Metamorphosis - Jean Lorrah [127]
“Get… around it?” Data asked.
“Prevent it,” Geordi interpreted. “But nothing I know channels less power than-was “No, Geordi,” Data said, “get around the pain. Captain, I must experiment. You may wish to be out of range.”
Picard looked up from staring at the tabletop. “You think you know a way to transmit without pain?”
“If I can block it, and just let the thought through.
We do not know what thought is, for you, me, or the Konor. But I know what the pain is: excess power overloading delicate sensors.”
“I don’t understand,” Geordi said. “You need that power to transmit strongly enough for anyone to receive you.”
“Yes, but-was Data concentrated, allowing the power flow to increase to a painful level while diverting equal energy from his other systems. It met the power
searing his nerves as he projected, Captain Picard, Geordi-can you hear me?
“Data!” the captain exclaimed.
“How did you do that?” Geordi demanded.
Data spoke aloud, as it was too painful to continue the mental transmission. “I was right; thought exists in some form we cannot measure. I diverted power from my other systems in resonance with that going through the transmitter circuit. Harmonic damping, Geordi. The pain is damped out; the thought is not.”
“Then it didn’t hurt you?” Geordi asked.
“That is … I believe the expression is the “fly in the ointment.” The damping must be done after the power is used to boost the “loudness’ of the thought to a perceptible level. I cannot escape experiencing the pain, but I can prevent it from obscuring the message.”
“Oh, Data,” the captain murmured.
“I’m so sorry,” Geordi said, with sorrow in his voice. “When I said you had to experience pain to understand what it means to be human, I never meant anything like this!”
“I shall be all right,” Data said.
“Will you?” asked his friend. “Do you know what I saw happen, Data? Whether it’s from the pain or from damping the power, you lost your halo, my friend. For that moment you looked to me just like any other human.”
“Perhaps,” Data said, “that is a … good omen.
I shall go and communicate with our Konor guest in the brig. If that is successful, then I shall go down to the planet.”
“Data,” Captain Picard said, “we’ve been concentrating on creating a transmitter-but not on what we 354 would say once we were able to communicate. Commander hiker is skilled in diplomacy-” “Captain,” Data said, “the Konor will listen only to the person who can communicate with them mentally.
As I cannot confer the ability on anyone else, I will have to beam down alone. And I know what I shall say. Is it not obvious?”
DATA FOUND IT pitifully easy to fool the Konor in the Enterprise brig into accepting him.
When he transmitted his first words without speaking, the man leaped up and embraced him wordlessly.
Through the lingering haze of pain caused by his transmission, Data forced a smile.
My brother.
The Konor answered with a smile of his own. We knew Providence might have created Konor among other beings, but you are the first we have discovered.
Then, to Data’s relief, he began speaking aloudfor of course the security guards outside the cell could “hear” every word of mental conversation. “My brother, can you help me escape from the Ikonor you dwell among?” “I can,” Data nodded. “I am third in command of this ship. As I outrank everyone except the captain and the first officer, no one will question my orders.”
The man did not question Data’s willingness to leave the ship, assuming that he was in the midst of the same wonderful discovery each Konor knew when he became capable of speaking mind to mind-or as they saw it, soul to soul. “I wondered why you came back to study me so often-you must have felt our kinship under Providence. You must tell me of your people.