"I hope so," said Reg, shaking his head. "By now, Tangre Bertoran has had plenty of time to go the sh.e.l.l and verify it for himself. If we go back there now, maybe we can get some cooperation."

The captain frowned. "But we can't really stop the synergy between the rift and the sh.e.l.l until we break the encryption. We've got to find the one who did this."

"It could even be Tangre Bertoran," said Pazlar.

"Or one of six senior engineers who are scattered all over the planet," muttered Riker. "We need a plan B in case we never find this criminal. Is there any way to turn off the sh.e.l.l and reboot the system?"

"Not that we've seen," answered Reg. "As Data pointed out, the system isn't designed to be shut down."

"It would only take an instant to lose the planet's atmosphere," said Pazlar, sounding horrified at the very idea. "We can't shut down the sh.e.l.l."

"The only thing in the sh.e.l.l that's crucial to the atmosphere are the forcefields," said Picard thoughtfully. "Maybe there's a way to keep them going. We've got to get back to the sh.e.l.l and talk to the senior engineers."

"I'm ready," said Barclay, struggling to sit up.

"Not you, Lieutenant," said the captain with a smile. "You've done enough for today."

"But I am one of the senior engineers ... sort of." Barclay tugged on the violet crystal hanging from his neck. "Besides, I feel much better, really I do."

"The doctor said he could leave whenever he felt better," added Melora. She gazed fondly at Reg. "This time, we'll leave on the artificial gravity in the shuttlecraft."

"Very well." The captain tapped his combadge. "Picard to Data."

"Data here," came the response.

"Meet us in shuttlebay one. Commander Riker will take over the bridge."

"Yes, sir."

"On my way," replied Riker, moving toward the exit. The big man glanced at the door of Troi's room, and anguish etched his handsome features. Reg had discovered that no one in sickbay was giving out any information about Counselor Troi, and she wasn't seeing visitors. Commander Riker must have known that, too, because he lowered his head and walked out the door.

Reg looked worriedly at Melora. "We'd better have the doctor give us a few extra hypos. I think we're going to be gone for a while."

En route in the shuttlecraft, Picard, Barclay, and Pazlar went over every bit of information they possessed with Data, who was the repository of all their knowledge concerning the rift, the sh.e.l.l, and Gemworld. The android had studied the data from the probe as well as Barclay's new information about the sh.e.l.l, and he theorized a cla.s.sic Catch-22: the rift would stay open as long as the sh.e.l.l collected dark matter, and the sh.e.l.l would collect dark matter as long as the rift stayed open. As long as these conditions remained in force, the dark, mutant crystal would continue to grow and choke the life out of Gemworld.

Picard had no solution to suggest. They would just have to keep gathering information until a solution presented itself. With any luck, thought the captain, maybe they could find the person who did this.

No Elaysians were seen drifting outside the Ninth Processing Gate so they tethered the shuttlecraft themselves and entered the sh.e.l.l. Captain Picard noted and was amused by the deference shown to Lieutenant Barclay. As Melora Pazlar led them through the tubular corridors, Elaysians and Alpusta pressed forward to see the human who wore the violet shard. When Reg nodded shyly at them, they shrunk back, as if unworthy or embarra.s.sed. Picard soon realized that Barclay, as unlikely as it seemed, had made himself something of a celebrity on Gemworld. Now he would have to be included on every away team to the planet.

In due course, they found themselves in the deadend pa.s.sageway that led to the central programming room. Picard's hackles rose when he saw two yellow-garbed Jeptah waiting outside the vault. He reminded himself that he had his own dignitary-Reg Barclay-and so no one could refuse the team access. However, he knew this encounter wouldn't be easy when the Jeptah turned around and one of them was revealed to be Tangre Bertoran.

The Peer of the Jeptah scowled at them. "Come to gloat have you, Captain Picard? As you predicted, we're incapable of helping ourselves, and we have to depend upon our saviors from Starfleet." Picard ignored the taunt.

Bertoran reserved his biggest sneer for Barclay. "And here's the new proxy for the senior engineer of the Elaysians. What tricks have you and Zuka Juno concocted for us? Why won't he let us enter?"

"What do you mean?" asked Reg puzzledly.

"I mean, he's got the door barred from the inside. We've been standing out here for a long time, begging him to let us in."

"what does he say?" asked Reg.

"He says nothing. He refuses to answer." Bertoran looked at his fellow Jeptah. "Are you sure he's in there?"

"Oh, yes, Exalted One." He pointed to Reg and Melora. "He entered with these two and has not left since then."

"That was several hours ago," said Melora.

"I can tell from the way the hatch is locked, that he's in there," insisted the Jeptah.

Barclay pounded on the solid metal hatch and shouted, "Zuka Juno! It's me ... your proxy! Let us in!"

There was no response, and Reg turned worriedly to the captain. "I don't get it. He said he'd be trying to break the encryption and would wait for us to return."

The captain turned to Tangre Bertoran. "Is it all right if we break this hatch open?"

"How do you intend to do that? This door is made from our strongest alloy." The Elaysian frowned worriedly. "You're not going to shoot your phasers off in here, are you?"

"There's no need for that," the captain a.s.sured him. "Mr. Data, please open this hatch."

"Yes, sir." The android floated forward and anch.o.r.ed his feet in the circular entryway to give himself some leverage. Then he gripped the hatch wheel with both hands and gave it a twist. The sound of snapping metal could be heard even through the thick vault, and the wheel spun freely in Data's hands.

"By the Ancients-" muttered Bertoran, staring at the android. "You are a remarkable being."

"Thank you." Data pushed the broken hatch, and it swung open, revealing nothing but a few sparkles of refracted light inside. "Zuka Juno?" he asked politely. No answer came, and Captain Picard pulled himself up to the entryway to take a look. The hair rose on the back of his neck as his sense of danger was alerted. The feeling must have been widespread because no one else in the corridor spoke or moved. Data took the point and shot through the hatchway. When Picard heard no shouts of warning, he followed.

He found the android shining a light around the hundreds of small drawers that lined the cylindrical chamber. It didn't take the android long to locate the body of a thin, older Elaysian floating in the back of the room. The man's eyes stared blankly in the unmistakable stupor of death. Data efficiently drew his tricorder and took a reading, but there was no urgency or surprise in his voice. "He is dead."

"What? What is it?" shouted Tangre Bertoran, muscling his way past the others in the hatchway. He swooped into the room and followed the light to the ghastly scene in the corner, and his arms fluttered with alarm. "Help him! Is he alive?"

"No, we're too late," said Picard. "I'm sorry. Do you see any marks on him, Data?"

The android hovered closer to the corpse and inspected him with his light.

"Don't touch him!" wailed Tangre Bertoran. "Leave him alone-you must not defile the body! He can only be handled by the Jeptah."

"Is he Jeptah?" asked Data with curiosity.

"No, but that is our traditional function, even before we began caring for the Sacred Protector. We have strict protocols in these matters."

"I'll bet," said Barclay, peering into the hatchway. "Can we find out how he died?"

Bertoran whirled on the lieutenant and glared at him before he realized that Picard was watching him closely. "Perhaps," said Bertoran with a curt bow. "That is also a function of the Jeptah. But after all, he was an old man."

"The timing of his death is rather suspicious," observed Data, continuing a careful examination without actually touching the corpse. "I see no obvious marks of foul play."

"Foul play!" echoed Bertoran with a derisive snort. "We may have accidental deaths on Gemworld, but we haven't had a murder in thousands of years."

"And this room was sealed, wasn't it?" asked Picard. "If it was locked as we found it."

"Of course," snapped the Elaysian. "There is no other way in or out. Now if you'll excuse me, I have arrangements to make." He bounced off a panel and swooped toward the hatchway.

Reg barely had time to get out of the way. "What about the program you came to see?"

"Let's have some respect for the dead," said Bertoran. "I'm sure you people don't mind working with a corpse looking over your shoulder, but I do."

As he swept past, Barclay called after him. "What about me? Seeing as I'm his proxy and all?"

"You're no longer a proxy," muttered the Elaysian. Reg sighed with relief, and Bertoran sneered as he added, "Now you're Acting Senior Engineer of the Elaysians. You can only be removed by the Exalted Ones, and we could never convene enough members at this time. So, Mr. Barclay, you represent me and all of our people in the gravest matter we have faced in a million years. Congratulations!"

He hurried off, and Barclay turned to the captain and gulped, as if to say he was sorry for getting so hopelessly mired in this situation. Picard felt the same way as he turned to look at the corpse floating in the air.

Data was carefully studying the dead Elaysian's mouth. "There is some liquid on his lips, probably saliva," reported the android. "I cannot get a sample without touching him."

"Don't touch him," said Melora Pazlar, staring at the android with intense blue eyes. "Please don't. It's true, only the Jeptah are allowed to touch our dead."

"What will h-happen to him?" asked Reg.

"He'll be taken to the Blood Prism and be dedicated to the Progeny."

"She means, he will be eaten," said Data, "by a sentient race known as the Frills. Their holy hunters are called the Progeny."

Picard looked up at the body hovering overhead, and he frowned sourly. "I hope that step can be delayed until we find out what killed him."

Deanna Troi fidgeted in her sleep, and she felt cloying arms embrace her and hold her against her will. For a moment, she felt as if she might have to wake up and deal with this unwelcome suitor; but in the end, the great dread that had troubled her began to lift. She felt herself melting comfortably back into the serene sleep which had embraced her for so long, before they awoke her the first time.

The threat was over. It had been dealt with. Their wickedness would not hurt her anymore, at least not for a while. She could rest and build up her strength to resist the next attack-to emerge triumphant in the end. She hadn't known it before, but she knew now that she was in the fight of her life. The new enemy was strange and clever, but it didn't know her true capabilities. She didn't really know them herself.

But she could dream, and anything she could dream, she could accomplish. That was the greatest gift they had left her, for all they had stolen.

Chapter Thirteen.

MELORA PAZLAR WATCHED SOLEMNLY as two yellow-garbed Jeptah enclosed the body of Zuka Juno in a yellow fabric bag and floated him out of the programming vault. Beside her hovered Captain Picard, Data, Tangre Bertoran, and Reg Barclay. As unlikely as it seemed, Reg was the new Acting Senior Engineer for the sh.e.l.l, representing the Elaysians; he had the violet crystal to prove it.

Hovering near the hatchway, Tangre Bertoran watched the visitors carefully, looking for any signs of disrespect as the body was removed. To their credit, thought Melora, the Enterprise crew were quiet and respectful, hiding their impatience well. None of them gave the volatile Peer of the Jeptah any cause for overreaction.

Melora was beginning to regret ever involving the crew of the Enterprise in this disaster because the longer they stayed, the more hopeless it looked. She felt doubly bad about Deanna Troi, who was apparently in some sort of hallucinatory state. With all that was happening, she hadn't even had a chance to visit the counselor in sickbay. Barclay, Captain Picard, and everyone else were struggling valiantly to save Gemworld, but they had been thwarted at every turn by distrust and hidebound convention.

All this time, her people thought they were so resilient, able to face any peril. In reality, all it took was one deranged engineer to bring Gemworld to the brink of destruction.

On top of that, Melora was grumpy because her joints ached. She could feel the extra gravity resulting from the rampant crystal growth. In a bizarre way, her homeworld was being reborn into something that would look more like a conventional planet, even if it could no longer support the lifeforms it had supported for billions of years.

After Zuka Juno's body had been borne away, Captain Picard looked expectantly at Tangre Bertoran and pointed to the terminal. "Now will you take a look at the programming? I think you can see that it's locked up."

The Peer of the Jeptah sighed and waved at the blinking screen. "Oh, I've already a.s.sumed that it is. Zuka would have solved the problem, if anyone could. It's a shame he won't be here to help us break the encryption."

Data bobbed forward. "I do not believe the encryption is breakable. The form of biological, crystalline memory components which this system employs are a thousand times more complex than our best gel packs, and a level-eight encryption could not be broken on our equivalent subsystems."

Bertoran smiled condescendingly. "I didn't say you could break the encryption, but you haven't really given us a chance, have you?"

"We should have an alternative plan," said Picard. "Can't we find the one who sabotaged your computer? There are only six suspects."

"And one of them just died," said Bertoran. "If Zuka Juno was the one, you would never find out. If I were the one-and I have access as proxy for the Gendlii-you would never find out either. In fact, whichever one of the senior engineers did this, they must be quite insane. I sincerely doubt if they will ever come forward and admit what they've done, and I don't see how you can force them. In fact, I'm not even sure you'll be able to find them all in these troubled times."

The captain's lips thinned in anger, and Melora felt as if she should to do something to break the stalemate. "Captain, why don't we let the Jeptah work on the encryption. In the meantime, I think we can locate the senior engineers of the Lipuls and the Alpusta. The Frills and the Yiltern are going to be much harder to find."

Picard nodded grimly, not looking pleased with his limited options. "Very well. We'll investigate from that end while the Jeptah work on the encryption. If you don't mind, I'd like to leave Commander Data to help you."

Bertoran shrugged. "We don't have any more doors that need to be broken open, but you never know-he may be useful."

"I can process four hundred thousand calculations a second," said Data matter-of-factly.

"That's good to know." Melora detected sarcasm in his voice. The white-haired Elaysian motioned to the door where more of his yellow-garbed retinue were standing by. "Bring in the programmers."

As the Jeptah lined up to come in, Melora decided to lead her party out. She was no happier than the captain about Zuka Juno's death and their general lack of progress, but she knew her people well enough to realize that they would do as they promised, even if they protested all the way.

Melora grabbed Reg's arm, turned him around, and propelled him out the door and past the waiting Jeptah. "Let's get the parade started."

"I feel so helpless, like we're not doing anything," he muttered.

"So do I, but we're doing all we can ... for now."

A moment later, Captain Picard joined them in the corridor. They watched silently as Jeptah technicians swarmed into the programming room. Data was lost in the shuffle, and Melora hoped the android would be able to a.s.sert himself. Captain Picard obviously felt he was the right one to leave behind.

"How can we find the senior engineers?" asked the captain, his mind on the task at hand.

"It won't be easy, unless they're still here." Melora turned to Reg and smiled. "As proxy for the Elaysians, you have resources we haven't used yet. For one thing, you've got an office here somewhere."

"I do?" asked Reg.

"Just a minute." Melora pushed off the wall and skirted within a meter of the nearest Jeptah. "Where is the office of the Acting Senior Engineer of the Elaysians?" She pointed to Reg, who smiled and waved.

The technician shook her head incredulously and ducked inside the hatchway to consult Tangre Bertoran. Melora couldn't hear what he told her, but the woman returned a few moments later and motioned to them with a beleaguered scowl. "Follow me."

The female Jeptah led the way down the circular corridor so quickly that even Pazlar had to hurry to keep pace while dragging Barclay and Captain Picard with her. Of the Enterprise crew, only Data moved efficiently in low gravity. Melora knew she had to be doubly careful with Barclay, who had shown a predisposition to s.p.a.ce sickness. She didn't know what was in those hypos he took periodically, but it wasn't working very well, judging by the paleness of his skin. Then again, maybe he was just scared of dying, a sentiment she could understand.

To her mind, Reg had been incredibly brave, taking on a very serious responsibility in order to help them. Although he hadn't asked to be proxy to the senior engineer-and now the senior engineer himself-he had accepted the burden without complaint. If he hadn't, there would be no voice of reason in the hall of the Exalted Ones, no one speaking unpleasant truths they didn't want to hear. Plus there would have been a very nasty fight over who would succeed Zuka Juno, which would have further splintered their leaders' attention.

Melora couldn't believe that she had doubted Reg, too. The captain had been right-his impartial viewpoint had been crucial. It was her own people and the other leaders of Gemworld who had disappointed her. They couldn't envision their precious sh.e.l.l failing, even when the signs were all around them.

Then again, to be charitable, thought Melora, they might have recognized failure, but they couldn't foresee treachery from within. Even now, outright destruction would be easier to deal with than the painful sight of malformed crystals eating away at the structure and beauty of Gemworld. No one could have foreseen this bizarre turn of events.

The Elaysian shook off her troubled thoughts and tried to follow the route of their imperious guide. Melora discovered a subtle pattern of waves and bubbles engraved on the convex walls, and she remembered similar patterns from the communes where she grew up. They were directional marks. Although few on the planet had ever seen free-flowing water, the motif of waves, rivers, and water was strong in their culture. Melora had no problem understanding the system once she got used to it, and she realized her guide was taking them in circles.