Dirty Money

Posted on Sat Jan 5th, 2019 @ 10:18am by Lieutenant JG Gallia Norris

Mission: Season 2: Episode 3: Determination is not always a good thing
Location: Undisclosed Location near Dunphy's Hideaway
Timeline: during Comforting
1219 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

"So, where'd you dump the bodies, Quin?" Traun, the Ferengi collector and arms dealer asked of his associate. Well, associate was probably pushing it. Dunphy's father, Martin, had served Traun well for a couple decades until he went down in a hail of phaserfire with the Federation Marshalls, making his son, Quinton, kind of an associate, kind of a charity case, and all of a burden. But, he had taken the man, then a boy, as one of his own, and had honored his promise to the man who died covering his escape. As he looked over the Argo, quite pleased with the latest pick-up, the fact his 'nephew' hadn't answered his question hadn't left his mind, so he repeated it, "I asked you where you dumped the bodies, my boy."

"Um, yeah, 'bout that, Unc." Dunphy began, speaking with substantially less bravado than previously, "Thing is, they ain't dead."

Traun came to a full stop, lowering his head and rubbing his lobes in frustration; that damn boy was going to be the death of him. He looked towards Hanniger, the human ex-Starfleet intel operative who served as his right hand, "Did he just say what I think he said, Hanniger?"

"Yes, Sir." Hanniger nodded, no small amount of satisfaction on his face. He'd wanted to take Quinton Dunphy and his gang of idiots out of the equation for years, one way or the other, but Traun was still the boss... for now anway.

"So, want to tell me why you're holding Starfleet personnel as hostages?" Traun groaned, but didn't yell, he made it a point not to yell at the boy unless he knew there was simply no other way it was going to stick, "I've taught you better than that, Quin. All that does is attract attention, attention brings trouble, and when you deal in the shadows attention is very bad for business."

"Right, is just..." Dunphy began, but his 'Uncle's' raised palm stopped him.

"There is literally no way this is a good idea, no matter how you explain it, son." Traun sighed, "But, let's hear it. Why aren't they dead?"

"Well, the one's about to be." Jonesy interjected, "Maybe us with 'im!"

"Shut up, Jonesy!" Dunphy snarled, backhanding Jonesy to the ground, then turning back to Traun, "Ya see, Unc..."

"What does he mean one of them is about to be?" Hanniger interrupted, "Have you taken a sick hostage, you idiot?"

"Hey, you might better watch how you talk to me, Hanniger!" Dunphy snarled, "Lest I forget I promised Unc I wouldn't snap your neck like a bloody twig."

"Quinton Michael Dunphy, answer the question." Traun snapped, louder than usual, but still not yelling.

"The bald girl says he is, and he does look a little bad, yeah." Dunphy shrugged, "But I sent Goldie out to collect a ransom for 'im, then we're gonna drop 'im off for them to collect when she gets back with the money. All goin' accordin' to plan."

"Goldie." Hanniger sneered, "The one person in your outfit possibly stupider than you. Good call. If this is your plan it's a targ frack of epic proportions." He shook his head and walked away, muttereing, "Moron."

"Damn it, Quinton..." Traun sighed, the boy had really screwed the pooch this time and it was going to take a lot of effort on his end to get him out of it. He rubbed his lobes again, they'd begun to ache. "Okay, Quin, here's what I need you to do: take those hostages, put bags on their heads, and drop them off a half kilometer or so from a home guard post...."

"But we need the bald girl, Unc." Dunphy protested, "For Barny."

"So the bald girl is a Deltan then?" Traun stopped, his sharp teeth revealed by his growing smirk, it seemed maybe Quin wasn't as stupid as he feared, "You're sure? I mean, a lot of them are just shaving all their hair off now..."

"Like the girl in that movie you bought from Quark, I know." Dunphy laughed, "But no, this one's real, had me feelin' all queasy and everything. Real beauty, too. I think Barny will give ten thousand bars for this one."

"Let me talk to him, see if I can negotiate a better price for you." Traun offered, he know Barnkt, or Barny, would screw the kid over if not protected by his uncle, for a nominal fee, naturally. "Got an image?"

"Syren sent me one a bit ago." Dunphy laughed, producing a picture of the Deltan woman in a short, clingy red dress, "She wants to have some fun with her first..."

"Don't damage her." Traun warned, "Because I'm going to ask Barny for fifty."

"Fifty?" Dunphy replied, dumbfounded, "Thousand?"

"Right, and you're going to pay me ten percent." Traun stated, "Consider that a family discount."

"Right, Unc." Dunphy quickly agreed; fifty was more than he could've dreamt of...

"Give me that padd." Traun demanded, taking it from Dunphy as quickly as it was offered, before sending the image to Barnkt with a message, 'Something interesting just came onto the market...'

[[Ferengi Marauder Latinum Dreams]]

Barnkt had been nearly asleep when he received the message from Traun, "Something interesting?" He snarled, "It had better be." The image on his screen filled his eyes, it couldn't possibly be... But it was, she was there, and he was going to bring her home, "It's not going to be a happy reunion, Liorga..." He returned a message to Traun, 'One hundred thousand bars, in the dress. Not a penny more.'

[[Cortic]]

Traun couldn't believe his eyes, had Barnkt really just opened with an offer twice what he was going to ask for? There was more there than what met the eye, she wasn't that pretty. He knew he had to press the advantage while he had it, messaging him back, 'One hundred fifty.' Turning to Dunphy he smiled, "Quin, he's offered a hundred thousand, do you want to accept?"

"A hundred thousand?" Dunphy replied excitedly, like his Uncle had just given him the hottest new toy for Christmas, "Bloody right!"

Traun's waited until Dunphy's padd chimed back with another message from Barnkt that merely said, 'Agreed.' He quickly sent a link to Barnkt to his own padd, he'd pay Dunphy from there, and deleted the messages, not that he thought his nephew would understand them anyway. "Okay, it's done, Quin. I'll transfer your payment minus my five thousand in a few minutes. You've done good."

"Thanks, Unc." Dunphy's chest swelled, "Alright, you lot, let's get back to the fort and get rid o' that sicky!" With that they left towards their hideaway, counting their riches in their heads.

{{A few minutes later}}

As Traun's guys loaded the Argo onto his shuttle, he looked on it with pride in the nephew who had finally managed to impress him, turning to Hanniger, "You see, the boy really brought me a profit, Hanniger!" He bragged, "And one Hell of a new toy!"

"That's not all be brought you, boss." Hanniger laughed, walking to the Argo and reaching underneath the rear passenger's seat for something that caught his eye, pulling out a Starfleet issue commbadge, "There's also this."

"DAMN IT, QUINTON!!!!"