Rule 98: Every man has a price.

„By the Nagus, you are even more stupid than I feared all those years." Quark cleaned the counter and then threw the rag into the sink. „Er, maybe..." Rom's sorry attempt of a verbal defense seemed to prove his brother right. „But I'm not blind!" Quark slowly shook his head. „Yes, yes, I understand, you would really like to fool me for once, but it won't work with such a fairytale." He grabbed two glasses from the board and put them on the counter in front of Rom. „I know what I've seen!" he proclaimed. „Liquidator Brunt was in the Bolian restaurant, with a clothed female!"

„Nonsense." Quark filled his glass with root beer and poured himself an ant juice. „Why would I believe that? Of all living Ferengi... Well, no, it includes the dead ones, too... Of all Ferengi, Brunt is the one putting the Rules of Acquisition even above his own profit. If he really had dinner with a clothed female alien in a Bolian restaurant..." He quietly counted. „...he broke at least 40 of them." Rom reached for his glass. „You can ask Chief O'Brien! He saw them, too!" Quark rolled his eyes. „Didn't you say you were checking the environmental controls in the kitchen? How would any of you have seen what was going on outside in the restaurant from there?" „Ask Odo!" Rom replied. His brother sighed. „Oh, and now you're going to tell me the Constable was also eating in the Bolian restaurant or checking the controls with you and O'Brien? I tell you something. It does not add to the credibility of your story." „Odo wasn't there", Rom admitted. „But he knows how to watch people secretly. And he can explain to you how I could see from the kitchen that Brunt was there."

„He could, but Quark wouldn't understand it."

Quark swirled around and found the Constable standing in the door, arms crossed, trying to imitate a smile. „Oh, er, I didn't consider that..." Rom realized his mistake and caught Quark's angry glance. „Besides, I have indeed been in the Bolian restaurant, and your friend Brunt was indeed there with a woman", Odo continued. „However, it had nothing to do with the reason for my presence." „Oh? Then what were you doing in a restaurant? Did the Bolian violate any security regulations? Will he have to close down?" Suddenly, Quark was all ears, but Odo disappointed him with obvious satisfaction. „No, not at all. I had to arrest two assassins. They were looking for a Ferengi, in the name of the Orion Syndicate." Quark dropped his glass and just stared at Odo.

The Constable nodded slowly. „You know, I never really believed you testified against the Syndicate last year, but now...?" „I... I thought the men I testified against were in a high security prison on Vulcan..." Quark stuttered. „You are in trouble, brother!" Rom pointed out. Odo shook his head undecidedly. „Possibly, yes. But the men I arrested refuse to cooperate. They didn't reveal any names; neither who hired them nor who they were after. The Syndicate uses several methods of intimidation, threatening family members, for example." He glanced at Rom. „Possibly they were not after your brother this time." Rom's mouth opened, but long before he could even begin to reply, Odo turned back to Quark. „Anyway, it is likely that you were the target. You are the only station resident who gave the Syndicate a reason to seek revenge. But since the two gentlemen also had a warrant on a Klingon colony, and I executed it based on our current agreements with the Empire, you won't have to worry about it anymore." The Ferengi sighed in relief, but the Constable still seemed troubled. He turned to leave, but then stopped and glanced over to Quark. „I'm really not a businessman, but sometimes I think you don't appreciate your customers at all. If two of them hadn't given me the information that criminals wanted by the Klingon Empire arrived on the station, it is possible you'd already be dead by now." „I guess they get a drink on the house next time", Quark mumbled. „So, who were these customers?" Odo shrugged. „Strange fellows. Half Cardassians. No warrants, and that was the part that surprised me most, seeing your usual company."

Habitat Ring, Brunt's Quarters

Everything that was stolen was pure profit, the 14th Rule of Acquisition said, and damn, this was about a lot of pure profit. Brunt checked the inventory list another time, and again he giggled uncontrolled when he read certain lines. „I told you that you wouldn't care about the 149th Rule once you saw the inventory." Ravennah returned to the sofa from the replicator with two glasses. Brunt's delighted grin disappeared and he now looked a bit concerned. „But still, no-one is going to know about this deal, right?" Of course, according to Rule of Acquisition 283, rules were always open for interpretation, but for a Liquidator of the FCA, such far-fetched interpretations about doing business with females were still a different story.

Ravennah put the glasses on the table and sat down next to Brunt. „As long as you don't try to double cross me, I'll be as secretive as a Vulcan monk." „Speaking of Vulcan monks, these meditation bowls are worth 20 bars more than you listed." Brunt was immediately focused on the inventory again and checked for more prices to correct - upwards. „Now you see why we need you." Ravennah handed him a glass. „Someone like me has no detailed knowledge about the value, and lacks of the... empathy with customers to make the best possible profit." She tugged his collar, decorated with tacky jewels. „Someone with more class, like you, can make the most of it. Do we have a deal?"

Her tactics were cheap, but they worked. Brunt felt complimented enough to ignore the remaining doubts about this deal. He simply wiped them away with the 25th Rule when he nodded. Fear made indeed an excellent business partner. And he didn't have to regard Ravennah as a female. Some pirates with the ability to scare off Syndicate head hunters, that clearly qualified as 'fear'. Art trade, at first sight, seemed to be a quite peaceful business, but on second sight, things looked very different. Art of this price class, and even more with this cultural background, was popular with far less popular clients. Megalomaniac dictators, war faring regents and religious zealots were just some examples - over all, it was a terrain one would rather enter with some ruthless pirates on his side than without.

Brunt took a deep breath. Now, he had to bother with the truly difficult part of the deal. Even a Ferengi in trouble would never do something for free, the 203rd Rule of Acquisition dictated. And that meant he had to come to a financial agreement with this clothed female. „I want 30 percent", he said with a confident voice and the absolute certainty to never get away with it. „I can imagine", Ravennah nodded, unimpressed. „But how about 3 percent instead?" Brunt shook his head. „Never. 28." The 67th Rule said 'enough is never enough' for a reason, and three percent was far from enough - whichever 'enough' served as reference. „You know, we could make this easy", Ravennah thought loudly. „I could say if you aren't happy with three percent, I just drop you off on the steps of the next Orions I find." Brunt watched her angrily from the corner of his eye. He should have known it would end like this. „But..." the sneaky beast continued and took a sip from her glass. „...I really like negotiating with Ferengi, so I won't do that. Instead, you can have four percent. For a favor."

Brunt had a feeling she would ask for an absurd and probably very painful favor. A finger, an arm, or declaring in the presence of the Grand Nagus that the Rules of Acquisition should be reformed. „And that favor would be what?" he sighed. „You stop that formal babble", she said. That was the last thing he had expected. It had been hard enough to overcome the instincts; to treat a clothed female formally and with some sort of respect. „Yes, of course. And now tell me what you really want", he replied when he had come to the conclusion that she was just joking. She shrugged and put her glass back on the table. „It's not my easy money..." Brunt thought about this reaction. Did she really mean it? Would it really get him more profit if he just stopped calling her 'Miss Tel'Koa' and drop the formalities? In any way, it wouldn't hurt to try. In fact, it would be a relief to stop this farce and not fake real respect any longer. „Alright, I'll stop it. No more 'Miss', just Ravennah. So, Ravennah..." He watched her carefully. „...what do I have to do to get five percent?"

Ravennah grinned, obviously satisfied with this demonstration. Instead of staring into her glass any longer, she looked up again. „Wasn't that hard, was it? If you keep it up, you'll really get five percent in the end. Or more." Brunt was all ears. „Or more? How much more? What do I have to...?" He broke up; mistrust got the upper hand. „It was a joke, right?" „No." Ravennah shook her head. „I don't joke about latinum." Again, Brunt was thrown off his track. For a female, she wasn't that bad with business things. He fell back to known territory - the 152nd Rule stated he shouldn't wonder what his profit could do for him, but ask what he could do for more profit - and tried again. „If you're serious, tell me what I need to do for five percent and more." „It's too soon", Ravennah replied. „You wouldn't do it. Not yet. Maybe never. Anyway, it's way too soon to even ask you to do it now." „I would do it!" Brunt quickly said. Whatever this mysterious 'it' would be, there was also the 13th Rule of Acquisition. Everything worth doing is worth doing it for money. And as long as he wouldn't have to say farewell to body parts, and the amputation wouldn't have to do with daggers and a lonely hallway... Although, for five percent of this profit, even that would be worth a second thought.

Ravennah shrugged. „If you insist..." she sighed. „How could I say no to such pretty lobes..." Brunt wasn't sure if she only stroked his ego to make him do something stupid, but if it was the case, she'd most likely succeed. „Now tell me! What is it?" She smiled a pitiful smile. „Give me ten bars of latinum. You'll get them back tomorrow."

„What?"

Brunt just stared at her in disbelief. „You don't believe that. If I give..." He broke up and tried to catch breath. Any success he had with this was not notable. „Ten bars! You are insane! I wouldn't give a single bar to my own mother!" Ravennah didn't pay attention to the raging Ferengi next to her and just took her glass from the table. „Nice try, really, but I'm not that stupid!" Brunt continued; the pirate didn't even listen. She emptied her glass and got up to go to the replicator. „Snail juice, or maybe some tranquilizers?" she asked. „Ten bars? Not one bar! Not a strip, not even a tiny slip of my latinum!" Ravennah shrugged, ordered Irish whiskey and snail juice, then returned to the sofa. „Not today, not tomorrow! Never!" Brunt assured her and gasped for air. „I told you that you wouldn't do it", Ravennah stated. „Yes, and you're totally right! Only over my dead bo..." Brunt stopped, he didn't want to give her any ideas. „Yes, yes, I know." She sounded like she was talking to a stubborn child, and that she didn't even take him seriously made the Ferengi even more furious. He was just too exhausted to unleash another wave of disgust. To express his anger anyway, he grabbed the snail juice, emptied the glass and slammed it on the table. „Are you done now?" Ravennah asked, still sounding bored, when Brunt crossed his arms and leaned back. „Yes. Never! That is my last word." He turned his face away. „We'll see." „Yes, we will!" For a while, it was quiet in the room, then Brunt spotted the padd with the inventory list that he had thrown onto the table in rage earlier.

„Five percent of this profit... would be at least 120 bars..." he slowly mumbled. „135 bars, after your price corrections", Ravennah nodded. Suspiciously, Brunt watched her. „And... I would get my ten bars back tomorrow?" She nodded again, but didn't say anything. „And... Do I have any guarantee for that?" Ravennah sighed. „You didn't really understand the concept of proving your trust, yes?" „Don't tell me the 87th Rule is the one you don't know?" Brunt looked back up from the inventory. „Trust is the biggest liability of all." „Yes, I know", Ravennah confirmed. „But in my line of work, it is a necessity. It's your turn now." Brunt thought for a moment. „You claim that you trust me then?" he asked skeptically. To his surprise and irritation, she nodded. „Why else would I offer you five percent?"

This gave Brunt something to think about. Logic was clearly on her side, as she had the precious artifacts. She also knew the rules, better than one could expect from an alien. Or even a female. And then, it wasn't really a female; it was fear in person, a perfectly legal business partner that didn't violate or bend any rule. Of course, if she had been just a female, she would have tried to trick or blackmail him into agreeing to three percent. But she offered five if he would cooperate because she recognized his value as a businessman. And there was one strong point for her to consider. Rule of Acquisition 279 - Don't make any deals after a female stroked your lobes. She hadn't been even close to his lobes all day. Not when they were in the Bolian restaurant, not during the negotiations here in his quarters. If there was any female in the entire universe that could be trusted, it had to be the one not using the biggest weakness of the Ferengi against them.

He felt like he was moving in slow motion when Brunt got up and walked over to his bed. He glanced over his shoulder, as senseless as it was to make sure Ravennah wasn't looking when he pulled out his safe. When he put it on the bed and began unlocking the several complicated security mechanisms, he remembered that he had lost almost all his latinum on the Tongo table. The 270th Rule - it is better to have gambled and lost than not have gambled at all - was not much of a consolation. He wouldn't get his five percent, and he had been so damn close. Deep inside, he fell into an abyss. All the overcoming, the excuses, the justifications... All for nothing.

In his sudden apathy over the empty safe he hadn't noticed that Ravennah had left the sofa. She now stood behind Brunt, watching over his shoulder, into the empty safe. „I must admit I'm surprised", she commented what she saw. „I can... call a latinum transport", he mumbled in a last desperate attempt to get the raise. „Oh, I'm not talking about that." Cautiously, he turned around to her to stare at her in utter disbelief. An empty safe was almost as embarrassing for a Ferengi as being caught by his superior in a cheap hotel, in the company of a clothed female. And she wasn't talking about 'that'? „What are you talking about then?" he asked, as he had no better idea what to say. „You did really want to give me the ten bars." She shrugged. Brunt stared back into the empty void inside his safe. „I guess I did", he sighed. Ravennah quickly kissed the back of his head, but when Brunt jumped around in shock and surprise to protest such behavior, she was already on her way to the door.

„By the way, you should consider buying a bigger safe", she said casually while she deactivated the security locks. „For five... or even six percent, that one might be a bit small."