it not for his own lack of personal ambition, Jean-Luc was certain Data would have his own command by now.

In every way possible, Data represented the best of what Starfleet was.

Curious to a fault, he was the epitome of a model Starfleet officer.

And yet, so many people in an organisation designed to seek out new life had never been able to see past Data's inorganic construction.

And Jean-Luc feared there were times he had treated Data like that too.

Before he could dwell on that, the communications system in his Ready Room chimed.

"Sir, Captain Keogh of the USS Odyssey is requesting permission to beam aboard," Wesley's voice announced.

The Odyssey? Picard thought.

"Of course. You have my permission. Send him to my Ready Room," Picard responded.

Jean-Luc sat up in his chair and brushed the crumbs from a muffin off his uniform.

He returned the small plate from his snack to the replicator and requested a fresh pot of tea.

Three minutes later, Captain Keogh strolled inside.

"Jean-Luc," Keogh said with a smile.

"Allen," Picard responded as he extended his hand.

He directed Keogh over to a chair and poured him a fresh cup.

It had been ages since the two had last seen one another. The Odyssey was a Galaxy-class sister ship of the Enterprise.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this but HQ didn't want to take any chances," Keogh explained as he sat down.

"Did you receive our second communication? We have made peace with the lifeform. The project will have to be abandoned, but no one else was hurt," Picard explained.

He paused and grinned.

"And we have an invitation to return in a few centuries when we are more advanced," Picard shared.

The two men shared a laugh.

"Well, I'm glad to hear no one else was injured," Keogh responded.

His mood suddenly shifted.

"Look, Jean-Luc, this isn't easy for me. But I'm here with orders," Keogh said.

Jean-Luc set his teacup down and braced himself for the worst. He knew the Velara III project was important. He assumed that Keogh was sent to assume command.

"Is this for an investigative hearing or a court martial?" Picard asked bluntly.

Keogh shook his head.

"No," Keogh responded. "Starfleet Command doesn't have any problem with your performance here. It's been high praise all around."

Keogh set his own teacup down on the surface of the desk.

"In fact, they were grateful for your actions. The Montana and the Yamato were on standby in case we needed to mount a rescue," Keogh said.

"Then forgive my ignorance, but why are you all the way out here?" Picard asked.

Typically the Odyssey was on patrol around the Cardassian border.

"To eliminate the threat," Keogh said.

Picard chuckled.

"Well, sorry you missed the party," Picard responded.

Keogh didn't share in the laugh. He glanced down at his lap and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I don't really know how to say this. Hell, I'm not comfortable with it. But I've got orders, and these come straight from Fleet Admiral Hansen's office," Keogh said.

"What are you saying?" Picard asked.

"To be frank, I'm here to help you eliminate this lifeform," Keogh said. "Starfleet wants it gone. Pronto."

Captain Picard rose from his chair.

He couldn't fathom that Starfleet would give such an order.

"It's a peaceful lifeform. We made an agreement. We exchanged hostages," Picard protested.

"I don't like this anymore than you do," Keogh confessed. "Truth be told, I was hoping the two of us could contact Fleet Admiral Hansen by subspace and convince him this is a drastic and unnecessary measure."

Jean-Luc had known Allen Keogh for nearly two decades. He knew Keogh wasn't lying or simply feigning discomfort. Keogh was an exoecologist. He had a deep respect for all living things and firmly believed in Starfleet's scientific mission.

---

"I hear you, Jean-Luc. But it's inorganic," Hansen said. "My hands are tied. Starfleet Security is already on high alert when it comes to inorganic life. You should know that your Security Chief put out the bulletin on the Crystalline Entity you came across a few months back."

Lore. Picard thought as he clenched his fist.

"From the information that was transmitted, we suspect this lifeform is perhaps another stage of development of that big dangerous snowflake that nearly ate your ship," Hansen explained. "Our scientists theorise the one you encountered near Omicron Theta may be a queen bee of sorts."

"That's pure speculation," Picard argued.

"And really too early to tell. There's not enough evidence to point to that conclusion," Keogh added.

Hansen sighed.

"I don't like it. But we can't have a colony of these things cropping up. For all we know this could be a breeding ground," Hansen suggested. "We need to end it before we're dealing with these things floating everywhere."

Jean-Luc was furious.

"This lifeform simply wants to be left in peace. There is no indication that it has ever left Velara III. Nor that it intends to!" Jean-Luc fumed.

He was struggling to keep his temper in check. It all seemed so very wrong.

"I'd like to get the opinion of my Chief Science Officer on this. He studied the lifeform while it was onboard and is perhaps best equipped to answer questions on it," Picard said.

He hoped that Data's insight would prove valuable in convincing Admiral Hansen to reconsider.

But Hansen waved his hand dismissively.

"Starfleet has made up its mind. I know you trust the android, but-" Hansen began to say.

"He is my Second Officer. And an exobiologist. And you're damn right I trust him!" Picard snapped.

---

Fifteen minutes later, Jean-Luc stepped through the door to Ten Forward.

Guinan could immediately sense there was something wrong.

She followed his gaze across the room to where Data was sitting with the other senior officers.

Before leaving the Bridge, Jean-Luc had punched in the command codes necessary to set the necessary destruction blasts and timers on the photon torpedoes.

He didn't want anyone else to have to bear the weight of such a decision.

Keogh had asked Jean-Luc if he wanted to take Command of the joint operation from the Enterprise.

Picard had declined.

No. I have something more important to take care of. Jean-Luc had said before departing.

"They say every burden is a blessing," Guinan said.

Jean-Luc shot her a look.

"Well, I think it's a load of crap," Guinan confessed.

"Can we share a nightcap later?" Picard inquired.

Must be a really bad day. Guinan mused.

"You've got my room number," Guinan replied.

With a grateful nod, Jean-Luc stepped over to the window.

Guinan watched as he approached Data and pulled him aside.

At the table, Tasha observed both Data and Captain Picard's expressions as they spoke in hushed voices in the corner.

Something was terribly wrong.

From ten metres away, Tasha and Guinan exchanged a knowing glance.

Tasha had long ago learned to accept that Guinan could sense things beyond the normal human range of perception.

Behind Tasha, there was a loud explosion. Tasha closed her eyes and bit her lip as it began to quiver.

At the bar, Guinan stumbled and caught herself as she grappled with the loss of an entire civilisation.

Gone.

Completely wiped from existence.

Everyone at the table stopped and watched in horror as the remains of the planet drifted listlessly through space. Rocks and debris floated in a peaceful manner, utterly the opposite of the act of sheer destruction that had led to their existence.

And in the far corner of the room, Data's processing slowed.

He spent 1.47 seconds in denial that the organisation he had dedicated his life to – an organisation that was founded on the principles of peace, diplomacy, and scientific exploration – would be so primitive as to destroy another form of life.

"Data?" Captain Picard asked, pulling him back to the present.

"Thank you for informing me, Captain," Data said with a small nod.

Without another word, he turned and headed out of the lounge.

---

Tasha said nothing as she got up from her seat. The closer she drew to the door, the faster she began to walk.

When she stepped out into the corridor she glanced right then left, spying Data on his way to the lift.

Tasha rushed after him, squeezing in through the lift doors just in time before they closed.

She dove at Data, pulling him into a strong embrace.

"It's wrong," Tasha said. "It's all wrong."

Data was in shock.

Tasha stepped back from Data and ordered the lift to halt.

Data had been unnervingly silent. While Tasha suspected that he was bothered by the destruction of Velara III, she had no inkling just how deeply it had hurt Data.

He was shaken all the way to his core.

Captain Picard had shared that Starfleet felt it had no choice. They had taken an attitude of 'them or us.' It was an antiquated false equivalency and a decision made entirely out of fear.

For Data, this was another reminder that humans would always be afraid of his kind.

They did not trust inorganic life – even inorganic life that appeared to be naturally occurring.

It was a massive blow to the months of confidence building Data had achieved between his sessions with Deanna and his relationship with Tasha.

While he may have people like Geordi and Miles in his corner, they were vastly outnumbered by the wider population.

Data didn't speak until they were safely back in Tasha's quarters.

"They were so easily motivated by fear," Data said in astonishment.

"I'm sorry," Tasha said, unsure of what to say.

Data paused and glanced out the window.

"I believe that if it were to come to it, they would not hesitate to destroy me too if they felt I were a threat," Data said darkly.

"Please don't say that," Tasha said as she came up behind Data and threw her arms around him.

She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

"It is uncomfortable. But I believe it is also true," Data replied.

Tasha urged Data to turn around and face her.

"You are the most beautiful and wonderful lifeform to ever exist," Tasha told him.

She reached up to cup his face.

"And I when I joined Starfleet Security, I took an oath to protect that," Tasha said softly.

---

Two sectors away, Admiral Josiah Walsh sat back at his desk and lit a fat cigar.

As with any high-level decision to take military action, a counsel of Admirals had been required to sign off giving consent to the decision.

It had been his luck that he'd been in the general area to be included in the little incident involving an inorganic lifeform and Starfleet's resident android.

"Who knows what danger this might have posed? Or how quickly they might have reached a more populated area?," Walsh said to his guest. "It's a prime example of why your research is needed now more than ever."

"Yes, sir," Commander Maddox said as he raised a glass of whisky to the Admiral.