Chapter Twenty-Two: Payback

The dabo wheel spun in dizzying circles, blurring in front of Janderschmidt's alcohol-fogged eyes. Drunk on the beverages Quark kept plying him with and the heady certainty of his own success, it took only a whispered word from the dabo girl to encourage him to bet everything.

And it was then that everything came crashing down. And yet his head was swimming so badly by that time that he couldn't be sure if any of this was real or only a dream.

Quark was most solicitous, sending an escort to be sure he got back to his ship, where his crew would see him safely to bed. But when he had gone, Quark grinned widely and rubbed his hands together in glee. All his scheming had paid off, and soon the heavy, gleaming bars of latinum would be his.

oOo

Captain Janderschmidt woke the next morning with a throbbing headache and only a dim memory of what had happened the night before. He groaned as he tried to sit up, knowing it was the day the Cygnus was leaving the station and he would have to go to Quark's to collect his twenty bars of latinum and his winnings of the night before.

Or…were there any winnings? That last time, hadn't he bet everything…?

But, no. Surely even drunk he couldn't have been that foolish; it must have been merely an alcohol-induced dream.

But one attempt to sit up had been enough for him, and with another groan he reached for his communicator. First he would get his ship's doctor to give him something for this infernal headache, and then he would go down to collect his money.

A night of drinking had never bothered him so badly before, and he found himself wondering if that Ferengi barkeeper had given him something stronger than he had ordered.

"Curse it!" he muttered as he waited for the doctor's arrival. "Never trust a Ferengi!"

oOo

His ship's doctor gave him the pain medication he asked for without question or the embarrassment of an examination, and Janderschmidt's headache had receded to a dull throbbing by the time he made his way to Quark's bar half an hour later.

He paused outside the door, rubbing his forehead and frowning as he tried to recall his fuzzy memories of exactly what had happened the night before. Were there winnings, or would he do better to leave without ever speaking to the bartender?

No…that part had to be a dream; he would act as if it was. If he showed the least doubt, the Ferengi would pounce on it, taking advantage of it to pay less than what he owed.

Still he hesitated a moment longer before stepping through the door; did he truly believe he could out-bluff a Ferengi?

Then he drew a deep breath that sent a renewed stab of pain through his head, schooled his features into a confidence he didn't feel, and strode into the bar. "Quark!"

"My dear Janderschmidt!" Quart greeted him, his smile particularly oily as he appeared behind the bar. "I suppose you've come to settle accounts?"

"Indeed; I'm here to collect my winnings and the twenty bars you promised."

"Oh, but you're mistaken," Quack said smoothly, the smile never leaving his face. "You gambled away your winnings and the twenty bars; in fact, that's roughly the amount you owe me."

"What?" Janderschmidt whispered, his face going white as he leaned forward on the bar with both hands. He had been prepared to believe he had forfeited all his winnings, perhaps even that he owed a few bars of latinum himself. But never in his wildest dreams had he expected the Ferengi to demand he pay the twenty bars.

"You cheating Ferengi…!" he growled, leaning further across the bar and snarling as his head throbbed again in protest.

"Help!" Quark squeaked, suddenly no longer smiling.

One of the barstools began to melt, growing and resolving itself into a vaguely humanoid form; for the first time, Quark actually felt slightly relieved to see Odo. "He won't pay what he owes me!" he accused, jabbing an accusing finger at Janderschmidt, no longer cowering now that he was sure Odo wouldn't actually let anyone hurt him.

"I owe you —?" Janderschmidt spluttered in disbelief. He had been slightly startled at Odo's appearance, but the whole day had taken on a feverish, dreamlike feel, and nothing could entirely surprise him. "He promised me twenty bars of latinum — but I should have known better than to trust the word of a Ferengi," he said in disgust.

"Make him pay!" Quark demanded again.

"And what makes you so sure I'll take your side?" Odo questioned.

"I want to see someone in charge at this station!" Janderschmidt insisted.

"Both of you, up to Ops with me," Odo demanded.

"But my bar," Quark whimpered.

"Call Rom to watch it. You can come under your own power, Ferengi, or I can arrest you for attempting to provoke an interplanetary incident."

"But I haven't done anything," Quark whined, even as he obeyed Odo's orders, calling his brother before allowing the shapeshifter to usher him from the room with Janderschmidt.

oOo

Dax nearly groaned aloud when she saw who Odo was bringing into Ops, but managed to force a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?"

"This Ferengi is trying to cheat me!"

"He won't pay what he owes!"

Quark and Janderschmidt both spoke at once, and Odo crossed his arms over his chest. "Quiet!" he ordered. "I heard them in the bar," he added to Dax. "Each of them claims the other owes him twenty bars of latinum."

Dax raised an eyebrow. "Explain," she said shortly.

Both of them opened their mouths at once, and Dax raised a hand. "One at a time. Captain Janderschmidt?"

"He offered me twenty bars of latinum to allow you to use my transporters," Janderschmidt explained, slightly calmer.

Dax's eyes widened, and she caught her breath in surprise.

"Less any dabo losses," Quark hastened to stipulate.

"And he lost forty bars. Is that how you claim the debt was reversed?"

"You could say so; he bet his entire payment."

"In a game I remember nothing of," Janderschmidt grumbled, pressing his hand for a moment to his temple. "Even so, that would only cancel it, not reverse it."

"But the agreed payment was twenty bars, less any dabo losses. He bet the payment, not twenty bars of latinum, so everything reversed."

Dax closed her eyes, her own head spinning trying to follow Ferengi logic and arithmetic.

"Was that game rigged?" Odo demanded.

Quark blinked as if surprised at the question. "Of course it was. Everyone knows dabo's rigged; it's one of the risks of playing."

"He has a point there," Dax muttered, wishing she had kept silent when Quark's triumphant expression showed that he had heard. But a moment later her attention was all on Janderschmidt, whose face was suddenly an unhealthy-looking mottled orange and blue. "Captain? Are you all right?"

"Headache," he whispered, groping blindly for support. "Everything fuzzy…"

"Odo!" Dax said sharply; the shapeshifter reformed himself in time to catch Janderschmidt as he reeled back and collapsed.

Next chapter coming next week! (…hopefully)

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Deep Space Nine alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie