Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation.

The rehearsal

 Jean-Luc and Beverly walked down the corridor. She was the first to speak, “Jean-Luc?”

    He interrupted her, “Beverly?”

    They looked at each other blushing like school children. “What do you think about that little display?” she asked.

    The door to his quarters slid open. He motioned for her to enter. After the door slid closed behind them, he spoke. “I wonder if that was how Romeo felt?

    “What do you mean?”

    “Can I get you anything?”

    “No, I’m fine.” She said as she sat on the couch.

    His door chimed, “come.”

    It was Deanna and Wil. Deanna looked around and saw Beverly, “are we interrupting?”

    “No, not at all.” Beverly answered. 

    Deanna and Wil joined Beverly on the couch. Picard sat in a chair close to Beverly. “We were trying to figure out what happened in there?” He commented.

    “As were we.” Wil offered. For 5 minutes, I was Casanova.” He grinned.

    “A criminal?” Beverly asked.

    “No a lover with wit and charm. I can see me retiring to write my memoirs.”

    “Would you have 12 volumes?” Picard asked.

    “More.” Wil laughed.

    “I can almost envision that.” Picard smiled, “I fancied myself to Romeo.”

    “Romeo?” Deanna asked. “A passionate yet doomed lover?”

    “Yes.” Came his honest reply. “That makes twice Data has done something to invoke strange emotions in us.”

    “Maybe he is just giving us the opportunity to think about things that we should?” Wil inquired.

    “That was by far the best piece of music I have ever heard.” Beverly stopped.

    “What was that thing, for the lack of a better description? That developed in the corner of the room?” Wil asked.

    “You can’t convince me otherwise that it wasn’t the,” Beverly stopped.

    “Essence of a person.” Picard finished her sentence.

    “Exactly.”

    “And did it curtsy at him?” Deanna asked.

    “I thought it did.” Beverly remarked. “It was as if it was in the room already.”

    “Invisible. But his playing made it take form.” Wil added.

    “You don’t think that could have been inside Data and his playing brought it out?” Beverly frowned.

    Deanna analyzed, “I think that would have made his behavior more complex than that it has been. If that would have been the case, he would have acted schizophrenic.” 

    “You don’t think Data has been acting like two different people?” Picard asked.

    “No, I think he has been acting like a person who is confused, desperate.

    “Do you think he is acting out events that have happened in his past?” Picard asked.

    “No, I think he is remembering events in the past during those periods of turmoil. I still stick to my hypothesis that someone or something is communicating with him.” Deanna spoke. 

    “The formation in the corner could have been an attempted reconstruction of whomever is communicatingwith him,” Beverly interjected.

    “Do you think that is her ship?” Wil pointed out the window.

    “Her?” Picard questioned.

    “In my head, that outline was of a woman.”

    “And on the Jormungand in the Luminaria we saw part of a conversation Data was having with a woman.” Deanna remembered.

    “She had harsh things to say about Admiral Westerfield.” Wil added. 

    “He wasn’t invited to this rehearsal.”

    “Could it have been her?”

    “She would have to be a powerful being in order for that to happen.” 

    “Powerful, perhaps in trouble?” 

    “That is an interesting theory.” Picard voiced.

    “She said lots of things that I have questions about. She said she was a Goodwill Ambassador. I’ve tried to research Good Wil Ambassadors but there isn’t anything in our database.” Beverly hissed.

    “She also felt that Westerfield deployed her without proper authorization from the president.” Deanna commented.

    “None of this was in your reports.” Picard snapped.

    Deanna looked at Wil. “We are having a hard time writing a report. The things we want to say just don’t sound right. They don’t make any sense.”

    “If they don’t make sense to us, how are they going to make sense to you” Wil added.

    “What is a Luminaria?” Picard asked.

    “You have to see this thing?” Wil answered. He tapped his communicator. “Data, meet me in Transporter room 2.” He turned back to the group. “Let’s move our meeting.” The four friends moved to transporter room 2 where Data was waiting. 

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation.

Concert

    Madam Torva was holding a concert in the theater. The children had been practicing for months now and it was time to show off their talents. Madam Torva had the reputation of being one of the most difficult music teachers anywhere. She demanded discipline, precision, and perfect timing with HER music. Two (2) the age parents brought their children to Madam Torva, they could read and play music. Their childhood joy of learning to play had developed into a longing for a profession. 

    She had on display a mandolin, a 12 string acoustic guitar, a banjo, a violin, a set of calfskin tambourines, an alto saxophone, a clarinet, and a flute. A If a child couldn’t play more than one instrument, he or she was proficient on the instrument they chose to play. She had 10 children under her tutelage. The room was set up ready for them to play. A small program was handed out listing the music they would play. Members of the senior staff and the parents of the children attended the rehearsal. Madam Torva had chosen 7 songs to be performed:

1. Ludwig van Beethoven’s: Violin Concerto In D: Rondo, 

2. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky: ‘The Nutcracker’: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy,

3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro: Overture to ‘The Marriage of Figaro’,

4. Gioacchino Rossini: ‘The Barber of Seville’: Overture to ‘The Barber of Seville’,

5. Antonio Vivaldi: ‘The Four Seasons’: Concerto in F Major – Autumn: Allegro 

6. Dominick Argento: ‘The Dream of Valentino’: Valentino Dances

7. Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata, 3 Klavierstucke, D. 946: No. 3 in C – Allegro

    Everyone gathered around and enjoyed an evening of delightful, well played music.

After a well performed program, Madam Trova introduced each student and their parents. She said, “There is a little musician in all of us. What do you like to play?” She addressed the question to the entire group. Everyone looked around but no one answered. Then she started calling on people, “Commander Riker, do you play an instrument?”

    “I can play the keyboard but I prefer the trombone.”

    “Captain?”

    He cleared his throat, “I dabble with a Kataanan flute.”

    “Interesting,” she raised an eyebrow. “Doctor Crusher?

    “I prefer to dance.”

    “Oh, but what is dance without music?” She sighed. “Mr. Worf?”

    He growled. The rest of the senior staff smiled. “I do not play.”

    “Okay.” She cleared her throat again, “help yourself to hors d’oeuvers.”

    Data stared at the violin. Geordi interrupted his thoughts. “Play it. We all know you can.”

    “Something does not feel right. I feel strange.”

    “Strange how?” Geordi asked with concern in his voice.

    “I am unsure. I do not want to play it. Though, I feel I need to play it.”

    “Are you afraid you are going to embarrass yourself?” 

    Data just gazed at him. “No, not in the least.” He picked up the violin, holding it to his chin. He took a deep breath drawing the bow across the strings. It was sweet and soft. Everyone in the room stopped their conversations to marvel as Data played. Ave Maria flowed with the sweetness of honey from the bow. The strings oozed with nectar. Deanna huddled close to Wil. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she placed her head on his shoulder. Beverly inched closer and closer to Jean-Luc. She had a lone tear in her eye. She knew Data could play but she had no idea he could play this well.

    In the corner of the room, particles started to form. Ice blue, the particles began to increase in number. Beverly looked around the room to see if she was the only person to notice them. She poked Jean-Luc with her elbow. Geordi stepped from behind Data in the direction of the particles. Though he dared not get too close. The more Data played the more particles collected. They swirled around each other growing larger in size. They began to take shape. They almost reminded Deanna of a person. Little red particles started collecting at the top of the model. She could feel Wil pull her closer. Smoke began to come up from the floor. Madam Trova was in shock. The children smiled with delight. One of the children accompanied Data on the piano. Then another violin joined in. The three of them played in perfect harmony. The model in the corner stopped spinning. It was the outline of a person. Geordi was amazed at the formation he saw. The colors looked like the painting in the Jormungand’s library. The trio ended the song. Data stumbled backwards. 

    “Data,” Geordi made sure he caught his balance. “Are you okay?”

    “No.”

    The room was in awe. Still staring at the corner. Data turned to see the wonderful formation. It seemed to curtsy at him. Data was holding the violin. “Geordi, take it. Before I drop it.” Geordi took the instrument from Data’s trembling hands. The little girl that had accompanied him with the other violin walked over to him, “thank you,” he moaned. When he passed out, the formation vanished with a flash of white light.  Geordi was able to catch Data’s head before it hit the floor. 

Everyone was in shock.  

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation 

A very good friend 

    Geordi had moved Data to the lived in bedroom. He was setting in a chair watching Data. ‘You are a very good friend,’ kept ringing in his ears. He couldn’t get used to the idea of Data collapsing. This Data was turning into a completely different Data than the one he knew. But then as we experience life we change with it. Events tend to nurture emotions in us. He knew that with his own personality.

    Geordi stood up as Data’s body began to rise off the bed. “What?” He backed up as Data started to spin in midair. Faster and faster he spun. He was spinning so fastthat his communicator flew off, Geordi ducked just in time to miss it, whizzing past his head. Data’s body slammed onto the bed. “Data?” Geordi was very cautious about checking on his friend. “Data.” Data rose from the bed screaming. Geordi fell backwards into the floor. “Data!” He fell back to the bed. Geordi scrambled to get out of the floor. “Data.” He inched closer to the bed.

    Data was a mess. His hair. His clothing. He stood up straitening his person. “I have to figure out what is going on here. I do not know how much more of this I can take.” He stopped looking a Geordi. “Emotionally that is.” I now know what a nagging question feels like when the answer is uncertain.”

    “What is the question? I can’t think of a central one. I can think of hundreds.”

    “The central question for me is, why is this happening?”

     “Why? How? Who’s causing it? The list goes on and on.” Geordi took a deep breath, “Data,” he commented as he sat on the edge of the bed.

    Data turned toward him.

    “Do you think a series of events will start effecting the crew?

    “I think they already have. Members of the crew have been seeing things, hearing things. Things that cannot be explained as a dream or an overactive imagination. I feel the crew; especially certain members of us are going to be experiencing reoccurring strange events.”

    “One burning question right now is how one person can fly this ship?”

    “Why assume it is only one person?”

    Geordi looked around. “This is just the impression I get. One very creative person.”

    “Very perceptive my friend.”

    “Where did that come from?”

    “Should I not call you my friend?”

    “You are my friend. It’s just a coincidence I guess. Something spoke to me earlier telling me I am a ‘very good friend’. Odd.”

    “Odd is going to become the familiar.”

    “Are you going to the concert tonight?”

    “Yes.” They returned to the Enterprise together.