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Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 20:43:46 -0500
Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW: 5/8 A Slight Case of Blackmail (DS9-G/B-NC17)
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Title:   A Slight Case of Blackmail
Author:  Kathryn Ramage
Series:  DS9
Codes:   G/B  
Rating:  NC17 
Part:    5/8

See Part 1 for summary, disclaimer, etc.

|~3~|

In spite of all the interpersonal tensions, the conference was 
considered a diplomatic success, and the reception that evening 
was a celebration.  When Commander Sisko proposed a toast, "to 
Bajor and Cardassia, and the hope of a better future for your two 
worlds," all the attendees lifted their glasses to drink to it.

Bashir looked over the crowd assembled, studying the expressions 
on the Cardassians' faces as they drank.  It wasn't the future of 
the peace treaty that troubled him, but more personal questions:  
Were any of these people responsible for that datarod Commander 
Sisko had received?  Would one of them approach him tonight?  

Even though he had insisted on acting as a decoy over the 
commander's objections, he was growing nervous.  Nothing had 
happened so far.  Dukat had not followed up on the overtures 
made yesterday.  No one else had come near.  But this waiting 
was beginning to tell on him.  The feeling that he was being 
watched, which had haunted him since the first Cardassians had 
arrived on the station, was intensified here amidst so many.  
He was conscious of eyes upon him, although there were only 
three people actually watching him as far as he could see: Odo, 
Sisko, and, of course, Garak.

When Garak had brought his freshly pressed dress uniform to 
his quarters earlier that afternoon, they had discussed their 
strategy and agreed to arrive at the reception separately to 
avoid suspicion.  Bashir had taken his time getting dressed, 
and found Garak already here when he'd made his entrance.  
Except for a few casual words of greeting, the tailor had not 
spoken to him all evening but, as promised, made an effort 
to keep him in sight. 

Since he had drawn venomous glares and some nasty remarks from 
both the Bajorans and the other Cardassian visitors whenever he 
was noticed, Garak had retreated to the less conspicuous areas of 
the room rather than bring unwanted attention to himself.  Looking 
around, Julian located his lover seated in an out-of-the-way 
corner, and saw that Amat had joined him.  The two were speaking 
softly together.  He felt a pang--not of jealousy, but of worry.  
In light of what Garak had said about Amat's ideas of propriety, 
he couldn't help wondering if that offer was being made now.  

His suspicions about this 'old friend' had not been entirely 
allayed.  If Amat were the blackmailer, his attempts at extortion 
might very well take the form of a proposition.  And while Julian 
trusted his lover to refuse the offer on his behalf, it seemed 
very probable that Garak would try to deal with Amat privately 
and not tell him about it.  Probable?  It was exactly what Garak 
would do.

Garak's eyes lifted suddenly to meet his, as if he'd been aware 
that Bashir was watching all along.  He gave the doctor a small, 
reassuring smile; Julian was about to smile in return, when 
Amat turned and beamed at him as well.  The other Cardassian 
said something to Garak.  Julian couldn't hear what it was, but 
he could see that Elim didn't agree.  Amat waved, inviting him 
to join them, and Julian pretended not to notice.  Instead, he 
deliberately studied the nearly empty glass in his hand and 
wandered off in the opposite direction, toward the refreshment 
table.  

After replenishing his drink, he tried the hasperat, which he 
normally liked very hot, but found it too much for his already 
unsettled stomach.  He set his plate aside after a few half-
hearted bites, and moved on to the Cardassian dishes.  Most of 
these were spicy too, but he had had enough dinners with Garak 
to know which ones he could handle right now.

He was nibbling on grape-sized balls of jellied _nakim_ fruit, 
when a Cardassian of imposing size came up to the other side of 
the table to help himself to the decanter of kanar.  

"It's not often I see a human enjoying Kardasi cuisine," he told 
Bashir.  "I didn't think your people liked it."

"Some do," the doctor answered diffidently.  "I suppose it's an 
acquired taste."  Popping one last _nakim_ into his mouth, he 
walked away.  The other man watched him go, then quickly skirted 
the end of the table to follow. 

"You're the Federation doctor, aren't you?" 

"Er- yes," Julian answered, startled to find the strange 
Cardassian so close behind him.  "Legate, ah-"

"I am Legate Hirkus," the man introduced himself.  "I noticed 
you earlier, standing all alone, but I didn't realize who you 
were.  You don't mind if we talk?"  He went on without waiting 
for an answer, "I don't know very much about humans, only seen 
a few of you up close like this before the Federation took over 
Terok Nor.  You're rather like the Bajorans--soft-looking people, 
but I suspect you're hardier than you appear."

Julian wondered what to make of this.  Was it an overture to a 
proposition?   After his encounter with Dukat, he didn't want to 
misinterpret the Legate's remarks, oddly personal as they were, 
and make a fool of himself by overreacting a second time.  

"I probably shouldn't say it, but I've missed the Bajorans," 
Hirkus continued.  "Not all of them, of course, but I had a few
--my special ones.  Maybe now that this peace treaty is straight-
ened out, I can visit some of my Bajorans again, revive old 
friendships...if you know what I mean." He gave the doctor a 
meaningful leer.

Impossible to misunderstand _that_!  

"You know, Doctor, you look a lot like a Bajoran boy I used to 
have.  But you don't have the ridges."  He lightly tapped the 
bridge of the doctor's nose with a finger.  "I miss him most of 
all."

Julian blinked hard at the unexpected touch, but he stood his 
ground and tried to stay calm.  He couldn't retreat now, not if 
Hirkus were the one they'd been looking for.  There was no reason 
to be intimidated; after all, they were in the middle of a crowded 
room.  Nothing could happen as long as he was out in plain sight.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help glancing anxiously around.  To his 
relief, Garak was discreetly observing the situation.  As much as 
Julian would have liked his lover to come to the rescue, he under- 
stood why Garak held back: by intervening now, he would be making 
a public declaration of their relationship, defeating their 
intended goal of drawing out Cardassians who already knew they 
were sexually involved.  While Hirkus was being very aggressive 
--Bashir suspected that the man had had too much to drink--he 
hadn't said a thing to suggest that he was responsible for that 
video file.

"You must have been very important during the Occupation," he 
said, hoping to draw Hirkus toward the subject of Garak.

"I was Gul Officiate of the Occupational Government on Bajor."

"A man like you surely had many enemies," Julian pressed on.  
"Bajorans? Or maybe other Cardassians?"

"Yes, a few," Hirkus answered, somewhat puzzled by the question.    
"A man doesn't advance as far as I have without drawing some 
resentment." 

"Are any of them here tonight?"

"None that need concern us."  The Legate looked around--for an 
instant, his eyes actually paused on Garak--but then he moved 
on, dismissing the tailor as if he were beneath notice.  "What-
ever threat they might have been to me in those days," he said, 
"they are nothing now.  But why all these questions about the 
Occupation?  That's all over with.  Gone and forgotten.  We're 
all friends today.  We ought to celebrating." 

"I thought we were."  Bashir gestured to indicate the party 
going on around them.

"I was thinking of something a little more.friendly," Hirkus 
replied.  "Why don't we go back to my quarters?"  He placed 
a hand on Bashir's arm.  

This was farther than Julian was willing to go.  "That's really 
very flattering, but I'm afraid I can't." 

"Why not?  A boy like you--who do you think you're playing with?"  
Hirkus tried to tug him toward the door; Julian resisted.  

He looked around again, more desperately this time.  Sisko had 
been cornered by Kai Winn.  Garak was watching them intently; 
with a word to Amat, he rose from his chair as if he meant to 
come over.  Julian was certain that they were going to have to 
be indiscreet after all, when deliverance arrived from an un-
expected source.

Other people had noticed when Hirkus had taken his arm, Councilor 
Renavik among them.  When the doctor began to struggle, he ad-
vanced and said, "I do hate to interrupt your conversation, but 
I must claim Dr. Bashir for a few minutes.  Don't you remember, 
Doctor?  You promised to tell me about the current medical con-
ditions in Rekantha Province?"

"Er- yes," Julian responded, surprised by the lie but happy to 
be given a graceful means of escape.  "I'm sorry--it slipped my 
mind."

"I quite understand.  You will pardon us, Legate?" 

Faced with a rival of superior rank, Hirkus backed off.  "Of 
course," he answered meekly, and let Bashir go.

"I apologize for the deception, Doctor," Renavik said as they 
walked away together, "but you looked as if you were in need of 
immediate assistance." 

"Yes, thank you," Bashir replied with all sincerity.  Garak, he 
saw, remained at the other end of the room; the tailor seemed 
relieved by the turn of events, but was regarding his rescuer 
with curiosity.

"I never thanked you properly for your medical service yester-
day. I hope you will consider this a small part of my repayment."  
Renavik glanced back at the disappointed Legate.  "I also hope 
that my actions will serve as an apology for Legate Hirkus's 
behavior," he added with a note of distaste.  "The man is an 
embarrassment to himself and his position.  I'd hate to think 
that you considered him a representative of all Cardassians, 
Doctor."

"No, I don't.  I wouldn't do that."

"It's refreshing to find such open-mindedness from the Feder- 
ation.  But I should have known to expect it from you, after you 
treated me with such impartiality yesterday--or from what I had 
heard about you before we met."  He gave the doctor a smile.  
"I must confess, I knew something of you before I was brought 
to your Infirmary."

"Did you?"  Julian was surprised again.  "From whom?" 

"Gul Dukat," Renavik answered, with a nod to indicate the Gul, 
who had joined Sisko and Winn; Dukat was laughing out loud, but 
neither of the other two looked as if they'd made a joke.  "He 
told me about all of you on the journey here--you, your commander, 
the shapeshifter, and the Bajoran major.  I felt familiar with  
the personnel on this space station even before we arrived."

Julian had to wonder what, exactly, Dukat had said about each of 
them.  "And have we lived up to your expectations, Councilor?"

"That remains to be seen."

Bashir lifted his eyes to Renavik's, then looked down again in a 
tumult of confusion.  Was he reading too much into this?  Coun-
cilor Renavik was just trying to be pleasant.  Flirting, perhaps, 
but all Cardassians did that; it was part of their usual style of 
banter.  It didn't mean anything.

"Is something wrong, Doctor?" 

"Uh- no.  I'm just- I just need some fresh air."  His brush with 
Hirkus had left him shaken and uncertain.   Maybe _he_ had had too 
much to drink?  "Excuse me, please." 

He left the room, feeling more confused than before.  It was too 
crowded in there--too many people, too many _Cardassians_.  He was 
seeing suspects everywhere! 

He walked down the corridor until he came to a bay with a window 
that looked out over the station's outer ring and one of the 
pylons arcing up into the starry field behind it.  Hands on the 
lower rim of the ovoid window, he leaned his head against the 
cool glass and took several deep breaths.  He had to try and 
think through everything that had happened tonight.  Which one 
was it?  Amat?  Hirkus?  Could it be Renavik?  

"Doctor."

He jumped, startled by the voice behind him, and turned to find 
Garak standing there, frowning at him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I had to get away for a minute."

"You shouldn't have gone out by yourself.  It was very foolish of 
you."

"I know, Elim."  Julian accepted this scolding.  "I'm sorry.  But 
I needed some time-"

He stopped when Garak lifted a hand for silence.  Someone was 
coming.  The tailor took his arm and swiftly guided him into 
the shadows behind a support beam.  As they stood close together, 
watching, Hirkus came around the curve of corridor, obviously 
looking for him.  

After the Legate had walked past, unaware of their presence, 
Garak whispered, "And that is exactly why you shouldn't have 
left the reception alone."


|~to be cont'd...~|


Kathryn Ramage                           kramage@erols.com
/~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~//~*~/ 
"It's about Garak...I'm afraid this relationship has gotten 
a little out of hand."
                                - Dr. Bashir, Past Prologue



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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