Survivors - Jean Lorrah [27]
“For young Tasha Yar,” the announcer’s voice was saying, “her very first assignment became an opportunity for heroism when she saved fellow crew members after their ship was attacked and boarded by a ruthless enemy.”
Phaser fire exploded around her, but Tasha stood her ground with grim determination, no hint of fear in the young eyes. The attacker lunged toward her, she fired, and the scene ended in a flare of camera-overload.
“They don’t show the rest of the Starbound bridge crew falling around me,” Tasha said grimly. “Saved fellow crew members, indeed. It was Dare who-“
She stopped abruptly, and Data stored the comment for future consideration as he let his attention remain with the Trevan news broadcast.
Tasha was next shown in recent records, in her duties aboard the Enterprise.
Then the scene shifted to Data-in a test made at Starfleet Academy. He was shown lifting three, four, and then five of his classmates, looking bewildered as to why such a demonstration was asked of him. He remembered: he had been bewildered at the unscientific experiment, having already been through tests which accurately measured his strength and resiliency. Later he learned that the scene became part of the information Starfleet released about him to non-scientists, especially to schools. One of his early assignments, before he was assigned to serve aboard a starship, had been as Starfleet Education Representative to schools all over the solar system.
“At least I know where they got this information,” he told Tasha. “Starfleet probably still sends it out to anyone who asks about me. It is also years out of date, and … I am not sure why seeing it again now … disturbs me.”
“Because it treats you like an object rather than a person,” Tasha responded instantly. “And by the way, Starfleet does not provide this stuff in your dossier today. I’ve never seen it before; I’m sure it’s buried in the archives as an embarrassment Starfleet Command would rather forget. You’re a valued officer now, not a curious piece of equipment they’re not sure how to use.”
But the rest of the broadcast on Data was no better than that about Tasha. He, too, was shown fighting, shooting-each time appearing to be aggressive and very, very dangerous.
“With the help of Starfleet,” the announcer continued, “we will rid our peaceful planet of the rebels who oppose our way of life and attempt to take power over us all. In Tongaruca only today, rebels attacked villagers gathered for the weekly market-“
The scene showed a crowded marketplace devastated when an explosion suddenly went up in its midst. People fled, screaming, right into a circle of well-armed men and women who seemed to take great pleasure in clubbing and stabbing the unarmed citizens, phasering those with the fortitude to fight back.
Data frowned. “These ‘rebels’ have phasers. Why does Nalavia not have an armed force of her own, to protect her people from such attacks?”
“Just one of the things we need to find out,” replied Tasha. “Such as how warlords have metamorphosed into rebels. What do you suppose they are rebelling against?”
There was no answer to her question, but there was to Data’s as well-armed soldiers in ground vehicles arrived at the devastated marketplace and drove off the rebels. None of their shots seemed to connect, however, the original attackers escaped, and the soldiers turned to aiding the survivors.
Data turned away from the broadcast. “If these local news stories are as carefully edited as the ones about you and me-“
“The terms you’re looking for,” Tasha said grimly, “are ‘slanted’ and ‘biased.’ I wonder whether Treva has a free press.”
“They claim to,” Data told her. “Do you think the journalists oppose Starfleet’s aid, and are therefore trying to portray us as representatives of a military force?”
“Perhaps,” said Tasha, “whoever prepared those reports thinks the audience wants someone to come in and smash their enemies.” She shrugged. “Possibly they do. Their own soldiers seem remarkably ineffective.”
“But their journalists remarkably effective,” Data observed.