Author's Note: Thank you all for sticking with this story as we progress on!
This chapter is a behemoth. It's also much lighter fare as we see the crew of the Enterprise face off against the crew of the Yamato in a friendly competition.
That's right! We're skipping on ahead to Sucker Punch. This chapter is intended to be a fun romp and break from the heavy material.
We'll swing back and cover Symbiosis before the conclusion of The Complication. But the events in that chapter are flexible enough to allow for some manoeuvrability.
Arsenal of Freedom ran one chapter longer than anticipated and I really, *really* needed to start our next arc soon in order to preserve the larger outline. We'll pick up Symbiosis later.
-X-
So here is our roadmap:
Schizoid Man: Data meets Ira Graves, former mentor of Noonian Soong. Data is thrilled to learn more about his father. But Ira's interest in Data goes beyond just a sense of nostalgia.
The crew begin to notice changes in Data's behaviour and want to take action. But Tasha's worried about treading on his rights – even in spite of his changed attitude.
Hero Worship: The Enterprise rescues the sole survivor of the Vico – a young boy who quickly becomes attached to Data. In an effort to suppress his emotional trauma, this young lad decides to adopt an android life.
His presence has a lasting effect on Data – both in seen and unseen ways.
The Late Lieutenant La Forge: A minor mix-up leads to a serious misunderstanding.
Captain, Simple Tailor, Romulan Spy: The Enterprise takes a detour on the way to Pacifica at the urgent request of Captain Rixx where Jean-Luc reunites with his old friend Walker Keel.
When Keel's ship disappears, Jean-Luc launches an unofficial investigation – pulling the crew of the Enterprise into the heart of the Romulan Conspiracy.
The Road Not Taken: The Enterprise investigates a signal in the Neutral Zone and stumbles upon an unusual group - Humans, Romulans, and Klingons – all dead and dying. Among them is a man that claims to be a survivor from an attack that took place on Narendra III twenty-one years earlier.
He's risked everything to warn the Federation of an impending Romulan threat - and he's got an interesting story to tell.
But it's what he doesn't say that leaves Tasha questioning her place in the universe.
-X-
Commander Riker blinked slowly. He was having a hard time staying awake. Beverly's eyes felt heavy – and it wasn't just from the long hours she'd put in on her recovery.
Deanna could sense Geordi was drifting under his VISOR. Miles's head dipped sharply before he startled awake.
Across the table, Worf was having a difficult time focusing on the briefing.
I could have been on the holodeck. He grumbled to himself as his thoughts drifted to crystal blue waters and warm sands of his latest Mok'bara programme.
Even Data was struggling to stay interested in their latest assignment – which in and of itself was a considerable feat given that Data could find meaning even in emptiness.
"And lastly, we have the Fount of Divona," Commander Graham explained. "It's a unique star cluster noted for its spring or fountain-like appearance."
He tapped his PADD and pulled up the next slide on the viewscreen.
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The Complication
Fanfiction"Am I the 'complication'?" Data asked. Following the events on Ligon II, Data struggles to reconcile the discrepancies between Tasha's verbal and nonverbal communication. Furthermore, his attempts to better understand what's happening lead to him fr...
