A Little Bird Told Me...

Posted on Tue Aug 25th, 2020 @ 1:15am by Major Ashley Rogers & Sublieutenant Gedak K.I.A. 238702.10

1,759 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave: Welcome to Drozana
Location: Drozana Station
Timeline: 238612.29

Another good day of business done, Gedak thought to himself as he counted the latinum. Buying and selling wares on Drozana was always an enjoyable pastime. Especially, when one can get their hands on some of the antiques he had snapped up. A genuine record player from 1960s Earth, with a generous collection of music by some of Gedak's favourite old Earth artists - Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and even some Louis Armstrong! That almost made him even happier than the fact that he had managed to sell a shipment of assorted ores for almost twice the price he had bought it for not two hours earlier.

No, Gedak was certainly a happy Ferengi as he sat by the bar, sipping his glass of port. The sweet, ruby red beverage from a small region of Earth was yet another one of his vices. But business was not the only thing on his mind as he watched one of the Orion dancers perform her art. His boss may not have the green skin of her Orion ancestry, but she certainly had the elegance and grace, he mused to himself, quietly chuckling. If Raven ever heard him say such a thing out loud, she would probably have his lobes on her wall next to that bat'leth.

Ash headed to the bar for what seemed like a daily visit. She had only just fully recovered from her promotion celebration. Looking around, she spotted Gedak admiring an Orion dancer. Ash followed his gaze and smiled a bit to herself too. The Ferengi had good taste.

It's always unsettling when the man in charge of the money asks to see you. She wondered if we will need to apply her unique skill set to a problem... She cracked her knuckles and walked towards him. "You wanted to see me?" she said, pulling up a seat next to Gedak. "Or... we can forgo whatever you wanted to talk to me about and just both admire the view... isn't there a Rule of Acquisition about being wary of a man that doesn't make time for Oo-mox...?" Ash smirked.

Gedak looked up and gave Ash a toothy grin. "That is indeed true, and is the view not wonderful, my human friend?" Gedak took pride in being one of the few Ferengi to actually pronounce the name of the Earthling species properly. "And don't worry, all I wanted to speak to you about is the pay rise that the boss told me to give you. Five percent. That's what you are getting, be happy with it." He took a sip from his drink. "How are you finding Drozana? I hope you haven't lost this month's pay on the dabo tables already."

Ash nodded at the bartender and ordered a beer, easing back into drinking. Definitely no more Romulan Ale... "Five percent is acceptable... for now," she smiled at the Ferengi. "I know better than to play Dabo at a place like Drozana... But so far so good. I've actually spent more time here at this bar than I thought I would. Trying to stay out of trouble... keep a low profile. Lots of interesting people and... opportunities here. How about you? Hope you didn't lose our month's pay?"

The Ferengi feigned shock. "Oh, please. You should know me better by now." He grinned. "I tripled our month's takings already. A lot of people on this station have no idea what the right price for their goods is, and that is where my expertise comes in." He laughed. "I also made sure to restock our armoury and I have a lead on those spare parts our Chief Engineer wanted for the drive core. All in a few days' work, after all."

Ash nodded in appreciation. "Hopefully those spare parts are a less pain in the ass than the last time we tried to acquire parts. At this rate, I won't mind just stealing them outright... but I trust your judgment. Let me know if you need any associates taken care of though. I want to make sure you're getting your money's worth out if me," she grinned.

"That's the idea. Although, if our crew keeps growing like this, we are going to need a bigger ship. I mean, taking over that D'Deridex that that Rommie Commander woman wanted is probably not an option any more, but I don't think our old bird is going to have enough space for all these people we are picking up, at this rate." Gedak took a sip. "Any ideas?"

Ash sipped her beer and leaned in to Gedak, "So I've been asking around about Vulture... while no one knows who the hell Vulture is I've heard some interesting things. We aren't the only people trying to get a ship to help the Romulans. Some are more legitimate than others. Perhaps we should look into acquiring one from a less scrupulous group? There aren't that many with the means and resources to get one the size we need so that narrows our scope. Most of the smaller operations are the legitimate ones linked with NGOs and other good samaritans. I'd prefer to leave those folks alone. Have you heard anything? I'm sure the trade networks are buzzing."

"If you want emergency supplies or colony gear, sure." Gedak shook his head. "Nothing as far as ships goes." He drained his glass, and waved it at a waitress, who quickly returned with a refill. "But get this." He leaned in closer. "Have you heard of the Ourainavassa? Prototype Mogai-class warbird with some neat Federation tech. Left for a shakedown run, never returned."

He pulled out a PADD and put it on the table. "Look at what a local pirate band seems to be offering. Fits the description perfectly." He chuckled. "And if anyone is stupid enough to believe that the offer is genuine, at that price, they should have stayed at home with mama. Still, might be worth checking out, what do you think?"

"The Ourainavassa?" Ash asked, eyebrow raised. "Not a lot of people know about that ship and the 'neat Federation tech' on it. The Section was very interested in getting that back after it disappeared. Are you saying some pirates have it?!" It would be one hell of a score if they were to get the Ourainavassa. "What do you know about this band of pirates?" Ash's mind is already churning.

"Knew you had heard of it," Gedak said, smiling conspiratorily. "I don't know anything beyond what it says in the advert." He pushed the PADD towards her. "You're the expert spy, what do you make of it?"

Ash looked at the PADD, "You don't just try to sell a ship like the Ourainavassa... makes no sense. Unless... they broke it. There's a lot of complex systems on that ship. Not that many people in the galaxy know about it, much less can do the maintenance on it. If it really is the Ourainavassa, we have to get that ship before someone else realizes what it is." She looked at the asking price and made a face, "We can't afford this. I don't care how much you can swindle these fine people on Drozana." Ash leaned back in her chair, "I wonder if Raven will be up for an adventure..."

The Ferengi smirked. "You should know the boss by now, Rogers. The question is, though - are they actually selling it, or is it a trap, like we had with those parts? I mean, do they even have the latinum-damned thing?" He shrugged. "I think we better investigate this further, before we make any decisions. Find out if they actually have the ship in the first place. What do you think?"

She nodded at Gedak, "Oh, I'm betting it's a trap. You don't throw that kind of a target out there and not know the kind of clientele that will take the bait. We're definitely going to have to do some digging. Whoever even took the Ourainavassa to start with is well connected. Tal Shiar... Section 31... who the hell knows what else is out there. If it is the Ourainavassa we can't take the chance of someone else getting that ship before we do. And if it's not the Ourainavassa we need to know who's out there baiting those that do." Ash drank the rest of her beer. "You're going to owe me way more than five percent by the time this is all said and done."

Gedak chuckled. He liked a woman that knew how to strike a hard deal. "I'll bump it up another five if the operation is successful." He scratched one of his lobes. "I don't think they need to be that well-connected, though. The ship went missing on its shakedown run. Maybe they had some system issues, or the weapons weren't operational yet, and someone jumped them? Either way, whoever we are dealing with will be dangerous."

"In our line of work, I've learned to always err on the side of caution. Until we know they aren't well-connected, I'm going to treat them like these people like they're the love child between the Tal Shiar and Section 31. Who knows, maybe it is something as simple as the ship getting taken over by common pirates and now they're too over their heads to continue using the ship," Ash smiles. "How about a wager, my Ferengi friend... if these pirates are well-connected, you bump me another 10% and hopefully we live. If not, I'll settle for the additional 5% and we will not only live, but we'll potentially have the Ourainavassa."

The Ferengi grinned. "You have a deal, Rogers. Now, where does your experience suggest we start our hunt for more information? And what about the boss and her Tal Shiar connections, do we get her in yet?"

Ash paused to think a bit about Gedak's question, "I don't trust those Tal Shiar connections. I'm sure it comes as a surprise that I don't trust anyone or anything. We should let Raven know about the possibility of Ourainavassa but I want to reach out to a few connections first before she does anything."

Gedak nodded. "Agreed. I will let her know that we are looking into a potential lead for a new ship. But that is all I will say for now. Let's give it a few days and see what we can find out."

RSS Feed