Q & A - Keith R. A. DeCandido [42]
So if Vogusta wanted his kanar, he had to travel to Gaia. He had several clients who had developed a taste for the Cardassian beverage during the period when the Cardassian Union—a military federation from the Ferengi side of the anomaly—had been absorbed by the Dominion. Although that period lasted only three years, many in the Gamma Quadrant desired the drink and were willing to pay two hundred ilecs for a case. (Vogusta himself couldn’t stand the stuff, but who was he to get in the way of his clients’ desires?) At that price, Vogusta could offer Neek a slip of gold-pressed latinum—or its equivalent in trade—per case and earn himself a tidy profit.
Neek was, of course, gouging Vogusta charging that much, but Vogusta didn’t mind as long as he earned a profit. Were he a Ferengi, he would have paid Neek only half a slip a case and resold it for two hundred ilecs each, but the Karemma didn’t do business in so distasteful a manner. Not that it mattered. Vogusta was able to make a good living; Vogusta’s clients had all the kanar they could guzzle, and Neek made a tidy profit.
According to Shipmaster Darsook, the Shakikein would be arriving at Gaia shortly. Vogusta was currently lying in his hammock, reading over the trade reports. He saw that Hanok had been elected to the position of chief overseer for the Commercial Authority for a second term, and that Clia and Ryno had successfully negotiated for the exclusive rights to distribute the music of the Anndii, whose leolia songs had become very popular.
“Vogusta, this is the flight deck. Please respond.”
The words from the communications system startled Vogusta out of his hammock. He fell to the deck with a minimum of grace and a maximum of pain to his hip. Clambering to his feet, he wondered why in the name of the Founders the flight deck would need to speak to him.
Putting his hand to the intercom control, it activated. “This is Vogusta. To whom am I speaking?”
“Sir, this is Operator Zali. You have an external call from DaiMon Neek.”
That surprised Vogusta—he didn’t expect to speak to Neek until they arrived at Gaia tomorrow morning. “Put it through please, Operator.”
“Yes, sir.”
The screen on the wall shimmered to reveal the snaggletoothed smile of Neek. “Greetings, Vogusta.”
“To you as well, DaiMon. To what do I owe this call?”
“Oh, you don’t owe me anything—yet.” Neek laughed at his own inferior joke. “We’ve already arrived at Gaia—turns out our layover at Deep Space 9 was a bit shorter than anticipated.”
“I see. I could ask Shipmaster Darsook to increase speed, but we have been traveling at the vessel’s maximum safe—”
Neek waved his hand in front of his face. “No, no, don’t bother. The Vahni said they’d be late for their rendezvous, so I don’t profit by you arriving sooner. Besides, my engineer is using this as an excuse to find more things wrong with the Windfall that he can make me pay his brother’s exorbitant repair prices for.”
Shaking his head, Vogusta said, “I do not understand your people’s need to exploit.”
“And I do not understand your people’s lack of desire to. I’m amazed you’ve all stayed in business. In any case, I’ve got your three cases.”
Vogusta frowned. “I ordered five.”
“You were lucky to get the three. Prices went up again. Cardassia’s economy isn’t what it used to be. Kanar exports are one of the few things their government can actually make money on, so up the prices went. Don’t even talk to me about the tariffs. I’m going to have to charge you one and a half slips per case.”
Under normal circumstances,