Zek


 * "I'm your Nagus. You have no secrets from me."
 * - Zek

Zek was the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance throughout most of the 24th century.

In 2369, he suddenly announced his new successor, Quark (rather than his son Krax), and apparently died soon after. It was discovered that this was only a ploy to test his son's worthiness for the position. However, Krax did not succeed as expected, and Zek postponed his retirement. In 2370, Zek attempted to open negotiations with the Dominion, and although he opened contact with the Karemma and the Dosi for tulaberry wine, he was unable to contact the Dominion. 

In 2371, Zek appointed Quark as his representative to accompany the USS Defiant (2370) on its mission to make contact with the Founders of the Dominion, through Benjamin Sisko. 

As Grand Nagus, Zek had the power to appoint a Grand Proxy to speak on his behalf. 

Zek would later ask Quark to remind Sisko of his instrumental role in the events leading up to first contact with the Dominion, after his nephew Belongo, was detained by authorities on Aldebaran III. Sisko said he would look into the matter, but made no promises. 

Later that year Zek came into possession of a Bajoran orb, and attempted to contact the Prophets to ask them to reveal the future to him for financial gain. Finding Zek's greed offensive, the Prophets returned him to Deep Space 9 after reverting him to a point in Ferengi evolution when the species was less profit-driven. Zek then promptly created the Ferengi Benevolent Association to provide aide to poorer worlds, devised new Rules of Acquisition that emphasized giving, and offered to give his orb to the Bajoran people for free. Though Rom speculated that he had gone insane, Quark quickly discovered that Zek had been altered by the Prophets, and convinced them to restore Zek to his former self. Zek then canceled all of his reforms. Zek was unaware, however, that Rom had embezzled money from the Benevolent Association while he was Senior Administrator. 

When someone (later revealed to be Brunt) pre-bought his vacuum desiccated remains, Quark thought that it was Zek. 

In later years Zek began to experience a dramatic change in his policies. In 2373 he fell in love with Ishka, Quark's mother and a radical feminist who became the "power behind the throne." He eventually amended the Ferengi Bill of Opportunities to allow females the right to wear clothing. Few accepted this radical change at first, and Zek was ousted by Ferengi Commerce Authority liquidator Brunt. However, he was able to convince a few influential FCA commissioners that females represented an unexploited business opportunity, and Zek was reinstated. 

In early 2374, Zek offered to buy Rom's freedom from the Dominion. 

Despite the Ferengi Alliance's official neutrality during the Dominion War, Zek maintained close relations with the Federation, and periodically requested status reports about the course of the war. In late-2374, Nog and Jake Sisko were on their way to Ferenginar, where Nog was to meet with Zek on behalf of the Federation, when their Runabout was ambushed by the Jem'Hadar. 

When Ishka was captured by Dominion forces while returning from a trip to Vulcan, Zek commanded that Quark put together a team of mercenaries to rescue her. 

Zek sent Quark on another fact-finding mission to the front lines in the Chin'toka system in 2375. 

Shortly thereafter, Zek and Maihar'du (Zek's Hupyrian personal assistant) crossed over to the mirror universe hoping to make some profit. However, they were captured by the Alliance. Quark and Rom rescued them, by bringing Regent Worf a cloaking device. Later that year, Zek finally retired just after implementing radical new social welfare programs, appointing Ishka's son Rom as Grand Nagus, and passing to him the Grand Nagus' staff as a symbol of his new office. 

Zek was an aficionado of Hupyrian beetle snuff. He was fairly liberal-minded for a Ferengi male, declaring his indifference towards Ferengi females who wore clothing inside the home, so long as they maintained the status quo by staying naked while in public.

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