Cerulean Stars - Chapter 65

Cerulean Stars - Chapter 65

Stardate 48196.8 - March 13, 2371, Time - 19:58:00

“I'm a little confused, Commander.” Quark started as he stood in front of Sisko’s desk. “You want me to go with you to the Gamma Quadrant to help you locate the Founders?”

“It sounds like you’ve got the gist of it already.” Sisko told him, knowing the Ferengi was their only real connection with the Dominion outside of a single prisoner whose presence Starfleet didn’t want to risk. 

“Are you sure you aren’t joking?” Quark all but begged. “Maybe having a little fun with Quark. Because I’m not a diplomat, or an explorer, or a tactical officer, or whatever else you might need on this trip.”

“A little over Eight months ago, you helped the Nagus establish a trade agreement with the Karemma. Tulaberry wine, I believe. The Karemma are part of the Dominion.” Sisko explained, quirking an eyebrow at the Ferengi as if to dare him to try and claim otherwise.

“Well, yes.” Quark admitted with a grimace. “But they’re a small part at best, and I haven’t been able to find out anything more about Dominion from them. And trust me Commander, I’ve tried.”

“Then we're going to need you to try harder.” Sisko insisted, giving Quark his best 'I'm absolutely serious about this’ stare. “Because they're still our best bet for contacting the Dominion. And since you're the one who has experience dealing with the Karemma, that means you're the logical choice to help us try and do so.”

There was also the fact that Starfleet's diplomatic projections had suggested someone with an existing business history with the Karemma would be the most likely to get a positive response from them. But Sisko suspected knowing that would just make Quark attempt to extract extra concessions from the Federation, the Nagus's insistence or not.

“I'm sorry Commander.” Quark offered with a faux apologetic shrug that made Sisko narrow his eyes at the Ferengi and reach under his desk for the staff the Nagus had loaned him for this. “But I’m going to have to refuse. Our last experience with the Jem’Hadar was really not one I want to repeat any time soon. And as much as you might like, I know Federation law doesn’t actually allow you to force me.”

With that Quark turned to leave, and Sisko got to his feet before bringing the staff down on the floor loud enough to generate an audible thunk that caused the jittery Ferengi to turn back with a look of surprise on his face.

“The scepter of the Grand Nagus.” Quark muttered, talking a few steps towards where Sisko was standing.

“I had a chance to talk with him while on Earth.” Sisko admitted, still more than a bit unsure about what Zeck’s actual angle had been on that front. “He seemed to believe that unless peaceful contact could be established with the Founders, business opportunities in the Gamma Quadrant would suddenly dry up. And that you are the perfect Ferengi to help the Federation with that.”

“How do I know that’s not fake?” Quark asked in suspicion as he looked between Sisko and the staff in a way suggesting the Ferengi was challenging it more as a last desperate attempt to get out of going than any actual personal disbelief.

With a sigh Sisko used his free hand to spin around his desk display and hit the play command.

“Quark!” Grand Nagus Zeck exclaimed as he appeared on the screen. “If you’re seeing this, that means you questioned the authority of the staff! And that’s a fine of five slips! Don’t think you’ll be able to get away with pretending you didn’t see it either, because I’ll know!”

With that the message ended, leaving a remarkably pale Quark to stare with slumped shoulders at the now blank display.

“I guess I’ll be happy to help out any way that I can, Commander.” He finally agreed with a sigh.

“Thank you, Quark.” Sisko returned with a nod, feeling just a tiny bit bad for forcing the Ferengi into this but knowing they had no other options. “I knew we could count on you.”

“Quark.” Sisko called out as the Ferengi turned to leave, tilting the staff forward till its golden head was at a very specific height. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

Quark rushed over and kissed the head of the staff, almost as if he were afraid that the Nagus would materialize and scold him for not doing so, and then dashing out of the room moments after he had finished.

“How did it go?” Dax asked as she walked in barely a minute later.

“He kissed the staff.” Sisko answered with a chuckle, not having thought the Ferengi would when Dax had suggested he push for it.

“Told you.” Dax returned smugly as she crossed her arms under her breasts and slid into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“So, what did you think of the Defiant?” Sisko inquired as he set the staff down and leaned forward slightly to rest his elbows on the desk.

It’s an interesting design.” Dax said, uncrossing her arms and giving him a contemplative look. “I take it she's what you were working on for a year after Wolf 359?”

“Brooks mentioned that, did she.” Sisko put forward, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

“I’m more surprised you didn’t.” Dax said with a disappointed shake of her head.

 “I was building up to it.” Sisko confessed apologetically, the subject still a bit sore given just what kind of headspace he had been in during that time.

“Well.” Dax mused her look softening a bit at that. “The design itself is solid, though from reading between the lines of what Brooks said I have to wonder just how many strings she pulled and favors she called in to help you get it that way.”

“More than I would have liked.” Sisko admitted with a grimace, not even sure when the woman had found the time given everything else he knew she had on her plate. “She reminds me a lot of Curzon on that front.”

“Less luck with women though.” Dax added in with a grin that quickly morphed into a frown.

“Though speaking of which, Benjamin.” She continued in a tone that long experience had taught Sisko meant a dangerous question was likely coming. “Do you think this hairstyle works for me? Because Raine said it was very 2260s, and having lived through those styles as a woman once already I was really not trying for a repeat.”

“It's very… Big…” Sisko offered, long experience with Jennifer having taught him that there were some questions you should be as tactful as possible with answering.

“That bad huh.” Dax muttered, clearly annoyed with herself for the choice now that it had been pointed out to her. “Four lives as a woman and you really would think it would get easier.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stardate 48198.4 - March 14, 2371 - 09:59:00

Heading a large starship's tactical station was a surprisingly complex job, and while sure you could just say 'computer attack pattern alpha’ and sit back. That was a surefire way to end up getting your ship destroyed against any even moderately competent tactical officer.

So you ended up focusing on a series of moves and countermoves all the while having to keep track of a half dozen other things with the idea hanging over you that at any moment the Captain might see something you missed and completely alter the course of action you were about to take.

And Raine was mediocre at best at that, mainly because the same hyper focus that made her so effective at ground combat tended to kick in with the move/countermove portion of running tactical and she would end up letting the other portions of the job fall to wayside.

“I really think Major Kira would be a better choice for tactical.” Raine offered to Commander Sisko from her position behind the Defiant's tactical station, not mincing words given his request for everyone's honest opinion before they set out.

“So do I.”  Kira acknowledged with an apologetic shrug from the nearby secondary station. “But you're familiar with the Defiant's quirks, and it'll probably take me a couple weeks to get up to speed to the same level.”

Raine would give it three days at most given she’d been so busy with other things she hadn’t actively trained on the Defiant’s systems outside of the pair of battle drills they had done on the way there, but right now Kira had a point, so the Asari let it drop.

“Medical is operational, at least, to the extent it can be.” Bashir admitted, taking his turn. “Though we’d probably be in a lot worse shape without… Robert.”

The last was said in a tone that suggested he was using the name solely out of some sort of personal grudge with the hologram, which was honestly a bit impressive to Raine given the man had known the EMH for less then a day at this point.

Sisko glanced over his shoulder to give Raine a mildly amused ‘I blame you for this’ look, to which the Asari just gave a shrug in return.

“Quark's settling into his quarters and wanted me to relay his general disappointment with the accommodations.” Jadzia offered somewhat apologetically, thankfully having been the one Sisko had relegated to Ferengi handling duty instead of Raine for this mission. “He also wanted me to inform you that he could get you in touch with several reputable interior decorators for a modest fee.”

“Ask if they do replicators.” Sisko shot back jokingly before turning a questioning look to O’Brien. “Everything pass inspection?”

“Mostly.” O’Brien confessed with a frown. “But I could use a couple weeks to get my head around the rather, unique, warp field equations Captain Scott put together for the engines.”

“Is there a problem with them?” Sisko asked in sudden concern.

“Probably not.” O’Brien admitted after a moment. “I can see how he was trying to minimize the interference from pushing the field through the armor matrix. And it should work, but if we get a sudden field collapse it’ll take me longer than I’d like to rebuild it.”

That was thankfully a lot less serious then Raine had feared when she’d heard ‘unique warp field equation’ given some of the frankly absurd things that had been rumored to happen when those went odd.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to make due if it happens.” Sisko reassured him with a quirk lipped grin. 

“If that’s all.” He continued, giving those on the bridge one final chance to speak up before nodding. “Let’s head out. Chief, seal the airlock and release docking clamps. Dax, aft thrusters quarter speed.”

“Might wanna delay that.” Kira suddenly interjected. “I just got a message from Odo, and he’s on his way back from Uls’ana Station with what he believes might be a lead on the Founders location.”

With everything going on Raine hadn’t even known Odo had left the station, though given he had traveled to Bajor’s newly operational orbital station that meant his likely source for that would have been…

“He must have gotten something from Eris then.” Sisko muttered, all but finishing the Asari’s thought for her.

“Tell him we’ll meet him halfway.” He continued. “Set an intercept course for his runabout and take us out.”

Dax gave a nod that made her ponytail bounce slightly as the Trill entered the commands into the helm, and a light shudder traveled through the Defiant as the viewscreen showed them pulling away from the station. 

Which left them at the part of tactical station duty that Raine had always truly hated, standing around for hours with nothing to do but write reports and run simulations.