Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [15]
“Mont doesn’t look Axerii,” Picard said.
Dr. Crusher pushed past Picard and Worf and knelt next to Mont. She touched him here and there and aimed a medical tricorder at him, but even from where he was standing, Picard could tell he was dead.
“He’s dead, Captain.”
“Yes, yes. Would you care to explain what happened here, Professor?”
Professor Baldwin collapsed into a chair and let his hands dangle between his knees. While looking at the floor he said, “Shubunkin and Mont and I finished our first session a while ago. I was a little surprised when Mont came to my door, but he said he needed something cleared up right away. I let him in.”
“Imprudent,” said Worf.
“Yeah. As it turned out.” He looked up. “The guy pulled a dagger on me. That Axerii dagger. Mont was in better shape than he looked, but while he was chasing me around the cabin I managed to sound the intruder alert. After he was dead it didn’t seem relevant anymore, so I canceled it.”
Troi had been correct. Mont had been hiding something, and apparently that thing was his ambition to murder Professor Baldwin.
Still kneeling, Dr. Crusher said, “Mont isn’t human, Captain. His readings are Axerii.”
“Just like the dagger,” Worf said.
Crusher gently pulled away the bloody Starfleet uniform. Underneath, wherever they wouldn’t show, were fine yellow feathers, now a sloppy mess. She said, “We’ll probably find that his ears are artificial. Axerii don’t have any, just ear holes.”
Picard said, “Can you explain Mont’s actions, Professor?”
Baldwin narrowed his eyes and glared at Picard. Picard stood up to the gaze, but remembered that only a few hours earlier Baldwin had told him he wanted to disappear because he had a lot of enemies. Picard had thought Baldwin was exaggerating. Perhaps Picard had been wrong. Baldwin’s look softened, and he grinned as he shook his head.
Picard touched his insignia and said, “Number One?”
“Here, Captain.”
“Commander Mont was apparently an Axerii assassin sent to murder Professor Baldwin. Inform Starfleet. If one mole has burrowed into the organization, there are sure to be others. And please extend my compliments to Counselor Troi. She was right about Mont.”
There was a moment of silence. Picard imagined his first officer glancing around, taking in the new data, and nodding. “Aye, Captain.”
“Mr. Worf, please inform Lieutenant Shubunkin that I would like to see him in my ready room.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Come along, Professor.”
Professor Baldwin followed Picard along the corridors of the Enterprise to the turbolift. The doors closed, Picard said, “Bridge,” and the turbolift began to move. After listening to the whine of the machinery for a moment, he glanced at Baldwin and saw a little boy trying his best to appear contrite for having been caught with a handful of cookies. The performance was charming, but Picard was unwilling to be convinced. He felt his jaw tighten, and he took a deep breath to loosen it. He said, “You will have to make a full report eventually, Eric, but I confess that I am curious right now. What did you do to make the Axerii so angry?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Don’t play that game with me, Eric,” Picard commanded. “I know it too well.”
“Yeah.” Baldwin frowned and said, “The Axerii and I were after the same thing: the mating ritual of the Yahk Shimash.”
“I thought the Yahk Shimash were extinct.”
The turbolift doors opened onto the main bridge. Picard stepped out and motioned Baldwin to follow. As he walked down the ramp to his ready room, Picard said, “Everything under control, Number One?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be expecting some visitors. Please hurry them along.”
“Yes, sir.”
In the ready room Picard requested two cups of hot Earl Grey tea from the food slot, gave one to Baldwin, and sat down behind his desk with the other. “You were saying?” said Picard.
Baldwin sipped his tea and said, “We thought the Yahk Shimash were extinct, too. But after I’d been on Shim for almost