Profit and Loss ( episode ) Quark is reunited with his lost Cardassian love , but he learns that she is a member of the Cardassian underground . Summary . Teaser . When a damaged Cardassian ship shows up near Deep Space 9 , Commander Benjamin Sisko has it brought in . Sisko and Chief Miles O ' Brien greet the passengers , Natima Lang and her students , Rekelen and Hogue . Lang claims that their ship was damaged in a meteor swarm and request repairs . Sisko offers quarters , but she is anxious about being on a Bajoran station . Sisko replies it will be fine if she sticks to the Promenade . In the meantime , Quark ' s is bustling as usual . Garak and Doctor Julian Bashir have their regular lunch , having a conversation about loyalty to the state versus family . Bashir attempts once again to elicit an admission of being a spy or an outcast , but unsuccessful . At the bar , Odo lets Quark know he knows about the cloaking device he obtained , but Quark assures him he has nothing to worry about . Just then , the new arrivals visit the Promenade , and Quark recognizes Natima and greets her excitedly . Natima , however , quickly slaps Quark and tells him she never wants to see him again , but as she walks away , Quark tells Odo , " " This is the happiest day of my life " . " Act One . Quark and Natima were once lovers and it is apparent as he follows her , though she continues to deny him pleasant conversation . Steering her companions into the bar , drawing Natima along , he pours a Samarian sunset for her , and , in turn , forcing the other two to go to the bar . He tries to talk to her alone , however , the second he quotes a Rule of Acquisition , any such feelings seem to vanish . Garak and Bashir pass by and Garak acknowledges Natima politely , prompting her to panic silently . The three immediately leave for Ops , where Natima tells Sisko that she and her students must leave quickly . Before she arrives , though , O ' Brien has discovered that her ship was actually damaged by Cardassian phaser fire . Natima then reveals they are political outcasts intent on reforming the Cardassian government , fighting for Cardassia ' s future . Act Two . Natima explains the nature of the Cardassian dissident movement to Sisko and reveals that Rekelen and Hogue are important movement leaders . They also reveal that Garak has seen them . Sisko promises to increase efforts to repair their ship . While Natima talks to Sisko , Quark visits Garak ' s shop and asks for advice on Cardassian fashion . The tailor describes Natima ' s taste in fashion as " too radical " for his liking and warns that a poor choice in fashion can be detrimental to one ' s health . This thinly - veiled conversation reveals to Quark that he has been warned to separate Natima from the other two , as they will be pursued by the government , and , therefore , Natima and Quark . Furthermore , Garak will not help with Natima . Quark then goes to Natima and professes his love , even willing to leave DS9 and his bar for her . After all their history , she doesn ' t believe him and refuses . She feels betrayed by Quark ' s action of trying to steal from the Cardassians using her access codes , and believes all he cares about it profit , even if momentarily he does want to leave with her . A Cardassian warship arrives shortly thereafter , ignoring communication attempts and targeting the station with its weapons . Just then , Garak visits Ops to talk . Act Three . Downplaying the aggressiveness of the warship ' s approach to the station , Garak explains that Central Command wants Hogue and Rekelen . He describes them as terrorists , but also says they are not dangerous , rather , annoying . Garak reminds him of the fragile relationship between Cardassia and the Federation , but Sisko warns Garak that if the Cardassians attempt to try and take them by force , he will respond in kind . Garak acknowledges that and also invites Sisko to his shop . Desperate to get Natima back , Quark offers Hogue and Rekelen a cloaking device to help them escape , but , as part of the agreement , he requires that Natima stay with him . Later , Quark goes to Natima with the device . Natima tries to reason with Quark , explaining that she cannot stay , and threatens to take the device by phaser . Believing she is bluffing , Quark dares her to do so ; however she fires the phaser but looks just as surprised as Quark . Act Four . Natima tells him she barely touched the trigger and did not mean to fire , after which she apologizes and declares her love for him . However , she still says the movement is her life , and she has sacrificed for it . Quark responds by reliving their relationship , and that she has already given enough for the movement . Finally , she agrees to staying with him . As the two of them happily reminisce about the past , Odo enters Natima ' s quarters and places her under arrest . The Bajoran Provisional Government has agreed to turn Natima , Hogue , and Rekelen over to the Cardassians in exchange for the release of several Bajoran prisoners . Sisko tells Natima and her group , and that he is forced to execute it . Meanwhile , a former rival of Garak ' s , Gul , visits Garak ' s shop and tells the tailor that Central Command has changed its mind ; he says he convinced them to have the prisoners killed instead . In exchange for killing the prisoners , Garak will be allowed to return to Cardassia from his exile . Act Five . In Odo ' s security office , Quark convinces Odo to help Natima and takes her and her students to their ship . First , he tries profit motivations , then by appealing to Odo ' s apparent lack of emotion , then by trading information . Finally , he begs him , but Odo agrees due to the justice of it . The group leaves with Quark to the airlock , however , Garak greets them there , where he laments that he must now kill him as well as Natima and her students . Quark and Natima attempt to reason with Garak , but he says he ' s not there to debate the situation and that Quark should have taken his advice earlier . Before Garak can finish , Toran emerges from behind a cargo container , claiming he knew Garak would not go through with it . Toran reveals that he only used Garak to learn Hogue and Rekelen ' s whereabouts ; Garak then shoots him as he tries to shoot the group . With the deal obviously gone , Garak allows the group to leave and Quark promises more business for him . Before Natima leaves , Quark tries one final time to convince her to stay . She tells him she must return to Cardassia until her work is done . " So all I have to do to get you back is wait until Cardassia becomes a free and democratic society ? " he asks . Smiling , Natima tells him they will meet again some day and promises to make it worth the wait . Once she leaves , Quark asks why Garak shot Toran , to which Garak asks why Quark helped Natima . " I had no choice – I love her , " Quark says . " And I love Cardassia , which is why I had to do what I did , " Garak responds . Memorable quotes . " " I heard an interesting rumor today . " " " " Only one ? I started at least twelve . " " " " And you believe everything you hear ? " " " " When it ' s about you , yes . " " " " Ooh , you Cardassians do hold grudges ! " " " " Cardassians don ' t involve outsiders in their internal politics , especially Bajorans . " " " " Being shot at by your own people goes a little beyond politics . " " " " We take our politics very seriously . " " " " May I offer you some free advice ? " " " " As long as I ' m under no obligation to follow it . " " " Consider the cloaking device a gift . " " " " I ' m surprised . Ferengis aren ' t known for their generosity . " " " " Oh , we are a deeply misunderstood race . " " " " Well , some people should never be promoted . " " " " It hurts ? " " " " Oh , she wants to know if it hurts . Of course it hurts . It ' s supposed to hurt - – it ' s a phaser ! " " " " Listen to me , Odo . You do this for me , and I promise you there ' ll be no more secrets between us . I ' ll tell you about every under - handed deal , every lying scheme , every dirty trick that . . . my brother Rom ' s involved in . " " " " Sometimes we ' re on opposite sides , but that doesn ' t mean we aren ' t close . I ' ve never told you this Odo , but I consider you as dear to me as my brother . " " " " Ha ! And I ' ve seen how well you treat him . . . " " " " Don ' t ! I hate to ruin . . . such a nice suit . " " " " So , all I have to do to get you back is wait until Cardassia becomes a free and democratic society ? " " " " You have to tell me . . . why ' d you do it ? Shoot Toran ? " " " " Why did you let Professor Lang go ? " " " " I had no choice . I love her . " " " " And I love Cardassia . Which is why I had to do what I did . " " " " I don ' t understand . " " " " That ' s the thing about love . No one really understands it , do they ? " " Links and references . References . Bajoran ; Bajoran law ; Bajoran Provisional Government ; Bajoran sector ; Cardassia ; Cardassian s ; Cardassian Central Command ; Cardassian Communications Service ; Cardassian dissident movement ; Cardassian Empire ; Cardassian government ; Cardassian Military ; Cardassian shuttle ; Cardassian transport ; Cardassian warship ; cliché ; cloaking device ; dabo ; disruptor ; Earth ; exile ; fashion ; Federation ; Ferengi ; flitterbird ; ; holosuite ; honey ; " I , the Jury " ; kanar ; Lang ' s shuttle ; latinum ; lovers ' quarrel ; meteor swarm ; Mordian butterfly ; motto ; " Picnic on Rhymus Major " ; political ethics ; Promenade ; Quark ' s ; refugee ; Replimat ; reserve power ; Rhymus Major ; Rom ; Samarian sunset ; Sarek ; sewing kit ; ; Smith ; Toran ' s starship ; Trelonian ; Trelonian government ; trend ; Vulcan ( planet ) ; Yiri ; Yiri ' s brother Unreferenced material . Sadera VI