Starship Down ( episode ) Sisko defends a Karemma ship when it is attacked by the Jem ' Hadar . Meanwhile , Quark and the Karemma trade minister argue about the value of dishonesty in trading before having to work together to disarm a Jem ' Hadar torpedo . Summary . Teaser . The rendezvous with a Karemma Commerce Ministry vessel above a remote gas giant in the Gamma Quadrant in order to discuss trade issues . In a meeting between Trade Minister Hanok , Captain Benjamin Sisko and Quark in the " Defiant " s mess hall , Hanok expresses frustration in trading with the Federation , citing a series of mysterious heavy taxes and fees . Since the Ferengi are being used as middlemen between the Federation and Karemma to avoid angering the Dominion , Sisko realizes that Quark has been cooking the books . In command on the bridge , Worf gruffly reprimands a young officer , Ensign Carson , for poor results in a weapons drill , and orders a fifteen percent decrease in response times . Meanwhile , Major Kira Nerys tells Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax that she is fast ing in observation of Ha ' mara , the anniversary of the ' s arrival to Bajor . Kira suspects Captain Sisko , who dislikes ceremonies , of purposely scheduling the trade negotiations to avoid attending Ha ' mara . Kira wished he had attended , as it would have meant a lot to the Bajoran people . Suddenly , sensor s pick up two incoming Jem ' Hadar warships . Worf orders battle stations and calls Sisko to the bridge . Act One . They have come to punish the Karemma for trading with the Federation . Worf initiates red alert and calls for Sisko to come to the bridge . He and Minister Hanok enter the bridge . Hanok offers to surrender himself in exchange for all their lives , but Sisko will have none of that . The Jem ' Hadar begin attacking both ships . In blind panic , the Karemma ship begins moving away , fleeing into the upper atmosphere of the gas eous Class - J planet . The Jem ' Hadar and the " Defiant " are in hot pursuit . Kira notes that she is reading wind speeds of 10 , 000 kph , while Hanok , overwhelmed with guilt , notes that twenty - three people are on that ship . Sisko is determined to save the trade ship , and orders the " Defiant " into the planet ' s turbulent atmosphere . Chief Miles O ' Brien and his young subordinates , Crewmen Muniz and Stevens , attempt to channel more power into the ship ' s structural integrity field s . Despite their efforts , the ship is violently buffeted by air currents . Inside the gas giant , the crew discover more bad news . The interference has restricted their sensor visibility to less than two kilometer s , plus rendered their cloaking device and weapon targeting systems inoperable . Kira and Dax suggest using modulated tetryon pulses to actively scan via echolocation . During the Occupation , Kira used this method to evade Cardassian ships in the Badlands . Unfortunately , each pulse would give the " Defiant " s location away as well , meaning the ship would have to change speed and course after every scan . As the crew begins working on their echolocation scanner , Minister Hanok returns to the mess hall . There , Quark tries to convince Hanok that the bogus surcharges were honest mistakes by his " idiot " brother Rom . Hanok doesn ' t buy the explanation , and angrily tells Quark that , if they survive , he will ensure that Quark will never again be able to conduct commerce in the Gamma Quadrant . Meanwhile on the bridge , the echolocation pulses have detected an object four hundred kilometers beneath them . The " Defiant " gingerly moves toward it , emitting pulses to keep its bearings . Suddenly , two more blips appear , moving fast toward them – it is the Jem ' Hadar . The " Defiant " is rocked hard by phaser fire . Shields are drained to 60 % , and emergency lights flicker on . Impulse power goes off - line , and the ship starts falling into the planet . With ODN relay s overloaded , Dax and Ensign Muñiz race to Jefferies tube four to manually reroute power to the engines . As the external hull pressure rises , the ship groans ominously . On the bridge , Worf delivers more damage reports to Sisko . The phaser coupling s have overloaded , and will take two hour s to repair . Sisko brainstorms a plan with O ' Brien to equip their two atmospheric probe s with quantum torpedo warheads . O ' Brien sends the nervous , young engineer Stevens to the torpedo bay to modify the probes . Suddenly , a large explosion rocks the ship . A hull breach has occurred on Deck 2 , knocking out Crewman Janklow . Emergency force field s activate , but Kira knows they will not last long within the atmosphere . The crew must seal off the deck to save the rest of the ship , but this will mean sacrificing the crewmates in sickbay , plus Dax and Muñiz in the Jefferies tube . Act Two . Dr . Bashir begins evacuating sickbay . Dax and Muñiz are working as fast as they can to finish their job . Sisko gives them thirty seconds to clear out before he seals off the entire deck . As Bashir herds everyone behind a bulkhead , he sees Dax and Muñiz heading toward them . However , it is too late – the force field collapses , filling the corridor with swirling poison ous gases . Muñiz suddenly stumbles toward Bashir , who pulls him to safety . With Sisko ordering the bulkhead closed and Dax still missing , Bashir makes up his mind . . . he hits the switch to close the door , holds his breath , and runs out into the decompressed hallway . Bashir manages to find Dax ' s unconscious form in the rolling gas , and drags her into an open turbolift . He hurriedly uses the door panel to close the door , and repressurizes the turbolift . They ' re safe , but he realizes that the communications system is broken . They ' re trapped . Kira somberly notes that the impulse engine s are back on line . As far as they know , it was Dax ' s final sacrifice . The " Defiant " gains altitude and resumes searching for the Karemma . In the mess hall , Quark tries to salvage the trade deal , flattering Hanok for uncovering his clever scam , but Hanok rebukes him a second time . On the bridge , Kira has found another blip , and she thinks it is a Jem ' Hadar ship . She turns off the pulses , and the " Defiant " , now flying blind , creeps up behind the Jem ' Hadar ' s last known position . Sisko orders a full stop , and shutdown of all non - essential systems . They will fire one of the modified atmospheric probes , and hope it homes in and destroys the Jem ' Hadar ship . Worf and Kira warn Sisko that if the Jem ' Hadar ship has changed course or moved out of range , the probe won ' t find anything and may end up targeting the " Defiant " instead . Sisko notes the risk , but decides to take the chance anyway . The " Defiant " fires the probe , and immediately the Jem ' Hadar ship ambushes them from behind , weapons blazing . It scores several direct hits and the bridge in particular takes serious damage , with Captain Sisko getting thrown off his feet causing him to bang his head on a console . Their attackers are about to finish them off when the probe homes in and blows the Jem ' Hadar ship into dust . The crew have taken out one enemy vessel , but the " Defiant " is severely damaged . O ' Brien is convinced that the bridge crew have all been killed . Act Three . Fortunately , some of the bridge crew did survive , although the bridge systems did not . Two junior officer s are dead , and Sisko is on the floor , bleeding from a concussion and barely conscious . Carson heads below to find a medic , while Worf goes to Main Engineering . Kira notes that if Sisko fall asleep he will likely slip into a coma , but can ' t risk using a stimulant . Worf advises her to Sisko awake by talking to him and keep his attention . In the turbolift on Deck 2 , Dax and Bashir remain trapped . They only have a few hours of air left in the lift . Dax coughs up some fluorine gas . She thanks Bashir for rescuing her , and muses how much their relationship has changed : Meanwhile , Quark attempts again to change Hanok ' s mind . He can ' t believe that the Karemma conducts all their business ventures above board . " " Where ' s the greed ? " " he asks . Hanok can ' t believe the Ferengi would gamble away their business prospects for just a few strips of latinum more . Worf arrives in the engine room , and takes command . With his typical authoritarian manner , he berates and orders O ' Brien ' s staff around . Meanwhile , Kira tries to keep Sisko awake by talking about mundane work issues , but Sisko is falling asleep . They realize they always talk about work , and Kira confesses that Sisko being the revered Emissary means she finds it hard to relax and be herself around him . In response , Sisko asks Kira if she can tell him a story . In the engine room , they ' ve picked up two more blips – but they ' re too small and too fast to be ships . It dawns on O ' Brien – they ' re torpedo es . The " Defiant " swerves to port , and the first warhead misses , but they cannot dodge the second torpedo in time . Everyone braces for impact – but nothing happens . Meanwhile , Quark and Hanok in the mess hall stare at a Jem ' Hadar torpedo that has jammed itself in the back wall . Act Four . Hanok suggests leaving the mess hall , but Quark knows that ' s pointless since the torpedo will destroy the ship if it goes off . Quark instead decides to attempt to defuse the warhead , and puts his safe - cracking skills to work . The engine room guesses where the torpedo impacted the hull , but they are cut off from the mess hall . When Stevens expresses doubt in Worf ' s command to strengthen structural integrity in that area , Worf curtly cuts him off . O ' Brien privately reminds Worf that his engineers aren ' t officers who attended Starfleet Academy , but enlisted crewman who are used to doing their jobs in their own way . He suggests that Worf " loosen up on the reins " and let his men do what they ' re good at . Worf vows to consider his advice . Trapped in the turbolift , Bashir muses how he fantasized that he and Dax would be trapped adrift on a runabout . He explains it was because she was always avoiding him , and Dax explains it is because he came on too strong . They exchange a laugh . In the engine room , Worf tries a more participatory style of leadership . Approaching Muñiz and Stevens , he solicits their help in improvising another weapon . The bright engineers brainstorm using the deflector dish as a makeshift , one - shot phaser , and Worf approves their plan . On the bridge , Sisko ' s condition worsens and he begins to slip into unconsciousness . Kira decides to risk giving him a stimulant and , determined to do anything to stop the Emissary of the Phophets from dying , begins praying over his prone body in her native tongue . In the engine room , the deflector weapon is configured . The echolocation pulse is restarted , and the crew wait for the final confrontation . Act Five . In the mess hall , Quark has managed to open the warhead . Hanok points directly to two diodes and describes their function ; one will turn off the power , the other will trigger the detonator . As Quark questions his knowledge , Hanok admits these torpedoes are made and sold by the Karemma . Quark realizes that Hanok sold the Jem ' Hadar shoddy merchandise ( since the torpedo was meant to detonate on impact ) , and Hanok jokes that maybe he should offer a refund . The two businessmen then share a hearty laugh . Hanok doesn ' t know which diode does what , which complicates matters . Quark says they will have to take a chance and just guess . When Hanok hesitates , Quark just randomly picks a diode and pulls it out . . . and the torpedo powers down . Afterward , Hanok admits that the gamble was exciting . This time , Quark challenges him to reopen trade negotiations and try to outsmart him . Hanok accepts . Meanwhile , the Jem ' Hadar ship has locked onto their pinging , and comes in for the kill . Too late , it discovers the source of the pinging is actually the second atmospheric probe . . . the " Defiant " ambushes them from behind , destroying the Jem ' Hadar with a single deflector blast . The " Defiant " rescues the Karemma , although the trade ship is too damaged and is abandoned . Everyone arrives safely back at Deep Space 9 and Quark ' s . Minister Hanok , invigorated from living on the edge , takes up dabo . To Quark ' s detriment , he turns out to be a natural at it . Dax invites Bashir to a game of darts . Stevens gives Worf the repair schedule , and to his delight , Worf allows the engineers to proceed at their own discretion . However , O ' Brien interrupts , and curtly tells Stevens he has twelve hours to complete the repairs . After Stevens leaves , O ' Brien sagely remarks to Worf , " " You have to give them a lot of slack , but you can ' t take your hands off the reins . " " In Ops , a recovering Sisko finishes a meeting with Kira , and then asks if she would like to accompany him to a baseball game in the holosuite s . Kira gladly accepts . Memorable quotes . " " The captain ' s gotten us out of tougher spots than this . Last year , when the Romulan s tried to invade the Founder s ' homeworld , we went up against a dozen Jem ' Hadar ships . " " " " I know , Chief . You ' ve told me the story . " " " " Yeah ? Well unless you want to hear it again , you ' d better get down to the torpedo bay and start working on those probes ! " " " " You are despicable ! " " " " I hate the Gamma Quadrant . " " " " I ' ll do my best . " " " " I expect " nothing " less . " " " " We sell these torpedoes to the Jem ' Hadar . " " " " I thought you said you ' d never sold substandard merchandise . . . It was supposed to explode on impact , wasn ' t it ? " " " " Maybe I should offer them a refund ! " " " " This can ' t happen ! You can ' t die ! You ' re the Emissary . There ' s still so much for you to do ! " " " It ' s very important that you listen to me . . . because there ' s going to be a test later . " " " " If you cannot carry out my orders , I will find someone who can . " " " " I think we have a winner . " " " " You can get the hot dogs from Quark . " " " " Hot dogs ? ! " " Links and references . References . active - scan navigation ; Badlands ; Bajoran s ; baseball ; Battle of the Omarion Nebula ; Bolian ; Bolian currency ; Boyce ; Cardassian ; class J planet ; Changeling ; coma ; concussion ; dabo ; darts ; deflector dish ; Dominion ; dualitic inverter ; echolocation ; Emissary of the Prophets ; fast ; Federation ; Ferengi ; ; fluorine ; Gamma Quadrant ; gas giant ; GSC ; Ha ' mara ; herder ; holosuite ; hot dog ; hull breach ; inventory ; Jefferies tube ; Jem ' Hadar ; Jem ' Hadar warship ; Jo ' Kala ; Karemma ; Karemma ( planet ) ; Karemma Commerce Ministry ; Karemma starship ; Karemman fleece ; Karemman Ministry of Trade ; kava root ; kilometer ; latinum ; Morn ' s siblings ; Occupation of Bajor ; ODN relay ; ; phaser emitter ; Pike City Pioneers ; port ; power grid ; quantum torpedo ; Quark ' s ; Rom ; Romulan ; runabout ; shift rotation ; Starfleet Academy ; structural integrity field ; surcharge ; Tarkalean s ; Tarkalean sheep ; tariff ; tetryon ; torpedo bay ; Yridian Script references . 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