The Complication

Moonbeam

A/N: Thank you all for kind reviews, kudos, and support. C/W: This chapter includes discussion about an alleged sexual assault surrounding the polywater incident. It's a misunderstanding between two characters and, in this story, no assault took place. There are no details or descriptions.

I've had a couple of questions from folks re: the regulations. Starfleet Regulation 1138 is canon to the Trek universe. However (within canon), it has been interpreted as to only apply in circumstances where it impacts Starfleet members' duty. The one exception to that interpretation, is the Commanding Officer or Captain. *sighs in Picard/Crusher what-ifs*

Yes, Picard is struggling with this. He's human. And far from perfect and I hope this chapter clears up a little bit of the reasons why Jean-Luc is acting this way. He's worried about his friends.

If you like my work or want to dive deeper with my comics, art (including "Data and Geordi's Holodeck Adventures") or like to discuss writing in general like & follow the Tartan Tart on Facebook or Twitter @TheTartanTart.

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Data was seated cross legged on the sofa in Tasha's quarters. PADD in hand, he was finishing his log entry on their experience meeting Portal 63. They were out of the Delphi Ardu system and en route to Gamma Tauri IV with the T-9 Energy Converter they had recovered from the Ferengi.

Following their return to the Enterprise, the team had set a course to get them safely away from the Ferengi. Then they had sat through a one hour debrief in the observation lounge. Captain Picard was concerned after their first encounter with the Ferengi. Now that they had a visual and scan of a Ferengi ship, the Captain had tasked Data with reviewing Starfleet records for any other possible previous encounters. 

The door slid open and steam rolled out from Tasha's lavvy. She stepped out into the main part of her quarters and wrapped a towel around her wet hair.

Before they knew they'd be beaming down to meet with a 600,000-year-old Guardian of the Tkon Empire, they had planned to spend the evening together. No, they had no grand romantic night planned, just a casual evening.

The two had been planning a replicated dinner and then Tasha would read to Data from the latest terror novel she'd been interested in. Data confessed that having someone read to him was extremely beneficial to his understanding of the human equation. It allowed him to pick up on the natural emotion and intonation that his own quick-read analysis and processing did not register automatically.

Tasha was happy to oblige and Data enjoyed listening to her narrate. There was an undeniable chemistry between them. They were taking things slowly, proceeding with caution. Aside from his sexual history, Data had no experience of intimate relationships outside of that. He'd never had a partner before.

Tasha was not a fan of the term 'girlfriend' and was reluctant to put a word on it. 'Partner' seemed very formal and serious at this stage.

Tasha had always kept her relationships casual. As a Security officer, she knew every day could be a risk. She never wanted to get too attached to anyone for fear of something happening. It was a lesson she had learned first-hand. Her first few years out of the academy found her moving around a lot. Her longest stint was three years on the USS Crazy Horse.

It was on the Crazy Horse that she'd gotten involved with Alfie. Lieutenant Alfie O'Conner had been a medical officer aboard the Crazy Horse. He was sweet, a little shy, and he enjoyed climbing. And above all, he was very patient. They'd struck up a comfortable banter and soon become good friends.

After a year, things got flirty.

And after a particularly rough day, in which a failed rescue and evacuation mission had gone wrong, a hug and tears led to a kiss that became a much-needed intimate evening.