Captain Zedd Lafayette Sykes emerged onto the dusty, humid platform of Profit Plaza, the vibrant capital city of new ferenginar. The hot, wet air enveloped him. It smelled like a combination of marsh fog, starships' exhaust, sizzling street food and a hint of replicated blood wine from multiple vendors. Gaudily colored neon lights illuminated the area above him; advertisements promised a variety of goods including authentic Romulan ale and guaranteed warp core alignments. High-rise buildings towered above him; their holographic billboards displayed the rules of acquisitions continuously, as if they were holy scriptures.

Zedd smoothed his worn leather jacket. He knew the heavy feeling of his concealed dataport was a reassuring presence at the back of his neck. He traveled to new ferenginar by anonymous freighter; he had converted the fortune of the vault of shadows into bricks of gold pressed latinum and stored it safely. Freedom seemed within reach; however, both the Black Nebula and Crimson Corsairs retained long memories, and zedd needed a new ship. Something quick, unassuming, and able to disappear as quickly as possible.

As he navigated through the crowded streets, he noticed the group of starship vendor storefronts. Ferengi traders swarmed between off-worlders like schools of fish; lobes twitching with each potential business opportunity. Many humans, Bajorans, and even some Cardassians hurried by; several sported exemptions badges glowing brightly on their chests to prevent being hassled by the local customs.

Zedd entered the stellar emporium star ship salesroom (zorol's). The salesroom was larger than it appeared from outside; the room was filled with flickering holographic images of variously repaired starships. Negotiation drones buzzed overhead periodically, and occasionally, a satisfied cackle drifted from one of the back rooms.

A stout ferengi emerged from behind the polished counter; his lobes glowed under the fluorescent lighting and his suit did its best to dazzle anyone who gazed directly at it. The ferengi opened his arms widely.

"a customer with refined taste! I always recognize!" He smiled broadly showing many teeth. "zorol at your service. What may i offer you today? An agile shuttle? A sturdy freighter for personal cargo?"

Zedd rested against the counter. "spare me the sales pitches. I am seeking something with bite, quick, well-armed, and unassuming. Plus no questions about previous ownership."

Zorol's eyes narrowed as he examined zedd. "no questions? That comes with an additional charge. However, first things first: customs. Off-world male in traditional attire (prosthetic lobes), modest codpiece. Improves concentration, you understand."

Zedd chuckled and extracted a pouch containing Five strips of latinum. "heard about your ways... I will purchase my exemption. How much?"

Zorol rubbed his hands together. "common sense is common sense! Five strips for men, upfront/non-refundable."

"Five? That is expensive." Zedd raised an eyebrow.

"profit is profit." Zorol shrugged.

Zedd passed the Five strips to zorol; he tested one with his teeth then attached a flashing badge to zedd's jacket. "thank you for practicing civilization! Now the ship." He activated a hologram in front of zedd before he could say anything else. "i precisely meet your requirements. Saber class refit light cruiser formerly a Federation patrol vessel now suitable for independent operation. Her name is the dutchman. Fast, capable, 364 meters of possibility."

Zedd's interest grew at that point. He studied Saber refits while on the run; they are compact, warp-capable vessels with space for a few personnel and sufficient fire power to dissuade trouble makers. "specifications?"

The ship rotated slowly in the hologram; smooth-surfaced hull and nested nacelles and an extended shuttle bay aft.

"Saber length: 364.77 meters; eight decks; standard crew of forty; can operate lean. Warp speed 7 cruise/9.7 max/9.85 emergency for two hours. Ten multi-frequency shield generators/auto modulating/metaphasic regenerative. Type ii ablative armor. Four Type XII phaser arrays/dual torpedo launchers/fully loaded photons/quantums/tri cobalts. Six Type 11 shuttles/Danube runabout/Four worker bees convertible to attack wasps."

Zedd nodded slowly. "cost?"

"twenty-Five bricks," zorol stated matter-of-factly. "a bargain."

Zedd laughed at that. "twenty-Five bricks for a refit with patches? Fifteen bricks."

"15? You wound me! Twenty-three bricks & full resupply."

The negotiations began in earnest; zedd probed at the outdated AI and questionable sensor dampeners, while zorol promoted secret cargo holds and stealth modifications. Some passersby stopped to observe the familiar ritual.

After thirty minutes, zorol threw up his hands. "twenty bricks final Price!"

"Eighteen," zedd responded, "and we inspect her in orbit."

Zorol's eyes widened slightly as he considered this request; he tilted his head. "Eighteen pending inspection. Okay, let's go."

Both men boarded a private shuttle from the roof-top pad and ascended through the muggy atmosphere above new ferenginar until the orbital rings came into sight; enormous structures teeming with activity.

Zorol indicated where Docking Ring Alpha was located.

The dutchman hovered docked to an exterior berth, her hull reflecting the docking ring's bright lights, a sleek refurbished arrowhead bearing faded Federation insignia. Zedd felt drawn immediately to this vessel.

This could be it.

They beamed aboard directly to the bridge; consoles whirred quietly and the viewscreen displayed a panoramic image of the star field in the gamma quadrant.

Zorol stretched his arms. "perfect condition! Engines tuned/core running smoothly."

Zedd plugged in via dataport and allowed all information regarding systems to flow directly into his brain. Systems were functioning properly; AI outdated but modifiable; armaments and shielding met specifications; hidden bay large enough for what he wanted.

He disconnected. "good enough. However, alignment is needed on the runabouts thruster system and calibration of the worker bees system. 17 bricks."

Zorol's lobes flushed reddish pink. "Seventeen? Nineteen final Price."

"18", zedd replied, "clean registry transfer. No paper trail."

Zorol paced back and forth as he recited various rules of acquisition under his breath for a moment before extending a hand. "18 and done."

Latinum was transferred and zorol beamed off laughing triumphantly.

Alone on the bridge of the dutchman zedd had a look around at all the equipment and settled into the captains chair. The padding fit like it had been waiting for him. Beyond the views screen the gamma quadrant waited for trade lanes/nebulae/perils/oppportunities tangled together.

Freedom...or close enough to it for now.

But one man among 40 stations made the ship feel vacant so zedd pressed a button on the console.

"Computer maintain us in standard orbit around new ferenginar/low emission sensor dampeners/visible but plain/vessels not departing yet."

"acknowledged captain sykes/orbit stable/traffic control query estimated in 14 hours."

"enough time".

Zedd leaned forward and examined the readouts for any faults or issues with the dutchman's systems. The dutchman is perfect/fast armed unassuming but she needs people to operate her properly/people whom he trusts or at least ones who would not betray him at first opportunity.

New ferenginar was risky when recruiting informants were everywhere/corsairs reached out here but it also offered best market in the quadrant/misfits and exiles and talent looking for profit without oversight.

Zedd stood up and adjusted his jacket then headed toward the turbolift.

"Computer open secure channel to Docking Ring Beta public directory/crew recruitment boards/mercenary listings/Cantina Row forums/priority engineers/pilots/tactical specialists/medical staff/flag mention of black nebula or Crimson Corsairs."

"directory open/compiling listings," the Computer responded to him.

Zedd sat down at the ready room terminal and thought about how he wanted to frame his message brief and professional/something that would scare away potential employees with the wrong backgrounds but entice them with the right ones for the wrong reasons.

---

Private venture light cruiser Dutchman seeking experienced crew members for long range exploration and private venture operations in the gamma quadrant.

Positions available:

first mate
Engineering
Pilots
Weapons officer
Medical
General deck personnel

Shares of profit will be competitive. No questions asked regarding past associations/discreetness assured.

Inquire aboard Berth 47-A/Docking Ring Alpha

Captain Zedd Sykes.

---

He sent this out using light encryption across relevant platforms and prepared a shuttle for Cantina Row/he felt better about meeting someone face-to-face than reading their eyes over a holo-conference link.

As he looked through the view-port he paused for a moment. New ferenginar twisted below him; orbital traffic glittered every where around it.

Somewhere in that chaos/zedd knew there was already a group of crew members waiting to turn this ship into something real.

"Computer monitor responses/wake me for direct calls/shields stand-by."

The Computer acknowledged/zedd stepped onto the shuttle/sealed the hatch behind himself