Business Competition

Posted on Sat May 4th, 2013 @ 2:42pm by Fleet Admiral Mike K`Wor Bremer & Crumm Widdy

998 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 82 - The Aggressor
Location: Stabase 400
Timeline: Immediately following 'Working Things Out'

ON:

Mike left Sevlek’s Office, PADD in hand, and headed to the Promenade. He
wanted to get something to eat while thinking about what ships to assign to the possible blockade. He encrypted the information on the PADD then locked it down in a secure file.

As he rode the turbolift down, he opened two new files on the PADD. The
first was a list of ships he wanted to use, both from SB400 and other
vessels in the area. He ended up with a list of nearly fifty Federation
Starships, however that still left enough vessels to patrol the Federation
border adjacent to Romulan, Gorn, and Tholian space as well as a support
force at Starbase 400 itself.

He made a note to contact General G'Tar and Legate Evek after he returned to his Office, then he locked that file down too as he stepped out of the Turbolift and into the vast Promenade of Starbase 400.

As he walked through, he noticed the Skyline Lounge’s exterior lighting
had changed, and he remembered he’d approved someone new, a Bolian if he remembered correctly. Mike walked toward the Skyline Lounge and over the crowd he heard a two voices arguing…

“I told you we needed expand the Bar!” The Ferengi Mar`g said to his
brother.

Zark gritted his teeth for a moment, “This Bolian is taking our
business…is that a Dabio Wheel?” He stood on his tip toes, trying to
look over past two Klingons.

Mike walked up, “Is there a problem?”

“Admiral, this Bolian is taking our business.” Mar’g replied.

“You’re shop is doing well, selling unneeded ‘souvenirs’ to people
visiting the Station.” Mike replied with a smile.

“I’m talking about the Bar.” Mar’g replied.

“We’re losing customers from the Bar…and is that a Dabio Wheel in
there?” Zark replied as he kept trying to look over and around the
Klingons.

“You’re Bar is still doing well Daimon, so are your other…business
ventures that we’ve turned a blind eye to over the last few years.” Mike
replied.

Crumm had been tending to customers when Sheela approached him at the bar. She whispered in his ear, letting him know that a pair of Ferengi were suspiciously camped out in front of the establishment. Knowing the Ferengi penchant for paranoia and their scrutiny of other merchants, he decided to have a look for himself.

As he arrived at the entrance, he noticed starbase's facilitator, Admiral
Bremer, was present and engaging in a conversation with a pair of clearly
agitated Ferengi.

Crumm approached the trio with open hands and a confident smile. "Admiral
Bremer, it's an honor. I hope you'll take some time to frequent the Skyline?
I have an Admiral's Table set aside just for you, a menu that knows no
competition, games, or peace and quiet." Crumm turned his attention to the
Ferengi. He was intentionally antagonistic, but it was almost impossible to
tell thanks to his meticulous Bolian hospitality. "You two gentlemen are
welcome as well. I'm sure if you made a reservation we could find some room at the bar eventually."

Zark leaned back and opened his mouth, “Uh I. Admiral, listen to him go on and on about it, boosting like that! I don’t see anything special here.”

“We should add an Admiral’s section…” Mar’q started, but Zark cut him off.

“Remember the Eighty-Fifth Rule of Acquisition, ‘Never let the competition know what you're thinking.’” Zark barked out. “Admiral, you old me that I’d have the only Bar on the Station with a Daboo license!”

Bremer smirked, “Then remember the Seventeenth Rule of Acquisition, ‘A contract is a contract is a contract...but only between Ferengi.’” Mike waited for a minute before continuing, “Zark, there’s plenty of profit to go around, there’s always someone new coming to the Station. Besides, three people just walked into your Bar.”

Zark’s expression showed his unhappiness, “Come on Mar’q.” The Ferengi headed back to Zark’s Bar.

Mike turned to Crumm, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mister Crumm.”

"Thank you, Admiral. I assure you the pleasure is all mine." Crumm looked over the Admiral's shoulder at the retreating Ferengi. "I hope my presence here won't be causing any problems. I only want a fair chance to succeed as does everyone else on this promenade."

"No problem at all." Mike replied. "They're Ferengi, any competition is bad for business." He flashed a smile.

"Ferengi business practices are old news to me. I'm sure we'll be fast friends in due time." Crumm reached into his jacket and retrieved a PADD. He entered a few commands and returned his attention to the Admiral. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of uploading my menu to your quarters. If I understand correctly, you're fond of seafood. You may have heard that we Bolians are renowned for our dishes of the sea."

Mike smirked, “Bolians were known for being a little pushy and this Mister Crumm was defiantly ‘getting his name out there’. “Thank you, but if you’re keeping notes, you might want to add some Klingon to that menu.”

Mike took a step inside and looked around. Several members of the crew as well as some civilians were inside the Skyline Lounge and appeared to be having a good time. “Keep up the good work Mister Crumm.”

Mike turned and walked away, heading for the Japanese Restaurant, Inakya’s. Behind the sushi bar, Eir Yoshi was smiling. “Ah, Admiral! Your usual?” He said with his strong Japanese accent.

While Mike wanted to see what the ‘new’ Skyline Lounge was all about, he knew he didn’t have the time. He needed a quick power lunch that he could take back to his Office so he could continue working on Blockade plans. He made a mental note to return to the Lounge when he was off duty.

OFF:

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