Dividends
| Star Traks: Waystation | |
| Episode name | Dividends |
|---|---|
| Season | Renovations |
| Episode number | 4 |
| Writer(s) | Alan Decker |
| Year | 2374 |
| Stardate | 51664 |
| Chronology | |
| Previous in series | That's The Spirit |
| Next in series | You May Meet A Stranger |
| Previous in timeline | Dangerous Amusements [VEX] |
| Next in timeline | While You Were Out [WAY] |
Bradley Dillon receives news that will change his life forever...if he lives that long.
Summary
While lamenting the fact that he's been forced to run his store out of a cramped cargo module and that said store was just trashed in a fight between two old ladies, Krilik, and Lieutenant Sean Russell's security staff, Bradley Dillon is approached by a laywer presenting an old high school friend, Lucas Mauser. Eight years earlier, Bradley had given his friend a ship and some start-up money for a mining operation. In the ensuing time, Bradley hadn't thought much about it, but Lucas had not forgotten his friend. As his mining operation turned into a hugely successful mining corporation, Lucas named Bradley co-owner. Lucas just sold the business to the Jupiter Mining Corporation and his lawyer has come to Waystation Village to give Bradley his share of the purchase price as well as the investment portfolio that Lucas has been putting Bradley's profits into over the years. Bradley is astounded that the lawyer is there to give him money and even more so when he sees how much: just over 134 billion credits. Bradley is rich.
For a moment Bradley considers retiring to a life of leisure, but he decides his passion is his business. And what a business he intends to create. He informs Commander Lisa Beck that he wants to rent out three decks of the renovated station in their entirety for Dillon Enterprises and the Starfleet Suites Hotel. A couple of weeks later, construction has proceeded rapidly on the Dillon Enterprises complex, and Bradley has already hired an assistant, Gisele, and settled into his new office. A Ferengi ship arrives, and its captain, Daimon Gribnob insists on speaking with Bradley. The Ferengi claim that they own all trade rights in the sector and say that Bradley owes them 35% of his assets in compensation. Bradley isn't going along with their transparent attempts to cash in on his newfound wealth. He contacts his bank.
Gribnob goes to Bradley's office and threatens him. Bradley escapes via an emergency transport to his cargo module. The Ferengi trace the transport and beam Bradley, as well as everything else in his cargo module, onto their ship before warping away. Using some items from his store inventory, including a couple of terraformers and Andorian cheerleading batons, Bradley is able to disable the ship and get to the bridge. There one of Gribnob's lackeys captures him, and he is forced to sign over his back account. In return, he will own trade rights in the sector. A Waystation runabout catches up with the disabled Ferengi vessel, and they have a message for Bradley from his bank. Due to a slight accounting error, his profits from Lucas Mauser were 134 credits rather than 134 billion. Gribnob is horrified that he just signed over trade rights for a pittance and returns Bradley to the runabout.
It turns out Bradley conned the Ferengi. Knowing that they would try to force him to sign over his assets, he had his bank transfer everything but 134 credits into a new account and send him the fake message about the accounting error. He's still quite quite rich.
Featuring
- Commander Lisa Beck
- Lieutenant Commander Walter Morales
- Lieutenant Craig Porter
- Lieutenant Sean Russell
- Dr. Amedon Nelson
- Bradley Dillon
Also Featuring
Author's Comments
I would argue that "Dividends" is one of the most important stories in all of Star Traks. The Ferengi plot really only exists to provide a little action. The main thing, though, is Bradley's money. Yes, the sudden way in which he gets it is a little strained, but I felt that Bradley needed something to give him more relevance to the series. He needed to be far more than an ordinary business owner in the mall. Another one of my reasons for making this change to Bradley's character was to give Beck and company another potential antagonist. Colonel Lazlo was fine and all, but he was really more of an annoyance. Beck was the clear authority on the station, and I couldn't have him constantly attempting a mutiny. Bradley would be a different type of opponent entirely. As a civilian with his own business empire, he could an interesting source of conflict and also a route for other kinds of events to occur, such as the science conference he sponsors in The Way We Were.
Bradley's wealth is what laid the groundwork for what would come later. Dillon Enterprises would create the subspace generator that was a big part of The Lost Years in Star Traks: The Original Series and The Traks Files. Anthony's idea of having him buy the Federation presidency would lead to even more. "Dividends" is the event that leads to the Next Federation Arc, Alexander Rydell's marriage to Karina Durham, the search for the Bast in Star Traks: The Vexed Generation Year Six and the aftermath at the beginning of Year Seven, Operation Salvage and Star Traks: Silverado, and the Dillon Consortium in Star Traks: Boldly Gone just to name a few. See. This one little story sent huge ripples across the Star Traks universe.
The Jupiter Mining Corporation is a reference to Red Dwarf, one of my favorite TV series.