Blinded by Money

Posted on Thu Feb 8th, 2018 @ 7:31am by Second Mate Quinton Beck & MERCHANT RANKS Fala Gaz (NPC)
Edited on on Sun Mar 11th, 2018 @ 10:53pm

1,422 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: From Within...

-Start-

{Secondary Hull- The Garrison}

They had solved so many problems. The treasury had been depleted, but Sheila had gone beyond her employ as a mercenary outfit. She leased the damaged portions of the ship, using what was undoubtedly warchest funds provided from Starfleet. She was also taking over the ship in a sinister fashion.

Payment in full in advance for the two year term. An armory, shuttles, even scientific equipment. Forty people in all, salary paid in full in advance to them as well. Fala had hired nearly five hundred stellar mariners, and many more on their way as fast as they could. She had numbers but this group had somehow solved their problems and become poised to take over the ship. . Sheila was becoming a concern, but they couldn't take the ship with forty, though it became paramount to her that they find a solution. Talloc was also a Starfleet plant, she was certain of it.

Sheila had also hired a financial administrator, a lawyer really to represent them to the ship. Sheila had rented several decks and was slowly exerting influence over the ship with seemingly endless resources. Payment in advance, in full for the term of the lease had seemed a good deal at the time, but Fala felt taken for a ride. If she was competing with Starfleet Intel, she would lose. She needed partners and while Beck was the Captain he didn't fund this endeavor. Right now, the brazen Human Sheila had hired was busy sharing his opinion on her efforts so far.

He chased her as she peeked over the shoulders of the working crew,

"At your request we re-supplied from accounts 4563 and 9923..." She wasn't listening to him closely, Fala needed to keep an eye on the ship, and her ear to the ground tracking every motion. After two minutes blatantly tuning the man out his tone and volume caught her attention.

“FALA!” Chadwick Horrow all but screamed.

She let her tooth poke out as she grinned. "Seventy four bars, forty strips, twelve slips left in account 6785, Mizzanite at .16 off margin in the index... I WAS listening..." She prompted for his name, though she knew it already.

He knew it too, replying flatly, "My name? ... Chad, again... Chaaaad."

Fala suppressed her grin, she loved snarky.

"Save it for my office, one hour."

{Turbolift}


“... maybe ask eighteen or twenty percent over... no she'd never.... if I stick to Fifteen though she'll dicker down to Twelve.” Chad shook his head and tapped the padd, talking to himself but also listening to the grinds and squeaks as the turbolift went slowly up the shaft. Progress on getting Fala to agree to terms was even more slow.

“I'll be old and grey by the time I get to deck two,” He said to nobody at all.

Judah heard, and Fala Gaz was already in the lift, by camera and now voice. She knew Chad was on the way thanks to Judah being omnipresent on the ship. Chad owed her answers, he was the man Starfleet chose for her so she was ready to give him hell.

Her screech opened in the small turbolift, a torture chamber of echoes.
"Mr. Horrow! I will not tolerate one more delay. Your masters lent you to me in good faith that you would serve this ship-"

He lost his temper briefly, "Oh shut the hell up, I am traveling at the speed fish rots in a rickety bucket so I'll get there when I get there."

He heard a sharp intake of breath and muted the speakers by request. He didnt know what she was yelling but he knew she'd definitely repeat herself.

{Bridge}

When Chad entered the corridor leading to the Lounge he saw her doors were shut. Despite their appointment and late start she made people wait, it was a power game wasted everyone's time. Taking a deep breath he tapped the wall stud and chimed his presence.

"Come in." The voice was artificially high, she was trying to sound lilting but it was horrifying.

Entering he was not let a single footfall before the carpet was yanked from beneath him so to speak.

"You will give me the names of Starfleet personnel in my employ or I will not pay one cent in salary to those I suspect have contactual obligations prior to their service here.

Chad only worked as a liaison to Starfleet as well as any other government where they were parked. That was his job, he had no pull or special knowledge.

Not that she listened. Sheila and company were definitely involved with but not a member of Starfleet. How they worked, was beyond him, but Fala wanted what was not his to provide anyway.

He was loud but still civil. "Who do you suspect, Like I said I don't know anyone on board currently serving another organization. Contracts are signed, and legal-

"You don't just get to issue an invoice for shadowy figures on paper. Sheila Rohbards has at least five people I can prove are Intelligence personnel. And you think I don't realize these are aliases those other Marines gave me?!"

"They are not aliases, they have simply look like they have left the marines to work under us because they did. They can be on leave, or suspended, retired even and the contracts are valid."

"A false identity cannot sign a contract, or collect pay-"

"THEN DO IT! Go on, just choose not to pay veteran marines and spacers and see what word of mouth gets around when you don't pay your people. I'm trying to hand you a great deal and you are just-"

Fala did not take to being yelled at in her own office and interrupted him with fury.

"Mr. Horrow, you are not handing me a thing. How specieist of you Starfleet... Oh, wave Latinum and free services in my face and expect to see the Ferengi dance for you right? The money paid to us for the Garrison is rent, it is no gift.

"Sheila isn't Starfleet, and her outfit would bring more profit than you could without her."

Fala openly laughed, this hew-mon had no measure of her. She had all of her capital sunk into this one enterprise, but she knew it would pay off.

"My connection to this ship represents one of many diverse offerings from my Combine, and do not think me small or addle brained, You know this ship and the treasures it holds has blood on it.

Chad was not unfamiliar with piracy economics, he chose to let the comment lay on the table between them.

Fala also had more, of course. "Do you expect me to run a ship with proper ledgers but not account for payment of all staff on board? Or account for all income, hmm? Or perhaps you mean for me to think "The Engineers" Sheila brought with her line their own pockets... oh no she has to play it quiet, and pay us to be onboard so we can pay her people vicariously. Are we done playing games?"

He finally took a deep breath his head pounding. Lowering his voice to normal, he looked at Fala. "Don't you ever get sick of yelling?"

Fala smiled, her anger gone in an instant.
"No."

Sheila was here to stay. If Starfleet wanted its people on board neither of them could affect that, but he couldn't say that directly. He looked forward to this ship leaving, this was a quagmire. Sheila was using him as a Trojan Horse of goods, but Fala knew it for what it was. Torn between two forces he lost his temper.

"You're not getting any ledgers, if that means you're too bloody stupid to take money from a group that helps the helpless, then so be it. I'll simply have all the work reversed, at cost, cancel the shuttles, dismantle the armory-"

She cut him off, iron in her voice. Also, she had already removed those items from their Cargo section. "Oh but Mr. Horrow, I don't think you understand. If you don't have proper ledgers, then I must create them. If I must create them you must help me to forge them."

He dropped down into a chair and rubbed his head. "Sheila told me to give you nothing. You've both given me a bloody headache."

"They say that's why they didnt allow women to do business on Ferenginar for a millenia. I'll tell Sheila you put up a good fight. Now..."

-END-

Austen
Stephen

 

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