Julian, Jadzia, and Garak sat in the runabout surrounded by Awkward silence. The heated argument of the turbolift had cooled between Garak and Bashir, and any discussion of the kiss was completely hampered by the presence of Dax, who was sitting in her side chair smiling knowingly at the two of them.
"So." She said, trying to break the tension in the cabin. "Glib and Fall look like interesting characters." Julian nodded.
"They are, yes."
"I bet you managed to learn a lot of interesting things about them while they were getting their physicals."
"Mhhm." The conversation died, and Dax was left with the distinct feeling that something had happened between the two men. A few more moments passed in silence, as Dax desperately tried to find something that would strike up a conversation. She peered at Bashir and grinned
"Julian."
"Hmm?"
"Do you know a Denobulan Doctor Arnox?" Julian tensed and glanced at sideways at her.
"Um, yes, actually, why do you ask?" He seemed nervous, and she spotted a hint of a blush creeping up his neck.
"Oh,no reason. I just got an email from him the other day- we served together on the Pythagoras- and it reminded me of the stories he used to tell." Julian swallowed thickly, and Dax noticed that Garak was now intently staring at him.
"Oh yea." She laughed. "He had this one about this boyfriend he had while he was in the Academy. He never said his name, just called him J. Anyway, he was rather fond of recounting their exploits." She laughed. "Like how his wives thought it was hilarious that this J guy practically moved in with him within a week of them seeing each other. Or when J walked out of the shower stark naked, and half of Arnox's extended family was sitting in the quarters." Julian shifted in his seat uncomfortably his complexion clearly flushed. "You wouldn't happen to know who this J fellow was, would you? I'm sure Arnox would love to talk to him again." Julian shook his head.
"Can't say that I remember him. Sorry." He stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact with anyone else in the ship.
"Shame." Garak nodded.
"Shame indeed. This J fellow sounds rather interesting." Julian managed a smile.
"I'm sure he was." Jadzia clapped her hands, and Bashir jumped in his seat.
"Well, I'm going to go grab a snack from the replicator in quarters." She stood, and braced herself between the two men's seats.
"I believe that there's now plenty for you two love birds to discus while I'm gone." All of the color drained from Bashir's face and he turned in his seat to face her. He couldn't force any sound from his lips, but Jadzia nodded in perfect understanding. "Cat's out of the bag Julian. Now deal with it." She spun around and walked out of the room. "I'm not coming back until you two make up, or we run into a Romulan." Her sentence was punctuated by the sound of the door sliding shut behind her. Garak cleared his throat and glanced at the panel in front of him.
"It appears we still have two hours until we reach the last known location of the ship that Keras took." Julian sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Just say it Garak." The Cardassian turned to face the doctor.
"Say what?"
"Whatever clever or sarcastic thing that's on the tip of your tongue." Garak sighed.
"I wasn't going to say anything except for that I am impressed." Julian turned to fully face Garak.
"Impressed?"
"Yes." Garak turned back to the control panel in front of him, but Bashir grabbed his seat and spun him back around.
"Impressed about what." Garak sighed.
"Would you like the truth, or an honest answer?" Bashir rolled his eyes.
"Garak."
"Fine, fine, have it your way, I'll be blunt. I'm impressed that you managed a sexual relationship with a Denobulan. Even on Cardassia rumors of their-" He paused to think of the right word. "Let's say, endowment, were well known." He shrugged. "The logistics of it are-"
"Enough, enough." Julian turned and buried his head in his arms on the console. "This is a disaster." Garak frowned, and placed a tentative hand on the doctor's shoulder.
'What do you mean." Julian raised his head up slightly.
"You, Dax, us." He huffed. "The whole Arnox incident. This is not at all how things were supposed to go." He returned his head to his arms. "Quit looking at me like I'm some sort of wounded animal." Garak sighed and internally debated on what to do. His instincts were telling him to comfort and reassure the doctor, but his mind was insisting on defusing the situation with sarcasm. After a few moments, he caved and awkwardly wrapped an arm around Julian's shoulder.
"There there doctor. I'm sure it's not all that bad." Bashir started to shake, and for a split second Garak panicked at the thought of the doctor crying. Instead, muffled laughter filled the room. Bashir sat up, a shaky, lopsided grin on his face.
"Garak." He chuckled , shaking his head. "That was the single most sincere thing you've ever said to me and it could not have been more awkward." He broke into laughter again, while the Cardassian simply folded his arms across his chest.
"Well then. Next time you find yourself emotionally distraught, don't come crying to me." Julian's laughter doubled at that comment, and eventually Garak joined in. The tension between them disappeared as they calmed down.
"So what is this then?" Julian said, gesturing between them. "What are we?" Garak smirked mischievously.
"Really doctor, must we label things? For once can't you just let things be." Bashir considered it, and then shrugged.
"I don't see why not." He leaned over until he was a hair's breadth from Garak's face. "But when we get back I am going to take you on a proper date. No lunches at the replomat, or dinner at Quarks. A proper date." Garak rolled his eyes but smiled regardless.
"I doubt that it's really necessary doctor, but if you insist." Bashir pecked the Cardassian's lips.
"Oh, I insist." Garak grabbed Julian's shoulder and pulled him in for another kiss, this one far more intimate than the last. Julian responded in kind, reaching up to grip the Cardassian's neck and deepen the kiss. Jadzia stood in the doorway, watching the pair with a warm smile on her face. It was only when Julian slid out of his seat and started for Garak's lap that she alerted them to her presence.
"I've brought a snack, since none of us actually finished our dinners." Julian sheepishly slunk back into his seat, and Garak tried desperately to hide the blue tint that had risen to the surface of his skin. "Looking at it now though perhaps I should have brought some cold water." Julian glared at her, but Dax simply smiled. She shook one of the bowls in her hand. And passed it to Garak, who looked distrustfully at it.
"Lieutenant." he picked up one of the yellow-white pieces and pressed it between his fingers. "What is this?" Bashir chuckled as Daz handed him his bowl.
"It's popcorn Garak. An Earth food." He popped a handful in his mouth and hummed. "Buttered and salted." Dax nodded.
"Curzon used to snack on it during trips." Garak tentatively ate a few piece, and then nodded approvingly.
"Not bad." Dax laughed, before settling into her seat.
"How long until we reach those coordinates?" Bashir checked his control panel and sighed. "An hour and a half. We may as well settle in for the -" The runabout rocked violently, and the warning lights and sirens went off around them. Bashir fought the controls to stabilize them.
"Computer, shields up! Dax, get me a damage report. Garak, what hit us?."
"Well your scans say it's an Andorian cruiser. But those phasers belong on a Cardassian attack vessel." Dax nodded.
"The damage they did to our climate control and rear stabilizers confirms that."Julian grunted as he swung the runabout out of the path of another blast.
"Andorian Vessel, this is the Federation Runabout Gangese. Stand down. I repeat stand down." A phaser blast hit their aft shields. Nearly knocking the ship out of warp. Garak transferred extra power to the aft shields.
"How the hell did he get behind us!" Another blast rocked the ship.
"I'm more concerned about how we're going to survive." More alarms sounded across the cabin, and Dax shouted over the sound of sparking wire.
"One more hit like that Julian and we're done for." The doctor nodded.
"Brace yourselves!" He slammed the runabout down to impulse, sending everyone careening forward in their seats. Sparks flew and smoke billowed from the back of the runabout. Dax fought to put enough force fields in place to contain the damage. Julian reinforced the forward shields.
"Garak, where is he?"
"Approximately six hundred and seventy thousand kilometers ahead of us." Another nod.
"I want all available power to phasers. Target his shield emitters, on an Andorian vessel, they'll be just behind antimatter exhausts, so be careful. Dax, the moment that those shields are down, beam Glib and Fall right here. It'll be tight, but it'll have to do." He didn't wait for any confirmation of his orders before he gunned the runabout at maximum impulse towards the Andorian ship. When the ship came into visual range Bashir noticed that it had already turned around, and was on a trajectory that would end in collision. He pulled the runabout hard to the left and neatly looped it behind the other craft. No sooner than the tricky maneuver was completed, the Andorian Vessel's shields were down, and Glib and Fall were on board. Bashir redistributed power from phasers to shields, and hailed the other vessel again.
"It's over Keras. Prepare for beem out. You're under-'Garak jumped over and slammed the ship into warp, just as the Andorian vessel exploded. The shock wave knocked them out of warp, but they were relatively unscathed. Bashir looked at Garak with a mix of terror, appreciation and affection, before he turned in his seat to examine their guests. Glib looked fine, aside from his color. Fall was visibly shaken.
"Are either of you injured?" Glib knotted his tentacles together.
"I am fine Doctor, but Sakket he-" Julian noticed a water silver liquid puddling on the floor.
"Good god." Fall unfurled two of his tentacles to show a nub where another should be. "Dax! Get my med kit!" The Trill jumped up, grabbing the kit from the cabinet at the back of the cabin. Julian quickly got to work, cauterizing the wound and administering what he hoped was an efficient antiseptic. Glib stopped him from using the dermal regenerator.
"It'll grow back on it's own. We only needed to prevent infection." Julian nodded, worriedly eyeing the shook his head as he finished relaying their current coordinates to Sisko.
"Even the Obsidian Order isn't heartless enough just lop off the limb of an innocent person. At least not without provocation." Fall gurgled his unique form of laughter, though even that seemed unsteady.
"Mr. Garak. It's good to finally see you." The sharp deviation from the topic at hand had Julian scanning for symptoms of shock. Even Glib seemed concerned. Fall clicked his beak and pushed at Glib slightly. He then extended one of his tentacles to Garak, who warily shook it.
"It's good to see you as well. I take it Doctor Bashir spoke of me." Glib shook his eye stalks in a surprisingly humanoid expression.
"He didn't need to." He laughed again, this time sounding stronger. Julian noted a small change in his color. Julian shook his head and turned to Glib.
"I can't make any sense of his readings, here." He held the tricorder out for Fall, who moved a singular eye stalk to view the screen. "Aside from fluid loss, he's fine." Glib moved back and emulated a shrug.
"As long as everyone is going to be alright." Garak's control panel lit up.
"Doctor, the T'Pring is hailing. We have audio only"
"Put them on, Garak." Ka'tra's voice came across the line, concern and anger threatening under her thin Vulcan calm.
"Did everyone survive."
"Everyone but Sakket ma'am. He destroyed himself and the ship he was in when it was clear that he wasn't going to get away."
"Yes. We registered the explosion. It is disappointing that you were unable to apprehend him." Sisko's voice filtered through.
"I'm glad you're alright. Were there any injuries?"
"Fall had a limb removed, but he assures me that it'll be fine on it's own. I've tended to it as well as I can out here."
"Good. I take it that the Ganges has sustained some damage."
"Yes, sir. Dax could explain it better." He nodded to Jadzia, who sighed.
"Our climate control is gone, and so is our heat suppression. Our left stabilizer was severely damaged, and it I'll need to run some tests, but I doubt we'll be able to go past Warp two and a half, if that." Sisko whistled. "We're almost to your location. Do you think that the Ganges could survive a two?" Dax shook her head.
"No." Bashir ran his fingers through his hair and nodded.
"Sir, may I suggest that you take Glib and Fall and head back to the station, Nurse Amara can handle any emergencies that may happen, but I think that all Glib and Fall need as far as medical attention goes is a good night's rest."
"Bashir, are you volunteering to nurse the Ganges back to the station?" There was a note of humor in his voice that had the doctor smiling.
"Yes sir. I won't ask the same of Lieutenant Dax or Mr. Garak, of course." Garak rolled his eyes and glared at the doctor.
"Obviously I'll be remaining here."
"As will I Benjamin." Sisko laughed.
"Then it's settled." Garak nodded. "The T'Pring has arrived." Bashir motioned for the Cardassian to lower shields.
"We've locked on to glib and Fall. It's your last chance to beam out with them."
"I've made up my mind sir." He turned to glib and Fall. "I expect you two two give Commander Sisko and Major Kira your full co-operation." They laughed, and so did Bashir.
"You'll have plenty of time for goodbyes when you get back to the Station doctor." Garak muttered something under his breath that Bashir didn't catch.
"Understood." He waved at the two aliens as they were moved to the T'Pring .
"I look forward to reading your report Doctor." The comm ended and the T'Pring left them alone.