Mirna knew her Dabo wheel. During the year she had worked at Quark's the wheel had become an extension of herself, as much a part of her as her own hand. She knew its every sound, could tell just by listening how it was balanced: whether to Quark's rather crooked specifications, or the scrupulously honest alignment they set it to before Constable Odo's bi-monthly inspection, or the in-between setting the girls used. (This last setting allowed the customers to win, from time to time, but still made a profit for the bar. Quark was a decent boss for a Ferengi, but he did tend to be too greedy! A wise Dabo Girl knew that a customer who lost EVERY time was a customer who stopped playing, and the girls all figured that what Quark didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.) Mirna could even judge by the feel of the spin just how recently the wheel had been oiled, and when it would be due for a tune-up again. Yes, she knew her wheel, all right.

Today something was wrong.

Just what, was difficult to say. It wasn't anything Mirna could put words to. The spinning sound was a bit too high pitched, and the lights flickered a little too slowly, but that wasn't what bothered her. It was just the strange feeling of something different. Mirna was half human and half Betazoid; she was used to strange feelings making themselves known. It was just that usually they belonged to someone else, not to her.

Oh well. Most likely she was being oversensitive. Maybe Quark had replaced the wheel without telling her, and her subconscious was making a mountain out of a mole hill. She smiled brightly at the pair of Narsicans making their way to her table and prepared to take new bets.

 

---

 

Odo did not especially enjoy being a Dabo wheel. He just didn't know how to avoid it.

Several Dabo girls had disappeared from the station during the last few months. Odo suspected foul play. He was the only one on the station who did: after all, Dabo girls come and Dabo girls go, and nobody thinks much about it. But why would four girls suddenly vacate their quarters within three weeks of each other, leaving no forwarding address? Something was not right. Odo intended to find out what it was.

Thud far, Odo had made little progress. Certainly Quark had been no help. A few days earlier Odo had sauntered in to the bar, remarking that he'd seen a lot of new faces behind the Dabo wheel lately. Quark had looked at him in surprise. "Now why would you notice a thing like that?"

Odo attempted to look nonchalant. "I'm a changeling. I notice things."

"Oh." Quark shrugged. "Well, we always have a large turnover. For some reason none of the girls stay long."

Odo smirked. "I can't imagine why."

Quark glared at him. "It's a perfectly legitimate career opportunity," he said pointedly. Odo sniffed. Quark went back to polishing his bar. "But the girls still don't stay long," he said. "Three months at the most until they get better offers, then-poof! Bye, bye, Quark." The Ferengi bartender shook his head. "Heartless, really."

"Better offers? What kind of better offers?"

"It varies. Everything from acting and secretarial jobs to the occasional offer of marriage. Sometimes I think I'm running an employment agency instead of a bar." Quark suddenly looked suspicious. " Why are you so interested in Dabo girls, anyway?"

Odo hrrumphed and turned away. "That's none of your business."

"Oh." The Ferengi smiled knowingly. "It's because Major Kira's gone, isn't it."

"What?" Odo infused a good deal of incredulity into the word, but Quark was not deterred. "Don't worry about it," he said, lowering his voice. "I know how lonely a man can get when his amour is away. But you don't need to suffer, Odo. I have a holosuite program that'll..."

Odo stood up quickly. "Maybe some other time," he said sarcastically, and made his way out of the bar. No, Quark had been no help at all. Neither had any of Odo's off-station contacts--it was disturbing, but most of his former "informants' had found more honest employment lately, severely curtailing Odo's access to underground information. He knew that Sisko would not look kindly on an all out interrogation of all the customers in the bar. So he'd been forced take a more direct approach.

Right now he was carefully observing Mirna, who had just come on shift. His eye was caught by the unusual, and this Dabo girl differed from the others both by her hair color (naturally brunette) and her species (human). Quark employed a variety of races, of course, but still the majority were Bajorans. Odo wasn't sure he'd ever seen a human Dabo girl before. Mirna was a good deal shorter and heavier than any of her sister wheel-spinners, too. Odo looked closer, and realized there was something different about the girl today-she was wearing a huge diamond pendant and matching earrings, accessories she had not worn the day before. If Odo had been equipped with eyes at that moment, they would have narrowed. There had been several thefts of valuable jewels in the sector lately...

He also noticed that, despite the fact that a very large Narsican was standing on her right foot, her expression was pleasant and sweet. Odo appreciated this self discipline. He appreciated it even more when the same intoxicated Narsican stumbled and fell into him, causing him to rock dangerously and fracture one of his supports. Damn it, Odo thought as he discreetly repaired the damage. He simply had to find a better way to crack this case.

 

---

 

Mirna was not paranoid by nature. But she still couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.

She told herself that this was nothing to worry about. She ought to be used to it by -after all, Dabo girls are paid to be looked at. But Mirna kept having the feeling when she was off duty, getting that disturbing prickle when she was shopping the promenade or riding the turbolift to her quarters. At first she wondered if some creep of a customer was stalking her. But her Betazoid senses could not pick anything unusual out of the crowd.

One day the feeling was so intense that Mirna decided to take the long way home, stopping in several shops and meandering through the corridors, eyes peeled for some glimpse of her pursuer. It didn't pay off. As soon as she was home, she slipped off her shoes and rubbed her feet (her toes still hadn't recovered from that Narsican). She punched her dinner request into the replicator and got her food, wondering if she was going slowly crazy. She didn't notice the new glass vase that was sitting on her dresser. And she probably never would have, if it hadn't suddenly fallen to the floor with a thump.

Mirna whirled around, scanning the room for intruders. "Who's there?"

Odo was upset with himself. Here he was, perfectly disguised as the vase, and what did he have to do? Get greedy for a better view and blow his cover. The girl didn't suspect him yet-she was still looking for whoever had pushed him off the dresser-but it was only a matter of time.

"Who's there?" Mirna demanded. "Come out, or I'll call security!"

Odo sighed internally and shifted back to humanoid shape. "I am security," he said.

Mirna gasped. Of course she knew who Odo was--it was a big station, but Quark made sure all his girls knew everyone in security. Mirna's eyes narrowed. Having an infatuated jerk coming after her was one thing; having an infatuated Constable who could transform himself into her bedroom furnishings didn't bear thinking about. "Constable Odo," she said. " What are you doing here?"

"Let me ask the questions." Odo was thinking fast. The truth was, he didn't have a good reason for being here. At least, not one that would hold up in a Federation court. But the girl was obviously stunned and confused. If he was quick, he could get some answers from her before she realized what she was doing. "Why did you take such a complicated route home today?"

"I thought someone was following me," she said archly. "I had no idea that I had a Changeling for an admirer. It *was* you following me, wasn't it?"

Odo shrugged. Might as well admit it. "Yes," he agreed. "And believe me, it wasn't easy. All that window shopping, all that wandering. It's amazing I didn't lose you."

"I'm so sorry I inconvenienced you," Mirna said scathingly. "But you were following me, remember. Why were you doing it?"

"That's not important."

"It's not?" Mirna was incensed. "I think it is."

"It doesn't matter what you think. What's important now is that I get some information." Odo stepped toward her earnestly, eyes on her throat. "Where did you get that necklace?"

Mirna stared at him. "I don't believe this," she said. "You follow me around for days, break into my quarters, and all to ask about my jewelry? My jewelry?"

Odo did not quite know how to respond to this attack. He stepped back slightly. "It's important."

"Oh? How?" Odo didn't answer. Mirna looked satisfied. "Listen," she said threateningly. "You may have the entire security force under your thumb, but I have friends of my own. Big, strong, Klingon friends. All I have to do is tell them you were bothering me, and..."

"That won't be necessary." Odo sat down heavily on a chair. "A suspicious number of Dabo girls have disappeared form the station in the last few weeks. Many were noticed wearing unusually expensive pieces of jewelry before they left, the kind of pieces that have been reported missing in several places throughout the sector." Odo stretched out a hand. "Now. Your necklace?"

Mirna shook her head. Was Odo really trying to say he had followed her all this time because he thought she was a jewel thief? The arrogance of the man! Angrily, she took off the necklace, dropped it the floor, and stepped on it. Her bare foot easily crushed the gleaming stones, leaving a layer of grit adhering to her skin. "Paste," she said simply.

"Paste?"

"Paste," Mirna repeated. "*Cheap* paste too, I might add. Quark's stingy." Mirna sat back down and brought up her foot, brushing off the dust. Odo looked startled, completely unsure of what to say. Good! It was about time he felt some embarrassment. "I am not a thief, Odo, and I have no plans to leave DS9 anytime soon. At least not until I can afford a decent transport to Terra, which will be a while, given my current salary." She sobered. "But my roommate disappeared three weeks ago, and I've been worried. Don't get too excited--I know that Jildis was not a thief, either. But it was certainly odd the way she left."

Odo looked alert. A moment ago, his embarrassment had been total. Not only had he been discovered, but this woman was blowing large holes in his carefully constructed Dabo Girl Smuggling Ring theory. Now, at least, it looked like he was going to gather some clues. "Tell me about it," he commanded.

Mirna scowled at his tone but decided to continue anyway. "It was very odd," she said, settling down into another low chair. "Three weeks ago I came off my shift and found that Jildis had packed up most of her things. She left a message on my terminal saying that she'd gotten a sudden chance to catch a ship for home. I knew she was homesick: she'd been on the station less than a month, and her family back home was all she would talk about. But it was still very sudden Too sudden." Mirna sighed. "W hen I looked through our wardrobe, I noticed that Jildis had taken all of her Dabo girl costumes and left most of her casual clothes. Why would a girl on her way home do that? Then there was the picture."

"Picture?"

"The picture of her little brother and sister. Jildis loved those kids. True, it had fallen down behind the bed, but still I can't imagine Jildis voluntarily leaving without it. And behind the bed is the first place I'd look if it was missing."

Odo grumbled to himself. He stood and started pacing around the tiny, one-room apartment. There was a tiny sitting area with the table and chairs, two beds, two dressers, and a wardrobe. Odo motioned at it. "You said 'our' wardrobe," he said. "Does that mean that both of you used it?"

"What else could we do? When the Cardassian's designed this station, closet space was not their highest priority."

Odo grumbled. Mirna's sarcasm was beginning to get on his nerves. What made it worse was the knowledge that he deserved every biting word. "That's not what I meant," he said, endeavoring for impatience. "What I want to know is this: would somebody be able to tell your things apart if they didn't know you?"

"I wouldn't think so," Mirna said. "Our clothes were pretty jumbled. The last thing most Dabo girls want to do when they come home is a lot of house keeping." Odo nodded. Mirna paled. "You think someone besides Jildis packed her clothes. Someone who couldn't tell the difference between our things."

"It seems likely," Odo confirmed. "And if that's the case, it seems very likely that she did not leave the station of her own free will." Tell me about this message she sent. Was there anything in it that positively identified it as being from her? Or could anyone have sent it?"

Mirna thought deeply. "No," she said after a minute, looking grim. "The message was completely impersonal. Anyone could have written it."

"Just as I suspected." Odo looked at Mirna sternly. "I'd like to see the message anyway, of course." He paused, suddenly suspicious. "Why didn't you report this sooner?"

Mirna was silent for a long moment. Her eyes, Odo suddenly thought uneasily, glared like an angry supernova. When she did speak her voice was barely controlled. "Would you have cared, if there wasn't a possible jewelry theft involved?"

Odo drew back. He had to admit that she was right. If he didn't take such pleasure in trying to catch Quark in any little infraction, he probably would never have even noticed the turnover in the bartender's staff. And he certainly never would have followed Mirna if it hadn't been for that large around her throat. Paste. Odo winced. "Maybe not," he admitted quietly, then stepped toward her, determined not to dwell on the past. "Listen," he said. "I want you to keep your eyes and ears open over the next few days. If you see or hear anything suspicious, I want you to report to me in Security at once. You could be the next target. Understood?"

Mirna swallowed hard, but she nodded. Odo looked at her, suddenly moved by compassion he didn't know how to share. "I apologize for invading your privacy," he said stiffly," but it was necessary. I'm sure you now see why."

"Yes," the Dabo girl said. "I guess maybe do."

Odo nodded efficiently, and started toward the door. "I'll use my terminal to retrieve a copy of that message," he said and went out.

Mirna stood in silence for a moment. Then she told the door to lock, and walked over and checked it by hand. Twice.

 

---

 

"Nothing but trouble," Quark muttered as Mirna walked in. "Nothing but troubles. First the holosuite failure, than the voles behind the bar, now this... oh, hello, Mirna." He smiled at her ingratiatingly. "How nice to see my favorite employee. You look especially lovely today."

Mirna was not fooled. But it didn't do to anger the boss. "Why, thank you, Quark," she said sweetly. "Is there something I can do for you?"

The Ferengi beamed. "How perceptive you are, my dear. I need you to work two shifts today. Keila didn't show up last night." He shook his head, looking very displeased. "Word is she's gone for good."

Mirna felt a cold chill wash over her. "Why do you say that?"

Quark shrugged. "Someone saw her getting onto a freighter with two men," he said. "I swear, I just get you girls trained, and off you go..." He walked off, muttering about the difficulties of making a profit under Federation rule. Mirna stood stock still while the chill traveled down her spine and took up residence in her stomach. It took more than the usual effort to keep her mind on her work that day.

During her lunch break she threw a cloak over her costume and hurried across the promenade to security. "Odo. We need to talk."

Odo looked up from his desk with frown, which faded the moment he saw Mirna's expression. It had not been a rewarding day for him. His efforts to trace Mirna's roommate's message had only led him to one of DS9's own public terminals on the promenade, accessible to anyone. But the look on Mirna's face suggested that she might have some new evidence. He stood up quickly and pulled out a chair. "Sit down," he said gruffly. "What have you found out?"

"Another Dabo girl has disappeared."

Odo stiffened. "Who?"

"Keila. Quark said someone saw her get on a freighter with two men yesterday. Odo, I don't know what to think. This makes five, doesn't it?"

"Yes. Five in the last six months."

Mirna's dark eyes were expressive. "What do you think they're doing with them?"

Odo paced his way back around the table, sat down pensively. "I don't know," he said after a few moments. "But maybe you can help me find out. How long had Keila worked for Quark?"

Mirna took a deep breath. Anger was fighting a serious battle with fear for dominance in her mind, but neither was going to help her now. She cast her mind back, trying to recall all she knew about the pretty, missing red-head. "Keila had worked at Quark's for about a moment, I think. I didn't know her that well-she worked a different shift-but she was very out-going and friendly. Everyone liked her."

Odo nodded. "That fits," he said. "So far none of the missing Dabo girls have worked at Quark's longer than six weeks. I don't think it's a coincidence." He leaned toward her. "Mirna, was there anything new in Keila's life during the last week or two? A new romance, perhaps?"

Mirna frowned. She remembered the vivacious young woman breezing into the bar, her happiness so marked that you didn't have to be an empath to feel it.. But she had never asked the cause. She tried to think. "Maybe. She certainly seemed happy during the last few days, and now that I come to think of it, there was a lot of gossip going around the bar about her having a new beau. A rich one. But like I said, we worked different shifts. You'd have to ask someone who knew her better." A thought. "Or I will. I can find out who her friends were, what she'd been doing before she left..."

"No." Odo's voice was very forceful. "No, Mirna. I don't know who is behind these disappearances, but I think it's obvious that they're watching the Dabo girls very closely. I can't guess for sure what they'd do if you started asking snoopy questions, but I know it wouldn't be good."

Mirna was very quiet for a moment. This threat had to be taken care of, now. She'd been thinking about it all night. Her own personal safety was the least of it--it enraged her that her sister employees, already struggling on the lowest rung of station life, were being preyed on so mercilessly. The thought of collaborating with Odo would have been ludicrous yesterday, but now everything was changed. She looked the changeling straight in the eyes. "Odo, there must be something I can do. I want to help."

Odo looked back for a long time, considering. Normally, he worked alone. Odo disliked having to report to and plan with another person, and he truly hated having to slow thought and action to suit a partner's pace. But Mirna had already agreeably surprised him twice: first when she cornered him in her bedroom, and now, in being so quick to tell him of Keila's disappearance. And it looked like he was going to need some extra help. "All right," he said. "But it's going to be dangerous."

The girl nodded a single time. "Yes. I know. I can handle it."

"Good. I need you to go back to Quark's and work as usual. Even work some overtime, if that's possible." Odo began outlining his plan in detail. Mirna was to become even more approachable than usual, flirt with every customer who came in, and generally keep her eyes open. "The difficulty lies in not altering your behavior so much that someone will notice a difference," Odo warned. He looked worried. "Just being here in my office might be enough to tip them off."

Mirna smiled at him. "I do hope you'll find my great aunt's broach soon, Odo," she said brightly, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. "It was a family heirloom."

Odo's eyebrows went up. "Excuse me?"

"My great aunt's broach. The one that was lifted from my quarters yesterday. The one I came in here to report stolen." Mirna sighed theatrically "I'm really quite distraught, you know. I expect I'll tell all the girls in the bar about it when I get back."

Odo gave the young woman a grudging smile. Yes, working with a partner was looking like a better and better idea. "Very good. But I think someone stole it while you were shopping on the Promenade. Otherwise whoever took Jildis's clothes will suspect they messed up."

Mirna inclined her head gracefully. "I bow to your superior experience." She got gracefully to her feet. "Shall I go now?"

"Yes." Odo swiveled in his chair, began to type something in on his workstation. "Don't come back to security, whatever you do. I will contact you in a few days. If you need to speak to me before then, just catch my eye while I'm in Quark's, or else send an anonymous message from one of the public terminals."

"What will you do?"

"Investigate. Try to find out the names of the two men who were with Keila, and discover where that freighter went." He typed some more, frowned at his workstation. "I'll get Keila's picture and specifics from Quark's personnel files..."

"You can do that?" Mirna interrupted. "I thought Quark's files were protected by the best encryption programs around."

Odo raised his eyebrows. "They are."

"Oh." Mirna tried to think of something else to say, but couldn't.

"I wouldn't trust Quark's computers too much, if I were you," Odo advised dryly, looking like he wanted to laugh. "Go on. Get the customer's attention."

"I will," she said, and vanished through the security doors.

 

---

 

Over the next few days, Mirna transformed herself into the most conspicuous Dabo girl Quark had. This took a lot more work than she had originally anticipated, as none of her sister were exactly subtle, and it took a great deal of imagination to outshine them even termpraily. Mirnalowered her necklines and raised her hems; she applied make up with incredible skill and care; she smiled and winked at anything that appeared to be either male or interested, whatever its gender or orinetation in fact (with lots of species, it's hard to tell.) Nothing happened. After two weeks went by she sent Odo a message, reporting her failure. That evening she was unsurprised to hear her door chime. When she opened it a large fly brushed past her ear and metamorphosed into Odo. "Odo, it's not working," she told him. "Nobody's bit. I've been flirting my head off, but no one's approached me with anything more sinister than a free drink."

Odo looked troubled, but resigned. "I was afraid of this," he said. "You've been on the station too long, and are too well known, for them to target you."

Mirna nodded. "Well, at least it's not my make up technique that's off, then," she said. "How has your luck been?

"Not particularly good. I was able to identify the freighter Keila left on, but it did not follow its filed flight plan. This would normally alert the authorities, but it hasn't been missing long enough to start a search mission. I doubt that our perpetrators will be that easy to find, anyway." He looked Mirna in the eye. "It's time to go to Plan B."

"What's that?"

"A much more direct approach." Odo's body started to shimmer below the neck, stretch and reform. A moment later he had solidified into the shape of a slender young woman. A very shapely shape...

Mirna stared at him for a long moment. Then she began to laugh.

After a while, Odo joined her.

 

---

 

"Quark?" Mirna said sweetly, using her best un-duplicitous-female look. "May I see you?"

The Ferengi bartender looked harassed. Nevertheless he followed Mirna to where a tall young female, dressed all in blue and wearing the most fetching little half-veil over her face, was waiting. "This is my cousin, Odette," Mirna introduced, pushing the young woman forward. Behind his veil, Odo cursed as he stumbled over his stilettos. Damn it all. Coordinating sixteen legs when he took the form of a Talaxian spider was easier than wearing high heels. But Mirna steadied him, and Quark didn't notice the slip. "She's looking for work," Mirna continued. "I thought since we're so short-handed..."

Quark's annoyance faded as he examined Odo's new womanly figure. "Mirna's cousin, eh?" he said, taking Odo's hand and lowering his voice seductively. "I wouldn't have thought one family could produce two such beauties. Tell me, do you have any... experience?"

Odo shot Mirna an alarmed glance. Mirna just looked back levelly. It was about time at least one male member of the station's population learned what it was like to work for Quark. "Oh, I learn quickly," Odo said in a warm contralto voice. He'd altered his vocal cords when he changed shape.

Quark smiled. "I believe you," he said, and laughing lecherously. "Well, Odette, it's certainly true that we're short handed, and you look--" he leered-- "like you'll do just fine. But you'll have to take off that veil."

"No!" Mirna shouted. Last night when she'd helped Odo create this persona, she'd been amazed and envious of his shape-shifting abilities. Shoes, hair, and dress had all grown out of his skin, following her suggestions. But faces were beyond his talents. They'd settled for changing his eye color and draping the veil over his nose. "Odette's got a small scar on her chin," Mirna continued quickly. "She's very self conscious. I don't see that the veil detracts, do you? The customers will think it's exotic."

Quark considered. "You know, it is sort of intriguing. I might make all you girls start wearing them." He patted Odo's hand. "Consider yourself hired, my dear. Perhaps after your shift we can meet and...get to know each other better."

"I'll be waiting," Odo said, and Quark must have missed the sarcasm, because he kissed Odo's wrist before hurrying away. When he was out of sight the constable rubbed his hand as if it had touched something disgusting. "Is he always like that?"

"Most of the time," Mirna replied. "But don't worry about it--Quark's mostly talk. All of us can handle him if he gets out line. I'll have to teach you the patented Dabo Girl Ear Twist, guarnunteed to be a dent in all but the most persistnat of Ferengi libidos. Come one, I'll get you settled in."

A few short house later, Odo was ensconced at the Dabo wheel, a large crowd gathered around him. So far, so good. Quark had given him a few bad moments, as had the application form ("What does he need to know my measurements for?" "Beats me. We supply our own costumes. Just put down 34-24-36." "What about a home address?" "Use mine!") but Mirna had helped him at every turn. Now all he had to do was spin the wheel and look pretty. With luck, something interesting would happen soon.

And it did. As Odo was taking his Raktajeno break, a tall man approached and asked to buy him a drink. Odo had noticed him earlier, sitting with a shorter companion; the two had been in the bar more than twenty minutes and had talked to no one besides a Ferengi waiter. Odo's security instincts were triggurd. He accepted and followed the man to a table.

Mirna was sitting at the bar. As Odo sat down, she raised an eyebrow-she seemed to be asking "Okay?" He nodded quickly and slid his chair to where she could watch him. "Thank you," he said as his companion slid a drink in front of him. "Now what were we talking about?"

The shorter man smiled sinisterly. The tall one leaned toward Odo suavely. "You," he said, wide grin saying that he found it an ideal subject.

Odo forced himself to give a little laugh. "And what do you want to know about me?"

"Everything." The short man coughed. The tall one pulled back reluctantly. "But let's start with the obvious. How long have you been on the station?"

"Just a few days, really." Odo took a sip of his drink. "Today's my first day working here."

"Oh?" The two men exchanged glances. The tall one smiled. "Well, you're doing very well. Tell me, do you enjoy your work?"

Odo shrugged daintily. "Oh, you know," he said dismissively. "A girl's got to do something. But I'd really like a job where I got to travel more."

"Really." The tall one sounded absolutely fascinated. "That's very interesting. I happen to be hiring for just such a position. Would you be willing to leave the bar?"

"Would I!" Odo made his voice very enthusiastic. "Just say the word! But what do you do exactly?"

The shorter man looked uneasy. But his companion answered smoothly. "We're travelling salesmen," he said. "We go all over the quadrant, hawking our wares. Let me show you something." He took a small holoprojector from his vest and slid it across the table. "Press the button on the bottom and you'll see."

Odo did, and gasped. Not because of the beauty of the necklace displayed, although that was impressive enough. He'd seen a picture of that necklace just the day before, in a theft report. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." The tall once took the projector back. "We're very proud of it. But you can see the problem."

"Problem?"

"Jewelry looks so dull, so lifeless in a hologram. What it really needs is to be worn by a beautiful woman." The tall one's eyes traveled down to Odo's throat and lingered. "A woman like you."

Odo coughed and looked away. How was he supposed to handle this? Fortunately, his admirer became more business like. "We need a model," he said briskly. "Someone to wear the jewels for our customers, show them off in their best lights. Are you interested?"

"Well!" Odo exclaimed. "Of course. I-" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mirna signaling to him. "Oh. Would you gentlemen excuse me for a moment? My friend obviously wants a word."

"Odo, my shift is over," Mirna said when he got to her. "I'm going to go home now. Do you think you'll be all right on your own?"

"Yes," he assured. "Things are going very well indeed." Mirna yawned; he patted her on the shoulder. "Go get some rest. I'll contact you in the morning."

"Okay." Mirna slid out the back door. Odo went back to the table, slipped into the chair Mr. Lady-killer held out. "Now," he said. "You were about to make me an offer?"

 

---

 

Mirna woke up in the wee hours of the morning, feeling very disoriented. Something was not right. She'd been having a nightmare-something about Odo in a Dabo girl dress, being crushed under a huge diamond ring. Odo! She hadn't really wanted to leave him, but she'd been so tired fomr all the overtime she'd been pulling. She had to get up and...

She realized there were lights on, and two men were talking. In her room.

Mirna slowed her breathing and forced all her muscles into stilleness. The two men were arguing softly, obviously not aware that she was awake, and she wanted to keep it that way. "Damn it," one was saying. "She's not here."

"I can see that," the other said in a low drawl. "The question is, where is she? And what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know!" The first voice was decidedly piqued. "The gems have to go out tonight. We need a carrier."

"Mmm." Voice number two sounded noncommittal. "Well, you'd better call our friend and tell him." There was a silence, then-"Does this room seem familiar to you?"

"What? How should I know? All the rooms on the damn station look alike."

"That could be it. Although I really get the feeling I've been here before. Well, there's no point in putting it off. Call the man."

Mirna dared to open her eyes just a sliver. The two intruders were the same men Odo had been talking to in the bar. Short-legs went to her terminal; there were a few clicks and beeps, and then she heard a third voice. "Yes? What do you want?"

Mirna's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The voice belonged to Brac, one of the Ferengi waiters Quark employed. If only she could tell Odo! But she had to keep very quiet, not move as much as a centimeter. "The girl's not here," the short one said, and Mirna tried to shrink back into the covers.

"What?" Brac sounded surprised and annoyed. "Are you sure you're in the right room?"

"Yes." The short man read off Mirna's room number and level. The Ferengi sputtered. "Well, that's the address Odette gave in her employee file. She must be there somewhere. Find her."

Brac's tone seemed to heartily annoy the man at the terminal, and they started arguing loudly. The tall man interrupted. "Quiet," he said. "There is another girl here."

"Really?" Brac sounded interested. "What does she look like?"

"Brunette. Short. She was in the bar tonight, wearing red."

"Mirna." Brac groaned her name, and there was a slapping sound from the terminal, like a hand smacking into a forehead. "Oh no... yes, she said she was her cousin. We've made a terrible mistake."

"Mistake? How?"

"You idiot." Mirna couldn't see his face, but she knew just how Brac must have looked. He had to have been wearing the trademark Ferengi sneer, teeth showing and eyes filled with contempt. "Stupid hwu-man. You kidnapped her roommate less than three months ago! Don't you think she's going to get a little bit suspicious if her cousin disappears too?"

The short man began to retort angrily, but once again his partner interceded. "Now, now," he said calmly. "There's no reason to be uncivilized. I think Mirna will serve just as well as Odette, don't you?"

Mirna stiffened. Brac began to chuckle. "I like the way you think, hwu-man."

"It will kill two birds with one stone," the tall one agreed. "She'll be a perfect courier, and we'll also get her away from station in case she's getting suspicious. Besides, I'm sure she's been listening to us for the last five minutes."

There was a stunned silence. Then Brac barked "Take care of it" and blinked off. The tall man strolled over to Mirna's bed. "You can open your eyes now, Mirna dear," he said. "Mirna. What a lovely name."

There was no point in pretending. Mirna opened her eyes and sat up, saw that the tall man was holding a Romulan phaser. The deceptively small, completely evil red light shining directly at her heart. "Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself." The tall man bowed. "I am Jay, and my associate is know as Willard. Those aren't our real names, of course, but they will serve. We are, among other things, agents for a wealthy private collector, interested in obtaining some of this sector's most valued art objects. You are about to help us deliver our latest find."

"I'm honored." Mirna's voice was sarcastic. "And just what might this 'latest find' be?"

"Jay," Willard said warningly.

"Don't be overcautious! It doesn't matter what I tell her." Jay smiled apologetically. "You must pardon him. Jewelry, my dear, is the name of our current game. Beautiful, priceless, easily transportable. You shall carry it for us-nobody suspects a Dabo girl wearing several planet's worth of gems. We had hoped you dear cousin Odette would help us, but the finger of fate has fallen on you."

"Lucky, lucky me," Mirna answered. "Do you recruit all your couriers at phaser-point?"

"Not at all!" Jay assured her. "We're generally much more creative than this. Your cousin thought we were hiring her to be a model, and the young lady before her was under the impression that I wanted to marry her. It's only when we're rushed that we're so crass as to use force." His eyes narrowed. "Get up now."

Mirna didn't budge. "What will you do with me after I deliver the goods?"

"Now that's a good question." Jay looked thoughtful. "We have had good success in selling your predecessors to the Orion Syndicate for slave girls. But in your case it might be more cost effective just to kill you. Unless our patron decides to keep you for himself... so be sure to put on your best, my dear. It'll improve your chances."

Mirna shook her head. She looked at the phaser, at Jay, and back at the phaser. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You might as well kill me now."

"Gladly," Willard hissed.

Jay waved his hand appeasingly. "We need her alive," he said. "At least until we leave the station/" He turned back to Mirna. "How unfortunate you couldn't be more cooperative, my dear. Now I'll have to use this."

Jay produced a small device from his pocket. It was nothing much-just a small keypad with a long white cylinder attached-but for some reason Mirna's skin crawled when she saw it. "What it is?"

"An Aldebran mind control device," Jay explained, shrugging nonchalantly. "A misnomer, of course. I can't control your thoughts; they'll still be your own. But I will have control over all your conscious functions." He flipped a switch, and the cylinder began to glow. "Now. Get up and dress."

To Mirna's horror she began to do exactly that. She watched as her body stood and glided over to the wardrobe-there was nothing she could do to stop herself, although she tried very very hard. Somehow the link between her will and her body's response had been severed. Jay had her paw through her outfits, rejecting several before settling on a demure column dress; he then turned his back, and after a word from him Willard did likewise. For a moment hope flared, but the device seemed to work just as well when it wasn't facing her. Mirna was completely in their power.

When she was ready, Jay turned and looked her over from head to toe. "Beautiful," he said, and offered his arm. To her disgust, she took it.

The Promenade was quiet at that time of night. Mirna was surprised that Jay led her there at all; she had expected to be taken straight to a ship. But apparently her captors had an errand to run first. She took a despairing look at Security as they walked by, hoping against hope that Odo might be working late, but the place was dark. Not that seeing him would have helped much anyway. Jay's control of her movements was perfect, with no jerkiness or tremors to alert passerby's. He had even plastered a pleasant smile on her face...

She was unsurprised when he pulled her abruptly off the main thoroughfare, right outside the back entrance to Quark's bar. Brac was there, lurking behind the door, and Jay and Willard quickly bundled her through it. "Hurry!" Brac hissed, closing the door and looking Mirna over with worried eyes. "The transport leaves in ten minutes."

"We'll make it," Jay said smoothly. "Do you have the merchandise?"

The Ferengi smirked. "Right here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box, dark and heavily ornamented. Jay took it, snapped open the lid, and smiled broadly. He lifted out the contents, letting the dim light play over it. "Look, Mirna, dear. Your charge."

Mirna did not have to be told to look. The necklace was made of a thousand stones, all linked together with a metal of spider web delicacy. It gleamed with the light of a thousand stars. Under other circumstances, she would have felt privileged just to see it in person. Now she only glared. Jay admired the necklace himself for a moment, then reached out and draped it around her neck. "Beautiful, isn't it," he whispered, fingers lingering on her skin. "Most women would give their souls to posses such a thing, even for a moment. I'm really just giving you the opportunity of a lifetime, lovely Mirna."

"We don't have time for this," Willard growled.

"True." Jay stepped away from her with a reluctant sigh. "Brac, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, as always. We will contact you again in a few weeks." He started towards the exit.

"Wait!" Brac cried out. "What about my commission?"

Jay stopped, turned around slowly. "You've already been paid," he said.

Brac shook his head vigorously. "My standard commission, yes," he said. "One percent of the value of the merchandise. But I know the worth of that piece. It's ten times as expensive as any of the others. I expect to be compensated accordingly, Hwu-man. Say...ten percent." Brac's pointed teeth glimmered. "Due now."

"Now be reasonable," Jay said, resting his hand lightly on his phaser. His voice was a calm as always, but the threat was clear. Mirna was wishing she was able to duck behind a table when something caught her eye-- the box the necklace came in, resting forgotten on the bar. It was starting to lose its shape...

Everything happened very quickly. Jay and Brac were facing each other, Willard watching from the side; Odo swept of the bar in a great arching flow of changeling matter and collided with him, knocking him to the floor. Jay swung around, phaser at the ready, but it was too late. Odo shaped himself into a fist, and punched him squarely in the jaw. Jay hit the floor heavily, phaser spinning off uselessly under a table. That left Brac, who took one look at the now fully formed constable and took off running, whimpering vaguely. Odo looked after him distastefully. "He won't get far," he said.

Mirna wanted to nod, to smile, to jump up and down and cheer. Instead she stood motionless, that idiotic smile still plastered to her face. Odo stared at her, then reached down and searched the unconscious Jay's pockets. "An Aldebran mind control device," he said. "Well, *this* will add another forty years to his prison sentence." Odo dropped the device on the floor and ground it under his foot. "You should be able to move now."

Mirna's knees gave way, and she sagged against the bar. Normally this would have upset her, but now the very fact that she could sag was an immense relief. "Isn't that destroying evidence?" she asked shakily.

"The fragments should be just as damning." Odo looked at her wryly. "Would you like to try stamping it yourself? It should be much more satisfying then destroying paste."

Mirna shook her head, thinking of a million things she wanted to say. Finally she gave up trying to pick and sprang at him.

Odo seemed a bit surprised by the kiss, but he didn't pull away.

 

---

 

"I still don't believe it," Major Kira said, reaching out to squeeze Odo's hand affectionately. "Odo working undercover as a Dabo girl? *Odo*?"

Kira, Odo, Julian and Miles were sitting at a table in Quark's, drinking their drinks and listening to Mirna tell the tale. That morning the Defiant had returned from its latest mission, and that afternoon Jay, Brac, and Willard had been turned over to Starfleet custody. Odo was embarrassed. Mirna was telling the story with a great deal of emphasis on just how fetching the changeling constable had looked in a dress and veil, and he knew he was never going to live this down. "It was better then being a Dabo table," he said gruffly, and didn't quite understand why the whole group erupted into laughter.

"Seriously, though," Miles interjected when it had quieted down again, "what I don't understand is what you were doing in the bar when Mirna and Jay came for the necklace. How'd you know Brac was involved? And how did you know that night was the night they'd try to transport it?"

"I'd seen Jay and Willard conferring with Brac earlier," Odo explained. "After they contacted me, I decided to follow him. He led me straight to the jewelry, and to the computer where he'd foolishly inputted all the details of their transactions. I discovered Jay would be coming for the necklace that night. What I didn't know" he looked regretfully at Mirna, "was that Mirna would be with him."

"But when you did, you acted most heroically," Mirna said.

"Do you know who Jay's employer was?" Julian asked seriously.

Odo shook his head. "No. Nor do we know for sure what happened to the other Dabo girls. But with Jay's confession and the information we got from Brac's files, we may soon find out."

Miles raised his glass. "To the Dabo girls who didn't come back," he said, and the group drank solemnly.

Quark came by with refills, looking distinctly unhappy. "What's the matter, Quark?" Julian asked. "Ashamed to discover such duplicity among your employees?"

Quark shook his head. "To be honest, no. What upsets me more is the fact that Brac was running such a major scam and I didn't know about it." He shot a venomous glance at Odo. "I must be slipping."

Kira chuckled. "Don't worry, Quark. Nobody's perfect."

"I should think my working here an entire evening without you noticing would bother you even more," Odo added.

"I don't even want to think about that," Quark said, and stalked off when this provoked even more laughter.

"No Dabo girl is ever going to be allowed to wear a veil here again," Mirna observed dryly.

"Well, let's toast to the one who is with us now," Julian said, and everyone raised their glasses. "To Mirna!"

Mirna raised her glass too. "And to Odo, of course."

The cheer was resounding. "To Odo."