Chapter Text
Garak had anticipated that lunch with Julian would follow its usual pattern. They would discuss any news of interest (in this case his new associate, Dr. Lomidze, very sensibly assigned to the station by Starfleet due to the Klingon situation) and would then begin to discuss the week’s reading (a compilation of six hundred year old Cardassian poetry).
Instead, a very agitated Julian met him in the Replimat stating, “Jadzia’s missing. Not on the station at all.”
“Have you any leads?” asked Garak.
“Not a single one.”
Was Starfleet Intelligence truly that inept? Small wonder Section 31 was so active, and that agency had still been nowhere near as capable as the Obsidian Order or the Tal Shiar until the Dominion shattered the former and weakened the latter.
Garak considered his options. He was able to make himself useful to Cardassia lately, in some small way, by reporting information on the Klingons. It was a step towards regaining favor and ending his exile, though a very small one and in truth he was doubtful that he would ever be welcome at home. The shadow of Tain’s disfavor was long indeed. To reveal some of his knowledge to the Federation and Bajorans would not help his case.
It could, however, very well save Commander Dax’s life, and he owed her a debt. Not only had she brought him aboard a restricted-access ship when Julian needed him, she’d ensured he suffered no consequences and likely played a role in Captain Sisko’s acceptance of his relationship with Julian.
It was important that even in his exile he acted as a well-manner Cardassian ought; Garak had done so all his adult life except in the rare instances where his duties demanded otherwise and wished to thus maintain his Cardassian identity. In this case, any well-mannered Cardassian would presume that offering information which would likely lead to Dax’s rescue would be viewed by the commander as an acceptable payment of Garak’s social debt.
By the time he returned to his shop Garak made his choice. He would do a bit of discreet research and then contact Captain Sisko.
****
Sisko’s computer displayed the time: 1330 exactly. Five hours since Dax failed to show up in Ops for her shift. Fourteen hours and twenty-five minutes since she’d last been seen getting off the turbolift in the habitat ring. She wasn’t anywhere on the station, unless someone had found a way to mask the very unique lifesign of a joined Trill, and Sisko had no idea what had happened to her.
Where are you, Jadzia?
So far even Odo hadn’t found anything suspicious, which in itself was unusual. Per Quark, Jadzia spent three hours the previous evening playing tongo. This account was corroborated by Rom and a handful of Quark’s employees, down to the detail that she lost exactly one slip of latinum. She’d then headed back to her quarters… and disappeared.
Three ships departed overnight: the Federation Relief vessel Clara Barton returning to the Sol system after delivering medical supplies to Kriania VI; a Bajoran archaeological team heading out to look for the remains of an old colony in the neighboring system; and a Vulcan science ship doing research in the Denorios Belt. None of these had turned up any leads and Sisko’s agitation was increasing hourly.
His computer indicated an incoming message, which he accepted. Garak’s face filled the screen. “Captain. I hope you haven’t forgotten your fitting this afternoon. You did inform me that it was most urgent.”
Since he had no fitting scheduled with their Cardassian tailor, Sisko assumed this was another roundabout, cloak-and-dagger maneuver of the kind Garak preferred. It damn well better be urgent. “I’ll be there shortly.” After all, he wasn’t really accomplishing anything sitting at his desk.
He mulled the problem over in his head as he walked, once again coming up with nothing useful. No signs of a struggle in Jadzia’s quarters (and Jadzia was a hell of a fighter), no traces of a transporter signal or any chemicals. Absolutely nothing.
Garak’s Clothiers was unsurprisingly void of customers. “Thank you for coming, Captain,” said Garak.
“This better be urgent.”
“Quite. It’s come to my attention that Commander Dax is inexplicably missing. Since you haven’t set out in pursuit, I can only conclude you’re unaware that the station was visited by a Tal Shiar agent yesterday.”
“Tal Shiar?” That definitely qualified as urgent.
“In the guise of T’Siva, the Vulcan scientist.”
He wondered if Garak had been hacking into DS9’s computer again. If it helped them get Jadzia back, Sisko was hard-pressed to care. This time. “You didn’t think to mention this yesterday?”
“Who am I to question the motives of the Federation? It’s often wise to keep one’s enemies close for observation.”
“That scientific team had credentials from the Vulcan Science Directorate. If you’re right, then this is a very well-planned abduction.” Involving either the faking of credentials or the wholesale killing of the actual team, which he wouldn’t put past the Tal Shiar.
“The Tal Shiar is known for their meticulous planning, or so I’m told.”
“Yes,” he agreed, not bothering to play along with or dispute Garak’s ‘simple tailor’ act. “You’re certain about T’Siva?”
“I am.”
Sisko was inclined to believe Garak if for no other reason than the Cardassian was dating Bashir and Jadzia was a good friend of the doctor’s. He was also starting to see real potential in being on Garak’s good side.
“Any other relevant information? Do you know why the Tal Shiar would want Dax?”
“I don’t care to speculate as to their motives in the absence of adequate facts. As for further information, I suggest you begin your search in the Denorios Belt.”
“That’s where the science team is. You don’t think she’s still on their ship?”
“There are rumors of a Tal Shiar base in the Denorios Belt,” said Garak. “Whether they’re true I can’t say, but that it was the science team’s destination lends some credence to the theory, don’t you think?”
“I think it’s a good place to start,” he agreed. “Thank you, Garak.”
The tailor nodded. “I hope you will soon return with Commander Dax.”
“So do I. Please inform me immediately if you have anything else that will be of assistance.” Once the words were out of his mouth Sisko realized Garak might well take that as permission to hack into the computers.
If the Tal Shiar really did have Dax, he figured they’d need all the help they could get and decided he could live with a bit of computer hacking.
****
“It’s been brought to my attention that T’Siva is not a Vulcan scientist but a Tal Shiar agent,” Sisko informed his senior staff.
“Brought to your attention by whom?” asked Odo.
“Garak.”
Kira, naturally, was less than convinced. “Do you think we can trust him on this?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” This earned him a grateful look from Bashir. “He also mentioned rumors of a Tal Shiar base in the Denorios Belt.”
“What?!?”
“I just finished speaking with Starfleet Intelligence. While they weren’t any help regarding T’Siva, they reluctantly confirmed that they’ve suspected a Tal Shiar base somewhere in the area for a few years, though they didn’t think it was actually in the Bajoran system.”
Kira was at this point seething; he could tell it took all of her self-control not to erupt. “And they’ve never bothered to mention this?”
“I doubt they would’ve, so you can thank Garak. Major, I want you to speak with the Vulcan Science Directorate. Try to get to the bottom of this Denorios Belt survey, figure out if the credentials were faked or the real team was killed and replaced. Any information you can get might help us get Dax back.”
She nodded. Irate though she may be, he had no doubt she’d be very thorough.
“And then find out if the provisional government has heard about this possible base, if you can without causing more problems.”
“So we’re assuming at this point that Commander Dax was abducted by the Tal Shiar,” stated Odo. “T’Siva – or whoever she really is – did spend time with Dax yesterday.”
“And here I thought that relations with the Romulans were improving,” remarked O’Brien.
“The Tal Shiar is noted for its independent operation,” said Worf.
“I’m not discounting any other theories,” Sisko said, “but this is the only lead we have. Chief, I want you to work on any and all techniques that could help us find this base, and any cloaked ships that might be around. Take as many people as you need.”
“Yes sir.”
“Odo. Dig into this Tal Shiar connection, and find out what T’Siva did yesterday.”
Odo nodded.
“Worf, I want Defiant crewed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Doctor, you’ll need to be on board when we leave.”
“Of course,” said Bashir.
“We might not need any fancy techniques to find the base,” suggested O’Brien, “if we can excite the plasma field just enough so that out sensors picked up even the smallest strands, we could probably see any large gaps.”
Kira countered, “Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Not if we are precise enough. I’ll talk to Lieutenant Mal-kru.”
“Updates every half hour. Dismissed.”
Sisko intended to make a few more calls himself to see if he could get any further information about this Tal Shiar connection, but Bashir lingered.
“Yes, Doctor?”
“Reciprocity. In case you’re wondering why Garak involved himself in this, Cardassian social interactions are heavily influenced by reciprocity.”
That made a certain amount of sense. When Bashir was in Defiant’s sickbay a few weeks ago after having been tortured by the Elgania-Noki, Dax brought Garak to him. Defiant was a restricted-access ship where Garak was definitely not allowed, but a little rule-breaking for a good cause never bothered Dax, and after three days at the mercy of the Elgania-Noki Bashir had deserved whatever comfort he could get. It was only the past few days that the doctor started looking like he got a halfway decent night’s sleep, and Sisko had no doubt the experience would haunt him for some time. Dax had been right to bring Garak aboard the Defiant to comfort his lover.
If this was Garak’s way of returning the favor, Sisko thought he’d picked a good one. “Do you happen to know how he can be certain T’Siva is Tal Shiar?”
“If I had to guess, smell. Cardassians have a very keen sense of smell, you know, though when they want to they’re remarkably good at tuning it out. Fascinating, really, but no amount of cosmetic surgery will alter a person’s natural scent and pheromones unless they specifically set out to do just that.”
“Which there would be no need to do for anyone on the station besides Garak.” Sisko then thought of something. “Unless… do Romulans smell like Vulcans?”
“To the best of my knowledge, the variations aren’t noticeable except to those who make a study of it.”
Which meant that Garak had identified T’Siva because he’d encountered her before, not because she smelled Romulan, provided of course that Bashir’s theory was correct.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Once Bashir left Sisko sat at his desk. He’d start with Admiral Gallagher, a man whose dealings with Romulans was legendary, and work from there.
Nothing was going to stop Ben Sisko from getting Dax back.