INSIDE MAN
Episode 152
Part C

 

Holo-Barclay enters Sickbay. "You, you wanted to see me?"

Doctor: "I've been going over the instructions from Starfleet Medical. As far as I can tell their 'new' innoculations aren't much different from run of the mill radiogenic vaccines. I don't think they'll protect the crew." Barclay hologram: "Did you try incorporating the synthetic antigen?" Doctor: "Yes, but it only increased the resistance by ten per cent."

Barclay hologram: "That should be enough."

Doctor: "We can't afford to be cavalier, Reg. If these treatments don't work the crew will wind up liquified." Barclay hologram: "You're forgetting that the innoculations aren't designed to work alone. They were intended to work in combination with the shield modifications. It's the medicinal ying to the shields' yang." Doctor: "And what if the yang doesn't work?" Barclay hologram: "That's not going to happen. Listen: Lieutenant Barclay has a special affinity for this crew. So do I. I promise you: we won't let them down."

Doctor: "Of course you won't." He accosts the other as he turns to leave. "Tell me, do you also share Lieutenant Barclay's affinity for golf?" Barclay hologram: "We have identical handicaps!"

Doctor: "Well, if you're not busy later perhaps we can play nine holes on the Holodeck." Barclay hologram: "It's tempting but I still have a few dozen progress reports to look at."

Doctor: "Well, in that case, maybe you could look over them here so that I could borrow the mobile emitter." Barclay hologram: "Providing the rest of the day's work goes smoothly, consider it yours."

Doctor: "I-" But the Barclay hologram leaves.

The Doctor says to himself, feeling disgruntled: "I thought it was mine."

The Barclay hologram goes from Sickbay to the Astrometrics Lab where he finds Kim and Torres.

Barclay hologram: "Commander Chakotay tells me that you've finished repairing the transceiver." Torres: "We were just about to send the Captain's reply to Lieutenant Barclay." Barclay hologram: "Do you have enough room to include a progress report from me? Kim: "I think we can squeeze that in."

The Barclay hologram places his PADD in the PADD indentation in the console and orders: "Computer, download Barclay hologram file zero-one to the data block."

Computer: "Download complete." Torres: "Transmitting."

The message is transmitted from USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant....

....to the MIDAS Array in the Alpha Quadrant.

The MIDAS Array activates. The communication is received in the Alpha Quadrant but.... The MIDAS Array activates (pop-up window)

....not by Pathfinder as it is intercepted by a Ferengi Marauder! The Ferengi space vessel is by the red giant that the Barclay hologram talked about.

Three Ferengi play the communication. The middle one is called Gegis. The others are Nunk, the ship's owner, and Yeggie. From TOSTFF's information, I deduce that the middle one is Gegis as they say he reprogrammed the Barclay hologram and he is the one who says that but, like TOSTFF, I do not know which of the other two is Nunk and which is Yeggie. TOSTFF solves their lack of information by showing a picture of all three Ferengi whenever a single one of them is named. This issue is discussed further in the PERSONAL LOG entry for this episode.

Aboard the Ferengi ship. Gegis: "It's about time." The communication starts with Janeway's message: "Greetings from the Delta Quadrant, Lieutenant. You'll be happy to know that your hologram reached us safely and we're about to implement Starfleet's-" Gegis interrupts impatiently. "Get to the important part."

The communication is wound forward until it reaches the Barclay hologram's progress report: "In accordance with the 74th Rule of Acquisition, 'Knowledge equals profit.', I've enclosed the specifications you requested. See you soon."

The specifications are about Seven of Nine! Clearly the Barclay hologram is involved in a wicked plot with these Ferengi! "Look at those hands." "I bet she gives great oo-mox." "Too bad she'll be dead when she gets here!" Gegis: "Forget the hands. Show me the nanoprobes."

Data flashes up onto the screen about the Borg nanoprobes contained within Seven's body. Gegis asks: "How many are there?"

Gegis.

Nunk or Yeggie.

Yeggie or Nunk.

"3.6 million." "That's 20 per cent more than we predicted." "3.6 million nanoprobes at 6 bars of latinum per unit. That comes to-" Gegis: "More profit than we ever dreamed of." Evil laughter.

The beach of a planet in the Alpha Quadrant.

Cabana boy: "Your drinks, sir." Customer: "Thank you."

The customer is Reg Barclay. He takes the drinks and looks round.

He takes the drinks over to Deanna Troi.

She does not look at him at first and does not realise it is him. Barclay: "Something to drink, ma'am?" Troi: "I'm fine, thanks." Barclay: "Are you sure? I've got a chocolate passion punch with your name on it."

Troi: "Reg?!" She takes her visor off. Barclay: "Surprise!"

Barclay, looking round nervously: "Where's Commander Riker?" Troi: "He doesn't arrive until Friday. The question is: what are you doing here?" Barclay: "Just had some time off. Your letter made this place sound fun, and just thought I'd join you."

Troi: "Do you have any idea how inappropriate it is to follow your therapist on vacation?" Barclay: "Please, they might be watching." Troi: "Who?" Barclay: "The Borg, the Romulans, I'm not sure yet. Please, Deanna, I need your help."

They discuss things as they walk along the shore. Barclay: "Commander Harkins is usually willing to hear me out but this time he wouldn't even look at my evidence." Troi: "I'm not sure that any of this qualifies as evidence, Reg." Barclay: "You don't believe me either. You think I'm imagining this, just like Pete."

Troi: "The last time I saw you, you were laughing, telling jokes."

Troi: "You even sang a duet with Data!" Barclay: "That was Commander La Forge's birthday party." Troi: "You were a completely different Reg that night."

Barclay: "Oh, things were better then." Troi: "How?" Barclay: "Well, for one thing, I'd just finished the matrix for my hologram, and I showed Geordi some of the specs that night. He said he was proud of me." Troi: "What else?" Barclay: "Oh, the Dragons had just won the Pennant and I was still seeing Leosa." Troi: "You mentioned her at the party, a teacher, right?" Barclay: "Everything was going so well: my job, my personal life. I started to think maybe my luck was changing." Troi: "And then you lost your hologram." Barclay: "Admiral Paris was furious. He said we'd wasted a transmission to Voyager. Pete talked him into giving us another chance but there was so much pressure after that." Troi: "Did it put a strain on your relationship with Leosa?" Barclay: "She left me." Troi: "Oh I'm sorry." Barclay: "I went to her apartment. She was gone, no furniture, no forwarding address, not even a Dear Reg letter." Troi: "That must've been very upsetting." Barclay: "Just my luck, right? - lose the hologram and the girl." Troi: "Tell me more about Leosa." Barclay: "Ah, you'd've liked her. She was sweet, she was thoughtful, and such a wonderful listener. She would let me go on for hours." Troi: "What did you talk about?" Barclay: "Oh she was fascinated about my work at Pathfinder and er, she didn't er, she didn't find any of it boring. She made me feel interesting." Troi: "What do you feel when we talk about her now?" Barclay: "Er, sadness, I suppose. A little confusion." Troi: "I'm sensing something else, something beneath the surface. I think you might be sensing it too." Barclay: "What?" Troi: "Suspicion, Reg. You suspect her of something." Barclay: "I suspect that she's happier without me, if that's what you mean." Troi: "You think Leosa had something to do with your disappearing hologram but you can't bring yourself to admit it. That's why you're projecting your suspicions on others. You're in denial. If there's any chance Leosa did breach Pathfinder security, you need to tell your superiors." Barclay: "I'd be humiliated, again." Troi: "I'll go with you." Barclay: "What about your vacation?" Troi: "I'll be back here before Will arrives." Barclay: "Do you really think it possible that Leosa stole my hologram?" Troi: "Why would she do that?" Barclay: "Maybe, maybe she wanted something to remember me by."