Qowat Milat Maquis

Only Shooting Stars

"Confront!" grins Fezz. The sound of the spinning Tango wheel was all that could be heard for a moment. The players at the table were all holding their breath, waiting for it to stop. "Full Consortium!" Fezz yelled with pride and collected his winnings from Jadzia Dax, Beckett Mariner, Quark, Rom, and Zani.

"Well done Fezz, I regret teaching you this game." Quark felt defeated, because he was. This may have been his worst night of Tango to date. "I thought I'd been on some kind of winning streak ever since we let Mariner start playing, but that ended tonight."

"I know the feeling Quark," says Jadzia, "We were both winning more when Beck & Z started playing."

Mariner puts in her 2 slips of latinum, "It's money I won from his Dabo tables earlier in the night anyway, so I don't care, I'm just happy to have something to do besides stare at the wormhole when ships go in and out of it."

"Thank You, it's always nice I get a chance to win some of that back. How's you get so good at Ferengi games any how?" pipped up Quark. The two Star Fleet officers give each other knowing looks as they help clean up. Quark stares at them, wondering what was up between them. As long as he was winning he wasn't going to complain. In short order Dax and Mariner leave together, with the sound of Beckett saying "Can you sneak me in to see Worf's mek'leth?"

 "uhhh, Congratulations Fezz, can I pay you back later, I didn't expect to lose so much to you tonight. "Tango winnings are to be taking as seriously as contracts. - Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #286." replies Fezz with a scowl at his cousin. Rom thinks for a moment and remembers there are only 285 Rules. As Rom goes to correct Fezz, Fezz leans in closer like he is ready for a fight to the debt. Rom swallows his words in fear. Zani steps between them. "I can cover his debt, and passes him the strips. Without hesitating, he reaches out to them, but she holds tight. He looks at her as if to say, 'are you going to let go?' She looks him in the eyes. "What if I could get you more?" Fezz laughs, both, still holding the gold pressed strips, from their respective ends. "HA! What do you have in mind?"

*****

"What do you mean you want to 'borrow' my Feesha?" asked Arrock. "Technically, it's Uncle Quark's ship." says Rom. Arrock was annoyed with this conversation already. Excuse us cousin Rom, I've been renting it for a percentage of what we mine. So it's my ship" Arrock turns back to Zani, "How do, you, plan to pay me for it? Romulan Credits are no good here, we're too far from the empire for them to have any value too me. What else do you have?" Arrock asked Zani. She shrugged, looking to Fezz to step up and explain the situation. "Romulan credits aren't even something I can trade, I don't go anywhere near there myself, and furthermore, you are the first Romulan I've ever met, let alone, done business with; nor do I have any intentions of starting now." complained Arrock, turning to his younger brother. "Fezz, why do you waste my time with these people?" Arrock turned his body to get out of the chair, he didn't intend to wait for an answer. Fezz, much like his cousin Rom, swallowed, and mustered the word, "Latnium!"

Arrock stops rising from his seat and turns back in his chair to listen, Zani continued, "I have some close friends, Helvia & Domitia. They are, like family to me. They would help us chart a safe course, through Romulan space, a star system with nodes of Concentrated Latnium." Arrock's eyes were rolling into his head, until he heard the magic words: Concentrated Latnium. He mulled it over in his head, while staring down Zani. She seemed so odd, even for what he heard of as a stereotypical Romulan. She seemed like she was, too honest. Yes, that was it. Romulans are conniving. Plotting. Secretive. This one seemed like all her cards were on the table. "Fezz, why does a Romulan need so much Latnium? And why haven't you asked her that, yet?" Arrock now stared down Fezz. Arrock's intuition was well honed. "Are you sleeping with her, brother?" but not that good. They both scoffed at Arrock for being so crass.