Episode 95. In Search of Latinum
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Friday, October 18, 2024 - 5:22 PM
- Location
-
- Tellar Prime
- Zorek Spaceport
- Docks
- Timeline
- Schak'Irra Timeline
- Previously
-
Recently arrived in the Tellar system, the crew of USS Enterprise is trying as best it can to restore its ship after weeks drifting through space. Thanks to a daring barter orchestrated by Agnes Rodriguez, the Earthlings obtained docking rights at Zorek Spaceport, an industrial zone teeming with life and dominated by the Tellarites, known for their blunt speech and sense of commerce. There, they meet Gornok, a mechanic as grumpy as he is talented, who agrees to repair Enterprise... provided he is paid in latinum, a rare and precious metal no one seems to have.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes V. Rodriguez | NATO / Special Fleet | Captain | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Angie Chen | NATO / Special Fleet | Commander | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Commander | Andorian | Prime Timeline |
| T'Met | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Captain | Vulcan | Prime Timeline |
| Robert Gomard | NATO / Army | Colonel | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| K'hoka Khol'a | Independent | Étoile Diamantée des Astres Pétillants | Orion | Schak'Irra Timeline |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Docked at Zorek Spaceport |
| Captain | Agnes V. Rodriguez |
| First Officer | Angie Chen |
| Artificial Intelligence | Lingua (Unofficial) |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Tactical | Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi (Unofficial) |
| Science | T'Met (Unofficial) |
| Advanced Weapons | Eros Vitos |
| Security | Robert Gomard (Unofficial) |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers |
|
| Detainees | Vladimir Joseph Putin and his bodyguards |
| Ground Team |
|
TL;DR
Barely out of Gornok's workshop, Tarsi explodes: Agnes has just promised a fortune in latinum, a currency impossible to find in this era. As tension rises among them, a helmeted stranger approaches, claiming to know a way to obtain some. They cautiously follow this person through the spaceport's alleys... only to discover that she is an Orion woman: K'hoka Khol'a, a waitress and dancer with a dubious reputation. Distrustful, Tarsi draws her ushaans, but Agnes manages to calm things down. K'hoka then offers them a deal: take part in an evening at her establishment, L'Étoile Diamantée des Astres Pétillants, in exchange for the profits, enough to gather the necessary sum. In return, she asks for only one favor: to be taken far away from Tellar Prime.
Story
Now that Gornok has agreed to repair Enterprise, we leave the workshop and find ourselves back on the dock. Tarsi did not like the way the deal was handled, and she lets me know it vehemently by throwing a punch at my face.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
You deserved that one, Agnes! By a little porcelain targ, what got into you, accepting that sucker's deal?!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Ow! Are you out of your mind? You almost ripped my jaw off!
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
What is the problem, Tarsi?
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
It turns out your dear captain promised to pay that Tellarite with latinum!
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
So what?
Capt. T'Met
At this point in history, latinum is impossible to find in this sector of the galaxy, and that Tellarite is not supposed to know it exists.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
It can't be that rare, since you brought some back from Schak'Irra's wreck. I read it in the inventory!
Capt. T'Met
That is correct. In the 26th century, all Federation vessels, including Schak'Irra, carry a small quantity of latinum for various uses. But we have only 50 bars.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
You could have asked us, Agnes! What do you intend to do now?!
Col. Robert Gomard Army
We could melt it down and mix it with another metal to get 200 bars.
Capt. T'Met
Illogical. Latinum is already in liquid form. Your deception would fool no one, Colonel.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
We have several weeks to find some. I suggest we take Tal'Kyr and go to a planet where that currency is actually used.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
No, no, no! The sectors where latinum is mined are too far away, and besides, when Tal'Kyr leaves Enterprise's shuttle bay, it will become a target for the Tellarite authorities!
Col. Robert Gomard Army
Do not shout so loudly. A guy who looks like Darth Vader has been watching us for a little while.
Hidden behind the corner of a building, a figure wearing a strange suit and helmet steps out of the shadows and heads toward us...
Stranger
Are you latinum prospectors?
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
Us? Nooooo. We are just tourists.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Yes, in a way, we are prospectors. Do you know where we can find some?
Stranger
Follow me...
Intrigued, we decide to follow this stranger, who leads us through a narrow little alley and finally into a discreet building. Once inside, the person removes her helmet, revealing the olive-green face of a woman. In a quarter of a second, Tarsi draws her ushaans...
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
En garde, green viper!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Tarsi! Sheathe your blades! That is an order!
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
Absolutely not, Agnes! Orions cannot be trusted. Their people are pirates, thieves, and swindlers!
Col. Robert Gomard Army
Me, I think she is cute, hmm... I'm already falling for her...
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
Robert, get away from her. The females are enchantresses!
Orion Woman
It is true that my pheromones are excessively powerful this time of year, but I am no longer a pirate. Do you want to do business with me or not?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Lower your weapon, Tarsi! Let's hear what she has to say.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
I assure you, at the slightest suspicious move, I will slit your throat, green vermin!
K'hoka Khol'a
My name is K'hoka Khol'a. You are in my establishment, L'Étoile Diamantée des Astres Pétillants.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Nice to meet you, K'hoka. I am Captain Agnes Rodriguez. Let me introduce my team: my first officer Angie Chen, Colonel Robert Gomard, Captain T'Met, and the intrepid Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi.
Col. Robert Gomard Army
I love that name, L'Étoile Diamantée des Astres Pétillants. It sounds like a jewelry store for mint-flavored sparkling sodas.
K'hoka Khol'a
Thank you. I borrowed my family's ancestral title to name my little business.
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
What do you do here?
K'hoka Khol'a
I'm mainly a waitress and an exotic dancer these days. At the moment, there is a foreign customer who comes regularly and pays me in latinum. That should interest you.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I thought that currency wasn't used here.
K'hoka Khol'a
That is correct. This person comes from a distant world and deals exclusively in latinum throughout the Tellar sector.
Capt. T'Met
Strange.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Why do you say that, T'Met?
Capt. T'Met
Latinum did not begin circulating in this sector until the 23rd century.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Maybe it's a consequence of the temporal contamination in 1954.
Capt. T'Met
Probable, but uncertain. Earth is too far away for there to be such a significant impact over a short period.
K'hoka Khol'a
I do not understand what you are talking about. Do you want to do business with me?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Yes. We need 150 bars of latinum. What do you have in mind?
K'hoka Khol'a
I will hire you for the evening at my bar, and I will give you all the profits. That should be enough to reach your goal.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
This smells like a scam. No Orion woman would ever give anything up!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Enough, Tarsi! I assume you're not doing this purely out of charity. What are you trying to get from us?
K'hoka Khol'a
You're right. Under normal circumstances, I would never let that much latinum slip through my fingers. Once you have obtained your latinum, I want you to take me to a planet outside this system.
Col. Robert Gomard Army
I am completely in favor. I would gladly lend you my cabin...
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Stay serious for two seconds, Robert. Why leave Tellar Prime when you are well established here?
K'hoka Khol'a
It's a long story... Come to my dressing room, and I'll tell you everything...