The Complication

Arsenal of Freedom

Author's Notes: Thank you for your continued support on this journey (and I do mean journey).

Our conspiracy arc takes a backseat in this chapter as we temporarily return to the episodic format Trek is best known for.

The Romulans are still out there, and we certainly have seen the last of them. But the Enterprise is heading away from the Neutral Zone for a while to give our characters some breathing room.

Arsenal of Freedom was a late S1 episode. It was hardly a standout, but there were some key events that I want to explore including Tasha really getting to show off her skills as Security Chief, Jean-Luc and Beverly trapped in a cave, and Geordi expertly taking command of the Enterprise in a crisis.

For me, Arsenal of Freedom is one of *the* pivotal Geordi episodes of the series.

There's also a moment near the end where Tasha (in canon) expresses concern for Data's safety. I've always believed that's one of the key points of evidence that they were close. Whether as friends or something more, Tasha saw him as a person and as someone under protection.

In this instalment I also seek to rectify some of the parts of Arsenal of Freedom that didn't quite add up – like beaming down to a deserted planet with little to no safety checks and the fact Minos transformed into a ruins of civilisation/overgrown jungle in six weeks' time.

And because I like a good action/adventure story, I've upped the stakes!

Thank you for all your support.

Cheers,

Charlie­

-X-

Data picked up the small banner and then moved it to a different spot on the table. It was only a few inches tall. He had to work carefully as nearly all of the carpet in his main room was full of such miniature replicas.

He had spent nearly an hour meticulously recreating each and every single banner and laying them out in this order.

The door slid open, and Data's head whipped around.

"Wait!" he called out.

Tasha had her foot halfway inside when she froze. She was just inches away from stepping onto Kla'noraa Sector.

She pulled her foot back. Tasha crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, grinning as she surveyed the room.

"Let me guess – you, Geordi, and the Chief have a new game, and these are all your little troops. You're planning their movements?" Tasha asked.

Data, Geordi, and Miles had a number of elaborate tabletop games they'd played over the years.

"No," Data answered.

"You've taken up heraldry as a hobby," Tasha guessed.

"No," Data repeated.

With carefully planned steps, he managed to tiptoe through the rows of banners to reach Tasha.

Tasha's eyes narrowed as she skimmed the rows of what appeared to be toys.

"Wait a second, this is Klingon script," she observed.

"I am attempting to lay out all of the known Klingon houses that were active players, if you will, in the last fifty years," Data explained. "I hope to better understand their relationship to the High Council."

He frowned.

"This is a physical representation of their proximity to power," Data said as he gestured to the pattern on the floor.

"This is because of what Korris said, right?" Tasha asked.

"Yes," Data replied.

Tasha spied a handful of banners on the table that did not appear to be a part of Data's layout.

"I recognise this. It's the House of Mogh," Tasha said.

She picked it up and studied the wee replica.

"Indeed. As Worf was the only surviving heir, the house was largely dissolved. Their titles were absorbed by allied houses and the seat on the Council once occupied by Mogh was turned over to another," Data explained.

"It's so strange to think that in another life Worf might be serving as Klingon feudal lord, off overseeing colonies somewhere," Tasha remarked.

She had no doubt in his abilities. Rather, she had a feeling he would miss the excitement and adventure that came from serving Starfleet.

Worf may have been a Security Officer, but he enjoyed travel, exploring new cultures, and assisting with all of the wonderous discoveries made by the various science teams.

"You as well," Data said.

"Huh?" Tasha asked, not following his line of thought.

"You would be there too, would you not? As a daughter of the House of Mogh," Data teased.

Tasha smirked as she threw her arms around Data.

"And I'd bring you. We could have a garden," Tasha said.

"I would like a garden," Data said. "But I am not of the House of Mogh."

"Maybe in time," Tasha said with a smirk. "They do let non-Klingons in sometimes."

All of a sudden, Data's eyes went wide.

Non-Klingons.

"Computer, cross reference previous search for Klingon Houses, heraldic symbolism, serpents, snakes, or dragons with Romulan lineage or connections to Romulus," Data ordered.

The Klingons and Romulans had been on-again, off-again allies for some time before the alliance with the Federation. It was a common practise for diplomats to seek to strengthen those ties through strategic unions.

Data could only speculate that this was even more commonplace in the feudal systems that dominated the Klingon and Romulan Empires.

"I can tell you're on to something brilliant," Tasha said as she nuzzled against his face.

"I believe I am," Data replied.

"Which is why I hate to say that we're going to be late for poker night," Tasha reminded him.

-X-

"The Drake? Really?" Geordi asked.

Riker nodded solemnly.

"Declared officially missing four days ago," Riker informed them. "No one has seen nor heard from it in six weeks."

The senior officers were assembled in Commander Riker's quarters for their weekly poker night. Shortly before the game, Riker had been informed by Captain Picard that they had received orders to investigate the disappearance of the Drake.

"Lieutenant Commander Remmick said that they suspected the Romulans might try for officers, but a whole ship?" Geordi asked in disbelief.

"There's loads of reasons it may have gone dark and none of them have to do with the Romulans," Tasha said.

She didn't want to believe the Romulans were involved.

"Aye, T's right," Miles agreed. "They could have run into a cosmic string fragment or a wormhole. They might be limping along back to starbase and comms are down."

He paused.

"Though I will say something doesn't sit right with this," Miles added.

The Drake was a light cruiser. She had limited weapons capability and was typically a support ship for larger vessels, offering assistance during tense situations or backup when needed.

She was hardly a formidable dreadnaught.

Light cruisers like the Drake were built primarily as a compromise vessel that provided a balance between speed and security. They typically handled First Contact and Second Contact missions, transport of dignitaries, and lent a little muscle when Starfleet's presence was required to diffuse a situation.

"I'll sure be glad when we stop getting assignments with all these disappearances and conspiracies," Beverly said.

She paused to take a sip of her wine.

"Hell, I'd take another mapping mission if it meant getting away from the Neutral Zone," she said.

"Settle for half?" Riker asked.

"What?" Beverly inquired.

"We're headed to the Lorenze Cluster. Captain Picard's already instructed Night Watch to divert course," Riker explained.

It was the last place the Drake had been seen.

It was a fair distance from the Romulan Neutral Zone – but hardly what one could call a comfortable part of space.

"That's almost Breen territory," Worf said.

"If you ask the Breen, sometimes it is their territory," Tasha quipped. "Depending on how ambitious they're feeling that day."

"And if they've got a full torpedo bay," Worf added with a smirk.

Data had just finished shuffling the deck. He offered it to Miles to cut.

"The game is Risian Pearl Dive with a buy on the last card," Data announced as he began to fling cards across the table with a skill and speed that rivalled the best dealers in New Vegas.

"What was the Drake doing out in the Lorenze Cluster?" Geordi asked. "That's quite a way out of Federation space and, well, there's not much out there."

It was a fair question. There were small pockets of Federation space beyond that section, but there was hardly anything to merit a journey through that area.

It was a narrow corridor of space. On one side sat the Black Cluster, a region where the unique gravitational pull caused by so many collapsed protostars was known to wreak havoc on navigational equipment.

On the other side sat the Typhon Expanse. It was an area that had never been explored by the Federation and was considered unpopulated. Nearly a century earlier, the USS Bozeman had been tasked to map the region. It was the last vessel Starfleet had ever dispatched there – and it had never been heard from since.

And in between those two pockets of mystery sat a narrow corridor teeming with the likes of Breen raiders, the quarrelsome Miradorns, and Cardassian mining facilities.

"A few weeks back, the Drake was dispatched to follow up on a situation on Minos," Riker shared.

"Minos? That's not a Federation aligned planet," Deanna said.

"They are not Federation aligned, but they are trading partner for many powers in the Alpha Quadrant including the Caldonians, the Son'a, and the Anticans," Data advised. "Their primary export is weapons."

He paused to rearrange his hand of cards.

"The citizens of Minos gained fame during the Ersalrope wars as arms merchants. They manufactured sophisticated and highly advanced weaponry," Data went on.

"Oh yeah? Which side?" Geordi asked.

It was his bet. He reached into his stack and tossed two red chips into the centre of the table.

"Both," Data replied.

"Do you think that's why the Drake went? Maybe this is all about some new weapon?" Beverly suggested as she picked up her cards.

"We don't trade with them," Tasha said.

She snagged her cards and leaned back in her chair as she studied them.

"They make some of the most impressive armaments that have come out in the last twenty years. And they're doing things with surface to orbit delivery systems that are truly inventive," Tasha said.

"But?" Riker prompted.

"But they sell to everyone. That's the problem," Tasha explained. "Starfleet could buy amazing, state-of-the-art equipment from the Minosians, but so could the Romulans. And the Cardassians. And anyone else that could disassemble and reverse-engineer it."

Starfleet had flirted with the idea. But the Minosian government had refused any effort to secure an exclusive contract of service.

They were more concerned with profits than what they considered the internal conflicts of the Federation.

"You don't think they attacked the Drake, do you?" Miles asked.

Data frowned.

"I believe that is highly unlikely. They are traders. Their primary interest is in selling their weapons – not using them," Data said. "There are no known instances of the Minosians pursuing aggression against another power."

"Let's hope that's still their policy," Riker said. "There weren't many details. Seems Starfleet is having trouble making contact with Minos."

From across the table, Deanna eyed him carefully.

"You're really worried about this," she observed.

"Captain Paul Rice," Riker said. "We were at the Academy together. He's a fine officer. He would have radioed, sent a communication."

Will chuckled to himself as he recalled a memory.

"He's confident to the point of arrogance. But he carries it well because he's usually right," Riker said.

"Most Captains are," Worf said in his signature dry wit.

Will slid his chips into the centre of the pile.

"One of the final tests in advance navigation at the Academy provides the student with three options. Rice was given this test, rejected their options and offered one of his own," Riker recounted for the table.

"That's a bit of a risk," Miles said.

Riker shrugged.

"It paid off. Rice got the top score and now that test has four options," Riker said.

"That's not why you're nervous," Deanna observed. "You trust his abilities."

She knew the only way she was going to get Will to open up about his feelings was to call him on it in public.

"Were you not offered the Drake, sir?" Data inquired, turning to Commander Riker.

"Yeah," Riker admitted.

"You turned down your own command?" Tasha asked.

Riker nodded.

"Best decision I ever made," Riker said. "I wanted to serve on the Enterprise."

The team left it at that and turned their attention back to the game at hand. Riker's fear didn't need to be spoken aloud.

Everyone in Starfleet had been there at one point or another. Though this hurt more. It made a greater impact knowing Will Riker could so easily have been the one in command of that ship.

It could have been me. Riker thought.

-X-

It took the Enterprise six days to reach that region of space. Given the disappearance of the Drake, the ship had travelled at maximum warp.

Jean-Luc knew it was pushing the engines, but he felt the circumstances warranted such a response.

"We're approaching the planet now," Wesley advised from the helm. "Eighteen minutes out and closing."

"When we arrive, take us into a standard orbit and begin the advanced sensor sweeps," Picard ordered.

During their journey, the team had made the most of the information they had in order to start their investigation into the Drake's mysterious disappearance.

The Romulan conspiracy and Data's research into the Klingon connection was temporarily on hold. It was never far from his mind, but his skills were needed elsewhere for the time being.

"Starbase Sentinel is the closest Federation outpost in this area. They report that the Drake made contact, transmitting a message that they had arrived on Minos. But that was the last known message," Riker explained.

"Long-range probe data indicates that all intelligent life on the planet has disappeared," Data informed the team.

He had been tasked by Captain Picard to learn as much as he could prior to their arrival. As it turned out, the disappearance of that life was why Starfleet had dispatched the Drake in the first place.

Starfleet did not trade with Minos, but they monitored traffic and communications in the area. There was a friendly relationship between the two governments. Minosian ships regularly docked at Federation starbases and had permission to travel through Federation corridors of space.

"And we don't know how long they've been gone?" Deanna inquired.

"Uncertain. It is impossible to accurately pinpoint the moment the planet went, as you say, dark," Data answered. "But the planet's last known communication with Starfleet was nine weeks ago. Up to that point, there had been regular traffic and messages."

"Then whatever happened to the Drake, happened quickly," Riker surmised.

As soon as the ship took up a position in standard orbit around Minos, Data set to work. His hands moved at exceptional speed as he began sensor sweeps, atmospheric and radiation scans, as well as a secondary inspection of areas like life signs, water content, and mineral deposits.

In scrutinizing the results, Data discovered there was no change from the long-range probe data they had received earlier.

Data turned in his sat to face the rest of the team on the Bridge.

"My readings indicate the situation remains unchanged. The planet is Class-M. Most of the populated areas are in temperate and subtropical zones," Data reported. "Scans so no signs of contagion, no changes in atmospheric conditions, nor any evidence of catastrophic weapons that would have impacted the environment."

"I'm not sensing anything," Deanna added.

It was like all the people had simply vanished.

"Then what happened? People don't just vanish," Beverly remarked.

"The Crystalline Entity?" Worf suggested.

It was a disturbing notion. But there was an eerie feeling that something like that incident had occurred – a theory backed by the lack of any evidence pointing to other possible explanations.

"I do not believe so. There are thousands of species of plant and animal life left on the surface," Data said. "And I show no evidence of the bitrium deposits that we previously observed left by the Crystalline Entity."

"What about disease?" Beverly proposed.

She could think of more than a dozen possible culprits that moved fast enough to wipe out a planet in weeks.

"Dissatisfied customer?" Geordi quipped.

He was on the Bridge for the arrival, assisting Data with the scans.

"But in any war, any natural disaster – even the most virulent plague – there are always survivors," Tasha pointed out.

Tasha frowned.

"Lieutenant?" Picard prompted.

There was blinking light on the Tactical console. A light that should not have been blinking.

"Captain," Tasha said slowly. "We're being hailed."

For a moment, no one was sure what to say.

Deanna closed her eyes and tried her hardest to sense if there was any presence out there. Data whipped back to his console, his fingers dancing across the surface as he ran yet another series of scans.

Will Riker was the first to find his voice.

"How can we get a hail from a planet with no people?" Riker asked.

"Sir, something is scanning our language banks," Geordi advised.

As far as they were aware, there was no way possible for a cloaked Romulan or Klingon ship to hail them without giving away their position. There was always a hint, a trace of presence.

But the sensor sweep showed nothing in the vicinity of the Enterprise.

Jean-Luc knew there was only one way they were going to get answers.

"Open the hail. On viewer," Picard ordered.

The viewscreen came to life and the image of a Minosian man appeared.

"Whoever you are, wherever you're from – greetings!" he said in a bright voice. "Welcome to Minos, the arsenal of freedom."

"I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS-"

"If you need a little something special, be it for one target or multiple targets, we've got it!" the man on screen continued, completely blowing past the Captain's introduction.

Certainly eager. Jean-Luc thought.

"You'll see that here on Minos, where we live by the motto 'peace through superior firepower' that to be totally armed is to be totally secure," the man said.

It was almost as if he were reading from a script.

"To whom am I speaking?" Picard asked.

"Automatic firepower, bombs, blasters, crowd control, diseases, disruptors, drones, grenades, lasers, phasers, photon torpedoes-"

Jean-Luc reached up to rub his temples in frustration.

"It is a recorded message," Data said, stating the obvious.

"Don't forget to ask about our closeout sale on Breen armour! Buy two sets, get a third free - and we'll even throw in a pack of EMP grenades if you're a member of our rewards programme!" the recording said. "And remember, the early that hesitates gets wormed!"

"Shut it off," Picard ordered. "Conference room in five."

-X-

"I have launched three additional probes," Data said.

"And Data and I believe we could adapt one of our level one probes to scan deeper into the surface. If these people are this paranoid about weaponry, we may be looking for a facility that's miles underground," Geordi said. "Our general sensors aren't designed to pick that up."

Jean-Luc nodded. It was a good plan, though he didn't like the notion of hanging around in their region of space for too long.

"Sir, Starfleet's last visit prior to the Drake was three years ago. At that time, they reported an advanced orbital defence system," Worf explained. "But our scans have found no evidence of such a system in place."

"Maybe they stopped using it?" Riker asked.

"Or something took it out," Miles suggested. "It takes a lot of effort to deploy one of those."

"There's also possible debris that we picked up on the sensors on arrival. It's small. Could be nothing more than satellite fragments or space junk," Tasha said. "I'll have a team analyse it."

Jean-Luc leaned back in his seat and scratched his chin.

Thus far there was nothing indicating any hostile or dangerous presence. There was also no sign of the Drake. But it all seemed so odd.

"And what of this message?" Picard pondered.

"One heck of a sales pitch," Geordi remarked.

"It may be an automated message system left in place and triggered by our arrival," Data suggested.

Annoying, but not a danger.

"But if this marketing message is still functioning, then there could be other systems that are operational yet," Picard advised.

"Including weapons," Tasha said, finishing the Captain's thought.

The Minosian engineers were renowned for their advancements in automation.

"If there are systems down there, we have an obligation to disable them," Picard said. "And we still need to find answers regarding the Drake and Minos itself."

He turned his attention to Commander Riker.

"Number One, prepare an away team," Picard ordered.

Tasha and Beverly both baulked at the idea.

"Captain-"

"Sir-"

The two women looked at one another. Beverly deferred to Tasha to go first. As Security, Beverly thought that Tasha's concerns might carry more weight than her own.

"There's an entire planet of people that are missing. We don't know what's waiting down there. I'd advise we wait until and continue the investigation from the safety of the ship first," Tasha cautioned.

"I'd say I'd share in that concern," Beverly added. "For all we know, we could be dealing with some kind of contagion or biological weapon."

Jean-Luc frowned.

"I don't doubt your concern, but our scans show no signs of bodies," Picard said.

"And the Romerosia reproduce by implanting themselves in humanoid flesh. When they hatch, they consume the body," Beverly countered. "The entire body."

A collective shudder went around the table.

"Point well taken," Picard replied.

His crew's willingness to have these difficult conversations was part of Jean-Luc appreciated about having such fine officers.

Before they could delve in further, there was an urgent hail from the Bridge.

"Captain, something is scanning the ship. It appears to be focused on our shields," Wesley warned.

A moment later, the Enterprise was hit with a small blast.

It was so infinitesimal that it hardly registered an impact. The crew in the Observation Lounge didn't even feel it.

Were it not for Wesley registering the impact on his sensors, it was likely it would have gone unnoticed.

"Sir, there was a small, low-level blast directed at the ship," Wesley reported. "It came from a small object. Independent movement within orbit. Almost like a probe."

"A knock at the door?" Riker suggested. "Maybe someone's trying to get our attention?"

"There may be survivors that need our help. Perhaps they are using some sort of technology to hide their signal?" Data suggested.

Jean-Luc considered this for a moment. If there were survivors, they may be able to offer information on what happened to Minos and to the Drake.

"Number One, I fear we will need that away team," Picard said.

"May I suggest EV suits until we've ruled out any possible contagion?" Beverly asked.

"And may I recommend a minimum complement?" Tasha chimed in.

Across the table, Will Riker was shocked.

"Oh? I would have thought otherwise. Fan out, find as many survivors as possible and get the hell out of here," Riker said.

"I think we should keep the first landing party small and mobile," Tasha said. "At least until we're confident that whatever happened to inhabitants of this planet isn't still down there."

"It would be wise to strategically limit our contact in the event this is some sort of contagion," Data said.

"And if we find a group of survivors? What then?" Riker pressed. "T, isn't it our job to-"

"With all due respect, sir, it is my job to protect the lives of the people on this ship first and foremost," Tasha said, cutting him off.

He was surprised that Tasha - of all people - was the one urging caution. She was typically the one pushing to intervene in emergency situations.

The death of Lieutenant Olivet had hit them all in different ways and Tasha had been no exception. When she wasn't spending long afternoons running on the holodeck, she was almost hyperfixated on the ship's safety – doubling routine safety inspections and putting her team through their paces.

"Send a small team, keep the numbers low for now," Picard agreed. "Radio once you've cleared the area and we can begin beaming down search parties."

-X-

In the end, Riker had agreed to lead a small team. Data would accompany him down to the planet because he had no need for an EV suit. He was unaffected by most of the noxious gases and chemicals that could harm humanoids. And he was immune to any of the contagions.

Tasha was coming along too – both for protection and so she could evaluate the situation. As the foremost weapons expert on the ship, her knowledge would be invaluable. She knew how the Minosians thought and was familiar with their systems even if Starfleet didn't use them.

Rounding out the team was Beverly. She was keen to get her hands on air and water samples. She also wanted to be on hand in case they did encounter anything. Beverly didn't always get the chance to go on such missions and this was a rare opportunity to do some field work.

As they geared up, Riker decided it was as good a time as ever to address something that had weighed on his mind.

Riker was treading on eggshells, but he was worried Tasha's behaviour was starting to impact their work.

"Lieutenant Olivet's death was a real tragedy. One we're all keen not to repeat," Riker acknowledged. "But don't you think you're taking this a little far?"

Tasha didn't look up as she clicked her boots into place.

"I don't know what you mean," Tasha replied.

"Well, are you going to start checking everything in triplicate? A level-one sweep before we go into a building? We're never going to complete this in a timely fashion if you have to sweep every rock I want to look under," Riker said.

Tasha stopped and lifted her eyes.

"Noted, sir," she replied in a terse voice.

-X-

It was daylight when the team materialised on the surface of Minos. But much of the light from the sun was hidden by the heavy vegetation. The trees themselves were shrouded in a thick, impenetrable mist.

"Visibility is low," Data advised.

"And the heat is impacting our tricorders," Tasha said.

She frowned as she tapped the built-in tricorder on the wrist of her suit.

"Spooky," Riker acknowledged.

He was glad they had only brought a small team. It was so hard to see that he feared any more and they would get lost.

"Let's start a pattern search from this point," Riker ordered.

Beverly whipped out her more advanced sensor equipment to scan the immediate area and obtain air quality samples.

"Anything so far?" Riker asked.

"Not that I'm detecting. But it's early," Beverly answered.

"This is the Enterprise," Picard radioed down. "We will keep this channel open for communications."

"Aye, sir," Riker responded.

All of a sudden Data turned to physically scan the area. He glanced back at his tricorder and then surveyed their surroundings again.

"Commander?" Tasha prompted.

"Our communications are being monitored," Data reported.

"By whom?" Riker asked.

"What," Data corrected.

"What?" Riker asked, not understanding.

Data stopped and turned to Riker.

"Since there is no intelligent life, the question is 'by what'?" Data said.

-X-

They inched along the terrain. Their progress was slow both because of the dense fog and the overgrown vegetation.

"Most of the cities on Minos were located in eastern hemisphere," Data said.

"Then what the hell are we doing here?" Beverly asked.

"Because this is where the Minosian Weapons Facility was located," Tasha said. "Or at least, it was at one time."

"How does an advanced civilisation become a jungle in six weeks?" Riker asked.

"Sir, I believe Lieutenant La Forge's hypothesis may be correct. I cannot be certain because of the interference, but I suspect these heavy deposits on the geoscan are, in fact, an underground facility," Data said.

"Which means there must be some sort of access point or ventilation here on the surface," Riker said. "Fan out, see if we can find a hatch or entry point."

"Sir, the facility could be miles wide," Data advised. "It may not be possible to find such a place on foot without an extensive search. Theoretically, it could take days."

"Or not," Beverly said as she spied something man-made poking out amongst a cloud of fog.

The team rushed over to investigate.

It was a cylindrical, metallic unit that was partially embedded in the soil. A large portion of the object was damaged.

Data looked for a power source while Tasha scanned the object's base.

"Tritanium," Tasha reported.

She touched the damaged portion with the glove of her EV suit, impressed by the smooth way in which the material had seemingly dissolved away.

"It's been melted," Tasha realised aloud.

Refined tritanium was one of the hardest known materials in the galaxy. Parts of the hull of the Enterprise included tritanium alloy.

"What could do that?" Riker asked. "Theorise."

Everyone looked to Data for answers.

"Unknown," he answered honestly. "Tritanium is twenty-one point four times harder than diamond."

"Whatever it is, it's beyond our technology," Tasha said darkly.

Photon torpedoes and phasers could damage tritanium – but they certainly couldn't melt it.

Despite their best efforts, the team had no way of identifying what it had been in a previous life – defensive structure, weapon, communications tower. There was simply not enough of it left to know.

As they continued their search, Data stumbled across a second device.

"Over here," Data called out.

Based on its size and structure, it was some sort of weapon.

"I recognise this," Tasha said. "It's a Minosian photon cannon. Defensive technology. Ground only. The Cardassians use them sometimes around their facilities."

"Undamaged," Riker advised.

"But clearly not operational or we wouldn't be standing here," Tasha said.

"Maybe it's a demonstration model for a potential buyer?" Riker suggested as he circled the cannon.

Tasha's brow furrowed.

"These kinds of ground-based defensive techs are usually laid out in a pattern," Tasha said.

Data's eyes lit up.

Without a word, the two silently communicated to one another.

"A three/six or a two/four grid," Tasha said.

"Which could be predicted and traced," Data said, finishing her thought.

"Take out the effective range of fire and account for overlap from the trajectory," Tasha continued.

"And taking into account the changes in elevation of the terrain," Data said.

There were times it was like Data and Tasha were speaking their own language. It was a habit they had always shared – even before they'd gotten together.

"One of you mind sharing with the rest of the class?" Riker asked.

Data and Tasha smiled at one another.

"There's probably two more of these cannons somewhere within a two hundred and fifty metre position of this one," Tasha explained.

"And once we find them, I will be able to predict the grid pattern and layout of the facility with a ninety-four percent accuracy," Data shared.

Will Riker was anything but thrilled.

"Data, that's a huge area," Riker said.

He scrunched up his face as he tried to process it.

"That's like miles and-"

It was far too great a distance for him to run the math in his head.

"A total area of 49,087.386 metres," Data answered. "Or roughly fifty kilometres."

Riker exhaled slowly.

"With all this fog... the terrain... that's going to take, ah! Ah!" Riker put his finger up to stop Data before he gave him a precise time frame. "I don't want to hear it. A long time."

They had absolutely no idea which direction the next two cannons would be located.

"I would suggest based on our understanding of the planet's geography that we begin by searching to the north," Data suggested.

Riker wasn't entirely convinced.

"It is a great distance for a four-person team to cover. However, it is a far narrower search area than the entirety of the planet," Data reminded him.

"Alright, let's get moving," Riker ordered.

-X-

Up on the Enterprise, the investigation continued. Geordi was spending a rare shift outside of his home in Main Engineering. Because he wanted to monitor the readings coming back from the probe and with Data down on the surface, Geordi needed to be on the Bridge.

"Captain, we're just starting to get the first set of data back from the probe we launched," Geordi reported. "I think you're going to want to take a look at this."

Jean-Luc vacated the Command Chair to join Geordi on the back of the Bridge.

"One of the adaptations we made to the probe was for increased geophysics scanning," Geordi explained. "And Bingo! I think we may have hit the jackpot."

Jean-Luc was familiar with the technology from his previous archaeological experience.

"These lines... they indicate a structure," Jean-Luc observed as he traced one of the darkened areas on the image scan.

"Probably," Geordi agreed. "It's something heavy and based on the layout, I'd say these are definitely not naturally occurring. Somebody constructed this."

"Indeed," Picard agreed.

He took a breath and brought his hand up to scratch his chin.

"Any idea on the age of the structure? Or how deep it is?" Picard asked.

Geordi shrugged as he studied the dataset.

"Hard to say for certain, but I'd estimate ten metres or so," Geordi guessed. "That's about standard for an underground facility built to withstand environmental or manmade disasters."

Ensign T'su was currently monitoring the Operations console.

"Captain? I'm picking up something on the surface," she announced.

Both Jean-Luc and Geordi made their way down the ramp.

"Is it the signal that was scanning us?" Geordi asked.

T'su shook her head.

"I can't tell what it is. It's emitting energy. High power too," T'su said.

Geordi and Captain Picard could see it blinking on the screen. It was closing in on the position of the away team – but then suddenly stopped about ten metres out.

"Notify our away team," Picard ordered.

Ensign T'su nodded and tapped her console to open a channel.

"Commander Riker, this is the Enterprise," she said. "We're monitoring an energy build up near your position. I am not able to pinpoint the source."

Riker knew that such a signal might be exactly what they were looking for.

"Give me a direction," Riker requested.

"East of your position. Approximately ten metres," T'su responded.

"That's great," Riker replied.

He was keen for any help that would shorten their search.

"We found a photon cannon. This may be another one," Riker said. "Data thinks they might be laid out in a grid pattern to protect an underground facility."

"Sir, if that is a cannon and it's powering weapons-" Tasha warned.

"I don't think it is," Geordi advised. "The energy output is all wrong for a weapon. It looks more like a communications array or a sensor tower."

"I will keep monitoring," Ensign T'su said.

-X-

Down on the planet, Commander Riker was having a heck of a time navigating through the jungle vegetation. It didn't help that he was in an EV suit that weighed nearly as much as he did.

He understood the importance of such a precaution, but it served as a significant impediment to his range of motion.

"Argh. I can't see anything through here. The underbrush is too thick," Riker grumbled as he was smacked in the face by a large, wet leaf. "If the Romulans want to build another secret communications array, this would be the place to do it."

"Don't give them any ideas," Beverly teased.

"Hello, Commander Riker," a voice said.

Everyone froze.

Alone in a jungle shrouded in mist, Tasha and Data felt like they were at the heart of one of her beloved paperback sci-fi horror novels. There was nothing save for the distant sound of birds.

The voice had been male and humanoid.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a man stepped out of the mist. He was roughly in his thirties with a dark, rugged look and he was sporting a red Starfleet Command uniform.

"Rice?" Riker asked in astonishment.

He glanced around. There did not appear to be any other people nor any structures or crashed escape pods nearby.

"Where did you come from?" Riker asked.

With the eerie near silence of the jungle and all the thick underbrush, it was difficult to believe that someone could sneak up on them. Data was also shocked – his audio receptors had picked up nothing.

"I was over there," Rice said without indicating to any particular direction.

"Are you alright?" Where's your crew? The Drake? Are there any-" Riker began to ask a flurry of questions.

Rice certainly didn't look as if he'd been in the jungle for six weeks. His uniform was clean, his face shaven.

In fact, Captain Rice looked just as if he would be showing up for his duty shift on the Bridge.

"How are you, Commander?" Rice asked.

Riker laughed.

"Me? Forget about me. How are you?" Riker pressed.

He couldn't quite place it, but there was something odd and almost mechanical about Captain Rice's behaviour.

"How many are with you?" Rice asked.

Riker's eyes narrowed as he studied the face of his old friend. He didn't want to doubt him – it was a relief to find him alive and well.

However, there was something off.

Maybe he's been alone too long? Or suffered a tragedy? Riker considered.

He decided to proceed with baby steps.

"Paul, when there was no word, Starfleet dispatched the Enterprise. We've come to find you and take you home," Riker said. "This is my team, Lieutenant Commander Data."

Data gave a short nod.

"Security Chief Lieutenant Yar," Riker went on.

Tasha also nodded in kind.

"And our Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Crusher," Riker said, introducing them.

Beverly gave Rice a quick wave before whipping out her tricorder to scan him for injuries. Beverly had never met Paul Rice before – but she could sense he was behaving in an odd manner and wondered if he'd suffered head trauma.

It was like he was only partially invested in the conversation.

"Damn," Beverly said as she tapped her tricorder. "All this heat and moisture must be interfering with the equipment.

She'd run the tricorder over him twice and could detect no life signs.

In fact, she wasn't getting anything.

"Paul, where's your crew? Where's the Drake?" Riker insisted.

But Rice's attention was fixated on Data. He was eyeing him up and down as if to size him up.

"You are not human," Rice said.

"I am android," Data responded.

"Your processing speed?" Rice asked.

Data was taken aback by the question. He was used to being asked what he was, why he had yellow eyes, or why he was so strong.

He wasn't accustomed to such specific inquiries outside of Engineering and Cybernetics buffs.

"What is the model of your construction? Do you have schematics I may examine?" Rice asked.

Data frowned.

"Your service record indicates that your field of expertise is in Diplomacy," Data said. "I was not aware you had an interest in Cybernetics."

"Is your programming adaptive to environmental stimuli?" Rice inquired.

Riker was growing frustrated.

"Doctor, I don't think it's slipped past any of us that Paul here is not wearing an EV suit. Do you think this," he paused and gestured vaguely. "Could be caused by something in the air?"

Beverly shook her head.

"It's possible. I haven't found any evidence of an airborne contagion at work or toxic fumes yet," Beverly explained. "But"

"Then I'm taking this off," Riker said.

"Wait," Beverly ordered.

Riker froze.

"There are so many things about this place that we don't understand. We don't know what the culprit could be – a mushroom spore, a strange form of pollen," Beverly explained.

Reluctantly, Riker kept his EV suit on.

"Paul," Riker said.

Rice continued to study Data's physique. It was starting to make Data uncomfortable. He didn't enjoy being ogled like a toy in a shop.

"Paul," Riker repeated in a firm voice.

When he didn't answer, Riker decided he would have to do something different. He'd been hesitant to touch Rice – people that were alone or stranded could easily be spooked after a traumatic crash. But Will felt he had to risk it.

"Paul, where's your crew?" Riker asked as he reached out to put his hand on Rice's shoulder.

To his horror, Will's eyes went wide as his hand passed right through Paul's shoulder.

Rice glanced down at Riker's hand and then back up at his old friend.

"What is your purpose here?" Rice demanded.

"I told you, we've come to rescue you," Riker said.

"How many are on your ship?" Rice asked.

"Paul, what is going on? There are a lot of people worried about you," Riker said.

"Could this be a holographic communications array?" Data suggested. "Perhaps he is in another location."

"Paul, where are you? Where is the Drake?" Riker asked with increasing agitation.

Only this Paul Rice had no interest in answering Will's questions.

"I'm not detecting any life signs," Beverly said quietly. "Maybe this isn't malfunctioning."

"Tell me about the Enterprise," Rice requested. "Refresh me, what is its size? Its complement?"

Riker had to think fast. Who or whatever this was, it was not the Paul Rice Will had known – and it seemed only interested in milking him for information.

"Uh... the name of m ship is the Lollipop," Will lied, citing the first thing that came to mind. "It's a good ship."

"I am unfamiliar with that designation," Rice responded.

I am unfamiliar with that designation? Riker thought with alarm.

He sounded like Data.

"What is the armament on the Lollipop?" Rice asked.

Will didn't have an answer. The urgent request for armament information confirmed his worst fears. Whatever was happening, it meant the Enterprise was in danger.

"What is your top speed?" Rice questioned.

"Where is the Drake?" Riker asked in a testy voice.

"Classified," Rice answered as if that settled the matter.

Data and Tasha exchanged a dark look. Ships weren't just 'classified' when they went missing. Starfleet always assigned cover missions.

"Please, our survival depends on knowing this," Rice insisted, trying a new tactic. "What is your armament on the Lollipop?"

"Ten," Riker answered.

If this truly was some sort of communication channel being used for interrogation and if the lives of Rice and his crew depended on answers, Riker figured he could stall for time with nonsensical responses.

"Ten? Ten what?" Rice asked.

"Six," Riker said.

"This answer does not compute," Rice said. "What is the armament on the Lollipop?"

"Trombone," Riker answered.

All of a sudden, Rice's eyes glazed over.

"Subject is compromised," he said. "Initiate containment."

The image of Rice vanished just like when a hologram was turned off. A second later, there was a loud whizzing sound as a small drone circled above head.

"Enterprise, prepare for emergency-"

Riker never got a chance to finish his sentence.

He was enveloped in an energy field that began to scan his body, starting at his feet and working its way.

"Commander!" Tasha shouted.

She was about to lunge and try and knock him out of the field when Data stopped her.

"We do not know what that is," Data warned.

"I'm not letting that thing hurt him," Tasha declared.

Tasha grabbed her phaser and fired at the drone. They had no idea what it was – but she was banking on destroying it to stop it from harming Commander Riker.

There was a small explosion as the drone shattered overhead.

But to their horror, Commander Riker remained encased in an energy field. He looked like he was frozen inside glass, completely unmoving. There was no way to tell if he was conscious or not.

"What's happened? Number One?" Picard's voice rang out from the comms system.

He had no idea what had occurred and was concerned.

"Report," Picard ordered. "Number One, report!"

"I am afraid he cannot answer you, Captain," Data said.

With Riker out of commission, Data was next in command of the away team.

"Commander Riker has just been encased in some kind of energy field," Data reported.

"We encountered a hostile... entity," Tasha settled on.

It was too early to tell if this drone-like device was really just advanced and response weaponry or something more sinister.

"Is he alive?" Picard asked.

"I'm scanning now, but I can't be certain. Life signs appear to be present, but weak. I can't tell if that's interference from the forcefield or a true read," Beverly advised.

-X-

The team on the surface were unable to extract Commander Riker from the energy field. It had wholly enveloped him in some kind of impenetrable casing.

Jean-Luc wasted no time in looking for possible solutions – starting with the most obvious.

"Have you been able to get a lock on the away team?" Picard asked.

"I'm unable to lock onto Commander Riker, sir," Miles responded.

All previous signs of a high energy presence were gone – likely destroyed when Tasha took out the drone.

"There's just this field left. It's low energy and concentrated on Commander Riker, but it's causing massive interference," Miles reported. "Now, I could beam down and try to establish a perimeter of transport pattern enhancers around him. See if that boosts the signal enough to get him aboard."

Miles was willing to take the risk of joining the away team if it meant bringing them home to safety.

"Thank you, but I can't risk sending you down there," Picard said. "You could be trapped with them."

"Captain, I've been thinking," Geordi said. "It might be better to deal with whatever this is around Commander Riker down on the surface of the planet."

Picard turned to Geordi and nodded for him to continue his line of thought.

"We don't know what this is or how it operates. If it really is some kind of entity, I'm hesitant to start poking around it in a lab," Geordi explained. "I would have no way to know how to protect the ship. At least not without more information first."

"Doctor, have you been able to gather any additional insight?" Picard asked.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. They had recently beamed down more advanced scanning equipment from Sickbay for Beverly to compile a better analysis.

"He appears to be in some kind of stasis," Beverly said.

"Theorise Data, what would be the purpose of such an encasement? Could this be some device developed to save the people of Minos from some atmospheric disaster?" Picard asked.

"I am uncertain, sir. That is a possibility. Typically, the purpose of such an enclosure is for storage," Data responded.

"Which would suggest that sooner or later someone – or something – will be along to collect him," Tasha added.

It certainly led them to believe that someone must be down on Minos. And if this crisis would lead them to that person, Jean-Luc theorised it may also lead them to the Drake.

"Stand by, I'm beaming down," Picard said.

He made for the nearest storage locker and began to suit up into an EV suit to beam down.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Geordi asked.

"Yes," Picard responded as he stepped into the first leg.

"But Commander Riker and Data are down on the planet," Geordi protested. "Tasha's down there too."

If Captain Picard were to beam down, that would mean the first four persons in the chain of command would all be off the ship.

There had been instances where such an event had occurred before – but it was usually planned, and it was always safely within the confines of Federation space.

"Mr La Forge, you have command of the Bridge. Please denote the time in the ship's logs," Picard ordered.

Geordi baulked.

"Sir, wouldn't Lieutenant Worf be-"

"I have placed you in charge, Mr La Forge. You've commanded the ship before. Admirably, I might add," Picard said.

"No, sir. I'm just-"

"Lieutenant Worf needs to continue the investigation into the disappearance of the orbital defence system," Picard explained. "You can monitor your own work with the probes from the Bridge."

"Understood, sir," Geordi nodded.

Jean-Luc reached for his helmet. He was about to slip it on when he paused and grabbed Geordi's forearm.

"And Geordi, whatever happens down there, your primary responsibility is to this ship," Picard ordered.

"Understood, Captain," Geordi said.

-X-

Deanna was chatting with Wesley when Geordi arrived back on the Bridge.

When she noticed that he had returned alone, a look of understanding passed between them.

"Computer, please note that Lieutenant Geordi La Forge took command of the Enterprise at 11:38 hours," Geordi said. "Authorisation code La Forge two, nine, nine, seven."

Geordi squared his shoulders and slowly sat down in the command chair.

"Lieutenant Jae, please continue monitoring the probe data," Geordi instructed. "Wes, have there been any additional attempts to contact us? Any activity?"

-X-

Jean-Luc materialised just a few metres from the rest of the crew. But because of the dense cloud of fog, he had difficulty finding them.

"Over here, sir," Data called out upon hearing the sound of his beam in.

Jean-Luc emerged from behind a large tree. He circled Commander Riker, studying the scene before he addressed the team.

"Any changes?" Picard inquired.

Tasha shook her head.

"No, but Data thinks he may have figured it out," Tasha offered.

"We know that Commander Riker is alive," Data said. "And the holographic image of Captain Rice appeared to be linked to some sort of intelligence gathering programme."

The Rice they spoke with had been solely fixated on sizing them up, learning all it could about their tactical position.

"I believe this field may be a device that is part of a larger surveillance system," Data theorised. "It was a technology developed here on Minos and used during the Ersalrope Wars."

Data paused.

"Commonly called a 'bag and snag' drone," Data shared.

Tasha nodded in agreement.

"They're used to gather as much information as possible by projecting the image of someone. When they're discovered, they encase the subject to await a more detailed interrogation later," Tasha explained.

"Later?" Picard prompted.

"It is a self-sustaining stasis field," Data explained. "It is possible that whoever deployed this has no intentions of picking up this sample for days, weeks even."

"We're not staying here that long," Picard declared.

He turned to Beverly.

"Can you remove it?" he asked.

"Possibly," Beverly answered.

It was such advanced technology that she had serious concerns about toying with it.

"I could deactivate the stasis field. However, I will need to determine the precise frequency," Data offered.

"And we don't know what kind of risk that poses to Commander Riker," Beverly finished for him.

Jean-Luc mulled over his decision. There truly was no telling what may happen. It was also possible that in removing such a device, they risked more coming to investigate.

But Jean-Luc knew they couldn't leave Commander Riker there or risk having him befall the same mysterious fate as Captain Rice.

"Remove it," Picard ordered after considerable internal deliberation.

Data nodded.

"This will take some time, sir," Data advised.

Picard gave Data the nod of approval and Data set to work.

-X-

Data worked mostly in silence for nearly an hour as he tried to isolate the frequency of the stasis field. It was tedious work - and he needed to be precise. The smallest error could result in a surge that would no doubt kill Commander Riker.

All the while Data worked, Beverly monitored Riker's vitals.

"Sir, you do not need to stay down here," Tasha advised.

It made her nervous whenever the Captain left the ship.

"On the contrary, I was just thinking we could use this time to explore the area," Picard suggested. "See what we can find. Perhaps there are answers in this place?"

Tasha cringed.

"Sir, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Tasha said. "We don't know what's out there. There could be more of these things. And with the conditions the way they are, it's too easy for someone to get lost."

Jean-Luc leaned back against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"I suppose you're right," Picard confessed. "I just don't like the thought of waiting around."

"The feeling's mutual," Tasha agreed with a small smile.

"Sir, I believe we are almost there," Data advised.

He'd been carefully calibrating and recalibrating his phaser to find the correct frequency. And it appeared he was getting close.

All of a sudden, there was a familiar and unwelcome noise overhead.

Everyone froze.

"Tasha?" Picard prompted.

"It's one of those drones," she said, recognising the hum.

She didn't want to call attention to them. They still weren't sure what capabilities it had, though Tasha suspected it had the ability to follow sound and heat signatures.

"We need to stick together," Tasha instructed.

She pulled out her phaser and scanned the skyline for any sign of the device.

"Data, we're on a deadline," Picard urged.

"Almost there, sir. But we must be precise, or Commander Riker-" Data began to say.

"Yes, yes. Just get it done," Picard said.

The drone appeared overhead. It hovered for a moment as Tasha took aim. She fired once, but it easily dodged the blast.

As she tried to line up another shot, the drone fired – missing Data by a mere inch.

Tasha and Data exchanged a look.

"This one's different," Tasha cautioned.

"New behaviour," Data noted.

He scrambled back to free Commander Riker. He was so close.

The drone fired again. The second shot was aimed nearly right at Data like it was trying to warn him off.

If he didn't know better, Data thought it almost felt as if the drone was trying to stop him from freeing Commander Riker. But Data also knew that that level of programming was highly sophisticated.

Tasha tried to get off another shot, but the drone was too fast. So instead, she tried to lay down a series of shots around the area, trying to drive it away.

The drone responded by firing a continuous blast in a circular pattern around Commander Riker.

Data dove out of the way. Tasha rolled just in time to avoid the blast.

"Doctor, over here," Picard said as he pulled Beverly out of the line of fire.

Tasha curled up and covered her head as she waited for the blast to cease.

Only it wasn't stopping – it was radiated outward. The drone spun in place, increasing the circumference of its firing pattern to drive the team back.

It also served to drive them apart.

"It's growing," Tasha noticed.

"This way," Data said as he grabbed her arm and drug her off deeper into the jungle. After sprinting for a few metres, they took cover behind a large rock formation.

They flopped back with their backs pressed against the rock as Tasha caught her breath.

"Heavy iron deposits in the rocks should interfere with its scanning abilities," Data advised.

"Reactive. Adaptive response," she panted.

"Advanced technology. Sophisticated programming," Data observed.

-X-

Across the way, Captain Picard and Beverly were also running for cover. They dashed through the jungle seeking to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the line of fire.

Jean-Luc didn't want to go too far lest they get separated and lose their way.

But he knew that drone was powerful, and they were now a target.

"We can't abandon Commander Riker," Beverly protested as Picard pulled her along.

"And we can't help him if we're dead," Picard countered.

"Jean-Luc!" Beverly said, yanking her arm away from him.

She stopped and put her foot down.

"I have an obligation to protect-"

"We are not having this argument. Not now," Picard barked.

Beverly scoffed, blinking rapidly as she glared at Jean-Luc.

"What argument?" she demanded.

"Beverly," Jean-Luc began.

He'd shifted gears, opting for a softer tone instead of his previous confrontational nature.

"We need to find cover," Picard said, pleading with her.

The drone was still blasting, laying down a line of impenetrable fire that was growing ever closer.

"And what if that thing takes Commander Riker while we're gone?" Beverly argued.

"I'm not suggesting we leave him," Picard said in a heated voice. "We will come back."

"And he could be gone by then!" Beverly shouted.

She turned and began to march back toward the drone.

"Oh you are unbelievable!" Picard said wildly as he threw up his hands in exasperation.

Beverly stopped and rounded on him.

"I'm what?" she snapped.

"You know exactly what I'm referring to. Of all the bloody people to be stuck down here with in the midst of-"

He stopped mid-sentence, staring up into the sky above the treeline just past Beverly's shoulder.

"Beverly," Jean-Luc said in a slow, steady voice.

Beverly didn't want to turn back around because she had a feeling she knew what was behind her.

"Run," Picard ordered softly.

It wasn't a moment too soon. The two raced off with the drone in hot pursuit of its quarry.

"This way," Beverly said, pulling Jean-Luc into a sharp left.

She spied a rock formation that would provide better protection than the trees.

The drone was blasting the ground around them as they wove between shots to find cover. They hadn't made it three steps when the ground gave way and collapsed into the facility below.

The drone hovered a moment, scanning the dirt cloud that followed for any signs of movement. Satisfied the threat had been eliminated, the drone flew off.

-X-

Data and Tasha sat in silence for a few tense moments, saying nothing as they strained their ears for any sound of the drone.

Data tapped his communicator.

He was hoping the Enterprise could advise if there were any energy signatures or patterns in the area. At the very least, it may help them avoid the drone.

"Data to Enterprise," Data said.

There was no answer.

Data tapped his combadge and made a second attempt. Once more, there was no response.

"Yar to Enterprise," Tasha said, trying her own communicator.

There was only silence.

Data and Tasha turned to one another.

"Looks like we're on our own," Tasha said.

"We should find the Captain and Doctor Crusher," Data said.

"And check on Commander Riker," Tasha added.

-X-

When Jean-Luc came to, he found himself standing in the bottom of a cavern. There was architecture along the walls, but it appeared to be abandoned. The signs of wear and tear were evident.

He sat up and brushed the dust off his uniform and then began searching for Beverly.

There was some emergency lighting that was still active and more streaming in from the open hole above. However, it was still rather dim.

Rolling over, Jean-Luc spied Beverly in a heap of debris.

"Beverly," he said as he scrambled over to her side.

She looked as if she'd taken the brunt of the fall. The lower half of her body was encased in dirt and debris from the ceiling that had caved in. Her arm was sitting at a funny angle.

There's blood. Picard realised.

She hissed as soon as Picard reached for it.

"Ow, ow. My arm," Beverly said.

"How bad is it?" Picard asked.

"Bad," Beverly answered.

With her one good arm, she tried to pull herself into an upright position.

"I think it's broken," Beverly said.

She tried to move the lower half of her body and winced in pain.

"I can't move," Beverly confessed. "I'm not sure if it's because I'm trapped from all the debris or something else."

She didn't want to think about the something else.

Glancing up at the ceiling, Beverly realised they'd fallen nearly ten metres.

The EV suit was probably the only thing that saved them from suffering more damage.

"Oh no," Beverly said.

Her eyes fell on the large crack across the glass face of her helmet.

"Can you, erm-"

Jean-Luc reached up to detach her helmet. After his hands settled on the clips he paused.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"It's cracked. It's useless now," Beverly explained.

The chipped helmet wouldn't do her any good anymore. If there was a contagion, she was already exposed. And Beverly was already feeling both hot and exhausted.

She just wanted to breathe fresh air.

"Alright," Picard said as he lifted off the heavy helmet and tossed it aside.

Beverly rested her head back against the cool metal support behind her. She closed her eyes and took a few slow, steady breaths to try and manage the pain.

"Don't worry. We'll get you out of here," Picard said. "Enterprise, this is the Captain. Two to beam up."

Nothing happened.

"Enterprise? Enterprise, come in," Picard said. "Commander Data? Lieutenant Yar?"

Even the rest of the team on the planet was not responding.

Beverly scrunched up her face in pain.

"You should go," she urged. "Try and find a way out of here."

But Jean-Luc wasn't about to leave her.

"As soon as the Enterprise realises our communicators are not working, Lieutenant La Forge will lock on with sensors and beam us out of here," Picard said. "You just need to hold on until then."

Beverly opened her eyes and turned her head toward the Captain.

"I'm sorry you're stuck here with me until then," she said with a small smirk.

"Just hold on. I'm sure it will be any minute," Picard said.

He glanced around the cavern in hopes of finding something, anything that he could use to contact the Enterprise.

"Jean-Luc," Beverly said softly.

It was the third time she'd called for him before Picard realised she was speaking.

"I have to stay conscious," Beverly said in a hazy voice. "I think I may have hit my head."

-X-

To the relief of Data and Tasha, Commander Riker was still in place – eerily unmoving and wholly encased in the stasis field.

"Captain? Doctor?" Data called out as they approached.

They paused to listen for footfalls or any sound of their compatriots against the ambient noise of the jungle.

There was nothing save for the rustle of leaves high in the treeline, the constant hum of the insects, and the distant call of the birds.

Sticking close to one another, Data and Tasha conducted a quick sweep of the area. It was almost a relief to find no bodies.

"Maybe they got away?" Tasha suggested.

"I was able to guide us back to this position due to my internal spatial recognition capabilities," Data advised. "However, I predict it would be extremely unlikely for a human – particularly one running during an emergency – to navigate back on their own without the assistance of a geolocator."

"So what you're saying is, don't wander off," Tasha remarked.

Data stopped and looked back at her.

"Exactly," he said.

They were both technically still on duty. But the fact their research and possible rescue mission had turned into one of survival was not lost on either of them.

Data and Tasha knew they had to maintain a professional distance. But it was hard not to let their personal feelings bleed over into the present situation.

Out of nowhere, Data caught Tasha's arm.

"In the event we do become separated, it may be necessary to develop a system in order to identify one another," Data suggested. "In case one of us is-"

He trailed off.

"Captured?" Tasha finished for him.

Data didn't have to answer.

"A question we could ask that would be impossible for the holographic interrogator to know or answer," Data advised.

Tasha nodded in agreement. It was a first-rate plan.

"Alright, what about 'where are we going' or something like that?" Tasha offered.

Data cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Lieutenant, the question should be of a nature that-"

"Føroyar," Tasha said with a small smile.

"Oh," Data replied simply.

It took him a moment to process this.

"Oh, I see," he said.

"Føroyar," they said in unison, agreeing on the plan.

With that settled, Data turned his attention back to Commander Riker.

"It seems that the secondary drone was meant as a defensive system," Data said. "I believe its purpose was to stop us from freeing Commander Riker."

"And it didn't collect him," Tasha added.

Data wasn't entirely sure how or why. It was possible that such a collection process involved a different type of drone, a security team of sorts, or even some form of matter-energy conversion like their own beaming technology.

"I just hope it isn't a bigger drone," Tasha quipped. "I'd hate to be here if that thing's big brother comes looking."

Data studied Commander Riker again and then looked up at the sky.

"I believe I have to risk the return of that drone in order to free Commander Riker. I am close," Data said.

"Do it," Tasha urged.

"It may come back," Data warned.

"I'll cover you," Tasha promised as she gripped her phaser.

Data whipped out his tricorder and resumed his previous effort to free Commander Riker. If there were three of them, they stood a much better chance.

It wasn't long before they heard the hum of an incoming drone as it approached their location.

"Two o'clock," Data advised without tearing his eyes from his work.

He could pinpoint the location and angle of the approach based on its signature sound as it whizzed past the jungle trees.

Tasha took up a defensive stance. She had already upped the damage output on her phaser to level ten. She wasn't taking any chances with this one.

Tasha fired the moment it appeared above the treeline. The drone dodged the shot by swinging right before it whipped around and sent a blast back in response.

Tasha had been prepared for this, she rolled out of the way and fired off a second shot with shockingly fast reflexes and accuracy.

But the drone seemed to anticipate her actions.

"This one's different. It's anticipating," Tasha called out.

She barely had time to leap behind a boulder before the drone blasted it – sending chunks of stone flying high into the air.

"Commander!" Tasha hollered. "I need your help."

Data dropped his tricorder and was there in a flash.

"I'll lead it left," Tasha said as she fired to the right side of the drone.

As predicted, it dodged to the left where Data was just waiting to hit it with a secondary blast.

The drone exploded above them as Data and Tasha both covered their heads to shield themselves from the flying bits that scattered to the ground.

Once the last pieces had hit the soil, they tentatively stood up and turned to one another.

"The drones appear to be learning from each interaction," Data remarked. "They are employing new tactics at every encounter."

"Like they're getting smarter?" Tasha asked.

"I have insufficient evidence to determine whether this is some form of sentient, artificial intelligence, highly advanced programme, or under the control of a person or persons," Data confessed.

He lifted his eyebrows and sighed.

"Either way, I believe it would be best to, as you say, get the heck out of dodge before we meet the next one," Data said.

-X-

"Try remodulating the output frequency," Geordi suggested.

Lieutenant Jae adjusted the controls and then made another attempt to raise the away team on their communicators.

She glanced up and shook her head.

"Nothing, sir," she reported.

For the last twenty minutes the Bridge had attempted to make contact with the team down on the planet's surface. They'd had no luck.

Both Wesley and Geordi were stumped. Their suggestions for all the likely troubleshooting options had yielded no results.

"What if we launched a communications beacon into the atmosphere and then used it to amplify one of the emergency channels?" Wesley proposed.

"It would allow us to get them a message, but it wouldn't do much in the way of them being able to respond," Geordi said as he evaluated the plan.

Wesley nodded slowly.

"Yeah, and I suppose we don't really know if they're having any trouble receiving our hails. It's possible they just can't respond," Wesley said.

"I'm not sure it's the answer, but I like where you're headed," Geordi said.

And he meant it.

"Keep brainstorming," Geordi ordered. "And Wes? Send your theories down to the team in Main Engineering. Let's see what they can come up with."

"Aye, sir," Wesley nodded as he turned back to his station at the helm.

The doors to the lift opened and Worf stepped off onto the Bridge.

"Lieutenant," he said, nodding to Geordi.

The men stepped over to the secondary science station near the back of the Bridge. Worf took a seat while Geordi stood next to the chair.

"I've completed a preliminary analysis of some of the space debris we recovered from orbit," Worf informed him.

His fingers clicked away at the screen as he opened a file he'd sent to himself.

"The materials used in its construction are consistent with Minosian manufacturing practices," Worf explained. "And these blast points and the size of the debris pieces would point to destruction at the hands of an extremely powerful disruptor blast."

"And what about these?" Geordi asked.

He tapped the enhanced image to highlight one of the lighter burn marks.

"These other scorch marks indicate weapons fire both from a less-superior weapon and from laser fire, phaser blasts, and ion torpedoes," Worf explained. "As you are aware, ion torpedoes leave a signature."

Geordi frowned.

"So you're saying four different people attacked this weapons system?" Geordi asked.

He turned and glanced out the viewscreen.

"What are we dealing with here?" he pondered aloud.

"Lieutenant, I can think of no known alliance or even theoretical combination of powers that would use these four weapons systems," Worf advised. "Not in tandem."

It was the oddest range of technology and weaponry that Worf had ever seen combined. A power advanced enough to have high-level disruptors would have no need to partner with a power still using lasers.

"Hmmm, hinky," Geordi said as he evaluated the evidence.

Worf sat back and raised an eyebrow.

"Hinky?" he asked in his signature baritone.

"You know, off," Geordi clarified.

"Sir, we're picking up something," Ensign T'su reported.

Worf and Geordi sprang to their feet.

"Something?" Geordi asked as he came rushing down the ramp.

"An object off the port bow," Worf said as he took up a position at the Communications array.

"Let's go to work," Geordi ordered.

"Shields are coming online, deflectors are also up," Lieutenant Jae reported.

There was a small jolt, enough to indicate there had been a minor impact on the shields – but it was hardly enough to rock the Enterprise.

"Report," Geordi ordered.

Lieutenant Jae shook her head.

"Um, sir. That was a laser blast," she said in disbelief.

"It's firing again," Worf warned.

There was a second hit, this time it was enough to shake the ship.

"We felt that one," Geordi remarked.

"That was a phaser blast," Jae informed them. "From the same object too. It looks like a drone or small craft. Maybe two metres wide at most."

Geordi didn't care what it was – he wasn't about to take any chances.

"Red Alert! Battle stations," Geordi instructed.

The Captain's words echoed in his mind.

Whatever happens down there, your primary responsibility is to this ship.

Geordi knew that he couldn't beam the away team back anyways as they had lost all contact, including their signals. After their communications had gone dark, it was impossible to get a lock on them.

"Worf, you're Acting First Officer until Commander Riker gets back," Geordi said.

Worf nodded and launched into his expected duties by raising the ship's status to Red Alert. The klaxons began to blare through the corridors and in every department, shuttle bay forceshields were locked down, and the weapons bays were sealed save for specific, restricted access.

He immediately dispatched Security teams to the torpedo bays and the phaser bank monitoring systems.

"Phasers are ready," Lieutenant Jae reported. "Photon torpedoes standing by. I have a lock."

She paused.

"Correction, target is shifting," she said.

As quickly as she tried to lock onto the coordinates, the vessel moved. Because of its small size, it had a significant manoeuvrability advantage over the Enterprise.

It was like a giant attempting to swat away a fly.

Worf initiated a full scan.

"No readings yet," he grumbled.

Everyone held their breath as they waited for anything to appear on sensors.

Out of nowhere, the ship was rocked by another hit.

"Dead astern," Worf said.

It did not slip past any of them that this third hit was even more powerful – enough to send them all a good shake from their seats.

"Emergency power to shields," Geordi ordered.

Before he could fully climb back into the Command Chair there was another powerful hit – one that sent Wesley flying out the helm and knocked Lieutenant Jae back into Science Station Two.

Worf had only managed to remain upright thanks to a vice-like grip on his console. It had been enough to crack the edge.

"Shields are weakened. Down to eight three percent," Jae said as she got back up to her spot. "We can't take many more hits like that."

"Return fire," Geordi ordered.

Jae entered her authorisation code and sent two alternating phaser blasts at the last known coordinates of the object. It was so small that it dodged the hit.

She tried another hit, incorporating a third blast from the aft phaser array. But it was no use. The object avoided it with ease, dancing between the three blast sites.

"It's no use," Jae said. "Whatever this is, it's too fast."

But Geordi didn't even have a moment to think before there was an urgent page.

"Bridge, this is Lieutenant Commander Logan," Logan's voice rang out. "Are we breaking orbit yet?"

He was headed for the Bridge, and he sounded testy.

Lieutenant Commander Logan was a well-known hothead. He was one among a rotating group that served as secondary commanders, primarily during Night Watch.

Logan had initially applied to the position of First Officer. He was certainly a qualified officer with nearly thirty years' experience serving in Starfleet. He was a decorated officer that had his fair share of accolades during the early years of the Cardassian Border Wars while serving as Tactical Chief and eventual First Officer on the USS Haida.

Geordi didn't much care for Logan personally. He made disparaging remarks to some of the crew. He'd been previously reprimanded by Captain Picard for referring to the senior officers as 'the children.' And he wasn't shy about voicing his outdated views on non-humans – especially Klingons.

Logan thought Geordi and Tasha were both too young for the job. He mocked Commander Riker's genial approach to Command as being unprofessional. And he thought a ship's Counsellor had no place on the Bridge.

Logan had also caused quite a stir after publicly voicing his approval of Starfleet's efforts to classify Data as property. Logan had been one of the few people aboard to openly support such a move.

Data had brushed it off, stating Logan had held a grudge ever since being passed over as First Officer, Second Officer, Tactical Chief, and for any departmental head posting.

Logan had first applied for a posting to the Enterprise believing it would be the crowning accomplishment of his career. He'd never gotten over being denied what he viewed as his spot on the Bridge.

Geordi only had minutes to act before Logan arrived. With great reluctance, Geordi knew it was time to act.

"Ensign Crusher, break orbit," Geordi ordered. "Take us out of here, but not too far. Just far enough to shake this unseen assailant."

"And what of Captain Picard and the others?" Deanna asked.

"For now, they're on their own," Geordi replied.

-X-

"You know it's possible our communicators aren't working because the ship has left orbit," Beverly said. "We may be out of range."

"Well then, we will just have to sit tight until they get back," Picard replied.

"We didn't get lucky enough to have my kit drop with us, did we?" Beverly asked.

She made a move to try and pull herself with her good arm, but Jean-Luc's hand on her shoulder put a stop to that.

"Stay," he ordered. "I'll look around."

Jean-Luc hauled himself to his feet. Using the torch that was built-in to his suit, he tried to scope out any signs of Beverly's medical kit.

There was no telling if it had fallen with them or if it was still up on the surface.

Picard pushed aside some of fallen foliage with his foot in a couple places. Next he walked in a circle and checked the circumference of where they'd landed. In the end, he was down on his knees digging through dirt and undergrowth in an attempt to find their salvation.

Frustrated by the heat inside his suit and the lack of flexibility, Jean-Luc sat back on his knees and sighed.

He reached up to detach his helmet. It had started to fog up from the extra exertion and it was making it difficult to see what he was doing.

"What are you doing?" Beverly hissed.

"Your helmet is off," Picard said. "You are fine."

"Because mine was cracked. And we don't know that. You might be exposing yourself to any number of unknown contaminants!" Beverly exclaimed.

"If the ship has left orbit, what difference does it make?" Picard asked.

To Beverly's frustration, he detached his helmet and set it aside.

Her mouth fell open as he made a show of taking a deep breath as if to test the air. Then he turned back to Beverly and shrugged.

"The air is lovely," he said brightly.

Beverly scowled. On instinct she went to cross her arms and settled for grunting in frustration at the one that was broken.

"You know, if you have been exposed then there's not much I can do to help you now," Beverly said in an irritated voice.

"Then it makes no difference whether or not I've removed my helmet," Picard said, pointing out the flaw in her logic.

Then his tone shifted.

"I suppose none of it matters anyways as I cannot find your kit," Picard said in a much softer voice.

Beverly rested her head back against the metal support that had fallen behind her.

"Why are we like this?" she asked.

"Because I think the ceiling gave way from that weapons fire," Picard answered. "It must have penetrated through the ground and weakened the supports."

He glanced up.

"Underground facilities like this area are already under significant strain," Picard went on. "We probably shouldn't wander too far, or we may risk a cave in."

Picard turned back to Beverly. She was staring at him, waiting patiently for him to finish his thought.

"I don't mean the circumstances of our present predicament," Beverly clarified.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Jean-Luc, why are we like this?" she asked slowly.

Captain Picard's mouth went dry.

-X-

Data and Tasha were running as fast as their feet could carry them – an easier feat for Data than it was for Tasha.

She scrambled to keep up with him as he glided over the jungle terrain. His speed and reflexes enabled him to miss obstacles and navigate through the rough terrain with ease.

By contrast, Tasha could swear that she hit every tree root, stone, and downed vine that lay in their path.

They had been so close to freeing Commander Riker from his stasis prison when a third drone had emerged.

Data and Tasha had attempted to use the same plan as before – Tasha diverting its direction while Data fired.

But even with his phaser at level ten, it hadn't been enough to down the drone. It had taken the combined firepower from both their weapons to stop it.

Now they were on the run from a fourth drone that had emerged.

Not only were they getting stronger and bigger – they were coming faster. Data had noted a shortened timespan between each instance.

Tasha grunted as shit hit the ground. She had tripped over yet another tangled root when it caught the heavy boot on her foot.

Running an EV suit was a challenge on the best of days. With her weakened muscle mass from the nanocyte incident, Tasha was struggling to keep moving.

Data snagged the hook on the back of her suit and hoisted Tasha to her feet.

"This way," he urged.

Data kept his arm there, practically pulling her along as they rushed to avoid the drone that was hunting them.

Tasha was breathing hard. Her legs felt like jelly.

"Data, I-I can't," she panted.

"You must," he replied.

It was nothing for him. Tasha had always been jealous of that. He could run four hours without feeling the slightest hint of strain.

Running had always been one of Tasha's favourite activities. It allowed her to clear her mind and release her every care in the world.

But this was hardly a casual run. This time, they were running for their lives. And Tasha wasn't sure she could keep going.

All of sudden, her legs gave out – sending them both tumbling into the dirt.

Data could hear the drone closing on their position and knew that he had only seconds to act. He spied a small cavern-like opening at the base of an enormous tree where the roots had grown up and the soil had eroded.

Clutching Tasha close, he rolled them together under the cover of the tree. It was just in the nick of time.

Pressed tight against one another, they held their breath as the drone passed.

As soon as it was safe, Tasha practically collapsed on top of Data.

"Data, I think the reason... that we're... the ship.... it's out of... uh.. out of range," Tasha said between breaths.

She closed her eyes. There was a heavy thump as the back of her head hit the dirt.

"I can't," she panted.

Her chest was tight.

"Never felt so out of... out of shape in my... life," she concluded with a frustrated groan.

Data had never felt out of shape. In fact, he was keenly aware that it was something he would never experience.

But he could tell it bothered her – both because of her constant efforts to maintain her physical health and also because of the risk it posed to their current survival efforts.

Data could see she was struggling to breath. Their desperate dash to flee the drone had pushed Tasha to the brink of her emotional and physical limitations.

"You need to find Doctor Crusher and Captain Picard," Tasha said.

"I am not leaving you," Data replied.

"I'll just slow you down," Tasha said.

"I. Am. Not. Leaving. You," Data repeated.

They were technically still on duty, but they could both sense that it wasn't inappropriate to acknowledge their relationship.

Data rested his forehead against the face shield that covered Tasha's helmet.

"We will wait until you are ready to move again," he declared.

-X-

They stayed like that for some time, tucked away and huddled against one another under the safety of that enormous tree.

"Do you think it's possible that thing," Tasha began to say.

She paused and frowned.

"That it took out everyone from the Drake? Everyone here on Minos?" Tasha asked.

"From what we have seen, it appears to be a formidable weapons system," Data said. "I am uncertain what the end goal is of whoever or whatever created it."

That remained a mystery. Data had already run through more than a thousand possible permutations with no satisfactory explanation.

"But I do know that it cannot be allowed to leave this planet," Data said.

"So our mission of survival has now become one of search and destroy?" Tasha inquired.

Data had that look on his face. The one that screamed he was on the brink of a brilliant plan.

"Data?" Tasha prompted.

"If we were to locate the source, perhaps we could disable the system," Data suggested.

"Data, this planet is massive," Tasha said.

What she wasn't saying aloud was that her suit only had a limited oxygen supply remaining. It had drained even further because of the exertion.

"But we do have something that may lead us to the source," Data reminded her.

"You're not seriously considering using Commander Riker as bait?" Tasha said in an incredulous tone.

Data moved his eyebrows to indicate that was, indeed, his plan.

"I am not advocating that we abandon him, merely that we use him to lead us to whoever is behind this," Data clarified.

Tasha closed her eyes and sighed.

"If whatever comes to collect him moves as fast as those drones then we don't stand a chance of tracking it over this terrain," Tasha argued.

"Which is why we will not be tracking it," Data said.

Tasha blinked up at Data in disbelief.

"We can't capture it!" she exclaimed.

She visibly squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as if to will away the notion of such a ridiculous plan.

"It took two phasers on maximum output to stop the last one," Tasha reminded him. "I don't want to risk overloading one on the next – not to mention that would cut us down to one operational phaser."

"My plan does not require the sacrifice nor even the use of our phasers," Data explained.

Tasha didn't follow.

"Your suit is equipped with a grappling line," Data said.

They were standard on all EV suits and could be quickly ejected to lock onto the hull of the ship in the event of an emergency if the user's gravity boots failed.

Tasha was aghast.

"Are you familiar with the Earth tradition of a rodeo?" Data inquired.

"You want to catch it," Tasha realised.

"Giddy up," Data replied.

-X-

Lieutenant Commander Logan swept onto the Bridge with a righteous fury.

"Why are we still in orbit?" he demanded. "We're taking a beating!"

"We've just broken orbit," Geordi replied. "We're going to fall back and regroup."

"Regroup?" Logan roared.

"We're going to fall back to a safer position. We believe this attacker will not pursue us beyond the orbit of this planet," Geordi shared.

It hadn't attacked them until entering orbit. If this was some kind of defensive technology system, it was likely guarding something on the planet.

It also meant that it had a range.

"Once we complete repairs and further analysis of the situation, we'll make a jump back and beam aboard the away team," Geordi explained.

Logan scoffed.

"If we follow that plan, we'll lose the Enterprise," he said with complete confidence. "I understand your friends are back there, but you're risking this ship and everyone on it."

Geordi didn't need a reminder.

"If you can't make the big decisions then maybe it's time to vacate that chair?" Logan suggested.

Logan was banking on bullying Geordi into submission.

Geordi chose to ignore him.

"Ensign Crusher, take us out past the third planet in this system. We can use it to hide," Geordi ordered.

If there was any logic to the design of the weapon, the dense cloud around that area of space would interfere with its sensors.

"Lieutenant, it's time for you to relinquish command to me," Logan said.

"No," Geordi replied simply.

He turned his attention to the Operations console.

"Ensign T'su, can you relay the last transport failure log to Chief O'Brien?" Geordi requested.

"On it," she answered.

Lieutenant Commander Logan was infuriated that Geordi had barely even acknowledged his presence.

"Starfleet Command must be apprised of our situation," Logan insisted. "You don't even know protocol. I demand that you step down!"

"No," Geordi replied as he stood up, pulling himself to his full five-foot, six-inch height.

At six three, Logan towered over him. But Geordi wasn't backing down.

"I outrank you," Logan spat as he stepped forward.

"Mr Logan, I am in command," Geordi asserted. "You are not currently on duty. Return to your quarters."

"The Captain did not anticipate the Enterprise would come under attack," Logan protested.

He looked to the rest of the crew, wordlessly begging them for support.

"I implore you to see reason here," Logan said. "None of you have enough combat experience to be running the show right now!"

Worf bristled at his remark, but bit back a sharp response. Now was not the time for internal hostilities.

Deanna could sense that there was more to Commander Logan's anger. This wasn't just feelings of resentment. He was frightened.

And he wasn't the only one.

"If the Captain had anticipated we would come under attack, he would never have left you in command," Logan said.

"If he had, he wouldn't have left the ship!" Geordi retorted.

He didn't want to give Logan any further attention, so Geordi turned to Worf.

"Is it still tailing us?" Geordi asked.

"No, it appears to have dropped back into orbit around Minos," Worf said.

"Lieutenant La Forge. Geordi," Logan tried again, this time in a much more pleasant voice. "I know you want to do what's best for the Enterprise. So do I. Now the best thing-"

"The best thing, Mr Logan, is for this discussion to end and for you to return to your quarters," Geordi said.

He kept his tone firm but polite.

"You are ignoring my greater rank and experience!" Logan whined.

While his intentions may have started out based on a concern for the ship, his ego was winning out. With each new protest, he sounded more and more like a petulant child.

"On the contrary, I'm following the Captain's orders," Geordi said. "If you want to do something, you can sit at Science Station Two and help Mr Worf analyse the data from our encounter."

Logan flexed his fists as he attempted to process this.

"Science- Science Station Two?" he asked in astonishment.

He couldn't fathom a mere Lieutenant – an Engineer no less – ordering him about like he was some eager Ensign that was in the way.

"We need to find a way to get more power to the shields. I've got an Engineering team waiting for the Tactical assessment," Geordi said. "The more power we can channel to the shields, the longer we'll be able to hold out in our next meeting."

Logan turned to Worf for support – a mistake given all of the previous derogatory comments he'd made about Klingons.

"You're a fool," Logan snapped.

Geordi simply tapped his combadge.

"Chief, how's it coming with those transporter logs?" Geordi asked.

"That's it! If you won't notify Starfleet Command then I will!" Logan said wildly.

Geordi rounded on him.

"For your information, we have already notified Starfleet of our situation," Geordi said. "I'm in charge of this ship until relieved by Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Commander Data, or Lieutenant Yar."

Geordi paused.

"Now get off the Bridge and that is a direct order, Mr Logan," Geordi said.

Logan glanced first to Worf and then Deanna. Neither of them said anything. He looked to Lieutenant Jae for support but found none.

"Y-you can't just-"

"Try me," Geordi said through gritted teeth.

In the entirety of his Starfleet career, Geordi could count on one hand the number of times he had ever had to react in such a way. Normally, he would never challenge another officer or be confrontational. His leadership style was to establish a rapport with his team.

He listened to their input and treated them fairly and with respect.

But Mr Logan was far out of line.

Logan refused to move.

"I'm not leaving," he said, putting his foot down.

"Mr Worf, please escort Mr Logan back to his quarters," Geordi ordered.

"With pleasure, sir," Worf said.

As soon as Worf left his position at the Communications console, Logan began to back toward the door.

"You're making a grave mistake," Logan warned.

"If you set foot on the Bridge again without being called to duty, you will find a charge of insubordination on your record," Geordi cautioned in response.

He wanted there to be no doubt about where things stood.

"Now then, where were we?" Geordi said, turning his attention back to the work at hand.

-X-

"Well that's the last of it," Tasha said as she unravelled the cable from her suit.

"Let us hope it is sufficient," Data said.

They had almost twenty metres of cable to work with.

Tasha watched as Data tied the thick metallic cable like it was a piece of twine. Normally such an act would be enjoyable – she had no shame when it came to admiring Data's strength.

But in their present condition, Tasha was too anxious to focus on anything but the mission at hand.

Tasha checked her oxygen reserve as it blinked in the corner of her helmet, just to right of where her visor ended.

The suit functioned with a reserve of oxygen and short-term recycler.

They had been down on the surface for nearly six hours. Tasha had expended considerable reserves with all the physical strain of escaping the drone. And the suit itself was only designed for a maximum of twelve hours of wear.

Because of all the oxygen she'd burned up during their run, she had about two hours remaining before it gave out.

Tasha hoped that would be enough time for the Enterprise to find them.

"You should take cover behind that rock formation," Data instructed, indicating to their first hiding place about fifteen metres away.

Tasha scowled.

"You may need me to cover you if things go south," Tasha said.

Data stopped fidgeting with the cable. He set it down on the ground and stepped over to Tasha, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"I am aware that you have limited air reserves," Data said.

Tasha opened her mouth to protest, but Data cut her off.

"I can calculate it," he said knowingly.

There was no point in trying to hide it – Data could run the numbers without even seeing her reserve bar.

"Data, I'm not leaving you," Tasha said, echoing his earlier promise.

Resigned that a debate would get them nowhere, Data reluctantly agreed to acquiesce to her desire to stay.

"Stay low and out of sight," Data ordered.

Tasha nodded and took up a position next to one of the larger trees. With her phaser at the ready, she took up a stance and turned her eyes to the sky.

Meanwhile, Data hid in the brush near where Commander Riker was stuck in the stasis field. He had the cable in hand and was ready to try and capture the drone.

As the minutes ticked on, Tasha's hand grew sweaty. Her arm was tired and eventually she had to drop her posture.

However, Data was primed to act the moment it reappeared.

-X-

Tasha couldn't be sure how long they had waited. It felt like an eternity. Since she was still, she knew she wasn't using as much of her air supply. Tasha also knew that her metre wasn't an accurate way of keeping time.

It simply offered her an estimation of the amount of air she had left at any given point – an estimate that could change depending on what she did and how she moved.

"How long's it been?" Tasha hollered across the clearing.

It had to have been an hour at least. Maybe even ninety-minutes, she figured.

"Thirty-eight minutes," Data answered.

Tasha groaned internally.

Anything had to be better than standing around waiting to become a target.

-X-

Tasha would give anything not to feel like a fish in a barrel.

There was a powerful blast as a large, overhead drone downed a large tree less than a metre to the left of Data.

"Hurry," Data said, urging Tasha to keep moving.

Data's plan to capture an incoming drone had not been entirely successful.

They had waited patiently as the hours had ticked on. Tasha's oxygen reserves were nearly depleted and there had been no sign from Captain Picard or Beverly.

Data and Tasha could only hope that they had found somewhere safe to seek refuge and not that they had been captured and tagged for pickup like Riker.

"This way," Data said, pulling Tasha to the left.

He could hear water in the distance. There was no telling if the drone would be able to track them underwater, but Data was hoping it would slow down the machine.

But this drone was anything but the ones they had faced before.

It was larger in size, it moved faster, and was packing additional firepower.

Data had managed to wrangle it alright.

And it had responded by spinning violently – whipping the thick metal cable in a deadly spiral action that had knocked Data off his feet and cut through trees as if they were twigs.

Were it not for his duranium and quick reflexes, Data would have been sliced in two.

In fact, as he reflected on the incident, Data realised the drone had almost entirely ignored Tasha. Sure, it had fired a blast back in her direction after she got off a shot with her phaser during the struggle.

But in the fight that had ensued, the drone had been far too powerful for Data to control. Unlike the previous ones, this drone had the ability to both rotate and move its body and swivel its weapon independently.

Simultaneously.

They were approaching a fast-moving river. It was far too wide to cross quickly, and Data knew that the current would be too powerful to withstand.

Yet as he scanned the horizon, it took him less than a second to come up with a plan B.

He yanked Tasha in the direction of the waterflow. They were less than half a kilometre from the edge of a ravine. The river spilled over the edge into the crevasse below, feeding a massive lake.

The sun was just beginning to dip down below the horizon. A reflection of the orange orb danced on the surface of the water.

Under any other circumstances, such a place would have been beautiful.

"Tasha, about Commander Riker. This is very important," Data said. "Follow the path back."

"What?" she panted as she tried to keep pace.

"Four, nine, seven, seven, one, three, two, six," Data said.

"Data, I don't-" she trailed off, unable to finish her question as it was too difficult to breath and talk.

"Four, nine, seven, seven, one, three, two, six," he repeated.

"Whoa!" Tasha shouted, spying the edge of the cliff.

Data stopped her just shy of going over the edge due to the momentum from their speed.

He gripped her arms, pulling her attention toward him.

"I love you, Lieutenant," Data said, struggling to reconcile his duty with what could very well be the last words he got a chance to tell her.

Tasha seemed to instinctively realise what he was planning – at least at a ten thousand lightyear distance.

"No," she shook her head. "No, we can-"

"Four, nine, seven, seven, one, three, two, six," Data repeated in rapid fire succession, willing her to denote it to memory.

"Data," she protested.

"It seeks to eliminate the greatest threat. It will always focus on the highest target," Data said as he shoved his phaser into Tasha's hands.

He hoped that Tasha would understand.

They could both hear the drone as it drew closer.

"Please," Tasha said, horrified.

For a moment, Data said nothing as he stared at her.

It was less than a fraction of a second in time, but for Data it was enough time that he skimmed through a highlight of every moment they had shared from the first time Tasha had flashed him one of her signature, million-watt smiles to the last time he'd held her in his arms.

Tasha stared at him, wordlessly pleading to find another option.

For Data it was simultaneously an eternity and not nearly enough time to say goodbye. Tasha had taught him to recognise his own feelings. She had been his constant companion, allowing him to explore who he truly was with her gentle, patient nature.

Tasha had shown him what it meant to love and be loved.

Nothing seemed adequate by comparison. In any case, Data knew that Tasha hated goodbyes.

No goodbyes. Just good memories.

In spite of what awaited Data, his heart was full.

And in the last moment before he had to act, Data simply said the only thing he could think of to sum up his feelings.

"Evermore," he said with a mix of fondness and remorse before he tossed Tasha into the treeline.

She landed with a resounding thud.

Data turned, crouching low as the drone scanned the area. It quickly identified Data based on his heat signature and the metallic components of his construction.

As anticipated, the drone completely ignored Tasha.

Data had to dodge left, roll forward, and then flatten his body against the ground to avoid it's first three attacks.

The drone whirled around, circling before it took up a new position hovering just over the edge of the cliff.

Data lunged.

Tasha managed to climb out from the underbrush just in time to see Data and the drone topple over the edge and fall into the abyss below.

Data wrestled with the drone in mid-air, doing his best to redirect the fire from the weapon. It sprayed wildly, blasting the limestone cliff and the water with uncontrollable fire, and sending debris tumbling down around them.

It was at least a three hundred metre drop to the lake below.

Tasha was silent, unbreathing as she scrambled for the edge.

The impact from Data and the drone was so minuscule that it barely registered from her position. There was a small ripple on the surface of the water where they went under and then it stilled.

Tasha fell to her knees as she kept her eyes fixated – hoping against all odds that Data would emerge, each second dragging longer than the next.

She knew it was futile. Data didn't have the buoyancy to swim, and it was unlikely he would have survived a fall from that distance.

Tasha glanced over to where the sun had all but disappeared, the last rays dying in the wake of the oncoming night.

It would be dark soon. And she was alone.

The obnoxious beep in her suit alerted Tasha that her oxygen reserve was now depleted.

She detached her helmet and discarded it in the dirt. Next she threw off the thick, protective gloves that were locked on at the wrist.

Tasha sat back on her knees. She reached into her suit for the chain she wore under her uniform. Holding her ring tight, she closed her eyes, and clutched her chest.

"Data," she whispered.

Tasha broke down, sobbing as she collapsed face-first against the dirt without a care for who or what heard her.