ACT FIVE

FADE IN:

23 EST. LAS VEGAS - DAY

The hottest part of the day, sun beating down...

24 EXT. FERENGI AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE - POOL

The mansion’s outdoor area, with a sparkling clear pool and an expansive deck, all decorated in the kind of outrageous and gaudy extravagance that would make Liberace blush.

Derro, Quark and Nog all lay on sun beds under individual parasols, wearing tie-dye muumuus and sipping on elaborate cocktails. Meanwhile, poor fully dressed Uri’lash stands and waves a large palm frond to create a breeze.

QUARK
Well, this is certainly pleasant for
an afternoon, but I’m not sure I
could handle it full time. Don’t
you miss the rain and the mud?

DERRO
It’s surprising what a man can get
accustomed to when the service
of his people is at stake, Quark.

QUARK
Of course.

NOG
I’ve trained in environments from
Vulcan’s Forge to Andor’s icecaps
to zero-G spacewalks... but this
is a little too much even for me.
(beat)
I take it there’s no news?

DERRO
Just relax and enjoy the wait,
Nog. One of the benefits of my
line of work is the waiting for
other people to make decisions.

NOG
Uncle Quark...?

QUARK
Yes, Nog?

NOG
Why did you change your mind?

Quark takes a moment to sip his drink as he ponders this...

QUARK
I’m not sure I did. I still can’t
help worrying that this is all a
very bad idea. But your father
doesn’t think so. Derro here
doesn’t. You don’t. And it looks
like most of Ferenginar doesn’t
either. So I did it for them.

DERRO
A most unselfish act, Ambassador.

QUARK
Not sure that’s a compliment...

NOG
Seems to me you’ve been moving
in this direction for a while, uncle.
Becoming a philanthropist.

QUARK
You take that back!

NOG
Being an ambassador gave you
the power you’d always craved -

DERRO
I do enjoy that...

NOG
- it just took a while for you to
figure out how to use that power
to benefit people who aren’t you.

Quark can only sip his drink again, staring out at the sun bouncing off the beautiful clear water of the pool...

QUARK
Well... as I said to Bacco, we
should all savour this moment...
because it won’t happen often.

Derro CLINKS his glass to Quark’s, and they chuckle.

BEEP BEEP BEEP - an alert from the body of the house. They all jerk as they realise what this means...

DERRO
Uri’lash - the comm system!

The Hupyrian drops the palm frond - right onto Derro’s face - and rushes into the house...

Derro splutters and flails at the palm frond all over his face and in his drink, and Quark helps him with it...

Meanwhile Nog rises slowly from his sun bed, taking a deep breath at the magnitude of the moment...

25 INT. PALAIS - RECEPTION AREA

Nog is sitting in the waiting room again, presumably while Derro and Quark are in the office with Bacco. He chews his lip with nervousness...

AKAAR (o.s.)
Lieutenant Commander Nog!

Nog shoots to his feet, coming face to crotch once again with the gigantic Admiral Akaar.

NOG
Admiral.

AKAAR
At ease, Commander. I read
your after-action report from the
mission aboard the Challenger...

NOG
(gulp of nerves)
Yes, sir...

AKAAR
I admired your clever techniques
during the interrogation of Daimon
Bok’s agents. You may not be aware
that before his retirement from
command of the Challenger, Admiral
Scott entered commendations for
all the specialists who joined him
on the mission - including you.

Nog is overwhelmed with emotion at this news...

NOG
Thank you, Admiral. That means a
great deal to me.

They both turn to face the office doors, waiting...

26 INT. PALAIS - PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

Bacco stands in front of her desk. She holds out a padd...

Back in his best suit, Derro takes the padd from her.

He looks to one side, where K’mtok waits...

To the other, where Quark stands apart from the rest...

And finally back down at the padd in his hand. He presses his thumb to the screen, an affirmative BEEP...

Then hands the padd on to K’mtok, who presses his own thumb to the screen, another beep...

...and finally back to Bacco, who does likewise. With the third BEEP, they all step back to catch their breath. The three of them have just changed the shape of the galaxy.

BACCO
Ambassador Derro, welcome to the
Khitomer Accords.

DERRO
Thank you, Madam President,
Ambassador K’mtok. Good to be here.

As they all smile, Bacco turns to Quark...

BACCO
Ambassador Quark, you don’t want
to also sign your name to the
Accords? This was just as much
your success as anyone else’s.

QUARK
Thank you, Madam President, but
Derro is the actual ambassador to
the Federation. I’m just here...
in case of the unexpected.

POP - a SERVER uncorks a bottle of champagne and pours out four glasses, hands them around. They all sip...

BACCO
Please say you’ll at least stay
for the celebrations tonight...

QUARK
I’m afraid not. Please don’t think
I’m ungrateful. It’s just I have a
transport back to Bajor to catch.
Besides, I’m more used to throwing
the party than being the subject
of it. It’s enough to be here at
this moment, and to witness a
Klingon sipping champagne.

K’MTOK
(sly grin)
It is hardly a warrior’s drink...
but I will suffer it this once.

DERRO
On the subject of getting back, I
should inform my government that
the documents have been signed, if
you’ll excuse me, Madam President.

BACCO
Of course, Mister Ambassador.
I hope I’ll see you tonight...?

DERRO
I wouldn’t miss it for all the
latinum on Ferenginar.

Quark and Derro finish their drinks, hand back the glasses. Agent Wexler opens the door...

...and the two Ferengi stride happily out into the waiting area, joining Nog to wait for the turbolift...

Akaar nods polite acknowledgements to all present, then heads into the office himself to join Bacco and K’mtok. With the door closed again, Bacco offers Akaar a glass...

AKAAR
Thank you, no, Madam President.

K’MTOK
You should loosen up, Admiral!
This is a time to celebrate!

AKAAR
I have no wish to spoil the fun,
Mister Ambassador. But I do have
news regarding the Enterprise’s
mission to the Talar system...

BACCO
(deep breath)
Go ahead...

AKAAR
Captain Picard reports that the
Talarian Republic will not be
joining the Khitomer Accords.

K’mtok THROWS his glass into the office’s fireplace, where it SMASHES loudly, and curses loudly with it.

K’MTOK
ghuy’cha!

AKAAR
Indeed. On the positive side, nor
will they be joining the Typhon
Pact. They will remain neutral.

BACCO
Thank you, Admiral. Nevertheless,
we should celebrate - the Accords
have a new member as of today.

K’MTOK
(mocking)
Yes, the Ferengi. The Typhon Pact
must be trembling in their boots.

BACCO
Now now, Mister Ambassador. The
Ferengi Alliance may not be the
most militarily impressive nation
in the galaxy... but they have
their good points.

AKAAR
This is not a conflict of military
might, ma’am, but one of politics,
and of philosophy. We have shown
once again our ability to convince
our neighbours to work alongside
us in peace - even ones with such
divergent philosophies as the
Ferengi. So this is a victory...

BACCO
...of a sort.

She knocks back the last of her drink, the bubbles having long since evaporated...

27 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - TUCKER BUILDING - DAY

The large model of the Phoenix in the plaza the leads to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers building...

28 INT. TUCKER BUILDING - DAY

Quark and Nog stroll around the foyer of the building, as people come and go, passing the large holo-statues of great Starfleet engineers of the past...

NOG
Say hello to everyone on the
station for me.

QUARK
I will. But I want you to remember
what I told you, Nog. Just because
you’ve got that third pip on your
collar, don’t think that gives you
license to order me around. I am
not one of your junior officers.

NOG
I understand.

QUARK
And one other thing...

Quark stops, forces Nog to stop too and pay attention...

QUARK
(continuing)
Don’t you ever, ever, tell me I
don’t respect you. Do you hear me?
I am incredibly proud of you, and
of the way you’ve held on to your
Ferengi values while making a life
for yourself in the Federation.

NOG
If you’re so proud of me, why do
you insult me all the time?

QUARK
Because I’m old, and one of the
joys of being old is haranguing
the young for going further than
they ever dreamed. The next
time I come here, I want one of
these holo-statues to be you.

NOG
Uncle, these holo-statues are
all of dead people.

QUARK
Then you’ll just have to do some
thing so incredible that they’re
forced to give you a statue while
you’re still alive, won’t you?

Nog smiles, grateful for his uncle’s support. They HUG...

QUARK
Goodbye, Nog.

NOG
Bye, uncle.

Quark turns and walks out into the sunshine.

Nog pauses to look up at the holo-statue of SCOTTY for a moment, smiling with good memories...

...and then turns to walk back into the depths of the Tucker building, getting back to work.

FADE OUT

END OF SHOW