DEV BUILD (branch: master) - NOT FOR PUBLIC USE
 

Check out our latest Fleet Action!

 

Part of USS Eagle: Mission 3 – Intelligence Acquisitions

The First Step

USS Eagle
March 2401
0 likes 603 views

Observation Lounge

“Daimon Klunt is one of the most successful businessmen in the Ferengi Alliance,” said Iziraa.  “His portfolio is diverse, but his primary source of income is a series of casinos along the Federation border, with the Lappa moon being the largest.”

“SFI knows Klunt is involved in black market activity in Federation space, but there’s never been enough evidence to arrest him.”

“Politically, Klunt has friends and connections throughout all levels of government.  He’s basically untouchable.”

“Klunt served in the military and he still has possession of his flagship, the Jrayton.  It’s completely gold-plated and on display as a symbol of his success.  He’s the envy of every Ferengi.”

“Mm, yes,” said Hok, admiration in his voice.  Everyone looked at him.  “Sorry.”

Iziraa continued.  “He has wealth, power, influence, prestige, and the only thing I can think of that he might want, is to become Grand Nagus.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” said Kirby.

“His business.  That’s what he wants.”

It was Science Officer Haia Ohtani.  She usually didn’t say much at briefings, so it was a bit of a surprise to hear her blurt out something.

“Haia?” said Kirby.

“Klunt wants to keep his business ventures in Federation space.  If the Dominion gains a greater foothold, he could lose significant parts of it.  Perhaps we could convince him that giving us the Breen ship deployments…”

“Selling,” said Hok.

“Selling us the deployments,” said Ohtani, “is in his self-interest.”

The room fell silent as everyone looked at the captain.

“Until a better idea comes along, that’s the angle I’ll go with,” said Kirby.  Before saying anything else, a call came from the bridge.

“Captain, Daimon Klunt is hailing us.”

“I’m on my way.  Hok, you stay here.”

Bridge

“Captain Kirby, I’ve confirmed through my network that what you said about the Dominion is true.  I must say, it wasn’t easy, as your government has done an admirable job of containing it.”

“Then we have a common purpose here,” said Kirby.

“And that is?”

“It’s bad for us both if the Dominion expands,” said Kirby.

“Maybe for you, Captain, but a wise man can hear profit in the wind.  I’ll be fine,” said Klunt.

It was difficult for Kirby to hide his frustration.  “I don’t care how or why you have the deployment charts, but it’s important for us to have them.  Surely there’s something we can offer you.”

“Nothing comes to mind,” said Klunt.  He scratched his nose.  “I just wanted to let you know what I learned about the Dominion.  I’ve got to go, so if you change your mind about letting your crew have some shore leave, we have a three-day special coming up.”  He chuckled and closed the channel.

For the next thirty seconds, the only sound was Hok coming out of the observation lounge.

“I’m losing badly, aren’t I, Mister Hok?” said Kirby.

“Losing?  Sir, Klunt is kicking your…”

“Hok!” shouted Iziraa.

“No, he’s right.  I’m out of my element,” said Kirby.  “We need another plan.  Someone please think of something.”

Ready Room

The door chime rang.

“Come,” said Kirby.

Chief Engineer Saunders stepped inside, a PADD in hand.

“What’s up, Nick?”

“Sir, we all felt bad about what happed.  Knowing how important this is, Haia, Iziraa, Hok, and I started doing extensive research into past Starfleet missions and log entries.  The hope was we’d find a similar situation, along with a solution.”

“You found something?”  The hope in Kirby’s voice was obvious.

Saunders set the PADD on the desk.  “Maybe not a solution, but the first step.  It’s from stardate 4041.2, the Enterprise under Captain James Kirk.”

Kirby tilted his head to one side before picking up the PADD and reading it.  “How long until you can have this ready?”

“Haia is in engineering now helping with the scans, calculations, and adjustments.  We should be ready in a few hours.”

“We’ll need to get word to Allen and Weaver.”  Kirby finally got some good news.  “All right, Nick.  Keep me updated.”

“Yes, sir.”  He nodded and left the room.

Kirby got up and stood before the window, gazing at the Lappa moon below, wondering how Roger and Lori were doing.  The Dominion.  The Jem’Hadar..  The Breen.  It was amazing how quickly the tide of life could turn.

 

Comments

  • FrameProfile Photo

    Oh man, mystery slipped in there at the end! I love how our crew continues to fail and experience that frustration when the world doesn't go their way - it pushes them to explore other ways of getting the job done. Really interested to see what this plan they've cooked up is and how it'll get them what they want! Solid entry!

    June 3, 2023
  • FrameProfile Photo

    The crew of the USS Eagle aren't having a lot of luck, but then Ferengi's are experts at business, amongst other things! Glad they aren't giving up and wondering what this Kirk inspired plan might be? I will await the next instalment with interest.

    June 8, 2023

Load Time: 0.51 seconds

Total SQL Queries: 71

2 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (80843) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.post_name = '80843' AND wp_posts.post_type = 'story' ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (55636) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (53971) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53971 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (53952) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (69171) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 69171 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT wp_posts.ID FROM wp_posts INNER JOIN wp_postmeta ON ( wp_posts.ID = wp_postmeta.post_id ) WHERE 1=1 AND ( ( wp_postmeta.meta_key = 'member_user' AND wp_postmeta.meta_value = '2554' ) ) AND wp_posts.post_type = 'member' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) GROUP BY wp_posts.ID ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC LIMIT 0, 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (60425) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 60425 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (60427) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts INNER JOIN wp_postmeta ON ( wp_posts.ID = wp_postmeta.post_id ) WHERE 1=1 AND ( ( wp_postmeta.meta_key = 'member_user' AND wp_postmeta.meta_value = '2554' ) ) AND wp_posts.post_type = 'member' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) GROUP BY wp_posts.ID ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (97970) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 97970 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (56930) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 55648 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (53957) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (55648) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (140618,140922) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT ID, post_name, post_parent, post_type FROM wp_posts WHERE post_name IN ('donate') AND post_type IN ('page','attachment')
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 86412 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 13085 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (122202) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts WHERE ID IN (122202)
1 SELECT wp_posts.ID FROM wp_posts INNER JOIN wp_postmeta ON ( wp_posts.ID = wp_postmeta.post_id ) INNER JOIN wp_postmeta AS mt1 ON ( wp_posts.ID = mt1.post_id ) WHERE 1=1 AND ( ( wp_postmeta.meta_key = 'event_status' AND wp_postmeta.meta_value = 'In Progress' ) AND ( mt1.meta_key = 'event_type' AND mt1.meta_value = 'fleet_action' ) ) AND wp_posts.post_type = 'events' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) GROUP BY wp_posts.ID ORDER BY wp_posts.post_title DESC LIMIT 0, 1
1 SELECT t.*, tt.*, tr.object_id FROM wp_terms AS t INNER JOIN wp_term_taxonomy AS tt ON t.term_id = tt.term_id INNER JOIN wp_term_relationships AS tr ON tr.term_taxonomy_id = tt.term_taxonomy_id WHERE tt.taxonomy IN ('group_news_category') AND tr.object_id IN (140618, 140922) ORDER BY t.name ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 55707 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts WHERE ID IN (140922,140618)
1 SELECT wp_posts.ID FROM wp_posts WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.post_type = 'group_news' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC LIMIT 0, 2
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (53969) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53969 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (53955) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (55707) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (141626) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 141626 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (141625) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (59577) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_users WHERE ID = '2443' LIMIT 1
1 SELECT user_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_usermeta WHERE user_id IN (2443) ORDER BY umeta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53952 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53955 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 55636 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53957 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 87413 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_users WHERE ID = '2468' LIMIT 1
1 SELECT user_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_usermeta WHERE user_id IN (2468) ORDER BY umeta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_users WHERE ID = '2554' LIMIT 1
1 SELECT user_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_usermeta WHERE user_id IN (2554) ORDER BY umeta_id ASC
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (87413) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 59577 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts INNER JOIN wp_postmeta ON ( wp_posts.ID = wp_postmeta.post_id ) WHERE 1=1 AND ( ( wp_postmeta.meta_key = 'member_user' AND wp_postmeta.meta_value = '0' ) ) AND wp_posts.post_type = 'member' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) GROUP BY wp_posts.ID ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53953 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 141625 LIMIT 1
1 SHOW FULL COLUMNS FROM `wp_postmeta`
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 141627 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT wp_posts.ID FROM wp_posts INNER JOIN wp_postmeta ON ( wp_posts.ID = wp_postmeta.post_id ) WHERE 1=1 AND ( ( wp_postmeta.meta_key = 'member_user' AND wp_postmeta.meta_value = '2468' ) ) AND wp_posts.post_type = 'member' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) GROUP BY wp_posts.ID ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC LIMIT 0, 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 56930 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (52541) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts INNER JOIN wp_postmeta ON ( wp_posts.ID = wp_postmeta.post_id ) WHERE 1=1 AND ( ( wp_postmeta.meta_key = 'member_user' AND wp_postmeta.meta_value = '2468' ) ) AND wp_posts.post_type = 'member' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = 'publish')) GROUP BY wp_posts.ID ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
1 UPDATE `wp_postmeta` SET `meta_value` = '603' WHERE `post_id` = 80843 AND `meta_key` = 'views'
1 SELECT meta_id FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'views' AND post_id = 80843
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 103699 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 75817 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT post_id, meta_key, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE post_id IN (16250) ORDER BY meta_id ASC
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 16250 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 84811 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 65394 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 53954 LIMIT 1
1 SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE ID = 12371 LIMIT 1