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.