Strange and Distant Shores by gryvon (NC-17)
Apologies again for late posting; Wednesdays have not been kind to me lately.
Title: Strange and Distant Shores
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir
Categories: Romance, Interviews, Post-Canon, Yuletide
Length: Medium (6,839 words)
Warnings: n/a
Author on LJ: gryvon
Author Website: gryvon on AO3, Gryvon on ff.net
Summary:
In 2398, reporter Felix Marian interviews Chairman Garak and Ambassador Bashir about the formation of the Cardassian Democratic Union and ends up learning more about Cardassia than he intended.
Review:
Set far after the series ended, the story alternates between interviews with Garak and Julian talking about working on Cardassia after the war and telling how they met again and finally got together. I really enjoyed the outsider perspective in the interview scenes, and they perfectly frame the flash backs scenes of both Julian and Garak of their early romance. Garak is working on rebuilding his home planet, while Julian has quit Starfleet ("In retrospect, he shouldn't have called the Rear Admiral a xenophobic asshole.") and has come to Cardassia to where the need for doctors is the greatest.
Garak and Julian are so very themselves, their character voices and reactions are pitch-perfect. The bits of Cardassian culture are fun and surprising, and the original character is well done. A great story that shows the beginnings AND future of their relationship, in a completely believable way.
"So, Ambassador, what was it that brought you to Cardassia Prime, out of all the planets you could have chosen?"
Ambassador Bashir smiled, his expression at once fond and distant. "There wasn't much of a choice really. In those days, I was all about going where I felt I was needed, off to the frontier where no one else wanted to go. That's what first brought me to Deep Space Nine, and after the war there was no planet needier than Cardassia Prime."
"Because of all the devastation."
Bashir nodded. "So much of their world had been ruined. They had doctors of their own, of course. Brilliant doctors, but not enough. There were never enough in those days. Millions had been killed and millions more injured or incapacitated. It kept me quite busy."
Felix grinned. "Despite that, you still found time to reunite with Chairman Garak."
Bashir chuckled. "He was just a Dal at the time, and the title was mostly honorary since they were in the middle of shifting things to the new Democratic structure. But, I didn't find him. He simply pulled a string and there I was, right where I was meant to be."
"And you didn't mind being manipulated like that?"
Bashir's laugh filled the room. "Of course I did, but I have this weakness where Elim is concerned and I let him get away with it. Things turned out alright in the end."
"I'm more interested in the beginning."
"Well then, it began in a café on the Promenade of Deep Space Nine." There was a fond twinkle in Bashir's eyes as he spoke about the station. "But you already know about that. No, the beginning you want, oddly enough, was also at a café, but this one was in the ruins of the Emrit district of Lakat."
Strange and Distant Shores
Title: Strange and Distant Shores
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir
Categories: Romance, Interviews, Post-Canon, Yuletide
Length: Medium (6,839 words)
Warnings: n/a
Author on LJ: gryvon
Author Website: gryvon on AO3, Gryvon on ff.net
Summary:
In 2398, reporter Felix Marian interviews Chairman Garak and Ambassador Bashir about the formation of the Cardassian Democratic Union and ends up learning more about Cardassia than he intended.
Review:
Set far after the series ended, the story alternates between interviews with Garak and Julian talking about working on Cardassia after the war and telling how they met again and finally got together. I really enjoyed the outsider perspective in the interview scenes, and they perfectly frame the flash backs scenes of both Julian and Garak of their early romance. Garak is working on rebuilding his home planet, while Julian has quit Starfleet ("In retrospect, he shouldn't have called the Rear Admiral a xenophobic asshole.") and has come to Cardassia to where the need for doctors is the greatest.
Garak and Julian are so very themselves, their character voices and reactions are pitch-perfect. The bits of Cardassian culture are fun and surprising, and the original character is well done. A great story that shows the beginnings AND future of their relationship, in a completely believable way.
"So, Ambassador, what was it that brought you to Cardassia Prime, out of all the planets you could have chosen?"
Ambassador Bashir smiled, his expression at once fond and distant. "There wasn't much of a choice really. In those days, I was all about going where I felt I was needed, off to the frontier where no one else wanted to go. That's what first brought me to Deep Space Nine, and after the war there was no planet needier than Cardassia Prime."
"Because of all the devastation."
Bashir nodded. "So much of their world had been ruined. They had doctors of their own, of course. Brilliant doctors, but not enough. There were never enough in those days. Millions had been killed and millions more injured or incapacitated. It kept me quite busy."
Felix grinned. "Despite that, you still found time to reunite with Chairman Garak."
Bashir chuckled. "He was just a Dal at the time, and the title was mostly honorary since they were in the middle of shifting things to the new Democratic structure. But, I didn't find him. He simply pulled a string and there I was, right where I was meant to be."
"And you didn't mind being manipulated like that?"
Bashir's laugh filled the room. "Of course I did, but I have this weakness where Elim is concerned and I let him get away with it. Things turned out alright in the end."
"I'm more interested in the beginning."
"Well then, it began in a café on the Promenade of Deep Space Nine." There was a fond twinkle in Bashir's eyes as he spoke about the station. "But you already know about that. No, the beginning you want, oddly enough, was also at a café, but this one was in the ruins of the Emrit district of Lakat."
Strange and Distant Shores