EPISODE

12. Who Mourns for Morn?

Morn dies unexpectedly, bequeathing his entire estate to Quark, but some of Morn's old acquaintances arrive on DS9 demanding a piece of the action.

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THIS ENTRY’S STORY

The story

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Plot summary

The shocking news arrives that Morn has been killed in an ion storm. Captain Sisko interrupts the memorial service to inform Quark that he has inherited Morn's entire estate, which proves to consist only of a shipment of spoiled produce, a tub of mud, and a painting.

Inspecting Morn's quarters, Quark finds a woman claiming to be Morn's ex-wife, Larell. She tells Quark that Morn had won 1,000 bricks of latinum — a valuable liquid pressed into gold to make it easier to handle — in a lottery. Quark offers Larell a 10% share, but is unable to find the money in Morn's quarters.

Quark is later confronted by two brothers, Krit and Nahsk. Claiming to be Morn's business associates, they tell Quark that Morn owes them all of the latinum. To intimidate him, Nahsk smashes Morn's painting over Quark's head when he tries to bargain with them. The brothers agree to take a 50% share and depart; once they are gone, Quark finds a storage locker claim slip hidden within the remains of the painting.

In the locker, Quark finds one brick of latinum inscribed with an account number for the Bank of Bolias. Larell steals the brick, but Quark has already memorized the number. He hurries back to his quarters to send for the balance, but another stranger, Hain, intercepts him and holds him at gunpoint. Claiming to be a security officer from Morn's home planet, Hain explains that Morn is a prince, and that his latinum is the property of the royal family. When he learns Larell is on the station, he offers Quark a reward for her capture.

Larell, Krit, Nahsk and Hain eventually all converge at Quark's quarters. Quark learns that their stories are lies, and that the money is from a bank robbery they and Morn committed nine years earlier. Morn had betrayed them and fled with the money, but now that the statute of limitations has expired, they have come to collect their shares without fear of prosecution. Quark persuades them to split the money five ways with him, since only he can take delivery of it as Morn's legal heir. Once it arrives, the four criminals turn against one another, each trying to claim it all.

Quark runs for cover as a shootout ensues, and Constable Odo soon arrives to arrest the four. Excited at the prospect of being able to keep all the money, Quark examines the gold bricks but discovers that all the latinum has been extracted; the gold itself is worthless.

Resigned to his fate, Quark returns to the bar only to find Morn walking in and taking his usual seat. He had faked his own death, leaving Quark to get the others out of the way so he could keep all the latinum for himself. Revealing that he had swallowed the latinum in order to hide it in his second stomach, he regurgitates a small quantity into a glass (100 bricks' worth, by Quark's estimate) and gives it to Quark as a sign of gratitude.

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Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Who Mourns for Morn?. Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.

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