23. Family Business

Brunt, an agent of the Ferengi Commerce Authority (FCA), serves Quark with a notice that his mother, Ishka, is charged with earning profit – an illegal activity for Ferengi women. As the family's eldest male, Quark is held responsible. He and his brother Rom return to their childhood home on Ferenginar, where they are surprised to find Ishka wearing clothes, which is also illegal for Ferengi women. Brunt gives Quark three days to get his mother to sign a confession.

Later, Ishka confirms that she earned three bars of gold-pressed latinum by investing a portion of the monthly stipend she receives from Quark; but she refuses to confess. Ishka tells Rom that this is a matter of pride, and proof that she is just as capable of earning profit as a man. Quark discovers that Ishka has actually been conducting business transactions under dozens of aliases, earning much more than just three bars of latinum. Even if Quark sells everything he owns, he will be unable to pay back what his mother has earned.

Quark confronts Ishka, who accuses him of being jealous of her financial acumen – just like his deceased father, Keldar. With that, an infuriated Quark decides to turn in Ishka to the FCA. Rom tries to stop him and agrees with Ishka, angering Quark further, and the conversation deteriorates into a brawl. Ishka interrupts the fight and allows Quark to leave to report her transactions.

Quark waits outside Brunt's office when Rom rushes in with the news that Ishka will split her profits with Quark. Quark hurries home to accept Ishka's offer, only to learn that Rom, fed up with Quark and Ishka's bickering, made up the story to force a conversation between them. Realizing that Rom is right and that their bickering has gone too far, Quark and Ishka relent. Ishka tells Quark that he gets his business acumen from her, not his father; but since she loves him and he is her son, she will sign the confession and give back the money. Later, she pays her reparations to Brunt, and a relieved Quark says his goodbyes and leaves. Now alone with Rom, Ishka reveals that she has outsmarted Quark and the Ferengi government yet again – by giving up only a third of her profits.

In a side plot, Deep Space Nine' s commander Benjamin Sisko is set up on a date with freighter captain Kasidy Yates by his son Jake. Although things are awkward at first, the two soon discover they share a mutual love of baseball.