The Last Leverage

[MrDrankum 0]

THE LAST LEVERAGE

An Ambassador Drankum Profitable Production

Copyright © 2011, Drankum, LLC.

 

His brief encounter with the female spy of the humons had lasted less than twenty minutes. His entire time on the facility known as Sky Harbor Aegis had taken less than forty. After all, one doesn't do what he was in the process of doing by standing still. Besides, what needed to be said had been. The decision to feed the information this way into the galactic intelligence quagmire had actually been an idea pushed by Grand Nagus Rom. Drankum could accept that, maybe Chirakis would be given a cookie or some other useless non-latinum token from the humons as a sign of appreciation. Though he would never admit it publically, she did deserve it.

 

As his private yacht plowed through space, on course for familiar and yet unfamiliar territory, this time it was fully crewed. He had sent a message ahead to Patty to have the porters and other people he kept on payroll ready. After all, one couldn’t enjoy the swimming pool if you were supposed to also be driving the ship now could you? Well, you probably could but then some unprofitable asteroid would slam into you and result in a fifty percent rise with insurance costs.

 

Drankum’s meeting with Chirakis had been a little abrupt, but it wasn’t as if the two had ever looked to engage in opera length dialogue. She was the first to know the story. The full story. The one that would not be totally publically known for a month. The one FNN would kill someone for, literally. The story that found a part of the Ferengi government resigning or being arrested after their activities had come to light. The one that featured a meeting of the minds and a decision to push for the future of Fereginar many were working for. The story that found Ambassador Drankum using anything to protect everything.

 

It was the story that featured the retirement of Ambassador Drankum.

 

After discussing the basics of what he had learned, for the first time someone outside of the upper levels of the Ferengi Alliance was learning the specifics. The evidence itself had been rather clear once you had looked in the right place. When one of the ministers inside the second largest banking branch on Ferenginar had been willing to part with information, the rest had been easy and the scheme fell apart quicker than anyone really thought possible.

 

Bottom line: the father of Chief Economics Officer A’rioum was working with a full one third of the Board of Liquidators to create a “quiet exchange club.” With the detail they had used, it almost amounted to a full shadow government. The concept wasn’t exactly illegal according to the Rules of Acquisition or Ferengi law, although stealing materials from government storehouses was. Of the nearly one hundred and seventy officials who would be found involved, fifteen were considered the “board of directors” over the operation.

 

Despite all efforts, the Ferengi Commerce Authority had only been able to locate five of them.

 

A’rioum’s resignation days ago had been allowed to try to create separation between his actions and the government. The head of the effort had apparently been daddy, though the scope of what had been sold was unknown. Business was good, relations were good. The last thing Rom needed was people thinking he was supplying some fringe terrorist group. Even Zek had never done business with the Maquis back in the day. One could only assume so much risk on a deal before the entire thing became unprofitable.

 

The arrests themselves would not be made public for several weeks. The resignations were timed with the announcement of a renewed information sharing agreement between the Ferengi Alliance and the United Federation of Planets. In the end, the plan would mostly work. Markets didn’t crash that badly and GBM stock actually rose six percent on rumors of growth opportunities on Bolarius. Who in their right portfolio would want to be around a bunch of blue bald heads all day anyway? Half their planet didn’t even like liquor!

 

Formal press releases were still pending on many of the details however. Until made public, the scope of what was going on was listed as something of the highest confidence. To give out the information, even under a bribe, was to ask for a full financial audit by the government. While they may have changed, that part of the FCA remained the same. However, there were a few exceptions. Certain people outside did need to know, before someone tried starting a war.

 

Sadly, once all was made known, a hard reality would hit the galaxy. The unprofitable truth was that no one knew for sure if they would ever find all those responsible. The business transactions would not stop, these people were some of the brightest of the Ferengi and they knew where to get supplies if they needed. Perhaps most concerning was that it would be impossible to know what was actually sold, how much and to who. Dealing with the damage that had been done would be the job of others.

 

The official charges would be for theft of government property, use of government property for profit without authorization, failure to pay taxes on sales in excess of thirty million bars of latinum and acting in the name of the government without approval from the Grand Nagus. It wouldn’t do much to learn the extent of what had happened. However, that was better than allowing it to continue.

 

Drankum had suspected the result of this one, last, effort however. One does start a task that ends such a profitable venture for so many without a cost. The sad reality was he had used almost all of his leverage just to get it done. Protection had not been an option. The last piece of leverage Drankum possessed was one no one had expected him to use. The reason was a selfish one: the protection of legacy.

 

In a year, the Ferengi Alliance would be the talk of diplomatic and political circles everywhere. Even the Klingens would have to admit honor or some intangible nonsense with the actions of Rom. It would become a symbol of the “new Ferengiar.” But…that dust would not settle for awhile. When the story was released, many in the galaxy would return to historical stereotypes. Everything supposedly “superior” cultures saw wrong with the Ferengi would be screamed from the highest towers.

 

Retribution would be sought, problems would develop. It would all be short lived of course, as more details became known, but the initial perception would take time to repair. It wasn’t something latinum was going to fix.

 

The need for some self righteous pompous politically bankrupt people to take advantage of the situation would be unquestionable. There were a couple of small lobed unprofitable vermin who came to mind. It was a strong possibility that existing trade deals would be suspended pending a review, probably to ensure that no “horrible goods related to this tragedy” had been involved. Sure, the market would suffer for a week or two but then things would get back to normal.

 

But a week or two is all certain individuals would need. It would paint a target, one hundred and seventy Ferengi who were now unemployed or under arrest would love to take advantage of. What better way to twist the events back on the Ferengi government by implying everyone was involved? If I can’t have the latinum, no one can! Make everyone involved, take every profitable and unprofitable fool with you! It would be relatively easy.

 

One of the closest facilities near the supposed disasters had connections to the Ferengi. In fact, it had been coordinated by one. It was being run by one. It was something that many within different circles wanted an excuse to eliminate in favor of more traditional or profitable business ventures anyway! What better way to twist public opinion than to make people think that possibly even Starfleet was involved and murky the waters so much nothing was ever accomplished!

 

What a perfect justification for getting rid of it. From the Ferengi, citing “recent events,” all would be over. For the humons…for the others…a “tainted image” and “inability to continue the mission due to questionable relations” would probably appear in some statement that had gone through a public relations coordinator. After all, Ferengi lobes were all over it. They had just admitted to being involved, how wide did it go? Having one of THEM in charge had maybe given the group the opportunity! Maybe it STILL was!

 

One of those who had resigned from the Congress had already started making moves towards this end. It was a shame, really, that the unprofitable and soon to be broke fool did not realize the game was over before he had even started playing. Times like these made you really wonder…how did these people get elected anyway? Maybe bribing your way into office wasn’t what the humons thought of as ethical, but at least the candidates were often a little more honest about things.

 

Drankum had given more than he ever expected. For over a decade, his thoughts had been about the headache that was to earn him a place in history. Sure, it might not allow for a triple gold pressed latinum funeral, but who cared? He had been witness to some of history’s most monumental moments through his association. Fact was, this Ferengi had been a part of many of them. He had witnessed greatness, sadness, joy, death and even some amazing profits.

 

Yet by being there now, he would be the tool used to destroy it all. It would not be able to win the battles that would come; there wasn’t enough jockeying to prevent it. There wasn’t enough time to properly prepare for it. A good placed bribe might help here or there, but it would be a losing battle. It might not seem so at first, but in the end the unprofitable fools would find a way.

 

They would tarnish all that had been accomplished. They would mock and demean those who had given everything in the name of seeing things get better. Those involved would ensure that people did not remember all of the good but instead focus only on the bad. These acts would destroy the memory…the sacrifice…of all of them that had come before. It would give a wound in which his lasting chance at a legacy could be destroyed.

 

The only way to avoid this was to stop the war before it started. It was the last move of the last piece on the board that could be played. It wasn’t as if he was somehow someone special; that was reserved for people like Captain Ears or Bulloc. And so the endgame that none had been able to calculate was played.

 

To avoid it, to keep it safe from the political avalanche that was coming, Drankum would use the one, last, piece of leverage he had.

 

Himself.

 

It would be on the second day of the new financial calendar that Ambassador Drankum of the Ferengi Alliance had requested retirement. The request was approved the same day by the Grand Nagus.

 

There would be no Ferengi in charge when the unprofitable fools came searching. There would be no connection to the government involved in the outside investigation of the Tjurakh. There would be no way for those that wished to destroy the idea that was Aegis from seeing their dream fulfilled.

 

The legacy would be protected. The idea would be allowed to continue, and in a small way so would he.

 

The chapter would finally be closed and a new one emerge.

 

Jint had ensured that all would be set by the time he returned. Sure enough, Drankum had arrived long enough to grab several documents and learn the appointments were set. He was on his way to the required meetings that would see his official retirement and departure from all things related to Aegis. Almost a decade and a half of his life was coming to a conclusion…something he was actually a peace with.

 

In retirement, Drankum would still maintain his title and, as was customary, would remain available for more ceremonial duties if the government required. His two bars would continue to operate, though primarily under the direction of someone appointed by Patty. The last relic was finally going, the last vestige of a generation long gone was, himself, moving on. In many ways, it was the end of his era but beginning of a greater one.

 

Drankum had seen it all. He had been a part of most of it. Now, the time had come to look to the future for the answers instead of having to deal with the past.

 

What was to come next…ah, now that was a profitable question.

 

A profitable question indeed.