7
As the second round of tongo progressed, Macen approached Rom, who was cheering on Quark after his first round win. Nog was regaling Bena with tales from Starfleet action reports, not to mention his own stories from DS9. The revitalized Cardassian Union dominated the conversation. Ro was discussing something with Leeta. Leeta was laughing and very talkative. Ro, on the other hand, looked a tad squeamish.
"Grand Nagus, if it isn't too much trouble, could you have someone escort me to the secondary team guarding the winning stakes?" Macen asked.
"Uhhh…Brunt could do it," Rom offered.
"Anyone other than Brunt," Macen specified.
"I'll do it," Leeta suddenly chimed in, "Ro wanted to check on Commander Vaughn anyway. You're more than welcome to join us."
"I could…" Nog interjected before being interrupted by Rom.
"Uhm…sorry but Bena needs someone to watch after her and explain tongo to her. I can never remember the rules but you used to play Quark."
"Ah, I see," Nog suddenly understood, "You want to see if she has the lobes for it. All right, I volunteer."
Leeta bestowed a loving smile upon her daughter, "You listen to your brother, Honey."
Leeta guided Macen and Ro out of the exit. At the checkpoint, Ro retrieved her comm badge and Macen inquired as to his teammates' status. Grace was bored but still vigilant. Every so often a security detail would approach them and make their lives interesting. Radil had served in such companies and knew that being forcibly separated from your principal went against the grain.
Sindis's detachment was easy to spot. It was comprised of three Orions and a Nalori. The Nalori's anthracite black skin contrasted his green hued fellows. He was slim compared to the burly Orions but Macen knew from experience that his wiry frame would be composed of pure muscle.
The look of sheer malice that the squad gave to Macen alerted him to the fact that they were all well acquainted with him. He knew there was an outstanding bounty on his head and the various Orion dons would be more than happy to liberate the million bars of latinum from the reserves to pay out on a successful kill.
Leeta led them out of the Hall of Games to a structure across the courtyard. It was the representative branch of the 1st Bank of Ferenginar. Macen knew that for all its formidable features, the Bank was just about the most vulnerable site on the planet as far as Sindis was concerned. There was little doubt that the Iridian had precisely gauged the effects of an orbital bombardment upon the site or even better, secreted an isolinear tag within his own pallet so the entire lot could be beamed up once the shields were collapsed.
Macen mentioned as much to Ro, who concurred. Leeta's eyes went wide with horror. Macen thought that it must be nice to live in the lap of luxury and not have to worry about such details.
As they entered, they were approached by Elias Vaughn. He wore a broad grin as he approached. Macen took stock of the friend he hadn't seen for two years. The grey was gone out of Vaughn's beard and hair only to be replaced with snowy white strands. To be fair, his human friend was 110 years old but he still possessed a vitality lacking in most men half his age.
"Brin!" Vaughn caught him up in a bear hug. Macen discovered that his friend's physical strength was on par with his vitality, if somewhat adjusted for his age.
Macen gripped his arms when he was able to extricate himself, "It's good to see you too, Elias."
"What's this?" Vaughn tapped his own chin to make his point, "A little white? Aren't you a little young for that, after all, you can't be over 450."
"It's not the years," Macen began the familiar mantra.
"It's the mileage," Vaughn chuckled, "I understand all too well."
"Isn't this cozy?" the Nalori said as he and Sindis's Orion security detail entered.
The Orions all brandished disruptors and the pearly white teeth of the ebon skinned Nalori came into view, "Drop your weapons."
The trio ushered Leeta behind them and the Nalori raised his voice, "Now!"
Macen took a two fingered hold on his Bajoran phaser's grip and tossed it aside. Vaughn likewise gingerly removed his Starfleet issue Type II phaser from its holster and tossed it in the opposite direction.
"And you?" the Nalori stared right at Ro.
"I'm unarmed." She angrily replied.
"I rather doubt that," The Nalori commented. He rounded Ro and approached her from behind. He patted down her legs, moving upwards over her hips. He fondled her breasts, which only served to irritate her, and finally went down the length of her arms. As an afterthought he probed the small of her back. There, tucked into her waistband, was a Type I "cricket" phaser.
"Now see there? I was right about you," the Nalori grinned, "If you beg long enough I might spare you in exchange for certain…favors."
"Do I even have to tell you to go to hell?" Ro remarked.
"Too bad. I prefer you alive but I can satisfy myself with your corpse just as well," The Nalori leered.
"I don't suppose anyone's told you you're a sick bastard in the last hour or so," Ro dryly commented.
"My head swims from the compliment," The Nalori retorted, "As for you two, it'll be two to one odds so you should expire within a fairly short amount of time."
"Four to three, shukhead," Ro declared.
The Nalori's leer returned, "So much the better."
"Where'd Macen go?" Rockford asked T'Kir as she finished making her rounds around the tables.
"He went t'check on Vaughn." T'Kir informed her.
"And how long was that supposed to take?" Rockford asked.
"I…Elements! They're under attack!" T'Kir discovered by tapping into Macen's thoughts, "They're at the 1st Bank of Ferenginar"
"Stay here. I'll deal with it." Rockford pledged.
She cleared the reception area and took the stairs two at a time. She quickly spotted Daggit but doubted that a non-Angosian would've. She sprinted to his position.
"Macen's in trouble." She informed him.
"Where?" Daggit asked.
"The bank." Rockford replied.
"Let's move." Daggit urged.
"Thanks. Two of the most important men in my life are part of this and if either of them gets killed, I'll tear Sindis's head off with my bare hands," Rockford promised.
Macen ducked under the Orion's wild swing. His opponent was a bar room brawler, as simple and as limited as that. Macen had learned under Vaughn's tutelage and then had those same lessons reinforced and expanded upon by Daggit. The only thing he was worried about was that he was out of practice. Two years on a penal colony where practicing the martial arts as a meditative practice was allowed but sparring against an actual partner was forbidden had left his reflexes sorely out of shape.
The Orion recovered from being overbalanced and threw a left jab this time. Macen spun on his heel and pirouetted out of the way. Seeing it was time to start fighting back, he threw a punch into the Orion's eye. The jade giant roared his displeasure. Macen responded with a left to the nose.
The Orion staggered backwards, eyes watering, and he protected his face. Macen thought this was equitable since he was going after his opponent's knees. Kicking sideways, he dislocated the Orion's kneecap.
The Orion staggered and dropped his hands. Macen rocked him with a right cross to the eye. The Orion raised his hands so Macen delivered two body blows. The Orion got smart and put one hand before his face and the other in front of his torso.
Macen drove in with a knee to the solar plexus, which fortunately Orion anatomy emulated, and then a right cross. As the Orion stumbled forward, Macen took hold of his head and drove his knee into it. His foe went down and stayed there.
Turning he saw that Vaughn was making short work of his foe as well. In all actuality, his enemy was far more damaged than Macen's. Vaughn wasn't taking prisoners. And Macen pulled him off.
The Orion slumped into the ground. And Vaughn's eyes were ice cold and very precise. Macen had seen that look countless times during the worst of the Border Wars and the Dominion War. It didn't bode well for the Nalori.
Ro was having a harder time of it. Her unarmed combat training was more extensive than Macen's but she rode a desk nowadays. Her frame was still lithe and trim, it's just she hadn't fought anyone hand to hand to the death within passing memory. Vaughn crippled the Orion's knee and Macen threw a phoenix punch into his throat.
"Thanks. I need to spend more time with the combat simulations," Ro breathed.
"Very nice but ultimately futile." The Nalori taunted as he brandished his disruptor around.
"I'll rush him. You two take him down." Vaughn volunteered to sacrifice himself.
Macen restrained him, "No need."
"But…?" Vaughn protested.
"Wait for it." Macen suggested.
A phaser whine sounded and the Nalori fell lifeless to the ground. Daggit had his rifle poised and ready. He trained it at one Orion and then the other. Rockford jogged to Macen's position.
"Hello Elias," she smiled before turning to Macen, "Don't do that!"
Macen was just as startled as everyone else and Rockford wore a sheepish grin, "We just got you back. Don't get dead."
"I'm not planning to," Macen grinned, "Rab, is the Nalori…?"
"Deader than a doorpost," Daggit reported.
"Aw, too bad," Macen jested.
"Speak for yourself. I owed him for a good groping," Ro said as she retrieved her phaser and Macen's. She handed his back to him.
"Elias, can you handle the remnant?" Macen inquired.
"A couple members from my vault team will be happy to escort the Orions back to their master." Vaughn happily reported.
"That should be a show." Macen chuckled
The SID team members and Ro returned to their positions. The second round ended and Both Sindis and Quark were among the finalists. Ro escorted Quark out of the Hall and transported back to the Defiant. Nog was given two days leave to be with his family.
Sindis was nonplussed to discover his security detail was missing. Vaughn personally delivered the Orions and Sindis was decidedly irked. Macen and the SID team drew up around him as he spoke.
"You have done me a favor dispatching that fool of a Nalori. As for these, they will be dealt with," Sindis's tone was arctic.
The Orions accompanied him praying for a merciful death. One that was unlikely to come. It would be a different story had they succeeded but they had failed miserably and embarrassed their master. Such things could not be forgiven.
"It seems you've performed your duties admirably," Brunt offered solicitously, knowing his Nagus was standing nearby.
"Expect a repeat performance tomorrow," Macen promised, "In the meantime, my team and I need to prepare for the following day."
The team left the Hall and was transported back to the Obsidian. Stepping off the transporter pads before anyone else could, he turned to face them, "Get changed into civilian attire and meet back here in half an hour."
"Armed or unarmed?" Radil asked.
"Utility belts and holsters only," Macen grinned, "We may even get some fine dining in."
Rockford smirked, "We're scouting out Sindis's rooms."
"And letting him know that we're watching," Macen eagerly said.
"This could be fun," Daggit observed, "Can I bring Parva?"
"She can join us at the hotel's restaurant. Our other errand should only take ten minutes or so," Macen guessed.
"It'll probably take that long to get a table anyway," Daggit realized.
"Time's wasting, people," Macen shooed them out of the room. Before he exited the transporter room, he used the intercom to reach Riker and Danan and invite them to the surface as well. They could hold down the table fort with Parva while the others were engaged in skullduggery.