A Proposal to the Ferengi Alliance

[Zog Gabrel 0]

    The privacy seal of his office on Deck 36 had been invoked.  Inside, Gabrel ran a finger along the ridge of his right eye, an idiosyncrasy he adopted when thinking.  He read through the proposal he’d prepared for Ambassador Drankum, gauging the tone:

 

Ambassador,

 

With your ears on the financial situation of our sector, you are no doubt aware of the discovery of extremely valuable ores in the Okrand Gorge on Cardassia IV.  I believe the Aegis project can play a vital role than can change the future of post-war recovery.

 

Let me be blunt.  The presence of your space station has become a source of tension for my government.  Our people no longer see Aegis as a center of reconstruction but as the Federation’s eye in the sky.  This has undoubtedly motivated the recent direction to move into an independent position in the system.

 

But there is a place where Aegis can do more good.   You may know that vendarite, while valuable, is an ore whose structure requires a complex and expensive extraction process, both technically and labor-intensive.  The reality is, however, that Cardassia cannot afford to divert resources away from rebuilding our infrastructure and feeding the people.  We lack the means to exploit this new source of wealth – the very thing that could speed recovery.

 

What we need is help getting out these resources.  What we need is capital.  

 

Under your leadership, the Aegis project has helped reconstruct our homeworld, strengthened our relationship with the Federation, and offered the Ferengi Alliance financial in-roads that should profitable for decades.  This new opportunity can only expand these goals.

 

I propose that the Ferengi Alliance fund and spearhead the mining of vendarite on Cardassia IV, moving Aegis into geostationary orbit as a support facility.   I have recently been assigned as scientific liaison to the space station; I can represent this proposal before my government.  I believe the Federation can be convinced to provide technical oversight – it would give them a non-military reason to remain in our system.

 

In the last century, Cardassia IV was pillaged by our military.  It was home to the infamous Hutet labor camp, where troublesome Bajorans were relocated during our occupation of their world.  We have a chance to change the planet’s legacy  and provide a peaceful means to build a new Cardassia.  I beg you, please consider this proposition.

 

Zog Gabrel

Proctor, Planetary Science

Lakat Imperial Institute  

 

    He strummed his fingers on the desk, weighing his options.  Gabrel had not cleared his proposal with either his own government or with the command staff of the station.  The politicians might bristle at increasing the Ferengi presence.  The whole thing was risky.  Despite the captain’s assurance, Gabrel had seen recent evidence of the difficulties Starfleet still had dealing with “the stench of Cardassia."  For their part, they were making a good show of "disciplining" their officer - not that it mattered to Gabrel.  One didn't rise to skill in academic circles without developing thick skin.  He smirked at the pun.  At any rate, Captain Meve might not rally to his suggestion, which could cause it's own problems. Then again, he hadn’t asked for this assignment.

    He pushed the Send command.  He leaned back in the warm darkness into the unnecessarily soft chair.  Let them see what they were getting in a chief science officer.