The Complication

Datalore - Part One

Author's Note: Thank you for sticking with this story and for all of your support! 

There are a number of classic film quotes peppered throughout this chapter. While Data assumes these are based on his own love for classic stories, we soon learn that it may run deeper. 

The quote 'fasten your seatbelt' is a reference to the film Gilda. Yes, automobiles did have 'seatbelts' in the 1930s (although they were only lap belts and not standardised).

The next two chapters are pivotal to Data's character development. I humbly attempt to explain some of the inconsistencies with his memory & understanding of his origins. In the show, there were statements he made about sharing the colonists' memories and knowing it was done 'in a great hurry.'

He was also aware the lab was Doctor Noonian Soong's lab, yet seemingly didn't connect it was related to his own creation – and answers to things like why there was allegedly 'farmland' on Omicron Theta when it had been attacked by the Crystalline Entity (and therefore wiped of all living things).

Yet while having the colonists' memories, Data somehow simultaneously had no knowledge of the Crystalline Entity or the Soongs. That just wasn't something I could stomach without explaining the 'how' and 'why.'

The Soongs (as a whole) are going to play a bigger role in this series than we saw in canon. This is the first chapter to lay that groundwork. When we reach later instalments with Brothers, Silicon Avatar, Inheritance, our Lore adventures, and Birthright we will get to see much, much more!

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Chief O'Brien activated the transporter and the away team materialised on the transporter pad.

The six officers on the pad breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The diplomatic mission with the Jarada had finally concluded and they were all still in one piece. The non-aggression pact between the Jarada and the Federation had been maintained and the path for future diplomatic relations was now open.

Weeks of work by the crew of the Enterprise had been well worth the effort.

"Welcome back," Miles said as they appeared.

Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Data, Counsellor Troi, Tasha, and Worf had been aboard the Jaradan ship for the last sixteen hours as part of the Jaradan meeting protocol.

"Well done, sir," Commander Riker said.

"Well done, everybody," Captain Picard responded.

From across the transporter pad, Data and Tasha shared a brief smile with one another.

Captain Picard paged the Bridge and ordered that it was time for the Enterprise to depart.

"Set a course for Federation territory and take us out of here. Warp four," Picard ordered.

"Would you like to brief in the Observation Lounge?" Riker inquired as they stepped off the pad.

"No, I think we've all earned a little R & R," Picard said. "We'll brief in the morning."

Worf visibly relaxed.

He loathed wearing his dress uniform as he found it stuffy and constricting.

With their evening free, the crew dispersed for some well-earned rest.

Tasha had to stop by the Security office to check-in the emergency communication beacon transmitter they had taken with them to the Jaradan ship.

It was an advanced piece of technology that functioned as an emergency transmitter in the event that their communicators were damaged or removed. It was a one-time use and difficult to obtain. Therefore it was typically only employed during high-level diplomatic missions or dangerous away missions.