A Matter of Trust

written by Kira Bacal

" -- so then Molly looks over at me and says, 'Your turn!'" O'Brien's broad face was wreathed in paternal smiles as he proudly recounted the latest accomplishment of his daughter. "Isn't that amazing? And at her age, too!"

Sisko blinked, realizing that the story was finally over. "Yes, yes, it certainly is, Chief. Isn't she precocious!"

O'Brien came perilously close to simpering. "I mean, I realize I'm prejudiced, but I have to say, I don't know many kids who can think ahead like that!"

Sisko tried to edge away. As much as he liked and respected his Chief of Operations, there was a limit to the number of Molly stories he could endure at any one time. "I'm sure you're right, Chief..."

"Keiko and I try to predict what Molly will do next, but since she's our first, we're not very good at it. When did your Jake start showing an interest in such things?"

Sisko stopped. Now the conversation might become interesting. "Well, Jake did everything ahead of schedule too," he began, a dreamy look entering his eye as he cast his mind back more than a dozen years. "Jennifer -- my wife -- always said --

Safely to one side, Kira rolled her eyes at Dax. "Here we go again!" she whispered.

Dax grinned. "Wait until you have children of your own. You'll be every bit as bad as they are."

Kira snorted. "Not likely!"

Dax simply gave her a knowing look which bespoke seven lifetimes of experience. Kira sighed in exasperation.

"How can anyone win an argument with you when you always invoke your age!"

"I never said a word!" Dax said in tones of hurt surprise, but her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Jadzia -- " Kira began threateningly, but a beeping at both consoles interrupted their good-natured banter. "Are you picking up the same distress signal I am? Can the sensors locate the source?"

"Working... Ah! There it is. How odd!"

"Commander!" Kira called Sisko over. "We're picking up a distress call from the edge of this sector."

Sisko stepped over just as Dax looked up. "It's from a single escape pod. Life signs are present, but they're very faint. I can't even tell what species it is at this distance."

Sisko glanced over her shoulder. "What about the pod design? Does that tell us anything?"

"It's neither Star Fleet nor Cardassian, but the design is a standard one within the Federation. Benjamin, life signs are very low; they may be running out of power."

Sisko nodded once, decisively. "Understood. Major, will you take a runabout and fetch the pod aboard?"

She immediately started for the lift. "Of course. It's small enough to be beamed aboard the runabout, and then, if necessary, I can unseal the pod."

"You'd better take Doctor Bashir along, just in case he's needed."

Kira paused, looking unenthusiastic, but finally nodded in resignation. "Right."

"Dax," Sisko turned to Dax as Kira left Ops. "Can you determine where the pod came from?"

She frowned, tapping at her console's keys. "Assuming no change in its course, it looks like it originated in Cardassian territory."

A tingle worked its way down Sisko's spine. "It could be from Cardassia?"

She considered, frowning at the readouts. "It's possible," she finally allowed. "I'm sorry I can't be more definite, Benjamin; it only just entered sensor range. If it hadn't been for its distress beacon, I doubt I would have even noticed it at this point."

Sisko's mind was working furiously, sifting through the various unpleasant possibilities. "Any evidence it survived a battle?"

Another moment, then she shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not picking up any traces of ionizing radiation on its hull."

Sisko frowned. "Still, it's better to be safe than sorry. Let's keep an eye on that region of space, just in case the Cardassians come looking for the pod."

"Commander, do you think it could be another ship of Cardassian dissidents?" O'Brien had naturally been listening to the exchange, and his mind had traveled down the same paths as Sisko's.

"It may be nothing more than a survivor of some kind of shipboard emergency," Sisko acknowledged. "But let's not take any chances."

Two hours later, Kira and Bashir were back with the pod. They beamed it directly to Sickbay, where Bashir could work on the pod's occupant. Sisko met Kira in Bashir's outer office, and she filled him in on what they had learned. "Once we got it aboard the runabout, I was able to determine that the pod's power supply was holding steady. The reason Dax read the life signs as faint was because the sole occupant was in a state of suspended animation. The doctor decided that it would be safer to wait until we were back on the station before reviving him, just in case something went wrong. We were able to tap into the pod's computer through an external port, but I wasn't able to dig out anything more than the fact that the pod was launched over two months ago. He's been drifting for quite a while."

"And the occupant?" Sisko inquired pointedly. "Is he Cardassian?"

"No," Kira quelled his worst fears. "Human, and in good health so far as Bashir could tell."

"Thanks!" a new voice boomed from behind them. They turned around to find Bashir and a stranger grinning at them from the doorway.

"I didn't have to do a thing!" Bashir announced cheerfully. "As soon as I opened the pod, the resuscitation gas was activated, and here we are! Not even a hint of dizziness!"

"I was always a fast healer," the newcomer remarked with an infectious smile. "Remind me, and I'll tell you about the time I was spaced."

Sisko stepped forward, a tiny frown creasing his brow. Something about the man's attitude had set off an alarm bell in his mind. As Kira had reported, he was Terran, with fair skin and blond hair plaited in two braids, but he wore the costume of an Orion free trader. Bottle green trousers were tucked into knee-high boots, and over a white shirt he wore a harness for two throwing knives. Twin Rigelian blasters were holstered at his hips and his billowing sleeves could easily conceal other armaments. Sisko decided to lay out station rules at once.

"I am Commander Benjamin Sisko. You're presently aboard the station Deep Space Nine, in orbit around Bajor. I'll have to ask you to relinquish your weapons during your stay here. They'll be returned to you when you leave."

The man's grin widened. "Wow. Even for me, that's a new record. Usually they don't ask for my guns until I've been conscious for at least five minutes."

Kira glanced at Sisko, but he kept his voice even. "Your weapons."

With a shrug, the man drew his blasters and handed them to Bashir. The doctor examined them with undisguised fascination until Kira, directing a look of irritation at Bashir, stepped forward and confiscated them.

"Well, hello!" Bennet said, running an admiring eye over her form. "And you are... who?"

"Major Kira Nerys," she replied forbiddingly. "Bajoran liaison."

"Then this is a Bajoran station? Not a Federation one?"

She straightened proudly. "That is correct. Star Fleet is here at our invitation."

"I see. And to which branch of the Bajoran government do you report?"

The question took her completely aback, and it was a moment before she recovered enough to demand, "Why?"

"Because," he said, his eyes twinkling, "I want to register a formal thank you with them for providing such a beautiful woman to greet me." Sisko choked, and Kira's jaw dropped. "But," the man quickly continued, "I wager your talents aren't restricted merely to your appearance. I'd be willing to bet that it was you who spotted my pod."

"Well, uh, I ..." Kira trailed off in confusion.

"Come on, now," he coaxed. "Admit it. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Both It. Dax and I noticed -- " she stammered, utterly flustered. How was she supposed to respond to someone like this?

"Ah, I knew it!" He snatched her hand (the one that was not holding his blasters), and pressed it to his lips. "A thousand thanks, Major! And if I weren't married, I'd express my gratitude in a more tangible way."

"You're welcome!" Scarlet, Kira tore her hand free. She couldn't bring herself to meet Sisko's gaze.

"Mind you, as beautiful as Bajor -- and its people -- are, no place can hold a candle to Rubicun IV. Do you know how they greet visitors there? You might suggest it to your superiors. It would make Bajor the tourist Mecca of the galaxy!"

"What do they do?" Kira asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, first off, are you familiar with the concept of a full body massage?"

"Wait a minute!" Sisko interrupted crossly, driven beyond the limits of endurance. "That planet is under a Federation interdiction! Only one ship has ever visited it and that was the En--"

"I didn't say I had visited the world, Commander," the stranger reproved. "But I have friends who did, and the stories they told make Ryza look like a retreat for the devoutly celibate!" He turned his attention back to Kira. "Not that Ryza isn't a lovely place too. Have you ever been there? You'd love it, and they'd love you."

"Ahem." Sisko had had enough of the man's nauseating flattery, and he cast a disapproving glance at Kira. Why did she let herself be influenced by such drivel? The man was an obvious liar; how could he know Star Fleet personnel? "I said all weapons."

"Oh, of course," the man nodded obediently and handed his knives over to Kira.

"Everything." Sisko didn't take his eyes off the man.

"Okay." He reached into his boot and withdrew an energy blade. "That's all."

Sisko's gaze didn't waver, and Kira held her ground, glancing from him to the stranger. After a moment, the man chuckled. "Damn, you're good at this. Okay, here." He rolled up his left sleeve and unfastened a small disruptor from its forearm holster. "That really is it. Trust me. You can even have the doctor scan me if you want."

"An excellent idea." Sisko glanced at Bashir, and after a moment of blankness, the doctor exclaimed, "Oh! Of course!" He vanished into his office, returning a moment later with a tricorder.

"He's telling the truth. No other weapons," Bashir reported after scanning the man.

"Commander, you shouldn't be so mistrustful," the stranger clucked reprovingly. "Don't you know that worrying makes your hair fall out?"

Kira's laugh was quickly converted into a cough, and she made a hasty exit, muttering something about turning the weapons over to Odo.

"Goodbye, Major!" the man called after her. "I hope to see you again."

"I don't believe I caught your name," Sisko remarked. Now that he knew the stranger was unarmed, he could afford to relax.

"I don't believe I offered it," the stranger replied cheerfully, swinging one leg over the nearest chair and seating himself. "Jake Bennet. Thanks for towing me in."

"Perhaps you'd be good enough to explain why the rescue was necessary?" Sisko prompted.

Bennet shrugged sadly. "My ship and I were forced to part company."

"Why were you in Cardassian territory?"

"Who? Me?" Bennet asked innocently. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Your escape pod. We projected back along its course and -- "

"Oh, that. Don't you know that method is notoriously inaccurate?" Bennet waved a deprecatory hand. "All it takes is one meteor or a dense cloud of space dust, the automatic pilot shifts course, and zip! All your lovely theories go out the window!"

"Is that what you propose? Your automatic pilot changed course so that it only appeared that you were coming from Cardassian space?"

Bennet spread his hands. "If you say so."

"Hm." Sisko couldn't disprove Bennet's claim, but he didn't have to accept it either. "Then what was your course?"

Bennet's brow creased in thought. "You know, I can't recall. I guess the time in stasis has had some effects after all."

"Really?" Bashir asked in concern, redirecting the scanner at Bennet. "Does your head hurt?"

"Doctor," Sisko ground out. He would have expected even Bashir to see through the obvious falsehood. "Mister Bennet, do you remember what you were doing when you had to abandon your ship?"

"I'm a free trader," Bennet supplied, confirming Sisko's guess. "I work out of the Orion colonies mostly, but I travel wherever business takes me. Luckily, I had empty holds when I -- er -- had to evacuate, so the loss isn't as damaging as it might have been. My wife's going to kill me though," he added with a sigh. "If the doctor's chronometer is right, I've slept through our anniversary and the birthday of one of our kids."

Sisko's reserve softened somewhat at the last comment. "Would you like to send a message to your wife? She must be very concerned."

Bennet grinned. "She knows better than to give me up for dead until she sees my body, but yes, thank you, I'd love to contact her. With her help, I'll also be able to arrange for my passage off your station." He tugged at his ear, and one emerald earring glinted at Sisko. "I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."

"You're free to stay as long as you like," Sisko said formally, if unenthusiastically. "We only require that you observe the local laws."

Bennet's grin widened for a moment, then he firmly quashed whatever he found risible. "Thank you, Commander. I'm most grateful."

After sending off his message, Bennet found himself with nothing to do, so he headed down the Promenade, glancing into the various storefronts. His eyes lit up when he happened upon Quark's, and rubbing his hands together in delight, he entered, making a beeline for the dabbo table. "Hello there," he smiled at one of the dabbo girls. "Who would have expected such ravishing beauty so far from home?"

His bonhomie perked up even the world-weary dabbo girls. "And when did you arrive, handsome?"

"Only just in time. Had I languished another moment without encountering your radiance, I would surely have perished. Or at least gotten cranky."

She laughed. "You're smarter than the average customer, I'll give you that."

"And more handsome?" he pressed mischievously.

"That too," she agreed appreciatively. "And more generous?"

"But of course! Speaking of which, where's the boss? Or are you...?"

"Not likely," she said with both realism and regret. "He's over there."

"Then I must away, to discuss his policy on credit. But," he promised, taking her hand in his and carrying it to his lips, "I will return."

Her eyelids fluttered. "Come back soon."

Bennet gave her hand one last squeeze and headed in the direction she had indicated. Meanwhile, his back to Bennet, Quark was tallying the morning's earnings while Rom watched nervously.

"Brother, I swear I have checked and double checked the figures," he whined for the tenth time in as many minutes. "You do not need to count it yourself."

"Excuse me," Bennet's approach interrupted Quark's withering rejoinder. "I'm looking for the owner?"

Quark instantly assumed a broad smile of welcome and turned to face the newcomer. At the sight of Bennet's visage, the expression congealed into a grimace of horror. "You!"

"Quark?" Bennet gaped in surprise. "I never exp--unh!"

Bennet's amazed exclamation was abruptly truncated when Quark shook off his stunned paralysis and, thrusting the earnings at Rom, leapt screaming at the trader's throat. The entire bar turned to stare as Quark did his best to disengage Bennet's head from his shoulders, as it was virtually unthinkable for a Ferengi to assault a human without weapons, reinforcements, or a history of psychiatric illness.

"Quark! Stop! Quark!" Bennet's strangled croaks had no effect on the maddened Ferengi, but he finally managed to break the smaller being's grip. "Stop it!" he ordered, shoving Quark away. Ferengi were notoriously bad fighters, and so Bennet was, quite properly, unworried by Quark's pugilistic attempts.

The push sent Quark staggering backwards, and Rom decided to come to his brother's aid. "AAAAHHHHGGG!" He dove at Bennet with admirable volume but minimal skill.

Bennet ducked, pivoted, and straightened, neatly tossing the Ferengi over his shoulder. Rom crashed onto a nearby table and began whimpering.

"Quark, I can explain!" Bennet said quickly, raising his hands to fend off the bar owner who was presently stalking him, a heavy bottle gripped in hand.

Quark's eyes glowed red, and he seemed utterly oblivious to both Bennet's blandishments and the bottle's value. Bennet easily ducked the first two blows, but then Rom rejoined the fray. "Die, human!"

Bennet caught Rom by the shoulder and spun him about so that Quark's third swipe caught his head, rather than Bennet's. Rom screamed in agony and collapsed into a fetal position on the floor.

Bennet was forced to discard his Ferengi shield, and he reluctantly clenched his fists. "Quark, put down the bottle or I'll have to clobber you," he warned.

The Ferengi showed no sign of hearing him, and Bennet braced for another onslaught.

"Quark!" The voice belonged to the only being who could drag Quark even from the depths of homicidal fury. Odo strode into the bar and snatched the bottle from the little Ferengi's hand almost before anyone realized he was there.

"Odo! Arrest him!" Quark shrilled, stabbing a finger at Bennet.

"Have you lost your mind?" Odo demanded, setting the bottle down on the bar, well out of Quark's reach. "You attack him, then expect him to be arrested?"

"Arrest him!" Quark was fairly dancing with rage, and he remained oblivious to his brother, still moaning at his feet.

Realizing that it was hopeless to try to get a coherent story out of Quark, Odo scanned the rest of the room. The bar's patrons hastily returned to their drinks and gaming.

Odo tapped his communicator. "Doctor Bashir to Quark's. Medical emergency." With Rom's care assured, he could turn his attention to Bennet. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Bennet retorted reasonably.

"Don't waste time talking to him!" Quark demanded, tugging on Odo's sleeve. "Arrest him!"

"Why should I arrest him?" Odo snapped. "You've committed the only crime!"

"He's a thief!"

"I am not!" Bennet yelped indignantly. "You're just mad because I'm a better businessman than you."

At this ultimate epithet, Quark lost his temper again. With an inarticulate howl, he grabbed for Bennet. Jake skipped backwards, and Odo snatched Quark. "What are you talking about?" he demanded of Bennet, holding the madly struggling Ferengi at arm's length.

Bennet looked apologetic. "Come on, Quark. Let bygones be bygones. It was all such a long time ago."

"Ngrphxtlmnn!" Quark lapsed into Ferengi oaths.

"What was a long time ago?" Odo demanded.

"Quark and I did a little business, and -- "

"He cheated!" Quark yelled. "He double-crossed me! He stole everything I owned! He left the planet with all the profits, sticking me with all the debts! I was nearly sold into slavery to pay them off! Do you know what they do to bankrupts on Deneb III?"

"It was a perfectly legal transaction," Bennet retorted, "and you know it. Don't blame me if you neglected to read the fine print."

Doctor Bashir hurried in at that point, and Odo used his free hand to point out Rom. "In other words," he said, turning back to Bennet and Quark, "you outsmarted him in a business deal."

"It wasn't very hard," Bennet confided in a not-too-low whisper, and Quark screamed with rage.

"Quark. Quark!" Odo had to shake the Ferengi before he stopped swearing at Bennet long enough to glance up at the Constable.

"What?"

"I can't arrest him for outsmarting you," Odo said firmly, "but you are going to jail for assault."

"What?" Quark bleated incredulously. "He's a dishonest, unscrupulous, untrustworthy, lying, cheating, scurrilous --"

"So are you," Odo pointed out, unperturbed. "Come along."

"But my business! What about the bar! Who'll run it -- " Quark's immediate peril was finally beginning to overshadow his memory of past losses.

"Excuse me," Bennet put in, "but I don't care to press charges."

"What?" Odo gasped in disbelief.

Bennet shrugged. "No harm done. Just put it down to the excitement of a reunion between two old friends."

"We are not friends!" Quark bellowed. "I want you dead! The 63rd rule of acquisition says -- "

"But, Quark, if we're not friends, I'll have to press charges, and you'll go to jail. Then who'll take care of your bar? Oh!" Bennet glanced over to where Bashir was attending the querulously complaining Rom. "I forgot. That very capable assistant of yours. You won't have any worries leaving your business in his hands, will you?"

"Grxnl!"

Under other circumstances, Odo would have enjoyed watching Quark's frustration, but he had the uneasy feeling that there was more to this newcomer than he knew.

"All right," Quark finally said, sounding as though each word were being ripped from his innards. "We're friends."

"Lovely!" Bennet exclaimed. "And since I'm your friend, I can hang around the bar and dabbo tables, right?"

"Grrrrrrrrrrr."

Bennet grinned at Odo. "That means yes. Quark and I understand each other so well, there's no need for speech."

Odo wouldn't give up without a fight. "Rom was injured -- "

Quark tore his malevolent glare away from Bennet long enough to snarl: "He won't press charges either."

"I know that!" Odo snapped ungraciously. "Well," he said reluctantly to Bennet, "if you're certain..." With a glower, he relinquished his hold on Quark's collar, and the Ferengi smoothed his shirt with a sniff of disdain.

Bennet stuck out his hand. "Good to see you again, Quark!"

Quark hissed at him. "May the blood-spiders of Ceti V eat your eyeballs!"

Bennet sighed as the bartender stomped off to reclaim his scattered earnings. "Ah well. And it was such a beautiful friendship."

"How do you know Quark?" Odo asked silkily.

Bennet shrugged. "You heard. A business dealing several years ago that, sadly, was not as lucrative for him as it was for me." He glanced at Odo, then looked more closely. "Excuse me -- your homeworld -- ?"

"I'm not from around here."

"No," Bennet agreed promptly, "that much is clear. Your species -- "

"I'm a shapeshifter," Odo told him dourly. He preferred asking questions to answering them.

Bennet's eyebrows lifted. "Really? That must be a useful talent. I don't suppose you can teach others?"

"No."

"Pity." Bennet sighed. "Still, that's fascinating. How do you do it? Do you have to visualize the form you want to become? Is it something you have to practice?" He pulled up a chair. "Take a seat. Can I get you a drink?"

Odo regarded him with disfavor. "No. I'm not staying."

"Ah, I suppose you must be busy as the Security Chief. That is your position, isn't it? Which means you must be Odo. I overheard Major Kira mention your name."

"Yes." The man was alarmingly quick on the uptake.

"I thought so. And since you're not a member of Star Fleet, I take it the Bajorans appointed you to the post? Or had you held it under the Cardassians?"

"Excuse me." Odo beat a speedy retreat before he could aid any more of this this astute stranger's deductions.

Sisko regarded Odo thoughtfully. "It's an interesting story, and I'm glad you brought it to my attention, but I'm not sure I understand why you did."

Odo favored the commander with the exasperated look he often received from his son. "Because if this man could out-deal a Ferengi, especially one as slippery as Quark, and do it twice, who knows what else he might do?"

Sisko's expression changed to one of alarm. "Ah. I see what you mean."

Kira glanced from one to the other skeptically. "Are you two serious? He's just a free trader; we must get a dozen of his kind every month. Why are you so alarmed about this one? He hasn't done a thing!"

"I don't like him," Odo informed her.

She smothered a grin and avoided looking at Sisko. "Yes, well, Odo, that's not terribly unusual either."

"I agree with the constable," Sisko said, leaning forward over his desk. "There are too many puzzles about this Bennet. Where did he come from? What happened to his ship? What was he doing when he was forced to evacuate?"

"We don't know that about half the ships that dock here!" Kira exclaimed.

"If he has nothing to hide, why won't he tell us where he came from?" Sisko demanded.

"He's a free trader, not a Star Fleet officer. They never file flight plans. If they don't keep their intinerary secret, a competitor can scoop their cargo."

"He can hardly suspect that we'd try to do that," he retorted dismissively. "I'd feel much better if he were more forthcoming about his background."

"This is a free society; people are able to come and go as they please!"

"Until they break the law," Odo reminded her.

"Which he hasn't."

"That we know of."

"I think you're both overreacting," she stated flatly. "He seems perfectly normal. Well, maybe a bit fulsome -- "

"Nauseating!" Odo snorted derisively.

"Fine, so none of us like him. Is that a reason to set up surveillance on him?"

Sisko and Odo exchanged a guilty look. "Nobody is suggesting that, Major."

"Hmmmmm." She eyed them narrowly.

"I'll simply keep my eye on him. As is my prerogative as head of security," Odo reminded her.

"A wise precaution." Sisko instantly approved. With a resigned shrug, Kira nodded acquiesence.

Bennet was enjoying his VIP status at Quark's when a dispute at the bar caught his attention.

"Julian, I can get my own drink," Dax was saying firmly, if kindly.

"I never suggested otherwise," he protested gallantly, but he retained his grip on her glass. "I just enjoy helping you."

"I'm due at Ops in a very short time, I just stopped by for a quick snack. I really wouldn't be very good company." She tried again, unsuccessfully, to wrest her glass free.

"Dax, you're always very good company."

"There aren't even any free tables -- "

"I'm sure there are around the corner. Let me look; I'll be right back."

That was Bennet's cue. Within heartbeats, he was at the beautiful lieutenant's side. "Allow me to offer you a seat, ma'am. Jake Bennet at your service."

Dax's eyebrows rose in surprise. "The man in the escape pod?"

"And could you be the Lieutenant Dax that Major Kira mentioned as my other savior? I was indeed rescued by angels! Won't you take a chair at my table, so that I can thank you properly?"

"Well..." Hesitation was, for Bennet, tantamount to acceptance, and in a few short seconds, Jadzia was installed at his table. When Bashir returned, he could do nothing but stand off to one side, stunned at the speed with which Bennet had captured his quarry.

"Hey -- " he belatedly began to register a protest.

"Oh, Doctor, surely a big, strong fellow like you can stand at the bar? There isn't room for a third person at this table. Maybe next time," Bennet offered with a smile, then turned his back on him. "Now then, what was your first name?"

"Jadzia. And what you just did to Julian wasn't very nice."

Bennet grinned. "I know. But anyone who leaves a lovely woman standing alone at a bar deserves what he gets. Tell me about yourself, Jadzia. How long have you been in Star Fleet? Is this your first posting aboard a space station? How do you like it?"

Dax laughed. "Which question shall I answer first? I like DS9 very much, especially my crewmates, and no, this is not my first time on a space station. I once spent almost ten years running a hydroponics satellite -- "

"Impossible!" Bennet cried in disbelief. "You aren't old enough to have spent almost ten years anywhere except maybe school!"

She smiled. "I'm a Trill, one of the joined species. This is my seventh host."

Bennet's expression shifted ever so slightly. "Oh?"

It was a subtle change, but Dax caught it. "That bothers you?"

Jake grinned ruefully. "Sorry, but I'm guilty as charged. I'm partial to once-born species myself."

Dax blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Bennet shrugged helplessly, still smiling. "I really can't explain. Maybe it's the sense that you've got an unfair advantage over the rest of us. All the knowledge of seven lives crammed into one -- admittedly gorgeous -- skull." He continued to smile and offer the appropriate compliments, but the dynamic had shifted, and both of them knew it. "Ah well," he added with a sigh. "It's just as well. I am a married man."

"Congratulations," Dax replied. "Is she a trader too?"

"An even better one than I am," Bennet replied promptly. "She's got a great head for business. If it were up to me to set the prices for our cargo, we would have gone bankrupt long ago! Oops." He darted a glance at the bar. "I shouldn't use that word; it makes Quark unfriendly."

Dax smiled. She found Bennet funny and refreshing, especially now that he was more relaxed. "I don't imagine you'd have much to worry about, no matter how unfriendly he became."

"Well, I'd hate to get him into more trouble with your security chief. Uh oh," he added, leaning closer to her. "You'll never guess who's still over there sulking."

"Julian? I really should go over -- " Dax said, beginning to rise.

Bennet held her hand upon the table. "Don't. If you really want to make him feel great, I'll show you how."

"What do you mean?" she asked quizzically, settling back into her chair.

"The kid has a hero complex, right? He probably watches all the latest installments of the space operas? I'll give him a chance to reenact one."

"What?"

"Slap me," Bennet urged, leaning forward invitingly.

"What! Don't be silly! I'm not going to slap you!"

"Oh come on," he urged, disappointed. "I'll wager you two bars of latanum that the barroom rescue of a beautiful damsel is his favorite scene!"

"Jake, I am not going to slap you. I refuse to play a stereotyped role just so that the two of you can act out some outmoded scenario! Besides," she added, "you're not giving Julian enough credit."

"Are you kidding? I can practically write the script. You slap me, he rushes over and demands to know if I'm bothering you, I tell him to leave, and he threatens to deck me! Want to bet on it?"

"No!"

"Coward," he taunted, but she refused to take the bait.

"I will not slap you!" she said positively.

"It's all right. I'm giving you permission! Think of it as a sociological experiment: is the doctor as predictable as he appears?"

"No!"

He sighed, stymied for a moment, then a wicked gleam came into his eye, and Dax stiffened. "What are you planning?"

"Slap me?"

"No."

"How about after I do this?" The hand beneath the table moved, invisible to the eye, but Dax felt the result all too well, and her eyes widened in shock and outrage.

"You -- !"

"Do I have to do it again?" Bennet asked, doing it again.

That did it. Stereotyped behavior or not, Dax belted him.

"Yow!" Bennet blinked, trying to clear the stars from his vision.

"And if you ever do that again -- " Dax began furiously.

"Is this man bothering you, Jadzia?" Bashir panted up to their table.

"Oh, Julian!" Dax's tone was one of dismay, but to Bashir, it sounded like the piteous cry of a beleaguered dove.

"I believe it's time for you to leave, sir!" he said sharply to Bennet.

"I told you," Bennet smirked at Dax.

"Stop it!" she retorted. "And, Julian, this is not -- "

"I said, leave!"

"And if I don't?" Bennet drawled, playing his role to the hilt. "Do you really think you can do something about it?"

"I do!"

"Fine. A duel it is!"

"A -- a what?" Bashir gasped, losing color.

"I accept your challenge. A duel it shall be. Do you prefer weapons or bare knuckles?"

"I -- er -- uh -- "

"Bennet!" Dax glared at him. "Julian, don't be ridiculous!"

He stared at her in wounded indignation. "But, Jadzia, I'm doing this for you!"

"You are not; you're doing it for you, and I won't have it!" she shot back. "Don't you dare fight with him!"

"Better listen to her, kid." Bennet, with a wink at Dax, added fuel on the fire.

"Would you stop it? It isn't funny!" Dax hissed at him.

"Jadzia," Bashir said with the very stilted formality that only accompanies extreme self-righteousness and pomposity, "as a Star Fleet officer, I am certainly able to defeat some spaceport ruffian, and I have every intention of doing so!"

Jadzia glared furiously from one to the other, but she was perilously close to being late for duty. "I have to go now," she finally ground out between clenched teeth, "but I haven't finished this -- with either of you!"

"Lovely! Just what I was hoping to hear!" Bennet called after her as she stomped away.

"Er, now then, Mister Bennet -- " Bashir began nervously, bringing up his fists.

"Not here!" Bennet scolded. "Do you want to get us both thrown in the clink for starting a rififi? Besides, why should we provide entertainment for this bunch?" He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, and for the first time, Bashir noticed that they had acquired quite an audience. "It's not like they'd even give us a cut of the betting action."

"You mean they'd wager on which of us would win?" Bashir gasped. "Really?"

"And how many blows it would take me to knock you out," Bennet agreed, rising from his seat. Before Bashir could assimilate the implied insult, Bennet had taken him by the elbow and was steering him towards the holo-suites. "Come with me. Quark won't mind if we use the holo-suites, and this way we can have some privacy."

Within a minute they were standing inside one of the rooms, while Bennet mused over the available selections. "Hmmm. I can see I'll have to do some programming while I'm here. This is pathetic. Oh, well, this one isn't too awful."

Bashir blinked in disorientation as their surrounding suddenly shimmered into a sylvan glade, idyllic and tranquil. "Er... Now are we going to fight?"

Bennet propped himself comfortably against a tree and began to chew on a blade of grass. "Fight? Are you crazy?"

"But you said -- " Bashir protested indignantly.

"Doctor, doctor, doctor," Bennet shook his head mournfully at Bashir's obtuseness. "That was for Jadzia's benefit."

"It was? Er, what was? Exactly, I mean?" Utterly bewildered, the doctor sank to the ground next to Bennet.

"Do you know one of the best ways to flatter a woman?"

"Of course!" Bashir retorted huffily. "I'm not exactly an amateur, you know!" Bennet just regarded him steadily for a moment, and slowly a burning flush crept up Bashir's neck. "Er... I mean, naturally I know what to say to women!"

"Yeah, I can see how far you've gotten with Jadzia. She wouldn't even let you carry her drink."

Bashir's blush deepened. "Jadzia is very, er, independent."

"Look, Doc, you don't have to take my advice, but it seems to me that it couldn't hurt you to listen. Rule number one: always show the woman that she's important to you."

"Well, I always say -- "

"Wrong! I said show; any insincere twerp with an oily grin and fast line can say that he cares -- Look, how do you think the Ferengi can function as businessmen? Because they talk a great line. But if you don't check your money and your fingers after every transaction with them, you'll find yourself light on both counts. It's the same with women. Talk means nothing; you've got to put yourself on the line for them. Do something."

"Like engage in a fight? But that's so primitive!"

"Hey, listen, I wasn't the one who came running over like some character in a bad entertainment serial," Bennet pointed out. "What did you expect? That you'd come over, posture a little, and I'd see your uniform and crawl away? Try that in a real spaceport bar, and you'll be picking up your teeth."

Bashir's shoulders drooped. "I just thought -- "

"Doc, if we hadn't been pals, you would've been in real trouble. As it was, you're lucky I played along."

"Huh?"

"Look, we'll enjoy the holosuite for a while, then you'll leave, and a couple minutes later I'll stagger out, holding my eye. As far as the bar is concerned, you poked me one. I'll be off this metal donut soon anyway, so it isn't as though I have to worry about my reputation. Jadzia will find out, you'll be her hero, and everything's great."

"I don't know," Bashir said, uneasily recalling the look on Dax's face as she stalked away. "I doubt she'll see it this way. She was quite emphatic..."

"So when she comes looking to tear into you for punching me, you have to handle her very smoothly."

"Ah. Er... how?"

Bennet grinned. "First thing, you tell her she's completely right."

"I do? I mean, she is?"

"Yes. You agree that you acted unpardonably by stepping into what was after all her fight, and that you now see that could be viewed as a lack of respect for her own autonomy."

" '...her own autonomy..'" Bashir muttered, concentrating hard. "Yes, yes, go on."

"Then," Bennet lectured, "you explain that nothing could be further from the truth. It was simply that you were so outraged over seeing what I had done to her that you couldn't restrain yourself."

"What did you do?"

Bennet grinned. "Never mind. She'll agree that I deserved a poke in the snoot for it. Then you explain that since she had to report for duty, you felt that, as her friend, you could represent her, as it were, by challenging me."

"And she won't be angry?"

"Not if you say it right."

"Hmmm," Bashir began to brighten. "Maybe I'll try it."

"Great," Bennet yawned and stretched. "The bird songs in this program must have some kind of soporific effect. It's almost enough to make me forget that I've been sleeping in these clothes for the past two months and curl up for a nap."

"Why don't you head over to the tailor shop and get a new set of clothes?" Bashir suggested.

Bennet considered. "I could probably convince Quark to loan me some money. Or at least I could get it out of Rom... Is the tailor any good? I don't suppose it's an Andorian? They're the best in the galaxy."

"No, Garek's Cardassian, but I think he's very -- "

"A Cardassian? On a Bajoran station?" Bennet interrupted Bashir incredulously, then began to laugh. "Very funny, Doc!"

"No, no, I'm serious," Bashir persisted. "He really is Cardassian. Granted, we all know he's a spy, but --"

"Wait a second. There's really a Cardassian aboard? And he's in contact with Central Command?" Bennet had stopped laughing.

"Yes," Bashir said blankly. "Is that a problem?"

"No. Not at all," Bennet replied automatically, but his mind was working furiously. "I was surprised, that's all. But I suppose there are plenty of other things that would surprise me about the station, Doc. Tell me about DS9."

"All right," Bashir said obligingly. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Bennet shrugged, glancing around as if for inspiration. "Well, how about starting with the computer system? Did Star Fleet Command spring for the installation of a Federation computer when you moved in?"

"Ha! You must be joking!" Bashir exclaimed. "Do you know what it's like to try to read Federation medical journals on a Cardassian computer? Not to mention what it takes to transfer records? That's all I did for the first three months!"

"Really?" Bennet clucked sympathetically. "That sounds awful. Tell me more."

Jake Sisko was coming home from school several hours later, when he found a stranger standing at an intersection of two corridors and looking confused. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" he asked politely.

The man turned to him with a grateful smile. "Thanks! I only just arrived here, and I think I'm lost."

"This place is like a maze," Jake agreed. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm not even sure. You see, I'm pretty sure that I've been assigned quarters but -- hey, I'm forgetting my manners. I'm Jake Bennet," he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

Jake pumped it vigorously. "I'm Jake too! Jake Sisko."

"Not the commander's son? Your dad saved my life this morning!"

"Really?" Jake might not let his father know it, but he was awfully proud of him, and his chest swelled at the news of his father's latest accomplishment. "What happened?"

"Well, I've been floating through space in an escape pod for the last two months, and if your dad hadn't spotted me, who knows how much longer I'd have been out there!"

"Wow! Were you all alone?"

"Yep, not that it made much of a difference, since I was in an induced coma to conserve energy. I lost the entire two months."

Jake shook his head sympathetically. "Ouch."

"I haven't a thing to my name except the clothes on my back. Your dad was kind enough to let me send a message to my wife, but it will take her some time to get here from the Orion colonies, and in the meantime I've nowhere to go. I'm sure your dad assigned me a cabin, but I don't know where it is."

"Did you ask Odo? He's the Security -- "

"I know," Bennet said ruefully. "We've met. I didn't want to bother him. I don't think he likes me."

Jake grinned. "That's okay. He doesn't like anybody. Even my dad thinks twice before arguing with him. Let's see if we can figure it out from the computer."

"That public access computer is a nightmare!" Bennet exclaimed. "It's a certified antique. I can't remember the last time I worked with anything so slow! Why don't your computer people juice it up?"

"Chief O'Brien's kept pretty busy just making sure the station doesn't fall apart. He doesn't have time to do a major overhaul, and besides, there isn't enough memory to do a complete backup while he's working on the main system. We'd have to get a starship here and piggyback on its computer," Jake explained.

"Hmm. That makes sense. But what about pers-- wait a minute. O'Brien? Not the same one that was on the Enterprise?"

Jake nodded. "I'm pretty sure. Do you know him?"

Bennet paused a moment, fighting down a smile. "We've... met. But that's irrelevant, Jake. As I started to say, why doesn't O'Brien at least tweak the personal terminals? If you override the buffers that the Cardassians install in everything, you can increase the computer speed by a factor of twelve. It's not safe to do it on a system that has to deal with plasma fields, like a weapons array or tractor field, so you couldn't do it to the main computer, but it would work beautifully on a personal terminal."

"Really?" Jake asked excitedly. "Could you do it on mine? It would help me get my homework done a lot faster!"

Bennet considered for a moment, then, "Okay. I don't see why not."

"Great!" Jake said enthusiastically. "My quarters are right over here."

"Really? Imagine that." Bennet's grin widened as Jake ushered him into the Sisko family quarters and pointed out their terminal. "This will take me a while, Jake. If you have any homework to do, you can get started. I wouldn't want to delay you."

"I do have plans for this evening," Jake admitted, "so I'd like to get it done... Are you sure you wouldn't mind? I'll just be in the next room."

"Absolutely. Go right ahead. Oh, and your plans tonight? What's her name?"

Jake gave him a sheepish grin as he vanished into his room. "Reena."

Left alone, Bennet spared a moment to beam triumphantly at Sisko's terminal before rubbing his hands together and getting to work.

That night, when Sisko returned to the cabin, Jake was just about to leave for his date. "Hi, Dad! Hey, guess what? Our computer has been modified! You'll hardly believe it's the same machine, it's so much faster!"

"O'Brien finally was able to get to it?" Sisko commented absently. "That's wonderful."

"Well, actually, Dad, it wasn't -- "

"Have you finished all your homework?" Sisko interrupted. "Or is this supposed to be a 'study session'?"

Jake took a deep breath before answering resignedly, "Yes, Dad. It's all done."

Sisko frowned. "Now it's a school night, so -- "

"Yes, Dad."

Sisko dropped the stern visage, and grinned at Jake. "Then what are you waiting for? Do you want Reena to think you're not coming?"

"See you later!" Jake made a speedy escape, and Sisko turned, smiling, to his own work.

Bright and early the next morning, O'Brien was walking to work when a Jam-Ja stand caught his eye. "Hmm." Despite Keiko's best efforts, he'd escaped without partaking of her latest breakfast concoction. He knew that if she found out that he had skipped her cooking in favor of a Jam-Ja stick, he'd never hear the end of it, but his stomach rumbled insistently.

"Hey, Chief, look over there," a voice in his ear said, just as a hand materialized over his shoulder.

O'Brien automatically started to turn, but then a half-forgotten memory caused him to spin around, one hand going protectively to his neck. "What the -"

A blond man stood behind him and O'Brien experienced a weird sensation of deja vu. Only something was wrong with the picture. After a moment's disorientation, O'Brien had it: the man had no hypospray in his hand. At that instant, O'Brien placed the memory. "Bennet! You bastard!"

Bennet nimbly ducked the swing. "Now, now, Chief. Remember you're an officer and a gentleman."

"You drugged me, you damned menace!" O'Brien snarled, winding up for another punch.

"It was Antarean Joy Dust," Bennet exclaimed, shocked. "Do you know how much it would have cost you to buy -- "

"That isn't the point!"

"Don't be so cranky, Chief," Bennet urged. "It was a long time ago, and I was very careful about the dosage. I only hope Beverly didn't interrupt your dreams prematurely."

O'Brien narrowed his eyes. "So you're the one Major Kira retrieved? I should have known it would be you. You turn up like a bad penny."

"Now that's not fair," he protested, hurt. "My timing has always been exceptional. And you really don't have to be so stuffy. When I left the Enterprise, it was on the best of terms. Can't you let bygones be bygones, for old time's sake?"

"Just stay the hell away from me, or I'll bust your nose. For old time's sake." O'Brien stalked away, heading for Ops.

Bennet jogged after him. "Let me try to make it up to you. There's going to be a party at Quark's this evening, after work. Why don't you and your wife come? Everyone will be there."

"No."

"Oh, come on. Surely the two of you could use a night out."

"No!"

"Chief, if you don't agree, I'll just have to keep bothering you. Besides, you're not being fair to your wife. The party is going to be a blast -- I personally guarantee it -- and how will she feel at having missed the social event of the year?"

"Listen -- " O'Brien began angrily.

"Chief, I can be very persuasive," Bennet warned sweetly. "Do you want me to try to enlist Mrs. O'Brien's help?"

"Stay away -- " O'Brien caught himself. This was useless. He glared at Bennet another moment but realized that in the end, he'd probably end up at the party anyway. "All right. But I'm only coming for a minute! And in exchange, you have to leave me alone!"

"Done! You won't regret it!"

"I already do!"

The next morning, Odo and Sisko were huddled in a council of war in the commander's office. "Yes, he does have extensive records in both Federation and Free Space law enforcement agencies, but there are no current warrants. To be fair," Odo added reluctantly, "the charges are mostly of a trivial nature."

Sisko looked gloomy. "So there are no outstanding indictments with which we can charge him?"

"Several years ago, Bennet had acquired an impressive list, but they were abruptly wiped clean, apparently at Star Fleet's request. Since then, he's been -- for him -- remarkably law-abiding."

"Which just means he's gotten more careful," Sisko replied in a tone that mirrored Odo's. "Can't we even find a reason to send him to Bajor?"

"He seems well aware of Federation regulations concerning aid to victims of starship accidents. I doubt he'd waive his rights to shelter."

"Great." Sisko's growl wasn't directed at his Security Chief, and Odo knew it. "I don't trust him. And after last night -- !"

Odo's sour expression deepened. "I have never seen the Promenade in such a state of disarray! Confetti is everywhere -- only the areas by Garek's shop and the school were spared. People acted most inappropriately. And when I sent some of my staff over to reestablish order, even they were co-opted into the frivolity! That man is a menace!"

"It began at Quark's, didn't it? Can we exert some pressure on him to prevent -- "

Odo was already shaking his head. "Bennet has a stronger hold over him than we do, at least for now, and it was a profitable night. It would take more than veiled warnings to force Quark to avoid future events of this nature, especially as he knows that our threats would be empty."

Sisko frowned. "I see. Well, if we can't manage Quark, we'll have to concentrate on Bennet. I've asked him to come by -- for a 'chat'. I'll see if I can't convince him to restrain himself from now on."

Odo politely refrained from voicing his skepticism. "Good luck."

The lift deposited Bennet on the Ops deck just as Odo was leaving Sisko's office. "Nerys!" he yodeled delightedly, swooping down and nuzzling the back of Major Kira's neck, oblivious to Odo's glare.

She started awake from where she'd been nodding off at her console. "Jake! Don't do that here!" she admonished, pulling free. "I'm on duty!"

He gave her such a hangdog look that she had to laugh. Then, before she could object, he dropped to one knee and seized her hand. "Major Kira Nerys, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I couldn't possibly let the woman who mixes such a lethal Bajoran Supernova escape."

Kira grinned. "You're already married, remember? Since when do Orionites practice polygamy?"

Jake tapped his forehead in mock dismay. "You're right! Well, you'll just have to promise to come to all my parties as honorary bartender. Deal?"

"You must be joking! It'll take me a week just to recuperate from last night!"

"Oh, don't be so stodgy!" Bennet clucked, rising to his feet. "Quark's already restocking, and there are at least half a dozen games I didn't teach you. Tonight will be even more fun!"

"I couldn't."

"Nerys..." He put his hands on his hips and regarded her sternly. "Didn't you have fun last night?"

"Ye-es," she admitted slowly.

"Then come again tonight! You'll enjoy yourself, I promise. Trust me."

"Well, maybe I'll just stop by for a minute," she murmured, her resolve weakening.

"Great! I'll make sure Quark has all the Supernova ingredients waiting for you!" Bennet bounced away to Dax's console. "Jadzia! Now you'll be there tonight, won't you?"

Dax's grin was eerily reminiscent of Kirzon. "Naturally! We didn't get through half the choruses of 'The Ballad of Virgos III'."

Bennet chortled in delight. "Jadzia, my dear, you're almost able to make me overcome my prejudice against joined species. Who ever would have guessed that centuries of experience in hell-raising are packed inside that demure little head?

"Uh oh," he continued, looking over at O'Brien. The chief was dozing at his post, dark circles under his eyes testifying to his late night. Bennet skipped over and draped one arm over his shoulder. "Miles, don't they phaser people for falling asleep on duty?"

"Unh?" O'Brien jerked awake. "Jake? What are you doing here?"

"Never mind me. If you don't keep on your toes, your surly boss will toss you out the nearest airlock. Here, let me get you one of my famous 'morning after' drinks." He walked to the synthesizer, towing a yawning O'Brien behind him.

"I take it you liked the party?" Bennet continued, keying in commands. "What about your lovely Keiko?"

O'Brien managed a chuckle. "She nearly gave the kids an impromptu holiday this morning."

"Well, at your next break go down and give her one of these," Bennet instructed, handing O'Brien a tall, frosty glass containing a foamy green liquid. "It'll perk her right up."

O'Brien sniffed the contents suspiciously. "Bloody hell! What's in this?"

"Tch, tch, don't ask questions if you don't want to know the answer. It'll work. Just hold your nose and drink it down. Trust me."

O'Brien looked at him skeptically. "Go ahead, Chief," Dax urged. "It's a Terolean Fizz. They really do help."

"Ah, Jadzia, you're giving away all my secrets," Bennet chided. Meanwhile, a reassured O'Brien downed the concoction.

An instant later, he was choking and grabbing at his throat. "Bashir! Get Bashir!"

"Chief!" Kira darted forward in concern, but Bennet intervened, seizing her anxious hands.

"It's all right, just give him a moment." And in a few seconds, O'Brien stopped gasping and blinked.

"Cripes, it worked!" he said in amazement.

"Your turn, Nerys," Bennet announced, tapping the synthesizer and holding out a second Fizz.

"Oh, I don't -- " she tried to demur, but Bennet was firm.

"Go ahead, Major," O'Brien urged. "After the first bit, you really do feel better."

"After the first bit? What's that part like?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Bennet cautioned before O'Brien could reply. "No telling. Just drink it."

With a grimace, Kira accepted the glass and in another moment was gagging in much the same way as O'Brien had.

"I suppose this is why the Terolean Fizz never caught on in a big way," Bennet observed to Dax while O'Brien helped Kira off the floor.

"That -- that 'drink' should only be dispensed by a licensed physician!" Kira exclaimed once she had regained control of her voice.

Bennet snapped his fingers. "That reminds me! I'd better visit Julian! We can't have our CMO out of action!"

"Jake, what are you doing here?" Now that the Terolean Fizz had cleared her mind of cobwebs, Kira belatedly realized that Ops was not the proper place for Bennet.

"Never fear, m'dear," he quipped. "Your illustrious commander requested my presence."

O'Brien darted a nervous glance towards Sisko's office. "You probably should get up there," he urged.

"Right. I'll see all of you later tonight?" Their chorus of assent followed him up the stairs. Sisko caught part of it as he opened the door at Bennet's approach, and his brow furrowed even more.

"Hello, Commander. What did you want to see me about?"

"Mister Bennet," Sisko began sternly, "I wanted to remind you that you are here as a guest of Star Fleet and the Bajoran people. You -- "

"Oh, I know that," Bennet assured him cheerfully. "That's why I'm so busy making sure that my presence doesn't inconvenience anyone."

For a moment, Sisko could only goggle at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Sure, I know that I owe you folks a lot, so I've nominated myself to be the station's social director so long as I'm here. You should have seen the party last night. It was wild, and people -- "

"I've heard reports. The Promenade was nearly wrecked."

"Nonsense!" Bennet scoffed. "A little bent, maybe, but everyone had a great time. Odo didn't get one complaint all night, did he?"

"No," Sisko admitted reluctantly, "but that's beside the point! This isn't a playground, Mister Bennet, but a working space station! I can't have my people's efficiency undermined by your antics!"

Bennet tugged at his ear thoughtfully. "Gee, Commander, I didn't think that Star Fleet needed to play nursemaid for its members. Aren't they old enough to make their own decisions? I mean," he continued in the same innocent tone, "if you can entrust them with photon torpedos and life support systems, it just seems that you should be able to allow them to spend their free time as they see fit."

Sisko cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I wasn't suggesting that my staff was incompetent," he said stiffly. "Merely that you were unduly tempting them..."

"Well, if you really feel like they can't handle themselves, I'll be happy to cancel the party," Jake said earnestly. "I'll just explain that you didn't think they could be trusted with that much freedom."

"No!" Sisko had a good idea how such an announcement would be met by his crew. "I mean, that won't be necessary. I have every confidence in my people."

"That's the spirit, Commander," Bennet agreed approvingly. "Besides, I think you've got the wrong idea about the party. Why don't you stop by tonight's? I guarantee you a good time, and you'll see your concern is misplaced."

"Mister Bennet," Sisko snapped, "I have exactly the right idea about your shenanigans, and I have absolutely no intention of falling under your spell the way much of my staff unfortunately has! Good day!"

Bennet walked sadly to the door. "I won't insult you by insisting, Commander, but if you and Odo get lonely, feel free to stop by." A wicked gleam crept into his eye. "The party will be going on at least until planetary dawn." With that last shaft loosed, he waved jauntily and departed, leaving behind a smoldering Sisko.

Over the next few days, the meeting between Odo and Sisko to discuss Bennet became a regular event. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to devise a way to neutralize Bennet's effects on the rest of the station, from his nightly bashes to his blithe inquisitiveness. "Would you believe I found one of my staff giving him a tour of the armory?" Odo demanded one morning, while they were strolling along the upper deck of the promenade.

Sisko snorted. "He's already talked people into showing him everything else, from the service tunnels to the computer core! If he isn't a Cardassian spy, he's missed his calling."

"Do you really believe he's a spy?" Odo inquired.

"No," Sisko eventually admitted. "I can't picture the Cardassians hiring him. He's hardly their type. Still, I don't like the idea of any civilian knowing this much about the station."

"Now that you mention it, other than you or me, the only person who hasn't been in regular attendance at Bennet's parties is Garek," Odo said slowly.

Sisko glanced at him. "Oh?"

"He's stopped by them occasionally, but I don't believe Bennet has ever spoken to him at length." Odo paused, growing more thoughtful. "In fact, I don't believe I have ever seen the two of them together."

"But I thought Bennet had become friendly with everyone on the station!" Sisko exclaimed. "He seems to know every single person by name, from the man at the Jam-Ja stand to the Klingon chef!"

"Mm," Odo mused. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"Well, your theory is about to be tested," Sisko observed, looking over the railing at the deck below. Bennet was striding down the Promenade, cheerfully exchanging greetings with passerby, while Garek walked in the opposite direction. The curve of the station and bustle of the crowds prevented them from seeing each other, but within moments they would pass one another. Odo and Sisko watched with interest.

A few seconds before the inevitable meeting, Bennet stopped short, his hand flying to his ear. Then, with equal abruptness, he dodged into the nearest store. He had just vanished from sight when Garek walked by, passing directly over the spot where Jake had stood. Several moments after the Cardassian had left, Bennet cautiously emerged, then continued on his way.

Odo and Sisko were pressed against the railing. "Now that was very interesting!" Sisko finally said.

"He was wearing a personnel locator, wasn't he?" Odo demanded. "Implanted, most likely, and set to warn him of Garek's approach."

"It certainly looked that way," Sisko agreed grimly. "And I'd love to know why. If he's trying to avoid Garek, why be so conspicuous in other ways? Surely he must know how well-informed of station events Garek is."

"So it would appear that he simply doesn't want Garek to see him. Perhaps because his appearance might mean something to the tailor?"

"Or to his superiors on Cardassia?" Sisko suggested. Neither he nor Odo was under any illusion as to Garek's true profession. "I thought Bennet was a little too close-mouthed about where he had to evacuate his ship."

"Another interesting question is: where is he obtaining the computer power to run the locator?" Odo pointed out. "His escape pod's could never manage it."

"He must have found a way to piggyback off the station's system," Sisko said furiously. "And tampering with a Star Fleet computer is a crime. Excuse me, Odo. I think I need to have a word with Chief O'Brien."

"It can't be done, sir." O'Brien's calm assurance did nothing to diminish Sisko's ire. "There's no way he could have gotten to that level of the computer."

"I know what I saw, Chief," Sisko said flatly.

O'Brien's confidence didn't waver. "I'm not challenging that, sir. But to operate a personnel locator, Jake -- er, Bennet -- would need access to the security programs, and there is no way he could have gotten to them from a public terminal."

"I don't think we should underestimate Bennet."

"I don't think we should underestimate our safety procedures," O'Brien retorted, his professional pride beginning to smart.

Sisko glanced at him sharply, but O'Brien did not back down. Sisko suddenly realized he had been insulting O'Brien's work, and the chief was well within his rights to resent it. "I'm sorry, Chief. I didn't mean to suggest that you or your staff had allowed him access."

"That's all right, sir." O'Brien replied, somewhat mollified. "There's no reason for you to be aware of it, but none of the public terminals are even hooked into the deeper levels of the computer. It's absolutely inconceivable that Bennet, or anyone, could tamper with our system."

"What about access from one of the duty station terminals? After all, he's been all over the station."

O'Brien thought. "Well, it's at least possible, but not even all of the official terminals have access to those files. I suppose I could check usage times on the terminals that do, just to make sure that there were no unauthorized log-ons."

Sisko sighed in relief. "Please do so, Chief. If you can rule out the possibility, I'd rest more easily."

O'Brien smothered his sigh. Just what he needed: more work. "Yes, sir."

"Oh, Chief?" Sisko called after him, hoping to mend any bridges that might have been shaken by his unintentional slur. "Thanks for your work on my terminal. It made a big difference."

O'Brien paused at the door, puzzled. "Commander? You didn't say anything about your computer acting up."

"Not this one," Sisko explained, indicating his desktop. "The one in my cabin. Your increasing the processor speed has helped enormously."

The chief's expression was now anything but tranquil. "Someone fiddled with your personal computer?"

The hair on the back of Sisko's neck began to prickle. "It wasn't you?"

"Commander, you know perfectly well that I haven't had time to do non-essential computer maintenance." The blunt reproof was evidence that O'Brien's attention was elsewhere. Normally he was much more polite. "How long ago did this occur?"

"Almost a week... I think it was the day Bennet arr-- Chief! Do the personal terminals have access to security programs?"

"Sir, the personal terminals of senior officers have access to everything, including the root commands!" O'Brien didn't quite shout. "Do you have a security lockout on your terminal?"

Sisko cleared his throat. "Well, yes, but..."

"It's not Star Fleet standard command level issue."

"No. Jake uses the computer too, and the standard issue programming kept malfunctioning because of the Cardassian technology on which it was installed, so I just use a straightforward password." Sisko fought to keep the plaintive note from his tone.

O'Brien's glance was neither friendly nor deferential. "I expect you chose something that was easy to remember."

"Yes."

"Which means it was probably also easy for Bennet to guess."

Sisko didn't reply. There was nothing to say.

"Commander, with your permission, I'll run a check on all the commands entered from your terminal ever since Bennet arrived on the station. If he's done anything from it, I'll find out." Sisko nodded, and O'Brien strode to the door. Once there, he turned and added, more out of pity than hope, "Of course, sir, if it turns out to be a wild goose chase, I'll move on to the search of the official terminals."

Sisko winced. This well-meaning attempt to soften the blow was almost worse than the revelation itself. "Thanks, Chief."

Bennet was, as usual, in Quark's when the occupant of a nearby table caught his attention. He waved Quark over, much to the Ferengi's distaste.

"What?" he demanded roughly.

"Is that any way to treat a valued customer?" Jake asked, hurt.

"You're neither!" Quark snarled. "What do you want?"

"Why are you still so grumpy? Haven't I helped business?"

"You? Every night you order rounds of drinks for the house, and I've yet to see a single bar of latanum from you!"

"Thanks to my parties, you've had more customers in here than ever. I only order the first round; someone else always orders the next one. And the next and the next and the -- "

Quark interrupted, unwilling to grant the truth in Bennet's words. "And what about all the damage they cause? Or the fact that people are so busy with your stupid games that they never visit the dabbo tables!"

"You make more on your watered down drinks than on those crooked tables," Bennet dismissed the claims loudly enough for Quark to look around in alarm.

"Sssssh!"

"Besides which," Bennet continued, undeterred, "the holosuites have never done more business, and that's entirely due to the new programs I wrote for you."

"For a sizable fee!"

"Well, naturally!" Jake exclaimed, shocked. "What did you expect, a gift?"

Even Quark had to snicker at that, although his demeanor didn't thaw much. "So maybe you've attracted a few customers, but you're still more trouble than you're worth!"

"Fine," Jake said coolly. "In that case, I won't trouble you any more. I'm sure that I can find another establishment to host my little get-togethers. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Wait!" Quark ordered hastily. Jake's antics had brought in a huge amount of business, and Quark wasn't about to see it go to a competitor. "After all," he said, forcing a smile, "we are old friends. I suppose I can put up with a little inconvenience for old times' sake."

"Thanks, Quark. I knew I could count on you. And don't worry, I'll make it worth your while. Trust me."

"Every time you say that, I get a rash!" Quark complained. "What do you want?"

"Who's that angry looking Klingon?"

"All Klingons look angry." Quark saw no reason to be overly helpful.

Bennet sighed impatiently. "Not all Klingons are mad enough to be twisting the arm rest of their chair into a pretzel," he noted, indicating the adjacent table with a nod.

"Aaaah!" Quark wasn't about to miss the chance to collect for damages.

"Not yet!" Bennet grabbed him before he could rush over to the Klingon. "Tell me about him."

Quark complied with poor grace. "He and his partner had some bad luck on their last trip. Half their cargo of byranzium was ruined when a cargo hold lost pressure on the voyage from Geos. Their buyer says he can't use only half of the order, so he's refusing payment. Nobody else wants the stuff, so they're out a sizable commission and have a damaged ship to boot."

"Hmmm." Jake rubbed his chin. "What's he drinking? Bring me a bottle of it, would you?"

"You're going to talk to him?" Quark looked hopeful. When Klingons were in a bad mood, violence was all but inevitable, and with any luck Bennet would be the main target on which the unlucky trader would vent his spleen.

"Oh," Jake caught his arm as an afterthought nagged at him. "Where's the partner?"

Quark gestured upstairs to where the sound mufflers couldn't quite cover all the screams and crashes. "Taking it out on my holosuite."

"Cheer up," Jake advised blithely. "Just think of how much you can soak them for in repair costs."

"Hm." The Ferengi brightened as he trotted off to fetch Bennet's bottle.

"Hi!" Jake grinned as he swung into the empty chair opposite the moody trader. "I hear you have some byranzium for sale?"

The Klingon froze halfway into a homicidal lunge. "You're interested in buying it?"

Jake accepted the bottle from Quark and poured the Klingon another drink. "Well, I suppose I might be. Not that I really need it, you understand, but if the price were inviting enough, I could be tempted..."

Several hours later, strollers on the Promenade were taken aback as Bennet flashed past them at a dead run. Just before Odo's office, he braked to a halt and stepped inside with every outer appearance of calm. "Hi, Odo," he said politely, glancing at the mug shots. "Hm, interesting bunch."

"What do you want?" Odo demanded, rising from his chair and turning to face the trader as Bennet's idle stroll carried him around to the back of the office.

"Actually, I need your help."

Odo's eyebrows rose. "My help? With what?"

Just then two huge, irate, bloodthirsty Klingons burst into the room and rendered Odo's question unnecessary. "There he is!" the first one screamed, stabbing a meaty finger at Bennet. "Get him!"

Bennet ducked behind Odo's chair while the Constable stepped forward. "What's all this?"

"He cheated us!" one bellowed. "And we're going to kill him!"

"How did he cheat you?"

"Get out of the way!"

"I asked, how did he cheat you?" Odo stood his ground and fixed them with an awful glare. After an electric moment, the Klingons grudgingly backed down.

The second one explained resentfully. "He offered to purchase the remains of our cargo when the original buyer reneged on the deal."

"You mean I bailed you out when you couldn't find anyone willing to accept only half the critical amount," Bennet put in.

"That's not illegal," Odo's words cut through the Klingons' shrieks of outrage.

"But then he installed me in one of that Ferengi's holosuites -- as a celebration after my long trip from Geos, he said! -- and before I could speak to my partner, he had pounced on him!"

The other Klingon took up the tale. "Unaware of my partner's previous arrangement with this deceitful human, I accepted his offer to sell us the amount of the item we needed to satisfy our original buyer!"

"You bought their cargo, then turned around and sold it back to them?" Odo demanded of Bennet.

"It's perfectly legal, Odo," he said innocently.

"It is," Odo unwillingly informed the Klingons. "You should have consulted with each other before agreeing to the deals. You have no cause of action against him."

"That Targ-bedding sindith cheated us out of 300 bars of gold pressed latanum!" the first Klingon shouted, shaking his fist at Bennet. "Of course we have a cause against him!"

"You do not, and what's more, if you assault him, you'll be jailed for -- "

Klingons are not a patient race, and in their present fury, the traders would hardly respond favorably to a lecture on Bajoran/Federation law. When they finally realized that Odo had no intention of delivering Bennet into their hands, they reacted predictably: they knocked Odo aside and lunged for their quarry.

Unfortunately for them, Odo was experienced in handling outraged Klingons. The first shove sent him into the wall, but rather than smashing against it, he used his shape-shifting abilities to rebound back into them. He seized the first Klingon by the upper arm and with the steely strength which had surprised many a would-be brawler, yanked him away from Bennet.

The Klingon roared in fury and closed his hands around Odo's throat, but the Constable's physiology was sufficiently alien that the strangling grip had no effect. Recognizing this, the Klingon changed his tactics. He grabbed hold of Odo's lighter form and lifted him into the air, preparing to throw Odo onto the floor and jump on him. Even Odo's physique could be damaged by several hundred kilos of Klingon.

This created a problem. Odo could of course morph between the Klingon's fingers, but in doing so, he would spend at least part of the time in an intermediate form. While it was doubtful that the Klingons could hurt him in that brief period, Odo would not be able to prevent them from attacking Bennet, and it wouldn't take two maddended Klingons very long to injure, perhaps even mortally, a lone human.

Odo's first duty was to protect Bennet, no matter how much doing so might endanger his own life, so he remained in humanoid form and continued to try to break the Klingon's grip.

Then the second Klingon, who had been playing cat-and-mouse around Odo's desk with Jake, decided that once the Constable was out of the way, they would be free to torture Bennet at their leisure. He started to the aid of his partner, leaving the human for later.

When the Klingon stopped trying to grab him, Bennet glanced over to see how Odo was doing, and he was horrified to find the Constable in difficulty. Realizing that the arrival of the second Klingon would spell doom for Odo, he darted around the desk and struck the advancing Klingon a hammer blow to the back of the neck. The Klingon staggered, and Jake followed through by slamming his palms down on the bigger being's shoulders and driving him to the floor. The Klingon fell backwards, roaring in pain and surprise. Bennet dropped, knees first, onto his chest and administered two solid blows to the temple. At the second one, the Klingon went limp.

The other Klingon had watched with astonishment as Bennet dispatched his partner. When he finally accepted what had happened, he tossed Odo aside and leapt for Jake, determined to avenge his species' honor. Jake stepped into the punch, turning aside and blocking it at the last moment, then latched onto the Klingon's arm and pivoted sharply. The Klingon was thrown headfirst into the wall and didn't rise.

"Bashir to Security." Odo lowered his hand from his communicator and looked at Bennet steadily for a moment. "You needed my help?"

Bennet shrugged, embarrassed. "I didn't want to fight both of them at once. Besides, if I had handled it myself, you'd probably have charged me with assault."

"What makes you think I still won't?"

"Oh come on, Odo!" Jake protested. "I didn't do a thing until it looked like your shape was going to be rearranged without your consent, and you can hardly accuse me, an unarmed human, of using excessive force in taking on two Klingons."

"Mm." Odo just glowered at him for a moment. "This was your fault."

"I know," Jake admitted freely. "That's why I jumped in. I didn't want you to be pounded for my misjudgement." He shrugged. "I thought I could keep them distracted -- "

"You mean drunk."

" -- until they left. I figured that by the time they realized what had happened, they would be off station. How was I to know that their buyer was on DS9, or that they'd compare notes as soon as they got out of the holo-suites?"

"Your ability to rationalize your immorality amazes me."

"Don't be so stuffy," Jake admonished. "So what if I took advantage of two brain-dead Klingons? Do you think that they'd have spared me if the situation had been reversed? As it was, they tried to cheat me on the exchange rate, even when they thought I was doing them a favor! Besides," he added, "they kept pawing the dabbo girls."

"Now you're the defender of the dabbo girls?" Odo sneered.

"Oh, go soak in your pail," Bennet snapped. "See if I do you another favor."

"Wait!" Odo ordered as Jake made for the door. "If you're going to press charges against these two -- "

"Me?" Bennet looked down at the unconscious forms in surprise. "Don't be silly. As soon as the doc gets them back on their feet, turn them loose."

"And you're not concerned about them ambushing you in a corridor?"

Bennet quirked an eyebrow at the Constable before leaving. "Why would Ibe worried? You can see who's still standing. Oh, and Odo? You're welcome."

" -- and that's the docking ring schedule for the next several days." Kira glanced from Sisko to Dax. "Any questions?"

To Sisko's mingled relief and annoyance, none of his officers appeared to be suffering any ill effects from their nightly revelries. Performance ratings had not slipped, despite his dire predictions, and people seemed every inch as efficient as always. The only difference was a number of new jokes which everyone except him enjoyed immensely. He was beginning to feel like an outsider on his own station.

"On a different topic, I was wondering if we might raise the tractor beam's efficiency if we routinely switched its frequency," Dax commented. "Jake Bennet was telling me that -- "

"Lieutenant," Sisko interrupted severely, "I don't think it would be wise to adopt any of Bennet's 'suggestions'. At least until Chief O'Brien -- " he glanced to where the chief was trying, for the third straight day, to trace Bennet's intrusions into the computer " -- has decided how much damage he's done to the computer."

"Do we have any evidence that Bennet has tampered with it?" Kira asked.

"The chief has found that someone set up a security program to monitor Garek's movements, and Odo assures me that it wasn't him."

"That still doesn't prove it was Bennet."

He frowned. "Who else could it be? Besides, it's that proof for which the chief is presently looking."

"I don't think -- " Dax began, but before she could finish, the station was plunged into darkness.

A shouted oath from O'Brien preceded the emergency power by a split second, and soon they were all standing by his console in the dim illumination.

"Report!" Sisko demanded.

O'Brien thumped his fist down on the instrument panel. "I was that close to catching him, the sneaky bugger!" He made a visible effort to restrain his temper and turned to the commander. "It's bad news, sir," he began unnecessarily. "I've been following Bennet's trail since we spoke, but he left behind so many false leads that it took me this long to find the right one. I had just reached his entry point to the restricted levels when the system crashed. He obviously left behind a booby trap, and I sprung it when I came poking around."

"We've got an Andorian freighter due in four hours!" Kira reminded them. "Will the system be up by then, or should I tell them to divert?"

Dax was already beside O'Brien, helping him sort out the damage. "It looks like most of the lost material is from the security files," she said. "I think it should be easy to restore the rest of the system."

O'Brien nodded his agreement. "He induced a simple cascade failure, triggered by anyone straying too close to his modifications. Once we reload the programs from the protected core, we'll be fine."

"Dax, go ahead and get started. Life Support first, then the main station systems, and so on." She nodded, heading for her station. Sisko continued, turning to O'Brien, "What's the net result of this trap?"

O'Brien exhaled noisily. "Just the waste of all my work over the last three days. The computer can be put right within a few hours, but the records of what Bennet did have been wiped forever."

Sisko's eyes narrowed. "You mean we can't even arrest him for setting this trap in the first place?"

O'Brien shook his head in frustration. "There's no proof that he did anything to the system. All we could prove, by your Jake's testimony, was that Bennet had access to your terminal. We couldn't show that he's the one who set the spy-eyes on Garek or that he rigged the computer to conceal the fact."

"Then we're no further than where we started!" Sisko exclaimed in frustration. "We still don't know why Bennet is so dead set against running into Garek!"

"He can't be over fond of him, that much is clear," O'Brien muttered. "Can't we toss the two of them together and see what happens?"

"With neither of them in custody? Bennet won't be easy to dupe, and it's clear he'll do anything to avoid the Cardassian."

"Maybe Gul Dukat could tell us something." O'Brien was grasping at straws and he knew it.

Sisko sighed. He appreciated the chief's motives, but he was forced to answer, "I don't think it would be wise to call him up and start fishing. Not until I have a better sense of what's at stake."

"Then I guess this round goes to Bennet, sir," O'Brien said in disgust. "All we know is that he doesn't like Garek. Well, that's bloody awful to show for three days' work."

As O'Brien and Dax had predicted, within a few hours the computer was back to normal. However, the computer crash was not the only bit of excitement for the day. Shortly after full power was restored, Sisko was summoned to Sickbay. Odo met him there and explained, "It's Garek. Someone took advantage of the power outage to try to kill him."

"What happened?"

"It was fairly simple. In the darkness, someone crept up behind him and bashed his head in with a display pole from his shop."

"Any witnesses?"

Odo shook his head. "It was dark on the Promenade; only the corridors receive emergency lighting, and no one saw anything. If my people hadn't made a routine check of every store once power resumed, we might not have found Garek in time."

"What about forensic evidence?"

"When we scanned his shop for clues, we found evidence that dozens of people had been in it. Hardly surprising -- it is a popular store."

"Then you have no leads?"

"I didn't say that. Our scans uncovered one interesting bit of evidence. Mister Bennet has been inside Garek's store."

Sisko's eyebrows rose. "Oh? But I thought -- "

"Exactly."

"Can you tell how recently he was in there?"

"Only that it was within the last few days. Unfortunately, we can't be more precise than that."

"Where was Bennet when the lights went out?"

"My staff is searching for him so that I can ask him that very question," Odo told Sisko with a wolfish smile.

"Could it have been someone else?" Sisko played devil's advocate for a moment. "A Bajoran worker, say, with a grudge against Cardassia?"

"Why wait so long? We've had power outages before."

"But what could Bennet's motive be?"

"I assume that when we learn why he's been avoiding Garek so assiduously, we will find out why he might prefer him dead."

"Does Garek himself have any suggestions?"

"He's still unconscious. Doctor Bashir says it will be several days before he'll be well enough for questioning. It was a close thing."

"When you find Bennet..."

"I will notify you at once, Commander." They smiled at each other. They had waited a long time for this moment.

Surprisingly, it didn't take Odo's staff long to locate Bennet, and he was soon installed in Odo's office. "Hi, Commander," he greeted Sisko breezily as the commander arrived, summoned by Odo.

Sisko took the seat next to Odo and the two men regarded Bennet across the width of the desk. The trader gazed back with a serene expression.

"Mister Bennet, is there anything you'd like to tell us?"

Bennet thought for a moment. "Sure. I think your uniforms are kind of dull. Have you considered a new style?"

Sisko could afford to be tolerant. "Very amusing. I was referring to today's events. Perhaps you could shed some light on them?"

He stretched lazily, leaning back in his chair. "Gee, Commander, I wish I could, but I don't know a thing."

Odo spoke for the first time, addressing himself to Sisko. "Perhaps after he's charged with murder, his memory will improve."

Bennet sat upright with a thump. "Murder? What are you talking about? The emergency power kicked in right away! The outage didn't last long enough to cause even minor casualties, let alone a fatality!"

Odo and Sisko exchanged a glance. They had assumed that Bennet would know about the attempt on Garek's life, considering how well connected he was to the station grapevine. "What did you do during and after the power outage?"

Bennet's casual air was gone. "I assumed that a -- computer failure -- had caused the problem," he said carefully, "and I guessed that you might want to talk to me about it. I had no objections, so I stayed at Quark's and had a few drinks until Odo's people arrived to collect me. It took them longer than I had expected."

"Can anyone verify your alibi?" Odo asked skeptically.

"The place emptied out when the lights failed, but Quark and Rom were there. They can..." Jake's voice trailed off as he realized that the Ferengi were his only witnesses. "What's going on? If this is just some kind of stupid ploy to get me to confess to computer tampering -- "

"It's no trick," Sisko told him. "Garek the tailor was attacked and left for dead during the power outage."

Bennet absorbed the information in silence for a moment, then: "Why assume I had anything to do with it? I didn't even know him."

"No?" Odo asked casually. "You seem to know everyone else."

"I don't. He's one of the people I've never seemed to run into."

"Imagine that," the Constable remarked drily. "You've never seen him at Quark's bar? Never encountered him in the corridor? Never visited his shop?"

"Never," Jake replied, too quickly. He caught the glance that traveled between the other two and cursed internally. There was something here he didn't understand.

"You didn't enter his store?" Sisko pressed.

Bennet paused, alarm bells going off in his mind. He had to decide whether it would be better to stick to his original story or quickly to invent a new one. "No," he answered, deciding to stand pat.

"Then perhaps you can explain why your DNA pattern was detected in cell residues from Garek's shop," Odo invited.

Bennet took a deep breath. There was no humor in his countenance now, only tension. "Look, I didn't attack Garek. I don't do that kind of thing."

"You bore no grudge against Garek?" Odo asked.

"I didn't even know him!" Bennet exclaimed, his voice rising.

"Then why have you so studiously avoided him? To the point of utilizing a personnel locator?"

"You can't have proof of that!" Bennet caught himself a moment too late. "I mean, if you did, you'd have charged me with it, right?"

"We only have circumstantial evidence," Sisko admitted, "but a judge might find the sworn statements of a Star Fleet commander and the station's Security Chief compelling. Odo and I saw the locator in action, and we have no doubt that that's what you were using."

"And with the other evidence -- the lie about being in Garek's store, the pattern of avoidance, your past criminal record... I don't think the judge will have too much trouble believing you were responsible."

"Wait a second." Bennet held up both hands. "You can't be serious. I had nothing to do with the attack on Garek. What was my motive?"

"What were you doing in Cardassian space? If Garek had sent a description of you to Central Command, what would they have told him?"

Bennet kept his mouth firmly closed. Odo and Sisko glanced at each other. "Commander, unless you have any objections...?"

"None."

Odo stood up. "Jake Bennet, I hereby place you under arrest for the attempted murder of Garek the Cardassian."

"I didn't do it!" Bennet burst out. "You're going to let the real assailant get away!"

Odo pulled him to his feet. "I will inform the Bajoran authorities; you'll be sent to the planet for trial. Save your protestations for the judges."

"Dammit, Odo! I swear, I didn't do it! Just ask Quark!"

"I intend to. If he backs up your story, you've nothing to worry about."

"Let me talk to him first. For just two minutes!" Bennet begged. "Otherwise he'll never tell you I was there!"

"Suborning perjury -- "

Bennet nearly strangled in frustration. "I'm not going to get him to lie; I'm going to make him tell you the truth!"

"I'm quite good at that myself," Odo retorted, dragging him into a cell. He pushed Jake inside and activated the force field. Then he glanced back at the disheartened trader, and with a hint of satisfaction added, "Trust me."

When he returned to his office, Sisko was still there. "What do you think?"

"I hardly expected a complete confession," Odo replied with a shrug.

"What do you think of his alibi?"

Odo paused. "If he isn't the would-be killer, then he's right to be concerned. Would you want Quark to be the only person between you and a charge of attempted murder?"

Bennet lay on the bunk in the cell, one hand slung over his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so neatly trapped. No alibi, plenty of circumstantial evidence, and the power of Star Fleet firmly arrayed against him. What else could go wrong?

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The mocking voice propelled him to his feet, and he sat up to find Quark and Rom grinning at him.

"Quark! What did you tell Odo?"

The Ferengi's smile widened. "Nothing but the truth, old friend. After all, it was very dark after the lights went out. I certainly thought everyone went home, didn't you, Rom?"

Rom sniggered. "Oh, yes, Brother! Definitely."

"Quark, you lying thief! You know perfectly well I was there!"

Quark sighed. "Alas, if only I did. Why wouldn't I want to help my old friend, but... I can hardly swear to something I don't remember."

"You bastard!" Bennet threw himself against the forcefield in a fury, but all he succeeded in doing was giving himself a painful shock. Rom stepped back with a squeak of alarm, but Quark stood his ground, his malicious smile never wavering.

"Goodbye, Jake. If you need anything while you're in the Bajoran mines, don't hesitate to call." Chuckling, he turned away; Rom followed at his heels.

Bennet's next visitors were significantly more sympathetic, but they brought even worse news. "Hi, Jake," Dax said mournfully. Kira and Bashir stood beside her, equally downcast.

"Jadzia! Nerys, Julian! Please tell me you're here to let me out."

"Sorry, Jake," Bashir looked horribly embarrassed. "The evidence all points to you."

"You can't believe I would do such a thing!"

Dax met his eyes squarely. "It doesn't look good, Jake. If there's anything you haven't told Odo, you'd better confess."

"Look," Jake tried to laugh, "it's not that serious. I know Odo and your commander don't like me, but once I get down to Bajor -- " He trailed off. Kira was shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Jake, but you won't be going to Bajor. You assaulted a Cardassian national -- "

"I didn't!" he interrupted.

"And according to our treaty with them," she continued, "Cardassia has the right to try all persons accused of violent crimes against her citizens."

"What?" Bennet went white. "You're sending me to Cardassia?"

"As soon as Odo declares his investigation closed," she nodded unhappily. "I'm sorry, Jake. That's the law."

He sank onto the bunk. "How can you let that law remain on the books? Nerys, you of all people know how the Cardassian courts work."

Bashir cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Surely any court is concerned with discovering the truth and clearing the name of the innocent."

Bennet stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious? Haven't you seen the results of Cardassian 'justice'? They're ruthless, and to them the ultimate crime is assault by a non-Cardassian against one of their citizens!"

Bashir gulped. "It can't be that bad!"

"Oh, I don't know, Doc. I think neural whips and implanted agonizors are pretty bad. One run-in with the Cardassian courts is enough for me."

"You've already been before their magistrates?" Dax asked in surprise.

"If I weren't a married man, I'd be happy to undress and show you my scars, but I wouldn't want you ladies to swoon at the sight of my unattainable physique." Bennet tried to smile, but it was a feeble effort.

"Jake, if you already have a record with the Cardassians, you don't want to return." Kira was deadly serious.

"No kidding, sweet. If they get their hands on me again, they'll do more than decorate my skin. We didn't exactly part on good terms."

"But if it wasn't you, then who attacked Garek?" Bashir burst out.

"I don't know!" Bennet exclaimed. "I did my best to stay out of his way so that I wouldn't have to answer any difficult questions! But that means I know almost nothing about him!"

Dax bit her lip. "I'll talk to the commander, but he seems fairly convinced of your guilt."

"I know," Bennet muttered, discouraged. "I can't seem to get along with C.O.'s. Even when I try to behave, I just irritate them in different ways."

"If you didn't do it, Odo won't claim you did," Kira told him with grave confidence.

"You mean he's never been wrong? Never let the wrong person go or sent the wrong person away?" Bennet asked skeptically.

Kira dropped her gaze. "Well..."

"Great." Bennet threw himself backwards on the bed. "Look, much as I appreciate your visit, I think I've had as much cheering up as I can take."

"Sorry, Jake." With expressions of regret and sorrow, they moved to the door. Bashir was the last to go, and before he exited, Bennet called to him.

"Hey, Doc! Julian! Could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Go on without me," Bashir instructed the others. "I'll be returning to my office afterwards anyway." Walking back to the forcefield, he asked, "What is it, Jake? Can I do anything to help?"

Bennet looked sheepish. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Kira or Dax, but I've, well, I've been having some problems recently. Of a medical nature, if you know what I mean."

"Oh!" Bashir instantly assumed a professional air. "I see. What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, I -- " Bennet broke off. "Doc, it's rather personal. Do you think we could lower the forcefield, just so that I wouldn't have to shout?"

Bashir looked doubtful. "I don't think Odo would -- "

"Is he out there? Can't you ask him?"

"Well, no. There is one of his staff, but -- "

"Could you see if he'd lower the field? Just so that we could talk? He could even stand at the door with a phaser."

Bashir nodded decisively. "I'm sure we could arrange something. After all, you haven't even been convicted yet; it would be unconscionable to refuse you proper medical care. Let me see what I can do."

When Odo returned to his office shortly thereafter, he was unsettled to find the guard he'd left on duty was missing. He hurried to the back, where the cells were located, and to his horror discovered his guard unconscious on the floor and a bound and gagged Bashir struggling in Bennet's cell.

He lowered the forcefield and set about untying the doctor. "He jumped me, Odo!" Bashir gasped as soon as the gag was removed. "Bennet said he needed to consult with me about a medical problem, so I had your guard lower the forcefield. As soon as he did, Bennet threw me across the cell and went after the guard. Your man got off a shot from his phaser, but it went wide, and then Bennet disarmed him and knocked him out. I tried to stop Bennet, but he tied me up and gagged me, then he gave the guard an injection from my medical bag!" He paused for breath, then added meditatively, "He was most apologetic."

With an enormous exercise of self-control, Odo refrained from commenting and merely asked, "I trust you can revive my crewman?"

"Yes, Odo," Bashir said meekly.

"Good. In the meantime, I shall recapture Mister Bennet." Odo strode from the room.

Bennet crept around the bend of the corridor, careful to check the area for passerby. He didn't expect to encounter anyone in the docking ring at this hour, but he wasn't taking any chances. He knew that the Vulcan science vessel would be the next ship to leave the station, but he was certain that it was also the first place Odo would search. Besides, Vulcans were fairly immune to his particular brand of charm.

No, the Dozi ship was a much better sanctuary, and he knew from his conversations with the hulking crew that there were several small launches, not unlike shuttlecraft, within the larger vessel. If he could sneak aboard and remain hidden until they left DS9, then it would be simple to steal a launch and return to Free Space. In addition, the Dozi cargo was perishable, so they would be unlikely to react favorably to a long delay should Sisko decide to close the station until he, Bennet, were found. Bennet grinned as he imagined the Dozi's reaction to such news. He didn't think that Sisko would insist on their remaining behind, whether out of concern for the nascent Federation-Dozi relations or a more immediate fear for his station's welfare, lest the highly physical Dozi take exception to his ruling.

He slipped into the airlock adjoining the Dozi ship and breathed a sigh of relief. He was nearly there. He tapped the panel that would cycle the lock and thus missed seeing the control panel at the far end of the airlock begin to melt. His first indication that he was not alone was when Odo tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," the Constable cooed sarcastically.

Bennet started violently, then grabbed for the hand at his shoulder. Having witnessed Bennet in action against the two Klingons, however, Odo was not about to make so obvious an error and he had already removed his hand. Before Bennet could fully recover from his surprise, Odo's forearm slammed across his back, crushing him against the airlock wall. Bennet took a nasty crack on the jaw which dazed him, and by the time he had recovered enough to struggle, Odo had his arm in a joint lock and was marching him through the corridors.

"Dammit, Odo," he argued over his shoulder, "you can't turn me over to the Cardassians! I'm innocent!"

"I doubt that," Odo retorted. "Nor do I have any reason to believe you were not responsible for the attack on Garek."

Bennet tried to twist out of Odo's grip, but only succeeded in painfully wrenching his shoulder. "I wouldn't advise you to struggle," Odo said calmly. "You may find Doctor Bashir is now unsympathetic to any claims of injury."

"All right," Bennet admitted raggedly, "I did tamper with the computer so that I could avoid Garek, but I didn't try to kill him. Look, Odo, if I had assaulted him, would I have stayed here? In all the confusion with the power failure, it would have been easy to slip away. Why didn't I? Why was I just sitting in Quark's waiting for your people to pick me up?"

"Why were you indeed?" Odo returned the question.

"Because I thought you and Sisko were just going to fume at me for tinkering with the computer!" Jake cried in exasperation. "And I knew from the systems crash that all the evidence had been wiped, so I figured it would be fun to sit there and watch you squirm. I knew you couldn't pin anything on me, so why should I leave?"

"And your DNA pattern in Garek's shop?"

"I snuck in there once to plant the locator. I needed to find some article of clothing or personal effect on which I could hide the locator bug, but I could hardly tell you that before, because it would have been the same as confessing to the computer tampering charge."

"Then why confess now?" Odo sounded wholly unimpressed. "Unless, of course, you only now invented the story."

"Because until Kira and the others visited the cell, I didn't know that you were getting ready to hand me over to the Cardassians! Until then, I figured that in a worst case scenario, you'd hand me over to the Bajorans. Well, I can break out of a Bajoran jail in a second! But the Cardassians are another matter entirely."

By then they were back at the cell and Odo thrust him inside. Bennet recovered his footing and turned around just as the forcefield hummed to life. "Odo, you've got to believe me! If you declare the case closed, I'm as good as dead!"

Odo didn't reply, and Bennet made one last desperate attempt before he left the security area. "At least send Quark back here! Maybe when he hears what will happen, he'll tell the truth!"

Odo's stride didn't falter, and Bennet sank back onto his bed. There was no way of knowing if the Constable would honor his request.

Curiosity is a powerful trait even among non-Terrans, and Odo was no exception. Bennet's case puzzled him, because despite its open-and-shut nature, the lack of definitive evidence bothered him. Accordingly, the following day, Quark walked into the cells.

"Come on." Oblivious to Quark's arrival, Bennet was speaking coaxingly to a glowering member of Odo's staff. "Drop the field and try it. You know you want to. How could you not, after the way I embarrassed you in front of your boss?" He tilted his chin invitingly. "Go ahead. Poke me one. I deserve it."

Quark watched with interest as the guard's hand crept closer to the forcefield controls. Just before his finger reached the deactivation button, Quark coughed and the guard snatched his hand back as if the panel had suddenly become red-hot.

"That was unnecessary," Bennet said to Quark in a tired voice.

The guard, flushing bright red, gave Bennet a furious glance and stalked away, pausing only long enough to tell Quark, "Odo has agreed that you can talk to him privately. But don't touch anything!"

"Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to fall for one of his tricks," Quark said, laying just enough stress on the word to make the guard beat an even hastier retreat.

"Why'd you have to interfere?" Bennet demanded, but his tone was more one of weariness than outrage. "He was about to lower the field so that he could deck me."

"Because if he had, you'd have laid him out and taken off again, and then where would I be?" Quark replied. "I'm not about to let a lucrative opportunity slip away."

Bennet's ears pricked up. "Oh? You mean you've finally realized that your petty revenge is as costly for you as it is for me?"

"I wouldn't say that," Quark disagreed, seating himself comfortably on a nearby chair. "After all, I'd be rather pleased if the Cardassians got hold of you, while your reaction would be quite different. You know, I hear they've got several new interrogation devices. There's one that they attach here -- " he gestured, and Bennet couldn't suppress his wince.

"All right, you damned Ferengi, you've made your point. What do you want?"

"Let's see... Tell me again about your trading business. How much do you estimate it's worth?"

"What?" Bennet yelped. "That's robbery! And extortion! I thought you were a respectable businessman. You know perfectly well that I was in your bar from the time of the power outage until Odo's goons arrived, yet you're ready to let me be shipped off to amuse some Cardassian torturers just because of an old grudge!"

Quark grinned, revealing his spiky fangs. "Now, Jake, would I do that? After all, I wouldn't want to see my old friend punished for something I know he didn't do. I'll be happy to tell Odo the truth. Just as soon as you do something for me, to prove that our friendship still exists."

Bennet sighed. This was what he'd been waiting for. "How much?"

"How much is it worth to you?"

"To stay out of Cardassian hands? You know the answer, you stunted troll: a lot. But," Jake added, glaring at Quark's smug features, "just in case you get any funny ideas, remember this: I've got friends. Large, angry friends, who wouldn't like it if I ended up in Cardassia even after paying you your blood money."

Quark feigned an expression of pious shock. "Would I double cross you, Jake? How could you even think such a thing? All you have to do is arrange for the payment of, oh, say, a thousand bars of gold pressed latanum -- " he ignored Bennet's bellow of rage " -- into my hands and I'd be happy to tell Odo exactly where you were during the attack on Garek."

"You gouging little monster," Bennet seethed. "How am I supposed to get the money to you from in here? You'll have to tell Odo, and then I'll -- "

"Oh, no!" Quark rose rapidly, shaking a finger at Jake. "Money first. My memory won't recover until the latanum arrives. And you'd better hurry, too, because with every day that passes, my memory will need a little more nudging."

"You -- " Bennet trailed off into oaths, and after listening admiringly for a few minutes, Quark headed for the door.

"Always nice to see you, Jake!" he called over his shoulder.

Bennet stomped around the cell for several moments, then went to the refresher area to splash water on his face. Behind his back, the chair in which Quark had been seated, shivered and reformed into a very pensive Odo.

Before Bennet turned around, Odo had left the room. The trader dropped onto his bunk, preoccupied with plans to procure the money to pay off Quark.

"Lieutenant," Odo stopped by Dax's console, and the Trill looked up in surprise. It was unusual for the Constable to come to Ops; he preferred to stay in his own bailiwick of the Promenade.

"Yes, Odo? Can I help you with something?"

"I'm interested in obtaining a list of all of the ships that have docked at the station recently, along with any information about their crews and passengers that you may have. Specifically, I'm trying to identify all of the genetic patterns which we found in Garek's store."

Dax thought a moment. "I can cross-reference the ships' files with the medical databank. Julian is quite good at requiring all ships to provide copies of their medical logs before docking, so you should have access to the data you need. Are you hoping to eliminate everyone but Bennet?" she asked, her eyes dark with worry.

"Something like that," Odo answered evasively. "If you could just send the information to my office..."

"I'll take care of it right away," she promised.

Odo's next stop was at Kira's station. Like Dax, she was mildly surprised at his approach. "Constable, what's up?"

"Hi, Odo," O'Brien added, walking by en route to his console. "Anything wrong?"

"I have a question that perhaps the two of you can answer," Odo began, and they agreeably gave him their attention. "Has there been any activity in Cardassian intelligence circles recently?"

"You mean spying?" O'Brien asked in surprise. He and Kira exchanged a glance.

"Well," Kira offered after a startled pause, "Bajor has heard some rumblings about a possible expansion into Rigellian territory. Rigel is asking us for advice in negotiating with them."

"I'm not that familiar with Star Fleet's counter-intelligence teams," O'Brien admitted, "but the last I heard was that the Cardies were pretty interested in obtaining a copy of the Klingon's cloaking device and also in the report from Geos about a new explosive for use by ground forces."

"Oh?" Odo's eyebrows shot up.

"Does any of that help?" Kira asked blankly.

"Yes. Yes, it does," Odo murmured, more to himself than to his mystified colleagues. "Thank you. Is the commander free?"

Kira nodded, and she and O'Brien exchanged shrugs of bewilderment while Odo marched past them to Sisko's office.

"Are you certain?" Sisko tried to keep the disappointment out of his tone, but he didn't quite succeed.

"Yes," Odo said. "I still have a few things to verify, but that's simply for appearances. I'm certain."

Sisko sighed. "Well, I hate to say it, but I admit I'm relieved."

"Oh?" Odo looked at him in surprise.

"He's annoying, but defending against an assault charge in a Cardassian court is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Besides, I wouldn't want to think that my entire command staff could be won over by a smooth-talking murderer. Yourself excluded, of course."

"Hm. Are you interested in accompanying me while I arrest the actual assailants?"

Sisko nodded. "When are you planning to do it?"

"Tomorrow morning. That will give me time to check with my contacts and arrange for safe handling of the material."

"Excellent."

"I am concerned about one thing: Bennet may attempt another escape while I am out of my office to make the arrest. If he suceeds, he will turn himself into a fugitive based solely on the charge of escaping from Federation custody."

"I see what you mean. That hardly seems fair -- even for someone like Bennet."

"On the other hand, if I release him, I risk tipping off my quarry."

Sisko began to smile. "I have an idea, Odo. I think I can guarantee Bennet's presence in the cell during that period."

Bennet was slumped morosely on his bunk. He wasn't sure which prospect was worse: facing the Cardassian dungeons or handing over 1000 bars of latanum to Quark.

"Hi, Jake!" Jake Sisko stepped into the room. "How are you?"

"Jake!" Bennet sat up in surprise. "Are you supposed to be here? Won't your dad get mad if he finds out you're hanging around the jail?"

"Nah," Jake dismissed the notion. "Besides, it was his idea that I visit you. He said you could use some cheering up."

"Your father said that?" Bennet echoed in astonishment. "Is he feeling all right?"

Jake laughed. "Seriously, what's going on? When are you getting out of here? It's all just a mistake, isn't it?"

"Is that what your dad said?" Bennet asked eagerly.

"Well, no," Jake admitted, "but it must be true. You wouldn't try to kill anybody, would you?"

"No," Bennet's flash of hope faded. "But sometimes that can be tough to prove."

"But Odo and my dad will learn the truth," Jake said with utter assurance. "They wouldn't let anything happen to someone who's innocent."

"I sure hope not," Bennet mustered a smile. "But enough about me: how's Reena?"

The two Jakes were engaged in animated conversation about the best holosuite program on which to take a date, when Odo, Sisko, and the two Klingon traders entered the security area almost an hour later. "Jake." Sisko caught his son's eye and nodded towards the door.

"Okay," his son agreed easily. "'Bye, Jake. See you later."

"I hope so," Bennet replied feelingly. "Thanks for stopping by." He waited until the door had slid shut behind the teenager before turning a suspicious eye upon the elder Sisko and Odo. "What's this? Are you trying to find ways to add more charges to the ones you've already got? Is that why you sent your son here? To accuse me of corrupting a child? Odo already admitted that I didn't do anything illegal to these two."

The nearest Klingon hissed angrily at him, but both were oddly subdued.

"Mister Bennet, do you recall what cargo these gentlement were carrying?"

Bennet's eyes narrowed. Something was afoot. "Yeah. They've got half a hold of byranzium. Why?"

"Well?" Odo looked at the Klingons.

"He is misremembering!" one blustered. "His faulty memory is not sufficient grounds to permit a search of our ship!"

"I am not misremembering!" Bennet retorted indignantly. "Ask Quark; he's the one that told me what your cargo was. Besides, I still have a copy of the bill of sale that you gave me and the receipt from when I sold it back to you, and both of them say byranzium."

"I thought you were being a bit coy when you were levelling your charges against him," Odo told the Klingons, nodding to Bennet. "At the time, I wondered why you didn't specify the exact nature of your cargo."

"What's going on?" Bennet demanded.

Sisko turned to him. "Do you know what byranzium is?"

Bennet shrugged. "Some new alloy from Geos, I gather."

"It's a highly explosive compound," Sisko informed him. "Extremely useful for ground-based warfare, and the Federation has recently moved to restrict its transport under the banned weaponry statutes."

"Oh, no!" Bennet stared in them in disbelief. "You're going to charge me with gun-running? This is absurd! Why don't you just stick me out the nearest airlock? Do you actually think that there's going to be anything left of me to extradite to the Federation courts when the Cardassians get through with me?"

"You might have a little more faith in Federation justice, Mister Bennet," Sisko said reprovingly. "And that is not at all what we're planning."

"Did it ever occur to you to wonder what the Klingons were doing with the byranzium? Or why their buyer refused to accept only half the cargo?"

Bennet blinked. "You mean they were selling it to someone who wanted enough of it to make a functional weapon?"

Sisko nodded encouragingly, as if to a slow child. "Very good."

"But who on the space station would be interested in-- " Bennet's eyes bugged. "Garek! It was Garek! I never knew their original buyer, but it must have been Garek! The Cardassians would want a prototype of the new weapon so that they could counter any new Federation technology!"

"That's exactly what the original manifest in their computer shows. They were to deliver the byranzium to Garek in exchange for a tidy sum."

"And when he refused to pay for less of the explosive than he needed, they got angry and bashed his head in?" Bennet guessed.

"The plant-eating Cardassian laughed at us!" one Klingon burst out. "We went to ask him for an advance, so that we could repair our ship and bring back more byranzium for him, and he made jokes! Asking if we needed help in meeting our obligations! Suggesting that we weren't capable of doing the job and that he'd be better off finding other traders!"

"We should have killed him," his partner agreed grimly. "No one may say such things to Klingons."

"Garek can be fairly irritating," Sisko acknowledged, "but that doesn't excuse assault."

The first Klingon snorted. "It does in a Klingon court."

"That is a matter for your government to take up with Bajor," Odo said firmly, escorting them to the cell adjacent to Bennet's. "And that still leaves the charge of gun-running."

"What about me?" Bennet said eagerly, stepping close to the forcefield. "Now that you know I didn't attack Garek, you can let me go!"

Sisko studied his nails. "Have you forgotten the little matter of the computer failure?"

"Not to mention criminal trespass, unauthorized use of the computer facility, invasion of privacy, and accessory to gun-running," Odo answered, returning to Sisko's side.

Bennet's jaw dropped. "But I didn't even know that byranzium was a restricted cargo! And I only confessed to the other charges because you were ready to send me to Cardassia for attempted murder!" He stared from one to the other. "You wouldn't slap me with them now, would you?"

"Why not?" Odo asked bluntly.

"It would ensure peace on the Promenade again," Sisko remarked to Odo.

"And no more constant irritation," the Constable agreed.

Bennet sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay. You've got me. What do you want?"

"Are you trying to bribe us?" Sisko asked severely.

"Yes," Bennet admitted. "What'll it take? A promise to hold no more parties? To stay out of restricted areas? Confinement to quarters until my ship arrives to pick me up? Trust me, I can be a model citizen."

Odo and Sisko exchanged a glance. "One hardly knows where to start."

Bennet rolled his eyes. "Look, don't get greedy, okay? What more can I offer? Are you going to kick me when I'm down?"

"Don't tempt me," Sisko advised him. "Perhaps if you were to swear a solemn oath not to disrupt station life -- "

"I'd opt for confinement to quarters," Odo put in.

"But how would we verify it?" Sisko asked. "If we put guards on him, he'll only convince them to escort him on his carousing. Then we're back where we started."

"That's completely unfair," Bennet objected in hurt tones. He did his best to adopt a wounded puppy-dog look.

"What if we just made Quark's off-limits?" Sisko suggested.

"He seems somewhat talented with computers; couldn't Chief O'Brien use some help?"

"That's forced labor!" Bennet yipped indignantly.

They ignored him. "Very good point, Odo. And I think that Doctor Bashir was complaining about the need to inventory the medical locker -- "

He was interrupted by Kira's voice. "Ops to Sisko."

"Go ahead, Major."

"Commander, the ship that's arrived to pick up Bennet has already docked, and the captain is growing impatient. He wants to know where we're keeping Jake. What shall I tell him?"

Sisko sighed. The game was over much too soon. "Tell him to meet us at the Promenade. We're on our way. Sisko out."

Bennet was wearing a reluctant grin. "All right. Very funny. And yes, I admit it; you had me going."

Odo deactivated the forcefield and permitted himself a wintry smile. "It seemed only fair."

Bennet stepped out, heaving a sigh of relief. "I can't even blame you. I've been told that I can be pretty annoying."

"That's an understatement," Sisko retorted, leading the way out of Odo's office.

"Well, I want to thank you both for continuing to investigate the attack, even after there was such a solid case against me. I've been on plenty of worlds where they wouldn't have been half so thorough."

Sisko fell into step alongside Odo and Bennet. "I did tell you that you could trust Federation justice."

Bennet nodded, impatient to get to his ship. "True."

It was clear that Bennet wasn't paying attention, but Sisko wasn't about to lose this opportunity to lecture the trader. "If you hadn't called attention to yourself by breaking into our computer system -- a charge on which you could have been prosecuted -- none of this --"

"Oh, no!" Bennet exclaimed loudly, jerking to a halt. His eyes were fixed on the back of a passerby a few meters ahead. "A Romulan! Tell O'Brien you're going to have to fumigate the station!"

Sisko choked in horror, just as the broad back in front of them halted. A slow turn brought a very unfriendly Romulan visage into view.

"What did you say, human?"

Odo grabbed Bennet by the elbow and began pulling him away while Sisko stepped forward to make amends, his hands raised placatingly. "Excuse us. Our friend is -- ill -- and he cannot--"

"That's right!" Bennet yelled, resisting Odo's efforts to drag him off. "As soon as I see a mangy Romulan, I get sick -- to my stomach!"

The Romulan shoved past Sisko and made straight for Bennet. "It is always fascinating to watch a dead man speak!"

Realizing that the Romulan was almost upon them, Odo released Bennet and turned to face the new threat. "There will be no violence aboard this station!" he declared, only a bit desperately.

"Nyah, nyah!" Bennet taunted. Sisko, hurrying to Odo's side, wondered if the trader had gone mad.

"Naturally," the Romulan's voice dripped contempt, and he directed his words at Benenett. "I should have known that you would never make such remarks if you were not assured of protection."

"Hey, do I look suicidal?" Bennet inquired reasonably. "Besides, you had it coming. What took you so long to get here?"

Odo and Sisko exchanged a look of bewilderment. Their confusion was not lessened when the Romulan retorted, "That is a typically illogical human remark. Since you were flying the Eldorado, you're lucky we got here at all. You knew the Stakiv was in Spacedock for repairs."

" 'We'?" Bennet echoed hopefully. "Tell me you're not just talking about yourself and Narf."

"Narf was on a run when your message came in; he isn't here."

"What?" Bennet yelped. "That piker! If you'd been any earlier, you might have had to bust me out of jail, and I'd like to know how you'd have done it without Narf's help!"

The Romulan ran a contemptuous eye over Sisko and Odo, still standing dazedly between the other two. "Since when have I needed a Klingon to handle a Federation jail? You must be losing your touch if you couldn't extricate yourself. The children could get you out of one of those."

"I beg your pardon!" Odo began, outraged, but Bennet drowned him out.

"The children? They're here? Then Ilea must be -- "

The Romulan gestured further down the Promenade with his chin. "There."

"Yahoo!" Bennet thrust himself between Odo and Sisko and pelted down the corridor.

Sisko found himself eye to eye with a sour-looking Romulan. "I -- er -- I am Commander Benjamin Sisko. I take it you're an associate of Mister Bennet's?"

"Yes."

"Your name?" Odo demanded, still smarting from the Romulan's slight to his jail.

"Redek."

Sisko cleared his throat. "Well, Mister Redek -- "

"Captain Redek."

"Excuse me. Captain Redek. We don't get many Romulans on DS9. Do you plan to stay long?"

The withering look he received made his own temper rise. "It is unusual to see a Romulan so far from home."

"Not when the Romulan authorities have put a price on one's head," Redek sneered. "The Empire frowns upon free enterprise, and so as an entrepeneur, I find Free Space much more accommodating. Is this interrogation over?"

"I -- " Sisko was interrupted by the approach of Doctor Bashir who ran up to them, wildly excited.

"Some insane individual brought a Klingon Targ aboard the station!" he cried. "It's stampeded down half the Promenade and just ran into Quark's!"

Redek turned his awful stare upon Bashir who, noticing him for the first time, gulped and paled. "You dare to call me insane, human?"

Somehow Sisko didn't think that Redek would tolerate Bashir's unwitting insult with the same forbearance he had shown to Bennet's teasing. "This is my medical officer. I'm sure he didn't mean -- "

"No, no!" For once, Bashir caught on quickly. "My mistake! No offence meant, I assure you! Please excuse me."

Whether Redek would have accepted the apology or not was debatable, but happily circumstances intervened.

"Uncle Redek!" Two green-skinned children ran up to the tall Romulan and began tugging on his arms. The elder, a girl of perhaps seven, held her younger brother by the hand. The boy was little more than a toddler, and it was his sister who did the talking. "Uncle Redek! Fluffy's all excited! A Ferengi said something rude to Mama, and Fluffy got angry. Now he's chasing the Ferengi all around the room!"

"Do I look like a wet-nurse?" Redek growled. "Tell your father. I am not here to care for his whelps."

The little girl paid no attention. "Daddy's saying hello to Mama, and you know how long that can take. Now come on!" She gave one last tug to his hand, then ran back the way they had come, leaving the boy behind.

"A Targ named Fluffy?" Odo asked disbelievingly.

Redek glowered at him. "They go nowhere without it. In truth, it's a more pleasant traveling companion than Narf, much better trained and with a less offensive odor."

"Pick me up," the boy finally spoke, plucking at the Romulan's pants leg.

Redek jerked free. "I'm no primary teacher! Go bother your parents."

"Pick me up now," the boy insisted.

Fearing the Romulan's rising temper, Bashir hastily stepped forward. "Here, young man, I'll pick you up."

The boy shot him a look of deep suspicion and darted behind Redek's legs. Bashir pursued him, nearly colliding with the Romulan as he sought to catch the child. "It's all right! Come here!"

The Romulan scooped up his partner's son and yanked Bashir up by the collar. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I -- er -- I was going to -- Would you like me to take him?"

"No!" the boy yelled, twining his hands about Redek's neck and viewing Bashir with alarm.

"I just thought that -- I mean, Romulans and children -- "

"What do you know about Romulans and children?" Redek demanded.

"Well, er, nothing," Bashir admitted nervously. "But you said -- "

"Thank you, doctor," Sisko adroitly stepped between them. "Shall we see where the children's pet is?"

It wasn't hard to find. Screams and crashes were coming from Quark's bar, and as Sisko, Odo, and Redek, still carrying the child, approached, they could see Bennet standing outside, locked in a passionate embrace with a green skinned Orion woman. They were oblivious to the chaos within the store, despite the fact that every so often a bruised and bleeding body would hurtle out of it.

Sisko swallowed hard. Subduing a Klingon targ in the middle of a barroom brawl had not been covered in his training.

"I suppose we'd better get in there before the little girl gets hurt," he offered weakly after catching sight of her small form dashing about inside.

Redek snorted. "Yasmeen hurt? Never. She's accustomed to the targ's bad moods. She knows better than to get in his way when he's on a rampage."

"Oh." Sisko began to wish that Kira would urgently summon him to Ops. "Er, Odo..."

"Come along," Redek said to the child in his arms. "We need to stop the nonsense in there." He marched into the turmoil without so much as a glance at Odo or Sisko.

"I suppose we need to go in, too," Sisko commented unenthusiastically. He glanced over at Bennet and his wife, but there was no help to be had from that corner; they had not yet come up for air.

"Commander, I don't know about your plans," Odo said flatly, "but I have pressing business in my office."

Sisko's eyebrows soared in surprise. "But