197-USS ANUBIS: Dalziel: Day 4 - 2025 ("The Magnificent Ferengi")
Posted by Susan on Monday, July 26, 2010
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"The Magnificent Ferengi"
(Previous Post: Dawn's "Something Smells Fishy")
"'Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.'"
-Zek to Quark, the 208th rule of acquisition, DS9, "Ferengi Love Songs"
==========
Setting: YUDARA Asteroid Field, Planetoid, Trade Center, Market Place
Stardate: 63073.2025
The two women left the bar as casually as they could, but it was hard to contain the excitement they both felt at getting a solid lead on a 'large vessel'. They were an odd couple anywhere else, but in the trade center it was nothing unusual to see a Tal Shiar and a 'space pirate' weaving through the crowd.
"It could be a garbage scow," Aki offered. "Or a trade freighter."
Ensign Dalziel considered this. Thanks to Maya's work on the eyepatch, Ms. Portree had discovered that the man's 'aura' indicated he was from their dimension. But then again, she also saw no deception in his offer to them. Regardless of the doubts, the lead was still promising.
"Then we'll need a graceful story to back out of the man's nice offer," Eve responded. "But as soon as I get a look at whatever he's transporting us in, I should be able to see any energy signatures that indicate the dimension of origin." Dalziel had also tried to memorize the schematics for both the ship and its shuttlecraft. Actually, she had spent more time on the shuttle's design parameters, due to possibly needing them for a quick getaway if things got out of hand with the PARADOX. Then again, there might not be much of a universe to escape to if the multi-dimensional ship met a destructive fate.
"He mentioned someone named 'Sumariss'. Is that name familiar to you?" Mitshiba asked.
Portree shook her head, tossing a few pieces of dark hair around as she did so. "It doesn't ring a bell. I wish it did."
"So, what's the plan?" The woman posing as a Tal Shiar said, still watching in amazement those around her keeping a respective distance, or better yet, trying to avoid the strange pair. She hoped her crewmate was faring as well in the Kerelian betrothal getup.
Natalie looked absolutely grim. "There are too many variables... at least three possibilities I can think of offhand."
"Okay, let's have them." Aki was surprised how logical the Counsellor could be when she had to be.
"You mentioned the first one. We could have the wrong ship. Once I see the transport vessel, I should know. We need to develop a signal that once it's used, it's a cue to refuse the job and leave the area."
Aki gave herself a mental pat on the back for beginning to think like an agent rather than a Science Officer. "Next?"
"The second option would be the most favorable. The man is alone and the transport vessel is proven to be linked to the PARADOX. I can easily overtake and incapacitate him and we can plan an ambush of the ship using the transport vessel."
Mitshiba gulped. The way Eve had said the word 'incapacitate' was without hesitation. Enaii would have been proud, if she ever openly displayed such an emotion. "And the third?"
"The transport vessel is the right one, but the away crew in the trade center outnumbers us. Then, we need to go with them to the PARADOX, and attempt to win the favor of the crew, all at the same time trying to stop the ship."
"We could rendezvous with some of the others and take them with us to the meeting location," Aki said hopefully.
"I've been thinking about that. However, since the identity of this vessel is not a certainty, I don't want to divert the others from their own investigations which may be more fruitful. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."
Mitshiba sighed, reluctantly agreeing with the Counsellor. "It was a nice thought while it lasted."
All of a sudden, Eve stopped walking.
"What is it?" Aki asked.
Eve looked around in a complete circle, slowly, purposefully. "I get the uncanny feeling we're being watched."
"There's a fine line between being 'watched' and being 'stared at'," the Romulan woman quipped. "Besides, who would be looking for us?"
"Oh, hell," Natalie said in a whisper, focusing her attention on the subject of her concern. She now knew the answer to that question.
"As I live and count latinum, if it isn't Natalie Portree," the Ferengi man said, leaning on the door frame of a small shop less than 500 feet from the bar they had just left. "I never thought I'd see you again."
Natalie huffed and rolled her eye at the squatty orange figure. "That's just another difference between us, Caden. I was *hoping* to never see you again."
Caden laughed nervously. "What's a little lost profit between friends?"
Portree smiled with pure evil. "Surely *you* haven't forgotten the twenty-first rule of acquisition?"
"Never place friendship above profit," he said in response, inching away just slightly from the tall woman. "Well I guess you had me there, Natty old pal."
Natalie slapped him on back, perhaps a little harder than she had to, and watched him shudder and cough with a perverse pleasure. "What brings you to this corner of the universe, my little man?"
"Profit- what else?" Caden replied with a toothy grin. "Gambling, debauchery, drugs, sex, it's all here. And I have a hand in everything," he finished proudly.
"Even the local security forces, I presume?" Portree asked.
"A good Ferengi never reveals all his secrets... let's just say a few have been handsomely rewarded to look the other way."
"Same old Caden," the pilot replied.
"So, who's your lady friend?" Caden said, winking at the Romulan woman. Even though they weren't the lobes of a Ferengi, those pointed ears had a certain attractiveness about them.
Aki fought the urge to slap the pedantic entrepreneur.
"Hands off, Caden," Portree said sharply. "She's with me and that's all you need to know. Otherwise the Tal Shiar are likely to have you for dinner tonight with a nice chianti."
Caden raised both his hands in a 'no harm, no foul' position. "Okay, okay, no need to get offended. Can't a businessman admire pure beauty?"
Ensign Mitshiba could feel her fist clench with disgust. "Listen, pal-" she began, trying to sound even more irritated than she already was.
Portree interrupted. "I'm afraid the admiration party needs to be cut short, Caden. We have a rendezvous to make in less than twenty minutes. So, if you'll excuse us-"
"A rendezvous?" the Ferengi said with excitement. "Can I come with you?"
"No. It's going to be dangerous," Natalie said truthfully. "If you think the Tal Shiar are bad, they have nothing on these guys."
But Caden wasn't listening. He pulled a large carpetbag from behind one of the shop's merchandise stations and was giving instructions to his assistant, an Andorian male about as tall as Eve.
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" Natalie said as the Ferengi met them in the middle of the street. "I'll even pay you just so you'll leave us alone. How does that sound?"
"I need safe transport out of this Rigellian hell hole," Caden said pleadingly. "There have been strange things happening at the temple lately, and it's been bad for business."
"What kind of strange things?" Mitshiba asked, unable to hold her curiosity in check.
"I d-don't know," he stammered. "Something about a plain-clothes Starfleet officer being abducted by a cult that's into mind control," Caden said wildly. "I want my brain and my money to stay safe, thank-you-very-much."
At the mention of the words 'plain-clothes Starfleet officer', Eve and Aki exchanged pained glances. "How far is the temple from here?" Natalie barked at her Ferengi friend. None of them could have known that the person Caden had heard about was Mortina Millings, so the two ANUBIS officers naturally feared the worst.
"About five minutes north of here," he said with hesitation, realizing his chance to flee may have just been compromised by his own latinum-covered tongue. "Now wait just a minute, don't *we* have a ride to catch?"
"Business before pleasure," Ms. Portree said. "Besides, don't forget 'the riskier the road, the greater the profit'."
"I respect your study of profits- that's the sixty-second rule of acquisition. Okay, I guess I'm in," Caden agreed weakly.
"You're in?" Aki couldn't help but question the Ferengi inviting himself to the group.
"That's okay," Natalie said with mock soothing, allowing the man to step in front of them. "We can use him as a shield if they start shooting."
Caden glared at Portree. "You would never-"
Natalie's one eye narrowed in anger. "Don't *try* me, you little troll," she hissed. "You owe *me* for the mess I got you out of on VALLA ROYALE. Those Bolians would have drawn and quartered you for that Ponzi scheme if I hadn't stepped in."
Caden lowered his shoulders in defeat. "Your memory is better than I thought... for a hu-man."
Portree waved a hand to the north, not acknolwedging the compliment. "Lead on, my good sir. You know the place better than we do."
==========
Susan M Ledbetter (susanmled@earthlink.net)
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"I savored those stories; I read them slowly, one each day. And when I was done, I wished I hadn't read them at all. So I could read them again... like it was the first time."
-Melanie to Old Jake, DS9, "The Visitor"
"The Magnificent Ferengi"
(Previous Post: Dawn's "Something Smells Fishy")
"'Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.'"
-Zek to Quark, the 208th rule of acquisition, DS9, "Ferengi Love Songs"
==========
Setting: YUDARA Asteroid Field, Planetoid, Trade Center, Market Place
Stardate: 63073.2025
The two women left the bar as casually as they could, but it was hard to contain the excitement they both felt at getting a solid lead on a 'large vessel'. They were an odd couple anywhere else, but in the trade center it was nothing unusual to see a Tal Shiar and a 'space pirate' weaving through the crowd.
"It could be a garbage scow," Aki offered. "Or a trade freighter."
Ensign Dalziel considered this. Thanks to Maya's work on the eyepatch, Ms. Portree had discovered that the man's 'aura' indicated he was from their dimension. But then again, she also saw no deception in his offer to them. Regardless of the doubts, the lead was still promising.
"Then we'll need a graceful story to back out of the man's nice offer," Eve responded. "But as soon as I get a look at whatever he's transporting us in, I should be able to see any energy signatures that indicate the dimension of origin." Dalziel had also tried to memorize the schematics for both the ship and its shuttlecraft. Actually, she had spent more time on the shuttle's design parameters, due to possibly needing them for a quick getaway if things got out of hand with the PARADOX. Then again, there might not be much of a universe to escape to if the multi-dimensional ship met a destructive fate.
"He mentioned someone named 'Sumariss'. Is that name familiar to you?" Mitshiba asked.
Portree shook her head, tossing a few pieces of dark hair around as she did so. "It doesn't ring a bell. I wish it did."
"So, what's the plan?" The woman posing as a Tal Shiar said, still watching in amazement those around her keeping a respective distance, or better yet, trying to avoid the strange pair. She hoped her crewmate was faring as well in the Kerelian betrothal getup.
Natalie looked absolutely grim. "There are too many variables... at least three possibilities I can think of offhand."
"Okay, let's have them." Aki was surprised how logical the Counsellor could be when she had to be.
"You mentioned the first one. We could have the wrong ship. Once I see the transport vessel, I should know. We need to develop a signal that once it's used, it's a cue to refuse the job and leave the area."
Aki gave herself a mental pat on the back for beginning to think like an agent rather than a Science Officer. "Next?"
"The second option would be the most favorable. The man is alone and the transport vessel is proven to be linked to the PARADOX. I can easily overtake and incapacitate him and we can plan an ambush of the ship using the transport vessel."
Mitshiba gulped. The way Eve had said the word 'incapacitate' was without hesitation. Enaii would have been proud, if she ever openly displayed such an emotion. "And the third?"
"The transport vessel is the right one, but the away crew in the trade center outnumbers us. Then, we need to go with them to the PARADOX, and attempt to win the favor of the crew, all at the same time trying to stop the ship."
"We could rendezvous with some of the others and take them with us to the meeting location," Aki said hopefully.
"I've been thinking about that. However, since the identity of this vessel is not a certainty, I don't want to divert the others from their own investigations which may be more fruitful. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."
Mitshiba sighed, reluctantly agreeing with the Counsellor. "It was a nice thought while it lasted."
All of a sudden, Eve stopped walking.
"What is it?" Aki asked.
Eve looked around in a complete circle, slowly, purposefully. "I get the uncanny feeling we're being watched."
"There's a fine line between being 'watched' and being 'stared at'," the Romulan woman quipped. "Besides, who would be looking for us?"
"Oh, hell," Natalie said in a whisper, focusing her attention on the subject of her concern. She now knew the answer to that question.
"As I live and count latinum, if it isn't Natalie Portree," the Ferengi man said, leaning on the door frame of a small shop less than 500 feet from the bar they had just left. "I never thought I'd see you again."
Natalie huffed and rolled her eye at the squatty orange figure. "That's just another difference between us, Caden. I was *hoping* to never see you again."
Caden laughed nervously. "What's a little lost profit between friends?"
Portree smiled with pure evil. "Surely *you* haven't forgotten the twenty-first rule of acquisition?"
"Never place friendship above profit," he said in response, inching away just slightly from the tall woman. "Well I guess you had me there, Natty old pal."
Natalie slapped him on back, perhaps a little harder than she had to, and watched him shudder and cough with a perverse pleasure. "What brings you to this corner of the universe, my little man?"
"Profit- what else?" Caden replied with a toothy grin. "Gambling, debauchery, drugs, sex, it's all here. And I have a hand in everything," he finished proudly.
"Even the local security forces, I presume?" Portree asked.
"A good Ferengi never reveals all his secrets... let's just say a few have been handsomely rewarded to look the other way."
"Same old Caden," the pilot replied.
"So, who's your lady friend?" Caden said, winking at the Romulan woman. Even though they weren't the lobes of a Ferengi, those pointed ears had a certain attractiveness about them.
Aki fought the urge to slap the pedantic entrepreneur.
"Hands off, Caden," Portree said sharply. "She's with me and that's all you need to know. Otherwise the Tal Shiar are likely to have you for dinner tonight with a nice chianti."
Caden raised both his hands in a 'no harm, no foul' position. "Okay, okay, no need to get offended. Can't a businessman admire pure beauty?"
Ensign Mitshiba could feel her fist clench with disgust. "Listen, pal-" she began, trying to sound even more irritated than she already was.
Portree interrupted. "I'm afraid the admiration party needs to be cut short, Caden. We have a rendezvous to make in less than twenty minutes. So, if you'll excuse us-"
"A rendezvous?" the Ferengi said with excitement. "Can I come with you?"
"No. It's going to be dangerous," Natalie said truthfully. "If you think the Tal Shiar are bad, they have nothing on these guys."
But Caden wasn't listening. He pulled a large carpetbag from behind one of the shop's merchandise stations and was giving instructions to his assistant, an Andorian male about as tall as Eve.
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" Natalie said as the Ferengi met them in the middle of the street. "I'll even pay you just so you'll leave us alone. How does that sound?"
"I need safe transport out of this Rigellian hell hole," Caden said pleadingly. "There have been strange things happening at the temple lately, and it's been bad for business."
"What kind of strange things?" Mitshiba asked, unable to hold her curiosity in check.
"I d-don't know," he stammered. "Something about a plain-clothes Starfleet officer being abducted by a cult that's into mind control," Caden said wildly. "I want my brain and my money to stay safe, thank-you-very-much."
At the mention of the words 'plain-clothes Starfleet officer', Eve and Aki exchanged pained glances. "How far is the temple from here?" Natalie barked at her Ferengi friend. None of them could have known that the person Caden had heard about was Mortina Millings, so the two ANUBIS officers naturally feared the worst.
"About five minutes north of here," he said with hesitation, realizing his chance to flee may have just been compromised by his own latinum-covered tongue. "Now wait just a minute, don't *we* have a ride to catch?"
"Business before pleasure," Ms. Portree said. "Besides, don't forget 'the riskier the road, the greater the profit'."
"I respect your study of profits- that's the sixty-second rule of acquisition. Okay, I guess I'm in," Caden agreed weakly.
"You're in?" Aki couldn't help but question the Ferengi inviting himself to the group.
"That's okay," Natalie said with mock soothing, allowing the man to step in front of them. "We can use him as a shield if they start shooting."
Caden glared at Portree. "You would never-"
Natalie's one eye narrowed in anger. "Don't *try* me, you little troll," she hissed. "You owe *me* for the mess I got you out of on VALLA ROYALE. Those Bolians would have drawn and quartered you for that Ponzi scheme if I hadn't stepped in."
Caden lowered his shoulders in defeat. "Your memory is better than I thought... for a hu-man."
Portree waved a hand to the north, not acknolwedging the compliment. "Lead on, my good sir. You know the place better than we do."
==========
Susan M Ledbetter (susanmled@earthlink.net)
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"I savored those stories; I read them slowly, one each day. And when I was done, I wished I hadn't read them at all. So I could read them again... like it was the first time."
-Melanie to Old Jake, DS9, "The Visitor"
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