"The King"

[Joe Manning 0]

Qob was pulling back into orbit above Zoalus IV, having returned from its rendezvous with the Verbistul at Zoalus II. A Gular-manufactured eight-man shuttlecraft was tucked under her starboard wing, carrying a mixed team of Qob and Verbistul crew within the protective barrier of the Bird of Prey's deflector shield. With a precise thrust, Qob made a sling-shot around the planet, collecting a few passive scans of the landing site before continuing to the location of the Capricorn and the Lucky Hand.

 

While the crew on loan from Verbistul analyzed the scans, Joe settled into the command chair and opened a comm channel. He could not think about the team on the surface right now; they were in Nickles' hands now and he would have to trust them to navigate through any troubles that arose. He cursed the timing and manner of Capricorn's arrival in the system before he brought the image of the ship's Captain on his ODRI.

 

In front of the command chair, a waist-up hologram of a gray-haired, dark-skinned Bajoran man appeared facing Joe. Though he was standing as proudly as he could manage, fatigue was evident on his face. The hologram remained still even as Joe rested his arms on the chair, the ODRI keeping it in place. "Captain Manning, I presume?" the Bajoran asked, eliciting a nod. "I am Tomar Raj, the acting Captain of the Capricorn. Though, as I understand it, my commanding officer Diklyt is dead?"

 

"Your friend Diklyt held a number of people hostage, Captain," Joe bluntly answered. "Forced their cooperation under threat of death. Killing him was deemed necessary."

 

"I ... understand, Captain Manning," Raj replied sadly. "Our plan to steal the Verbistul was ill-fated from the start. Though many will mourn Diklyt's passage, I recognize that his decisions and actions of late have tended toward the extreme. Regardless, his death leaves me in command of the Capricorn. As well, I inherit the leadership of the Noretian people, nearly half of whom are living aboard this distressed vessel. As their representative, I must thank you for calling off the mercenaries who have hounded us since our flight into the nearby nebula."

 

"We did you no favors, Captain," Joe countered, his expression blank. Not even a disarming smile as he tried to size up the Bajoran and gauge his intentions. "As your man Holstrum might have explained to you in his message, I'm interested in what your people might be able to do for my crew. I'm looking to make a deal with your people. Naturally, I hope the assistance we're giving you now will be repaid in time."

 

"To be honest, Captain Manning, I am not sure what my people could offer you. Though the raids Diklyt has lead these past few years have brought in some saleable materials, Noretia is far more a colony in need than a colony capable of repaying favors. But we will not turn away your help, even if it places us in debt. Or do you have terms of the exchange to offer now?"

 

"Debt is fine," Manning answered, smiling for the first time. "Just pass along your damage and casualty reports to the shuttle I'm escorting and open up your bay doors for them. They'll help out wherever you need them and I'll do my best to keep the Lucky Hand off your throat."

 

"My thanks again, Captain," Raj nodded once.

 

"Oh, and Captain," Joe raised a hand quickly. "You've been most gracious and understanding thus far ... so you'll understand if I buy myself and my crew a bit of insurance. Given that you've got transporter technology, and given that trust between us is something that will need to remain lacking at this point, I'll be keeping Qob's shields raised. Furthermore ... the shuttle we're sending over to your ship is carrying an antimatter pod that has had its blast-shielding removed."

 

The lines of the aged Bajoran's face creased deeply as he frowned. "Captain Manning ... was such a measure truly necessary ... or in the best interests of future cooperation between our peoples?"

 

Joe shrugged. "I hope it isn't necessary, for all of our sakes. But I simply cannot trust you not to hold the lives of my crew over me or to simply open fire on the shuttle as soon it leaves the protection of Qob's shield. Maybe it's excessive. Maybe I'm treating you unfairly; you certainly seem like a reasonable and personable gentleman. But this is my way, Captain. With one hand I offer friendship, and with the other I keep a grenade clutched. You should consider yourself fortunate -- my colleagues on the Lucky Hand prefer grenades to friendship."

 

Raj gave a curt nod, the message gotten across. "I ... understand, Captain. Under the recent circumstances, I have little basis to question your methods. I will open Capricorn's shuttle bay and meet your team personally."