The Enterprise was in the process of transporting two delegations. The Anticans and the Selay absolutely detested one another but they both wanted to apply to the Federation. To apply representatives from each side was being sent to a neutral planet called Parliment in the hope that their dispute could be resolved.

Tasha logically knew that this was a more primitive society and really she ought to ease up on them but Jesus they were annoying!

Every little thing was a cause for great offence. She was constantly having to monitor them as they were both opportunistically looking to start a fight. Yar felt like she was babysitting two groups of the most bratty children she had ever encountered. A bratty child wouldn't have lasted long on her home planet. If you got to the end of the day alive, it was a good day. Yar had little patience for special snowflakes. She was of the belief you pulled your socks up and got on with it.

'Boo, the Anticans were taken aboard first' thought Yar, "cry me a river!" she said aloud to nobody in particular. Neither the Anticans or Selay seemed like promising candidates for the Federation.

Answering to their every objection, Yar had been trotting back and forth across the ship for the past few days. Her fuse was running dangerously short and she had an overwhelming urge to shirk her duties.

Yar now lay on her bed, stretched out still wearing her uniform and boots. She was exhausted from all the hassle of patrolling and there was something nagging inside her that made her feel flashes of anger.

Riker, her commander, but also her friend had upbraided her in front of the Antican ambassador. The ambassador was being a prick while hiding behind the guise of culture to justify his pettishness.

Riker had said that she, Tasha had misunderstood about the Antican's dietary requirements. He implied she'd let him down before she could even explain the problem. She hadn't realised they'd want to have their meals still squawking.

She couldn't really blame him, Riker often got a stick up his butt when he felt his reputation was on the line. Riker was always out to further his prospect of one day sitting in the captain's chair. She also knew Riker was only trying to placate the ambassador but it burned her. However, he had given them a sanctimonious dressing down about how 'we' the civilised people 'no longer enslaved animals'.

Yar didn't like to be wrong and she didn't like to look incompetent. She had swallowed it but it stung all the way down and was now kicking around like a lump of bitter resentment in her stomach.

The Lonely Tasha

Yar got up and pulled off her jumpsuit uniform. She reached her arms over head and enjoyed a morning stretched, rotating her neck and crunching out some of her tension. She yawned and lowered her arms and caught sight of herself in the mirror.

Yar was wearing only her black sports bra and boxer briefs. She gazed critically at herself. She had a broad rib cage and concave belly. Her skin was rosy pink with a dusting of fine downy baby blonde hair. She wasn't sculpted like some of the female security officers but her skin was taut and healthy across her muscles. She had a good length of bone despite the malnutrition she'd suffered in childhood.

She turned and looked back at herself in the mirror and felt a sense of pride at her buttocks, raised like a perky ripe peach. Her bum was one thing she really liked about herself. It was her curviest body part and gave her a shape even when she wore the unisex uniform of Starfleet. Yar didn't realise this but one of the reasons she took such pride in it was she hadn't liked how spindly and pinched she had looked when she was rescued. She never wanted to look weak like that again. On a subconscious level, her rosy rump was now a symbol to her of how healthy she was, and how far away she from that other scrawny girl she was. However, if someone, even Deanna had suggested this to her she might have knocked them out. This was one of these embarrassing self-truths she wasn't ready to acknowledge.

Once Yar was rescued from her colony and embarked on her journey to the academy she'd been careful to eat well and not overdo exercise. She had seen other female cadets try to be the best and diet, it had wrecked havoc on their bodies. Yar believed you are what you eat and she ate like a thoroughbred horse now. As a result of this care she hadn't ended up with the pancake Starfleet bottom you saw on so many of her cohorts.

Yar didn't look starved, although she had been for many years, she wasn't pleasantly plump either. She couldn't complain about her figure but when she closed her eyes she thought of Deanna with her heavy bosom and broad hips. Deanna looked like a Venus, with womanly curves that made men want to love her.

Beverly, on the other hand, had the gaunt grace of a Roman lady. She had an elegance that no other female on the ship had. With her angular looks and a striking profile, she could have easily been a dancer instead of a doctor.

Yar reflected with a mild pulse of jealousy 'no wonder Picard invited Beverly for private breakfasts'. It wasn't so much that Yar coveted Picard. She envied Beverly's sophistication and composure.

Yar slipped out of her undergarments and pulled on her favourite ship issue cotton robe. The soft space material clung to her body like a second skin. When she looked back at her bed she had a flashback to a time when she wasn't alone in that bed.

She saw herself naked and sweating while arching herself back into the soft pillows of her bed as Data, who was buried below the sheets, had run one of his most successful sub-routines. Yar felt her body ache in a way that was becoming all too familiar to her. Her gentle intoxicating encounter with Data had reawakened her severely repressed sexuality.

Coming of age on a colony with the galaxies most notoriously brutal rape gangs had made Tasha edgy around sexuality. Sex had always seemed like something painful that was done to women. Data had shown her kindness and gentleness she'd never really known before.

Sure there had been men and women before Data. But the furtive fumblings between cadets had never left her feeling as satiated as Data had. He had been entirely selfless in his techniques, he had given but taken nothing from her. She felt their coupling had more equality to it. He wasn't so much having her as he was giving her what she wanted.

They hadn't spent any significant time alone together since she'd battled Yareena. There had been a kiss, which had made her feel safe. Once you gave Data the green light to initiate intimate relations he was powerful yet careful with her because he could break her if he wasn't.

Yar felt the insistent lusty need tugging at her. After all the demanding and demeaning men of her day she just wanted to be alone with someone who wouldn't judge her or make her think about work. Absent mindedly she ran her hands over her chest and then tucked her palms under opposite armpits and embraced herself. She probably shouldn't contact him and invite him to her quarters.

What if everyone found out she was having sex with a machine that was possibly a sentient being? But Data wouldn't tell, she could ask him to not do it. Data wasn't the sort of android to break a promise. Data was faithful like a good dog and eager to please too.

Before Yar could second guess herself she asked the computer to locate Commander Data. The cool voice of the computer replied curtly "Commander Data is in holodeck 4 Lieutenant Yar".

Neglecting to put on her bra or briefs Yar slipped into her discarded uniform, thinking to herself 'well it's going in the sanitizer anyway...'. Once booted and suited she got up and made her way to the holodecks.

The whole way Yar's body was already tingling with the anticipation of Data's multiple techniques. Her hands were cold and shaky, so she clenched them into fists at her sides.

Halfway down the corridor to the holodeck, Yar encountered Picard, who was looking frustrated. She'd heard over the ship coms that the Enterprise was malfunctioning, however, that was Worf's problem until she was back on duty.

Picard stopped to ask her if she had any ideas on who the saboteur might be. The ship was too new to be malfunctioning. Maybe the Ferengi had bribed one of the delegations to do their dirty work. He refused to believe it could have been one of his crew. Yar tried to answer and as she shifted her weight to her other foot she felt a loose bounce in her chest region.

Yar suddenly felt painfully aware that she wasn't wearing a bra while talking to her captain. Yar may not have had Deanna's bust but she wasn't without her own endowments, enough to have jiggled noticeably in front of Picard. Picard was a perceptive man and he'd noticed but was politely trying to ignore the outline of her nipples as she spoke to him. She could see the tips of his ears and handsome bald head going slightly red. He made his excuses and quickly strode away from her. Yar folded her arms over her chest to offer a bit of make shift support.

When Yar arrived at holodeck 4 she had started to wonder if this wasn't a really stupid idea. She tapped the panel on the door to see what programme Data was running. She raised an eyebrow in surprise. Data was currently role-playing as Sherlock Holmes. Yar was about to enter when her coms beeped.

Worf came through loud and clear "Engineering to Captain Picard. Security alert! I just found Assistant Cheif Engineer Singh, he's dead." All of Yar's lusty thoughts evaporated in an instant.

Elementary My Dear Riker

She was already pounding back down the hall heading towards the turbo lifts when she was summoned to meet with Riker, Worf, Picard, Geordie and Dr Crusher in the Captain's ready room.

Picard wanted a full investigation into Singh's death. There was no viable cause of death and nobody knew what had gone wrong. The body showed no signs of interference, he was just dead. Yar shuddered at how suddenly the talented engineer had been obliterated. Yar was ordered to investigate the Antican delegation. They'd been caught with weapons lurking near the Selay's quarters.

"I tolerate these questions Lieutenant Yar," said the fuzzy faced werewolf looking Antican ambassador "because I need this vessel to get us to Parliament. Your shipboard problems do not concern me," he added pompously.

Yar was in no mood for his shit, one of her crewmen was dead and these fur balls hadn't been shooting straight since they arrived. She steeled her face and got that look in her eye that terrified her Aikido opponents "Well, they should. Our delays are your delays" she said evenly.

The ambassador's advisor growled at him in their native language. The way they looked back at her knew she they were about to serve her up more attitude.

"The peace conference will wait for us," he said smugly.

Yar went back on the attack but kept her voice measured "I must ask where you were during this vessel's Earth hours of 1800 last night and 0700 this morning?"

"Eating" he replied as if it were an obvious explanation.

Yar cocked her head "Sir, we're talking about hours here."

The two aliens began their wolfy cackling at this response. In a swaggering tone, he explained as if talking to someone he wanted to intimidate that it had been a large meal. He then got to his feet and came very close to Yar before saying "And it was a very interesting animal."

The way he said it implied he wanted to eat Yar too. He was letting her know he considered himself higher on the food chain and that if he wasn't constrained by protocol would gladly devour her.

Yar's lip curled in revulsion slightly as she spun on her heel to leave. This wasn't the first time in her life she'd been made to feel like a meal served up on a plate.

Yar went to report to Riker and Picard in the captain's ready room. When she got there she was surprised to find Data there too and smoking what appeared to be a pipe similar to the one used by Sherlock Holmes.

Yar felt a small ripple of annoyance that outweighed the feelings that had been coursing through her earlier. How could Data be so frivolous when one of their crew, one of their own, had been killed that day?

Yar stood near Riker her hands on her hips "Well, one thing is clear, almost all of the peace delegates answered our questions with lies."

"Imprecise, Lieutenant" interrupted Data theatrically puffing on his pipe. "They omitted certain truths, which in itself tells us something." He puffed again on his pipe and Yar had to bite back her rising anger.

"We can learn something from non-disclosure?" she asked almost sarcastically.

"Indubitably, my good woman," he replied taking the pipe between his lips again. Had Yar imagined it? She thought he'd put emphasis on the word 'my'. Then just like that her irritation transformed into amusement and she looked at Riker holding back a smile while mouthing the words 'what the fu...'.

Riker barely containing his boyish grin seemed tickled by this but he was kind enough to explain that it was to do with something the captain had mentioned earlier about Sherlock Holmes.

Yar now understood that was why Data had been in the holodeck. Data really had the wonder of a child. Picard, the father of the ship had planted the seed in Data's brain and it had grown rapidly.

"As Holmes would have pointed out during the time in question, something was afoot. While both sets of delegates say they were in their quarters, our crew locator sensed them passing here and here."

Data jabbed at the computer screen dramatically before swivelling the screen around for Yar and Riker to see. He turned the screen back to face himself and again sucked on his pipe but Yar sensed his eyes giving a strange sexual look towards her that she'd only seen one time before in her bedroom.

"Well Sherlock, since it doesn't show where they went, we're still in the dark," Yar said testily.

Still in character Data replied "on the contrary, my dear colleague," that same tantalising use of the word my. Data stood up and began prowling behind her still smoking that ridiculous pipe. His close to proximity to her, after what she'd been considering earlier this morning made her uneasy and she wondered if Riker would notice, she still wasn't wearing a bra. There had been no time to change or even pay a visit to her room for some much-needed knickers.

"On their return, they drew medical supplies appropriate to the treatment of minor wounds and abrasions on these life forms" Data continued getting into character.

Yar fanned the air to dissipate the smoke in irritation. Riker joined in "which leaves us with only one conclusion."

Data wheeled round "exactly that they were too distracted with their own affairs to have disabled the ship and murdered the engineer. Given the choice, they would rather kill each other than any of us."

Data paused for dramatic effect then said "It's elementary my dear Riker" then added surreptitiously "Sir."

Riker broke into laughter but Yar felt annoyed. Data was right and that meant the saboteur was from within, which was not her preferred scenario.