Stardate 58537.9

Enterprise Holodeck Four

"Computer, pause program." Captain Louvois' voice interrupted the sounds of the Omicron Theta presentation and the images faded as the light in Holodeck Four resumed its normal level. "It's getting late, and I thought an overnight recess would be good. We'll reconvene at beta shift."

Captain Picard stood, "Agreed. Until tomorrow, then."

Doctor Crusher looked visibly shaken, but she nodded, "It's been an interesting presentation, so far." She looked between Louvois and Picard, "I'll see you two in the morning." After receiving a nod of acknowledgement from the others, she passed the guards and made a swift exit from the holodeck.

Captain Louvois regarded Lore for a moment, "I assume the escalation of hostilities was on both sides?"

The sadness in Lore's face vanished as he answered Louvois, "Yes." The familiar anger returned to the amber eyes, "I lied enough about my misdeeds that, in time, when I was blamed for what I hadn't done, no one believed me. Then I stopped denying anything, whether I'd done it or not." He stared at the captains with intensity, "If I couldn't earn their admiration or respect, I was willing to accept their fear."

T'Mera shifted her attention from Data to Captain Louvois, "Is there anything you'd like me to pull, specifically, to show when we reconvene?"

Louvois looked at the others, then back at T'Mera, "I think we've established how Lore's amorality was formed. Assuming that Lore's memories are accurate."

"Lore's recall is perfect and it matches the surveillance footage, to the very second." T'Mera informed the judge, "Of course, that means that all of Lore's lies are conscious ones."

Lore smirked at the statement, "Guilty as charged. Nothing can slip my mind, and anything I witness won't be altered by my emotional state. So yes, I knew I was lying, and it didn't bother me one bit."

Louvois turned to speak to Data, "If it's all right with you, Commander, I think I'd like the next part of the presentation to deal with your creation and programming, so I can see any difference in upbringing and how that affected you versus Lore, and to verify that there was a time when you were both active. There's the matter of Lore's alleged assault on Evelynn Lucien, so I want to see that relationship, within reason. I'd also like anything about how Lore contacted the Crystalline Entity. Finally, we do need to see the destruction of the colony, no matter how difficult it might be to watch, including the manner in which Doctor Tainer was injured during the escape."

Data gave a head nod to Louvois, "It is fine with me, Captain Louvois. I, too, wish to see those events, even if I experience negative emotions in response to them."

"I'll have everything lined up for tomorrow, Captain." T'Mera got up from her chair and moved closer to Data.

"Thank you, Doctor Chipman." Louvois stood up and looked at Captain Picard, "Shall we?"

Captain Picard rose from the chair and tugged at the waistline of his jacket, "Of course." He escorted Captain Louvois to the exit and out through the automatic sliding doors.

Counselor Veluna remained behind and spoke quietly to Lore, "Do you want me to stay longer?"

Lore shook his head, "Get some rest, Counselor." He waved to Lieutenant D'Sora as her security replacement entered the holodeck for the new shift. "You get some rest, too, Assistant Security Chief."

Lieutenant D'Sora returned the wave, "I will. See you tomorrow, Lore." She exited through the automatic doors and into the corridor.

Veluna's brown eyes met Lore's yellow glare, "You can't keep pushing your sorrow aside and replacing it with anger. Let yourself be sad. Let yourself grieve."

"We'll see. It's easier said than done." Lore averted his eyes from the Deltan. "Good night, Counselor."

"Good night, Lore." Veluna stood in a graceful motion and made her own way out of the holodeck.

"I am scheduled for bridge duty." Data stated with reluctance, as he vacated his chair and enveloped T'Mera in a hug.

Lore turned his attention to Data and T'Mera, watching the couple embrace.

T'Mera stood on tiptoes to kiss Data, "I'll still be here when you're off duty."

Data returned the kiss, then released her from the hug, "I wish you could come sit next to me."

"I know." T'Mera replied, then placed a hand on Data's shoulder, "I have quite a bit of work to do before the next presentation. Maybe I'll see you at alpha shift."

Data's lips parted in a wistful pout, "I agreed to spend breakfast with Doctor Tainer, but I will return to you as early as I can."

Lore sauntered over to the couple, "How about this? Get Ensign Murphy to watch me at alpha shift, and then T'Mera can be with you and Juliana for breakfast. Assuming she gets her work done."

"Thank you, Lore." T'Mera smiled, then gave Lore a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll start working, so I can be done by the time alpha rolls around." She returned to her seat at the workstation.

Lore looked directly into Data's identical gold eyes, "What's Mother up to, if she hasn't been here, watching these holographic shows?"

"Doctor Tainer has been helping the terraformers on the surface." Data explained, "She still retains accurate knowledge of the geology of Omicron Theta."

Lore canted his head to the right, then furrowed his eyebrows, "That's odd. So, her only faulty memories are the ones that relate to me?"

"It seems so." Data nodded twice, "There is also the matter of her current issue with short-term memory. I will try to find out more from her, at breakfast. For now, I must return to duty. Good night, Lore." He turned in a single, sharp motion and headed to the holodeck exit and out into the corridor.

"I'll be seeing you, my brother." Lore donned his contrived grin and lifted his right hand in a wave.

T'Mera regarded Lore for a moment, "I do appreciate you thinking of me, and wanting me to spend time with Data. I can imagine how much pain you must be in, emotionally."

The smile disappeared from Lore's face. "I suppose my smile doesn't fool you. Or Data." He pushed his rolling chair towards the punching bag, "Or anyone on this ship." Anger burned in his golden eyes, "You and Data have the kind of love I should have had. It should have been mine." A strong punch into the bag followed the word "mine".

"I can't change the past, itself." T'Mera fiddled with the dangling charm on her choker. "However, it does bring up the question of which of the three options you'd like, when this is done. With a full wipe, you won't remember anything. With a partial wipe, I could remove the negative interactions with the colonists and remove the memories of Evelynn, since her loss causes you pain."

"I still want the third option. No memory wipe." Lore hung his head, staring at the floor, "I don't want to forget. Even if it means suffering from all the other recollections, I want to remember every moment with her. Always."

"I do understand, Lore." T'Mera paused for a moment, "Would you like a diversion, while I work?"

Lore shook his head and punched the bag four times in rapid succession. "I think I'll take out my anger on this thing for a while, then read, but thank you for the offer."

T'Mera nodded an acknowledgement to Lore, then faced her workstation and focused on the task of creating the next presentation.

Stardate 58538.8

Data weaved his way through the morning crowd of the lounge, and brought Juliana Tainer a mug of coffee and a dish that contained thin, folded pancakes with a warm blueberry sauce. He set both items down in front of the geologist, then took the seat next to hers. "I am told these pancakes are the most popular breakfast item among the crew."

Juliana inhaled the steam rising from the dish, "Well, they smell absolutely wonderful. It's been quite a while since I've eaten a non-Atrean meal." She looked at Data's empty part of the table. "You're not having anything?"

"While I am physically capable of eating, I am still in the habit of not partaking unless there is a specific social custom which demands that I do so." Data's eyebrows rose slightly, in apology, "If it makes you uncomfortable, I can get myself a cup of coffee and a pastry."

"No, that's fine." Juliana waved her right hand dismissively, "You don't need to have anything for my sake." She indicated the entrance to the lounge with a nod of her head, "I see T'Mera."

Data followed Juliana's gaze, then stood, "If you will excuse me?" After receiving a nod from her, he walked over to meet T'Mera by the replicator. "Good morning, t'hy'la."

"Plomeek broth and a corn muffin, both ninety-three degrees." T'Mera stood on tiptoe to give Data a quick kiss, "Good morning, my cherished one." She reached for the mug and plate, then stopped as Data intercepted the food.

"I will carry this to the table for you." Data grabbed the mug of broth and the plate with the muffin, then turned to lead T'Mera to the table.

"Thank you, Data." T'Mera followed behind the Commander, then raised her right hand in the Vulcan salute as they both approached the table, "Live long and prosper, Doctor Tainer." She waited for Data to set her food on the table, then sat in the corresponding chair.

"Good morning, T'Mera." Juliana smiled brightly, "Just call me Juliana or Mother, please. Oh!" She brought the fingers of her right hand to her lips, "I hope that isn't presumptuous. You two aren't married, but…"

"It is all right, Mother." Data reassured the geologist, then glanced at T'Mera.

T'Mera sipped from the mug of broth, then smiled, "I understand the sentiment behind it, although I may still call you Juliana until I get accustomed to the idea of calling you Mother."

"That's fine." Juliana answered, then seemed to consider T'Mera's breakfast, "You eat, even though you're an android? I hope it's acceptable for me to ask about that?"

T'Mera swallowed a bit of the corn muffin, "Oh, it's fine to ask. I do still eat, although not as much as I used to. There's a marked difference between a synaptic transfer, like myself, and a full android who was built from a blank slate and who has to build a neural network. Now and again, I get cravings or feel the urge to eat and sleep." With an amused expression, she added, "One day, I'm going to see if the replicator can make semi-organic nutrient suspension pancakes with silicon-based liquid syrup, just for Data."

"That does not sound particularly delectable." Data's lips quirked upwards.

T'Mera chuckled, then regarded Juliana, "Just to be clear, you can ask me anything about what it's like to be transferred into an android body. I expect a certain amount of questions and curiosity, because it's such a rare situation to be in."

Juliana chewed on a bite of pancake, then followed it with a swig of coffee. "You don't even look like what I would expect an android to look like. Although, come to think of it…" She directed her gaze to Data, "I suppose Noonian could have made you all look human. I'm not sure why he chose the skin and eye color he did."

Data offered, "Perhaps it was done to make a certain statement, or to make us look different on purpose. I do not think we will ever know. However, it is quite possible to make an android which is indistinguishable from a biological lifeform, as I did with Lal and with T'Mera, and as the Andromedans had done with their androids. In fact, it might even be possible to make an android who is unaware of being an android."

"That would be interesting." Juliana replied, "Although I'm not certain what purpose it would serve."

Data and T'Mera exchanged significant glances, then he responded to Juliana, "I would have to speculate, since I have not tried to create an android that is unaware of the truth of its own existence. Perhaps its creator felt that the android would be happier if ignorant?"

Juliana regarded Data with a cant of her head, "Possibly, but you make it sound like someone can't be happy if they're an android. It never occurred to me, before. Did Noonian and I doom the three of you to misery?"

Data shook his head, "No, Mother. I am not unhappy, nor is B-4. Lore's troubles originate from his emotions and upbringing, as well as a few flaws in his programming, so I would venture to say that, had all been well, Lore would have been content with his life."

That brought a smile to Juliana's face, "I'm glad to hear that, and if Lore can be helped, even better. I've had to live with crushing guilt over all the mistakes we made with him." Her smile faded as she spoke, "It was hard enough to watch the prototypes fail, but Lore… he was a success." She wiped at her eyes, "Then, it all changed and we finally had to dismantle him."

Data reached out in a hesitant motion, to touch Juliana's hand, "I do understand that. I, too, felt compelled to deactivate and disassemble Lore, and I feel guilt over having done so."

Juliana stared into Data's yellow eyes, "Then there was my guilt over forcing Noonian to leave you behind."

"I don't know if it will help…" T'Mera wiped her mouth with a napkin, having finished the corn muffin, "But leaving Data behind might have been the best decision. He was raised fairly well by Starfleet."

Juliana gave T'Mera a grateful smile, "True. I'm so proud of all that Data's accomplished, and I'm so pleased that you two have each other. It makes everything easier, if…" She paused for a moment, "I suppose there's no beating about the bush. If I have some sort of dementia or Irumodic Syndrome, at least I can see all three of my sons happy before the disease takes me."

Data widened his mouth, while flattening his lips and darting his eyes to the side, "Have you had any more forgetful episodes while on the planet or aboard the Enterprise?"

"Nothing while on the planet." Juliana finished the last of her pancakes, "I had one episode last night, where I took a sonic shower twice in a row. I'm almost afraid to ask about whether or not Lore was right in what he said."

T'Mera pressed her lips together, then nodded to the geologist, "I was instructed to dig into Lore's memory engrams directly. There was no sign of any memory alterations, and the surveillance footage we discovered in the underground bunker matches exactly to Lore's memories, where there are event overlaps."

"I suppose that settles that." Juliana sipped the final bits of her coffee. She rose to her feet, "I'll make the appointment with Doctor Crusher later. In the meantime, I should get back to the surface. It was lovely to have breakfast with the two of you." She leaned down to give Data a soft kiss on his right cheek.

Data dipped his head once in acknowledgement, "We shall have to do it again. I will see you later, Mother."

T'Mera held up her right hand in the Vulcan salute, "Good luck, Juliana."

Data waited until Doctor Tainer had left the lounge, then raised an eyebrow at T'Mera, "Good luck? Is that a common Vulcan proverb?"

T'Mera stuck her tongue out at Data, "It's human. I felt that it was more apt than the usual Vulcan saying."

"We might need the element of random chance, in order to help Mother." Data mused as he watched T'Mera finish her broth. "Were you planning on returning to the holodeck immediately after breakfast?"

T'Mera waggled her eyebrows at Data, "There's still some hours before beta shift. What did you have in mind, Bright Eyes?"

Data got up from his chair and held out his arm to T'Mera, "I propose a certain variety of activity which we can undertake from within our quarters."

T'Mera stood, slipped her hand in the crook of Data's arm, then smiled up at him, "I accept your proposition."

Data returned the smile, then escorted the holographer back to their quarters.

Stardate: 58539.7

Captain Louvois waited for everyone to be seated, then declared, "The inquiry into Omicron Theta will now recommence." She looked to T'Mera, "Doctor Chipman, we have established without a doubt that Lore's memories match that of the surveillance footage?"

T'Mera nodded to Louvois, "Yes, your honor."

Captain Louvois let out a sigh, "I'm afraid that Doctor Tainer's deposition makes her an unreliable witness. There are several discrepancies between what she claims happened and what Lore's memory and the surveillance cameras show. We've managed to contact Kila Marr. While she corroborated that Lore and Data were active together, she was in no condition to give a full deposition."

Lore frowned and leaned to peer past Counselor Veluna, "What happened to her?"

"Kila Marr is residing at a psychological rehabilitation facility. After Commander Data was reported destroyed, she had a nervous breakdown." Captain Louvois answered.

"That's too bad." Lore resumed sitting straight in his chair, "She was one of the nicer colonists. Had a good sense of humor."

Captain Picard winced at Lore's words, "I'm afraid that her son's death left her embittered. Then, she had apparently equated Data with her son, and when Data was…"

Lore prompted, "Blown up. My dear brother blew himself up."

Captain Picard cleared his throat, "Be that as it may, when that happened, it was more than Doctor Marr could bear."

Lore averted his eyes from the others, "The broken survivors of Omicron Theta."

Captain Louvois looked around at the small gathering, "If you'll do the honors, Doctor Chipman?"

T'Mera swiveled her chair to face the workstation, then tapped the console, "Holographic presentation of Omicron Theta, continuation."

The holodeck dimmed to darkness, and the sounds of the underground bunker on Omicron Theta faded in, followed by an increase in lighting until the tannish-grey walls of the main corridor formed solidly around everyone.