The Sound of Her Voice ( episode ) The " Defiant " receives a distress call from a Starfleet captain stranded on an inhospitable planet . Summary . Teaser . On Deep Space 9 , Odo is busy with one of his favorite activities . . . making Quark ' s life a misery , this time over some new barstools residing in Quark ' s . With Jake Sisko watching , Quark tries to reason with Odo , but naturally the shapeshifter isn ' t very receptive and orders them removed immediately . He then turns his attention to the dabo wheel , however then Major Kira Nerys walks in asking him if he fancies lunch . Odo , having suddenly transformed from the hard - nosed policeman to the attentive lover , forgets all about Quark and happily leaves with her . This hasn ' t gone unnoticed by Quark , who tells Jake that as far as he ' s concerned , love is a distraction , and a distracted policeman . . . an opportunity . Meanwhile the has successfully escorted the PQ - 1 convoy to the Vegan system and is on its way home from its long mission with a " very " tired and irritable crew . Accompanying them on the mission is Kasidy Yates , who was acting as convoy liaison officer . She and Benjamin Sisko are discussing the mission ( and the large number of reports she ' s had to fill out for Starfleet ) when Doctor Bashir arrives ; however , Bashir is too tired to have a conversation with the two . Yates remembers a time when he couldn ' t keep quiet , and Sisko jokes that he likes him better this way . Yates doesn ' t like the remark , and doesn ' t believe Sisko when he tells her he ' s kidding . The awkward moment is interrupted when Worf calls from the bridge telling Captain Sisko that a distress call has been picked up from the Rutharian sector . In the distress call , the crew hear a female Starfleet officer ' s voice . Sisko tells Chief O ' Brien to cut off the line , the words weighing heavy on him . The location is six days away at maximum warp , and no other ships are in the area . Despite his weariness , the decision is made ; the " Defiant " will head to the sector . Sisko tells O ' Brien to try and establish two - way contact and when he does , to tell the woman that her heroes are on the way . Act One . Later , in main engineering , O ' Brien is busy trying to establish the two - way com line and has left the channel open , meaning he can hear the woman ( who is now known to be called Lisa ) as she talks about her surroundings and plead for help . Bashir arrives to see how O ' Brien is getting on . The answer is not well , as he is unable to send the return signal due to the frequency she is transmitting the message on . Bashir then asks O ' Brien why he keeps her voice on . O ' Brien tells him it doesn ' t bother him , and that as she ' s all alone he might as well listen to her even if she doesn ' t know he is . Also he points out that sometimes it seems that Lisa is talking to him , especially when she talks about her family . Bashir decides to leave the two of them alone and O ' Brien continues on his work , pausing for a moment as Lisa talks about her seemingly hopeless situation . On Deep Space 9 , Odo has just finished making sure Quark has replaced the bar stools and is about to leave , when Quark asks Odo what he has planned for Saturday , the one - month anniversary of his and Kira ' s first date . Odo at first thinks that Quark is trying to sell him something , but Quark tells Odo not to involve him and buy something off the Promenade . Quark leaves , and Odo asks Jake jokingly if he ' d ever heard anything as ridiculous as a one - month anniversary , but when Jake ' s expression says that he doesn ' t find it so ridiculous , Odo suddenly isn ' t so sure of himself and goes onto the Promenade to find something to buy for Kira . Jake has had enough of observing the situation and asks Quark what ' s going on . Quark is at first reluctant , but finally agrees to let Jake in on the plan on the condition that nothing ends up in print or finding its way back to Captain Sisko . Quark then tells Jake that he has his own plans for Saturday night . O ' Brien is still working on the com line with Lisa talking in the background . Kasidy Yates arrives and asks O ' Brien if he ' s uncomfortable with her being on the " Defiant " , given that she ' s a civilian and the " Defiant " is a warship . O ' Brien tells her he isn ' t , and that they ' ve had civilians aboard before . Yates tells him she was worried about that , but before the conversation can go any further , the two suddenly catch on that Lisa is shouting for their attention , as she was able to hear the two talking . O ' Brien is able to fully clear up the line , and shouts back that they can hear her . Lisa tells him that , whoever he is , she loves him . O ' Brien and Yates smile at Lisa ' s obvious happiness that her call was picked up . Act Two . A short while later , Captain Sisko and Doctor Bashir are present as Lisa tells the crew she is Captain Lisa Cusak , commanding officer of the , which was returning from an eight - year long exploration of the Beta Quadrant when they passed by an unusual energy barrier surrounding a planet . Scanning the planet triggered a reaction which destroyed the ship . Cusak ' s final memory after giving the order to abandon ship was a console exploding in her face , only to find herself in an escape pod on the planet . Doctor Bashir asks Lisa to confirm she ' s on an L - Class planet , which she does , and answers his next question by telling him she has been injecting herself with tri - ox to compensate for the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere . After ascertaining her supplies of the drug , he makes her ration it so she will last until the " Defiant " arrives , but even so it ' s going to be a close call . Cusak has a request for Captain Sisko : the tri - ox is keeping her awake and she hasn ' t had anyone to talk to . . . so Captain Sisko agrees to have an officer stay on the com line at all times . Sisko then decides that he ' d better start , and decides to tell her all that ' s happened in the Alpha Quadrant since she ' s been gone . Later in his ready room , Sisko is telling Cusak of the recent developments in the war , and Cusak hates hearing about the Federation ' s recent struggles . Wishing to change the conversation , Cusak asks Sisko if he ' s seeing anyone , and he tells her about Yates , but it ' s clear he ' s not enjoying the subject , and Cusak notes he sounded happier going on about the war . Cusak starts to tell Sisko about the time she was seeing an Andorian man with the Agricultural Ministry , who kept pointing his antennae at her when she walked past . Sisko can ' t help but smile as she tells the story in her upbeat manner . On the station , Odo shows Quark the present he has bought for Kira , and Quark offers Odo the use of a holosuite for the night . Odo at first refuses , but quickly sees Quark ' s point of view and decides to peruse the programs offered . When he leaves , Quark tells Jake that it seems the constable will be busy the coming Saturday night , and therefore won ' t be able to watch the airlock s for criminals or illegal merchandise . Quark can get around deputies , but Odo is his biggest obstacle and now that he ' s going to be out of the way Quark is able to go after a massive deal he ' s got brewing . It ' s Bashir ' s turn to talk to Cusak , but it ' s Cusak doing all the talking , as Bashir is so caught up in his work that he gives short and quick answers , clearly not really listening to her . Cusak realizes this and begins to question him on it , when suddenly she tells him she can see something moving in the distance . She gets very scared as it comes closer , and Bashir realizes something is wrong and can only listen as Cusak lets out a scream . Act Three . A worried Bashir calls for Cusak and a deep , growling voice tells Bashir that it has eaten her , but what difference did it make as he wasn ' t really listening to her . Bashir realizes that it was Cusak ' s way of getting his attention and gives her his sincerest apologies . Agreeing that she is his patient and that he should be listening to her , he puts his work to the side and gives her his full attention ; however , Cusak is all talked out , and asks him about his life . He tells her he graduated medical school second in his class . Cusak tells Bashir that he ' s just talked himself into a situation and it ' s going to take " days " to talk himself out . On Deep Space 9 , Quark finalizes the meeting he is due to have with a Nausicaan on the coming Saturday night . Odo arrives having chosen the program ( Paris , 1928 ) he wants for himself and Kira and books the holosuite for Sunday night . Quark is horrified when Odo explains that as his and Kira ' s first date ended badly he ' s instead decided to celebrate the anniversary of their first kiss . He happily leaves , and Quark tries furiously to get in touch with his contact to tell him about the change of plans , but it ' s no use , as the Nausicaan has already changed his com system protocols . Quark is horrified and explains to Jake he has no way to get in touch with contact before he arrives on the station on Saturday and the " second " he sets foot on board the station Odo will arrest him , and eventually Quark . Aboard the " Defiant " , O ' Brien is telling Cusak about the growing distance between himself and his friends since the war started , which surprised him as it isn ' t the first war he ' s fought in . He can ' t help but keep a distance , as he thinks that any of them could be gone the next day . Realizing the grim tone of his conversation , he apologizes to Cusak telling her he ' s meant to be cheering her up , but Cusak tells him it ' s ok , as he clearly needs to talk to someone about this . The conversation drifts onto their dislike of the notion of a ship ' s counselor but two agree that as O ' Brien can ' t talk to his friends or his wife about his feelings , then who else is there to talk to . Bashir interrupts , as it ' s his turn to talk to Cusak . The two warmly bid each other goodnight , and she tells O ' Brien to think about what she ' s said . Bashir is free to talk to Cusak for the night , as he caught up with all his work that afternoon . Bashir can tell that Cusak is in her usual good mood , but she is forced to correct him as she isn ' t feeling too well at all . The last tri - ox injection didn ' t help her , and she is starting to grow weak . Bashir reports this to Captain Sisko . Cusak is starting to feel the effects of CO , as the final vial of tri - ox must have been tainted in the crash . Without it , Cusak has less than two days left which is a massive problem as the " Defiant " is still three days away . Act Four . On the bridge , Sisko , Bashir , Worf , and O ' Brien discuss the situation . O ' Brien tells the captain that while he can increase the ship ' s speed to warp 9 . 5 and save almost a day ' s travel , the problem is the " Defiant " s structural integrity , as the ship starts to shake itself apart when it goes above warp 9 . While the chief can reinforce the structural integrity field to protect the " Defiant " once it goes to warp 9 . 5 , he needs to take the power from the phaser reserves . Worf strongly advises against it , as the " Defiant " would be at an extreme disadvantage should they encounter a Dominion ship . Bashir argues that they are a long way from the front lines and the chance of an encounter are low , but Worf feels they shouldn ' t chance it . Sisko decides to take the risk and orders the power from the phaser reserves transferred to the structural integrity field so the ship can speed up . Yates arrives on the bridge to see what ' s happening , and Sisko grows far more tense when he realizes she ' s there . He brusquely tells her they ' re increasing speed and she picks up on his discomfort and leaves , and Sisko can ' t help but be relieved when she ' s gone , which leaves him troubled . Sisko finds himself talking to Cusak about what happened , and by now she is sounding far weaker than before , but she still is full of advice and good humor , and tells Sisko that the problem is that Yates is part of his personal life and the " Defiant " is part of his professional life and the two can ' t be mixed regardless of how good she was as convoy liaison officer . She talks about the time she served on a starbase with her sister , and what a nightmare it was , eliciting another smile from him , despite the grim situation . Sisko tells Cusak that he ' s looking forward to meeting her , and he knows he ' s not the only person on the ship who feels the same . Cusak tells him it sounds like the whole crew needs some rest . In one of Deep Space 9 ' s cargo holds , Quark shows Jake the Denevan crystal s he was going to sell on Saturday for a " lot " of latinum and now he won ' t . He tells Jake that when Odo needed him , when he was pining over Kira when she was seeing Shakaar and didn ' t know what to do , he was there for him , and yet Odo shows no gratitude and would still love to see him go to prison . The two leave , however , it turns out Odo was listening to the entire conversation and it seems to have had an effect on him . Saturday night has come and Quark , knowing his contact is about to arrive and start the chain of events that will land Quark on the wrong side of a holding cell within half an hour , has poured a drink for himself and Jake and toasts to failure , despite Jake ' s objections that he won ' t drink to that . Quark asks Jake to humor him , and the two clink glasses miserably . Suddenly , Odo and Kira arrive in full period garb , and Odo tells Quark that Kira preferred his suggestion that they celebrate their first date instead of their first kiss . Quark literally cannot believe his luck , and in a shocked state tells Odo the holosuite is still available and gives him the program . The two head to the second level , and Quark and Jake are amazed and pleased at the sudden lucky turn of events . Quark is overjoyed that not only is he going to make money , but he can also be happy in the fact that he beat Odo . Odo and Kira watch the two leave and head to the Cargo Hold , and Kira can ' t believe that Odo is willing to let Quark get away with such a serious offense as smuggling Denevan crystals . Odo tells Kira that he owes Quark one . . . so he ' ll give him this one , and " only " this one . Kira tells Odo that every time she thinks she worked him out he surprised her , and asks him where he got the wonderful idea to celebrate their one - month anniversary . Odo tells her that some mysteries are best left unsolved , and two lovers head off to a wonderful evening . The " Defiant " arrives at the L - Class planet , and Captain Sisko orders a passive scan of the barrier surrounding it , reminding everyone an active scan is what triggered the " Olympia " s destruction . Bashir arrives and tells the crew that Cusak has just lost consciousness and the crew only has around 45 minutes to get to her . The scan reports that the planet is surrounded by subspace metreon radiation and O ' Brien surmises if the " Defiant " approaches the barrier , the dilithium matrix will collapse and the ship will certainly be dragged down to the planet and be destroyed . Act Five . Beaming through the barrier is out of the question . Because of the nature of the barrier they can ' t get close enough to use the transporter s . While the " Defiant " can ' t get close , a shuttlepod could make it , as they don ' t use dilithium , although the actual chances of a shuttle making it are unlikely . Sisko decides they have come too far to give up and decides to head down to the planet with Doctor Bashir and Chief O ' Brien , and leaves Worf in command . Shuttlepod " Chaffee " leaves the " Defiant " and heads through the barrier . Although the ride is bumpy , the shuttlepod makes it . Scans show no life sign s on the surface , but the crash site is found . The shuttle lands and the three head into the nearby cave , and go in the only direction Cusak could have headed . Bashir calls everyone over , and finds a body of a woman wearing a Starfleet uniform clutching a hypospray near a com unit . The crew is confused , as the body lying at their feet has clearly been dead for years , but the age , cause of death and the fact the body is that of a Starfleet captain means it can only be Cusak . The scans from the medical tricorder show she ' s been dead for over three years . Sisko asks , if Cusak has been dead for three years , then who has the crew been talking to all this time ? O ' Brien theorizes that the unusual composition of the barrier must have time - shifted Cusak ' s signal forward in time , and as a result , the return signal was shifted back in time . She was dead long before they ever received her distress signal ; they " never " had a chance to save her . This leads to the issue of what to do now . O ' Brien feels they should bury her , but Sisko disagrees and decides rather than leave her buried in a desolate cave on an isolated planet , they should take Cusak ' s body back with them so she can have a proper send - off among friends . The " Defiant " has returned to the station , and the crew holds an Irish wake for Cusak . Dax explains the concept of a wake to Worf , he comments that it sounds like a very Klingon tradition . Sisko arranges dinner with Yates that night so he can explain his recent behavior . Bashir then speaks to everyone in the room about how much he cared about Cusak despite the fact he didn ' t know her for very long , and he also tells his friends that despite his manner sometimes that he does care deeply about his friends . Then O ' Brien tells everyone that while he never shook her hand or saw her face , Cusak made him laugh and cry , and while she was by herself and he was surrounded by his friends , he felt more alone than she did . He tells everyone that he didn ' t mean to pull himself away from everyone else , and that he wants his friends in his life , because one day one of them will be gone and the others shouldn ' t have to mourn alone . Everyone raises their glasses and drinks a toast . . . Memorable quotes . " " Chief , I want you to establish a two - way comlink with this woman and when you do tell her - tell her her heroes are on the way . " " " " With Odo out of the way , my biggest problem will be deciding . . . what to do with all the money I ' m gonna make ! " " " " You ' re not doomed . " " " " I feel better already . " " " " Well . . . he looks happy . " " " " He should be . . . he ' s about to make his biggest profit of the year . " " " " The war changed us – pulled us apart . . . I want my friends in my life , because someday we ' re going to wake up and we ' re going to find that someone is missing from this circle . On that day , we ' re going to mourn , and we shouldn ' t have to mourn alone . " " " " It ' s called an Irish wake . It ' s a way to memorialize death , but celebrate life at the same time . " " " " What are we supposed to do ? " " " " Well , drink , sing songs . Laugh , cry , talk about the deceased . " " " " It sounds . . . almost Klingon . " " Links and references . References . 1928 ; 2363 ; 2371 ; Alpha Quadrant ; Andor ; Andoria ; Andorian ; Andorian Agricultural Ministry ; Andorian civilian ; ; barstool ; bedside manner ; Beta Quadrant ; Betazed ; broil ; cardiopulmonary system ; " Chaffee " ; class L ; cliché ; convoy ; convoy liaison officer ; Cusak ' s attacker ; Cusak ' s sisters ; Denevan crystal ; Dominion ; Dominion War ; Embassy ; eight - year mission ; energy barrier ; environmental suit ; escape pod ; exogenic field ; Federation ; Federation - Cardassian War ; Federation freighter ; Gatsby ; gigahertz ; holosuite ; hypoxia ; Klingon ; lung ; medical tricorder ; metreon ; mission report ; ; ; Paris ; power grid ; PQ - 1 ; Promenade ; puncture ; Quark ' s ; radio ; Rest and Relaxation ; Rutharian sector ; Second Fleet ; Shakaar Edon ; Starfleet Medical Academy ; station regulation ; subspace frequency ; survival kit ; tri - ox ; Vegan system ; vertebra ; wake ; Yates family Unused production material . corn chowder