A Meal and a Mission

Posted on Wed 1st Jan, 2025 @ 6:08pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Morva
Edited on on Fri 10th Jan, 2025 @ 2:00am

1,286 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: The Slug and Grub Restaurant #1

Damion boarded the Ferengi barge Contentment and made his way into the Slug and Grub restaurant that was located onboard. He had an appointment to meet with Morva, the head chef there, for supper.

He greeted the Ferengi at the host stand, who signaled for a waiter to take Damion to the small private dining room. He didn't have long to wait. About five minutes later, the imperious Ferengi chef entered and closed the door behind her.

"Good evening, Lt. Ildaran," she said. Morva cocked her head at him and pulled a mini-PADD from a side pocket. "I suppose it's algae puffs with rice in yamok sauce, as usual?"

Damion smiled at her. "Please. If I ever have to eat flaked blood flea or jellied gree worm again, it will be too soon--but you make the best algae puffs I've ever eaten, so I came with a healthy appetite."

"Hoo-mons," Morva said, shaking her head. "Why you only want to eat the simplest things I cook, I will never understand. And what would you like to drink?"

"Green tea will be fine, thank you."

Morva tapped the order into her PADD and joined Damion at the table where he was seated. "So, what is the purpose of this meeting?" She batted her eyelashes at him. "If I'm going to be making my husband jealous, I at least want to know why."

Damion almost laughed. Morva's husband, Trav, was the most genial Ferengi he had ever met, and the couple themselves were physically old enough to be his grandparents. "I need a place outside Federation territory to store some investment funds."

Morva's eyebrows rose. "You interest me exceedingly, my dear, but I'm a chef, not a stock broker. How do you imagine I can help you?"

"I need the name of a reputable Ferengi brokerage house that won't try to cheat non-Ferengi clients."

Morva gave Damion an amused look. "You don't ask for much, do you, Lieutenant? Let me check on your food. Once it arrives, we will have a delicious meal, and we'll talk."

She went out the door, leaving Damion to wonder if she was discussing his need with anyone. If she was, he decided, she would only be discussing it with other Ferengi. He waited patiently. A few minutes later, Morva returned, followed by one of her staff. "The hoo-mon is having the algae puffs and the rice, Merat; I'm having the slug steak."

Merat nodded and set the two plates down, along with a large bowl of seaweed crisps for the two of them to nibble on. He poured out Damion's tea from a steaming teapot and set a goblet of snail juice at Morva's plate. After that, Morva shooed him from the room and locked the door.

"Good! Now, we have privacy," she said and took her seat. She began cutting into her slug steak. She speared a piece and then pointed to Damion with the laden fork. "You have always impressed me as someone who would make a reliable businessman, Lieutenant. My people don't always prize honesty if it gets in the way of profit, but I know most of you hoo-mons do. I know the Federation does. And I've known you long enough to put you in the honest-but-not-stupid businessman category."

"Thank you, Morva, but I'm an intelligence officer," Damion replied. "I employ plenty of dishonesty in my line of work."

Morva sniffed. "Yes, but in business, you would be straightforward. You're more subtle than to unduly cheat your customers. I don't think I would like you as much as I do if you were truly underhanded. So why do you need to invest this money outside the Federation?" She paused and gave him a considering look. "Is it something I might consider profitable?"

"And I wouldn't trust you as much as I do if you were underhanded," Damion said in agreement. He paused and thought for a moment. "I came into an inheritance--not a huge one, but it's worth about 10 bars of latinum. My intent is to fund a charitable effort if I can find a reputable place to deposit the funds and invest them. The money needs to be kept outside Federation territory because the project I need it for is illegal in the Federation. There's 10 slips of latinum in it for you for the information."

"That is a joke of an offer, considering I could be charged with conspiracy to commit a crime by helping you," Morva informed him as she pointed a finger at Damion. "We'll get back to the bargaining in a moment. Why is an honest hoo-mon trying to evade Federation law?"

"I want to avoid Federation tracking of the withdrawals," Damion said. "The withdrawals would be used to help beings who the Federation essentially enslaves."

"Enslaves?" Morva gave Damion a startled look. "And this project of yours is a charity." She made a face as if she had tasted something foul. "Among Ferengi, charity trusts are something that parents create for children suffering from mental disabilities that prevent them from accumulating their own profit. The families pay for guardians and trustees who care for those children when the parents die. Aside from that, charity is against the Rules of Acquisition. It is demeaning to any healthy Ferengi to seek such a thing. Profit must be earned or schemed for. Money received as charity is not profit."

"Agreed," Damion said with a nod. He could understand her point of view; his homeworld was not much into charity, either. "But slaves aren't always allowed to have money. I'll keep the funds in a normal brokerage account, as I would have to appoint trustees and guardians for a trust. Right now, this is a one-man operation. Given my line of work, I'd feel more comfortable with that. It would give me more flexibility in whom I give the funds to. For now, though, I'll be in the asset acquisition phase for years before the account would contain enough of a balance to be useful to me and the beings I want to help."

"So you want the funds to grow undisturbed and forgotten about by the Federation." Morva leaned back in her seat and thought. "You might have better success working with the Delavi; they're closer to this area of space than Ferenginar is--far more accessible to you, and they too will keep your account secret and secured. I invest with one of their banking houses--just to hedge my bets, you understand. One can never be too careful with one's profits."

"Their financial system is more freewheeling than I like and not as stable," Damion told her. "There are rumors of trouble brewing--nothing concrete, but where there's smoke, there could be fire." He crumbled a seaweed crisp over his remaining rice and ate a bite. "I like the reliability of a Ferenginar bank--but your point about accessibility is well taken, and I'll consider it."

"You should talk to Qaraq, who bought the rights to keep Orchids & Jazz open," Morva said. "He is far more than just a simple casino owner. I suspect he could give you excellent advice about where and how to conceal your money." Morva shrugged. "But if you do prefer to place your money with a Ferengi brokerage house--or a Delavi one--I can tell you which one Trav and I use, but it will naturally cost you--and far more than a mere ten slips of latinum."

Damion smiled and sipped his tea. Now it was time for bargaining. "I would never have guessed, Morva. How much more?"

She smiled and fixed Damion with a look. "Who said I would necessarily be interested merely in money?"

 

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