Possession - J.M. Dillard [31]
“Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Master Scientist Skel,” Picard said. “I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I truly regret the need to confine you in quarantine.” He stood consummately erect, hands clasped behind his back, and while his tone was warm, it was also consciously formal. Nor did he smile, in order to make his guest as comfortable in his presence as possible; his manners were, Deanna reflected, impeccably Vulcan. She took care that her own posture and expression were appropriately reserved.
“It is not logical to apologize for taking a sensibly cautious approach, Captain.” The Vulcan’s tones were quiet, moderate, and unemotional.
Almost serene, Troi thought, focusing on that voice, opening her mind to him in his clear confined booth. It was in many ways a relief after the intense human emotions she’d recently experienced.
“The safety of your crew is paramount,” Skel continued. “I am completely comfortable here, and Dr. Crusher has made available to me everything necessary to heal my minor injuries. I can even sleep here or consult with my colleagues. You have gone out of your way to make the confinement as tolerable as possible.”
“The least we can do, sir,” Picard assured him.
“Captain Picard, did you beam aboard the Ferengi Nabon, and the body of his brother, Dervin?” Skel asked.
Picard hesitated slightly, then said smoothly, “I’m sorry to inform you, but the surviving Ferengi—Nabon, did you say?—managed to destroy his ship just as we were beaming you, and your artifacts, on board. We were fortunate we were able to get you out of there before Nabon, his deceased brother, and their vessel were completely obliterated.”
Troi sensed Skel’s surprise, and a strange surge of emotional reaction to the news. The emotions, however, were quickly analyzed and suppressed in the same type of rational pattern most Vulcans employed in emotional control.
“I truly regret hearing that, Captain,” Skel said. “While Nabon participated in my capture and the theft of the artifacts, he was quite logical in his handling of the artifacts and tried to keep them safe. I regret the loss of his life; indeed, the entire incident. I will have to reexamine the security situation at the Vulcan Science Academy. I fear that I and my colleagues have become too complacent since the disease last ran rampant.”
“Skel,” Picard pressed on, “the Ferengi’s behavior, in general, seemed quite odd. Do you have any fears that they may have been exposed to the disease? That could account for some of Nabon’s reactions, and perhaps, his destruction of the ship.”
“I cannot explain the Ferengi’s behavior, Captain,” Skel admitted. “However, had the disease escaped the artifacts, they would have been left open and powerless, and when I confined them in the Ferengi stasis chamber, they were both still sealed. We do know that contamination occurs when the top shell opens and a victim is exposed to the contents. Once the victim is infected, the shell is left ‘empty’ and appears dead—powerless.”
“When the artifacts arrived in the Ferengi stasis chamber, they were completely sealed, Captain,” Beverly assured Picard.
“Can you tell us how Dervin died?” Picard asked softly.
Skel sighed. “No, Captain, I cannot. Dervin was attempting to force open the two halves from one of the artifacts. Fearing he would succeed, I grappled with him, but hesitated using the force necessary to subdue Dervin while he had both hands wrapped around the artifact. His brother, Nabon, eventually stunned both of us, then took the artifacts and ran. I woke up from the phaser fire first, and went to pursue Nabon. At that time, Dervin was unconscious but alive. I circled the entire ship and ended up where we started—the bridge/engineering center—and that was where I found Nabon huddled over the body of his brother. I can only assume that Nabon killed Dervin, possibly over their disagreements about the handling of the artifacts. It is the only way I can account for the elder Ferengi’s death.”
Picard turned to glance at Troi. He would not insult the Vulcan by asking her to verify his story,