Ch 11
It was well into the small breakfast rush that Quark's bar faced almost every morning. Only the Federation employees had enough money - or "credits" - to indulge in such a meal on a regular basis. Most other people contented themselves with ration bars or replicated "food" if they were particularly unlucky. A few of the wealthier Bajorans on the stations frequented the bar in the mornings, but they didn't order much, preferring to eat later in the day and generally wanting Rakajino.
Rom glanced up at him and scowled. "Where have you been?" he snapped. "We were an hour late opening, and I wouldn't have even known there was a problem except that Gina came to my quarters, complaining about something she left in her locker."
"I..." Quark couldn't think of a decent lie that wouldn't fool Rom. "I'm too tired to lie to you right now. Can you just take over for me today?"
"No," Rom said. "I have things I need to do."
"I don't think I can handle the bar right now," Quark said.
Rom looked at him closely for the first time. "You look bad. What's going on?"
"I had an allergic reaction to a drink - or some kind of reaction. I've been in sick bay. I've been questioned by Bashir, Sisko, and Odo, and I have a feeling I'm going to have to answer more questions before this is finished. I just want to lie down and quit answering questions."
"It will cost you," Rom said.
The amount of the fine passed through Quark's head. "Never mind then. I'll handle it. Go do whatever you need to do."
Quark reached for a glass, but his hand shook, and he hid the glass almost in time to stop Rom from seeing.
"I just remembered that I have to do those things tomorrow, not today," Rom said. "I might as well stay here."
It was bad business, and usually Quark would have taken the opportunity to lecture Rom, but he didn't want to deal with it. "I'll be back after a while," he said.
"Take your time," Rom said.
He slept almost immediately, and his dreams were surprisingly pleasant. In them Rom was a cut-throat manager of a chain of Clothing Outlets on Quark's Casino Pleasure Moon. He woke right after seeing Dax in a Dabo girl outfit with those intriguing spots running down her body, teasing him with possibilities.
He felt better than before, cleaner somehow. It was as if telling Bashir even the small amount he'd said helped. Of course, he hadn't really fixed anything, but it didn't matter. He could handle it. He always had.
Bashir would tell Sisko everything, of course. Quark didn't even doubt it after some serious thought. He'd never actually given Bashir any money, so it wasn't technically betrayal. He didn't understand why Bashir had held out so long, but Sisko was intimidating, and he had leverage on Bashir. That was one of the many things Quark didn't miss about the military - the constant reminder that someone else pulled the strings.
"I'll take over," Quark said to Rom.
"You look better," Rom said. "Commander Sisko was here looking for you earlier. I told him you said you were going to the docks to check on a shipment."
"You covered for me?" Quark asked.
"I'll send you a bill," Rom said. "Commander Sisko said he wanted to know if you were well. I told him you seemed fine. What did happen Quark? You've never had a reaction to any liquor before."
Quark started to tell his brother a lie. It was almost instinct by now, lying to him to protect him, but he felt alone when he considered it, an island in his own mind.
"Rom, we never talked about what happened in the Merchant Marines, did we?"
"You wouldn't," Rom said. "I tried, remember? Moogie tried. You just worked and hid in your room until you moved out, and then you seemed normal again."
"What would you say if I told you that I had a flashback earlier, that I never got over what I saw when I was younger?"
"I would say that it's about time we talked," Rom said, "and that you probably need some professional help."
"I'm considering that," Quark said. "Dr. Bashir is shrewder than I thought, but I think we can make a deal."
"What could have possibly been so bad?" Rom asked.
The bodies, the smells, the fear and despair all came back to him. "I don't know where to start," Quark said. "It was like being another person. And in the middle of it all was this little person who hurt as much as I did. I had to choose, and I chose not to kill a helpless child. It had nothing to do with profit - just trying to keep the part of me that was any kind of good person."
"Your soul?"
"I don't know what else you'd call it," Quark said.
"But what about Sarafina?" Rom asked.
"We're done," Quark said. "She's going to work with the Federation. I tried to warn her about them, but she'll have to find out for herself."
"Wow. You must have lost so much profit," Rom said.
"Thanks Rom. That's real helpful."
"What are you going to do about it?" Rom asked.
"Nothing," Quark said. "I'll have to find something new to work on. I wasted too much time on this, and I'm behind now. If I'm ever going to be able to bribe the Grand Inquisitor I'll have to work overtime."
"That's what I like to hear," Rom said. "Everything can be like before then."
"Not quite," Quark said. "I never would have gotten closer to Dax if it wasn't for this."
"Then you came out ahead," Rom said. "You didn't spend much on the project yet, and you have a powerful potential mate that you wouldn't have had, so you came out ahead."
"Rom, you are a genius," Quark said. "Dax has to more than balance the scales."
He took over the bar just as lunch business began to flow in. It was a busy day, something he was grateful for. As good as he felt about the outcome of recent events, he didn't want to think about them, and a busy night kept him too busy to think.
Of all his regulars, only O'Brian came in. Morn was absent, which did happen occasionally, but he'd hoped to see Dax.
"Where's your buddy?" Quark asked O'Brian. "Did he finally get tired of looking at you?"
"He's confined to quarters for something," O'Brian said. "He won't tell me why. I just know that he and Commander Sisko butted heads about something, and the doctor actually refused an order. Can you believe it? I'd love to know what that was all about."
"So would I," Quark said.
He shut down the bar at 2:00 am, as usual, and he slept a full, normal night. The next morning was Rom's early shift, so Quark went to sick bay to find Bashir. When he walked in, a cheerful female human computerized voice met him. "Welcome to sick bay," she stated. "The doctor is not available at the moment. If this is an emergency I will contact Dr. Bashir. Is this an emergency?"
"No," Quark said.
"Would you like me to contact a doctor on Bajor?" the computer asked in a cheerful voice.
"No."
"Please come back later," the computer said. "Thank you."
Just like a human computer to thank me when I haven't done anything for it. They should have used a Bajoran to make the voice - much less annoying. They would never sound like they were made of sugar syrup.
"Where are his quarters?" Quark asked. The computer gave him the location, in a high-class part of the ship, of course. Quark felt out of place there, as if all the people were watching him to make sure he wasn't going to rob them. If I wanted to take their money they'd never even know by the time they were swindled. On Faringar he would have melded into such company, but he saw an old lady clutch her bag to her.
Dr. Bashir answered the door with an open book in his hand. "Quark! I didn't expect to see you here. What's wrong?"
"Why does something have to be wrong?" Quark asked. "I found out you were confined to quarters. Is this because of what happened yesterday?"
"I told you I would keep what you told me in confidence," Bashir said.
"We haven't really reached an agreement," Quark said. "I got this earlier." He pulled a bar of latinum from his pocket, and he tried to ignore its beautiful luster. "I want to make sure we have a proper understanding. We can put it in writing, if you want."
Bashir shook his head. "How long have you lived among humans? Don't you know anything about us?"
"I told you that isn't how we do things," Quark said. "I can't trust you unless you take a proper bribe."
"And if I take the bribe you'll work with me so I can help you with the PTSD?"
Quark nodded. "It's the only way."
Bashir took the bar from Quark and turned it over in his hands with a much less respectful look than Quark would have appreciated.
"It occurs to me that I owe you some money for some gaming I did some time ago."
"This is more than you owe," Quark said. "Normally that would be great, but I won't be in your debt, especially not now."
"Humans like to tip," Bashir said, and besides, I'm sure there's some interest by now."
Quark slid the bar into his pocket, happy to have gained it back for a few gambling debts.
"Is the only reason you're confined to quarters because you wouldn't tell Sisko what he wanted to know, because that's easy enough to fix."
"How so?"
"I give you permission to talk to him about anything we've said so far, but just up till now. If you go to him before I tell you anything else we haven't talked about anything that could harm me, and he'll probably let you off. He'll think he's won."
"Cynical," Bashir said.
"But it will work," Quark said.
Quark went back to the bar with a sense of sharpness about him, like a shark in fish-filled waters.
He stopped short of the bar and stepped behind a support structure so he could view the promenade out of sight. Three tall men in long white robes stood at one of the information stations, and Quark wondered for a second if he was somehow still feeling the effects of the Altarian Water.
They were Romulan! And on DS9. Quark gulped and began to sweat. This can't be happening, he thought. Somehow they know about Sarafina. I didn't cover my tracks enough. There's no telling how many spies might be on this station.
"Do you like what you see?" Odo asked behind him.
Quark jumped and squeaked. "Odo! Quit sneaking up on me."
"I see you watching our visitors. Leave them alone, Quark. They are distinguished Vulcan scientists and ambassadors on their way through. They're the first Vulcans to ever come here, and Commander Sisko told me to find you and expressly tell you to stay away from them. Vulcans don't tend to gamble, or indulge in any vices as far as I know, so you have nothing to gain from them."
"Vulcans?" Quark asked. "Here? They're a long way from home aren't they?"
Odo shrugged. "I'm not privy to their plans. And you don't need to be either."
"I need to get back to work anyway," Quark said.
"If you call that work," Odo said.
"Some of us have to do more than sneak around behind innocent businessmen," Quark said.
He got a typical Odo "Harrumph".
He took a long look at the Vulcans. They did look different from Romulans now that he knew what to look for. They carried themselves differently, with a natural dignity and grace that almost made them seem ethereal. Every Romulan Quark had ever seen radiated an intensity that had earned them an empire.
It seemed as if life was slowly returning to normal, and he was going through attractive business prospects in his mind when Sarafina walked in, thankfully alone, but it was still awkward.
They chatted, each of them trying to recapture something that was lost between them, and Quark was as relieved when she left as she was.
"So you two are on the outs then?" Nog asked when she left.
"When did you get here?" Quark asked.
"I've been here," Nog said. "You just don't notice me when there are pretty women around?"
"You think she's pretty?" Quark asked. He should probably be around Feringhee women more.
"I guess," Nog said.
"I haven't spent much time with you lately," Quark said. "I've been really busy. Do you want me to teach you some card tricks later?"
That brightened Nog's mood immediately. "For real? I love card tricks!"
"Yes, but don't say "for real". You got that from Jake, didn't you?"
"Don't start on Jake again," Nog said. "It isn't like there are any Feringhee my age to spend time with, and he's my best friend."
"We should go down to the holodeck sometime," Quark said.
"I could teach you how to play baseball," Nog said. "Jake taught me."
"Um, sure. We'll try it," Quark said. He didn't have much hope for anything that Jake had taught Nog, but he wanted to connect with him, so he'd explore.
"Look Uncle, Vulcans!" Rom said. "I never thought I'd actually see one."
For a moment Quark was irritated with Nog for recognizing the Vulcans when he hadn't. He's growing up fast. Next thing I know he'll be running the bar.
It was a single Vulcan. Quark didn't know which one. They looked alike to him, but so did Romulans. He'd had to tell them apart by scars and bloodstains.
"Can I help you?" Quark asked. For some reason he felt like he needed to use his best manners.
"I understand a person can buy provisions from you?" the Vulcan asked. "We need food, water, and a few components for our ship. We didn't expect to come this way, and we find ourselves unprepared."
"I'll be glad to," Quark said.
The Vulcan handed him a list, and his arms disappeared back into his the loose sleeves of his robe. Quark looked the simple list over and quoted him a much higher price than usual.
"I believe market prices are much less than that," the Vulcan said.
They began a negotiation that left Quark feeling like he had definitely come out on the short side of it, with Nog watching the entire time.
"I'll have this for you in two to four days," Quark said. "A couple of these parts will have to be ordered from Bajor, and one will have to be made from scratch."
"That will suffice," the Vulcan said.
"What name should it be under?" Quark asked.
"Radak will do," the Vulcan said, and left.
"Wow," Nog said. "Jake's never going to believe this. He really got the best of you, didn't he?"
"Of course not," Quark said. "It's a ploy to get future business."
"That's great!" Nog said. "I want to be here next time. I want to see what you're going to do to make profit off of one of the smartest races in the galaxy."
If it had been anyone but Nog, Quark would have thought that he was being sarcastic, but as he looked down into Nog's eager face he saw only a child impressed by his uncle. He only hoped he could live up to his expectations.
"How about some tube grubs?" Quark asked.
"I'll make them," Nog said. "I learned how."
Quark watched him head toward the kitchen, a bit too quickly, but that was youth. He remembered when everything had that sense of urgency about it.
The parts store that he used on Bajor told him they could deliver in two days, and he began to make plans on how to get more money out of the Vulcans. It wouldn't be easy, but he could do it, and he decided to hold onto the parts for a day or so to see what he could think of. He went to the docks after the bar closed that night, just to check the parts for quality before he took them out.
It was amazing how little most races heard. They were practically deaf by Feringhee standards, and unless a Feringhee was distracted, which was unfortunately to easy to do, not many people could sneak up on one of them.
He knew the docks should be empty, but he heard movements behind him. It was from a large creature or humanoid, and Quark heard the distinctive sound of garments rubbing against themselves.
He spun just in time to see "Rakak" coming at him with a large disruptor. The graceful Vulcan demeanor was gone, replaced by a face twisted with fury - a very Romulan face.
Quark didn't have enough time to react and grab his own weapon. He managed to grab the Romulan's arm and twist it around, but it was the Romulan's finger that pulled the trigger. The look of surprise on the Romulan's face just before he fell matched the one on Quark's.
Quark looked down at the smoldering remains of the Romulan. The good thing about his laser derringer was that it was silent and clean - a body with a single hole and burn mark was easy to clean, and he was a crack shot.
The bad thing about Romulan weapons was that they were loud and messy, and he hadn't been able to pull his derringer from under his vest, so he'd had to resort to grabbing the Romulan's weapon.
He had procured his new weapon after Odo had taken his last one. It was illegal as well as the Romulan's weapon. Quark had it modified at no small expense to avoid the Cardassian and the Bajoran detectors on the station.
"How interesting," he heard softly behind him, the soft voice dripping with polite menace. "I seem to have stumbled onto an unfortunate situation."
"Garak," Quark said, his voice breaking slightly even though he tried not to show emotion. It wasn't quite a worst case scenario, but it was close. How did he sneak up on me? he wondered, but he had always suspected that Garak was more than a tailor, and now he had proof. No "tailor" could have done that.
"I came down here to check on a shipment," Garak said. "I do get so worried about my new fabrics, you know. They're so fragile, so easy to destroy." He looked down at the Romulan and prodded him with a foot, with a disgusted look on his face.
"This isn't what it looks like," Quark said. "It was self defense."
Garak put a hand on Quark's shoulder and squeezed gently, a horrible parody of compassion.
"Of course it was," Garak said. "A pillar of the community like yourself has no need to fear. We'll just call Odo down here, and he'll take care of all this. I'm sure an exemplary officer of the law like Odo will know exactly what to do in such a situation."
There had been a snake loose on the station once, a big thick monster someone had brought from Bajor. It had chosen to leave a vent in Quark's bedroom, and he had found it at night after closing the bar, coiled in a corner. It had pulled itself up as tall as Quark and stared at him as it swayed back and forth before sinking its fangs into his chest.
Its bite caused him a bad infection, but its venom was harmless against Feringhee.
As he looked up into Garak's face, he felt the same deep revulsion and fear as he had with the cobra, except Garak's type of poison was fatal to all races.
"I think we can leave Odo out of this," Quark said. "He's probably sloshing around his room right now, and I'd hate to bother him."
Garak prodded the Romulan's corpse again with his foot. "I don't know," he said. "Odo would want to help such law abiding citizens as ourselves."
Quark looked down at the disruptor in his hand. My DNA has to be all over this thing, he thought.
"What do you want, Garak?" Quark asked. He could feel the man's grasp on his soul.
"Want?" Garak asked. "Not much. I just know that there's something you're good at, and it happens to be something I need." He smiled and tilted his head, and Quark shuddered.
"You're not my type," Quark said.
"No, my little friend, but you are exactly the person I need, and if you don't want Odo involved you'll do what I tell you to."
With the pretense of civility dropped, Garak's benign face slipped into a smug grin, and he tightened his grip on Quark's shoulder.
No, no, no, Quarks mind screamed. "I try to be obliging," he said, but the attempt to sound like he was in control was ruined when his voice slipped an octave higher on the last word. "I know a guy who would suit your needs better."
"Oh but Quark, I've heard from a certain person that you're good."
Who's telling stories about me? Quark wondered.
"Whoever told you that was exaggerating."
"Don't be so modest," Garak said. "I know you can make holograms from medical data, and I need one - no questions asked.
"Oh, holograms," Quark said. "I can do that."
"What did you think I wanted?" Garak asked. His smile was even more predatory.
"Something more insidious," Quark said. "Hologram building is expensive."
"You'll be well compensated," Garak said.
Suddenly the night seemed much better.
"I'll get you the medical information," Garak said. "I'm not getting involved with this." He pointed toward the body. "Vulcans tend to take the murder of one of their own very seriously."
Garak doesn't know he's Romulan, Quark thought.
"I don't suppose you have anyone I could hire to help me hide the body," Quark said.
"Now, friend Quark, how would I know anything about that?" He smiled sweetly, looked toward the ceiling and sighed. "I'm just a simple tailor."
Quark watched as Garak walked away with an arrogant strut, so quiet that Quark only heard his footsteps because of his sensitive hearing, and then only just barely.
He turned back to look at the body, and he tucked the disruptor into his vest to dispose of later. It had been a long time since he'd needed to get rid of a body, and he'd lost those contacts when the Cardassians left. A few of them had been quite useful to him, in their own way.