“Why does he keep it all in books?” Captain Samara Ki sat in the passenger section of the old shuttle while Hasara charted their course. “I’ve known my share of eccentric Ferengi in my time, but he seems…different.”

The Cardassian tapped the command, and the shuttle jumped to warp speed. He rechecked the systems and returned to his seat across from the Director of Intelligence, “I’m rather amused you don’t know, captain.”

She stared at him silently for several minutes before answering, “I am aware of most of your crew. Hagasi is known only by reputation compared to the hard facts and figures I have on your associates. A reputation, I must reiterate that is quite unsavory…to put it lightly.”

Hasara remained amused, “I’ll tell you only because you don’t strike me as someone who would give up searching for the answer…and Hagasi can be violent when needs must.” He leaned forward, “Eighty years ago, he got his start. Ran it all electronically. Two years in, his partner turned on him. Stole all his data, wiped the computer cores, and left Hagasi to die on a planet in the Rimward. He survived by scrounging plants and insects…found some dirty water, and held it together for a month until someone came looking for him. He never put another piece of data into a computer again.”

Samara sat back in a rare state of awe. “He’s been keeping records of transactions, intelligence, and who knows else in those…books? It is remarkably archaic.”

He shrugged, “It’s served him well. He codes the books in his encryption model, so good luck with trying to understand it. He’s a shadow financier and keeps mainly out of sight. You don’t know about him because there’s more like him out there who prefer to remain out of sight, sound, and mind.” He pulled his legs up and shifted onto his back, “And if you want to keep on living and doing what you’re doing, you should keep it that way, captain.”

She frowned, “You’re threatening a Director of Intelligence. Not sure that’s…,”

He stopped her, “No threat—just facts. The rimward is one of the wilder places in the universe…but folks like Hagasi are all over. They won’t take kindly to Starfleet Intelligence stepping into their kitchen.”

She mused, “Literal or metaphorical?”

He smiled, “Both.”

“This was once a research facility.” Samara mused. She wasn’t in uniform and walked a step behind Hasara. The Ferengi had identified three possible locations for the device. They were one of the teams, while Krov and Sinai were another. Hagasi had chosen Commander Milton Ford to round out team three with him.  Each team had been dispatched to a possible location.

The Cardassian swept his scanner as he walked, “It’s changed hands plenty over the years…and purposes. The last owner was a slightly eccentric scientist working on a plan to create life from death.” He reached the door, eying the blasts that scarred the doorway, “He failed – died on his table.” The door clicked and swung creakily open, revealing a long corridor. “Do you subscribe to the idea of a sixth sense?”

Samara shared in staring down the long hallway, “Personally and professionally, yes…why?”

Hasara grumbled, “Because I have a bad feeling about this. Time for some cowboy diplomacy.” He slipped out his twin phaser pistols, and she did the same. They inched down the hall, sweeping with weapons and scanners alike. Nothing. They reached the large door, and he tapped at the console, incurring a beep and then a whir as the door groaned open, exposing the expansive interior. Both stepped inside, sweeping the room.

Her voice was calm as she reported, “We’ve life signs…but they’re not moving. Reading ten of them, all stable.” She tapped at her device, “I’m starting to think the device was more powerful and faster acting than we initially thought.” She showed Hasara the screen, “They’re in some kind of stasis.”

The Cardassian narrowed his eyes as he searched the floors below, “Waiting for orders? Waiting for victims?”

She searched the doors around them, finding empty offices. Hasara waited and did some additional scanning work. He was able to pinpoint most of the life signs. They appeared to be two decks below. He looked up as she returned, a curious look on her face, “I don’t think they knew what they had. The limited records I could access made it seem like they’d discovered the greatest thing in the universe…and began immediate testing.”

Hasara scoffed, “What kind of scientists are they?”

Samara’s face remained intractable, “There was always this rumor that the device had never left where it had been built and tested – that somehow it just…sat in the back of a storeroom.” She gestured to the facility, “This may be where part of the Frontier Day attack plans began.”

He kept a grip on his phasers, “So some down on their luck group stumbles onto this place, spends time searching for whatever was done here…and finds the thing…and starts playing with it.” Hasara shook his head, “Those life signs are a lie…or at least…an earlier version of the young assimilated.”

Samara finished the thought, “An imperfect assimilation. Their real selves could be beneath the surface.” She turned at the long stare her Cardassian partner gave her, “I’ve done my share of work with the Borg. I’ve seen it when assimilation fails. I’ve seen the person screaming out from the inside.”

He asked, “What was to be done?”

She shrugged, “Death was the only way to ease their pain.”

“It never bothered you?”

Samara swiveled her head to face him. “Assimilation is death, Hasara. We don’t get to be as lucky as Jean Luc Picard and his intrepid team of miracle workers. For each one we saved, we lost hundreds. Death was the only way to ease their pain.” She nodded at the stairwell, “Does it ever bother you?”

Hasara returned her shrug, “I protect mine and my own – killing to keep those lives in the balance doesn’t bother me. Today, those lives include you.”

She asked, “And tomorrow?”

“That is another day and another conversation. Shall we?” He thought he spotted a slight smile on the placidly paced Intelligence Director’s face but decided to let it go. She replied with a nod, and they began their descent.