Old Flame DS9 G/B G Kathryn Ramage July 1998 *~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~* Summary: A mysterious woman from Garak's past visits the station. Rating: The reader may pick up the faintest whiff of a slashy undertone here and there, but this story contains nothing textually offensive to the general public. Paramount owns Star Trek, DS9, and the characters except for Setilia Elgan, who belongs to me. This story was written for personal amusement and should not be taken as intended copyright infringement. An untold story from DS9's second season... *~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~* For the first time during one of our weekly lunch dates, I felt I had lost Garak's undivided attention. We were at our usual table in the Replimat; I was talking about the alchemical imagery in the works of the Silver Poets of Earth's Renaissance era--and in the middle of a sentence, that intense gaze that sometimes still unnerves me just...wandered away. Garak glanced over my shoulder, presumably at the passers-by on the Promenade. His expression changed slightly. Was that a look of surprise? Now what could be more interesting than the Silver Poets? I turned to find the source of this distraction. "Who is she, Garak?" "Who is who?" "Come on! I know you saw her--the Cardassian woman Major Kira just escorted to the turbolift. You recognized her." "Not at all, Doctor. My fellow Cardassians are so rarely seen on the station these days. Do you find it so odd that even a perfect stranger draws my attention? I'm as curious as you are about her identity and her reasons for being here." "You don't know who she is?" "I've never seen her before in my life." I had my doubts about this, but for the moment I let it go. We finished our lunch, and when I left the table half an hour later, Garak offered to walk with me to the Infirmary. He'd never done that before and I wondered at it, until we passed the entrance to Quark's Place. He glanced in. *She* was there, seated at the bar, sipping a hot pink, swirling drink and talking to Quark as if he were an old friend. When she caught Garak's eye, she turned abruptly away. I couldn't help smiling. "I thought you said you didn't know her?" "I don't." * * * He never tells me anything. Always a mystery. Always a lie. I ought to expect it by now, but I just can't give up. I need to find some kind of truth. I know I can be an irritating, nosy little pest at times. They all think so, though most of them wouldn't dream of saying it to my face. Oh, Chief O'Brien does, all the time, and Major Kira doesn't hesitate if I'm not quick enough to get out of her way. But Jadzia just smiles, and Commander Sisko gives me that lowering glare, and Odo harrumphs. Garak puts on a look of amused indulgence and scolds me as if I were a child who's tried his patience with too many questions. I do try not to be a nuisance. These are, after all, my friends and fellow officers. I have to interact with them in a professional, grown-up manner. I *am* the station's CMO. An officer and a gentleman. It really isn't fitting that someone in my position go snooping around, especially under these circumstances. I have no excuse to pry into this woman's existence. It's none of my business; I can't even pretend that I have some medical concern for her. I just have to know. Garak has always been evasive about his past. He likes to hint that he's known a life more exciting and dangerous than that of a simple tailor, but I've never been certain whether any of it's true. Even in my wildest fantasies about the life he's led-- the political intrigue, the clandestine meetings, the coded messages exchanged--it somehow never occurred to me that there would be...this woman. Or, if there were someone, not a woman like *that,* such an unglamourous person in a shapeless tunic the color of dust, her silver-shot hair in one simple braid down her back. And yet his eyes had sparked with interest at the sight of her. Who was she? What had she been to him? * * * I had an answer to my first question that afternoon. My duties prevented me from getting back to Quark's as soon as I would have liked; by the time I returned, she had gone, but the bar was still abuzz with the news of her arrival on DS9. I quickly caught on that, in spite of her unassuming appearance, she was actually a Cardassian of some reputation. The Bajorans in particular seemed excited by her presence, though not in the way you'd expect them to be. Gossip was rampant and there seemed no hope of sorting things out, `til I caught sight of Dax and Major Kira at a table on the upper level. At last, a reliable source of information. I went upstairs; they didn't seem to mind too much when I asked to join them. "So, who is this `Setilia Elgan'"--I took care to pronounce the name exactly as I had heard it spoken in the crowd below--"everyone's talking about?" "A Cardassian dissident. She arrived on the station this morning," said Jadzia. "You must have seen her on the Promenade earlier." "Yes, I think I did. Quark seems quite familiar with her," I observed. "Oh, they knew each other during the Occupation. She used to be a correspondent for the Kardasi Central News Service, assigned to this station back when it was Terek Nor. Since she came by to visit him, he's been selling more drinks on stories of the old days than he did on his last big Dabo night." "And what's she doing here now?" "Requesting political asylum," Kira told me. "*Here*?" "No, not *here*, Doctor. All she's asked of Commander Sisko is a day or two of sanctuary to arrange for transport to Federation space." The major spoke with an unusual note of pride. Once again, it struck me as odd to hear a Bajoran refer to one of their former oppressors without the usual contempt. I wasn't the only one to notice. "I never thought I'd see *you* welcome a Cardassian to this station," Dax said to her with a teasing smile. "You were practically kittenish when you brought Madame Elgan up to Ops." "You weren't here when Elgan was sent to prison for opposing her own government's occupation of Bajor," Kira replied, a bit prickly at that "kittenish" remark. "You can't imagine what that did for us--a *Cardassian* journalist, a woman trained to spout imperial propaganda, one of the elite of Cardassian society with no reason to speak against the status quo. She had everything to lose by saying that her people had no right to be here, and she still *said* it! Part of her trial was broadcast on Bajor. She was sentenced to ten years in a labor camp. Ten years!" she snorted derisively. "It was meant to be a death sentence. We all knew it. I never thought she'd come out alive. But you're right--if there's one Cardassian I'm honored to meet, it's her." Chief O'Brien joined us just then with a mug of ale at hand. "Did you ever think you'd hear Bajorans go on like this about some Cardie-" he stopped. "Excuse me, Major. It's just unusual." As he took a chair, he continued in a conspiratorial tone, "Now, I've just I had a few words with the mate of the Lessepian transport that brought her here--there, down at the bar. He's got some stories to tell about our- ah- visitor that Commander Sisko ought to hear." "Like what?" Kira demanded. "Well, according to the mate, they picked her up at a Cardassian settlement in the DMZ. They've taken on passengers there before, but never anyone asking to come here." "That's not so strange, Chief," said Dax. "We're the nearest Federation outpost." "And `Elgan' wasn't the name she gave them when she booked passage." "Not remarkable either," Dax returned. "A famous dissident--if she'd been traveling under her real name, she might not have been able to get out of Cardassian space." "Maybe so," O'Brien agreed. "But there's more. She was injured. She passed out just after she came aboard--loss of blood, the mate told me." I saw an opportunity. "Maybe I ought to take a look at her..." He shook his head. "Ship's medic patched her up, but the thing is she never said a word about how she was hurt. Now, maybe she is exactly what she says she is, but I don't think she's told Commander Sisko everything he needs to know." "Sisko's asked Odo to keep an eye on Madame Elgan during her stay," said Kira, which was as much of a concession as we'd ever get from her. "For her own safety as well as the peace of the station. If there's anything to find out, he'll find it." * * * While the others were content to let Odo sort out the mystery of Setilia Elgan, I continued with my own investigation. I confess that I went to Quark's for breakfast the next morning more in the hopes of receiving information than for the cuisine. I'd meant to speak to Quark myself, but as I walked in, I saw that *she* was there again, leaning on the bar over a plate of taspar eggs and whispering urgently to the Ferengi barkeep. Inconspicuously, I took a table nearby to hear what they were saying. "It's not good news," Quark was murmuring. "There *was* a Vulcan ship scheduled to dock a couple of days ago." "The T'Phela?" she asked. Quark nodded solemnly. "But it did not reach the station." He nodded again. "It exploded, just outside the Bajoran system, just before you arrived." "I see." She sounded as if she had been expecting to hear something like this. Kira had said that Elgan was trying to reach Federation space. I guessed she meant to meet the T'Phela here--but why consult the devious routes of information available through Quark to find out what had happened to the ship? I hadn't heard of the T'Phela's destruction but surely, so near to Bajor, Commander Sisko and Odo were aware of it. Why not go to them? It seemed that Chief O'Brien was right: there was more to Setilia Elgan's story than she was telling. I was distracted momentarily when a Ferengi waiter tried to take my order. By the time I managed to shoo him away, Quark was saying: "Setilia, if there's anything I can do to help..." "Thank you, Quark," Elgan answered quickly, "but Ferengi `help' always comes with a price, and right now my pockets are not very deep." "I'm sure we can arrange a little bargain--for old time's sake." "No. It's all right. I still have one or two resources at my disposal." She left her seat at the bar; the last thing I expected was that she would come over to *my* table. I tried to cover my surprise. "Er- Madame Elgan." "Dr. Bashir, isn't it?" "Um- yes." As astonished as I was that she knew my name, I remembered my manners and gestured for her to sit down. I tried to behave as if this were some sort of professional consultation; she had, after all, been injured recently. "What can I do to help you?" "You're a friend of the Cardassian who lives on the station--Mr. Garak?" Another smile. I really couldn't help it. "Yes." "Tell me about him," she asked as she took the offered chair. "Don't you know? I mean-" "I've been in prison for many years, Doctor. I saw you with him yesterday and made...inquiries. I've heard that he is in exile from Cardassia." "Yes, I've heard that too," I replied. "There are rumors. But I've also heard that he remains here on the station to represent Cardassia's interests." If she sought Garak as a potential "resource," it was only fair to let her know that he could be more of a danger than a help to her. "He's- well- something of a mystery. He lies--that is, I've never been certain that one thing he's ever told me is true. Every Bajoran on the station swears that he'll betray us all once it suits him." She heard my warning with a strange, slight smile. "And yet you remain his friend." "Perhaps it is a little strange," I agreed. It wasn't the first time I'd been asked to justify my friend- ship with Garak; I'd long since stopped pretending that I was only interested in exposing 'the spy,' and just admitted that I enjoyed his company. "But in spite of all the warnings I've received about him-- even *from* him--he's never been anything but pleasant to me." Elgan considered me for a moment. "It is not easy for Cardassians to maintain relationships based on mutual loyalty or trust," she said. "The state demands our first allegiance, before even the most intimate of personal ties. The closest of friends cannot rely upon each other. A child may betray his own father. Husbands and wives...our marriages are especially vulnerable. Among Cardassians, marriage is a social contract. We marry for purposes of procreation, to consolidate alliances among powerful families, and for other reasons that have nothing to do with the feelings we have toward each other. A couple may spend their whole lives together in hatred or indifference, or merely as companions who share common interests but have no desire to share a bed." I had no idea why she was telling me this. "My husband and I--there was nothing between us. We had no children. Of course, the marriage was dissolved when I went to prison. When you are in disgrace, your family and friends are expected to renounce you. It is too dangerous to stand with a proven criminal. We are not bonded to each other now, and we are free to pursue...other interests." Was she trying to tell me that she was available? Ridiculous. In fact, it was more than a little unsettling to have a woman nearly my own mother's age make this kind of advance. I would have to reject her gently... "Would he have betrayed me?" she went on. "I really don't know. It was all so long ago. We were different people then. Do you know, Doctor, the quarters I have been assigned here are twice the size of the cell I shared with seven other prisoners in the camp on Vatales III? The last time I stayed on Terek Nor, I had an almost identical room--I found it to be cramped and confining. I had been used to so much more in those days. Now, I am simply grateful for a bed to myself, the privacy of a door I can seal behind me, and the luxury of waking up without expecting to die before the end of the day..." she shook her head suddenly and fixed her eyes upon me. "No, I have not crossed that desert safely yet. Thank you, Doctor Bashir, for your assistance." "Any time," I answered as she left the table-- though if I had provided her assistance, I was lost to what it had been. * * * After this odd conversation, I expected Elgan to go directly to Garak's shop. She didn't. Instead, she loitered at Quark's for the rest of the morning, drinking those pink drinks that she probably hadn't seen too many of in her years in prison, then she explored the Promenade like any other tourist. To anyone who was not watching her closely, it would appear that she eventually wandered into the tailor's shop by chance. Having a few minutes free at the Infirmary, I strolled up the Promenade at exactly the right time: Elgan stood examining the clothing displays; Garak emerged from the back room. I became fascinated with the trinkets on the kiosk near the front of Garak's shop. Neither seemed aware of my presence, but I could watch them by glancing up through the curtain of dangling beads and chains before me. If Garak were surprised to see her this time, his expression did not betray him. "Are you looking for something in particular, Madame Elgan?" he asked with cool politeness. "I thought I'd see what's fashionable in this sector." "Yes..." His eyes dropped swiftly down over her plain tunic and trousers. "You used to have a much more acute sense of fashion." "True. I have lost my aesthetic sensibilities. *Yours*, on the other hand..." She fingered an ornate brocade jacket hanging at the front of one display rack. "You were always a man of exquisite tastes, but you seem to have taken some truly interesting turns with your change of profession." This was not the way strangers spoke to each other. Like Elgan's whispered consultations with Quark, this exchange suggested a long familiarity. An intimacy. But then I'd known from the first that Garak had lied about knowing her. "What is it you want from me?" The harshness of the question startled me; I'd never heard Garak snap like that before. "Help," Elgan replied without further dissembling. "Passage off this station as soon as possible." "And what makes you think I'm in a position to aid you?" "You are here. I had assumed that you'd made an arrangement with the Federation in order to be permitted to stay. I thought you might have connections. That young human friend of yours-" "Is just a friend. I'm afraid I can't help you. Good day, Madame Elgan." "Good day, Mr. Garak," she answered quietly, and turned to leave. Before she reached the doorway, he asked, "Where is it you intend to go?" "My ultimate goal is Vulcan. They have a long reputation for sheltering outcasts and defectors. It is a hot, dry planet--their sun is brighter than Cardassia Prime's, but I think I can be comfortable there." "`Tilia, you are a fool if you think the Federation will welcome you. They will despise you for your race. They will mistrust your motives. You'll be held responsible for every unsavory act committed by every Cardassian since the dawn of our history." "I am not the mysterious spy in exile," she answered. "If I am known in the Federation, it is as the Cardassian who told the truth." "The Cardassian who didn't have the common sense to keep quiet when her future depended upon it. I'm no more an admirer of the military than you are, but did you have to be so foolish as to declare your opinions publicly?" "I've never had your gift for obfuscation. Believe me, I have paid for my lack of discretion." "Have you? I seem to recall that your sentence was ten years. By my count, you've been gone barely seven." "I was offered an opportunity. If I agreed to make an announcement, to apologize for the socially unacceptable statements which led to my incarceration, I would be released." "I'm sorry I missed seeing that." "I did what I had to," she shot back. "I owe nothing to Cardassia now and wish no more of it. I am a free woman. Your talents have served you no better than my indiscretions. How long will *your* sentence be?" With that, she strode out, passing barely a meter from me. Garak may have spotted me at that moment, as he watched her go; I don't know. As casually as I could, I wandered away from his shop and headed back toward the Infirmary. Before I had gotten half-way down the Promenade, he came out and crossed swiftly to Quark's Place. I was too far away to hear what he said to Quark, but I could see the Ferengi argue back vehemently, shake his head, throw up his hands--and then Garak gripped his coat-collar and drew him closer to whisper something, very softly. Quark pulled back, obviously shaken, but he seemed more agreeable to whatever it was that Garak proposed. So, Garak meant to help her after all, but he didn't intend to pay the Ferengi price for assistance. * * * I saw nothing more of Elgan until late that afternoon. When I brought the latest round of reports on crew physicals up to Ops, she was seated in Sisko's office. Dax and Kira, each at her own work-station, kept throwing glances up to the commander's door--Dax simply curious, Kira almost anxious. "I see Chief O'Brien's talked to Commander Sisko," I said. "Or has Odo turned up some information about our guest?" Dax shook her head. "As far as we know, it's just an informal talk." "Odo hasn't uncovered one suspicious fact about Madame Elgan, except that she's talked to both Quark and Garak--and that *you're* always hanging around." Kira regarded me with suspicion. "What business do you have following her?" she demanded. "Well, I- er-" Dax turned her head to conceal a smile, but before I could form a reasonable answer, there was an incoming message from Gul Dukat. Sisko left Elgan in his office and came out to speak to Dukat on the main viewscreen. "Dukat." "Commander Sisko." They smiled stiffly at each other. "I'm afraid this is not a social call. You have a Cardassian citizen aboard your station-- a Setilia Elgan. She is a prisoner escaped from detention. I'm asking you to return her." "Setilia Elgan," Sisko repeated with a dead-pan expression. "What makes you think she's here?" "Where else would she go? Commander, you have no reason to harbor an escaped criminal. If Elgan doesn't have the sense of decency to surrender herself to the proper authorities, we will have to take it upon ourselves. My ship will be at the station shortly. Please be ready to surrender the prisoner to my custody." Elgan had evidently overheard this conversation. Just as Dukat disengaged the connection, the door to the commander's office opened and the fugitive ventured out. Sisko turned to her. "Is it true?" he demanded. She nodded. "In Cardassia, it is customary for prisoners about to be freed to make a show of penitence for their crimes against the state. For a dangerous subversive such as myself, this recanting would be broadcast throughout the Empire. I consented to do this in exchange for an early release, but you see, Commander, my apology would have been false. I regret nothing. I can't forget the things I saw happen here during the Occupation. There are...others, Cardassians who believe as I do. I would never say anything to weaken their dedication. And so, en route to Cardassia Prime, I escaped. I'm sorry, Commander Sisko. I had hoped to be safely within Federation space before they traced me, but the Vulcan friends I expected to meet here were...unavoidably detained." Kira said, "Commander, you can't just turn her over to Dukat!" He gave her a withering glance. "I have no intention of giving her to Dukat, Major, but he is coming here to get her. Like it or not, Cardassia has the right to reclaim its own citizens. It won't be easy to grant her asylum." While they were arguing, I quietly left Ops and went down to tell Garak of Dukat's pending arrival. He would deny his interest in Elgan's welfare, but I knew he would be glad of the information. And I rather liked the idea of helping *him* for a change. * * * When I told Garak my news, he simply said, "Thank you, Doctor," and exited his shop. I followed him out. "What are you going to do?" I asked. "Get her off this station," Garak replied without looking back at me. "How?" "Arrangements have already been made." "It's very generous of you to do this for a woman you don't even know," I ventured as we crossed the bridge to the habitat ring. "She is a fellow Cardassian. A fellow expatriate. Now, Doctor, if you will please go away. As much as I appreciate your assistance, this does not concern you. The less you know, the better it will be when Madame Elgan is discovered missing." He quickened his pace, but he wasn't going to get rid of me that easily. * * * I couldn't help noticing that he knew precisely where her quarters were. Elgan had just returned from her meeting with Sisko; as she found us waiting in the corridor, her eyes flickered from Garak to me and back in confusion. Garak told her, "Come with me. There is not much time." She didn't hesitate, but entered her quarters to grab the single piece of baggage she had brought with her and joined us. We were half-way to the docking ring before she asked, "Where are we going?" "You are going to the Federation colony of Karat," Garak answered. "The only transport I could arrange for you on such short notice was the private vessel belonging to the associate of an aquaintance." "Quark," I said. He ignored me. "They can't take you as far as Vulcan, but if you reach Karat safely, I have no doubt you can complete your journey without difficulty. But first, we must see you off this station." "Before Dukat gets here," I added, perhaps too energetically. In spite of the dire situation, I was thrilled to be involved with Garak in this intrigue. I was aiding a dissident in escaping the harsh Cardassian judicial system. My heart was racing. "Gul Dukat," said Elgan. "Ah, I see." "No, you don't," Garak answered, and gave me a stern look. "But it is in everyone's best interests-- except Dukat's, of course--if you are far from here before he arrives to reclaim you." We stopped at an airlock. As the first door rolled back, he continued, "If you insist on being here, Doctor, you can make yourself of use. Stay with Madame Elgan. Don't let anything happen to her." He sounded so like an officer giving a command that I responded, "Yes, sir," before I realized it. After Garak disappeared through second airlock, I turned to Elgan. We would have a few minutes alone together; perhaps she would be more willing to talk than my secretive friend. "I've wondered about you and- ah- Garak," I told her. "How do you know each other?" "He's never mentioned me?" "I never heard your name until yesterday." "Our...connection was an embarrassment to him," Elgan answered. "I suppose he would rather have forgotten about it entirely. It's really not so surprising that he didn't tell *you*-" Garak returned then--Infuriating timing! "They were scheduled to depart this evening," he announced, "but I've convinced them to leave a little earlier than planned. It's time to say our good-byes, Madame. Doctor, *go away*." Another order. I played good little soldier and retreated, but only into the corridor; after all, Dukat might show up at any moment and someone ought to stand guard until Madame Elgan was safely away. Garak was out of my sight--and I out of his--but Elgan occasionally passed into view. "He's a sweet young man," she said. "And rather attractive by human standards." "He's extremely *annoying* by any species' standards," Garak answered, but I could see that Elgan was smiling at him. "You didn't have to do this. You have no obligations toward me. You disapprove of everything I stand for." "My dear `Tilia, I can't approve your impulsiveness, but I must admit that any state that casts out its most worthwhile citizens certainly has some room for improvement." This made her laugh. "And even though every bond that once connected us was severed years ago," Garak continued, "I confess that I still feel a certain...interest in your welfare. It's not often I give into sentiment. You must indulge me while the mood is upon me, and go--*now*--while you have a chance." "Yes, of course. Good-bye, Mr. Garak. I hope your exile here is not too intolerable." "Oh, I have my diversions. Farewell, Madame Elgan, and good luck." She answered with a word I didn't understand, "Elim," and raised a hand to present the flat palm to him. He lifted his hand to hers, then she turned and stepped quickly through the airlock and onto the waiting ship. Garak stepped out into the corridor. He was not surprised to see me lurking nearby, but instead of scolding, he put a hand on my shoulder. "Come along, Doctor. With all the explaining you will have to do for Commander Sisko, you could use a drink right now as much as I do." As we passed a portal, we could see the ship disengage from the docking ring and slip away toward Federation space. * * * Shortly afterwards, we sat in Quark's. Gul Dukat stalked past purposefully with a stony-faced Commander Sisko. They didn't even glance in our direction, though doubtless we'd have their full attention later on. Though I hadn't really learned a thing about Garak, I'd gathered quite a few suspicions. Still giddy from our adventure and bolstered by a few gulps of the bright pink drink I had ordered, I was feeling bold enough to ask questions. "So she wasn't your lover?" "Really, Doctor! Your fascination with my personal life amazes me. I've done so little to justify this curiosity of yours. No, my dear young friend, there has never been a romantic attachment between Elgan and myself." I had to grin; did he think I believed a word of it? "It's nothing to be ashamed of. No reason to pretend you've never been in love." Garak looked exasperated. "On the contrary, Doctor, I have had many loves." "Such as...?" "My love of Cardassia," he replied with an air of solemn virtue. I choked back a surprised laugh, but Garak didn't appear offended. "Yes, I agree. It is risible --I have been spurned by the one love I have been loyal to. My love is unrequited." He sighed. "Unfortunately, all I have right now is you." I didn't know quite what to make of this remark, but for some inexplicable reason, it made me blush. *end* Kathryn Ramage kramage@erols.com *~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~* The following tale of alien encounters is true. By true, I mean false. It's all lies, but they're entertaining lies--and, in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is no. Leonard Nimoy, hosting The Simpsons *~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*