Lost Data

Chapter 1

 The USS Enterprise glided silently through the cold expanse of space, its sensors scanning the remnants of a long-forgotten conflict. The planet below was a desolate wasteland, scarred by a war that had ravaged its surface thousands of years ago. The crew had initially come to investigate the planetary debris and gather data on the extinct civilization that once inhabited it.

Lieutenant Commander Data, stationed at his console on the bridge, was absorbed in the task of analyzing the planetary wreckage when an anomaly appeared on his screen. The sensors picked up an object drifting slowly through space, well beyond the debris field.

"Captain, I've detected an unidentified object, approximately 2,000 kilometers off our port bow, moving at a minimal velocity away from the planet's debris field. According to sensors, it is too small to be a vessel or even an escape pod, and it is emitting no detectable energy" Data reported, his voice steady and precise.

Captain Picard adjusted his chair and leaned forward. "On screen."

The viewscreen flickered to life, displaying a small, humanoid like figure drifting in the void. Unlike the scattered remnants of satellites and ships, this object seemed distinctly different, floating alone in the emptiness of space.

"Magnify," Picard ordered.

As the image cleared, the figure became more clearly humanoid.

"It's a woman!" Riker exclaimed, in disbelief.

"How did she end up here?" the Captain mused.

She was moving away from the planet at an almost imperceptible rate, barely shifting in the vast emptiness. She floated, her long hair fanning out around her like a halo, her body wrapped in a form-fitting suit that glowed faintly with an otherworldly light. She seemed undamaged by her travel into space, but they needed to take a closer look. She could teach them a lot about that planet, it's inhabitant and their culture.

Data's eyes narrowed as he examined the readings. "She appears to have been drifting for millennia. Her trajectory suggests She has been moving away from the planet at a rate of only a few meters per year."

The crew worked swiftly to bring the android aboard the Enterprise using the transporter. The mysterious figure materialized on the transporter pad. She looked like she died only a few minutes ago, not millennia. Her pale face seemed peaceful, and her feature had a striking resemblance with humans. Dr. Crusher and her team immediately took the body to sickbay and began examining the woman on a biobed. Captain Picard and Data followed to observe her work.

"Initial readings show what appears to be human-like anatomy, but there are discrepancies in the data." Beverly Crusher said before she adjusts the scanner settings and examines the results more closely. "This can't be right... The scans indicate no biological tissue. It's all synthetic." She adjusts the scanner again, her eyes widening as the full implications of the data become clear. "I'm not looking at a human... This is an android. The technology here is incredibly advanced"

"Like any android" Picard said, looking at Data.

"Dr. Crusher, perhaps I can assist with further analysis if needed. This discovery could be significant." Data intervened.

Crusher nodded. His insights could be useful given the nature of their discovery.

"I'll leave you to your work. Please give me a report as soon as possible" the Captain concluded before returning to the bridge.

"The medical scanner detects a dense network of nanites within the android" Crusher continues.

"The tricorder is not detecting any residual energy, It is completely depleted. Maybe we could power up her system and bring her online"

"We can look at the possibility, but we'll have to talk to the captain first. Call La Forge, please."

Data did what the doctor suggested, and Geordi joined them soon after. He looked at the android, impressed.

"I don't see any damage, it's remarkable. The alloy composing her skin must be particularly robust." He said. He then took a tricorder for a first evaluation of his own. "Incredible, I detect a faint residual energy."

Data glanced at him, confused. "I had detected none earlier"

"It is very faint, maybe you missed it..."

Data wasn't the kind of android that missed any kind of information. He took his tricorder and tried again, but it showed the same result as Geordi's.

"I detect it now. It was not there before, I am certain of it."

"Let's see that... It's not like you could be hurt in your ego, so..."

"So?"

"So, you're not lying to cover an error, like I would suspect a human to do. Anyway, if her energy is going up, we need to know how." La Forge explained.

"Agree. I'm going to talk to the Captain. Continue without me, you're more skillful than me with technology." Beverly said, going to her medical console. She then proceeded to record her log and transfer it to the captain before asking him to come back.

When Picard finally managed to find a minute, he showed up to sickbay asking if there was any news since Dr Crusher last log.

"Well, not really... I can find any access to her circuitry, no port, nothing." La Forge admitted, while he was still palpating the android skin, next to her neck and head.

"I do have news." Data started. "When we beamed her, she was showing no sign of any energy. When La Forge arrived, he detected some residual. Now, it is even more elevated. It is still very faint, but it doubled since then. However, I cannot find out how it is happening."

"Will she wake up?" Picard asked.

"At this rate, she will be able to function within normal parameter in three years, five months and two days... approximately" Data concluded, noting the impatience of his audience when he was precise.

"If we could find what kind of energy she needs, we could make it happen faster" Beverly suggested.

The captain hesitated. After all, a terrible war decimated the entire planet below them. Was she built as a soldier? She certainly didn't look like a weapon.

"What do you think? Does she present any threat to us?"

"There's no way to be sure, but I doubt it. Her delicate feature doesn't indicate offensive purpose." Dr Crusher said.

"I tend to agree with you, but I want a security team to your door, just in case. And keep Data with you. You can try to reactivate her if you can. Maybe she can tell us a lot about what happened."