Disclaimer: Paramount blah blah blah.

Now onto the important stuff: This is yet another 'Jen-loves-Sophie' challenge story. The deal was that I'd write her anything she wanted as a get-well gift and she sure stuck it to me. Hope you like it, because it really was a challenge. To Sophie, we love you baby and sorry it took so long. I hope it proves worth the wait.  Also to my three beta buddies: Ned Fox, Heather Cook, and my boon companion in Trek-Olivia Monteith. All were brutal and tough as nails but, damn, are they a talented crew. Thanks.

---Jen

The Wisdom of Madmen
By JA Chapman

When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind; the stalk of grain that forms no ear can yield no flour; Even if it could, strangers would swallow it. Israel is swallowed up; he is now among the nations a thing of no value. They went up to Assyria-a wild ass off on its own-Ephraim bargained for lovers. Even though they bargain with the nations, I will gather an army; King and princes shall shortly succumb under the burden.

Hosea 8:7-10 Old Testament

Curiosity killed the cat.

A very interesting Earth proverb, whose lesson shall long be remembered after this experience, Garak thought to himself quietly. He adjusted his arms, which were chained to the wall and winced at the discordant clash of metal against stone. Doctor Bashir was finally either asleep or unconscious, as his head lolled uncomfortably to rest against his upraised arms. Colonel Kira was kept in other rooms, and Garak didn't worry about her too much--despite being mad and vindictive, Dukat still considered himself a lover of women. Her cell, though equally fast, would be of satin ties and perfumed sheets and he doubted she was in immediate danger. Dukat, for the moment, was happy enough to take out his frustration on just the doctor and himself.

Garak leaned his aching head against the dank stone walls. If he weren’t in so much pain, he'd be forced to admit an admiration for Dukat's showmanship at least. The dungeon, odd sexual tortures, even the long drawn out monologues Dukat subjected them to had a theatrical appeal about them. Garak winced suddenly as a muscle in his calf began to spasm. Of, course, he thought grimly, it would be easier to admire it if he weren't the target of this melodrama.

Bashir let out a raspy moan and shifted uneasily.

Ah yes, curiosity killed the cat...
 

Prologue....

Garak scowled at the PADD in front of him and sipped at his tea distractedly, this particular sequence had been giving him trouble all morning.

"Sorry I'm late," Bashir stepped up to their table slightly winded.

Garak looked up with an apologetic grin, "Actually doctor, sorry to say I hadn't even noticed. I've been too busy unscrambling code all morning," he motioned for a waitress, "Ready to order?"

"Gods, yes--I'm positively famished!" Bashir said with a sigh as he sat in the chair across from his friend with a boneless grace, "It's been a rough morning--I thought I'd never make it in time for lunch!"

The waitress came up and both ordered. After making his selection, Garak sat in amused silence as Bashir began to count off several dishes, revealing just how hungry he really was. After their waitress left, Bashir caught the look on Garak's face and responded, "I missed breakfast."

"No need to explain--truth be told, I'm very interested in discovering how you're going to manage to consume all of those dishes and not have to bring in all your uniforms for a refitting," Garak replied dryly as he tapped at his PADD distractedly.

Bashir scowled, "I'm equally curious as to how you're going to drink that container of seasoning in your hand."

Garak looked down and saw he was about to sip from a salt shaker. Placing it on the table along with his PADD, he nodded in apology, "Forgive me, doctor. It was very rude of me to ignore our conversation."

Bashir grimaced apologetically, "Nonsense. I'm the one, who was being rude—I’m sorry," Garak nodded in acceptance as the waitress brought over their order. When she left Bashir immediately took a large bite and sighed, "Mmm! Good!"

Garak ate leisurely and smiled in amusement as the doctor wolfed down his meal, "You weren't exaggerating about being hungry then?"

Bashir chuckled around his fork; "It's been a busy day--very stressful."

Garak nodded in sympathy; "War does have a habit of making things quite stressful, yes."

"Indeed," Bashir replied ruefully, "I had two broken bones to mend, several inoculations, a surgery, and I still have a paper I'm working on for Starfleet Medical. Not only that, but after Colonel Kira left so abruptly I had to take over some of her duties and..."

Garak paused, "The Colonel left?"

"Yes," Bashir nodded, "It was quite unexpected. One minute she was going over some routine reports and the next thing you know she goes into Captain Sisko's office and requests indefinite leave," he sipped at his cup, "Very unlike her."

Garak found himself curiously intrigued by this bit of information. He wasn't used to not knowing something before the doctor and he found it to be mildly disconcerting, still it wasn't exactly earth shattering news. He shrugged, "Well, doctor, you're hardly in any position to judge the Colonel's behaviour as being anything out of the ordinary, now are you?"

Julian arched a superior brow, "Pardon me? I think after working with the Colonel all these years I know her fairly well and this is totally unlike her."

"Nonsense," Garak scoffed, enjoying the return of their once familiar banter, "No one can ever truly *know* anyone," Garak gave him a slow smile, "After all, that's what makes life so interesting."

~*~

Garak sat in his darkened shop and stared into the unrelenting lines of numbers and symbols littering the surface of his PADD. Finally, he dropped it with an exhausted sigh and rubbed his temples wearily. He desperately needed a break. He glanced around his shop stifling a yawn. He hadn't bothered opening it up to the general public for well over two months now, but despite his boredom, he didn't feel like donning the guise of a simple tailor. What he craved was a challenge--a small one. Just a little something to help him regain his focus. He glanced at the chronometer and noted that it was still fairly early and several of the senior staff would no doubt be at Quark's enjoying whatever free time the conflict with the Dominion would allow.

Again, he frowned. No--playing tongo with Quark or elbowing his way into Julian and Miles' dart game was not the type of challenge he desired. He needed...

He reached down and grabbed an unused PADD. Typing in several codes he began to hack the station's logs to discover what the Colonel had been doing before she hastily left the station. A bit of nosing about might prove to be a sufficient...hello.

Garak looked down at his screen with a grin; it was the activity report on that day's shipping and flight clearance through Bajoran space. It was standard procedure to review flight plans for any discrepancies, obviously something in this report must have set Kira off.

Garak rolled his eyes; he was beginning to sound like the doctor. Oh well, he smiled to himself, it was just a game. A little exaggeration was all a part of the fun. He began to scan through them quickly but thoroughly.

Five minutes later, he found it.

He almost missed it, but luckily, his memory had proved unfazed despite the years since leaving the Order. There was a flight plan logged by a small freighter heading out of Bajoran space by one M'yal Kat.

Colonel Kira's half-brother.

Garak put down the PADD and walked up to the replicator to order another cup of tea. In the years since his first acquaintance with the doctor, Garak had come to appreciate the hot Terran beverage both for it's bracing qualities and for the warmth it provided. When Dukat was his political adversary, he'd made it his business to know every facet of the man's life, which included his personal relationships with Bajoran civilians.

Kira Meru, the Colonel's mother, had been Dukat's concubine for several years before dying in surgery. What official records didn't show was that the surgery in question was a Caesarean section and both she and the male infant died. Garak remained very literate on Dukat's many bastards and sexual proclivities--they were very handy to have around, especially during those volatile political debates and campaigns. How Colonel Kira knew about the infant, much less his name, was another mystery.

For much of the remainder of the night, Garak researched the station's databases and the Colonel's own logs. The thrill of sneaking past Odo's security protocols would be worth the exhaustion he would feel during the many security briefs scheduled for the next day. Then, about an hour before his appointed meeting with the Captain, he found the answer yet again.

"I cannot believe this man was actually the leader of Cardassia," Garak scoffed disgustedly, "Sloppy."

There, right where anyone with a passing knowledge of Cardassian data keeping could find it, was the name of the doctor who signed Kira Meru's death certificate: Jemal Nurin. The man was a very well regarded obstetrician at the time that served both Bajoran collaborators of high rank and Cardassian officers’ wives and mistresses. From there it would have been impossible for Kira not to assume that her mother may have died in childbirth, research any birth documents near the date of her death and find a certificate registered for one M'yal Kat, a half Cardassian male born to Kira Meru.

Dukat always was too sentimental about his bastards, Garak thought a bit unkindly. Because the child was male and his firstborn he'd allowed Meru to give him his clan name of Kat, which would demonstrate to society he was a regarded illegitimate child. According to Cardassian custom, the boy would never be able to claim actual rights as a firstborn son, but he would be granted a higher status than most bastards in that he could own land and be received into military service. It was unusual, but not uncommon to do so. The uncommon part in this little drama was that this was a half-Bajoran child, and such a status was usually reserved only for full-blooded Cardassian children born of mothers of lower castes whom society would deem appropriate for bound concubines but not wives. This was usually done when a head of a great house could not beget children from a politically arranged marriage yet still wanted a blood heir.

Oh yes, Garak was very familiar with this particular custom, indeed.

He probably did this only because he knew the child would not survive, but it was still very foolish of him, both politically and personally. At the very least he should have deleted all the records...but then, in his foolish sentimentality, he may indeed have done himself a favour.

Garak could not find the child's death certificate, even though he knew the child did not survive. It was during this time period that he had been assigned to watch Dukat's movements very carefully and he remembered watching with amusement as Dukat shuffled first one of his pregnant mistresses then another and his wife into the offices without allowing them to know the others existed. The highest offices in the Obsidian Order would whisper of Dukat's unusually fertile season with near demonic glee. It had truly been one for the books.

The doctor's nurse kept them informed on the progress of the pregnancies as well as the scheduled appointments and such. When the child died, Garak was informed of this as well. Tora Neprim, Dukat's other mistress and Sha'al Dukat, his wife, both gave birth to healthy girls some months later. That a freighter should 'happen' to be captained by a Bajoran named M'yal Kat only weeks after Dukat himself went underground after the embarrassing cult incident, was-to say the least-somewhat suspect. If Garak were a logical man, which he was, he would assume that Dukat had chosen a convenient new identity so that he could get past Bajoran security.

Dukat may well be mad, but he was never stupid.

Foolishly weak willed, but not stupid.

The easiest and most effective identity switch was to take the name and papers of a deceased infant. Garak had done it himself on more than one occasion. That Dukat had chosen the name of his own son was a sentimental error of almost embarrassing proportions. Of course, such information wasn't widespread but then again it had hardly been proven to be the most discreet of identities as Kira's sudden departure had demonstrated.

Therefore, it would not be such a drastic jump in logic to assume that Kira was on a personal mission to find Dukat. Garak didn't bother to hypothesise as to why she would recklessly endanger herself by not informing command of this revelation as the Colonel had demonstrated, at least to him, that she was more than a little independent. If she felt she had an agenda that did not coincide with that of her government or the Federation, she also would not feel the need to inform them of her decision.

Again, Garak almost grew disgusted with the fact that these were the same people who were slowly but surely winning the war against Cardassia. The fact that he was aiding them in that fight was irrelevant. These people had no respect for proper intelligence protocols. As an intelligence operative, he more than understood the term 'need to know', but this was highly improper of an officer who had ascended the ranks as quickly as Kira had.

This is what happens when ragtag terrorists suddenly become ranking military. It was enough to make one a pacifist.

He yawned and looked at the chrono--twenty minutes till his debriefing on yesterday's transmissions and then the staff meeting in Ops. For a moment he debated as to whether or not he should share this information with Sisko. If he told him, he would undoubtedly reap some reward--a bit more freedom in the short term, but in the broader view, he'd probably be considered even more of a liability. After all, hacking the station's computer could not simply disregard as concern over a 'friend', especially as they were not friends by any definition. If he didn't tell them, then Dukat would escape and Kira would, in all likelihood, either get herself killed or distract them from their primary mission because Sisko would have to organise a rescue party, wasting precious manpower over a foolish young woman with more rank than common sense.

Sisko, like Dukat, was a man who allowed sentimentality to get the better of him.

Garak looked at the growing pile of PADDs on his desk. He looked over the flight plans logged both by Kira and the freighter captain Garak assumed was Dukat. They appeared to be heading out toward Orion space, non-Federation space but fairly safe. The area was well known to him, as it was comprised mostly of privately owned moons and pleasure planets. Businessmen and retired government officials who had amassed their fortunes through less than legitimate often chose to retire on because no one, as a rule, bothered asking nasty questions about extradition and tax evasion. In fact, if Tain had not chosen the Arowath Colony, he most likely would have gone to someplace very similar.

Garak again looked at the chrono--fifteen minutes left.

Perhaps it was time that he, too, took a short vacation...

~*~

"He wants to go to Bajor for a few days."

Sisko frowned cynically, "Garak wants to go to Bajor. And why is that, old man?"

"Benjamin," Dax frowned as she leaned forward a bit, "It's not all that surprising that Garak would want to get away for a while. I mean, with his claustrophobia, the best thing for him *would* be to spend a few days on the planet. As his counsellor, I highly approve of it!"

"Perhaps...if we were talking about any other person aboard this station, then yes, I could see that. Garak, however..." he shook his head, "I can't approve that order."

Ezri scowled, "Ben--this is a medical leave he's requesting, besides which, he's not a member of Starfleet! At best he might fall under the designation of civilian contractor and if he wants to go, you can't stop him."

"Dax," Benjamin said in a deceptively cordial tone, "I'm not saying he can't leave--I'm just not approving his use of a shuttlecraft to do so. He's perfectly free to hire a civilian transport..." Sisko grinned, flashing a brilliant amount of white teeth, "...of course, that's if he could find one not owned either by Starfleet or the Bajoran government, which, given the current situation, is doubtful."

"Ben..." Dax warned through gritted teeth.

Chief O'Brien chose to take that moment to knock at the door, "Captain, I have today's release forms for the runabouts ready and waiting your approval."

"Certainly," Sisko replied urging the Chief to come forward.

While he looked over the reports, Ezri continued her argument.                                                                          "You know, isn't it sad that an officer can just decide to take off with no explanation and get the unlimited use of a shuttlecraft especially when we're stretched so thin, but someone with a legitimate request for medical leave can't even get transport to Bajor?"

Miles looked from first one to the other, "If I'm interrupting your meeting..."

"That's all right Chief," Sisko said, putting the PADD down for a moment. "The reason I approved Kira's use of the shuttlecraft was because she is a respected officer--Garak is not and we don't have enough resources right now to justify allowing every civilian who requests a transport to go off with one of our runabouts. If Garak feels the need for wide open spaces, we'll have Quark make a holosuite available 26 hours a day until the end of his leave," Sisko replied smoothly.

"That's ridiculous." Ezri argued.

"If it was good enough for Nog, it's good enough for Mr Garak." he reasoned, "New transmissions are arriving from Cardassia daily and we need him here to decode them."

"All he's asking for is a few days," Ezri argued in a reasonable tone which was at odds with her deepening scowl, "and Bajor is close enough that if any new transmissions come through then he can easily decode them from there."

"The way this war is going, even the loss of one available transport could make the difference..."

"Bullshit." Ezri said simply, "If that were the case, then why is it Kira could just waltz in here and..."

"Captain," O'Brien interrupted in a strained tone, "I really need you to sign these orders."

"In a minute, Chief," they replied simultaneously.

"You know, I think the real reason you don't want to give Garak a runabout is because you want to keep him where you can see him."

"You're just figuring that out?" Sisko asked with a snort, "Of course I do! Mr Garak is the least trustworthy individual I..."

"Excuse me!" O'Brien broke in, "I don't mean to rush you Captain, but I still have to work on upper pylon three and finish my own reports sometime today. If you could just sign those orders, I'll be on my way..." O'Brien cleared his throat, "...sir."

Sisko straightened his shoulders slightly, "Sorry, Chief. Leave these with me and I'll look them over then register them personally."

O'Brien gave the officer an apologetic grin, "Thank you, Captain. What with Kira being gone, it's been a struggle getting anything done today."

"Tell me about it," Sisko sighed, "Dismissed."

As the Chief hurried off, Ezri gave Sisko a meaningful look; "Those are the shuttle approvals?"

"Dax..." Sisko said impatiently.

"What?" she said snatching them away and looking through them, "I'll help you...and at the same time I'm sure we can figure out a way to get Mr. Garak down to Bajor."

Despite his growing annoyance, Sisko found himself grinning in return; "It's good to have you back, old man."

She blinked then gave him a radiant smile. "Thank you, Benjamin, that’s very sweet of you to say."

"I'd almost forgotten what a pain in the ass you were." he added.

She shot him a glare, "Funny...what's this?"

Sisko glanced at the PADD, "That's a short run to Bajor to drop off some reports. The shuttle's coming straight back--besides, Mr. Garak wants to go to the opposite side of the planet."

She nodded reluctantly and continued to read, "What about this transport tomorrow morning?"

Sisko looked down again to where she was pointing, "No, that's not even headed in the same direction."

She sighed then began to study the PADD once again.

"You might as well face it, old man, Garak will have to make do with a..."

"Ah hah!" She handed him the PADD triumphantly, "Julian is taking a shuttle to Deep Space Seven for a conference on the Jem' Hadar and the production of white. His flight path goes right past the far side of Bajor."

"He's not even going to Bajor, though," Sisko pointed out.

"He can drop him off." she quipped.

Sisko sat in silence for a moment. Ezri arched an elegant eyebrow in response, "Unless the real reason you don't want him to go is because his loyalty is under question."

"I'd be insane not to question his ‘loyalty’ as you put it," he responded easily.

"Benjamin, Garak has sacrificed a lot for this war..." she began.

Sisko snorted, "For which he's been compensated."

"With credits and living expenses?" Her next comments had a decidedly sarcastic edge, "If you'll recall, the only reason I'm still aboard DS9 is that you thought it was necessary for Garak to have a personal counsellor. Now that I'm here you're just going to sweep my recommendations aside because you don't like the patient?"

"It's not that I don't like Mr Garak, it's that I don't trust Mr Garak," Sisko replied easily.

"It's just a short leave, he's not going to steal Bajoran state secrets, Ben." Ezri said irritably.

"How do you know?" Sisko countered.

"Ooh!" Ezri grumbled, "You are so--so..."

"Ah ah ah!" Sisko grinned, "I'm still your superior officer, old man."

"HUMPH!"

At that moment, Dr. Bashir poked his head through the door, "Captain? I have those reports you requested."

"Come in, doctor," Sisko invited.

Bashir nodded cordially to Ezri then handed a PADD to the captain, "Chief O'Brien says the shuttlecraft is ready, so I'll be headed toward DS7 as soon as I finish one or two things in the infirmary."

"Should I let Garak know?" Ezri asked Sisko with a pointed look.

"Let Garak know what?" Julian asked curiously.

Sisko cleared his throat, "There's been a slight change in plans, doctor."

"There has?" Julian asked with a growing sense of foreboding.

Sisko grimaced, caught in his own game as Ezri smiled triumphantly, "You're going to have some company, doctor."

"Who?"

"Garak." Ezri said in near glee.

"Garak." Julian replied dumbly.

"Garak wants to go to Bajor," Sisko explained.

Julian blinked, "Why?"

"He didn't tell us," Sisko answered uncomfortably, "He just said he needed to get away for a few days and I want you to drop him off on your way out of the system."

"By all means then," Bashir said sarcastically, "Will one baby-sitter be enough?"

"Not at all amusing, doctor." Sisko warned.

"Captain, this is not a pleasure outing," he argued, "I'm meeting with several top scientists and doctors! This paper is highly important."

"So is Mr Garak's state of mind until after this conflict is settled," Sisko commanded, "You will be escorting him to Bajor."

Bashir remained silent for a moment before replying reluctantly, "Very well, sir."

Ezri got up and clapped him on the shoulder, "Thanks Julian."

Bashir turned and left the office, "You're welcome."

~*~

Garak looked up from his PADD to see Ezri Dax waving at him through the window of his closed shop. Walking over to the entrance he gestured for her to join him, "Good morning, Counsellor. How may I..."

"I have some good news for you, Garak," she interrupted with a wide grin.

"Oh?"

"You're going to Bajor!" she beamed happily.

Garak smiled back in response, "That is wonderful news. When can I take the runabout?"

Her smile slipped a bit, "Well, actually, someone's going to be dropping you off."

Garak's expression grew less readable as he absorbed her words, "Ah."

"Dr. Bashir--Julian--is, um, passing by and he's agreed to beam you down to the planet's surface." She watched him with some concern as he crossed the room avoiding eye contact with her, "Garak, you can't honestly expect Captain Sisko to just hand you an expensive piece of equipment like a runabout, now can you?"

"I suppose not, " he sighed, "It does change my plans a bit though..."

"How so?" her brow wrinkled in concern.

Garak responded with a smooth and reassuring expression, "Merely that I had planned on being alone for the trip. It's so rare to be granted any amount of privacy these days..."

"Oh. Of course," she nodded, "Julian's shuttle is leaving in twenty minutes--have you already packed?"

"Yes," he led her to the door, "I just have one or two loose ends to tie up and I'll be on my way."

"Good luck."

"Thank you," he said as she walked away from the small storefront, "Oh, and Lt. Dax--"

"Yes?" she inquired, turning to face him.

"I truly do thank you for championing my cause."

Ezri flushed with pleasure, "Anytime, Garak."

The Cardassian waited until she had turned the corner and he was out of her view before quickly closing up the shop and hurrying across the promenade. As he passed Quark's, he suddenly paused and looked into the near empty bar to it's one and only patron at the early hour.

"Mr. Morn."

The large lumbering alien looked up from his drink and glowered in greeting, as Garak approached him with a friendly smile, "I have a proposition for you--one that I believe will be to our mutual...satisfaction."

Morn gave him a startled look before scooting his seat over in trepidation.

"I assure you my intentions are most honourable and businesslike," Garak promised reassuringly, but Morn still appeared rather reluctant, "May I sit down for a moment?"

~*~

"Where the hell is Garak?" Julian grumbled as he looked at the time.

"Mr Garak is probably just getting his luggage together," Sisko replied, also appearing contrite despite his words of reassurance,  "He'll be here in a moment."

"Captain--" Bashir scowled, "Can't someone else take him to Bajor? I really am running..."

"Here I am!" Garak appeared slightly out of breath as he hurried toward the airlock with his bag slung around one shoulder. He was only slightly winded, however, and greeted both officers cordially, "Forgive me for being a bit late--there were a few matters I had to attend to before leaving the station."

"Of course, Mr Garak," Sisko replied as Bashir shot him a disgruntled look and picked up his own bags, "Your rooms have been booked at the hotel and Starfleet will be taking care of all your expenses."

"Thank you, Captain," the Cardassian inclined his head, "That's most generous of you."

"Nonsense," Sisko flashed him a dangerous smile, "Until this war is at an end, both I and the Federation want you to be as comfortable as possible."

Reaching out, Sisko tapped the panel causing the doors to slide open, "Make sure to check in with us as soon as you are settled."

The obvious inference was not lost on the tailor, "Naturally," he replied as he followed the doctor into the airlock.
 

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