9

Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.

—RULE OF ACQUISITION #6

“Ow!”

The novelty of hitting his head on the top of the tunnel that ran from Grandfather’s house to the Gleb Jungle had long since worn off for Nog. But it would be worth getting the bumps on his head to finally get to talk to his mother.

Nog was better prepared for this trip than he had been for his last one. For one thing, he wore an oversuit that protected his uniform from the muck of the Gleb, not to mention the swampwater in Grandfather’s basement, so he’d get to talk to his mother in a clean uniform.

He also came with a scrambler, which would negate the alarm Grandfather had placed on the tunnel entrance. Nog had also installed a recording device near the front entrance of the house that would inform him of Dav’s comings and goings. It’s good to be an engineer and have the Grand Nagus’s resources at your disposal, he had thought with a smile.

When the device told him that Grandfather had left—taking an aircar—Nog quickly arranged transport to the Gleb Jungle, and from there he made his way back to the house.

So far, so good, he thought as he entered the basement. Sloshing through the swampwater, and avoiding disturbing the mold farm, Nog went to the staircase—this time without incident.

Leaving the muck-covered oversuit at the top of the stairs, he entered the house.

The place was pretty much the way Nog remembered it. Grandfather had been an avid collector of yorra beads, and they were everywhere—even draped over the furniture, the lamps, and the wall hangings. In the latter case, it was just as well, since Grandfather’s taste in art had actually gotten worse over the years, which Nog would not have believed possible.

“Is someone there?”

I know that voice, Nog thought. He didn’t remember much about Prinadora, but he remembered what she looked like, and most of all, he remembered her voice. It was a very pretty voice, and from the sounds of it, it hadn’t changed in twenty years.

“It’s—it’s Nog,” he said as he turned toward the voice.

He saw a female standing naked in the doorway. “Nog? I know that name. Oh, but I shouldn’t be talking to you. But my father isn’t home—are you a friend of his?”

Nog couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Moogie, it’s me—Nog. Your son.”

“Son? Oh, yes, I do believe I had a son once. I think. It was such a long time ago.”

Prinadora stepped into the room. She was as beautiful as Nog remembered—small, delicate lobes, large brown eyes, a small nose, and perfectly sharpened teeth. She had a few more wrinkles in her skin, but nothing too bad. He could see why Father fell in love with her.

“I’m being rude—can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine, really, Moogie, I—” His brain could barely process this. “You don’t remember me at all?”

She shrugged. “As I said, you look vaguely familiar. I’m sorry, I don’t remember things very well. Father says it’s because I’m a female. We don’t have lobes as well developed as males, which is why we have to remain at home and not wear clothes. That is a privilege for males only.”

Prinadora spoke by rote, as if repeating something she’d been told many times, but didn’t entirely understand. Seeing her reminded him of what Father saw in her, but now Nog started to wonder if there was anything to her beyond those looks.

“Don’t you remember my father at all? Rom? You used to be married?”

Frowning, she asked, “Isn’t Rom the Grand Nagus now?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Right, of course. I remember now—Father reminded me, he and I were married once.”

Nog’s mind was reeling. “Don’t you remember him, either?”

“I think so.” Her face scrunched up a bit. “Yes—it was a long time ago, but I seem to remember that he was a very nice fellow. He had a good heart. I was sorry when he left. He had a boy with him—I think I was the mother.” Suddenly, her brown eyes grew wider. “Oh! That would be you, wouldn’t it?”

“Uh, yes—yes, that was me.” Nog struggled to find the right words to say. “Do—do you remember anything about what happened when you and my father ended your marriage?”

“Not really. Father told me recently that we were still married, but I don’t remember the details. That’s male business, after all, and as a female it isn’t my place to question or discuss such things.”

Again with the rote talking. Nog had grown up being taught that this very behavior was how Ferengi females were supposed to act. But it had also been years since he was exposed to a female who behaved like this. In fact, most of the females he had lived and worked with since he and Father left Ferenginar to go to Terok Nor were the diametric opposite of Prinadora. After years of exposure to the likes of Kira Nerys, Jadzia and Ezri Dax, Kasidy Yates, Prynn Tenmei, Keiko O’Brien, Ro Laren, and even Korena, he found he could no longer simply accept a “proper” Ferengi female.

His mother continued: “I do know that it makes Father very upset. For the last few weeks, he keeps meeting with people, and talking about how they’re going to bring down the Grand Nagus for what he’s done.” She looked at Nog. “But I’m still being rude. Is there anything I can get you? We have some lovely tube grubs that are fresh from the garden—I can chew them for you.”

“No, thank you.” His joking with Korena notwithstanding, Nog had long since lost his taste for pre-chewed food. “I really can’t stay that long. I just—I just wanted to see you again.”

She smiled. “Well, that is very sweet of you—Nog, isn’t it? That’s a lovely name. What’s that outfit you’re wearing? I don’t recall anyone wearing anything so—well, drab.”

“I’m a Starfleet officer.”

“Starfleet? Is that related to the FCA?”

Briefly, Nog considered trying to explain what Starfleet was, then decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Even if I did, I’m not sure she’d understand it, he thought.

“You look sad,” Prinadora said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Nog lied. How can I tell her that she’s not at all what I expected when I decided to have a reunion with my moogie? Besides, something she had said reminded Nog of the other reason why he wanted to talk to Prinadora. “May I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You said that your father has been meeting with people about bringing the Grand Nagus down.”

Prinadora nodded.

“Do you know who he’s been meeting with?”

Shaking her head, Prinadora said, “Not by name, no. I could describe them for you, if you wish.”

“That would be great, thank you.” Nog wanted to be able to salvage something from this trip.

“One of them I remember very well, because he smelled horrible….”

Rom stared at the sleeping form of his pregnant wife. According to Dr. Orpax, she was in a coma, though she didn’t look any different from the way she looked when she was asleep. On the other hand, she had been asleep for over a day, and that wasn’t normal, Rom knew that.

I don’t know what to do.

“How’s she doing?”

Rom turned to see Quark standing in the doorway to the hospital room. “Not good,” he said to his brother. “Dr. Orpax says he’s going to wait three more hours to see if she goes into labor naturally.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then,” Rom said, stretching the word out in order to avoid what he had to say next, “he’ll have to operate.”

“So what’s the problem?” Quark asked as he entered the room and stood on the other side of the bed from Rom.

“Her immune system may not be able to handle the surgery! She could die!”

Quark put his hands on the bed. “Listen to me, Rom—Dr. Orpax is the best there is. And Leeta’s a tough customer. She’ll be fine—and so will your child.”

Rom knew that Quark had no way of knowing that for sure, but he appreciated the rare gesture, so he simply said, “Thank you, Brother,” in a quiet voice.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way—we need to talk.”

“What about?”

“I think you know.”

Scratching his head, Rom said, “I really don’t, Brother.”

Quark rubbed his forehead with his right hand. “I’m talking about the marriage contract to Prinadora that Brunt showed to the congress.”

“What about it?” Rom said evasively.

Holding up one finger, Quark said, “It’s a fake!”

“Okay.”

“It took us days to figure out that it was fake—you know why? The forgery was done by Gash.”

“Oh. He’s very good.”

“I know he’s very good, Rom.” Quark glowered at his brother, and Rom shrunk from his gaze. “Why do you think I keep hiring him? He’s the best there is—and his forgery was so good, nobody could crack it.”

“So how’d you find out it was a fake?” Rom’s voice was so quiet, even he could barely hear it.

“I got Leck to break into the contract archive to find the original contract.”

Rom’s eyes went wide. He knew Leck was insane, but this was on a whole new level. “Leck broke into the archive? And survived? And didn’t get caught?”

“Yes, yes, and yes.”

Impressed, Rom said, “That’s amazing.”

” ‘That’s amazing’? Is that all you can say?”

“What do you mean, Brother?”

Quark gripped the side of the bed. “Why did we have to go through all that trouble to find out what you could have told us in three seconds? Why didn’t you say that Brunt’s contract was a fake?”

Rom had been hoping it wouldn’t come to this, even though he knew full well it was going to eventually. Sighing, he said, “Because I didn’t know.”

“What do you mean, you didn’t know?” Quark was now yelling so loud, Rom half expected his voice to awaken Leeta from her coma. “You signed the contract, didn’t you?”

“Signed, yes.” Rom found he couldn’t look his brother in the face. “Read—no.”

Quark’s mouth fell open. “You didn’t read the contract? How big an idiot are you?” Before Rom could speak, Quark said, “Don’t answer that.”

Rom shrugged. “I didn’t remember any of the details of the contract, just what Dav told me when we separated. For all I knew, Brunt was telling the truth.”

Looking at Rom like he had grown a third ear, Quark asked, “Why would he start now?” He shook his head. “It’s amazing. Your entire life has been one insane decision after another.”

“No, it hasn’t.” Rom knew he sounded miserable, but didn’t care. “That’s just it—I never made any decisions.” He looked at the beautiful sleeping female lying between Rom and his brother. “Until I met her, anyhow.”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say.” Quark pointed at Rom. “And considering all the things I’ve heard you say over the years, you know I’m not saying that lightly.”

“It’s true!” Rom stared at his brother. “You know what I was like before I met her. Always letting people push me around and make decisions for me. And then I met Leeta.” He looked at her sleeping form again, and just watching her filled him with joy. “You know why I formed that union in the bar? For her. And that led me to become an engineer on the station, because I knew that it would make me a better match for her, especially if we weren’t coworkers anymore.”

“Great. Someone else you’re in love with who’s making you be an even bigger idiot.” Quark shook his head. “I should never have done it.”

Rom frowned. “Done what?”

“Taken you in! You know what the best years of my life were? After I left home and before you showed up at Terok Nor begging for a place to live and work because Dav cleaned you out.”

Rom still didn’t get it. “You think the best years of your life were when you were a cook on that freighter?”

Quark’s eyes widened. “Yes! And you know why? You weren’t there! Leaving home was the smartest thing I ever did, because it got me away from my family.” Quark threw up his hands and started pacing the room—as best he could in the small space, anyhow. “Away from Father and his failures, away from Mother and her radical notions, and away from you and your abject stupidity! But then you show up with your little kid begging me to take you in. Did I listen to the Sixth Rule? Of course I didn’t!” He looked at Rom. “And now look where it’s gotten me! My entire life is disintegrating before my eyes because you didn’t read a contract! The most basic tenet of Ferengi life, and you can’t even manage that.”

Rom lowered his head, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Brother.”

“Oh, well, wonderful. That makes all the difference. You’re sorry. Rom, I don’t want you to be Grand Nagus because I think you and our mother are destroying the Ferengi Alliance—but I have to do everything I can to keep you in power because if I don’t, I lose the bar and Brunt becomes nagus, and that way lies destitution.” He walked around to the other side of the bed. “Which means you’re coming with me right now.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes you can. You’re going to call an emergency session of the congress and we’re going to present the evidence that Laren, Nog, and I have spent the last few days gathering.” Quark grabbed Rom by the arm, but he stood his ground.

“No, Brother, I’m not.” He yanked his arm out from Quark’s grip, and turned to look at Leeta. “I’m not leaving her side until this is all over.”

Clenching his fists and holding them in front of his chest, Quark cried, “Rom, you could lose the nagushood!”

“I could lose Leeta—and that’s more important than anything. Even the nagushood.” He turned his back on his brother and sat back in the guest chair. “When Leeta and the baby are okay, then I’ll leave. But I’m not setting foot outside this hospital until then.”

Quark shook his head. “A lifetime of being an idiot—why stop now? Fine, do whatever you want. Destroy the entire Ferengi Alliance, ruin everything you and Mother and Zek have built.”

“I thought you didn’t approve of what we’re doing,” Rom said, confused.

“I don’t, but that doesn’t change what you’ve accomplished.” Quark shook his head and laughed ruefully. “Rom, you’ve changed the course of history! You’ve probably had more of an impact on Ferengi society than any nagus since Gint, and you’ve only been at the job a year! That’s an amazing accomplishment!” Now he turned his back. “I can’t believe you’re throwing it away for a female—again.”

“I love her, Quark.”

“Just like you loved Prinadora? You’ve already destroyed your life once because of love. Don’t do it again.”

As Quark approached the door, Rom blurted, “Wouldn’t you do the same for Lieutenant Ro?”

Quark froze in the doorway. “What’s she got to do with this?”

“I see the way you look at her, Brother, so don’t bother denying it. You have feelings for her.”

Turning to look back at Rom, Quark said, “Maybe I do. But to answer your question: No. No female is worth that.”

Then he left.

Sighing, Rom slumped in the guest chair and stared at his comatose wife.

I hope everything comes out okay.