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Disclaimer: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine and all of its characters, events, references, and places belong to Paramount, UPNits producers et. They are not mine. Tony Stark aka Iron Man belongs to Marvel Entertainment Group Inc, Fox Movie Studios, etc. The story was written for the 2011 Multiverse Promptathon with the supposition that Tony Stark is a civilian consultant for the Federation and takes place between the4th and 5th season of Deep Space Nine.
“Talk About Falling Upwards “ by karrenia
The strangest thing about anticipation is that one generally has a habit of building one’s expectations up to such a degree that things are bigger than you actually get. In most cases that would be true, that is until I received the notice via sub-space communique to arrive at a Federation outpost on the edge of the Gamma Quadrant. I’d never been farther than the Star Fleet’s headquarters in San Francisco and once or twice I’d been invited on a VIP tour to the orbiting station, and once even as far as the ship-building yards at Utopia Planitia, but I’d never been out of the Sol System prior to this. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, even it meant wor, and a lot of it.
When he saw the extent of the damage he could not help a reflexive gulp at the sheer amount of work involved. Tony Stark did flatter himself that he could handle the challenge in front of him, but still, if Star Fleet Core of Engineers couldn’t handle this alone, what chance did he have?
'Squash those negative thoughts, son, because where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ Even as these thoughts flashed through his quicksilver brain, an iota of concern did arise, 'I wonder what would happen if they got a look at my prototype armored suit, patent still pending., and if I should show it to them or not?’ And if I did, would they be impressed or envious?'
He strode out through the entryway carrying his luggage along with all the other disembarking shuttle passengers. Commander Benjamin Sisko had been informed of his arrival and thus his welcome was terse but cordial.
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Stark. Please, come with my office, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover and not much time.
“What happened here? It looks like the place was attacked.”
“It was and we’re having the devil of a time getting both the personnel and the civilians back here and situated after we forced to evacuate the station; it’s all going about smoothly as one might imagine." Sisko shook his head and over the civilian engineering consultant a tired, lop-sided but confident grin.
Sisko was tall, broad-shouldered, and with his coffee-colored skin against his red commander’s uniform reminded Tony of his old friend, James Rhodes. Thinking of James, he did have to wonder if maybe just maybe he should have done more to persuade James to not follow the path that would lead to Star Fleet Academy and from there a career in the military. If the rumors he’d been hearing were true then the possibility of an interstellar war might very well be in the offing.
How soon and with whom? From all appearances, he was about to get the answers to those questions, and many others as well. Sisko strode along with a confident stride appearing to either glide around or be oblivious to the yards of broken conduits, smashed electrical wiring, and broken equipment and machinery that surrounded him. Although, he did nod courteously enough whenever a crew member or someone would nod or call out to him in greeting.
“You said the place was attacked, Sir, Stark began. “May I ask by whom?”
“The Klingons,” Sisko replied tersely and without looking at him.
“Ouch,” Stark replied equally tersely.
“Ouch does not begin to cover it.”
They had reached the working part of the station, a place Sisko introduced as the Promenade. The place was a hive of activity and he could have sworn that there was what looked to be some kind of bar and casino set-up. He made a mental note to check both out, time permitting.
They entered the turbo-lift and Sisko gave the computer a verbal command to take them to Operations. For the space of time, it took the turbo lift to rise neither man spoke a word and waited to arrive at their destination. A woman with auburn-colored hair that was almost but not quite the same color as her duty uniform, exclaimed. “Commander, we’ve been saving a seat for you. Senior staff is waiting in your office.”
“Very good, Major Kira. This is our Federation engineering consultant, Mr. Stark. He will be joining us for our reconstruction briefing. Major, if you would accompany us?”
“Of course, Sir,” Kira replied. **
Once seated around the conference table Sisko began to introduce the rest of his senior staff, from the gruff, rough-featured man called Odo, the security chief. His Chief Science officer, Lt. Jadzia Dax, the Chief Medical Officer Julian Bashir, and his Operations Officer, Miles O’Brien, and no one found it all surprising, that his executive officer was introduced simply as Lieutenant Commander Worf who was a Klingon, they did not show it. Tony Stark nodded and smiled.
“I’m given to understand that Mr. Stark comes highly recommended for both his engineering and intuitive skills when it comes to repairing broken machinery, no matter how unfamiliar it might be. Jadzia Dax seemed to perk up a bit at that and stole a glance in his direction. Tony Stark while no stranger to the fairer sex found her expression not only intriguing but disconcerting as well, it made for an odd way to feel.
“Which we have in abundance, Sir,” O’Brien added.
“Agreed, Mr. O’Brien,” Sisko said.
“What you’ll need to know the first thing about this station, Mr. Stark, is that first challenge is getting Federation technology to interface with Cardassian and that’s no mean feat,” O’Brien stated. "We took over this place nigh on four years ago and they stripped it off everything valuable including the proverbial kitchen sink.”
“I thought the Klingons attacked this place,” Stark said, wondering even as he did so if it was a good idea to bring that up with the dark-complexioned Worf scowling at him.
“They did,” Major Kira answered, but that’s over and we retook that station from them. Now it’s a matter of getting that station up and running again.”
“That’s what I’m here for, to help you do that.”
“In a word, Yes. she replied. “I just hope you are really as good as your reputation says you are.”
Tony offered Major Kira one of his trademark confident grins and replied. “I’d say yes, but then you might think I’m being arrogant, which I am, but then I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
“Cocky bastard, isn’t he? Jadzia remarked.
“Indeed, Odo replied. “What is that old human saying? Quark seems rather fond of it when it comes to long odds and games of chance. Ah, yes, I would very much like to see him put his money where his mouth is.”
“Well, you took the words right out of my mouth, Mr. Odo,” said Sisko.
“Mr. O’Brien, what in your estimation, is highest on the list of priorities?”
“Well, as you can tell I’m short-handed down in engineering until we get Star Fleet Command to send backup personnel, and we’re running double shifts as it is."
“I’ll put in a word with Admiral Nechevy. Then what? “asked Sisko.
“” We could use an extra hand on the shield emitters, running on only half the energy output could leave us vulnerable to anything coming from either the wormhole or closer to home,” O’Brien grimaced and added, “That is something which I do not recommend or relish if you know what I mean?”
“Neither do I,” Kira scowled.
“I do not believe that Chancellor Gowron will be so quick to resume hostilities with either the Federation or the Cardassians considering how badly he was dishonored in the recent conflict, offered Lt. Worf, "however, I agree that the shield emitters and the weapons should be our top priorities.”
“I concur,” Odo added.
"Dax, I want you to help coordinate Mr. O’Brien’s efforts and lend a hand whenever necessary, and that goes for you when they begin to work on the weapons systems. Mr. Worf.” Sisko sighed and reached up to rub his scalp as if it pained him.
“As important as it is to get the station ship-shape I don’t want anyone run ragged. Schedule some downtime, and that’s not just because folks don’t wish to visit the infirmary.” Sisko darted a glance at the young doctor and grinned. “No offense, Dr. Bashir.
“None was taken, Sir,” he replied.
“All right, then, people, let’s get to work.”
**
When he’d been informed getting two very different technologies that had obviously been designed by different mindsets to work together would be difficult, he’d thought they’d been overstating the case. Several hours into the retrofits and refurbishing of everything in the station from the consoles in Operations to the replicators in the Promenade were accompanied to the tune of Miles O’Brien’s grumbling and considered the opinion of Cardassian technology. Tony Stark realized that they had been right on the money.
It was difficult going, and not just because it appeared that the previous claimants to the station had pulled out everything remotely necessary to get the systems working again. out.
Tony, currently lying on his back attempting to realign the isolinear chips in the science lab three, groaned and asked O’Brien, also out of sight, “Is this really necessary?”
“You don’t have to be here, lad. As a civilian, you can request to be pulled of the reconstruction project.”
“I knew,w going into this, that it would be a challenge, and it would mean an awful lot of work, he sighed, “I just didn’t appreciate what an awful lot of work it would take”
“If it’s any consolation Commander Sisko spoke with Admiral Nechevy, and it seems our timetable has been stepped up.”
“Is that supposed to be a pep talk, Mr. O’Brien, Tony remarked, “because if so, you kinda suck at it.” O’Brien chuckled and squirted out from underneath an exhaust manifold and stood up, dusty, uniform rumpled but with an irrepressible grin splattered on his face. “Duly noted, Mr. Stark.”
“Oh, come off it, Sir
“Don’t call me “sir, Sonny-boy. I work for a living,” O’Brien stated.
“Okay, okay, fine. If I didn’t know any better I’d think underneath all that grumbling and griping I think you positively thrive in this crazy environment, Mr.O’Brien.”
“Well, thank ye for that and you just might be right, but it won’t get any work done jawing about it all day.” With that, they both got back to work and O’Brien went to check on the other work crews scattered about the station. Encounter
Collapsing on the bed in his assigned quarters at the end of a double shift Tony Stark didn’t even bother removing his boots; and as exhausted as he felt he assumed that he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He closed his eyes and lay on his back trying to keep the equations the floated to the forefront of his mind to get in the way of his much-needed sleep. He had just achieved about ten minutes of restful slumber when his door chime sounded. He rolled over and ignored; it chimed once more, and then four more times before he, at last, growled: ‘Yeah, yeah, who is it?”
“Constable Odo came the reply. “Might I have a word with you, Mr. Stark?”
“Whatever it is, can’t it wait until morning?”
“That depends greatly on the answers to the questions I have for you,” Odo replied.
“Okay, okay, come in then.”
Odo came in the expression on his strangely mobile but inscrutable face hardly changed from when they had first met. “I don’t believe in making a point any lengthier than it absolutely has to be. So, allow me to ask you a few questions.”
“Fair enough,” replied Stark,’ What do you want to talk about it?”
“Hmm, seems you share at least one characteristic with a certain Ferengi of my acquaintance and that’s a glib tongue. In any case, I have had the chance to go over your cargo manifest for your luggage and I came across a piece of technology that isn’t accounted for. Care to explain?” Tony Stark groaned and sat up in bed. “What do you want me to say? To be honest with you I was kind of hoping that no one would find out about it until I was ready to unveil it, in all its glory.”
“Whatever are you talking about?”
“You are referring, I assume, to the stuff packed in the crate, right?”
“Yes.” What is it”? Odo asked.
“It’s a suit, but not just any suit. It is my current pet project, and at the moment still in the beta testing phase. It’s supposed to function like an exoskeleton but I’m toying with the idea of incorporating some uh, unique bells and whistles into its computerized AI system.”
“You’re a scientist, I figure you might have some attachment to your ‘pet project’ but why didn’t you list on your cargo manifest when you boarded the transport shuttle?” Odo asked.
“I don’t know. I honestly, didn’t think to list it, and well, I’m still working out a lot of bugs,” he replied and reached up to try and comb out some of the snarls in his dark hair. “Now that’s out of the way, what are you going to do about it?”
“Keep it in the cargo hold, for now, Odo said. “You and the engineering crew have enough to do as it is. Perhaps when the bulk of the repairs are finished we can revisit the situation. Until then, you do understand that I must inform Commander Sisko of your ‘pet project’.” Tony nodded. “Of course. Under one condition, when I do have it finished I get to be the one to demonstrate. I designed it so, I’m the only one whose physiology is compatible with its systems.”
Odo shook his head and his mouth twisted into what for him passed as a wry grin. “Sometimes I wonder if I will ever fully understand solids. I wish you luck, Mr. Stark. You appear to require it.”
“Looks like it,” Tony replied.
“Good night, Mr. Stark.”
“Good night, Mr. Odo.”