Welcome the Ferengi

Posted on Wed May 27th, 2020 @ 4:54am by Captain M'Mira & Lieutenant Tomer Chaim & Lieutenant JG Adam Burns & Lieutenant Connor Turner & Candy Templeton & Lieutenant Commander Aeryn Jameson & Lieutenant Oliver Radrick & Lieutenant John Fitzgerald & Lieutenant Tristian Hudson & Lieutenant JG Kara Quinn-Chaim & Lieutenant JG Shannon Cosantior & Petty Officer 1st Class Grace Hudson

2,289 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 3: Diplomacy, what’s that?
Location: Commons

Nidor strode out of the docking bays and onto Faltan Station as the first member of the Ferengi Commerce Authority to step onto Faltan Station. He could not imagine why others had not set themselves up here. With all the various species and interests here, profit was inevitable. He took a file to his teeth and sharpened a couple absentmindedly while he looked around.

Behind him travelled three women: a Bajoran, a human, and a Trill. Behind them was an adult male Ferengi and an adolescent male Ferengi.

Nidor called to the Trill, "Mahjur. Who did you say runs this place again?"

The Trill inquired, "The planet or the Station, Nidor?"

"The Station! The Station! If we were not on the Federation space station, then I would want to know about who runs that. Let's stay on topic, shall we?"

"Yes, Nidor," the Trill obediently responded, bowing towards him. "I believe the current Commanding Officer of the Station is Commander M'Mira, a Caitian."

"Really, a Caitian? They are always interesting business partners. Well, go fetch me this M'Mira. It is about time that we establish ourselves, don't you think?"

The Trill answered, "I do not believe that is how things work on a Planetary Station, Nidor."

"I don't pay you to think, Mahjur. I pay you for oo-lox and to get things done."

"So true, Nidor. A moment if you would, then," Mahjur responded. She then stopped the nearest person and asked, "How might we get to see Commander M'Mira?"

Radrick was walking quickly going over the transporter logs when he was stopped by the Trill. "I would be happy to assist you." He said as he looked up. He then noticed the Ferengi behind the Trill. "Hello good sir. Allow me to be the first to great you. I am Transport Specialist Radrick" he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out on a slip of latinum and offered it to the Ferengi . "For the Blessed Exchequer if you would. I am afraid our station does not yet have a place for me to honor him." Before the Ferengi could respond Oliver started speaking again. "I have fresh non replicated Slug-O-Cola back at my quarters if you would care to join me." Radrick was very excited to see the Ferengi in hopes to conduct business and acquire a connection for transporter parts of Ferengi Origin.

Grace was out stretching her legs when she saw the new arrivals, she hadn’t had many dealings with the Ferengi but she knew they didn’t have a very high opinion of women especially when they had clothes on. She simply offered a polite nod as she passed by.

At first Nidor was taken aback by such a lowly individual as a transport specialist approaching him. However, the moment that latinum was offered to him, he brightened. "Yeeesss. Yessss, I think I shall very much enjoy meeting with you. Perhaps we could do that after I meet with Commander M'Mira. What did you say your name was, again? Radrick? I do not suppose that you know which way I could go to find her. And perhaps in the meantime, I could send you one of my assistants to sample your wares?"

Nidor took a sidelong glance over at Grace and asked Radrick, "Perhaps you could also tell me about her?"

"Yes of course." Radrick knew better than to Comm to Commander M'Mira that she had a guest and put her on the spot so he lead them over to Grace. "Officer Hudson allow me to introduce our newest guests." Radrick had not had the chance to meet Nurse Hudson himself yet but had read her profile extensively as well as her pattern buffer sequences and knew she would be friendly enough to entertain them while he contacted the commander privately .

Grace offered a polite smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She gave Radrick a glance that said just what she was thinking, “Why would a Ferengi be interested in meeting a female? “What brings you to our station?”

"What else would bring me to a station, Hu-Man?" he asked with a derisive snort. "Business. That, and I am the new Ferengi Ambassador for this station." His nostrils flared lightly. "Tell me of your skills, female."

Grace nodded. "I'm half Betazoid, but as you already know I can't read you. I'm also a fully qualified nurse and field medic" she looked at the Ferengi Ambassador curiously. "May i ask why you wish to know Ambassador?"

In a snorting, conspiratorial tone, the Ferengi responded, "Oooh, I like you. I could make you a very wealthy woman. Let us plan a time to dine together. Tomorrow at 1200, then?"

Grace looked surprised. “That’s a very err ... considerate gesture Ambassador.” She thought about refusing but she didn’t want to offend the Ferengi plus she was curious what he had in mind.”

Nidor flashed his razor sharp, pointed teeth at Grace and then to nobody in particular said, "I think I am going to like it here."

Grace looked at Oliver then back at the Ferengi. She wasn’t quite sure whether she liked the sound of that or not.

Tag Radrick

To one side, one could see a blonde haired woman carefully observing everything with the Ferengi and the people the head Ferengi encountered. She was about to approach when fifteen meters in front of the Ferengi delegation, a familiar figure of Santa Claus appeared. Santa Claus chuckled, "HO! HO! HO! As promised, Faltan Station, I am back and I have found that you have been especially naughty. However, I am especially generous. You will have one week to abandon Faltan Station or face punishment."

Oliver had just finished sending the request for the Commander to make time to meet with the Ferengi when he saw the Santa Claus appear. "I did not program that in the projectors." he quickly taped his comm.
(/\)" Radrick to security we have a potential threat in progress."(/\). He rushed to a terminal and ensured all transporters on the station where in full lock down to keep anyone from entering or leaving via transporters.

Aeryn had been receiving a whole flood of reports from personnel plus the words of Santa had been heard all over the station. She cursed quietly to herself, now they'd have panic on their hands and everyone wanting answers.

Tomer appeared on the scene within seconds of hearing that there was a threat. He looked over at Radrick and asked, "Has it done anything threatening? Do we have any intelligence on it?"

"Nothing that I can find." Shannon said glumly. Sneaking up behind Tomer but making sure to speak before getting within striking range, she wasn't stupid. "No energy traces and research yields nothing but children's stories from Earth."

"I did not program this Santa in my Holo emitters. Transporters have no pattern buffer records matching this figures description. I have put all transporters on the station as well as a block on all incoming transporter signals. I would advise your team to also lock down the shuttle bays until we can get this threat under control." Radrick reported this all to Tomer in a clear direct voice.

“What is going on?!” Kara appeared from her office. Walking across to her husband she gave Tomer a concerned look. “Is Santa seriously demanding we leave the station?!”

"That's what it sounded like to me," Tomer replied to his wife, more than a little confused.

He then looked over at Radrick, "Good idea."

"Flight Ops to security, my Shuttle bays just locked down, what's going on over there?" Fitz said into his communicator.

Tomer called back, =^=They were shut down on my authorization. We have an unauthorized person on the station.=^=

Tristian stood from his medical doorway and furrowed his eyebrow. He tried to overhear what the Falton Security Officers were up too. Not that he had the time to be distracted. “Likely, this would have to do with that Santa Clause dude. What a character!” He chuckled. He tapped at his medical tricorder and sat it near the terminal interface.

Fitz was busy in flight ops, even though the shuttle bay was locked down, he wanted to make sure none of the shuttles could take off with an intruder

Nidor shuffled over to Santa and complained at him, "Tell me, how is that good for business? Surely, an accommodation might be reached. After all, I've only just arrived and suggest that we can find a mutually profitable solution."

Santa Claus looked at the Ferengi and asked, "I am willing to listen to your solution."

A very alert and cautious M'Mira strolled out into the field and asked anyone in general, "What exactly is going on herrrre?"

Grace turned to look at M'Mira. "Commander... It seems our new Ferengi Ambassador is suggesting a mutually profitable solution to Santa Claus on behalf of the station." She gave M'Mira an uncertain look.

Oliver moved to the Commander turning his back to everyone and whispered. "Commander I am unable to get a transporter lock on this Santa Claus. Should I have the Ferengi Ambassador emergency beamed to a safer location or would you like to see how this plays out." Oliver stood at attention and waited.

M'Mira gave a snort of derision and then hissed lightly, seething her words in a near whisper. "Ferrrrengi and no trrransporrrterrr lock? Not good news at all. Get me any analysis of this Santa Claus that you can, Rrradrrrick. Ms. Hudson, tell me what you have obserrrved so farrrr."

Grace nodded. "It seems our Ferengi ambassador has an interest in my abilities, for what I'm not certain" she rested one hand on her rounded stomach, and the other hand on her back. "As for Santa Claus I'm not sensing him at all, at least not yet which tells me he has to be a projection or a species we haven't encountered before."

Looking up at Grace, M'Mira blinked twice before asking, "The Ferrrengi had interest in you? Currriouserrr and currriouserrr," M'Mira purred.

Fitz then came in through the door, "Alright, I've got the shuttle bay... what in the hell?" he said, finally noticing Santa Claus in the room, "Is that?" he said, turning to Grace.

"So he says" Grace nodded. "It seems he's here to judge us!"

Santa Claus looked at the Ferengi as he approached and cried out, "Merry Christmas! I will see everyone again soon." Despite the transporter locks, Santa Claus disappeared.

Oliver was furious that the transporter system was unable to detect this creature but he kept his frustration to himself.

Grace sighed more with relief than anything else. "What in the hell happens next?"

"Well either way, he's not getting out of here in a shuttle, I've disabled the drive systems in all except one. the one that does still work has it's drive system protected with a fractal encryption code, which can only be accessed by using this data chip," He held an isolinear chip up in his hand, "Which I am currently in the process of having put under a physical lock and key so that no one else can accessed by myself, the Stations XO, and of course, Commander M'Mira," he said, pausing to breathe a second, "Now, as for Santa Claus, could he be Q?"

"I don't think so, I didn't sense anything from him." Grace looked at Fitzgerald. "I guess we'll find out eventually."

"What the hell is going on around here? And, what can I do to help?" Lieutenant Hudson asked. He wanted to be proactive. There was not much to do at the moment.

"This dude, Santa." He furrowed, "Why the lame disguise?" Tristian had asked.

"Whateverrr this Santa Claus is, we arrre cerrrtainly not going to be leaving," M'Mira snarled. She then looked at Fitzgerald and said, "I do not think he is Q. As I underrrstand Q, he is supposedly verrry, what is the worrrd? Narrrcissitic?" But she looked at Lieutenant Hudson and said, "I want you to search the databanks for any sentient species able to do what Santa did. I don't know if therrre arrre but let us eliminate things one step at a time. That's what I did when I was the Chief Operrrations Officerrr.

“Yes, Commander M’mira.” Replied Tristian with a bit of a grin. He found her quite the character. “Having to go through the pattern buffers on the systems with the Operations Officer would be a good idea.”

“If I can get a biomarker on their species, we could know who, what they are within hours.” He rubbed at the back of his shoulder, sore. He looked at Isabelle and smiled. She was carrying their baby, and he was damned if the Ferengi showed interest in her!

"Do what you can. If you find anything, let me know immediately," M'Mira replied. She then looked at Candy Templeton interviewing people. "Maybe we can use herrr, too."

Oliver frantically searched through records and records of pattern buffer data looking for anything suspicious as he waited for his next orders.

After a while of doing DNA sequencing, Tristian was able to locate a trace biosynthesis signature within the Santa Figure. Beyond that, he passed on his information to the Falton Station Engineering and Security Team.

“Tomer, Sir.” He Tristian handed him a padd with the Ferengi biosignatures on them. Hopefully, this could help the situation, maybe even determine where their vessel may be hiding.

Tomer took the PADD. "Thank you. I'll see what I can do with this." He shook his head wondering how he was going to figure anything out. Ferengi signatures were Ferengi signatures. Santa Claus was something else entirely."

 

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