[DS9] Turkey Scavenger Hunt

[Tech]

This is a response to a DS9 fanfiction challenge I found on the net.

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"You're under arrest!" a Starfleet police officer shouted, his index finger pointing in the direction of Captain Sisko. "Me?" Sisko asked, genuinely surprised. "Yes, you, Benjamin, and that Ferengi too!" the officer continued, pointing at Quark, approaching them with two sets of handcuffs. "Why?" Sisko asked, sounding perfectly calm and allowing the police officer to snap the handcuffs onto his hands. Quark, on the other hand was having difficulty allowing himself to be arrested just like that. He started to struggle when the officer was about to put the handcuffs on him, but a glare from Sisko automatically convinced him to stop. "Apparently, Jake Sisko and Nog got into trouble for stealing a turkey, and, by order of the new law..." the law enforcement officer rummaged through his pockets and found a piece of paper. "By order of the new law, you two, as parents, are responsible for the actions of your sons," he read from the paper. Sisko quirked an eyebrow at the statement, but followed the officer quietly to the Headquarters.

"What?! You can't arrest my dad! He's a respected Starfleet Captain for god's sake!" Jake Sisko yelled at the officer at the Headquarters, gesturing wildly. "Take me! Just let my father go! He's got a job to do. There's this diplomatic mission with the Cardassians he kept on ranting about this morning... !" Jake whined. "Uh, that mission has been reassigned to the Enterprise. Sorry kid, but *you* got him in here," the officer said, not sounding sorry at all. Jake shook his head and pounded a fist on the surface of the table. "I'm leaving!" he yelled, and stormed out of the building angrily.

"They won't let my dad out," Jake told Nog simply outside the building. "You go in and have a try..." Nog then went in and repeated the same routine. A while later, he too could be seen storming out of the building. "It's no use! What are we to do!" Nog exclaimed as he neared Jake. "It's our fault and we have to correct it. We lost that turkey, which in turn led us to steal one... so... uh... we'll just steal a wild one and give it to the people we stole that turkey from!" Jake was almost jumping around with all the excitement of his brilliant plan. "Err... are you sure it's going to work, Jake?" Nog asked. "We might get our parents into even more trouble." "Don't worry, my dear Ferengi. Everything's going to turn out just... fine," Jake drawled.

"You should've just let me knock him out!" Quark said indignantly. "That will only add to the list of charges against us. Imagine: 1 count of assault, 2 counts of resisting arrest, et cetera..." Sisko said calmly. He looked over to Quark, who was restless and pacing the holding cell. "Look. There was nothing I could do. This is Starfleet we're dealing with. We can't just deck a Starfleet officer and escape. We can't break out of this cell either, so I'd suggest you relax and sit down." Quark looked at him, startled by the comforting but firm tone of his Captain's voice. "Yes, sir," he replied, as he reluctantly complied. "Now, we wait. I think it's best we let Jake and Nog handle this. I have faith that they will do everything possible to get us out of here," Sisko said, as he himself too sat down.

"What are you doing?" Nog whispered to Jake, as the boy crept stealthily into the clearing. "Shh," Jake whispered back. He sneaked up on the unsuspecting prey and pounced... tripping over and falling on his face in the forest grass. "Damn turkey!" he shouted after the turkey as it fled from the site. "No use crying over spilled milk, eh, Jake?" Nog said, shaking his head in dismay. Jake's eyebrow rose. "Who taught you that?" he asked, surprised the young Ferengi knew the human phrase. "Just something Doctor Bashir was saying the other day..." Nog replied, acting like it was no big deal. "Let's get back to the task at hand." Jake gestured for Nog to follow him. Nog tapped his friend's shoulder to get his attention. "Err, Jake? I think it might be better if you let me try this," he said, not wanting Jake to humiliate himself again. "No, no... I can *do* this. I'm just a little out of practice," Jake replied, insisting on catching the turkey himself.

"What is wrong with you?! It's been nearly three hours, Captain! We're just going to sit here and do nothing... and wait for those two hooligans who got us into trouble to GET US OUT OF HERE?!" Quark demanded. He was starting to get very uptight now. He had kept his silence for the entire three hours, just sitting there. "They will formulate some kind of plan, and hopefully, get us released,� Sisko sighed. �Wait� how did you know it�s been three hours?!� �From my tricorder, of course,� Quark replied matter-of-factly. �In the last three hours, you never bothered to tell me you had a tricorder with you?� Sisko asked, sounding like he could murder Quark.

�What is wrong with you?! It�s been nearly three hours, Jake! When will you actually capture the turkey?!� Nog was screaming in Jake�s ear. �SHH! QUIET DOWN, NOG!� Jake replied frantically, really caught-up with trying to catch the turkey. Unfortunately, his loud attempt to silence Nog scared away the turkey. �Now, look what you�ve done!� �Wait� how did you know it�s been three hours?!� �From my tricorder, of course,� Nog replied matter-of-factly. �A tricorder?! You didn�t tell me you had a tricorder! I wouldn�t have to jump here and there trying to pounce on a turkey!� Jake screamed, like it was the end of the world.

�Act normally, Quark. You�re going to get us caught with your constant fidgeting,� Sisko said as he rigged his tricorder to emit some sort of dampening field that deactivated the forcefield. �C�mon, Quark, let�s go,� he said, after making sure the forcefield was really down and that there was no alarm at the area. They sneaked out of the cell and started to make their way out of the building.

�A-ha! Gotcha!� Jake yelled triumphantly, a mad grin on his face. �Now all we have to do is get this turkey to the people who we stole the other turkey from, and our parents will be home-free!� Exchanging a glance, they hurried along the path in the woods and successfully gave the turkey to the victims of their crime. They wanted to get away from the scene as quickly as possible, running down the hill where the house was located�

� and crashed right into Benjamin Sisko and Quark! �What�re you two doing here?� both pairs asked. �Well, we� escaped�� Quark mumbled. �We were just returning a turkey to those kind people over there,� Jake said, pointing at the house on the hill. Suddenly, police sirens were sounding all around them. �This is the police. We�ve got you surrounded. Put your hands on your heads and don�t move,� the police speaker echoed. The same police officer who arrested Captain Sisko and Quark came forward. �Well, what have we got here� ? Like son, like father, as they always say� or is it the other way around?�

Beep! The officer�s communicator badge chirped. �Yes, sir?� he asked. �The new law has been cancelled. Apparently, it�s not very effective, so we decided to cancel it,� came the voice through the communicator badge. �Well�� the officer�s face reflects his dismay, �you four are free to go.� �Yeah!� Jake shouted happily, giving his father a high-five. �What say we all go over to my dad�s place for dinner?� Benjamin Sisko asked.

Later, at the Sisko Restaurant�
The four and Benjamin�s father were having the best Thanksgiving ever, when an angry mob consisting of the members of the family of the house on the hill came rushing in and throwing turkeys at them. �Guess some people are just hot-tempered�� Jake shrugged.

[Melodramatic]

Lol, stealing a turkey. Good one.
Very well done

[Tech]

I'd like to congratulate you for being the first to read my stories. Thanks again.

[Melodramatic]

Lol, the pleasure is all mine.