Metamorphosis - Jean Lorrah [66]
Geordi laughed. “I should have known-you’ve lost your halo, Data. Welcome to the world of temptation. There’s no reason to ignore the more delightful aspects of the opposite sex when you’re not on duty. But you’ll learn the time and place to indulge yourself. You’re obviously a fast learner.” Then he sobered. “May I make a suggestion that might smooth your path in that area?”
“Please do.”
“I shouldn’t have said indulge yourself, Data.
Indulge the lady. Look, I’m hardly a great expert, but I know this much. Until you get a whole lot of experience, 183 let her set the pace. Never assume; let her show you what she wants. I don’t think women know they go around tempting men just by being female.” “Then my reactions are not abnormal,” Data said with relief. “Not at all. But don’t act on them until the woman in question tells you she wants you to.”
“I hardly have time to think about that at the moment,” said Data. “That is why I find it disturbing that women are so … distracting. I shall consider it a normal human response, and ignore it until I have resolved my other concerns.”
“And what concerns are those?” Geordi asked with a smile Data didn’t quite know the meaning of.
“Requalifying for full duty status. The Enterprise is headed into a difficult situation, and her Second Officer is not fit either to go on an away team or to take command of the bridge.”
“Well,” Geordi said, “what have you accomplished so far?” “Officially cleared on navigation. I am scheduled to test out on Ops tomorrow.”
“A good start. What are you worried about, then?
You’ll be back to full duty status in a few days.”
“Not if Lieutenant Worf and Counselor Troi have any say in the matter.” “Worf s not as tough as he pretends,” Geordi reassured Data. “He’ll growl a lot and talk about IC-LINGON superiority, but if you show reasonable competency he’ll pass you. Hell, I pass his checks, even though he takes great pleasure in wiping up the holodeck with me before he grudgingly clears me for continued duty. He doesn’t expect of the regular crew what he demands of his security people.”
That was true. Data realized with intense relief that he was already as good as Geordi at unarmed combat.
That left weapons. Thank goodness ordinary crew members were not required to be expert with a variety of exotic weapons, as the security personnel were. If Data could conquer phasers, he would pass. Which still left Counselor Troi.
“Data, don’t push yourself so hard,” Geordi said. “When you get checked out on everything else, you’ll feel confident-and Troi will sense that. She’d be wrong to clear you for full duty before you’ve had time to adjust. Think about it: would you want the responsibility for leading an away team right now?”
“No,” Data admitted. “Especially not after the fatal mistake I made last time.”
“What do you mean?”
Data got up and walked to the mirror. “Look at me, Geordi. You can see it better than anyone else. My … self-indulgence destroyed the balance of the Enterprise senior crew.
There is nothing I can provide as a human that you and Picard and Riker and Pulaski do not already have between you. As an android I had strength, speed, and instantaneous access to information. Now I provide nothing special at all.”
“Nothing but your skills, your experience, and the indefinable things that make you you, was Geordi said.
“Data, you have no reason to feel guilty. Good God, man, do you think I would have given one second’s thought to the value of my special vision to Starfleet if I’d been in your shoes?
If I’d earned my fondest wish, the way you did? If you think anyone resents your taking your chance, forget it. Now come on-we’re off duty.
Let’s go to TenForward for a drink,