Leaning back in his chair, Ganz nodded. According to his sources, the ship transporting the human admiral from another Starfleet outpost had arrived the previous evening. Surely, the person now assigned to command Starbase 47 had more pressing matters demanding his attention than coming here?
“No,” Ganz said. “I’ll see him now. Show him in.” A glance down at his desk reminded him of the remnants of the crushed data slate still lying there, but he shrugged at the sight of them. There was nothing illegal or untoward about destroying his own private property, after all. Otherwise, nothing damning was to be seen in his private office.
Confident with that assessment, he was in the midst of fixing himself another drink when the door again slid open, this time to allow entry to the Starfleet admiral. To Ganz’s surprise, the human appeared to have come alone. Was it a gesture of trust, an attempt to demonstrate that this was not to be a confrontation, or was the man simply a reckless idiot?
Reckless idiots don’t get to be Starfleet admirals.
Standing a few paces inside the door, the human turned to regard him. In Ganz’s estimation, this admiral was a diminutive specimen even by Terran standards. The lines in his face bore mute testimony to a long career, as did the easy, self-assured manner in which he seemed to carry himself.
“Mr. Ganz, is it?” the admiral said by way of greeting, though Ganz noted that he did not move to shake hands as so many humans always did. Instead, he kept his hands at his sides. “I’m Admiral Nogura, now in command of this station. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
“My pleasure, Admiral,” Ganz replied, turning from the bar. “May I offer you something to drink?”
Nogura shook his head. “No, thank you. I don’t wish to take up too much of your time. My reason for being here won’t take long.”
“An attitude I can certainly appreciate,” Ganz said as he moved toward his desk, glancing toward Zett as he did so. The Nalori’s expression, as was often the case, was unreadable.
Indicating the detritus on the desk with a wave of one hand, Nogura said, “Technical problems?”
“The warranty expired,” Ganz replied, once more taking his seat. There was no other chair in the office and therefore no reason to invite Nogura to sit. “What brings you to my ship this morning, Admiral?”
Nogura’s expression wavered not one iota. “I’m here to tell you that life as you know it is over.”
The blunt statement caught Ganz almost by surprise. At the last instant, he was able to school his features and his body language to reveal no reaction to the admiral’s words. He even forced himself not to blink as he processed what he had just heard. “I beg your pardon?”
“Your days of running about unchecked and using Starfleet’s good graces as cover to manage your various enterprises are over,” Nogura replied, maintaining his own steadfast bearing. “A new sheriff in town means new rules. My rules.”
Ganz’s first thought was that he could crush the puny human’s windpipe with one hand with little effort. His second thought was that Zett could cut the man’s throat and be back standing beside the deck before the first spray of arterial blood. Finally, he decided that either of those scenarios would require disposing of a body that likely would be reported missing in short order.
Nogura seemed to entertain similar thoughts. “I’ve been around the galaxy a time or two in my day, Mr. Ganz, and I’m aware of the sorts of ‘accidents’ that can happen to people aboard Orion pleasure ships like this one. So, don’t think I walked in here on my own. I have a security detail ready to storm this vessel if I’ve not returned to the station ten minutes after I first boarded. By my count, we have slightly over six minutes.”
“This ship is sovereign Orion territory,” Ganz said, despite himself. “My government would not appreciate you seizing it under force of arms.” He generally was not one to tolerate such arrogant behavior from anyone, let alone anyone standing within his inner sanctum. Only the braid on the admiral’s sleeve and the promise of what it represented kept the Orion seated and maintaining a civil demeanor.
For the first time, Nogura adjusted his posture and crossed his arms, and his eyes never left Ganz’s. “We both know that the Orion government prides itself on maintaining its neutrality. If the Federation files a protest alleging illegal activities carried out by an Orion citizen while in Federation space, your government will drop you like a hot rock. Either way, you’d be stuck dealing with Starfleet.” He moved forward, just a couple of steps but enough that Ganz sensed Zett tensing in anticipation.
“However, it might be your lucky day. I have a proposition for you.”
Of course,Ganz thought, now allowing a small smile. “I thought you might.”
Nogura said, “We both know that civilian ships have easier access to areas that ordinarily don’t react well to the presence of Starfleet vessels. Arcturus,for example.” The added emphasis on the planet’s name spoke volumes of its own, though once again, Ganz forced himself not to react.
“Besides,” the admiral continued, “with the political landscape shifting the way it is these days, it helps to have contacts on these worlds where we might not otherwise be welcomed. There’s something to be said for people willing to do certain types of favors or enter into mutually agreeable business arrangements that, although unseemly or unrefined, are still occasionally necessary.”
Ganz set his drink down on his desk before clasping his hands and interlacing his fingers. “The sort of arrangement you’re describing often ends up costing people in my line of work a lot of money. It sometimes gets them killed.”
“All true,” Nogura countered, nodding. “On the other hand, if such a relationship were in place, one could find oneself enjoying an increased profit margin, to say nothing of the hassles you’d avoid, such as having your freighters filled with contraband cargo seized by border-patrol ships. That actually happened to some poor bastard just the other day.” He made a show of shaking his head in mock grief. “Terrible. Simply terrible.”
All right,Ganz decided. He’s definitely not an idiot.In fact, Nogura seemed to be one shrewd bastard, with an air of arrogance that belied his tiny frame. There were only two good reasons to display such bravado: either you were bluffing, or you knew you held the winning hand. If Nogura was as clever as he seemed to think he was, then this was no bluff.
“Even if I were to consider something of this nature,” Ganz said, now working to maintain his composed façade and present the appearance that nothing Nogura had said to this point was a shock, “I’d need certain assurances.”
“You have my assurance,” Nogura replied, “that if you don’t accept this arrangement, your ship, your crew, and your own fat ass will be off my station before lunch.”
Ganz forced down his rising ire. He paused to ensure that his response would be measured before replying. “I’d need time to think about it.”
Nogura shrugged. “Take your time. You’ve got ten seconds.”
Now, Ganz stood. “Admiral, I’ve been most cordial with you this morning, but I’m not used to being talked to in this manner aboard my own ship. I advise caution at this juncture.” Glancing to Zett, behind whose eyes he knew lurked a desire to put this insufferable human in his place, he added, “For everyone.”
If Nogura was worried about the Nalori, he revealed no hint of his fear. “Time’s up. What’s your answer?”
“If I were even suspected of assisting Starfleet with anything,” Ganz replied, “every one of my rivals would paint a target on my back. I’d be signing my own death warrant. Even being docked at your station wouldn’t save me from that.” The truth was that he could see the advantages on several levels that would come from such an arrangement, but he could not allow himself to be browbeaten into accepting the offer as extended by this human. Such action would send the wrong message, which definitely would be bad for business.