Hit The Ground Running, Part Two

Posted on 24 Sep 2015 @ 8:15am by Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D.
Edited on 24 Sep 2015 @ 8:33am

1,268 words; about a 6 minute read

Location: 1139 Tongo Ave, Federation Embassy, Capitol City's Sacred Marketplace, Ferenginar
Date: June 13th, 2380
Time: 1345 Hours

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Rainy and drenched, Ensign Benice and her partner, Lieutenant Commander Avok, waited under an awning outside the Federation Embassy's main gate. Both wore their Starfleet issue black trenchcoats and rain bonnet while they were awaiting a hovercar from the Ferenginar Liquidation Office.

"He's late," Gyce noted with a small shiver and rubbed her shoulders to create heat from friction.

"Liquidators are their business police, Ensign." Avok, the olive-skinned Vulcan, was not daunted at all with the bad weather. "As we tamper with the environmental controls in interrogation rooms, they use similar tactics to cause discomfort with their targets. I suspect it is because they want to close this case fast."

"Closing cases too fast could cause an error in judgement," Gyce cautioned her partner and sighed with relief as a big black four-door hovercar pulled up.

A very tall Hupyrian emerged from the driver's door and invitingly opened the passenger door behind him. Soon after, Gyce and Avok got inside the vehicle and sat on the passenger bench facing the rear of the car. It was then the Bajoran took in everything.

"Liquidator Noc," was the instant jovial greeting from their expected guide, sitting on the adjacent seat in front of them.

Gyce was fine in letting Avok do the intros while she assessed the situation. The Ferengi himself was a pervert. Not surprising. It was, however, annoying when he let his beady brown eyes linger too long on her clothed lady parts.

Trained to ignore things outwardly, Gyce went to eying the man's attire. Vain, as most prosperous Ferengi men were. His colorful yellow and green silk suit matched the quality to that of his profiting peers. And he had a boisterous personality. Loud, really, and physically exaggerative with some of his narrative exploits in closing down latium forgers and launderer rings.

The car itself was new, if you judged by the fact it lacked a swampy smell and humidity such as their public hover buses carried. And the shoes on Liquidator Noc were very expensive. A sort of water-proofed brown oxford design that had to of cost fifty bars. His latnium-plated jewelry also spoke of his stature. A hierarchy based on capital that he clearly succeeded at. So much so that he displayed his worth to make his lessers respect and admire (possibly fear) his station.

"So what can I help you with?" Noc smiled - No. Sneered in a sexual way to Gyce. It made her visually uncomfortable and caused her to shift in her seat, which thankfully to others looked more like shyness than repulsion.

"Our embassy said that while the Grand Nagus gave us permission to be here to do our job, we should have a liaison to help us figure out who attacked one of our installations," Avok answered with a typical Vulcan headbob.

"We heard about Canderous," Noc spoke with what Gyce could only assume was mock-sympathy. For he reached over and pat Gyce on the knee. "A shame I can't help you, since Kod hasn't been seen in this system by any of his former business partners... That was... oh... since four months after the previous change of Nagi power."

"But you do know who his business associates were, correct?" Gyce at last asked while she diplomatically removed the pervert's hand and clutched her cane to keep from slapping him.

Noc clicked his tongue repeatedly behind his upper snaggled-teeth in disappointment. "Come now... I agreed I would help, but that does not come freely."

"You do realize if that explosive goes off in the wrong place, that there could be a possible war," Avok countered with Noc.

"War is good for business. Rules of Acquisition number thirty-four," Noc chidded.

"Peace is good for business. Rules of Acquisition, number thirty-five," Gyce was quick to counter. "Depending on where it goes off, the major powers would only focus on their profit and survivability. That would, in turn, disrupt the stocks of the Ferengi Stock Exchange."

"It is very appealing to know a female outside our kind respects our ways," Noc agreed. "But females and finances don't generally mix."

"A paraphrase of rule number forty-nine," Gyce fielded and had to push through that sick feeling in her stomach as she performed a natural smile the moment Noc placed his hand on her knee again. What she would not give to smack him.

Why the kosst does he have to keep touching me there?

"Why don't we do this..." Noc began and signaled his driver to move faster. "We have a few drinks, we discuss some financial opportunities, and if I like what you're offering, I'll give you the list you want."

Gyce looked to Avok, and though the Vulcan showed no emotion, she suspected he was just as annoyed. He was the lead detective, afterall. So it was not her place to make the deals.

"We do not know where Kod intends to sell the warhead," Avok explained to the pigheaded Ferengi. "We also do not have a clear window of when this bomb is intended to go off."

"As I understand it, protomatter, while used illegally for WMDs, is also something scientists are still trying to harness for terraforming. So I ask what makes you think Kod intends to sell to a weapons dealer and not someone in the terraforming community," Noc countered, and pat the empty spot beside of him. "Why don't you come sit with me, Ensign Benice."

Debasing herself for her newfound government? This was a low she had not stooped to since the Occupation. It made her ill to think about and also repulsed, for he was not very attractive at all, with a face that looked like a baby's backside. But she knew she had to accept, given he was not budging. That was his mistake, for oo-mox would get any male Ferengi to talk. And the faster she got him to be malleable to her suggestions, the better.

"I'd love to," Gyce agreed as she accepted a glass of some sort of slug slime-based champange. Then sat beside of him. She used all her discipline to swallow the putrid-tasting drink too.

"It's a favored drink here... More so with the females," Noc told Gyce. And she got the impression he was undressing her with his eyes again.

"We just want to know if there might be someone who could give Starfleet some insight into his possible motives," Avok spoke as he attempted to redirect the conversation. Gyce got the impression that Avok did not approve of her current tactic to work the Ferengi.

"Common knowledge is that he is what hue-mons call 'Old School'. When females were given rights to wear clothes and earn profit, his tailoring business went bankrupt. He claimed that the female competitors in his market had an unfair insight into what the customers really wanted in clothing," Noc explained with a brief moment of sympathy. "A Ferengi without profits, is not a Ferengi. So he and his family left Ferenginar in shame."

An opening, and deliberate, Gyce suspected with loathing. For she swalloed the sick in her stomach to give the short male a brief, comforting hug. Only it was not a platonic gesture at all.

In a very stiff, barely civil tone, Gyce requested, "If you wish to keep that hand, get it off my boob."

 

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