Part 22 (1/2)

”He wouldn't say.”

”Good old honorable Jean-Luc.”

After a long silence during which nothing moved but Troi's hand and drops of sweat, Troi said, ”Why don't you tell us about it?” Baldwin gave no sign that he'd heard her. She added, ”Just to help pa.s.s the time.”

No one else said anything so after a while Baldwin began to speak. He started with his was.h.i.+ng out of Starfleet Academy, an event that he now seemed to find humorous, and then told them how he'd entered the University of Syrtis Major on Mars. He'd made a big name there as a hot-shot exologist who took chances that paid off. After that his career was one adventure after another, with rest periods during which he piled up more honors than any exologist who'd come before him. He became a romantic public figure as well as a scientist.

”And,” he said, ”I picked up a few enemies. People who were upset that I wanted to work for museums instead of for them. Which brings me to how I disappointed your captain. Are you listening, Pilgrim?”

As usual, Pilgrim said nothing.

Baldwin said, ”You all know about the Boogeyman-d'Ort'd virus?”

”I don't,” Ensign Perry said.

”According to Captain Picard, it's the computer program that's responsible for the breakdown of the Enterprise.”

”We cannot stop the Boogeymen,” Pilgrim said, surprising everyone.

”You're not alone,” Baldwin said. ”Anyway, I brought the d'Ort'd program on board not only to study but to use as a tool that would remove my name from all Federation records.”

”Why?” said Troi.

”I a.s.sume you want to know why I would want to remove my name, not why I brought the program on board. Remember Commander Mont? He was not my only enemy. I wanted to disappear. Let my enemies chase one another for a change.”

”And?” said Dr. Crusher darkly.

”And somehow the d'Ort'd program got out of hand. Somehow the Boogeyman program hooked up with it and began to take over the s.h.i.+p.”

Dr. Crusher said, ”You're responsible for the condition of the s.h.i.+p?”

”You see,” said Baldwin. ”Now I've gone and disappointed you, too.”

Ensign Perry had her face scrunched up in thought. Whatever she was thinking about, she was still working it through when she said, ”So you used this d'Ort'd program to erase your name from Federation records?”

”Right.”

”And now you'd like to erase this Boogeyman program, but save the d'Ort'd program.”

”Right,” said Dr. Crusher. ”But n.o.body can pry them apart.”

While Ensign Perry thought some more, Troi said, ”I have an idea.”

Baldwin smiled. ”I didn't know you were a computer expert, too.”

”I'm not-but then, neither were you,” Troi pointed out.

”What is it, Deanna?” Dr. Crusher asked, somewhat impatiently.

”Well ... why not replace the Professor Baldwin reference string, which Eric put in the d'Ort'd program, with the Boogeyman program? That way, instead of searching for and erasing Professor Baldwin, the d'Ort'd program will search for and erase the Boogeymen.”

Baldwin sat up straight, his eyes wide with astonishment. ”That's absolutely brilliant. Why didn't one of us computer geniuses think of it?”

”The forest for the trees,” Dr. Crusher said. ”You were looking for a complicated solution.”

”What is absolutely brilliant?” Picard said as he and the others walked onto the holodeck.

”Captain,” Ensign Perry said and stood up.

”We didn't expect to see you so soon,” Dr. Crusher said.

Riker said, ”We're on our way to deck ten to try out the various solutions La Forge and his team have come up with.”

”None of them seem perfect,” La Forge said.

Baldwin said, ”Counselor Troi has a good idea.”

With a little encouragement from Picard, Troi explained her proposal. Picard and Riker nodded. La Forge, Data, and Wesley seemed to be struck dumb with amazement. Troi tried hard not to show how pleased she was, but a satisfied smile broke through her composure.

Data, the first to recover, said, ”It is quite elegant.”

”It'll work,” La Forge said.

”Pretty good,” Wesley admitted, obviously unhappy about something.

Dr. Crusher said, ”Give yourself a break, Wesley.”

”Yeah.” Wesley finally smiled, too.

La Forge said, ”How would you like a job down in Engineering, Counselor?”

Troi looked embarra.s.sed and Picard said, ”I a.s.sure you, Mr. La Forge, Counselor Troi is much too valuable to me up on the bridge. Pilgrim, how does the search-and-replace idea seem to you?”

”We will fight the Boogeymen this way.”

”That sounds like agreement to me,” Riker said. ”I suggest we stop congratulating ourselves and get to work.”

”Indeed,” said Picard. ”Shall we all adjourn to deck ten?”

Picard was happy to get back into the stairwell where it was cool. His people streamed out behind him as they mounted the stairs, a little optimism in the air for a change. He was on a landing, ready to climb the final staircase to deck ten when the emergency Klaxon began to whoop.

”Red alert, red alert,” a Boogeyman cried. ”All lifeboats away!”

As the sound of lifeboats being ejected into s.p.a.ce pounded through the walls, Picard shouted, ”Mr. La Forge!”

La Forge was already at an access box punching in codes while Data and Wesley looked over his shoulder. They were still at it when a Boogeyman cried, ”All airlocks, arm explosive bolts. Prepare for emergency jettison! All isolating hatches open! Five minutes by my mark!”