Trying to Treat Tribble Troubles
"Any luck with the tribble problem?"
Julian picked up one of the furry creatures that was making its slow but steady way across the expanse of his shoe, and threw it and a glare at the Cardassian across the table. "What do you think?"
Garak neatly ducked the flying furball, which, with a trill of protest, smacked a Bolian in the side of the head. The blue woman turned an accusatory glare in entirely the wrong direction. "I'm sorry to hear that, Doctor," his companion said, although the half-repressed smirk suggested he felt very little contrition.
"If you have any suggestions, please, by all means." Julian sat back, opening his arms in invitation. "I've tried everything I can think of. There's just no humane way to stop them from giving birth."
"Simple," the tailor answered with an irritating air of smugness. "Send them back where they came from."
Julian huffed in annoyance. "Where they came from is a century in the past! It's not as though we can take the Defiant back there on a whim!"
"But the Defiant was there," Garak pointed out, "which is how the tribbles got here in the first place. How did the Defiant travel back in time?"
"Some crazy Klingon disguised as a human used the Orb of Time," Julian answered, rolling his eyes. Garak surely knew this already, despite the fact that he hadn't been there or read any reports by anyone who had been.
"The Orb of Time," the Cardassian prompted, "which is still aboard the station, is it not?"
"Jadzia's studying it, until the Bajorans come to retrieve it." Julian's eyes widened as an idea took hold--the idea, no doubt, that his friend had had all along and had been dangling over his head. "We might be able to use the Orb to send the tribbles back!" As Garak grinned triumphantly, Julian leaped up, grabbed the tribble that had been climbing the leg of his chair, and raced off toward the science labs.
Jadzia wasn't there when he arrived. If she had been, everything might have been different. The simple fact of the matter was, Julian had never actually used one of the Tears of the Prophets before, and wasn't entirely sure how. He looked around the abandoned workstation for a clue. There was none. With a mental shrug, he set the tribble on the desk in front of the case that housed the Orb, and opened the case.
One flash of orange-green light later, the little brown tribble squeaked mournfully to itself, sad that its new friend had left it all alone.
Julian picked up one of the furry creatures that was making its slow but steady way across the expanse of his shoe, and threw it and a glare at the Cardassian across the table. "What do you think?"
Garak neatly ducked the flying furball, which, with a trill of protest, smacked a Bolian in the side of the head. The blue woman turned an accusatory glare in entirely the wrong direction. "I'm sorry to hear that, Doctor," his companion said, although the half-repressed smirk suggested he felt very little contrition.
"If you have any suggestions, please, by all means." Julian sat back, opening his arms in invitation. "I've tried everything I can think of. There's just no humane way to stop them from giving birth."
"Simple," the tailor answered with an irritating air of smugness. "Send them back where they came from."
Julian huffed in annoyance. "Where they came from is a century in the past! It's not as though we can take the Defiant back there on a whim!"
"But the Defiant was there," Garak pointed out, "which is how the tribbles got here in the first place. How did the Defiant travel back in time?"
"Some crazy Klingon disguised as a human used the Orb of Time," Julian answered, rolling his eyes. Garak surely knew this already, despite the fact that he hadn't been there or read any reports by anyone who had been.
"The Orb of Time," the Cardassian prompted, "which is still aboard the station, is it not?"
"Jadzia's studying it, until the Bajorans come to retrieve it." Julian's eyes widened as an idea took hold--the idea, no doubt, that his friend had had all along and had been dangling over his head. "We might be able to use the Orb to send the tribbles back!" As Garak grinned triumphantly, Julian leaped up, grabbed the tribble that had been climbing the leg of his chair, and raced off toward the science labs.
Jadzia wasn't there when he arrived. If she had been, everything might have been different. The simple fact of the matter was, Julian had never actually used one of the Tears of the Prophets before, and wasn't entirely sure how. He looked around the abandoned workstation for a clue. There was none. With a mental shrug, he set the tribble on the desk in front of the case that housed the Orb, and opened the case.
One flash of orange-green light later, the little brown tribble squeaked mournfully to itself, sad that its new friend had left it all alone.