The Merchants Association

Posted on 03/05/2022 @ 9:46am by Captain Cara Letsul & Commander Raphael Mattix & Captain Skol Vek & Civilian Terrin Faux & Civilian Michael Taggart & Civilian Sapphire Desire

7,097 words; about a 35 minute read

Mission: Mini Mission: When The Cat's Away
Location: Elements Bar
Timeline: MD001 - 2300: 01/03/2397

Sapphire rubbed her hands together as she looked over her staff. The Elements staff were the top of the top, and she always ensured they were dressed and looking up to par. "You feeling alright Morena?" she asked one woman in a low voice as she touched the girls arm.

"I'm alright." she replied.

"OK, I trust you to be honest with me." Sapphire said with some compassion. The woman had been dumped a few hours earlier and while Sapphire expected her staff to be on point she had understanding that something like that can throw them off their game. She wanted every one on their game. It was a balance of expectation and compassion and it made her staff loyal to her. "Stay on point and touch up your eye liner alright?" she said firmly.

She glanced over the rest of the staff, two men in slight slacks, and long sleeve corset tops, in jeweled tones. Her women were dressed in a choice of slacks or skirts with a button down top, and a corset over the top. She always demanded her staff dress to an elevated level, but for privet events she liked the look of the corsets. It set her people apart.

"If all of you don't receive job offers by the end of the night You lose your bonus for working this event." she teased them as she looked at the group. They all chuckled as she grinned. "We're going to have fun tonight, and I expect you to also have fun." She clapped her hands and nodded to her chefs, "You guys as well." she said. "Lets go." she said before

They all gave a clap in responce and her bouncer a big guy name Leon headed for the door to let in her guests, the other merchants and bar owners.

In the center of the room the table had been arranged to allow them to sit together, but the bar was also opened for socializing. She was excited, this dinner would be fun.

Nalasha was one of the first through the door. She was the owner of the Repulsive Sailboat Tavern and an Orion. She liked to play up the pirate theme and had on a red bodice that cinched in the middle. It framed her chest and accentuated it making her already impressive bust look even bigger. Under it was a grey blouse shirt that tied at the top, which she kept loose to show off her chevage. A waist coat with red panels, with brass buttons down each side, a wide leather belt with a brass buckle, a matching skirt that was almost too short and a pair of knee high leather boots. She also had on a pair of gold hoop earrings and a leather necklace with a skull and cross bones pendant. Maybe the costume was silly, but her customers loved it.

The only reason why she and Sapphire got along was because Nalasha's place was the only one that brewed it's own ales. That meant she could sell it to some of the other establishments and make more money. After tucking some of her vibrant red hair behind one of her ears she nodded to Sapphire as she approached.

"Looks like a good spread. You serving my drinks?" She asked with a coy smile.

Sapphire winked at the pirate woman, "I serve only the best here at Elements, so I suppose you will have to see if I've decided your drinks are among the best." she said coyly.

Having been notified of the impending merchants summit Rafael and Chientaka had gone their separate ways to get dressed. Rafael had chosen to stay pretty much as he was, liking the pretty boy look he had going on, it sometimes threw other people off their game, and made them underestimate him. He had, however, swung by his quarters to grab a bottle of his favorite tequila, a nice silver variety that he kept in constant supply whenever he could.

Coming back up to the doors of the Elysian Dreams he chimed again, hoping he'd given his new Lurian partner enough time to prepare.

Chientaka decided to keep with her outfit, she had on earlier. The purple dress, with short sleeves, and draped towards the floor, the purple flower in her dark hair and the glittering tasteful necklace she wore around her neck. The necklace it draping towards the vee neck plunge of her dress. The color looked good against her light brown tannish skin. Despite her rather solid build, Chientaka moved gracefully.

She nodded in greeting to Rafael, and said in her deep voice, "Shall we go?" offering her elbow towards him.

When they arrived at the Elements, the doors opened before them and she sailed in singing out, in her melodious baritone voice, "We're here!"

Faux had received his invite, and if he was going, to be honest, he strongly debated not attending. His business was going fine, he had plenty of regular customers, and wasn't in the mood to socialize with any of the other civilian staff on the station. Meetings, parties, and whatever this was were not really his thing. He figured he would try if the Merchants Association wasn't for him then he could always leave. He stepped into Element as he sighed. He swore he'd never come here. He looked around, "a place like this doesn't serve coffee," he muttered.

For the occasion, Brek had donned a Windsor gold, three piece short tailcoat suit, which at first glance looked like a Ferengi design, but was actually the sort of thing worn in the old days of the British Empire. He had made it a point not to arrive first, so that he could observe the crowd. As expected there was a fine assemblage of beautiful people, often dressed with magnificence. With a bit of luck, the food served here would be just as sumptuous, for he was presenting himself with an empty stomach. His head, on the other hand, was full of questions regarding this Merchant Association that would be proposed. How much would it cost to join? Would participation be mandatory? Would his people reject this project, finding that it was very much like an extortionate syndicate?

His train of thoughts was interrupted when he heard a comment about the place not serving coffee, and he hoped that, at the very least they had champagne or sparkling saké. Then he would truly be in his element.

Nalasha glanced over at the Ferengi and the human, she made a face at the Ferengi fully expecting him to be all over her. She hadn't had time to change after working at the bar. "If you don't have any coffee, dear Sapphire, perhaps I can have one of my staff bring some over."

Sapphire gasped as she touched her chest, then clucked, "Oh Don't let the old Faux give you the wrong impression of my establishment. Coffee is a standard drink served with many meals. I carry a variety from 6 different worlds." she said. "He's such a sour puss." she said shaking her head at him, She neared him and leaned close to the salt and pepper man, "I wish you would learn to enjoy yourself with me dear old Faux." she smirked.

Faux looked at Sapphire and in a rare moment smiled, "and ruin my sunny disposition." He winked, "besides I know what happens to people who enjoy themselves with you." He looked at the server, "coffee black, nothing fancy."

Sapphire smiled brightly at Faux and winked, "Oh Honey, I doubt you truly know. But if you would like to find out, we should talk later." she said before she looked him up and down, and bit her lower lip.

No sooner had Brek found himself at ease among this crowd of strangers than an Orion woman, dressed like a sumptuous pirate - a real work of art - gave him a strange look. Obviously, in this case, the reputation of his people had preceded him. He addressed a polite smile at a red-haired Terran woman, the person in charge here, who had announced that there would be coffee aplenty, and he sailed away towards the bar. There, he ordered a saurian brandy and then let his steps carry him towards a quiet table.

How would this party evolve? As sentient as they all were, they nonetheless remained biological creatures, obeying three main impulses: sex, territory and hierarchy. Territory was his field of choice these days. As a dutiful servant of Ferenginar, one thing was glaringly obvious: there weren’t enough Ferengis in the galaxy...

A tall dark-haired man came walking into Elements, wearing the earring that most Bajorans wore, his clothing was simplistic in nature, a black vest with a blue tunic, dark pants and black boots. He carefully removed his black apron from about his waist and folded it over his arm. He was Vurom Tok, owner of the Nexus which specialized in the fruits and vegetables and other services from the regions around Poseidon Station.

He smiled quietly and moved to where he could watch and observe. It wasn't often that he met with the others. And here they were. He hoped that the owner of this establishment wouldn't boot him out, as he wasn't wearing his best. This was an opportunity he felt he couldn't miss out on. "Erm greetings." he softly said, "I guess this is the place."

Mickey left Skye in charge at the bar as he left to go check out this new Merchant's Association that was forming. He walked into Elements Bar, and was not too impressed with the ambiance. Different strokes, for different folks I guess. he thought. Taggart made his way to the bar. "I wan a scotch, neat... An one dat is old enough ta buy its own scotch." His accented voice rang out.

Trevona had heard of a call for merchants to meet from the grapevine of the station and though she wasn't a merchant on the station she figured it might not be bad to see if she could make some connections. She walked into the bar and looked around not really knowing anyone she just went to the bar and sat quietly waiting to see if anyone would say hi to her.

Chientaka having taken a look at those who had arrived, looked at Sapphire, "I take it we can have a seat? Or do we have assigned places." her deep voice resonating through the club. She looked at her new partner "Beautiful place. Very stylish." giving a nod towards Rafael.

Rafael nodded, glancing around appraisingly. "Not bad at all," he replied, though he was actually quite impressed. Giving Sapphire his most winning smile he approached and held out the bottle of tequila he'd brought. "A token of my appreciation for the invitation, señora," he said with a wink.

Vurom walked over to where the woman came in (Trevona), "Hello, probably grab a drink and go sit at the table?"

Trevor’s looked at the person smiling and nodding “I will do just that.” She said as she grabbed a drink and joined the group of others with a smile on her face trying to seem friendly even though she was a new face.

Sapphire took the tequila, "Oh my, you trying to get me drunk my dear?" she laughed. She looked it over, it was a good bottle. She set it on the bar and clasped her hands together giving him a bright smile, "Thank you, and welcome. Everyone! Please let my bar tender know what you'd like to drink, please enjoy each others company. No assigned seats at the table, dinner will be served in about 15 minuets." she called out.

Brek, ‘hidden’ behind a glass of saurian brandy, witnessed this scene and couldn’t suppress a smile. A bribe, in public and in plain daylight! How bold and novel. He then scanned the room, wondering who he should mingle with... Eeny, meeny, miny, moe... He elected to have a chat with a Terran male who looked rather flamboyant. He took his PADD, performed a search, and IDed his target. If he was nice enough, he might even get free tickets to the new Elysian Dreams...

“It promises to be an interesting reception, Mister Ortega,” Brek said to the tall man. “I am Grand Proxy Brek, Ferengi Embassy. Do you reckon you will join this Merchants Association? I think it’s an ingenious idea. It will create cohesion, which in turn will bring in more profits.”

Rafael looked down at the shorter man and gave him a smile as well. "Oh, I have no doubt it will be most illuminating," he said in reply to his comment about the reception. He pondered the question and then nodded. "I do agree, it would be quite profitable, but I will not be making my final decision until after the reception, and some time to discuss it with my business partner."

“As it should be, Mr Ortega.” Brek said. “A good business partner is as precious as gold or latinum.”

Faux had already stopped by the bar and got his traditional beer, it was nothing fancy compared to what the rest of the room was drinking. With his mug in hand, he found a chair that was relatively alone; perfect for him. He quickly took a seat and figured he'd wait this out, see what the group had to offer, and then leave. He wasn't here to make friends, and he wasn't here to make contacts. At his age, he only cared about a few select things; anything else didn't matter.

Chientaka made her way to the table, and took a seat at the table, and raised a glass towards Faux, "Cheers!" before taking a drink. It was just a red wine and she liked the taste of it.

Faux tipped his coffee, without saying anything.

Vurom looked at Trevona, and for some sort of information he asked, "What sort of business are you in?" he was rather interested, and was enjoying the interplay of the others.

Trevona took a sip of her drink "I am in the defense industry. The sole owner and CEO of Quantum Technologies."

"Pleasure to meet you." Vurom replied with a smile then he turned his attention to the others with great interest.

Sapphire watched as every one interacted, it pleased her to no end. When we kitchen signaled she clapped her hands, "Please choose a seat! My kitchen is ready to serve, they made dishes according to your tastes. I hope you are all making fast friends, we want to be friends with each other so that we can communicate to the station what we need. There is value in our collective voice."

"I certainly agree!" Chientaka, responded in her melodious baritone voice. "I am looking forward to tasting the repast you have prepared." giving a nod.

Hearing the hostess’ injunction, for a moment Brek feared that whoever had talked to the Elements’ kitchen had made a prank and said he liked stuff like slug liver or beetle purrée. It would ruin this perfectly fine meeting. Thankfully when his ‘plat du jour’ arrived, it consisted of sea bass with a noodle salad, which was indeed to his liking. He then looked at the food brought for his interlocutor.

“Your dish also looks very interesting, Mr Ortega. Does it originate from Earth?” Brek then looked towards the Lurian businesswoman. “You also have a fine meal, Mrs. Chientaka. What is it? By the by, I’m Grand Proxy Brek, charmed to meet you.”

Rafael looked down at his plate. It looked delicious, three fresh gorditas stuffed with seasoned ground beef, Mexican rice, and refried beans, and even a small side plate of guacamole, sour cream, and a cup of salsa. He nodded, lips pursed appreciatively. "It does, actually, though I do not. It's surprisingly spot-on for my ethnic roots, however. I only arrived shortly before this meeting was even announced..." he said, giving a curious glance to their host.

“Such efficiency is indeed alarming,” Brek said. “It could always be that the Elements' owner knew of your imminent arrival and contacted one of your friends, either from home or the place where you used to live. Talkative friends... no matter which way we look at them, they are handy.”

Rafael nodded, though his eyes were still narrowed. "I suppose anything is possible," he said, but he didn't believe it. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the woman hosting them. She may have some very interesting tricks up her sleeve that could be of use to him at some point.

Chientaka looked at her dish which had live gagh, with some diced up ghost peppers. She did love the spicy foods. It made her feel... euphoric at times. There also was some wood shavings with some spanish moss, it looked delicious and tasted the same. "My compliments!" she called out. She looked at Brek, "It is just Chientaka." she stated, "And pleasure Grand Proxy Brek. "I do not think my food would be too palatable for quite a few people but it is my favorite"

Brek looked at her plate and could only offer a polite smile. The businesswoman was right, he would not want to eat those odd vegetables or those serpent worms. “As a friend of mine would say: Vive la différence (long live diversity).”

Nalasha was a little less charmed by Sapphire, but she did see the need for a commerce group. She grabbed a drink, before finding a seat and settling in. Her food was dropping in front of her a moment later, it was a filet that looked like it had been properly cooked, with scallops, garlic green beans, some sort of puree that she guessed was cauliflower and a small tomato and avocado salad. It honestly looked fantastic and she was eager to jump in considering her place put out mostly pub food.

Mickey continued to sip his drink at the bar. He was a friendly person, however, he was also a people watcher. He knew the best way to get to know a group of people was to watch them interact and that was what he did at the moment. Well, that and await to see if a meeting was to start.

"I hope you all enjoy, I put effort in to learning about each of you. There has been an increase in merchants joining the station recently and I felt it important we know each other. I am curious, has anyone had any struggles with the station? Security, space? Shipments? Power?" Sapphire wondered. Her own plate was placed in front of her. A nice steak and ship plate.

"At this moment there hasn't been any problem with shipments, except for the difficulties of something going on with the stations operating system. It has been going haywire just ever so slightly." Vurom spoke up. "I run the Nexus which does have quite a few items in the food department."

"I am still working on approval for my distiller's permit, so that I can sell all the damn rum I'm been making. I doubt you can help," Nalasha said with a grunt. "I can sell the ales, but not my liquor and it's damn good rum."

Brek savoured his fish, and the words from the merchants. It was curiously satisfying to hear about their problems. It served as a reminder that he wasn’t the only one to experience difficulties.

Chientaka looked at Nalasha then back to Sapphire. "What can be done for Nalasha, as I would love to have some of her home brewed rum. Who do we see for licenses? I still have to get my place opened back up, if I can get the station security to finish up their investigation. I have heard rumors that the command staff has changed once more." Chientaka then took a bite of her spicy Gagh plate special. Her eyes went around the table. "Do any of you have connections that can be of useful help?"

Brek took a sip of his white wine. Would this assembly manage to turn chaos into something elegant? Equally important, was he willing to be of service to them? Hmmm... maybe-perhaps...

“I can only offer my Ferengi point of view," he said. "To sort out this licensing trouble, someone might have to venture into the administrative offices on this station, but that would probably be like entering a tedious maze. Perhaps that the best option would be to chose a representative who would then deal with admin, supplies and repair issues. Once you have a clear list of requests, the representative would have to be bold, and approach the person presently in charge: Cmdr Letsul. Don’t waste time, when your businesses have already suffered due to several explosions.”

Chientaka shrugged her shoulders. "I've not met her, is she one who just sits in her office and fills out paperwork? Obviously you've met her, Grand Proxy Brek. Has anyone else met her?" The owner of Elysian Dreams, looking around at the others.

Vurom just shrugged his shoulders as well, he doesn't recall if he'd met her either.

Faux leaned back in his chair and he continued to watch the group. Sipping his coffee he tried hard to analyze each person, figure out what made them tick. They were after all his competition, and a lifetime of Security gave him a certain skill set that helped with this people-watching moment. He sipped his coffee once more, "Cara," he paused, "Commander Letsul is not one to just sit in her office and paperwork." He huffed, "in fact if I know her well enough, I would say that paperwork is probably the pain of her job. She is the get out there and roll up her sleeves type. She is easy to work with if you know her." He wasn't volunteering for any job, just offering his two cents. He looked down realizing he hadn't ordered any food yet.

Mickey downed what was left of his drink and prepared to leave. He understood and appreciated the want to help each other succeed on Poseidon Station. However, attempting to use connections and circumvent the normal procedures, that was something that he did not like. He decided he would give the group five more minutes of his time and see where it went.

Chientaka had the posture of a being in deep thought as she spooned up more of her food, then she spoke, "Looks like two people have had dealings with this Commander Letsul, guess we'll see what happens when someone goes to talk to her?"

Sapphire eyed the man near the end of the table, He looked like a rabbit about to flee. "Licensing can certainly be an issue. With the stations leadership changes and the recent security issues I certainly do feel that our filings have fallen through the cracks. I know I lost a number of shipments recently and I am still waiting for the Federations payment for the loss. So much paperwork, and so many reviews in the process." Sapphire laughed, "Beaurcracy..." she shrugged.

Her eyes looked towards Faux, "Since you know her so well..." she paused to let her words give meaning, "Perhaps you would be willing to be a representative of our group to her, help us to solve these issues the correct way." she suggested. "Its likely your request, Nalasha, was lost in the shuffle, and with staffing changes, the good Commander may not be aware that the civilian affairs division is struggling to serve us. If they can not serve us, how can we serve them? That is why these partnerships are so helpful to all of us, we can support each other and take proper advantage of our connections to ensure success for all of us." she said happily.

Faux sipped his coffee, "you're out of your damn gourd there Princess," he smiled. "I believe you humans have a phrase, been there done that, and not doing it again."

Sapphire laughed, quite tickled he called her a princess. "Oh My dear old Faux, part of the game is leaving the door to doing it again open. Never close a door, or you will loose out on some great opportunities." she said, "Am I right?" she asked the table.

"I don't think the cranky old man is putting our best foot forward," Nalasha said, pointing over at Faux. "Why don't you do it Saph? You organized this, seems like you're already taking the lead. You'd make a good liaison for this little chamber of commerce."

"Oh don't let him fool you. He can be quite the softy when he wants to be." Sapphire said with a laugh. "He only wants you to think he is cranky. If you all would prefer me to take on that roll, who am I to say no?" she asked. "I would want it to be a vote, however. Is there any one else who would like to be a voice to the station command?" she asked.

Mickey half sat and half stood as he finished his drink. He had the intention to leave, but now things seemed to be getting good. So he ordered another drink. Taggart pondered the idea of becoming this liaison, perhaps he can keep people on the straight and narrow as it were. Stop barkeeps from getting a bad reputation and the like. Then he remembered that he already did that. He had quite the rapport with the station's crew and senior staff. From his perspective he didn't need this or any help for that matter.

Faux just huffed as he sipped his coffee, if this came to a vote he'd have to vote for himself. He certainly wasn't going to vote for Sapphire; she already had her hands in too many pies.

"If we are going to do this, we'll need to come up with by laws and a few leadership positions," Nalasha spoke up, having been involved in such things before. "A chair, vice chair, treasurer and likely have an Executive that runs things that actually gets paid. We could advertise together, show off what our businesses have. We have enough bars we could sponsor pub crawls, have concerts and events that promote members businesses."

Rafael had been sitting, quietly, listening to them chatter on. It amused him how reticent some of them were to go speak to someone. Finally, he came to a decision. "Look, all of that sounds good, and I'm all for anyone who wants to going to talk to the commander you guys keep talking about as if she's some sort of scary specter, but I also want to throw my hat in the ring. I'm new, I'm a fresh face, and maybe that would give me an edge. Sometimes that's all it takes to get the ball rolling, and I've got more experience than my appearance may suggest, so that's also something to consider. She won't be expecting me to be as shrewd as I am," he said.

Brek, who had been driven to distraction by the recent volley of words, (the image of the princess and the gourd would stay for a while, firmly etched in his mind), finally decided to return to the conversation at the sound of treasurer and payments.

“On behalf of the Ferengi community, I vote for Mr Ortega as the spokesperson. I would also like to put my name forward as the treasurer of this association. I certainly don’t think of Cmdr Letsul as a specter. My two encounters with her were perfectly charming, but I think that, if I’m to serve you, I might as well stick to numbers.”

A Ferengi treasurer, what will they think of next. Is all that came to Mickey's mind as Brek spoke up.

Silence seeped in, encouraged by what appeared to be prejudice. Brek cleared his throat, both amused and baffled that he should have spoken so brazenly. “Before ending up in the Ferengi embassy, I served Starfleet for 13 years, in diplomacy. So although it may sound like a joke, I have principles. Positive ones, I mean. Besides, I would be supervised by the executive body of this association. Also, on the plus side, should you be dissatisfied by my services, you would be able to kick my backside back to Ferenginar.”

Faux smiled rather rudely at Sapphire, "Well considering my options, I vote for Mister Ortega," he smiled. "Give the kid a chance."

Well Chientaka thought that this was a good idea, "I put my vote in for my business partner." she responded. "And... Grand Proxy Brek for Secretary. He does seem to have the lobes for it." giving the Ferengi a close look.

Vurom looked at Ortega then towards Sapphire. "I vote for Sapphire, she and I have done business with each other before so, I vote for her."

Brek miraculously managed not to choke on his food. Had he heard right, or was he the victim of an auditory hallucination? He might be turned into a note taker, a scribbler. A fixer of minutes. He responded to Chientaka’s insistent stare by a baffled one. His Ferengi self wanted to oppose her words, but he had an idea that, if he did so, those merchants wouldn’t even let him sweep their floor.

“Very well, if this association would rather take advantage of my bureaucratic artistry, I’ll be happy to serve as a secretary.”

Sapphire held her hands up, "I love this idea of a vote. Nalasha is right though, to do this right we need to establish the by laws and such. I propose we have a preliminary vote for a liaison to command, only, for the moment. We will then work collectively to establish the bylaws and then hold a proper vote for all positions needing to be filled. Agreed?" she asked the group.

Faux couldn't help but smirk, "then lets vote and see where the chips fall." He set his empty coffee cup down on the table. "Not entirely sure how this will benefit me but it can't hurt."

Chientaka looked at Brek having noticed his reaction. "Isn't Secretary and Treasurer one and the same? The true power behind the throne? Or are they separate? My girl Friday, she was trusted and was my team mate. She was the reason why my business had been running well enough. Until well... " Chientaka went quiet, as that was the woman who had died.

“Every business operates differently, I suspect,” Brek said subdued by the memory of what Elysian Dreams had gone through. I hope your club recovers promptly Chientaka. Indeed, let’s vote for the liaison.”

Faux had already placed his vote for the group's newest arrival, however, for the life of him, he couldn't remember the kid's name. But, it didn't really matter. He stood up as he picked up his coffee cup, "if this meeting is going to go on forever, I need something stronger then coffee." He didn't wait for a reply as he headed over to the nearby bar.

Mickey was sure he had enough of everything that was happening. The only reason that he remained was so that when he was asked he could state that he would not be joining this little club. He felt that he did not need any help with the White Stag, and when he did need something Captain Harrington and his crew were all too happy to oblige.

Taking his cue from Faux Rafael also got up and went to the bar, leaning back on his elbows so he could watch the group before him as he allowed the other man to make his order first. When he was done he looked over his shoulder and smiled at the bartender, "Can I get a tequila sunrise, extra-strong?" he asked, and then nodded gratefully when the bartender nodded and went to work. A few seconds later he accepted the drink, sipping it, and noting that it seemed made with an expert hand. "Not bad at all, damn near as good as I could have done myself. Thanks!" he said and then moved back towards the group.

Trevona had sat quietly listening to the group. She had blended into the background and just sat there with no one else talking to her, but it was ok she liked to observe and this group had shown some huge promise. Trevona had been in the business for a long time but she didn’t flaunt that or brag about it. She only talked about it when she was asked. And right now barely anybody knew of her existence. She looked at the group and thought about who would be a good liaison.

"Feel free to raid my reserves my dear Faux, my Bar Tenders are ready to serve!" Sapphire called. She looked down at her tablet, "Well, I think its fairly clear That Mr Ortega is the clear favorite for the liaison. That being said, whoever is interested in setting up the bylaws and actual organization, lets work with Nalasha, and we will let you know what positions need to be voted in. For the moment, any issues needing to go before the station command, go to Mr. Ortega. Assuming you accept?" Sapphire asked.

Rafael held his glass up and tipped it towards Sapphire with an impish grin, "Who am I to stand in the way of the masses?"

“Well Ms Nalasha,” Brek ventured, “if you will accept my presence, I’d be happy to help with the necessary paperwork.” He then acknowledged Ms Quex’s presence with a slight smile. Absorbed as he had been so far at grabbing something from this nascent organization, he had only now noticed her presence.

"Well done, partner." Chientaka responded, "As for the rest of it. That can be taking place at another meeting? Or will that be worked out in another way?" the Lurian was feeling pretty good from the food and was thinking of getting back to her place.

Faux ordered another coffee and a sandwich as he turned to the main table, looking at Mister Ortega, "hope you're up for it kid, with this group you're going to need all the help you can get." He chuckled. "And, what this one," he glanced over to Sapphire, "she's a handful."

"Too many handfuls for you Darling." Sapphire smirked back at Faux.

"A great choice for us!" Trevona smiled as she raised a glass and took a drink.

Rafael gave Faux a grin, "I'm sure I've handled worse handfuls back home." And with that, he took another sip of his drink as he watched the rest of the group get down to further business.

"You're funeral kid," Faux made his way back to the table, sandwich in hand. He really didn't know what was next, but even he had to admit this was getting rather interesting.

Nalasha eyed the Ferengi with some suspicion, the last Ferengi she'd dealt with closely was a handy one that had to be dealt with. "If you are up for it Mr. Brek, I would appreciate it. As for Sapphire she's at least two handfuls. Not that I have anything to complain about."

Sapphire shot Nalasha a big wink and grinned. None of these people really had any idea just how much of a handful she could be, but it was fun to listen to them tease.

Vurom had gone quiet to listen to what was going on, eating the food that had been given to him. It was delightful and he enjoyed it. His eyes stopped on Sapphire, smiled slightly hearing the interactions. Then his gaze went over towards the Lurian female, Chientaka, she had a run of bad luck with her club so far, hopefully her new partner will help bring it out from its descent into the pit of darkness.

Chientaka shifted her weight in her chair, becoming deep in thought, she wanted to get her business opened once more. She was getting tired of waiting for Security to finish up their investigation. Didn't they have enough evidence and maybe a trace of who had caused that explosion? Its been a few weeks or more since that horrible happening.

"Miss Sapphire and Miss Nalasha, will there be a meeting to bring about the votes for who will be on the committee tonight or will there be another meeting such as this for the next part?" Chientaka figuring that information would be needed.

"Miss?" Nalasha arched one of her brows, he glanced at Sapphire and then over at Chientaka. She was dressed like a pirate, the idea of being called Miss was almost comical. "I don't want to be in charge, but I don't mind helping."

Chientaka looked at Nalasha wondering why the amusement. It was proper wasn't it to call someone Miss? She shrugged, then went onto say. "In case someone isn't able to meet with this Commander Letsul, would there be a stand in? I think there may need to be someone like that or would it be whomever has the time to make certain details can be taken care of."

Brek, who would be working with the Orion woman, made a note of this fine point. No Miss for the pirate lady. “I’d certainly be happy to have as many meetings as needed, especially if the food remains so good. So don’t forget to invite me. Maybe Miss Sapphire can act as a stand-in?” He turned to face the red-haired woman. “You are the real soul behind this association. Also, there is often a feeling of kinship between women. Sisterhood, isn’t it called?”

Faux almost choked on his sandwich that he was eating at the thought of Sapphire being anywhere near the leadership of this association. He washed his bite down with a bit of coffee, "I have had some positive dealing with Cara, Commander Letsul. She worked for me on a part-time basis before moving into station leadership. I think she and I have a good relationship." What the hell was he saying, he didn't want to be anywhere near this? He looked at Sapphire and grinned, "not that your sisterhood couldn't 'get the job done."

Sapphire stood as she walked by Faux, running her hand along his arm, "Oh there are many jobs I could get done. Care to find out?" she purred at him.



Chientaka looked towards Ortega, she giving a shrug, then turned back to Faux, "I thought you didn't want a part of this organization." she giving Faux a scrutinizing gaze. "If your association with her would help, but it would be a matter of discussion, would it not? And does she have a fondness for you, Mister Faux? And it appears that you may have one for her. "

Mickey had sat and drank his fill, he also had listened to his fill and he could not believe what he had heard. How quickly this group broke down into circling vultures, each trying to get a piece of the political carcass. He was also amazed that things had gone this far and no one paid attention to the silent man in the corner. He was not upset that he was unnoticed, just amazed that he was. He gulped the dregs of his scotch and signaled the barkeep for another.

Vurom rose from his chair and walked over to where Mickey sat, pulling up a seat near him. "What do you make of this? Some danger in the making or will it be something futile?" The Bajoran taking a drink from his cup. He hadn't missed the man, the quiet man who seemed to see things.

Mickey sipped the scotch and smiled. "Whelp, my friend I believe dat dis is goin to amount to about da same as a pile o beans. Because look how no one can help each otter. They are all lookin to see who can get da most and for who... such as dat." His Scottish accent seemed to thicken with the alcohol he consumed.

Chientaka stretched, she was getting to where she felt she needed to get going to check on her business. "Miss Sapphire, Nelasha, its been a pleasure. Let me know when the next meeting will be, I'll be willing to work with anyone who needs a little bit of assistance." the Lurian woman commented. "With the cooperation of several people we can get this working?"

Mickey turned to Vurom. "Listen if ye need anyting or want ta chat more come by da Stag. But I think Ms Chientaka has da right idea." He smiled and paid his tab then made for the door. As he thought that this may have been a waste of time, a great idea that seemed to be poorly executed at least for the moment. Although, he hoped that time would prove him wrong.

"Thank you for coming! I'll send out a message to all of us with the next meeting and the forming of the association. we'll hold our next voting then." she said. "For those not in a rush... please! enjoy the bar, I'll turn up the music, and I hope you will join me on the dance floor. Especially you old Faux. Prove to me not all your bones are stiff." she winked.

“This is a generous offer,” Brek said. “However, hounded by work as I am, I had better return to my duties. Thank you all for having me during this most excellent meal and meeting.”

He gave a courteous nod to the remaining assembly and he left the Elements. He was puzzled though, for his experience of this meeting was entirely different from what the Irish man had perceived. In his Ferengi mind, there had not been enough volunteers, and it had taken some blatant trickery - pushing Miss Sapphire towards leadership - to have Mr Faux finally deigning to play a part in this association... Cultural differences were truly fascinating.

"As much as I'd love to stay, I have rum to drink," Nalasha stood up from the table and nodded to Sapphire. "Have fun."


tag


Mickey Taggart
Owner, White Stag Pub
Poseidon Station

Chientaka
Owner, Elysian Dreams

Raphael Ortega
Owner, Elysian Dreams

Vurom Tok
Owner, The Nexus

Grand Proxy Brek
Ferengi Embassy

Trevona Quex
CEO of Quantum Technologies

Nalasha
Owner, The Repulsive Sailboat Bar

Terrin Faux
Owner: Admiral On Deck

Sapphire
Owner: Elements Bar

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