#me an hour later: feck I might've overdone it

[my-timing-is-digital]

@quantumstarpaths continued from [ x ]

A ruminative nod, intertwined with a look of profound understanding pertaining to the transience of life that was familiar to all humanoids, ensued Stamets’ statements; Data could sympathise with his scepticism. He was cognisant of the many negative experiences the Commander had endured during his time. His work had been diminished to an inconsequential, unreliable, and error prone experiment after Discovery’s feigned destruction; the android could imagine it might be challenging for him to envision anyone carrying on his work in the future. But the android was optimistic with regards to the continuation of Stamets’ work; they had virtually exhausted every last ounce of the resources that facilitated faster than light travel. Dilithium was no longer a material they had in abundance; supplies were running low and they were in desperate need of a dependable alternative... And maybe, just maybe, the arrival of the Discovery and her crew could turn the tide, could hoist the Federation and Starfleet out of the detrimental feedback loop they had been incarcerated in for decades.

His words hammered home and he was glad his respectful persuasions had convinced Stamets to continue to pursue his aspirations and refine his admirable work and showcase to everyone in the Federation, and to former allies, that his invention was worth the investment. And that his devotion to the spore drive would be rewarded with new additions, with an evolution of spore drives that would be build atop the bedrock of his ingenious initiative and 23rd century resourcefulness.

‘I am glad I could be of assistance,’ he said reverently, the brims of his yellow eyes coruscating with anticipation. ‘Never make Starfleet retrogress to their old ways; if Starfleet Command approves of your invention and it is funded by the Federation, it could help usher in a new era. Your propulsion system could be implemented on a number of starships, rehabilitate the frail organisation that once prized itself for its strong alliances with over 300 planets, and help renovate the balance that has been non-existent for decades... Starfleet is not going to eradicate its problems, not on their own, and the Federation itself is kept on artificial respiration to protract its existence... ‘Pardon the ramblings of an obsolete Soong-type android, but I cannot express how difficult it has been to watch the organisations and ideals you once dedicated your life to and would have given your life for, crumble to dust, right before your eyes...’

It was not his intention to pressure the astromycologist into further perfecting the spore drive as fast as he could. Nor did his words insinuate that the achievements he had accomplished thus far were far from sufficient. On the contrary, the android was simply zealous to be reinstated as a Starfleet officer and venture out into the galaxy for exploratory purposes. At present, he was just an over-qualified cyberneticist, and although it was an honourable vocation, his destiny lay among the stars. Always had.

‘Well, to say myriad events have transpired during your absence would be somewhat of an understatement. But I believe I could truncate an infinitesimal number of these events by sharing a fragment of my life’s story,’ he said obligingly, establishing a chronologically sound order of snippets that represented the most salient features of his life.

Data provided Stamets with an encapsulation of the events relevant to his existence. He told him about his annihilation on the Scimitar in 2379, the attack on Mars in 2385 and the subsequent ban on synthetics. His resurrection in 2399*, the delightful discovery that his half-brother, Altan Inigo Soong, and the cyberneticist Bruce Maddox had devised over a hundred sentient androids, among whom his daughter, Soji. His reinstatement as Lieutenant Commander on the U.S.S. Pathfinder in 2417, his resignation in 2539, after which he permanently moved to Coppelius, where he worked alongside other cyberneticists to improve and develop the creation of artificial lifeforms, and devoted his spare time to his family life, to attending conferences on cybernetics, robotics, artificial intelligence. And then, The Burn...

‘⸺ I learned of The Burn after one of the repair shuttlecrafts returned from a routine maintenance check on the satellites orbiting Coppelius. They apprised us of the extraordinary readings their long range sensors had detected. And, as it turned out, a starship travelling at warp had been obliterated just outside our solar system. A complement of 500 Starfleet officers deceased. Within a matter of seconds. The magnitude of the catastrophe made it difficult to turn a blind eye. Though, reluctant as I was, I yielded to the hardship, hence why I offered my services ⸺ as did a great number of my people...’ he trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he recalled that fateful day in 3069. ‘I am sorry you had to travel to this particular point in time. The Federation debilitated. Starfleet barely operational...’