Note this is a sequel to the Bendross Series...
Star Trek - Outwardly Mobile
Bureacracy
by
Jay P Hailey
and the Bendross Players
Gagarin City, Earth Orbit, 2125
They were ushered into a conference room and sat down. Hamilton sat last looking carefully at the men across the table
"I don't like the looks of this."
Don Ashby, His older son looked at him surprised. "Why not Dad?"
Ellen Kerensky looked at Hamilton carefully but did say a word, which wasn't like her.
Charles Ashby looked bemused at the men across the table trying to divine what threat they could pose.
Martin quirked an eyebrow at Hamilton and nodded faintly. He agreed. It looked like an ambush meeting. When a Corporate wanted you to take an unfavorable job, he often hit you with the meeting quickly, and slid the knife between your ribs buried in a flurry of details.
Martin leaned back and breathed deeply, centering himself. Although time and tide had dulled his reflexes a little, it made him less likely to fall for stupid tricks.
"Greetings." The first Corp said. "I'm Blakely Johns, and this is Bertrand Hafsnel."
Hafsnel nodded "Mister... Ah Ashby? Please have a seat."
Hamilton slid into the offered seat carefully. "The answer is no."
The two Corps blinked at him. "Really? No to what?" Johns asked.
"Whatever you're going to ask us for." Hamilton said. He slid a glance at Martin and resented him genially. Although both were in their early sixties, Hamilton looked it. Martin didn't. His hair had some distinguished gray streaks. Other than that he looked just right to start playing the active Executive in underwear ads, Except for his habitual blandness.
Johns and Hafsnel looked at each other. "But you agreed to come and testify before the Earth Alliance Senate about conditions on your world..." Hafsnel read the name off a PADD with some distaste. "Bendross?"
Hamilton looked at Martin and thy subtly agreed again. The Corps were going to play stupid until they thought they had the hook set.
Knowing he'd be more credible as the kead in Hamilton leaned forward "Alright. What do you want?"
Johns chewed his lip "Well, Sir. I am your allotment adjudicator."
"My wha-what?" Hamilton asked.
Hafsnel worked through some distaste again. "We're here to decide how much you'll be paid for your testimony."
Hamilton nodded with a thoughtful expression "Oh, Okay. Two hundred thousand. Each."
Johns looked up from his PADD. "Two hundred thousand what?"
"Dollars, Euros, Rupees, Pieces of Eight. Whatever you're offering." Hamilton said.
Don boggled at him. Ellen stifled a giggle.
Hamilton kept his poker face with great effort and mentally noted to play poker with the kids some more and take their cookies away more ruthlessly. Since the kids were in their mid twenties, it probably wouldn't help much.
The reaction of the two men across the table was hardly more professional. They looked at each other obviously dismayed.
"Emm, Mister Ashby, You misunderstand me." Hafsnel said.
Hamilton nodded affably. Here's where the corps would make their counter offer.
"This isn't a business negotiation as such." Hafsnel continued, again looking uncomfortable.
Hamilton grinned "You employer's a tough guy, I get it." Everyone was friends, no knives behind anyone's back.
Johns nodded. "This is more... information gathering."
Hamilton looked confused. "Well the critical piece of information is on the table gentlemen. We want money, you want testimony."
Both Johns and Hafsnel looked like Hamilton had flashed them. "This isn't some mercantile exchange. You said you'd come and testify." Hafsnel sounded outraged.
"You're the one who mentioned getting paid." Hamilton said. Their reaction was confusing him. But he had to fly the groove now, to look at Martin would betray weakness in their position.
"I am getting the definite feeling there's a communication problem here." Johnny Ashby said. "Dad, could you tell me a little about what's happening here?"
Hamilton glared at Johnny. It was patently the stupidest thing he'd heard all day. Then he saw the expressions. Ellen, Don and John were confused and the two Corps looked like they were about ready to flee.
Hamilton took a deep breath "Well, John, this is a negotiation. It's a sort of adversarial relationship. We have a service, they have money. The end goal is to exchange our services for their money. Our goal is to maximize the amount of money they pay for our service. Their goal is to minimize it."
"But that's not true!" Johns said with the same horrified expression.
John held up his hand "Mister Johns, recall that we're all new around here. It's been since 2072 since my Dad and Martin have set foot on Earth and I have never been here. Could you explain it to me?"
Johns nodded. "Earth doesn't run like that any more. We're a credit based society based on energy generation and services provided to society."
"What?" Hamilton asked.
"There's no money as you understand the term any more Mister Ashby." Johns said.
"You're shitting me."
"No sir." Johns said. "As your allotment adjudicator, it's my job to measure the work you do for society, and then make sure the amount of credit you're allocated is fair compared to what you add to Society."
Hamilton stared at him with his mouth open.
"You're serious." Martin said quietly
"That's the stupidest fucking thing I think I've ever heard!" Hamilton said. "Jesus, even the communists weren't that dumb!"
John leaned forward "Dad, take it easy."
"We're being played!"
John Barked "DAD!"
Hamilton looked at his son.
"What's that you were always telling us if another ship landed?"
Hamilton looked surly.
"What was it, Dad?" John pressed.
Hamilton shook his head. "I shoulda let the Andorians have ya, that's what."
John, Don and Ellen grinned. John said "But before that you always said -"
"Don't take anything for granted."
The door opened and the trio of Lemurites came in. Sandy-Coat, Finds things, and their son Joshua.
"Heeeey, Sandy." Hamilton grinned honestly.
Joshua climbed happily onto Hamilton's shoulder. While Sandy-Coat and Finds-Things climbed into a chair.
"What it is, Unka Ham?" Joshua chirped happily.
Hamilton grinned "It is what it is, boy."
When he saw the stunned look on Johns and Hafsnel's faces he grinned wider.
"The Doctors have certified us." Finds-things said. Hamilton heard a wry tone in her voice. "We are not carrying any disease."
"Emmm greetings." Johns said. "I'm Blakely Johns and this is Bertrand Hafsnel."
"I am pleased to meet you, Mister Johns and Mister Hafsnel. I am Sandy Coat of the Sunrise Tribe. This is my wife Finds things and our son Joshua Sunrise." Sandy Coat said with utmost diplomacy.
"These gentlemen were regailing us with tales of the worker's paradise." Hamilton said. Johns, Hafsnel and Martin were the only ones in the room who got the reference.
"Mister Ashby, sneer if you must but this is the system Earth works under today. This system helped us recover from the wars and the unification campaigns and build a world that works."
"It's less filling and tastes great." Hamilton sneered.
Johns sighed. Hafsnel looked stern. "Mister Ashby. We'll be asking you questions about your life and your work on your world... Bendross. You may consider this background for your testimony if you like."
"I'm not sure if I like your attitude there Mister Haskel." Hamilton said.
Don nodded to himself. "I'll answer. Ask away."
Johns and Hafsnel looked at each other and then nodded. "Thank you Mister Ashby."
"Call me Donovan. Mister Ashby is my Dad."
"And just what are you doing, Mister Ashby?" Hamilton asked pointedly.
Don rolled his eyes. "I'll answer their questions while you all watch. If they hurt me, or try to cheat me, you can leap in and end the questioning."
Sandy Coat asked. "This is a very odd discussion. We speak as though our two new friends are not here."
Hamilton nodded and looked wry. "Yeah. Usually you settle these issue before going into a business negotiation."
"You treat this as worse than setting up a cooperative hunt between two hostile tribes, Hamilton." Finds-Things said.
Hamilton grinned "You have no idea."
-end-
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this story for me.
This story posted by permission of the author. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.