Lieutenant JG Ollie Bergmen - Ferenginar: Upcoming Shoreleave, and a Changing Ferengi Politics
CPT Arianus
(( Auditorium - Operations Center, Deck 5, USS Artemis-A ))
Ollie Bergmen finished his required part of the lesson in the silenced auditorium and turned back to the crowd with a smile.
Bergmen: And this summarizes the mandatory lesson, and we can come back to your questions or comments for discussion if you still have any.
Tho’Bi was first to rise the hand, and Ollie gestured him to ask.
Tho'Bi: ::raising his hand:: Do you want your chalk back? :: holds up chalk::
At first, the question was met with a look that could easily be translated as a statement that Tho'Bi could very easily have two chalks, but then Bergmen sighed, as this living matter-antimatter mix chamber didn't have an operational solution, and motioned for Tho'Bi to return the holochalk.
Bergmen: Lieutenant Cole, do you have a question?
Bergmen looked to security officer, and his eyes were asking for on-topic question.
Cole: Are there places you would recommend to someone visiting Ferenginar for the first time?
And he got one, and even the one over which he needed to think a little, which gave Lieutenant Imril a chance to interlope.
Imril: Again, food crawl! What better place to experience the positive aspects of market-based competition than restaurants? Each establishment striving to outdo the last in terms of providing unique culinary adventures?
Bergmen: So… if you want a unitary culinary experience, I can recommend ChiggerBurger, where you get always the same, yet it’s that time of establishment where you get what you paid for. If you want a more specific and special experience, I would recommend you to check with the Federation’s travel guide for Ferenginar. And be cautious of the warnings at individual businesses, as pickpocketing is not the only way to get robbed on Ferenginar.
Jaran: Response?
Tho'Bi: I keep my D'Ar in my top pocket ::taps chest:: Ferengi can't reach.
The auditorium gave the joke a hearty laugh.
Imril: I think I’ll stick to Latinum, myself. I already had all of my budgeted credits converted into it. Be sure to have some half-slips handy for the admission boxes by the doors. Doors to places that aren’t selling something, that is.
Ollie nodded.
Bergmen: Yes, that’s right. Except for D’Ar, you can pay with gold-pressed latinum on the planet as well. Some establishments prefer Latinum, some D’Ar, so inform yourself before visiting. ::pauses:: So, have you explored any establishments for a visit?
Tho'Bi: There is a holosuite that models the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 REFIT right down to the wiring. It's really good noodles. …I've been three times.
Cole: That sounds like a fun attraction.
Cole made a valid point, so Ollie moved on to the next question.
Jaran: What can you tell me about Ferengi religion? Is it accurate to say that commerce is their religion? Is it structured? I have so many questions! ::laughs::
Bergmen: ::nods:: Technically, you can take commerce as their main religion, but it’s a little more complex…
Imril: I remember one of the Dabo girls on DS9 telling me about the Great Material Continuum. Interstellar supply and demand envisioned as an endless spiritual river that one navigates through their lifetime. She didn’t describe it as ‘structured’ so much as a personal journey with individual turns and pitfalls. Winds of opportunity, shoals of bankruptcy, the Grand Nagus up ahead of the others charting the way into unknown reaches of prosperity.
Bergmen nodded to Imril’s comment and pointed to the engineer.
Bergmen: Yes, Lieutenant Imril is right. ::smiles:: Thank you, Lieutenant. (beat) The Ferengi religion is this idea of the universe having millions of worlds of surplus and shortage, where the Great Material Continuum flows through them all like a mighty river, from having to want and back again, as the force that binds the universe together. And your life is like a ship flowing through that river with your entrepreneurial skill and grace to get everything you desire. When one path is blocked or drained, you must find another while navigating obstacles and pitfalls to ease the dearth.
Tho'Bi: Response
Jaran: That's, of course, valid. But it really does seem genuine to me. Does it not to you?
Bergmen: ::nods:: Yes, Ensign. Many religions require hours of study for their followers to fully understand the passages in their religious books. You will not find that kind of ambiguity within The Great Material Continuum. You know the path you have followed when the deal concludes. ::turns to Cole:: Yes, lieutenant Cole?
Cole: I’m curious how their culture has been adapting since the Ferengi Feminist Revolution, I know some societies struggled for decades if not longer after similar movements.
Ollie glanced around at the others to see if they had any thoughts on the question.
Imril: The travel guide I read said to expect to see some Ferengi women going about their day in the nude, still. Especially in urban centers out of the rain. It was rather unclear if that was due to personal choice or family expectation, though.
Tho'Bi/Jaran/Cole: Response
Bergman: Yes, with reforms from Grand Nagus Zek and especially with the later introduced Rom’s Women Bill of Economic Rights, you can still see both ailes of struggle. Some women are still more satisfied with their insignificant role in the old order, which, on the other hand, requires little of them; while other women take their chance for economic and civic freedom fully and turn their families upside down, quite literally. As said, the simple answer is yes, you can still see naked women in Ferenginar streets, as cultural struggle to the new order is still ongoing.
Imril: Also, the occasional nude man.
Ollie felt a faint warmth creep across his cheeks at Imril's teasing remark. He quickly averted his gaze, focusing instead on a distant spot beyond the room, as if searching for comfort in the interesting pattern of soundproofing panels on the wall - the thought that flickered in his mind felt too risky, too intimate; it was far better to steer the conversation away from the burgeoning idea that threatened to take root.
Bergman: So… ::pause:: …with this, we have tapped into Ferengi laws and regulations. Don't forget to pack the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, including Starfleet explanatory notes, since you'll be going planetside. You'll encounter them often, and they'll frequently test you with them. Respect them and try not to break them, as behavior like this would be perceived as an insult at best or a criminal act at worst. Understood?
Tho'Bi/Jaran/Cole: Response
Bergmen: Yes, as you are all officers, your departmental chief will be informed in case of your arrest, and some unhappy Security Officer will pick your sorry soul back on the ship for whatever senior officer will be in command to be your summary judge at hand, and you will not want to meet our XO or Commander Jovenan that way.
Tho'Bi/Jaran/Cole/Imril: Response
Bergmen checked the chronometer before he continued.
Bergmen: So, as our time for this lecture is running out, any last questions?
Tho'Bi/Jaran/Cole/Imril: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Ollie Bergmen
Operations Officer
U.S.S. Artemis-A
A240009JC1