DS9: Okanogan Incident Chapter 3
Cardassia – First Impressions
It had been a surprisingly comfortable 21 hour trip to Cardassia Prime. He would of course have accepted any ship Nerys offered as long as he reached Garak. But as Nerys had explained it had been a recent conversion to the freighter to carry passengers.
Due to this, the owner had fitted forty seat pods, twenty in the two cabins they used for passengers. By using the seat pods, it negated having to provide individual cabins, as the seats converted in to lay flat beds with a force field shield over the seat that could be adjusted to allow the opacity by the passenger: from dark to clear.
With four self-cleaning washroom/toilets at the back of the cabin and two replicators, which could easily handle twenty passengers.
Today's journey hadn't even been half full. Mainly as there were more passengers going to Bajor to experience the festival of hospitality.
Julian eagerly looked at the live image on the freighters passenger cabin display. He had longed to visit Cardassia for many years. As he enjoyed the view the screen offered, melancholy was mixed in with the excitement. He regretted that he never got to visit the planet in its heyday.
But the other six passengers sharing the cabin with him hummed in excitement. There was cause for optimism, even from the limited display he could see that there had been great strides made in rehabilitating the Capitol City.
He threw an appraising eye over his fellow travellers. Four tourists, one business person and a guest lecturer at the State University in the Capitol. He had no reason to suspect any of them.
He was the only human appearing person on the ship. A friendly Tellerite Teacher who explained the whole customs and boarder procedure to him, was astounded that Julian could speak Tellerite.
Julian just smiled at her enthusiasm and thanked her kindly for all the help and advice she had shared with him.
Whoever was stalking him usually took at a minimum two months to find him again. He was hoping that this very last minute visit to Cardassia would catch them unawares.
He had wracked his brain trying to discover who was stalking him. Though he had been working undercover for the Primes for the last several hundred years, his orders were clear. 1) Never reveal their existence to the mortals. 2) Don't frighten the mortals.
Julian had stuck very close to that tenant. He just didn't know who he could have offended so grievously that they would go to this effort to fuck with Julian's life. Julian had only been his current self for the last forty-two years.
As part of his cover Julian could function as any other Star Fleet officer would reasonably act in the same situation. He could follow his conscious as he saw fit. There was nothing in his mission statement that said he couldn't aid the war effort.
Julian was working under the assumption that whatever he had done to trigger this harassment must have happened when he was serving on Deep Space Nine.
It must have been heinous if his stalker was willing to kill 87 crew members.
Julian didn't want to abandon his current life.
It was why he was travelling to Cardassia to meet the one man who might be able to help. Garak.
Garak had been on the Station at the same time as Julian and he was hoping the ex-Obsidian Order Agent could throw some light on his predicament.
But everything had changed with his people's treaty with the Bajoran's. The Primes have finally lifted the first tenant and for the first time in his very long life he can live as his true self.
No more lies or disguises.
In principle Julian was happy with this progress. But in reality, he was sick to his stomach thinking about revealing his identity. It made him feel vulnerable. For centuries it had been drilled into their heads that to protect their kind they couldn't reveal themselves to the Humans they shared a planet, and history with.
To let go of that vigilance now felt dangerous to him.
But on the other hand, he was looking forward to shocking his old friend Garak.
He knew when they were both on the station Garak had expanded considerable effort in trying to discover Julian's communication channels. Julian grinned to himself he couldn't wait to see the expression on Garak's face when he found out just how Julian got all of that Cardassian intelligence.
The freighters display screens changed from the external view to strings of text of all the languages of the passengers in the Cabin.
'Gather all belongings and prepare to beam down to the customs building. Each passenger will be given a randomised beam down order. Ensure all documentation is loaded on your personal pads for scanning by local authorities.' The instructions repeated on the display.
Just then pings and alerts could be heard through the passengers pads. Julian squeezed past two brightly clothed Ferengi to get back to his seat and his belongings. He wondered briefly why Ferengi would want to go to Cardassia for a holiday.
Once at his surprisingly comfortable pod seat Julian made sure to gather his personal possessions and store them in the top of his duffle, while checking his pad for his beam down slot. Three, that was a bit of good luck.
He caught the eye of the Tellerite teacher, who gave him a toothy grin as she told him excitedly that she had the number one spot.
Five minutes later a flashing light caught the passengers attention and told them to queue in their beam down order. There was a little jockeying by the Ferengi tourists, but a burly crew woman had come to collect them and escort them to the ships transport room.
A none too gentle shove put the two men in the correct order of precedence.
Once out in the cargo ship proper, the oily smell of a hardworking ship was unavoidable. The corridors were much brighter and fairly clean. It spoke well of the crew and captain.
The first two passengers were beamed down to the surface of the planet below. Julian was struck by wonder as he watched the people dematerialise in front of his eyes. A totally commonplace occurrence now.
Julian remembered a time before the discovery of electricity. It was strange every now and then there would be a bolt out of the blue of dissonance, where the present for a flicker of a moment would be an alien land.
He shook his head to clear the feeling as the crew woman indicated that he should take his place on the transporter pad.
With a single command from a crew woman, he was transported to Cardassia.
Then, in a single breath, he was in a receiving hall. A wall of heat struck Julian and he was momentarily puzzled until he realised, he was so used to human spaces he had expected air conditioning.
Of course, on Cardassia, the people wouldn't need it. Julian doubted that air conditioning units would be installed anyway with the amount of energy that would be needed to run them.
Julian felt a breeze brush over his warm skin and looked up to see two large lazy fans slowly rotating to create a pleasant airflow in the room. He smiled, he always liked fans. He remembered the fans that they used to have in Singapore back in the twenties.
"Sir, this way," a strident Cardassian voice sounded.
Julian turned and saw a young man gesticulating furiously to move. Julian blushed slightly to be caught lollygagging like a, a tourist. Julian hurried in the direction the Cardassian man had been indicating and chuckled under his breath at how ridiculous he was being.
He was a tourist, so he might as well act like one. Julian twisted his head this way and that trying to see as much as possible, as he was walking down a utilitarian corridor there was nothing to look at but the posters and display signs on the walls.
He marvelled at them, he felt a little hum of excitement as he took in the advertisements for restaurants and museums. It was staggering how far Cardassian had come in eight short years after the end of the Dominion war.
Julian hadn't been able to do much for Garak and Cardassian in the intervening years. He sent Garak information on his political rivals when he could. But he didn't want to draw Garak to the attention of his stalker, so kept his distance.
Now his Primes had lifted the ban on total secrecy, he had a gift for Garak, that he felt would be of significant value to the other man and to Cardassia as a whole. His gift to Garak he was sure would give a great political advantage to the council man.
Julian passed by a manual doorway in to a long office with cubicles, display screens and the requisite Cardassian uniformed employee.
An orange light flashed over a desk and Julian headed in that direction.
The first thing Julian couldn't help noticing was how attractive the boarder officer was in her crisp dark blue uniform and the interesting things her deep blue lipstick did for her mouth. She sported short glossy hair.
Julian gave her what he hoped she would find a charming smile. Curious if anyone had found and removed his diplomatic status in the Cardassian system.
He hadn't been in proper communication with Garak, but he had kept up with the news on Cardassia. He knew Garak had personally championed an overhaul of the Information Data network security systems. Julian had chuckled when he saw who had been appointed to oversee the project.
Thankfully, Garak had been entirely hands-off during the rebuilding a committee of Cardassian council members and Information Technologists professionals had led the charge.
The officer asked him for a scan of his documentation.
Julian silently handed over his pad, page open and ready to be scanned.
"What is the purpose of your visit to Cardassia?" She said, tone cool and professional, as she looked at her computer screen.
"I am here for a visit with a dear friend of mine," Julian said in slightly accented Cardassian, using the formal dialect of the Cardassian bureaucracy. He valiantly supressed a grin when the officer, in what could only be described as she 'goggled' at him. Julian's keen eyes caught the minute change in colour of her neck ridges that showed arousal or embarrassment in Cardassian's.
"Oh, erm, yes, ah could I get the name and address of your acquaintance please?" The officer said, getting over her momentary shock at a human speaking perfect Cardassian.
"Elim Garak, the Prefecture district of the Capitol city," Julian politely replied. He noticed the woman frown as she was entering in the data. "Is there anything wrong?" He innocently said.
"No sir, it's just that you already have a record in the database, created by Enabran Tain," She was now looking at the human with a hint of suspicion about her eyes. She didn't find humans particularly attractive, but his voice and accent, were, well, just 'yum'.
"Ah, yes, well I met the man several times," Julian confidently explained. "In fact, I was his attending physician at his death."
Julian stopped talking and, in the silence, hoped the officer would infer a relationship between the two men.
She frowned again, glancing back at her display, "Yes, it says you are a doctor with a speciality in Xenobiology." The officer just looked at Julian expectantly.
"That's correct." Julian gave as little away as possible. It's not like he can tell her the truth. 'Oh, you know I met Enabran Tain ninety years ago, when he was young, hot, and fortunately for Julian, overconfident in his prowess of being a covert operative for the Obsidian Order. Yes, I tricked him into uploading a worm into the Cardassian Data Network. My people thoroughly infiltrated your data network that I was able to create my own diplomatic pass.'
"Is there a problem officer?" Julian asked politely, purposefully widening his eyes, hoping that it would make him appear innocent.
"Just wait here one moment," she instructed as she stood from her desk to go and confer with a colleague.
Julian watched the two Cardassian women speak in hushed tones, clearly audible to his enhanced hearing. His officer was subtly pointing Julian out to the older Cardassian women, and they both bent their heads over a computer display.
Eventually the older woman gave a shrug and said the information must be correct and to issue the Doctor with his pass.
When the younger woman returned to her desk, she gave Julian a stilted smile and created a pass for Julian. She gave Julian a strap that he could put around his wrist and instructed him in the use of it. She also informed him he had a diplomatic pass.
Once this was complete, she issued a download to his pad outlining the local ordnance and laws, plus general information useful to a visitor to Cardassia.
She directed him with relief, down another corridor that would take him to the mag-rail line that would take him to the centre of the Capitol.
Julian thanked the officer and followed her directions to the station where the travel pod was waiting. The pod was suitable for two people, with two seats set side by side. Julian was happy to see the little pod had a domed roof.
The door closed automatically behind him. Once he sat down, the little vehicle shot off following the line all the way to the city centre.
Julian looked outside with interest. The little pod was travelling unexpectedly fast, so Julian mainly looked up. The Cardassian sky had a hazy reddish tint to the sky. It took Julian several minutes to realise that it was atmospheric dust high above the city that was causing the effect.
Julian was still saddened to see vast swathes of the city still in ruins juxtaposed with the new buildings. Here and there, there was one or two buildings that managed to evade the bombardment by the Jem'Hadar.
The poignancy struck Julian, to see these solitary bastions of the former glory of Cardassian Prime. That it wasn't just Cardassian lives destroyed in the war but the essence of Cardassia itself.
Julian was lost in his thoughts and the vista outside the window so he was surprised when the little pod flashed up a warning that they would be reaching his stop in five minutes. The hour is took to travel 200km seemed to past in a figurative flash.
Now that he had reached the Prefecture district, he was struck with excitement at seeing his friend again. He wondered how Garak would take the revelation of his true nature. Surprised but well, he hoped.
As he stepped out of the station, he was struck by the heat of the air. Julian had spent at least half his life in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, back on Earth. He had been used to unrelenting heat at one stage of his life.
Due to his nature, it wouldn't take long for his body to adapt. Though maybe he should invest in a hat, to give his eyes some protection. Though the light wasn't particularly harsh. This part of the city had the scent of sun warmed concrete lingering in the street. Probably from the newness of the buildings.
Garak was a pragmatic man, Julian was confident he would take it his stride. Though he had, had to repress certain aspects of his character to appear as a young human male, that may be more jarring than anything else.
Julian had memorised the map and the location of Garak's home. He did know the Cardassian's schedule, but assumed it was busy. This after all he was a last minute guest, and Garak was a busy politician now. It would be reasonable to assume that Garak wouldn't be able to make too many changes to calendar.
Julian just hoped he would be able to spare him some time. With the gift he hoped to bestow on Garak and by extension the Cardassian people, he hoped he would be allowed some grace.
Conversation: Kelas and Garak
"Why exactly did he need to come here?" Demanded Kelas Parmak.
Garak watched his fiancé, the other Cardassian was glaring at him. He hadn't been quite truthful with Kelas about his relationship with doctor Julian Bashir. For one he couldn't tell Kelas that Julian had been an agent working on Deep Space Nine.
"Good evening, Kelas," Garak acknowledged. "What a delight and so unexpectedly in the middle of the day too!" He gestures towards the chair in front of his desk.
"And will I now meet your former acquaintance," Kelas stated. He knew he was probably showing too much of his annoyance, but he couldn't help feeling threatened by Bashir's presence here on Cardassia.
"My friend! My dear friend. You know that, come now," Garak replied. When he and Julian had parted company at the end of the war. Garak had assumed that Julian would never come to Cardassia. He hadn't predicted that he, himself would build a little family of his own.
But with the continued intelligence Julian had been sending him over the years, he had decided to maintain Julian's cover. Resulting in much lying and exaggeration on Garak's part.
Now he found himself in an unexpected moral quandary. Especially as he expected that Julian had returned to him to ask for help.
"Well, your friend, your dear friend, who has not responded to any communication from you in eight years, who is coming to you now in, apparent desperate need," Kelas observed pointedly. He was angered on behalf of his fiancé. He had always sensed that Garak's friendship towards the Federation doctor was much closer than he had revealed in his stories.
But Kelas had known Garak since before he was exiled. He had even been on the receiving end of his inquisitor's gaze. He felt he knew the other Cardassian as well as anyone could know the man. Certainly, better than any wet behind ears Star Fleet doctor, with their supreme arrogance.
Kelas noticed a tightening around Garak's eyes. His own eyes narrowed in suspicion. He knew what that flicker of Garak's eye meant, he was about to be caught in a lie.
'Ha! See he knew Garak better than any foreigner,' Kelas told himself comfortingly.
Garak set down his pen, and crossed his hands, giving himself time to compose. Realising he had betrayed himself to Kelas. He would have to reveal something to his lover. Kelas meant a great deal to him and though the other man knew Garak to be a consummate liar, it seemed it would be a betrayal of their relationship, not to give at least a meagre truth now.
"You never shied away from my distaste of the tales that you told of your time... away," Kelas continued, even in Garak's secured office he would not say exile. "The fanciful stories of your time on Terok Nor, with the gullible yet, oh so flexible Doctor Julian Bashir."
Kelas eyes widened as he spotted another micro-expression. He lent back in the office chair facing Garak's desk. His eyes held puzzlement as he quietly watched the other man. Seconds ticked over to minutes.
'Garak always lied, it was as natural as breathing to the ex-Obsidian Order agent. But he was lying... About his relationship with the doctor!'
"Unless the good doctor has been communicating with you?" Kelas tentatively said. He sighed when he saw Garak shift ever so slightly in his seat.
Garak angled his chair, so he was facing the window, making it slightly harder for Kelas to read him. This was always the danger of an emotional relationship. You gave the other person an opportunity to truly know you and your tells.
"Let's just say that the dear Doctor and I have been communicating in a fashion." Garak swung his chair back, so he could look Kelas in the face.
"He has been using a drop box we set up during the war. At the end of the war, he found himself in unexpected difficulty. For my safety he thought it safest to give the impression that we had severed our relationship," Garak confessed. He felt that was a delicate balance of telling the truth and keeping Julian's identity as a foreign covert agent.
"Because he was genetically engineered?" Kelas said puzzled. He knew of the Federations prejudice against any genetic engineering. He really didn't understand that societies stance against it.
Garak lent slightly forward, resting his hands on the desk. He didn't understand the whole augment revelation that occurred on the station. Julian never explained it to Garak. He suspected it was a decoy, that Julian had come up with to try and hide his true identity. Garak had just assumed that Julian had gone under some sort of genetic modification or body sculpting to be able to pass as human.
"No, not that." How best to describe such an alien concept. "He was being what the Federation calls stalked," Garak said, as he began trying to put his thoughts in order.
"Like a hunter after prey?" Kelas said looking confused.
'Ok, that was easier than he expected'.
"Yes, erm, it's a type of harassment that humans do to each other," Garak added more detail.
Kelas shook his head, baffled by human nature.
"Why didn't he ask for your help at the time. You would have surely caught the perpetrator?" Kelas put forward the most logical solution as he saw it.
Garak bestowed a soft smile on his partner.
"I thank you for the confidence you hold in my abilities. But alas, at the time I was on Cardassia, aiding the resistance and Damar."
"Oh, okay," Kelas relented slightly.
"It has come to my attention today, only a few hours ago in fact," Garak wetted his lips before continuing. "That Julian's stalker may be responsible for the deaths of some of his former crew members," Garak confessed quietly.
Kelas stood up quickly. Neck ridges flushed in anger. "And you are letting this foreigner come here?" Kelas was alarmed. "You can't be serious."
"You are a prominent councilman. In service to our people. There is an important vote tomorrow, Elim. Is your speech even prepared?" Kelas said as he started to pace about Garak's office.
"You don't have the time to waste on frivolities." Kelas slammed his hand on the desk to emphasis his point.
Garak stared hard at Kelas, a sardonic lift to an eye ridge, at his fiancé's dramatic posturing.
"I hope you are not suggesting that I would forget my duty to Cardassia?" Garak's tone was flinty.
Kelas flinched and sank back down in his chair. His gaze was defiant as he looked at the other man, a slight tilt to the chin.
"The good doctor has done me a great favour, he also saved my life, and it looks like he is looking for the deserved repayment of an unpayable debt," Garak coolly said.
Kelas gritted his jaw and gave an acquiescent nod. "Very well he will be here for a short time, looking for help," Kelas said. "I do intend to meet him, and I am sure we will have a very interesting conversation," He looked at Garak with resolve.
Garak sighed, he could see the heat in Kelas's eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have been quite so fulsome in his praise of the good doctor's sexual prowess. Though that had been an eye opening experience for Garak. An enjoyable one too. His memory flicked back momentarily to eerily iridescent eyes in his dimly lit bedchamber.
They hadn't been lovers, not really. The secret they shared had bred a sort of intense intimacy. The number of their encounters could be counted on one hand. A result for some extreme situation that occurred on the station.
Though Garak had been in exile, and he wasn't beholden to the mores of his culture anymore. He knew if he entered a relationship with Julian, he might not be able to return to Cardassia. It was a moot point, as Julian had made it clear he could not leave his own post and whoever his mysterious people were.
"Do you really think your ridiculous, unreciprocated fancy deserves to take priority?" Kelas challenged.
Garak tried not to wince. 'He must have betrayed his more secret desires to Kelas.
"I've invited him to my home. He is entitled to my hospitality," Garak said, stubbornness in his own tone. "If you knew how he helped me, I am sure you would agree, with me helping him," Garak tried, purposefully calming down. He had created the miscomprehension of Kelas's for the doctor.
"Certainly, that cannot be withdrawn. But once that is done, and over, be rid of him," Kelas advised fiercely.
Garak was ashamed to admit that Kelas had some cause for worry when it came to Julian Bashir. It was his own personal failing to be drawn to mysteries and danger. And Julian was a beautiful enigma. He still remembered the surprise he felt when he had gotten the man out of his ill-fitting uniform. The other man had been a revelation, perfection in male beauty.
Julian had given the other man such a devilish knowing smile, it had made Garak blush even though he had been a fifty year old Cardassian at the time. But it had hammered home just how skilled Julian was at presenting an image of what he wanted others to see.
Garak had wondered what it would be like to experience a free Julian Bashir. He supressed a shiver at the thought.
Kelas ignored the fact that Garak hadn't agreed to send Bashir away. He swallowed, he wanted to weep at the thought of losing it all again.
"Do you want me to come over this evening? Or will you come to me?" Kelas said, his heart was beating faster than usual.
Garak paused. "I will speak to Julian first and then I will come to you," Garak guiltily said. He too felt the danger that his relationship with Kelas was in. It felt like they were tilting at the edge of a great precipice.
Kelas nodded once, without looking back at Garak, he swiftly left the room. The door quietly closing behind him.
Garak sighed, spun his chair towards the window and lent back. His eyes tracked across the burgeoning skyline of the Capitol city.
Equal measures of trepidation and excitement at the thought of seeing Julian Bashir again.
City Walk
Julian had enjoyed his stroll around this part of the city. He had taken delight in stopping and talking to the various vendors he met, shocking them with his perfect Cardassian.
He even found a little mobile cafe that an enterprising Cardassian woman had set up by a water fountain. The tinkling and splashing of the water a pleasant back drop to the noise of the city.
Being near the water had offered slight reprieve from the heat. The woman had set up canvas overhangs in brightly stripped material to give some welcome shade to her customers, while she sold a variety of drinks and a sort of sweet bread.
Julian himself was wearing loose layers of white cotton clothing, he stood out starkly in his bright outfit compared to the darker shade most Cardassian's seemed to favour.
Though every now and then, Julian's attention would be caught by a brilliant swirl of colour, of some bold Cardassian or another foreigner, before disappearing again in the crowd.
As he walked through the district his attention was caught by a stunning mosaic. Julian wasn't quite sure what the subject of the scene, whether it was past event or a future hope. A little plaque by the mosaic, said that it had been created using stone from the different planets in the Cardassian union.
Julian stepped back to admire it, it seemed to be a depiction of a grassy savannah or maybe a bountiful field. The image was framed by some sort of tree like vegetation. From his point of view, it looked like an arch way.
Julian looked for any signage that said don't touch. There was nothing in the local ordinances about not interacting with street art or sculpture. So, he stepped up close to examine the individual stone pieces used to make the image.
The surface texture of the stones looked intriguing. Julian held out his pointer finger and delicately run it over the different types of surfaces. The stones were warm to touch. The various textures had been integrated in to the picture to give it more depth.
It was truly amazing.
He would ask Garak who was the artist who created the stunning piece.
While there Julian subtly set his personal key in the stone tree. Other than a brief glow, no one, except one of his own kind would be able to tell it was there.
By Julian's reckoning, he was only a few streets away from Garak's house.
As he was wearing appropriate attire, the heat of the day had receded from his consciousness.
He wiggled his bare toes in his sandals. He had always preferred sandals to enclosed shoes. Probably a left over from his distant childhood.
He strode confidently through the district, taking everything in with interest. It was good to see the vibrancy of this one slice of the Capitol at least.
At last, he approached a house that by his calculations was Garak's.
Julian hesitated before pressing the entrance panel, set beside the locked gate in a two metre high wall. The render on the building was a soft buttery yellow.
With a tinge of anxiousness, he reached out his hand to press for admittance. There was a quiet hum, and the gate began to roll back in to the wall.
Julian stepped through the gateway and admired the neat little yard with its pots and raised beds of what appeared to be various native grasses. They had been arranged in such a way to give a subtle play of colour.
Stone steps lead up to the open front door. Julian starts the short climb, a swirl of anticipation twists in his middle.
As he reaches the threshold, a young woman or maybe a teenager appears in the door, Julian's foot pauses mid-step, before stepping up on to a paved patio.
The woman, scowls at Julian's presence. She was dressed in a vibrant orange harem pants and a richly embroidered vest that hung past her hips.
Her long hair was pulled back from her face and her braid hung down her back between her shoulders.
Julian found himself at a loss, an unusual experience for him. He had no idea who this strange Cardassian was.
"Erm," Julian just looked at the woman hopefully. 'Yep, definitely a teenager,' Julian thought as he watched the girl roll her eyes so hard they might have fallen out of her head.
"I am Asha Rekot," Asha said. She swung around, her braid swinging behind her.
"Okay, I am Julian Bashir," he called out after Asha.
With nothing else for it he followed her into the house.
Welcomed Guest
Garak turned down his street with a sigh. His home was in sight.
He hadn't expected to be working so late, but after Kelas's visit he thought he should at least go over his speech once more.
That unfortunately led him to be caught by Councilwoman Varnak, ally in many a political scrum. So, in good faith he couldn't ignore her. Which had been unfortunate as the woman could talk for Cardassia.
He was sure that she had built a reputation for being a bore, so that the more inexperienced members capitulated to her demands almost on sight. Garak did admire Varnak's skill. It also meant he had to be on his wits, unless he 'gave away the family jewels' as they say.
He felt a frission of excitement as he held his palm against his gate lock so he could enter his own private oasis.
He looked at the familiar sight of his home. In his fancy, he had imagined it would look different now knowing Julian was inside.
He hurried up the stairs. Full night had settled in, and there was a rapid drop in temperature from the pleasant 36C to a chilly 22C. The door handle was cool to his touch.
As he closed the door of his home, he muffled the outside hum of insects and the bustle of other denizens he shared this quarter of the city with.
He frowned as he realised the entertainment screen was playing in the lounging room and there was a loud conversation in Cardassian standard going on. It sounded unexpectedly boisterous.
He heard his adopted daughter cackling loudly.
Where could Julian be, a stab of anxiety hit Garak, as quickly removed his outer wear and shoes, to wear the traditional furry indoor footwear and his thickly brocaded resting jacket that was neatly hanging by the door.
He moved forward cautiously. He could now see the flickering light of the screen reflecting off of the rendered walls of his hall.
Garak frowned as he heard an attractive male voice ask, "So, Jerrot, is actually Pero, Jerrot's identical twin brother, who everyone thinks was killed in the landslide in the Dolian district?"
"Yes! Now you are getting it. Wait and see what happens next," Asha's voice echoed excitedly in the hall.
'Had Asha invited a paramour to the house when she should be watching his honoured guest?' Garak could feel a quiet anger building up within him. He was preparing a cutting remark for Asha.
"I don't remember anything like this happening in the novel!" a puzzled voice could be heard saying.
Garak stood in the archway to the room, silently observing the occupants in shock. The anger of the minute before dissipating in the evening air as he looked at the domestic scene before him.
Asha was indeed in the room, sitting in her favourite chair, avidly engaged in the drama she and her companion were watching. The flickering light cast interesting shadows across their faces.
Garak frowned as he tried to make out what they were eating. It seemed to be a white puffy substance of unknown origin.
Finally, his attention was drawn to the other man, Julian in fact. He didn't look how he expected him to look. His hair was in a disarrayed mess, he now sported hair on half his face, speckled with grey and white whiskers. At least it appeared to be neatly trimmed.
But it was his posture that was most unlike Julian. He seemed completely relaxed and, well happy. His face was a mix of intense focus and puzzlement, as he watched the drama on the screen unfold.
Back on Deep Space Nine, Julian had always had a tension about him. Not like he was stressed or in fear. But like a coiled spring, just before it released all its energy.
"Well, are you going to join us Garak or do you prefer to lurk in the shadows," Julian called out.
Garak startled, he hadn't noticed anything about Julian that would indicate that he had noticed his entrance to the room. He sighed, Julian was damned skilled, and he did so enjoy catching Garak out.
"Garak!" Asha called out as she swung her attention towards her sponsor. "Julian told me he read 'The Demons Moon', but has never seen the dramatization," she said, the expression on her face letting everyone in the room what she thought of that shocking lax n Julian's Cardassian cultural education.
"We are currently on the third episode," Asha said, her attention already riveted on the action taking place before her.
'The Demons Moon', that wasn't one of the books I recommended. Garak would never have recommended such, such trash to Julian. It was the first book in a trilogy that was first popular one hundred years ago. Such nonsense about Demons, curses and demonic possession of attractive young women.
"They have expanded the plot considerably from the novel," Julian added his opinion,
"Julian, Julian, watch!" Asha enthusiastically encouraged.
The both of them went back to the show, where it was revealed in a frankly implausible scenario, that the young man, Terrak's, whose body was being possessed by Doctor Lore Lok, who went mysteriously missing one hundred years previously during a Luna eclipse.
The other two continued to munch on their mystery snack, eyes glued to the screen.
Just then the episode ended, Doctor Lok professed their love for Jerrot. 'Thank the Ancestors,' Garak thought, as the end credits were displayed on the screen.
Before Asha could start the next episode, Garak interrupted them and suggested that she work on her new project for college. Being a bright young woman, she took the hint and retired to her room.
With Asha's exit, tension returned to the room.
Julian sat up straighter in his own seat and set down the bowl he was using on the table.
"I didn't know you could speak Cardassian," Garak accused in good humour.
"Oh, I am sure I mentioned it" He replied with a grin.
"It's good to see you old friend," Julian said with a warm smile, before standing and embracing his friend.
Garak's arms came up automatically as he returned the embrace. The once familiar scent of the alien filled his senses, it always reminded him of the blossoming red leaf bush. It stirred long forgotten desires in the Cardassian.
"It's good to see you too, though a little unexpected," Garak replied. His hungry eyes took in Julian's appearance.
He was wearing strange white clothing, which seemed to have been designed for a hot climate. He could see grey in his friends hair and dark circles under his eyes. So not as at ease as he appeared when he first entered the room.
"Well, there have been great changes for me," Julian told Garak. He stood and took his friend in. The Cardassian looked well, maybe not as stout as when he was on the station, but he looked healthy. His hair was suspiciously black, for a Cardassian of his age. But all people had their little vanities.
Overall, he looked well for a middle aged Cardassian, still strong, if passed his youthful prime.
Julian felt charged at being in Garak's presences once again. He considered him a true friend and he was looking forward to being able to share more of himself with the other man.
"You seem, ah, unexpectedly... Happy," Garak said, now that he was in front of Julian, it was clearer that there was a certain lightness to his bearing.
"Ah, that is one bit of good news I have," Julian said. "I am retiring from the covert agent business." Julian simply beamed at Garak.
Garak's eyes widened and his ridges flared at this unexpected news. He never knew anyone who had successfully retired that didn't have to disappear to achieve the feat or die.
Garak's face stilled, "so, this is goodbye then," Garak turned away from Julian, his tone melancholy. He didn't want the perceptive doctor to see how disturbed he was by this thought.
"No, not at all," Julian was almost jubilant in his reply. "That's not how we work."
"It's not! That's a very strange way to frame it," Garak was puzzled now. It also put an end to his theory that Julian was a Romulan, once and for all.
Julian shook his head. "Sorry Garak, I am not explaining this very well," Julian said, his initial excitement at seeing his friend was calming to a more reasonable level for his Cardassian friend.
"I should have said that we are all retiring, we are coming out of the shadows so to speak," Julian said, rubbing his hands together, before running his hands through his hair.
Garak smiled at seeing his friends old nervous habit. It would seem that Julian wasn't quite as overjoyed at the end of his career.
"My leaders have negotiated a treaty with Bajor, so you are currently looking at a newly minted Bajoran citizen," Julian smiled at Garak. He knew that this could be a sticking point with Garak.
"You were spying on the Bajoran's," Garak said, truly shocked at this revelation.
"Ah, not exactly..." The reason he was in Bajoran space will soon be in the public domain. But he had spent his very long life living in secrecy. Living in an extremely dangerous world. He could feel his muscles tense, and his stomach flip at the thought of revealing something so personal.
"My mission was to locate the Prophets," Julian finally admitted, with a slight shrug, before he gripped his hands tightly again.
"Well, my dear doctor, which is unexpected," Garak said, he could tell this revelation was stressing Julian. "I will confess I always thought you were a Romulan." Garak was pleased at Julian's bark of laughter. Garak sat down in the chair Asha had only been occupying ten minutes ago.
"But how does that translate into Bajoran citizenship?" Garak said, a curious tilt to his head. He was finally starting to relax himself now, the first surprise at seeing Julian again after all these years.
Garak was satisfied to see Julian now leaning back in his seat, posture relaxed once more. And easy smile on the alien's face.
"A condensed version of our history was that just over ten thousand years ago, we were genetically engineered as super soldiers, by mysterious aliens we only knew as the Progenitors. Their experiment was successful, and they created us. But before we could be put to use, they disappeared," Julian explained, face tense, fingers nervously rubbing at the fabric of his trousers.
Garak just nodded, he noticed Julian wet his lips anxiously.
"Since we got back in to the stars proper, we went looking for them," Julian gave Garak a tight smile.
"And the Prophets were these Progenitors?" Garak guessed.
Julian nodded vigorously, pleased that Garak understood with such little explanation.
"Yes, exactly. They had been fighting a vicious war, we think with the Pak Wraiths. They discovered away to escape their enemies to another dimension, through the wormhole," Julian said as he leant his head against the back of the chair.
"And your people petitioned the Bajoran's to relocate to Bajor?" Garak said, the calmer he remained he saw a reciprocated calmness in Julian.
Julian could feel himself breathing easier in Garak's company, he had really missed his sensible and pragmatic friend.
"Actually, the Prophets, started to send visions to any Vedek that came within their influence about us. The Prophets have lost all sense of the material world and use imagery. It took a while for their message get across," Julian said. He rubbed his tired eyes, the emotional release from telling Garak his truth was unexpectedly making Julian feel tired.
"Let me guess. Your mission on Terrok Nor, was to determine if the Bajoran's were trustworthy?" Garak suggested with a quirk of an eye ridge.
Julian chuckled at his quick witted friend. "More or less," He replied. "But I have no idea how Nerys is going to react. I believe there is going to be a joint announcement during the festival of hospitality. Though the majority already know about us due to the Vedek's."
"Ah, Commander Kira Nerys, a hot headed woman, if there ever was one." Garak pondered what he should say next. "But she has a certain practicality about her nature, and she is devoted to her religion. If her Vedek says it is for the good of Bajor, well I am sure she will quickly overcome any personal anger she might feel towards you," Garak hoped his words will comfort Julian.
"So, a citizen of Bajor?" Garak looked at Julian quizzically. "A whole new identity then or an old one," Garak prodded.
"Actually, I am going to stick with Julian Bashir, my original name, well let's just say it has some unfortunate connotations to humans. I received my Bajoran citizenship on route," Julian had what could only be called a sheepish smile and a twinkle to his eye.
"A mystery, how charming," Garak returned the smile with an equally warm one. It seemed that Julian still wanted to play their little game, of Garak trying to find out about Julian. His name must have a hidden meaning.
"I will be going back to my natural form," Julian said with a grin.
This momentarily startled Garak, before he realised that he had always assumed Julian would have a different face.
"I am sure I will be delighted," Garak said charmingly.
Julian chortled with laughter.
"And the Federation and Star fleet?" Garak said, leaning forward in his chair slightly. He hardly thought Star Fleet would be too happy with Julian's people.
"Yes, well that is the thing, now we are with the Bajoran's, let's just say they are no longer planning on joining the Federation," Julian said, eyes flinty. His whole demeanour had changed in a moment.
Garak widened his eyes in surprise at seeing the tenseness in Julian's jaw. He had always known that Julian was ambivalent when it came to the Federation. But it seemed to be deeper than he had suspected.
Julian felt a tick in his cheek from the tension he was holding in his body. He slowly breathed out and forced his body to relax.
"Well, I look forward to the day I can resign," Julian said firmly. He sighed. "I have nothing against individual Federation citizens." Julian shook his head slightly. "I have made friends from Miles to Worf."
Garak noticed the look of pain in Julian's eyes as he mentioned Miles.
"It's just they have treated us badly, now and in the past."
Now there was heat in Julian's eyes, his depth of anger made Garak shiver, an awareness of danger emanating from the other man, wasn't something he had experience before. "They labelled us Augments, even though we have been around for over ten thousand years," Julian explained further. "
"Sorry Garak," Julian shook the tension from his hands. "That caught me unawares," he smiled with chagrin.
"I will resign just as soon as I catch the bastard who has been trailing me for the last eight years." The determined light was clear in Julian's hazel eyes. "They caused the death of 87 of my crewmates. My gods they were just babies," even now Julian can feel the sting of tears. From a mix of frustration and sadness at the loss of such possibilities. They had such short lifespans to start with, it seemed especially tragic to cut them down short.
Julian leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands. He could feel himself trembling.
A cool hand was placed on his shoulder in comfort. He placed his hand over Garak's, "Thank you old friend," Julian said sincerely.
"I did suspect that was the reason you came to me, to ask for help in finding the perpetrator?" Garak said softly.
Julian sighed and gave Garak's hand a squeeze. "Do you mind if we talk about it tomorrow, I just feel exhausted now?" Julian said.
Garak could hear the exhaustion in his friends voice.
"Yes, why don't you get some rest?" Garak looked about the room for Julian's bag, not seeing it he assumed young Asha had at least remembered to bring Julian to the guest room.
"You know where your room is?" Garak asked gently.
Julian nodded before letting go of Garak's hand and stretching. Standing up he clapped Garak on the shoulder again.
"I have an important vote in the morning, I instructed my assistant to clear my afternoon appointments," Garak said kindly.
Smiling, "thank you. I also have a gift for you that I think may be a boon to you and your political standing."
"There is no need for a gift, you have already provided Cardassia enough assistance during the rebellion that we could never repay you." Garak said. He couldn't think what Julian thought he could give Garak that would be of political benefit. He had after all had Cardassia's data network and security mechanisms completely overhauled to stop Julian or his people gaining access again.
"Not at all, I consider you a dear friend and it was no effort on my part," Julian dismissed Garak's refusal.
"Erm, I will going out this evening, to see my Fiancé," Garak confessed, for some reason a feeling of guilt crept over him.
"Oh, yes, a fiancé, I remember," Julian said and hoped he hadn't winced at the mention of the other man. "Of course you may tell Doctor Parmak of my secret agent past," He grinned at the old in joke Garak and he had on the station.
Garak frowned in annoyance. 'Damn it, how did he find out about Kelas?' Garak realised he was being foolish, Kira probably told Julian, though his eyes did narrow as he looked at Julian suspiciously. 'He couldn't have broken in to Cardassia's secure data net. It had been completely rebuilt after the war?' Garak thought.
For his part Julian, just looked tired, he supressed a yawn.
"Please forgive me Garak, I feel I really must go and rest," Julian said wearily.
"Please do," Garak guided Julian from the room, to the foot of the stairs, that led up to the sleeping chamber. Garak thought he could hear some sort of music coming from Asha's room. Probably some awful new age 'music'.
"Goodnight Garak. I hope you enjoy your evening," Julian said with a smile, before turning and trudging up the stairs.
"Night Julian," Garak said as he watched Julian disappear around the corner and to his room.
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