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Data's Journey
By : K_nz
Category: Star Trek > The Next Generation
Views: 1351 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for full Disclaimer
Chapter List
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It took three days to reach Ahmria, Neara slowly weakening over that time. She stayed mostly in bed, eating foods rich in Ahmriakana. Both Data and Tala were very worried, but Neara would simply ask them to come cuddle with her. Crusher seemed equally concerned, which did not help to ease Data’s fears.
They finally reached Ahmria. Leyna had set up a bed in the living room so they could better care for Neara. When her family saw her, they started crying and hugging her. This is when Data knew there was something terribly wrong.
“I thought you would be able to remove the parasite and kill it,” Data said.
“I am afraid we are unable to remove it Data,” Leyna replied, touching his arm consolingly. “The nature of this parasite is such that it is indistinguishable from the host it inhabits. We can kill it once it releases itself – once Neara has died.”
“No… no.. that cannot be the only solution! There must be something more you can do,” Data’s eyes were wide and wild with worry. Leyna looked at the others in helpless anguish.
“Mom! Oh Mom!” he heard Tala yell as she joined her mother on the bed, holding her and crying. Leyna looked on sadly.
“I cannot accept this. We must try to find a way to help Neara,” Data resolved.
“Please come here ka’lee,” Neara requested, her hand outstretched to Data. Data came over and took it. “We knew this was going to happen. It is much sooner than either of us expected, but it was not unknown. I was hoping I would at least see Tala grown, but it is not meant to be.”
“It is too soon Neara,” Data asserted. “We both know it is too soon. I will find a way to help you. I will ask the Q for help.”
“I cannot see how the Q will be able to help,” Leyna stated. “And in any case, they will not help our Weaver.”
“I must try,” Data looked at Leyna in earnest desperation.
“Then we will summon them for you,” Leyna agreed.
“There is a Q that has taken an interest in Captain Picard,” Data informed. “Perhaps you can summon that Q.”
“Very well,” Leyna consented. “We cannot trust the Q on our planet, so we will need to go to Dessa. Jean-Luc can meet us there. We will use his energy to summon this Q. We will also need to bring Neara, if this Q is willing and able to help.”
Data nodded his acceptance and gratefully sighed, “Thank you.”

Data was standing on Dessa, holding Neara in his arms. Any of her family could have floated her, but he wanted to hold her. Tala was standing beside them, holding Neara’s hand. Picard was there, as well as thirty-six Ahmriana. They used his vibration to summon the particular Q they wanted.
He suddenly appeared, looking disoriented. He spoke testily, “I’m not used to be summoned. What are you Ahmriana up to?” He then saw Picard, “Mon Capitaine! To what do I owe this jarring honor?”
Data stepped forward with Neara. “It was actually I who wanted to speak to you. I wanted to ask for your help.”
Q looked at Neara, “I see. Your Weaver has a dimensional energy parasite. Nasty things. There were two that escaped from the Continuum, or the Before and After, as the Ahmriana so quaintly put it. It’s having quite a feast on all her energy, and it’s getting very large. What is it you want from me?”
“Can you help? Can you get rid of the parasite?” Data entreated.
“Didn’t they tell you?” Q questioned, looking at the Ahmriana, then back at Data. “That thing is wrapped around her – it’s a part of her. They’re practically the same thing. I couldn’t kill it without killing her. Perhaps if it had been spotted before it set up house… but alas,” he said spreading his hands at Neara.
“So there’s nothing you can do for her?” Data pleaded.
“I only wish there were. It would be wonderful to have a Weaver beholden to me, but of course, the Q wouldn’t allow it anyway,” Q explained.
“Could you not go back in time and stop the parasite from entering her?” Data asked.
“Normally, that is something I could do. But in this case, I can’t, even if the Q allowed it,” Q informed. “You see, the Ahmriana don’t trust us, so they made it that if an Ahmriana is in a timeline, that timeline cannot be altered. Nothing can be done to the timeline that would prevent the Ahmriana from entering into it, and nothing can be done to harm or hinder them once they are in it. Nowhere along the timeline can anything be altered. The Ahmriana were afraid the Q would go back and prevent their initial development, or potentially prevent a Weaver being born – which is a valid concern, a wise precaution on their part. But in this case, it prevents me from going back and helping her.
“I suppose I could go back to when the parasite escaped the continuum and prevent it from leaving. In theory, that should work. It would do nothing to prevent the Weaver entering this timeline, and because it happened before her entry into it, her very existence as a matter of fact, it should be possible. It wouldn’t hinder or harm her in any way, it would be the exact opposite.
“But there’s no use theorizing, because I couldn’t possibly help her. She killed a Q, and the Q would throw me out of the collective if I dared raise a finger to help… But, I can help you, Tin Man. I can see that cobweb of emotion she’s placed in you,” Q waved a hand at Data’s head. “I can wipe that out, if you want. When she dies, you won’t feel a thing.”
Neara touched Data’s face pleadingly and shook her head. Data looked at her, then Tala, who said, “Please don’t Dad.”
“I will have to decline your offer,” Data affirmed.
“Very well. I do think that’s a mistake – you were so perfect before. I can’t understand why you’d want to do that to yourself,” Q wondered aloud. “Seeing as I can’t be of any service to you, and I’m gaining nothing from this interaction, I’ll just be on my way. I’ll see you soon, mon Capitaine!” and Q disappeared.

Over the days, Neara weakened incrementally, but she assured Data she was in no pain. The family had time to say their goodbyes. Data was still in denial, hoping there would be a sudden revelation, something they had overlooked that would save his beloved. He scoured his mind while he held her, searching through his vast knowledge to no avail. What good was it if it could not save her?!
Through his denial, Neara kept telling him he needed to stay alive – he needed to protect Tala. Data assumed she was concerned he would shut himself down – sever his magnetic energy signal through his force of will thereby killing himself. He did not acquiesce to her pleas, he could not guarantee his actions upon her… he could not even bring himself to think the word.
Finally, she and her family seemed to know it was time. The Ahmriana had set up a funeral pyre outside – a raised platform with a large, shiny black surface like the one they cooked on with a mattress on top of it. The family wanted to take Neara out, but Data would not allow it. He did not want to do this. He did not want this to be real.
Neara asked everyone to give her a moment alone with Data.
“Ka’lee, if you will not let them, you must take me out there,” Neara instructed. “It is for their protection. For our daughter’s protection. Once I die the parasite will look for another host. It is very strong now, so it will be able to travel outside of a body for a time. It could easily travel from me to another Ahmriana anywhere on the planet. Please Data, you must not let this happen.”
She took Data’s hands and looked him earnestly in the eyes, “You are a good being. You would not want anyone else to die needlessly.”
“I do not want you to die,” Data implored.
“It is my time,” Neara stated.
“It is too soon. If you hold on a bit longer…” Data started.
“You know that will not change anything.” Neara said caringly, “Perhaps this is a punishment… for killing all those Borg and killing that Q. I could not be allowed to continue being as happy as you have made me.”
“But our daughter is being punished, your family is being punished, I am being punished. Perhaps I could understand why I would be punished after killing Armus, but what has Tala done? What has your family done? No, this is not right – it is not fair.”
“But it is what will be,” Neara said in acceptance. “I knew when I came to look for you my life would be foreshortened, but the pull to be with you was just too great. Now I know there was a reason for it. I believe there will be a time when a Weaver is born who will need your abilities. I had to be with you so this future Weaver could come into being. I am certain Tala will have a child, and with that, your neural net will be passed on. And it will continue to be passed on until this Weaver is born – and then maybe beyond that.
“This is why I need you to stay alive and protect Tala. She needs you La’Ma. You need to protect her from any dangerous situation. You need to stay close to her. She might object, but it is important. You must promise me La’Ma – I must hear you say you promise.”
Data’s insides were twisting in anguish, but he would do this for his wife.. his ka’sha, “I promise.”
“She will need you too. She acts strong, but she is only a child. She will be in pain. You must share your pain together – you must love and console each other. And you must know, I will wait for you in the After. You will come to me La’Ma, I know this. But you must not come before your time.
“And you both should stay on Ahmria now, with your family. You need them – they will give you great love and support. And Tala needs to know her culture. She should have her ka’falla. She will probably say she does not want this, but I believe she will regret it if she does not have it. You can make her feel guilty and say it was her mother’s dying wish, if you feel it will help.
“I only wish I could be here to see her through to adulthood. You will have to take her through it yourself La’Ma. You are a wonderful parent – I know you can do this on your own. I always admire how tender and loving you are with Tala. I only wish I could have given you more children – you are so beautiful with them. Perhaps you will make another child one day. If so, I will love this being from the After.”
Data started crying for the first time. Neara brushed the tear on his cheek, and Data took her hand, “I do not want you to go.”
Tears brimmed in Neara’s eyes, “I do not want to go either ka’lee, but the universe has other plans.”
Data lay on the bed and they held each other. After a few moments, Neara said, “Please take me outside Data. Even if there were no need for safety, I would still wish to die outside.”
Data gently picked Neara up and carried her outside. Tala rushed over, crying, and held Neara’s hand. Data carefully placed Neara on the mattress and lay next to her, Tala lying on her other side.
The family came over and surrounded her, talking with her, tears streaming down their faces. All except Leyna, her face looked as if it had been chiseled from granite.
Data’s family came over and said their goodbyes, then the stood back respectfully. Thousands of Ahmriana were present, both on the ground and in the air.
Neara was fading. Her family, each in turn, gave her the Ahmrian kiss, then Leyna rapidly kissed Neara all over her face. “I will see you in the After,” she said and stepped away.
After a few moments Neara kissed Tala’s head and said, “Tala, it is time. You should go to your Grandmother now.”
“No Mom, no!!” Tala wailed and held Neara tightly and buried her face in her chest. Leyna stepped forward and gently removed Tala and took her back with her.
Data was left with Neara. Her breathing was becoming very shallow. She turned her head to him and they kissed.
“Will you stand beside me Data and hold my hand?” Neara requested. “You will be OK. The parasite only attaches to DNA signals.”
Data did not want to leave. Tears were streaming down his face.
“Data, you must – for all these people… for our child,” Neara pleaded.
Data got up and stood beside Neara holding her hand.
Neara said in rasping breath, “I will watch over you, and I will see you in the After when it is your time. Remember Data, you promised me. I love you beyond all reason. Ka’na’la lee ka’sha.”
Data repeated the words from his wedding vow, “I am yours completely. Soo nah see (I would die for you), ka'na'la (I love you). Ka ta na (love begins with you), lee ka’sha (my loved one).”
“Do not die for me ka’lee, stay alive for me. Remember your promise,” Neara rasped out her final words and her breathing stopped.
The pyre burst into blue flame, Leyna controlling it from a distance. Data did not let go of Neara’s hand. He stood beside her as the flames consumed the mattress then her body.
He knew what the Ahmriana had planned. After her death, the parasite would remain in Neara’s body, absorbing the last bits of magnetic energy before searching for another host. The fire would burn Neara’s body, consuming that final energy, denaturing the DNA antenna, forcing the parasite to unwind and detach. Once detached, they could intone to kill it, making it antimatter. The timing was everything.
Data stood, holding Neara’s hand outside of the flame. He did not want to let go. His skin and eyes were composed of an asbestos-like substance that defied pigmentation, giving him his unique coloring and his ability to withstand extreme temperatures. They remained unaffected, as did his flame-resistant clothing, but the intense heat burned off his eyebrows, his eyelashes, his hair. His clothing started to singe. Still he did not let go.
Finally, Leyna approached, “Data, you must let go. You must put her hand in the flame.” She waited, and when he did not respond she simply said, “Please Data.”
Data slowly and lovingly placed her hand in the flame. Thousands of Ahmriana started intoning as his wife’s body turned to ash.
The singing stopped. The clearing was totally silent. Then Data let out a roar and ran, dropping to his knees in front of a nearby boulder which he began to pound. He pummeled it until it turned to dust, tearing away the flesh over his fingers and knuckles, exposing the framework below, his roar never ceasing.
His friends and family looked on in sorrowful worry. Tala cried out, “Oh Dad!” and ran over to him. He stopped punching as she approached, sat back on his ankles, and covered his sobbing face with his hands. Tala sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him, crying, “Oh Dad… oh Dad.”
Leyna floated over and put her arm around Data, his body convulsing with each sob. She stroked Tala’s hair.
“I cannot do this. I cannot do this. I do not want to feel this. I do not want to feel this!” Data exclaimed.
“You must Data, you must,” Leyna commanded. “Tala needs you. You promised Neara. You must stay alive.”
He looked up at Leyna, tears streaming down his face, his expression one of hopeless agony. “I cannot do this.”
She looked at him with grave certainty, “You can and you must. You must be stronger than you knew you could ever be. Your child needs you. Do not take away both her parents.”
“Oh Dad,” Tala weeped. He looked down at his child and saw her worried, grief-stricken face – felt her body trembling in fear and anguish. He pulled her close and hugged her tightly and kissed her head. When she was a baby, he dedicated himself to helping her with the process of finding her way in the universe. He vowed to always be there for her. Neara was right – she would need him now more than ever.
“We must release Neara’s spirit to the After,” Leyna gently informed.
Data stood up, holding Tala. Then he delicately put her down letting her stand, held her hand, and the three walked over to the rest of the group. Friends and family hugged them, then Jossa began in his booming voice, speaking in Ahmrian.
“Neara Na Ahta Na Soonga, twenty-sixth Weaver of Ahmria, being of light. You have brought much joy and love. Your existence in the Now changed the vibration of the universe. You have made it better by your presence. We thank you. We are grateful to you. You are beloved to us, and we send you on your way with this love. As you came from the Before, we release you to the After. We release you… we release you… we release you.” Thousands of Ahmriana threw their arms in the air three times, releasing Neara’s spirit to the After. Then they put their arms up and held them there, singing the universal sound ahm in a many-layered harmonic. The vibration in the clearing was astonishing.
After a couple minutes, they stopped and put their arms down. A single butterfly flitted by, Neara’s favorite of the ones Data had envisioned – the ones she created. It flew into the distance. Neara’s beautiful light being had been released.
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Data's Journey	By : K_nz Category: Star Trek > The Next Generation Views: 1351 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for full Disclaimer

Data's Journey