Abraham's Son by Selena
'"You wanted to live," Winn stated in her calm, placid voice that made her sound deceptively grandmotherly, and Jake reminded himself that she was a dangerous woman who would undoubtedly file this conversation in her mind somewhere where she might use it against his father, if necessary.' Canon largely brushed the fascinating topic of the Prophets/Pagh Wraiths' ethics under the rug but luckily fanwriters have picked it up. This missing scene explores the aftermath of 'The Reckoning', with a perceptive look at what Jake & Winn might have in common
[Added 28/10/2017; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Absinthe Heart by Seema
' "Consider it part of my Hemingway phase," she says as you hand her the drink. / You don't know who Hemingway is nor do you care -- unless he walks into the bar and orders a round of the foul smelling green stuff for everyone.' Lovely precise characterisations as Quark and Ezri almost connect
[Added 15/12/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Acts Of Kindness by JA Chapman
' "Doctor, are you telling me that you missed the entire point of the story?" Garak tutted, "What a shame, I was under the impression that you were more intelligent than that." ' A clever tale within a tale which sheds light on Cardassian values via exploration of their literature. Worth a try despite one or two jarring mistakes
[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Agent Provocateur by Arcady
"To Elim Garak, she was always that woman." A clever reworking of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' that's well worth a read
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
and i have told you this to make you grieve by Kangeiko
'"A man may survive on crumbs for a long time, it is true; but sooner or later a full meal is needed to replenish him." / An actual meal may prove more useful to the populace than a spiritual one, Jaro thought, but if a spiritual meal was all you had to offer, there was no point dreaming of hasperat.' Kangeiko explores the complexities of living under the Bajoran Occupation through the eyes of Jaro Essa (from 'The Homecoming'/'The Circle'/'The Siege'). Precise details make the setting come alive
[Added 04/10/2013; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Big Kid by Paranoid Kitten
Mix Keiko, Miles, Julian, Garak. Stir. A clever and surprisingly plausible vignette
[Added 13/01/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Botantist by thinlizzy2
'She meticulously fluffs leaves and takes soil samples, remembering all the while an offhand comment that her husband had made as they were packing up to leave Deep Space Nine. / "I swear Keiko, you spend more time and energy on those plants than most people do on their families."' A subtle, slow-building character study that takes an unusual notion of Keiko and makes it bear fruit
[Added 10/12/2018; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Chosen by Selena
"Undoubtedly, the Prophets would allow her to show him the error of his ways, in time." A tantalisingly brief glimpse at an early chapter in Winn's life
[Added 15/12/2004; Drama; <1000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Clear Conscience by Una McCormack
Post-war politics, devious plotting and a sympathetic original character
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Clever Plan by Gabrielle Lawson
An intricate plot that leaves the reader guessing right to the end, plus a Bashir who remains true to the complex and fascinating character of the series. Set after the series finale
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Discreet Private Inquiry by Henrietta Wotton
'When you work for an organization that catalogues the most private desires and behaviors of every citizen of Cardassia, youve run into about every perversion imaginable.' An interesting case for Garak pre-exile, as well as one of the most complete pictures of Cardassian society I've encountered. A brief Postscript is set during the show
[Added 09/12/2005; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Dislocation, Condemnation, Revelation, In Temptation by Sabine
Lovely idiosyncratic details in the dream sections make this piece stand out from the crowd
[Added 15/12/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Eureka! by Henrietta Wotton
Henrietta really gets under Odo's 'skin' here. The Bajoran and Cardassian original characters are also convincingly drawn
[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Exile by The Hoyden
'Exile was certainly dark, but in Julian Bashir's case, it was warm and humid instead of numbingly cold.' An intriguing AU which turns the G/B dynamics upside down
[Added 18/10/2011; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
F is for Ferengi (The Tongo Remix) by Cosmic llin
'It was going to make a terrific story. She could only dine out on Curzon's exploits for so long.' Cosmic llin captures Jadzia's playfulness and unquenchable curiosity, as she has a ball on Ferenginar in this unusual vignette. Great fun!
[Added 25/05/2012; Romance/Erotica; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Fabric of our Lives by Una McCormack
'I had not expected to be thinking again so soon of marriage.' A moving character piece, which nails not only the author's speciality, Garak, but also Kira & Jadzia. A real personal favourite
[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Fire Bringer by Deborah
"Blue-eyed children are lucky, they used to say, children of the Spirits." Worth a try for Dukat's take on Cardassian religion alone
[Added 15/12/2004; Romance/Erotica; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Five Things Which Never Happened by Selena
Five different AUs focusing on the relationship between Kira & Dukat, each one a completely believable story in its own right, with some delicious sideturns from canon. One of the most interesting responses to the 'Five Things...' meme I can recall, in any fandom. Simply wonderful! Selena has repeated the exercise for Garak & Bashir, in Paths Not Taken, also highly recommended
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Five-Point Tour of the Alpha Quadrant by Mosca
O'Brien's character development often got sacrificed to his dual Everyman & plot exposition roles on the DS9 roster. These tiny vignettes give him space to breathe
[Added 13/01/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Flowering by Henrietta Wotton
An intelligent look at the physiology and psychology of an alien race
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Adult]
In Due Season by Beatrice Otter
'She sighs in relief as she slips the tightest of the shackles of linear time that have bound her, however imperfectly.' Sarah Sisko's story was never fully explored in canon, and hasn't inspired as much fanfiction as it should. This vignette takes an appropriately non-linear look at the Prophet's side of the story. The author's What You Know gives an important viewpoint that was never voiced on the show
[Added 11/01/2014; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
In the Fire Caves by Deborah
'Sometimes the Prophets speak to us in flame.' A powerful & thought-provoking portrait of Winn Adami which fits neatly into the spaces in canon
[Added 30/12/2005; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Incarnations by Mosca
'Time passes differently in the Great Link than it does in the humanoid realm, so I could not say how long I'd spent there. I only knew that it was time I left.' Strays a little off the beaten track, but Mosca's firm grasp of characterisation sweeps the reader along
[Added 08/07/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Lead, Kindly Light by Tree and Leaf
'Horran's prophecies reminded them that the Prophets could be sought and found in the ordinary and every day, in spring wine shared with a friend, in sowing seeds and bringing in the harvest, in birth and in death.' A thoughtful short which explores Bajoran beliefs, as Opaka ponders her fate
[Added 18/01/2014; Character Piece; <1000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Life That Is Waiting by Lunabee
'She spends most of her free time on the Promenade with Jake, one arm around his shoulders and the other cradling the curve of her belly, watching the cosmos fracture again and again through a viewport. But Ben never comes.' Delicate portrait of Kasidy, and Bajor, after the finale. Sweet but not sentimental
[Added 24/08/2013; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Long Haul by Yahtzee
"It's not as though the Starfleet people will be here very long. They'll blow in, full of themselves and proud of their wealth, pretending to be the saviors of the Bajoran people." This quiet character piece, set immediately before the series starts, just matures with each rereading
[Added 15/12/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Marketing by Miggy
' "Your honor," he said in his most obsequious tones. "It is hardly a new business model to involve existing personalities in the pleasurable storylines of holosuites…' Comedy is so hard to write well, but I think Miggy really pulls it off here
[Added 15/12/2004; Humour; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Nerys and the Emissary by Beatrice Otter
'"Thank you for trusting me," Sisko said, with what she suspected was irony. / Nerys snorted. "I don't trust you. I trust the Kai." Who, apparently, trusted this smooth-nosed foreigner.' A thoughtful deconstruction of the colonialist underpinnings of the DS9 pilot, together with a welcome reminder of Kira's character early in the series
[Added 10/12/2018; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Nom de Plume, Roman a Clef by Arcady
An inventive premise, clever characterisation and a broad streak of humour place these two short stories among the very best I've encountered in this fandom. Folie a Deux forms a longer sequel to both
[Added 16/04/2003; Romance/Erotica; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Obsidian Gothic by Una McCormack
Una's Garak voice is always a treat, and this atmospheric story is one of my favourites
[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Once Upon A Time by JA Chapman
' "You aren't going to tell me some cock and bull story about how you worked as a waiter for some Klingon restaurant and got shorted a tip by a diplomat who later died choking on gagh or something equally bizarre, are you?" ' A bit rough around the edges, perhaps, but this tale within a tale shows Garak at his manipulative best during his time as a gardener on Romulus
[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Orfeo by Macedon
'It was the voice of God calling the world into creation, the primeval dawn, and Jake could not listen hard enough.' Macedon cleverly uses an unusual OC to probe the prejudices of the denizens of DS9 in this fandom classic. The two sequels in the Jeu-Parti series worked less well for me
[Added 14/07/2009; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Our Bodies, Our Selves by Ryfkah
'Still, she understood the weight of a corpse. A corpse weighed about the same when you killed it as it was going to weigh for as long as you had to carry it. New life, on the other hand, was an unknown quantity which it turned out continued to accumulate unexpected bulk on both the physical and the metaphorical level.' Insightful double character study that draws parallels between Kira's alien pregnancy & Odo's solidity
[Added 15/10/2015; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Price of Prophecy by Heretical Vision
'You're no one special. You're just an ordinary girl with a few ordinary ambitions. Your name is Sarah Dillard. You are training to be a photographer, and you are in New Orleans when it happens.' The series glossed over what happened to Sarah Sisko. This is her story. Dark but with a ray of hope at the end
[Added 25/05/2012; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Adult]
Quark's Day by Selena
Lovely subtle group characterisation, which highlights just how the war has changed the denizens of DS9. Also features a cute cameo courtesy of a crossover, but I won't spoil the surprise by revealing the fandom
[Added 07/07/2004; Character Piece; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
The Riding Hound of the House of Tain by Arcady
Arcady combines luscious descriptive prose with a deft touch in characterisation in this unlikely rewriting of The Hound of the Baskervilles
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
The Roads Must Roll by Alara J Rogers
'People glare at Kirayoshi all the time, even though it's obvious from his age that he was born when humanity was still free, when the population codes weren't in effect and it was absolutely normal for humans to have two or even three, four, five children.' A day in the life of our Everyman Engineer in an extremely dark AU. Part of the Judgement Day series
[Added 18/10/2011; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Adult]
Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth by Cardie-ologist
This realistic look at Resistance and Counter-Resistance measures on Bajor during the Occupation features subtle characterisations and a plausible plot
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Strongest Star by Sophia Gratia
'"You'll have us all dragged in front of HUAC and jailed for this, Kay, you know that," he'd growled, but there had been warmth in his voice and he hadn't hesitated even one moment to sit himself down and start typing. She'd wanted to kiss him, for that.' Moving 'Far Beyond the Stars' sequel that can be read as a meditation on the power of fanfiction. (Crossover with various Trek)
[Added 18/01/2014; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
Symbiosis by Nostalgia
'We are, we were, we will be.' Thoughtful and rather unusual Dax piece
[Added 08/07/2004; Character Piece; <1000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
T'naehm series by Sixbeforelunch
'T'Nirin's office was not decorated in a Vulcan style. It was first of all colored in shades of blue and gray, like everything that Starfleet Medical designed. It was also soft, with chairs that offered no proper support. The art work on the wall was what was called watercolor. Many species appeared to find it soothing. Veral found the indistinct shapes and blurred lines difficult to look at for very long.' Sixbeforelunch employs richly textured OCs to explore the effects of the Dominion War on Vulcan. The world building in both parts is impeccable, and the second forms a moving meditation on the costs of war even to non-combatants
[Added 04/08/2016; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Treatise on the Principles of Relativity by Mosca
'This is me, traveling faster than light.' Another excellent character vignette from Mosca's pen: she's encapsulated that strange feeling familiar to anyone who's ever travelled long distance beautifully here
[Added 08/07/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Two Worlds by Deborah Judge
'She remained in that cave for two weeks, this strange cave that glittered of glass and metal. It had been a spaceship, an ancient spaceship from before science was lost on this world.' An unusual possibility for how Opaka might have been selected Kai. Deborah is adept at stretching canon until it almost snaps to let fresh air blow around familiar situations
[Added 18/01/2014; Romance/Erotica; <1000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The War Report by Mosca
'I have grown to hate Fridays.' A quiet, subtle vignette that counts the cost of war through Odo's eyes. Repays rereading
[Added 31/12/2005; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
War Songs by Raven
'"The Festival of Alignment," Sisko says, impatiently. "Is it a fast, a party, a military commemoration, or what?"' A quiet, sweet but not cloying ensemble piece that explores found family. Very much in the spirit of the lighter parts of the show
[Added 28/10/2017; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
What Ails You, An Apple a Day by Nostalgia
A possible future for Bashir. Well written, with an excellent characterisation for Garak -- I wish Nostalgia would write him more often, she's very good at it! Pity the biology rivals Trek itself in suckitudinousness. There's also a sequel, Medicinal Purposes, though actually I felt the first two works stood well alone
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]