Ch 12
He heard a familiar sloshing sound, and a storage crate nearby grew and morphed into his nemesis. Odo let out a loud laugh.
"Is there something you'd like to tell me?' Odo asked.
"How long were you there?" Quark asked.
"Long enough," Odo said.
"You could have said something sooner,"
"I thought you were Dax," Odo said. "I know I heard her voice."
"Very funny," quark said. "You know it was in self defense."
"I do, but what I'd like to know is why it happened. It isn't like a Vulcan to draw a weapon and try to murder someone, especially without talking to them first. It seems very Romulan, don't you think?"
"It did surprise me for a Vulcan to do that," quark said.
"I don't think it did," Odo said. "Vulcan alerted us that there was a Romulan spy in that group, and I've been keeping tabs on the group since they got here. I know you talked with this one. Is it a coincidence that he turned out to be the spy?"
"He needed me to get him some supplies. Talking isn't illegal," quark said.
"No," Odo said, "but it's definitely suspicious. I want to know everything you know about this."
"Or what?" Quark asked. "You can't arrest me for killing him."
"No, but that disruptor you're carrying is prohibited."
Quark reached slowly into his vest and removed the disruptor, holding it by the barrel with two fingers so Odo wouldn't think he was going to use it. He dropped it on the ground.
"I'll have bail money in an hour, and I'll take the fine."
"Do you mean to tell me that you'll willingly shell out money rather than give me some information?" Odo asked. "Whatever you're hiding must be worth a lot of money."
"It's legal, so it isn't your business."
"Oh, but it is," Odo said. "Conducting espionage is illegal on this station."
"I thought he was Vulcan. You can't prove that I knew otherwise."
"No, but if you want to play games I saw a number of minor infractions, and if I charge you with all of them separately there will be a trial for all of them separately. How much time and money would that cost you?"
"I'll tell you as much as I can," quark said, changing strategies. "I thought I recognized him as one of the prisoners from that time the wormhole decided to spit us out near Faringar. I just wanted to check my own cargo, and he got the jump on me."
"You said you wanted to sell supplies to him, but you wanted to exploit him," Odo said.
"Talk, exploit - same difference."
"That's probably the most honest thing you've ever said," Odo said.
"There's a Rule of Acquisition that applies here," quark said.
"Spare me your Rules," Odo said, "and don't try to change the subject when the body isn't even cold yet."
"I was just going to see what kind of profit I could make off the situation. It turns out to have been a mistake."
"Not really," Odo said. "I was following him, and your mistake is my profit. This takes care of one problem. With him dead I can look inside his cargo hold on reasonable suspicion".
"How is that reasonable suspicion?"
"I'll think of a reason later. I have work to do here, so you should go now. And I want to know why Garak wants that hologram."
"It's probably the same reason anyone would come to me for a hologram." Quark said. "I am in the entertainment business. It isn't like women on the station are lining up to date a Cardassian tailor. He's probably just lonely."
"You sicken me," Odo said.
"I sicken you? You were going to let Garak kill me, or worse."
"I would have stopped a murder," Odo said. "As for the "or worse" I think Garak has better taste in romantic partners than you."
"I'm leaving," quark said. "I've had enough of all of this."
"You'd better be careful with Garak," Odo said. "If you try to toy with him he'll crush you."
"You injure my pride," quark said. "I'll have you know my people were trading with his people for hundreds of years, and I dealt with plenty of Cardassians on terok-nor. Got the best of most of them too."
"Garak is out of your league Quark."
"If I didn't know better I'd think you cared."
"But you do know better," Odo said. "I just don't want to clean up the mess. I'm going to report this to Sisko now, and he'll probably have questions for you."
"You could save yourself a lot of paperwork and leave Sisko out of this."
"Goodbye, quark."
Quark put his hands in his pockets and strolled out of the hanger, making sure Odo saw him being nonchalant. As soon as the door closed he began to run.
He had only one thought, and as he raced through dark passages and forgotten tubes and alleys he only hoped to get to Sarafina before Odo did.
He'll drop what passes for subtlety with him and question her, he thought. He could just picture it, and even though Sarafina liked to think of herself as a worldly woman Odo was a type of sneaky she'd probably never dealt with. If she tells him everything he'll find a way to charge me with something, he thought.
She is going to be so mad at me, quark thought, and he began to fashion excuses for the inevitable questions.
He didn't even stop to catch his breath outside her door, but after he hit the buzzer and she answered he had to take a few quick gulps of air.
"Sarafina, we have to talk," he said.
She was wearing an evening robe when she opened the door. Odo stood in her quarters with his hands clasped behind his back and standing with his back straight and his eyes challenging.
"How interesting that you came straight here," Odo said.
"How did you get here so fast?" Quark asked.
"It's useful to be able to fit into small vents and tubes," Odo said, "but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Commander Sisko told me about what Sarafina said to him about her planet and the Romulans. Suddenly, a Romulan - at least one - is on the ship and trying to kill you. I want to know why."
"So would I," Quark said.
"Oh, just tell him already," Sarafina said. "There's no reason to keep it a secret anymore. I'm going to accept help anywhere I can find it, and after I talk to Commander Sisko again, which I'm sure Odo will insist on after a killing like this, he'll listen. He'll have to."
"I suppose it's time," Quark said reluctantly. "I'll leave you to it then. This really has nothing to do with me anymore, does it?" He didn't even try to hide the anger in his voice.
"It was never about you," Sarafina said. "It was about helping my people."
Quark left, but before he got far Odo was behind him. "I'm not done with you yet," he said.
"Yes you are," Quark said. "She can tell you anything you want to know. She seems to think the Federation can help her more than I can, even though... never mind. Just leave me out of this."
"How were you expecting to profit off of the deaths of her people?" Odo asked.
Quark looked at that smug face, and he wanted to push it in. "I was going to make a deal that would have helped us both, but she blew it now."
"How?"
"You know what? I'm tired, I'm angry, and I'm sick of this mess. I'm out. Contact me if you need an official statement, but I really didn't know that Romulan was going to attack me, and there was nothing more to that than self defense."
He stomped off, expecting Odo to follow him, or to arrest him if he was really unlucky. When Odo didn't stop him he turned to see him back at Sarafina's doorstep.
After all that I did for her. That ungrateful little...
He couldn't find a curse bad enough for what she had done. He could accept that she was going to take her business elsewhere. It happened, and if he was honest with himself he had to admit that with the problems from his injuries he'd moved too slowly.
It burned that she'd turned to the Federation, of all people, but that didn't really hurt. What hurt was that she was doing it wrong. A son was supposed to take over the business and run it themselves, not burn it to the ground, and that was what she was about to do. She didn't think she was doing anything illegal, but Quark thought that Odo would find a way to make it look like that. No. That suggested dishonesty. Quark thought Odo would find a way to actually believe she was guilty of something.
He took two shots of the cheap vodka he kept under the counter, and he went to bed angry. The next morning he decided that waking up angry was as bad as having a hangover. Dax came in for breakfast, which was usual, but he couldn't even enjoy his time with her. As she chatted with him he found himself becoming more and more irritated with her.
She finally realized he wasn't listening. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You seem distracted today."
"Sarafina dumped me," Quark said.
"I thought you two weren't dating," Dax said.
"No. I mean she ended our business relationship. I wish she had just dumped me romantically. It would hurt less."
"I'm sure you can win her back," Dax said.
Quark waved a hand dismissively. "Don't try to cheer me up today. I just want to stew for awhile."
Dax shrugged. "Suit yourself, but the Quark I know doesn't take losses without a fight."
"I can't fight the Federation, and that's who she chose to do business with. The Federation!"
"I'm sure it isn't personal," Dax said.
A Klingon walked in in a Starfleet uniform.
"Am I seeing things?" Quark asked. "Is he in Starfleet?"
"Oh yes," Dax said. "I was surprised myself."
The Klingon sat by Dax at the bar and ordered a Raktajino.
"You look familiar," Quark said, "and I know I've never seen one of you in that uniform before.
"We have met before," Worf said. "You were too inebriated to remember."
"Ferengi remember what happens when they drink," Quark said.
"This is Worf," Dax said.
"Son of Morg," Worf said.
Klingons were interesting. No matter how he felt about them individually, Quark thought of their race as... well...spicy.
This one seemed off somehow, needlessly formal, and worse of all, too close to Dax for his comfort.
He stayed near enough to listen to their conversation, and he learned the basic reason Worf was on DS9. Dax was entirely too interested in his story for Quark to be comfortable with it.
They left together, and Quark felt fury rising.
I will not lose her to some puffed up Klingon in THAT uniform. I waited too long with Sarafina. I need to close the deal with Dax soon.
He had to put up with Sisko summoning him to the bridge, as if he was some common Star Fleet ensign trash. He purposely waited until Odo came and told him he'd arrest him if he didn't come. "We are investigating a spy on the ship," Odo said, "and I suspect that you helped him and were double-crossed."
"Oh, come off it," Quark said. "You talked to Sarafina. She told you enough to know my relationship to the Romulans. I was on her planet legally, and nothing I did there broke any Federation laws. In fact, according to their sensibilities I deserve a medal."
"She did have a lot of good things to say about you," Odo said. "I can't say I think much of her ability to judge people."
"No, we all leave that to you," Odo said.
Odo harrumphed. "Let's go," he said. "Commander Sisko is in a bad mood, and you shouldn't keep him waiting."
"What happened?" Sisko asked. "I already know from Sarafina and Odo. I just want to hear what you have to say."
"Sarafina and I had a perfectly legal business arrangement, which she broke. Until he attacked me, I thought that man was Vulcan. He asked for me to help his group buy some supplies - mundane food and parts. That's all there is. I have invoices to prove the transaction."
"It matches what Sarafina told me," Sisko said. "I can't have Odo charge you with espionage, this time, but you are on my list, Quark."
I always am, Quark thought.
"If you're finished I do have work to do," Quark said.
He loved the look he could bring to Sisko's face. He'd heard that Sisko had said that no one annoyed him more than Quark. Quark thought that there was no one he loved annoying more than Sisko except for Odo.
"Just go!" Sisko said. "I'm tired of having to deal with problems you cause."
"How did I cause this?" Quark asked. "I had no idea anyone knew about Sarafina. I still don't know how it happened."
"If you ever have dealings with an enemy of the Federation, even indirectly, I want to know. You have a habit of attracting trouble that could endanger this station."
Quark left, having to work to hide the smirk that probably would have sent Sisko over the edge.
As soon as Rom came to take his shift Quark went to his private computer station to do some research.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As Bashir and Sarafina looked through the numerous documents involved in contacting the proper people who could help her, she began to understand what Quark had meant about dealing with the Federation.
"This will take forever," Sarafina said. "I don't have time for all this."
"It just seems overwhelming because you're looking at it from outside the system," Bashir said. "I have some contacts, and I'll call some people."
"Thank you Julian. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Bashir was standing behind her, reading the view screen over her shoulder. "I'd do that and so much more for you if you asked."
Sarafina expected him to touch her face, or play with her hair. It was what men usually did at this point, or far before this point. He never touched her in any way that suggested that he was more interested in her than in anyone else he might help.
He's such a good man, Sarafina thought. If he didn't make the occasional, obviously sensual statement she wouldn't have even known he was interested in her. Even then he wasn't lecherous, just obvious.
"I never met anyone like you, Julian," she said.
"And I can say that I've never met anyone like you," he said. His voice was soft and pleasing.
Don't do it girl, Sarafina thought. He isn't a suitable choice for a mate.
"Wait!" Bashir said, distracted by a document. "Scroll back two documents. There it is!"
She tried to tell herself that she wasn't disappointed that he'd turned back to his work. "Those are the people in the Department of Security that would deal with this - I hope. I'll contact them."
Sarafina reached back and took his hand in her own, feeling the soft skin of someone who'd never done any physical labor in his life, and she felt a great loss. "Thank you, Julian."
It hurt. It hurt to find someone that cared so much about other people that he would give that much of himself. It hurt that she'd never connected with any man like this, and why did he have to be so damn handsome?
I have to put an end to this, she thought, and I know how.
"I'm worn out mentally," she said. "Before you start calling people I'd really like to do something to relax."
"What were you thinking?" Bashir asked.
"That holo-deck you showed me made me think of something. I know you can make another person in there."
"Yes. What were you thinking?"
She looked up at him. "I would love to see you fight."
"Um, ok. That's unexpected, but if it will help we can go there now. At this time of day we might be able to get in. Most people don't go there during the day unless it's a weekend."
She didn't want to deal with Quark yet, but he owned the holo-deck. It wasn't that she was angry, but she knew that he felt betrayed. How could she explain to him how much he meant to her, that if it hadn't been about the good of her people she would never have hurt him? He wouldn't believe her.
"What do you want?" Quark asked Sarafina when she came in with Bashir.
"We need to rent the holo-deck for an hour," Bashir said.
"So you closed the deal, huh?" Quark asked Sarafina. "I hope he's more loyal than you are."
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Bashir said. "Don't insult the lady."
Quark shook his head. "You just don't get it do you, you poor, manipulatable sucker."
"Quark!" Sarafina said. "Stop it!"
Quark pulled up a program on the register. "When do you want it?" he asked.
"Is anyone in there now?" Sarafina asked.
"No," Quark said. He rang up their purchase and handed them an entrance card. "You know how it works. After an hour the program ends, you put your clothes back on and go your way."
"I'm warning you!" Bashir said.
"Come on Julian," Sarafina said. "And you called me childish!" she said to Quark.
Quark mumbled something angrily and went to serve another customer.
"Don't let him get to you," Sarafina said.
"He gets to everyone eventually," Bashir said.
He created a simple dojo, complete with a sparring partner -a nondescript human male, average height and build, blonde hair.
"Could you make him Romulan?" Sarafina asked.
Bashir told the computer the new specifications, and Sarafina looked at the hologram. It was in a ready stance.
"Begin," Bashir said.
The Romulan attacked, and Bashir evaded him easily. As it was passing Bashir swept its legs out from under it. The Romulan managed to pull him down, but he spun quickly to jump to his feet before he could be entangled. The two fighters circled each other, and the Romulan charged. Bashir simply allowed the holo-gram to reach him, and he fell backwards, throwing the Romulan back over him. There was a distinct "crack" as the Romulan's neck broke.
Bashir stood. "Was that what you wanted?" he asked.
"Oh yes," Sarafina said. She stepped close to him, savoring the slight smell of sweat and the flush on his face. "It was exactly what I wanted." She kissed him, and for the first time she did it without thinking of the future, or what she could get from a man.
Meanwhile Quark was trying to calm himself with his own plans. I should focus on what's important to me, he thought.
He contacted a Bajoran artist, one that he'd dealt with before. "I need to go planeside," he told Rom.
"Why? I don't want to watch the bar."
"It's important," Quark said. "It's very important."
He retrieved the article from the artist with no problems, and when he came back he pulled out the black box.
"Is that what was so important?" Rom asked.
Quark opened it reverently, and he showed Rom the bracelet on the satin lining.
"You went to Bajor for this?" Rom asked. He picked up the bracelet. It was silver, and delicately worked as if chains of flowers intersected.
"I'm going to give it to Dax," he said. "I did some research, and this is a traditional gift a trill man gives to a woman. It's supposed to show the eternity of life and love."
"Love?" Rom said.
Quark put the bracelet back in its box and closed it. He passed his hand over the box. "I need her. Life just wouldn't be the same without her."
"I hope it works," Rom said.
"How could it not?" Quark asked smugly. "She gets this and me."
He waited expectantly for her to come to the bar, but it was three days before he saw her again. Every day he became more anxious.
"Go to her," Rom said.
"I can't do that," Quark said. "If I let her be dominant in the relationship we'll end up like Mother and Father."
So he waited, and when she finally came in he immediately forgot any irritation he had with her. She was radiantly happy.
"Oh Quark, I have the best news," she said.
Good. This will be the perfect time to give her the bracelet, Quark thought. I'll have to teach her how to be a wife, but this will be wonderful.
"So do I," he said. "You first."
"Do you remember Worf, the Klingon I introduced you to?"
"Yes," Quark said. He had a bad feeling suddenly.
Dax took a deep breath. "We're engaged."
Quark was speechless.
"Quark? I know you two didn't get along well when you met, but I really want you two to be friends."
"Engaged?" Quark asked.
Dax nodded. Her happy expression had changed to a look of worry. "I want you to be at my wedding. You're very important to me."
"I...of course, Dax. This is just unexpected."
To his relief a customer across the bar raised a hand for service. "I have to go," Quark said.
When he looked back toward the bar Dax was gone.
After the bar closed Rom and Nog were cleaning, while Quark wiped the bar down. He hadn't realized that he had stopped cleaning and was just wiping his rag in the same circle over and over again.
"We'll never get out of here if you go that slowly," Rom said.
"Dax is engaged," Quark said. "Can you believe it?"
"Congratulations!" Rom said. "That was fast!"
"She's engaged to a Klingon," Quark said. "I waited too long again."
"Nog, go back to our quarters," Rom said.
Nog didn't wait for any chance his father might change his mind. "Now what?" Rom asked. "That bracelet looked expensive."
"Not as much as it looks," Quark said. "I'll give it to her as a wedding present."
"And you're ok with this?" Rom asked.
"Of course I'm not ok with it!" Quark said, "but what can you expect from a woman anyway? I was a fool to think she was different."
"Brother, you don't really think that."
Quark counted down the till and when he took it to the safe he stopped and looked at its contents. He liked to keep hard currency on hand. He picked up a latinum strip and he held it up to the light, looking at its gleam.
"I'll be ok," he told Rom. "This is the only lady I need."
It was only days later that Sarafina's deal with the Federation came to a close - or at least that part of it. As she stood outside the shuttle that was to take her away to a new place - never a new home, just a new place to exist, she found it much harder to leave Bashir than she had thought it would be.
"I wish I could stay with you," she said, "but I have to leave."
"I know," Bashir said. "I've always known. No one stays here for long that doesn't have to. I wanted to experience frontier medicine, and I got it. The thing about frontiers is that people are always passing through."
"Julian, I need to tell you something," Sarafina said. "I can't leave like this. I care for you more than any man. When we met I was only planning to use you."
"I knew," Bashir said softly.
"You knew?" she asked. "Then why did you help me?"
"Because what was happening on your planet was wrong, and because I knew Quark probably couldn't help you. He doesn't have the connections I do."
"It isn't like that anymore," Sarafina said. "I want you to know that."
Bashir kissed her. "I know that too," he said.
The pilot announced that they were boarding.
"Go do what you have to do," Bashir said, "and if you come this way again I'll probably be here."
He went to Quark's bar. "I'll have a whiskey. Make it a double."
"Problems in paradise?" Quark asked.
"Sarafina just left for Earth," Bashir said.
"I hope it works out for her," Quark said.
"I thought you were angry at her."
"She came by last night, and we talked. I guess it's just a loss, and there's nothing I can do to turn it into profit at this point. We both want to remember each other the way we were, not how we ended up."
"She gave me something for you," Bashir said. He handed Quark a note and a box. The note was actually on paper.
"I wonder where she found paper," he said. "She must have purposely replicated this. How quaint."
He opened the note. Dearest Quark. I can't ever truly repay you for what you've done for me, but you gave me an idea on how to begin. Sarafina.
Quark opened the case and saw four bars of latinum. He blinked his eyes. They were still there.
"I thought she'd do something along those lines," Bashir said.
He picked up the other note on top of the bars. My arrangement with the Federation has been lucrative. They are paying me well to be their test subject. I would have done it for free, but if I had I couldn't have done this for you, and after everything we've been through you've earned it. I owe my financial education to you. Consider this to be the beginning of your allowance, as I would have been very proud to have been able to take your business over so you could retire. I would have been proud for you to have been my father.
Quark laughed loudly, and then he found that he couldn't stop. "She's better than a son," he said.
"I don't understand," Bashir said. "What's happening?"
"I don't know," Quark said. "I really don't know anymore." He poured Bashir a drink. "I wouldn't worry too much about her. I think she'll be just fine."
He poured himself a whiskey and tapped Bashir's glass with his. "Cheers," he said. "I have no idea what that means, but you hew-mons say it."
"To latinum," Bashir said.
"A proper Feringhee toast," Quark said. He took a sip of whiskey, but Bashir threw his back in one swallow.
"I've never seen you do that," Quark said.
"Pour me another one," Bashir said. "A double."
Quark poured him a double.
"It doesn't matter if it's logical or not," Bashir said. "It still hurts."
"Women do that," Quark said.
When he asked for another drink, Quark pretended to drop something, and he bent to appear to retrieve it. He quickly grabbed the cheap alcohol and added it to the whiskey bottle.
He poured another drink for Bashir. "Is O'Brian coming by later?" he asked. Someone's going to have to get him home later, and I am not babysitting a drunk.
"In an hour," Bashir said. His speech slurred.
Quark tallied Bashir's tab, and he thought that by the time the night was done he could slip a couple of extra drinks on the tab without Bashir remembering how many he had.
When he opened the drawer to make change for another customer there was a latinum strip inside it, and after the customer had left Quark picked it up and turned it over in his hand.
"What are you doing?" Bashir asked.
"I never should have left my first love." He held the strip up, kissed it, and put it back in the register. "She's never let me down yet, and I'll never cheat on her again."
The station moved slowly in its orbit above Bajor, quiet and dark after the bar shut down and the inhabitants settled in for the night - mostly. It was broken in some places, and it creaked in too many others, but it held together - for the most part. Like the people inside it, it held together - for the most part.
