JMJ

Chapter Thirty-Six

Belongo's Confidence

It was not that Belongo was not used to Starfleet people. Rather he was used to them, he supposed. There was even a Human guard named Peter Geise, a strange wiry man, who Belongo had started to consider a friend. It was more the Ferengi that he felt uncomfortable about even now, but not because he did not share sympathy for his people. Rather it was the opposite, and although courage had evaded him even right up to the death of Meegs, everything that he and Lek had witnessed from the security room was enough for Belongo to brave anything if he had to.

He knew what would come of this. In fact all that he had once feared had been confirmed. Only now it was not so much a fear but a feeling of grave responsibility and… of gratitude.

His granddaughter was asleep for now. He hated leaving her alone, but he was promised she would be cared for.

"I'm never going to not be there for her," he promised.

The nurse smiled. "But you can't be with her twenty-four seven."

Belongo gave an embarrassed sort of chuckle, but he shook his head. "I didn't mean that! I just mean, I'm going to be there. Just as I say."

The nurse smiled the more, the kind of smile that Humans gave that meant they thought something was cute. He acknowledged the sincerity of it with a sympathetic nod, but he sighed with full seriousness.

"Like I wasn't there for my son," Belongo added.

"That wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it?" Belongo asked quietly, and he looked the Human steadily in the face. "I knew that my trick on Aldebaron III was underhanded. Illegal in Federation Space. I prided myself in it. Ferengi do when they're in space that doesn't approve of their methods. I knew the risks. I knew the Rules of Acquisition. 'The riskier the road, the greater the profit', but that means that 'satisfaction is not guaranteed'."

Seeing Netil sleeping soundly and healthily was enough to keep him from forgetting that renewed strength. She should be dead. He may not have been a doctor, but he knew that so well, that the separation from the parasite would have meant her demise, but there she was. It kept him from falling for that part of his mind that wanted to make everything he had just experienced into a dream. A dream would be easier, he supposed, but reality was the only thing that would make anyone whole, no matter how improbably. No matter how impossible. Quark too should be dead by all accounts. So should Zof, really, and then there would have been an empty ship he and Lek would have arrived at with only Bennar, Sharlezeed, and Lieutenant Nog to release. What a shivering tragedy that would have been, but the realty was still sending shivers through him of such an entirely different kind.

He knew it, he felt, he was one with it— something that seeped into him like a vapor. Courage? No, more than that— knowledge that what had just happened on the Paradigm's Haven would indeed set into motion a new era of Ferengi-dom forever. It was an understanding like firm footing on a mountain pass after hours of holding on in the fog. The sunlit perspective gave him certainty, a thing that just knowing information had not given him. This had imparted to him experience, the kind that gave knowledge wisdom.

He was not sure he was prepared even now, but he took a deep breath and went forward.

And with that he followed his escort.

After formal introductions and the Humans put things forth as they saw them, then it was time for Belongo to speak.

Belongo cleared his throat. Despite the rather casualness of the meeting as opposed to a real trial, he felt more on trial than at his trial if that made any sense all. He did not bother looking at Lek, who was pretending not to look at anyone while taking everyone in by sound at once as he was apt to do. Belongo had already promised that he would do the talking if it came to it, and it certainly had come to it.

"Well," he said putting his hands on the table as though to show all his cards before his audience. "It's like this. I knew that Meegs was coming for me. Of course, I'm sure everyone here already knows that. What you all really want to know is how. So. Firstly, I abused my reading allowance for one thing. Well, after I abused my call time to transmit to my family. I did transmit to my family. My wife and son. I specifically instructed my wife to get a hold of the best friend of the family so that I could learn why I was here. Was it really that I was seen as a threat to my cousin Krax? Our good friend was… well, after a string of good friends was Traymak, whom I'm positive everyone here knows."

The Ferengi in question was also seated at the table with far more reluctance than Lek; and he held his head up unflinchingly to hide his discomfort as Belongo nodded to him without restraint.

"My father worked with Traymak. It was not simply knowledge alone why Grand Nagus Zek awarded Traymak with such position and power. It had to do with bringing profit to him, naturally, but this was partly through my father Green who, like any good Ferengi to his head of the family brother, groveled before him. He did this with the help of Traymak."

Closing his eyes with a sigh through his nose, Traymak gave a solemn nod of consent.

"They both benefited," Belongo went on, "but at the end of all their transactions, since my father was at this time dead, I had claim to the last contract that Traymak and Green had made. I used it to know. 'Knowledge equals profit.' It was always my favorite saying. Heh! I wanted to know. It became an obsession to know once in prison. One that might have been the end of me.

"But after I did find out that I was indeed thought of as a threat to Krax, Traymak also found another use for me," Here Belongo smiled as he fidgeted his fingers a little, and that smile turned quickly into a sneer. "…as a place to store information for later and more usefully than in any computer. No one would suspect the former nagus' brother's failure son to be on the other end of this if Traymak himself was compromised in his espionage. So he told me everything through a code he taught me that apparently no one else could read aside from his former DaiMon. Together they had translated and modified it to Ferengi from Cardassian for their own use. They were in the form of letters meant to sound as though they were to and from loved ones, which is unfortunately why my unfortunate son never received a true letter from me even though I was supposedly corresponding with him. Most of the letters to my wife were the same way. I was too late to dissuade her from allowing Meegs to be raised by Krax for more than merely a trusted employee. He was breeding him as a protégée to his scheme.

"Unfortunately for Krax and even more so to myself and my wife, Krax's business partners the Keeoopii had different plans for Meegs, which they developed secretly behind Krax's back. They gave Meegs aspirations for power and greatness beyond any form of vengeance or latinum. He became something that no Ferengi would recognize as their own. Keeoopii don't have to be inside a person's mind to manipulate them if they have their emotions under their thumb as they did with Meegs, but then they did a lot of things behind Krax's back, including paying out Ferengi who were originally working for Krax to work for Meegs instead.

"Truth be told, Krax was never a very subtle person even with his darkest dealings, and that was one of the reasons why he had to obliterate competition to get his father's position as Grand Nagus. Even his foolish, shallow cousin."

He paused, and looked at Capt. Sisko in the face. "This is all making sense, I hope."

"It is. Please continue, Belongo."

"Don't pause again 'til you're finished!" scolded Zek.

Belongo grinned apologetically as he bowed. Then his face fell and he looked very thoughtful and grave. Briefly he put his wrists together, and then taking a deep breath he continued as ordered.

"So, as Traymak can attest better than I can," said Belongo without irony, "the Keeoopii have had plans for the Ferengi for a long time. Krax was not the first Ferengi they had dealings with. In the reign of Pengork before Zek, there was the infamous DaiMon Vrendid, father of the even more infamous DaiMon Bok. Vrendid was for a time suspected of being partly responsible for the recession, which Nagus Pengork was almost branded with as leader against the shoals of bankruptcy. As everyone knows, the politics of those days was a matter of such bribery, such deal-making, such immense legal trials that there was somebody making a profit, but when DaiMon Ikla missed a supremely lucrative opportunity that might have saved us all from the collapse, it was all good for those who might have been blamed for its creation only that they had a dupe. Taken to the spire the very day after his reentry on the home world through the cleverness of Vrendid before Ikla had a chance to give his say about much else aside from the alleged excuse of Federation interference. What everyone doesn't know, except those who've had dealings with the Keeoopii, is that Vrendid made the market crash on purpose for his side of the contract with the Keeoopii.

"Bok did not just come to the knowledge of the Thought Maker for nothing. In secret, it was because of Vrendid why it was illegal in the first place. He was the one who 'discovered' it. Illegal through Pengork through a situation that Vrendid set up to threaten the Nagus through someone else he set up just like Ikla, so that no one in the Alliance would have access to the Thought Maker but him through the Keeoopii. The Aavara, I understand are the original inventors of the Thought Maker; though it has been sold through black markets enough for Bok to have gotten a hold of it. I don't think he was supposed to learn about it from his father, but apparently he had been a good Ferengi son too, after all.

"After his humiliation with Zek, Krax found the still ancient Vrendid and learned about the Keeoopii as well. Vrendid had no reason to trust his own insane son with the scheme. Vrendid himself, I think, actually did hate the Ferengi Alliance, and thought that the only way Ferengi were going to get respect was through fear rather than traditional Ferengi mercantile commerce. He felt that the Keeoopii had that answer. He thought, as Krax was soon deluded to believe, that the Keeoopii could be controlled by the Ferengi in the know, while controlling the common people of the Alliance for them, thus making a sort of commune empire that would be as cunning as the Romulan, ruthless as the Borg, undaunted by anything in the way except to protect the brains of the operation like ants to their queen.

"One might say Vrendid cared more about being feared than profits," said Zek sagely. "Which makes it no surprise where Bok got his ways from."

"So," said Belongo. "That's the short history of it all. I was shocked. How could I not be? When I learned how my own son was used, I could barely contain myself. When I found out about Netil, I never wanted to leave my prison cell again. She was being bred alongside a Keeoopii larva to be the first female Nagus in thousands of years, but in reality she was going to be the queen— the paradigm matrix for the rest of the new creatures part Ferengi, part Keeoopii.

"Traymak warned me also that staying in prison would not save me. He did not know how, but Meegs had found out about me. Or at least was suspicious. I was in danger. It was so shortly after this knowledge that Lek appeared. He claimed to come from Quark. He had all the proper contracting including Quark's thumbscan, and I knew from Traymak that the First Clerk was clean of parasitical control and was quite aware of the abilities of the Keeoopii. Like Traymak he had been controlled once, and he was not about to let it happen again. He was the leading politician against them and against Vrendid's tentacles living on far after his death destroying the Alliance bit by bit with a criminal empire of Ferengi working for him for the Keeoopii to make Ferenginar ripe for control— even if Quark himself was oblivious to all the history of this. After what Traymak had told me about the risk to my life, anyway, I was suspicious of Lek.

"Lek's credentials fooled the prison into thinking that this was all for my safety through proper legal handling from the Alliance, but I was not satisfied."

"I'd almost like to say something dramatic happened," said Lek suddenly, "but all that really happened was Belongo warning the Starfleet officers about his mistrust, and I was apprehended after a very small scuffle that I don't remember, because I was actually under the Keeoopii threatening to stomp across my cerebral cortex if I did not comply."

"This can all be verified by the prison," Belongo added readily as Lek went quiet again. "Then it was allowed me and Lek to leave as his credentials still were to escort me back, and were verified to be true before his capture by the Keeoopii. He insisted that we go alone and not make a scene otherwise Meegs would make himself scarce if he knew we had an army to back us up, especially one from the Federation. But I suppose they will be here soon too and will talk with you presently."

"But isn't it true that someone from the Federation has been helping the Keeoopii also?" asked Sisko.

Belongo paused.

"Yes," he said with a grave nod. "Meegs did have help from the Federation. It was apparently his idea, and the Keeoopii made it happen. I fear that Meegs' insanity was in part because the Keeoopii acted like his demigod agents to his godhood, if you understand me."

"We do, we do," sniffed Zek. "Who is it?"

"Be patient, Zek," Ishka said quietly.

Rom nodded.

"I don't know," Belongo admitted.

"None of us do," Lek retorted crossing his arms. "He might have taken it to the River with him unless Zof here knows anything about it."

"I might have," Zof quickly said, who was present though the most uncomfortable of all; he looked like he would have liked nothing better than to melt right into the floor beneath the consultation table. "But I don't know the names. I don't even know for sure if I'd recognize the Hew-mons. I was under Keeoopii control and Hew-mons did not shake that control nearly as much as some of the unorthodox medical procedures that even latinum was not a good enough incentive not to trouble me in my control."

"But you do know for a fact that officers of Starfleet are in on this?" demanded Sisko.

"Of course!" shrilled Zof, trembling as he spoke. "You can look at the records, yourself, Captain! Meegs received transmitions from them aboard the Paradigm's Haven. You can look them over yourself right afterwards, but they may not tell you who these people were. He kept records of the transmitions. I don't think he kept the transmitions on file themselves for security reasons, but I could be wrong!"

"You're not being cross-examined, Dr. Zof," said Sisko darkly. "There's no reason to be so defensive."

"I'm not being defensive, Captain!" Zof insisted. "I—"

"Dr. Zof!" Belongo said sternly and with authority that surprised everyone present.

He noticed that Grand Nagus Rom, especially look alarmed, and Belongo reclaimed his mild composure with humility, but not regret.

The only shamed was Zof, who lowered his head unhappily without a word.

Sisko turned to Belongo impatiently. "Are the plans still in motion without Meegs' presence against Ferenginar?" he began, but he could not quite finish it as at the same time the Grand Nagus suddenly asked simultaneously, "Are the people from the Federation really doing it because they are afraid of the Alliance?"

Again there was silence and now it was Rom who looked embarrassed as he turned to Sisko guiltily, but his eyes shifted to the other Starfleet officers present.

As Belongo himself studied the officers, Human and non-human alike despite himself, he could tell that though they were ill at ease, they did also wish to know.

"Sorry, Captain Sisko," said Rom.

"Of course they are," said Zek. "I'm surprised you even asked such a question. It's in poor taste, in my—"

"No," said Sisko firmly. "This is a good question before we leave the topic."

Belongo looked at Traymak who looked back more stubbornly than Lek had.

"From what I understand, yes, O Nagus," said Belongo again as plainly and without irony as one could speak of such things; in fact his sympathy was apparent more than anything else save his reluctance. "From what Traymak has told me, even the infamous Free Cloud might consider joining the Alliance if Pelipa begins it. He knows a few things about Free Cloud politics and that the people there are very interested in Pelipa and Ferenginar's budding friendship at the moment. I may be speaking out of my realm, but from my own understanding, I believe that it is the Humans of Free Cloud joining the Alliance whom these people in the Federation fear the most."

Belongo bowed his head. He felt he had said too much anyway.

He looked hesitantly at Sisko, but Sisko did not argue with him. In fact, he looked somewhat pleased with Belongo's honesty even if he did look very displeased and proudly so about a few other things. The tenseness all around was something that could be felt by all present, but again it was the Nagus to whom Belongo was drawn, though what exactly his problem was Belongo could not quite comprehend.

"Do you believe the Alliance will return to the ways of the… Hidden Profiters?" asked Sisko calmly folding his hands before him.

"I… I don't know for sure, Captain," Belongo admitted. "But I do know that…"

"What?" asked one of the non-Human officers.

"That I will," said Belongo.

"You are?" asked Rom.

"Yes, Grand Nagus," said Belongo. "I was still cowardly and lost, and then I saw what happened to your brother. Then I saw what happened through your brother. Traymak did explain to me about the Hidden Profiters enough for me to get the idea of what was happening with them on Ferenginar. I did not think much, but now I cannot deny it."

"Deny what, exactly?" asked Sisko.

"Deny that a miracle happened through a very unlikely person," said Belongo.

"Quark," said Sisko.

"Well, maybe, but I meant myself. He was the one praying, so I suppose, it makes sense with him enough to make one think, but I felt it all as though it was me."

"What are you talking about?" asked another officer.

"I felt the humiliation Meegs inflicted and then the courage and I felt rain…"

"You too!?" gasped Rom throwing his hands over the table.

Ishka stiffened in alarm and Zek nodded sagely. "Oh, yes, I thought I was getting sprinkled too."

"So did I," gasped Zof anxiously. "It was burning."

Traymak nodded, and even Lek spoke, "It's true. The sound and the touch. It was not a sprinkler system and nothing got wet. It was the sound of fire rain."

"Perhaps it was fake," said an officer.

"Then figure it out, if you can!" scoffed Zek. "In fact go send your scientists out to investigate immediately, Captain."

"But," said Belongo thinking a moment, "how could those aboard Traymak's ship and those here with Meegs feel it at the same time if it was fake?"

He looked at Zof.

Zof swallowed hard. He almost choked.

"The River poured on us…" he insisted. "I felt it. I heard it."

"It wasn't like any rain I've ever heard or felt before," said Ishka.

"But I thought it sounded like fire rain," said an officer with a roll of her eyes.

"It was like fire rain, but more than that," said Ishka.

"It was the Dayeh—!" Rom began

And just before the room got too excited, Sisko stood up.

"Enough," he said; it was not quite a yell, but it was very powerful.

Everyone stopped and become solemn.

"This is not the place to discuss this particular. This is about the actions of the Keeoopii and Meegs. Nor are we to interfere with the beliefs of the Ferengi."

"I don't think you'll find anything, Captain," said Rom.

"Why not?"

"Because the rain was there because of my brother, and now it's over," said Rom, and he lowered his head. "And because of the Dayitela rinsing us all off for a renewed display. I know you don't understand. I didn't want to either. Besides." He fidgeted and looked again at Belongo. "I think we've all said what we know about the Keeoopii and Belongo."

"Except what is going on on Ferenginar, Nagus," said Sisko.

"The Keeoopii are dead," said Rom.

"How can you be sure?" asked Sisko.

Rom looked steadily at him. "Because the whole thing was sent to Ferenginar too."

Sisko turned to Nog.

"Sir."

"Did you feel the rain?"

"No, Sir," said Nog.

Rom turned to him with hurt surprise. Nog did not look at him, but Belongo sure looked at Nog. He heard him well enough, and that was why Rom could not look at Nog after a moment too.

"The only way to know for sure," said Traymak, "is to go back to the planet to find out what happened?"

"Won't that be dangerous?" asked Ishka with a raised brow.

"That's why you're not going to go first," said Sisko grimly.