Gah! I think I was better off on the awkward bench! There's construction going on outside and the noise and vibrations are driving me nuts. Time for loud, loud music, I think...
Here's the second part!
II.
The captain's quarters were dim, except for one warm light positioned over the polished desk. Picard finished re-checking his report to Starfleet on the Enterprise's recent encounter with, and escape from, a community of two-dimensional lifeforms, hit 'submit,' and logged off Starfleet Command's subspace network with a sigh. Rising to his feet, he deposited his empty teacup and saucer in the replicator, then returned to his chair to begin perusing the backlog of forms and requests awaiting captain's approval.
"What's this? 'Lt. Commander Data: Request to Formally Adopt…'?"
The captain leaned back in his chair and frowned at the screen. It seemed Mr. Data had listed Picard as a character reference on an adoption petition. The communique on his screen was a standard follow-up form from the agency.
Picard checked the time. It was nearly half-past midnight aboard ship. Data would be on the bridge right now, overseeing the night shift.
His first impulse was to summon the android, demand to know what this odd, and seemingly sudden, request was all about. But, then he thought again – not about Data's adoption petition, but his own reaction to it. What was the reason for this knee-jerk response? Would he have felt the same about a petition from Riker, or Beverly or…or Worf?
Picard had long felt that he had reacted…somewhat badly…when Data had presented his android offspring, Lal, to the crew. And now here he was, fighting back a similar sense of…alarm? Well, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
Data may have been an android, but he was also a mature, highly responsible individual with every right to adopt a pet if he so chose without the need to explain himself, or his decision, to his commanding officer. Picard filled in the form without delay, wrote out a brief, heartfelt endorsement, and sent the message back to the agency.
"Best of luck, Mr. Data," he muttered through a slight smile, his eyes already moving over the next communique. "If this cat is anything like my grandmother's, you will need it…"
To Be Continued...in a few minutes...
References include: The Loss; The Offspring.