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Picard had a hunch Scott was enjoying being busy, especially in his job. During the last months of the war, Scott had been appointed the liaison between the Starfleet Corps of Engineers and the Starfleet Admiralty. And he was the perfect man for the job. He was respected by everyone. Period. And he not only knew how to navigate the world of Starfleet politics, but how to deal and work with engineers of every type. Picard’s only thought when he had learned of the appointment was, “Of course.”

“I’m afraid,” Picard said, “that I’m not going to help your schedule much. I have a big job to dump in your lap.”

Scott’s grin faded some. “I read your preliminary report and scanned the battle information. That’s a strange bird all right. And big.” Scott chuckled. “The Enterprise always was a giant-killer.”

Picard laughed. “We were a little too close to being stepped on by that giant for my blood.”

Scott shook his head. “Gonna take a lot more than a big, ugly ball to stop the Enterprise . So, what more can ya tell me about that alien monster?”

“Not much, I’m sorry to say,” Picard said. “We’ve been so busy dealing with our own repairs and helping the colonists that we haven’t had time to even start to explore the thing yet. I can tell you its metal is resistant to any scanning. We have no idea why.”

Scott laughed, the sound deep and rich, then waved a hand in dismissal of Picard’s apology. “That’s our job, Capt’n.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Picard said. “We’re due in the Folnar system as soon as we can get there.”

“Don’t ya worry, Capt’n,” Scott said, “I gotta ship in the area. It will be there inside ten hours. We’ll take good care of your friend there.”

And Picard knew they would. The S.C.E. were the ones charged with the task of boarding unknown ships like the one they had just fought to sift through the rubble and learn what they could from the alien technology and even the remains of the aliens themselves. At times Picard thought that searching through alien ships for new information, new technology, would be exciting. In a way it was a branch of archaeology, his favorite hobby. Of course, when they were digging through the alien ships, most of the time it was in zero gravity, surrounded by intense radiation, and surrounded by far too many dead bodies.

But he knew that wasn’t all that the S.C.E. people did by a long ways. If anything in the galaxy needed to be built, rebuilt, programmed, reprogrammed, assembled, reassembled or just understood, the S.C.E. was who you called on.

In many ways, the S.C.E. was the branch of Starfleet with the most varied and interesting job after these recent times of war, and Picard slightly envied them that.

“Would you mind, Captain,” Picard asked, “if my Chief Engineer stuck around and worked with your people?”

“That monster’s got La Forge’s interest bubbling, has she?” Scott asked.

“Salivating, I think would describe it better,” Picard said. “He’s made sure all the major repairs to the Enterprise were done in record time, just for the chance to get over there and look at those strange shields and hull metal. But with us leaving for Folnar system, he’s not going to get the chance, unless he stays with your people.”

Scotty nodded. “I can remember doin’ that a few times myself. I’ll tell Captain Gold he’s goin’ ta have some help. He’ll be happy ta hear it.”

“Captain David Gold?” Picard asked. “The da Vinci is nearby?”

“Sure is,” Scott said. “Speedin’ your way at warp six.”

Picard knew David Gold from all the way back to their Academy days. Gold had been one of the upperclassmen Picard had beat in the Academy marathon; they had become friends and kept in touch as often as their careers had allowed. Gold was what many called “old Starfleet.” He ruled with a solid hand, and always kept the mission and his crew at the top of all priorities. But he had a wicked sense of humor that Picard loved. Gold was married to Rabbi Rachel Gilman, who had a thriving congregation in New York. Picard had lost track of all the grandchildren and