Chapter five: Bar Fight

Jean Luc Picard had seen many things in his life but what he saw on Ten Forwards that night will remain with him to his grave. He was hail there by his security chief who said there was an incident and he was needed. The incident in question was four corpse three in very bad shape and clearly non human. The last one a junior officer named Clark fresh out of Starfleet Academy has a dart stuck on his neck. But it not the four corpses that the Captain will remember forever, it the absent look on the face of some his officer who had witness the fight.

He said almost barking. "What the hell been going on here?"

LT. Sinclair one of the less shocked officer a veteran of the Enterprise D comes to Picard. Pointing for Picard a corner of the bar where Duncan Idaho was sitting with four security officers keeping a nervous watch over he said. "They were impersonating some of our people's Sir. When our guest sat at the bar, they morphed into the gray shape that they still have and they attacked him. Well they tried but from the look of their body I say they had no chance! It was all over in thirty second I hail security immediately. I am afraid we have to confirm all that with the Security Vid sir!"

"You saw everything and you need our security video to confirm what you saw." Ask Picard losing his temper.

"Sir the three intruders, they moved so fast there was only a blur to see."

Said LT. Sinclair not intimidated one bit by the Captain anger.

"Yet Idaho managed to kill all three of them." Added Picard.

"I guess he was moving faster but there is something more disturbing one of those being was impersonating Guinan."

"Shit! Are you sure? Wait a second. Computer locates Guinan!" Respond Picard getting a cold shiver down his spine.

"The barkeeper Guinan is in Sickbay." Said the ship Computer voice.

Picard turned his face toward Sinclair.

"When I figured Guinan was not herself, I asked the same question to the computer. She was in her quarters her status was unconscious but healthy. I got her beam to Sickbay just before you got here." Added LT Sinclair

"Well done, what about the other two?" Ask Picard feeling relieve that some order was made of this mess.

"Both of them are new crew members, they share the same quarters with a third one. The computer is not locating any of these three men. I guess they never boarded the ship and these three corpses used their ID and face to infiltrate the ship." Finished Sinclair.

"What about the kid what happen to him." Ask Picard feeling that he should have ask that question sooner.

"One of the Face Dancers shot him with a toxin dart. I am sorry Captain there nothing I could have done for him, death was immediate."

Said Idaho coming to the captain with his four security officers following him.

"Face Dancer I never heard of a race call like that even if I met polymorph before." Said Picard getting calmer.

"These are Genetic Mule poorly made I should ad, they were sent more to annoy me than anything else."

"You mean someone sent them just to annoy you... Who?" Demand Picard.

"Have you ever heard about a man call Scytale?" Ask Idaho.

"I have." One of the ensigns said.

"Where? No first what your name son?" Ask Picard who did not recognize the ensign.

"I am Ensign Ivan Vassily Sir... At Starfleet Academy one of my teachers was call by that name." Respond the ensign with some fear in the voice.

"Maybe it him! Could you describe the man to us?" Ask Picard to Idaho.

"No need Sir... He was a professor of genetic at the academy. And a damn good one I might add." Added Vassily.

"I see." Said Picard and Idaho at the same time.

"What happen to him?" Ask Idaho having read something on the face of the ensign.

"He vanished in the middle of my second year." Finished Vassily.

Wishing more privacy for some of the information he had to reveal to the Captain Idaho said. "Captain can we discuss this in a more appropriate setting?"

"Commander Idaho I want a full report on this incident ASAP." Order Picard. "And you four you can stop guarding the commander is not a threat to anyone on this ship." Added the Captain. Then Picard realised that something else could be done about this.

"Wait Commander I have a better idea come with me."

Before they could leave, Picard had to give an order. "LT Sinclair you will lead the investigation on what happen here I want it fast and clean."

They leave Ten Forwards under the scrutiny of all in the bar. As they enter the turbolift Picard asks.

"How did you manage to move so fast commander?"

"Genetic, Bene-Gesserit education along with mentat training, and exposures to the T-Probe device. Adding to that my former life memory and I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve." Said Idaho knowing that the Captain would not understand a word of what he just said even if he was telling the truth.

Then just to put the conversation on another track he added.

"I read all the information concerning the Borg the ship computer provided and I have a few ideas on how to handle them."

"YOU DON'T HANDLE THE BORG! Underestimate them is a mistake I made once and I pay a bitter price for that." Bark Picard clearly losing it.

"Captain I never ever underestimated an enemy capacity, when I tell you something I mean it." Said Idaho.

"Listen to me Commander the Borg cannot be defeated in combat. We don't have the resource or the technology to do it. They will always be coming back until we are assimilated or dead."

Becoming angry with Picard and what he only view has an anti survival attitude from him, Idaho made something of a speech to the Captain.

"You're the Captain you are not allow to say or even think something like that. YOUR FIRST DUTY IS TO SHOW HOPE WHEN THERE IS NO HOPE TO HAVE BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE I TELL YOU NOW WE WILL PREVAILS. YOU HAVE MY WORD ON THIS. Maybe not the way you may expect to but we will. And whoever say I want to defeat The Borg... I am thinking more in the way of erasing them out of existence. You know Carson was right you all need to learn what is it to fight a real war. Now I need to contact Commander Shelby and a former Borg drone shall we get to work on this."

The Captain was getting angrier at Idaho when realization dawn on him. Idaho had read everything on The Borg the computer has in less than two hours since their last meeting! The ship data-bank got every bit of knowledge the Federation has on The Borg, Captain Jean Luc Picard former speaker for the collective had made sure that would be the case.

"How the hell did you manage to read everything on The Borg in what... Two hours?"

Idaho thought. I said too much he is going to ask more question of me now.

"It another tricks of mine. Lets just say I can read faster than most peoples." Respond Idaho having made is mind on what the Captain needed to know.

Jean Luc Picard decided right there and now that he wanted to know more about this man. And to learn more there was only one place the turbolift needed to go. "Sickbay!" Said a very resolute Captain.

"Captain I am fine." Protest Idaho suspecting this visit to Sickbay had nothing to do with is health.

"I know you're fine you show that in Ten Forwards. I just don't know what you are yet. Beside it mandatory for officer in new posting to visit Sickbay for a health check. I also want to check on Guinan." Duncan Idaho could have disputed this with the Captain, even going as far as twisting the mind of Picard to avoid this visit but instead he just said.

"All right."

What he was thinking was more interesting.

So be it! Let give them a glimpse of what human evolution can produce...