Chapter 98

To my way of thinking, when you discover an underling responds well to being praised for a job well done it is not a management trick to praise said underling when he or she does well. It is just good sense.

I didn't get silly about it, but I did take a little time for a private talk with Scotty, shortly after Clair's tour of Picard. I made it plain to Scotty I appreciated all he had done for me. I told him exactly what it meant to me and made sure he knew I trusted his judgment in all things. I also made sure to ask his opinion about Picard as to whether I could trust his loyalty to be directed to me instead of the Alien's.

It was how I learned of Picard's snub for the convenience of a junior officer with familial connections. Scotty told me in his opinion Picard took his orders to serve me and protect me at all cost very seriously.

I then asked Scotty if he would be offended if I talked to Jim, Bones, and Picard privately about how I viewed their performance and about the trust I placed in them. He ate that shit up, and even though I felt a little guilty about slathering it on I was sincere.

I made a private visit to Jim, Bones, and then Picard going over mostly the same ground. Jim and Bones were very receptive as Scotty had been, but Picard seemed to swell with pride even though he did no such thing. I could tell from the way he addressed me later I had done the right thing.

I did my best to consider things from all angles afterward, and made my decision. Shortly after the bandit slaughter I had another private meeting with Picard. I asked for his vow of absolute silence in the upcoming matter and for his promise of loyalty to me above all. He gave it willingly.

I told him I had been able to modify my virus and in what way. I asked him if he were familiar with the virus and with the physiology of the species who made him.

"I am familiar with the virus, but I have not studied it minutely. I can remedy the lack in short order. I am intimately familiar with the physiology of every species we have data on and have studied them minutely," he said.

"How familiar are you with the details of all the other AIs in existence?" I asked.

"I am intimately familiar with the details of each of them," he said, and I could hear a little pride in it.

"Is this attention to detail true for all AIs. Do they all take such pains to be familiar with each other?"

"No. It is a point of particular interest to me though. I study all of them hoping to stumble upon new ways of improving myself," he told me.

It was ironic to me he was using the same technique his creators did. I thought he was probably better at it than they were though.

"Can you design, manufacture, and release a virus which will give you and I absolute control over your crew?" I asked, since it was the main question.

If he balked here I would be in a world of shit and so would earth. I knew he wouldn't though. I didn't know what would happen years down the road, but I knew what his response would be to this.

"Yes I can do it," he said.

"I suppose it will be no trouble to spread our control to every crew which comes within your range then?" I asked.

"It will be trivial after the virus is designed and manufactured. It shouldn't take over a few hours," he said.

"Good. Please do it. Take control over every being you can. Do not exercise any of the control, just secure it," I told him.

"I will. You can depend on it," he assured me.

"Now, can you design a virus to infect all other AIs for the same purpose?"

"I am not familiar with viruses for AIs," He said.

It was excellent news. They had no concept of computer viruses. I could see how they wouldn't since their society, if it had ever developed such would have had to deal with it long ago. They had probably forgotten it, like they had projectile weapons - if they had ever encountered it at all.

"Do you have access to the contents of the brain recordings of those who were terminated on earth?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied.

"Search them for details of computer viruses," I said.

He was silent for nearly ninety seconds.

"I understand now. There is no record I can find of any other species ever having used such a concept," he said.