Some time later, they reached the bridge. "This is the main bridge. In the center is the command pit. You already met Captain Picard and Commander Riker in the Transporter Room when you beamed aboard. On Captain Picard's left is the ship's counselor, Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi. On Miss Troi's left and on Commander Riker's right are seats for observers," Data said.
Data and Erania then walked to the tactical console. "This is the tactical console. The starship's weapons systems and defense systems are managed from here. This console also manages communications between this starship and other starships, space stations, and ground facilities," Data said. "Lieutenant Commander Worf, tactical officer and security chief. And yes, I am a Klingon," Worf said. "Good to meet you, Mr. Worf," Erania said. "And if you happen to have an interest in training with a Bat'leth, Princess, I can provide training in a Holodeck," Worf said.
Data and Erania then walked to the consoles at the rear of the bridge. "These here are the science and engineering consoles. The science consoles manage scientific data and research. The engineering consoles help manage the flow of power to the starship's systems," Data said.
Data and Erania then walked to the flight control console. "This is the flight control console, from which our vessel is piloted," Data said. "Ensign Wesley Crusher, flight control officer," Wesley said. "Mind if I ask what our current speed is, Mr. Crusher?" Erania said. "We're currently traveling at Warp 7, Princess. It'll be six weeks before we reach Bolarus IX," Wesley said. "Thank you, Mr. Crusher," Erania said.
Data and Erania then walked up to the Mission Operations console. "This is the Mission Operations console, where I normally work. Internal systems and sensors are managed from here," Data said, and she and Erania then walked up toward the port front exit. "Next to the port front turbolift door is the door to the commanding officer's ready room. A ready room allows whoever happens to be in command of a starship to perform administrative duties with all relevant office equipment, have private meetings with people when necessary, and receive classified communications and still have instant access to the bridge in the event of a crisis or emergency situation," Data said.
Data and Erania then walked to the aft starboard exit, then to the observation lounge. "This is the observation lounge. It can also double as a conference room," Data said. "Is this what stars look like when viewed from a starship traveling at Warp speeds, Commander?" Erania said, looking out the windows at the star streaks. "Yes, it is, Princess," Data said, and she and Erania then left the observation lounge.
When Data and Erania returned to the bridge, Erania took the observer seat to Troi's left. "Captain Picard told us you would be joining us on the bridge as an observer, Princess. Welcome to our bridge," Troi said. "Ensign Crusher told me that I would be aboard your starship for the next six weeks and that the Enterprise was traveling at Warp 7, Captain. Is that accurate?" Erania said. "That's accurate, Princess. We will have you aboard the Enterprise for the next six weeks until we reach Bolarus IX," Picard said. "Miss Troi, what do you know about Earth's 1918 Flu?" Erania said. "It's known now to have been an H1N1 virus, and it killed an estimated 17 million to 100 million people all over Earth in what was recorded as the worst global public health crisis of all time. Most of the scientific research into the pandemic puts the death toll at fifty million people all over Earth. You would not want to catch the 1918 virus, Princess. If that virus was a sentient virus, it would've been a ruthless, cold-blooded murderer. Some of the victims went from perfectly healthy to dead in less than eighteen hours. That's how brutal the virus was," Troi said. "That virus must have been a vicious killer, Miss Troi," Erania said. "A global war was already raging when the virus revealed its existence. Some people, scientists included, think the war was a major factor in the unprecedented lethality of that virus in terms of both the sheer numbers of dead and overall case fatality rate. And it hit in a period of Earth's history when mass commercial air travel did not exist yet. Newspapers were the only means a person had of getting news about the virus at the time, and reports in newspapers were censored to keep up morale for the war, and as a result, millions of people died," Troi said. "People who suppressed the news of the virus should have gone to prison. War or not, there was no legitimate cause to censor newspaper reports about a killer flu, Miss Troi," Erania said.