I've had this in mind for an alternate scene where Worf, who was such a miserable bully during his trip to Risa with Jadzia, gets a reality check.
I don't own Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Reviews are welcome of course, but flames aren't.
Worf's Reality Check.
"What are you talking about?" Doctor Julian Bashir demanded while he sat opposite Worf and Jadzia while the Trill woman received a refill in her glass, of some kind of fruit cordial; Julian had no idea what kind of concoction she was drinking, but she seemed unaffected compared to her 'boyfriend' who seemed to have taken what the Essentialists had said as gospel truth. "Come on, Worf. This sounds like nonsense."
"I am merely observing that the Klingons would never have attacked had they not believed the Federation vulnerable. Even now, since the changeling was discovered on the Klingon High Council, most of my people continue to call for war because they think they can win," Worf countered with surprising patience.
Julian had been listening with his usual facade of innocent childlike nonchalance. But it was a sham. Thanks to his genetically engineered intellect, Bashir knew what Worf was saying was the truth. It had only been a few months since General Martok was discovered to be a Dominion infiltrator and was the one who ensured the Klingons launched their insane attack on the Cardassian Union. Somehow the Founder had persuaded Chancellor Gowron the change in government was done with Dominion aid since the Cardassian Dissident Movement could not have succeeded without aid. Gowron, already likely worked up about the thought of an invasion through the wormhole, had launched the attack. And even though the invasion was called off, the Klingons had ignored whatever common sense they may have had, and they had begun a campaign of war to re-assert themselves throughout the Alpha Quadrant.
The Klingons believed they were expanding in order to ensure they survived the Dominion invasion. It was coming. Julian knew it. So did hundreds of others in Starfleet, and with the constant Cold War going on at the moment - the diplomatic mission which turned to a clandestine attack on the Tzenkethi which would have caused an interstellar war weakening the Federation and other Alpha Quadrant powers so the Quadrant was ripe for the taking, the destruction of the Obsidian Order and Tal Shiar fleets after discovering Tain's plans and then manipulating events to ensure it went forward to deliver a crippling blow which reverberated in the Alpha Quadrant, creating waves of fear at the impending doom coming towards them - it was only a matter of time before the Dominion did turn up.
Julian was just annoyed Worf believed he was ignorant of it. Had Worf forgotten how he - Julian - had spent a dark but thankfully brief time on Aijilon Prime? Bashir had seen the brutality of the Klingons on a planet surface, and that was nothing compared to the terrible injuries and casualties he had seen prior to that.
If Worf believed him ignorant of that, then the Klingon needed to spend an hour in the Infirmary back on DS9, see Julian and the nurses he had at hand fix the damage.
But Julian could not understand why Worf believed the end was nigh, especially in this manner. Yes, Julian could well understand and even accept there was a chance the Essentialists had a point about how lazy the Federation had become, but it was a matter of what the people wanted. The whole point of the Federation was to unite other worlds, drawing together ideals and ideas, and allow people the time they needed to better themselves. They could do that by composing new music, write sonnets, and create incredible works of art.
But the Essentialists seemed to have forgotten that, but Julian had a feeling, should the Dominion ever conquer the Alpha Quadrant, laying waste to dozens of Federation worlds in the invasion - worlds like Trill, Andoria, Vulcan, Alpha Centauri, Betazed, or heavens forbid Earth - they would find more resistance than they would have imagined.
But Worf seemed to think the end was nigh regardless, and Bashir could not understand it The Klingon had lived and worked with humans almost his entire life, you would have thought it would have shown him what they were capable of. Was he just willfully blind? And not just humans, everyone. There was an innate need for freedom, and it was the kind of life and philosophical belief you got in the Federation. Not for the first time, Julian wondered what the hell Jadzia saw in the Klingon, but truthfully he didn't care. One of the reasons he was glad not to have pursued any kind of relationship beyond friendship with the beautiful Trill was Jadzia was too much work.
Yes, he was still infatuated with her, but Julian knew, despite his fantasies, nothing would come from it. He didn't understand why the Klingon was walking around determined to be miserable while everyone else had come to Risa to enjoy themselves. Most of the vacationers on Risa were laughing, sitting and relaxing in the climate, swimming in the ocean, mountain climbing, or enjoying a passionate romance with the locals. But all Worf had done was looking disapprovingly around himself like a gloomy and miserable schoolteacher or military officer who could not grasp other people had the right to live the way they wished without him poking his opinions in when they were not wanted while he wore his Starfleet uniform still.
Deep down, Julian was growing tired of Worf. And truthfully he was tired that the Klingon seemed determined to just make this trip as miserable as he possibly could.
About the only good thing so far was Julian hadn't had to deal with Worf much during his time here, what with the Rite of Separation he was going to have with Leeta later, and truthfully he was pleased by the arrangement. Jadzia had to deal with him, and it looked like she wasn't going to do anything about her oaf of a boyfriend, or whatever it was they were. Probably some barbaric Klingon thing.
"But none of this has anything to do with Risa," Julian said.
Worf sent him a hard look - Julian could see that the Klingon was getting tired of having to explain the ins and the outs of the Essentialists philosophy and how right it was, and thanks to his genetically engineered mind, Julian could see Worf was losing patience because nobody was taking it seriously.
"You cannot be certain of that."
Oh, I can be certain of many things, Julian thought to himself, darkly while he began to lose his own patience with Worf.
"All I know is I've spent lifetimes defending the Federation and I deserve a vacation every now and then," Jadzia said, looking between the two men at the table. Julian agreed wholeheartedly with her; it was recommended for Starfleet officers to take a spot of leave once in a while. But Worf seemed to feel, judging from his expression, it should not be allowed. Did Klingons even allow leave? Julian didn't know, and truly… he was starting not to care.
This was getting on his last nerve. Before anyone could say anything else, change the subject which would be a godsend to two out of the three people at the table, someone else joined the party.
"Julian?" Leeta approached the table. The Bajoran Dabo girl walked through a silky white curtain separating the lounge from the rest of the resort, a dazzling smile on her face while she looked down at Julian. "There you are," she knelt down until she was eye level with the doctor, who was eternally grateful towards her for her sense of timing. He wasn't a particularly religious man, but since the wormhole aliens were proven to exist, it made some degree of sense they would have some kind of power over time.
Or not.
Perhaps it was a coincidence and Leeta arrived. But whatever it was, Julian was more than pleased. The conversation at the table was not only becoming boring, he was growing more and more fed up with looking at Worf's face.
"I am so glad we came here. I'm having a most wonderful time," Leeta smiled at him, and Julian smiled back at her; regardless of the circumstances and people's general image of Leeta as a big-boobed bimbo, which she wasn't, she was actually a warm, sensitive and intelligent soul.
"I told you this was just what we needed," Julian leaned forward and planted a kiss on Leeta's cheek, hearing her sound of approval. He was about to ask her if she was ready to carry out the ceremony now or if they should put it off for a couple more days, and let them enjoy Risa and its delights a bit more when a soft bang was heard, and out of the corner of her eye (while he resented his parents when he had realised they were more interested in their image than in caring for a child with needs, he was thankful for his genetically rethreaded eyesight), Worf throwing down a white napkin in disgust.
"Something wrong?" Julian asked mildly while Leeta turned questioningly; either she had seen the napkin being thrown at the table as well, or she was curious about what was going on.
"It's nothing," Jadzia said rather quickly in their minds - Julian could see the same realisation in Leeta's eyes.
Worf sent Jadzia a look before turning to Julian and Leeta. "You two dishonour each other with your actions."
What the hell? What was the bullying oaf talking about now? Julian didn't really have much to do with Worf, while he certainly respected the Klingon, the doctor did not like how Worf just kept harping about honour every single day.
"Do you know what he's talking about?" Leeta asked, glancing at Julian and Jadzia questioningly.
Julian was about to reply no, but then he realised what Worf was likely talking about. Leeta had told him how Worf and Jadzia, for some reason, had walked in and her and a Risian masseuse becoming intimate, and Julian had noted that ever since then the Klingon had been glowering at him and the Bajoran woman for a short time until now.
The ignorant oaf. Does he seriously think if we were in a serious relationship we wouldn't want to be together? In any case, who's he to give his opinion when his own relationship with Dax isn't wonderful?
Suddenly the last vestiges of Julians' patience with Worf vanished. It was gone for good right now. He was sick and tired of the Klingon's miserable nature. Tired of the surly looks. Fed up with how he was so determined to transform everyone into a being as miserable and as sad as he was. For some reason, Julian was reminded of the hearing Worf was forced to go through when he opened fire on an unmanned Klingon civilian transport. The fellow in charge of the prosecution, a Klingon named Ch'Pok, who was tasked with presenting the case to the Federation as part of a plan to embarrass Starfleet and allow the Empire to continue their attacks on Cardassia and the relief convoys sent to help.
Ch'Pok provoked Worf according to the story of the trial and hinted Worf was nothing more than a scared coward who hid behind a mask of Klingon ferocity and honour. Just because he had been raised by humans and not by other members of his own race. Julian didn't believe that, he knew Worf was not a coward, but because of his lack of contact with Klingons, Julian suspected Worf was trying to overcompensate by immersing himself in Klingon ritual and Klingon honour.
But truthfully Julian believed both things were more flexible than Worf would care to admit. In his mind, Julian strongly doubted if there was another Klingon on Risa and they learnt of his relationship with Leeta and what was happening, they would not care and pass judgement like Worf was. Suddenly Julian was very angry with Worf for passing judgement on something he didn't even know about. But before he could say a word, Leeta got there first.
"Why, what have we done?" She asked.
Jadzia was looking between Leeta and Worf, an apologetic and uncertain look with Leeta, and a hard, annoyed glance when she stared at Worf, but it was molecule thin masking a layer of indifference. Julian knew Jadzia well enough to know she never got involved in other people's problems unless it was something she felt strongly about.
"You know what you have done. You two are in a relationship and yet the instant we arrive on Risa, you go with other partners," Worf was still digging his own grave.
"Oh, so that's what you were thinking when you burst in while I was having a massage, was it? What kinda girl do you think I am, Mr Worf?" Gone was the innocent and sweetly playful tone Leeta sometimes used. It had been replaced with the kind of hardness you'd normally hear from Kira Nerys and not from a Dabo girl as bubbly as Leeta. Julian and Jadzia, the only people who knew Leeta the best, knew that you would need to truly get on the wrong side of the woman to hear this tone.
And Worf had crossed the line.
Jadzia and Julian, and indeed Worf fully expected Leeta to say something but what came out of her mouth was unexpected.
There was sheer disgust on Leeta's face. "Okay, that's enough. You don't want to be on Risa, fine. You don't care about what Jadzia wants, which is to relax and have fun, that's okay with me. I don't care what you do with your holiday. You want to look back later in your life, and wonder what if when you think you could have had a marvellous time with Jadzia, but instead walked around in a Starfleet uniform and acted miserable and grumpy without even trying to sample the delights of Risa - who cares if the planet is not in its natural environment and has been artificially stabilised? - then that's okay with me. If you want to be a miserable, immature child that's okay with me. But I do care when you start passing judgements, especially when you don't even trust us enough to think perhaps there is a different answer to the obvious.
"Do you want to know why Julian and I came here, to Risa? We came here to undergo the Rite of Separation. It's an ancient Bajoran custom. You know what a custom is, right? I mean, you do go on about Klingon customs enough times, don't you?" Leeta went on, her expression darkening angrily.
Jadzia licked her lips while she mentally cursed Worf as she tried to keep out of this ensuing argument. "Leeta-," she tried to say, but she was shot down.
"What? Are you gonna defend him, or are you gonna say nothing?" Leeta swung her head around to glare at Jadzia although she noted Worf's angry look sent her way at the attack he perceived on his par'mach'kai but she ignored him. "He's been miserable ever since we arrived. I'm just glad Julian and I don't have to deal with him. And that's nothing compared to how he thinks he can just storm around the whole planet and make judgements over people, claiming whether or not they're honourable or not," she sneered at the word honourable.
"Who are you to pass judgement on other people, Worf?" Julian demanded while he followed Leeta's lead. He had been content letting his soon to be former girlfriend take the lead, but now it was time for him to have his say. "Why didn't you either ask what Leeta and I were doing or just mind your own business?"
Jadzia closed her eyes. She was hiding her hurt over what Leeta had snapped at her a moment ago, but she decided to let Worf fight this battle. She knew it wasn't particularly Klingon, but since she was not Klingon, as Worf had the nasty habit of reminding her of, but she was tired herself of trying to get Worf to just relax and stop this misery act. Something like this was bound to happen.
She had told Worf what was happening with Leeta and Julian was none of his business. What did he think was going to happen?
"We came to Risa rather than travel to Bajor to conduct the ceremony - you know what a ceremony is, I mean you shove your barbaric culture's customs down the throats of everybody else - because we wanted to not only enjoy ourselves but because we wanted to seek out new opportunities - kosst, I'm starting to sound a lot like Quark now," Leeta added in a whisper before she fixed an angry look at Worf, who was paralysed with shock. "We didn't come on this trip to be judged by someone who was raised by humans and has started to compensate without other Klingons in his life by claiming everything was honourable or not. I don't care what you think about my people's customs, Mr Worf," Leeta concluded, "nor do I care what you think is honourable or not. People have rights, and you have no right to shove your own self-righteous beliefs down our throats. And you," Leeta turned to Jadzia, who looked back startled at being included in this argument, "Why haven't you said or done anything to stop this?"
Leeta didn't even bother listening to the reply if it would have come in the first place. She turned to Julian and she walked off.
Julian turned to Worf and Jadzia. Mentally he despaired when he saw their expressions. Worf was looking as moody as ever, but the Klingon looked as if his entire world had been shaken by a gravity quake. Jadzia tried to look as unaffected as she normally did, but while in the past her calm facade had intrigued him, now he found it her worst feature.
She never stood up for her friends, really. And she had done it now. She had not bothered to ask either himself or Leeta what they were doing on Risa. No, she had been content with her own pleasures. What made it worse was she didn't seem to give a damn about anything else.
Julian stood up, deciding he didn't want to speak to either of them but to also get away from Worf before he succeeded in making him miserable as well.
"Julian, I'm sorry," Jadzia tried to say.
Julian paused, surprised Jadzia was even making the effort. Usually, she spent much of her time sitting serenely like nothing was affecting her. But this time…
This time there was the chance Jadzia had made a mistake which called for too high a price. What it would do down the line, Julian was starting to not give a damn.
He walked away.
Actions spoke louder than words.
Maybe now Jadzia would recognise that, even with the three centuries worth of experience the symbiont had. Behind him, he could hear Jadzia berate Worf.