The great doors slid shut behind him. The hydraulic hiss and dull thud of the door closing halted the breeze that he felt from behind. It had brought a mix of ozone and lubricants to his nostrils. His first thought was that the hydraulics were off, though, as he looked around at the aging outpost, his next thought was that that was going to be the least of his worries. He stepped back to allow a hover cart filled with crates driven too fast by a young Bolian to pass by. With a ships’ arrival there was always a flurry of activity followed by the inevitable ‘wait’ for the next. How busy was this place commercially? How tight a hold did the Feds have on it? They tended to strangle initiative where they were deeply rooted in.

‘Dressed’ for the occasion, Nikki wore his traveling clothes - a dark pinstripe suit with a high open collar, maroon shirt and darker blood red tie. Between his teeth he had a half smoked cigar which he chewed on through one side of his teeth. It was uncertain if it was a real cigar or one of the simulated ones now popular in some circles - again a Ferengi invention not unlike synthahol. Peering out from under the fedora that hid his distinctive hair style he simply looked around. Th e deck plating showed wear from years of use; some slight warping seen here and there. The usual cleanliness of Starfleet ships - or his own family’s yachts - was not there. Instead there was what seemed to be a layer of grime that simply could not be cleaned. “What a dump!” he said more to himself than to anyone in particular - none of whom was really paying any attention to him. This was followed up by, “What an opportunity.” Like it or not this was his territory now. ‘You make of life what you will. Don’t let others do it for you. Shape your dream and make it happen.’ his grandfather had said to him. he had been alive in the ‘transition’ where the gangs of Sigma Iotia started to come together and they looked then to the stars. Of course his life had not precisely gone in the direction he had anticipated, but then his destiny was different. And Nikki was nothing if not resilient.
- Nikki Brako, COO