Survivors - Jean Lorrah [9]
“However,” he added, “our assignment is to deliver a consignment of Droghenian wheat to Brentis VI. Droghenian wheat is resistant to the Fulgian rust that has destroyed their crops two years in a row, but it must be planted within the next seventeen point three days. We are scheduled to arrive in five point two days. Diverting to Treva would dangerously reduce the time available for planting the seed once it arrives. The Enterprise cannot be diverted until after we have offloaded our cargo at Brentis VI.”
“Correct,” said Picard approvingly. “However-” he invited.
“- if what President Nalavia says is true,” Data continued, “these ‘warlords’ are murdering innocent people. Starfleet records give no information on Treva’s own police or armed forces; we do not know why they cannot contain the insurrection without Federation help.”
Picard turned from Data then. “Lieutenant Worf, what should Starfleet do?”
“Dispatch a scout to investigate, sir,” the Klingon officer answered. “Commander Data, are there any Starfleet scoutships as close to Treva as the Enterprise?”
“Negative,” Data supplied.
“Then,” Worf continued, “I predict that Starfleet will direct the Enterprise to send an away team to investigate the situation on Treva, and determine whether it constitutes a true emergency.”
Lieutenant Yar looked over at Worf with a congratulatory grin, then said, “Message from Starfleet, Captain. We are to send a shuttle to investigate events on Treva, and notify Starfleet at once if the situation warrants our taking action.”
“Tell them we will do so immediately,” the Captain told her. But he was not through with the lesson. “Acting Ensign Crusher.”
“You want me to go, sir?”
“No, Ensign.” Data saw Picard control annoyance once again at the boy on his bridge. “I want you to tell me how the Prime Directive applies to this situation.”
Wesley blushed. He had ‘put his foot in it,’ as the peculiar human saying had it. “Uh, I don’t know, Captain. What is Treva’s status?” He looked desperately at Data, but did not ask directly as Worf had.
When the silence threatened to stretch forever, Data volunteered, “Treva has applied for Federation membership, but only the preliminary survey has been completed.”
“Um, if the report was not negative,” Wesley groped for an answer, “then at the request of the duly elected leadership we may provide appropriate aid.”
“Very well,” said the Captain. “And next time, Ensign, do not hesitate to request information of either Commander Data or the computer. The computer will never volunteer it, and you should not expect your fellow crew members to do so, either. Had we been in the midst of a crisis, the delay you caused might have been crucial.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy said, caught between pleasure at having given the correct answer and embarrassment at not having gone about it in the right way.
Meanwhile, Captain Picard was saying, “Commander Data, Lieutenant Yar, take Shuttle 11 and proceed to Treva. Nalavia’s message was notable mostly for its lack of useful information. Find out what the hell’s really going on there.”
Tasha Yar considered: several days alone with Data in the confines of a shuttlecraft would give her the opportunity to talk with him as Deanna Troi had suggested. An unconscionably long time had passed. If she had caused Data pain, his attitudes suggested that he was over it by now. In fact, his lack of reaction, even soon after the event, made her wonder if her command, “It never happened,” had actually erased the event from his memory banks.
That possibility was worse than the idea that she had hurt him. Still, although she badly wanted to know, Yar was not certain her curiosity would be appreciated since they had discovered Lore-since Data had learned he was not unique, and had in fact been created deliberately less human than his prototype.
Still, fate-and Captain Picard’s orders-had cast them together with nothing to do but