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Peanut Jar Mixers Development 7

Scene: On Stardate 43997, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise was kidnapped for six days by an invading force known as the Borg. Surgically altered, he was forced to lead an assault on Starfleet at Wolf 359. Locutus: Resistance is futile. You will disarm your weapons and escort us to sector zero zero one. If you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you. Captain: Red alert. Load all torpedo bays. Ready phasers. Move us to position alpha, Ensign. Ops Officer: They've locked on. Sisko: Reroute auxiliary power. Ops Officer: Our shields are being drained. Sixty four percent. Forty two. Captain: Recalibrate shield nutation. Tactical: Modulation is having no effect. Ops Officer: Shields have failed. Sisko: Full reverse. Captain: Maintain all Argh! Sisko: Damage report. Damage report! Computer: Warning. Damage to warp core. Containment failure in five minutes. Tactical: Direct hit decks one through four. Sisko: Let's get the civilians to the escape pods, Lieutenant. Tactical: Aye, sir. Sisko: Leave everything. Get to your assigned evacuation area now. Computer: Warning. Damage to warp core. Containment failure in four minutes. Sisko: Doran. Tactical: I'll take care of her. You go on. Sisko: Have you seen Jennifer? Sisko: Jennifer? Jake! Computer: Warning. Damage to warp core. Containment failure in three minutes. Sisko: I'm going to get your mom. You're going to be okay. Sisko: Jennifer. Okay, Jake, we'll get your mom out and we'll get out of here. Tactical: Commander! Sisko: Help me. Jennifer, hold on. Tactical: Sir. Sisko: Just help me to get her free. Tactical: She's gone. There's nothing we can do. We have to leave. Computer: Warning. Damage to warp core. Containment failure in two minutes. Tactical: Ensign, take the boy. Ensign: Aye, sir. Tactical: We've got to go now, sir. Sisko: Damn it, we just can't leave her here. Sisko: Jake. Jake, you're okay. Crewman: Stand by to launch. Crewwoman: Ready. Stardate 46379.1. Three years later. Sisko: Jake, there you are. How are they biting? Jake: Small fries. Threw them back. Want to go for a swim? Sisko: Don't have time. We have to get ready. It won't be so bad. I've heard that Bajor is a beautiful world. Jake: So why can't we live on the planet instead of some old space station? Sisko: The station is in orbit of Bajor. It'll be just like shore duty. Jake: Will there be kids there? Sisko: Absolutely. Lots of kids. Captain: Bridge to Sisko. Sisko: Yes, Captain. Captain: We're approaching Deep Space Nine, Commander. We'll be docking in seven minutes. Sisko: Acknowledged. Come on. What do you say? We'll take the pond with us. Computer, end program. Jake: Is that it? Commence station log, Deep Space Nine, Commander Benjamin Sisko, Stardate 46388.2. At the request of the Bajoran provisional government, Starfleet has agreed to establish a Federation presence in this system following the withdrawal of Cardassian occupational forces. The first contingent of officers, including my Chief of Operations, Miles O'Brien, arrived two days ago on the Enterprise. O'Brien: I'm told the Cardassians decided to have some fun the day they left. Four Bajorans were killed trying to protect their shops. Sisko: Why hasn't anybody cleaned this up? O'Brien: We've got all available personnel assigned to repairing primary systems, sir. The Cardassians took every component of value. We're virtually defenseless. I discussed this with Major Kira, the attaché assigned here by the Bajoran government and we decided Sisko: Understood. What about the civilians who operated these shops? O'Brien: A lot of them lost everything they had. A few are trying to rebuild, but most are packing up to leave. Monk: Welcome, Commander. Please enter. The prophets await you. Sisko: Another time, perhaps. Monk: Another time. O'Brien: When my wife Keiko saw our quarters, she started talking about visiting her mother in Kumamoto. Sir, I wouldn't allow the boy to go roaming. We're still having some security problems. Jake: Dad, there is nothing to sleep on in there except a cushion on the floor. O'Brien: We can get you a real bunk off the Enterprise. I almost forgot. Captain Picard wants to see you as soon as possible. Sisko: He does. Any word on our science and medical officers yet? O'Brien: They're expected tomorrow. Sisko: Jake, I want you to stay here until I come back. Jake: Is this the food replicator? O'Brien: I'm afraid they're all offline. There's plenty of emergency rations. I could send some down. Jake: Dad? Sisko: We're going have to rough it til we get things up and running, Jake, okay? Jake: Okay. Sisko: Okay. O'Brien: I'd like to ask the designer what he was thinking about when they built this place. I still haven't been able to find an ODN access. that's the Prefect's office up there. Sisko: So all others have to look up with respect. Cardassian architecture. O'Brien: Yes, sir. Major Kira's been using it. Sisko: Is it my imagination or is it unusually warm? O'Brien: The environmental controls in Ops are stuck at thirty-two C. We're working on it. Sisko: I guess it's time to meet Major Kira. O'Brien: Sir, have you ever served with any Bajoran women? Sisko: No. Why? O'Brien: I was just wondering, sir. Kira: They've become meaningless. Bureaucrat: I just don't agree, Kira. Kira: You are throwing it all away! All of you! Bureaucrat: You're being a fool! Kira: Well then, don't ask my opinion next time! Kira: Yes? Sisko: I'm Benjamin Sisko. Kira: I suppose you want the office. Sisko: Well, I thought I'd say hello first and then take the office, but we could do it in any order you'd like. Kira: Hello. Sisko: Is something bothering you, Major? Kira: You don't want to ask me that, Commander. Sisko: Why not? Kira: Because I have the bad habit of telling the truth even when people don't want to hear it. Sisko: Perhaps I want to hear it. Kira: I don't believe the Federation has any business being here. Sisko: The provisional government disagrees with you. Kira: The provisional government and I don't agree on a lot of things which is probably why they've sent me to this god-forsaken place. I have been fighting for Bajoran independence since I was old enough to pick up a phaser. We finally drive the Cardassians out and what do our new leaders do? They call up the Federation and invite them right in. Sisko: The Federation is only here to help Kira: Help us. Yes, I know. The Cardassians said the same thing sixty years ago. Sisko: Major, when I was ordered here, I requested a Bajoran national as my first officer. It made sense. It still does, at least to me. Now, you and I are going to have to Odo: Yes, Major? Kira: Odo, are you reading something at A-fourteen? Odo: My security array has been down for two hours. I'll meet you there. Kira: We've been having a lot of break-ins lately. No need for you to come along, Commander. Nog: Hurry up! Now. Nog: Now! Odo: All right, just stand where you are. Kira: Hold it! Sisko: That's enough! Odo: Who the hell are you? Kira: Odo, this is our new Starfleet Commander. Odo: I don't allow weapons on the Promenade. That includes phasers. Quark: Nog? What's going on? Odo: The boy's in a lot of trouble. Quark: Commander, my name is Quark. I used to run the local gambling establishment. This is my brother's boy. Surely you can see that he only has a peripheral involvement in all this. We're scheduled to depart tomorrow. If we could be permitted to take him, I promise you he will be severely Sisko: That won't be possible. Take him to the brig. Kira: Quark probably sent the two of them here to steal the ore samples in the first place. Sisko: Major, there's a Ferengi legal tradition. It's called plea bargaining. I might let the boy go, but I want something in exchange from Mister Quark. Something very important. O'Brien: O'Brien to Commander Sisko. Sisko: Go ahead. O'Brien: Sir, the Enterprise hailed us again. Captain Picard is waiting to see you. Sisko: Acknowledged. This won't take long. Picard: Come. Picard: Commander. Yes, please, come in. Welcome to Bajor. Sisko: It's been a long time, Captain. Picard: Have we met before? Sisko: Yes, sir. We met in battle. I was on the Saratoga at Wolf 359. Picard: I assume that you have been briefed on the events leading to the Cardassian withdrawal? Sisko: Yes, sir. I understand they've spent the last half century robbing the planet of every valuable resource before abandoning it. Picard: They've left the Bajorans without a means of being self-sustaining. The relief efforts we've been coordinating are barely adequate. I've come to know the Bajorans. I'm a strong proponents for their entry into the Federation. Sisko: Is it going to happen? Picard: Not easily. The ruling parties are at each others throats. Factions that were united against the Cardassians have resumed old conflicts. Sisko: Sounds like they're not ready. Picard: Your job is to do everything short of violating the Prime Directive to make sure that they are. I have been made aware by Starfleet of your objections to this assignment. I would have thought that after three years spent at the Utopia Planitia yards, that you would be ready for a change. Sisko: I have a son that I'm raising alone, Captain. This is not the ideal environment. Picard: Unfortunately as Starfleet officers, we do not always have the luxury to serve in an ideal environment. Sisko: I realize that, sir, and I'm investigating the possibility of returning to Earth for civilian service. Picard: Perhaps Starfleet Command should be considering a replacement for you. Sisko: That's probably a good idea. Picard: I'll look into it. In the meantime however Sisko: In the meantime, I will do the job I've been ordered to do to the best of my ability, sir. Picard: Dismissed. Sisko: It's really quite simple, Quark. You're not going to leave. Quark: Not going to leave? But we're packed and ready to go. Sisko: Unpack. Quark: I don't understand, Commander. Why would you want me to stay? Odo: I'm curious myself. The man is a gambler and a thief. Quark: I'm not a thief. Odo: You are a thief. Quark: If I am, you haven't been able to prove it for four years. Sisko: Please. My officers, the Bajoran engineers, all their families depend on the shops and services of this Promenade. If people like you abandon it, this is going to become a ghost town. We need someone to step forward and say, I'm staying, I'm rebuilding. We need a community leader and it's going to be you, Quark. Quark: Community leader? Odo: Seems reasonable. You have all the character references of a politician. Quark: How could I possibly operate my establishment under Starfleet rules of conduct? Sisko: This is still a Bajoran station. We're just here to administrate. You run honest games, you won't have any problems from me. Quark: Commander, I've made a career out of knowing when to leave, and this Bajoran provisional government is far too provisional for my taste. And when governments fall, people like me are lined up and shot. Sisko: There is that risk but then, you are a gambler, Quark. Odo: And a thief. Sisko: You know, Quark, that poor kid is about to spend the best years of his life in a Bajoran prison. I'm a father myself. I know what your brother must be going through. The boy should be with his family, not in some cold jail cell. Think about it. It's up to you. Odo: You know, at first, I didn't think I was going to like him. Sisko: Major? Kira: Everyone else is busy repairing the primary systems. I suppose Starfleet officers aren't used to getting their hands dirty. Kira: In the refugee camps, we learned to do whatever needed to be done. Didn't matter who you were. Sisko: I was just talking with our good neighbor, Quark. Te's laying odds that the government's going to fall. Kira: Quark knows a good bet when he hears one. This government will be gone in a week and so will you. Sisko: What happens to Bajor then? Kira: Civil war. Sisko: You think it's inevitable? Kira: The only one who can prevent it is Opaka. Sisko: Opaka? Kira: Our spiritual leader. She's known as the Kai. Our religion is the only thing that holds my people together. If she would call for unity, they'd listen. Leaders of all the factions have tried to get to her, but she lives in seclusion, rarely sees anyone. Monk: Commander. It is time. Opaka: I apologize for the condition in which we greet you. Sisko: The Cardassians? Opaka: Your arrival has been greatly anticipated. Opaka: Have you ever explored your pagh, Commander? Sisko: Pagh? Opaka: A Bajoran draws courage from his spiritual life. Our life-force, our pagh, is replenished by the Prophets. Opaka: Breathe. Sisko: Kai Opaka, if we could discuss Opaka: Breathe! Ironic. One who does not wish to be among us is to be the Emissary. Please, come with me. Opaka: You are correct that Bajor is in grave jeopardy, but it is the threat to our spiritual life that far outweighs any other. Sisko: Perhaps, but I'm powerless until Opaka: Commander. I cannot give you what you deny yourself. Sisko: I'm sorry? Opaka: Look for solutions from within, Commander. Come with me. Sisko: What is it? Opaka: The Tear of the Prophet. Sisko: What the hell? Opaka? Jennifer: Hey! Sisko: I'm sorry. it's just that this. Jen? Jennifer: Yes? Sisko: Jennifer? Jennifer: I'm sorry did we meet last night at George's party? Sisko: George? Jennifer. Wait a minute. This is impossible. Jennifer: Are you okay? Sisko: I know this place. This is Gilgo beach, where we met. Jennifer: We met here before? Sisko: I was carrying three lemonades. The sand was burning my feet, and I stopped here to. Ow! Do you realize how incredible this is? No, of course you don't. I. Jennifer, have a lemonade. Jennifer: I'm afraid I don't accept drinks from strange men on the beach. Jennifer: So tell me the truth. Have we really meet before? Sisko: No. Jennifer: Then how did you know my name? Sisko: I, er, George told me, at the party. Jennifer: Are you going to tell me your name? Sisko: Oh. Ben Sisko. I just graduated from Starfleet Academy. I'm waiting for my first posting. Jennifer: Ah, a junior officer. Sisko: Yeah. Jennifer: My mother warned me to watch out for junior officers. Sisko: Your mother is going to adore me. Jennifer: You're awfully sure of yourself. Sisko: It's not every day you meet the girl you're going to marry. Jennifer: Do you use this routine a lot with women? Sisko: No. Never before and never again. Jennifer: Sure. Sisko: How about letting me cook dinner for you tonight. My father was a gourmet chef. I will make for you his famous aubergine stew. Jennifer: I don't know. Sisko: You're supposed to say, yes! Jennifer: I'll probably be sorry. Sisko: Jennifer! Opaka: Nine Orbs, like this one, have appeared in the skies over the past ten thousand years. The Cardassians took the others. You must find the Celestial Temple before they do. Sisko: The Celestial Temple? Opaka: Tradition says the orbs were sent by the Prophets to teach us. What we have learned has shaped our theology. The Cardassians will do anything to decipher their powers. If they diskover the Celestial Temple, they could destroy it. Sisko: What makes you think I can find your Temple? Opaka: This will help you. Sisko: Kai Opaka. Opaka: I can't unite my people till I know the Prophets have been warned. You will find the Temple. Not for Bajor, not for the Federation, but for your own pagh. It is, quite simply, Commander, the journey you have always been destined to take. Jake: What? Sisko: I was just thinking how much you look like your mom. Kira: Kira to Sisko. Sisko: Go ahead. Kira: Sorry to disturb you, Commander, but there's something on the Promenade you might want to see. Sisko: On my way. Pit Boss: Step up, step up. Fortune's fates are with you today, friends. Girl: Dabo! Alien: That's fine. I'll be right back. Girl: Dabo! Quark: What'll you have, Commander? Sisko: How's the local synthale? Quark: You won't like it. I love the Bajorans. Such a deeply spiritual culture, but they make a dreadful ale. Never trust ale from a god-fearing people, or a Starfleet Commander that has one of your relatives in jail. Girl: Dabo! Sisko: Captain's log. Stardate 46390.1. The Enterprise has been ordered to the Lapolis system. They're scheduled to depart at zero-five hundred hours after offloading three runabout class vessels. Meanwhile, our medical and science officers are arriving, and I'm looking forward to a reunion with a very old friend. Kira: Commander, if you'd like me to give them a tour of the station. Sisko: You and Doctor Bashir go ahead. I'm afraid I have to put Lieutenant Dax to work right away. Bashir: Jadzia, maybe we could get together later for dinner? Or a drink? Dax: I'd be delighted. Sisko: He's a little young for you, isn't he? Dax: He's twenty-seven, I'm twenty-eight. Sisko: Three hundred twenty-eight, maybe. Did you tell him about that slug inside of you? Dax: Yes, but Benjamin, he knows I'm a Trill. He finds it fascinating. He's never met a joined species before. Sisko: I wonder if he'd've been as fascinated if you still looked the way you did the last time I saw you. Dax: Perhaps not. Sisko: This is going to take some getting used to. Dax: Don't be ridiculous. I'm still the same old Dax. More or less. Kira: I'm afraid we've had some security problems. Looks like looters got in here. Bashir: This'll be perfect. Real frontier medicine. Kira: Frontier medicine? Bashir: Major, I had my choice of any job in the fleet. Kira: Did you? Bashir: I didn't want some cushy job or a research grant. I wanted this. The farthest reaches of the galaxy. One of the most remote outposts available. This is where the adventure is. This is where heroes are made. Right here, in the wilderness. Kira: This wilderness is my home. Bashir: Well, I, I, I didn't mean. Kira: The Cardassians left behind a lot of injured people, Doctor. You can make yourself useful by bringing your Federation medicine to the natives. Oh, you'll find them a friendly, simple folk. Sisko: We do have one advantage. The monks have been studying these things for ten thousand years. I've had our computers set up to interface with their historical data banks. Dax: That should give us something. Sisko: Soon as possible, Dax. The eight other orbs are probably in some Cardassian laboratory, being turned upside down and inside out. Dax: Benjamin, I was happy when I heard you accepted this assignment. I've been worried about you. Sisko: It's good to see you too, old man. Dax: Computer, create a data base for all historical references to the Orbs, including all reports of any unexplained phenomena in Bajoran space. Computer: Time parameters? Dax: Ten millennia. Computer: Initializing data base. Requested function will require two hours to complete. Dax: Curzon. Lieutenant: The Captain's in the Ready room, Chief. Should I tell him you're here? O'Brien: That's okay. Thanks. O'Brien: Transport me to the Ops pad, Maggie. Maggie: Yes, sir. Picard: Mister O'Brien? I understand that I just missed you on the Bridge. O'Brien: Yes, sir. I didn't want to disturb you, sir. Picard: Ensign. Picard: This is your favorite transporter room, isn't it? O'Brien: Number three. Yes, sir. Picard: You know, yesterday, I called down here and I asked for you without thinking. It won't be quite the same. O'Brien: It's just a transporter room, sir. Permission to disembark, Captain. Picard: Permission granted. O'Brien: Energize. O'Brien: Message coming in from their commander, Gul Dukat. Kira: Dukat. He used to be the Cardassian Prefect of Bajor. O'Brien: He's requesting permission to come aboard to greet us. Surely a coincidence that the Enterprise just left. Sisko: Mister O'Brien, tell Gul Dukat I look forward to meeting him. Dukat: Good day, Commander. Sisko: Gul Dukat. Dukat: Excuse my presumption, but this was my office only two weeks ago. I'm not used to being on this side of the desk. I'll be honest with you, Commander. I miss this office. I was not happy to leave it. Sisko: Drop by any time you're feeling homesick. Dukat: You're very gracious. And allow me to assure you that we only want to be helpful in this difficult transition. You're far from the Federation fleet, alone in this remote outpost, with poor defense systems. Your Cardassian neighbors will be quick to respond to any problems you might have. Sisko: We'll try to keep the dog off your lawn. Dukat: So, tell me, what did you think of Kai Opaka? I know you went to the surface to see her. I understand you brought back an Orb. We thought we had all of them. Perhaps we could have an exchange of information, pool our resources? Sisko: I don't know anything about an Orb. Dukat: We will be in close proximity should you wish to reconsider my suggestion. In the meantime, I assume you have no objection to my men enjoying the hospitality of the Promenade. Commander. Dax: What do you know about the Denorios Belt? Sisko: Your basic charged-plasma field. Nobody gets anywhere near it unless they have to. Dax: In the twenty-second century, a ship carrying Kai Taluno was disabled for several days in the Denorios Belt, where he claims he had a vision. Sisko: Let me guess. He saw the Celestial Temple of the Prophets. Dax: Not quite, but he did say that the heavens opened up and nearly swallowed his ship. Sisko: Are we reduced to chasing metaphors to solve this? Dax: That's not all. At least five of the orbs were found in the Denorios Belt. There were also been twenty three navigational reports over the years of unusually severe neutrino disturbances in the same area. I've correlated all these reports in one analysis grid. Our Celestial Temple? Sisko: Worth a look, but we've got Cardassians on our back doorstep. We need to get by them undetected. Kira: May we have your attention, please? This establishment is being closed. Quark: What do you mean? You can't do this. O'Brien: If you have a problem, sir, you'll have to take it up with Commander Sisko. Quark: I intend to. This is outrageous. Friends, my apologies. A minor misunderstanding that will be rectified shortly. Give them something to put their winnings into. Cardassian: Because we were winning too much, of course. Cardassian 2: Leave it to Starfleet to ruin a fine day. Sisko: Rio Grande to Ops. Initializing pre-launch systems. Kira: Confirmed, Rio Grande. O'Brien: Scanners are picking up fluctuations in the Cardassian's energy distribution net. Kira: Their computers are crashing. Shields and sensors are down. Odo's done it. Ops to Rio Grande. Kira: You're in business. Sisko: Beginning launch sequence. Kira: Odo's reached the transport site. O'Brien: Trying to lock on. I've never done this with a Cardassian transporter. Damn it, what's the problem. Kira: Nice work, Constable. Dax: Approaching grid perimeter. Sisko: Slowing to one quarter impulse. Dax: Computer, give me visual bearing two three mark two one seven. Range thirty one hundred kilometers. Dax: Sensors are picking up unusually high proton counts. Sisko: Setting a new course to those coordinates. Dax: All external wave intensities are increasing rapidly, but checking. Confirmed. There is no corresponding increase inside the cabin. How is that possible? Sisko: Sensors are not functioning. Dax: We've lost all contact with the space station. O'Brien: Scanners are reading major subspace disruption at their last known coordinates. Kira: What the hell is happening out there? O'Brien: I don't know. They're just gone. Sisko: Are your navigational readings going crazy? Dax: I'll recalibrate when I have a moment. Sisko: Take your time. Sisko: Can you get a fix on our coordinates? Dax: There is a star just under five light years away. No M-class planets Computer, identify closest star system. Computer: Idran, a ternary system consisting of twin O-type companions. Sisko: Idran? That can't be right. Dax: Computer, basis of identification. Computer: Idran is based on the analysis conducted in the twenty-second century by the Quadros-One probe of the Gamma Quadrant. Sisko: The Gamma Quadrant? Seventy thousand light years from Bajor? I'd say we just found our way into a wormhole. Dax: It's not like any wormhole I've ever seen. There were none of the usual resonance waves. Sisko: Could this be how the Orbs found their way into the Bajoran system? Dax: Not an unreasonable hypothesis. Sisko: If it's true, that would mean that this has been here for ten thousand years. Dax, we might have just diskovered the first stable wormhole known to exist. Bring us about, Lieutenant. Dax: I'm modifying the flight program to compensate for the spatial diskontinuities. We should have a smoother ride this time. Sisko: Did you reduce impulse power? Dax: No. Why? Sisko: We're losing velocity. Dax: Forward velocity down to eighty kph. Computer: Warning. Impulse system overload. Auto shutdown in twelve seconds. Sisko: Disengaging engines. Dax: Velocity at twenty kph. I'm picking up atmosphere. Sisko: Inside a wormhole? Dax: Capable of supporting life. We've just landed. Sisko: On what? Dax: It's beautiful. Sisko: You have a strange eye for beauty, Dax. Dax: You don't think this is one of the most idyllic settings you've ever seen? Sisko: We are standing on a rock face. Do you see the storm? Dax: It's as clear as a summer's day. Sisko: You see it, too? Dax: Yes. Low level ionic pattern. It's probing us. Sisko: Someone's idea of shaking hands, maybe. I am Commander Benjamin Sisko of the United Federation of Planets. Sisko: Dax! O'Brien: Another neutrino disruption. Kira: Scanners are picking up an object near their last known coordinates. It isn't a ship. O'Brien: Major, there's something inside it, some kind of lifeform. Kira: Are the Cardassian sensors picking it up? O'Brien: They should be back online by now. We have to assume they know everything we know. Kira: Yellow alert. Secure Ops. Beam it aboard, Mister O'Brien, but put it in a level one security field. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Locking on. Sisko: Who are you? Jennifer and Sisko kissing. A newborn baby. Jake fishing. Doran on the Saratoga. Sisko: Who are you? Jennifer: It is corporeal. A physical entity. Sisko: What? What did you say? Picard: It is responding to visual and auditory stimuli. Linguistic communication. Sisko: Yes, linguistic communication. Are you capable of communicating with me? Opaka: What are you? Sisko: My species is known as human. I come from a planet called Earth. Jake: Earth? Sisko: This is what my planet looks like. You and I are very different species. It will take time for us to understand one another. Jake: What is this time? First Officer's log, stardate 46392.7. We're preparing to launch a rescue mission to find Commander Sisko, but first our navigational sensors must be recalibrated to work under the conditions reported by Lieutenant Dax. Dax: It is no ordinary wormhole. My analysis suggests that it isn't even a natural phenomenon. Bashir: Not natural? You mean it was constructed? Dax: It's very possible whoever made the Orbs also created this wormhole. O'Brien: The Cardassians are leaving their position on a course toward the Denorios Belt. Kira: Mister O'Brien, what would it take to move this station to the mouth of the wormhole? O'Brien: This isn't a starship, Major. We've got six working thrusters to power us and that's it. A hundred sixty million kilometer trip would take two months. Kira: It has to be there tomorrow. O'Brien: That's not possible, sir. Kira: That wormhole might just reshape the future of this entire quadrant. The Bajorans have to stake a claim to it. And I have to admit that claim will be a lot stronger if there's a Federation presence to back it up. Dax: Couldn't you modify the subspace field output of the deflector generators just enough to create a low-level field around the station? O'Brien: So we could lower the inertial mass? Dax: If you can make the station lighter, those six thrusters will be all the power we'd need. O'Brien: This whole station could break apart like an egg if it doesn't work. Dax: Even if it does work, we're still going to need help from Starfleet once we get there. O'Brien: The Enterprise is still the nearest starship. They could reach us in two days. Dax: We should advise Starfleet that we will require their assistance. Kira: You have Ops, Mister O'Brien. Lieutenant, you're with me. Dax: Aye, sir. Kira: You too, Doc. Time to be a hero. Bashir: Yes, sir. Kira: Constable. Odo: This is a security matter. I'm in charge of security. Kira: Security here, on the station. I cannot justify taking you into this wormhole. We have no idea what we're dealing with in there. It could be hostile. Odo: Major, I was found in the Denorios Belt. I don't know where I came from, no idea if there are any others like me. All my life, I've been forced to pass myself off as one of you, always wondering who I really am. Well, the answers to a lot of my questions may be somewhere on the other side of that wormhole. You coming? Picard: The creature must be destroyed before it destroys us. Locutus: It is malevolent. Batsman: Aggressive. Adversarial. Picard: It must be destroyed. Sisko: I am not your enemy. I was sent here by the people you contacted. Picard: Contacted? Sisko: With your devices, your Orbs. Picard: We seek contact with other lifeforms, not corporeal creatures who annihilate us. Sisko: I have not come to annihilate anyone. Locutus: Destroy it now. Sisko: My species respects life above all else. Can you say the same? I do not understand the threat I bring to you, but I am not your enemy. Allow me to prove it. Opaka: Prove it? Sisko: It can be argued that a human is ultimately the sum of his experiences. Jake: Experiences? What is this? Sisko: Memories. Events from my past, like this one. Jake: Past? Sisko: Things that happened before now. You have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. Jake: What comes before now is no different than what is now, or what is to come. It is one's existence. Sisko: Then, for you, there is no linear time. Jennifer: Linear time. what is this? Sisko: My species lives in one point in time. And once we move beyond that point, it becomes the past. The future, all that is still to come, does not exist yet for us. Jennifer: Does not exist yet? Sisko: That is the nature of linear existence. And if you examine it more closely, you will see that you do not need to fear me. Computer: Partial field established. Instability at twelve percent. O'Brien: Partial field? Is station's inertial mass low enough to break orbit? Computer: Procedure is not recommended. O'Brien: Damn it, I didn't ask for an opinion. Just tell me whether or not we can get enough thrust with only a partial field established. Computer: Affirmative. O'Brien: All right. Thank you. Initiate transit mode, three-axis stabilization. Crewman: Aye, sir. O'Brien: Engage thrusters. Computer: Warning. Field integrity declining. Instability at twenty one percent. O'Brien: We've got to close that gap in the field or we'll tear ourselves into a million pieces. Computer: Warning. Subspace field collapse in sixty seconds. O'Brien: Computer, transfer energy from the inertial dampers to reinforce the subspace field. Computer: Procedure is not recommended. O'Brien: Damn it, transfer the energy! Computer: Unable to comply. Level one safety protocols have canceled request. O'Brien: Canceled? Computer: Warning. Subspace field collapse in thirty seconds. O'Brien: I'm going to transfer it manually. On my mark, redirect the flow to the deflectors. Keep the power balanced. Crewman: Aye, sir. Computer: Field collapse in fifteen seconds. O'Brien: Now. Computer: Field energy now within flight tolerances. Crewwoman: Good work, sir. O'Brien: Computer, you and I have to have a little talk. Dax: The Cardassian warship is in visual range. Kira: On screen. They're headed right to it. Bashir: They've got to listen to reason, haven't they? When we warn them what could happen if they go in there. Odo: Doctor, most people in my experience wouldn't know reason if it walked up and shook their hand. You can count Gul Dukat among them. Kira: This is the Federation ship Yangtze Kiang. Major Kira Nerys in command. Dukat: Yes, Major? Kira: Gul Dukat, we know you're headed for the wormhole. Dukat: Wormhole? What wormhole is that? Kira: I strongly suggest you do not proceed. We encountered a hostile lifeform inside. Dukat: Perhaps they will be less hostile to Cardassians than to humans. Odo: Dukat, these people are trying to save you from a lot of trouble. Dukat: Really? And I suppose you'd also tell me these are not the lifeforms that have sent the Orbs, or that your Commander Sisko is not negotiating for their technology. I thank you for your concern, but I think we'll see for ourselves. Odo: So much for reason. Jennifer: Jennifer. Sisko: Yes, that was her name. Jennifer: She is part of your existence. Sisko: She is part of my past. She's no longer alive. Jennifer: But she is part of your existence. Sisko: She was a most important part of my existence, but I lost her some time ago. Jennifer: Lost? what is this? Sisko: In a linear existence, we can't go back to the past to get something we left behind, so it's lost. Jennifer: It is inconceivable that any species could exist in such a manner. You are deceiving us. Sisko: No, this is the truth. This day, this park, it was almost fifteen years ago. Far in the past. It was a day that was very important to me, a day that shaped every day that followed. That is the essence of a linear existence. Each day affects the next. Sisko 2: Listen to it. Jennifer 2: To what? Sisko 2: The sound of children playing. What could be more beautiful? Jennifer 2: So you like children? Sisko 2: That almost sounds like a domestic inquiry. Jennifer 2: I've heard Starfleet officers don't want families because they complicate their lives. Sisko 2: Starfleet officers don't often find mates who want to raise families on a starship. Jennifer 2: That almost sounds like a domestic inquiry. Sisko 2: I think it was. Sisko: As corporeal entities, humans find physical touch to cause pleasure. Jennifer: Pleasure? What is this? Sisko: Good feelings, happiness Tactical: But this is your existence. Sisko: But it's difficult to be here, more difficult than any other memory. Tactical: Why? Sisko: Because, because this was the day that I lost Jennifer. I don't want to be here. Jennifer: Then why do you exist here? Sisko: I don't understand. Jennifer: You exist here. Sisko: What's wrong? What's happening? Dax: We should be reaching the wormhole coordinates in two minutes. Kira: Slowing to one-third imp Sisko: Are you still there? What just happened? Jennifer: More of your kind. Sisko: Another ship in the wormhole? Jennifer: Wormhole? What is this? Sisko: It is how we describe the kind of passage that brought me here. Picard: It is terminated. Sisko: Terminated? Picard Alien: Our existence is disrupted whenever one of you enters the passage. Conn Officer: Your linear nature is inherently destructive. Ops Officer: You have no regard for the consequences of your acts. Sisko: That's not true. We're aware that every choice we make has a consequence. Captain: But you claim you do not know what it will be. Sisko: We don't. Jake: Then how can you take responsibility for your actions? Sisko: We use past experience to help guide us. For Jennifer and me, all the experiences in our lives prepared us for the day we met on the beach, helped us recognize that we had a future together. When we married, we accepted all the consequences of that act, whatever they might be, including the consequences of you. Jake: Me? Sisko: My son, Jake. Jennifer: The child with Jennifer. Sisko: Yes. Jennifer: Linear procreation? Sisko: Yes. Jake is the continuation of our family. Jennifer: The sound of children playing. Batsman: Aggressive. Adversarial. Sisko: Competition. For fun. It's a game that Jake and I play on the holodeck. It's called baseball. Jake: Baseball? What is this? Sisko: I was afraid you'd ask that. I throw this ball to you and this other player stands between us with a bat, a stick, and he, and he tries to hit the ball in between these two white lines. No. The rules aren't important. What's important is, it's linear. Every time I throw this ball, a hundred different things can happen in a game. He might swing and miss, he might hit it. The point is, you never know. You try to anticipate, set a strategy for all the possibilities as best you can, but in the end it comes down to throwing one pitch after another and seeing what happens. With each new consequence, the game begins to take shape. Batsman: And you have no idea what that shape is until it is completed. Sisko: That's right. In fact, the game wouldn't be worth playing if we knew what was going to happen. Jake: You value your ignorance of what is to come? Sisko: That may be the most important thing to understand about humans. It is the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching, not just for answers to our questions, but for new questions. We are explorers. We explore our lives, day by day, and we explore the galaxy, trying to expand the boundaries of our knowledge. And that is why I am here. Not to conquer you either with weapons or with ideas, but to co-exist and learn. Tactical: If all you say is true, why do you exist here? First Officer's log, supplemental. We've rendezvoused with the space station at the former coordinates of the wormhole. Unfortunately, our scans have revealed no trace of either the wormhole or Dukat's ship. A few minutes ago, three Cardassian warships crossed the border, no doubt on their way to search for Dukat. Kira: Mister O'Brien, can you establish a high energy thoron field before they get into sensor range. I don't want them to be able to scan our defense systems. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Dax: They're hailing us. Jasad: I am Gul Jasad of the Cardassian Guard, Seventh Order. Where is our warship? Kira: With any luck, they're in the Gamma Quadrant, on the other side of the wormhole. Jasad: What wormhole? Our sensors show no indication of a wormhole in this sector. Kira: That's because it just collapsed. Jasad: What? Dax: We believe it was artificially created. That may be why our sensors never picked up any of the usual quantum fluctuation patterns. Jasad: You expect me to believe that someone created a wormhole, and now conveniently has disassembled it? Kira: That's exactly what I expect you to believe. Dax: They're flooding subspace with anti-lepton interference. It'll cut off our communications with Starfleet. O'Brien: They're powering up their forward phasers. Kira: Red alert. Shields up. O'Brien: What shields? Dax: They're hailing us again. Kira: Open the channel. Jasad: We do not accept your explanation. Somehow you have destroyed our warship. Kira: Gul Jasad, I assure you. Jasad: We demand the unconditional surrender of this space station or we will open fire. Kira: I need at least a day to make the necessary preparations. Jasad: You have one hour. O'Brien: I can transfer all available power to establish partial shields around critical areas, but if they hit the docking ring we'll sustain heavy damage. Kira: Constable, if you would coordinate moving all personnel to safer locations. Kira: What was the last reported position of the Enterprise? Dax: At least twenty hours away. Kira: We've got to hold out till they get here. Bashir: I can't believe the Cardassians would ever attack a Federation outpost. O'Brien: Doctor, you ever studied your military history of the border wars? Bashir: Yes. O'Brien: You ever heard of the Setlik Three massacre? Kira: I assume, Mister O'Brien, you would agree surrender is not a preferable option. O'Brien: You know what they do to their prisoners, sir. Sisko: What is the point of bringing me back again to this? Jake: We do not bring you here. Jennifer: You bring us here. Tactical: You exist here. Sisko: Then give me the power to lead you somewhere else. Anywhere else. Opaka: We cannot give you what you deny yourself. Look for solutions from within, Commander. Sisko: I was ready to die with her. Tactical: Die? What is this? Jennifer: The termination of their linear existence. Tactical: We've got to go now, sir. Sisko 2: Damn it, we just can't leave her here. Oh, no! Sisko: I never left this ship. Jennifer: You exist here. Sisko: I exist here. I don't know if you can understand. I see her like this every time I close my eyes. In the darkness, in the blink of an eye, I see her like this. Jennifer: None of your past experiences helped prepare you for this consequence. Sisko: And I have never figured out how to live without her. Jennifer: So you choose to exist here. It is not linear. Sisko: No. It's not linear. Dax: Their lead ship is hailing us Gul Jasad wants an answer. Kira: Are you ready, Mister O'Brien? O'Brien: Yes, sir. When they penetrate our thoron field, it should raise a few eyebrows over there. Kira: All right, then, let's give them our answer. Fire six photon torpedoes across Jasad's bow. O'Brien: We only have six photons, Major. Kira: We're not going to win this battle with torpedoes, Chief. O'Brien: Aye, sir. O'Brien: An urgent hail from Jasad. Bashir: Looks like we got his attention. Kira: On screen. Jasad: This is your answer? Kira: You don't think Starfleet took command of this space station without the ability to defend it, do you? Jasad: Defend it? Your space station could not defend itself against one Cardassian warship. Kira: You're probably right, Jasad. And if you were dealing with a Starfleet officer, they'd probably admit we have a hopeless cause here. But I am just a Bajoran who's been fighting a hopeless cause against the Cardassians all her life. So if you want a war, I'll give you one. O'Brien: Major. Remind me never to get into a game of Roladan Wild Draw with you. Cardassian 3: They were using a Thoron field to block our sensors but we were able to penetrate it. Jasad: What are their defenses? Cardassian 3: According to our scans, an estimated five thousand photons, integrated phaser banks on all levels. Jasad: When did they receive these armaments? And how did they installl them without our knowledge? Somehow they have created a massive illusion of duranium shadows. Cardassian 3: What if it is not an illusion? Jasad: It is! Cardassian 3: Why risk the confrontation? The Fourth Order can be here in a day. Jasad: So can Starfleet. Dax: Their lead ship is sending out a subspace message asking for reinforcements. Bashir: Yes! Kira: Too soon for a victory celebration, Doctor. Mister O'Brien? O'Brien: The ships are being deployed into a standard attack formation, sir. Kira: Battle stations. Odo: Quickly now, quickly now. Calmly. Calmly. Come along. O'Brien: They may just be testing us. I could run a pulse compression wave through the phaser banks. Put out a blast that'll make them think twice. Kira: Do it. Kira: Damage report. O'Brien: Direct hit, level fourteen. Empty storage bays. No casualties. Dax: Shields down to twenty-seven percent. Dax: A fuel conduit has ruptured on the Promenade. Kira: Can you divert the main power flow? O'Brien: Controls are locked. Odo: Odo to Ops. Kira: Go ahead. Odo: I've got wounded people down here. Odo: Have you seen that doctor of yours anywhere? Bashir: I'm on my way. O'Brien: I'm going to have to shut down the primary power flow or the whole Promenade will go up. Bloody Cardassians! I just got the damned thing fixed. Bashir: Press there, hard. Odo: Look, Doctor, maybe I should find you someone Bashir: Hold it there. O'Brien: That should do it for awhile. Dax: Shields are at eighteen percent and falling. O'Brien: I might still be able to give you one more phaser blast, Major. Kira: No. Signal the lead Cardassian ship that we will proceed with Dax: Major, I'm reading a huge neutrino disturbance fifteen kilometers off the forward docking ring. It's the wormhole. Kira: On screen. Kira: Hail the lead ship. What did I tell you, Jasad? Kira: There's your wormhole! Sisko: Rio Grande to DS Nine. Kira: On screen. Go ahead, Commander. Sisko: Sorry to be late. Our friend Gul Dukat had some problems on the other side of the wormhole. I see you've had a few of your own. Kira: A few, Commander. Sisko: Gul Dukat is signaling his ships to disarm. Clear me for docking, Mister O'Brien. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Cleared for pad C. Sisko: Casualties? Bashir: Thirteen injured, Commander, and no fatalities. Sisko: Jake! Jake: Dad! Sisko: Captain's log, Commander Benjamin Sisko, stardate 46393.1. The lifeforms who created the wormhole have agreed to allow safe passage for all ships traveling to the Gamma Quadrant. With the arrival of the Enterprise, the Cardassians have left the area. Picard: I suspect that the sight of their warship being towed back by a Starfleet runabout took the heart out of their fight. Sisko: We're not done with the Cardassians yet, not with the strategic importance of that wormhole. Picard: Well, you've put Bajor on the map, Commander. This will shortly become a leading center of commerce and scientific exploration. And for Starfleet, one of our most important posts. Sisko: Captain, regarding our conversation about someone to replace me. Picard: Yes, I'm sorry I haven't had time yet to communicate that to Command. Sisko: I would prefer you ignore it, sir. Picard: I'm not sure that I can. Are you certain that's what you want, because we cannot afford to have an officer who's Sisko: I'm certain, sir. Picard: Good luck, Mister Sisko. Bashir: So, where can someone practice with his phaser around here? Quark: New rules? Kira: You're can't cheat every customer who walks through the door anymore, Quark. You are a community leader now. Quark: Very well, very well. Perhaps we could discuss these new rules over a drink. Kira: If you don't take that hand off my hip, you'll never be able to raise a glass with it again. Quark: Oh, I love a woman in uniform. Dax: Benjamin, three Frunalian science vessels are requesting permission to dock. O'Brien: Problem is, we've been retro-fitting the airlocks. Half of them were damaged during the move, and most of the others when the Cardassians blew out the fuel conduits. Sisko: I guess they'll just have to transport aboard.

Dax: Do you need me, Julian? Bashir: How did you know it was me? Dax: There are different ways to recognize someone. The rhythm of their steps, for example. Bashir: You are remarkable. Dax: Julian, you and I have to have a talk about Trills and relationships. Bashir: Fine. We'll do it over supper. Quark has found me this delightfully dry champagne estate bottled on Korris One. Dax: Julian. Bashir: What is this? Dax: An Altonian brain teaser. Bashir: A brain teaser? Dax: A puzzle. Bashir: A puzzle? I love puzzles. How does it work? Dax: It responds to neural theta waves. The goal is to turn the sphere into a solid color. Bashir: That's all? Dax: That's all. I've been trying to master it on and off for, oh, a hundred and forty years. Would you care to try? Bashir: Yes. Dax: Just sit comfortably, and release your tension into my hands. Dax strokes his head) Bashir: Your hands are cold. Dax: It's a peculiarity of the Trill. Bashir: Cold hands, warm heart. Dax: Concentrate on the sphere. Clear your mind. This requires focus and clarity of thought. Bashir: I understand completely. What is that exotic scent you're wearing? Dax: Focus and clarity of thought. Bashir: Yes, yes, I have it. Dax: I'm going to release it to you now, okay? Bashir: Okay. Dax: Computer, transfer control to second player. Dax: I think your mind is still a little busy, Julian. Bashir: So, are you free for supper? Sisko: Ready, Dax? Dax: Sorry. Perhaps another time. Maybe you'd like to try again. Sisko: Doctor. Bashir: Computer. Reset. Odo: Business is good, Quark. You're almost making an honest living. Quark: A lot of new faces. Odo: The wormhole does bring them our way, doesn't it? Quark: Everybody wants a piece of the new frontier. Odo: And I'm sure you've already tried to sell it to a few of them. O'Brien: We made the decision together. Keiko: Not true. That's not true. You decided and asked me to agree with it. Quark: Grapevine says Chief O'Brien and the missus are having problems. Odo: I'll never understand the humanoid need to couple. Quark: You've never coupled? Odo: Choose not to. Too many compromises. You want to watch the karo-net tournament, she wants to listen to music, so you compromise. You listen to music. You like Earth jazz, she prefers Klingon opera, so you compromise. You listen to Klingon opera. So here you were ready to have a nice night watching the karo-net match and you wind up spending an agonizing night listening to Klingon opera. Keiko: That's exactly what I'm saying. O'Brien: Keiko, sit down, please. Odo: What could they be going on about like that anyway? Quark: She doesn't like it here. Odo: Who does? Odo: Don't even think about it. Quark: I can so think about it. Odo: You might as well try to find a drink of water on the Yadozi desert. Besides I'd say our new Commander is interested in her. Quark: Not at all. I know for a fact, when she was a he, you know, before she got this new body, they were old friends. Odo: Things change. Irudan: All right now, here we go. Odo: How long has he been here? Ibudan: All right, one more time. Quark: He came in on a transport last night. Waiter: Something to eat? Dax: Just steamed azna. Sisko: Well, some things are still the same. Dax: If you'd listen to me, you would eat steamed azna too. Sisko: Dax, did I ever tell you about the meals my father used to cook for us when we were children? Dax: All the time. Sisko: Every night in my house, my dad insisted that we have supper together as a family. He would try out his new recipes on us. He used to call us his test tasters. Dax: Steamed azna will put years on your life. Sisko: Dax, I don't want years on my life if I can only eat steamed azna. Sautéed, rolloped, fricasseed, fine. But not steamed. I've missed your steamed azna. Dax: You must miss Curzon, too. Sisko: He was, you were, are a mentor, another father to me. Dax: This happens to Trills, Benjamin. Sometimes, our friendships with other species don't survive because of the change. Sisko: It won't be that way with us. It's just a little uncomfortable right now. Dax: I suggest you that allow yourself to be comfortable with your diskomfort. Time can do the rest. O'Brien: Keiko. Dabo Girl: Dabo! Irudan: All right. Odo: I don't want you on this station. Ibudan: Yeah, well that's too bad, because I have every right to be here. Odo: I decide who has rights and who doesn't on this Promenade. Ibudan: You'd better ask your Federation superiors about that one. Odo: I don't have to check with anyone. Irudan: Get off me. Odo: You have twenty-six hours to get off this station. O'Brien: Look, I'm willing to ask for a transfer if that'll make you happy. Keiko: That's not fair either. You'd have to give up your promotion. O'Brien: Not necessarily. Keiko: I wish I knew the right thing to do. I'm just lost here. Starfleet doesn't need a botanist on this station. O'Brien: Keiko, there's a whole new quadrant on the other side of the wormhole, full of new plant life to explore. Keiko: And ships going to explore it and I'm not on any of them. O'Brien: We'll be sending runabouts through the wormhole. I'll see to it you get to go. Keiko: I don't need favors from you. I just need to be useful. O'Brien: Just think how much more attractive this place could be if you planted some trees and flowers on the Promenade. You could even create an arboretum from the new specimens we bring back from the Gamma Quadrant. Keiko: Do you really want to raise your daughter in this place, Miles? Kira: Kira to O'Brien. O'Brien: Go ahead. Kira: We have a non-functional power transfer grid on level five. All the upper docking pylons are out of commission. O'Brien: On my way. Jake: Hi. Nog: What do you want, Human? Jake: My name's Jake. Nog: I know who you are. Jake: What's yours? Nog: Why do you care? Jake: Not exactly a lot of friends to choose from around here. You know what I mean. Nog: Nog. My name's Nog. Odo: His name is Ibudan. He used to run black market goods through here to the surface during the Cardassian occupation, gouging his fellow man who needed medical supplies and so forth. Some Bajorans actually considered him a hero, but I saw him let a child die when the parents couldn't afford the drug that would've saved her life. A few years back, he killed a Cardassian officer who wanted a payoff to look the other way. He went to prison for murder. I sent him there. Sisko: For murder? What's he doing out? Odo: The Provisional Government let him go. Killing a Cardassian isn't considered much of a crime nowadays. Sisko: Doesn't sound like there's much we can do about it. Odo: I can get him off my Promenade. Sisko: If he hasn't done anything wrong, you can't just arbitrarily force him to leave. Odo: Watch me. Sisko: Mister Odo, you're not going to take the law into your own hands. Odo: The law? Commander, laws change depending on who's making them. Cardassians one day, Federation the next. But justice is justice, and as long as I'm in charge of security. Sisko: If you can't work within the rules, I'll find someone who can. Jake: What are they? Nog: Garanian bolites. Come on. Bashir: I guess I know the competition now. Dax: What are you talking about, Julian? Bashir: Did you have a nice dinner with Commander Sisko? Dax: Julian, Trills do not look for romance the way humans do. In fact, we find it quite a nuisance. Bashir: A nuisance? Dax: It's a weakness of the young, and although a Trill host may have these feelings occasionally, it is our wish to live on a higher plane, to try to rise above these kinds of temptations. Bashir: You said, try to rise above, which suggests you don't always succeed. Dax: Julian. Sisko: Sisko to Doctor Bashir. Bashir: Go ahead. Sisko: We need medical assistance above the bar in holosuite four. Bashir: Acknowledged, Commander. I still have that champagne on ice. Woman: Help us! Man: Somebody help us! Woman: Something is happening to us! Man: Get a doctor! Odo: The door opened only twice. The first time when the computer logged Ibudan's check-in at seventeen hundred hours, sixteen minutes. The suite was secured so no one else could enter. He ran Lauriento massage holoprogram number one oh one A. Thirteen minutes later the door opened for the second time, but since Ibudan obviously didn't exit, we have to assume that's when the killer left. Kira: Any evidence of a beam in during those thirteen minutes? Odo: No. Kira: Well then how did the killer get in? Sisko: He might have entered the holosuite the same time Ibudan did. Bashir: Cause of death's no mystery. The knife was thrust directly between the left and right thoracic vertebrae, perforating the lower ventricle of the heart. The murderer apparently had a decent knowledge of Bajoran anatomy. Sisko: Doctor, I want you to look for evidence that could establish someone was in here with him. Bashir: I'll do a sweep for hair follicles, any skin or cellular remnants, and DNA fragments. Sisko: How many ships have left since yesterday. Kira: Two. A Federation survey ship and a Vulcan science vessel. Sisko: Advise all ships in dock that departures will be delayed until further notice. Keiko: And they were just looking for trouble. Those kids have no reason to be hanging around the Promenade. O'Brien: It's about the only place they have to go. You can't keep them locked in their rooms. Keiko: This isn't like a starship, Miles. The kind of freedom children have on the Enterprise just won't work on a space station. There are too many ways to get into serious trouble here. What this place needs is a school. Kira: All ships have been informed of the delays, Commander. Sisko: Major, do you know Mister Zayra, who operates the Transit Aid center? Kira: We've met. Sisko: He was just telling me something disturbing. I think you should hear it Zayra: It's just that the murdered man, Ibudan, I spoke to him yesterday about an hour before it happened. Kira: Where was this? Zayra: Quark's. By the dabo table. It was after his scuffle with the shape-shifter. He told me that he was scared. He was afraid that Odo might kill him. Kira: There isn't a more honorable man on this station than the Constable. Zayra: Maybe so. All I know is, an hour later, Ibudan was dead. Officer: Computer, lights. This was Ibudan's quarters. Feel free to look around. Odo: Double accommodations? Officer: That's what he requested, but only one passenger was logged in. He probably just wanted larger quarters. If there's anything else you need. Odo: I want a record of all the passengers on board. Officer: Of course. I'll get you a copy of the ship's manifest. Odo: Computer, how many entries made from this terminal during the last seventy eight hours. Computer: Seven entries noted in personal calendar files. Odo: Show them to me. (Stardate 46383 Secure for departure, Depart from Alderaan spaceport, Lifeboat drill, Lunch meeting with Della Santina, Tennis holodeck 2, Dinner, Ship's concert.) Odo: Take me to stardate 46384 Sisko: You won't get an argument from me, Mrs O'Brien. When I found out what happened this morning on the Promenade Jake: We weren't doing anything. Sisko: I don't want to talk about this now. It's this Ferengi boy, Nog. Jake's won't be having anything more to do with him. Jake: He's the only one here even close to my age. Keiko: That's not exactly true, Jake. There are twelve other children on board, ranging from eight to sixteen. The problem is there's no structured activity for them. Don't you miss the schools you used to go to, Jake? Jake: No. I guess. Studying alone on the computer, it kind of gets boring sometimes. Keiko: You know, I've never actually been a teacher, Commander, but it's something I've always thought about doing. Sisko: As a Starfleet Commander and as a father, I think this is a terrific idea. What do you need? Keiko: Some space. Sisko: We'll find it. Keiko: Computers? Sisko: You'll have them. I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into. I can't force the Bajora, the Ferengi or anyone else to send their children to your school. And even if they do come, every one has a different culture, a different philosophy. Keiko: I know I'll have to come up with an innovative program But I can't imagine any parent not welcoming the news of a school opening here. Thank you, Commander. Sisko: If I hear of you hanging around with him. Jake: I thought you didn't want to talk about this now. Bashir: These are the DNA sequence analyzes, the cellular spectrographs and the particulate matter traces. I asked Lieutenant Dax to confirm my findings and I'm afraid she concurs. Dax: There were no new DNA traces found in the holosuite. Kira: You're saying nobody went into the room with him? Bashir: Well, apart from those of us who were in there after the body was diskovered, this was the only DNA present, and we've identified it as Ibudan's. Kira: Wait a minute. Ibudan goes in the holosuite alone, locks the door, nobody transports in, a few minutes later he's murdered. How is that possible? Odo: It's not. Unless the murder was committed by someone who could get through the cracks in the door. Say, a shape-shifter. Odo: It's a pretty neat package. His calendar shows he was planning to meet with me at the time of the murder. No one except a shape-shifter could get into the holosuite. And since I'd obviously be called there after the body was diskovered, traces of my DNA wind up at the scene of the crime. Kira: Do you have any kind of an alibi? Odo: Major, I have to return to my natural state every eighteen hours to regenerate. To be quite honest about it, I was in a pail in the back of my office when Ibudan was killed. Kira: The killer might have known your regenerative cycle and planned the murder accordingly. Odo: Like I said, a neat package. Kira: Who might want to frame you for murder? Odo: I can think of about five hundred different people, but I haven't seen any of them around the station recently. Do you think that Federation doctor could do a sweep of Ibudan's quarters for me, see if he can find out if somebody else was using that second bed? Kira: I'll send him over there right away. Odo: Thank you, Major. Girl: Dabo! Rom: You want my boy to go to a Federation school? Keiko: Not just Federation. I'm developing a curriculum that will take a much broader approach. Rom: Little lady, little lady, what do you know of Ferengi education? Keiko: I understand you employ a work-study approach, Mister Rom, with apprenticeships in a wide range of business and economic fields. Rom: We throw them into the cut-throat competition of Ferengi commerce and anyone who survives, graduates. Are you prepared to teach that to my son? Keiko: I'm sure I couldn't improve on what you've already taught him in that department. Rom: Thank you. Thank you. I've taught him everything I know. It's so important that we prepare our youth for the challenges of the future. Keiko: Exactly. Consider the advantage your son will have over other Ferengi once he's learned about other cultures, once he learns how others run their economies, conduct business, negotiate. Rom: You will teach my son these things? Keiko: Knowledge is power, Mister Rom. Rom: It can't work. He will not listen to you. Keiko: Why not? Rom: You are female. Keiko: So? Rom: My son cannot learn anything from a female human teacher. Keiko: Let him try it for a few weeks. He has nothing to lose and so much to gain. Rom: I don't think so. Keiko: Will you at least think about it? Rom: Yes. Yes. Of course. Now, really, I'm quite busy. Place your wagers! Place your wagers. Get this lovely young woman a drink. Zayra: What do we know about him anyway? He's not one of us. Bajoran: He isn't one of anything. Zayra: You know what really bothers me? This shifter was the last Chief of Security when the Cardassians were here. Bajoran: He's the one who caught Ibudan for them. Zayra: Why is he still Security Chief? Bajoran: You're right. We ought to talk to Major Kira. Quark: Nobody knows him like I know him. Let me tell you something. He's an ill-tempered, over-bearing crosspatch. But he was no Cardassian collaborator and he's no killer. Zayra: I can't believe you're defending him, Quark. You're his worst enemy. Quark: Guess that's the closest thing he has in this world to a friend. (A gray-bearded Bajoran in a cloak and hood watches the men talking. Zayra: Security, huh? Sisko: Listen, I hear what you're saying. I understand your concerns. Zayra: We're not saying whether he's innocent or guilty, Commander. All we're saying is isn't it reasonable under the circumstances that he Kira: Thank you very much for coming. Kira: This is wrong. Sisko: And what would you suggest we do? Kira: He didn't do it. Sisko: The man we have in charge of a murder investigation is the prime suspect, Major. Those people have a right to complain. Dax: Even if he's innocent, it could still seem like a conflict of interest, Kira. Kira: You're going to relieve him of duty. Sisko: I don't see any other choice. Kira: He has been completely candid about this investigation. He could have covered his tracks a half a dozen times already if he were guilty. Sisko: I appreciate how you feel, but the decision stands. I'll inform him myself. Bashir: The only curious thing I found were these seofurane fragments near the matter reclamation unit. Dish, please. It appears he was trying to get rid of them. Odo: Do you have any idea what they're from? Bashir: I know exactly what they're from. A biological sample container. I use them all the time. Odo: What would Ibudan be doing with a biological sample container? Bashir: That I'm not so sure about, but when I analyzed the fragments I detected traces of a complex organic structure. Odo: Translate, Doctor. Bashir: It suggests Ibudan may have been conducting some sort of medical experiment on board his ship. Odo: He wasn't a doctor or a scientist. Bashir: Let's see what a standard electrophoretic analysis tells us. Bashir: What the? The complex proteins are breaking down into DNA fragments. Odo: And what does that mean? Bashir: It means we should set up a bio-regenerative field to accelerate the cellular development. If I can reconstruct the DNA sequence, it might just give us an idea what he was up to. Sisko: Sisko to Odo. Odo: Here. Sisko: May I see you in my office, please. Odo: Acknowledged. Odo: Commander? Sisko: Sit down. I am temporarily relieving you of duty. I'm sure the reasons are obvious. Odo: Who will be taking over the investigation? Sisko: I've placed Major Kira and Lieutenant Dax in charge. Odo: Will that be all, Commander? Sisko: I want you to know I don't personally believe that you were responsible for this. Odo: Really? Now how can that be true? You don't know me. You have no reason to believe that I wouldn't kill Ibudan if it suited my fancy. So don't tell me there isn't some doubt inside of you, some question about whether or not I murdered the man. Sisko: I simply feel that putting Kira and Dax in charge of the investigation will be in everyone's best interests, including your own. Odo: I'll take care of my own best interests. Man: That's him. Voice: They found his DNA. Quark: I can find out who did it for you. Odo: Not for me. Tell it to Starfleet. I'm not in charge here any longer. Quark: Well now, there's a piece of good news to brighten my day. Odo: You'd better take advantage of my absence while you can, Quark. Quark: Oh, I will, I will. Count on it. I'll have every confidence man in the sector on board by tomorrow. Odo: You do and I'll Quark: What? Odo: You're going get sloppy without me to keep an eye on you Quark: I don't think so. You've kept me on my toes for far too long now. Odo: Sure. I've turned you into a better crook. Quark: Like it or not. Odo: Quark, think you could use a shape-shifter in your organization? Quark: You had me going. Odo: I did, didn't I. Quark: Yes, you did. You know, I've been asking some friends at Kran-Tobol prison about Ibudan. Whether he made any enemies while he was there. Couldn't find any. Mostly he stayed around the Bajoran dissidents that the Cardassians locked up. Bashir: It's growing exponentially. We're going to have to increase the metabolic field energy. Sisko: Just what is it that's growing in there? Dax: Aren't those DNA patterns humanoid, Julian? Bashir: That's what it looks like to me, but there's a genetic drift I can't quite put my finger on. Sisko: What was Ibudan up to? Bashir: We're going to have to wait and see what this becomes before we have a clue. You can transfer it to the larger field now. Nurse: Yes, Doctor. Sisko: Care for lunch? Bashir: Sure. Dax: No, thank you. Major Kira's waiting for my report. Bashir: Just how many different lives do you think she's led? Sisko: I don't even know. He'll go, she'll go through a list of them, then out comes another one in a later conversation. I'd guess that Jadzia is probably the sixth host. Bashir: Has she changed much? Sisko: Changed? Bashir: From the last one, Curzon Dax. I understand a Trill integrates the personality of each new host. Sisko: I guess I'll have to find that out. If I were to tell you some of the mischief he and I got into. There was a time, I was no older than you are, we were at the running of the Rujian Steeplechase. Dax loves the races. Anyway, there were these gorgeous seven foot Ruji twin sisters that Curzon knew, and he and I. I guess we won't be doing that again soon, will we? Bashir: You care for her a great deal, don't you? Sisko: Dax and I are just friends, Doctor. If you're interested, you have nothing to fear from me. Bashir: I mean, I were in your shoes, knowing Dax as intimately as you do, I think I'd find her hard to resist. Sisko: You don't understand, Doctor. Dax used to beat me regularly at bare fist Juro counterpunch. Bashir: Well I guess you won't be doing that again soon, either. Man: I'm not drinking with that scum. Voice: I won't drink near this man. Keiko: In a semi-circle here, facing the module. That's right. Thank you. O'Brien: Here's Mommy. Molly: Where you been, Mommy? Keiko: I've been getting ready for school tomorrow, honey. Molly: Can I come to school? Keiko: I wish you could. At least I'd know one student would be coming. But you have to wait a year or two. O'Brien: How's it going? Keiko: We'll be ready in time. In time for what, I'm not sure. Aside from Commander Sisko, we haven't had a firm commitment from any of the parents. What's this? O'Brien: Just a little something I replicated on the way over. Keiko: Help Mommy to open her present, Molly. Come on, pull. Keiko: Oh, Miles. Thank you. O'Brien: I want to see you standing in the Promenade tomorrow morning ringing your school bell. Man: Murderer. O'Brien: I'd better take her home. Crowd: Murder. Killer. Zayra: Shape-shifting freak. O'Brien: O'Brien to Ops. O'Brien: Security to the Promenade on the double. Kira: Acknowledged. Security: Yes, sir. O'Brien: O'Brien to Sisko. Sisko: I'm here, Chief. What's going on? O'Brien: We've got a crowd, more like a mob, outside Odo's office. O'Brien: You'd better get down here. Crowd: Freak! Shape-shifter! Zayra: Freak! Murdering shifter. Sisko: Odo's inside? O'Brien: Yes sir, he went in a few minutes ago. The crowd followed him from the bar. Sisko: I want more security here and I want them armed. O'Brien: Aye, sir Kira: It's going to be harder to control them if numbers keep growing. We can secure all turbolifts, slow down the traffic onto the Promenade. Sisko: Good idea. Dax: Julian, look at this. Bashir: The chromatin pattern is changing. Dax: It's definitely humanoid. Bashir: It's definitely humanoid. It's definitely. My God! Dax, I think I know what it is. Run a chromosome analysis. I think we're going to find a gene-sequence degradation. Zayra: Shifter! Shifter! Shifter! Shifter! Sisko: Coming through. What the hell do you people intend to accomplish here? Bajoran: We want the shape-shifter! Sisko: And what do you think you're going to do to him if you get to him? Crowd: He deserves to die. Zayra: He's right. How do you get a rope around the neck of a shape-shifter. Sisko: Listen to me. You will disperse immediately. Return to your quarters. Return to your ships. Male: He's a murderer. We want justice. Sisko: Do you? Justice? Really? Is it justice you're after or just some way to express your anger, your fear. Look at yourselves! In an hour, you'll regret what you've tried to do here. Do not condemn this man because he is different than you are. Zayra: We condemn him because of the evidence. Sisko: Then take that evidence to a court of law. There will be no justice served here today. Bashir: Commander! Commander Sisko. I believe we have some new evidence to consider. The man who was murdered was not Ibudan. Odo: What? Bashir: Come with me. O'Brien: All right. break it up now. Kira: Move on, people. Let's clear the area. Security: You heard what she said. Come on, back to your quarters. Quickly, move. Bashir: A clone. That's what Ibudan was working on. Creating a clone of himself. Odo: And then he killed the clone to frame me for his murder. Sisko: How can we be sure the victim was a clone? Dax: A clone has identical DNA to that of the donor, but certain cloning methods cause a characteristic gene-sequence degradation which can be detected. Bashir: if you know to look for it. We've matched the victim's gene-sequence with the fellow in the jar here. They're definitely both clones. Odo: What happens to this one? Bashir: In about two days, he becomes a living, breathing member of Bajoran society. Odo: Let's hope he doesn't follow in his donor's footsteps. Sisko: What about Ibudan? Odo: I have an idea where to find him. Lamonay: Computer, lights. Lamonay: Who are you? How did you get in here? Odo: Oh, I think you know. Lamonay: I warn you, I'll call ship's security. Odo: Do that. I have some interesting questions to ask them. For example, I'm especially curious to know how the name Lamonay S came to appear on this ship's passenger list yesterday. Lamonay: That is my name, and I arranged for transport on this vessel. What should that be so strange? Odo: You did not arrive on this ship. Lamonay: No. Odo: Well, just what ship did you arrive on, Mister Lamonay S? I can't find any record of your arrival on any vessel that has docked here in the last three weeks. Lamonay: I assure you, you are in error. Odo: In fact I think you did arrive on this ship, and that you spent the last few years in prison among Bajoran dissidents, one of whom I've learned was a scientist who was arrested by the Cardassians for conducting experimental research into tri-phasic cloning. Odo: Killing your own clone is still murder. Commander's log, stardate 46421.5. Ibudan has been turned over to the Bajoran authorities just hours after his clone gained consciousness and began a new life. The perpetrators of the mob violence have retreated into their own business. To my knowledge, Odo has received no apologies. Meanwhile, life on the station has begun to return to normal. Keiko: Computer what time is it? Computer: Oh nine oh seven hours. Keiko: I guess you were right. It isn't going to be easy. Sisko: Maybe it's just going to take a little time to Rom: Sit down! Not next to that human boy. I don't want you to have anything to do with him. Rom: We'll try it for a few weeks. Keiko: Please, come in. Take any seat. Try to be on time from now on. My name is Keiko O'Brien, I'll be your teacher. Why don't we turn on our computers and access the files on Bajor to find out a little bit more about the people and history of this world?

Garak: It's Doctor Bashir, isn't it? Of course it is. May I introduce myself? Bashir: Er, yes, yes, of course. Garak: My name is Garak. Cardassian by birth, obviously. The only one of us left on this station, as a matter of fact, so I do appreciate making new friends whenever I can. You are new to this station, I believe. Bashir: I am, yes. Though, though I understand you've been here quite a while. Garak: Ah, you know of me then. Bashir: Would you care for some of this Tarkalean tea? It's very good. Garak: What a thoughtful young man. How nice that we've met. Bashir: You know, some people say that you remained on DS Nine as the eyes and ears of your fellow Cardassians. Garak: You don't say? Doctor, you're not intimating that I'm considered some sort of spy, are you? Bashir: I wouldn't know, sir. Garak: Ah. An open mind. The essence of intellect. As you may also know, I have a clothing shop nearby, so if you should require any apparel, or merely wish, as I do, for a bit of enjoyable company now and then, I'm at your disposal, Doctor. Bashir: You're very kind, Mister Garak. Garak: Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an interesting new friend today. Bashir: You won't never believe who just sat down next to me at the Replimat O'Brien: Major, upper pylon three'll be shut down for maintenance for forty-eight hours. Bashir: The spy! Garak, the Cardassian. Sisko: We don't know for a fact Garak's a spy, Doctor. Bashir: He is. You should have heard him. He introduced himself and he struck up conversation just like that. he was making contact with me, with me of all people. Dax: What do you think he might want from you, Julian? Bashir: I don't know. Federation medical secrets? Rest assured they're safe with me, Commander. Sisko: I'm sure they are, Doctor Bashir. Bashir: In fact, Chief O'Brien, I think you should place a monitoring device on me. Well, just in case he's up to something? Sisko: I don't think that'll be necessary, Doctor. Just be very cautious when you're around him. Kira: Commander? We've got a small craft taking evasive action. Cardassian war vessel in pursuit. Sisko: On screen. Kira: That's Bajoran. That damned Cardassian's firing at a Bajoran scout ship in Bajoran space! Sisko: Mister O'Brien? O'Brien: Confirmed, sir. They've crossed into Bajoran space. Sisko: Open a hailing frequency to the Cardassians. O'Brien: Channel open. Sisko: Cardassian vessel, you are violating Bajoran space. Break off your pursuit. Repeat, break off now. O'Brien: No reply from the Cardassians. The Bajoran vessel is hailing us. Sisko: Open the channel. Tahna: Space station, do you read? Space station O'Brien: We can only get audio, Commander. Sisko: This is Benjamin Sisko, Starfleet Commander of the station. Who are you? Why are they pursuing? Tahna: Please! Repeating request for emergency docking! Please! Dax: The Bajoran scout ship is badly damaged. Structural integrity is failing. Dax: He's breaking up. Sisko: Get him out, Mister O'Brien. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Bashir: Medical assistance to Ops. Tahna: My name is Tahna Los. Request political asylum. Kira? Kira: His name is Tahna Los. We fought together in the underground. O'Brien: Commander, the Cardassians are hailing us. Kira: Now they want to talk. O'Brien: They're hopping mad. Sisko: Open the channel, Mister O'Brien. Gul Danar: Federation Commander, you've taken aboard a known criminal. You will turn him over to us. Sisko: He has requested asylum. Gul Danar: You have not granted it. Sisko: To be honest, I haven't decided yet. Gul Danar: He is Kohn-Ma! Even the Bajorans would not grant his kind asylum. He has committed heinous crimes against the Cardassian people and I demand you release him to our custody. Sisko: I'll investigate the matter immediately. In the interim, if you'd care to dock your vessel, I'll be glad to hear an explanation for having violated Bajoran space and threatened a Federation facility. Gul Danar: We have made no threat to your facility. Sisko: I stand corrected. Sisko out. Sisko: The Major and I will be at the Infirmary. I'd like some time to talk with this fellow Tahna. When Gul Danar comes in, it'd be nice if we had a few docking regulations to keep him outside a while. O'Brien: Understood. Kira: You're not seriously considering handing Tahna over to the Cardassians? Sisko: Were you part of this Kohn-Ma, Major? Kira: If I had been, I would not be working with the provisional government now. Sisko: You'd still be out murdering Cardassians or even some Bajorans that the Kohn-Ma hold in contempt. Didn't they claim responsibility for the assassination of one of your First Ministers last month? Kira: Look, I know Tahna. Sisko: Is he Kohn-Ma? Kira: Yes, but Sisko: I suggest you get your priorities straight, Major, because I don't have any room for divided loyalties in this command. And I won't have a Kohn-Ma terrorist using this station as a protective shield for continuing violence. Kira: My priorities are straight, Commander. Let's not be confused here. my loyalties are to Bajor, and Bajor needs men like Tahna Los. Sisko: Apparently his war with the Cardassians isn't over yet. Kira: If Bajor is ever to rebuild a strong and independent society, it will require the repatriation of splinter groups like the Kohn-Ma. You have, we have, an opportunity here, Commander. I hope you don't miss it. Kira: How is he? Bashir: Second degree burns, lacerations, a minor concussion. Not much compared to what he's been through before. Sisko: Before? Bashir: The most recent of these scars is only two, perhaps three years old. Tahna: Two and a half, actually. Bashir: It's remarkable you lived through this. Kira: It's a Cardassian technique designed to keep you alive. Sisko: I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko. I have a few questions for you if you're up to answering them. Kira: Commander Sisko hasn't decided whether to grant you asylum yet, Tahna. Sisko: Major, perhaps I should conduct this alone. Tahna: Major? Kira: I'm the liaison officer to the Federation here. Still fighting for Bajor in my own way. I'll stop by later. Tahna: What do you need to know, Commander? Sisko: For starters, why were they chasing you? Tahna: You really want to hear the story of my life? Sisko: I assume as a member of the Kohn-Ma you've committed serious acts against them. Tahna: Any one of a hundred that would lead to a Cardassian death sentence. Sisko: Any of them since their withdrawal from Bajor? Tahna: Frankly, yes. Sisko: Why would you continue the violence against them now? Tahna: To be honest, I'm not sure anymore. We say we're punishing them for crimes committed against us for over half a century, but I've had enough of the killing. Bashir: I'm sorry, Commander. He needs rest now. Kira: Admiral, I think Commander Sisko's being incredibly short-sighted. He obviously doesn't understand the issues involved. Rollman: Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Major. I'll stay in close touch with the situation. Kira: Thank you, Admiral. O'Brien: Sir, the Cardassian warship has docked. Lieutenant Dax is making sure that all procedural details are precisely observed, no matter how long it takes. Sisko: Well done. I have some more research to do on the Kohn-Ma before I see them. O'Brien: Sir, I don't know much about the Bajoran terrorists, but you've never fought the Cardassians, have you? Sisko: No. O'Brien: Well, you just wouldn't want to turn a man, any man over to their tender care, sir. You just wouldn't. Subspace transmission from Admiral Rollman for you, Commander. Sisko: In my office. Rollman: Ben, that Bajoran woman you have working for you interrupted a staff meeting to tell me how she disapproves of your handling of this asylum matter. I think you have a problem there, Commander. Sisko: Yes, Admiral. Kira: It's all right. You're safe. Tahna: Strange to run into each other here, isn't it? Kira: It's good to be with someone who knows what it's been like out there. Tahna: Wearing that uniform, I thought maybe you'd forgotten. Kira: Never. Tahna: Working on the inside hasn't dulled that old fire just a little? Kira: Ask Sisko about that. Tahna: Don't get along? Kira: Oil and water. You're tired. I should go. Tahna: Kira, do you think he'll give me to the Cardassians? Kira: Over my dead body. Tahna: That's the Kira I remember. Gul Danar: If you require all vessels to endure such lengthy docking procedures, Commander, you're going to have a lot of impatient traffic out there. Sisko: I apologize. We're still trying to repair all the damage your forces did before they left. It does create unreasonable delays. Gul Danar: I accept your apology, but not your explanation. What about Tahna Los? Sisko: Well, we've got a problem. Gul Danar: A diplomatic insult to the Cardassian people would be a problem. Delivering a wanted criminal to us would not be. Sisko: Danar, in war, both sides commit atrocities. Gul Danar: I can only tell you that we are certain he plans to commit more acts of terrorism Sisko: He tells me that he has renounced the Kohn-Ma and wants to help to rebuild Bajor. Gul Danar: He committed brutal acts of destruction and murder and he must pay for those crimes. Sisko: I appreciate the Cardassian position but I know if a Bajoran freedom-fighter is turned over to the Cardassians by the Federation, that would be a mistake that would undermine everything that I'm trying to accomplish here. So, with apologies, I'm going to grant him asylum for the time being. Eventually, he'll want to relocate to Bajor and if you want to pursue the matter with the Provisional Government, then that's your business. Kira: How long since you've slept in a comfortable bed? Tahna: I can adapt to that part very quickly, thank you. Kira: I'm glad you're here. We need you, Tahna. Tahna: I don't think the Federation has any use for my particular talents. Kira: I mean Bajor needs you. If you had the impression that I'm a Federation officer in any way, I promise you I Tahna: I thought you were under Sisko's command. Kira: I am, but Tahna: You see, that's something I could never adapt to. Kira: Somebody has to coordinate relations between the Federation and the Provisional Government, At least with someone like me here Tahna: Why? Why should they be here at all? What right does this so-called Provisional Government have to bring them here Kira: I know Tahna: After everything we fought for, Kira. Freedom from domination, true independence. No outsiders. No Cardassians, and no Federations. Kira: Things have changed, Tahna. With the diskovery of the wormhole Tahna: Oh, yes, the wormhole. Kira: Look, I don't want the Federation here any more than you do but they are serving a purpose. For the time being, at least. Without the Federation, the Cardassians would be back in a minute to take control of the wormhole. And the wormhole is the future of Bajor, Tahna. It's bringing ships and commerce. It's making us a power in the quadrant. Tahna: I don't want to be a power in the quadrant. I want Bajor for Bajorans. I want our homeland back. Kira: We have it back. And as we grow stronger, we'll be able to defend it ourselves without having to lean on the Federation or anyone else. I know it's difficult to see. After all we've been through, we want it all now. But with people like you leading the way Tahna: You have adapted, haven't you. Kira: Tahna, I've put myself on the line for you here. You are finished with the Kohn-Ma? Tahna: Yes. Yes, I am finished with the Kohn-Ma. Kira: I've been talking with several of the ministers of the Provisional Government about amnesty. For you and any member of the Kohn-Ma who follows you. Tahna: There are some who might, if there were assurances. Kira: I'm working on it, Tahna. I'll find a way to make it happen. Odo: What? Deputy: Sir, we've had a little problem. These two women are just arriving. They objected to giving up their weapons. Lursa: Klingons do not surrender their weapons. ODO@ Who are you? Lursa: We are Lursa and B'Etor. Of the house of Duras. Odo: And we have specific regulations. You can leave the weapons or leave the station. Your choice. Please make it now. B'Etor: Who are you? Odo: I'm the one giving you the choice. Odo: Welcome to DS Nine. Odo: We have some new guests you might be interested in. A couple of Klingon sisters from the Duras Family. Sisko: Lursa and B'Etor. Odo: You know them, then. Sisko: They tried to grab control of the Klingon High Council, started a brief civil war. They've been out of sight since then. Odo: I ran a security check. The Klingons have them listed as renegades. Sisko: We've heard they've been trying to raise capital to rebuild their armies. What are they doing here? Odo: Sitting. They went straight to Quark's, but not for the gambling and certainly not for the food. They're just sitting. Sisko: I don't like it. Odo: Why don't I lock them up and call the Klingons to come get them. Sisko: Odo. Odo: If they're enemies of the Klingon High Council? Sisko: They haven't broken any laws here. You can't just throw them in jail. Odo: You know, Cardassian rule may have been oppressive, but at least it was simple. Sisko: Keep an eye on them. Odo: As you wish, Commander. Bashir: And how are you this evening, Mister Garak? Excuse me, just plain, simple Garak, you said. Garak: Plain and simple. Join me, Doctor. Enhance my evening. Bashir: Keeping an eye on the ebb and flow of things, are you? Garak: As a clothier, I do have a keen interest in what the population is wearing from day to day. Klingons have an odd sense of style, don't you agree? Bashir: Oh, yes, they do. Garak: But intriguing. I would say that those two outfits are worth studying closely. Look. Lursa: All right, where's the payment. Tahna: It's on its way. B'Etor: That was not the arrangement. Tahna: I couldn't stop to get it. I barely got past the Cardassians. Lursa: Your safety is not our concern. B'Etor: Your gold is. Tahna: It will be available tomorrow. B'Etor: Good. Because if we have made this trip for nothing, you will have made a fatal mistake. Kira: I've managed to arrange a hearing of the Ministers' Court. Sisko: Any predictions? Kira: I have two of the ministers, the smart ones, ready to vote for amnesty. I'm sure one of the others will fall in line. Sisko: Good. Kira: And Tahna says two more of the Kohn-Ma are willing to follow him if you'll guarantee their safety. Sisko: Done. Kira: I have to say this, Commander. When we first talked I wasn't sure you. This wouldn't have been possible without your support. I want you to know it's appreciated. Sisko: Be sure to mention it the next time you chat with Admiral Rollman. Kira: Sir. Sisko: Go over my head again and I'll have yours on a platter Sisko: So, Constable. News about our Klingon sisters? Odo: They seem to make friends easily. Sisko: Friends? Odo: Our reformed Kohn-Ma, for example. Sisko: Tahna with Lursa and B'Etor? Odo: Talking about a business arrangement. He's paying them for something. I don't know what. The gold is supposedly on its way. Sisko: Two other members of the Kohn-Ma may be bringing it. Odo: How do you know that? Sisko: Major Kira mentioned that they were on their way. Odo: Do you want her to know about this? Sisko: Not quite yet. Lursa: You are the clothier, Garak? Garak: At your service, madam. May I show you our latest fashions? Perhaps some silk lingerie from Kraus Four? B'Etor: Watch your tongue, Cardassian, or I'll rip it out and eat it. Garak: I meant no offense. I have few Klingon patrons. So, is there something you wish to buy? Lursa: We are not here to buy. We are here to sell. B'Etor: We understand you still represent Cardassian interests here. Garak: I am only a simple clothing merchant. B'Etor: We have no time for your games. Do you want Tahna Los or not? Garak: You are in a position to deliver the Bajoran to Cardassian authorities? Lursa: What is he worth to them? B'Etor: In gold-pressed latinum. Lursa: You insult us. Garak: Ladies, ladies, please. Everything is negotiable. I am no more than what I seem to be, a merchant trying to make the best transaction. So, let us haggle. Tahna: Yes? Kira: I have the third minister's vote. The hearing is simply a formality now. You are going to receive amnesty, Tahna. Tahna: I never realized you were such an accomplished politician. Kira: Me? A politician? No, I don't think so. Tahna: You manipulate Sisko and the Federation, the ministers of the Provisional Government. Kira: I'm just determined. I think they all simply get tired of hearing my voice. Tahna: And here we expected to find that Kira Nerys had lost the fire in her heart. Kira: What are you talking about? You knew I was here before you even came. Tahna, I trusted you. Tahna: I am Kohn-Ma. I fight for the freedom of Bajor. You once fought for it as well. Kira: I'm still fighting for it. Tahna: Stop deluding yourself! You say you don't believe in the Federation, you say you don't believe in the Provisional Government, and yet you are their dance instructor. Kira: That's not fair. Tahna: Don't be naive, Major. Kira: I don't want the Federation here, but for now Tahna: Once you're in your comfortable bed with the Federation, you won't be able to get out. We won't be able to get out. Kira: If you expect me to help you commit some act of violence against the Federation Tahna: No. No, the violence is over. That is the truth. No one will get hurt in any way, I promise you that. But I do need your help. Kira: You've already lied to me, Tahna. I know how the game works. Tahna: To do what we plan, we need a small ship capable of warp speed. I gambled that I could convince you to get it for us. Kira: Just what is this peaceful plan? Tahna: In one move and non-violently, we accomplish everything both of us has ever wanted for Bajor. Kira: How? Tahna: I know the game too, Kira. You know I cannot risk telling you that. Kira: How do you know I won't just go straight to Sisko? Tahna: Well, if you do, we'll both know where your loyalties are, won't we? Bashir: Ah. Plain, simple Garak. How are you today? Garak: Being observant, Doctor. Bashir: I'm sure of it. Garak: There's a time for levity, my young friend, and a time for genuine concern. The arrival on this station, for instance, of those two Kohn-Ma terrorists. Bashir: Terrorists? What are they doing here? Garak: I'm not exactly sure. But together, we might have some success at finding out. Bashir: Garak, I'm a doctor Garak: And once you do have the appropriate answer, I'm sure you'll know what to do with it. Bashir: I really must be getting along now. Garak: Doctor, I think it's time for you to take advantage of my shop. If you'll be there at exactly twenty fifty five hours tonight, I promise to show you a suit that will make you into a new man. Bashir: A suit? We're talking about terrorists, and you want me to buy a new suit? Garak: Doctor, am I making myself clear? I want you to buy a new suit tonight at twenty fifty five, exactly. Bashir: Er, yes, I see. Well, if you'll excuse me. A suit? Sisko: Major? Kira: Commander. Sisko: I'd like to meet the two Kohn-Ma who just arrived as soon as possible. Kira: Of course. I'll arrange it. Sisko: How do they seem to you? Kira: Sir? Sisko: Do you feel as secure about them as you do about Tahna Los? Kira: Absolutely. Bashir: Commander Sisko. Bashir: I need some guidance. Sisko: Yes, Doctor? Bashir: It's about Garak, the Cardassian? I'm afraid this relationship has gotten a little out of hand. Sisko: How's that? Bashir: He wants me to buy a suit. Sisko: A suit? Bashir: At exactly twenty fifty five tonight. Sisko: Why twenty fifty five? Bashir: I don't know but it has something to do with those two Bajoran terrorists on board. He says that together, he and I might diskover what they're really doing here. I don't understand why he wants me involved. Sisko: Sometimes communications can't be conducted through official channels. Maybe this is their way of telling us that we have a common enemy. Bashir: Well, what do you want me to do? Sisko: I think, Doctor, you could definitely use a new suit. Kira: Busy? Odo: What can I do for you? Kira: Are all the security measures in place for the trip to the Ministers' Court? Odo: I told you they'd be taken care of and they will. Kira: Fine. Odo: You know, there's one thing about you humanoids I can't imitate very well. Kira: What's that? Odo: Pretense. There's a special talent to it. It's as hard for me as creating one of your noses. Kira: Maybe that's why I've learned to respect your opinion, Constable. Never any pretense. How much do you know about me, Odo? Odo: More than you probably realize. Kira: I've done some things I'm not proud of. I still have nightmares about the raids on the Haru outposts, but at least I was sure of what I was doing then. Odo: And there's something you're not sure of now. Kira: You have no more love for the Federation than I do. Odo: Meaning? Kira: Maybe there are still wars to be fought and I'm just making a fool of myself doing what I'm doing here. Odo: It sounds like you're trying to talk yourself into something. Or out of something. Kira: Either way, I have to betray someone. Odo: The only important thing is not to betray yourself. Kira: How could I possibly turn against my own people? Odo: Are they? Your own people? Kira: They're no different than I used to be. Odo: Used to be. Kira: I could just refuse to help them. Ignore the whole thing. Odo: The Joranian ostrich hides by sticking its head under water. Sometimes even until it drowns. Kira: Then they'd find a way to do whatever they want to do anyway and I'd still feel responsible for the consequences. It was so much easier when I knew who the enemy was. Odo: Odo to Sisko. Sisko: Go ahead. Odo: There's someone down here in security who wants to talk to you, Commander. Garak: Quickly, Doctor, you're late. It's twenty fifty seven. Now just take this and try that on as many times as you like, and stay very, very quiet. Bashir: I was just Garak: Ah, right on time. Welcome. B'Etor: Save your welcomes, Cardassian. Do your people want the Bajoran or not? Garak: I can now venture to say, with some certainty, that you will receive the agreed-upon payment on delivery. Lursa: We will complete our business with Tahna Los in four hours. Garak: And what business might that be? B'Etor: That is not your concern. Garak: If it requires that those I represent must take extra precautions, it becomes my concern. Lursa: We will deliver him a cylinder of bilitrium. B'Etor: The rendezvous will be on the dark side of Bajor Eight's lower moon. The Cardassians can have him then. Bashir: What's bilitrium? Garak: A rare crystalline element, that can be an incredibly powerful source of energy. Provided, of course, one also has an anti-matter converter. Unfortunately, that's why Cardassians were chasing Tahna Los when he arrived here. He stole one. Bashir: But if he's got both. Garak: Quite right, Doctor. He has the ingredients for a bomb. A bomb of significant destructive capability. Sisko: We have nothing to hold them on. they haven't committed any crime yet. Odo: Conspiracy is a crime. Bashir: Conspiracy to what? We don't even know what their plan is. O'Brien: Once the switch with the Klingons is made, you've got them holding the components to an explosive device. That's enough evidence right there. Kira: Chief O'Brien is right. We have to give them a runabout. Sisko: Agreed. Kira: And I have to be on it. Sisko: Not agreed. Major. Kira: Commander, Tahna doesn't know if he can trust me as it is. If I try to stay behind, he won't buy into this. The only way to convince him is if I'm on board. If Tahna fails, I promise you others will try. At least this way you can find out what they're up to. Sisko: Mister O'Brien, you and I will take a runabout to a point behind the second moon of Bajor Eight to avoid detection. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Sisko: Dax, stay in touch with us on a secured channel. Keep an eye on the Cardassians. They'll be coming to the party, too. You get him there, Major. We'll be waiting. Odo: They're moving into the runabout. Dax: Acknowledged. DS Nine to Ganges. Sisko: Go ahead. Dax: They're in the Yangtzee Kiang. They're initializing pre-launch systems now. Sisko: Understood, Lieutenant. Shut down all main power systems. O'Brien: Dead quiet. Kira: Bajor Eight in one hundred twenty thousand kilometers. Dropping to impulse. What is that? Tahna: An anti-matter converter. I'm transferring power from the ship's warp drive into the storage cells. Kira: We've got a Klingon Bird of Prey decloaking dead ahead. Tahna: It's all right. We're here to meet them. Kira: Klingons? Why? Tahna: You'll know soon enough. O'Brien: The Klingons have powered up their transporters. Sisko: Prepare to go to full impulse. Tahna: Thirteen kilograms of gold-pressed latinum, as promised. Lursa: This is yours. B'Etor: 'eH. HImaH! Kira: What is it? Tahna: Bajoran independence. O'Brien: Bird of Prey is moving off and cloaking. Sisko: Set up an intercept course for the runabout. O'Brien: Intercept in one minute, twelve seconds. Dax: DS Nine to Ganges. Sisko: Ganges. Dax: The Cardassian warship Aldara is crossing the border, Benjamin, on an intercept course with the Yangtzee Kiang. They'll enter Dax: Bajoran space in twenty nine seconds. Sisko: Acknowledged. O'Brien: The Yangtzee's sensors should be picking us up now, sir. Tahna: What is that? Kira: It's another runabout. Tahna: They must've been waiting for us here. How did they know? Kira: We also have got a Cardassian warship three minutes away. The Klingons must have sold us out. Tahna: Prepare to engage warp engines. Kira: There's nowhere to run, Tahna. Tahna: We don't have to go far. Tahna: I should have know. Now set the course for DS Nine. Kira: No. Tahna: If you don't, I'll explode the bomb right here and destroy all six colonies on Bajor Eight. Kira: You would kill thousands of your own people for this? Tahna: The question is whether you would kill them by refusing to set the course. O'Brien: They've gone to warp. Sisko: Follow them. Ganges to Yangtzee Kiang. Sisko: Drop out of warp, or we will open fire. Sisko: Repeat. Reduce your power immediately or we will open fire. Tahna: I doubt that he'll shoot while his Major is on board. But just in case. This is the voice of the Kohn-Ma. Tahna: There is an armed bilitrium explosive device on board this ship. Tahna: Fire on us and you will detonate it. O'Brien: If that device goes off while they're at warp, they'll spread radiation across half the system. Sisko: He's headed straight back for the station. This is the Federation vessel Ganges to Cardassian warship Aldara. Gul Danar: So, we're finally allies, Commander. Sisko: Gul Danar, the Federation runabout Yangtzee Kiang is carrying an explosive bilitrium device. Can you intercept before it reaches the space station? Gul Danar: Our time to intercept is two minutes, fourteen seconds. O'Brien: That's about a minute too late, Commander. Gul Danar: If I may take this opportunity to say that I warned you Sisko: Can we get them in a tractor beam? O'Brien: Not at these speeds. They have twenty seven seconds on us. We may have to shoot them down, Commander. Sisko: Ready photons, Chief. We'll fire as soon as they slow to impulse. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Kira: One hundred thousand kilometers to DS Nine. This is your idea of a non-violent solution? You realize there are hundreds of Bajoran civilians aboard the station. Tahna: No one's going to be hurt, Kira. Adjust your course to take a vectored approach past the mouth of the wormhole. Kira: The wormhole? It's not the space station you're after. You can't possibly believe you can destroy the wormhole with that device? Tahna: I don't have to destroy it, just have to collapse the entrance. Kira: You're only hurting Bajor by doing this, Tahna. Tahna: No more wormhole, no more Federation or Cardassians. Or anyone. Drop out of warp. Now! O'Brien: My God, they're going into the wormhole. At full impulse. Tahna: Damn you! Sisko: Sisko to Kira. Are you all right, Major? Tahna: No, she's not all right, Commander. And if you want her alive you'll do exactly as I say. Sisko: Listen to me carefully, Tahna. Sisko: You can either surrender now to me or you can wait for the Cardassian warship Sisko: And I can let them deal with you this time. Sisko: Your choice. Kira: There'll be no further resistance, Commander. Kira: Tahna, the old ways don't work anymore. Everything is different now. I had to do this. One day you'll understand. Tahna: Traitor.

O'Brien: Look, save your energy. We'll have you out of there as soon as possible. I hope. Try re-routing the power coupling. Jaheel: Mister O'Brien. O'Brien: See if you can activate the interlock servos. Jaheel: Mister O'Brien. O'Brien: Captain Jaheel, those people have been stuck in that airlock for over an hour. Now if you can wait until we get that door opened, I'll be happy to listen to any problems you might have. Jaheel: But I've already been waiting two days for your people to readjust my ship's antimatter flow converter. O'Brien: I'm afraid we've gotten a little bit behind in our maintenance schedule. Jaheel: I'm not interested in hearing excuses. I have a shipment of Tamen Sasheer waiting to be delivered to Largo Five, and I'll need to do better than warp one to get there before it spoils. O'Brien: I'll try to get a repair crew to you by the end of the day. Now that's the best I can do. Jaheel: Your best, Mister O'Brien, hardly seems good enough. Dax: Dax to O'Brien. O'Brien: O'Brien here. Dax: Can you spare a minute, Chief? I have a little problem here at the lab. O'Brien: On my way. Dax: Thanks for coming, Chief. O'Brien: What are you doing out here? O'Brien: Have you checked the EPS convertor? Dax: Yes. First thing. O'Brien: How about the intensity grid? Dax: It's fine. O'Brien: Then it's probably the secondary phase modulator. We had trouble with them last week in the main power core. That should do it. O'Brien: Anything else I can do for you? Kira: The navigational computer hasn't been working reliably for three days. I ask for the star charts of the Argosian sector, Glessene sector comes up instead. That's when I can coax this system online. O'Brien: Uh-huh. Try it now. Kira: That's more like it. You look like you could use some sleep. O'Brien: Who has time for sleep? I'd settle for five minutes of peace and quiet. Sisko: Chief, I thought you were going to fix the replicators. O'Brien: You're absolutely right, sir. I knew I'd forgotten something. Can't have the operations chief sitting around daydreaming when there's work to be done, can we? I'll get right on it. O'Brien: Fix the replicators, Chief. My console's offline, Chief. I should've transferred to a cargo drone. No people, no complaints. O'Brien: Hot coffee, black, double sweet. Odo: Tell me, Quark, am I mistaken or is business a little slow today? Quark: Slow? It's been almost nonexistent for the past three days. Odo: Who knows, if things don't improve you may be forced to close down. Quark: You'd like that, wouldn't you? Odo: Let's just say, without you around my job would be considerably easier. Quark: Without me around, you'd be forced to find some other, poor innocent to persecute. Think about that while you sit here gloating at my misfortune. Asoth: Quark! You call this Kohlanese stew? Quark: If your meal isn't satisfactory I'm sure we could exchange it for something more to your liking. Asoth: Aren't you the least bit curious as to how it tastes? Asoth: Now, you served it, you're going to eat it. Odo: All right, that's enough. Asoth: I said eat it! Odo: I said, that's enough. Odo: Well, another satisfied customer. Quark: It's these replicators. If I don't get them fixed soon, they'll destroy my business. Odo: Why not get O'Brien to fix them? He has the replicators on the command level working perfectly. Quark: I'm on his waiting list. He assures me he'll get to them as soon as he can. Odo: No telling when that will be. The Chief's a very busy man. Quark: Computer, display a station layout. Highlight locations of all repaired replicators on command level. Computer: Information restricted to security clearance five and above. Please enter security verification. Computer: Clearance verified. O'Brien: There you go, sir. I think you'll find that more to your liking. Sisko: Very much appreciated, Mister O'Brien. O'Brien: Don't mention it, sir. Unfortunately, there are plenty of replicators around the station that still need looking after. Sisko: You all right, Chief? O'Brien: I'm just a bit hot. The environmental controls must be acting up again. Sisko: Send my regards to Mrs O'Brien. Jake tells me she's a wonderful teacher. O'Brien: That's nice to hear, sir. She's flower units about the lad herself. Sisko: Excuse me? O'Brien: Sir? Sisko: What was that you just said? O'Brien: She's quite fond of the lad herself. Sisko: I'm glad to hear it. O'Brien: Very good, sir. Security: Ladies. Crewman: Hello, Lieutenant. Dax: I forgot how different it was. Kira: How different what was? Dax: Being female. I haven't been one for over eighty years. All this attention. Kira: I imagine it must take some getting use to. Dax: Actually I find it quite enjoyable. Quark: Major Kira. Lieutenant Dax. Quark: I'd be honored to have you join my little party. As my guests, of course. Kira: What's all this, Quark? You cheat your one thousandth customer? Quark: Who says Bajorans don't have a sense of humor? Actually, we're celebrating the repair of the bar's replicator system. Perhaps I could interest you in a nice double whipped Idanian spice pudding. Dax: What do you think? Kira: I think I'm due back at Ops, but go on, enjoy yourself. Quark: Please, make yourself comfortable, Lieutenant. I did say a double whipped spice pudding, didn't I? Dax: It's lovely. I almost hate to eat it. Quark: By all means, take the time to admire its beauty While I admire yours. Kira: Chief? O'Brien: How can I help you, Major? Kira: You're the one who could use a little help. O'Brien: Oh, no, I'm fine, really. Kira: I suppose this isn't a good time to tell you that number three turbolift has broken down again. Joking, Chief. O'Brien: Major, larks true pepper. Kira: What? O'Brien: Let birds go further loose maybe. Shout easy play. Kira: Chief, you're not making any sense. O'Brien: Round the turbulent quick. Well, close the reverse harbor. Ankle try sound. Reset gleaming. Dinner to bug. Kira: Chief, wait. O'Brien: When? Kira: Chief! Bashir: Computer, continue neural imaging scan and stimulate visual cortex. Computer: All visual responses normal. Bashir: Computer, begin auditory stimuli. Computer: No physiological damage. All brain functions within normal parameters. Bashir: Nurse. Jabara: Yes? Bashir: Will you pull up Mister O'Brien's neurophysiological history, please? Jabara: Yes, Doctor. Kira: What is that? What's he written? Bashir: I wish I knew. O'Brien: Strike limits. Flame the dark true salt. Bashir: Please, Chief, have a seat. O'Brien: Way link complete. Way link! Kira: What's wrong with him? Bashir: He appears to be suffering from a form of aphasia. It's a perceptual dysfunction in which aural and visual stimuli are incorrectly processed by the brain. His actual thinking hasn't been affected, but he's incapable of expressing himself or understanding others. O'Brien: Victory strike limits frosted wake. Simple hesitation! Sisko: I'm not sure I follow you, Doctor. You say Mister O'Brien is aphasic, but all of his tests come up negative. Dax: Isn't aphasia typically associated with some kind of cranial trauma? Bashir: Yes. It can occur as a result of a stroke or blow to the head. But there's no evidence of that here. Dax: Did you check the medical library for any precedents? Bashir: And rechecked. Nothing so far. Sisko: Do you have any theories? Bashir: Not yet. Sisko: Find one. Major Kira, get hold of the Chief's personal duty log. I want to know where he's been and what he's done for the past fifty two hours. Kira: I've already examine it, Commander. He's been all over the station. Sisko: Retrace his steps and see what you come up with. Dax, you will temporarily assume Mister O'Brien's duties. Dax: Yes, I'll Sisko: Is there a problem, Lieutenant? Lieutenant? Dax: I'm sorry, Benjamin. I'm unable to foolish assembled regal controlled weather. Bashir: Spontaneous development of aphasia is virtually impossible. Yet we saw Lieutenant Dax become aphasic before our eyes. This told me we are dealing with a disease that only mimics aphasia. So I ran a full neurosynaptic comparison of Dax and O'Brien, and I found this in the temporal lobes of both patients. Sisko: A virus? Bashir: It imposes itself within the established synaptic pathways and then randomly reroutes them. For example, when I look at this, a process occurs in my brain which connects the stimulus to the word tricorder. This virus disrupts that process. Sisko: I'd see a tricorder but I would say something ridiculous like window. Bashir: Exactly. Jabara: Doctor, I think you should get over here. Crewwoman: Night, the flow trade again. Crewman: View lost pile luck. Away tunnel back the garden. Sisko: Doctor, I want this station put under emergency quarantine immediately. Bashir: Yes, sir. Man: Dabo! Odo: Quark, what is going on here? Quark: What does it look like? Odo: It looks like business as usual, but that's impossible because all shops and business have been closed until further notice. Quark: Except, of course, for essential station operations. Odo: For which this place hardly qualifies. Quark: I don't think they'd agree. This quarantine has everybody on edge, Constable. Would you deprive them of a little harmless diversion? Odo: They'd be safer in their quarters. Asoth: Quark, that Kohlanese stew. Magnificent. Quark: Fortunately, my assistant Rom, was able to fix the replicators. Odo: Yes, very fortunate. Sisko: Jake! I expected you home an hour ago. Jake: Sorry. I was at Nog's. Dad, about this quarantine, it's going to be okay, isn't it? Sisko: It's just a precaution. Nothing more. Jaheel: I wish I shared your confidence Commander. Sisko: Go straight home, son. I'll see you at dinner. Sisko: Captain Jaheel, all visitors have been confined to their ships. Jaheel: Believe me, there is no place I'd rather be. Sisko: Then what are you doing here? Jaheel: Commander, I officially request permission to leave this station. Sisko: Request denied. Jaheel: But none of my crew has been affected by this virus of yours, and unless I depart at once my whole cargo will be ruined. Sisko: Captain, I suggest you return to your ship now. Jaheel: Please. I don't want to get sick. Sisko: I'm sorry, but until we find a cure for this thing, no one's going anywhere. Quark: Computer, let's start with one Ferengi starduster, please. Extra strong. Perfect. Quark: I thought the front wheels were sticking a bit. Odo: Unauthorized access to crew quarters is a crime, Quark. You could have just asked to use the replicators. Quark: There's an old Ferengi saying. Never ask when you can take. How did you figure it out? Odo: You claimed Rom fixed your replicators. Quark: So? Odo: Rom's an idiot. He couldn't fix a straw if it was bent. Quark: You're right. Rom is an idiot. Remind me to get rid of him tomorrow. Bashir: Based on the levels of the virus found in the patients' blood, I believe it's being absorbed through ingestion. Sisko: You're saying it's in our food? Kira: That's not possible. All the food on the station is replicated, and all the replicators use biofilters. They automatically screen out contaminants including viruses. Bashir: Major, I've analyzed samples from replicators all over the station. Food on the command level is contaminated. Sisko: But all of us here have eaten from those replicators. How come we're not aphasic? Bashir: This virus is highly adaptable. Its incubation period seems to vary within each individual. Kira: According to O'Brien's duty log, the last thing he did before become aphasic was fix the command level replicators. Sisko: Get a repair crew over there to inspect the site. Let's shut down those replicators. Maybe we'll be able to limit further contamination. Bashir: I'm afraid that's not going to do it, sir. I've been getting aphasic patients from all over the station. Sisko: How is that possible? Odo: You can thank Quark. I caught him using a replicator in one of the vacant crew quarters. He was producing his entire menu out of there. Bashir: If this virus is present within a large enough segment of the population, it could mean Sisko: What is it, Doctor? Bashir: I just took an air sample. Sisko: The virus? Bashir: It's mutated into an airborne variety. Odo: Which means? Bashir: Which means the whole station is infected. Sisko: Captain's log, stardate 46423.7. Nearly sixty percent of DS Nine's population has now contracted the aphasia virus. We've initiated standard quarantine procedures, and are advising all incoming ships to maintain their distance from the station until further notice. Kira: I found it inside the replicator's pattern generator. Sisko: O'Brien must have accidently triggered it when he repaired the system. Kira: According to Bashir, it introduced an anomalous programming sequence into the materialization subroutine. In effect, it built the virus directly into the replicated food at a molecular level. Sisko: So what we have here is sabotage. Kira: Cardassian sabotage. Sisko: How can you be sure? Kira: It has a diboridium core for a power source. That is Cardassian technology. Bashir: Bashir to Sisko. Sisko: Sisko here. Bashir: Commander, I think you'd better get down here to the Infirmary, as soon as possible. Sisko: On my way. Sisko: You wanted to see me, Doctor? Sisko: Jake? Jake: Left, become better, control, entire hope. Bashir: We've converted some empty crew quarters into a hospital ward. He'll be well looked after. Sisko: I'll take him there myself. Come on, Jake. You're going to be all right. Bashir: Commander, when you've got a moment, I've found something I'd like to show you. Nurse: It'll be fine. Just lay back. I know, but just lay back and relax. Quark: Food. Dabo. Drinks. Money. Hand. Mine. Give. Sisko: Well, Quark, I see even you couldn't weasel your way clear of this one. Quark: You underestimate the Ferengi immune system, Commander. I'm merely here visiting my less fortunate customers to make sure they're not faking the illness to avoid paying their bills. Sisko: No one's that devious. Quark: I am. You gold owe me. I now give. Sisko: We're doing everything possible. I'll be back as soon as I can. Bashir: The virus is synthetic, Commander. Its nucleotide sequence is too perfect. It's clearly not natural. Sisko: You're saying the Cardassians genetically engineered this thing? Bashir: Well that's what I thought at first, but I've studied Cardassian genetic engineering. They always build distinctive monoclonial links into their DNA. This virus has none of those features. Sisko: All right then, who made it. Bashir: That's what I wanted to find out. So I referenced all known DNA construction techniques in the Federation records, and this protein series was the key. It indicates that Sisko: Doctor! Who created this virus? Bashir: The Bajorans, sir. I believe it must have been a terrorist plot to sabotage the Cardassians while they were here. Kira: The energy decay of this power core indicates that it dates back to the building of the station. Odo: That's eighteen years ago. I suppose the Bajoran underground could have smuggled it aboard during construction, before I took over as Head of Security. Sisko: But why would the underground go to all the trouble of planting a booby trap and not set it off? Odo: Maybe they forgot. Kira: No. More likely they were captured or killed before they could release it. Sisko: We need to find out who created this virus. You're our best hope. Kira: Eighteen years is a long time. Odo: Besides, even if she finds who did this, that's no guarantee they can help us. Sisko: We just have to hope they remembers the antidote. Odo: That's assuming they ever bothered to create one. Kira: Had to be someone in the underground familiar with genetic engineering. Galis: Eighteen years ago. Sounds like something Dekon Elig might have thought up. Kira: How can I find him? Galis: The last I heard he was in a Cardassian prison. Kira: Where was he being held? Galis: The Velos Seven Internment Camp. But that was nine years ago. Kira: And you have no idea where he is now? Think, Galis. This is important. Galis: I'm sorry, Kira, but it was all so long ago. Jabara: What is it, Jake? Jake: Roll linger when life. Roll linger when. Jabara: What? Dax: Other support. Strong courage. Jabara: He's running a high fever. Jake: Open way long. Open way. Jabara: Doctor, we have an emergency in crew quarters. Sisko: How is he, Doctor? Bashir: Not good, I'm afraid. The virus has attacked his autonomic nervous system. Sisko: Can he be stabilized? Bashir: He hasn't responded to neural stimulation. I've given him thirty cc's of corophizine to avoid secondary infection, but so far I've been unable to lower his fever. Sisko: What are his chances? Bashir: Unless I find some way to counteract the virus, he'll be dead in twelve hours. Sisko: Have you made any progress? Bashir: No. I've tried base pair destabilizers, sequential disruption, nothing seems to affect it. Sir, I've got seven other aphasic patients displaying the same symptoms as O'Brien here, and I'm afraid this is only the beginning. Sisko: Keep searching, Doctor. I hope Major Kira can find whoever's responsible for creating this virus. Bashir: I'd like to meet that person myself. This virus is a work of genius. Sisko: I'll try to arrange it for you. Computer: Link established with the Bajoran Archival Records. Kira: Locate files on Velos Seven Internment camp. Computer: Ready. Kira: Do you show a record of an inmate named Dekon Elig? Computer: Affirmative. Kira: Biographical data. Computer: Dekon Elig. Geneticist. Former member of the Higa Metar Sect of the Bajoran underground. Killed while attempting escape stardate 39355. Certificate of Death on file. Sisko: No need to ask how you're doing. Kira: Chasing after ghosts. Sisko: You have twelve hours to catch one. Kira: And then? Sisko: People start dying. Kira: Computer, display Dekon Elig's Certificate of Death. Identify signature of witness. Computer: Certificate of Death was witnessed by Surmak Ren, Bajoran Medical Assistant. Kira: Show me biographical data on Surmak Ren. Computer: Doctor Surmak Ren. Former member of the Higa Metar sect of the Bajoran underground. Repatriated to Bajor upon closing of the Velos Seven Internment Camp, stardate 46302. Current status unknown. Quark: Dabo. Odo: Any luck? Quark: I haven't won a spin in hours. Care to place a friendly wager? If it's your reputation you're thinking about no one need ever know. Odo: It has nothing to do with my reputation. The truth is, I never learned the game. Quark: You mean, you've sat here for all these years and you don't even know how to gamble? Odo: That's correct. Quark: No wonder you always look so bored. The rules are quite simple, actually. I'd be happy to show them to you. Odo: Some other time perhaps. Sisko needs me in Ops. And since the entire security force stricken with aphasia, the Promenade in a very vulnerable position. Quark: How unfortunate. Odo: Consider it a warning, Quark, because I'm holding you personally responsible if anything turns up missing. Is that understood? Quark: Perfectly. Quark: Dabo, Bashir: Computer, analyze test sample thirty seven delta. Detail effects on viral containment. Computer: Working. Analysis complete. Sample thirty seven delta ineffective. Viral protein sheath is unaffected. Nucleotide sequence remains intact Bashir: Computer, replay morning. Computer: Command unclear. Please repeat. Bashir: Glass lunch judge a bin to let it Computer: Command unclear. Please repeat. Kira: Computer, establish link with the Bajoran Medical Index for the Northwestern District. Computer: Link established. Kira: Access all information on Doctor Surmak Ren. Computer: There are no records matching that name. Kira: Try the Northeastern District, same search. Computer: Doctor Surmak Ren, currently serving as Chief Administrator of the Ilvian Medical Complex. Kira: Computer, open a channel to the Ilvian Medical Complex. Administrators office. Surmak: This is Doctor Surmak. And you are? Kira: Major Kira Nerys. Bajoran liaison to Deep Space Nine. Surmak: Ah yes, the old Cardassian mining station. How can I help you? Kira: That depends. Surmak: On what? Kira: On whether or not you helped Dekon Elig plant an aphasia virus here eighteen years ago. Surmak: I have no idea what you're talking about. Odo: Look, Sisko. I'm a security officer, a good one, but that doesn't make me qualified to help you run station operations. Sisko: You're probably right, Constable, but as you can see, you're all I've got. Kira: Commander? Commander, I think I found our scientist. Sisko: Does he have an antidote? Kira: I don't know. He broke the connection the minute I mentioned the virus. Sisko: Major, you mind telling me where you're going? Kira: To continue my conversation with Doctor Surmak in person. Sisko: Major, I can't allow you to break quarantine. We can't risk spreading the virus to Bajor. Kira: I am well aware of that, Commander. As a matter of fact, I don't intend to step foot on the planet. Odo: Better let her go, Sisko. She's all we've got. Odo: Let's just hope there's someone left to greet her when she returns. Sisko: Jake. How's it going? I've missed you. I know things don't look too good right now, but they'll get better. You have to believe that. Because I'm not going to lose you, Jake. You hear me? I'm not going to lose you. Odo: You'd better take a look at this. We have activity on docking port five. I think a ship is about to depart. Sisko: Docking port five? That's Jaheel's ship. Put him on screen. Captain, your ship has not been cleared for departure. The mooring clamps are locked and I don't intend to release them. Jaheel: I suggest you change your mind. I'm taking aft thrusters to one half. Sisko: Captain, cut your engines before you rip your ship apart. Odo: He's not reducing power. Sisko: Jaheel, I'm ordering you to stand down. Jaheel: Your orders are no concern of mine. My entire crew has been confined to your hospital. I must leave now while I can still function. Sisko: Look, I understand you're frightened, but believe me, you're better off here. You don't want to be out there alone and get hit by the virus. Jaheel: Don't worry about me. I'm fine, and I plan to stay that way. And if you think you're going Sisko: We'll have to retract the clamps. Once he's clear of the station we can grab him with a tractor beam. Damn. Odo: What's wrong? Sisko: There's too much stress on the mooring clamps. They're not retracting. Odo: His aft isolation plate buckled. Sisko: His main power core's been ruptured. If the internal fuel cells collapse the whole ship will explode. Odo: And take half the docking ring with it. Kira: Computer, isolate a comm. line to the Ilvian Medical Complex, Administrator's office. Computer: Line isolated. Kira: Scan office for lifeforms. Computer: One life form present. Kira: Lock on and stand by to transport. Surmak: This is Doctor Surmak. Kira: Hello again, Doctor. Just checking to see you're in your office. Surmak: I have nothing to say to you Kira: Hello again, Doctor. Surmak: This is outrageous. I demand you return me to my office immediately. Kira: Relax, Doctor, you won't be gone long. Sisko: Try to re-establish visual contact with Jaheel's ship. Odo: No response. His comm. lines are down. Sisko: Bypass communications through a secondary grid. See if you can switch to external pickups. Odo: Got it. Odo: His fire control systems don't appear to be working. Sisko: We have about fifteen minutes before the fuel cells collapse. Odo: I hope you feel better than you look. Sisko: It must be that damn virus. This is Sisko. Any station personnel who can understand what I'm saying come to Ops immediately. We need help up here. We have to get that ship away from the station. Odo: Why don't we explode the mooring clamps. The blast should push the ship away from the docking ring. Sisko: We'll have to get down there and blow them manually. Odo: I'll do it. Sisko: All right. You can cross barrels. All job appallled. Odo: What was that? Sisko: Bread the arrive seen earlier. Odo: Oh, I see. Surmak: Major, this is kidnapping. Turn this ship around or I swear you'll spend the rest of your life in Kran-Tobol Prison. Kira: Fine. But first we need your help. The aphasia virus is spreading through the station. Surmak: Why come to me? Kira: You helped create the virus, didn't you? Surmak: No, I had practically nothing to do with it. Dekon Elig created the virus. I was merely his medical assistant. That seems like a lifetime ago now. I was only in the underground for six months before we were captured. I am not responsible for this. Kira: I am not looking to place blame. All I want is the antidote. Surmak: I don't know of any antidote. If Dekon made one, he never told me. Kira: Listen, Surmak. I have a station full of dying people, and you are the closest thing there is to an expert on this virus. Surmak: I sympathize, Major. But I don't think I can help you. Kira: All right. Then how about helping yourself? Surmak: Meaning what? Kira: Meaning I've been infected with your virus, Doctor. So now you're infected too. Odo: To anyone who can hear me. This is Odo. Sisko's infected. I could really use some help here in Ops. Quark: Do I detect a note of panic in your voice? Odo: Quark, am I to believe you're volunteering to help? Quark: Who said anything about volunteering? We can haggle over price later. Now, how may I be of use? Odo: I need to get to docking port five now. That ship's going to explode in five minutes. Quark: I'll beam you over. Odo: You? Quark: Relax. I served on a Ferengi freighter for eight years. Odo: All right. Quark: I must have witnessed the procedure hundreds of times. Odo: Witnessed? You mean to say you never handled the controls yourself? Quark: Energizing. Kira: Kira to Ops. Approaching landing pad seven. Request clearance to initiate docking procedure. Quark: Welcome back. I could use some help up here. Kira: Quark? What are you doing in Ops? Surmak: First thing I need to see is your Doctors' viral characterisation research. He was beginning to develop an antidote series. Let's take a look at that. Kira: Listen, Doctor, I'll be in Ops. If you need me use this string impact. Lot show red intense. Surmak: I think you'd better sit down, Major. Jaheel: Dog fellow distance. Odo: Yeah, tell me about it. Quark: Odo, you'd better hurry up. Quark: That ship's going to explode in one minute. Surmak: Virus protein sheath. Nucleotide sequence. Yes, that's right. It's an adaptive, synaptic inhibitor. Dekon was brilliant, no doubt of that. I think we've found your antidote, Major. Quark: Forty seconds. Quark: Thirty seconds. Hurry. Odo: I know, I know. Quark: Twenty seconds! Quark: Ten seconds! Quark: Odo? Quark to Odo. Quark: You still with us? Odo: Try not to sound too disappointed. Quark: Now, about that little matter of my hazard pay. Odo: Come on, come on. Sisko: Captain's log, stardate 46425.8. With the help of Doctor Bashir's notes, Doctor Surmak was able to find an antidote for the aphasia virus. We are continuing to administer it throughout the station, and things are slowly returning to normal. Sisko: Good to have you back, Chief. O'Brien: Thank you, sir. Sisko: Coffee, black. O'Brien!

Sarda: I'm not what a lot of people think. I mean, if you're a dabo girl, you know, you get a reputation. Sisko: Miss Sarda, why don't tell me exactly what happened? When did you start to have trouble with Quark? Sarda: About five minutes after I got off the ship. Sisko: He immediately made sexual advances? Sarda: He said it was part of the job. Sisko: And what did you say? Sarda: I told him I'd wear the costume and entertain the gamblers, but to keep his Ferengi knuckles to himself. Sisko: That didn't stop him? Sarda: No. He said again that it was part of the job. He showed me my employment agreement. See? There it is in the Ferengi print. Page twenty one, subsection D, paragraph twelve. Sisko: You're telling me the contract you signed requires you to Sarda: I guess I should have read it more carefully. I'm not a legal expert, Commander Sisko: I'm not a legal expert either, but I can assure you, after I talk to Quark, he won't hold you or anyone else to this provision concerning the exchange Kira: Commander, sensors are picking up elevated neutrino readings. Something's coming through the wormhole. Sisko: Excuse me. Sarda: Thank you, Commander. Sisko: Are any of the transports due back? Kira: Not according to our logs. Sisko: Put us on yellow alert. Dax: It doesn't match anything in Starfleet files. O'Brien: I'm getting readings of a massive energy flux. It could be damaged. Dax: Sensors indicate a single humanoid lifeform on board. Sisko: Hail it. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Hail acknowledged. Response coming in. Sisko: On screen. Sisko: Welcome to the Alpha Quadrant. I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko of the United Federation of Planets. Tosk: Alpha Quadrant? Sisko: You've passed through a wormhole into a new part of the galaxy. Tosk: I saw a small ship disappear. I followed it Sisko: That was one of our patrol vessels. You've traveled almost ninety thousand light years. What planet do you come from? Tosk: How long does it last, this anomaly? Sisko: It's stable. You can return whenever you want. In the meantime, you're welcome to dock here and we'll try to answer all your questions. Tosk: No. No time. O'Brien: Inertial stress is overloading his structural capacity. Sisko: Prepare to transport him off his ship. Tosk: I will not abandon my vessel. Sisko: Sir, your ship is in danger of Tosk: I will not leave! O'Brien: We can use a tractor beam to tow him in. The beam's graviton field should shore up the structural integrity. Sisko: Do it. O'Brien: Cut your engines. Tosk: Why? O'Brien: So I can save your ship, friend. We'll bring you in. Try to fix you up as good as new. Good. Engaging tractor beam. Steady now. Feel the graviton field taking hold? Tosk: Yes. O'Brien: You'll be fine now. Just relax and enjoy the ride. Dax: I think we might want to skip formal first contact procedures for now. Sisko: Agreed. Why don't you meet him by yourself at the airlock, Mister O'Brien. He might find that a little less intimidating. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Sisko: And, if you can, find out what he's so nervous about. O'Brien: Aye, sir. O'Brien: O'Brien to Ops. Sisko: Go ahead, Chief. O'Brien: Sure you O'Brien: Didn't beam this fellow out when I wasn't looking, did you? Sisko: Negative. O'Brien: Well, he's not in here. Dax: Sensors say Dax: He's still on board, Chief. O'Brien: Friend? If you're in here, you've got nothing to worry about from me. Understand? I'm just going to take a look at your ship. See what the problem is. Okay? Just to let you know, I'm an engineer. I know a little bit about ships. Well, more than a little, actually, but I'll tell you, I've never seen anything close to this. All right then. Is this some sort of plasma injector? Okay. Then O'Brien: that must be an off-axis field controller over there. Tosk: The coladrium flow has been damaged. O'Brien: You can't go sneaking up on someone like that, friend. It's an Alpha quadrant rule. Tosk: Can it be repaired? O'Brien: Well, that all depends. Tosk: Depends? O'Brien: On what exactly a coladrium flow is. Tosk: On my world, it would be simple. With proper materials I could do it myself. O'Brien: Hang on, I didn't say we couldn't figure it out. You're just going to have to teach me as we go. I'm sure that we can Tosk: I have no time! O'Brien: I know. Everybody's in a hurry these days. We'll get you on your way as soon as it's humanly possible. Oh, that's me, by the way, human species. Name's O'Brien. Tosk: Oh. Brien. O'Brien: Miles O'Brien, Chief of Operations. How about you? Tosk: I am Tosk. O'Brien: That's your name or your species? Tosk: I am Tosk. O'Brien: Tosk, it is. Come on. There's nothing to be afraid of out there. We've got to let your reactor cool down anyway before we can do anything else. Come on. I've work to do. O'Brien: So what happened to you, anyway? Looks like you took some sort of shot to your hull. Tosk: The passage through the anomaly was very rough. O'Brien: Yeah, sure. The wormhole can shake you up all right. O'Brien: Security sensor. Screens for weapons. It's just picking up my phaser. You're fine. Tosk: You wear a weapon? O'Brien: Defensive purposes only. It may not seem hospitable, but when you go into an alien ship for the first time, you never know what might be in there. You may even find someone who can make himself invisible, you know what I mean? Tosk: I understand. A health center? O'Brien: Yeah. That's Doctor Bashir. He looks after our medical problems. Tosk: How many live here? O'Brien: Well, three hundred, more or less. Tosk: What is its purpose? O'Brien: Purpose? Tosk: Defense? Surveillance? O'Brien: Well, sometimes when I walk along here I feel like we're the flea markets of the sector. But I guess our real job is to keep an eye on the wormhole. There's traffic going in and out all the time now. Tosk: Many ships dock here? O'Brien: Five or six a week. We sometimes have a whole convoy on its way through the wormhole. But you have the honor of being the first visitor from the other side. Tosk: Others will detect ships from your quadrant as I did and follow them here. O'Brien: We hope so. Our mission as Starfleet officers is to seek out new life forms so we can learn about each other. Quark: Madame, I distinctly saw you move your wager to the green line after the play was completed. I will return your currency, but you will promptly leave the establishment. You are not welcome here. O'Brien: Well, there are some things to learn about us that can wait. How about you? Are you an explorer? A scientist? Tosk: I am Tosk. O'Brien: Right. O'Brien: Computer, lights. I wasn't the decorator. Tosk: I wish to begin work on my ship. O'Brien: Yes, well, we'll start as soon as we can Now, why don't you get some rest? Tosk: I require only seventeen minutes of sleep per rotation. O'Brien: Seventeen? No kidding. If I don't get a good eight hours a night, I'm not the same man. Are you hungry? Tosk: Hungry? O'Brien: You know, would you like to eat, take in sustenance? Tosk: Liquid nutrients are stored in plasmic fibers throughout my body. O'Brien: Well, this is the food replicator over here in case you change your mind. We've finally got it making a pretty good bowl of oatmeal. Just ask the computer if you need anything else. Tosk: Oh Brien. Thank you. O'Brien: As the Vulcans say, we're here to serve. Tosk: Computer. Computer: State request. Tosk: May I see a display of this facility? Computer: Specify exterior or interior display. Tosk: Interior. Computer: Interior display available in nineteen sections. Specify requirements. Tosk: Show me where the weapons are stored. Computer: Habitat ring, level five, section three. Access restricted to security clearance seven and above. O'Brien: It's hard to say, sir. You hate to prejudge anyone. Sisko: What're you thinking, Chief? O'Brien: You know the old saying. A man who's always looking over his shoulder is waiting for trouble to find him. Sisko: You think he's on the run? O'Brien: I'll tell you this. He wasn't telling the whole truth about the damage to his ship. It sure wasn't caused by the wormhole. Somebody took a shot at him. It came in at a forty five degree angle to the hull, sliced through two propulsion systems. I'll know more when I get a better look at it. Sisko: Stay with him as much as possible while he's here. I'll tell Odo to keep an eye on him too. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Tosk: No. The coladrium flows through the arva nodes. O'Brien: What are they? Some kind of high-energy magnetic coils? Tosk: For fuel replenishment. Fuel? O'Brien: Like a ramscoop. Tosk: Ramscoop? O'Brien: To capture stellar gasses and convert them into usable fuel Tosk: Yes! The arva nodes convert space matter into fuel. O'Brien: Ah, got you. Piece of cake. Tosk: Piece of cake. Ramscoop. Arva nodes. O'Brien: A piece of cake. It's an old human expression. It means they'll be easy to fix. Tosk: They will be easy to fix? O'Brien: Sure. We'll just get my crew to remove your arva nodes, then we'll take them over to the replicator center and make new ones. Tosk: Piece of cake. Tosk: How long? O'Brien: Maybe a day or two. We'll want to run some tests after we have the replacement unit's in. Tosk: No. No time for that. O'Brien: Hey, I let you take that unit out without proper testing, it breaks down, you blame me, next thing I know my work has a bad reputation in the Gamma quadrant. Tosk: I would not blame you. O'Brien: I was joking, Tosk. Tosk: I cannot tell, O'Brien. O'Brien: Sorry, it's in my nature. And you're the most natural straight man I've met in ages. Come on. While the fellas are working here, I'll buy you a drink and you can tell me why you're in such a rush. Girl: Dabo! Tosk: Nothing like this exists on my world. O'Brien: This is where we do most of our R and R. Tosk: What is R and R? O'Brien: Rest and relaxation. You know, down time. When we're not working. Tosk: You sleep a full third of your rotation. You rest and relax while you are awake. Alpha quadrant has far too much down time. O'Brien: My wife would laugh at that. She's barely seen me in the last three weeks. Tosk: We are very different, Tosk and O'Brien. O'Brien: I've noticed. Hey, barkeep! Quark: Don't call me barkeep. I'm not a barkeep. I'm your host, the proprietor. A sympathetic ear to the wretched souls who pass through these portals. O'Brien: And a man who will exploit any vice you may have. Two synthales, barkeep. Tosk: I am sorry. I have no vices for you to exploit. Quark: A challenge. O'Brien: Tosk is our first guest from the Gamma Quadrant, Quark. I'd take him at his word. Quark: Perhaps a short adventure in a holosuite? Tosk: Holosuite? Quark: A fantasy encounter with danger. Romance. Thrills. Created for your personal entertainment by the brothers Quark. Tosk: I have no use for fantasy adventure. I live the greatest adventure one could ever desire. Quark: Then I envy you, Mister Tosk. O'Brien: What are you talking about, Tosk? What is this adventure you're on? Tosk: I cannot discuss it. O'Brien: Oh. Sure. Of course. Kira: Sounds like you've changed your mind about him, Chief. O'Brien: Not exactly. I mean, he's running from something, that's for sure, and he's in danger. And he can't or won't talk about it Bashir: People tell doctors things they wouldn't tell any one else. If you could talk him into having a routine medical examination, maybe I could O'Brien: The thing is, I kind of like the guy. I'm not even sure why. In a way, he's almost naive. I guess any one would be in an alien environment, but I don't sense a thread of criminal intent or dishonesty about him. Sisko: I thought you said he lied about the damage to his ship. O'Brien: He didn't exactly lie. Dax: But he didn't exactly tell the truth either. O'Brien: He keeps the truth pretty much to himself. Sisko: When do you think his ship be ready? O'Brien: Tomorrow. Sisko: I don't see that we have much of a choice. We can't hold him. If he wants to tell you the truth, fine. If not, wish him well and send him on his way. Odo: Just what do you think you're doing? Odo: Computer, seal off corridor fourteen A, habitat level five. Computer: Seal confirmed. Odo: Security to habitat five fourteen A. Odo: When you get tired of bouncing off forcefields, we can talk, all right? Tosk: I did nothing to you. Odo: It's that security junction I'm curious about. Tosk: I must prepare. Odo: For what? Tosk: I cannot discuss it. I am Tosk. Odo: I'm sure you are. Now why don't we go down to my office while your friend Chief O'Brien takes a look to see just what you've been doing in there. Tosk: O'Brien? Odo: Right. I'm going to release the forcefields now. I don't need a fight from you. Understand? Tosk: I will not fight you. Odo: Good. Computer, release the security seals. Tosk: I cannot discuss it. Sisko: And I can't accept that as an answer. Tosk: I did nothing to you. Sisko: You were tampering with the security grid. I consider that a threat. O'Brien: I think he was trying to shut down the lockouts to Section Three Odo: The weapons locker. Sisko: What were you going to do with the weapons? Odo: Are you wanted by authorities somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant? Tosk: Wanted? Odo: Have you committed crimes? Tosk: Never. I am Tosk. Sisko: What does that mean? Is that supposed to explain all this? Tosk: It is all I can say. O'Brien: Tosk, don't you think we deserve some answers? Odo: What should I do with him? Sisko: Hold him for now. We'll wait to see if someone shows up looking for him. O'Brien: Enough of this craziness, Tosk. Tell me, what were you doing? Tosk: O'Brien, you must let me out. O'Brien: Tell me! Tosk: Allow me to die with honor. O'Brien: Die? Who'd want to kill you, Tosk? Tosk: Allow me to die with honor. O'Brien: He's climbing the walls like a trapped animal. Odo: I'm sorry our jail cells aren't to his liking. O'Brien: Somehow I feel responsible. Odo: You do? O'Brien: Yeah. Well, I guess I kind of adopted him. I talked him into coming on board. Odo: You didn't talk him into breaking into the security system. O'Brien: I just feel sorry for him. Somehow, I don't think he means us any harm. What the hell is his secret? Dax: Sensors are reading ionized L-band emissions. The patterns match Tosk's ship. Sisko: Hail them. Maybe we'll finally get a few answers. Kira: No response. Sisko: Again. Rotate frequencies. Dax: It's a modulated particle beam. It's scanning us. Kira: Ready shields. Sisko: Not yet, Major. Let them have a good look at us. O'Brien: I'm reading phased power fluctuations. They may be readying a transporter of some kind. Sisko: Now, Major. Kira: Shields up. Sisko: Open all hailing channels. Dax: Open. Sisko: This is Commander Benjamin Sisko of the United O'Brien: They're bombarding us with some kind of radiation I've never see before. Very rapid magnetic flux variations. O'Brien: What the? They've reversed the polarity of our shields. Dax: I'm picking up transporter locks. They're beaming on board. Sisko: Location? Dax: Promenade. Sisko: Security to the Promenade. Kira, O'Brien with me. Dax, you have Ops. Sisko: Ready phasers. Sisko: I'm Commander of this station. Put down your weapons. (Odo steps forward and gets slapped to the ground. Sisko hauls Odo away as Kira and security open fire. The aliens absorb the energy beams with a device on their forearms, but Sisko manages to get one in the chest, then O'Brien does likewise. They don't stay down for long though. A Security guard takes one out from the upper level.) Sisko: Increase setting to level six. Odo: It's that Tosk they're after. Kira: Maybe they have a right to him. Odo: Nobody's abducting a prisoner out of my brig as long as I'm alive, Major. Kira: You may need this Odo: Thanks, Major, I know I never use them. Hunter: I have Tosk. Hunter: Alive. It is over. Hunter: What a disappointment. And after such an entertaining beginning Sisko: Entertaining? Hunter: These aliens gave us a great deal of resistance. We wondered how you got their cooperation without violating your oath of silence. Tosk: I told them nothing. Hunter: But to see you here, caged, helpless. How could you allow this? It is a disgrace to all Tosk. And the most disappointing hunt in memory. Sisko: You're saying that this whole thing is a hunt and Tosk is the prey? Hunter: You were right. This Tosk is unworthy of such a noble description. For this dishonor, you'll endure the greatest humiliation Tosk can know. To be captured and brought home alive. You will live out your existence on public display where children can make fun of you, toss you scraps of food which is more than you deserve. Release him. Sisko: You've disrupted life on this station for the pleasure of your hunt? I'm not inclined to take orders from you. Odo, watch the prisoner while our guest and I discuss this in private. Unless you intend to take him by force, in which case I am prepared to give orders to open fire on your ship. Hunter: Over this Tosk? Hunter: Have you nothing similar in your own society? Sisko: Centuries ago, people on my world engaged in bloodsports, killing lower species for pleasure. A few cultures still do. But even they wouldn't consider hunting a sentient being. Hunter: But he is sentient only because we have made him sentient. He has been bred for the hunt. His entire reason to exist is the hunt. To make it as exciting, as interesting, as he can. Obviously, you do not comprehend. Sisko: I comprehend just fine. I have no tolerance for the abuse of any lifeform. Hunter: Abuse? We honor Tosk. They are the symbol of all that is noble and courageous. They train and condition themselves all their lives for this event. They're proud of their role in our culture. Sisko: I can't judge what is right and wrong for your world. But on this station Hunter: In the future, passage through the anomaly will be considered out of bounds for the hunt. Will that satisfy you? Now you will arrange for the release of the Tosk. Sisko: I've agreed to release him. O'Brien: But sir, Tosk is an intelligent, living being. Sisko: It's their custom, Chief. Under the prime directive, we have no right to interfere. Kira: What if Tosk were to request asylum? Sisko: If he asks for it. O'Brien: All right. I have a way out for you. Tosk: A way out? Of here? O'Brien: Request asylum. Tosk: Asylum? O'Brien: You ask for the protection of the Federation. You understand? My Commander is willing to protect you. Tosk: O'Brien, I am Tosk. I cannot hide here behind the protection of your Federation. It is against everything I believe. O'Brien: You'd rather go back and live in a cage on public display? Tosk: To stay would be a greater dishonor. I am Tosk, the hunted. I live to outwit the hunters for another day. To survive until I die with honor. But that will not be my fate. But I will not deny my existence as Tosk. Thank you, O'Brien, but I cannot request asylum. Quark: So far, I'm not impressed with the tourist trade from the Gamma Quadrant. Not one of them has bought a single drink. O'Brien: Shut up, Quark. Quark: More trouble with the little woman? O'Brien: What's that supposed to mean? Quark: Nothing. Nothing. I just thought you might want to talk. O'Brien: There is nothing wrong between my wife and I. If there were, I sure as hell wouldn't want to talk to some barkeep about it. Quark: Sorry. My mistake. O'Brien: What? Quark: Your face gets very pink when it gets aggravated. Much more so than most other humans. O'Brien: So stop aggravating me. Quark: Not me. You came in the door this way. O'Brien: Fine. You're right. I'm aggravated. Quark: I am a keen observer of behavior. You want to talk about it? O'Brien: No. Quark: Why not? O'Brien: Because it wouldn't do any good talking to you. Quark: Try me. O'Brien: Forget it. It's just the rules of the game. Quark: Ah-ha. Rules of the game. Go on. O'Brien: It's a hunt, did you know that? They're chasing Tosk in a hunt. Everybody's playing by the rules. They're playing by their rules, we're playing by ours and he's caught in the middle. Of course, I suppose if the Ferengi don't like the rules, they just change them. Quark: Well, rules, rules are always subject to interpretation. O'Brien: Of course! Change the rules. Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, barkeep. Quark: So, what's bothering you today? O'Brien: Computer, access the power grid to security check point four on the Promenade. Odo: That isn't necessary. Hunter: Our ritual requires it when a Tosk is captured alive. Odo: All right, let's go. O'Brien: I'll escort the prisoner to the transporter station. Odo: This is a security matter O'Brien: This is a Starfleet matter. Orders from Sisko. Odo: We'll see about that. Hunter: Do not trouble yourself. My ship will transport us. O'Brien: No, sir, that won't be necessary. Good relations with other cultures is our highest priority. Commander Sisko wants to make sure you understand we're sorry we interfered with your hunt. The least we can do is give you an official escort off the station. It's a token of goodwill and respect in our society. Hunter: Very well. Odo: Starfleet has no business taking charge of a prisoner transport. Sisko: Calm down, Constable. What are you talking about? Odo: I'm talking about you ordering O'Brien to escort Tosk off the station. Sisko: I didn't give him any orders at all. Sisko to O'Brien. Sisko: Mister O'Brien, report to Ops immediately. O'Brien: This way. O'Brien: Glass jaw. Now I know why you wear a helmet. Up here. Hunter: The hunt has resumed. O'Brien: Come on. Your ship's ready. Kira: Security reports a fight in the Promenade. Here. Apparently O'Brien set him loose. Dax: I'm showing someone in an access conduit above Quark's. Two lifeforms. One's human. They're heading out toward the docking ring. Odo: I'll seal off the adjoining corridors. They won't get far. Sisko: Constable. There's no hurry. O'Brien: Here. Tosk: Now you are Tosk as well, O'Brien. O'Brien: The Cardies made these conduits from two meter thick duranium composite. I've never seen a scanning device that could penetrate it. O'Brien: Until now. O'Brien: Come on, Tosk. Round this corner and we're there. Hunter: No. He is mine. O'Brien: No. O'Brien: Go on. O'Brien: What now? Tosk: The hunt goes on. You wish to come? O'Brien: No. No, I don't think so. One day as a Tosk is enough for me, and I've got a wife and kid that wouldn't fit too well into this lifestyle. Tosk: Will your Federation punish you for helping me? O'Brien: Maybe. But if I know my Commander. Hell, those guys wanted a hunt. I just gave them one. Go on. You'd better get out of here while you can. Tosk: O'Brien. Die with honor, O'Brien. O'Brien: Die with honor, Tosk. Sisko: Just what did happen at that security checkpoint, Chief? O'Brien: The weapons' sensors must have overloaded on all his various gear, sir. Sisko: Must have? O'Brien: Yes, sir. Must have since I increased their output by about two hundred percent. Sisko: So in effect you assaulted him. Our first contact with a new species. O'Brien: Yes, sir. Sisko: We've got dozens of top level officials back at Starfleet Command eagerly waiting to hear about our encounter with the first new lifeforms to come through the wormhole. How do you suggest I write up this report? O'Brien: Well, sir I'm not one to say, but you know, these hunters weren't any happier than we were about having to bring Tosk home. It seems to me in the interests of mutual understanding and future relations Sisko: Save it. You ignored your duty to Starfleet. You took off your comm. badge so you could ignore me. You even ignored the Prime Directive by interfering with their damned hunt. Another stunt like this and your wife won't have to complain about the conditions here anymore. Do I make myself clear? O'Brien: I understand. I was surprised by one thing, sir. Sisko: What's that? O'Brien: I knew I couldn't override all the security seals on the station, and I figured once you and the Constable located us, well, it'd be over. We'd find ourselves locked behind some forcefield somewhere. Sisko: I guess that one got by us. O'Brien: Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Sisko: Dismissed.

Bashir: So there I was, fighting the toughest battle of my life, looking around hoping to spot a friendly face only to diskover my colleagues were gone. I was alone. I admit, for a moment there, I considered giving up. I could feel the seconds ticking away, panic building up inside of me. I knew my only chance was to trust my instincts. So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and just like that it came to me, the answer I was looking for. A pericardial membrane. I looked down and punched the answer into my computer terminal just as the buzzer sounded ending the exam. And that, I suppose, is the stuff salutatorians are made. Woman: Salutatorian? Bashir: Well, I mistook a preganglionic fiber for a postganglianic nerve during the orals or I would have been valedictorian. It was a trick question. Woman: Fascinating. Bashir: Not nearly as fascinating as when I Sisko: Doctor Bashir. Chief O'Brien. Report to landing pad five. Bashir: Bad timing. Woman: There'll be another time. Bashir: Starfleet medical finals. Gets them every time. Kira: It's no use. Sisko: Chief, we have to get this hatch open. Lieutenant Dax and Ensign Pauley are trapped in there. Kira: The runabout barely made it back through the wormhole. By the time they docked, power levels were near zero. O'Brien: There's not even enough juice left in the ship to release the servos. Bashir: Life support's down. Oxygen levels have dropped dangerously low. Kira: We'll have to burn it through. Sisko: Forget it Major. The hatch is made of duranium composite. It'll take you an hour to get through. Bashir: We don't have that much time. That's odd. How many passengers did you say were onboard the Ganges? Sisko: Two. Bashir: I'm reading three. O'Brien: We need to get power to the hatch servos. Major, hand me the EPI capacitor. There, middle shelf. O'Brien: Try her now. Bashir: Dax. Dax: I'm fine, check the others. O'Brien: Vash? Vash: That's right? O'Brien: Miles O'Brien, from the Enterprise. Vash: Oh. Yes, of course. O'Brien: What are you doing on the Ganges? Dax: We found her in the Gamma Quadrant. She'd been there for over two years. O'Brien: Two years? Sisko: Doctor, we'd better get these people over to the infirmary. Bashir: Right this way. O'Brien: How did you get to the Gamma Quadrant two years ago? Vash: A friend dropped me off. O'Brien: Oh. Vash: Will I live? Bashir: You're fine. In fact, you're in remarkable shape. Vash: Thank you, Doctor. I try. Bashir: I, I, I mean you've managed quite well considering you've been out of contact with civilisation for over two years. Vash: I'd hardly call the Gamma Quadrant uncivilized. Some of the cultures I've encountered have histories that date back millions of years. Bashir: Really? I'd love to hear about them. I mean, we have no idea what's beyond the wormhole. Vash: Well, maybe I'll write a book. Bashir: It's sure to be a best-seller around here. Well, er, no sign of disease or malnutrition or parasitic infections. Vash: You sound disappointed. Bashir: I am. Now I have no reason to keep you here. Vash: You almost make me wish I wasn't feeling well. Sisko: And she claims she knew nothing about the wormhole? Dax: She did seem very surprised when I told her about it. I don't think she ever expected to see this part of the galaxy again. Sisko: How could she get there in the first place if she didn't go through the wormhole? Dax: She said she didn't want to talk about it. Said it was a personal matter. Sisko: This doesn't make sense. A human alone in the Gamma Quadrant for two years? Let's check her background. See what we can find out about her. Dax: She claims to be an archeologist. Sisko: That's a good place to start. Vash: You're sure this place is safe? Clerk: The Assay office is the most secure area on the station. The chambers are surrounded on all sides by individual force fields. Vash: And how are the locks controlled? Clerk: Once you secure a chamber, it can't be opened except with your personal authorization code combined with a verified retinal print. Vash: A Cardassian MK-seven scanner? Clerk: MK-twelve, with an L-ninety enhanced resolution filter. Vash: Well, I suppose that'll have to do. Clerk: Computer, begin inventory for cubicle nineteen. One statue, stone, thirty odd centimeters tall, approximately eight kilograms. Assorted gems. Gold necklace. One dagger, bronze and gold, about twenty five centimeters. Clerk: Beautiful. I've never seen anything quite like it. Some kind of Promethean quartz. Vash: I thought so too, at first, but it's molecular density and refraction index is much higher. Clerk: Remarkable. End inventory. Please, enter an access code. Vash: All right, I'll be back tomorrow to pick everything up. I've booked passage on the Mulzirak Transport. Sisko: You're not leaving us so soon? Vash: I'm afraid so. Sisko: The Daystrom Institute will be very disappointed. Vash: The Daystrom Institute? Sisko: Their scientists are anxious to hear about life in the Gamma Quadrant. Every place you've been, everything you've seen, no matter how insignificant, could prove important. Including how you got there. Vash: I'm sorry, Commander, but that's a SISKO + Vash: Personal matter. Vash: So now the Daystrom Institute is interested in me. well, that's ironic. Sisko: Professor Woo seemed especially eager to speak to you again. Vash: Did he really? I suppose he told you that he suspended my membership from the Institute's Archeological Council? Sisko: On two occasions. Something about the sale of illegal artifacts. Vash: Well, when it comes to choosing between science and profit, I'll choose profit every time. Sisko: The professor was hoping you'd make an exception in this case. Vash: You know, I haven't been back to Earth in, it must be twelve years. Sisko: Here's your chance. I could arrange passage. Vash: I think I'd like that. Sisko: Fine. I'll take care of it. O'Brien: I don't understand it, Commander. I can't find anything wrong with her. This ship is completely functional. Sisko: It didn't look that way this morning. O'Brien: Oh, don't get me wrong. The power reserves are empty, the inertial damping fields are barely operational, and the warp drive containment field's on the verge of collapse. Sisko: But O'Brien: But there's nothing wrong with any of them. Once we put power back into her, she should be fully operational. Sisko: Did you check the central power linkages? O'Brien: Yes, sir. I ran a level one diagnostic. Everything checks out. I can't explain it. It's like something tapped into the ship's systems and drained them dry. Sisko: Tell me Chief, how well do you know this woman Vash? O'Brien: Hardly at all. I only met her that one time she was aboard the Enterprise. Sisko: What was she doing there? O'Brien: Well Sir, Vash and Captain Picard were friends. Close friends, if you follow my meaning. Seems they met on Risa a few years back. O'Brien: I think she must be a special woman, being friends with the Captain and all. Sisko: Somehow she doesn't seem to be his type. O'Brien: The Captain likes a good challenge, sir. Sisko: Status report? Dax: We suffered a broad spectrum power drain. Kira: Power transfer is completely inoperative. The energy was drawn out faster than it could handle. O'Brien: I'll have to replace the whole unit. Dax: Chief, are you reading any graviton flux around the transfer systems? O'Brien: I am detecting a low level graviton disturbance. How did you know? Dax: That's exactly what happened when we lost power on the Ganges. O'Brien: These were originally Cardassian living quarters. The bed may take some getting use to. Vash: As an archeologist, I've spent half my life sleeping in tents. To me, any bed will be a luxury. O'Brien: You've obviously never slept on a Cardassian mattress. If you need anything, just ask the computer. Vash: Thanks, Chief. Oh, by the way, how's Jean-Luc? O'Brien: The Captain? The last time I saw him he was fine. Vash: Now that I'm back, I'll have to look him up. Q: Really, Vash, I can't believe you're still pining for Jean-Luc, that self righteous do-gooder. Vash: I should have listened to him. He warned me about you. Q: You're hurt, you strike back. I understand. But be of good cheer, I bring wonderful news. I'm back. I can see now it was cruel of me to leave you. Vash: Very touching. But you didn't leave me, I left you. Q: You left me, I left you Details, mere details. The important thing is we're back together again. A team, joined together at the hip. Vash: Not a chance. Q: You know you're going to miss me. Vash: Don't flatter yourself. Q: You know, I thought first we'd visit the Teleris Cluster, look in on the star dancers at Mundahla. Or maybe head over to the Lantar nebula and view the Sampalo relic on Hoek Four. Vash: Not interested. Q: I know. Vadris Three. Charming little world. The natives think they're the only intelligent life in the universe. Vash: No. Q: All right, you choose then. Vash: I choose never to go anywhere with you again, Q. Q: You don't know what you're missing. When we started this little partnership, I promised to take you places no human had ever seen before. Vash: And you have. It was wonderful. Thank you. Now goodbye. Q: Two years in the Gamma Quadrant hardly qualifies as a grand tour of the universe. There's still the Delta Quadrant to explore, not to mention all the other galaxies. Vash: It's over, Q. I want you out of my life. You are arrogant, you are overbearing and you think you know everything. Q: But I do know everything. Vash: That makes it even worse. Q: All right, fine, what is it you really want? Vash: I want the life I had before I met you. Q: And a stellar life indeed. The eminent Vash. Barred from the Royal Museum of Epsilon Hydra Seven, persona non grata on Betazed. Wanted dead on Myrmidon for stealing the Crown of the First Mother. Vash: Dead or alive. Q: Preferably dead. It's a wonder you haven't offended every sentient race in the galaxy. Vash: You're the one who almost got me killed on Errikang Seven. And they weren't exactly thrilled to see you on Brax either. What did they call you? The God of Lies? Q: They meant it affectionately. Vash: Come in. Quark: I Q: Go away. Vash: Q, bring him back. Q: What business could you possibly have with that disgusting little troll? Vash: I don't know. You didn't give him time to tell me. Now bring him back this instant. Q: All right. Vash: Can I help you? Quark: My name is Quark. It's come to my attention that you have access to certain items. Items that might perhaps turn a tidy profit. Vash: I'm listening. Quark: For a percentage, I might be able to arrange a buyer for your trinkets. Perhaps an auction. Vash: I'll only accept payment in gold-pressed latinum. Quark: I'll shower you in it. Fifty-fifty. Vash: Mister Quark, I believe you're trying to take advantage of me. Quark: Some wine? Quark: . You have a talent for oo-mox. Vash: So I've been told. Quark: I'll not be distracted by your feminine wiles. I demand forty percent. Quark: All right, thirty. Vash: What magnificent cartilage. Quark: Twenty two and don't stop. Vash: You've got a deal. I expect you to make all the necessary arrangements. Quark: Oh, you're good. You're very, very good. Q: How perfectly vile. If that's the kind of company you kept before meeting me, it's no wonder you ended up with Picard. Vash: Go away. Vash: Enter. Q: Aren't we the hub of activity? Bashir: I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything? Vash: No. Come in, Doctor. Bashir: Thank you. And please, call me Julian. Vash: Julian. Is this medical business? Bashir: Well, to tell the truth, I tried to come up with some official reason for dropping by, but your excellent health has robbed me of any excuses. Vash: Well, that didn't seem to stop you. Bashir: So I thought I'd contribute to your good health by buying you dinner. Quark's makes a delicious couscous, and the company, I hope, might be mildly entertaining. Vash: Sounds like fun. Though I would like to freshen up first. Could I meet you there in, say, twenty minutes or so? Bashir: Those twenty minutes will seem like an eternity. Q: These mating rituals you humans indulge in really are quite disgusting. Vash: Get out. Q: You know you don't mean it. Vash: Out. Q: You're making a terrible mistake. You'd be lost without me. Vash: I can take care of myself. Q: Really? Well, we'll see about that. Bashir: Just a cup of mint tea. Q: You're making a terrible mistake. Bashir: Why? The replicators haven't malfunctioned again? Q: I'm talking about Vash. Stay away from her. Bashir: My god, you're an impertinent waiter. Q: I'm a friend. I'm giving you friendly advice. She's nothing but trouble. Bashir: Really? Well I don't think it's any of your business who I see. In fact, I'm having dinner with her now. Q: Are you sure you're feeling up to it? You look tired. Bashir: I feel fine. Q: No, no, no. You look tired. Very, very tired. Bashir: Funny, I do feel a bit, a bit spent. Maybe I should go and lie down for a few minutes. Q: Hopefully by yourself for a change. O'Brien: Bloody hell. Kira: Sir, the Klingon scout ship has departed docking bay eleven. Sisko: Good. I'll tell Odo he can relax now. O'Brien: We've got a problem. sir. I just saw Q on the Promenade. Sisko: Q? Here? Kira: What's Q? Sisko: A powerful and extremely unpredictable entity. I was at a Starfleet briefing on him two years ago. O'Brien: Blasted menace, is what he is. Dax: What does he want with us? Sisko: Whatever it is, you can be sure we won't like it. O'Brien: You might ask Vash. Dax: Why Vash? O'Brien: They know each other. Sisko: From the Enterprise? O'Brien: I believe they actually met in Sherwood Forest. It was one of the little jokes Q played on the Enterprise crew. Kira: Main power grid has dropped eighty percent. Dax: Sensors are reading a massive graviton build-up. Sisko: How long will it take to bring us back up to full power? Dax: It's already beginning to normalize. Kira: You know, if we have one of these outages during a docking procedure, we could lose an entire pylon. O'Brien: I've double-checked every system. For the first time in a month, there's nothing wrong with any of them. It's got to be Q. Another one of his stupid jokes. Sisko: I'm not laughing. Vash: I figured we'd auction this off last. Quark: Interesting, but hardly of any intrinsic value. Vash: Really? I thought it was the best piece in the collection. Quark: Obviously my associates have more sophisticated tastes than what you're used to. But just so it's not a total loss, I'll take it off your hands for, say, seven bars of gold-press latinum. Vash: It's worth fifty times as much. Quark: Ridiculous! All right, eighteen, but you must swear never to tell a soul about my foolish generosity. Vash: If you want it you're going to have to be a lot more foolish than that. Quark: All right, thirty. Now give it to me. Vash: Bidding starts at two hundred bars of gold latinum. Quark: I can't decided what's more intoxicating, this Gamzian wine or your negotiating skills. Sisko: We need to talk. Quark: The lady and I are having a private conversation. Sisko: It can wait. Vash: Tell me, Commander, where is that Doctor of yours? He was supposed to meet me here half an hour ago Sisko: Tell me about Q. Q: I'll tell you anything you want to know, Commander. Just answer one question. Is Starfleet penalizing you or did you actually request such a dismal command. Sisko: I want you off this station. Q: Don't be hasty, my happy-go-lucky friend. This dreary little gulag could use a little color, some excitement. And who better to provide it than moi? Though I must say I approve of your new tailor. Sisko: I'm not impressed by your parlor tricks. These power outages are going to stop right now. Q: Why tell me? Oh, yes, of course, go ahead. Blame Q if it makes you feel any better. I suppose it's my fate to be the galaxy's whipping boy. Heavy is the burden of being me. Sisko: If you're looking for sympathy, you've come to the wrong place. Q: Actually, what I was hoping for was a little witty repartee, but I see I'm not going to get any of that either. At least your beloved Jean-Luc knows how to turn a phrase Vash: Take a hint, Q. No one wants you around. Q: Really, Vash, this playing hard to get is growing tedious. Let's not forget that I'm the Q and you the lowly human. I will decide when this partnership is over. Understand? Sisko: Why don't you and I continue this discussion in private? Q: Excellent idea. Q: You're right. This is an excellent idea. Sisko: Sisko to Ops. Q: All gone. Sisko: Bring them back, Q, now! Q: Or what? You'll thrash me? Shall we settle this mano a mano? Q: Marquis of Queensberry Rules? Sisko: What? Q: Fisticuffs, pugilism, the manly art of self-defense. Come on. Isn't this all wonderfully barbaric? Go on, take a poke at me. I know that's really what you want to do. Come on. Quark: I'll wager five bars of latinum on Sisko. Vash: You're on. Q: Fight back. This is supposed to be brutal. Quark: You can pay me out of your profits from the auction. Q: You hit me Picard never hit me. Sisko: I'm not Picard. Q: Indeed not. You're much easier to provoke. How fortunate for me. Odo: Not again. O'Brien: Damn it, Q. Enough is enough. Dax: We're losing atmosphere. Sisko: Decompression protocol. Mister O'Brien, raise the confinement shields. O'Brien: Shields up. Sisko: Damage report. Kira: We've got a minor hull breach in one of the upper bulkheads. O'Brien: I'm getting reports of hull fractures throughout the station. Emergency systems appear to be functioning. Repair crews are responding. Dax: The breach was caused by some kind of focused graviton pulse. Sisko: Every time we've had a power drain, it's been followed by an increase in the graviton field. If this continues, we could wind up with a breach in one of our reactor cores. We'd lose half the station. Dax: Maybe it's time we opened negotiations with Q. Sisko: I'm not convinced Q is behind this. Playing with the lights and punching holes in the hull doesn't strike me as his style. Quark: You wanted to see me? Make it quick. I have important business. Odo: Yes, I know. You're auctioning off some artifacts from the Gamma Quadrant. Quark: You were eavesdropping on my conversation with Vash. What were you this time? The table? One of the chairs? The wine bottle. Odo: When are you going to realize that you have no secrets from me? Quark: I have nothing to hide. I'm selling quality merchandise to a select clientele. Odo: And what makes them so select? Quark: They're all ridiculously wealthy and not too bright. Odo: I'll never understand this obsession with accumulating material wealth. You spend your entire life plotting and scheming to acquire more and more possessions, until your living areas are bursting with useless junk. Then you die, your relatives sell everything and start the cycle all over again. Quark: Isn't there anything you desire? Odo: I have my work. What more do I need? Quark: A suit of the finest Andorian silk? A ring of pure Surax? A complete set of Tanesh pottery? How about a latinum plated bucket to sleep in? Q: Well, I'm glad to see you've packed. I hope you said goodbye to all your new-found friends. Vash: I don't have time for this. Q: You've led a charmed life these past two years under my benevolent protection. Vash: I can take care of myself. Q: Really? Do you remember that tiny little insect bite you had on Erabus Prime? If I hadn't been there Vash: I am not going with you. Q: The galaxy can be a dangerous place when you're on your own. Vash: It's over, Q. Q: I leave you now to reconsider my offer of friendship. Sisko: Captain's log, stardate 46531.2. The station's power is continuing to be drained and converted into gravitons. At this rate, our life support systems will fail in fourteen hours. O'Brien: Sir, we'll never find the source of the power drain using these bloody Cardassian internal sensors. They're just not sensitive enough. Dax: What if we make the power drain easier to detect? If we flood the station with ionized tridium gas, we should be able to trace the particle flow to the source. O'Brien: Tridium? Isn't that pretty toxic. Dax: Only when it's highly concentrated. We'd only use a very small amount. Sisko: Do it. Unless we get this under control in the next eight hours, we'll begin evacuation procedures. Q: Still chasing your own tail? Picard and his lackeys would have solved all this techno-babble hours ago. No wonder you're not commanding a starship. Kira: Security to Ops. Q: Well, aren't we the feisty little go-getter. I'd keep my eye on this one. Chances are, she's after your job. O'Brien: Why don't you do something constructive for a change? Like torment the Cardassians. Q: Do I know you? O'Brien: O'Brien. From the Enterprise. Q: Enterprise. oh yes. Weren't you one of the little people? Quite a motley crew you've assembled here, Benji. My advice to you is to evacuate now and save all this pointless guesswork. Sisko: Q, either you tell us what's going on or get the hell out of the way. Q: I'll tell you what's going on. While you're here conducting futile experiments, Vash is below engaging in base commerce and setting Federation ethics back two hundred years. Believe me, gang, she's far more dangerous to you than I. Quark: Kolos, my friend. I don't know which pleases me more, your smiling face or your overflowing purse. Kolos: Quark, you obsequious toad, your so-called Gamma Quadrant merchandise had better be legitimate or I'll toss you out the nearest airlock. Quark: No cause for alarm. Each piece comes complete with a statement of authenticity from Vash, the Federation's foremost expert on the Gamma Quadrant. Kolos: In that case, stop sniveling and give me a synthale. Vash: Are they all that pleasant? Quark: I don't care about their manners. The important thing is, they're honest collectors of antiquities, every one. Vash: How honest? Quark: As honest as you and I. Vash: Then we'd better keep a close eye on them. Quark: My dear, I've been thinking. What would you say to a permanent partnership? What with your knowledge of the Gamma Quadrant, and my business connections, we could make a fortune. Vash: Sorry, Quark, but I've slept in my last tent. I'm looking forward to a nice quiet life back on Earth. Quark: You won't last a month. You're like me. You live for excitement, adventure and profit. Vash: Not anymore. Quark: Would you care to make a wager on that? Dax: The graviton field has increased by sixty percent. Sisko: How soon can you begin the sensor sweep? Dax: Not until we've increased tridium levels to one part per million. It should only be another seven, eight minutes. Kira: Commander, we're being pulled out of our normal position. Sisko: Use control thrusters to stabilize the station. Kira: Firing thrusters. We're still moving. O'Brien: If the graviton field is feeding off the station's power, maybe we can cut its supply by shutting down the reactors. Sisko: Put life support on emergency backup. Take everything else offline. Kira: We're still moving out of position. Sisko: What's our heading? Dax: Bearing one five seven, mark one three. Kira: Straight into the wormhole. Quark: Now, as you know, payment must be in gold pressed latinum, and all transactions are final. Remember, bid high and bid often. Vash: Ladies and gentlemen, our first item is a statue from the Gamma Quadrant's Verath System. Now, I suppose I take a minute to tell you a little bit about the Verathan civilisation, which reached its height some thirty thousand years ago and spanned over two dozen systems, interconnected by a highly developed trade and communications network. This statue represents Drohlak, the Prime Ossemite of the nineteenth dynasty. Quark: Vash, what are you doing? Vash: I'm placing the statue in its historical context. Quark: Here, give me that. This isn't the Daystrom Institute. Watch closely. Friends, it's rare, it's beautiful, and it's a Gamma Quadrant original. And it can be yours for the right price. Bidding will start at ten bars of gold pressed latinum. Make it ten. Fifteen? Sixteen? Who'll say seventeen and be the first to own a piece of the Gamma Quadrant? O'Brien: Tridium levels throughout the station have reached one part per million. Dax: Initiating sensor sweep. O'Brien: We can rule out the docking ring. Dax: The tridium gas seems to be draining toward the central core. Sisko: Where in the central core? O'Brien: Let me see if I can get a more precise reading. It's not clear enough. I can't pinpoint an exact location. Kira: Based on our current trajectory, we'll hit the wormhole in eighteen minutes. Sisko: What the hell could be pulling us into the wormhole? Do we have time to transfer auxiliary power to the deflectors, Chief? O'Brien: Sir, there's not enough power left to make any difference. If we get sucked into that wormhole, we'll be in a billion pieces by the time we reach the Gamma Quadrant. Quark: Sold to Kolos for thirty-six bars of gold pressed latinum. Next we have a dagger, studded with some very interesting looking gems. Think of it as a weapon and an investment. Bidding will start at forty. Forty. Forty two. Forty five. Don't hold back. You know you want it. Give me fifty. Fifty. We have fifty. Q: I hate to interrupt such a thrilling display of naked avarice, but I thought it was only right of me to warn you that this station is hurtling toward its doom, and it's very unlikely any of you will survive to enjoy your purchases. I just thought I'd mention it. Please, carry on. Quark: Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you, everything is under control. Drinks for everyone. And free use of the holosuites at the conclusion of the auction. And Vash: I don't think I realized until this moment how evil you really are. You'd kill all these people to get even with me. Q: I must admit, the thought had occurred to me, but this station is in enough trouble without me. Although I'd be glad to save you. All you have to do is ask. VASH I'll take my chances with the others. Q: As you choose. I'm going to just right here sit here and watch. I've never seen a space station torn apart by a wormhole before. Quark: Sold to my cousin Stol for a hundred and five bars of gold pressed latinum. Kira: What if we pump more tridium gas into the central core? The sensors might be more accurate with the greater concentration. O'Brien: It might work, but in four years we'll all be dead from tridium poisoning. Dax: Wait a minute. Of course. Bring the reactors back online O'Brien: The reactors? But they'll just feed more energy to the graviton field. Dax: If we generate enough energy, it should create a power drain big enough to trace. Kira: It might also push us faster into the wormhole. A lot faster. Sisko: It's a chance we've got to take. Bring us to full power, Mister O'Brien. Everything you've got. O'Brien: Aye, sir. Quark: Sold to Rul the Obscure for a hundred and fifty one latinum bars. And now, our final item. And I think you'll agree with me it was well worth the wait. Quark: Bidding will start at two hundred bars of gold pressed latinum. Two hundred. Can I get two fifty? Two fifty. Three hundred anyone? Three hundred bars of gold pressed latinum. Three hundred and fifty? Voice: Here. Quark: Four hundred? Four hundred. Five? Five hundred and twenty? Quark: Six hundred bars of gold press latinum. Dax: It's not in any of the crossover bridges or the habitat ring. It's in the upper core. Kira: Three minutes, fourteen seconds to the wormhole. We're picking up speed. Dax: I've got it. The power drain's coming from the Promenade. Sisko: Chief, you have Ops. Kolos: Twenty-five hundred. Q: Twenty-five hundred and one. Dax: This way. Kolos: Three thousand bars of latinum. My final offer. Quark: Three thousand bars. Q: A million. Quark: A million bars of gold press latinum? Dax: Over here. Quark: A million Going once. Kira: It's by the podium. Quark: A million going twice. Dax: That's it. Quark: Three times. Sisko: This auction's over. Quark: Sold. Sisko: Chief, shut down the reactors. We've found it. Q: And it's about time, too. Quark: Sorry, all transactions are final. This item now belongs to that gentleman over there. Dax: I'm reading a massive graviton build up inside this container. It's increasing exponentially. We have got to get it off the station now. Sisko: Chief, lock on to my combadge. Prepare to transport it five hundred meters off the docking ring. Quark: But I haven't been paid! Sisko: Energize. Sisko: Captain's log, stardate 46532.3. With the embryonic lifeform off the station, graviton levels have returned to normal. We've used the control thrusters to return the station to its original position. Quark: So, you're off to the Daystrom Institute. Bet you can hardly wait. Long, boring lectures, endless conferences, whining students dogging your every step. Sounds delightful. Of course. No, you wouldn't be interested. Vash: In what? Quark: I hear they've uncovered the ruins of a Rokai provincial capital on Tartaras Five. If you could obtain some Rokain artifacts Vash: Forget it, Quark. I'm going back to Earth. Quark: Have it your way. Q: An abysmal place. Vash: Tartaras Five? Q: Earth. Oh, don't get me wrong. A thousand years ago it had character. Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Watergate. But now it's just mind-numbingly dull. Vash: Well then by all means, don't come with me. Q: I think you'd be much happier poking about the ruins of Tartaras Five. Vash: I don't need your advice. You really think I Q: You know, I still feel that I owe you a million bars of gold pressed latinum. Vash: Keep it. Just give me back my life. Q: You'll regret it if I do. Vash: I'm willing to take my chances. Q: All right. If you insist. But it's not going to be the same without you. When I look at a gas nebula, all I see is a cloud of dust. Seeing the universe through your eyes, I was able to experience wonder. I'm going to miss that. Vash: Well, I guess in some ways I'm going to miss you too. Q: Maybe I could drop in sometime. Vash: Oh, God, I hope not. Vash: Hey Quark, What's the quickest way to Tartaras Five? Bashir: I feel as though I've been sleep for days. What? Did I miss something?

"Scene: Station log. stardate 46910.1. Chief O'Brien has escorted his wife back to Earth to celebrat(...TRUNCATED)

"Kira: I've never seen anything like that.\nBashir: Hmm?\nKira: I've never seen anything like that.\(...TRUNCATED)

"Jake: Dress uniform?\nSisko: I haven't worn this in almost three years. I must've lost a little wei(...TRUNCATED)

"Jake: Shoes.\nSisko: Jake, I've got a terrific surprise for you.\nJake: Oh yeah, what is it?\nSisko(...TRUNCATED)