Subject: Data's Valentine-Short Story. One part.

From: [email-masked] (Benjamin Joab Hoppe)
Date: 6 Feb 1994 23:03:54 GMT

This file is Public Domain. It may be transferred throughout, as 
long as all the information given is still attatched. I would 
appreciate a mail to [email-masked] if you enjoy it. Thank 
you.

	Star Trek: The Next Generation
	"The Valentine's Day Party"
	Benjamin Hoppe ([email-masked])
 		Historian's Note:
			This story takes place AFTER the death
			of Natasha Yar, but will refrence her.

	Data, even though he had no feelings, looked to be sulking in 
a cup of cola. Guinan looked puzzled at this, and walked from 
behind the bar, to the table, and sat down across from him, "What 
is the problem now, Mr. Data?"
	Data sighed, "I do not understand the latest memo I received."
He handed her the PADD, and she took a long look at it. She 
smiled, "Data, It is just a invitation to the Ten Foward 
Valentine's Day Party"
	"Valentine's Day. I do not understand, exactly."
	Guinan looked strange, "Surely you know of Valentine's Day. 
Saint Valentine?"
	Data accessed, "Ah, 'Valentine', a holiday in which people of 
great love, or of friendship, consolidate their relationship with 
presents of minimal value, usually a card, candy, or flowers."
	Guinan sighed, "Data, Valentine's Day isn't exactly what is in 
your memory bank as a definition, but rather what you feel in your 
heart."
	Data frowned, "But I have no REAL heart. All I have is what 
circulates the fluids in my body. But I can not feel what might 
'come from the heart.'"
	"Data," Guinan continued, "you seemed, from what I heard,  to 
have feelings for Tasha Yar. Is that true."
	"I am still pondering what was with that one. Especially when 
intercourse occurred."
	Guinan interupted, "You can do THAT?"
	"Affirmative," Data replied, "anyways, it is still unknown to 
me of how that happened. It was like I had emotion, but not really 
that I had emotion."
	"Well, Data. Perhaps it was a power fuctuation."
	Data accessed, "Doubtful, all the systems checked out"
	"Well, perhaps the answer will be at the party." Guinan then 
stood up, and walked over to another table, and sat down with an 
Ensign.
	Data thought to himself, "Perhaps I will find the answer 
later. For if I do not know what the answer to my dilema that I 
seemed to subsided for the time being is, I may never truly EVER 
understand the human emotion of love."

	Data sat at his bridge post, on what, to Captain Picard, was 
the left, controlling the helm. He watched people come in, and 
leave out, without worry. This depressed him in a way, for he was 
with worry... he had yet to find his answer to his dilema. 
Commander William T. Riker sat behind him in the command chair, 
Deanna Troi to his left, and Worf standing above him.
	Worf was always asked if he wanted a chair for his station, 
but the Klingon way was to stand. To be alert in case of danger.
	Data turned his chair around, and faced the Commander and 
Counselor. "Commander, Counselor... may I ask you something."
	Deanna replied with her usual hormonious voice, "Of course 
Data, we are your friends." At that point Beverly Crusher walked 
onto the bridge, as Data was stating his question, "What is love."
	Beverly's hand danced in front of the pad to ring the chime 
for the Captain's Ready Room, but she pulled it back, "Data, what, 
may I ask, do you mean?" She walked around and over to the seat to 
the right of William Riker. 
	They sat in a row, leaning toward Data, which caught Worf's 
attention, who overheard some of the conversation, "May I join in, 
sir?"
	"Of course, Worf. You are my friend as well, and I would like 
your imput." Data said, before he spelt out what he had talked to 
Guinan about only 5 hours earlier in Ten Foward.
	Deanna chimed in at the end of the story, "So, you are worried 
about the party."
	"Yes..." Data replied, "I am. I am not sure I understand 
completely what love is, so this is why I ask you, my friends."
	"Data," Deanna continued, "Love can not be defined. It is just 
a feeling. Something that makes two or more people attracted to 
each other. Sometimes love can even be with imanimate objects. In 
the past, many people have claimed to love things from cars to 
pencils. Some even love entertainment forms. I remember hearing of 
one from my father. He said that there was a mass group of people 
who ogled after a television show. About 10 million of em' watched 
some show called 'Star Trek.'"
	"Star Trek. The fans are often called Trekkies or Trekkers."
	"Yes, Data... but what I am saying is that love is just an 
attatchment to something."
	Will interupted this, "Not necessarily. Love is something that 
can mean nothing. Or absolutely everything. I used to think that I 
loved Deanna, but now I know that it was meant to be friendship."
	Worf bellowed in from above, leaning over the tatical station, 
"In the Klingon culture, love is something that is given only to 
those who have honor, and those people must have a great respect 
for the people who give this. The man must lead the way of love, 
with the woman following, three paces behind."
	Deanna looked disgusted, "That is SOOO sexist. I have to 
disagree."
	"It is our culture. I do not deny that!" Worf complained.
	Throughout the entire escapade, Doctor Beverly Crusher was 
totally silent.
	"Doctor," Data broke in, "What do you think of love?"
	Beverly thought to herself for a moment, "Well, Data. Love is 
hard to explain. Would you like my advanced definition of love, or 
the short one?"
	Data thought for a moment, "If it is not to much trouble, the 
long one."
	Beverly walked over to the spot where the ensign should stand, 
had there been one on duty, "Well, Data. Let me put it like this. 
I loved Jack. I love Wesley. I love Jean-Luc. I love all that I 
can love. Love is something that binds people together. Anybody 
who can be placed together will love at least once. Love is 
everything, even friendship. I believe that everyone and 
everything has some love to be given in some ways. Haven't you 
ever noticed how Q loves us. He plays with us, pretends to put the 
ship in danger, and then saves us just before our time is up. 
Don't you ever notice that love is all around you. I love you, 
Deanna loves you, Will loves you, even Worf loves you. Love comes 
from your friends."
	Data pondered this for a moment, "Then what was that that 
occurred with Tasha Yar."
	The thought for a moment, but there was silence. The answer 
was unknown to anyone. Nobody knew the answer.

	Later that evening was the Saint Valentine's Party. It was 
held in HoloDeck 4, so that it could be expanded enough to hold 
that many people. Everybody had drinks in their hand, except for 
Data. About 200 people were in attendance. Even Jean-Luc Picard, 
the captain of the Enterprise, was there. He was the one person 
who ALWAYS avoided such things. Wesley was also there, visiting 
his mother from the academy. He was sitting at a table with what 
appeared to Data to be Robin Lefler, a engineer ensign who 
assisted Geordi. Data walked over to them, and said "Hello."
	Wesley jumped at this, "Hello, Data... you know Robin Lefler. 
She works in Engineering."
	Robin looked akward, standing next to Data, "um.... hello, 
Commander. Good day, isn't it."
	"Yes, it is," Data replied, "but you may call me Data. Any 
friend of Wesley's is a friend of mine."
	Wesley smiled, "Robin was the one who helped me save the ship 
when Commander Riker brought that game on board. You know I 
graduate this year. I am so excited. You will be there, right?"
	"Of course. You will excuse me... I would like to mingle."
	"Of course, Data," Wesley replied, "But come back later. Can 
we eat together?" Both Wesley and Robin smiled at each other.
	"I will appreciate that, but wouldn't you rather be alone for 
dinner. I have heard that when someone is in love, they like to do 
things alone."
	The both smirked, "Not necessarily, Data. Please come back at 
Dinner Point."
	The android smiled, "I will," as he walked away from their 
table.
	Data walked over to Captain Picard, who was standing with 
Doctor Beverly Crusher. "Data," Beverly began, "Did you find the 
answer to your question?"
	"Question?" Asked Jean-Luc.
	"Yes, Jean-Luc... Data asked me... er... never mind. It is 
personal."
	"It is alright, Doctor," Data said, "I asked the doctor what 
love was.
	"Well, Data," Jean-Luc stated, "That is a big question, 
indeed." He thought for a moment, "I think love is the feeling you 
have for someone after spending so much time with someone, that 
you feel that without them, you might die. Not really, but you 
have that feeling."
	"Hmm...." Data thought, "Thank you, sir. I will add that to my 
list."
	"Hope I helped, Data."
	
	At that point, Commander William T. Riker's voice came over a 
loud speaker, "People, please be seated. The dinner period is 
about to begin."
	Data walked over to Wesley and Robin, "Is the invitation to 
sit at your table still open?"
	"Of course, Data. Unless you want to sit next to us with the 
other senior officers."
	Data contemplated this, "No... I would like to sit with you."
	Robin smiled, "Ok, Data.. sit down."

	Holographic waiters came around, containing nothing but legs, 
a suit, an face, and a hole in their bodies. One of them strode 
over to the table where Data, Wesley, and Robin was sitting.
	In a French accent, it asked, "What would each of you like?"
	Robin and Wesley both spoke their order at the same time, 
ordering exactly what the other did, steak dinner. Data found this 
very fascinating. 
	The waiter's body filled with three plates, automatically 
giving Data the same, as he requested.
	They all were halfway done with their meals, both Wesley and 
Robin enjoying themselves emensly, when Commander Riker came over 
the speaker again, but this time, a podium appeared. 
	"Attention! Please. The votes for the couple of the night have 
been tallied by the computer, and the results are that the king 
and queen of the night are......... Wesley Crusher and Robin 
Lefler. Now they are to stand and have their dance. Then others 
should follow.
	Wesley and Robin stood up, and walked over to the middle of 
the floor, and music began to play. They placed their arms around 
each other, and started to glide. Data sat and watched this. He 
gawked as they glided to and fro', having fun. He collabterated 
this with the information he had gotten from his crewmans.
	~That is it!~ He thought. ~Love is a bond between two people. 
Someone you care so deeply for that you would consider spending 
the rest of your life with. Much like Wesley and Robin.
	The music interluded, and Wesley and Robin walked back to the 
table. Some jazz music started to play, as they began to sit down. 
Wesley got down into his seat, but Data stood up. "Robin, may I 
have this dance?"
	Robin was amazed at this, from the scared android confused 
about love, to asking a woman to dance, so what else could she do, 
"Of course, Data. I'd love to." and they did. They danced better 
than any couple in the room. Not that anyone else would think so, 
but Data wanted to think that this was true. That there was some 
form of harmony.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Valentine's Day from Benjamin Hoppe!!!
1994.
-- 
From Benjamin Hoppe ([email-masked]), compliments of Yakko Warner:
"It's a great big universe, and we're all really puny, we're all little specks
about the size of Mickey Rooney. It's big and black and inky, and we are small
and dinky, It's a great big universe, and we're not!"