Author's Note: Thank you so much for your ongoing support!
This is part two of our Data/Geordi friendship piece. It is also our tie-in with Measure of a Man.
Due to the length and depth of that storyline, it is a separate companion fic entitled The Case.
You can find the first two chapters of that posted & available now.
Due to the nature of events in that story, The Complication will be on hiatus until The Case is complete. At this pace, I anticipate that we will pick back up toward the end of August.
On that note, The Classified Incident will also resume later in August.
Until then, please enjoy The Case and (the now updated!) And Then There Was Fun!
"So then what is it?" Picard asked.
"We don't know," Ensign Gomez reported.
Jean-Luc fought the urge to cringe. This was the second day that he'd been awoken before 05:30 on 'urgent business.'
Sonya sensed the Captain's disapproval.
"But we do know that it is not a wormhole, sir," Sonya said.
Jean-Luc nodded slowly as he processed this. At the very least, it was progress – even if they weren't sure what they were dealing with or how to use such information to find Geordi and Data.
"Sir, we'd like to send a survey team to the asteroid," Tasha requested.
"You'd like me to authorise a team to approach an unknown object at the last known coordinates to two missing crew members?" Picard said, reframing her request. "A location, I might add, that is in the middle of a dangerous asteroid field with significant interference."
Tasha bit her lip.
"Yeah," she replied simply.
If they found themselves stranded, there would be little the Enterprise could do.
"Lieutenant, anyone that goes there could be risking the same fate that's befallen Geordi and Data," Picard reminded her.
Tasha knew this – but she couldn't say no.
They needed answers.
And there was only one way to find them.
"Sir, please," Tasha insisted. "If this were any of us, Geordi and Data wouldn't hesitate."
Jean-Luc felt conflicted.
He desperately wanted to stay and search for Geordi and Data for as long as it took to find them. They were two of his finest officers. More than that, they were friends.
But he had his orders.
"Lieutenant, Ensign," Jean-Luc began.
There was a hint of pain in his voice.
"Last night I relayed news of our delay to Admiral Nakamura on Starbase 173," Picard explained. "As you know, we have crew rotation scheduled and must resupply."
Tasha braced herself for the worst to drop.
"Our delay will put both the Atakapa and the Cecil behind," Picard informed them.
Tasha smiled nervously.
"Sir, surely this development is sufficient enough reason for us to extend our search," Tasha said.
"The Atakapa has a highly important diplomatic mission to Hustia III," Picard replied. "They're negotiating the ceasefire."
Tasha blinked in disbelief.
"And they can't complete their mission without the handful of crew that we're rotating to their ship?" Tasha demanded.
Captain Picard's shoulders slumped. He could sympathise with her position.
"One of those crew is Lieutenant Commander Underwood from the xenolinguistics department," Picard shared. "He's one of only a handful of people capable of communicating with the Hustians."
The Hustian people communicated through a complex series of rhythmic tapping on a specialised drum. It was a difficult language to learn and even more challenging to accurately communicate in the proper context.
"Then he can take a damn shuttle to Starbase 173!" Tasha snapped.
She took a shaky breath and composed herself.
"Or let me stay and come later by shuttle," Tasha requested in a much softer voice.
She hadn't meant to lose her temper with Captain Picard - but she had been up all night worried for Data and Geordi.
"I will speak with Admiral Nakamura again," Picard assured her.
Tasha visibly relaxed.
"At a more reasonable hour," Picard added quickly.
It was early and Jean-Luc suspected the Admiral would be none too happy about being awoken only to hear of further delay.
"I agree this requires more study," Jean-Luc said. "But I am not willing to risk the safety of any more members of my crew until we know what we're dealing with."
Sonya nodded in understanding.
"I'll get right on it," she promised.
As soon as Sonya was gone, Tasha looked up to meet Captain Picard's eyes.
"Sir, I'm sorry for-" Tasha began to apologise.
Jean-Luc put his hand up to stop her.
"I'm worried about them too," Jean-Luc said.
"Then is there any way that the Atakapa could rendezvous with us here?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Negative. She's coming in hot from Ungala. We've got a window of just a few hours in which you two overlap to make this crew rotation," Admiral Nakamura answered. "And from what I read in this latest report, the situation on Hustia III is deteriorating."
Admiral Nakamura leaned forward and folded his hands on the surface of his desk.
"You'll need to pull out of there by 13:00 if you want to make it here on time," Nakamura warned.
The Enterprise was going to have to push warp 9.3 just to make it there for the rendezvous. And a shuttle couldn't go that fast.
"Admiral, my Second Officer and my Chief Engineer are out there," Jean-Luc protested. "And whatever this thing is that we've discovered, it could be something entirely unknown."
"I understand that you're in a tough position," Nakamura said. "But there are millions of people on Hustia III. Their very survival depends on this ceasefire."
Jean-Luc loathed to admit that Nakamura was right.
The fate of an entire world rested on the ceasefire. Two lives was hardly a fair comparison. Furthermore, he could always leave a shuttle behind – though it would be placing additional lives at risk.
"13:00, Jean-Luc," Nakamura reminded him. "And I expect to see you here on time."
As soon as the channel was disconnected, the door to Admiral Nakamura's office chimed.
"Enter," he called out.
A lanky man with cropped brown hair stepped inside.
"Admiral," he nodded.
"Ah! Maddox, come in," Admiral Nakamura said as he waved in the cyberneticist.
As Bruce Maddox slipped into the seat on the opposite side of the desk, Admiral Nakamura snapped his fingers as he remembered something.
"Shoot," Nakamura commented.
"I can come back if this is a bad time," Maddox offered.
Nakamura shook his head.
"No, no," the Admiral said. "I just got off a subspace channel with the Enterprise. I should have mentioned the additional crew rotation change to Captain Picard."
"Actually, it's for the best that you didn't," Maddox said. "In fact, that's what I came to speak with you about. I think it's important that we keep the details of that secret until the Enterprise has landed."
Maddox handed Admiral Nakamura a tablet.
"Is it really this much of a threat?" Nakamura asked as he scanned the document.
Admiral Nakamura had heard of Starfleet's android officer. Though he had never met Lieutenant Commander Data, Jean-Luc had spoken highly of it.
But if this report from the office of Admiral Josiah Walsh was to be believed, then Starbase 173 could be at great risk.
"We can't be certain," Maddox replied. "As you can see from this report, he could do irreparable damage in a short amount of time."
Nakamura's face darkened as he skimmed the findings of the report.
"I believe it is necessary that we detain Lieutenant Commander Data immediately upon his arrival," Maddox warned. "We need to verify his identity. And ensure that whatever programming malfunction led to this rogue android Lore does not repeat itself."
Nakamura nodded as he handed the tablet back.
"Admiral Walsh is considered one of the leading Tactical experts," Nakamura said.
"We believe that the information we learn from Data will be vital to understanding Lore," Maddox explained. "And the rewards of my research will be rich."
Maddox smiled.
"Imagine a whole army of androids available for all sorts of tasks," Maddox said. "No more menial tasks. Dangerous missions would be a thing of the past. The days of humanoid officers risking their lives to strip old ships or mine deuterium are over."
"It is a thrilling prospect," Nakamura concurred.
"A workforce capable of performing such jobs faster and more efficiently," Maddox went on. "A workforce that never needs to be fed, that doesn't have to stop to sleep."
Maddox chuckled.
"And I'm going to build it," he declared.
Data wanted nothing more than to sleep – to curl up safe and warm, tucked away under his favourite blanket, secure in Tasha's arms.
According to his internal chronometer, it was after 08:30 hours.
The sun had still not risen and the bitter cold that had settled in overnight lingered.
Geordi shivered against the cold.
Data reached over and grabbed the phaser to check the battery level. The freezing air drained the batteries faster than the normal, ambient temperatures of the Enterprise.
Or the shuttle. Data thought.
He glanced up the shaft of their icy prison.
"It's your best shot," Geordi said.
"I am not leaving you," Data declared.
Geordi had been afraid of that.
"Data, our best shot depends on you making it out of here," Geordi said, attempting to sway him. "I'll just slow you down."
Geordi's injuries were significant. With his broken wrist, there was no way he could climb out and they didn't have the equipment necessary for Data to scale the wall while carrying Geordi.
Data looked up at the sheer ice wall again and then back at Geordi.
"It is a long climb," Data said. "And it is unlikely I will survive a second fall."
Geordi reached out and gripped Data's arm.
"Then take your chances up there. I'm just going to hold you back," Geordi said.
The two friends stared at one another for a moment, neither speaking.
"Geordi-" Data began to say.
"Look, every minute you waste down here is time you could be getting up there," Geordi said, cutting him off.
Geordi chuckled.
"I hate goodbyes," Geordi said.
"I will come back. With help," Data promised.
All of Data's training and ability to calculate the odds of survival told him that there was no way he could make such a guarantee to Geordi.
But there was something more inside of Data that told him he needed to.
"Try to," Data paused. "Keep cool until I return."
When Geordi did not respond, Data's face fell. He feared he had made a terrible mistake.
The corner of Geordi's mouth curved upward ever so slightly.
"Was that a joke, Data?" Geordi asked, trying to suppress a smirk.
"Was it funny?" Data asked as his eyes lit up expectantly.
"It wasn't bad, Data," Geordi grinned. "Not bad at all."
Data gave Geordi a short nod and then turned toward the wall of ice in the main portion of the cavern.
He stood at the edge and studied the distance to the top.
It would be an uncomfortable climb. There was little to grip onto. Data had the strength to create his own grips in the ice. But he was concerned about damage to his bioplast from the cold.
Data looked down at his hands and turned them over.
He glanced back up to the darkness above and resolved there was only one way he was going to save Geordi.
Setting aside his own fear, Data gripped the ice and began his ascent.
It took Data nearly three hours to scale the ice wall on the side of the cavern. It was slow going. Without proper climbing equipment, Data was concerned about his weight. At that height, a drop would surely cause irreparable damage.
So Data had taken his time, proceeding slowly up the wall.
In more than a few spots, Data had been required to punch into the ice. The continued exposure of his bioplast to the frigid air made it far less pliable than normal.
His fingers, knuckles, and the back of his hands were damaged. The bioplast had been scraped off in places by the jagged ice – exposing his circuitry to the cold.
Data's bioplast was more than just cosmetic. In a way, it acted like a shield that protected the delicate circuitry of his neural net from moisture, cold, heat, and dust.
Data's system would have to work harder to maintain his core temperature.
And he was already feeling the strain from the cold air.
Data was almost to the top.
He gripped a particularly sharp piece of ice and pulled himself another foot forward.
Securing his footing, He reached for the ledge. Data felt around desperate for anything to grip onto.
Success! He thought as his fingers closed around something sturdy.
Data gave it a small test tug before pulling the full force of his weight up.
With considerable effort, Data pulled himself over the ledge and threw his leg up. He rolled onto the surface above and took a series of breaths to steady his nerves.
Data had made it.
He stood up and scanned the area to get his bearings.
It was still dark out and it took a moment for Data's optical receptors to adjust. There was a strong wind blowing against his face.
He put his hand up to shield his face.
Scanning the landscape Data could see nothing but windswept ice. Miles and miles of windswept ice. It was nothing but a frozen wasteland.
Trudging through snow, Data tried to search for the shuttle. There were a number of large drifts. But as he dug through them, Data came up empty handed.
At least, empty handed when it came to the shuttle.
It was nowhere to be found.
More puzzling still, there was no shuttle debris.
However, Data did manage to locate a few additional packs of gear. There was an inflatable raft for water landings, some additional rations, and a spare warp coil.
Data gasped softly as he checked the last crate.
Climbing gear.
Data quickly gathered the other supplies and secured them to his person.
With great force, he slammed an anchor into the ice and tested the pull on the line. Satisfied, Data descended back down into the cavern.
There wasn't enough slack to reach the bottom of the cavern. Data was about ten metres short. It was a significant drop, but he knew he had to make it.
Data detached his line and attempted to climb back down the edge. It was nearly a sheer wall of ice. Loaded with all the extra gear he had recovered from above, Data lost his grip and dropped to the frozen ground below.
He landed hard, impacting the ice with a loud thud.
"Data?" Geordi hollered.
He came scrambling out of their hovel as fast as he could, limping along in an effort to reach Data.
"I am able to function," Data assured him.
He sat up and looked around.
Geordi offered Data his good arm to help pull him to his feet. It wasn't necessary given Data's strength – but Data appreciated the gesture.
"Thank you, Geordi," Data said.
Geordi's brow furrowed as he studied the gear Data had returned with. He couldn't understand why Data would bring anything back.
Unless the shuttle is damaged beyond repair. Geordi thought.
He didn't want to despair, but their situation was grim.
"The shuttle was destroyed?" Geordi asked.
There was no use dancing around it.
"The shuttle is gone," Data responded. "As in completely gone."
Geordi shot him a confused look.
"I found no debris. No trace of the shuttle anywhere," Data advised.
Geordi exhaled slowly and shook his head.
"Then we must have been thrown further than I thought," Geordi remarked. "It's a wonder we weren't more injured."
He stopped and turned his attention back to Data.
"Any chance of the sun coming up soon?" Geordi asked. "I don't want to complain, but the heater in this place is lousy."
Data hesitated to answer.
He shook his head in the negative.
"I did not see any shift in the light," Data advised.
He had kept his eyes trained on the horizon for any sign of light before returning back into the icy crevasse.
It seemed whatever planet or planetoid they had crashed on spent a significant amount of time in the dark.
"A raft?" Geordi asked.
"Once you heal a bit, we can attempt to climb out. The raft may be useful in hauling supplies," Data explained.
Geordi couldn't bring himself to respond.
They both knew that they weren't going to last that long – not in these conditions.
"You know we have enough charge left to send another particle beam?" Geordi suggested.
"Geordi, that will burn the last of our phaser battery reserves," Data countered.
They were using the phasers on a low setting to heat some exposed rock. At this point, it was one of the only things keeping Geordi alive.
Without it, they risked their small shelter dropping to dangerous temperatures.
"We're not going to climb out of here. We can't fly out of here. Our only hope is if we're found and we have to give them every possible advantage in that search," Geordi argued.
It took Data a whole three and half seconds to consider this proposal as he ran through thousands of possible scenarios in that time.
"Alright," Data agreed.
Geordi breathed a sigh of relief.
There were times that Data allowed his personal emotions to cloud his judgement – especially when it came to his friends. No matter what anyone said, Geordi knew that Data felt deep emotions, real emotions.
"On one condition," Data added.
Geordi hit the rocks with one final burst from the phaser to provide heat. He tossed the phaser to Data who charged their makeshift particle beam emitter and turned it on.
"It is done," Data advised.
"Then get in here! The rock's getting cold!" Geordi teased.
Data crawled into their hovel – now with an added roof courtesy of the inflatable raft – and huddled in close with Geordi.
"Let's just hope somebody gets our message in a bottle," Geordi said.
"Enterprise, this is Okuda," Tasha said.
"Go ahead," Sonya's voice came in from the other line.
"We're in position near the asteroid where the wormhole should be," Tasha answered.
Worf, Tasha, and Ensign Jeffords were sandwiched in one of the small shuttlepods close to the asteroid. After considerable discussion, Tasha had finally convinced Captain Picard to allow them to take a shuttle in close for a better look at the area.
There was supposed to be a wormhole there.
At least, that's what they had originally suspected.
They now understood they weren't dealing with a wormhole. But the crew had still not been able to figure out what it was they were looking at.
Every sixty-four minutes the 'wormhole' opened like clockwork. It then stayed open just shy of thirty-eight minutes. But there was physically no wormhole present.
Instead, there was a moderately sized asteroid floating in the space where the wormhole should be.
Initially, the crew had been reluctant to get too close. They were concerned that whatever it was could be responsible for Data and Geordi's disappearance.
Captain Picard was reluctant to risk further lives when they had such little information.
But after hours of calculations, observations, and shuttles inching ever closer – Jean-Luc was satisfied that they could send one shuttle in close to take a look.
Tasha, Worf, and Ensign Jeffords had all willingly volunteered for the mission.
"You should be receiving telemetry now," Worf said as he tapped the console.
"The wormhole should open in three, two, one," Sonya counted down.
Tasha blinked.
"Worf?" she asked.
"I am seeing it," he assured her.
"Whoa," Jeffords said in awe.
He leaned forward to get a better look out of the viewscreen.
"Enterprise, are you seeing this?" Tasha asked as she tapped the comms link.
"We're detecting a particle beam of some sort emitting in the same area as the un-wormhole," Sonya responded.
Straight from the centre of the asteroid was a beam emitting both light and particles.
"What is that?" Tasha asked.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
"I'm not exactly sure," Sonya replied a few seconds later.
Tasha and Worf exchanged a glance.
He gave a small nod.
"Buckle up, Jeffords," Tasha said. "The game is afoot."
Avoiding the particle beam, Tasha navigated the shuttle down to the surface of the asteroid. Sensor readings indicated temperature levels standard for an asteroid of this size.
There was no atmosphere – asteroids couldn't support one.
But they were getting strong energy readings from something approximately two klicks from their location.
"Okuda to Enterprise," Tasha said.
There was no response.
Tasha sent a second hail. It was met with static only. She tried a third time and waited a few seconds.
"Perhaps we are experiencing the same interference Lieutenant Commander Data and Lieutenant La Forge encountered?" Worf suggested.
Tasha checked the timepiece on her wrist and then took a shaky breath. She turned her attention out the viewscreen to the rocky, barren land in front of them.
Sensors were picking up no life sign readings, combadge signals, or any trace of the shuttle.
But the particle beam was still visible, and something had to be causing the energy readings they were picking up.
"Jeffords, stay with the shuttle. If you don't hear from us in ninety minutes, return to the Enterprise," Tasha ordered.
Then she turned to Worf.
"I'm not," she paused. "That is to say, this is a request. I won't order you to accompany me out-"
"I'm going," Worf insisted.
Geordi shivered and pulled his arms tighter around himself.
"I think our rock has about had it," Geordi said.
Indeed, it was giving off very little heat. The last phaser blast had only been a short burst in order to conserve power for the particle beam.
It meant the rock had cooled much quicker than before.
"Here," Data said.
He slid close to Geordi and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Uh, Data?" Geordi asked.
Data put his arm around Geordi and pulled him close to his torso.
"Whoa, I didn't know you could do that," Geordi said in astonishment.
There was heat.
Well, warmth emanating from Data's torso.
It wasn't much. But in comparison to the frigid air it felt wonderful.
"I have manually overridden my temperature regulation system in order to produce more heat," Data explained.
"Thanks, but isn't that kind of dangerous?" Geordi asked.
He was concerned about Data.
"Long term exposure to such temperatures would be dangerous. But my system will fail long before then," Data advised.
Because of the cold, his body was working twice as hard to generate enough power to provide some semblance of heat.
"Data-" Geordi protested.
"I want to do this," Data assured him.
It was dangerous. But if Data didn't take action, it would only be a matter of minutes before Geordi succumbed to hypothermia.
"Thanks, Data," Geordi said.
Without warning, Geordi began to cough violently. He hissed, drawing in a sharp breath.
Data noticed there was blood on the ice in front of them.
"Argh," Geordi groaned.
"Geordi?" Data asked in alarm.
"I'm fine, fine," Geordi said. "I think I broke a rib when we fell. Or ribs."
Data's eyes went wide.
"Why did you not mention this before?" Data asked.
"Maybe I was afraid you'd try to put a splint on it," Geordi said through gritted teeth.
"What is that?" Tasha asked.
As they drew closer to the source of the particle beam, Tasha and Worf were getting strange tricorder readings.
There was a massive amount of energy – almost like a shield grid in front of them. Worf and Tasha could visibly see that there was a field of some sort.
What they failed to understand was just how a particle beam was passing through it.
"Perhaps it is a technology we are unaccustomed to?" Worf proposed. "Romulans have been experimenting with phasing technology for decades."
Worf and Tasha both stopped. A dark look passed between the two friends.
"But we're lightyears away from the Neutral Zone," Tasha said.
"It wouldn't be the first time they've attempted to penetrate Federation space," Worf reminded her.
They were in a rocky crevasse, surrounded by a series of rock formations on either side.
Approximately twenty metres ahead was the field. The particle beam was coming out of it at an upward angle, leading up into the void of space.
As they drew closer, Tasha realised there was a structure of some sort.
"Are you seeing-" Tasha began to ask.
"Pillars," Worf finished for her.
All of a sudden, the particle beam disappeared.
"Where did it go?" Tasha asked.
"The disappearance of the beam does coincide with the time of the un-wormhole closing," Worf said.
Determined to find answers, the continued forward.
When they reached the pillars, Worf and Tasha stopped.
They were massive and appeared to be carved from the same kind of rock on the asteroid. Worf pulled out his tricorder and scanned the field in front of them.
"The shuttle is in there," Worf said.
"You've got a reading on it?" Tasha asked.
Worf shook his head.
"No. But it is visible," Worf advised.
Through the glow of the forcefield, the shuttle was visible beyond. It appeared to be undamaged. It also appeared to be abandoned.
"At least we know it did not crash," Worf said.
"Right," Tasha agreed.
It was a small comfort.
"You know I will follow you through," Worf said.
He was ready to join her should she wish to traverse beyond the shield.
"I don't know if we should," Tasha said.
Worf was surprised by this response. He knew how deeply Tasha cared for Data – and how far she was willing to go to save anyone.
'No one left behind' wasn't just a motto for Tasha.
Worf followed her line of sight and realised she was transfixed on the pillar.
"What is it?" Worf asked.
"I recognise this," Tasha confessed.
There were symbols engraved on the pillar. It was a large, beautiful language that was unfamiliar to Worf.
"You can read this?" he inquired.
"No, no I recognise it," Tasha clarified. "I've seen this before."
She pulled out her tricorder and captured a series of visual scans. As she stepped forward, Tasha kicked something in the dusty soil below.
Tasha picked up the object and turned it over as she studied the device.
"May I?" Worf inquired.
"Be my guest," she said, handing it over.
It was small – small enough to be handheld. It weighed about as much as a tricorder. It was blocky, almost like an ancient communications device.
"I have never seen a device like this," Worf said.
"Me either," Tasha responded.
"But I have seen this before," Worf said.
Tasha quirked an eyebrow at him.
"The writing," Worf explained. "It's Romulan."
Tasha grabbed Worf's arm.
"We have to go. Now," Tasha said quickly.
Tasha didn't even bother to shed her EV suite upon arrival back on the Enterprise.
She had ordered Jeffords to prepare the shuttle for another departure.
"Tasha, we have orders to report to Starbase 173," Worf reminded her.
"I think the Captain is going to change his mind about that," Tasha replied as they marched down the corridor to the nearest lift.
"I will be happy to remain behind with you and continue the search," Worf promised.
"Believe me, when I tell the Captain what we found back there, he's not going to leave," Tasha assured him.
They stepped onto the lift and Tasha punched the doors closed. It hummed to life.
Worf grabbed Tasha's forearm and turned her toward him.
"Please, I do not want you to have false hope," Worf pleaded. "A true warrior knows that checking their expectations is vital to maintaining a clear head."
Tasha just flashed him a grin.
Captain Picard was sitting behind his desk when Tasha and Worf stepped into his Ready Room.
The look on her face told Jean-Luc all he needed to know.
The Captain sighed.
"Tasha, we have to depart for Starbase 173 in fourteen minutes," Captain Picard said.
Tasha shook her head.
"The situation on Hustia III is rapidly devolving," Picard warned. "We need to rendezvous with Atakapa."
"Send Commander Underwood in a shuttle," Tasha suggested.
"It won't be fast enough," Picard advised.
"The Atakapa can meet the shuttle," Tasha countered.
"They don't have time," Picard informed her.
"Then have Starbase 173 send the Wedderburn out to meet the shuttle. It can make up the time and-" Tasha argued.
Jean-Luc looked at her, pleading not to have this argument.
"Tasha, I've asked," Picard said, full of sympathy. "We have exhausted all of our options and-"
"And you're going to authorise another team to go back there," Tasha interrupted.
Jean-Luc sat back in his seat. Grumbling, he shook his head.
"Dammit, Tasha," Jean-Luc barked.
But Tasha was only half listening.
"What do you think you are doing?" Jean-Luc asked.
Tasha had gone through the door from his Ready Room and into his quarters.
"Lieutenant," Jean-Luc called after her.
Tasha emerged a moment later with something heavy in hand.
"This," Tasha said.
She set the object down on his desk.
"This is down there," Tasha said, pointing at the object.
Jean-Luc froze.
"And we found this," Tasha advised.
She set the device they had located down next to the object from the Captain's quarters.
"It's Romulan," Tasha announced.
Jean-Luc looked up. If Worf didn't know any better, he would say the Captain almost appeared excited at the news.
It was certainly an unusual reaction to the news of Romulans.
"Sir, the Engineering team mentioned the scans from the asteroid could indicate it was once actually part of a planet," Tasha shared. "Destroyed long ago."
The theory was starting to sound less like fiction.
"I don't think that's a wormhole," Tasha said. "And I don't know how or why. I won't pretend to comprehend half of the science behind it."
She paused and smiled.
"I think we found an Iconian doorway," Tasha concluded.
At the frozen camp, the situation had grown dire.
Geordi couldn't stop shaking against the cold. Data's system was struggling under the strain of maintaining a high enough temperature to keep Geordi alive.
Worst of all, the sun had yet to come up.
"Geordi," Data said.
His voice was strained, almost as if it were a great effort for him to speak.
"I'm here," Geordi replied.
His teeth were chattering.
"Geordi, I am going to shut down most of his primary systems in order to maintain my heat output," Data said.
Geordi turned to look at Data.
"But-" Geordi began to protest.
"You will have to talk to Eirwinn," Data said.
It was intended to lighten the mood - but Geordi wasn't laughing.
"Data, if you shut down your primary systems, how will your body know when to stop the heating process so you don't burn out?" Geordi asked.
"It will not," Data answered honestly.
It would continue until it reached a critical level. Then his system would either burn out the main power cell or deactivate. Data theorised that his body had a built-in self-preservation system and was counting on that to protect him.
Shutting down his primary systems would mean Data's neural net would redirect all of its attention on heat production. In order to preserve energy, everything from his optical receptors to his sensory processing would cease.
It would be like slipping into a coma.
Though from Data's perspective, this wasn't entirely a bad thing.
He felt drained and desperately wanted to rest. Though his system wouldn't be able to yet, at the very least he would be unaware of the strain as his consciousness ceased.
"Geordi, if you make it back-" Data began to say.
"When," Geordi insisted. "When we get back."
A pained expression crossed Data's face.
"Geordi, please," Data requested.
"No," Geordi replied. "We came here together. We're leaving together. As a team."
He wasn't about to let Data give up or hurt himself in order to keep Geordi warm.
"Right now I'm thinking about a hot little beach in the Caribbean. Warm sands. Sunshine on my face," Geordi grinned. "That's all I need."
"Stop," Data said.
Geordi was taken aback.
Data did not mean to be rude, but he had something he needed to say before it was too late.
"Please, Geordi. This is very important," Data pleaded.
"Ok, Data," Geordi said.
Geordi stopped to listen.
He could tell from Data's tone of voice that whatever it was, it mattered a great deal.
"There is a box," Data began.
He closed his eyes and summoned the strength to keep speaking.
"There is a box in the materials storage locker in my lab," Data began. "Inside is a ring-"
"Oh Data," Geordi said.
He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was headed.
And he didn't like it one bit.
Geordi knew he should have been thrilled at the news. But the grim circumstances of their situation left him heartbroken. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
It can't end like this. Geordi thought.
"I intended to give it to Lieutenant Yar," Data said.
Starbase 173. Geordi realised.
"That's what was so important to you," Geordi said.
Data nodded.
"Data I-" Geordi began to say.
He looked down at his lap.
"I'll make sure she gets it," Geordi promised.
"No," Data said suddenly.
His hand shot out and gripped Geordi's forearm.
Geordi was confused.
"You don't want me to give her the ring?" Geordi asked.
He didn't understand.
"Not yet," Data said.
He was breathing heavily as his system was tyring to hang on to get out the message.
"Tasha was engaged. Before," Data explained. "To someone else. And he died."
Geordi was beginning to see why this was a delicate situation.
"He died on away mission," Data went on.
Geordi reached out from under the thin thermal blanket and gripped Data's hand.
"Data, I'm sure she knows how you feel," Geordi assured him.
"She does," Data agreed.
There was an unmistakable look of guilt etched in Data's face.
"But you must understand. Her culture forbids marriage," Data shared. "And I fear that if I do not return from this mission, it will destroy her faith in love."
"Data, please don't make me cry," Geordi commented.
In part, he had meant to lighten the mood. Geordi was also trying to keep his eyes dry. He didn't want anything freezing to his face.
"After she has had time to process my loss, when you feel it is appropriate," Data said.
He stopped and grimaced as his system struggled against the cold.
"I want you to give her the ring," Data said with considerable effort.
His audio output system was trying.
Data closed his eyes.
"I want you to promise that you will tell her I wish for her to follow our dreams," Data choked out. "In spite of the fact my existence has ended. I want her to be happy."
"Data-" Geordi said.
"To find someone else that will make her happy," Data went on.
"Data," Geordi repeated.
"I do not want her to be afraid of falling in love," Data concluded.
"Data, we're going to get out of here," Geordi insisted.
Data swallowed and took a series of ragged, artificial breaths.
"I do not want her to feel that she cannot have gentleness, joy, and love without me," Data said. "Tell her I want her to do those things."
Geordi didn't know what to say.
He understood this was important to Data. But Geordi also knew Data was preparing to shut down his primary systems. If they didn't make it out, Geordi didn't want Data's last moments of activation to be filled with regret.
"She is far too lovely to be alone. And she will make a wonderful mother," Data said. "I want her to do those things. For me."
"O-okay," Geordi stammered.
But Data needed a guarantee.
"Promise me, Geordi," Data said as he clutched Geordi's arm.
"Data, you will do those things together," Geordi smiled.
"Promise me, Geordi. Please," Data repeated.
"Yeah. Alright. I promise," Geordi agreed.
Data sat back against the ice. He looked relieved.
"Thank you, Geordi," Data said.
His voice was beginning to slow as his system shut down.
"You are my best friend," Data said.
His vision was starting to shut down and everything grew dark.
"I love you," Data said in a slow, robotic voice. "And her."
Without another word, Data's body stilled. His artificial breathing programme ceased and his pupils shrank until they were gone.
Geordi sniffled as he stared at his best friend. He knew Data's body was still active. It was giving off heat. But with his open, white eyes he appeared eerily lifeless.
"I love you too, buddy," Geordi said as rested his head against Data's shoulder.
"All systems are a go," Tasha said.
"Take us out, Lieutenant," Picard ordered.
After hearing the word 'Iconia' it hadn't taken much to convince Captain Picard to look at other options. Against his better judgement, Jean-Luc had dispatched Commander Underwood and a pilot on the Calypso.
Technically, it was pushing the boundaries for the use of the Captain's yacht. But Jean-Luc could think of no better reason.
If they were right, they had discovered an Iconian doorway.
They could be on the brink of an important discovery and, if they were lucky, they might just find their two missing officers.
There was little known about the mysterious Iconian doorways. They were considered a legend. The tale went that the Iconians had the technology to travel great distances thousands of years before even Vulcans were warp capable.
Iconians were some of the first starfaring people. Like the Aldeans, their world was lost to time.
The Iconian homeworld had yet to be discovered. And while there were occasional archaeological discoveries that pointed to proof that Iconia was real, it wasn't enough. The archaeological community remained divided on whether Iconia was truly once a great power or simply a Romulan myth.
Jean-Luc had been fascinated by Iconia ever since his youth.
Like the Aldeans or legend of Atlantis, Iconia was rumoured to have been a once-great power. How and why they disappeared remained a mystery.
Much like the Bronze-Age collapse, there were various theories as to how such an advanced people could simply vanish.
Jean-Luc was also aware of the Romulan interest in Iconia.
Before departing, he'd had the archaeology team run the recovered Romulan artifact through dating.
"Well, I think whatever Romulan team was there won't be posing much of a threat now," Jean-Luc said.
"Sir?" Tasha asked.
"We believe the object you recovered is a scientific scanning device," Jean-Luc informed her. "It's over seven hundred years old."
Tasha let out a low whistle.
"Romulans have a long lifespan. But not that long," Jean-Luc chuckled.
Eagar for a chance to see the discovery himself, Jean-Luc had authorised another search team. Tasha, Worf, Ensign Jeffords, and Lieutenant Olivet were all heading back to the asteroid with Captain Picard.
Doctor Crusher and Deanna had come along as well.
The fact Geordi and Data hadn't reported back indicated they may be injured. Given the communications interference, Captain Picard thought Deanna's powers might be a good advantage.
They were crammed in one of medium size shuttlecraft. It was a tight fit, but necessary to accommodate everyone.
Commander Riker had only agreed to the Captain joining if two additional Security team members accompanied the group.
They were too large a team for the shuttlepods, so it would be tricky flying between all of the debris. But as an experienced pilot, it was nothing Tasha couldn't handle.
She set the shuttle down close to the forcefield they had found last time.
"Lieutenant, if we do not return in two hours you have your orders," Jean-Luc said.
They had left Lieutenant Olivet with the shuttle. In two hours' time she was under orders to return to the Enterprise – with or without them.
"Aye, sir," she nodded.
After gearing up, the team set off in search of the pillars.
"Magnificent," Jean-Luc said, breathless. "Simply magnificent."
He reached out and touched one of the pillars
Jean-Luc had seen sketches and images of these pillars. He had never expected to see one in real life.
The object Tasha had recognised was a pottery shard that Jean-Luc had been gifted by his archaeology professor years prior. It was from a dig on a small moon near the Neutral Zone and was one of only a handful of artefacts ever recovered that were confirmed as Iconian.
"These energy readings are unusual," Beverly said, studying the field with her tricorder.
She frowned.
"I don't think this is a doorway," Beverly said.
Jean-Luc looked disappointed but not surprised.
Instead of despair, Beverly smiled.
"I think this is some kind of protective bubble," Beverly explained. "It's similar to technology I've seen used on terraforming colonies."
She took a step back and shook her head.
"But this is way more advanced than anything we've got," Beverly added.
It was fluctuating at a frequency that was off the charts.
"I'd theorise the interference we're experiencing with sensors and communications is caused by this," Beverly suggested.
"I'm not sensing anything," Deanna advised.
"So the question remains, what's behind door number one?" Picard remarked.
"One way to find out," Tasha replied.
She took a step forward and stopped.
"With your permission, sir," Tasha added quickly.
"By all means," Picard said, waving to the forcefield between the pillars. "I'll be right behind you."
Tasha stopped for a second time, just inches from the entrance.
"Having second thoughts?" Worf asked.
Tasha turned around.
"I think I should go in first and attempt to come back," Tasha said. "Then, if it's safe, you can follow."
It wasn't just the Security Chief in Tasha that was worried about this doorway. She couldn't bear to think of any harm coming to the Captain.
Tasha took a breath, squared her shoulders and stepped through.
Nothing happened.
Well, not nothing.
She was on the other side of the forcefield. She could see the shuttle more clearly now. But there wasn't any damage or teleportation.
Tasha turned and poked her head out.
"All clear," she smiled.
The inside of the dome wasn't large. Beverly estimated maybe fifty metres in diameter. The shuttle Geordi and Data had taken was undamaged but abandoned.
"EV suits are untouched," Tasha said. "But there are a number of missing supply crates."
Her brow furrowed.
It wasn't like them to simply leave.
"This dome has an atmosphere," Beverly said as she turned and scanned the air.
She reattached her tricorder to her EV suit and then reached for her helmet.
"Don't," Jean-Luc ordered.
Beverly pretended that she couldn't hear and detached her helmet. After lifting it off she took a deep breath and smiled.
Jean-Luc shot her a look of disapproval.
"Why land in here?" Worf asked.
It was a reasonable question. Procedure would dictate landing outside of the forcefield and conducting several scans before attempting entry.
"You know we have no idea when they arrived," Tasha said.
Between the communication issues and time spent before the Enterprise knew they were missing, Data and Geordi had several hours that were unaccounted for.
"What's this?" Jean-Luc asked.
Everyone turned and followed his line of sight to a strange, small craft at the edge of the forcefield.
Beverly reattached her helmet as a precaution, and they approached the vessel.
It was small, almost the size of a shuttlepod. From the looks of things, it had been there a long time. The viewscreen was barely visible.
Worf ran his hand over the exterior and studied his glove.
"There is some kind of protective coating. Ancient Klingon vessels used such an exterior for long journeys to isolate against the cold of space and preserve power," Worf advised.
"I don't think you were the only ones," Jean-Luc said.
As the team approached the back of the vessel, they discovered there was a skeleton inside.
"Whoa," Deanna commented.
"I'd bet anything that's a Romulan. And they're probably as old as that scanner you found," Picard wagered.
"Well, they strayed quite a way from the Neutral Zone," Beverly commented.
Jean-Luc threw his head back and laughed.
"That boundary didn't exist then," Jean-Luc reminded her. "He was dead centuries before the Neutral Zone was established."
"Point taken," Beverly replied.
"Sir, over here!" Tasha hollered.
The team exited the ancient Romulan craft to join Worf and Tasha. They had stepped inside a chamber carved from rock.
Jean-Luc was blown away by the room. It was large, with a vaulted ceiling carved from rock. About a metre ahead stood what appeared to be a large mirror.
"I think this might be what's powering this forcefield," Tasha explained, pointing to the device.
It was a small device implanted on the tiled floor beneath. The energy frequency it emitted was the same as the forcefield.
There were a handful of Romulan symbols on what appeared to be an access panel.
"Some kind of shield?" Picard asked.
"Or cloaking device," Worf suggested.
"It would explain why this place has stayed off the radar for so long," Tasha said.
Though it had been decades since Starfleet had charted this corridor, there were occasional trade ships that passed through. A wormhole had never been previously reported.
"Then why did we pick up on it?" Deanna asked.
"Because I think this is dying," Beverly said as she analysed her tricorder readings.
She knelt down next to the device and frowned.
Tasha followed suit and whipped out her own tricorder.
"Romulan technology relies on dilithium – just like our own," Tasha shared. "But the dilithium they mine has a slightly different atomic trace. It's how we can distinguish between disruptor style weapons and our own phasers."
Science and engineering weren't really her forte – except when it came to defences and weaponry.
"This is Romulan technology," Tasha assured him.
"And I'd say it's on its last leg," Beverly warned.
"How long?" Picard questioned.
Beverly stood and shrugged.
"I really can't say. A few hours. A few days," Beverly answered. "I really haven't had enough time to study the rate of decay. And I honestly don't know if there is enough time."
Jean-Luc's shoulders slumped.
He lifted his eyes and stared at the doorway in front of him.
"The irony of finding something that has survived this long, only to be pressed for time," Jean-Luc lamented aloud. "It is a cruel fate."
"Do you think they went through it?" Tasha asked.
She turned to Deanna.
"I'm sorry, I'm not getting anything," Deanna apologised.
"Nor should you," Picard said.
He stepped forward and scanned the doorway.
"If this really is an Iconian doorway, and all the evidence indicates it is," Picard said. "Then this leads to another world."
Tasha cocked her head to the side as she stared at the doorway.
"What is it?" Deanna asked.
She could sense something didn't sit right with Tasha.
"I know they were excited to come. And this is certainly the discovery of a lifetime," Tasha said. "But I can't see them stepping through here without checking in first."
She turned and looked at the Captain.
Jean-Luc had to agree she had a valid point. It was unlike Data and Geordi to go rogue – even if they were enthusiastic about their mission.
Data surely would have recognised the importance of Iconian symbols. After all, it was a topic the Captain and Data had discussed at length.
"Unless they did not go willingly," Worf suggested.
"Well I doubt Mr Bones over there had much to do with it," Tasha said, gesturing to the Romulan craft.
Worf knelt down and studied the ground.
"No, but these markings indicate something sparked. There was a minor explosion," Worf advised.
There were scorch marks on the floor leading out from the device they believed was powering the protective dome.
"If one of them was thrown through the doorway, the other may have gone through to help," Worf theorised.
"The EV suits are intact on the shuttle, but there are other supplies missing," Tasha recalled.
She had done a full sweep and check.
"Climbing equipment, ration packs, a medical kit," she listed off.
Her eyes lit up.
"And the stellar cartography array," Tasha added.
It only made sense.
If they had to step through for a rescue, either Data or Geordi would have thought to bring that with them so they could map their location.
"Then why haven't they come back?" Picard asked. "We need to consider this carefully."
He didn't want to risk sending another officer on a one-way trip to Q knows where.
"Maybe they're both injured?" Beverly proposed.
"Or the non-injured party can't be moved?" Tasha offered.
"Or they cannot return," Deanna said.
It was a grim fate, but one that needed to be raised as a possibility.
Jean-Luc looked at the door and sighed. He didn't want to order anyone through. And he knew it would be reckless for him as the Captain to step into the doorway.
"I'll go, sir," Tasha offered.
Jean-Luc hesitated.
"I'm volunteering," Tasha explained.
That lifted the burden of guilt from having to order her on such a task.
He nodded slowly and then turned his attention back to the door.
It appeared to be nothing more than a frozen landscape on the other side.
"How do we know this is the right destination?" Picard inquired.
Tasha bit her lip. She didn't have an answer. There was no way to be certain.
"This does correspond with the time we detected the wormhole being open," Worf offered.
He looked up from the timepiece on the arm of his suit.
"But if our readings are correct, the window will only be open for another twenty-one minutes," Worf warned.
"Then I'd better get moving," Tasha said.
She rolled her shoulders and stepped through the portal.
Tasha emerged in a frozen world. It was dark, but there was sunlight beginning to peak over the horizon.
She took a few steps forward and then yelped.
She had very nearly fallen into a crevasse hidden in the ice.
Steadying herself, Tasha fell backwards and scrambled away from the edge.
That was close. She thought.
She closed her eyes and took a few breaths to steady her nerves. Tasha could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Tasha carefully moved toward the ledge and peered down into the dark cavern below.
She tapped the side of her EV suit and activated the optical scanner to get a better view.
Tasha couldn't be sure, but there was definitely something down there.
"Data? Geordi?" she shouted.
Her voice didn't carry very far as it was up against the howling wind as it whipped across the frozen wasteland.
She bit her lip and sat back on her knees. Beverly had warned they might be injured. A fall from this distance into the cavern would certainly do it.
Glancing around, it was clear that there had been some kind traffic in the snow – and it led back to the crevasse.
Tasha turned around and squinted as she sought out the doorway.
With all the wind and blowing snow it was nearly impossible to distinguish in the dark.
Without a second thought, Tasha stepped back through
"Tasha?" Picard prompted.
"Get the other climbing set from the shuttle," Tasha ordered.
Deanna nodded and rushed off.
"Worf, run back and grab the one from the shuttle we came on," Tasha requested.
She turned to Captain Picard.
"I think I know what happened," Tasha shared. "And we're working against the clock."
Tasha suited up in her climbing gear as quickly as possible.
She tossed a flare down the cavern to judge the height. It glowed, the only bit of light in dark abyss.
Using the line from both kits to double her length, Tasha gave Worf a small nod. She ordered the torch attached to her helmet on and then jumped over the side, rappelling down to the bottom.
It took three minutes to reach the bottom. Tasha unclipped her line. She left the harness on as they were short on time.
"Data? Geordi?" Tasha hollered.
It was significantly quieter down at the bottom – though the wind still howled above.
There were some abandoned cases of supplies near the bottom. Tasha also recognised pieces from the stellar cartography array. It looked like they had tried to fashion it into some device.
Following the footprints in the snow, Tasha stumbled upon their makeshift shelter.
'Makeshift' was the operative word.
They had staked storage crates and piled up snow to create a small pocket. An inflatable raft made for a provisional roof to trap the heat. Tasha dropped to her knees and climbed inside.
Data and Geordi were both unconscious.
"Geordi?" Tasha asked.
She scanned him with the tricorder that was built into the wrist of her suit.
There was a pulse – but it was weak.
Tasha turned her attention to Data.
She climbed over to him and hissed as she made contact with this bioplast. Data was burning up.
"Data?" Tasha asked. "Data!"
She tried to shake him awake. He did not respond.
"Data? Data we're here," Tasha repeated.
With considerable effort, Tasha managed to pull Data's torso forward enough to find his activation switch. It was in an active position, yet Data remained unmoving.
Despite the heat, Tasha cupped Data's face.
"Data, please," Tasha said softly.
She glanced back toward the main shaft of the cavern. If Data was incapacitated, she had no idea how she would get him out of there.
"Please," Tasha repeated.
Data didn't move. His eyes – devoid of their usual golden glow – remained empty.
Tasha leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the emotional weight of the moment.
They had agreed they wouldn't allow their personal relationship to interfere with their duty.
"Please," Tasha whispered. "Don't leave us."
The heat that was radiating off his body was too much for Tasha to bear.
Through her EV suit, she pressed a kiss to his forehead.
They were tight on time. If the doorway operated on the same cycle as what they read from the false wormhole readings, that meant Tasha had only minutes to get them out of there.
She grabbed Geordi and threw him over her shoulder.
Carrying him back out into the main cavern, Tasha used the secondary harness to secure Geordi to herself.
She gave the line two tugs.
With Worf's help, Tasha began her ascent.
Between both Tasha and Worf, it took almost seven minutes to haul Geordi up to the top of the ledge.
Worf was breathing pretty heaviy when they emerged.
"He's alive. But he's gonna wish he wasn't," Tasha said.
They rolled to safety and then detached Geordi.
"Go," Tasha ordered.
Worf looked at her and blinked in confusion.
"Go," Tasha repeated.
She was still trying to catch her own breath.
"That doorway closes in ninety seconds. Go," Tasha urged.
Worf pulled Geordi through the doorway and deposited him on the floor.
Tasha's chest was heaving as she turned back to the abyss. The back of her throat hurt. Even with the EV suit, she wasn't completely protected from the cold.
It would be another sixty-four minutes before the portal opened again. There was no guarantee it would even be there. The Romulan device that protected the shield around the area was failing.
In staying, Tasha could very well be trapping herself there for what would likely be the rest of a short life.
But she couldn't leave Data.
And she didn't have the time to get up from below before the window closed.
Tasha pulled herself to the ledge, sitting just at the precipice. Without Worf, her second trip down would take considerably more time.
She just needed a few seconds to catch her breath and then she would be ready to make another descent.
Without a second glance, Tasha dove over the edge and back down in the inky darkness.
When she reached the floor of the cavern, Tasha disconnected herself from the line.
She approached Data again and knelt beside him.
Uncertain what to do, Tasha tried not to panic. Data's system was so complex. Even Geordi had shared that he felt like they had barely scratched the surface of Data's capabilities.
However, Tasha was certain that if Data's body was producing this much heat, he had to still be active in some capacity.
She was reminded of a console or an engine. After too much extended use, even the Enterprise engines required a cool down.
And that meant shutting them down for a time.
Feeling along Data's back, Tasha found his activation switch.
"I'm sorry," she said aloud. "I'm sure under the circumstances, you understand."
Data's activation switch wasn't just an 'on switch' as he colloquially referred to it. It was a matter of his very person and Tasha would never intentionally deactivate him without his explicit permission. They did not even joke of such things.
Tasha knew what it meant to Data, and she had no desire to trivialise the matter of his consciousness.
Given their circumstances, Tasha reconciled this by looking at it as a medical emergency. Data was her medical contact. He was authorised to make medical decision on her behalf should she ever be incapacitated.
While she did not share the same legal designation for Data, she was confident that he would agree with her decision to take action on his behalf.
Tasha pulled Data's head into her lap.
"I don't know if you're going to be alright," Tasha said as she brushed his hair back. "But I'm here."
Tasha sniffled.
"I will always find you," Tasha promised him.
She took Data's hand in her own. It broke her heart to see he was injured. The bioplast on the back of his hands was skinned away.
Tasha checked the built-in timepiece on her EV suit. It would be another forty-eight minutes before the doorway would open.
She looked up and studied the immediate area where Data and Geordi had been trapped for the last day and half.
Tasha startled, stumbling back when she looked up and saw a frozen Romulan staring back from beneath the ice ahead.
When she realised it wasn't moving, Tasha inched closer.
"As I live and breathe," she muttered in astonishment.
It was definitely a frozen Romulan. And if their dating on the device was any indicator of age, that popsicle had been down there for centuries.
Tasha turned and sat back down next to Data.
"You know I thought when we got a place of our own it would be sans roommate," Tasha chuckled. "At least he's quiet."
The silence from Data's lifeless body was unnerving – even more unnerving than the cold, dead eyes of a long lost Romulan frozen in the ice.
Tasha reached out and rested her hand on Data's arm.
At the very least, his core body temperature had cooled. He was now cool enough to move.
"Come on," Tasha said.
She couldn't carry Data like she had Geordi. Even with her weightlifting, Data was beyond Tasha's capabilities. He weighed almost twenty-one stone.
It was even a stretch for the likes of Worf.
Tasha looped her arms under Data's shoulders and pulled him along the ice until they reached the line. She set Data down next to the ice shelf and secured the harness around his body.
"Ok," Tasha said.
She glanced up above and exhaled.
Tasha had no inkling how she was going to get Data up there – but she knew she had to try.
Tasha reached around and flipped Data's activation switch. The frigid temperatures had one advantage in cooling Data's body back down to a safe temperature.
She cupped his face and gently tried to rouse him.
"Data?" Tasha asked.
To her relief, his eyes came back online. A familiar golden glow replaced the once empty whiteness.
"Data," Tasha smiled.
He closed his eyes and Tasha was relieved to see his chest rise as Data took a slow, artificial breath.
"Are you hurt?" Tasha asked.
Data did not react. He blinked slowly. Despite the fact he appeared to be conscious, Data had a blank look on his face. He was far from alert.
"Data, can you hear me?" Tasha questioned.
He did not respond.
Between the initial fall, the extreme temperatures, and the damage from overheating, Data's system was struggling to reboot.
Tasha attached Data's weight to her own. It wasn't safe – but there was nothing safe about this rescue plan.
Some rescue. Tasha mused.
Data was more than twice her bodyweight. Even on her best day, Tasha could only bench one and half times her own bodyweight.
She wondered what Worf would say if he could see her now. He was always after her to keep training.
Tasha made a promise to herself that they made it out of there, she was never skipping another weightlifting session with Worf again.
Tasha reached up and secured her first move into the ice. She groaned against the strain.
She couldn't figure out why the adrenaline rush that was supposed to accompany these situations wasn't enough.
Before she could dwell on that thought, Tasha sensed they were moving.
Something or rather someone was pulling them up.
Worf! She realised.
Tasha did her best to make things easy for them – using what strength she had to keep the line steady and safely clear of the jagged ice.
They were about halfway up the distance when Tasha felt the line stop.
She assumed Worf needed a breather. And she didn't blame him. Worf had pulled them nearly fifteen metres and that was no small feat.
Tasha checked her timepiece.
It was another twenty-three minutes before the portal would open again allowing them passage back to the asteroid.
If Worf could maintain his pace, then they stood a good chance of making it.
As they hung there suspended from the edge of the icy cliff, Tasha studied Data's reaction. He hadn't spoken a word. His eyes were still open, but he wasn't even looking around.
And that was concerning.
"Hey," Tasha said in a soft voice. "It is going to be alright."
She reasoned this must have been scary for him. Whether he was really cognisant or not, being suspended over such a height and hanging as literal dead weight was a disconcerting motion.
She flashed him a brilliant smile as the line began to move again.
It took almost twenty minutes for them to reach the top. As they drew closer, Tasha could sense a shift in the light too. Sunlight was beginning to peak over the edges of the cavern. It was weak, but welcome.
Tasha threw her head back and laughed when her hero, or rather heroes, came into view.
"Look alive," a familiar voice said.
There were two figures standing at the edge of the ice. Working in tandem, they had pulled Data and Tasha to safety.
"On this team, no one gets left behind," Jean-Luc said as he offered Tasha his arm.
With the Captain's help, Tasha pulled herself and Data up and over to the safety of solid ground.
"We have work to do," Worf said.
"Data?" Jean-Luc asked as he knelt down to detach Data's harness.
Data opened his mouth to speak. A garbled, mechanical screeching noise was all that came out.
"I'm glad to see you too," Picard replied.
The team was able to step back through the portal. Worf and Tasha carried Data between them.
But they weren't out of the woods yet.
The minute they stepped back into the dome, they were met with shaky ground.
To top things off, Data seemed to experience some kind of powerful physical surge from passing through the Iconian door.
His body convulsed violently.
"Whoa," Tasha said.
She and Worf stumbled as they tried to keep Data upright.
Jean-Luc glanced around and noticed the Romulan device on the ground was blinking. In particular, what they believed was a power indicator bar was blinking red.
"I think our time is up," Jean-Luc remarked.
The asteroid was rocked by another resounding quake.
"The shuttle," Worf suggested.
Captain Picard had ordered the other team to take the shuttle piloted by Lieutenant Olivet back to the Enterprise. Geordi required immediate medical attention and they could not wait the hour that they were trapped behind the portal.
But the shuttle Geordi and Worf had initially arrived on was still present.
Rushing along as fast as they could under the circumstances, they made for the tiny shuttlepod.
Typically pods that size were not meant to hold more than two persons. Three was pushing it.
"It's gonna be tight," Jean-Luc said.
They squeezed onto the shuttle.
Worf was the first on. He slipped into the corner and pulled Data tight against him to make room. At the Captain's direction, Tasha slid into the helm while Jean-Luc took the adjacent seat.
Worf punched the button to close the hatch.
"We have got to go," Jean-Luc ordered.
Tasha punched the engines, and the shuttle took off as the rock formations surrounding the dome began to shake apart and collapse.
The Romulan device would likely run out of power any minute – and when dilithium-chambered devices died they had a tendency of blowing up.
It was probably the device itself had lasted so long as it relied on dilithium crystal chambers to maintain a certain matter/antimatter ratio. Without the chamber to maintain that balance, the device would be in for a nasty explosion.
"Tasha," Jean-Luc said in a slightly terse voice.
Their exit was a bit slower for comfort.
"I'm sorry, sir. Navigating this asteroid field is no cakewalk," Tasha replied.
The shuttle lurched as Tasha narrowly avoided a medium-sized piece of drifting debris.
Worf cringed as Data's body slipped from his grasp.
"Here," Jean-Luc said.
With the Captain's help, Worf set Data down safely on the floor of the shuttle.
The shuttle passed close to another large piece of debris. For a moment, they were in its shadow as it passed.
"If that device explodes and we're in the middle of all this-" Jean-Luc said.
"I know," Tasha said.
He didn't need to finish his thought.
Tasha was trying to put as much distance between their shuttlepod and the asteroid.
The sensors at the helm began to blink. Captain Picard and Tasha exchanged a glance. Worf grumbled something under his breath before clutching one of the safety bars.
"You might want to grab something, sir," Tasha warned.
A few seconds later, the shuttlepod was overcome by the blast force from the Romulan device.
It hurled the craft forward. Tasha moved quickly as she tried to compensate, narrowly avoiding a large piece of debris.
An alert began to sound.
"Something's impacted our port-side rear thruster," Tasha informed them. "Attempting to compensate."
Worf's knuckles paled as he clenched tighter onto the safety bar.
"We're losing attitude control," Tasha announced.
The vessel dove and lurched – sending Data's body into the wall. Worf stumbled forward. Both Captain Picard and Tasha slipped from their seats.
With the shuttle continuing to veer off course, it was now resting at a near ninety-degree angle. Tasha tried to climb up to the helm, but the force was too great.
Even Worf didn't have the strength to reach the necessary console to regain control.
They were pulling some serious G's and Tasha felt horrible that Captain Picard had been squished between her and the wall. Their EV suits weren't light.
She just hoped Worf didn't come crashing into them too.
"Maybe we can eject?" Tasha shouted.
They were in their EV suites. That would protect them for another hour. And they were now back in range for radio contact with the Enterprise.
"Too much debris!" Picard responded.
One hit from even a micro-size rock and they would risk venting atmosphere into space.
"What about the-" Tasha stopped.
A long, slender arm shot up and gripped the edge of the helm.
Tasha watched, both shocked and relieved, as Data pulled himself forward.
Using his strength, Data fought the strain of the gravitational force. He clicked in the appropriate command, calculated the necessary adjustment for manual override, and the shuttle righted itself.
Worf, Tasha, and Captain Picard came crashing back down to the floor.
Tasha could tell from the way Data's eyes were rapidly flitting back and forth that the task of manually controlling the shuttlepod's orientation was a considerable strain.
"I've got it," Tasha said as she took over for him. "Thank you."
Without a word, Data slumped down to the floor, resting his head against the seat.
"Well done, Mr Data," Picard said.
Tasha engaged the secondary thrusters. They were nearly to the edge of the asteroid field. As soon as they crossed past the border, everyone onboard relaxed.
It would be about an hour's journey back before they would rendezvous with the Enterprise.
Tasha set her their course and the shuttle sped along at a comfortable cruising speed.
Once she could safely return the vessel to autopilot, Tasha reached up and detached her EV helmet.
She noticed Captain Picard looked both satisfied and forlorn.
"Sir?" Tasha prompted.
"It's a shame that we finally discover proof of the Iconians only to have our time cut short," Picard remarked.
"But now that you know its out there, it's real," Tasha replied. "That can't be the only one. There will be others."
"It does seem likely that the Iconians would build multiple such locations," Worf chimed in.
"And in thousands of years, we've found one," Picard mused.
He chuckled and shook his head.
"I guess some things are best left to legend," Jean-Luc said.
"Y….ou came through….the worm…hole," Data said.
His voice was strained and slow.
"Fo…r m…e, sir," Data said.
He hadn't moved since using much of his processing capacity to right the shuttle. In doing so, he had overtaxed his system.
"Not exactly," Jean-Luc said with a wry smile.
But the details of that could wait.
Worf gave Data's shoulder a warm squeeze.
Data turned his head, his eyes scanning the shuttle.
"Geo…rdi?" Data asked.
"He's safe," Jean-Luc assured him.
Technically, she was on duty. As much as Tasha wanted to pull him into her arms and smother him with affection, she settled for holding his hand.
"H…ow l-long?" Data asked.
"About a day and half," Worf answered.
"Too long," Tasha remarked.
"And then somewhere between pickles and hot chocolate it just clicked that this couldn't be a wormhole and-" Sonya trailed off.
She laughed nervously.
Geordi was in Sickbay being treated for his injuries. It had been two hours since their return to the Enterprise. Geordi was sore but alive.
From the minute they'd brought him back, Sonya had sat at his bedside.
"Sorry, I'm talking a lot because I'm nervous. I mean, I'm glad you're back. I'm over the moon you're back. You're back!" Sonya rambled. "I just, mean that I'm not great at-"
She stopped.
Geordi was beaming.
"You figured out it wasn't a wormhole," Geordi said.
He was impressed.
"Well, we didn't know it was an Iconian doorway," Sonya said.
She had trouble owning her own accomplishments.
"The team was working-" Sonya tried to explain.
"You figured out it wasn't a wormhole," Geordi said.
He reached over and took hold of Sonya's hands.
"You had the foresight to realise you needed to get creative," Geordi reminded her. "And in my experience, that's not just brilliant. It takes a lot of courage to say that in a room full of Engineers."
Sonya's face flushed.
Geordi leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek.
Things were still new between them, but Geordi had completely fallen.
"Don't ever stop being amazing," Geordi said.
Across the ship, Data was lying in bed in his quarters with Tasha spooned up behind him.
They would reach Starbase 173 tomorrow.
Until then, Captain Picard had ordered Data to rest.
They had said little as they lay there.
Data's system was still trying to fully repair itself following the damage from their mission. It would take several days for him to synthesise enough new bioplast material to repair his hands.
But Tasha didn't mind.
She simply reached around and covered his hands with her own, holding him safe in her arms.
"You found me," Data said.
The odds of their survival from crashing on the opposite side of a wormhole had been slim. Now that Data knew the truth that there had never been a wormhole, but rather an Iconian doorway – well, it was more than astronomical.
"I will always find you," Tasha promised.
She tightened her embrace, giving a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
While there was no scientific evidence to back such a claim, Data believed that her soothing touch was helping to repair his system.
At the very least, it was comforting while his system conducted its own diagnostic and auto repair programmes.
"Data, we need to talk," Tasha said suddenly.
Data's whole body stiffened.
In his experience, such a phrase was typically a prelude to an uncomfortable conversation.
"I left under unusual circumstances. I should have consulted with you before-" Data began to apologise.
"No, no," Tasha assured him.
She rolled them so Data was on his back.
"That's not what I want to talk about," Tasha said.
She bit her lip.
Data couldn't pinpoint the source of her anxiety, but it appeared this was a subject Tasha was reluctant to broach.
Data kept his expression neutral, but he braced himself for the worst.
"When we were down in that cavern and you were lying there," Tasha paused.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I deactivated you," Tasha confessed.
She opened her eyes and met Data's line of sight.
"I'm so sorry," Tasha said. "You weren't conscious. I didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry."
"Why? I know that you would never abuse such knowledge," Data replied. "I trust that you would never harm me."
Tasha smiled nervously.
"That's what I want to talk about," she said.
Data cocked his head to the side.
"After the appendix incident, do you remember I had a conversation with Beverly?" Tasha inquired.
Data nodded. He remembered the conversation well.
"We signed a Starfleet Emergency Medical Authorisation Form 178A," Data recalled. "Empowering me to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event that you are ever incapacitated."
Tasha nodded.
"But you don't have a form 178A," Tasha said.
"No," Data admitted.
There was a hint of sadness in his voice. Situations like that reminded him just how much of an outsider he truly was.
"I've been thinking a lot about what you said," Tasha explained.
"I have said many things in the course of our relationship," Data commented.
He wasn't intending to be cheeky.
"About commitment," Tasha clarified.
Shock registered in Data's face.
"Oh," he said, pleasantly surprised. "That."
"Yeah. That," Tasha replied.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence was unsettling. They both found their voice at the same time.
"I do not mean to pressure you," Data said.
"I think you're right," Tasha said quickly.
Data blinked a few times as he attempted to process what had just transpired.
"I think you're right," Tasha repeated. "And I want to be there for you, like you are for me. You're right about all of it. And-"
She paused and smiled.
"Commitment," she settled on. "In some form, well, is important for you - for starting a family. For us."
Data was at a loss for words.
"There are going to be decisions. Situations that might arise. And if it comes to it, I want you making them for me and I want to be the person making them for you," Tasha shared.
Between their respective roles, their commitment to duty, and the nature of life aboard a Starship, there were so many things that could happen. Both Data and Tasha recognised the importance of having those conversations before they were necessary.
"Maybe we can talk about it on leave?" Tasha suggested.
Tasha flashed Data a look of curiosity as the corner of his lip curved upward.
You have no idea what conversation is in store. Data thought.
"What?" Tasha asked.
Data pulled her down against him and Tasha buried her head against his chest.
"I am, as you would say, over-the-moon," Data shared. "For our conversation. As I have much to say."