Bashir peeled himself off the bulkhead and meandered his way up the promenade. Both the Grand Nagus Zek and the Acquisition had successful docked. After a long trip in from Ferenginar both crews no doubt would be descending upon the station's leisure facilities, making Bashir add a mental note to avoid Quark's for the time being for fear of being besieged by gambling Ferengi. Kira had told him both vessels would be departing for the Gamma Quadrant at 05:00 tomorrow morning, so with a little bit of time to kill Bashir headed back to sickbay before going to his quarters to pack to collect something portable for him to setup an experiment or two whilst he was away on what was probably going to be a very uneventful journey.
He found sickbay pretty much deserted, a standing testament to how little value he'd add by remaining, save for Doctor Tarses and a couple of low ranking medical personnel; both Bajoran. It still felt odd to him not seeing that familiar mixture of Starfleet and Militia uniforms, but was glad to long awaited Bajoran membership had gone smoothly and that ALL of the Militia had been absorbed into Starfleet, ranks and all.
Tarses was explaining something complicated looking on a chart next to a biobed to the two Bajorans so Bashir quietly bypassed them and headed into the back where most of his experimental equipment was kept.
He was elbow deep in datapads when he suffered the fright of his life. There was a very quiet noise of water running through a sieve and then a shimmering of the very air around his, like heat on asphalt. Then with a smell of ozone thick in his unsuspecting nostrils a figure appeared in the wake of that shimmering air.
Bashir, his nature reflexes far superior to yours or mine, catapulted to his feet and back some four feet. His heart pounding, and a shot of a adrenaline in his veins the Doctor had instinctively thrown his arms up to shield his face and body. With the immediacy of protection waning he let his arms back down to reveal a Jem'Hadar stood before him.
"I did not mean to cause surprise," Taran'atar said, he words conveyed the meaning that his lack of tone inflection and facial expression could not.
"Then perhaps," Bashir said, angrily looking at the pile of datapads, once sorted and alphabetized, that was strewn haphazardly across the floor. "You should not unshroud without warning."
Taran'atar included his head in a sign of agreement, but remained reserved from actually guaranteeing to do this.
Remember his Hippocratic oath now that his heartbeat had self-regulated the Doctor asked; "Are you unwell?" He was sceptical and his question came out sounding as such. The Jem'Hadar were fierce warriors, bred to provide cannon fodder for the Dominion. As such they were designed to function even after losing limbs, and countless gallons of blood. So Bashir thought it doubtful as Taran'atar was cleaning standing before him, that there was indeed anything wrong with him.
"I want," the Jem'Hadar began, then decided to rephrase which was clearing presenting a struggle for him. "I wish," he started over, "to accompany you to the Gamma Quadrant."
This question raised a few questions in Bashir, firstly; how did Taran'atar know about his assignment to the Ferengi vessels? Bashir himself had only found out yesterday and hadn't told anyone yet, even Ezri, in the hopes he'd figure out a way out of it. And secondly why did Taran'atar want to return to the Gamma Quadrant? Was it to make his escape and return to serve the Founders more directly?
"Kira Nerys has authorized my request," he explained, acknowledging that in serving the Founders he must also serve Kira Nerys, as he was instructed to by the Founder Odo.
"Then why has she sent you to me?" Bashir asked, Kira seemed to be making up a lot of her own mind without consulting her team.
"She has authorized my request, but has instructed me to ask whether or not I can accompany you."
Okay, I take that back, Julian thought. She was, kind of, consulting him.
Bashir stood up tall now and put the collected datapads from the floor onto a flat surface nearby. Then, his full attention now on the born killer standing six foot plus before him. "Can I ask why you want to accompany me?"
"I realize you may be concerned about my motivations," Taran'atar was a born strategic thinker and his acknowledgement of Bashir's greatest fear was disarming.
"I can assure you only of one thing. I serve the Founders. And they have sent me to this place, to learn as much as I can about your people."
"So surely watching the comings and goings on the station is the best way to do this?"
Taran'atar had prepped for this conversation Julian was sure of it. "Would you say you understand the turtle if you only saw it's shell?"
Julian's expression froze, he had a point there. He weighed things up in his mind.
"You can accompany us sure, but I'll be the only member of Starfleet there. There won't be much of us to observe?"
"My orders were to observe and learn about all life in the Alpha Quadrant. Including these Ferengi."
Bashir was out of arguments and conceded defeat, who would have thought a Jem'Hadar would be just as adept as social fighting as he was with a phaser rifle.
He intook air. I'm going to regret this, he thought, and said; "The more the merrier." The Doctor's way of saying off the hand sarcastic things but with a positive attitude, mindset and tone, was a trait enduring at first, and only grating after 7 or so years.
"Very well Taran'atar, you may accompany me. But I think it may be prudent to clear this with the Feren - "
"I have taken the necessary action to BUY my way aboard," Taran'atar confirmed.
"Buy?" Bashir echoed, he could hardly believe it. Where on Earth, or Bajor for that matter, did a Jem'Hadar get hold of a currency the Ferengi would take?
"When I was sent through the passage I was sent with one million Dominion credits," he said by way of explanation.
"See you aboard then," Bashir said turning to pick up his datapads. He started to say something else as he turned back around but the Jem'Hadar had already shrouded and gone.
Quark sat with his head in his hands. The small cloakroom at the back of his bar was tightly packed with various wines of rare vintage and seldom requested spirits, even the odd bottle of Kanar still lingered around.
"Oh Blessed Exchequer," he said, eyes closed and hands together in prayer. "Why do you let these things happen to me."
He hadn't expected a response and got now, but wailing about it always made him feel a little better. The Material Continuum had been kind to Quark for the first time in his life over the past year and perhaps it was time it recalled the favour.
"Quark!" squawked Brunt from outside, "Where are you Quark?"
Quark hadn't exactly hidden from Brunt, but he hadn't told him where he was going either.
"There you are," Brunt said stepping into the cloakroom's doorway, his face upturned in a beaming smile. Clearly Brunt was enjoying Quark's suffering as always.
"Hey!" Brunt said, stepping inside and noting Quark's downturned face tried to cheer him up; "Don't fret. I haven't even told you the best part yet!"
Quark let out a single laugh, it sent a brief shake through his entire body; "I can't wait to hear this. What exactly is the best part? That I'm probably going to be killed in the Gamma Quadrant by some Jem'Hadar ? Or that it's all my brother's doing ? Or that I'll die aboard my cousin's ship and end up having to pay for its destruction posthumously ? Which is it?"
Brunt smile didn't recede. "The Grand Nagus," he said with a twinge of bitterness, having never been a fan of Rom, "has authorized a substantial payment for your services."
"Ha!" Quark let out another solitary laugh, "What is this substantial payment my brother has lined up for me? A holiday to Ferenginar to visit my mother ?"
"Two Hundred bricks of gold pressed latinum upon successful completion of our mission."
This peaked Quark's interest, business was good... but it could always be better. "And our mission is?"
It was Brunt's turn to laugh, but it ended up being more of a snork. "I'm not at liberty to say."
"You know Brunt you really must keep your job working for the government, because you're a lousy salesman."
Brunt said nothing, it was hard when hit with an uncomfortable truth like that. Despite all of Brunt's successes and failures, status and offices held it was the awkward truth that Brunt had never had the lobes for business. Quark would never know how much the two of them had in common, both working in the shadows of more successful family members. Quark's brother was the Grand Nagus, ok that's quite something to live up to but Brunt... his father had been Zek's Head of Insider Trading, a position akin to head of the stock exchange. His father had accumulated vast wealth, and left it all to the office of Grand Nagus when he'd died, leaving Brunt with nothing.
"What could go wrong?" Brunt said ominously.
"Besides remember Rule of Acquisition number seventy-five, Home is where the heart is but the stars are made of latinum," Brunt quoted.
"Sure, but rule one-hundred-twenty-five says you can't make a deal if you're dead," Quark threw back, surely their rivalry couldn't be decided but their mastery of the Rules.
"What are you so afraid of? We're at peace with the Dominion."
"It's not just the Dominion that scares me," Quark admitted. "It's having a feee-male as a Daimon!"
"Now there Quark," Brunt said leaning in close and whispering like a conspirator, "you and I agree."
"Doctor?" Quark twisted his head to the side almost like a dog. The upper pylon was playing witness to the final few boarding the FMS Grand Nagus Zek.
"Quark?" Bashir set his carry bag down on the deck and did his own quizzical head tilt.
"I've been ordered by the Grand Nagus..." Quark said with a roll of the eyes, "Part of my duties as Ambassador to Bajor apparently."
Bashir looked down at his bag and then back at Quark, all of a sudden he realized he was actually relieved Quark was going to be there. The two had had plenty of dealings, both adversarial and amicable over the years and at the very least Bashir would consider Quark a friend.
"Orders from Captain Kira," he said, "Apparently Starfleet guaranteed medical and humanitarian assistance to all Ferengi ships that enter the Gamma Quadrant."
Quark smiled at this, his freshly filed teeth glinting like gold. "Oh I know that clause Doctor. Who do you think signed the treaty?"
"So I have you to thank?"
"Rule two-eight-five - "
"No good deed, goes unpunished," Bashir finished for him, "I know."
Before Quark's verbal diahorrea could reach fruition there was that water through sieve noise again. It was Quark's turn to be startled and as Taran'atar appeared beside him the little Ferengi let out an all mighty high pitched scream.
Taran'atar regarding the small Ferengi from over his facial spikes.
"You'll give a guy a heart attack doing that!" Quark exclaimed. Then to Bashir, "What is he doing here?"
"Cultural exchange," Bashir said with a smile, happy to see Quark do a little squirming.
"Rule hundred-ninety-four Quark, it's always good to know about new customers before they walk in the door."
Taran'atar pondered the wisdom of this statement and looked first at the speaker, Bashir, and then at the short orange man beside him.
"I am ready for our journey," the Jem'Hadar said simply, the first words he'd spoken since unshrouding.
As if on cue Brunt turned a corner and came marching up the corridor, flanked this time by his Nausicaan First Officer; Conin Ja'lot.
"Ah, gentlem - " Brunt stopped mid floor starring in awe, shock and wonderment at Taran'atar. He blinked, thinking maybe too long in that holo-suite last night had warped his vision.
"Umm, Doctor?" he said sensing the Jem'Hadar was more to do with him than Quark.
"He's just here for - "
"Cultural Exchange," Taran'atar said, parrot fashion to what Bashir had said earlier.
"He's a paying passenger," Bashir assured Brunt. That was the tipping point that made it okay. Brunt's frown turned to a smile, "As long as he's paying the more the merrier. But you'll forgive me if I have another install another lock on my quarters door tonight."
"Daimon Zoggie has already unmoored and is ready to go, if we can't get away within the next 30 minutes we'll be charged for another day's quayside." The urgency was in Brunt's voice, he obviously was being cautious with his funds.
"Let's get this over with then," Quark said begrudgingly. He collected his bags and made for the airlock which parted to the side to grant him access.