Star Trek Imagines

[TNG] Data - Comfort

Going about your day was usually a simple task, there was little to it for you these days. But as of late, you were having a hard time adjusting to your new setting and crew mates. It had you thinking of how you had ended up in this situation in the first place.

You had been originally been assigned to the USS Inexus, your knowledge in exobiology was needed to assist them in their mission. Once it was completed, a voyage that took the better half of two years, you were dropped back at Earths Spacedock. You missed your crew and the Inexus, and you certainly hadn't been expected to be signed onto another ship as soon as you were.

Within a day, you had been informed that another ship required your expertise on their mission, and would be docking the following day for repairs. You were nervous, another assignment already? What was Starfleet playing at? Still, you couldn't deny the excitement welling up in you that you could be back out there again, amongst the stars where you had come to belong.

"Lieutenant Y/N, how nice to see you" came Admiral Wood's voice, and you turned with a smile to greet the man in front of you.

"Admiral, the feeling is mutual" came your reply, cheerful as ever despite how tired you were. You could never be snarky with that man, he was like a mentor to you through the academy, he knew your father well and came to know your family a great deal as a result.

"Off again I see, the Enterprise will be lucky to have you aboard."

"The Enterprise, sir? I wasn't aware that was where I was off." You chuckled, even more nervous now than you had been. You remembered back to the academy, the Enterprise was required study, and her previous crews and captains too.

Before you knew it, the conversation with Admiral Wood had ended, you had slept, and the next day began. The day started off well, you'd thrown your coffee on the floor, tripped over a doorstop and managed to lose your PADD twice. To say the least, you were off to a roaring start.

Seeing the ship in person was not quite what you had expected, but far more. She was beautiful. Greeting people as you passed, you were met with greetings of equal enthusiasm and politeness, making you feel somewhat more comfortable.

The officer you were with rang the chime for the Captains ready room, and a voice shouted for you to come in, obviously belonging to Captain Picard. Greeted with a kind but stern looking man, a sight that still confused you to this day, he smiled and motioned for you to take a seat with one hand held out.

"You must be Lieutenant Y/N, welcome aboard the Enterprise. I hope you aren't finding it too overwhelming." He continued to smile, his pleasant nature giving you confidence in your assignment.

"Quite the opposite, Captain. Everyone so far has been more than helpful."

The conversation finished and he had the ship counsellor, Deanna, show you to your quarters. The rest was a blur from there. Missions had been completed, injuries had been sustained and friendships had been made. You got along well with everyone on the ship, though you had gotten closer to Deanna, Data and Geordi than anyone else. Data especially, you liked him a lot, and you were sure if he could feel emotions, he would think the same. He seemed to put that across in his actions, and Geordi had continuously teased you that Data liked you 'a hell of a lot', but you brushed it off as purely banter between you. You knew Data wasn't capable of such emotions.

Chuckling slightly at the memories you had already made in the 6 months you'd been a member of the crew, you sat now in Ten Forward, struggling to concentrate on the work you had to complete. Sighing, you stood, stretching your legs and back. You tried to focus on the stats in front of you once again, none of it sinking in. Slamming the PADD down, you walked away, not noticing you were under two watchful pairs of concerned eyes.

"Counsellor, I have noticed that Lieutenant Y/N has been distracted as of late, they have not been able to complete their work and have not been as present as usual with Geordi and I" Data spoke, concern in his voice if ever he could express such a thing.

"I have noticed too, Data, perhaps you should go and talk to them and see, take their PADD back to them too" she replied, focused fully on dissecting the chocolate sundae in front of her. She spoke as if she knew something he didn't, but he walked over and grabbed your PADD before heading off, leaving Deanna smirking to herself unbeknown to Data.

The wall had never seemed more interesting, you'd been staring at it for the past 20 minutes. What was wrong? You didn't even know yourself. You thought about going to see Doctor Crusher about it, but you had convinced yourself that there was nothing she could do. You'd also thought about talking to Deanna, but had also convinced yourself not to talk to her either. Sighing once more, you laid back and hugged a cushion, your eyes now looking at the ceiling instead. Your door chimed, and you shot up. Nobody ever called, and now you wanted to be alone, someone wanted you.

"Come in" you shouted, exasperation in your voice and an excuse ready for whoever rounded the corner. The excuse disappeared when you saw it was Data.

"Good evening, Lieutenant Y/N" he greeted, and you halfheartedly smiled, feeling bad afterwards because he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Hi Data, please sit down, and you know by now you can call me Y/N" you giggled slightly. Data sat with a nod, but did pick up on the fact that you didn't giggle with your usual enthusiasm. As straightforward as ever, he spoke.

"You seem rather distracted as of late, and I hope this is not too forward for you. Both Counsellor Troi and I have noticed a recent change in your work ethic, and you as a person. I am curious, is everything alright?" He stared at you with genuine curiosity, and a glint in his eye that could have been perceived as worry had one not known he was an android.

"I have been distracted, you're right, Data. I've been thinking about my old ship, and all the people on it. I miss it, and I think those feelings have made me question my position on this ship." You stopped, took a breath and fiddled with your hands in your lap, sensing his eyes still on you as you carried on. "I've been feeling like I don't belong here, like I'm taking up someone else's space on this mission, I'm sure there are more qualified people in Starfleet waiting for this kind of opportunity and I just..." You had trailed off, not even being able to look at Data.

"Am I correct in saying that you are feeling inadequate?" he asked, and you glanced up at him, teary eyed and cynically chuckled, nodding. He tilted his head in thought before speaking up.

"I know from my research of humans that this feeling can be brought on by a number of different factors, such as anxiety and nervousness, which you have been experiencing since your assignment to this ship. I also believe that these thoughts are inaccurate." You stared at him in confusion, as he continued. "You have been nothing short of excellent at what you do, and you work extremely hard. I have grown to appreciate your company a great deal, and it is almost strange to not have you around now. You are more than qualified to be here. It is understandable that you miss your old ship, but do not ever doubt that you belong here with us."

Shocked, you smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a while, and put your hand on his shoulder. The last thing you had expected from Data was such comforting words, but having had this conversation you felt much better about everything. He took your other hand, an action that shocked you more than his words,but you accepted nonetheless. The two of you sat in silence, knowing that this was his way of conveying his support.

You needed the comfort, and whilst it came from the most unexpected of places, you couldn't have been happier in that moment.

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A/N: Hello! This is my first post in this book, hopefully the first of many :) Quarantine currently has me going insane, so I decided to take up writing again! I haven't written anything like this since 2016, the good ol' days :') Thank you for reading, any feedback or requests are appreciated and welcomed, I seldom choose to read back my own work haha! Thank you again! :) x