Thank you so much for your fantastic comments! I am always very curious to know what you think of my stories. I love writing them, but because I'm writing them I'll never really know what it's like to 'read' any of them, if you know what I mean. So, thank you! And, I like the "May I help?" moment too. Essence of Data! :)

I was super worried about the rant, and the dynamic with the kids, especially since things are going to change once they do reach the compound and reunite with the others. Strong emotions and complex, interpersonal interactions are not my strong suit in real life (see 'Alternative Data'), and writing stories is my way of puzzling them out. I really appreciate your helpful feedback! :)

Actually, it's a dream of mine to be a real, published author someday, so thanks very much for the encouraging compliment! I've so far managed to get some of my stuff published in kid magazines and academic journals and I once self-published a little picture book on Kindle as an experiment, but I want to be a book author (scifi novels and non-fiction history) and I plan to look seriously into how once I finish revising my thesis, then turn in my thesis, defend my thesis, and graduate - which will, hopefully, all take place this year! Wish me luck! :)

In the meantime, here's a chapter I wrote out last night. There's more coming soon, so please stay tuned!

Chapter Nineteen

A rosy glow was just brushing the horizon as the looming Stairway came into view. The dim light cast intricate shadows over the structure's twists and curves, making the intertwining steps almost seem to move as the speeder sped by.

"What is that thing?" Ishta asked, breaking the sleepy silence of the last few miles.

"You've never heard of the Stairway of Sawrina the Great?" Kahlestra said.

"I've heard of it, but I've never seen it," Ishta retorted. "It's not like those guards took us Skins out on history tours, you know."

Kahlestra blinked, and sat back. Seeing the familiar landscape, feeling she was so close to home…for a moment, the horrors they'd all been facing had seemed…unreal…

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean anything."

"Whatever," Ishta muttered. "Hey, Data, how much longer till we get where we're going?"

"We are here," Data informed them, and the girls sat straight, peering out the windows as the android pulled into a sheltered clearing and parked the speeder beside the archaeologists' stable.

"I gotta get home," Kahlestra said with sudden urgency, already unstrapping her seatbelt. "I gotta let my mother know I'm OK! And the archaeologists… I have to tell them about Dr. Baker and—"

"Kay, stop," Data said, turning in his seat so he could look her in the eye. "The attack on this compound was quite fierce. Until we know the site is clear, I want you children to remain in this speeder with Howard. I will take the phaser rifle and inspect the stable. If the horses are there, and well, we will all move on to the compound together. Understood?"

Kahlestra looked like she was about to protest, but a glance at Mikey, still fast asleep beside her, caused her to sigh and nod her head.

"OK," she allowed. "But if you take longer than five minutes in there, we're coming in after you."

Data gave her a little smile, then opened the door and climbed out.

"Stay," he warned again as the door closed. Keeping to the shadows, he strode to the back compartment, grabbed the phaser rifle, and crept silently into the pitch darkness beyond the stable gate.

"Don't know why he bothers sneaking around. With his head and hands blinking like that, he's a walking flash beacon," Ishta muttered.

"Heh," Kahlestra snorted. "That's true. Sometimes, I wonder if he forgets he lost his skin."

"How could a metal man with a computer brain forget a thing like that?" Ishta scoffed.

Kahlestra shrugged and looked down at her hand…the slowly healing burn scars left by Dr. Baker's fingers when the woman was vaporized right beside her…

"I don't know," she said quietly, pressing her thumb against the wound until the throbbing sting made her wince. "But, maybe 'forget' is the wrong word. Maybe he did it to remember…?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ishta demanded, thoroughly confused.

Kahlestra clenched her fist and shook her head.

"Nothing, never mind," she said. "Hey, look, he's coming back already!"

Data returned to the speeder at a jaunty pace; a saddlebag slung over one shoulder, the phaser rifle tucked under his arm, and a tricorder in his blinking hand. As the door opened, he met the girls' questions with the happiest, most open smile they'd yet seen him wear.

"It's all right!" he said. "You can come out. I have seen no lingering indications of violent raiding or occupation. The horses have recently been provided with fresh food and water. Even their manes and tails have been braided. And, my tricorder readings indicate seven humanoid life signs in that building." He pointed. "Four human, one Vulcan, one half-Betazoid and…" He smiled at Kahlestra. "One Klingon."

Kahlestra let out a relieved gasp, then jumped down from the speeder to clasp him in a hug so powerful, he actually had to stagger a little to keep his balance in the sand.

"Thank you, Commander," she said, squeezing the android with all her strength. "Thank you, for my mother and for myself."

For a moment, Data seemed quite abashed, even speechless. But then, his expression softened and he gently brushed the loose hair from the young Klingon's face.

"Thank you, Kay," he said, resting his free hand on her shoulder as she slowly let him go. "For trusting I would keep my promise. Your supportive input has been invaluable. This applies to you as well, Ishta," he said, fixing his golden gaze on the solemn girl. "You each aided in your own rescue, and mine. I am exceedingly proud of all of you."

Ishta frowned a little and lowered her eyes, but Data was already moving around the speeder, opening Howard's door, handing Kahlestra the phaser rifle, then slipping his tricorder in his pocket and gently lifting the sleeping Mikey from the back seat.

"Uncle Michael…" he muttered as his forehead brushed against Data's metal cheek.

Data pursed his lips and cradled the boy's head on his shoulder, soothing him back into his dreams.

"Poor kid…" Kahlestra said. "Where's he going to go after all this? His whole family is…well…gone."

"That may not be so," Data said, keeping his voice low. "His immediate family were colonists. He may have more distant relatives elsewhere in the Federation. Grandparents, perhaps. Or cousins."

"Like they'd want to take in a sick kid," Ishta mumbled, climbing slowly out of the speeder and watching the doors close.

Data regarded her.

"In my time aboard the Enterprise," he said, "I have known several children who lost their parents to various causes. Jeremy Aster. Jono Rossa. Timothy Harris…" He smiled a little. "When notified, their surviving relatives were more than eager to share their homes with them."

"And me?" Ishta challenged. "I don't have any of that. What am I supposed to do when Kay goes back to her mom and her school and you head back to your ship, huh? You gonna dump me in some Fed institution, Data? 'Cause if you send me home to Mother, she'll have me back on the market in two seconds, flat."

"I will not allow that to happen, Ishta," Data said.

"Yeah? How you gonna stop it, android?" Ishta shot back. "I wasn't born in your precious Federation. Human rights don't extend to Orion Skins!"

"You are not a Skin," Data insisted. "You are a fourteen-year-old child who has found asylum on a Federation world. You will not be returned to Orion or sent to live in an institution. Did I not promise I would keep you safe?"

Ishta kicked the sand.

"Like I'm supposed to know what that even means," she snarled.

"It means," Data said, fixing his eyes on her face until she met them with her own. "I will do whatever it takes to find you a home and an environment in which you, Ishta, can grow and thrive. I will not abandon you. Do you understand me?"

Ishta shrugged and kicked more sand.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "I get to hang around your neck like a big, green stone 'till you smoke me out some castle on a cloud."

Data tilted his head, his silvery brow deeply furrowed.

"I find the imagery you employ...confusing," he said. "But, if you mean to depict yourself as a burden to me, Ishta, let me assure you that you are not. None of you children are. Now, come," he said, adjusting Mikey's position on his left arm and offering a free hand to her. "We will discuss your situation with my friends. Counselor Deanna Troi has particular expertise in these matters. Together, we will sort this out."

Ishta grunted, but reached up from her slump-shouldered hunch to take his hand in hers.

Data smiled, just slightly, then said, "All right, let's go. Come along, Howard."

"I am here to serve," Howard replied, and stomped after the group, his metallic-green skin gleaming in the dawning light.

Riker woke to the regular bleep of a proximity alarm, only to find Deanna already sitting up on her cot.

"What is it? Who's there?" Nat mumbled blearily, reaching under his own cot for a phaser. "Have those damned raiders returned?"

"No," Deanna said, her dark eyes wide with concentration. "No…"

She jumped to her feet, reaching for her clip as she twisted her hair into a loose bun.

"Deanna?" Riker questioned, but she was already talking over him.

"It's Data, Will," she exclaimed. "Data's back – and he's not alone."

Riker wrinkled his forehead.

"What do you mean, 'not alone'?"

"I think—"

"Troi, Will!" Picard alerted, bounding in from the control room with Tu'Pari close behind. "The proximity alarm—"

"We know, Captain," Riker said, pulling on his boots, pocketing a phaser, and striding for the door to the foyer that connected the small control room and their sleeping space to the front exit they shared with the clinic. "Deanna says it's Data."

The foyer door slid open a moment before the commander reached it, revealing a very anxious Freja Anders, who had volunteered to watch over Kurak in the clinic.

"There's a proximity alarm going off—" she started, only to step back to avoid getting trampled by the rest of the group filing past. "Oh, I guess you know, then."

"Come on, Freja," Nat said, reaching for her hand. "They say the android's made it back with someone. Maybe he found Kay!"

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Freja said, and allowed him to lead her out the door and into the cool, breezy morning.

To Be Continued…

References include TNG: The Bonding, Suddenly Human, The Neutral Zone, and Hero Worship. I don't think they ever mentioned Timothy's last name in "Hero Worship," so I named him after the actor who played him: Joshua Harris.

Your comments are always welcome! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

IMPORTANT AUTHOR/EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS STORY CONTINUES FROM THIS POINT IN SKIN DEEP: PART II. To keep up with fresh new updates as they get posted, please head over to Part II. Thank you, and I'm terribly sorry for any confusion!