Author's Note: Thank you for all your support with this series! We are getting SUPER close to Contagion and Conspiracy!
I really needed a fluffy palate cleanser to go with this. To that end, you can find Sunday in the Park With Duckie out now. Please be warned, it is set after Generations so there are some heavy spoilers!
As a reminder, Data doesn't know these things about Tasha yet. He knows that there's more to her backstory (and this is just a snippet). But Data is content with Tasha sharing only what's comfortable.
When the story moves into The Course We Set (S3/S4), Data and Tasha are going to really take a deep dive into themselves & cope with their trauma directly. With that comes storylines like Brothers & the introduction of Noonian Soong & Ishara Yar. That will spark a lot of soul-searching on behalf of Data & Tasha.
Also please note that because of the fractured timeline, the Tasha Yar Castillo knew & loved had a different Starfleet experience than our Tasha.
This includes a different relationship with Data. I don't want to go so far as to say that difference alone is why she went back—but that lack of personal ties certainly contributed to Tasha's decision to ask Guinan 'the question.'
There's also some hints about Turkana and why/how the Federation got involved there in the first place. More on that to come in The Course We Set (when we meet Ishara) and in The Change of Command (Nemesis and beyond) where Tasha, Data, and the crew will find themselves wrapped up in a mystery that leads back to Turkana....
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Please be advised this portion of the story is a dark turn. I want to assure you – this series has a happy ending. But this part is filled with pain and loss.
Some of the language choice in this chapter is designed to capture the impression of nine-year old Tasha trying to understand her trauma. As she is so young, she doesn't quite fully comprehend what's happening. So, the language used in reference to that is intended to portray the confusion that can accompany CSA.
Content Warning: Strong language, violence, abuse, child abuse, CSA, sexual assault, torture, graphic injury, enucleation, pregnancy/childbirth, miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, self-harm, suicide, character death, murder.
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The next morning, Tasha awoke with a dry mouth. The first thing she noticed was the sound of the storm still raging outside as the wind howled above.
It was warm and she was afraid to open her eyes for fear that the room might spin.
Her head ached. Her stomach was queasy.
And there was a warm body spooned up behind her. It felt nice. And for a moment, Tasha wanted to melt – then she remembered the events that had led to this moment.
The storm.
The brandy.
The emotional break following twenty-nine years of accumulated trauma...
Tasha groaned as memories of the night before came flooding back. She wanted to crawl into a small hold and hide for the rest of her short life.
Castillo stirred awake.
"How do you feel?" he whispered.
Tasha replied with a long, barely decipherable grumble.
He slipped away and returned a moment later with fresh water and their sole toothbrush.
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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...
