ACT THREE

FADE IN:

16 INT. PALAIS - RECEPTION AREA

NOG sits on the couch, uncomfortable and restricted in his dress whites. Nothing to do but sit there and wait.

He notices SIVAK cock an eyebrow and turn his head a touch, as if listening in with his sensitive Vulcan hearing. Two can play that game - NOG also turns his head slightly, manoeuvring his giant Ferengi ears to the right angle...

INSERT - NOG’S EAR

BACCO
(o.s., muffled)
Mister Ambassador, please...

QUARK 
(o.s., muffled)
I said no!

BACK TO SCENE

Nog grits his teeth - just as he feared, Quark is screwing this up. But before he can do anything about it...

AKAAR (o.s.)
Lieutenant Commander Nog!

Nog jumps to his feet, coming face to groin with Adm AKAAR.

NOG
Sir! Sorry sir, I was distracted -

AKAAR
So I see. At ease, Commander.
Why are you in the Palais?

NOG
I’m serving as the official escort
for Ambassador Quark, sir. He’s
with the president right now.

AKAAR
Ah. Very well, carry on.

NOG
Thank you, sir.

Akaar turns to face the office doors, straight and tall. Without leave to sit, Nog remains standing, terrified at being in the presence of the Starfleet C-in-C. They stand in silence, Akaar literally twice the size of Nog.

NOG
I understand you were recently
on Deep Space Nine, Admiral.

AKAAR
That is correct, Commander.

NOG
How is everyone, if I may ask?

AKAAR
You need not attempt to engage
me in small talk, Mister Nog. I
am perfectly comfortable waiting
in silence. But... they are well.

NOG
(gulp)
Aye, sir. Thank you, sir.

The office door OPENS, Agent Wexler allowing first K’mtok to stomp out angrily and thunder towards an EXIT.

Quark and Derro follow him, Derro fluttering towards a different exit, while Quark heads right for the turbolift.

QUARK
Come on, Nog - we’re leaving.

Nog stretches to look up at Akaar, who nods permission. Nog slips in beside Quark, they both step in, the doors close.

Quietly curious, Akaar heads into the office himself, past the expressionless Sivak, and allows Wexler to close the door behind him.

17 EXT. PARIS - PALAIS DE LA CONCORDE - DAY

Quark and Nog step out of the security hall, into the open air plaza of the Place de la Concorde. Quark forges ahead, head high and bullish, while Nog scampers to keep up.

NOG
(to his back)
Uncle, I really think we ought
to talk about this -

QUARK
(walking away)
Nothing to talk about, Nog.

NOG
But uncle -

QUARK
They weren’t prepared to budge,
so the deal’s off. That’s it.

NOG
Just hold on a minute, it’s not
too late, we can go back in -

QUARK
You’ll have to hurry up if you
want to catch the dinner buffet.
Or I can just leave you here -

Nog plants himself and breaks out his command voice.

NOG
Ambassador Quark! As a Starfleet
officer, I order you to stop!

As nearby strangers gawp, Quark turns on the spot and walks right back to Nog, looming over him with a sneer.

QUARK
Do you really think I’m impressed
by that? Order whoever you want
- Starfleet has no control over me.

NOG
(not intimidated)
Yes, you’ve made it very clear how
little you respect me. Oh, you put
on a big sentimental display in
front of your friends, told them
how much you’d miss me, but
this is the real you, isn’t it?

QUARK
(sigh)
What are you talking about now?

NOG
You always hated the Federation.
That’s why you tried to sabotage
my joining Starfleet years ago,
and why you deliberately ruined
everything my father has been
working towards for years today.

QUARK
I have no idea what you -

NOG
You don’t care about extradition
treaties! You were just looking
for an excuse to blow the deal.

QUARK
It was a bad deal! Rule number -

NOG
(snaps)
Oh will you shut up about the
Rules! You have done nothing but
spout Rules at me since you got
here. Not everything is about the
damned Rules of Acquisition.

QUARK
Yes it is. Of course it is.

Quark calmly tries to get through to his deeply confused nephew, who clearly just needs someone to explain to him...

QUARK
Listen, Nog. I’ve been in business
longer than you’ve been alive, and
there is not one single situation I
have ever faced that didn’t have
a Rule to cover it. That’s why I
know the Khitomer Accords are
a bad deal for Ferenginar.

NOG
You mean it’s a bad deal for you,
because you’d have to admit you’re
wrong. All being in business for a
long time means is that you’re old
fashioned, as bad as Derro. Worse,
you’re inflexible - and selfish.

QUARK
(jaw drops)
Selfish? I’m trying to protect the
Ferengi people - my people - from
getting stuck in a bad deal.

Nog is metaphorically tearing his hair out, trying equally hard to get through to his stubborn uncle...

NOG
It’s not a bad deal! Joining the
Khitomer Accords would mean the
Ferengi are respected as equal to
the Federation and the Klingons.
It means we get to collaborate as
equals, make new kinds of deals
all across the galaxy. It meanswe
get to be trusted by people for
once, instead of laughed at.

QUARK
But that’s the whole point, Nog.
Shouldn’t we be respected for our
own sake, not just because of our
association with the Federation?
We have our own culture and our
own values, and the Federation
always says they respect that,
but we both know it’s a lie.

NOG
Yeah well, that’s because Ferengi
culture isn’t respectable.

Quark stops and gapes with amazement at what Nog said...

QUARK
Nog, do you hear yourself? Not
respectable - by whose standards?
Do you hate yourself that much?

NOG
(shocked laugh)
I don’t hate myself! I love being
a Ferengi, but I’m tired of being
looked down on by everyone I
ever meet, including you.
(calmer)
So I took the best parts of being a
Ferengi and found a way to make
them work with the rest of the
galaxy. And it turns out if you do
that, people actually respect you.
That’s what I get out of serving
in Starfleet, uncle - respect.
Opportunity. Things I never got
from working in your bar.

QUARK
I’m sorry you feel that way, Nog.
But I love being a Ferengi too -
too much to change everything
about myself just to fit in with
the Federation.

NOG
But I’m still a Ferengi! Our ways
can work with the Federation, I’m
the proof. That rogue Daimon? I
foiled his plans by playing on my
father’s name to negotiate a deal
with his underlings, and get the
information Starfleet needed. What
could be more Ferengi than that?

QUARK
(looks around)
Well, I’m still not convinced.

NOG
Aaaggh! Why do you always have
to be so pig-headed, so stubborn
and obstructionist? Why can’t you
ever just go along with things?

QUARK
But don’t you see, Nog? That’s
exactly the problem, right there.
Everyone is expected to “just go
along” with the Federation. And
why wouldn’t they? The Federation
is always right, always virtuous
and true, always the good guys.

NOG
They’ve saved your life a hundred
times over.

QUARK
I know that! And I’m grateful. But
does that mean they can never
do anything wrong? That I’m
never allowed to criticise them?

NOG
You never stop criticising them.

QUARK
Well, somebody needs to! Because
somehow, these hew-mons have
got it into their weirdly small heads
that they are the default position
- that sooner or later everyone
will come around to their way of
thinking and join the Federation.

NOG
(frustrated growl)
We are not joining the Federation.
We are just allying with them.

QUARK
To quote Vic - potayto, potahto.
The Klingons used to be the most
violent, bloodthirsty monsters in
the galaxy, but ever since they
joined the Accords, they’re about
as tough as those damned puppies.

NOG
I thought you hated the Klingons.

QUARK
Of course I hate them! They love
stabbing things, and then singing
songs about how much they love
stabbing things. But the point is,
they changed all that to fit into
what the Federation expected. And
I don’t want that to happen to us.

NOG
The Klingons changed because
they realised that it benefits
people to work together.

QUARK
I agree. But does that “together”
always have to be on such
hewmon-centric terms?

Quark gestures around them - at the Place de la Concorde, filled with aliens of all races.

QUARK
Look where we are right now, Nog.
Look at it! The Palais de la Concorde,
the centre of government for the
entire Federation. And where is it?
On Earth.
(beat)
Representatives from more than a
hundred-fifty worlds, and if they
want a say in the decisions that
affect the lives of every person
living on those worlds, where do
they have to come? To Earth.
(beat)
The height of the Borg invasion,
and President Bacco sends out a
decree that if one particular planet
falls, then that’s it, it’s over, we
all give up and go home. And
what planet was that, Nog? Was
it Vulcan? Was it Qo’noS? Was
it Ferenginar? No, it was Earth.

NOG
Alright, uncle. I get it.

QUARK
Do you, really? Because you need
to understand why they’re in the
state they’re in right now. Why
they’re so desperate for us to
join up to their little alliance.
Because it was that very attitude
that created the Typhon Pact, Nog.
They brought it on themselves.
(deep breath)
You’re tired of being looked down
on? The whole galaxy is tired of
being looked down on by the hew-
mons and the Klingons. They’re
tired of being bullied, and pushed
around, and expected to fall into
line. They’re tired of “just going
along” with the Federation.
(sigh)
And so am I.

On that pronouncement, Quark turns and walks away across the plaza, leaving Nog to consider his words...

FADE OUT

END OF ACT THREE