Second Skin ( episode ) Kira is kidnapped by the Cardassians , who try to convince her that she is really one of them . Summary . Teaser . Quark finds a glum Dax sitting by herself in the Replimat . She fears she has been stood up by Kira , with whom she had plans to go anti - grav sailing in the holosuite s . Kira finally does show and admits , though she hates the holosuites in general , she is looking forward to this outing . But as they are leaving the Replimat , Kira receives a communication from the Bajoran Central Archives . Scholar Alenis Grem is studying Elemspur prison and wants to ask Kira some questions about it . Kira is happy to help but cannot understand why Alenis is coming to her , since she was never at Elemspur . Alenis is puzzled by this , explaining that Cardassian records clearly indicate that a Kira Nerys , member of the Shakaar resistance cell , was held at Elemspur during the Occupation for seven days . Kira is shocked when a mug shot of her , apparently from ten years ago , appears on the screen . Above them , on the second level of the Promenade , an alien woman , Yteppa , observes . Act One . Later , Kira discusses this mystery with Odo . He tells her that clearly either the records or her memories are wrong . But Kira insists she knows " exactly " where she was that week . Odo is skeptical that she can remember her whereabouts ten years after the fact . Kira says that that entire winter was quite memorable because the Shakaar had to hide in caves from the Cardassians , with little food or phaser power . The records have to be fake and she has to find out who did it and why . Odo suggests that she contact one of the other inmates listed as her cellmates in the records . Kira contacts Yeln , the only surviving cellmate . To her astonishment , he recognizes her and says the Cardassians dragged her out of their cell . That was the last he saw of her . He long thought her dead and is glad to see that she survived the ordeal . Kira is deeply disturbed that both records and witnesses disagree with her memory of events . She tells Sisko that she has to find out the truth and he gives his blessing for a trip to Bajor to investigate . After Kira boards the transport leaving for the planet , Yteppa follows her on . In the Replimat , Bashir and Elim Garak are sharing a table . Bashir tells the tailor about his recent trip to Klaestron IV and Garak expresses his envy of the doctor ' s freedom , as he has only left the station once in three years . Bashir wonders if Garak fears the Cardassian government would kill him if he left the station . Garak denies that this is case . Bashir does not believe him , but lets it go . Sisko and Dax are concerned when Alenis Grem informs them that Kira never showed up at Elemspur and cannot be located . Apparently she disappeared after leaving the spaceport on Bajor . In a dark room , Kira lies unconscious on a bed . A voice from the shadows says " " Wake her . " " and Yteppa gives her a hypospray . Kira sits up , groggy , and Yteppa tells her she is safe . In front of her is mirror and Kira sees herself in it . To her horror , the face staring back at her is Cardassian . A man named Entek steps out of the shadows and tells her she is home . . . on Cardassia . Act Two . Kira is stunned and backs away from them . Whatever they want from her , they are not going to get , she vows . Entek explains that she is an undercover field operative of the Obsidian Order , named Iliana Ghemor . Her appearance and memories were altered so that she could infiltrate the Bajoran Resistance . She has been given drugs to reverse the memory loss and help her reintegrate into Cardassian society . Although , of course , she does not yet remember it , Entek supervised her training in the Order . Kira does not believe him but he tells her she is standing in the house where she was born . He gives her a data rod on which he claims she recorded a message to herself before she left on her mission to Bajor and leaves . Kira makes no move to view it . On the station , Sisko , Dax , and Odo discuss their search for Kira . Scans have found a residual electrostatic charge in the area where she was last seen . Sisko thinks that may indicate that she was transported away and wants a list of all ships in the area at the time . He asks Odo to get all the transporter activity logs for that area . Dax admits that the charge may have been caused by disruptor or phaser fire . But Sisko is not ready to believe that yet . Kira finds that the window of her room is guarded by a force field . Entek enters and tells her that someone wants to see her . It is Tekeny Ghemor , her " father . " Ghemor is overjoyed to see her but she rebuffs him , telling him " her " father died fighting Cardassians on Bajor . Entek does not want to leave them alone together but Ghemor insists that his daughter would never harm him . When they are alone , he tells " Iliana " how much he has missed her . Kira reacts with hostility . Ghemor is saddened but knows it is only because the memories of her Cardassian life has not resurfaced yet . He tells her to consider herself his guest and leaves . Act Three . On the station , Garak tells Bashir that he has urgent news about Kira . Kira searches her room for surveillance devices . Ghemor brings her a breakfast of Bajoran hasperat and tells her that the Obsidian Order devices are not turned on in his house unless he requests it , since he is a member of Central Command . She turns down the food . Ghemor notices her admiring a carving and tells her she made it for him when he was promoted to Legate . He says he wishes she had become an artist , instead of joining the Order . But she was as stubborn as her mother . Kira angrily informs him that her mother died of malnutrition in the Singha refugee camp . Ghemor insists that her mother was an inquisitor at the Central University . He wishes he had stopped her from going on her mission to Bajor but she had been so determined . Her mother never forgave him . Kira tells him he is very convincing , but she still does not believe a word of his story . She storms away , ignoring his apologies . On the station , Sisko and Odo want Garak to repeat what he told Bashir . He tells them there is nothing they can do for Kira , if she is being held by the Obsidian Order . But they believe that , with Garak ' s help , they can save her . Garak is dubious but agrees to help when Sisko warns him that the Bajoran government have called for his removal from the station , but he is willing to convince them otherwise if he helps them . With no other choice , Garak is forced to agree . Sisko ' s plan to reach Cardassia is to disguise the as a Kobheerian freighter , using shield modifications . Entek is concerned that Kira ' s memory of her life as Iliana has not resurfaced yet . Usually the drugs work in a few hours but two days have now passed with no effect . He says he has to start questioning her . Ghemor objects but Entek insists and tells him he should not be worried about her safety , since she is member of the Order . Ghemor tells Kira that he will be right in the next room anyway . Entek interrogates Kira about Deep Space 9 . She does not take him seriously and offers obviously false answers . Entek is not satisfied with the information she gives him and decides to use other methods to convince her she is really Iliana . He tells her the Order saves " everything " and has a biological specimen beamed into the room . Kira pulls back the covering sheet to reveal a Bajoran corpse . She is looking at her own body . Act Four . She insists it has to be a clone or a hologram . But now fear has started to set in . Entek reminds her of an incident during her time in the Resistance , when she shot a hara cat . She had never told anyone about it and Entek says he knows about it because he implanted that memory . Kira ' s doubt deepens . Entek leaves her , saying that he cannot wait much longer for the information he needs from her . If she does not supply it soon , he will have to take it from her mind by force . Later , Ghemor walks in on Kira while she is disabling the window force field . He tells her she tripped a silent alarm and in any case would not get far if she tried to escape . Kira tells him that she will never cooperate with the Order and , if he wants to help her , he has to get her off Cardassia . Ghemor assures her that , no matter what happens , he would never let them hurt her . He begs her to watch the recording Iliana made before she decides what to do . Kira watches the recording , which shows a young Cardassian woman who looks and sounds very much like her . She is earnest in her belief that she is doing the right thing in going to Bajor , even though her parents do not agree . On the " Defiant " , Garak is caught snooping around the ship ' s weapons . Sisko is ready to have Garak confined to quarters under guard when they are intercepted by Cardassian warships giving the crew a chance to test their ruse . Through the holofilter , Sisko informs Gul Benil that he is Captain Viterian of the Kobheerian freighter Rak - Miunis , on its way to Cardassia Prime . Benil is skeptical and insists that all incoming ships must be searched on the order of Central Command . Garak tells Sisko to drop the holofilter and let him talk to Benil . The crew are wary but do it . Garak speaks to the surprised Benil : " This is an Alpha Red priority mission , clearance verification Nine Two One Eight Black . By the authority of the Central Command , you are ordered to turn your ships around . Erase all record of this encounter from your logs and speak of it to no one . " The crew are astonished when Benil agrees . Garak explains himself with " Just something I overheard while hemming someone ' s trousers . " Entek continues his interrogation of Kira . He is starting to wear her down , although she still gives away nothing . She is near the point of tears . Ghemor enters and orders him to stop . Entek is furious that Ghemor would second guess the Order but backs down . He tells Kira that the next time he sees her , it will have to be at Order headquarters . He leaves and the distraught Kira smashes the mirror on the wall . Ghemor comforts her and , to her amazement , tells her he will get her off Cardassia . Act Five . Later , Ghemor gives Kira a bracelet he says belonged to her mother . She does not want to accept it but he insists . Then he introduces her to Ari , the young Cardassian who is going to help her escape . Ari states his belief that Central Command wields too much power over the lives of Cardassians . Kira is shocked by what she is hearing . She now realizes that they are members of the Cardassian dissident movement . Ghemor urges Kira to get away while she can but she hesitates because she cannot believe that this is mere coincidence . Perhaps the Order was never after " her " at all . They are trying to expose Ghemor ' s ties to the movement by forcing him to save her . This is confirmed when Entek and two aides arrive , phasers drawn . Ghemor calls for a beam out but finds that there is a transporter suppression field around the house . Entek shoots and kills Ari when he tries to resist . Entek gloats that he has now put an end to the resistance , and tells Kira that while he would prefer she lives so she can give testimony he is willing to dispose of her if she causes any trouble . Just then , Garak and Sisko , who is carrying a backpack , arrive . The backpack turns out to be Odo , who surprises and disarms Entek . Sisko offers to take Ghemor with them and he quickly agrees . As the group is leaving , Entek warns Garak that the Obsidian Order was happy to let him live in exile but after this . . . however Garak doesn ' t let him finish the threat , and makes to leave . Entek suddenly pulls a hidden phaser and Garak kills him , coldly remarking , " A pity . . . I rather liked him . " Back on the station , Kira is back to her old appearance , and tells Ghemor that Dr . Bashir has confirmed that she is indeed Bajoran . Yeln has disappeared , having apparently been a spy planted by the Obsidian Order who also altered the Elemspur records . She wonders why Entek went to all the trouble of altering her , when the real Iliana would have done just as well . But Ghemor reminds her that the memory drugs would have " worked " on Iliana and she would have cooperated with the Order , giving Entek no opportunity to attack Ghemor . Kira wonders if Illiana is still alive , and Ghemor believes that she is and hopes that they will someday be reunited . Meanwhile , the Mathenite government has offered him sanctuary , although Kira , who has grown fond of him , wishes he would stay . Before he goes , Ghemor gives Kira some fatherly advice : never trust Garak . She tries to give him back the bracelet but Ghemor says she should keep it , since she is the closest thing he has to family . Kira tells him she knows he is an honorable man and that his daughter must have loved him very much . Memorable quotes . " " Treason , like beauty , is in the eye of the beholder . " " " " Commander , this is extortion . " " " " Hmm . . . Yes it is . " " " " I ' ll go along on your fool ' s errand , but I want one thing to be perfectly clear . . . I have no intention of sacrificing my life to save yours ! If it looks like we ' re in danger of being captured , if there ' s any sign of trouble at all . . . you ' re on your own . " " " " Mr . Garak . . . I believe that ' s the first completely honest thing you ' ve ever said to me . " " [ smiling ] " " How perceptive of you commander . " " " " Hmm . . . thirty , forty thousand . But don ' t tell them I told you . " " " " This is an Alpha - Red priority mission , clearance verification 9218 - Black . By authority of the Central Command you are ordered to turn your ships around , erase all records of this encounter from your logs , and talk of it to no one . Is that clear ? " " " " My apologies . I had no idea . " " " " You were doing your duty . End transmission . " " " " Mr . Garak , I ' m impressed . " " " " Oh , it was just something I overheard while I was hemming someone ' s trousers . " " " " Major , I don ' t think I ' ve ever seen you looking so ravishing . " " " " A pity . I rather liked him . " " " " That Garak fellow that helped you , who helped us . . . don ' t trust him Nerys , ever . He ' s a dangerous man , and he ' d betray you and all your friends in an instant if he thought it would help him . " " " " I ' ll keep my eye on him . " " Links and references . References . access plate ; Alpha Red priority mission ; anti - grav sailing ; Bajor ; Bajoran s ; Bajoran Central Archives ; Bajoran Militia ; Bajoran Provisional Government ; Bajoran Resistance ; Bestri Woods ; bracelet ; burn ; Cardassia Prime ; Cardassian ; Cardassian Central Command ; Cardassian dissident movement ; Cardassian government ; Central University ; claustrophobia ; constable ; cryogenic chamber ; Dahkur Hills ; Dahkur Province ; ; Demilitarized Zone ; desegranine ; disruptor ; Dominion ; Eighth Order ; electrostatic charge ; Elemspur Detention Center ; extortion ; Federation ; Garak ' s Clothiers ; Ghemor ' s wife ; Great Erg ; hara cat ; hasperat ; holosuite ; holo - filter ; homesickness ; icon painting ; ; isolinear rod ; kilometer ; Kira Meru ; Kira Taban ; Klaestron s ; Klaestron IV ; Kobheerian s ; Kobheerian freighter ; legate ; liaison officer ; Maquis ; Mathenite s ; Mathenite government ; Milky Way Galaxy ; New Mecca ; Obsidian Order ; Obsidian Order ' s Headquarters ; paranoia ; phaser ; power cell ; " Rak - Miunis " ; Replimat ; screech rhino ; Shakaar resistance cell ; shield harmonic s ; shield modulator ; Singha Refugee Camp ; spaceport ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Intelligence ; toranium ; winter