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BAR ASSOCIATION >
Synopsis
Episode Synopsis by Tracy Hemenover
The Defiant returns to the station after completing a maneuvers mission
in the Gamma Quadrant, during which there was no sign of the Jem'Hadar.
Worf discusses the ship's performance with Dax, who mischievously tells
him he's in love -- with the ship. "You exaggerate, as usual," he
replies.
In Quark's, Leeta giggles at the sight of her boyfriend, Bashir, on his
way to the holosuite with O'Brien, both dressed as 11th-century Irish
warriors. Meanwhile, at the bar, Rom is mixing up a concoction and
moaning in pain. "I know exactly how you feel," Quark says, looking at
the sparse crowd. There's not a single Bajoran here; it's their Time of
Cleansing, a month-long religious ritual. Rom pours the concoction, a
home remedy of their mother's, into his ear. He's suffering from a
severe ear infection, but Quark is unsympathetic and tells him to wait
one of the tables. Leeta is concerned for Rom, who keels over in a faint
as she's arguing with Quark. "Aren't you going to do something?" demands
Leeta. "Of course I'm going to do something," says Quark. "I'm going to
dock his pay."
One good thing about Rom's fainting spell is that it brings his
infection to the attention of Bashir, who treats it but wonders why Rom
didn't come to him before. Rom says he couldn't take the time off work;
there's a clause in his labor contract with Quark that prevents him from
doing so. Bashir is amazed at the injustice. "What you people need is a
union." Such a concept, however, is anathema to Ferengi society. Rom
tells him, "You don't understand. Ferengi workers don't want to stop the
exploitation. We want to find a way to become the exploiters." "Suit
yourself," says Bashir. "But I don't see you exploiting anyone."
Rom goes back to the bar, where Leeta's relieved to see he's all right.
The infection was a result of too much oo-mox, he explains, although
he's embarrassed to admit there was no female involved. They're still
talking when Quark gathers his employees together to make an
announcement. He's cutting everyone's salary by a third. "It's either
that or fire half the staff. Don't bother thanking me." Leeta protests,
but Quark is firm. As the workers dejectedly prepare to close up, Rom
speaks to him. "Brother, this isn't right. You can't just cut people's
salaries without warning." Quark says he can, and he has. "Now, why
don't you concentrate on keeping your hands off your lobes and leave the
business matters to me?" As for restoring everyone's salary after the
Time of Cleansing, that depends on the fiscal summation.
Rom makes one more appeal. "Brother, I'm asking you as a personal favor
to reconsider this pay cut." Quark pretends to do so for a moment.
"There. I've reconsidered it. My decision stands." "But, brother -- "
"Don't 'brother' me," Quark says harshly. "In this bar, you're not my
brother. You're my employee. And employees have no right to question the
management's decisions." Normally Rom would back off, but not this time.
"I'm warning you, if you don't rescind the pay cuts, you're going to
regret it," he says. Quark gives him a cold look. "The only thing I
regret is not being an only child."
Worf is walking down a corridor with Dax after a holosuite practice
session when they hear a noise from above. Worf thumps a ceiling panel,
which falls open, and out tumbles a Dopterian thief with a bag of booty.
Among the items, Dax finds Worf's tooth sharpener. A furious Worf takes
the thief to Odo, who has him locked up. "Unfortunately, these things
happen," Odo tells him. "They did not happen on the Enterprise," Worf
retorts. Odo smiles. "Really?" He whips out a PADD (you'd almost think
he was just waiting for this subject to come up) and begins reading off
instances of security breaches that did indeed happen on the Enterprise,
under Worf's watch as security chief there. "Shall I continue?" "That
will not be necessary," Worf says, gritting his teeth. Odo points out
that security on DS9 is more difficult to maintain than it is on a
starship. "I understand," Worf admits; Odo's got him. "It is just that I
find it...irritating." "So do I," agrees Odo. "But I'm afraid you're
just going to have to get used to it."
Rom calls the other bar employees together for an impromptu meeting in
his quarters. "I know that in the past I've always defended my brother
whenever he's taken a stance that's proven unpopular with the staff," he
tells them. "But I'm not going to do that today." The others are
surprised; this is unusual for Rom. "Quark's just using the cleansing
ritual to increase his profits at our expense," Rom declares. "It isn't
fair. And we're not going to take it." Leeta asks what they're going to
do about it. "We're going to fight back," Rom says. "In the only way we
can. We're going to form a...a..." Finally, he utters the sacrilegious
word. "We're going to form...a union."
Grimp and Frool, two of the Ferengi waiters, are horrified. Just talking
about a union will get them into serious trouble with the FCA. They're
doomed. "All right," argues Rom. "So we're doomed. FCA liquidators will
probably haunt us for the rest of our lives. But I say if they're going
to come after us, let's give them a good reason." He reminds them of all
the ways in which Quark has treated them unfairly, and that change won't
happen unless they make it happen. Ferengis are born to seize
opportunity when they see it. "We've been exploited long enough. It's
time to be strong, take control of our lives, our dignity, and our
profits. Strike a blow against Quark!" The others start to get fired up.
"Strike a blow against the FCA! Strike a blow against exploitation! Are
you with me?" Leeta leads the rest in a big "Yes!", and everyone starts
chanting, "Union, union, union...", even the Ferengi waiters.
O'Brien happens to be in the infirmary, getting a pimple on his neck
removed by Bashir, when Rom comes in, asking the doctor's advice about
unions. O'Brien approves. "A union, huh? Good for you." He happens to
have an ancestor, Sean Aloysius O'Brien, who led Pennsylvania coal
miners in a strike in 1902. The mines didn't open again until all the
demands of the striking workers were met. Since Quark is unlikely to be
reasonable, O'Brien advises Rom that he'll have to strike as well. "And
when you do, you'll have to be strong." Rom's confidence increases,
until O'Brien mentions that his ancestor's body was fished out of the
Allegheny River before the strike ended, with 32 (or maybe 34) bullets
in it. "Well, he died a hero," Bashir says. "He was more than a hero,"
O'Brien declares proudly. "He was a union man."
Later, in Ops, O'Brien works on Worf's station, which is down. Worf is
not pleased to hear it'll take a while. "That's the problem when you
combine Cardassian, Bajoran and Federation technology," says the Chief.
"None of it was meant to work together." "How do you tolerate working in
this environment?" Worf asks. O'Brien tells him it's easier than working
on the Enterprise, which surprises Worf; there were never these kinds of
problems on the Enterprise. "Tell me about it," says O'Brien. "Have you
any idea how bored I used to get sitting in the transporter room waiting
for something to break down? Here, I've half a dozen new problems every
day. This station needs me."
When Quark enters the bar the next day, he finds his entire work staff
assembled. Rom announces, "We're the Guild of Restaurant and Casino
Employees, and we're here to present our demands." Quark isn't sure he
heard right. It sounds like the U-word. Rom confirms it, and Quark reads
the demands. He starts to guffaw. "This is no joke," says Rom grimly.
"Yes, it is," chortles Quark. "And the fact that you don't know that it
is, is what makes it so funny. Now get back to work before I fire the
lot of you." Rom declares that he can't. "Why not?" Quark asks
mockingly. "Because as of right now, we're all on strike!" And the
employees march out. Quark laughs at first, but his mirth fades as the
last few pass him.
Rom and the others stand in front of Quark's, passing out slips of
latinum to passersby as bribes not to enter. Meanwhile, Quark has
resorted to using holographic copies of himself to carry out the work in
the bar, but the program is faulty. He asks Odo to get the striking
employees away from the front door; they're blocking access to his place
of business and causing a disturbance on the Promenade. Odo agrees; as
far as he's concerned, unions sound like trouble. "I don't like mobs. In
my opinion, if you need one to get what you want, it's not worth
getting." However, he won't haul the strikers away. Sisko has ordered
him not to interfere with their freedom of expression, as long as they
stay peaceful and allow people to enter the bar through the second
level.
Bashir and O'Brien make a game of watching the second-level entrance of
Quark's and guessing who will honor the strike and who won't. To their
surprise, they see Worf go in. O'Brien enters after him, full of
righteous indignation. The next thing they know, all three of them are
in a holding cell, having been arrested by Odo for brawling. Sisko comes
in to read them the riot act, and the three officers are appropriately
chagrined, though they try their best to spin the incident. "I suppose
I'm going to have to talk with Quark myself," says Sisko. "Find a way to
settle this strike and get things back to normal around here." O'Brien
dares to ask if they can leave now, and Sisko tells them he'll have Odo
release them...in the morning. "I hope you're proud of yourselves,"
Bashir grumbles to the other two.
As promised, Sisko has a talk with Quark, and tells him in no uncertain
terms to settle the strike. "Captain," says Quark, "I'm afraid you don't
understand what a delicate situation this is. Even talking with strikers
would be a violation of the most sacred precepts of Ferengi culture."
"Maybe I don't know much about Ferengi culture," Sisko replies, "but I
do know who holds the lease on your bar." The Federation hasn't once
asked Quark to pay his rent, or reimburse them for maintenance or the
drain on the station's power supply. But Sisko hints heavily that this
generosity will end unless Quark takes care of the matter. "I'll talk to
my brother," Quark finally says, defeated. "I'm glad we're in
agreement," Sisko says curtly.
Quark enters Rom's quarters as his brother is studying some PADDs, and
hands him one more, which contains the amount of latinum Quark is
willing to transfer to Rom's account in exchange for ending the strike.
Rom refuses, much to Quark's surprise. "Rom, we shouldn't be fighting.
We're brothers." But Rom parrots Quark's own words back to him, about
their being simply employer and employee when it comes to business. "I
was wrong," says Quark. "No, you weren't," Rom tells him. He has only
one thing to say to his brother. "'Workers of the world, unite. You have
nothing to lose but your chains.'" Quark looks at him in horrified
bewilderment. "What's happened to you?"
As if things weren't bad enough, when Quark goes back to the bar, he
finds Liquidator Brunt of the FCA there with two Nausicaan bully-boys.
He's here to end this labor dispute, "by any means necessary."
Rom and the other Guild members are encouraged by the way things seem to
be going. Grimp, though, is pessimistic. But Rom tells them about the
bribe Quark offered him to end the strike. "He's getting desperate. A
few more days and we'll get everything we want." Just then, however, the
door is forced open, and Brunt stands there with his Nausicaans.
Frool immediately caves and grovels on his knees, blubbering. Brunt
addresses the group. "If this was Ferenginar, I'd have you all taken to
the spire of the Tower of Commerce, displayed to the crowds in the Great
Marketplace below, and then shoved off, one by one. Small children would
bet on where you would land, and your spattered remains would be sold as
feed mulch for gree-worms." "Don't let him intimidate you," Rom says.
"We're not on Ferenginar." "Lucky for you," Brunt tells them. He goes on
to say that because they've been corrupted by Federation values, the FCA
is willing to forgive them; but if they're not back at their jobs
tomorrow morning, their assets will be confiscated and their trading
permits revoked -- to a Ferengi, a fate worse than death. Brunt leaves,
his point made.
The threat only strengthens Rom's determination to stand tall, like Sean
O'Brien. "I'm telling you, nothing has changed. Victory is within our
grasp. All we have to do is take it. Now, are you with me?" They are.
"Then let's get back on that picket line and show Quark what we're made
of!" The group march out the door with renewed energy -- all except
Frool, who is still on his knees. "Can I get up now?"
O'Brien is watching the strikers proudly when Worf joins him, to
apologize for letting things get out of hand the other day. "It never
should have happened. And under normal circumstances, it never would
have. But there is something about this station I find unsettling."
"You'll get used to it," says O'Brien, but Worf has already found
another solution. He is going to move onto the Defiant; Sisko has okayed
it, as long as it doesn't interfere with his duties. "But you'll be
living out there all by yourself," exclaims O'Brien. Worf looks at him.
"I know."
Rom walks Leeta home; she's impressed by the way he stood up to Brunt.
"You've surprised a lot of people. Including me." She kisses his
forehead before going inside, and Rom stands there with a dreamy grin
until Quark hisses at him from behind a corner. He has to talk to Rom.
"The FCA's involved now. And those Nausicaans working for Brunt aren't
just for show." "I'm not going to let Brunt intimidate me," Rom
declares. But Quark is genuinely concerned for him. "Don't you see, Rom?
You should be intimidated. There's no telling what Brunt might do, and I
don't want you to get hurt."
"You never cared what happened to me before," Rom accuses him. Quark
protests that he's always cared about him. "I've tried to protect you,
save you from yourself." "How?" Rom shoots back bitterly. "By telling me
I was an idiot my whole life?" "I had to be tough on you!" Quark
justifies. "I was trying to make you a better Ferengi." But never again
will Rom buy that. "What you were trying to do was make yourself feel
important. Making me feel dumb made you feel smart. But I'm not dumb,
and you're not half as smart as you think you are."
"Rom, you have to listen to me," Quark says desperately. "The FCA
doesn't have to answer to anyone. And if Brunt decides to get rid of
you, I won't be able to stop him." "Look at it this way," Rom replies.
"If Brunt gets rid of me, then all your problems are solved. You always
said you wanted to be an only child!"
Brunt is sitting at the bar, his Nausicaans off to the side playing a
charming little game of tossing darts into each other, when Quark
enters. He tells Brunt he needs more time. "Look, you're here to help
me, right?" "Wrong," says Brunt. "I'm here to enforce Ferengi law, and
to protect Ferengi tradition. And that means putting an end to this
strike. Now, I can see we are going to have to make an example of
someone." Quark was afraid it would come to this. "I don't want my
brother hurt." "I wasn't thinking of him," Brunt assures him. "Attack
the leader of a movement, and you risk creating a martyr. No, Rom must
not be touched. Our target must be someone unexpected, someone he cares
about." He thinks aloud about Leeta, but says he couldn't bring himself
to give the order. "Let's see, who else does Rom care about?" And he
looks at Quark. "Me?" Quark gasps, as the Nausicaans come over in
response to Brunt's call. "But I'm on your side." Brunt just smiles.
"Ironic, isn't it?"
Quark ends up in the infirmary, having been beaten within an inch of his
life by the Nausicaans. He was saved only by Odo's intervention, as he
tells Rom when his brother visits. Rom is less than sympathetic. "Don't
you get it?" says Quark. "This was a message, for you." Brunt and the
Nausicaans may be in a holding cell, but Quark has no intention of
pressing charges; he's in enough trouble with the FCA as it is. "Either
way, the FCA will just send another liquidator. And that one will make
an example of you." Quark simply wants to end the strike.
"So give us what we want," says Rom. Quark tells him he can't. "I'm not
going against ten thousand years of Ferengi tradition." Not to mention,
he's afraid of the FCA. "And if you had any sense, you'd be afraid of
them too. If this strike doesn't get settled soon, we're both going to
find ourselves tossed out the nearest airlock. You have to dissolve the
union...At least, officially." He has an idea. If Rom dissolves the
union, making it look like Quark has won, Quark will meet the workers'
demands. After a bit more negotiation, in which Quark reluctantly
concedes an immediate raise as well, Rom finally agrees.
Dax visits Worf in his new quarters on the Defiant, and brings him a
present, a collection of Klingon operas. "You know, Worf, in the end,
living on the Defiant isn't going to change anything. You're still going
to have to get used to life on the station." Worf isn't so sure; Dax
tells him he'll have to adapt sooner or later. "Perhaps, in the end, it
will be all of you who will have to adapt to me," Worf says.
The strike is over, and so is the Time of Cleansing; things are getting
back to normal. Rom enters the bar, now clad in a Bajoran uniform, and
orders a snail juice. He announces that he's no longer working here.
"I've wiped my last table and mixed my last Black Hole. Starting today,
I'm one of the station's diagnostic and repair technicians. Junior
grade, night shift."
Quark is shocked. After all, he gave Rom everything he wanted. "I know,"
says Rom. "But if the strike taught me anything, it's that I do a lot
better when you're not around. Don't worry. I'll keep your holosuites
running and fix your replicators when they're broken. I think this'll be
really good for our relationship." "I don't," Quark says, feeling a
little hurt. But Rom points out, "If I keep working for you, all I have
to look forward to is waiting for you to die so I can inherit the bar.
Well, I don't want you to die. And besides, I deserve to have a life of
my own now." "But without me looking after you -- " Quark begins. "I'll
do fine," Rom finishes, firmly.
Though Quark doesn't like this development, he has no choice but to
accept it. No longer the lowly employee, Rom orders, "Now get me my
snail juice...brother."
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