Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshosting.com!nx02.iad01.newshosting.com!216.196.98.140.MISMATCH!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!diablo.voicenet.com!yellow.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Elizabeth Helena" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: NEW DS9 Humiliation 1/1 (G/Tain, late Alara challenge) NC-17 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 485 Date: Sun, 08 Aug 2004 12:55:05 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1091969705 209.198.142.218 (Sun, 08 Aug 2004 08:55:05 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 08 Aug 2004 08:55:05 EDT Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:82526 X-Received-Date: Sun, 08 Aug 2004 05:55:09 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) "The Order takes care of its own" was a common enough saying among agents, Garak reflected, but only a fool would believe that=20 such a maxim was meant to be reassuring. Not that he didn't=20 appreciate being spared the disgrace of a public trial; his fate=20 would soon be confirmed by a special closed tribunal. Nor would=20 his execution be broadcast for the edification of Cardassia's=20 citizens and the entertainment of his enemies in Central Command.=20 Still, Elim found it difficult to feel grateful for these=20 exemptions while hanging by his wrists in an interrogation chamber=20 buried deep in the Obsidian Order's headquarters.=20 The irony of being in the same position of so many of his own=20 subjects was not lost on Garak, although the experience thus far had=20 not inspired any empathy for their fates. After all, no matter how=20 heinous their crimes against the state, his prisoners had been spared=20 the indignity of being stripped naked before their peers. They had=20 never been forced to endure the thinly veiled gloating of a dozen of=20 their colleagues as they were suspended until their toes could barely=20 reach the cold metal floor. Furthermore, Elim brooded, his subjects=20 had never had an accursed wire in their heads that transformed the=20 pain of their ordeal into a warm wash of endorphins, and a huge=20 erection for everyone to see.=20 Not that he cared about the opinion of most of the men here, Garak=20 reminded himself vehemently. His eyes flicked over those agents who=20 had shamelessly ingratiated themselves when he was Enabran Tain's=20 right hand, and who were now relishing his humiliation.=20 Corbin Entek was an exception, for Garak had long respected him,=20 almost as much as the man he'd replaced, the now ailing Limor Prang. As always, what the newly appointed second in command of=20 the Order was thinking was a mystery, but at least Entek was not=20 visibly gloating, and for this courtesy Elim was grateful. Garak turned his gaze to the one presence in this dismal room that=20 gave him any comfort, and not only because Pythas Lok's attendance guaranteed the absence of the former head of the=20 Obsidian Order. His old friend was keeping his distance now,=20 staying on the far side of the metal desk, his dark eyes=20 deliberately focussed on the lone padd on its surface. Garak took=20 no offence, for they had already said their farewells privately=20 before he had been processed.=20 He closed his eyes, remembering how Pythas had promised in that quiet=20 yet intense manner of his that the disruptor would be set to maximum.=20 His message was clear, there would be no body left for his enemies;=20 it was not unknown for former agents to be dumped in alleyways,=20 exposed to stranger's eyes and hungry voles. Elim had covered for the sudden surge of emotion he had felt by requesting that Lec=20 Rhetan stand immediately behind him during the execution. He had=20 savoured the smile that had flickered in response, momentarily=20 easing Pythas' strained expression.=20 It had always been a challenge to get his friend to relax his=20 impressive self-restraint, Garak reflected, reminded of the time=20 they had worked together in an isolated cabin in the Morfan Province=20 of Cardassia II. For days, Pythas had drilled him on the dangers in=20 the wilderness surrounding them and the details of their plan for=20 abducting Procal Dukat. He would only relent late at night, as they=20 relearned each others bodies by touch, revisiting places thick with=20 memories, while discovering new terrain their younger selves had=20 neglected.=20 That they had both loved someone else at the time was beside the=20 point. Just as when they were students at the Bamarren Institute,=20 the alleviation of loneliness had been their goal. No, Elim corrected=20 himself, that assessment cheapened what they had shared. Undeniably=20 the desire to alleviate the imposed isolation of their lives had=20 played a part, but with Pythas it had always been something more.=20 Their physical joining had been a deepening of the bond they had=20 forged when they were too young to realize how rare a true friend was. As to the one he loved, Garak refused to allow his mind to drift in=20 that direction. Never would he permit such thoughts in a place like=20 this and certainly not now. His myriad weaknesses had brought him to=20 this place, but he refused to give the likes of Lec Rhetan the=20 pleasure of seeing the once powerful `Son of Tain' facing death with tears in his eyes.=20 Each breath was now a struggle. Both the restrictions of his current=20 position and the knowledge that the tribunal would soon signal their=20 confirmation of his sentence were placing an unbearable pressure on=20 his lungs. Garak didn't want to die, although he was willing to=20 concede that the sheer stupidity of his recent actions indicated=20 otherwise. However, he knew with absolute certainty that he had never=20 intended to arrive at such a permanent solution to his woes. A rueful=20 smile formed, for Elim now realized that he should have known better.=20 Of course, he would approach his personal problems with the same=20 ruthlessness he applied to everything else in his life.=20 These sardonic musings were interrupted by a stinging slap across his=20 face. The pain was quickly subsumed under a wave of pleasure, but the=20 sight of his assailant had no such compensations. "I'm looking forward to that smile being permanently wiped off your face," Rhetan hissed.=20 "That's enough," Pythas snapped before Garak could draw sufficient breath to make a cutting remark of his own.=20 Rhetan sneered, "But if we wait until after you execute him, it won't be nearly as enjoyable." Pythas remained where he was, and his hand made no move towards his=20 disruptor, but then, his authority had never been about physical=20 intimidation. He stared at Rhetan until the larger man obediently=20 backed away from Garak. Only then did Pythas speak again, his tone of=20 voice expressing his disdain for those who could not see the obvious=20 for themselves. "One of our own has been identified as a traitor, and it is our duty to punish him. This is not a time of celebration,=20 for you or for the Order." During this confrontation, Elim watched with increasing dread as=20 Entek responded to his wrist communicator and then retrieved the padd=20 from the desk. Pythas had also noticed, and, after receiving an=20 affirmative nod from his second in command, he finally moved out from=20 behind the desk, and deactivated the safety on his disrupter. "Let's get this over with," he directed, his voice devoid of all energy and emotion.=20 There was barely time for Garak to draw a last strangled breath=20 before Entek activated the padd and began to read=20 dispassionately: "The offender, Elim Garak, Cardassian, agent of the Obsidian Order, has been found guilty of treason against the=20 state. The sentence is =96."=20 Behind Garak, the doors of the interrogation chamber abruptly slid=20 open. Although Elim couldn't see who had just entered, the stiffening of the bodies surrounding him and the impeccable if=20 melodramatic sense of timing told him all he needed to know.=20 But then Tain had always said: if you had to announce yourself when=20 entering a room, you obviously didn't deserve to be there.=20 Garak was unable to prevent the shudder that travelled down his spine=20 as he struggled to decide if he was gratified or dismayed that the=20 old man wanted to witness his death. It was pathetic, Elim reflected,=20 he was about to die and he couldn't so much as recognize his own=20 emotions, let alone simply feel them. He wondered if Enabran had a=20 pithy aphorism that explained away this inability. "Elim Garak's sentence has been altered to exile," Tain announced, in one of his more amiable tones.=20 Garak's senses registered the shock reverberating around the room, but his own amazement was far too profound to be processed=20 by his brain.=20 Rhetan cleared his throat, "Legate-."=20 "I'm sure there are no objections," his voice remained low, but was no longer congenial. Tain walked past Garak without=20 a glance, but Elim glimpsed the deceptively benign expression the=20 elder Cardassian wore, the one that never reached his eyes. Enabran=20 Tain had retired from active service, but no one here, not even Lec=20 Rhetan, was fool enough to believe that his authority over the Order=20 had in any way diminished.=20 Garak felt something, he knew he did, but his mind was still too numb=20 to distinguish what it was. Was it possible that he was going to=20 live? Was it possible that Tain was finally going to behave as a=20 father would to his son? It might be gratitude that he was now=20 experiencing; Elim wished he could trust his feelings enough to know=20 for certain.=20 "I believe," Tain's voice jarred Garak back to reality, "you will find the appropriate protocols are located in Section=20 75-C."=20 "Yes, Legate." Entek's voice sounded weak to Garak, as if it was coming from a great distance, but he didn't need to listen=20 to Corbin read the relevant passage. Cardassian's eidetic memory was often admired throughout the quadrant by species too=20 simpleminded to realize what a curse it could be. *"Section 75: Punishment of former or active field agents. Subsection C: Procedures when a verdict of death is set aside in=20 favour of a sentence of exile. As the condemned is no longer=20 vulnerable to the effects of the punishments outlined in Sections=20 74-A through K, their loss of all privileges of rank and of person=20 will be conveyed through the violation of the criminal's body by=20 the highest ranked authority present."* From far away, Garak could hear a mechanical hum as his shackled arms=20 were lowered until his bare feet were flat against the cold floor.=20 The moment his wrists were released from their restraints, his legs=20 collapsed beneath him, but anonymous arms stopped his fall and=20 proceeded to drag him across the room.=20 Garak was oblivious to his staggering progress, for he couldn't=20 accept what was happening. There was an exception, Elim reminded=20 himself desperately, it was clearly outlined in Section 75,=20 Subsection C-1, impossible to overlook. *"In the event that the agent in question is a family member of this authority; to prevent a=20 greater crime, a proxy will be appointed to fulfill this latter=20 requirement."* Surely Tain would invoke this clause, he thought.=20 Please, Enabran, he begged silently, appoint Lok, Entek, even Rhetan,=20 anyone else.=20 But the familiar scent of hair oil that became much stronger as Garak=20 was forced over the desk told him otherwise. "Enabran, no," the words escaping from him as his legs were forced apart,=20 "please -."=20 A quelling blow to the back of the head jarred his chin against the=20 metal table, an impact that should have been painful. Instead, it=20 only flooded his body with a warmth that Garak felt all the way down=20 to his traitorous erection. "Silence," the harsh command was much too loud, much too close to his ears. It was the voice Elim had=20 been taught to obey long before he'd learned it was the natural thing for him to do, as a son would obey a father.=20 But there was nothing natural about this act, Garak's mind howled, as a heavy arm immobilized him against the icy metal surface.=20 The weight of the body pressed against him and his rising panic=20 crushed the air out of his lungs, and it was fast becoming too dark=20 for Elim to see. His last shreds of self-awareness shrieked at him=20 to fight back, but his trembling limbs had no strength and could not=20 obey. His scream when his body was invaded was silent.=20 There was no physical pain anymore, just an overpowering pleasure=20 that remorselessly escalated with every soul-destroying thrust. By=20 the time the encroaching darkness rescued Garak, it was too late to=20 save him from the knowledge of his own betraying orgasm.=20 *** Stumbling, his eyesight blurred, Garak gradually became aware that he=20 was no longer on the interrogation level, but being led down a=20 familiar hallway. He faltered at the sight of Tain's office door, but a whispered assurance caused him to recognize his escort, who was=20 supporting him with a strength that was belied by his small frame.=20 Unresisting, he allowed Pythas Lok to guide him through his newly=20 inherited office, past the kotra board still set up from their last,=20 unfinished game, and into the private bath.=20 Pythas activated a warm spray of water, and propped Garak up against=20 the shower wall before leaving him alone. Elim immediately sank down=20 onto the tiled floor, and wrapped his numb arms tightly around=20 himself. A horrible, choking noise echoed throughout the spacious=20 room, and it took several moments before he comprehended that he was=20 the source. Garak's humiliation worsened when he realized that he=20 couldn't stop making these degrading sounds any more than he could hold back the tears that were relentlessly flowing. But he=20 had to regain control, Elim rebuked himself, for tears always meant=20 more time in the closet.=20 Garak was jolted back to the present by a brief pressure on his neck=20 and the hiss of a hypospray. "Just something to calm you," Pythas explained, kneeling beside him in the shower. "The implant=20 in our heads isn't much good for that. Perhaps we should complain."=20 "Leave me alone," but his order was more of a pitiful groan than a command, so Garak wasn't surprised when it was ignored. He didn't even have the energy to resist as he was efficiently washed like a helpless invalid. But despite his friend's=20 dispassionate thoroughness, Elim still didn't feel any cleaner.=20 He wished that Pythas would scrub harder, until every layer of=20 skin and scales that had been touched by Tain was eradicated.=20 It was only after the soap and water rinsed away the stench of blood=20 and semen that Garak realized he was clutching onto Pythas' uniform, and that his friend was still fully dressed and getting=20 thoroughly soaked. He felt absurdly grateful and resentful at the=20 same time, for it was all a part of an interrogator's art, to know what would soothe as well as what would panic. It was=20 distressing for Elim to realize how little his knowledge of these=20 skills protected him now.=20 Eventually, Garak's wrenching sobs began to die down, and he became aware that Pythas was talking to him. Still, he found it=20 difficult to concentrate on his friend's words, so only the=20 occasional phrase was intelligible. "The worst is over now ...=20 It was the only way he could save your life, Elim ...." Garak wished he could believe that, but all he could think about=20 right now was how ruthlessly his father had protected himself.=20 Enabran could have easily arranged for the sentence to be changed=20 from a distance, but then dangerous questions might have been asked=20 regarding his motivations. Suspicions that Tain had now ensured would=20 never arise. "Keep remembering, exile can be repealed ...."=20 If his father ever let him return, Garak countered silently, now that=20 he had made certain his son could never use that secret to blackmail=20 his way back to Cardassia. "I wasn't looking forward to killing you today, old friend ...."=20 Pythas wouldn't call him friend if he knew, Garak thought, for there were no victims of incest on Cardassia, only unnatural=20 children who brought it on themselves. Tears threatened again, for=20 he had deserved it, he'd ignored his training and disobeyed his=20 superiors, and left Tain with no choice but to safeguard himself.=20 As always, Elim had no one but himself to blame.=20 But a small voice of outrage cried out against the father who had=20 rejected him so irrevocably. The almost completely buried part of=20 himself that protested every time he had been punished without=20 recourse, every time the closet door had locked shut, the inner voice=20 that still dared to question: "Father, how could you do this to me?"=20 Pythas suddenly fell silent causing Garak to warily raise his water- blurred eyes. Seeing the shock on the man's face, Elim realized to his horror that he had just spoken aloud. With a strength born=20 of hysteria, he shoved his friend away. Garak's forehead brushed against the shower wall, and without conscious thought he slammed=20 his head against the tiles, but sobbed as a surge of pleasure=20 engulfed him instead of pain. It was because he was unnatural, Elim=20 raged at himself, because he was an unnatural thing created,=20 moulded, and now disposed of by Tain. "Elim, no -."=20 Garak found himself being restrained, which triggered another=20 panic attack. "Don't touch me!" He screamed, but Pythas only modified his grip, holding him loosely under the arms from=20 behind, ensuring that his slender body was between Garak and the=20 wall. "Elim, please," Pythas cradled him as he struggled weakly, "please."=20 Reaching up with one hand, Pythas began to stroke the crest on=20 Garak's forehead with his thumb, the way a parent might soothe a=20 frightened child to sleep. Before long Elim's eyes unwillingly closed and he began to relax against Pythas, wondering if it was=20 the medication, the steamy room, or the gentle touch that was so=20 effectively undermining his defences.=20 Unsure as to whether he had drifted off momentarily, Garak felt=20 Pythas cease his light caress and reach up to deactivate the shower,=20 rousing him from his stupor. "I'm so sorry," Pythas murmured, "I had no idea."=20 "No one other -," but Garak stopped himself. He'd already betrayed Tain, but he would not do the same to Mila, nor to=20 Tolan's memory. "No one was ever supposed to know."=20 There was a moment of uneasy silence, and then Pythas released his=20 hold and announced, "You're not staying in this malignant place a moment longer than necessary." As he stood up, Elim kept=20 his eyes averted, not wanting to see the expression on his old=20 friend's face. The revulsion he heard in Pythas' voice was hard enough to bear.=20 =20 *** "I've arranged transportation for you. It's far from luxurious, but it will be private."=20 Garak didn't respond, but he allowed Pythas to lead him through the freight section of the docking bay. He was still trying to=20 absorb the disturbing news that he was being sent to Terok Nor,=20 under the command of the vengeful Gul Dukat. Elim could only hope=20 that his exile there was to serve some useful purpose, for he=20 would never believe that Tain had spared his life for *sentimental*=20 reasons.=20 In a benumbed state, Garak watched as yet another security patrol was=20 dealt with, grateful that Lok's impressive clearances allowed them to pass through each check point unmolested. Since the shower,=20 only Pythas' impeccably professional behaviour was keeping him sane and functioning: handing him towels, a bathrobe and a dermal=20 regenerator - as if they were all items of equal import - and=20 giving him the privacy to use them. Later, Pythas had returned=20 with a bundle of clothing, and after Elim was dressed, had plied=20 him with several glasses of water before escorting Garak to his=20 private transporter. Furthermore, Pythas had managed all of these=20 things without the least hint of pity or threat of physical contact.=20 Yet Pythas' meticulous care was also maddening to Elim. Despite=20 knowing that the slightest touch might send him into another shameful=20 panic, his growing sense of isolation made him crave it. This need=20 was silenced by his conviction that Pythas' scrupulous behaviour was born, not out of consideration, but out of disgust.=20 As they came to a halt near the entrance of a small transport=20 shuttle, Garak avoided his escort's penetrating gaze by staring at the deplorable clothes he had been given. The broad bands of=20 varying shades of green bordered on the lurid, he mused, and the=20 brown vest with its pink highlights certainly did nothing to=20 alleviate the sartorial nightmare. "This outfit is truly dreadful," Garak said, attempting to sound like his usual self. "It was my cousin's," Pythas responded lightly. "He lives near headquarters and is much closer to your size than I=20 am. Unfortunately, he has always considered himself rather avante=20 garde when it comes to fashion."=20 Garak tried to joke that it was Pythas' cousin who should be=20 deported, but the witticism died in his throat as he realized why the=20 clothes were second-hand. He was an exile, he owned nothing and=20 nothing could be purchased for him within the Empire's borders. A=20 wave of homesickness washed over him as the reality of his sentence=20 sunk in. How was he going to survive, Elim wondered miserably; he=20 hadn't even left Cardassia yet and already the pain was unbearable. Don't be a fool, Garak berated himself, of course he=20 would survive, a lifetime of training guaranteed that much. He just=20 wouldn't want to.=20 This troubling inner dialogue was interrupted by Pythas speaking into=20 his wrist communicator, ordering the shuttle doors to be opened.=20 Garak would have immediately fled into the transport, but his escape=20 was prevented by a gentle command. "Elim, look at me."=20 Garak resisted, focussing his eyes anywhere else: the shuttle, the=20 floor, even his hideous ensemble. But Pythas did not relent, and Elim=20 found himself obeying, just as earlier Rhetan had been unable to=20 resist the smaller man's authority. To his shame, Garak felt himself trembling from the effort of holding that gaze. No one, he=20 thought, not even Tain, matched the ferocity of those dark eyes.=20 "I always wondered," Pythas said with a quiet intensity, "why such an intelligent, talented, and beautiful man hated=20 himself." This declaration froze Garak so that he was unable to=20 move as Pythas stretched upward and gently kissed him. "But now I understand," he whispered.=20 As Pythas stepped back, Garak turned to bolt onto the transport,=20 desperate to be alone before tears humiliated him again. But a=20 quiet "Good luck, Elim" caused him to hesitate, and look back.=20 "Luck is the last resort of fools and Klingons." He flung the words at his friend.=20 "Perhaps," Pythas responded with a wry smile. "But if you must remember his infamous aphorisms, he was also fond of the old=20 Cardassian saying that survival is the first stage of revenge."=20 "Yes, he =96 yes," Garak mumbled, suddenly struck by the irony that he had instinctively tried to protect himself by using=20 Tain's words. "I'll try," he added, not sure what he was promising, only knowing that he wanted to see the flash of=20 approval in those dark eyes.=20 "Good. With enough luck, we'll both survive to finish our game of kotra."=20 Confused by this reference to their mutual survival, Garak wanted to=20 ask what Pythas meant, but a surge of vertigo warned him that he was=20 very close to collapse. Slowly, and with great deliberation, Elim=20 bowed his head to his friend. Then, without another word or a=20 backward glance, he marched up the shuttle's ramp. A quick survey of the interior confirmed, as Pythas had promised,=20 that the passenger compartment was empty, if a bit confining. The=20 transport's outside door slammed shut, and the standard curt warning to be seated during departure sounded over the intercom.=20 Taking a deep breath, Garak chose one of the seats close to the door,=20 and at that moment realized that his initial scrutiny of the=20 compartment had been in error. The room was devoid of other=20 passengers, but it was not empty, for there was a civilian rucksack=20 in the front row's overhead luggage compartment. His first instinct was that the nondescript bag contained a bomb, but this=20 idea soon provoked a laugh laced with hysteria. No one, Elim=20 reflected, would be that kind to him.=20 Finally, curiosity overcame his well-trained caution, and Garak=20 carefully took down the satchel and placed it on the empty seat next=20 to him. Opening it, he discovered a jumble of items, including a=20 portable kotra set and several amber isolinear rods. On closer=20 examination, he discovered the latter were collections of novels and=20 enigma tales by Pareg, Shoguth, and Preloc, among others =96 all of his favourite Cardassian authors.=20 As he held these remnants of Cardassia in his hand, it occurred to=20 Elim that he might survive and not regret it.=20 end=20 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: