S:5 E:11 - He Who Dies Pays All Debts

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Ferenginar - Thieves' Quarter - outside the Multi-Chance Casino]

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Multi-Chance Casino | Thieves Quarter | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Nira looked at Lahr when he proposed contacting Nurse Davies. She didn't like the idea of him going off alone in a place like the Thieves Quarter, but she sensed that he could provide a good rendezvous for the Nurse when she arrives with the scanner.

"That's a good idea," she whispered. "We can arrange for a place to meet up once the Nurse gets down here. Have one of the flight officers come down with the Nurse in a shuttle, given the transporter restrictions on Ferenginar at the current time. He'll also be able to provide escort for the Nurse and the scanner when she meets you."

"I got a suite in a hotel near the Quarter," Bink whispered. "That'll be an ideal base and a good place to meet again. Like the other suites for Eliminators, the only place more secure is the Nagus' chambers."

Nira nodded, then back at Lahr and winked a farewell, then turning away so that Lahr can disappear into the crowd. Nira had a feeling he might, and he had blended in before...as for a potential pilot to bring down Nurse Davies, she remembered the new flight officer from the roster, one Robert Fisher. Could be a good opportunity to stretch his wings, to coin the pilot speak.

Lahr did his best to hide his surprise when the Commander actually agreed to his offer.   "Sure thing, can do!" the Andorian agreed to her suggestions for a shuttle and pilot to bring down the Chloe and the medical scanner.

Overhearing about the 'ideal base', Lahr tapped his earbuds - which he wore constantly now.  "Message me the address to that suite, Ok?"

Andorian began to back away, "Alright, I'm off then."

He gave an up-nod back at the Commander's odd farewell wink. He had a niggling suspicion she knew all about his plan to ditch them and was merely going along with it.   Nah! That would be against protocol.

As the Commander turned away, Lahr gave Zhuk an apologetic look before slipping away into the crowd and away from the Casino.   He turned down the first empty alley he could find and made the call to the ship.

Though seemingly alone in the alley, Lahr spoke in casually and in code because it was likely transmissions were being monitored either by the Ferengi authorities, the Romulan defector or the various assassins hunting the Romulan.  "ch'Verret to CatalÁ¡n." Lahr called direct to the Operations Chief since he knew the man was the one sitting the Bridge.

"Hey my man!  I'm not feeling so well, probably just a hangover from celebrating my latest sale - I mean Ferengi ain't the only blackmarket salesmen in the sector right?... Anyways...  everyone's favorite Betazoid suggested I get you to send me down a medical grade scanner - the strongest portable one we got if possible.   She also requested Chloe bring it down in a shuttle since transporters are a no go.  Chloe ain't best at flying so she'll need pilot. He can be her escort especially here in the Thieves Quarter.  Think you can arrange that for me?"

After getting confirmation, Lahr closed the comm and headed back out onto the crowded street.   He looked about a moment then went in search of the nearest bar... the seedier the better. 

[Ian Galloway]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Ferenginar - Thieves' Quarter - outside the Multi-Chance Casino]

Lahr did his best to hide his surprise when the Commander actually agreed to his offer.   "Sure thing, can do!" the Andorian agreed to her suggestions for a shuttle and pilot to bring down the Chloe and the medical scanner.

Overhearing about the 'ideal base', Lahr tapped his earbuds - which he wore constantly now.  "Message me the address to that suite, Ok?"

Andorian began to back away, "Alright, I'm off then."

He gave an up-nod back at the Commander's odd farewell wink. He had a niggling suspicion she knew all about his plan to ditch them and was merely going along with it.   Nah! That would be against protocol.

As the Commander turned away, Lahr gave Zhuk an apologetic look before slipping away into the crowd and away from the Casino.   He turned down the first empty alley he could find and made the call to the ship.

Though seemingly alone in the alley, Lahr spoke in casually and in code because it was likely transmissions were being monitored either by the Ferengi authorities, the Romulan defector or the various assassins hunting the Romulan.  "ch'Verret to CatalÁ¡n." Lahr called direct to the Operations Chief since he knew the man was the one sitting the Bridge.

"Hey my man!  I'm not feeling so well, probably just a hangover from celebrating my latest sale - I mean Ferengi ain't the only blackmarket salesmen in the sector right?... Anyways...  everyone's favorite Betazoid suggested I get you to send me down a medical grade scanner - the strongest portable one we got if possible.   She also requested Chloe bring it down in a shuttle since transporters are a no go.  Chloe ain't best at flying so she'll need pilot. He can be her escort especially here in the Thieves Quarter.  Think you can arrange that for me?"

After getting confirmation, Lahr closed the comm and headed back out onto the crowded street.   He looked about a moment then went in search of the nearest bar... the seedier the better.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

When Lahr's message came through, Lieutenant Davenport at Tactical opened the channel which made Commander CatalÁ¡n arch an eyebrow in surprise in it's lack of proper protocols. However, knowing the Andorian was undercover, he limited his response to a short reply.

"Message understood. Package is on the way."

Davenport closed the channel and CatalÁ¡n, after a moment of thought said.

"Ensign Fisher. One of the first lessons a member of Starfleet must learn is to never become complacent. The unexpected is our business. I want you to meet Lieutenant Davies in shuttle bay two. Take the Scobee. Engineering will have her reconfigured to look like a civilian ship by the time you get there. Move out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Liquidator Bock | Bock's Office | Ferengi Commerce Authority Offices | Tower of Commerce | Ferenginar]

Once the team had their drinks, Bock proceeded to business, even amidst the varied reactions to Slug-O-Cola.

"Right, down to bushnish," he said. "With you hidden in the crowdssh when the aucshun beginsh, you'll shertainly be in a better posishun to be closh to the defector, whosh name ish Dokan. In thish way, you'll be able to be in a better plash to follow him, better than we can, potenshally. You being here early, you'll be able to get to know the layout of the Tower of Commersh. That way, you'll be able to know which waysh Dokan goesh in and out.

"Addishunally, you'll be in a good posishun to be around Romulansh, and eshpeshially Romulansh who may be in a posishun to pose a threat to Ferenginar. You'll be keeping an eye on them ash well ash Dokan as much ash your firsht offisher will be keeping an eye on the thughs in the Thievesh Quarter. Then again, we have intel that Dokan hash often gone around the Thievesh Quarter. Why, we have no idea. Itsh eashy to ashume he ish taunting either the thugsh there or the Eliminatorsh. Either way, he dishappearsh ash fasht ash he doesh from the Tow..."The shout from the Cardassian caused Bock to whirl around and gape in shock as a fellow Liquidator hit his window and slid down. He looked back at Captain Galloway in horror.

"By the Blesshed Exchequer!" he said in horror. "I don't know how dish happened!!! Nobody'sh been hung from the Tower for centureesh! And that wash Liquidator Gen, and he'sh one of the Liquidatorsh that ansher to the Grand Nagush directly!"

Turning to Doctor Buehler, he nodded, "Oh, definitely, itsh going to create a shtir all over the public! No, it doesh not open, but we'll have to hoisht the body up. I'm heading for the shpire!"

"I'll come along, Liquidator," said T'Kel. "Whoever did it may still be there, and the fact that it stopped its descent at your window could be far from coincidental."

Bock shuddered from a chill at the Vulcan's words.

As he scrambled from the office, he gestured to some of his security people to get the corpse back inside, while he and T'Kel headed for the spire.

They soon got to the spire. There were a series of platforms around the spire. While it looked to have the impression of a gallows, platforms extended out to give more of the impression of walking the plank, and they especially extend out in a way that in any direction, the victim will be sent falling to his or her death to the Sacred Marketplace below.

However, there certainly was a makeshift gallows arranged at one section of the platform. Bock pursed his lips as other security guards appeared to hoist the body up.

When he returned with T'Kel, Bock shook his head with a chill. "I am sho shorry thish had to happen. Nobody hash ever been hung, not shinsh people have been betting where the victim landsh. Thish washn't even an authorished execushun! And if thish ish shumbody closh to the Nagush..."

He let it sink in. He was becoming worried this could be a first step. An execution like this was potentially a show of defiance against the Nagus in some way. How in the Blessed Exchequer's name this was connected to Dokan's presence, he wasn't sure, but something inside him had an inkling it was somehow.

Kina thought about everything that was happening. The initial shock of seeing a dead body had worn off. It reminded her of some of the literature she read back home. Political intrigue and supposition. There seemed to be more going on here than what they were seeing.

She looked to Galloway. "Captain, if I may. Perhaps either Dr. Buehler or myself should examine the body. Why not just throw this particular Liquidator off the Tower? Someone would only do something like this to make a statement. It's possible that he was killed prior to this"¦"¦display. We may be able to find some form evidence to help determine who was responsible for this."

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian nodded to T'Kel to conduct her investigation and added.

"Take Buehler and Nural with you, cause of death is obvious, but they might pick up summat you don't see."

"Aye Captain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Ferenginar - Bock's office]

Whilst Buck did not want or have much to add to the conversation, there was a need to speak for only to get rid of the taste of the Slug-o-cola on his tongue. It was an acquired taste and whilst he would keep a hold of his drink, if only not to appear rude. Motion had seemed to capture Ian's attention, which in turn had captured Buck's as they made their way over to the window at the exclamation of Ensign Nural.

He certainly felt the breath go from his body, if only for a moment as he gazed upon the body. It seemed....unreal, even if his brain knew what was happening - what had happened and the confirmations by the captain, Buck couldn't place the feeling. Buck also assumed by the way the tables had been quickly turned that the hanging had not been expected by any one of the party. It gave him a perfect excuse to 'forget' about the drink in hand and place it down as he turned to the Liquidator as he turned to hurry out the room.

"Aw heck, cap'n," He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Someone definitely uttered the 'q' word on board the Challenger."

For a moment, Buck lapsed into silence before starting up again. "Bein' that we're posing as the Syndicate, ain't there going to be needing some response to this? Might assist us to get to know our shadier counterparts, who might know somethin' about a lil' something."

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian sighed as he hadn't thought of that and replied.

"You are probably right Lad, but we nae ken who ta send a message to. Let T'Kel and the Docs take a look and if'n they find anything, then we can craft us a right proper response."

[Robert Fisher]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

When Lahr's message came through, Lieutenant Davenport at Tactical opened the channel which made Commander CatalÁ¡n arch an eyebrow in surprise in it's lack of proper protocols. However, knowing the Andorian was undercover, he limited his response to a short reply.

"Message understood. Package is on the way."

Davenport closed the channel and CatalÁ¡n, after a moment of thought said.

"Ensign Fisher. One of the first lessons a member of Starfleet must learn is to never become complacent. The unexpected is our business. I want you to meet Lieutenant Davies in shuttle bay two. Take the Scobee. Engineering will have her reconfigured to look like a civilian ship by the time you get there. Move out."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Embarrassment washed over the rookie ensign, his attention had been too focused on memorising the Helm's particular layout to notice the sensor ping amongst the myriad of other notifications. He did his best to disguise the flush of crimson on his face as he stood,

"Yes, sir. I'll be mindful in future."

For someone so hung up on perfection, he felt winded by the reprimand but composed himself as best he could as he swiftly exited the bridge.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas / Mercenary T'Riss | Bink's Office | Multi-chance Casino | Thieves Quarter | Ferenginar]

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Bink's Office | Multi-Chance Casino | Thieves Quarter | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Nira and Bink took in the comments made by Lahr and Zhuk. Bink nodded thoughtfully and replied, "It has occurred to us many times. It's easy to mistake him to be more of a Vulcan, but Vulcans never behave so Ferengi-like. If he is an actual Ferengi underneath, the surgeon did one hell of a job. I mean, trying to shrink down a Ferengi's ears to a smaller size into like what most other humanoids sport, can you imagine how hard it is?

"Unfortunately, whether or not he's an actual machine or surgically altered," he continued, "again, he's immune to sensors; if we had been able to detect what he is inside, we would've been able to track him with our sensors."

"Well, again, maybe it'll be different with Federation sensors," Nira said. "Let's see if we can try that. I think the best thing we'll need could be a medical scanner, see what he really is inside, and who knows? Maybe we'll be able to make it so we'll track him better. We'll have to bring Doctor Fellows or Nurse Davies down by shuttlecraft later to bring us the device."

"Splendid idea," said Bink. "Until we can contact Dokan again, or rather if Dokan approaches one of our Eliminators, and arrange a meeting, for now, yes, we can provide information about the assassins we're watching."

"Of course," said Nira. "How many are down here in the Thieves Quarter right now?"

"Around a hundred," Bink answered. "Again, we have Eliminators watching them. However, I can provide a list of the ones we are worried about, the most dangerous ones."

He pulled up a holographic display and showed portraits of a handful of assassins, and they certainly looked dangerous. Bink listed the names off.

"First: this is Gath," Bink said, gesturing to a Gorn at the top of the list. "He's one of the more popular picks of the Orion Syndicate. He's got a body count that, if the bones can be stacked, it could reach from a main planet to its moon."

He then pulled up another assassin, and Nira was surprised. "Wait a minute, I met him before, except he was nicer, and a man of science."

"Yes, I know about the brother," Bink said. "It's as easy a mistake to make as mixing up the two sort-of similar Rules of Acquisitions: 'Peace is good for business,' or 'War is good for business.' You may have been thinking of the nice brother, Galen Benev. This is the un-nice one, Galen Mal. His body count is rivaled only by Gath, and they're mostly Cardassian. He's got a reputation for being so bloodthirsty against Cardassians, he's not even allowed anywhere near the Bajor system. Not even the cult of the Pah-Wraiths want him in their ranks."

"So a Bajoran who's got a grudge against Cardassians," said Nira. "And he looks old enough to have endured the Occupation as a young man."

Bink nodded in affirmative and kept on going: Xinor Dralin the Bolian; Caju Killer the Kzinti; Shuuzzgor the Nausicaan; Calud Daaom the Trill; Visa the Orion Animal Woman ("And when they say animal, they mean animal," Bink said, gesturing at her wrist blades that easily look like retractable claws); Niamis Madat the El-Aurian; and Shahl Th'rhehlok the Andorian (Nira especially noted the scar on the side of his face).

"There are a fair share of hyoomaans, too," Bink added, "but we're a lot more worried about these people."

"Well, it shouldn't be hard to get the low-down, the way we are," said Nira. She stood and twirled a little in her robes. "How do I look?" she added, getting a little in character and acting flirtatious.

"Like a walking carpet," Bink said with some slight criticism.

Nira shrugged in understanding; Bink looked middle-aged enough to remember a time before Ferengi women were allowed to be clad.

"Let's see if we can find these assassins, then shall we?" said Nira to Lahr and Zhuk. However, something caught them by surprise as they were heading out. Whole crowds were gathering and paying attention to the Tower of Commerce. Nira looked up and gasped in both surprise and revulsion.

A Ferengi was dangling from the heights of the tower, hung by the neck and obviously dead.

"By the Blessed Exchequer!" Bink squealed in horror.

"Nobody was expecting an execution today, were they?" asked Nira, knowing Ferengi loved to toss criminals from the Tower of Commerce.

"This isn't a normal execution!" Bink continued to squeal. "There hasn't been a hanging in centuries! Not since people were being tossed off; people loved to bet where bodies would land in the Sacred Marketplace so much that they've been discontinued!"

Nira continued to look up. The Captain and his party were up there, they're likely to be surprised as any by the hanging from the tower.

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Ferenginar - Thieves' Quarter - Casino- Bink's Office]

Lahr was about to answer the Caitian with his out of the box idea but at the comments from Bink and a complete ignoring of his comment from the Commander who'd asked for his thoughts Lahr's antennae sank.  Why bother.  He gave shrug and looked to the Caitian Security officer.

"Doesn't matter.  It was a stupid idea anyways." he mumbled and moved further from the conversation to lean his back against the wall sullenly until his betters came up with all the answers.

Despite his moodiness, Lahr did listen when Bink offered up the names of the known assassins presently in the Quarter.   He'd obviously been in Starfleet too long because not a single name was even remotely familiar to him, not even the Andorian.   There had been a time when he would've possibly had dealings with folks like that though his family's 'off-the-books' merchandise.   An idea began to form.  If only he could ditch the Commander...

With this in mind as the meeting wrapped up, Lahr spoke again answering the Commander's suggestion to look for assassins.  "I'll head to a less busy place and get a hold of Chloe for that medical scanner first.  But you two go ahead without me."

If he couldn't find the Commander and Zhuk right away afterwards... and happened to bump into an assassin or two... it wasn't his fault, right?

Yet just after he spoke, he heard Bink squeal and followed the horrified Ferengi's gaze up... and noted the body hanging in the distance.    Rather than continue to stare at the body, Lahr checked the crowd to see if there were others, like himself, who were less interested in the dead body than in others around them.

Zhukdra'shar nodded at the promise for an attempt of a meeting being arranged, finding it appropiate to gather more information. His interest, though, doubled when the list of the more dangerous assassins that had been identified by the Ferengi. Both his ears and his eyes remained trailed on the explanation, and on the portraits of the miscreants, trying his best to remember as best as he can, were he to find them.

The more colorful of them to him, however, were the Gorn, the Bajoran and the Orion. Zhuk supposed that him being at the forefront meant that Gath was the most dangerous out of all within the list. Galen Mal, who Zhuk frowned towards due to his involvement on the killing of Cardassians, wondering if he would be able to make him get his commeuppance. Visa just gave Zhuk a chill down his spine. He wasn't too fond of Orion, but especially found the women a strange mix of dangerous and alluring. He never remembered being able to say "No" when his previous owner was in the room.

Worrysome.

Keeping his thoughts for himself, however, Zhuk walked outside to gaze in shock at a Ferengi having been hanged from the Tower of Commerce, causing him to frown. This certainly didn't fare well. He only hoped that the culprit would be found, and dealt with in an appropiate manner. Or else, him being the executioner, where he to find him. Though that seemed to be an unlikely possibility, maybe this whole ordeal would have a funny way of making the assassin and him cross paths.

Or so he hoped.

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Ferenginar - Thieves' Quarter - outside the Multi-Chance Casino]

Lahr did his best to hide his surprise when the Commander actually agreed to his offer.   "Sure thing, can do!" the Andorian agreed to her suggestions for a shuttle and pilot to bring down the Chloe and the medical scanner.

Overhearing about the 'ideal base', Lahr tapped his earbuds - which he wore constantly now.  "Message me the address to that suite, Ok?"

Andorian began to back away, "Alright, I'm off then."

He gave an up-nod back at the Commander's odd farewell wink. He had a niggling suspicion she knew all about his plan to ditch them and was merely going along with it.   Nah! That would be against protocol.

As the Commander turned away, Lahr gave Zhuk an apologetic look before slipping away into the crowd and away from the Casino.   He turned down the first empty alley he could find and made the call to the ship.

Though seemingly alone in the alley, Lahr spoke in casually and in code because it was likely transmissions were being monitored either by the Ferengi authorities, the Romulan defector or the various assassins hunting the Romulan.  "ch'Verret to CatalÁ¡n." Lahr called direct to the Operations Chief since he knew the man was the one sitting the Bridge.

"Hey my man!  I'm not feeling so well, probably just a hangover from celebrating my latest sale - I mean Ferengi ain't the only blackmarket salesmen in the sector right?... Anyways...  everyone's favorite Betazoid suggested I get you to send me down a medical grade scanner - the strongest portable one we got if possible.   She also requested Chloe bring it down in a shuttle since transporters are a no go.  Chloe ain't best at flying so she'll need pilot. He can be her escort especially here in the Thieves Quarter.  Think you can arrange that for me?"

After getting confirmation, Lahr closed the comm and headed back out onto the crowded street.   He looked about a moment then went in search of the nearest bar... the seedier the better.

"So uh... what next, missus?" Zhuk asked, as he glanced around, getting back into character into a more neutral tone. He was a hard-coded killer. Why should he care if someone was hung?

He was surprised at the suggestion by Lahr, and even more surprised that Nira agreed with him. Soon enough, though, he was in a neutral stance, nodding off to Lahr as he headed off, a malicious grin on his face. He figured that Lahr most likely wanted some action, and by that he wished to convey him some luck the best way that he thought a mercenary would. Shame, though. He would surely have wanted to crack some skulls alongside with him.

Oh well.

He sighed. Seeing Chloe again would have also been nice...

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Embarrassment washed over the rookie ensign, his attention had been too focused on memorising the Helm's particular layout to notice the sensor ping amongst the myriad of other notifications. He did his best to disguise the flush of crimson on his face as he stood,

"Yes, sir. I'll be mindful in future."

For someone so hung up on perfection, he felt winded by the reprimand but composed himself as best he could as he swiftly exited the bridge.

[Shuttlebay Two --> Shuttle Scobee]

As promised, by the time Fisher and Davies arrived in civilian garb, the Scobee had been repainted and the transponder modified to indicate it was now the Graceful Swan. After a quick pre-flight, Fisher received permission to depart and the shuttle was on its way down to the planet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian could feel it in his bones that there were so many things going on here that he doubted Bock was aware of just how deep whatever was happening could be. As he paced back and forth in Bock's office, he growled.

"There's no bloody tellin' how many layers this onion seems ta have!"

He pulled out his civilian model communicator and added.

"T'Kel. I need some answers. What have you found?"

[Nira Said]

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas / Mercenary T'Riss | Bink's Office | Multi-chance Casino | Thieves Quarter | Ferenginar]

Zhukdra'shar nodded at the promise for an attempt of a meeting being arranged, finding it appropiate to gather more information. His interest, though, doubled when the list of the more dangerous assassins that had been identified by the Ferengi. Both his ears and his eyes remained trailed on the explanation, and on the portraits of the miscreants, trying his best to remember as best as he can, were he to find them.

The more colorful of them to him, however, were the Gorn, the Bajoran and the Orion. Zhuk supposed that him being at the forefront meant that Gath was the most dangerous out of all within the list. Galen Mal, who Zhuk frowned towards due to his involvement on the killing of Cardassians, wondering if he would be able to make him get his commeuppance. Visa just gave Zhuk a chill down his spine. He wasn't too fond of Orion, but especially found the women a strange mix of dangerous and alluring. He never remembered being able to say "No" when his previous owner was in the room.

Worrysome.

Keeping his thoughts for himself, however, Zhuk walked outside to gaze in shock at a Ferengi having been hanged from the Tower of Commerce, causing him to frown. This certainly didn't fare well. He only hoped that the culprit would be found, and dealt with in an appropiate manner. Or else, him being the executioner, where he to find him. Though that seemed to be an unlikely possibility, maybe this whole ordeal would have a funny way of making the assassin and him cross paths.

Or so he hoped.

"So uh... what next, missus?" Zhuk asked, as he glanced around, getting back into character into a more neutral tone. He was a hard-coded killer. Why should he care if someone was hung?

He was surprised at the suggestion by Lahr, and even more surprised that Nira agreed with him. Soon enough, though, he was in a neutral stance, nodding off to Lahr as he headed off, a malicious grin on his face. He figured that Lahr most likely wanted some action, and by that he wished to convey him some luck the best way that he thought a mercenary would. Shame, though. He would surely have wanted to crack some skulls alongside with him.

Oh well.

He sighed. Seeing Chloe again would have also been nice...

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Multi-Chance Casino >- Ishtar Bazaar, Ferenginar Branch | Thieves Quarter | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Bink nodded at Lahr as he made his farewell and slipped a small purse of latinum slips and a PADD giving directions to the hotel. Nira noticed it and was impressed by the subtlty; perhaps the man was a former pickpocket and trained to do so in reverse: slip items secretly in a pocket.

"Okay, can apprise us of where the assassins frequent?" whispered Nira.

In answer, Bink slipped a PADD himself into Nira's hands and whispered, "You'll find their locations, among other things, in here. There will also be directions to my suite outside the Thieves Quarters here, along with authorization to come and go as you please."

He then added, more aloud, "I do hope you enjoy the facilities here. Why a beauteoos feemale like yourself could make a vault's worth of latinum," he added in a wink and gestured down the road to a club that also copied the Tower of Commerce in appearance, but definitely looked more in place in the Middle East or Angor Wat. When Nira turned back at him, he was gone. Nira looked at her PADD and could see that the place was the first on the list.

"Alright, T'Riss, let's get to business," said Nira, in character as Najwa Sahmed.

As they drew closer, Nira could smell loads of incense, but mingled with the bad smell of the overall Thieves Quarter, the affect was ruined. Indeed, Nira was definitely sure she could see faint puffs of incense smoke from the top, thick enough that it would look like an ancient chimney if need be.

The Orion bouncers at the door certainly looked intimidating by the muscles, but their faces certainly looked relaxed, with some pleasing grins on their faces. Nira could tell at once: They were actually pleased to be there. Two lamps of thick-smoking incense flanked the door with them, and it occurred to Nira that the incense, plus the smell, helped override the Orion pheromones. Either that or they were outfitted with pheromone blockers that Nira couldn't see.

"Welcome to the Ishtar Bazaar," one of them said smoothly. "A hive of vice waiting for you to enjoy."

"Thank you, good sirs," said Nira. "What specialties do you offer?"

"Any vice you want," said the other bouncer smoothly. "Even if you want somebody marked for death."

The way he talked, it was as if setting a death mark like it was a paradisaical pleasure. Nira looked up at the sign and wondered whether it may as well would've said "The Seven Deadly Sins, Presented by the Seven Veils."

"Yes, you'll find no better place in this branch," the first bouncer said.

"Branch?" asked Nira.

"Oh, yes," said the second. "We're extended around every enclave held by the Syndicate in the quadrant. Ferenginar, Orion, Verex, Nimbus, Nausicaa, and in plenty of underground establishments."

Nira nodded but decided not to press further. She wondered how many of these bazaars there were around the Alpha Quadrant.

"Well, we'll leave you to the door, good gentlemen," said Nira. Once they stepped inside, for one wild moment, she stepped into an actual Earth bazaar, down to the decor. Except an Earth bazaar wasn't tall in the inside, nor this many aliens, nor the haze of hookah smoke and incense.

Everybody certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves, even the Eliminators sent to watch the asassins; Nira could tell they were Eliminators due to the muscles. Of course, they were only giving crooked grins, so they weren't enjoying themselves too much. And as much as Nira couldn't see smiles on everybody, she could nonetheless feel elated from all the positive attitudes in the building.

Nira checked her PADD. As much as the assassins frequented multiple places of vice, they commonly seemed to frequent this place the most. She looked at "T'Riss."

"Let's take a look around and check out what they have to offer," said Nira. "I might even see if they would be in need of freelance dancers," she added, nodding at the stage of dancers, a lot of them green Orion women. Of course, taking a good look, she could see Visa, one of the assassins, was the center attraction, the lead of the troupe. "Now, be careful with who you talk to. We'll see about a table when we're finished," Nira finished.

Naturally, in taking a look around the establishment, taking in many observations and details and thus keenly looking out for the assassins, she could see the most dangerous ones that Bink listed to her, Zhuk and Lahr. Some, like Calud Daaom and Xinor Dralin, only stepped in, got a quick drink, and got out, and Nira could definitely see the Eliminators following subtly in their wake. Nira only recognized Calud from close-up, remembering the image in detail, and that he passed her on his way in and out. The big teethy ones, Gath, Caju and Shuuzzgor were in the restaurant section and were busy with big hefty meals. Shahl Th'rhehlok and Niamis Madat were seated in two different bars, but they were just dawdling over drinks...they were taking in their drinks quietly, looking around...potentially marking targets or observing the crowd. Nira could see that Shahl was scowling, so she gave a wide berth.

Galen Mal was the hardest to find. So many races bore semblance to humans, though plenty were distinguishable, but Bajorans could be hard to find in a crowd unless one was looking carefully for the ridges on their nose. Finally, Nira spotted him, chatting at an apparent stall that looks like a small office...it certainly bore a resemblance to an office for hiring people, though in this case, it looked more like an office space for hiring assassins or bounty hunters, judging from the skulls decorating the establishment. Either that, or the grim atmosphere emanating from there, and Nira certainly felt that passing the establishment, like pockets of grimness amidst a galaxy of positivity.

But this one, Nira paid more prominent notice, and not just to Galen Mal, but to who he was talking to, because Nira recognized the psychotic little furball the Bajoran was talking to.

She first met him on Risa, going undercover in a hidden island. Unfortunately, he was handy in that he knew the crooks...despite the fact he is one. With the right price, he could be helpful. And now that Nira got a better look at the skulls, she recognized Selay skulls.

Nira drew in closer and she could see Galen Mal was arguing with the little furball; Nira was presuming the huge Orion behind the furball was the only reason Galen wasn't turning violent.

"...your cabin fever notwithstanding, Galen," the furball sneered in an oily voice, "it's simply a bad time for you to get out fast after you have your job. Yes, you're anxious to get off-world after lying low for the break-out..."

"...you can't even reserve anything?!?" hissed the Bajoran.

"Not so much as a workbee pod," came the reply with a shrug. "Like I said, you picked a bad time, and you're going nowhere in finding your assigned target. Now, there are plenty of easier targets to at least keep an eye on, like Lurac T'Luco or Jack Crusher or any of the Fenris Rangers..."

"Deej Cloten," Nira said, stepping up next to Galen and glowering at the short Antican at the desk.

Cloten looked at her and briefly opened his mouth in surprise, but covered that by extending it into a yawn.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"We met on Risa," Nira said, though Nira definitely felt the furball recognized her.

"Talk to me tomorrow," Cloten said to Galen. "Or until you can successfully track down that damn elusive Romulan."

Galen took off, fuming; Nira wouldn't be surprised to see if smoke was billowing from his ears. She then took the chair and stared hard at Cloten.

"Madam," Cloten said with a nod.

"Of course you'd be in on this, Cloten," Nira snapped quietly. "You have to be the go-to guy for the assassins. You couldn't at all be the one who set the bounty on Dokan's head."

"Not damn likely," Cloten sneered. "Let's just say that their employees are various, though they're all Romulan. But I'm not likely to say who specifically, not even for all the gold-pressed latinum in the universe. How you found out, I don't want to know."

"Then at least you're someone they turn to," said Nira, handing out a few pieces of gold-pressed latinum. Now Cloten couldn't stop his surprised expression.

"Okay, so they turn to me for quarters and weapons, but so what?" Cloten sneered. "The Eliminators know that already, even if I sent them starship disruptor cannons, although I should say the market for those is tight at the moment, and I don't know which Ferengi is snapping them up, Gaila or Sneed."

"What about which one of them hung the Ferengi on the Tower of Commerce?" asked Nira.

"None at all," Cloten muttered. "None of my fellow mercantilists have once received orders for that much rope."

Nira narrowed her eyes. Unfortunately, she could tell Cloten was telling the truth.

"Well, I suppose as it stands," said Nira slightly loudly, turning back from Starfleet interrogator to illicit figure, "I wouldn't afford hiring somebody for protection from perverse clientel, let alone to kill somebody."

Cloten looked befuddled as Nira continued, "Now, who do I talk to for dancing freelance?"

It dawned on Cloten that Nira was undercover, and she was an infiltrator. "Dancers are near the stage and they take anybody as long as they got the skill. Just watch out for the Animal Woman. The one with the claws."

[Nira Said]

Kina thought about everything that was happening. The initial shock of seeing a dead body had worn off. It reminded her of some of the literature she read back home. Political intrigue and supposition. There seemed to be more going on here than what they were seeing.

She looked to Galloway. "Captain, if I may. Perhaps either Dr. Buehler or myself should examine the body. Why not just throw this particular Liquidator off the Tower? Someone would only do something like this to make a statement. It's possible that he was killed prior to this"¦"¦display. We may be able to find some form evidence to help determine who was responsible for this."

[Ferenginar - Bock's office]

Whilst Buck did not want or have much to add to the conversation, there was a need to speak for only to get rid of the taste of the Slug-o-cola on his tongue. It was an acquired taste and whilst he would keep a hold of his drink, if only not to appear rude. Motion had seemed to capture Ian's attention, which in turn had captured Buck's as they made their way over to the window at the exclamation of Ensign Nural.

He certainly felt the breath go from his body, if only for a moment as he gazed upon the body. It seemed....unreal, even if his brain knew what was happening - what had happened and the confirmations by the captain, Buck couldn't place the feeling. Buck also assumed by the way the tables had been quickly turned that the hanging had not been expected by any one of the party. It gave him a perfect excuse to 'forget' about the drink in hand and place it down as he turned to the Liquidator as he turned to hurry out the room.

"Aw heck, cap'n," He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Someone definitely uttered the 'q' word on board the Challenger."

For a moment, Buck lapsed into silence before starting up again. "Bein' that we're posing as the Syndicate, ain't there going to be needing some response to this? Might assist us to get to know our shadier counterparts, who might know somethin' about a lil' something."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

When Lahr's message came through, Lieutenant Davenport at Tactical opened the channel which made Commander CatalÁ¡n arch an eyebrow in surprise in it's lack of proper protocols. However, knowing the Andorian was undercover, he limited his response to a short reply.

"Message understood. Package is on the way."

Davenport closed the channel and CatalÁ¡n, after a moment of thought said.

"Ensign Fisher. One of the first lessons a member of Starfleet must learn is to never become complacent. The unexpected is our business. I want you to meet Lieutenant Davies in shuttle bay two. Take the Scobee. Engineering will have her reconfigured to look like a civilian ship by the time you get there. Move out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian nodded to T'Kel to conduct her investigation and added.

"Take Buehler and Nural with you, cause of death is obvious, but they might pick up summat you don't see."

"Aye Captain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian sighed as he hadn't thought of that and replied.

"You are probably right Lad, but we nae ken who ta send a message to. Let T'Kel and the Docs take a look and if'n they find anything, then we can craft us a right proper response."

[Shuttlebay Two --> Shuttle Scobee]

As promised, by the time Fisher and Davies arrived in civilian garb, the Scobee had been repainted and the transponder modified to indicate it was now the Graceful Swan. After a quick pre-flight, Fisher received permission to depart and the shuttle was on its way down to the planet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian could feel it in his bones that there were so many things going on here that he doubted Bock was aware of just how deep whatever was happening could be. As he paced back and forth in Bock's office, he growled.

"There's no bloody tellin' how many layers this onion seems ta have!"

He pulled out his civilian model communicator and added.

"T'Kel. I need some answers. What have you found?"

[Lieutenant Commander T'Kel | First Aid Station | Tower of Commerce | Fereng | Ferenginar]

T'Kel nodded at Captain Galloway's orders and followed Doctors Buehler and Nural. She waited a moment while the doctors helped the Ferengi medical personnel determine the cause of death. Though the call from the Captain certainly made her think he was getting impatient.

"The doctors should have the cause of death in a moment. Stand by," she said in reply.

[Liquidator Bock | Bock's Office | Tower of Commerce | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Meanwhile, as they waited, Bock got a notification. Text only, and he read in surprise.

"By the Blesshed Ecshchequer!" Bock said in surprise. "Earlier than ecshpected!"

He looked up at Captain Galloway and Lieutenant McNair and said, "The Romulan delegashun ish arriving tumorrow. And they're coming with a vanguard...that ish not good noosh."

He called up long-ranged sensor results from leading Daimons...according to them, the long range satellites detected a dozen huge Romulan ships approaching Ferenginar, with an ETA of less than a day. Another, slightly bigger fleet, except consisting of older ships, is trailing behind them, two or three days behind at least.

There is a piece of good news from the Daimons: The satellites detected a small fleet of Federation ships, at least three, en route, arriving a little before the Romulan fleet does.

"Thank you, Daimonssh," Bock said, his whistling causing a momentary siren in the audio speakers. Turning off communication, Bock looked over at Captain Galloway.

"Thish ish shooner than ecshpected, we weren't ecspecting the Romulansh sho shoon," he said worriedly. "Thish meansh arrangementsh are going to need to be shpeeded up, and Dokan will need to know about thish, ashuming we find him again. I can guessh who the delegashun ish, but it ish obviush that there are more advanshed shipsh transhporting them. Whoever ownsh that fleet, we'll know by the facshun.

"And the Federashun'sh reinforshmentsh?" Bock added indignantly. "Three shipsh? Wonderful. We're schcrewed."

[Robert Fisher]

[Shuttlebay Two --> Shuttle Scobee]

As promised, by the time Fisher and Davies arrived in civilian garb, the Scobee had been repainted and the transponder modified to indicate it was now the Graceful Swan. After a quick pre-flight, Fisher received permission to depart and the shuttle was on its way down to the planet.

[Shuttle Scobee]

With the exception of a few cursory acknowledgements, Robert took control of the pilot's station with every ounce of vigilance he could muster, determined not to make the same mistake twice.

"We're coming up on the provided coordinates, ninety seconds until touchdown."

His first away mission. The young ensign silently pleaded for a swift and positive outcome.

[Kina Nural]

Ian sighed as he hadn't thought of that and replied.

"You are probably right Lad, but we nae ken who ta send a message to. Let T'Kel and the Docs take a look and if'n they find anything, then we can craft us a right proper response."

Ian could feel it in his bones that there were so many things going on here that he doubted Bock was aware of just how deep whatever was happening could be. As he paced back and forth in Bock's office, he growled.

"There's no bloody tellin' how many layers this onion seems ta have!"

He pulled out his civilian model communicator and added.

"T'Kel. I need some answers. What have you found?"

With the captain's permission, Kina turned and rushed off to where they dragged the body. In a way, this was the first time she had ever seen a true dead body. As disconcerting as it was, she was a doctor, and right now, she had a job to do.

She moved over to the body and began to examine it. It would be nice to have a medical tricorder so she could get accurate readings and statutes from the body. However lacking that, she had to rely on the training she got from both Starfleet and Cardassia. She ran her hands along the body, feeling and examining everything she could. "The captain was correct. Cause of death was definitely a broken neck from a significant force, more than likely the sudden stop from the rope."

She leaned down to examine his hands. "I'm also seeing some marks on his hands. It looks like he was struggling against the rope before he was thrown off." Kina then noticed something that was embedded in his hand. She carefully extracted a small tooth. "œLieutenant, look at this. It appears to be some kind of tooth. Perhaps a Ferengi tooth, but I'm not sure we can get a positive DNA analysis from the damage."

[Buck McNair]

[Liquidator Bock | Bock's Office | Tower of Commerce | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Meanwhile, as they waited, Bock got a notification. Text only, and he read in surprise.

"By the Blesshed Ecshchequer!" Bock said in surprise. "Earlier than ecshpected!"

He looked up at Captain Galloway and Lieutenant McNair and said, "The Romulan delegashun ish arriving tumorrow. And they're coming with a vanguard...that ish not good noosh."

He called up long-ranged sensor results from leading Daimons...according to them, the long range satellites detected a dozen huge Romulan ships approaching Ferenginar, with an ETA of less than a day. Another, slightly bigger fleet, except consisting of older ships, is trailing behind them, two or three days behind at least.

There is a piece of good news from the Daimons: The satellites detected a small fleet of Federation ships, at least three, en route, arriving a little before the Romulan fleet does.

"Thank you, Daimonssh," Bock said, his whistling causing a momentary siren in the audio speakers. Turning off communication, Bock looked over at Captain Galloway.

"Thish ish shooner than ecshpected, we weren't ecspecting the Romulansh sho shoon," he said worriedly. "Thish meansh arrangementsh are going to need to be shpeeded up, and Dokan will need to know about thish, ashuming we find him again. I can guessh who the delegashun ish, but it ish obviush that there are more advanshed shipsh transhporting them. Whoever ownsh that fleet, we'll know by the facshun.

"And the Federashun'sh reinforshmentsh?" Bock added indignantly. "Three shipsh? Wonderful. We're schcrewed."

[Bock's Office - Ferenginar]

Buck had been pacing, glancing over his shoulder every so often as he thought about what could be happening; seemed the Captain was just as stumped if not more so. The exclamation from Bock barely brought any good news their way, it seemed. Even now with the confirmation of the early arrival of the Romulan delegation and how they were 'screwed' simply down to the three ships.

He couldn't help but cross his arms defensively as he turned, wheeling on the balls of his feet, to face Bock. "With all due respect, I'd not toss the eggs before they hatch, Liquidator Bock. If you are aware of the arrival of the Romulan delegation, then it is hoped so are the three Federation ships plus the Challenger. At least we have until tomorrow rolls around to figure out the next steps."

The young lieutenant looked over at the captain, seeing whether there was anything that he had stepped out of line upon.

[Ian Galloway]

[Lieutenant Commander T'Kel | First Aid Station | Tower of Commerce | Fereng | Ferenginar]

T'Kel nodded at Captain Galloway's orders and followed Doctors Buehler and Nural. She waited a moment while the doctors helped the Ferengi medical personnel determine the cause of death. Though the call from the Captain certainly made her think he was getting impatient.

"The doctors should have the cause of death in a moment. Stand by," she said in reply.

[Liquidator Bock | Bock's Office | Tower of Commerce | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Meanwhile, as they waited, Bock got a notification. Text only, and he read in surprise.

"By the Blesshed Ecshchequer!" Bock said in surprise. "Earlier than ecshpected!"

He looked up at Captain Galloway and Lieutenant McNair and said, "The Romulan delegashun ish arriving tumorrow. And they're coming with a vanguard...that ish not good noosh."

He called up long-ranged sensor results from leading Daimons...according to them, the long range satellites detected a dozen huge Romulan ships approaching Ferenginar, with an ETA of less than a day. Another, slightly bigger fleet, except consisting of older ships, is trailing behind them, two or three days behind at least.

There is a piece of good news from the Daimons: The satellites detected a small fleet of Federation ships, at least three, en route, arriving a little before the Romulan fleet does.

"Thank you, Daimonssh," Bock said, his whistling causing a momentary siren in the audio speakers. Turning off communication, Bock looked over at Captain Galloway.

"Thish ish shooner than ecshpected, we weren't ecspecting the Romulansh sho shoon," he said worriedly. "Thish meansh arrangementsh are going to need to be shpeeded up, and Dokan will need to know about thish, ashuming we find him again. I can guessh who the delegashun ish, but it ish obviush that there are more advanshed shipsh transhporting them. Whoever ownsh that fleet, we'll know by the facshun.

"And the Federashun'sh reinforshmentsh?" Bock added indignantly. "Three shipsh? Wonderful. We're schcrewed."

[Bock's Office - Ferenginar]

Buck had been pacing, glancing over his shoulder every so often as he thought about what could be happening; seemed the Captain was just as stumped if not more so. The exclamation from Bock barely brought any good news their way, it seemed. Even now with the confirmation of the early arrival of the Romulan delegation and how they were 'screwed' simply down to the three ships.

He couldn't help but cross his arms defensively as he turned, wheeling on the balls of his feet, to face Bock. "With all due respect, I'd not toss the eggs before they hatch, Liquidator Bock. If you are aware of the arrival of the Romulan delegation, then it is hoped so are the three Federation ships plus the Challenger. At least we have until tomorrow rolls around to figure out the next steps."

The young lieutenant looked over at the captain, seeing whether there was anything that he had stepped out of line upon.

[Bock's Office - Tower of Commerce - Ferenginar]

Ian took in the information Bock provided with a neutral expression, but the first thought that crossed his mind was.

"Well this has certainly dropped into the bloody pot."

He kept this thought to himself as he knew he had to maintain the outward appearance of calm and control for the others on the away team as well as for Bock who was clearly rattled by the news.

"I can signal the Federation ships ta accelerate so they arrive ahead of the first Romulan contingent Liquidator, a task force of four starships should give them a bit of a pause from doin' summat rash. In addition, your own ships should make a formidable challenge for the rest with us anchorin' the formation.

"If'n there was any question this Dokan's data was good or not, goin' by the Romulan response, I'd say there is nae longer a doubt. It also, unfortunately, amps up the tension level. When things get this hot, it doesn't take much for a small thing ta set off a major problem. We'll all have ta be on our toes ta keep that small thing from occurrin'."

[Shuttle Scobee]

With the exception of a few cursory acknowledgements, Robert took control of the pilot's station with every ounce of vigilance he could muster, determined not to make the same mistake twice.

"We're coming up on the provided coordinates, ninety seconds until touchdown."

His first away mission. The young ensign silently pleaded for a swift and positive outcome.

[Landing Pad 94 - Ferenginar]

The way the Graceful Swan landed lived up to her name and Fisher put the shuttle's systems on standby. The directions on what to do on arrival were less than useful, leaving Robert and Chloe uncertain on how to proceed. All they had was the channel that Lahr had used when he made is unorthodox communication with Challenger to guide them on what to do next.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas / Mercenary T'Riss | Ishtar Bazaar, Ferenginar Branch | Thieves Quarter | Ferenginar]

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Multi-Chance Casino >- Ishtar Bazaar, Ferenginar Branch | Thieves Quarter | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Bink nodded at Lahr as he made his farewell and slipped a small purse of latinum slips and a PADD giving directions to the hotel. Nira noticed it and was impressed by the subtlty; perhaps the man was a former pickpocket and trained to do so in reverse: slip items secretly in a pocket.

"Okay, can apprise us of where the assassins frequent?" whispered Nira.

In answer, Bink slipped a PADD himself into Nira's hands and whispered, "You'll find their locations, among other things, in here. There will also be directions to my suite outside the Thieves Quarters here, along with authorization to come and go as you please."

He then added, more aloud, "I do hope you enjoy the facilities here. Why a beauteoos feemale like yourself could make a vault's worth of latinum," he added in a wink and gestured down the road to a club that also copied the Tower of Commerce in appearance, but definitely looked more in place in the Middle East or Angor Wat. When Nira turned back at him, he was gone. Nira looked at her PADD and could see that the place was the first on the list.

"Alright, T'Riss, let's get to business," said Nira, in character as Najwa Sahmed.

As they drew closer, Nira could smell loads of incense, but mingled with the bad smell of the overall Thieves Quarter, the affect was ruined. Indeed, Nira was definitely sure she could see faint puffs of incense smoke from the top, thick enough that it would look like an ancient chimney if need be.

The Orion bouncers at the door certainly looked intimidating by the muscles, but their faces certainly looked relaxed, with some pleasing grins on their faces. Nira could tell at once: They were actually pleased to be there. Two lamps of thick-smoking incense flanked the door with them, and it occurred to Nira that the incense, plus the smell, helped override the Orion pheromones. Either that or they were outfitted with pheromone blockers that Nira couldn't see.

"Welcome to the Ishtar Bazaar," one of them said smoothly. "A hive of vice waiting for you to enjoy."

"Thank you, good sirs," said Nira. "What specialties do you offer?"

"Any vice you want," said the other bouncer smoothly. "Even if you want somebody marked for death."

The way he talked, it was as if setting a death mark like it was a paradisaical pleasure. Nira looked up at the sign and wondered whether it may as well would've said "The Seven Deadly Sins, Presented by the Seven Veils."

"Yes, you'll find no better place in this branch," the first bouncer said.

"Branch?" asked Nira.

"Oh, yes," said the second. "We're extended around every enclave held by the Syndicate in the quadrant. Ferenginar, Orion, Verex, Nimbus, Nausicaa, and in plenty of underground establishments."

Nira nodded but decided not to press further. She wondered how many of these bazaars there were around the Alpha Quadrant.

"Well, we'll leave you to the door, good gentlemen," said Nira. Once they stepped inside, for one wild moment, she stepped into an actual Earth bazaar, down to the decor. Except an Earth bazaar wasn't tall in the inside, nor this many aliens, nor the haze of hookah smoke and incense.

Everybody certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves, even the Eliminators sent to watch the asassins; Nira could tell they were Eliminators due to the muscles. Of course, they were only giving crooked grins, so they weren't enjoying themselves too much. And as much as Nira couldn't see smiles on everybody, she could nonetheless feel elated from all the positive attitudes in the building.

Nira checked her PADD. As much as the assassins frequented multiple places of vice, they commonly seemed to frequent this place the most. She looked at "T'Riss."

"Let's take a look around and check out what they have to offer," said Nira. "I might even see if they would be in need of freelance dancers," she added, nodding at the stage of dancers, a lot of them green Orion women. Of course, taking a good look, she could see Visa, one of the assassins, was the center attraction, the lead of the troupe. "Now, be careful with who you talk to. We'll see about a table when we're finished," Nira finished.

Naturally, in taking a look around the establishment, taking in many observations and details and thus keenly looking out for the assassins, she could see the most dangerous ones that Bink listed to her, Zhuk and Lahr. Some, like Calud Daaom and Xinor Dralin, only stepped in, got a quick drink, and got out, and Nira could definitely see the Eliminators following subtly in their wake. Nira only recognized Calud from close-up, remembering the image in detail, and that he passed her on his way in and out. The big teethy ones, Gath, Caju and Shuuzzgor were in the restaurant section and were busy with big hefty meals. Shahl Th'rhehlok and Niamis Madat were seated in two different bars, but they were just dawdling over drinks...they were taking in their drinks quietly, looking around...potentially marking targets or observing the crowd. Nira could see that Shahl was scowling, so she gave a wide berth.

Galen Mal was the hardest to find. So many races bore semblance to humans, though plenty were distinguishable, but Bajorans could be hard to find in a crowd unless one was looking carefully for the ridges on their nose. Finally, Nira spotted him, chatting at an apparent stall that looks like a small office...it certainly bore a resemblance to an office for hiring people, though in this case, it looked more like an office space for hiring assassins or bounty hunters, judging from the skulls decorating the establishment. Either that, or the grim atmosphere emanating from there, and Nira certainly felt that passing the establishment, like pockets of grimness amidst a galaxy of positivity.

But this one, Nira paid more prominent notice, and not just to Galen Mal, but to who he was talking to, because Nira recognized the psychotic little furball the Bajoran was talking to.

She first met him on Risa, going undercover in a hidden island. Unfortunately, he was handy in that he knew the crooks...despite the fact he is one. With the right price, he could be helpful. And now that Nira got a better look at the skulls, she recognized Selay skulls.

Nira drew in closer and she could see Galen Mal was arguing with the little furball; Nira was presuming the huge Orion behind the furball was the only reason Galen wasn't turning violent.

"...your cabin fever notwithstanding, Galen," the furball sneered in an oily voice, "it's simply a bad time for you to get out fast after you have your job. Yes, you're anxious to get off-world after lying low for the break-out..."

"...you can't even reserve anything?!?" hissed the Bajoran.

"Not so much as a workbee pod," came the reply with a shrug. "Like I said, you picked a bad time, and you're going nowhere in finding your assigned target. Now, there are plenty of easier targets to at least keep an eye on, like Lurac T'Luco or Jack Crusher or any of the Fenris Rangers..."

"Deej Cloten," Nira said, stepping up next to Galen and glowering at the short Antican at the desk.

Cloten looked at her and briefly opened his mouth in surprise, but covered that by extending it into a yawn.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"We met on Risa," Nira said, though Nira definitely felt the furball recognized her.

"Talk to me tomorrow," Cloten said to Galen. "Or until you can successfully track down that damn elusive Romulan."

Galen took off, fuming; Nira wouldn't be surprised to see if smoke was billowing from his ears. She then took the chair and stared hard at Cloten.

"Madam," Cloten said with a nod.

"Of course you'd be in on this, Cloten," Nira snapped quietly. "You have to be the go-to guy for the assassins. You couldn't at all be the one who set the bounty on Dokan's head."

"Not damn likely," Cloten sneered. "Let's just say that their employees are various, though they're all Romulan. But I'm not likely to say who specifically, not even for all the gold-pressed latinum in the universe. How you found out, I don't want to know."

"Then at least you're someone they turn to," said Nira, handing out a few pieces of gold-pressed latinum. Now Cloten couldn't stop his surprised expression.

"Okay, so they turn to me for quarters and weapons, but so what?" Cloten sneered. "The Eliminators know that already, even if I sent them starship disruptor cannons, although I should say the market for those is tight at the moment, and I don't know which Ferengi is snapping them up, Gaila or Sneed."

"What about which one of them hung the Ferengi on the Tower of Commerce?" asked Nira.

"None at all," Cloten muttered. "None of my fellow mercantilists have once received orders for that much rope."

Nira narrowed her eyes. Unfortunately, she could tell Cloten was telling the truth.

"Well, I suppose as it stands," said Nira slightly loudly, turning back from Starfleet interrogator to illicit figure, "I wouldn't afford hiring somebody for protection from perverse clientel, let alone to kill somebody."

Cloten looked befuddled as Nira continued, "Now, who do I talk to for dancing freelance?"

It dawned on Cloten that Nira was undercover, and she was an infiltrator. "Dancers are near the stage and they take anybody as long as they got the skill. Just watch out for the Animal Woman. The one with the claws."

'T'Riss' offered a nod as his employer told him in character to take their leave. He offered a nod too towards the skillful Bink, thankful that he had provided something in the way for money for Lahr, and 'Najwa Sahmed'. He didn't expected the Ferengi to prove so useful, but he felt more confident now on tackling whatever puzzle this Dokan guy carried behind him.

'T'Riss's' nose felt quite offended at the strange smells of the incense that mixed in with the unbearable stench of rot and decay within the Thieves' Quarter. It made for a vomitive brew, though he didn't showed it, remaining neutral throught. This visage only barely cracked when he came across a pair of huge Orions that welcomed them within the Ishtaar Bazaar. He felt a knot on his stomach as he glanced at both of them with a frown, letting 'Najwa' do the talking.

After a few tense moments on his part, they were allowed in, with 'T'Riss' only limiting himself to twisting his neck to the side, in order to make it crack. He took in the sights of the peculiar establishment, scanning the area to identify any potential miscreants. He was a bit surprised when 'Najwa' told him that they should separate in order to check out what they had to offer. He took the hint, nodding to her as he gazed at the dancers. He took a deep breath, before offering a big, coy grin at 'Najwa'.

"Dayum missus. You should discount me pay for the day if you gonna let me see you dance" He commented, playfully, making an awkward wink with his sole visible green eye."Noted, missus. I'll go in an... take 'em sights as you say..." He took another gander at the Orion women, as though he certainly felt himself hard pressed not to lower his ears and grovel in front of the beauties, he did found them quite alluring, and enjoyed watching them dance.

Next time, he wondered if he could be the one to take the stage. He still remembered his lessons, and could follow along the Orion's steps. After deciding to stare for a bit, smirking to himself as he watched the show, he decided to move on. After some walking around, he began to notice familiar faces propped up all over the bar. Those of the assassins. Inspecting them for a moment, he finally decided to head to the big leagues, walking to the restaurant section, and sitting close to Gath, asking for a meal himself.

He then watched him, waiting until he finished his meal before approaching him, a confident look to him, proceeding to ask: "You Gath? The one with a body count so high to pile bones from a moon to a planet?" In a serious tone, before immediately changing to a gleeful one, "Great admirer. What you did to that human... shew... stuff o' legends, I tell you!"This, accompanied with a big grin.

[Buehler]

With the captain's permission, Kina turned and rushed off to where they dragged the body. In a way, this was the first time she had ever seen a true dead body. As disconcerting as it was, she was a doctor, and right now, she had a job to do.

She moved over to the body and began to examine it. It would be nice to have a medical tricorder so she could get accurate readings and statutes from the body. However lacking that, she had to rely on the training she got from both Starfleet and Cardassia. She ran her hands along the body, feeling and examining everything she could. "The captain was correct. Cause of death was definitely a broken neck from a significant force, more than likely the sudden stop from the rope."

She leaned down to examine his hands. "I'm also seeing some marks on his hands. It looks like he was struggling against the rope before he was thrown off." Kina then noticed something that was embedded in his hand. She carefully extracted a small tooth. "œLieutenant, look at this. It appears to be some kind of tooth. Perhaps a Ferengi tooth, but I'm not sure we can get a positive DNA analysis from the damage."

[Tower of Commerce]

Racing after the ensign towards the dead body, Evan could hear his blood rushing in his ears. It was both invigorating and sobering, one of many contradictions facing him in the present moment. There was nothing like a corpse to remind him to be grateful for being alive. Nural was first to reach it. Evan paused to let the newly minted doctor make the initial assessment, pleased to see her findings were in line with his own.

"œI wonder what the Ferengi equivalent of a John Doe is," he mused, feeling the corpse's limp arm. "œI'm not terribly familiar with Ferengi physiology," he added, "œbut given the lack of rigor mortis, I think it would be safe to say he hasn't been dead long." He furrowed a brow in concentration. "œLook," he said to the young Cardassian, "œsee those blue green specks in his eyes? If the broken neck didn't kill him, strangulation would have finished the job. As for the tooth... crime labs have worked with less, not that that helps us any." It wasn't like they could ask the local police or government. They were on a covert mission. What could they really do besides bury the poor sod?

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Ferenginar - Thieves' Quarter]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

When Lahr's message came through, Lieutenant Davenport at Tactical opened the channel which made Commander CatalÁ¡n arch an eyebrow in surprise in it's lack of proper protocols. However, knowing the Andorian was undercover, he limited his response to a short reply.

"Message understood. Package is on the way."

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Multi-Chance Casino >- Ishtar Bazaar, Ferenginar Branch | Thieves Quarter | Fereng | Ferenginar]

Bink nodded at Lahr as he made his farewell and slipped a small purse of latinum slips and a PADD giving directions to the hotel. Nira noticed it and was impressed by the subtlety; perhaps the man was a former pickpocket and trained to do so in reverse: slip items secretly in a pocket.

"Okay, can apprise us of where the assassins frequent?" whispered Nira.

In answer, Bink slipped a PADD himself into Nira's hands and whispered, "You'll find their locations, among other things, in here. There will also be directions to my suite outside the Thieves Quarters here, along with authorization to come and go as you please."

Lahr was halfway to the first bar before he noticed that he had a pocketful of latinum strips.  Score!  In his other pocket he found small PADD with list of addresses.  One, being a hotel (Lahr figured that was Bink's 'base'.  The other addresses all appeared to be clubs, bars or hotels.   Lahr headed to the first address on the list - the Ishtar Bazaar.

As they drew closer, Nira could smell loads of incense, but mingled with the bad smell of the overall Thieves Quarter, the affect was ruined. Indeed, Nira was definitely sure she could see faint puffs of incense smoke from the top, thick enough that it would look like an ancient chimney if need be.

The Orion bouncers at the door certainly looked intimidating by the muscles, but their faces certainly looked relaxed, with some pleasing grins on their faces. Nira could tell at once: They were actually pleased to be there. Two lamps of thick-smoking incense flanked the door with them, and it occurred to Nira that the incense, plus the smell, helped override the Orion pheromones. Either that or they were outfitted with pheromone blockers that Nira couldn't see.

"Welcome to the Ishtar Bazaar," one of them said smoothly. "A hive of vice waiting for you to enjoy."

"Thank you, good sirs," said Nira. "What specialties do you offer?"

"Any vice you want," said the other bouncer smoothly. "Even if you want somebody marked for death."

The way he talked, it was as if setting a death mark like it was a paradisaical pleasure. Nira looked up at the sign and wondered whether it may as well would've said "The Seven Deadly Sins, Presented by the Seven Veils."

"Yes, you'll find no better place in this branch," the first bouncer said.

"Branch?" asked Nira.

"Oh, yes," said the second. "We're extended around every enclave held by the Syndicate in the quadrant. Ferenginar, Orion, Verex, Nimbus, Nausicaa, and in plenty of underground establishments."

Nira nodded but decided not to press further. She wondered how many of these bazaars there were around the Alpha Quadrant.

"Well, we'll leave you to the door, good gentlemen," said Nira. Once they stepped inside, for one wild moment, she stepped into an actual Earth bazaar, down to the decor. Except an Earth bazaar wasn't tall in the inside, nor this many aliens, nor the haze of hookah smoke and incense.

Everybody certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves, even the Eliminators sent to watch the assassins; Nira could tell they were Eliminators due to the muscles. Of course, they were only giving crooked grins, so they weren't enjoying themselves too much. And as much as Nira couldn't see smiles on everybody, she could nonetheless feel elated from all the positive attitudes in the building.

Nira checked her PADD. As much as the assassins frequented multiple places of vice, they commonly seemed to frequent this place the most. She looked at "T'Riss."

"Let's take a look around and check out what they have to offer," said Nira. "I might even see if they would be in need of freelance dancers," she added, nodding at the stage of dancers, a lot of them green Orion women. Of course, taking a good look, she could see Visa, one of the assassins, was the center attraction, the lead of the troupe. "Now, be careful with who you talk to. We'll see about a table when we're finished," Nira finished.

Naturally, in taking a look around the establishment, taking in many observations and details and thus keenly looking out for the assassins, she could see the most dangerous ones that Bink listed to her, Zhuk and Lahr. Some, like Calud Daaom and Xinor Dralin, only stepped in, got a quick drink, and got out, and Nira could definitely see the Eliminators following subtly in their wake. Nira only recognized Calud from close-up, remembering the image in detail, and that he passed her on his way in and out. The big teethy ones, Gath, Caju and Shuuzzgor were in the restaurant section and were busy with big hefty meals. Shahl Th'rhehlok and Niamis Madat were seated in two different bars, but they were just dawdling over drinks...they were taking in their drinks quietly, looking around...potentially marking targets or observing the crowd. Nira could see that Shahl was scowling, so she gave a wide berth.

He was a half block down the street when he noted the Commander and Zhuk ahead of him entering the place.  The Andorian rolled his eyes.  Of course, she and the Caitian would be checking out the same places since they were likely given the same intel by Bink.  Crud.

Lahr paused and pulled out his PADD to figure out directions to the second and third places... figuring he'd check them out and leave this place to the Commander.    As he was paused on the walkway figuring out the convoluted route to the next location in this labyrinth of streets, he spotted a recently seen face out of his periphery.   He drifted his gaze up and was rewarded with the sight of another blue face looking directly at him.  It was Xinor Dralin - the Bolian assassin.   "You look lost.  That makes for an easy mark around here."

Lahr gave an up-nod towards the Bolian.  "Thanks for the warning.  Just arrived today so yeah.. lost would be an apt description.  You wouldn't happen to know how to find the Latinum Lair, would you?"

The Bolian gave a whistle and looked over to his companion, who up until then had been turned away looking down the street - almost as if keeping watch.   "Can you see this one surviving long in the Latinum Lair?"

The Trill, whom Lahr recognized in an instant as Calud Daaom, chuckled. "May as well mug the poor fellow now and save him the trouble."

Lahr's antennae twitched at the insult but he smiled wide.  "Yeah, I'm not that easy a mark -  Calud."   His use of the Trill's given name had both assassins tensing.   Lahr however was completely relaxed.   "Easy fellas... I'm not looking for trouble.   The name's ch'Verret.   Maybe you've heard of my family?"

The Trill and Bolian regarded him skeptically and closed in on him in obvious threat.

The unperturbed Andorian continued to talk.  "Oh come on... every arms dealer this side of the Free State knows the quality of our merchandise.   I bet you a strip of latinum that at least one of you is carrying something that passed my family's hands.   Look I'm not necessarily wanting to make a sale today but if you can forego the threats and any violence towards me... then I might be of a mind to give you a better deal on your next purchase."

NPC Lt JG Chloe Davies
[USS Challenger-A - Sickbay >>>>  Shuttle Scobee >>>> Ferenginar - Fereng]

[Shuttle Scobee]

With the exception of a few cursory acknowledgements, Robert took control of the pilot's station with every ounce of vigilance he could muster, determined not to make the same mistake twice.

"We're coming up on the provided coordinates, ninety seconds until touchdown."

His first away mission. The young ensign silently pleaded for a swift and positive outcome.

Chloe had been doing the inventory restock of the Sickbay nurse's station when she received a call to bring a medical scanner down to the planet to a place called the 'Thieves Quarter'.   She was informed that she was to go in plain clothes and that she'd be going down by shuttle.   The nurse, baffled, managed to not question her orders other than to ask who made the request.   It wasn't a surprise at all to learn that the request came from Lahr.

In addition to the medical scanner, the nurse packed a discreet med kit including several vials of anesthetic - figuring that in a place called the 'Thieves Quarter' she might need some protection.

In the shuttle bay, she met up with a pilot that she had never seen before.   She introduced herself.

"Hi.  You must be a new arrival?  I'm Chloe Davies." Since she was in plain clothes, she didn't think to offer her rank.

The flight down to the planet was smooth and Chloe would have appreciated the view except Ferenginar was not a very hospitable destination.

[Landing Pad 94 - Ferenginar]

The way the Graceful Swan landed lived up to her name and Fisher put the shuttle's systems on standby. The directions on what to do on arrival were less than useful, leaving Robert and Chloe uncertain on how to proceed. All they had was the channel that Lahr had used when he made is unorthodox communication with Challenger to guide them on what to do next.

Chloe looked over to the flight officer.   She looked over the empty landing pad.  No Lahr in sight.   "So do you know where we're going? she asked.   "All I was told was to bring a medical scanner to Lahr in the Thieves Quarter."

[Robert Fisher]

NPC Lt JG Chloe Davies
[USS Challenger-A - Sickbay >>>>  Shuttle Scobee >>>> Ferenginar - Fereng]

Chloe had been doing the inventory restock of the Sickbay nurse's station when she received a call to bring a medical scanner down to the planet to a place called the 'Thieves Quarter'.   She was informed that she was to go in plain clothes and that she'd be going down by shuttle.   The nurse, baffled, managed to not question her orders other than to ask who made the request.   It wasn't a surprise at all to learn that the request came from Lahr.

In addition to the medical scanner, the nurse packed a discreet med kit including several vials of anesthetic - figuring that in a place called the 'Thieves Quarter' she might need some protection.

In the shuttle bay, she met up with a pilot that she had never seen before.   She introduced herself.

"Hi.  You must be a new arrival?  I'm Chloe Davies." Since she was in plain clothes, she didn't think to offer her rank.

The flight down to the planet was smooth and Chloe would have appreciated the view except Ferenginar was not a very hospitable destination.
Chloe looked over to the flight officer.   She looked over the empty landing pad.  No Lahr in sight.   "So do you know where we're going? she asked.   "All I was told was to bring a medical scanner to Lahr in the Thieves Quarter."

[Shuttle bay >>>> Ferenginar - Fereng]

"Ensign Robert Fisher, I transferred just a few days ago." Chloe Davies. From the limited mission briefing, he understood she was medical; beyond that, he knew nothing of his fellow officer. With the requested equipment stowed, the short journey concluded uneventfully.

Fereng's humidity infiltrated the shuttle's interior, a stifling reminder that his first visit to the strange world was also his first away mission, during which his performance would undoubtedly be intensely scrutinised.

"Not exactly. I downloaded scans of the area from the shuttle's sensor array. Comms are obviously out of the question. We could use the shuttle to scan for his biosignature, but that might draw too much attention. I don't suppose that medical scanner happens to have a decent range? The mention of feeling ill or hungover during his initial hail didn't sound specific enough to triangulate the Chief's position."