#cardassians

[runavik]

It could happen to you...

[old-school-dukat-fics]

IN THAT ORDER by Ariana Lilcamp part 4/4

Kira groaned and rubbed her stomach. "I don't think I could eat another bite..." Dinner had been mostly Bajoran food. Kira was surprised Dukat liked it, but she supposed many years of living with Tora Nuprem had influenced his tastes. She had been careful about the spring wine, but was beginning to feel a light buzz from it. Better not drink more, she thought. Better to keep her judgement intact around him. But there had been so much food to drink it with... a huge selection. That, she remembered, was a Cardassian thing to do. Ten dishes? Fifteen? It had lasted hours. As she had discovered before, he wasn't an unpleasant dinner companion. When she wasn't upset about something already, his sometimes irritating voice became gentle and soothing, and lulled her into relaxing. He was softer, too, in this setting, so unhurried and unmoved by any agenda that his voice actually became less abrasive. In its place, his tones held consideration and tenderness. She realized she didn't mind anymore, and she wasn't afraid of what he would do alone with her. Dukat might be unpredictable, but she trusted what he said of his motives. He smiled, regarding her with a wonderful affection. She had wondered before how he and Nuprem had gotten along, but she was beginning to see. She might have found this same comfort in the quiet circle of oblivion Dukat was capable of projecting; he could love with deep devotion someone who gave him nothing more than honesty, than candid conversation. "Then I suppose I should let you go. Dinner again sometime?" She hesitated a split second, then nodded. What was she doing? But -- she had enjoyed it, she realized. And she didn't really want to go... he noticed she didn't move, but showed enough tact not to comment. "It was delicious... I just ate far too much of it. If I start gaining weight, that's the end of it!" She grinned, the threat falling entirely flat. "You'd still be beautiful," he told her. "Oh, let's not come back to that. You avoided it all night and--" "And that's far too long." She didn't mind, and she knew it showed. Too obviously she was leaning toward him... she sighed and stood, and he followed suit. Their hands touched, and she turned to him, damning herself for letting that hesitation, that uncertainty, show. "Or maybe we should stay..." "No, I -- I think I should go. Before I do something I'll regret." And how she hated herself for that admission. "Spring wine--" He nodded. "What if leaving is the thing you regret?" "Oh, it won't be. I know myself that well." "Is that an observation, or a rule you follow?" His words stopped her again, and she looked up at him, with no answer ready. His arms encircled her, lightly, gently, and drew her a little closer. She stiffened, but did not pull away yet. He smiled, just a little, a very tender smile mostly in his eyes, and dropped his head to kiss her. She had been expecting him to be rough. She didn't know why, or when she had bothered to develop this expectation, considering that all night he had been gentle and kind, and according to her memory she had not been thinking about him kissing her. Great Prophets, she had... But he was so gentle, coaxing a response out of her with lips -- a little rougher than Bajoran lips, yet in a pleasing way. Drier, she supposed, and cool. And he tasted of salt... "There," she said, breaking the kiss. "Now you'd better quench my regrets in evenings like this..." "Oh, I most certainly will," he told her, his arms still holding her against him. "After all, we have a future to plan for... together..." No, she told her body firmly, NO! "Good night, Dukat." "Until tomorrow." They walked out together, into the all-but-empty bar. Jake had gone to bed, as well as the regulars -- most of them. Only Morn and Quark saw them go, and that night they spent arguing over who had won that particular wager...

-- "I prefer to cope with my disasters one at a time!" -- Anne McCaffrey (F'lar in _The White Dragon_)

[old-school-dukat-fics]

IN THAT ORDER by Ariana Lilcamp part 3/4

Kira couldn't believe she was doing this. She normally avoided Quark's holosuites assiduously, but here she was walking into an unknown program. But then, he had offered a refund if she was unsatisfied with it, which was so uncharacteristic of Quark it had aroused her curiosity. She stepped inside and groaned. There was Dukat, standing by a table. What was Quark thinking? "You? Don't tell me you're this desperate for a date that you'll con the Ferengi troll into--" Dukat was watching something behind her head -- the curtain, she realized. Every side of the room was curtained, and the one behind her was still swinging from her entrance. "Come sit down, Major. I only wanted to talk. I considered what you said earlier..." He pulled a chair out and held it for her. She sighed and sat down. "Better make this good, Dukat." He sat down across from her. "You're right again. At least, a good part right." He was being straightforward, and that seemed dangerous to Kira. Normally, Dukat would have waffled around the issue some. "We both need to heal. Now I'm not one to advocate blind forgiveness for past wrongs, and you know I've sought revenge before. But we need to think about what's best for ourselves now. All these other players come and go, but it's just us in the long run. It's the two of us who keep encountering each other again and again." "And you have some ego," she muttered. His eyes slid to the curtain again. It was still. Totally still. "But what better way to open a discussion?" He grinned, not in arrogance, she realized, but in a kind of humor. "I think we are finally in private here. This program includes a shield of sorts, against... intrusive listening devices." She laughed, incredulous. "You mean you put us in Quark's holosuite for privacy?" "Oh, believe me, I paid him well." "But if he thinks he can make more money--" "He would rather keep my loyalty." "Not when you're gone." "As long as my programs are useful. I wrote this, you see, and it logs its own use for me. He pays royalties. And he doesn't know how to get through my security yet. I can tell because he is still paying me." Kira snorted. "It also hasn't been tampered with -- the diagnostic messages tell me. So he isn't watching." "For once I approve of something you did," she said. It was the truth, he could tell from her voice. "Had I known I could impress you so easily..." "Stop trying to impress me or I'll just walk out on this little private chat. If you want to explain, do it." "Substitute 'Bajor and Cardassia' for 'you and me'. Major, I think it's going to be us against the Dominion. Don't go organizing just yet, but I want you to know, so when the time comes you can act." "Oh, so you're not just a Dominion puppet, you're a backstabbing one!" "Cardassia will fight them in time, but I need Bajor's support if we want to keep this station... and control of the wormhole." "Isn't this plan risky? They're in the Alpha Quadrant now, and they say," she tilted her head, grinning. "No one ever leaves the Dominion." "They wouldn't need to say it if it were true." Kira turned the idea over in her mind. "You have some ego." "Will you support me?" "I'll lend you my crutches." He laughed at the idea. "Now... how about dinner?" "Holo-food or real food?" "Real food." "You've got it. And tell me the name of these programs sometime..." She grinned. "If it gets me out from under Quark's greedy eyes, I'll even forget it's yours!"

[old-school-dukat-fics]

IN THAT ORDER by Ariana Lilcamp part 2/4

Dukat was standing still, there in the side of the office, looking into the air. She glanced in the direction of his gaze, but saw nothing. She looked at the button that would open the door, then up at him, half ready to push it, half filled with an unexpected sympathy. She couldn't feel anything for the Dukat she usually saw, who could hurt even himself beyond emotional repair... but this was the Dukat he had hurt. "Dukat?" she finally said, her voice softer. "I wouldn't trust you not to take my children from me," he said at long last, without turning. "I wouldn't trust you not to be right to." "Maybe it's you who need to heal," she told him, more gently, pushed the button and walked out the door.

She hadn't mentioned the Dominion, for which he was ecstatic, but he had not counted on how much her verbal jabs could hurt. The listening bugs would pick up nothing save a personal dispute of unknown exact nature, the Dominion would file it away, and it would not endanger his plans. But he had to find a way to get the bugs off him without arousing suspicion, and at the same time get them off her, and the two of them together... He was not foolish enough to think they would ever turn them off on their own, even at times when others might give him privacy. Nor was he foolish enough to give up the pretense either he did not know or did not care about them. Few things were secret in a Cardassian life. But more than anything now he needed her, and to have her he needed first to speak in private... Quark was serving kanarr at the bar when he walked in. He sat down near Jake Sisko with a nod to the human reporter, and signaled the bartender to attend him soon. Jem'Hadar soldiers stood around the corners of the room stoically watching the foolish other species at their relaxation. Three Vorta were enjoying the Dabo wheel and colorful drinks with a few Cardassians, but most of his men sat together laughing together over kanarr and synthale. Bajorans dotted the room here and there, with a reserve born of discomfort and watchful eyes. They sat in tables of two or three, reflecting the days when larger groups were grounds for interrogations. "What can I do for you today?" Quark asked, a padd in his hands as he approached Dukat. "Supplies, actually," the Gul told him in a casual tone. "We can't wait for sensors and communications parts to come from Cardassia; I need the parts not stocked on our ships in quantity here as soon as possible. That's voice-recognition rods, translation coprocessors, focus controls for the long-range sensor array, tandem and parallax units for the short-range sensors." Quark nodded. "Just give me the list and I'll see about acquiring them." His eyes met Dukat's, and the Gul felt something inside him relax. Quark remembered the codes from the Occupation, it seemed; this had fooled the Obsidian Order and perhaps it would fool the Changelings. Dukat wanted the items he listed, yes, but it was the phrasing and hand signals that accented certain words -- he wanted an audience with someone, discreetly. Dukat nodded. "You have a contact on Bajor who can get it to me by tomorrow night?" Quark should have the rest of the message now. Quark did a few mental calculations. "It'll cost..." "How much?" "The list, first." Dukat handed him a padd of his own, and Quark scanned it, did a few more calculations, and handed a number back. It wasn't bad at all, though it did give Quark a tidy little profit. He indicated it was acceptable. "Now," Quark said, "can I get you something to drink? If you're not off duty by now you should be. The engineers can handle all this." "I'll have kanarr. You do have the good bottles, don't you?" "I stocked up in preparation for your coming. By the way, how are things going with--" he paused dramatically, a lascivious grin on his round brown face, "--the lady in red?" Dukat let a grin cross his face. "Nothing you can make a profit on... yet." "Oh, I'd rather let the others invest. You see, I make a profit no matter how it works out." "I see..." Quark handed him the kanarr, and he sipped a bit, waiting for the bartender to continue. He had the message for sure. Now all that was left was acting... and real relaxation. Quark grinned. "Can I interest you in a holosuite? I still have all your old programs..." "Eta-three will do nicely." Quark pretended surprise. "Oh, I see! But doesn't that require--" Dukat shrugged carelessly. "You deal with that, and charge it to my personal account."

[old-school-dukat-fics]

IN THAT ORDER by Ariana Lilcamp part 1/4

**Not my fic. Rescued from an ancient forum.**

Standard disclaimer: Kira, Dukat, Quark, Morn, and Jake are Paramount's characters, Viacom is god, I own nothing :) Oh, and the song lyrics are Celine Dion's, Disney's, whichever version you please.

I give permission for this to be archived.

This is just a little short that came to me at some terrible hour last night and I tried to put it back together today... I've not posted stories before so be gentle :) This occurs a little after where last season's finale left off (why I had to get it out so fast!). Nothing much of a story, just an interlude... I might write a second to give it some closure. Kira has just reported to Dukat after the Cardassians assess the damage to the station... Odo is totally and completely ignored. I didn't mean to do that originally, I just forgot how the line about him fit in the conversation! giggle

I keep all my stories, even the outdated ones, at http://www.linux-shell.net/~ariana/old/trek.html -- this one should come up soon, probably tomorrow.

Ariana the Second (NOT the Ariana with the K/Du lists, NOT the Ariana who wrote Halfway and Babylon and the other stories I love)

"Just a little change Small to say the least Both a little scared Neither one prepared Beauty and the beast" ---Celine Dion " ...And that's all." Kira turned to leave the office, but the door remained closed. She looked back at Dukat in irritation. "Your precious Chief O'Brien would be distressed, I think." "Why? Because he had to leave his home so abruptly?" "Because five years of work was senselessly destroyed." Dukat waved outside the office door at the wreckage of Ops. "He'd rather have it like this than--" "Being put to good use?" "By Cardassians. He hates you!" Dukat circled to stand behind Kira, all but breathing in her ear. "Why didn't you go with him, if you love him so much?" She spun, slapping him backhanded across the face. "I don't love him!" She took a step back, balling her fists in case he followed, trying not to let on her elbow hurt from where she had banged it on his armor in the process. "Then why defend him so rabidly?" "Because you are attacking him." Another step back, though he didn't seem inclined to close the distance again. Good -- she had done something more than surprise him. Dukat chuckled. "Anything to pick a fight with me, hm?" "I don't pick fights with you. But I don't stand by and let you say outrageous things about my friends like you've been doing all morning!" "We Cardassians would consider that flirting." Another step back, because he had somehow, insidiously moved forward without seeming to. "That's because you Cardassians are idiots." "Because we see beyond the obvious?" He moved towards her, and she realized he had backed her up to the office wall. One hand on either side of her; he had her pinned. And powerless, she realized. Even her life wasn't worth throwing Bajor into a war... "Because you can't see the obvious. You can have me, yes, but you'll have me like this station, destroyed and preferably dead!" she hissed, but she could not get a fist in a decent line to punch him. She brought her knee up into his groin, and his wince gave her room to move. She dove for the desk to open the door, but he caught her. "Then it is not I who left your scars," his soft, too-reasonable voice murmured. "It is you. Maybe you have decided since I have returned, I cannot reap any benefits from what has changed in my absence. Maybe you have eradicated all the healing that has been done to bring yourself back to that time. But I am willing to start the healing again, if you will let me. Or will you commit sabotage on your own soul?" "Rape is not healing." "I have no intention of raping you, Major." "Could've fooled me." Five years of nightmares had finally come to be. "No. I want a real partnership with you. Political, social... and then sexual. You were the one who implied I was making progress..." "I did no such thing. I'm not Tora Nuprem, I'm certainly not what you think she was." "You're a passionate and beautiful Bajoran woman, with a love for home and family. You fell in love with a married man, you had his baby. And you drink the same kind of tea. I think you've got your similarities." "Is that why you came back, leaving your wife and family on Cardassia again? You think you can have me like you had her? You think I'm gonna replace Ziyal for you?" "I wouldn't trust you not to take my child away from me again! Where are she and Garak now? Are they married yet?" "Garak went with Starfleet, and Ziyal is safely on Bajor with the people who raised me." "Do you think I care about her safety anymore?" "Yes, you do. I know that. When you're alone you have a damned easy time convincing yourself to hurt people you really still love. You're a cold, calculating bastard and you deny even your own heart as well as all the innocent ones!" She pushed him away from her, still trying to get to the desk -- and was surprised when she easily managed this time.

[cigaradd]

Friendly fire for @the_mori_arty feat their Cardassian OC Dln. Meret Idal

[be-yonk]

the cardassian flirting method is to be argumentative and rude but theyre argumentative and rude to fucking everyone so are they just whores

[old-school-dukat-fics]

What Happened Next Morning by Calicia

**Not my fic. Rescued from an ancient forum.** SERIES: DS9 CODES: Du & K RATING: PG TIMELINE: During the fourth season, when Dukat is an ally...sorta... FEEDBACK: Say what you want, but if you want to flame me, put it in the header so I know to ignore it. SYNOPSIS: A reply to a challenge Josh gave me (challenge at end of story) Kira wakes up in Dukat's bed, and doesn't know how she got there. DISCLAIMER: Trek belongs to Paramount. Why?

<----------------------------------@----------------------------------->

"What? Who?" Kira said sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed, then turned to stare at the person beside her. "Prophets!" Kira exclaimed. Dukat chuckled. "Good morning, Major." "How did you get here?" "More to the point, how did you get here?" Kira looked around the room, decorated in the angular Cardassian style rather than the Bajoran style her quarters were decorated in. And her clothes were nowhere to be seen. "Oh, Prophets," she said again. "I believe your clothes are still in Quarks," he replied in answer to her unanswered question. "Quarks! Why are my clothes in Quarks? You're enjoying this, aren't you, Dukat?" "Oh, immensely, Major. And your clothes are in Quarks because that's where you took them off." "I did?" She rubbed her head. This was one hell of a hangover, she thought, groaning. "I told you not to drink so much. It's why you lost the game." "Game?" "Strip poker, remember?" "Strip what?!" "It's a human card game Doctor Bashir was teaching us. When you lose a round, you remove a piece of clothing. How you ended up here, however..." "I bet this is a dream come true for you." "Yes," he admitted. "But I would never take advantage of you, Major. Not unless you wanted me to, of course." "I'm sure," she replied, climbing out of the bed. "Computer!" "You're leaving already?" "Yes!" "Don't you want to know how you ended up here?" "I thought you didn't know." "I didn't say that." Kira thought for a minute. "No, you didn't. How did I end up here?" "You were the overall loser. Commander Dax decided this was to be the 'wooden spoon’." Dukat sounded slightly offended. Kira snickered, then frowned. "That is one Trill who's in deep trouble." "Want some help in teaching her a lesson?" he asked, a gleam in his eye. "After all, this was hardly flattering to me." "Why didn't you stop her?" "She had control of the transporter, not me. Well?" Kira considered it. "Do you have something in mind?" "Oh yes! I think you'll like this, Major..."

~FINIS~

Challenge issued by Josh <[email protected]> The challenge: 1. Centres around Dukat and Kira 2. They play strip poker 3. They end up in bed together somewhere in the story 4. NO SEX!!! Not explicit or implied, no erotic thoughts. 5. Maximum rating of PG-13

-- Calicia

-- Trying to get my family to do something is like trying to herd cats.