The Complication

by CharlieFenwick

Data struggles to reconcile the discrepancies between Tasha's verbal and nonverbal communication during and after the events of Ligon II. "Am I the 'complication?" Data asked. Data begins to develop emotions. Tasha/Data fluff & angst. Data/Geordi friendship. Covers the events of TNG season 1 with missing scenes, original adventures, and some mild AU retelling of events.

88. Evermore

Author's N ote: Thank you all for your kind words, DMs, kudos, and favourites! Forgive me, I couldn't resist the temptation to slip in a wee homage to a Glaswegian classic.

This chapter delves a bit more into Data's experience and trauma from the ordeal on Minos as well as dropping some hints re: the ancient Turkanan religion.

Majel Barrett: Last time on Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Complication…

Geordi La Forge and the team on the drive section are working to formulate a rescue plan. Doctor Crusher remains injured and trapped along with Captain Picard & an annoying hologram in an underground facility.

Meanwhile, Commander Riker and Tasha are racing through the jungle, following the sound of battle with desperate hope that it will lead them to Data – who has found himself trapped between two drones.

And now, the conclusion:

---

From his position under his ramshackle cover, Data could see that the drone had employed a similar three-legged stance as the devices he saw in the meadow.

Such a tripod design presented unique stability and allowed the drone to rotate 360 degrees to scan all areas at ground level.

What Data didn't know was if the drone had yet detected him or if it could determine his cover was made rather than naturally occurring.

It seemed the drone wasn't certain either as it scanned the area slowly before going over it again, analysing Data's makeshift cover of foliage and jungle palm fronds.

Data kept perfectly still, his hand hovering just above cannon's controls.

¬Without warning there was a large thump as something landed behind Data. The ground shook. Data carefully turned to look back over his shoulder.

There on the ground was another drone – just a hint of a shadow visible through one of the large leaves.

This is unfortunate. Data thought.

The drone stepped forward – missing the cannon but crushing Data's cover. He managed to roll out of the way just in time before the heavy tritanium tripod claw planted itself on the ground.

He was now exposed.

Both drones turned. Their large, singular eyes fixated on Data. On instinct, he rolled forward when they fired their phaser beams.

He was closer to the second drone. As they prepared to fire again, Data scrambled for cover under the nearest tritanium leg.

Balancing on two legs, the drone reached for Data with a third as it attempted to grasp at him with a claw-like vice.

The second drone fired another beam directly at Data. It hit the leg Data had been hiding behind and the first drone swayed. It destabilised and Data had less than a second to dive out of the way before it came crashing down.

But the first drone was far from defeated.

Opting to activate flight capabilities, it quickly pulled itself up and hovered opposite of the first drone.

Data flung himself onto the drone, grasping with hands for any sort of grip on the tritanium hull. His fingers closed in around one of the seams and he held on for dear life as the drone tried to shake him.

It wasn't one of his more brilliant ideas – but it was effective.

As the first drone whirled around, desperate to detach Data, the second drone fired upon the first. It seemed the need to eliminate the target outweighed the concern of friendly fire.

Once the drone began to take fire, it adjusted its focus. No longer concerned for Data – the drone began to fire upon its own brethren.

---

"Whoa," Riker said as he heard the blasts.

Tasha and Commander Riker were walking quickly through the jungle – going as fast as they could while avoiding the overgrown terrain and uneven turf.

They were using the rope as a guide for a path, quickly tying it round the stump of a tree and running it as far as they could until it ran out.

"That's one of those drones firing," Riker said.

"It sounds like more than one," Tasha replied as they rushed along.

There was another series of blasts.

"C'mon," Tasha said, urging him along.

---

With the drones occupied fighting each other, Data slipped off the back of the first drone and landed in the brush below.

He dodged left, then right before jumping out the way to avoid the swipe of a large mechanical arm.

In one deft move, Data detached the cannon he had hauled up to the clearing. He backed away from the fighting drones to give himself room to manoeuvre.

You will only get one shot. You must make it count. Data told himself.

Without the stability of the mount, Data would have to bear the brunt of the recoil. Data planted his feet on the ground and took aim.

After a series of powerful blows from the second drone, the first swayed and then fell – hitting the ground where it did not rise again.

The second drone whirled around. It's large eye settled on Data.

---

Tasha threw another round of rope around the trunk of a large tree and secured it in place with a tight knot.

All of a sudden a resounding boom shook the jungle.

A cloud of smoke rose high above into the trees.

"Data," Tasha breathed.

She dropped the rushed off.

"Tasha!" Riker hollered after her.

He knew that he couldn't wait around – there was too great a risk that they would be separated. Sticking together was their only hope of survival.

Will was also concerned that Tasha could be running into a dangerous situation. There was no telling what awaited them.

The drone may have just destroyed Captain Picard and Beverly or even a rescue team from the Enterprise.

Likewise, it could very well be Data. And Riker didn't want Tasha to find him alone.

Tasha ran along the jungle terrain as fast as her feet could carry her. Years of training on Turkana had conditioned her for such a task and she breezed through the jungle with exceptional ease.

Riker had a difficult time keeping pace.

For a terrifying moment, he thought he had lost her until he picked up the trail again by following the smoke in the sky.

Tasha had shut out all sounds of the jungle. The only thing she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears as she raced along in search of her quarry.

With each step, Tasha held out hope that Data was alive. There was too much smoke to be from Data – it had to have come from a drone.

Tasha halted as soon as she reached the clearing.

"Wha-" she panted, clutching her side.

She was completely out of breath. She had stopped just shy of a large, downed drone. It was at least five times the size of the ones she had run from before.

Tasha scanned the area and spied a second drone in the distance. It wasn't moving.

Tentatively, she approached it. As she drew closer, Tasha could see that it had been blasted clean through. The tritanium was melted. Another fifteen metres or so ahead lay the power cell.

It had been blasted straight out of the drone by something powerful enough to create such a force.

Tasha turned back and studied the angle of the trajectory. Whatever projectile force had been responsible for the blast had to lie in the opposite direction.

Her eyes narrowed as she scanned for any sign of Data.

"Whoa," Riker said as he emerged from the trees and got a first look at the area.

Tasha didn't respond. She spied a broken branch. And another directly behind it. In fact, as far as she could see, there was a clear line of broken branches and foliage – at least until the fog consumed all of it.

Riker followed her line of sight and recognised the look in her eyes.

"Tasha, if we could just-" he panted as he held up one finger.

"Data," Tasha said as she dashed off.

Fifteen metres in and there appeared to be no end to the trail of broken branches. At fifty metres, Tasha leapt over the discarded cannon.

She landed squarely on her feet and continued on undeterred.

At sixty-two metres she spied a large impact crater in the ground.

For a split second, fear gripped her heart. Tasha pushed the last of her hope and energy into her legs and pushed forward.

She practically leapt down into the crater where she spied a pale hand partially covered in dirt.

Tasha dropped to her knees. She desperately started digging with her hands in order to uncover Data.

"Data?" she asked when she uncovered his face.

His eyes were closed. He did not respond.

Tasha carefully brushed the dirt away.

"Data?" Tasha asked in a louder voice.

Her question was greeted only with silence.

Infuriated and scared, Tasha dug down into the dirt surrounding him until she had uncovered him enough to free him.

Tasha slipped her arms under Data's. Using all of her strength, she pulled him toward her – lifting his torso up and out of the dirt.

His legs remained encased – but that was not her goal.

Tasha ran her hand along his spine in search of his activation switch.

Please just have been switched off on impact. She prayed.

Her fingers found the activation switch. Tasha's chest grew tight. She swallowed down the lump in her throat.

The activation switch was already on.

Tasha recalled a previous incident in which Data's activation switch had to be restarted in order for his neural net to reboot. He had taken a serious impact and there were other signs of damage evident on his body.

"Please," she whispered.

She pressed a soft kiss to the side of his temple. Then she flipped the switch off and back on again. Tasha wrapped her arms around Data's limp body and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Please," she repeated in a soft voice, praying to any deity that would listen.

As the seconds ticked on without any sign of movement, Tasha found it was harder and harder to breathe.

They had survived more than twenty-four hours on a planet literally designed to kill them. Data had somehow miraculously walked away from his fall over the cliff and found his way back to Tasha – defeating two drones in the process.

Tasha refused to believe that had all been for nothing.

"Data, please," Tasha asked as she rubbed soothing circles on his back.

But there was no sign of life.

Tasha's arms began to shake under the weight of supporting his body. They suddenly felt heavier than she could recall.

Tasha gently laid him back against the dirt. She reached up and tucked his hair back behind his ear.

There was a small tear in the bioplast on his cheek. Tasha cupped her face and ran her hand across the wound.

For an inexplicable reason, Tasha couldn't bring herself to cry. She felt almost detached from her person as she studied his face.

It hadn't hit her yet and she still couldn't accept he was gone.

"Iu sela, iu anwylyd," Tasha whispered.

She traced her thumb across the bow of his lips, uttering the Turkanan phrase that was engraved inside the ring she wore around her neck.

My sunshine. My beloved.

"Aun g'còmhnaidh," Tasha said.

Evermore.

Tasha was at a loss for what to do next. She knew there was nothing more she could do. And the weight of the last day had finally hit.

She leaned forward. Tasha rested her head against Data's chest and closed her eyes – comforted by the nearness of his body but overcome with grief at the stillness of his chest.

There was no heartbeat, no gentle rise of his artificial breath.

Only silence.

---

"As you can see, the unit will eliminate any threat and is designed to employ whatever force is necessary," the hologram said.

Jean-Luc had long since grown tired of the hologram's consistent sales pitch. But for the moment, he was fixated on the screen as he watched with rapt attention.

"May we see it again?" Picard asked eagerly.

"Jean-Luc?" Beverly inquired, surprised by his response.

"Of course," the hologram said with a smile.

He motioned the viewscreen where the latest 'demonstration' video began to replay. It was footage that had been transmitted from one of the drones in the field that had been dispatched to deal with the latest target.

"There! Pause the playback," Picard barked.

The image on the screen froze.

"Beverly, look," Picard said.

"I have no desire to watch anyone else meet their end," she said in protest.

She had turned away from the screen earlier in order to avoid seeing anyone else from the Enterprise meet a gruesome end.

"Beverly, look," Picard urged.

With a grumble of protest, Beverly turned back. She gasped as soon as she saw the screen.

"There, in the corner," Picard said.

"Data," Beverly said with astonishment.

The image was blurry. But there was an unmistakable pale figure dressed in gold and black.

"Do you think he outsmarted it?" Beverly inquired.

"I think we should not underestimate our Second Officer," Picard replied with a wry grin.

---

"It's an interference signal emanating from somewhere on the surface," Sonya informed the room.

Once more the acting Bridge crew were assembled in the conference room for an update from the Engineering team.

"Then let's get down there and shut it off," Worf said.

Sonya shook her head.

"It could take hours to locate the source of the signal," Sonya explained. "By that time, any vessel we send down would already be destroyed."

Worf scowled.

"We have countermeasures," Worf said.

"I volunteer to go," Lieutenant Hawk offered.

"Me too, sir," Lieutenant Jae volunteered.

Geordi sat forward in his seat.

"I appreciate your willingness, but even with our countermeasures the odds of success are too infinitesimal for me to authorise such a mission," Geordi said.

Worf bristled.

"We cannot abandon them," Worf insisted.

"Even if we were to launch every single probe, drone, and shuttle we wouldn't last an hour," Sonya explained. "Look, I even tried running simulations where we launch pieces of debris. Junk. Anything we could lose – it's just not enough."

Worf sat up in his seat and frowned.

"Then what do you propose we do? Because I am tired of sitting here waiting for our colleagues to die," Worf barked.

Geordi could sympathise with his friend. They were all eager to get the away team back in one piece.

"We have a plan. But it's risky," Geordi said. "And in order to pull this off, we need one helluva pilot."

---

Will Riker was completely winded by the time he caught up to Tasha. He'd tripped more than a few times – including banging his foot on one rather sturdy stump.

He knew it would be purple soon. He could already feel it throbbing as his toes swelled inside his boot.

Will spied Tasha in the middle of the impact crater. It was deep – two metres at least. To his relief, he could see Data underneath her.

"We should probably look for deeper cover. There may be more of those things that come back," Riker suggested.

Tasha did respond.

Will didn't want to break up their reunion. After all, 'miraculous' didn't even begin to cover it. But he was concerned that things would go south quickly if they didn't break it up.

"Hey, we should really hide," Riker said a little louder.

He cast his eyes to the sky, his mind flooded with worry about the exposed nature of their position.

"Look, I don't want to make an order. We need to get moving," Riker said as he turned back to them.

Will froze.

He suddenly became aware that Tasha's breathing was different. Her shoulders and back were heaving as she sobbed in silence.

Will took a closer look, studying the scene before him as he now noticed that Data's arms sat lifeless on either side of his body.

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

You fool. He said, chastising himself.

Will rushed forward and dropped down next to Tasha. He rested his hand on her back to let her know he was there.

Thus far there was no sound of any incoming drones. But Will knew it was only a matter of time.

He tried to pull Tasha toward him, but she shrugged him off.

"We can come back," Riker said, pleading with her. "I promise we will come back. But we need to hide."

"Right," Tasha said quickly.

Too quickly.

She brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. She couldn't bring herself to look down at Data's lifeless body.

"We'll be safest in the treeline. I think we should wait and see if any of those things come back. They'll probably do an overhead sweep again and-"

It was like a switch had flipped and she was all business.

Will sat in stunned silence as Tasha went on, rattling off Security concerns and theories on how to best avoid any incoming drones.

She was trying to focus on work, on their situation – anything to stop herself from having to acknowledge Data's lifeless body.

"Come on," Riker said in an even voice, pulling her toward him.

"I'm fine," Tasha protested, shrugging him off. "Let's go."

But she made no move to get up.

"We'll come back," Riker assured her. "We'll come back and do whatever we can for him."

Tasha reached out and clutched Data's left hand as a fresh wave of grief threatened to overwhelm her.

They were trapped. There was no hope of rescue. Tasha had come to accept that hours earlier. In her mind, duty and rank had gone out the door now that they were stranded on Minos.

But now she found herself clinging to it in a desperate attempt to avoid breaking down.

In a way, she felt doubly guilty for her behaviour.

"It's okay to grieve," Riker said.

"We should get moving," Tasha said.

She didn't mean to be callous. Rather, Tasha feared that once she started there would be no way to stop.

"Hey, come here," Riker said as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

In an instant, Tasha's resolve melted away as she found herself overcome with grief. Riker squeezed her tighter as she wept.

He knew there were no words that could offer sufficient comfort.

"I'm sorry," Tasha sobbed.

She felt horribly guilty for abandoning her responsibilities in order to mourn. There was nothing she could do to help Data now – a fact that only added to her feelings of guilt.

"Go," Tasha sniffled. "You sh-sh-should hide."

"Hey, we'll hide together, okay?" Riker said in response.

"I'm sorry for wa-wasting time," Tasha apologised.

Will sat back. Cupping Tasha's face, he forced her to look at him.

"You have nothing to apologise for," Will assured her.

All of a sudden, Data sat up.

He cocked his head to the side as if he were working out a complex equation. He twitched twice and then looked from Tasha to Commander Riker and back again.

Tasha covered her mouth with her hand. She was at a complete loss for words.

Riker was beaming.

He practically tackled Data.

"Daaata!" he growled. "Mwha!"

Data froze as Riker planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"I fear I have missed something," Data confessed.

Tasha couldn't help it. She choked back a fit of laughter.

Data cocked his head to the side, locking eyes with Tasha as she was overcome with the giggles. She was relieved that he was alright and by the absurdity of it all.

But their moment was cut short by the sound of an approaching drone.

"Treeline," Riker ordered.

Data tried to get up and found himself stuck. His legs were still buried. He planted his hands in the dirt and strained as he tried to lift himself out.

"Come on," Tasha said, offering Data her hand.

She tried to pull him up and stumbled backward.

"Come on, Data," Riker urged.

He fully expected Data to climb out with ease. Given his superior strength, such a feat was not considered unusual.

Yet Data was stuck.

"I fear that my skeletal structure has cracked and weakened under the stress of hauling that cannon," Data explained as he ran a quick diagnostic. "And the impact of firing it has damaged my body."

Tasha began to dig – furiously flinging dirt away as she worked to uncover his legs. Riker sprang into action. He dropped back down and set to work on the other side.

Data's hearing was not damaged. And he could hear that the drone was closing fast.

"Go," Data urged.

"Not without you," Tasha insisted.

Data's fingers closed around her wrist as he stopped her.

"There is not time," he said.

A look of understanding passed between the two.

Riker grabbed Tasha's arm and pulled her up out of the hole and they raced for the treeline.

Data closed his eyes and braced himself for the end. It was far from what he pictured – but he was grateful for the fact he had seen Tasha once more.

And made her laugh. He mused.

The sound of the approaching drone grew louder.

Tasha burst out of the treeline. She slid down the edge of the crater and landed hard on top of Data. She pulled a few large palm fronds over them just before the drone passed overhead.

Pressed tight against one another under their makeshift cover, Tasha held her breath as it swept over their location.

She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the sound began to fade.

"You came back," Data said, stunned.

Tasha didn't respond.

"That was very foolish," Data confessed.

He paused.

"But I am ever so glad that you-"

He was cut off as Tasha pressed an urgent kiss to his lips.

---

"You're not going to have long," Geordi's voice warned over the communications system.

"Understood," Worf responded.

"As soon as we drop out of orbit, we'll flood the area with tachyon particles in an effort to buy you some cover," Geordi said.

The Enterprise was en route back to Minos.

And this time she was going in with a battle plan.

According to Sonya's research, the interference with the transporter functions was directly targeting anything in orbit. She theorised that they would be able to beam the team aboard – as long as they could get a ship down into the atmosphere.

It was a perfect chance for Worf to show off his piloting skills using the Captain's yacht, Calypso. Lieutenant Hawk had insisted on going – but Geordi couldn't risk sending both of his remaining best pilots down there.

Hawk had been grounded, though Worf wasn't going alone.

The Enterprise was going to do all it could to provide him with cover – including flooding the area with tachyons to create interference and launching countermeasures to confuse the probe.

It wasn't a long-term plan.

Worf would only have minutes to penetrate the atmosphere and try and beam up the crew.

If Sonya's theory was correct, he should be able to use the transporter on the Calypso to get a lock on the away team.

"And Worf, just one more thing," Geordi said.

"Sir?" Worf prompted.

"Good luck," Geordi said.

---

Data, Tasha, and Commander Riker were sitting under the relative safety of the thick jungle foliage. They had managed to extract Data from the crater. With some assistance, they had led him over into the thick jungle where they were presently resting.

Data was extremely heavy and the wear and tear on his duranium-alloy joints was evident as he limped along.

Though he had said little, Tasha could tell he was spooked.

She hadn't let go of his hand since they had pulled him out of the crater.

Data kept checking over his shoulder. He was listening intently, straining his audio receptors for any sound that was out of place. Data kept one eye trained on the sky in anticipation of another drone flyover.

Tasha couldn't blame him.

She knew just how it felt to be alone in a scary jungle, to be stalked like a piece of prey.

Commander Riker could sense they needed a moment alone.

"I'm just going to, erm, relieve myself over there. For a minute," Riker said, fumbling for a reasonable excuse.

Riker and Tasha exchanged a glance of understanding as she wordlessly conveyed her gratitude.

As soon as he was gone, Tasha rested her forehead against Data's.

Data flinched as a branch snapped under the weight of Commander Riker's foot.

Tasha caught his shoulders.

"Shhh, it's alright," she said in a soft voice.

Data's posture was tense. It had been ever since he'd hidden in that cave.

"We have a hiding place," Tasha assured him. "Somewhere safe."

Tasha closed her eyes and nuzzled her nose against Data's.

"You will never be alone like that again," Tasha assured him.

---

After a short reprieve, Data, Tasha, and Commander Riker began to make their way back through the jungle. It was slow going with Data's injuries.

It took the strength of both Tasha and Commander Riker in order to support him.

Tasha was keen to get Data back to their hovel as quickly as possible. It would be tight with three people – but she sensed he was in desperate need of a rest.

Data was in no mood to argue with that logic.

He did need to rest. He was drained – mentally and physically.

In spite of his exhaustion, Data had insisted they stop when they reached the clearing.

"There may be something useful in the drone's power core," Data explained.

He held out one trembling arm as he pointed to the drone ahead. It was the one that Data had shot with the cannon. Its power core had been dejected clean from the main casing and thrown into the jungle.

The three slowly made their way into the rugged terrain in order for Data to analyse the drone.

"Maybe we could come back after you're healed?" Tasha suggested.

Data's brow wrinkled.

"I am afraid that without the proper tools or equipment, there is no possibility for me to 'heal' as it were," Data reminded her. "The physical damage to my body cannot simply repair itself."

Data needed raw materials – polymer, replacement circuits, silica, duranium, and a sonic driver.

He had also lost a significant amount of biofluid. He relied on it for coolant and to lubricate his biofunctions. His body could replenish some of this were he to consume organic materials to break down.

Even the foliage would work.

But Data resolved that this would have to wait until they were back in the safety of their hiding place. First thing first – they needed protection.

"Please stop here," Data requested.

Tasha and Commander Riker helped him down to the ground so that he could inspect the unit and determine if there were any usable parts.

"I'm going to grab some foliage for cover in case our friend comes back," Riker said.

"Good idea," Tasha concurred.

All of a sudden, Data's body stiffened.

"Shhh," he said, putting up a hand.

Riker froze.

He couldn't hear a drone. Then again, Riker knew Data's hearing was far more perceptive than his own.

Just above the sounds of the jungle wilderness, Data could hear voices. In particular, he could hear voices he recognised.

"Captain," Data said with a sharp intake of breath.

"Where?" Riker demanded.

"Up ahead, sir," Data said as he motioned with his head.

They hauled Data to his feet and made a beeline into the jungle, following Data's keen sense of direction.

"Whoa," Riker said as they stumbled upon a cave-in.

They were close enough now that Tasha and Commander Riker could also hear voices echoing up from below.

"They are down there, sir," Data said.

"Captain?" Riker called down. "Captain, can you hear me?"

There was a brief pause.

"Yes!" Picard shouted back.

He was relieved his team was alive.

"I'm with Commander Data and Lieutenant Yar," Riker informed him.

"Doctor Crusher and I are down here. She is seriously hurt. We cannot contact the Enterprise down here," Picard replied.

"We can't either, sir," Riker answered. "Communications are out. We suspect blocked by something."

While it felt good to be reunited, there was still the matter of being trapped on Minos.

"We cannot locate a way out of here," Picard shouted up. "It's some kind of underground facility. Emergency power seems to be responding. But I can't leave Doctor Crusher to go exploring."

Riker surveyed the area and then turned to Tasha.

"It would be much better cover," Tasha said. "I could go back for the rope – but it's not strong enough to get us down there."

She paused.

"At least not yet. Take us a few hours to make one strong enough," she surmised. "And long enough."

It was one helluva drop.

"It's pretty far down there. There's nothing to hold onto and I can't see any way to climb down," Riker said.

Tasha nodded in agreement.

"I'm surprised either of them survived the fall," she admitted.

As Riker and Tasha bounced ideas back and forth, Data studied the angle and height of the drop. He ran an internal assessment of his body strength and then did several quick calculations.

"I can do it," Data said suddenly.

Riker and Tasha fell silent. Will was the first to find his voice.

"How?" Riker asked slowly.

"Jump," Data answered. "Well, technically falling."

Riker scowled.

"Data, that drop is over ten metres," Riker said.

"Eleven point seven five, sir," Data corrected.

Tasha was livid.

"Data, you may be sturdy, but you're not indestructible," she protested.

There were times he needed a reminder that he was a person – and the risks involved on missions were dangerous for him as well.

"Just because you can doesn't always mean you should," Tasha said, pleading with Data to reconsider.

She held his gaze, wordlessly conveying her fears.

"We'll find another way," Tasha promised.

"I believe I can safely traverse the distance," Data said.

It was hardly an endorsement.

"Please don't do this," Tasha whispered.

She gave his hand a small squeeze.

"I believe this is our best hope to disable the weapons system and contact the Enterprise," Data said.

He flashed her a small smile.

"And if there is any chance of getting you off this planet and to safety, I will risk it all," Data said.

Without another word, he dove over the edge.

Tasha turned away. She couldn't bring herself to watch.

---

Data landed on the ground near Captain Picard. He survived the fall but overestimated his stability. Data stumbled as he tried to find his footing before landing face-first on the concrete floor.

"Data!" Picard cried, rushing forward.

"At your service, Captain," Data said as he struggled to pull himself up.

He slipped again. This time, Captain Picard caught him.

"Data, stop," Picard ordered.

"Forgive me, sir," Data said.

"It's alright, Data," Picard assured him.

They stopped for a moment so Data could compose himself. Data glanced around the underground facility, studying the construction of the room as well as the slow creep of nature that threatened to reclaim the space.

"Fascinating," Data said in awe.

He glanced up and ran his eyes along some of the impressive vines that had already begun to embed themselves along the power wires.

"I believe the unique atmosphere of Minos with its heat and humidity has allowed for such prosperous growth," Data remarked. "I would estimate this is only six months of growth based on the developmental stage of the gemma florifera."

Data had a difficult time focusing due to the extent of his injuries.

"Data," Picard said, drawing his attention back. "Now there's limited power down here. And a computer terminal that seems to be a sales device for this weapons system. Can you use this to contact the Enterprise?"

"Perhaps," Data said.

He tried to get up again and slipped. With the help of Captain Picard, Data managed to get over to the console.

On his way there, Data eyed the hologram up and down.

"Hello," he said.

"Welcome to Minos, the Arsenal of Freedom," the hologram said. "Home of the most advanced and reliable weapons systems available. We have solutions to fit any budget and all purchases come with the Minos guarantee of-"

"Mute," Picard snapped.

Data gripped the edge of the console for support as he analysed the system. He was still moving fast – but Jean-Luc could sense it was a strain. The usual pep with which Data's hands danced across his station, was gone.

He seemed to be concentrating hard just to access the unit.

"I may be able to reprogramme this," Data said. "Provided there is no-"

A large, ribbed metal spike shot out of the console and clean through Data's hand.

"Anti-tampering devices," Data concluded.

"Oh, Data," Beverly gasped as she saw his hand.

"It is alright," Data assured her. "It has not impacted any of my vital systems."

---

"I am preparing to drop out of warp," Worf informed the Enterprise.

He tapped the helm and engaged the inertial dampeners in preparation for his arrival at Minos. In order to try and confuse the drones, Worf was planning to drop out as close to the planet's exosphere as possible.

The sensors began to sound indicating a large object on approach.

The planet.

Worf gripped the console and braced himself for a bumpy ride.

---

"Jean-Luc," Beverly said, tugging at the seam of his trousers.

"In a moment, doctor," Picard said.

"Jean-Luc, now," Beverly urged.

The hologram was excited – speaking rapidly as it indicated the viewscreen where new drones had been launched.

A fleet of drones.

"Beverly, please," Picard snapped.

"Dammit, Jean-Luc. Look!" she retorted.

Picard turned and eyed the viewscreen with alarm. The image on screen changed from the launch images to a sensor screen that displayed a fleet of drones in pursuit of numerous targets – small green blips moving fast toward unidentified bogeys on the screen.

"Unmute," Picard ordered.

"At a rate of speed that is unmatched by any known Breen, Cardassian, Federation, Klingon, Tholian, or Romulan technology," the hologram announced.

He smiled.

"Witness what may be the greatest demonstration that you will see of this system," he said.

"Change of plan, Data," Picard said without tearing his eyes away from the screen. "Find a way to shut it down."

Data carefully detached the spike that had come up into his hand and cast it aside. He was able to easily bypass many of the computer systems. But he ran into trouble trying to access the Minosian mainframe.

Data frowned.

"That task may prove difficult," Data said.

"Data, we've got to find a way to stop this system," Picard insisted.

"I am trying, sir," Data responded.

"Quickly, Mr Data," Picard said in a low, irritated voice.

"I really need to see the programme schematic," Data confessed.

"Of course," the hologram said.

Data's eyebrows shot up. He turned to find the programme schematics for the weapons system were on display.

"Next," Data order.

It was all right there before him. Advanced didn't even begin to cover it.

"Next," Data repeated.

They were running out of time.

"Faster. Maximum speed," Data pressed.

His eyes flitted back and forth rapidly as he absorbed all of the information at hand. Then Data whipped around and began to type furiously.

"I am attempting to re-adjust the targeting sequence to assign a neutral target," Data explained.

Data's brow furrowed.

"It requires an active target," Data advised.

While it may have seemed like a neutral statement, Picard knew Data well enough to pick up on the slight hint of frustration.

"Can you target the power source?" Beverly suggested.

"Self-destruct?" Picard offered.

"I am afraid that is not possible," Data replied, shaking his head in the negative.

Picard rounded on the hologram.

"Shut it off!" he barked. "We don't want to see your demonstration."

The hologram didn't seem to comprehend. He smiled and shrugged.

"The tracker provides up-to-the-second timing information," it responded. "Less than two minutes now."

---

Up on the surface, Tasha and Commander Riker heard the launch of the drones.

They turned their eyes to the skies as they watched the puffy white launch trail as dozens and dozens of drones took to the skies.

"Can we make it back to the hiding spot?" Riker asked.

Tasha shook her head as she watched the fleet above.

"We followed Data here. I don't know the path back," Tasha said.

In full survival mode, she glanced around for anything that might prove useful.

"What about those rocks? Might interfere with their tracking," Riker suggested.

Tasha and Commander Riker scrambled to seek cover behind a rock formation. Tasha sliced away some of the underbrush to help conceal their position.

They crouched low and waited – exhausted and on edge. After a few seconds with no noise or sign of the drones, Tasha reached into her boot and retrieved the Andorian Ice-Miner blade that she kept there.

With her knife in hand, she took up a low defensive position.

Will quirked an eyebrow.

All of a sudden, Tasha's resolve faltered. She felt like a fool trying to arm herself with a simple blade.

"I don't know what I'm thinking. These devices wiped out an entire planet," Tasha commented.

"If Tasha Yar brings a knife to a drone fight – my money's on Tasha Yar," Riker said with a wry smile.

Before Tasha could respond, they dematerialised.

---

"Hold on!" Worf shouted.

There was no time to get their bearings. The Calypso rolled to avoid a drone – throwing Tasha and Commander Riker into the side of the hull.

They had rematerialised on the Bridge of the Calypso. Worf was at the helm, and she was currently in a dogfight with several drones.

Tasha was first up, using the seat at the science station to pull herself up.

A familiar arm shot out and helped Commander Riker to his feet.

"It's good to see you, sir," Jae said as she hauled him up.

"Likewise," Riker replied.

Lieutenant Jae didn't hang around for a chat. She rushed back to her seat at the Operations console so she could assist Worf in manning the ship.

"I know you're fresh from an ordeal, but I could really use both of you," Worf said as he glided to avoid an impact with an oncoming drone.

Tasha slipped into the Tactical station while Riker took up a spot at comms.

The Calypso shook as she was hit with a phaser blast from one of the drones.

"Minimal damage to the hull. Starboard side. Shields holding," Tasha reported.

It felt good to be back in control of something – even if they were getting their arses kicked. There were four drones in pursuit of the ship.

"We locked onto your signals as soon as we dropped into the planet's atmosphere," Worf explained. "There's some sort of transport inhibitor that's blocking us beaming you aboard the Enterprise."

"We can't get a lock on anyone else. The others?" Jae asked.

"Alive," Riker assured them. "But they're in an underground facility. There's probably too much interference to get a lock."

"I'm not suggesting we leave them – but we can't do this dance for long," Worf said.

Using the manual controls, Worf pulled the ship into a sharp left roll – narrowly avoiding an incoming torpedo launched by the drones. It collided with another drone that had been coming at them from the opposite angle.

Riker tapped the comms channel to try and hail the Captain. It was possible that with the Calypso being in the atmosphere and her boosted signal, it might be strong enough for them to reach their combadges.

"Calypso to Picard," Riker said.

---

"Shut it down! That's an order!" Picard fumed as he shook his finger at the hologram.

He would strangle that hologram were it possible.

Suddenly, his combadge pinged.

"Calypso to Picard," Riker said.

Jean-Luc stopped and tapped his communicator to respond.

"Riker? Riker there is an entire army of drones that has launched. The Enterprise is in danger," Picard said. "You must warn them."

"Yeah. We know," Riker said.

The sound of heavy bombardment came through clearly on the communicator, filling the entire cavern below with the horrifying sound of the small ship taking such fire.

"Get out of here," Picard ordered.

"There's too much interference to get a lock on you. Is there anywhere in that cavern that looks like a transporter pad?" Riker suggested.

"Get out of here," Picard repeated.

"We're not giving up that easy, sir," Riker responded. "But if you could shut down these drones, that would buy us some much-needed time."

"We're trying," Picard responded.

"You have to stop!" Beverly insisted to the hologram. "You're, uh, you're firing at customers!"

She was hoping to take a page from Data's book and outsmart the hologram.

As she argued with the holographic peddler, Picard turned away. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

Think. Think. He uttered to himself.

"Please! You're going to kill them," Beverly pleaded. "They're customers! On their way here!"

"I'm afraid I can't stop the demonstration until I've made a sale," the hologram said.

Jean-Luc froze.

He straightened up and turned around.

"That's it," he whispered. "We've seen enough."

The hologram shot him a curious look.

"Does that mean you are ready to make a purchase?" the hologram asked.

"Yes, yes!" Picard huffed, waving his hand dismissively. "You've made a sale. We'll take a dozen. Shut. It. Down."

The hologram smiled as he folded his hands.

"Excellent. You won't be disappointed," he said. "Simply input your payment method at the terminal and-"

Jean-Luc reeled with disbelief.

"Oh not this! Is there anything you think about other than your bloody bottom line? No regard for the lives you destroy as long as the dollar signs-"

"Captain, I can easily write a code to-"

"Do it, Data," Picard said in a terse voice.

Data started to type and then abruptly stopped. He turned to the Captain.

"Sir, do you have a preference on which-" Data began to inquire.

"It's fake money, Data!" Picard snipped.

"Right," Data said before quickly turning back to complete his task.

Jean-Luc clenched his fists and waited. It only took a moment for the sounds of battle coming through their combadges to stop. The little blips on the viewscreen dropped off one by one, going dark as the drones fell from the sky.

The hologram was still there. But for the first time all day, he was silent without being muted.

"The system is paused. It is awaiting input of delivery instructions," Data advised.

Jean-Luc let his shoulders slump with relief.

"Thank you, Mr Data," Picard said.

---

Whatever was responsible for the communication blockade remained in effect. The Enterprise had not been able to raise the Calypso or the away team for more than an hour.

There had been no new drone attacks since the initial launch upon arrival. None of those drones had reached the Enterprise.

Geordi had ordered the team to launch numerous probes and space junk in order to try and confuse the drones. It seemed to work.

There was no way to confirm – but the drone attack had only lasted minutes. Geordi felt it was safe to conclude that Worf and Jae or the away team had been successful in shutting down the drones.

And Geordi was prepared to wait for their return.

---

The cavern that housed the sale terminal was too deep to allow for beam out. The team on the Calypso had used the climbing equipment to lower down a set of transport pattern enhancers.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"This soil contains heavy mineral deposits," Data said, rubbing a bit between his fingers.

He glanced up at the ceiling of the cavern.

"And I suspect the materials used for the construction of this facility contain wolframite and heavy ysrilite alloys – enough to render the transporter useless," Data said.

The cavern itself was unstable. Data was concerned that using the climbing equipment to haul people out would result in a cave-in.

They had certainly kicked in more than a steady trickle of sand while lowering in the pattern buffers.

In the end, Beverly had come up with the best solution.

"You can hover right?" Beverly asked dryly.

Worf grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

Tasha had offered to serve as the guide. While Worf kept the ship stable, Riker and Jae carefully lowered Tasha down into the cavern to extract the rest of the team one-by-one.

Beverly went first due to the severity of her injuries, kept safe by a stability board from the medical stores on board.

Once she was safely up, Worf turned the controls over to Jae so he could tend to her wounds. Like Tasha, Worf had extensive field medic training.

"This is a first," Beverly quipped as Worf administered a hypospray.

"I am trained," Worf assured her.

Beverly chuckled.

"No, I mean you treating me. Usually it's the other way round," she said.

Below, Captain Picard was keen to find a way to disable the system for good.

"Sir, this terminal is currently paused pending the completion of a sale. It is awaiting delivery instructions," Data explained. "I cannot predict how long this will last. Or that it will not launch another attack should a new target arrive in orbit."

"So you're saying we can't leave and come back?" Picard asked.

Data nodded.

Tasha landed on the ground a few metres away.

"Alright, who's next?" Tasha asked.

"Not yet, Lieutenant," Picard said. "In fact, I'd like you to join this conversation."

He waved her over. Tasha detached her harness and stepped over to the terminal. She eyed Data up and down, noting his heavy reliance on the console to stay upright.

There was damaged bioplast on his hands and face. His uniform was torn in a number of places – giving a small preview of the injuries that lay below.

"We can't leave this for another poor ship to stumble upon – or worse, export," Picard said.

"Unfortunately, I cannot disable it from here," Data said. "This underground facility could one of many. I highly doubt it is a centralised control point."

There was no way to know what else was out there. They had explored so little of the planet.

"Then we'll come back," Tasha said.

"I am afraid that will not be possible," Data said.

"You're injured. You need medical attention," Tasha asserted.

"I am damaged," Data said, correcting her. "I am not capable of-"

"It's the same damn thing, Data!" she fumed, annoyed by his response.

Jean-Luc cleared his throat. He didn't want to break up their reunion, but they were straying from the problem at hand.

"We have to disable this for good. We can't leave it for someone else to find," Picard said.

"Then let's launch a warning beacon and be done with it," Tasha suggested. "You both need medical attention. We can launch a beacon from a safe distance and then get as far away from her as fast as possible."

She wanted to get Data home, to ensure he was safely back aboard the Enterprise.

"Tasha, you know the type of people that buy from the Minosians," Picard reminded her.

The Breen, the Cardassians, the Romulans – it was a plethora of rogue states intent on harming the Federation.

"Exactly," Tasha replied without missing a beat. "So what if this system destroys the next Cardassian ship to come this way? Or blows an Orion arms dealer to pieces?"

She let her question hang in the air for a moment.

"One less problem we have to deal with," Tasha concluded. "Let them destroy themselves just like Minos. You know they wouldn't hesitate to sell this to someone that would use it against a Federation member planet."

Picard didn't immediately have an answer. He wanted to pop off – but he thought better of it. They were all on edge after such a long, dangerous ordeal. Nerves were frayed and tempers were running high.

"And what if the Romulans stumble upon this and also discover how to pause the drones? What if they find how to shut it down? Do you believe they will leave Minos, grateful to be alive? Or do you think they will take this with them? Learn from it?" Data asked.

"This thing could restart at any moment," Tasha argued.

For a moment, no one spoke as they stared at one another.

Data had no desire to argue with Tasha. In fact, her newfound desire for caution had far exceeded his wildest dreams.

At the same time, he recognised the importance of Captain Picard's position. This weapons system was far too dangerous to simply abandon.

"Sir, we could use the Calypso to scan the surface of the planet for any sort of control facility," Data proposed. "We can always retreat to the Enterprise and leave should the situation change."

Jean-Luc scratched his chin as he mulled over this suggestion. He didn't want to wait too long to get Beverly back to the Enterprise for treatment. However, her condition was now stabilised.

And the threat presented by this system outweighed all other concerns.

"I believe it is worth looking," Data said.

"Mmm," Picard nodded in agreement. "See what we find."

---

"Perhaps you could investigate that room. It looks to be an office of sorts," Data suggested.

He motioned with his head to a door at the far end of the room.

"Jae gave it a once over. There's no files or anything. Just someone's personal effects," Tasha said.

"Oh," Data said, turning back to the console along the wall. "Then maybe you should check with Captain Picard. He might need your expertise."

Tasha frowned as she studied his face. She was leaning against the wall as Data worked beside her.

"You're trying to shake me," Tasha said out of the corner of her mouth.

Data paused and turned to Tasha.

"I am not-" he stopped.

He had been about to contest her assertion that he was attempting to 'shake' her. In fact, in his present physical condition Data did not believe himself capable of such a task.

Nor could he envision any reason why he would do such a thing.

Then it clicked that 'shake' was merely a phrase and not intended to be taken literally.

"You are hovering," Data remarked as he turned back to his work.

"You're uncomfortable," Tasha realised aloud.

"It is difficult to work when I feel you are standing there in such a manner," Data confessed.

Tasha didn't quite understand.

"You are unhappy that we have not returned to the Enterprise," Data said. "You are displeased with me."

He kept his voice low. It was a rather personal conversation to have while on duty. Captain Picard was on the far end of the room while Lieutenant Jae and Commander Riker explored the facility.

It had been more than two hours since they'd left the cavern. As Data predicted, the Calypso's sensors had identified a large structure approximately thirty kilometres from the ruins of the Minosian capital.

And ever since then, Tasha had hovered near him.

"I'm concerned about you," Tasha whispered.

Data did not respond.

"You're hurt," Tasha insisted.

"I will function sufficiently to finish this investigation," Data assured her.

"You can barely stand," Tasha protested in a hushed voice. "Your leg is trembling."

Data's right arm shot down, gripping his thigh tight in an effort to stop the shaking.

"My skeletal construction suffered some damage," Data said, downplaying his injuries.

Tasha didn't need to respond verbally. She folded her arms and pursed her lips. Data got the hint.

"I will begin repairs immediately once we return," he promised.

Tasha was reluctant to step away – but she recognised Data's need for space the nature of his work. She gave his forearm a quick squeeze and then made herself scarce, opting to wander about the room.

It was far enough that Data didn't feel crowded, yet close enough for Tasha to keep an eye on him.

"Captain?" Data called out, drawing Picard's attention.

Jean-Luc set down the small sculpture he'd been examining and made a beeline for Data's position.

"I believe I may have discovered the cause of this weapons system turning on the Minosians," Data announced.

Captain Picard braced himself for unwelcome news.

"Sentience?" he inquired.

He had been working to mentally prepare himself for that bombshell ever since observing the 'demonstrations' of the drones' capabilities.

"No," Data said.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that," Picard confessed.

His greatest fear was that Data would make an appeal to save this dangerous weapons platform due to its developed sentience.

Data cocked his head to the side for a moment – unsure how to take the Captain's comment.

"While this system is highly advanced, I believe the underlying motivation for this unfortunate turn of events has two primary causes," Data explained. "An underlying base code that requires it to pursue any target until eliminated."

He paused.

"A 'prime directive' if you will," Data said.

Jean-Luc nodded in understanding.

"So it became almost hypervigilant in following those orders," Picard mused.

"Yes," Data agreed.

"And the second cause?" Picard pressed. "You mentioned there were two reasons."

Data clicked the screen and pulled up a schematic for a drone project.

"This is the Echo Papa Six Oh Eight," Data said. "It was in development when the Six Oh Seven turned on the Minosian people."

He swiped to the next screen that displayed the final log entries from the facility.

"I believe the system's self-preservation protocol kicked in, allowing it to override the code that had previously prevented it from attacking its creators," Data theorised.

Jean-Luc's brow wrinkled as he weighed this information. Before proceeding, he had to be certain.

"You're sure it is not sentient?" Picard pressed.

Data turned to the Captain.

"In my experience, both as an Exobiologist and as inorganic sentient being – no, I do not believe this weapons system is sentient," Data clarified.

Captain Picard opened his mouth to speak, but Data had anticipated his question.

"I have made thirty-seven separate attempts to communicate with the system. I have also attempted to see if it will react to other stimuli," Data explained.

In each effort to test the device for sentience, it remained solely fixated on one purpose and one purpose only – the destruction of the target.

It was even willing to override its own self-preservation in order to ensure a kill.

"It prioritises this higher than any other task and will destroy itself in the form of its drones if it means elimination of the target," Data continued. "I do not believe a sentient being would allow this to continue unabated."

"Right," Jean-Luc agreed.

That left just one matter to be resolved.

"Then how do we destroy it?" Picard asked.

Data hesitated.

"I have not yet discovered any form of self-destruct or shut down mechanism that would sufficiently remove the threat of discovery by an outside hostile force," Data said.

His face darkened.

"And we are running out of time," Data advised.

He tapped the console and pulled up another screen for the Captain.

"What am I looking at, Data?" Picard asked.

"I believe this is a timer, counting down to a restart," Data shared. "As you recall, we left the system paused as it awaited the input of delivery instructions."

Data pointed to a block of Minosian text.

"It would appear the system considers that an incomplete sale. We have ninety-three minutes before it will reset," Data warned.

Ninety-three minutes.

"And you are certain there is no way to disable or destroy it down here?" Picard asked to confirm.

"That is correct, sir," Data answered.

He had combed through everything – the schematics, the logs from the testing facilities, personal entries of the scientists that had developed the project, and countless terabytes of information on the research and testing.

"Have you learned everything you can from this terminal?" Picard questioned.

"Yes, sir," Data replied. "And I can conclude from that research that this was the primary control facility."

There was nothing else out there waiting to be discovered – no secret lab or hidden bunker. No survivors holed up somewhere with a miraculous solution.

The Minosians truly had built the ultimate weapon.

Now only dusty console and abandoned tablet remained as the remnants of a once powerful civilisation was slowly reclaimed by the jungle.

"Then it's time for us to return to the Enterprise," Picard ordered.

---

It was a relief to leave Minos behind. Data felt a sense of serenity as soon as the Calypso lifted off.

He watched as the ground below grew smaller and smaller as Calypso rose high into the sky. The thick fog that clung to the jungle trees was replaced by large, fluffy clouds as the ship left the atmosphere and returned to orbit.

For Data it felt almost like stepping into the light after being confined in a small, dark space.

The away team was sitting in the back of the Calypso in a small room that served as both a makeshift meeting room, canteen, and living space when necessary.

Beverly was resting on one of the cots.

Data was leaning against the hull, staring out the window.

From her seat across the way, Tasha watched him in silence. She longed to throw her arms around him, to assure him that he was not alone.

But they were still on duty.

And duty came first.

The Enterprise came into view. Captain Picard tapped his communicator.

"Picard to Bridge," he said.

"Good to hear your voice, Captain!" Geordi replied brightly.

"Mr La Forge, when I left this ship, it was in one piece," Picard said, playfully chiding him. "I would appreciate you returning it in the same condition."

Jean-Luc's face broke into a wry grin.

"Next time I may not let you borrow the keys, young man," Picard teased.

Geordi laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," he answered. "Let's just say I didn't want to ding the paint."

---

Calypso docked without incident and the team was greeted by Ensign Gomez and Lieutenant La Forge upon their arrival.

Worf and Commander Riker carried Doctor Crusher off on the stability board.

"Get the Doctor to Sickbay straight away. Then I want to see everyone in the conference room," Picard ordered the minute they stepped off.

It had taken nearly ten minutes to get back up to the ship. That meant they had just over an hour and fifteen minutes to determine a course of action before the weapons system reset itself.

There wasn't a moment to lose.

"Come," Picard said, waving for the rest of the crew to follow him as he marched off.

Tasha stopped.

"Lieutenant Commander Data requires medical attention," Tasha insisted.

Picard paused and looked back at Data, eying him up and down. He was looking rather worse for wear.

"Data?" Picard asked.

"I have been damaged – injured," he corrected quickly, meeting Tasha's eyes.

Data's gaze drifted from his Captain to his fiancé and back again.

"I do require repairs," he said slowly. "But I will… erm… I can function for the purpose of a meeting."

"You're certain?" Picard asked.

The hesitancy in Data's voice was evident. Data had suffered significant damage on Minos and his processing speed had been impacted. Jean-Luc couldn't tell if this slowed speech was merely an extension of that damage or an emotional response for fear of running afoul of Lieutenant Yar.

"Yes?" Data responded.

It was hardly an answer. His voice lifted at the end of the word, almost as if he were asking a question. Captain Picard had never heard Data sound so doubtful.

The Captain's scepticism was obvious as he raised one eyebrow.

"Yes," Data repeated in a much firmer tone.

He needed to be at that briefing – and he would hold on to ensure he was there.

---

"We cannot allow this weapons system to restart," Picard said.

"Captain, I have scanned all available information on the subject. I can find no way to disable it," Data informed the room.

The team was assembled in the conference room as both groups filled one another in on what they had learned in the past thirty-eight hours.

"And how much time is left now?" Geordi inquired.

"Seventy-three minutes," Data announced.

Geordi and Sonya exchanged a glance. Sonya wasn't entirely sure if she was supposed to be there – but she'd followed Geordi into the briefing.

And Captain Picard had said everyone.

"Thoughts?" Geordi prompted.

Sonya's mouth went dry.

She did have an idea – but it wasn't a pleasant one. And Geordi could sense where her train of thought was headed.

Data and Captain Picard were both thinking the same thing.

"We can't leave this around for the Romulans to find. Or what if it manages to find a way off Minos? Past the planet's orbit?" Riker asked, posing a terrifying hypothetical to the crew.

"And there's no telling what it has learned from the crew of the Drake," Worf added.

It was an ominous notion.

"Does anyone have a theory on how we can disable this system?" Picard asked the room.

It was an impossible ask.

Finding a way to disable such an advanced piece of technology with a one-hour deadline was a feat beyond even Data's capabilities on his best day.

But Jean-Luc had to ask the question because the alternative was something that would weigh on his conscience.

The room was silent.

Data glanced down at his hands in his lap, covering the torn bioplast with his other hand as he awaited the Captain's announcement. It was a decision Data had anticipated ever since his inability to find a solution down on the surface.

"Then I'm afraid we are left with the unfortunate choice to destroy Minos itself," Picard said.

He turned his gaze to Data.

"Data, would such a measure sufficiently destroy the tritanium drones?" Picard asked.

"Yes, sir," Data answered without looking up. "Such devastation would ensure the destruction of the system in its entirety."

"It will take at least a dozen mark IX photon torpedoes with an extra payload," Tasha advised.

"Pack it with PBX," Worf suggested.

"Add an azidinaonian enhancer," Tasha said without missing a beat.

"Tang kick coating," Worf added.

"Boom," they said in unison.

Riker's eyes went wide as he watched the exchange like a fascinated child. He was practically giddy listening to them parlay back and forth with their shop talk.

Whenever Worf and Tasha got going, Will picked up the slickest phrases to use. Jean-Luc didn't completely understand their plan, but he got the jist of it.

Polymer-bonded explosives coated with Doctor Tang's incendiary coating and enhanced by an azidinaonian chemical compound to amplify the impact.

Strategically placed around Minos, it would destroy the entire planet – blasting it to bits.

It was an extreme move.

But they were facing unusually dangerous circumstances. The failure to destroy this weapons system could wipe out worlds – if not the entire quadrant.

"How long will it take?" Picard asked.

Tasha turned to Geordi.

"Twenty-minutes on our end, give or take," Tasha said.

"I can have the calculations programmed and set thirty. It will take another fifteen minutes or so to make the necessary adjustments to the torpedoes," Geordi answered.

Fifty-five minutes.

It offered them a slim window of time for a margin of error – less than fifteen minutes.

They could afford no mistakes.

"I recognise this is not an easy decision," Picard said.

The destruction of a planet went against everything they stood for. Even in light of the evidence and threat posed by the Minosian drones, it was a grey area.

"Should any of you wish to file an official protest, I will note it in my log," Picard promised. "And know that such a protest will be treated with the utmost respect from me."

"It's an uninhabited planet," Hawk shrugged. "Let's blow the damn thing and get home."

There was a murmur of agreement from most of the table.

Most.

But not all.

Across the table, Data was sitting with his hands folded in his lap. He'd kept his head low for the bulk of the meeting.

"I do, Captain," Data said in a quiet voice.

"Data?" Picard prompted.

Data lifted his eyes to meet Captain Picard's gaze.

"I do," Data repeated in a firm voice. "I officially protest this decision."

Captain Picard was curious.

"Have you… revaluated?" Picard settled on. "Do you now believe it is sentient?"

"No," Data said. "The weapons system is not sentient."

Jean-Luc eyed his second officer with suspicion and Data could tell the Captain was wordlessly prompting him to explain such a decision.

"Data, if it's not alive-" Riker began to protest.

"It is not alive. It is not sentient," Data said, his voice rising ever so slightly. "But there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of living beings that are down there."

Data lifted his chin as he addressed the table.

"During my time on Minos I ran across more than fifty distinct species including various Pilosa, Insectivora, Aves, and Lepidoptera," Data shared. "All of whom reside on Minos and none of whom are responsible for this weapons system."

Data paused. His hands were shaking.

"Minos is their home. I know that we do not have the capability to relocate all of these species," Data acknowledged. "But as an Exobiologist, I cannot sanction the destruction of an entire planet and the loss of countless unique lifeforms."

The room fell silent.

"That is to say nothing of the culture, history, and geological finds that will be lost when the planet is destroyed," Data went on. "Minos will, quite literally, be wiped away save for the limited information contained in Federation records."

Jean-Luc felt awful.

"I could go on. But I recognise we have limited time," Data said, resigning himself that such a monologue would have to remain unspoken.

Picard gave him a stiff nod.

"Thank you, Mr Data," Picard said. "Your protest will be noted in my log."

Captain Picard dismissed the table, catching Data's arm on the way out of the door.

"And Data, thank you for being the one to voice such a concern. It takes great courage to champion a lost cause," Picard said.

"Was it lost?" Data asked in response, reminding the Captain the decision was ultimately up to him.

Tasha was due down in the torpedo bay. But she hung around because she didn't feel right leaving Data.

"Data-" she started to say.

But Data shook off her attempt to escort him from the room.

"We are not even making an effort to pull back and study this further. Or to explore calling in additional support from Starfleet," Data said.

Jean-Luc sighed.

"I fear that if those drones are permitted to restart, we won't get another chance," Picard confessed.

"Data, what are the odds?" Tasha asked.

It was an honest question. She wasn't trying to shut down his idea. What Tasha didn't know was that Data had already calculated the odds.

And they weren't good.

"Data?" she asked softly.

"You have duties to perform," he said.

His voice was not cold. Rather, it sounded like surrender.

And somehow that hurt worse.

Data turned and walked out of the conference room without another word. Tasha watched him go, frozen in place.

She wanted to rush after him, throw her arms around Data, and hold him until the world was better.

"Lieutenant," Picard said in a quiet voice, reminding of her duty.

Once more, Data would have to wait.

---

Using a sonic driver, Tasha reattached the final stem bolt on the torpedo control panel.

Then she sat back on her knees and used the back of her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her brow.

Tasha exhaled audibly.

At least this unpleasant task is finished. She thought.

With the assistance of an antigrav unit, Tasha guided and loaded the torpedo into is tube. She sealed the lock and punched in her security code to bring it online.

Worf was just finishing loading his own final torpedo. He tapped his communicator.

"Captain, we are all set," Worf advised the Bridge.

Worf and Geordi opted to watch from the forcefield viewscreen at the edge of the hull. Neither of them was keen to see the destruction. Rather, they wanted to ensure that it worked and be on hand in case it didn't.

Tasha chose to stay near the door to the corridor. Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes and counted the seconds to launch.

"is it done?" she asked after the elapsed time had passed.

"Yeah," Geordi replied.

Without uttering a word or turning around, Tasha left.

Once she was in the corridor, Tasha felt like she could breathe. She made a beeline for the nearest lift. As she waited for it to arrive, Tasha was fidgety.

"Computer, what is the location of Lieutenant Commander-"

"Lieutenant Yar?" Picard's voice rang out.

"Captain?"

"Please report to the Battle Bridge," Picard requested. "We've set a course to rendezvous with the saucer section."

They would need to join back up with the rest of the ship. Geordi would also need to formally relinquish command.

Tasha understood that Captain Picard wanted her present for both of those moments. Technically, the Chief of Security was required to be on hand for saucer realignment and he would need a second officer present when Geordi turned over the command codes.

Tasha closed her eyes and took a slow breath to steady herself.

Once again, Data would have to wait.

She tapped her combadge.

"Acknowledged," Tasha said.

---

The reunion with the saucer section was a relief to all.

In an effort to keep the saucer section hidden, communication had been kept to a minimum. Geordi had only checked in once. And they'd sent a probe with an audio file rather than using the typical comms channels.

They didn't want any Breen, Ferengi, or Cardassian ships learning there was a ship floating out there with over a thousand Federation hostages and nothing but impulse engines.

"No trouble then?" Picard asked.

"All quiet here," Miles reported.

"Good," Picard said as he resumed command. "You know, I do believe this is the first time an enlisted man has ever been in command of the Flagship."

"First time for everything, sir," Miles replied in a smooth voice.

He may have acted cool, but inside Miles was beaming with pride.

"Excellent work, Mr O'Brien," Picard remarked.

On their way off the Bridge, Geordi caught Miles in the lift.

"Logan?" he asked, inquiring about the testy Lieutenant Commander.

When he'd left Miles in charge, he'd been worried about Logan. Geordi knew Miles could take care of himself. But it was a big job to command the ship – and unnecessary pressure from guys like Logan didn't make that task any easier.

"Oh he was no trouble at all," Miles said.

Geordi relaxed.

"At least not after I confined him to quarters," Miles added innocently.

Geordi baulked.

He glanced over at the wall and then back to Miles.

"We need to the Captain and-"

Miles waved his hand.

"Don't worry, I'll notify Captain Picard so he can be released," Miles said. "After we grab a pint."

Geordi threw back his head and laughed heartily as he clapped Miles on the shoulder.

"My hero," he chuckled.

---

They weren't the only ones grateful to be reunited with the saucer section.

Following his abrupt departure from the Battle Bridge, Data had been left – quite literally – with no home to go to.

Both Tasha's personal quarters and his own were located in the saucer.

All he wanted to do was collapse onto something comfortable and dissociate from reality. Even his usual haunts like Main Engineering felt uncomfortable.

So Data had opted to pass the time by doing something to make tomorrow a bit easier. He'd gone to his lab and started the process to produce additional bioplast.

He kept a small amount on hand for the occasional, small injuries that occurred due to his work. Cuts and scrapes (particularly on his hands) were a common occurrence for Operations personnel – especially Engineers.

But his wounds were severe.

They would require at least six times the amount of bioplast he kept on hand – and that was just for his external wounds.

Data had also suffered significant internal structural damage. His spinal column had cracked. The artificial facet joints in his spine had suffered tremendous wear from the strain. His knees and deuterium femurs had fared little better.

Data estimated that it would take a week to completely swap out the damaged portions of his body and complete the repairs.

He stopped working as soon as the drive section had reached the saucer. Data simply set down his sonic driver and walked off.

He'd taken the nearest lift directly to Tasha's quarters where he'd collapsed down into the chair that faced the bedroom wall.

Data hadn't moved from that spot since.

In fact, he had completely zoned out. He didn't even react when the door slid open, and Tasha stepped inside.

She found him like that – silent, unmoving. He looked smaller than she could recall. Worn.

Tasha slipped off her boots and padded across the carpet. She rested her hand gently on his shoulder and then kissed the side of his face.

"Would you like me to make some tea?" she asked.

Data didn't answer.

"Or something else?" Tasha offered.

Once more, he was silent as he stared at the wall ahead.

"I could go to Ten Forward if you'd like. Guinan's doing that breakfast for dinner thing tonight," Tasha said.

When he didn't respond, Tasha decided to take things into her own hands.

"I'll make us some hot cocoa," she said.

She moved to pull away, but Data caught her hand.

Okay. I'll stay. Tasha thought.

She leaned down over the back of the chair and wrapped her other arm across Data's chest, mindful of his injuries.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Data closed his eyes. His shoulders began to shake as the emotional toll of the last two days began to flood out.

Tasha realised he was sobbing.

She came around to the front of the chair and knelt down as she tried to meet Data's eyes.

"Hey," she said softly.

Tasha slipped her fingers under Data's chin, forcing him to look up.

"Hey, I'm here," she assured him. "You're not alone."

She wasn't sure if his tears were due to the destruction of Minos, the terror of surviving, his injuries – or all of it at once.

He had been alone overnight in a frightening place. Data had been forced to look over his shoulder for more than a day. Constantly having to watch his back had taken a toll on his psyche.

Tasha took hold of his hands and pulled Data over to the sofa. She delicately guided his head, holding him close against her chest while he wept.

"You can talk about it if you want," Tasha said. "I'll be here to listen."

But Data was sobbing uncontrollably.

"You don't have to say anything either," Tasha assured him as she pet his hair.

Sometimes one just needed a good cry. And Tasha was happy to wait as long as Data needed. He clutched the edge of her uniform, grasping for something physical to ground himself.

Data was so lost in his own grief that he didn't even hear Tasha order the computer to start playback on a music file.

He could check his chronometer for the time. But Data was content to simply exist in her arms. For once, he was not consciously aware of the passing of each millisecond.

It was a surreal feeling – not unlike when his dream programme was engaged. Data closed his eyes and let his tears freely fall.

The strain in his body from his injuries seemed to melt away with each pass of Tasha's fingers through his hair.

It was a full hour before Data became aware of the music and another twenty minutes before he started to come back to the world.

Tasha was singing softly. Data could hear the muted sound of it emanating from within her chest. She kept her voice low, and Data began to suspect she was singing along out of instinct rather than as a conscious act.

"The changing of sunlight to moonlight, reflections of my life," she hummed along. "Oh my sorrows, sad tomorrows, take me back to my own home."

"Marmalade," Data said.

It was the first word he had spoken since leaving the conference room. In fact, it was so out of the blue that Tasha wasn't quite sure she'd really heard it.

"Marmalade," Data repeated. "1969. Reflections of My Life."

He was rattling off titbits of information. For Data there was comfort in facts, a sense of self-assurance when he could focus on learning about something.

"The song is unusual in that the introduction, verses, and choruses all share the same chord structure and sequence," Data said.

A small smile broke out on Tasha's face. It felt good to have her curious, babbling Data back.

"The first time I heard this song I was sitting on a stool at the end of that bar inside the little dive on Lincoln," Tasha said.

"The Lonely Sailor," Data said, recalling the location.

"Mmm, that's the one," Tasha said.

"Half-off Happy Hour, Thursday Thursdays, and home of the Sunday Special," Data said.

Tasha's eyes went wide.

"You know it?" Tasha asked, mildly surprised.

It didn't quite seem the kind of place a young Data would have been familiar with.

"Only by reputation," Data confessed. "I will admit, I am somewhat stunned to hear of your affinity for the place. You speak as if you know it well."

"Mmm," Tasha replied lazily.

"Which is in and of itself surprising given that I was led to believe it was a rather… uncomfortable atmosphere," Data said.

Tasha chuckled, her body shaking.

"Oh it was downright awful. The place is run by the mob. They water down the drinks," she shared.

Data frowned.

"And you have fond memories of this place?" Data asked.

"No," Tasha answered honestly. "But I'd just come out of a terrible breakup, and I wanted to drink until I couldn't feel anything anymore."

Data could relate.

"I was seventeen and they didn't ask questions," Tasha added.

Data raised and then quickly lowered his eyebrows but said nothing.

"So there I was sitting all alone nursing a drink and looking out over the bay. Feeling lower than I had in ages," Tasha went on.

She paused and laughed softly.

"And it was raining," she giggled. "And then this song came on one of those antique jukeboxes."

It was a low point. But the lyrics of that ancient song had gotten her through it.

The world is a bad place, a terrible place to live.

Oh, but I don't want to die.

"You just need to step out in the rain and let it wash everything away," Tasha said.

Data rolled his body so that he could look up at her.

"It would be inadvisable for me to submerge myself in water at this time. With all my exposed circuitry, it could easily introduce moisture to my internal system," Data said.

Tasha traced the line of his jaw. He was covered in dirt and grime from his ordeal. Even though this didn't impact Data in the same way as it did human skin, Data still felt a desire to be clean.

There was nothing quite like emerging fresh from the shower or the minty feel of a freshly polished set of teeth.

"You're filthy," Tasha teased.

Only Data wasn't laughing. Tasha panicked.

"I will go to the lab and use one of the sonic sanitising stations," Data said.

He tried to sit up, but Tasha stopped him dead with a hand to his chest.

"Stay," she ordered.

There was a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"I lied. Come here," Tasha said, pulling him to his feet.

She directed Data over to the table. Tasha pulled out the closest chair and helped him to sit down.

"Now don't move," she instructed.

---

Data cocked his head to the side as he studied the objects Tasha had set down on the table.

"Don't overthink it," she whispered against his ear.

There was a sharp intake of breath as he felt a hot towel on the back of his neck. Tasha smirked to herself.

Data visibly relaxed.

The warm water was a welcome sensation as Tasha cleaned away the dirt and debris along the length of his arms.

She carefully cleaned each of his fingers one by one before turning her attention to the opposite arm – all the while mindful of his injuries.

Were it anyone else, Data would be terrified of having something wet this close to his exposed circuitry. But he trusted Tasha.

Implicitly.

She was the only one that he would dare trust to care for him like this, the one person who made him feel safe – safe enough to completely give himself over.

Typically felt awkward whenever he had to remove portions of his uniform. He was so accustomed to being seen as a spectacle. And there were horrifying memories of being stripped down and studied.

But things were different.

Here. Now. Sitting with his uniform stripped down to his waist, the only light in the room coming from the soft glow on the outside of the ship.

This was intimate. It was serene.

And it felt divine.

Data inhaled deeply, the steam rising up from the rag as Tasha cleaned away his chest.

After gently cleaning his face, Tasha pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. Then she stopped to warm the rag again, ringing it out over a separate bowl.

"Why?" Data asked.

Tasha stopped. She looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

"You know on Turkana this is an act of love," Tasha shared.

It was a rare thing to trust someone enough to strip down in front of them and quite literally place yourself in their hands. Hot water was a luxury – and using it to treat someone else was one of the greatest gestures of kindness.

"Tell me a story," Data requested.

"Alright," Tasha smiled.

She carefully pulled away his trousers and set them aside before turning her attention to his legs.

"Do you want to keep going on Piranha Tidal Wave? Or I could snag one of your Holmes's stories. Download it onto the tablet," Tasha offered.

"No," Data said quickly.

Tasha stopped again.

"I want you to tell me a story," Data explained.

Tasha fumbled.

"Oh, uh, I don't really-" she trailed off. "I mean, I don't have a databank to pull from."

"Please?" Data asked.

There was a slight pause. Tasha didn't have the faintest idea where to start. Data could sense her trepidation.

"Anything," Data said.

Tasha turned back to the table and wet the flannel again. She was trying to buy time as she rang out the rag.

"Anything," Data repeated as he reached up to touch an errant strand of hair back behind Tasha's ear.

Tasha was sitting on her knees. She straightened up and then set to work on his calves.

"There was a story my grandmother used to tell me when I was a girl," Tasha started.

It was so rare for Tasha to share the stories and traditions of her people. She had always struggled to reconcile the customs and beliefs of her grandmother's faith with the broader understanding of the universe she had gained during her time in Starfleet - most Terrans had long since eschewed such spiritual beliefs.

Her own internal battle had been further complicated by a brief stint spent with a zealous religious order on Turkana. Tasha had been taken in as a child. She'd been promised food, safety, and a thing they called 'eternal salvation.'

It was where she first learned about the broader universe, the concept of other planets. And where Tasha had learned to speak English – her 'saviours' had quite forcibly beat it into her in their attempts to eradicate any trace of Turkana from the children in their care.

They were known as Torquemada and they were a religious order that had formed on Earth in the wake of the Third World War.

Small but fanatical, they had sought to spread their missionary work far beyond the Sol system.

Tasha had almost been relieved when they were slaughtered by a band of mercenaries. She had been captured along with the other poor children that had been taken in by the Torquemada.

They'd been prisoners – but it was a relief to be back within her own culture where she understood the customs.

So it was hard for Tasha to be proud of her Turkanan heritage, to share the stories of her childhood.

But as she locked eyes with Data, Tasha knew that he would never judge her.

"When I was little, my grandmother used to tell me this story," Tasha said.

In fact, she could thank Commander Riker for reminding her of it.

"Do you remember me telling you about Sela?" Tasha inquired.

"The child of the Sun Goddess, Seridia," Data said.

Data had denoted to memory every single fact, word, phrase, or story Tasha had shared from Turkana. He was fascinated by her culture, the history of her people.

"Her name means 'sunshine' and it is said that she brings light, warm air, and good fortune," Data went on. "She is locked in an eternal battle against her brother, Rorik, who is responsible for the storms."

Tasha grinned.

"Yeah," she said as she washed his feet.

"And according to Turkanan legend, Sela and Rorik are constantly at war with one another and that is why the seasons change," Data continued. "When the Strawberry Moon arrives, and with it the return of the fireflies, it is a sign that she has been victorious."

Tasha was taken aback.

"You remember all that?" she asked, her face going red.

"My dear, I remember every word you have ever spoken in my presence," Data said.

Tasha bit her lip.

"Um, well, there's an island on Turkana known as Mar' làite Wolaeth-" Tasha said.

"The only place in the universe where the Corranai Adder is found," Data said in an excited voice.

His eyes lit up and his posture changed.

"Yeah," Tasha said.

It was almost amusing how excited Data was.

"Well, Corranai is a Turkanan goddess. She's the sister of Kieran," Tasha said.

"The Dark One, Sela's father," Data said.

Tasha nodded.

"And on the island of Mar' làite Wolaeth there's a temple dedicated in her honour," Tasha explained.

It had been abandoned for centuries and was completely overrun with the dangerous adders. They clung to every branch, every vine that had sought to reclaim the once grand temple.

"Sela wanted to give her people fire so they would be safe and warm, so they could see during the darkness that came from her father and in the storms her brother brought," Tasha said. "She didn't think it was fair that only Rorik could bring fire – because when he did it was as lightning. Destruction."

Tasha paused.

"She wanted her people to use it in a way that would benefit them, to conquer it so they weren't afraid anymore," Tasha said.

Tasha set the flannel down in the water. She had also brought along a fresh set of casual clothes for Data. He liked to keep a pair stored in the cabinet in her lavvy for when he stayed the night.

"Well, Aaedagh was the father of Seridia, making him Sela's grandfather. And the greatest enemy of Kieran," Tasha explained as she slipped a pair of socks onto his feet. "Aaedagh rose up from the centre of the world in a flurry of fire-"

"Aaed Mountain," Data interjected.

Tasha nodded.

"I have read of this creation legend. Aaed Mountain is an active volcano," Data recalled. "It erupted in 2237. In the days and weeks that followed, the ash cloud and subsequent volcanic winter exasperated the already fragile environmental conditions."

Data had read every available fact he could find on Turkana. Not that there was much to be found – most of the records at his disposal were from limited Federation sources prior to the colony's collapse.

"It lasted for years and had a devastating impact on the planet including permanent changes to tropospheric and stratospheric circulation," Data went on. "It is often cited as one of the primary causes of the collapse of the Federation colony."

"On Turkana that eruption is called Aaedagh's revenge," Tasha shared. "It is said we displeased him by allowing strangers to strip away the land, to harness sacred fire in ways that destroyed his planet."

Aaedagh was considered the all-father, the creator of life on Turkana and the father of most of the deities worshipped in the old religion.

"So Sela wished to gift fire to her people and Aaedagh saw an opportunity to hurt Kieran," Tasha said.

Tasha sat back on her knees. She had fully thrown herself into the story now as she went on, talking wildly with her hands.

"Aaedagh promised to teach Sela how to harness the power of fire. But in return, she had to prove herself worthy," Tasha recounted. "Aaedagh ordered her to bring him one of Corranai's adders."

"A lethal endeavour," Data remarked.

"Indeed," Tasha said, wiggling her eyebrows.

While Data dressed properly in a pair of comfortable drawstring trousers and a soft shirt, Tasha explained that only the venom of a Corrandi adder could kill a god.

"To reach Mar' làite Wolaeth is a feat in and of itself," Tasha said.

Data listened with rapt attention as she described the route – almost like she was reading to him from one of their stories.

"To travel there, you must first pass through the Acras badlands. It's like a sea of sand as far as the eye can see. You swelter during the day and freeze at night. The land is completely barren," Tasha said. "And you must cross it in it's entirety."

It took sixteen days with a vehicle, a month by horse, or three months on foot – if you were adequately supplied.

"And after that you come to the Mealladh," Tasha said.

"Deception," Data said, identifying the Turkanan word.

"It is said they named the mountains Mealladh because they are beautiful and deadly. They lure in travellers under the guise of shelter, water, and food," Tasha explained.

She dropped her gaze to her lap and shook her head.

"And while the mountains do provide this, they are filled with their own dangers," Tasha said.

There was the Kodlak, a great bear-like creature that grew three metres tall and could kill a person with one swipe of its massive, clawed hand.

Red panthers stalked the rocks and were known to ambush weary travellers. Roaming packs of wolves and damberoki, a venomous lizard, were also a threat.

And if the apex predators didn't kill you, there were always silent killers that could slither into the unsuspecting traveller's shoes at night, just waiting to strike or strangle.

"There's a mountain pass known as the Bone Road that cuts through the mountains," Tasha said. "No one knows who built it or why. But it's literally lined with the bones of every poor creature that has failed to complete the journey."

Data was simultaneously intrigued and mortified. To his surprise, Tasha smiled.

"But there's another path," Tasha informed him. "High in the mountains, further up than most people dare travel. And cold enough that most of the predators in the lower pass stay clear."

Tasha stopped picking her fingernails and looked up at Data.

"You can't take it with a group. The road is too narrow. One, maybe two people at most. And you've got to secure yourself when you sleep or you'll drop from a sheer cliff," Tasha said.

Data observed the subtle change in her body language. It was as if she were speaking from personal experience.

"And you know you're finally at the end of the mountains when your ears begin to pop from the changing elevation. It grows warmer, easier to breathe," Tasha continued.

A dark look crossed her face.

"But instead of relief, the road turns to an impenetrable fog, and you find yourself in the midst of the Old Guard," Tasha said.

She shivered at the memory of that place.

"It's a stone forest with large pillars of rock. And stretches for miles on end," Tasha said. "There are marks on the pillars. Red ochre. They've been there for ages."

"A path?" Data prompted.

Tasha shook her head in the negative.

"The secret is not to follow the marks," Tasha said. "Or you will wander for an eternity. There are many who have tried to pass, only to find themselves walking in circles until they are driven mad."

That inhospitable land was one of the most isolating places on Turkana. Between the constant fog and the eerie wind, it was more than enough to make one question their own sanity.

"Legend says that Corranai and Kieran called upon a great force to march against Aaedagh. And in response, he froze them in their path. A great stone army forever trapped on their final march," Tasha said.

Data's lips were slightly parted as he hung on her every word.

"After that, you emerge at the edge of the Kodlak River," Tasha said. "Which you must cross in order to reach the island. It's sort of trapped in the middle of the river."

"And this is what Sela did to prove herself worthy?" Data inquired.

"No," Tasha said as she moved in close.

Data looked disappointed.

"She was too clever for all that. She called for one of her great golden eagles to carry her there. Where it swooped down and collected the adder," Tasha said.

She was thoroughly pleased that Data was enjoying her story. Tasha stopped herself just inches from Data's face.

"Aaedagh took the adder but refused to make good on his promise. When the time came, he would not share the secret of fire," Tasha said, her lips hovering just above Data's. "You see, Aaedagh only wanted the adder to try and kill Kieran."

There was a sharp intake of surprise from Data.

"Betrayal," he breathed in astonishment.

"But when he took the adder from the eagle, it went after him," Tasha said. "Sela took her great sword and stole fire from his hearth. With it, she drove the adder back and saved him."

Tasha pressed a soft kiss to Data's lips.

"What happened next?" Data asked.

"Well Aaedagh was a rather spiteful old man," Tasha said as she sat back on her knees. "And vengeful. He cursed her and tried to kill her."

"Did he succeed?" Data inquired, concerned.

"Sela ran away," Tasha said with a casual shrug.

Then her expression changed. Her face lit up like an eager child.

"She ran away taking the secret of fire with her for her people – jumping on the back of a great golden eagle as she flew off with the rays of her mother's sunshine on her back," Tasha said passionately. "And Aaedagh was left a bitter old man."

Data sat back and blinked a few times as he processed this story.

"You know they say that's why Aaedagh started to meddle in the affairs of man," Tasha said with a wry smile. "Tempting them, hoping they would make poor choices in an attempt to prove Sela wrong about sharing information with man."

"Not unlike the Q," Data commented, drawing a comparison between the two.

Tasha laughed softly.

"Yeah. I suppose," she agreed.

Tasha took hold of Data's hands and gently guided him over to the sofa.

"But they're just fairy stories," Tasha said as they sat down.

Data keened as Tasha began to gently rub his shoulders.

"Only it seems all the stories on Turkana end with despair. They're more fable or warning than happy ending," Tasha realised aloud.

She stopped and wrapped her arms around Data's torso, burying her face between his shoulder blades.

"We'll make our own happy ending," Tasha said.

---

Tasha made a pot of herbal tea – mixing a gentle lavender tea with honey and lemon slices. After pouring them both a cup, she flipped on a series of artificial candles to fill the room with a warm glow.

Then she took up her seat next to Data and instructed him to lay down on her lap.

They fell asleep like that as Tasha stroked his hair. Data was still grappling with the trauma from his ordeal on Minos.

Yet for the moment he felt safe enough to detach, to slow down his processing and slip into the welcome embrace of sleep.

Shortly after midnight, Data startled awake.

His coolant system surged. It was working faster than normal to maintain his body temperature. Data could feel his power core pounding his chest cavity.

His whole body was trembling as he frantically looked around to get his bearings.

Tasha's quarters. He reminded himself.

Data jumped as Tasha's hand shot out from behind. She clutched it across his chest.

"Hey," she whispered, nuzzling against his ear. "I'm here."

She could feel Data's chest heaving under her hand. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push out the dark thoughts that threatened to overwhelm his neural net.

"We're home. You will be safe here," Tasha assured him.

It did not have the desired effect.

Data burst into tears.

Tasha held him, rocking back and forth as he wept.

You will be safe here.

"I promised them," Data sobbed. "That is what I said to them. A promise."

His shoulders shook as he wracked with guilt.

Tasha readjusted so they could sit facing each other. Her eyes were full of worry.

"It is not your job to protect everyone," Tasha said.

Data's eyes were still shut tight as he tried to stop a fresh wave of hot tears.

"I promised. I promised them," he managed to choke out.

"Who?" Tasha asked.

Data took a shaky breath. He opened his eyes and stared at Tasha for a few seconds until he found his voice.

"The birds," Data said softly.

His lip began to quiver.

Data felt utterly foolish. When spoken aloud it sounded ridiculous. Only Tasha didn't laugh. She eyed Data with a sad smile and cupped his face, thumbing away his tears.

"Tell me about them?" she requested.

"I found them," Data shared. "I found them and I-I-I moved their home."

They had been so tiny – a nest of squabbling newborns and their protective parents.

"Their nest was in that cannon. I moved them to a tree and promised they would be safe there," Data said. "And now they are gone."

He paused.

"I promised them they would be safe," he repeated in a faraway voice.

Tasha rested her forehead against Data's.

"I love you," she said. "I love that you are the strongest man and that your heart remains so tender."

"I am damaged and crying," Data protested. "Are these not considered signs of weakness?"

"No," Tasha said, pressing her lips to his cheek in an effort to kiss away his tears. "It's a testament to your soul."

Data stopped and sat back. There was a strange look on his face as he studied Tasha's expression. Inside he felt a mix of curiosity and fear.

There was a question he longed to ask.

But Data feared the answer.

Yet if there was one thing that drove Data more than anything else, it was his boundless curiosity.

"Do you believe I have a soul?" Data asked.

"I know you do," Tasha replied without hesitation.

Data's brow furrowed, his head turning slightly to the side while eying her with heavy scepticism.

"How?" he pressed.

"I see it in you every day. In everything you do," Tasha said. "The way you live. The way you love. The way you treat others."

With the gentle touch, Tasha tucked Data's bangs back behind his ear. Then she clutched his hand and brough it over his heart.

"And I do believe it is the most beautiful soul to ever grace the universe," Tasha said.

She smiled and pulled him close.

"And it is my great fortune to be alive the same time as you," she mused. "And I will love you."

Tasha brought Data's hands to her lips and pressed a tender kiss to the back of it.

"Evermore."