Cleveland Powers sat in the Ishka Inflatable and ordered a round for the house. He invited his new found friend Zek Ishka to sit with him. Mr. Ishka sat down. The Ferenginar glared at the "Dogfather."
Powers smiled, "I knew it would work out in my favor."
Ishka looked at Cleveland, "What do you mean?"
Powers tapped the table exposing the screen within the table as the image of Christine T'Nley broadcast the image of Magenta Coren-Branson being arrested and granted a preliminary hearing. Powers burst into laughter. Ishka looked down at the table top screen. Powers grabbed the Ferenginar by the collar.
"Don't mess with me, Pirate. This is my place. Do I make myself clear?", Powers snarled.
Ishka looked afraid. He rarely looked afraid. He looked sternly at Powers, "What are we watching?"
"Nicole Branson came to see me day yesterday bragging that she had once again trumped me. She taunted me saying that as Vice President of the Phoenix Federation, she now trumped the power of the Governor and would overturn anything that that puppet Mandu did for me.", Powers explained.
"With Mandu reinforced, he stood up to me. I was furious. I lost my focus and hired a killer to kill Branson. A mistake I will most certainly admit.", Powers explained.
Ishka laughed, "Hardly the actions of the Untouchable Dogfather."
Powers bared his teeth to the Ferengi, "In the end, like all things it worked out in my favor."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Branson Residence
Day Earlier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicole came in from her morning run. Magenta had just came downstairs. She looked at Nicole, "You let your hair go back to brown."
Nicole smiled, "I thought it would make me look more professional. Do you like it?"
"I love you. Your hair does not mean a thing to me.", Magenta smiled.
The pair kissed.
"What is on your agenda today, Ms. Vice President?", Magenta asked.
"I am going to look at sites to build a new "Presidential home"?", Nicole smiled.
"Will I still get to go to James Kirk?", Brenna came down stairs.
"Yes, sweetie. We are just like everyone else. Nothing special.", Nicole chuckled.
Nicole left. Magenta was about to get an announcement of her own. Her slipstream hypothesis had expanded the research being conducted at the Liwei institute and she kept tapping the comm-link hoping for a message from the Omega Academy conferring her doctorate. Still nothing.
Brenna left to go to play at the school. Magenta stood on the porchway and watched Brenna walk down the street. She was so proud of their little girl.
That afternoon, Brenna came home with two little girls, "Can I stay at Ylana's house?"
Magenta looked down at the little Cardassian girl. It made her think of Nicole's speech. She was so proud of her Nikki and what the colony offered. A home for these people. Magenta looked at Brenna, "Brush your teeth before you go to bed."
The little girls laughed. Magenta went back into the house to wait for Nicole. She heard the knock. The blond officer stood there. Magenta smiled and slowly opened the door. In truth, this was a foolish mistake. Magenta thought it was a messenger from the Omega Academy. In truth, it was a killer, hired by Cleveland Powers to kill Nicole Branson. The killer attacked Magenta forcing her on to the couch.
He looked into her eys, "Powers told me about you. Maybe all you need is a good f***. He grabbed for her dress."
Nicole thought the door open was a bit odd. She burst in to find the killer on top of Magenta. She picked up a chair and ploughed him in the back.
"Nicole!!", Magenta screamed.
The killer laid on the floor. He could not believe that he had attacked Magenta by mistake. He was furious and filled with adrenalin when he grabbed Nicole by the throat and began choking her. Magenta was terrified. As Nicole had hit the killer, a piece of the leg had broken from the chair. Magenta picked up the leg and hit the killer on the back of the skull. She was terrified and enraged. She hit him again and again.
Nicole screamed, "Magenta stop."
The ladies sat on the floor looking at the body both quivering. Magenta, a Betazoid had just killed someone. The terrifying emotion filled her to her very core. This is the end. Everything has changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ishka Inflatable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cleveland watched and laughed as Christine T'Nley announced that they were going to charge Magenta Coren-Branson with murder. He looked at Ishka, "Vice President Branson will step in and use her power to prevent Magenta from going to prison and then I will have her. She will have abused her power. Once an abuser, always an abuser. She will be like all the others. A puppet for Powers."
Ishka looked at Powers, "What if I tell everyone what you have just told me."
"Oh yeah, they are gonna believe you. The Ferengi Pirate with an axe to grind with the Dogfather... Perfect.", Powers taunted Zek.
"Another round.", Powers yelled, "Today is a good day."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Federation Complex
Court Room 10
The "very same" courtroom that Cleveland Powers was exonerated in
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The images played in three dimensions of Magenta Coren-Branson hitting the officer with the chair leg over and over again. The cameras had recorded the image.
"He attacked me.", Magenta screamed, that part of the imagery was somehow black; another Powers play.
The evidence was clear. Magenta had killed him. The judge had no option.
"Lt. Commander Magenta Coren-Branson is sentenced to life in prison for second degree murder with no possibility of parole for 7 years.", the judge read the verdict.
Rear Admiral Eugenio Coren stood up, "What about exile, back to Betazed? We can treat her there."
The judge looked at Eugenio. He too was in tears, "The court does recognize the authority of Rear Admiral Coren but this was a capital crime. An officer of the Federation was killed. This is a directed verdict. Mrs. Coren-Branson's sentence will stand as read.",
Nicole and Brenna burst into tears hugging one another. This had all happened so fast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ishka Inflatable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Powers looked at the Pirate Ishka, "No one crosses me. No one."
Ishka poured another glass of wine for his guest. The pirate hated that the Antican had all the cards. He was truly dangerous. Ishka had dealt with Ferengi traders, even with Romulans but he had never met a man like this before. Who laughs at the breakup of a family?
Ishka got up to leave table, Powers looked up, "Don't mess with me, Pirate."
Ishka looked back and walked away without saying a word. He looked over at the table alone in the back of the room was Captain S'Nii, executive officer of the Wrath of Prometheus. She too was watching the video. She too heard the bragging of Cleveland Powers. What would she do with such information? What would she do?
Posted by:
Cleveland Powers
"The Dog Father"
Regional Crime Lord
Phoenix Colony
Phoenix Federation
[Non-Playing Character written by Nicole Branson]
Cameo Appearance by:
Christine T'Nley
Omega News Network
Phoenix Colony
Phoenix Federation
