Prompt 005.3 for lightyearsahead
3. It wasn't the first time Data had been in a similar situation, though he identified occurrences with less similarity than humans typically did. Their differences were glaringly obvious to him, though he could tell from the expression on Riker's face when he said, 'same old, same old' that the congruent circumstances were enough to be irritating for a human. Once again, they were in a cave. Once again, the walls were vibrating with some outside attack, bits of rock perilously slipping from the ceiling and goading Data to keenly watch his tricorder for any signs that the structural integrity was threatening to be compromised beyond repair. Once again, there were innocent colonists at risk because of some meaningless altercation.
The Breen were bombarding the surface of Tau Ceti IV with phaser fire. The Dominion War was still waging hot throughout the quadrant, and because much of their time had been preoccupied with the Borg this was the first instance they had been caught directly in a Dominion related skirmish. The colonists from the Federation Embassy that were the victim of the attack were still hunkering low, curled up against the wall, away from the middle and that falling debris, waiting for the threat to pass or a rescue to come so that they could be beamed out of their entrapment.
One of the most unfortunate things was the class of young children (it had been more of a daycare, actually, for the mothers whose children were just a bit too big to keep track of at work) settled by their teachers feet. Most of them had dirty cheeks now, rounded little faces tracked with rivers of tears.
This was different from the other times that he had been trapped. This time he felt something as he looked at those children confined with him.
Data scooted away from his commanding officer, letting Riker conduct his discussion with the colonist founder over relations with the Breen. A few processes took in what was going on there as he neared a little boy, a Klingon who was obviously doing his very best not to cry, doing his very best to be brave.
"Your parents will be very proud of you," Data said. Even if they were trapped out there, if the worst had happened, he assumed that the child had been told stories of Sto-vo-kor. He supposed he was correct, because the boy set his wibbling lip and lifted his chin proudly.
Encouraged vaguely, Data continued. "Who are your classmates that you need to protect?"
The boy sat up on his knees, looking at the other children. He pointed to a Vulcan first. "That is T'neth. She has the highest grades. It is most important to protect her."
T'neth's keen Vulcan ears caught his words. She was still too young to have mastered a lack of emotion, though she was trying. She had guiltily given in to the urge to curl against her teacher's side, and she looked strangely at the boy who had declared that she was the most in need of protection. "But I am stronger than the Human and Betazoid children, protecting me is not logical."
"Hey, I'm plenty strong," a spunky young blonde boy said, holding fast to a tribble toy he'd been clutching since they first left their room.
"And we need to protect our greatest advantage," the Klingon repeated.
"That's not fair, I'm smart too..." a freckle faced girl said, her strawberry blonde hair done up in two high buns.
"I didn't say that you shouldn't be protected too, Sue."
It seemed that he had opened a proverbial can of worms.
He pursed his lips, corners of his mouth turning down as he shifted to crouch closer to the group. "It is very important that you take care of each other."
"It is unessential for someone to take care of me," T'neth said, turning her face against her teacher's arm. Her teacher scowled at Data... briefly. Then she seemed to finally notice that the children had stopped crying in their distraction. The android's ploy to distract them in their time of fear seemed to have worked.
"I don't mind being protected." The red-headed girl scooted forward, and hugged onto the Klingon boy's arm. "Okay, Kothel, you can protect me."
Kothel, his name seemed to be, didn't quite no how to react. He just looked perplexed, and turned that look to the android as if he weren't sure what he was supposed to do when a human female held onto him. He supposed he should shrug her off, but he wasn't quite sure how to go about doing it.
"You must be very strong for her to agree to that," he said, a bit worried an angry reaction would set her back to crying. Again, he earned a preen out of the youth, and he donned his most serious expression.
"This is wise of you," he agreed to Sue, nodding firmly to let her know that he would defend her with all of his miniature warrior might.
"Ffff. You know, my dad, says that James Kirk, was tougher than any Klingon," the human boy countered.
"He wasn't logical, either."
"You're not logical."
"That doesn't even make sense."
"You don't make sense."
T'neth huffed, and rather than looking to Data, stared up at her teacher. The woman sighed, patting her head full of jet-black hair.
"Billy, stop teasing T'neth."
"You're supposed to tease Vulcans. It's good for them because it teaches them mag-ni-ni-ma-ni-ty."
"That was a very good try at a very large word," Data complimented him.
"I think he wanted to say magnanimity."
"I said what I wanted to say," Billy retorted proudly.
"No you didn't," a blonde girl in a brightly colored dress said, black eyes resting on him.
"Shush, Loraza shhhh!"
"There's someone coming, though." The girl stood up from her place, looking down toward where they'd entered the caverns. She started to wring her hands, before she hopped a little. "Someone's coming! Someone's coming and they're going to help!"
The little Betazoid had given them a true enough warning. Soon Geordi and Barclay came through, and both Riker and Data rose to their feet to go meet them. The children were clapping as if someone had just introduced them to their favorite educational holoprogram character, something that made Barclay awkwardly wave, grin hesitantly. Geordi flashed them a smile before he began to set up the equipment.
"How quick is that signal booster going to get activated?"
"Almost as soon as we get it turned on...." Geordi's stance wobbled as another round of fire rocked the surface. The integrity of the cave held, but the children sat.
All save T'neth. Who stood up, came closer to watch despite the teacher reaching for her, and took Data's hand.
He looked down at the Vulcan, who wiped the last of her fear from her eyes with a balled up fist. She watched Geordi and Barclay, engrossed, and even as they finished the final attachments they grinned at her. And at Data.
"You've always had a way with the little ones, Data," Geordi chuckled, and Riker smirked despite their circumstances.
"I find them easier to identify with." He managed to keep himself from going into a lengthy explanation by curling his fingers around the much smaller hand, giving her support as they prepared a way to transport them all to the ship. For a moment, he considered what an excellent crew her and her classmates would one day make.
Character: Data
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Word Count: 1251
The Breen were bombarding the surface of Tau Ceti IV with phaser fire. The Dominion War was still waging hot throughout the quadrant, and because much of their time had been preoccupied with the Borg this was the first instance they had been caught directly in a Dominion related skirmish. The colonists from the Federation Embassy that were the victim of the attack were still hunkering low, curled up against the wall, away from the middle and that falling debris, waiting for the threat to pass or a rescue to come so that they could be beamed out of their entrapment.
One of the most unfortunate things was the class of young children (it had been more of a daycare, actually, for the mothers whose children were just a bit too big to keep track of at work) settled by their teachers feet. Most of them had dirty cheeks now, rounded little faces tracked with rivers of tears.
This was different from the other times that he had been trapped. This time he felt something as he looked at those children confined with him.
Data scooted away from his commanding officer, letting Riker conduct his discussion with the colonist founder over relations with the Breen. A few processes took in what was going on there as he neared a little boy, a Klingon who was obviously doing his very best not to cry, doing his very best to be brave.
"Your parents will be very proud of you," Data said. Even if they were trapped out there, if the worst had happened, he assumed that the child had been told stories of Sto-vo-kor. He supposed he was correct, because the boy set his wibbling lip and lifted his chin proudly.
Encouraged vaguely, Data continued. "Who are your classmates that you need to protect?"
The boy sat up on his knees, looking at the other children. He pointed to a Vulcan first. "That is T'neth. She has the highest grades. It is most important to protect her."
T'neth's keen Vulcan ears caught his words. She was still too young to have mastered a lack of emotion, though she was trying. She had guiltily given in to the urge to curl against her teacher's side, and she looked strangely at the boy who had declared that she was the most in need of protection. "But I am stronger than the Human and Betazoid children, protecting me is not logical."
"Hey, I'm plenty strong," a spunky young blonde boy said, holding fast to a tribble toy he'd been clutching since they first left their room.
"And we need to protect our greatest advantage," the Klingon repeated.
"That's not fair, I'm smart too..." a freckle faced girl said, her strawberry blonde hair done up in two high buns.
"I didn't say that you shouldn't be protected too, Sue."
It seemed that he had opened a proverbial can of worms.
He pursed his lips, corners of his mouth turning down as he shifted to crouch closer to the group. "It is very important that you take care of each other."
"It is unessential for someone to take care of me," T'neth said, turning her face against her teacher's arm. Her teacher scowled at Data... briefly. Then she seemed to finally notice that the children had stopped crying in their distraction. The android's ploy to distract them in their time of fear seemed to have worked.
"I don't mind being protected." The red-headed girl scooted forward, and hugged onto the Klingon boy's arm. "Okay, Kothel, you can protect me."
Kothel, his name seemed to be, didn't quite no how to react. He just looked perplexed, and turned that look to the android as if he weren't sure what he was supposed to do when a human female held onto him. He supposed he should shrug her off, but he wasn't quite sure how to go about doing it.
"You must be very strong for her to agree to that," he said, a bit worried an angry reaction would set her back to crying. Again, he earned a preen out of the youth, and he donned his most serious expression.
"This is wise of you," he agreed to Sue, nodding firmly to let her know that he would defend her with all of his miniature warrior might.
"Ffff. You know, my dad, says that James Kirk, was tougher than any Klingon," the human boy countered.
"He wasn't logical, either."
"You're not logical."
"That doesn't even make sense."
"You don't make sense."
T'neth huffed, and rather than looking to Data, stared up at her teacher. The woman sighed, patting her head full of jet-black hair.
"Billy, stop teasing T'neth."
"You're supposed to tease Vulcans. It's good for them because it teaches them mag-ni-ni-ma-ni-ty."
"That was a very good try at a very large word," Data complimented him.
"I think he wanted to say magnanimity."
"I said what I wanted to say," Billy retorted proudly.
"No you didn't," a blonde girl in a brightly colored dress said, black eyes resting on him.
"Shush, Loraza shhhh!"
"There's someone coming, though." The girl stood up from her place, looking down toward where they'd entered the caverns. She started to wring her hands, before she hopped a little. "Someone's coming! Someone's coming and they're going to help!"
The little Betazoid had given them a true enough warning. Soon Geordi and Barclay came through, and both Riker and Data rose to their feet to go meet them. The children were clapping as if someone had just introduced them to their favorite educational holoprogram character, something that made Barclay awkwardly wave, grin hesitantly. Geordi flashed them a smile before he began to set up the equipment.
"How quick is that signal booster going to get activated?"
"Almost as soon as we get it turned on...." Geordi's stance wobbled as another round of fire rocked the surface. The integrity of the cave held, but the children sat.
All save T'neth. Who stood up, came closer to watch despite the teacher reaching for her, and took Data's hand.
He looked down at the Vulcan, who wiped the last of her fear from her eyes with a balled up fist. She watched Geordi and Barclay, engrossed, and even as they finished the final attachments they grinned at her. And at Data.
"You've always had a way with the little ones, Data," Geordi chuckled, and Riker smirked despite their circumstances.
"I find them easier to identify with." He managed to keep himself from going into a lengthy explanation by curling his fingers around the much smaller hand, giving her support as they prepared a way to transport them all to the ship. For a moment, he considered what an excellent crew her and her classmates would one day make.
Character: Data
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Word Count: 1251