Runabout Tigress Paw

Roger stepped into the cockpit, sitting in the pilot’s seat next to Lori.

“Can you believe this thing?  It has a fully-stocked bar, a small theater room to watch holo vids, and the bedroom…”  Roger stopped when he saw Lori staring blankly.  “Doctor?”

Lori sighed.  ”Sorry, Commander.  I was going over the mission details in my head.  I need to get myself back in character.”

“Let’s go over them together.  We can start by you calling me Ryan and not Commander.”

“We did the drill with Perry before we left the Eagle,” said Lori.  “Several times.”

“Let’s do it again.  Pretend you’re back in medical school pulling an all-nighter to study for finals.”

Lori looked at Roger, a tiny smirk on her face.  “Try to keep up, Ryan.”

Roger harrumphed.

“We’re on our way to the second moon orbiting Lappa IV.  It was terraformed to mimic Risa, so it’s become a popular resort with its main attraction a huge and opulent casino owned by Daimon Klunt called the Bunnicorn’s Foot,” said Lori.  She eyed Roger for a few moments.

“Doctor?  Um, Kavi?”

“Ms. Rozen to you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  Roger saluted.  “So why did you give me that look?”

“I’m the one with undercover experience and you’re the rookie,” said Lori.  “Perhaps you should be the one reciting the mission.”

Roger considered that for a moment.  He could tell Lori was being humorous, but she was also right.

“Klunt has star charts containing Breen ship deployments along our border.  We don’t know how or where he got them, but we need them.  Klunt served in the Ferengi military and he has connections and influence in government.  He’s rich beyond avarice and the envy of his people.”

“Go on,” said Lori.

Roger smiled inwardly before continuing.  “The Eagle will arrive after we do to try to negotiate a deal, but in case the captain can’t, it’s up to us to find a way.  Initial SFI recon puts the charts in a vault beneath the casino.”

“Any ideas?” said Lori.

“You’re the boss,” said Roger.  “What do you think?”

Lori rolled her tongue around the inside of her mouth.  “I have an idea.”

USS Eagle Ready Room

“All right, Mister Hok, how do I get Klunt to sell?” said Matt.

“You probably won’t,” said Hok.

Matt didn’t expect that.

“Klunt is smart, clever, manipulative, and his experience at negotiations and dealing with business and people makes you look like a rank amateur, which you are.  Sir.”

Matt frowned.  “Tell me more.”

“He has more wealth than he could spend in a dozen lifetimes, so you can’t offer anything there,” said Hok.  “He has power, influence, and prestige, so you’re out on that as well.  He’s at least on good terms with the Breen.  Lappa IV is in Ferengi territory, so he’s not subject to Federation law, and you probably don’t want to create a diplomatic incident with the Ferengi Alliance.”

Matt almost threw his hands in the air in frustration.  “Then what am I supposed to do?”

“You’ve got to figure out something he wants that he doesn’t have or can’t get on his own,” said Hok.  “If you can learn how he got the Breen deployment charts and it was through underhanded means, you might be able to blackmail him.  Of course, there’s always the possibility he’ll sell them to you then hand over fake charts.”

A long, heavy silence passed.

“Sir?”

“What would Klunt want that he doesn’t have?” said Matt.

“That I don’t know, but you might be able to learn something once you’re talking.”

“Will he come here to negotiate?”

“It depends on how curious he is to see the ship and how much he trusts you,” said Hok.  “He definitely won’t let you beam down.  The presence of a Starfleet officer could reflect badly on him.  Our ship in orbit could be a strike against us, but I’d bet latinum he’ll find a way to use that for his gain.”

“A shrewd and clever man.”

“Yes, sir.  You’re at more of a disadvantage than you think, even with me helping.”

Matt leaned back in his chair and sighed.  “I think that’s all for now.  Let me think on this and I’ll let you know if we need to talk again.  In the meantime, get with engineering to rig an earpiece I can use so you can talk to me.  We don’t want Klunt to see you.”

“I can do that, sir, but if he ends up coming on board, he might hear my voice coming through the earpiece. ”  Hok pointed to his right ear.  “These are a lot more sensitive than people think.”

Matt frowned.  “Thank you, Ensign.  You’re dismissed.”

This was going to be much harder than Matt imagined.