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weerd1 · 5 years

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Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1908.18: Missions Reviewed, “The Muse,” “For the Cause,” and “To the Death.”

“The Muse” begins with Jake Sisko watching the people boarding the station and creating backgrounds for them as possible fodder for writing (ah, that’s where I learned that). He sees a mysterious woman, who even seems to make eye contact with him, and later she finds him in the replimat. She says her name is Onaya, and she has always liked artists, even mentioning some recent greats whom she says she helped.

She offers to help Jake if he comes by her quarters later. Meanwhile Odo is faced with a pregnant Lwaxana Troi who is on the run from her Baby Daddy. Apparently that race practices strict gender separation for children, and though her husband told her he would not, because the baby is a boy he will take the child from Lwaxana at birth. She and Odo concoct a plan to marry to get rid of the guy, who sure enough shows up on the station. The plan works and he leaves mother and child alone.

Onaya and Jake meanwhile are hanging out in her groovy quarters, and she gets him to start working on his novel. As he writes, it becomes ever easier for him, but Onaya is feeding off his creative energies, draining him, and landing him in the infirmary. Onaya appears there and sneaks him out, hiding Jake in a storeroom as he writes and she vampires him. Sisko finds them and phasers Onaya, who turns to energy and escapes. Meanwhile, Jake has completed the first draft of the novel “Anslem,” the book that the episode “The Visitor” told us would be his classic work.

This is an episode that doesn’t seem to have a whole lot to do for either of these stories so it can’t work out which is the A story and which is the B. They seem to get even time, and neither of them are especially compelling. Not for lack of trying however. Odo does get some character development as he works out his feelings with Lwaxana, and the mention of “Anslem” does recall the best episode of the series. The guest stars are top notch with 80s SF icon Meg Foster appearing as Onaya, and Michael Ansara—formerly Kang the Klingon—as Lwaxana’s angry husband. The episode never quite gets anywhere for me, though it certainly isn’t “bad.” One more quick aside: the nurse caring for Jake is played by Patricia Tallman, whom I have mentioned before. She was Nana Visitor’s stunt double, and of course the character of Lyta Alexander on that other space station, “Babylon 5.”

“For the Cause” has Odo and Eddington come to Sisko to tell him they think there’s a Maquis smuggler on board; they think it’s the Captain’s lady friend Kassidy Yates. This is in the midst of security tightening as the Federation is about to provide some industrial food replicators to Cardassia to help them with all the Klingon-caused shortages.

Sisko is initially resistant to the idea Kassidy could be involved, but has the Defiant trail her next mission. Sure enough, her ship goes off course, and potentially meets with a Maquis vessel. Meanwhile, Garak keeps running into Tora Ziyal and is curious as to whether Gul Dukat’s daughter wants him dead. When Kira threatens Garak telling her to stay away from the girl, he takes that as a sign Ziyal is legitimately seeking company, and Kira would have no problem seeing Garak dead.

Sisko becomes determined to stop Kassidy Yates personally and captains the Defiant in pursuit. Eddington doesn’t want to be in on arresting the Captain’s girlfriend and asks to stay behind. Kassidy’s ship enters the Badlands like before, but this time seems to just keep circling in a holding pattern. After several hours Sisko has enough, decloaks and boards the Xhosha (Kassidy’s ship). She is caught red handed, but doesn’t know why her Maquis contact hasn’t shown up. Sisko realizes distracting him is the target. The return to DS9 leaving the Xhosha behind, to find that Eddington is in fact Maquis, and has stolen the replicators intended for Cardassia. He says he has joined the Maquis because the Federation has become as insidious as the Borg, now punishing planets for the one unforgivable sin: “wanting to leave paradise.” Kassidy returns to DS9 after dropping off her crew, and turns herself in, knowing she’s on her way to a Federation penal colony. She promises Ben she will be back, because she loves him.

A perfect example of the type of character work that makes DS9 great. The Kassidy Yates relationship has been building for a couple of years now, so when Odo and Eddington accuse her, we think “no way.” Well, “way” and what’s brilliant is her support of the Maquis doesn’t really make her a villain. She sympathizes with their plight, which is indeed a sympathetic cause. She though is set up by the Maquis who IS a villain, and that’s our Commander Eddington, who has played both Kassidy and Sisko. Often just one of those “extra” Starfleet guys, he’s now made himself important, and that’s something that plays well here. Later on he will really try to set himself up as Sisko’s nemesis, but he’s just a guy who betrayed his oath, and Sisko won’t let him forget that. Well executed episode that moves along the Maquis storyline well and sets us up for some future tales.

“To the Death” starts with the Defiant returning to DS9 to find the station has suffered a devastating hit from the Jem’Hadar.

Sisko tracks the ship back into the Gamma quadrant where they find a damaged Jen’Hadar ship that isn’t the one they seek. Beaming over survivors they get a squad of the Dominion’s soldiers and a Vorta named Weyoun. The Jem’Hadar who attacked DS9 have actually gone rogue, and this crew was hunting them down. Weyoun reveals to Sisko that the Company of soldiers they seek have broken off because they have found an Iconian Gateway- a portal that would allow them to transport to any planet in the Galaxy instantaneously, and they plan to use it to free themselves of the Dominion and conquer all they can. Sisko grudgingly teams up with Weyoun and company, knowing they can’t be allowed to have access to the Gateways.

When one of the Jem’Hadar stops following orders and perhaps begins to sympathize with the deserters, the Jem’Hadar “first” Omet’iklan kills him on the spot, and questions why Sisko doesn’t maintain order through lethal punishment. Weyoun wonders if Omet’iklan plans to rebel too. They attack the stronghold and manage to destroy the Gateway. There is a tense moment when it seems the allies will turn on one another when Omet’iklan kills Weyoun and decides to stay with his troops on the planet, hunting down the rest of the traitors. When asked why he killed the Vorta, it was for “questioning my loyalty.”

Some good call outs here back to the second season of TNG with the Iconians, and Worf mentions he was on the mission that found their homeworld (The TNG episode “Contagion”). We get a good look at the inner workings of the Jem’Hadar, finding out they are all test-tube babies, there are no females, and they are lethal within 3 days of birth. Those who live past age 20 are considered “honored elders.”

There is definitely a concerted effort NOT to make the Jem’Hadar sympathetic here. And of course, most importantly, we get Weyoun! Jeffrey Combs returns as the Smarmiest Vorta. According to the Memory Alpha website, Weyoun was intended to be a one-off, and Combs brought so much to it, the writers invented the idea of Vortas being clones just so they could bring him back. Also of note, the Jem’Hadar killed for his insolence is played by Brian Thompson, himself a multi-guest star having played six different characters across several Trek series, including sharing another episode during “Enterprise” with Jeffrey Combs. In that outing Thompson is Romulan Admiral Valdore (for whom the Warbird in Star Trek: Nemesis is named) and Combs as the Andorian Shran, whom I still want to see have his own series.

NEXT VOYAGE: Julian Bashir gets another chance to play frontier doctor while visiting a planet suffering from “The Quickening.”

#Star Trek #star trek: Deep Space Nine #DS9 rewatch

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cyrelia-j · 6 years

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[Fic] Deuces IV: Heartbreaker (Garak/Bashir)

(Apologies if #1 this has weird characters and #2 it doesn’t cut. I’m about to melt down trying to get this to work and on every device I use it looks wrong in a different way so I’m at a loss)

First off, MASSIVE thanks to @eilupt @ladyvean @noxziconsortium @valkyriesews and anyone else I forgot to mention for your input on Cardassian fair food. Also, I wanted things to be a bit different but don’t be alarmed by any snags in the road because this is ultimately definitely a garashir universe :) Previous parts are here:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Summary: AU (no Dominion also kept some other characters alive like Bareil because this world is a happy place) Garak and his surrogate daughter Ziyal find themselves on Deep Space Nine on a stopover to Bajor. While Major Kira shows Ziyal around DS9 Garak and Julian have their date. Julian is optimistic. After all, he’s got this down to a science

Keiko O’Brien is an absolute gift from the Prophets, Julian likes to say making use of local idioms, and if Miles doesn’t treat her properly Julian is totally going to steal her. That’s what he likes to tease, but she really is an intelligent and infinitely creative woman who has been invaluable in the success of what Julian likes to call his infallible first date sure thing holoprogram. Jadzia had at first referred to it playfully as “Julian’s Lizard Daddy Trap”. Keiko had then told the both of them about gairaigo and how a lot of Japanese products to this day bear strange sounding names because of the fascination with borrowed words . She then showed them an old “family heirloom” that was something called a “bento box” with the odd combination of words “Crunky Ball Nude” elegantly scrawled across the top. She then said with a perfectly straight face that if Julian wanted to truly thank her for her contributions to the menu that he would call it nothing less than “Julian’s Delicious Lizard Delight Circus.”

The program now bears the innocuous file name of “JDLDC1”

The program in question is the ultimate product of love and devotion- and if he’s being frank, Julian’s attempt to streamline the “first date” into a happy efficient guarantee of success. It had taken the three of them – Jadzia, Julian, and Keiko – two years to complete with some degree of trial and error but it’s a masterwork. Julian had built it off of one of Recreational Station Hidalgo’s old modules of an exotic carnival and the three of them worked to modify every parameter to meet a certain taste; namely a certain Cardassian male taste, though Julian didn’t see that it wouldn’t appeal to most Cardassians as a whole with some modifications.

Quark certainly seemed to think so. Going off Julian’s impressive track record in fact, he thought if Julian would let him copy it that it would net them both a tidy profit with the steady influx of Cardassians passing through the station. Julian wouldn’t hear of Jadzia and Keiko being left out but in the end he decided that he still wanted to get use out of it before it became public.

Quark had asked sourly exactly how many more Cardassians he really needed to entertain as many as he had already. So perhaps Julian had developed a bit of a reputation- amazingly over the course of his time on station he’d gone from Deep Space Nine’s resident Ladies Man to resident Lizard Queen- but well, he still hadn’t quite found the one who he could really fall for. Well, alright, perhaps Julian had fallen for several dozen going by Miles’ count but they just weren’t quite it. There was still something missing there. And thus came in the holoprogram that made the entire process easier.

Jadzia had contributed to the majority of the attractions, the exotic animals on display, the rides, and the shows. Of course they’d been honed and refined over time with new data to account for Cardassian musical preferences, hearing, exceptional eyesight, differences in equilibrium, adrenal responses and the like and it was absolutely magnificent. He’d also managed to- with Miles’ persuasive help initially- “sweet talk” Gilora Rejal from the Science Academy into further assisting them during her periodic visits for research. She’d thought the idea was completely ridiculous at first, but as he laid out his ambitious plans and designs, she couldn’t help but throw in corrections where she saw improvements were needed.

By the end of it, both she and Jadzia had engaged in some fantastically heated debates on adjustments and turned out a marvel of engineering. Jadzia may have also slept with her which Julian was a tad envious of since Gilora was a stunning woman. She’d warmed to Julian’s company once he’d finally stopped being so circumspect and polite and he corresponded with her regularly with her now to keep abreast of the latest news and current events on Cardassia Prime. She had a completely wicked and unforgiving wit and she also helpfully provided him with the best and most heated topics of debate that he took full advantage of using on his dates. Julian still wondered on occasion if he might not have a chance, but Jadzia was certain that it would never work.

Her associate, Ulani Belor had been curious as to their “secret” conversations and meetings though Julian didn’t know if she’d have an interest he’d explained the project to her as well. Their “colleague” Dejar had little interest in any of it and thought the lot of them were allowing themselves to get distracted by nonsense. Well, that was Julian’s introduction to the Obsidian Order and its operatives and he could say he’d be perfectly happy to go his entire life without dealing with another one of them. Ulani had taken interest in the food that Keiko had been working on. Julian hardly fancied himself a culinary expert- Miles once said he was pretty sure that Julian would ingest anything for the purposes of getting laid. But between the two of them they seemed to reach a perfect accord and marriage of both Cardassian and Earth tastes.

Or rather it turned out that the Cardassian taste was particularly receptive to a lot of Japanese and other Southeast and East Asian foods not often represented in most Federation cultural exchanges. Both scientists declared after tasting the dango smothered in yamok sauce that if the Federation actually brought some real food with them, they might find more Cardassians to be receptive to their proposals. Keiko then wondered if the Vietnamese balut that some back stalls still sold had would carry well over to regova eggs. It absolutely did and Ulani was happy to share some other Kardasi festival delights such as W’sai, Kori balls, and Nurot. Well, lacking a sense of taste or not, Julian was completely sold and it turned out, so was Legate Turrel when he was on the station during negotiations with Kai Winn and Vedek Bareil. Not that Julian is bragging, but he doesn’t think that Vedek Bareil had anything on his negotiating skills.

Julian wasn’t sure how he’d felt about Captain Sisko subsequently designating him official head of the Cardassian welcoming committee, remarking with a perfectly straight face that he was pleased Julian had overcome his initial difficulties with showing foreign dignitaries around the station. Julian was sure there was some look that passed between him and Jadzia just then which made him pout just a bit before ultimately accepting incredibly graciously. He could hardly look a gift horse in the mouth.

And he was good at it, he found, his social life aside. Julian had grown quite adept at reading the necessary cues to avoid any embarrassing incidents (Kira still seemed crushed that Gul Dukat had no interest in him whatsoever though Julian was hardly crushed by that realization as he found the man utterly insufferable) and learned which subtle ones to throw out when off duty to get a feel for the atmosphere as Keiko liked to say. Julian saved those little tricks for his dates though; no need to let on too early just how good he was at this game. Most of the men he dated seemed to prefer his “vapid twink doctor” bit anyway and he only employed the most subtle use of his Cardassian routine. He was terribly good at it.

According to Quark as he enters the bar tonight, they were taking bets on which of the newest station arrivals Julian had his eye on. Quark informs him a bit sourly that he’d lost a good bit of latinum when he bet on the older doctor from Lacoria City. Rom on the other hand had picked the Tailor Garak right off the bat and is counting his winnings rather loudly at the bar. Quark snaps that they aren’t his winnings since “his woman” had to pick the candidate for him. Julian just smiles and shakes his head as he looks for Garak to make an entrance. Leeta knows his tastes so well.

Julian had arrived exactly on time, neither early nor late knowing how Cardassians value punctuality. And what an entrance he makes. Garak looks absolutely luscious in the dark red silk shirt wrapped around him magnificently, showing off those broad shoulders and delectable thick waist. And speaking of thick… Julian is sure he must be drooling, looking at those impeccably tailored pants hugging thick thighs and Julian finds himself catching a discreet glimpse to the burnished old Bajoran sculpture that he’d donated out of generosity.

Of course those in the Federation were renown for stupid gestures like that though Julian admitted to Quark that if he would be so kind as to perhaps place it say along the one wall near the first floor entrance where Julian might make use of it for “observational purposes” he might say that he owed Quark a favor during one of Odo’s subsequent “witch hunts”. Quark hadn’t needed more than a month before he called that favor in and Odo hardly seemed amused by his accidentally spilling a drink on the “Odo in a jar” that he’d assumed the guise of to replace Quark’s actual one. Julian loves the sculpture.

Especially now that the flat, reflective surface is giving him the most stunning view of Garak’s ass that he could have imagined. Julian usually prefers bottoming but for an ass like that he’s more than willing to be flexible. …In more ways than one.

“The house takes two! Place your bets now!” Quark yells out the code as every eye on the bar turns to Julian for just a moment. He smiles a bit self-effacing at that, the 2 references the two hours Quark thinks it will take him to bed the humble tailor. Julian certainly hopes so. A few bets go for 1 and some for a half- Julian mentally rolls his eyes at that bit of optimism- but he trusts Quark, really. The house is rarely wrong. Julian meets Garak with a few steps, seeing the curious look.

“They’re taking bets,” Julian explains with a disinterest shrug. “I couldn’t begin to guess on what but I have to tell you, that you look absolutely fabulous.” Julian gives a casual but hopeful brush of his upper arm. “I love this shirt,” he says, sure to keep his flirting completely human for now. He can let the fun begin once they’re inside. Garak’s smile in return is brilliant. It’s a wide pleased grin and Julian can see the hint of tongue poking the air, tasting, scenting.

He was sure to shower and apply the deodorizing oil that he and Jadzia had developed after his second date had informed him rather bluntly that he had a delightful time but didn’t think he’d ever be able to adjust to the human scent and taste. Julian never thought he particularly smelled but Gilora had said there was a very strong musk that he would get when perspiring that had quite a salty and at times bitter taste to it. Jadzia didn’t have it and neither did Keiko and he thought it might be a male thing until Keiko reminded him (which he really should have remembered being a doctor) that humans of East Asian descent tend to have fewer apocrine sweat glands and so there began the great experiment to develop an oil that could effectively eliminate that issue. After much trial and error he realized everything Federation produced left an odd lingering taste on the Cardassian tongue even if it was supposed to have no odor.

It took months but in the end it worked with the final approval from both Gilora and Ulani he had an effective oil which sat over the skin until it wore off naturally over a few days’ time but until then reacted exactly as needed to produce no odor but a faint trace of sandalwood and root from the north renowned for it’s mild aroma. They both informed him that they’d scented him more than they cared to and he absolutely owed them both big time. He figured it couldn’t be worse than any other deals he’d cut with them.

There’s a curious glance from Garak at that but he refrains from commenting on it instead complimenting Julian’s outfit. Julian can see a linger of eyes to his bare neck, bare collarbone and he almost wishes that he could bet on himself. One. Definitely one.

“You’ve no idea how excited I am to show you what I have planned for this evening,” Julian says practically vibrating. The Midway. Julian definitely is going to start there with this one. One hour if that and he’s got this. He shoots Quark a wink holding up a finger watching as the patrons erupt in another frenzy of betting as they make their way to the second floor. Julian’s got this…

Garak doesn’t know that he’s ever been more bored in his life. He smiles politely as Julian drinks the broth out of the boiled egg his head timing out just when he imagines that Julian is going to accidentally spill some down his neck because it’s “terribly messy” and there it goes, a few inviting rivulets of the clear broth running down that nicely tanned skin.

“And I take it that’s how I’m supposed to enjoy this delicacy?” Garak asks already knowing the answer because he’s already known the answer to every insipid contrivance that this evening has brought him. Guls, if Julian wasn’t so gorgeous… but even that’s starting to wear thin. Julian smiles- wait for it- inviting tilt of his head just so, to the right, another flash of his neck and Garak knows that he should have long put a hand on Julian’s shoulder to show his interest but it’s just so obvious he can’t bring himself to give in to such egregiously blatant cues even if it drags this miserable date out further.

That and actually every dish that Julian has tempted into his hands has been completely to die for.

The teriyaki, the sweet and sour sauce covering the fried pop beetles nearly brought him to another plane of existence. Julian had gone on about the work he and Chief Engineer O’Brien’s wife had put into the food in the program along with on Ulani Belor who he’d only chanced to hear of due to his former colleague’s amateurish bungling of a simple sabotage mission. Naturally he told Julian he wasn’t familiar with her. Right about now he’s almost wishing he was on a date with her as Julian begins another “conversation starter” that he has to be fishing off of a hidden list somewhere.

“Yes, you’ve got it, you do that brilliantly,” he says in a fawning compliment that would be nice if it wasn’t immediately followed up by a predictable air scenting and an enthusiastic “flirty” draw of his finger in the air and by the state did someone print Cardassian dating manual in the Federation since the end of the occupation because Garak feels he could sit here with a list and check everything off in order.

The Regova balut is also heaven. The sprinkle of the furikake that Julian suggests is masterful. Julian then asks his opinion on the proposed changes to the household registry next quarter that the council meets and Garak nearly wants to weep. Garak is sure that Julian will present the most uninformed opinion imaginable and allow Garak to “educate” him while he tries to debate a careful but ultimately poor position. Guls, if he wanted to have a date with a vapid holoprogram he’d just run the thing without Julian and just enjoy the food and the ambiance.

How long has it even been? Garak is certain he’s lost all sense of time being trapped in this miserable mobius continuum of bad date. Perhaps he’s in fact died and this is some Faustian iteration of eternal torment for a life poorly lived. The most delicious food in the galaxy in exchanged for company so poor it would drive a man to want to take his own life. Alright, so perhaps the newly opened Federation archives have only given him a larger plethora of work with which to reference when he wants to seem smart- at least that’s what Parmak had said to him the last time they had corresponded. He’d sooner die than admit it but there’s actually some Earth derived literature that he enjoys and he’d been hoping for more interesting cultural exchanges and debates like he’s enjoyed with some of the more frequent human visitors vacationing on the Morfan Providence but…

“Is something the matter?” Julian asks and Garak can’t believe that he’s been driven to actually show any of his anguish outwardly. Ironically in a rare moment of veracity he has no clue where to even begin to itemize the obscenely long list of everything single “something” which has grown fed by Julian’s obviousness into a “matter”. My, where to even start… perhaps the scent is the most difficult to reconcile. I definitely scented you in the Replimat and it was a touch strong but very human, very alluring and it was quite nice. But here tonight it’s like tasting a pleasure doll engineered to be inoffensive which may appeal to some but it’s quite boring. You were charming in the replimat and here charm has given way to some series of contrived scripts you’ve been following exactly like a carefully choreographed routine. Which makes perfect sense of course given the interesting conversation I’d had in Quark’s but still I’d hoped for something a bit different.

He’d in fact as was his custom gone to Quark’s earlier in the day to make a discreet study of the area, check for escape routes, hazards, observe the atmosphere. He hadn’t noticed anything untoward as he ordered a drink and kept his ears and eyes open. It had allowed him to relax a bit and it wasn’t long before he started catching snippets of conversation about the “infamous” Julian Bashir which was quite a curiosity. He certainly wasn’t going to involve himself with anyone who could pose a possible danger to himself or Ziyal but then in striking up a conversation with a fellow named Morn who couldn’t shut up for the life of him he learned several interesting things.

The first being that the young doctor was infamous for the number of Cardassian men he’d bedded- primarily military men and a handful of freighter captains. The second was that his reputation was so large that the entire bar got in on serious betting whenever a “fresh wave” of Cardassians were on the station and third… Third being that he never fails to “bag his lizard” with this very program. Which Garak supposes he could see if he was feeling particularly charitable but he’s been gamely going along with this for the past hour now and he’s sure he’s put in enough time.

He went along with taking the lead in winning Julian some nonsense trinket from a target shooting booth, earning much praise from a “strength tester” that was definitely doctored, to a boat ride with just the right ambient sounds to create pleasant complimentary reactions in one’s nervous system and on and on to Julian himself who clearly has mastered the fine art of appealing to a very specific segment of the Cardassian military population. It’s a wonder they haven’t invited him back to give him his own holiday. Which Garak supposes would be all well and good- Yes, doctor, I’m so pleased with your obvious love of civic duty that I’ll gladly put a hand on your shoulder and tell you what a good boy you are- except he isn’t some authority obsessed soldier who gets off on these bland deferential power games. He wants passion, he wants a challenge, he wants there to be a reason for him to bring discipline, to lead, to bring Julian to heel. Perhaps he is getting old because Julian clearly has done this dance so much he could go through the motions unconscious but is it really asking too much to have something more than just a pleasing body to jam his prUt into?

Still, he has to bear in mind that cause embarrassment to the station CMO might prove unwise. Yes, a lie is definitely in order here, though he needs to make sure it’s not a medical one. He supposes Ziyal will have to be it. It’s uncreative and stupid but frankly, Julian doesn’t deserve his good stuff and the sooner it gets him out of here the better.

“I’m sorry, doctor,” he says a touch dramatically. He might not be getting more than Julian’s usual routine but he likes to think that even if he’s returning in kind that his routine is much more convincing. “I’m afraid I’ve been terribly poor company but you see I’ve just been so terribly concerned about Yaya. Oh, I know she’s a grown woman and I trust Major Kira to be showing her the same consideration and hospitality that you’ve shown me-“ Guls, he hopes not “-but I just haven’t been able to give you the attention that you deserve and it’s such a pity after all the trouble that you’ve gone through. It’s only my hope that we might do this again sometime.” Perhaps after he’s long dead and Julian gets some new material.

Garak wears sincerity brightly and reaches across the table to put his hand over Julian’s. He intends the gesture in the human way but sees Julian’s curious look at the display of dominance. Maybe he’ll get lucky and a fleet of Klingon birds of prey will crash into the station. But it seems to do the trick and Doctor Bashir is ending the program mercifully. Garak could kiss him, he really could. Except that would certainly make him try for a second and Garak isn’t too keen on remembering the first. He wonders if anyone ever actually bets on the doctor to fail. Judging by the expression on Julian’s face somehow he doubts it.

And it’s with that sour taste in his mouth that Garak finally gets back to his quarters determined to hack the station computers and never again eat in the Replimat when Julian isn’t on duty. He sees Ziyal laying sprawled on the couch looking about the way that he feels right about now. He opens his mouth to ask, the two of them exchanging a look before he does.

“Kanar?” She asks sympathetically already sitting up to go get it.

“Kanar,” Garak agrees with a sigh.

Looks like he’s not the only one who had a “bad date”.

(Part 5 is here)

#star trek ds9 #star trek deep space nine #ds9 fanfic #Julian Bashir #elim garak #Garak/Bashir #garashir #au #deuces #bad date #fanfic #update #cyrelia-j

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pb1138 · 6 years

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Custody Arrangements

So, don’t ask me why because I really don’t know, but I just seriously needed to write this headcanon I have about Odo adopting a daughter. (I blame this episode. It’s the one where Odo and Dax are helping find 22 missing people and Odo is having to “interrogate” a little kid.)

Quick summary: Odo recalls different points in his daughter’s life as he walks her down the aisle at her wedding.

Warnings: Some minor gory details in the 3rd paragraph.

OC with Dad!Odo, OC x Jake Sisko

This came out like 10x longer than I thought it would and I am very not sorry. (It’s 9 pages in Microsoft)

Out of everything Odo could turn himself into, one thing he never in a million years thought he would be was a father. He certainly never thought he would be a single father, on top of that, not that he was interested in romantic relationships anyway. Or children. Maybe once or twice had the very minor thought of maybe procreating if maybe they were able to find others of his species and maybe he could find a mate and maybe that was something his species did anyways.

It was a routine day, a handful of petty thefts and a minor altercation between Quark and an angry Bajoran. Nothing too out of the ordinary. That is, until 14:65 when a damaged Klingon vessel came to the station and Commander Sisko called Odo and Bashir to the docking bay. One very injured Klingon had woman stumbled out of the doors and promptly collapsed into Bashir’s arms, fading fast. Bashir called for backup medical teams and then had Ops transport him to the infirmary. Odo nodded to Sisko and Major Kira as they all drew their phasers and entered the ship.

It was utter carnage.

There were multiple hull breeches barely held together by weak shields. Dozens of systems were offline. And the bodies. There were at least a dozen Klingons strewn about the place, thrown over consoles or under chairs. Sisko and Kira went around, checking pulses and Odo pressed deeper into the vessel. More bodies, some of them not Klingon, decorated the hallways and other rooms. The dining hall was the worst. The Klingons had obviously been carrying passengers, although to where Odo couldn’t fathom. There were a handful of other species involved here, Bajorans, a few Cardassians, even a Ferengi, and several humans. Families, Odo noted with dismay, including children. He walked through the bodies, looking for signs of life among the massacre, but seemed to find none.

He was joined moments later by Sisko, who upon seeing the destruction, brought his wrist up to his mouth, perhaps to stifle a bout of nausea. He looked at Odo, his eyes filled with a mixture of concern, sadness, and expectation. Odo shook his head slightly and Sisko let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I suppose we should begin reviewing the system logs before this whole ship falls apart.”

Odo nodded and started after Sisko. He was almost out of the room when he heard it: the smallest of coughing. He spun around, eyes darting around the room, searching for the source. “Commander!” he shouted, spotting the small hand moving behind an upturned table. He ran towards the child, sliding to his knees as he found her. It was a child, seemingly human, female, approximately six years. She was injured, but alive. “It’s ok, it’ll all be ok,” he said to her.

Sisko came running into the room, medical team on his heels. “Odo?” He ran to the other man, dodging the obstacles in his way.

“A child, Commander,” Odo called. The girl opened her eyes and for a moment, time fell apart. Odo was met with lovely, deep chocolate brown orbs that looked straight into his soul. He smiled down at her and told her she’d be fine again. As the medical team set up around her, her eyes drifted shut again and he handed her to them ever so gently. They immediately transported to the infirmary with her, leaving Odo and Sisko in the dining hall alone.

Sisko clapped Odo on the shoulder. “Good work, Constable,” he breathed. “Let’s go see about those logs.”

The logs had revealed that the transport was a passenger ship on its way to the Gamma quadrant to establish a colonial settlement. They had had the misfortune to come across a small band of pirates who had made quick work out of scanning and attacking them. The Klingon vessel had managed to severely damage two of their ships and even completely destroyed one before they had retreated, but the damage had been too severe, damaging all major systems including navigation, life support, and basically everything but the emergency beacon and the shields covering the hull breeches. It’s a miracle anybody was left alive.

A few days had passed, and with them, the Klingon captain. The girl had almost pulled through, needing just another day or two of rest and treatments. For some inexplicable reason, Odo felt compelled to visit the infirmary multiple times a day to check on her progress. Everyone, even Dax was surprised by this sudden outburst of concern, but most found it endearing.

On the fifth day, Odo had been having a disturbingly quiet day at work, so he decided to visit the girl a while longer than usual, not that Bashir minded. Odo had been reading through reports when he heard the smallest of voices from the bedside, “You have a funny face.”

Odo looked up in surprise and immediately stood to cross closer to the bedside. “You’re awake. Do you feel alright?” He tapped his combadge, calling Bashir to the infirmary.

The girl looked up at him, her gigantic eyes looking into his soul again. “What are you?” she chirped out.

He folded his arms behind his back and leaned down slightly. “That is a very impolite question. But to answer, I am a shapeshifter.”

She only blinked once in response and turned her tiny head to look around. “Where am I?”

“You are on a space station, in the infirmary. Doctor Bashir is on his way to check on you.”

“Are you sick?” she had taken the tricorder from the table near her bed and was looking at it.

“No. I just came to see that you were alright.” He stopped her from reaching for the laser scalpel, pulling the table away from her.

She didn’t answer again, pulling herself to sit up in the bed. He watched her for a few moments as she observed the room around them. Odo felt that she had an unusual maturity for a child her age. Probably to be expected, given what she had just been through.

Bashir finally arrived to the infirmary and beamed at the girl. “Well, look who is awake.” He started on his barrage of medical questions, confirming that she is, in fact healthy and well.

Once he got the all-clear, Odo began on his basic security questions. “What’s your name?”

“Talyssia, but I don’t like it very much.”

“Oh? And what do you like to be called instead?”

“Tali.”

“Ok, Tali. My name is Odo. It’s very nice to meet you. How old are you?”

She had to think for a moment, putting a tiny finger up to her chin. She pulled her messy mop of brown curls away from her face and into a weak ponytail. “Seven.”

“My, you’re practically a young lady.” She giggled at that. “Do you know where you’re from?”

“No, but I know we were going to the Chamma Quadrad.”

He chuckled slightly. “The Gamma Quadrant. Yes, we know.”

“Where are my Mommy and Daddy and K’oroll?”

Bashir took the girl aside and explained what had happened to her as gently as he could. Odo felt that the doctor was better suited to handle this situation, so he left them alone as the girl wept.

And then the question of custody arose. They had managed to figure out that the girl’s “K’oroll” was the Second in Command upon the vessel, a close family friend by the girl’s explanation. They were able to find through the manifest logs that the child’s parents were a Betazoid male and a human female, but nobody could find through any of the computer databases if there were any surviving family members. Sisko was forced to contact the governments of both Betazed and Earth to attempt to establish next of kin. When none could be found, both planets insisted custody belonged to them.

Odo and Sisko had been listening to the two dignitaries argue over vid-com for what felt like years before Odo finally snapped. “We are getting nowhere. I think it’s time we bring the child into this. She might know the names of some family friends that can help us establish new guardianship.”

Begrudgingly, the two dignitaries agreed. Odo had retrieved her, and they attempted to see what the girl knew, but unfortunately she knew nothing.

Finally, after several more hours, it was decided that she should remain on DS9 until proper arrangements were agreed upon. Which then led to the next big question: with whom would she stay? O’Brien was the first logical choice, what with Molly. Tali insisted she would not go with him. The next best guess was Bashir, as the doctor had spent a considerable amount of time with her. Again, she insisted she would not go.

This went on for three more names before Sisko finally conceded and asked her with whom she wanted to go. She turned her deep brown eyes to Odo and a smile crept upon her face. “Him,” she said, a tiny finger pointed at him.

And that was that.

Tali came to stay with Odo, who had arranged for a small bed to be put in his room in Security. Odo tried to keep her busy outside of his duties, but was forced to bring her along once or twice when no suitable babysitter could be found. Never anything serious, of course, usually just a minor discourse with Quark (who the girl seemed to thoroughly enjoy, much to Odo’s dismay.)

Several weeks had gone by, and still there was no word on new custody arrangements. Indeed, Odo had almost forgotten about them when Sisko called him to Ops one day.

“Odo, I’m afraid I’ve got some news,” the Commander began.

“What is it?” If Odo’s hair were real, it would have risen along the back of his neck.

“I’ve just been in contact with Earth and Betazed.”

“Oh?”

“They’ve been able to find nobody who is related to Talyssia, nor anybody who was acquainted with her family. It seems all their friends were upon the K’aghto when it was attacked.”

“Where does that leave us then? An orphanage?”

Sisko heaved a great sigh. “That’s an option. There was another option, suggested by the Betazed representative…”

Odo quirked his brow, head tilted. “Yes?”

Sisko smiled slightly, intertwining his fingers in front of his face. “Well, it was suggested that we, or more specifically you, be granted custody.”

Odo’s eyes went wide and he let out a stammer, trying to find words, any words.

“I--.”

“Of course, you don’t need to decide right this second. Take some time, think it over. See what Talyssia thinks. Take all the time you need.”

When Odo went home that night, he tried very hard to hide his indecision, but it seems that either Tali is very observant, or she is able to feel even his emotions. “What’s going on?” she asked, looking up from her coloring.

Odo furrowed his brow, considering how to ask. He sat beside her on the ground, his arms up on his knees. “Well. I’ve been given an option. We’ve been given an option.”

“Option?”

“It means a choice, a decision. You can either go to one of your home planets to live with other children or…”

“Or what?”

“Well. You could stay here. With me. If you want to, that is.”

She set her crayon down and put her hands under her chin, squinting her eyes and pursing her lips in concentration as she thought. She nodded to herself and smiled up at him. “I want to stay with you, Odo.”

Odo smiled back at her and nodded in response. “Well alright then. I will inform Commander Sisko immediately.”

…

The guests’ music was starting. Odo was standing in front of a mirror, straightening the flower he wore in his lapel. He took a few steadying breaths. Nervousness was not something he was accustomed to.

“How are you feeling, Odo?”

Odo turned to O’Brien. “Oh, I’m. Well. I’m a lot of things. I’m nervous, excited, ecstatic, worried, and—”

“I understand.” The Chief smiled at him and patted Odo’s shoulder. “I would be, too. I’m terrified for Molly’s. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to actually be going through with it yet.”

“Mostly I just keep thinking, ‘Where did the time go?’ It feels like yesterday I signed the adoption papers, and here I am today. Where did it go?”

O’Brien smiled knowingly. “If you could drink, Odo, I would give you a nice tall glass of whiskey.”

Odo smiled slightly. “I appreciate the sentiment in any event.”

…

In the blink of an eye, Tali was 14 years old, and Odo had never felt such pure agitation before.

“I just don’t understand what happened, Talyssia. You were doing so well.”

She sat on the couch of their small apartment, arms folded, eyebrow raised in agitation as she looked anywhere but at him.

“I mean. I understand skipped homework every now and then, even an hour or two playing hookey, but this? Now I have just about had it, young lady. You had better explain yourself this instant!” He hated yelling, but after finding out that you hadn’t been to class once in the last two weeks and you had been ignoring a considerable amount of schoolwork for far longer than that, he went straight into Constable mode.

He was met with moody silence, which only furthered his anger. “Talyssia, I am speaking to you.”

She glowered at him for a moment before sucking her teeth and looking the other way.

“That is it, young lady. You are confined to your quarters every day for the next three months except for school which I will personally be escorting you to.”

She gaped at him. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, I can and I am, missy. If I need to I’ll even assign an escort to you to ensure you stay in class. Now, march it missy, straight to your room.”

She growled in frustration and threw herself off the couch, stomping angrily to her bedroom.

Odo shook his head in dismay and rubbed his face. “They weren’t kidding when they said teenagers are difficult.”

…

“How are we doing, gentlemen?”

Odo and O’Brien turned to Sisko.

“Ah, Commander. We’re doing just fine.” O’Brien smiled at the C.O.

Sisko smiled and reached for Odo’s hand, clasping it in a firm handshake. “I never in a million years would have thought it would turn out this way, my old friend.”

Odo returned the handshake. “Nor would I, Commander.”

“Please, Odo, in light of the circumstances, maybe Benjamin?”

Odo chuckled slightly. “Pardon my French, but there’s no way in Hell.”

The three of them laughed at that.

…

19 years old, Tali had taken on a job in the security office. As what, Odo still wasn’t quite sure, as she did little more than study while she was on duty. Every so often, she would complete out a small stack of reports, to make it seem like she was doing something. Odo didn’t really mind, though. He enjoyed her company, as did many of the others in the office.

That day had been extra busy for security, between Quark attempting to cheat Morn and several Bajorans out of their latinum, a visiting Klingon transport, and the arrival of Lwaxana Troi. When Odo had heard she was coming, he seemed positively flustered. He even went so far as to darken his hair a little bit and lighten his clothes. Tali had watched in fascination before she suddenly remembered the name and a wide grin spread across her face. “This is the elevator woman.”

Odo turned to her, eyes wide. “’Elevator woman?’”

She smirked. “Dad, I know you know who I mean.”

He cleared his throat, straightening the Padds on his desk. “Well, if you must know, yes.”

She squealed with delight. “This is so exciting!”

“What’s so exciting?” Dax had entered the office, her pockets flush with winnings probably from Tongo.

Tali beamed at her. “Dad’s girlfriend is here.”

“Lwaxana Troi is not my girlfriend,” Odo blurted.

Dax looked at Odo then at the girl. “Wow, I’m not Betazed and even I know he’s bluffing.”

The two women laughed and Odo shook his head, grumbling to himself.

“So, what’s the story?” Dax had sat beside Tali, nudging the younger girl with her shoulder.

“Apparently they were caught in an elevator for like six hours, right?”

Dax nodded. “I remember something like that.”

“Well, Dad tells me that it was ‘a surprisingly eventful and pleasant experience.’ I don’t want to think about what exactly that means, but I’ve never before in my life heard dad refer to anything as ‘pleasant.’”

Dax ‘oooo’ed this information and smirked at Odo. “Well isn’t that something?” she mocked.

Odo let out a large, exasperated huff and promptly left the office, leaving the two women laughing after him.

…

“Odo, are you ready?”

Odo looked towards the door where Dax stood in very fine clothes. Tali had asked her to officiate since Curzon had been ordained, at least as a Klingon officiator. He looked at O’Brien and Sisko who both smiled at him and gave him little, ‘good lucks’ before leaving the room to take their places.

Dax smiled at Odo who looked himself over in the mirror once more before nodding. “As ready as I am ever going to be, I think.” Dax beamed at him and took him by the shoulder, leading him out of the room.

…

Suddenly, Talyssia was 27 years old. She had taken a job working under O’Brien so she could avoid the larger crowds of people. She was an unexpectedly gifted engineer, taking to the job with an ease that surprised even her. It had been a few months since taking the job in the first place, so when she came home beaming, Odo had expected to hear she had been promoted or something of the sort.

“Dad, you’ll never guess what happened today!”

“Were you promoted?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, Dad, but nice to know that’s immediately where your mind goes. No.” She walked over to him and took her hands in his, guiding him to a chair. “You’ll want to be sitting for this.”

“For god’s sake, just tell me already,” he grumbled.

She stood back and shook her hands out, a common gesture meaning she was nervous. “Now, don’t pass out or freak out or anything like that.” She grinned at him again, her chocolate eyes alight. “I’m, well, Dad, I’m engaged!”

It had been a very good idea to have Odo sit, even moreso that the chair was plastic and bowled so when he liquified, he was caught in the chair.

She gaped at the puddle, dropping her hands. “Well, god Dad, let me know how you really feel.”

She turned to walk away but was enveloped in strong arms. He laid his head on her mess of curls, shaking slightly. She looked up at him and saw something that amazed her—he was crying. Smiling, but crying. Her own eyes teared up and she threw her arms around him, laughing with him. He pulled back and gripped her shoulders, beaming down at her. “I’m so happy for you, my darling.” He pulled her back to him and held her for as long as she would let him.

…

“Talyssia?” There was no response at the door for one or two minutes. “Tali, darling, it’s time. We’re all waiting for you.”

“Just a second, Dad!”

Odo relaxed slightly. He had begun to fear you were getting cold feet. He certainly would have hated to have to arrange for the Promenade to be cleared out again. This time nearly killed him. When the door opened, however, everything else melted away. If Odo breathed, he would have held his breath.

She was beautiful. Her curls had been pulled back and pinned with elegant crystal pins, her makeup was stunning and accentuated her eyes, the dress was just perfect. She was perfect. Odo felt tears come to his eyes again.

“Oh, geez, Dad, don’t start. It took me thirty minutes to get this eyeliner right.” She chuckled at him.

He breathed a laugh and wiped his eyes. “You look absolutely beautiful, Talyssia.” He pulled her to him in a hug, rocking them ever so slightly. “I love you, sweetheart.”

She smiled up at him and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I love you, too, Dad. Now, we better go before Quark starts a bidding war on whether or not I’m coming.”

“Too late!” Quark called from the hallway.

Odo and Tali laughed before Odo took her arm in his, clasping his hand over hers. Instead of traditional bridesmaids, Tali had enlisted Morn to be her bridesman and Quark as her man-of-honor. It was a little awkward, considering that Nog was the best man, but Tali felt that only made it funnier.

Odo and Tali approached the end of the walkway and he glanced at her. “Are you ready?” he breathed.

Tali patted his hand, smiling at him. “You’re not getting me to back out now, Dad. No such luck for you.”

He chuckled. “No such luck.”

They started down the aisle, and Tali caught the eye of her step-mother, Lwaxana, who winked at her and projected into her head, “You look stunning, kiddo, absolutely a knockout.”

Tali giggled slightly and winked at the older Betazed. She turned to look up the aisle and breathed a soft sigh when she saw Jake, looking very regal in his fine clothes next to Nog who had borrowed one of Quark’s smart suits. Jake was absolutely beaming at her, and even with her half-Betazed-ness, she could feel the warmth of his love as if he were standing right next to her.

She blinked, and suddenly she was standing a few feet away. Dax was smiling widely at all of them, this mashup of a bridal party before she asked, “Who is chosen to give this amazing young woman away?”

Odo smiled at his daughter, all the pride in the universe in his heart. “I, her father, am.”

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