Quark somehow in the space of two months had gone from a simple business man content to look after his bar and to try and turn as large a profit as possible, to a fugitive on a desolate planet. He somehow was also being hunted by the Dominion, the Klingons, the Federation, the Orions and most worrying Ro Lauren the head of DS9 security all at the same time for very different reasons.
Also for all he knew his bar had been repossessed by one of his now many creditors sine the deal had gone wrong. He sometimes liked to think the Dominion had taken over the bar, he liked to laugh on the thought of Jem Hadar acting as waiters, and the more he thought of this the better the idea seemed to him if he could find a way to stop their anger, they wouldnt need food, or pay, or time off. He kept thinking one of the rebel factors must have access to the cloning technology, he even knew some of the rebel leaders since the start of this deal but this deal wasn't a good reference for the future, but the thought of future business deals and future profit were the only things preventing him from going over the edge.
It seemed such a good simple plan, well it was a complex plan but relatively risk free, to finally get his own moon and step up to the next level on the business hierarchy, to finally be someone in the world of Ferengi business. That is all he wanted, latinum and respect for all walks of Ferengi society and maybe a large harem to choose from but was that too much for a hard working Ferengi to ask for. Now here he was being hunted by the largest and most brutal races the alpha and gamma quadrants had to offer, all he needed was the Borg and the Hirogen looking for him and he would really be done for. He knew simply that his old life was gone, and he was also going insane, quickly.
As Quark looked around from the window of his room he saw the planet where he was hiding. All there was to see, was grey. A barren planet supporting only simple plant life and worst of all the planet was so very boring. Apart from his ship there was no break in the landscape, only endless gray sand and grey rocks to the point where it met the grey sky, with the same lack of weather. Two weeks of this endless boredom was making him almost wish one of his countless enemies would finally arrive and finish the job, but only almost he wasn't fully crazy yet.
The worst part was his only company was his Orien dabo girl Trier, this is another reason he was going crazy. She was quiet, controlled and even worse she wouldn't sleep with him, sex or shouting was all he wanted to break the endless waiting. But he kept thinking being here and being hunted and living on this planet was all her fault she could at least have sex with him once before he gets jailed or worse. Why did she keep their relationship professional, she had been working for him for nearly a year and she wouldn't let him within arms reach, and she was fast on her long elegant legs when she needed to be. Oh how he wanted to get near those long elegant legs and more. Not since Jadzia had he wanted a women so bad. Trier and Jadzia were so different but they both made him want them so much, maybe it was the chase of an unattainable object that made him want them both so much.
As he walked out of his room and looked around his very fine ship, which he could also blame for this disaster, he spotted Trier walking away from him as fast as possible. This had been their only contact for three days, he walked into a room she walked out, they hadn't exchanged a single word since Quark spent the best part of two hours shouting and screaming that this whole situation was all her fault and she was never going to get to the divine treasury as she threw away the chances for profit and ignored the rules of acquisition, many in the last two months but he had forgotten the rule he should always remember "Women and business do not mix" he had forgotten this and now he was paying for it.
As Quark walked onto the bridge, his bridge, Trier was already there checking the supply situation but he knew they were soon going to have a problem, being a bar tender had given he a natural sense for supply levels and the need to get more. Then Trier said her first words for three days
"We have a real supply problem Quark" she said in what to anyone else would have sounded like her normal tone but Quarks ears were far more sensitive than a normal humanoid and he knew Trier quite well. He could tell she was still angry but conversation was necessary.
"Don't you think I know that, we have rationed for as long as we can. We have two options starve here or take our chances out in space"
"But the engines are leaking plasma and we don't have a mechanic"
"I think I may be able to patch the plasma injectors, I learned a little from Rom and Nog you know. They aren't the only mechanics in this family"
"You really think you can fix them?" the magnitude of this announcement slowly sinking in
"Its better than sitting here slowly starving to death, either a chance at freedom or a quick death"
"That doesn't sound like you Quark, are you saying you would be happy to die?"
"Of course not happy but it's better than a slow death of starvation or being tortured to death in a dark cell by some Jem Hadar or Klingon. They are still searching for us you know and they would kill us both"
"Well when you put it like that it may be a good idea to put the past behind us and work together"
"Then lets get to work" Quark announced in his best positive voice but he had no thought of putting the past behind them.
With this conversation they both started working towards getting off the planet and hopefully gaining freedom. The old arguments couldn't be forgotten completely but they were pushed aside for now to get the hell off the planet. At least that's what they both wanted the other to think. Solitude hadn't treated them well.
