“Altering Course” is one of my favorite, favorite Garashir stories out there. Top 5. I honestly don’t know how many times over I read this. I ever wrote my own sort of sequel to it, could not help myself. So I waited a few months into this blog before sharing it, to make I’d have a fair amount of followers who’d see my rec. In case anyone hasn’t read it, which I know many have, as it has like 500 kudos on AO3. But anyway, I’m rec’ing it now.
And why do I love it? Well, here are four major reasons. (There are even more, but these are the main ones, and ones I can put forth without tossing in too many spoilers. Obviously the main spoilers is yes, they do get together. So, sorry, yes, it’s a happy story – spoiler.) So, reasons:
- The world-building. Oh, my stars, the world-building! Not just the building of what life would be like the wake of any devastating war, but specifically how Cardassians would adapt to it, and what Cardassian culture is like in general. A lot of this is gleaned through Julian’s perspective, but the perspectives alternate, so you also see it through Garak’s perspective. You get to understand how Garak sees his new role in his world, how he views Julian, and how he thinks. There is also a ton of vocabulary and invented Cardassian culture, including food, terms of endearment, ceremonies, even folk stories, etc., which make everything so real and vivid. Nothing is generic, but all very specific.
- The wonderfully, carefully, and fully explored relationship between the two of them, shown from both points of view. I’ve certainly enjoyed a fair share of stories where Julian arrives on Cardassia and is in bed with Garak within an hour, but the pacing of the relationship in this story does not proceed like that at all. And in context of the way the characters are done, the way Cardassian culture is developed, it works wonderfully — everything about it feels right. It doesn’t mean those other stories are wrong, I just love the patience and I guess realism of this story, which the author mentions as their intent in writing this, i.e. “What would it look like for these two to actually work out the nitty-gritty of a relationship?”
- The original characters. There are so many great original characters who appear, not just in cameos, but in important roles that build over time. These characters are all Cardassian and are mostly of importance to Julian, who gradually becomes part of a new world, but they are also important to Garak, who actually manages to gain the family and place in community he didn’t think he could ever have. One relationship I really like is between Julian and his boss Peldar at the hospital, who he at first has trouble interacting with (cultural differences) but then gets along with swimmingly, to the point she becomes seemingly his closest friend. There are also Cardassian children who have their own personalities and are more than just cute little poppets.
- The realities of post-war reconstruction. This is a subset of world-building and an important one. There are numerous stories which do a fantastic job of describing life post-war Cardassia, but I like the details this author cooks up. The food-ration system, the pur-nims (mayors) like Garak who manage city sectors, the famine that comes on when colony and Federation relief food supplies are interrupted, people living in ruins, having to reclaim food out of the ruins. It reminded me of tales from life during and after World War II — someone finds tins of food in the rubble of a restaurant and it would be a prize because it could feed your family for two weeks. There’s also a great chapter where Jake Sisko appears and gets involved in the relief effort; that’s handled quite nicely.
Excerpt
Having read the ‘how to properly court on Cardassia Prime’ guide Garak provided, Julian was now ready to discuss the concept further. While chopping oktar (and wasn’t everyone sick of oktar by now), he hoped Garak was once again in a mood to provide actual information. “The couple we saw, where the woman gave the man permission to court her.”
“I trust you have read the information I provided?”
“Yes. I understand the first phase – the suitor is essentially proving his or her potential as a partner.” Along with a short list of permissible physical contact, the first phase of courtship seemed to consist of gifts from the suitor to the courted, and dates in public places.
“An accurate, if somewhat simplistic, analysis.”
“Then the suitor is given permission to use the courted’s first name…”
“‘Courted?’ What an inelegant translation.”
Julian refused to be sidetracked by Garak’s linguistic complaint. He could take that up with the UT program that had translated the text. “… which brings us to the second phase. Your courtship is full of rigid delineations. I hadn’t expected that from a culture with such ambiguous language.”
“Cardassi is not ambiguous, it’s rooted in context,” huffed Garak.
“Which makes it ambiguous. But I digress. The second phase, again, makes sense. The couple is considering their lives and ensuring that they are compatible.” Here the dates could take place in the suitor’s home, as well as public places, and the couple asked each other the kind of questions that humans tended to raise over time. Serving the state came up more than it did for human couples, but the idea remained more or less the same. Also, the list of permissible physical contact got longer.
“That’s quite crucial, since we Cardassians are loathe to dissolve marriages.”
“The guide said that the courted will end the relationship upon deciding they’re not a compatible couple.”
“Naturally.”
“What if the suitor decides that?”
“It’s very rare and suggests the suitor did not approach the courtship with due consideration.”
“So the suitor is already nearly certain that they want to marry this person before they even ask permission to begin courtship?”
“Correct.”
“Okay.“ Nothing like a little pressure. "Back to the phases, it’s the third phase that I’m not clear on.”
“Once the ‘courted,’” Garak said the word with clear distaste, “invites the suitor to their home, physical contact is unlimited. How is that unclear?”
“What’s the purpose of this phase?”
Garak briefly looked up from his attempt to make protein bars more palatable. “Courtship is a serious matter, leading to marriage. The third phase ensures that the couple is truly compatible – in every sense.”
“I see. Making certain that their lifestyles and desires align?” And sexual proclivities, if he’d interpreted correctly.
“Precisely.” With a final sprinkle of salt, Garak seemed satisfied with his protein bar creation. He dumped the chopped oktar on top, then slipped the whole dish into the oven.
“Alright. That brings me to another question. Courtship is a serious matter for lifelong commitment. What about lack of commitment? Do Cardassians have casual sex?”
Garak was startled enough that his head jolted up with decidedly less grace than usual. He looked at Julian for a moment before answering, “Yes, of course, but we don’t talk about it.”
“Casual sex, or sex in general?”
“Either, unless we know the conversation partner extremely well. You might not have realized, since the military men are uncouth enough to brag of their sexual conquests, but it’s not done in polite society.”
“So I shouldn’t ask my colleagues.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Metadata
Title: Altering Course
Author: AuroraNova
Year Posted: 2015
Approx. Word Count: 73,000
Chapters: 15
GB - Slash or Platonic: Slash
My Rating (1-5): 5
Keywords: Post-Canon Cardassia, Friends-to-Lovers, Courtship, Marriage, Family, Anti-Augment Prejudice
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