Rom: So, what do you think?
Vic: Not bad, but the lady is a tramp, not a scamp.
Rom: Tramp, right. So, do I get the gig?
Vic: Sorry, pallie.
Rom: But Doctor Bashir said you're looking for an opening act and I love to sing.
Vic: I can tell. But two singers on the same bill, that's a one way ticket to Deadsville. I need someone to warm up the audience for me. You know, a comic.
Rom: A comic?
Vic: A comedian. Someone who can make people laugh.
Rom: I can do that. My brother tells me people are always laughing at me.
Vic: Well, that may be true, but this is a holosuite program, capisce?
Rom: So?
Vic: So you're not a hologram.
Rom: Life can be so unfair.
Bashir: Vic, you got a minute?
Rom: Forget it. He's not hiring.
Bashir: What's wrong with him?
Vic: Showbiz. It can break your heart. So what can I do for you, pallie?
Bashir: Did you get a chance to make those audio recordings for me?
Vic: All your favorite hits.
Bashir: That's great. Thanks, Vic.
Vic: My pleasure. These songs are four hundred years old. You sure the troops on the front lines want to hear them?
Bashir: The songs may be old, but when you sing them, they sound brand new.
Vic: Hey, when you put it that way, I wish I was going on the supply run with you. I could make some personal appearances. Sing a few songs, tell a few jokes. You know, put together a regular USO show.
Bashir: I'm afraid there are no holosuites where we're going.
Vic: Rom's right. Life can be unfair. You know, pallie, sometimes being a hologram can be a real pain in the asometric photons.
Bashir: I'll see you when I get back.
Vic: You know where to find me.
Odo: I thought I might find you here. The new security protocols you requested.
Sisko: I think that's what I'm going to remember most about this war. Looking through casualty reports. Sometimes it feels like that's all I do. Stare at the names of the dead. When the war started, I read every name. I felt it was the least I could do to honor their sacrifices. But now the names have begun to blur together.
Odo: Well, that's understandable.
Sisko: Maybe.
Kira: Ops to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Kira: The Defiant is ready for departure.
Sisko: On my way.
Quark: Why me? Why did he have to send me? I'm like a son to him.
Ezri: Quark, you're mumbling again.
Quark: I'm sorry. It's just not fair. I have responsibilities of my own. Customers who depend on me.
Ezri: But the Grand Nagus picked you for this assignment.
Quark: Some assignment. A fact finding mission to the front lines. Zek's already inundated with Starfleet intelligence reports. What can I tell him that he doesn't know?
Ezri: Maybe he wants to hear things from a Ferengi perspective.
Quark: Then let him ask Nog.
Ezri: The Nagus trusts you.
Quark: What are you trying to do, cheer me up?
Ezri: It's my job. Remember the thirty fourth Rule of Acquisition. War is good for business.
Quark: Only from a distance. The closer you are to the front lines, the less profitable it gets.
Quark: What is that?
Ezri: Stay here.
Quark: Wait. Don't leave.
Worf: This is no time to be wandering the corridors.
Quark: I thought the Chin'toka system was in Federation hands.
Worf: It is, but the Dominion is determined to take back their territory. The whole system's a battleground.
Quark: Thank you. I should probably write this down.
Sisko: Mister O'Brien, keep an eye out for more Jem'Hadar ships.
O'Brien: Aye, sir.
Nog: What are you doing here, uncle?
Quark: I'm, er, visiting.
Nog: I'm working.
Sisko: Quark, is there something we can do for you?
Quark: Not really. I just came by to say hello to my nephew.
Sisko: All right, you've just said hello.
Quark: Anybody here who'd like to join me in the mess hall for a raktajino?
Sisko: Quark!
Quark: I'm just leaving.
Nog: Sir, I assure you that won't happen again.
Ezri: Nog, your uncle's just a little nervous. He's not used to being in a combat situation.
Nog: That's no excuse.
Bashir: Captain, the supplies are ready for transport.
Worf: AR five five eight has acknowledged your message. They are expecting you.
Sisko: Away team, you're with me. Mister Worf, she's all yours.
Worf: Aye, sir.
Quark: Not much to look at, is it?
Sisko: Those are Federation phasers. Hold your fire! I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko of the USS Defiant.
Larkin: You heard him! Cease fire, damn it!
Sisko: We're coming out.
Larkin: Who told you to open fire?
Vargas: I saw movement. I thought it was the Jem'Hadar.
Larkin: They look like Jem'Hadar to you? I gave the word to hold your fire. That Starfleet officers were beaming down with supplies.
Vargas: Well nobody told me.
Larkin: Sorry, Captain. A little breakdown in communications.
Sisko: No harm was done. Where's Captain Loomis?
Larkin: He was killed ten days ago. So was Commander Parker.
Sisko: Who's in command?
Larkin: I am. Lieutenant Nadia Larkin.
Sisko: Ben Sisko. Where do you want your supplies?
Larkin: Vargas can show you.
Vargas: Supplies. That's great. Don't they know we need to get off this rock?
Reese: Take it easy, Vargas.
Vargas: Take it easy? I would love to take it easy. Get me out of this vole hole and I promise you for the rest of my life all I'll do is take it easy! According to Starfleet regulations we're suppose to be rotated off the front lines after ninety days. Ninety days! We've been stuck on this rock for five months, Captain. Take it easy.
Larkin: Welcome to paradise, Captain.
Larkin: There it is. The only reason anyone gives a damn about this place. It's the largest Dominion communications array in the sector.
Sisko: If we can figure out how it works, we should be able to tap into their entire comm. system.
Larkin: One thing's for sure, they're determined to get it back.
Sisko: We can't let that happen.
Larkin: I know our orders, Captain. But maybe Starfleet Command isn't aware of our situation. We've been holding this place for five months. That's five months of fighting off repeated Jem'Hadar attempts to get it back. When we landed here, there was a hundred and fifty of us. We're down to forty three.
Sisko: I appreciate what you've gone through, and I will make sure that Starfleet understands your situation. But from what I hear, our forces are spread pretty thin in this system. Chances are, you're going to be stuck here for a while longer.
Larkin: Lucky us.
Kellin: Someone hand me a duonetic coupler. Thanks.
Ezri: Your frequency diskriminator seems to be drifting. You might want to reset it.
Kellin: You an engineer?
Ezri: No, but Tobin, one of my previous hosts, was.
Kellin: Close enough. Grab a microdyne coupler and start recalibrating that transtator.
Quark: Nog, shouldn't you be helping Doctor Bashir unload the supplies?
Nog: We're pretty much finished.
Quark: Good. The sooner we get out of here, the better.
Nog: That soldier over there. You see his necklace? Those are Ketracel white tubes.
Quark: So?
Nog: You know how he got them?
Quark: Mail order?
Nog: He took them off the bodies of dead Jem'Hadar. Jem'Hadar that he killed. It's his way of keeping score.
Quark: And you find that impressive?
Nog: Isn't it?
Quark: I don't think so. Take a look around you, Nog. This isn't the Starfleet you know.
Nog: Sure it is. It's just that these people have been through a lot. They've been holed up here for a long time, seen two thirds of their unit killed, but they haven't surrendered. Do you know why? Because they're heroes.
Quark: Maybe, but I still don't want you anywhere near them. Let me tell you something about humans, nephew. They're a wonderful, friendly people as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time, and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don't believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes. You know I'm right, don't you? Well? Aren't you going to say something?
Nog: I feel sorry for the Jem'Hadar.
Bashir: This is twenty cc's of numinol tetraminothen. That'll take care of the fever and the chest congestion. And this will get rid of the dermal irritation on your back. Better?
Vargas: Are you kidding? I haven't felt this good since the day I landed on this rock.
Bashir: Good. Now I'd like to take a look at this arm.
Vargas: What the hell are you doing? You keep your hands off this bandage.
Bashir: I need to treat your wound.
Vargas: Nobody touches this bandage. Is that understood?
Bashir: Why is that?
Vargas: I asked you if you understood.
Bashir: Yes.
Vargas: McGreevey put this bandage on me. He ripped up his own uniform to make it.
Bashir: He sounds like a good friend.
Vargas: He was a jerk. I couldn't stand the guy. He wouldn't shut up. Yap, yap, yap, yap. He thought he was the world's greatest authority on everything. I know, he's dead and I should have more respect, but God I hated him. One moment he's tying the bandage around my arm, talking his head off, and the next minute he's lying flat on his back with a hole in his chest. And I just sat there and I looked at him. That was so great. He was so quiet. One time in his life he's quiet.
Bashir: I still need to treat your wound.
Sisko: I think you've set up a solid defense perimeter, but you need to tighten this flank.
Bashir: Captain, can I have a minute?
Bashir: These people's physical and mental health is precarious at best. They need more than a few food replicators and medical supplies. They need to be shipped out of here.
Sisko: I understand, but right now there's nothing I can do about that.
Larkin: Damn it!
Nog: I saw it happen. He was walking along
Sisko: You must've swept the compound for anti-personnel mines.
Larkin: A hundred times. It doesn't help, not with Houdinis.
Bashir: Houdinis?
Reese: Find one and you disappear.
Larkin: They hide in subspace and appear at random.
Vargas: You can walk by the same spot a hundred times and nothing happens. And then bang.
Reese: You're wasting your breath, Vargas. It's not the Captain's problem. He's leaving.
Sisko: I wish I could tell you that things were going to get easier for you.
Larkin: Don't worry about us, Captain.
Worf: Defiant to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Worf: Sir, we're being attacked by two Jem'Hadar ships. We have locked on your coordinates. Are you ready for transport?
Sisko: Stand by, Mister Worf.
O'Brien: Captain, sensors show
O'Brien: Jem'Hadar troops landing nine kilometers from your position.
Worf: Sir, we must beam you aboard now. We have to break orbit.
Sisko: Take evasive action, Mister Worf. We're staying here.
Worf: Captain, I must ask you to reconsider I do not know when we'll be able to come back for you.
Sisko: You have your orders, Commander.
Worf: Aye, sir. Good luck.
Sisko: What are you looking at? We have work to do.
Larkin: Yes, sir. You heard the Captain. Sir, what are your orders?
Sisko: There's only one order, Lieutenant. We hold.
Sisko: We need to find out how many Jem'Hadar troops landed and where they are.
Larkin: Well, you're not going to learn anything with a tricorder. We jam their sensors, they jam ours. That's how it works. Except they have an advantage. They know where we are.
Sisko: But that's all they know. They don't know our defense positions or how many of us there are.
Larkin: All things considered, I'd still rather be in their shoes.
Sisko: Hear anything, Ensign?
Nog: Plenty. I can hear Vargas's stomach grumbling and Ezri tuning a phase amplifier with a coil spanner in the communications bunker.
Sisko: What about the Jem'Hadar?
Nog: Not a sound. If they're out there, they're very quiet.
Reese: They're out there.
Sisko: Keep your ears open, Ensign.
Nog: I will, sir.
Sisko: See anything?
Nog: That knife you're working on. It's not Starfleet issue. Can I see it?
Reese: You're supposed to be listening for the Jem'Hadar.
Nog: I know.
Reese: Then shut up and listen.
Larkin: Here they come.
Reese: There's something wrong. They're not firing.
Sisko: Hold your fire!
Vargas: Where'd they go?
Sisko: They weren't here to begin with.
Reese: Holograms.
Nog: I don't understand.
Sisko: It was a way for them to see what they were up against, determine our numbers.
Reese: And pinpoint our positions.
Larkin: Without risking any casualties. Smart.
Vargas: They're smart all right and we're as good as dead!
Sisko: Not yet we aren't.
Quark: Is it over?
Sisko: For now. But next time they won't send holograms.
Larkin: Get a stretcher. Let's get him to the infirmary.
Man: Right away.
Ezri: Does that mean we stop working on the communications array?
Sisko: They'll have to get along without you for a while. We have to find the Houdinis and disarm them.
Ezri: I'm all for that. These mines are a nasty piece of engineering.
Kellin: They're also impossible to detect. I'm sorry, Captain, but I'm an engineer, not a magician.
Sisko: Larkin says you like a challenge.
Kellin: I thought I did. But after banging my head against that communications array for the last few of months, I'm not so sure anymore.
Ezri: He's just being modest, Captain. Chief O'Brien would be proud to have him on his crew.
Sisko: I can't think of higher praise.
Kellin: Now what?
Ezri: Now we get to pull a rabbit out of our hat.
Quark: Here. You need to keep your strength up.
Nog: Thanks, uncle, but I can get my own food.
Quark: What's the matter? Afraid of looking weak in front of the humans?
Nog: I want to earn their respect, if that's what you mean.
Quark: At the price of your soul? Look at you. You hold that phaser rifle as if it were made of pure latinum.
Nog: We're in the middle of a war and this rifle can keep me alive. I'm a Starfleet officer.
Quark: You're a Ferengi and I wish you'd start acting like one.
Nog: You mean hiding under a rock every time trouble starts?
Quark: I'll tell you one thing, nephew. If the Federation had listened to the Ferengi Alliance there never would have been a war.
Nog: Because we would have surrendered a long time ago.
Quark: No, we would have reached an accommodation. We would have sat across the negotiation table and hammered out a peace treaty. One that both sides could lived with.
Nog: You make it sound so simple.
Quark: Rule of Acquisition one twenty five. You can't make a deal if you're dead.
Sisko: Nog. I'm sending you, Larkin and Reese out on a scouting patrol.
Nog: Yes, sir.
Sisko: I need to know what I'm up against. How many Jem'Hadar are out there, where they're camped, and what kind of weapons they have with them.
Nog: When do we leave?
Larkin: Right away.
Quark: Hold on a minute. Why Nog, when you have all these veterans to choose from?
Reese: No one asked your opinion.
Sisko: Our tricorders aren't working.
Nog: But my hearing is.
Sisko: Exactly.
Nog: You can count on me, sir. I'll find the Jem'Hadar.
Larkin: Let's go.
Quark: Nog, wait a minute.
Sisko: He has his orders, Quark.
Quark: That is so easy for you to say, but I bet you wouldn't send Jake out there.
Sisko: Jake is not a Starfleet officer.
Kellin: You did it.
Ezri: Actually, I'm not sure it was me. It could've been Tobin or Jadzia.
Kellin: It doesn't matter. The point is you managed to cut through the jamming signals.
Ezri: Unfortunately, I can't extend its range past a hundred meters.
Kellin: That's enough to scan the entire compound. Now the question is, how do we calibrate the tricorder to locate the mines in subspace?
Ezri: Maybe we should try cross linking the optronic and isodyne relays.
Kellin: You sure you're not an engineer?
Ezri: In nine lives I've been a little of everything.
Kellin: Doesn't that get confusing?
Ezri: You have no idea.
Kellin: Really.
Ezri: I'll give you an example. This is my first time on the front lines.
Kellin: You're talking about Ezri now.
Ezri: Right. But Torias, Curzon, and Jadzia, they were in battle many times, and I can remember what that felt like. I remember the fear, and the anger, and the adrenaline surge.
Kellin: Having someone else's memories of being in combat is one thing. Living through it yourself is another.
Ezri: I suppose I'm going to find out.
Kellin: You'll do fine.
Larkin: This is close enough, Nog.
Nog: What is it? What's going on?
Larkin: It's time to go.
Reese: Right.
Larkin: Let's go.
Vargas: Someone's coming.
Reese: Don't shoot. It's me, Reese!
Sisko: Stretcher!
Quark: Nog! What happened?
Reese: Jem'Hadar patrol.
Sisko: Larkin?
Reese: She's dead.
Sisko: Damn.
Reese: The Ferengi found the encampment. It's three kilometers south of here.
Sisko: How many troops?
Reese: Two columns.
Vargas: How are we going to be able to hold off two columns?
Sisko: We'll have to even out the odds.
Reese: Any ideas?
Sisko: I'm working on it.
Reese: Captain. The kid did all right.
Quark: The doctor doesn't want anybody in there.
Sisko: Well how's Nog?
Quark: It's a little late for you to care about that, isn't it?
Sisko: Quark.
Quark: He's going to lose his leg. Does that answer your question?
Quark: Now what happens? You will be able to replace the leg, won't you?
Bashir: As soon as we can get him to a hospital, he can be fitted with a biosynthetic limb. Unfortunately, there may be complications.
Quark: What's that supposed to mean?
Bashir: Nog suffered severe thermal damage to his femoral motor nerves. I'm not sure they'll be able to stimulate artificial muscle tissue. In fact, there's no way to know until after the operation has been performed. I have to get inside.
Quark: We've got to get Nog to a hospital.
Sisko: We will, as soon as we can.
Quark: That's not good enough.
Sisko: I'm sorry.
Quark: Sorry? If you really cared about Nog you would never have sent him out on that patrol.
Sisko: Now you listen to me, Quark, because I'm only going to say this one time. I care about Nog and every soldier under my command. Understood? Every single one.
Nog: Captain.
Sisko: At ease, Ensign.
Nog: I'm sorry, sir.
Sisko: About what?
Nog: About Larkin. I led her right into a trap.
Sisko: You found the Jem'Hadar camp.
Nog: I heard them coming, but it was too late. There was all this phaser fire and I went down, and before I could
Sisko: Nog, listen to me. You followed orders. You did what you were trained to do. I'm proud of you.
Nog: Thank you, sir.
Nog: It doesn't hurt. You'd think it would, but it doesn't.
Sisko: I'm glad.
Nog: I'm going to be fine. Captain. The communications array. It's worth it, right?
Sisko: I hope to God it is.
Ezri: Benjamin, sorry to interrupt. We're ready.
Sisko: Remember, no one moves until I say so. Go ahead, Lieutenant.
Kellin: Now all we have to do is figure out how to disarm them.
Sisko: We're not going to disarm them. We're going to use them.
Reese: This is their camp. This is ours. There are mountains to the east and west which means they have to come through this ravine to get to us.
Sisko: Then that's where we'll relocate the mines.
Kellin: Moving them shouldn't be too difficult. Delicate, but not difficult.
Sisko: I also want you to reprogram them so that they're triggered by movement.
Reese: Make sure it's lots of movement. We want that ravine full of Jem'Hadar when those Houdinis start to go off.
Kellin: I think we can manage that.
Reese: That should take out a third of their forces.
Sisko: What's the matter, old man? Don't you think it'll work?
Ezri: It's not that. It's just that a few hours ago, we thought of these mines as the kind of ruthless weapon only the Dominion would use. But now
Reese: They've become a whole lot friendlier.
Sisko: Sooner or later, the Jem'Hadar are going to come through those barricades and when they do, the fewer there are, the better our chances of survival. You have your orders.
Reese: Power packs.
Vargas: Did you hear that?
Ezri: I didn't hear anything.
Reese: Relax. When they get here, you'll know it.
Reese: Power packs.
Kellin: Sorry. My thumb got a little nervous.
Sisko: I know how you feel.
Kellin: I wonder if the Jem'Hadar get jittery before a battle.
Sisko: I wouldn't count on it.
Vargas: What the hell is that?
Ezri: Shh. Listen.
Ezri: Your idea?
Bashir: Yeah. I thought we could all use some Vic Fontaine right about now.
Ezri: How's Nog?
Bashir: There isn't much I can do for him until I get back to the station. I take it you were able to move the mines?
Ezri: Put it this way, I wouldn't go for a stroll through that ravine tonight.
Bashir: I wasn't planning on it. Then again, I wasn't planning on being here.
Vargas: I can see you've done that before.
Bashir: Too many times. Funny. I joined Starfleet to save lives.
Vargas: Maybe they're not coming. Maybe they're turning back. Maybe we got them all.
Sisko: Fire!
Ezri: Kellin? Kellin?
Reese: You alive? Captain, are you with us?
Sisko: I think so.
Sisko: We held.
Reese: Those were our orders, sir.
Worf: Captain.
Sisko: Yes, Mister Worf.
Worf: The USS Veracruz has entered orbit. They are beaming down troop replacements and an engineering crew.
Sisko: What about our people?
Worf: Doctor Bashir is aboard the Veracruz with Nog and the rest of the wounded. They will be taken to a hospital on Starbase three seven one.
Sisko: Good. I'll return to the Defiant shortly.
Worf: This was a great victory. One worthy of story and song.
Sisko: It cost enough.
Reese: Children.
Sisko: Not for long. Ready?
Reese: Let's go.
Sisko: Sisko to Defiant. Three to beam up.
Kira: Sir, the latest casualty reports have just been posted.
Sisko: How many this time?
Kira: Including the troops lost at AR five five eight, seventeen hundred and thirty.
Sisko: Seventeen hundred thirty.
Kira: That's a lot of names.
Sisko: They're not just names. It's important we remember that. We have to remember.


Quark: What can I get for you?
Ezri: A Til'amin froth for me.
Bashir: Romulan ale, Quark.
Odo: A glass of springwine.
Quark: Since when do you drink springwine, or anything else, for that matter?
Odo: It's for Kira. She should be getting out of services any minute now.
Bashir: Well, here she is.
Odo: How was it?
Kira: Beautiful. Ranjen Telna gave a very moving sermon.
Ezri: What was it about?
Kira: About how important it is to forgive the people who've wronged you.
Odo: Two hours on forgiveness?
Bashir: It's a complicated subject, Odo.
Kira: What's wrong?
Odo: Nothing. It's just that you spend so much time in services that sometimes it makes me wish I were a believer so that we could go together.
Ezri: That's so sweet.
Kira: I would love for you to come with me, but I don't think you'll get much out of it if you don't believe in the Prophets.
Odo: Perhaps if I had an Orb experience?
Kira: It doesn't work like that. Faith has to come first.
Odo: That's too bad. I have a feeling it must be very comforting to believe in something more powerful than yourself.
Bashir: If you really feel that way, there are other faiths.
Ezri: Would it bother you if Odo believed in Klingon religion?
Kira: Not if he got something out of it.
Bashir: He'd get to eat the hearts of his enemies.
Ezri: And go to Sto'Vo'Kor when he dies.
Bashir: You can go on a vision quest.
Odo: But then I wouldn't get to go to services with Kira, would I. That's the whole point.
Ezri: That really is so sweet.
Kira: Yes. Vedek Fala.
Fala: Nerys.
Kira: What a surprise. What are you doing here?
Fala: Well, I came to see you.
Kira: Well come in, sit down. Let me get you some tea. When I contacted the University they told you were on a spiritual retreat.
Fala: Ah, you know me, always searching for answers.
Kira: That's what makes you different from all the other vedeks I known. To you, faith is a journey.
Fala: Thank you. And one that never ends. Oh, you're a Colonel now. It seems like only yesterday you were just a little girl, squirming in your chair during instruction.
Kira: Chair? We didn't have any chairs at the camp. We sat on the floor.
Fala: Which was good for diskipline and made me seem more imposing.
Kira: Oh, as if you needed the help. Nerys, what are the three keys to enlightenment?
Fala: And the answer?
Kira: Charity, humility and faith.
Fala: You remember.
Kira: You were a good teacher. Without you, I'm not sure I would have survived that camp.
Fala: I brought you something.
Kira: What is it?
Brin: Welcome to Empok Nor.
Kira: Empok Nor? That's impossible.
Brin: I know it's a long way from Deep Space Nine, but this transponder allowed us to beam you here.
Kira: Those red armbands. You're members of the Pah wraith cult?
Brin: We worship the True Prophets, yes.
Kira: Why did you bring me here?
Brin: That is a question best answered by the Master.
Kira: And who exactly is the Master?
Dukat: I am.
Kira: Dukat. You? You're the leader of the Pah wraith cult?
Dukat: I'm sure you have many questions, Nerys, and I intend to answer them all. Leave us, please. First of all, let me apologize for bringing you here without your permission.
Kira: Oh, it's all right, I always wanted to see Empok Nor. Is the Dominion aware that you've set up a temple here?
Dukat: Oh, this station has been abandoned a long time. There's no reason why they'd object to us putting it to use. Your hair. You changed it.
Kira: Your ear. You pierced it.
Dukat: A symbol of the Covenant I've made with my new family.
Kira: Your new family. Well, it makes sense that these people would choose you as their leader. They worship evil.
Dukat: The Pah wraiths are not what you think, Nerys, and neither am I. Let me ask you something. Have you ever wondered why the Prophets stood by and did nothing when Cardassia took over Bajor? Have you ever asked yourself how they could allow your people to suffer as they did?
Kira: The Prophets have a plan for us. It's not always easy to see what it is.
Dukat: Even as you speak those words, you must know how hollow they sound. No, there's a much better explanation. One that makes perfect sense. The Prophets are not the true gods of Bajor, the Pah wraiths are. They were cast from the Celestial Temple because they wanted to take an active role in Bajoran life. Their only crime was that they cared about your people. But they were not allowed to help you because they'd lost the battle for heaven and were forced to flee.
Kira: So I guess the ancient texts just had it all wrong, then.
Dukat: Oh, come now, Nerys. You know as well as I do that history is written by the victors. But rest assured, there will be another chapter. The Pah wraiths are determined to reclaim their place in heaven.
Kira: And how would you know that?
Dukat: They speak to me in visions. I am their Emissary.
Kira: I don't know whether you believe what you're saying, or if you're faking it, or if you're just insane.
Dukat: I have touched by the hand of a god. I'm a changed man. Oh, I admit that when I first allowed myself to become a vessel for the Pah wraith, it was purely out of self-serving reasons. All I wanted was to help it enter the wormhole so it could force the Prophets out. It was nothing more than a way to exact vengeance on Sisko. But I had no idea the effect it would have on me. It was only inside of me for a very short time, but it opened my heart.
Kira: Would that be before or after you killed Jadzia?
Dukat: That was most unfortunate, but it couldn't be helped. The Celestial Temple itself was at stake and she was in the way. Ah, Nerys, Nerys. I wish I had the words to describe what it was like to have the Pah wraith within me. I could feel its love, for me and for the Bajoran people. It made me realize I still have a role to play in Bajor's destiny.
Kira: You mean besides overseeing an occupation that killed tens of millions?
Dukat: You have no idea how much it pains me to know that I caused so much suffering. But I am not responsible for the occupation, the Prophets are.
Kira: You have no right to say that.
Dukat: They abandoned Bajor. I was simply walking the path they laid out for me. Now I walk with the true Prophets. I'm building a community here, Nerys. I brought these people to Empok Nor so that we could purify ourselves in preparation for the day the Pah wraiths reclaim the Celestial Temple.
Kira: And what's supposed to happen when that day comes?
Dukat: The Pah wraiths have a plan. When the time is right, they will reveal it to me.
Kira: Something tells me their plan involves you being ruler of Bajor again.
Dukat: You're still so full of anger toward me. I can only hope that one day you'll let it go. I brought you here because I want you to be a part of our community. I want you to share in the love these people have for one other. In the love they have for me.
Kira: Oh, they don't love you. You have some kind of a hold over them, but they don't love you.
Dukat: Nerys, open your heart to me. We're bound together by destiny. You belong at my side.
Sisko: Chief. When did you realize she was missing?
Odo: This morning. She usually comes by my office before going to Ops.
Sisko: Did you check the entry log?
Odo: She had a visitor sometime after nineteen hundred hours. Whoever it was only stayed about ten minutes.
Sisko: Anything, Mister Worf?
Worf: According to the Ops report, only one ship has left the station since last night. The morning transport to Bajor. Kira was not aboard.
O'Brien: Sir, I'm picking up traces of tachyon energy.
Odo: A transporter beam?
O'Brien: With a Dominion signature.
Odo: Any chance of tracing it?
O'Brien: Afraid not. The signal's already dissipated.
Sisko: Their transporters operate over longer distances than ours. What's their maximum range?
Worf: If the homing transponder was in place, up to three light years.
O'Brien: There was a homing transponder, all right. It was wrapped in this.
Odo: Three light years. For all we know, she could be deep inside Dominion space by now.
Kira: I had a feeling you'd turn up sooner or later.
Fala: I know you're angry with me.
Kira: Angry? I feel sorry for you. Letting yourself be duped by Dukat into joining this cult.
Fala: I was a member of this cult, as you call it, long before Dukat. I came to it toward the end of the occupation. It's helped me make sense of the suffering we all had to endure.
Kira: In the camp, you kept us together. It was your faith in the Prophets that got us through. How could you of all people would turn your back on them?
Fala: They turned their backs on us long ago.
Kira: The path the Prophets laid out for us isn't always easy, but that's no reason to turn to hate and fear.
Fala: Hate and fear. You know how often I've heard those words used to describe us? Nothing could be further from the truth.
Kira: The Pah wraith cult tried to kill the Emissary.
Fala: Dukat had nothing to do with that. The boy who attacked Captain Sisko was acting out of his own misguided beliefs. We're a peaceful people.
Kira: Then prove it. Let me go.
Fala: Nerys, the Master brought you here because he cares about your spiritual well being.
Kira: The Master. He's using you. He's taking your beliefs and twisting them to suit his own purpose.
Fala: You're so stubborn. That's always been your problem.
Kira: Your problem is you're too trusting.
Fala: When Dukat first came to us, I didn't want to accept him. But I came to realize the Pah wraiths had taken this man of evil and washed him clean. What could be more wondrous than that?
Kira: How can you forget all the friends we lost during the occupation? How can you forget all the millions Dukat murdered?
Fala: You disappoint me, Nerys. Of all the things I tried to teach you, the most important is the need to forgive.
Kira: Some things can't be forgiven.
Fala: Let me show you how we live. I want you to see the community we're building here so you'll know you have nothing to fear from Dukat, or from us.
Fala: Only one of the fusion generators is operational, so we don't have power for things like replicators.
Kira: Where do you get your food?
Fala: We've turned several of the lower levels into hydroponic bays.
Kira: What about things like medical supplies? Do you bring them from Bajor?
Fala: We have a few cargo shuttles. We're well aware that you may try and leave us, so you should know that the docking bays are being guarded, as is the transporter we used to bring you here.
Kira: As long as we're on the subject, am I free to move around, talk to people?
Fala: Of course. It's the Master's hope that you will come to see this as your home. Mika, this is Nerys.
Mika: Welcome.
Kira: You're getting close.
Mika: It could be any time now.
Fala: Mika and her husband have the honor of being the first to receive the Master's blessing to bear children.
Kira: You have to get permission from Dukat to have a baby?
Fala: Vows of abstinence are part of our covenant with him. Exceptions are granted only when he sees that a husband and wife have demonstrated a true spiritual bond.
Kira: Oh, I see.
Fala: But you don't approve. In ancient times, Bajorans understood the value of denying worldly pleasures. Ironic, isn't it, that a Cardassian would be the one to lead us back to the old ways?
Kira: Especially a Cardassian whose appetite for worldly pleasures is legendary.
Fala: That was a long time ago, before he felt the kiss of the Pah wraith.
Kira: That was some kiss.
Fala: Striking, isn't it? Benyan is Mika's husband.
Kira: Oh, congratulations. I understand it isn't easy to get permission to have a baby.
Benyan: The Master told us you wouldn't approve of our ways. He said we should be patient with you.
Kira: Don't go out of your way.
Benyan: I don't understand why he brought you here.
Fala: Benyan.
Kira: No, it's all right.
Benyan: We all work very hard for what we have. We don't need you or anyone else to approve of us.
Kira: Fair enough.
Benyan: Don't misunderstand. I hope you come to feel the love of the Pah wraiths. But if you don't, it's your loss. No offense.
Kira: None taken. In fact, I've always found that when people try to convince others of their beliefs it's because they're really just trying to convince themselves.
Benyan: I know what I believe.
Kira: And that's what scares me. No offense.
All: ba'ja kor'ek, no'la ba'lani, pah'nom ko'se plusso ma'kora. Ba'ja kor'ek, no'la ba'lani, pah'nom ko'se plusso ma'kora.
Dukat: Kosst no'valt Amojan, my children.
All: Kosst no'valt Amojan.
Dukat: Let us open our hearts and pray.
All: Ba'ja kor'ek, no'la ba'lani, pah'nom ko'se plusso ma'kora. Ba'ja kor'ek, no'la ba'lani, pah'nom ko'se plusso ma'kora.
Kira: Don't. Dukat. Stay where you are. The rest of you get down on the floor. I said down on the floor!
Kira: Step aside.
Benyan: No.
Fala: Enough, Nerys, unless you're willing to kill us all.
Dukat: Now do you understand how much they love me?
Dukat: Careful, no sudden moves.
Dukat: I removed it so I could tend to your bruise. I had a meal prepared for you. Come now, Nerys, you haven't eaten anything since you arrived. I know what you're thinking. But really, what good would it do to try to kill me? Even if you succeeded, it wouldn't get you off Empok Nor. You'd only make a martyr of me.
Kira: You're right. I don't want anything to happen to you. Not until your followers have a chance to see what a fraud you are.
Dukat: I love these people, Nerys. And they love me. I should think that after what just happened in the temple, you'd realize that.
Kira: It always comes back to that, doesn't it, Dukat? Your desperate need to win the love of the Bajoran people. You just never understood why we didn't appreciate you.
Dukat: If it hadn't been for me, the occupation would've been much worse.
Kira: And you want a thank you? You were working people to death in the ore processing center, but that didn't stop you from strutting around Terok Nor, picking out Bajoran women to take to your bed and actually believing that they wanted to be there.
Dukat: Your mother did want to be there.
Kira: You took her away from her children. She did what she had to so that we could survive.
Dukat: She loved me.
Kira: Maybe she convinced herself that she did, which is a very different thing.
Dukat: Perhaps you're right. And if I did indeed cause your mother any pain, I deeply regret it. Just as I regret many things I did in those years. That's why I'm so glad the Pah wraiths have given me an opportunity to redeem myself in the eyes of your people.
Kira: How? By recreating some kind of idealized version of the occupation? Because that's what you've done here. You have your station back, Bajorans to serve your every whim. And the best part is, this time they really do love you. As misguided as that is, they love you.
Dukat: I'm so glad you're here, Nerys. You embody everything I admire most about the Bajoran people. Your passion, your spirit. I can see now why the Pah wraiths want you at my side.
Kira: And why's that?
Dukat: Because if I can open your heart to them, then surely I can open the heart of any Bajoran. Your anger is a challenge. I welcome it. Because in the end, it will only help me better serve the Pah wraiths.
Dukat: Yes.
Brin: It's Mika. She's gone into labor.
Dukat: Come, Nerys. I want you to be a witness at this blessed event.
Dukat: Ah, this is a great day for us, Benyan. You should be honored to have fathered the first child born to our community.
Benyan: I only hope that Mika and I can live up to the faith you've shown in us.
Dukat: I have no doubt that you will. Your family will be the first of many. Think of it. Someday, Empok Nor will ring with the laughter of children.
Fala: You don't approve, Nerys.
Kira: Not of children being raised to follow the Pah wraiths. You can bet that I don't approve.
Fala: This is a special moment. I'm not going to ruin it by arguing with you. You believe the Prophets are the true gods of Bajor, I believe the Pah wraiths are. Let's just leave it at that.
Kira: I'd be happy to. There's just one thing. We can't both be right.
Dukat: The Pah wraiths! They've sent us a sign. My children, good news. Something wondrous has happened. This infant, born of the love between Benyan and Mika, was transformed in her womb into a living symbol of the covenant I made with you. Oh, what a blessed day this is. There can no longer be any doubt that the Pah wraiths are smiling upon us. Let us give thanks and praise.
All: Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa. Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa. Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa. Ka'li bor'ek,
Kira: Fala, I don't understand this. You're an intelligent man. How can you believe Dukat's story? It's obvious he's the child's father.
Fala: What's obvious is you hate him so much, you can't even entertain the possibility that a miracle has occurred.
Kira: Are you so blind that you will just believe anything he says?
Fala: I have faith. I would think you'd understand what that means. Nerys, is it beyond the realm of possibility that the Pah wraiths have sent us this child as a sign? They have powers beyond our understanding. Your Prophets made an entire fleet of Dominion ships vanish into thin air. What's one child compared to a miracle like that?
Kira: You know to know what the miracle is? That Mika didn't breaking into tears in front of her husband. She was terrified he wasn't going to believe Dukat's little performance. I could see it in her eyes.
Fala: You saw what you wanted to see.
Kira: If you believe that this really is a miracle, then you'll let me talk to the happy couple. What's wrong? Afraid of finding out the truth?
Fala: I know the truth. I just don't want you making unfounded accusations.
Kira: I'll be diskreet.
Fala: It's coming along nicely.
Kira: Maybe you should make one of the children half Cardassian. To commemorate what happened.
Benyan: If I'd known, I would have.
Kira: It must be quite an honor to be part of such a miraculous event.
Benyan: It is.
Kira: Obviously Dukat did the right thing in giving his permission for you to have a baby.
Benyan: We prayed together many times. He wanted to be sure.
Kira: Did you ever pray with him alone?
Benyan: Yes.
Kira: Did Mika?
Benyan: Yes.
Fala: Nerys, let's let Benyan get back to work.
Kira: I want to find Mika.
Fala: When we do, I trust you'll be more diskreet than you were with Benyan.
Mika: I'm sorry.
Dukat: Why didn't you tell me the baby was mine?
Mika: I didn't know. I was hoping it wasn't.
Dukat: Mika, I'm so sorry about what happened that night. I was weak and you were so beautiful.
Mika: I've forgiven you. You know that.
Dukat: Have you told anyone?
Mika: No.
Dukat: Not even Benyan?
Mika: He wants to believe it was a miracle, but I know he has doubts. If he ever asks me, I don't know if I can lie to him.
Kira: Thank you. He said Mika went this way.
Dukat: Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right. Wait here until I'm gone, then go back to you quarters and pray for strength.
Kira: Mika? Mika?
Kira: Mika.
Midwife: You got to her just in time.
Dukat: How is she?
Midwife: The depressurization caused swelling in her meningeal tissues. I'm going to keep her sedated until morning.
Dukat: But she will recover?
Midwife: She'll be fine.
Dukat: Brin. Seal the docking ring. Check all the airlocks. Let's make sure we never have another accident like this again.
Kira: An accident? What happened, Dukat? Was Mika going to tell everyone that you're the father of her child?
Fala: Kira.
Kira: Is that why you tried to kill her?
Fala: Enough.
Dukat: Fala, it's all right. Nerys is obviously upset. She doesn't know what she's saying.
Kira: Mika isn't going to lie for you anymore.
Dukat: Take her to her quarters. She needs to rest.
Kira: Keep him away from her.
Dukat: Let us pray for Mika's recovery. Ka'la mo'sek, teru benso, Kosst Amojan
Dukat: I failed you. Forgive my weakness. Forgive me for letting temptation obscure the path you've laid out for me. When Mika awakes, and I pray she does, your children will learn the truth. They will turn away from me. They will turn away from you. The covenant will be broken. Don't let that happen. Tell me what to do. Please. Please.
Midwife: It's not time for services.
Benyan: I'll stay with her if you want to go.
Midwife: No. You go.
Dukat: Kosst no'valt Amojan, my children.
All: Kosst no'valt Amojan.
Dukat: Tonight, as I prayed, the Pah wraiths sent me a vision. They told me it would be the last I'd ever receive from them. There's a reason. A wondrous reason. My children, the Pah wraiths have asked us to join them
Dukat: In their Holy quest to reclaim the Celestial Temple. To become warriors in this great battle
Dukat: We must transform ourselves.
Dukat: Our corporeal bodies are not suitable for the task, so we must leave them behind. In a few hours, at the beginning of a new day, we will gather together here for the last time. We will shed the flesh that ties us to this world and deliver ourselves
Dukat: Into the waiting arms of the Pah wraiths.
Fala: Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa.
All: Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa.
All: Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa. Ka'li bor'ek, no'ma ten'su, fah jah nori bentu'sa.
Dukat: I've sent a message to Deep Space Nine. They should be able to get someone here for you within a day or so.
Kira: I know you're desperate to keep your followers from turning against you. I'm not surprised you'd kill them. But I can't believe you'd be willing to die yourself.
Dukat: You just don't understand, Nerys. The Pah wraiths are calling me home. You should be happy.
Kira: Happy? Fifty people are going to die.
Dukat: I assure you, our deaths will be painless.
Dukat: Promazine. Developed by the Obsidian Order for its operatives to use in case of capture. Not only is death swift, but it reduces the body to dust within hours, making it unidentifiable to the enemy. Dust. That's all that will remain of my passage through this misbegotten universe, Nerys. But it doesn't bother me because I know I'm going to be with the Pah wraiths.
Kira: You really believe that.
Dukat: Goodbye, Nerys.
Dukat: My children, the time has come for us to leave this world behind us.
Dukat: As we embark on this journey, our hearts are not heavy, but joyful. Because we know we'll be together in the holy light of the Pah wraiths.
Dukat: This is a great day for us. We have proven ourselves worthy of the Pah wraiths
Dukat: And they are calling us home. This is the means of our deliverance.
Dukat: Kosst no'valt Amojan, my children.
All: Kosst no'valt Amojan.
Dukat: Be not afraid. I love you all.
Kira: Dukat!
Man: Stop her!
Kira: Don't you see why he's doing this? He doesn't want you to find out the truth!
Fala: Are you all right? Everyone, please. Let us not allow anything to disturb this holy moment.
Kira: What's wrong, Dukat? Take it. They're all the same, aren't they?
Dukat: My children, listen to me.
Kira: Tell them, Dukat. Tell them you never had any intention of dying with them.
Dukat: My time here is not finished. The Pah wraiths want me to continue bringing others into their light.
Benyan: This is his child. That's why you tried to kill Mika.
Dukat: The Pah wraiths have forgiven my sins. They've given me their absolution. Who are you to presume they're wrong? Who are you to judge me? Then it's done. Our covenant is broken.
Dukat: None of you will ever know the love of the Pah wraiths. None of you!
Benyan: False gods!
Kira: Fala, no! Why?
Fala: Faith, Nerys. Faith.
Odo: I'm sorry about Vedek Fala.
Kira: I keep going over what he said when he died and I don't know if he was trying to tell me if he never lost his faith or that he felt betrayed by it.
Odo: I suppose you'll never know. But one thing is certain. These people have been betrayed and now they have to find a way to pick up the pieces and move on.
Kira: I thought Dukat was just claiming to share their faith because he wanted them to love him. But it was more than that. He's changed.
Odo: If you hadn't stopped him, he would've killed them all, and no one would have known his body wasn't among the remains. That sounds like the same old Dukat to me.
Kira: I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think Dukat convinced himself that he was doing what the Pah wraiths wanted.
Odo: Who knows? Maybe he was.
Kira: Either way, he believes. And that makes him more dangerous than ever.


Rom: What if I say something dumb? Something that makes him uncomfortable?
Ezri: Like what?
Rom: Like how's your new leg?
Ezri: I think he's probably expecting a few questions.
Rom: I just don't want to say the wrong thing.
Leeta: You'll be fine. But maybe I shouldn't be there when he arrives.
Ezri: Why?
Leeta: Well, when he was in the hospital, he didn't answer any of my letters. That's okay. I'm only his stepmother. But he's going through something so personal maybe he only wants his real family around.
Rom: You are real family.
Ezri: That's right. And you should both just relax. Yes, Nog has lost a leg and that's a traumatic experience, but nothing you do or say or do is going to be worse than what he's already gone through. Just be happy to see him and tell him you love him. For today, that'll be enough.
Kira: They've docked.
Sisko: Colonel, are you sure this is the right transport?
Kira: I checked the passenger list this morning. He definitely boarded at
Leeta: Here he comes. Nog!
Kira: Welcome back, Nog.
Ezri: Welcome back.
Rom: Hello.
Leeta: Welcome home, Nog.
Nog: Thank you. It's good to be back. My orders, Captain.
Sisko: Medical leave? How could that be?
O'Brien: Sounds like an excuse to loaf around while the rest of us work.
Bashir: Hard work and plenty of it, that's what I prescribe.
Odo: Captain, maybe he forged those orders.
Sisko: I'm afraid they're genuine. Ensign Nog has no duties until further notice. Except to attend a welcome home party in the wardroom.
Nog: If it's all the same to you, sir, I'm rather tired. I'd rather just go to my quarters. Is that all right?
Ezri: Absolutely. We can celebrate once you've settled in.
Nog: Great.
Jake: I can carry your bag.
Nog: I've got it. Well, if you'll all excuse me.
Ezri: And Julian and Miles have become even more obsessed with their Alamo program, if you can believe it. I half expect Miles to start wearing a coonskin cap to work. You see, Davy Crockett wore this cap made of a raccoon skin and
Nog: I know the program.
Ezri: Oh. Well, I think we've covered just about everything you missed while you were away. Is there anything you want to talk about?
Nog: Not particularly. Here it comes.
Ezri: What?
Nog: The cane problem. You're about to ask me why I need to walk with the cane since Doctor Benbasset told you my biosynthetic leg works perfectly. He also told you the problem's all in my head. That I'm crazy.
Ezri: He didn't say that.
Nog: It's what he thinks.
Ezri: Forget what he thinks. What do you think? Why do you need the cane?
Nog: My leg hurts. And if I put my full weight on it, it hurts more. So I have to limp. And that means I need to walk with a cane.
Ezri: Sounds reasonable to me.
Nog: Good. Look, can I be perfectly honest with you? I've spent the last three weeks talking about my feelings with the counselors on Starbase two three five and to tell you the truth, I'm a little sick of it. I just want to be left alone for a while.
Ezri: I understand. I think we've done enough for today. I'll see you tomorrow.
Nog: Computer what time is it?
Computer: The time is nine thirty two hours.
Sisko: Jake says he's sleeping over eighteen hours a day and Julian says he's missed his last two physical therapy appointments.
Ezri: And his counseling sessions have been going nowhere. In his words, he's sick of talking about his feelings. I can't say I blame him. He's been under constant psychiatric care for almost two months now.
Sisko: What should do we do?
Ezri: I'm not sure. For now, I think our best bet is to simply watch and wait.
Sisko: Not my first choice.
Ezri: I know. But sometimes a patient can help guide his own treatment. Let's see what Nog does next.
Jake: Nog, I am trying to be understanding and I want to be your friend, but enough is enough. You've been playing that same stupid song for three days. I can't take it anymore. Aren't you going to say anything? You've barely said three words to me since you came home.
Nog: Maybe I don't have anything to say.
Jake: I'm trying to help you here, Nog, but you're not making it easy.
Nog: You want to help me? Fine. Leave me alone.
Jake: All right. Okay. But if you want to hear that song again, go rent a holosuite.
Computer: Program is running. You may enter when ready.
Vic: Hi there, pallie. It's good to see you. Vic Fontaine.
Nog: I know. I'm Nog.
Vic: You're Rom's kid, right?
Nog: Right.
Vic: He's really proud of you. He's always in here bragging about his son, the soldier boy.
Nog: Yeah.
Vic: What can I do for you?
Nog: I want to hear 'I'll Be Seeing You'.
Vic: Sure thing, kiddo. Any other requests?
Nog: No. Just 'I'll Be Seeing You.'
Vic: Sounds like a special tune.
Nog: It is. It helped me once when I was unhappy.
Vic: What more can you ask from a song? I'll be seeing you, from the top.
Nog: Doctor?
Bashir: Yes?
Nog: What is that?
Bashir: It's a song that I had Vic Fontaine record for me.
Nog: Vic?
Bashir: Yes, he's a character in a holosuite program of mine. I thought it might take our minds off our troubles. Is it bothering you?
Nog: No. It's kind of nice.
Vic: Thank you. Take five, fellas. Okay, kid, I know fifteen different arrangements of that tune and you've heard 'em all. Now, which one's your favorite?
Nog: The first.
Vic: Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. So let me guess. Julian played it for you, right?
Nog: Right.
Vic: If I had him as a publicist, I'd be bigger than Elvis.
Nog: Who?
Vic: Never mind. So, how's the new leg?
Nog: You know about that?
Vic: People talk.
Nog: If you really want to know, it hurts.
Vic: Can they give you something for that?
Nog: No. They say it's all in my head. According to my tricorder, the pain receptors in your leg aren't being stimulated, Nog. You must be imagining it. I don't care what they say. It hurts all the time.
Vic: I believe you.
Nog: You're the only one.
Vic: So what else can I do for you? Sing it again?
Nog: No.
Vic: Good. To tell you the truth, I was starting to get a little sick of it myself. How about something else?
Nog: No. I just want to go to bed.
Vic: Okay, kid. Catch you later, huh?
Nog: Yeah.
Vic: Something wrong?
Nog: I don't want to go back to my quarters. Actually, I don't want to go back to my life. Vic, where do you live? In the program, I mean. Do you have a house or?
Vic: I have a suite here in the hotel.
Nog: Do you have an extra room?
Vic: Sure. You want to stay with me tonight?
Nog: Maybe more than just tonight. Officially, I'm on medical leave, and according to regulations I can choose my rehabilitation facility.
Vic: You want to choose a holosuite program for your rehab?
Nog: Why not?
Vic: Okay, kid. If that's the way you want it, from now on you're staying with me.
Nog: Great.
Vic: Crazy.
Rom: My son is insane.
Ezri: Rom.
Rom: He's a one-legged crazy man!
Ezri: He is not crazy.
Sisko: But he is living in a holosuite.
Ezri: At first, it struck me as a little peculiar. But after I thought it over, I began to think that this might be a good sign after all.
Quark: How can hiding in one of Julian's adolescent programs be a good sign?
Bashir: Hey.
Jake: It could be worse. He could be hiding in the Alamo program.
Leeta: Or that ridiculous secret agent program.
Bashir: Hey.
Rom: Or that stupid Viking program.
Bashir: Hey!
Sisko: All right. Are you sure this is in Nog's best interest?
Ezri: No, I'm not sure. But I think Nog might be subconsciously trying to seek out his own form of therapy.
Jake: I'm sorry, but moving into a holosuite isn't my idea of therapy.
Ezri: Okay, it sounds a little odd.
Quark: It sounds ridiculous.
Bashir: Not really. I'm inclined to agree with Ezri on this one. The mind has a strong natural instinct for survival. Now, for whatever reason, Nog's mind has chosen to take shelter in the world of Vic Fontaine.
Ezri: I think we should wait and see how this plays out.
Sisko: Then someone should talk to Vic, make him aware of Nog's emotional and physical condition.
Ezri: I'll do it.
Quark: And who's going to pay for all this holosuite time? I guess I am.
Sisko: And it's very generous of you. Keep me informed.
Vic: I get it. He's got some healing to do. I could spot that the moment he walked in here.
Ezri: Great. Do you have any questions?
Vic: You sure he doesn't need the cane, because he's pretty sure he does.
Ezri: I'm positive. It's a psychological need, not a physical one.
Vic: Well, then I have got some ideas on how to wean him off the stick.
Ezri: Okay, but don't push it.
Vic: Do I seem pushy to you?
Ezri: No. Well, you know how to reach me if you have any problems.
Vic: I got your number.
Ladd: So you're Jack Wilson.
Palance: What's that mean to you, Shane.
Vic: Hey, kid.
Ladd: I've heard about you.
Nog: Hey, Vic. Have you seen this movie?
Vic: Oh, yeah.
Palance: What have you heard, Shane?
Ladd: I've heard that you're a low down Yankee liar.
Dewilde: Shane, look out!
Vic: From these books I can't tell if I'm rich as Rockefeller or as poor as a church mouse.
Nog: It's not real money, Vic. Don't worry about it.
Vic: Hey, it's real to me, kid.
Nog: I can have the computer put some money in your account.
Vic: No, thanks. I'll figure it out.
Ladd: I got to be going on.
Dewilde: Why, Shane?
Nog: Didn't he just get shot a minute ago?
Vic: Yeah. He took one in the arm.
Nog: He's not bleeding. He's not even in pain.
Vic: Noggles, take it easy. It's only a movie.
Dewilde: Shane! Come back!
Nog: I like The Searchers better.
Vic: Yeah, who doesn't? Oh, son of a gun. I got to get ready for the show.
Nog: Show? I thought we were hanging in.
Vic: Hanging out. And we are, except I have a gig to do.
Nog: Cancel it.
Vic: I can't do that.
Nog: Why not?
Vic: It would be unprofessional. Besides, performing is my life. It's what I do. I got to get out there and swing otherwise I'm just another clyde in a tux. You coming to the show?
Nog: Sure.
Vic: Good. Then may I suggest you carry something with a little more style.
Vic: Now this is a cane. It's a replica of the one Errol Flynn used to have, only his was a little taller.
Nog: It's beautiful. It reminds me of the Grand Nagus's staff.
Vic: And it has a little secret. Push that button at the back of the head.
Nog: Great. But what's it for?
Vic: You never know when a lady's going to need a light. Now be careful with that stick, it's fragile. It might not hold your whole weight.
Nog: Actually, I don't need to put my whole weight on it.
Vic: Good. Now let's get dressed.
Nog: Tuxedoes?
Vic: You're catching on.
Jake: Hi there. Nog, let me introduce you to
Man: Down in the front!
Jake: Sorry. Nog, this is Kesha. Kesha, Nog.
Kesha: Nice to meet you.
Nog: Welcome to Las Vegas.
Kesha: Thanks.
Vic: Thank you, thank you. You're too kind. I guess that's the response you get when you pack the house with relatives.
Jake: So, what have you been doing?
Nog: Hanging out.
Kesha: Out of what?
Nog: It's an expression.
Jake: There's a lot of old Earth slang in this program. Right, Daddy-o?
Nog: Right.
Jake: Why don't I get us some drinks? Kesha, what'll you have?
Kesha: A makara fizz.
Nog: They don't serve that here.
Kesha: Oh. Well, what are you having?
Nog: Martini. Two olives.
Kesha: I'll have the same.
Jake: Okay. I'll be right back.
Kesha: Jake says you're going to be the first Ferengi captain in Starfleet.
Nog: We'll see.
Kesha: He also says you're quite a hero.
Nog: I'm not a hero.
Kesha: Don't be so modest. Jake's not the only one. Everyone on the station
Nog: I said, I'm not a hero.
Kesha: Okay.
Nog: Which one?
Kesha: What?
Nog: That's what you're wondering, right? Which leg is it?
Kesha: No, I wasn't wondering about that
Nog: About what?
Kesha: About your, you know.
Nog: My new leg? Can't you say it?
Kesha: No. Yes. I mean, I'm not trying to say anything
Nog: Then maybe you should just keep quiet.
Jake: Okay, here we go. Three martinis.
Kesha: I think we should leave, Jake.
Nog: Sounds like a good idea.
Jake: What's going on?
Kesha: It's all my fault. I didn't mean to stare.
Jake: At what?
Nog: What do you think?
Jake: Oh.
Kesha: I'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Nog.
Nog: Wonderful. Goodbye.
Jake: Hold on. She said she was sorry.
Nog: I heard her. Now you can go.
Jake: Nog, what's wrong with you?
Nog: I said get out.
Jake: Nog.
Nog: Let me put it another way.
Vic: Hey, hey, hey. Break it up. You all right?
Jake: Yeah, I'm fine.
Vic: And you, take a hike.
Nog: What?
Vic: You heard me. You don't come into my club and start hitting customers. Now get out before I throw you out.
Vic: You're still up?
Nog: I couldn't sleep.
Vic: Do you mind? What a night.
Nog: I'm sorry about what happened.
Vic: Don't apologize to me. I'm not the one you belted.
Nog: I'll settle things with Jake.
Vic: And his girl.
Nog: Absolutely. Can I go back to the club tomorrow night?
Vic: I can't have you hitting the customers. It's not good for business.
Nog: I promise it'll never happen again.
Vic: What got into you, anyway?
Nog: I don't know. She started calling me a hero and things just of went downhill from there.
Vic: She called you a hero? And for that you slugged your best friend? Remind me never to give you a compliments. You know, I'm beat. That's never happened to me.
Nog: What?
Vic: Being tired. My program's never run this long. Usually people come in, they ask for a song or two, sometimes a night on the town, but I never have to put in a full day.
Nog: Maybe you should go to bed.
Vic: I got work to do. If I don't get these books in order, Uncle Sam's going to come down on me like a ton of bricks.
Nog: Sounds like my uncle. Is there anything I can do?
Vic: You know anything about bookkeeping?
Nog: I'm a Ferengi. It's in our blood.
Vic: Be my guest.
Nog: Where's your computer?
Vic: Right here. It's nineteen sixty two. What do you want from me?
Nog: It's all right. I can do it this way.
Vic: I'm going to hit the sack.
Nog: Can I ask you a question, Vic?
Vic: Sure.
Nog: When you sleep, do you dream?
Vic: Goodnight, kid.
Nog: Goodnight, Vic.
Vic: but this time he's switched all the robes in the steam room. So when Dino goes to pick up his robe, he doesn't realize that across the back, Frank has printed in big bold letters. I'll finish the story later. Hi, doll face.
Ezri: Hi. Where's Nog?
Vic: Up in the room, still working on the receipts from sixty one. That's kid's a hell of an accountant. He said the government owes me money. Can you believe that?
Ezri: I need to talk to him.
Vic: Can it wait?
Ezri: I'm afraid not.
Vic: It's about that thing with Jake, right? Is he pressing charges?
Ezri: No. But I do think that it's time for Nog to leave the holosuite.
Vic: Wait a minute, wait a minute. You know, he likes it here. He's making progress. Okay, he lost his cool, but I don't think that'll happen again.
Ezri: Vic, he can't hide in here forever. He has to face reality sometime.
Vic: The kid's had too much reality lately, if you ask me. He's lost a leg, he's watched good friends die. Like you said, we shouldn't push him. He needs time to heal.
Ezri: No offense, but you're just a hologram and I am his counselor. I outrank you and I feel that it's time for him to go.
Vic: He's on medical leave. And according to Starfleet regulations, he can spend it wherever he chooses.
Ezri: How do you know that?
Nog: I told him. And if you try to force me to leave, I'll resign my commission.
Ezri: Wait a minute. Let's slow down here. No one's talking about forcing anyone to do anything.
Nog: Good. Because Vic and I have big plans.
Vic: We do?
Nog: I've been going over your books, and this place is a latinum mine and you don't even know it. In my opinion, it's time to expand the business.
Ezri: Nog, this is a holosuite.
Nog: Of course it's a holosuite. That doesn't mean we can't build a new casino.
Vic: A new casino? How much money do I have?
Nog: If you'll excuse us, Counselor, we have business to conduct.
Nog: Go easy on the garnishes. People order a drink, they don't want a fruit bowl in their glass. We'll talk about this later.
Waitress: Good evening.
Nog: I'll take care of them. Hey, long time, no see.
Rom: Hi.
Leeta: Oh, Nog!
Nog: Right this way.
Leeta: So, how are you?
Nog: Couldn't be better. Business is booming. We're making money hand over fist. I can hardly keep up with all the profits.
Rom: Those are holographic profits, right?
Nog: Yeah. So, what's new with you?
Leeta: Well, Rom got a promotion.
Rom: Maintenance Engineer, First Class.
Nog: That's great! Congratulations, Dad!
Rom: Thanks.
Nog: We should celebrate. We'll close the lounge, have a private party.
Leeta: Actually, Chief O'Brien threw him a party last night.
Nog: Oh.
Leeta: It was a spur of the moment thing. No invitations or anything.
Nog: Don't worry about it. I probably couldn't have gotten away. Last night was really busy. Oh. A big player just walked in. Excuse me a minute. I need to go schmooze.
Rom: Okay. See you later.
Leeta: Bye.
Vic: Hey, I hope you're still talking to me.
Ezri: Of course I am. I got to hand it to you, Vic, you've done a great job with him. He seems like a new man.
Vic: He just needed a little time, that's all.
Ezri: Heals all wounds, right? Giving him that cane was a great idea. I haven't seen him limp in days.
Vic: It gets better. Yesterday we drove out to see the architect who's designing the new casino. I saw him actually run up a flight of stairs.
Ezri: No kidding.
Vic: Would I kid a kidder?
Ezri: So, what's next for you two?
Vic: We don't break ground on the casino for about a week, so I thought we'd fly up to Tahoe for a couple of days. Sammy's going to be performing at the Cal Neva and I thought I'd introduce the kid to him.
Ezri: Sammy's a friend of yours?
Vic: We're tight.
Ezri: I see. You're going to get Sammy convince him that it's time to leave the holosuite?
Vic: Well, no.
Ezri: Forget it. I should know better by now than to ask you to give away your secrets. You probably have the whole thing all mapped out. I mean, what am I thinking? That this new casino is anything more than a ploy? That you'd actually let him live out the rest of his life in a holosuite?
Vic: No, of course not, I mean. The casino's just a ploy, like you said, you know.
Ezri: They'll be so glad to have him back.
Vic: Yeah. He is better, isn't he.
Ezri: It's like you said. He just needed a break from reality. Now all that's left is to decide when he's ready to go back. But I'll leave that up to you. See you around.
Vic: See you.
Nog: Great set tonight, Vic.
Vic: Thanks. Lot of familiar faces in the crowd. Did I see Rom and Leeta out there?
Nog: They came for a while. What do you think about moving the crap tables over to the south wing and expanding the slot machines out into here?
Vic: Good idea. I'll think it over.
Nog: But we're supposed to meet with the architect tomorrow morning.
Vic: Not anymore. It's time for you to go, kid.
Nog: Go where?
Vic: You know where. It's time to end the program.
Nog: But we've got work to do. We have a casino to build.
Vic: No, we don't. This is just a fantasy. It's not real.
Nog: It's real to me and it's real to you, and don't say it isn't. I know better.
Vic: You're right, it's very real to me. But I'm a hologram, Nog. I'm not a person. Until you came along, I'd never been on for more than six or seven hours straight.
Nog: I know. And now you're running all the time. Isn't it great?
Vic: It's incredible. Since you've been here, I've slept in a bed every night, gone to work every day, had time to read the paper, play cards with the boys. I've had a life. And I have to tell you, it's a precious thing. I had no idea how much it means to just live. Now I'm going to return the favor and give you your life back.
Nog: But I don't want that life anymore, Vic. I'm perfectly happy here.
Vic: What here? There is no here. Don't you get it? This is nowhere. It's an illusion and so am I. In fact, the only thing in this entire program that is not an illusion is you.
Nog: Okay. You're right. But I'm not ready to go back yet. I need more time. So let's just sleep on this and talk about it tomorrow.
Vic: Kid, I hate to do this to you, but you're not giving me any choice. Computer
Nog: No, don't!
Vic: End program.
O'Brien: Oh. Hi, Nog.
Nog: Chief. Something wrong?
O'Brien: No, no. I was running a diagnostic in Ops and I noticed a magnetic flux anomaly in the holosuite transilluminator circuits. I didn't realize it was you.
Nog: Sorry. I'm just having trouble getting the Las Vegas program to run.
O'Brien: You know, Vic's matrix is a little different than your standard photokinetic hologram. He can turn himself off. And if he doesn't want to appear, he doesn't appear.
Nog: You mean he has free will?
O'Brien: I'm an engineer, not a philosopher. All I know is that when Vic turns himself off, he's off, and ripping out the guts of the holosuite isn't going to change that. Anything else I can do for you?
Nog: No.
O'Brien: Oh, we, er, we all miss you in Ops.
Nog: Yeah.
Vic: So, now that the Chief's told you I'm smarter than the average bear, will you stop messing around with my holosuite?
Nog: If you'll turn the program back on.
Vic: What is it I'm not making clear to you, Charlie? You got to go.
Nog: Don't you get it? I can't go out there.
Vic: Why not?
Nog: I'm scared, okay? I'm scared. When the war began, I wasn't happy or anything, but I was eager. I wanted to test myself. I wanted to prove I had what it took to be a soldier. And I saw a lot of combat. I saw a lot of people get hurt. I saw a lot of people die, but I didn't think anything was going to happen to me. And then suddenly Doctor Bashir is telling me he has to cut my leg off. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. If I can get shot, if I can lose my leg, anything could happen to me, Vic. I could die tomorrow. I don't know if I'm ready to face that. If I stay here, at least I know what the future is going to be like.
Vic: You stay here, you're going to die. Not all at once, but little by little. Eventually you'll become as hollow as I am.
Nog: You don't seem hollow to me.
Vic: Compared to you, I'm hollow as a snare drum. Look, kid, I don't know what's going to happen to you out there. All I can tell you is that you've got to play the cards life deals you. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but at least you're in the game.
Vic: Crazy.
Rom: He seemed happy.
Leeta: And he's stopped limping.
Quark: You're joking.
Leeta: No. He's a new man. You should go see him.
Quark: I don't think I'll need to.
Nog: Hi.
Rom: Hi.
Leeta: Are you okay?
Nog: No. But I will be.
Nog: Computer, run program Bashir sixty two.
Vic: Hi, kid. Hey, nice threads.
Nog: Thanks.
Vic: You back at work?
Nog: Limited duty. Just a couple of hours a day.
Vic: How's it feel?
Nog: Different. I feel older.
Vic: Happens to the best of us.
Nog: I want to thank you for all that you did for me.
Vic: That's not necessary. You did something for me too. You gave me a chance to see what it's like to have a life.
Nog: Well you're going to have that chance again. I've made arrangements with my uncle Quark to keep your program running twenty six hours a day from now on.
Vic: What?
Nog: It's my gift to you.
Vic: Kid, I don't know what to say.
Nog: Just put it there, pallie, and tell me you'll always save me a seat up front.
Vic: It's a deal. And you can take that to the bank.
Nog: Got to go. I'm buying Jake and Kesha dinner tonight.
Vic: Hey. Try not to overturn the furniture.
Nog: I'll try.
Vic: Twenty six hours a day. I've got the world on a string, Sitting on a rainbow. Got the string around my finger.
Vic: What a world, what a life. I'm in love.


Odo: By the way, your gagh has arrived.
Ezri: My what? Oh, no.
Odo: Oh yes, and it's waiting for you in cargo bay two.
Kira: Your gagh?
Ezri: Jadzia ordered it. She was planning a party for Martok's birthday next week.
Kira: How much gagh did she order?
Odo: Fifty one cases.
Ezri: Each containing a different variety.
Kira: There are varieties of gagh?
Ezri: Oh, yes. I can remember what each one tastes like, and the way they feel when you swallow them. Torgud gagh wiggles. Filden gagh squirms. Meshta gagh jumps.
Bashir: Are you all right?
Kira: Are you all right?
Bashir: Me?
Kira: Well, you've barely said three words. Something on your mind?
Bashir: Oh, no. I just can't wait to see Miles, that's all.
Kira: Oh, let me guess. You have a holosuite appointment? Defending the Alamo again?
Bashir: You know me too well.
Kira: When does his transport arrive?
Bashir: Half an hour.
Ezri: Bithool gagh has feet. Flush it out the airlock. All of it.
Odo: Environmental regulations.
Kira: Why don't you just give it to Martok?
Ezri: He'd insist on sharing it with me as a point of honor. Wistan gagh is packed in targ blood. I have to go now. See you later.
Bashir: I think I'd better go too.
Odo: Give my regards to Santa Anna.
Sisko: What?
Bashir: Miles asked me not to say anything, but I haven't heard from him in three days and since he wasn't on this morning's transport, I think something might have happened to him.
Sisko: He told me he was going home to visit his father.
Bashir: He may have implied that he was going to visit his father, but he didn't actually say
Sisko: Doctor, please.
Bashir: Yes, sir.
Sisko: So where is he?
Bashir: The last message I received from him said that he was still in New Sydney, and that he was following up on some promising leads.
Sisko: He's not a detective. He's an engineer. He is my Chief Engineer and now he's missing! So, who is this woman he's supposed to be looking for.
Bashir: She's the widow of Liam Bilby.
Sisko: Bilby, Bilby. The man he befriended during that undercover operation last year?
Bashir: Yes, sir. Miles still feels responsible for his death and has been in touch with his widow ever since. And when she dropped out of sight three weeks ago he got worried and decided to go find her.
Sisko: And now they're both missing. Perfect.
Bashir: In his defense sir, he did try and go through the official channels, but the authorities on New Sydney weren't very cooperative, to say the least, and since it isn't a Federation world, Starfleet doesn't have any jurisdiction.
Sisko: So he decided to turn into a one man police force.
Bashir: Yes, sir.
Sisko: New Sydney. It's in the Sappora System, right?
Bashir: Right.
Sisko: I want a written report, detailing everything you know about this woman, O'Brien's plan to find her, and everything else you neglected to mention to me.
Bashir: Aye, sir. May I ask what you're going to do?
Sisko: No, you may not, and I want that report on my desk within the hour.
Sisko: And since your family still lives in the Sappora System, I thought they might have a few contacts on New Sydney.
Ezri: I'm sure they do. My mother's one of the more important business leaders in the system.
Sisko: Your personnel file says she owns the fifth largest pergium mining facility in the entire sector.
Ezri: Actually, it's the sixth now. The Ferengi diskovered a large deposit on Timor Two a few years ago. My mother nearly had a heart attack when she found out we'd been knocked out of the top five.
Sisko: Please. Do you think she'd be willing to intervene with the local authorities to look into what happened to the Chief?
Ezri: Oh, I'm sure she would.
Sisko: That's the first good news I've heard all day. Something wrong?
Ezri: No. Yes. I don't know. I haven't talked to my mother in almost six months.
Sisko: Oh.
Ezri: The last time I saw her was just after I was joined. She came to visit me on Trill and I was still a little confused. When she walked into my room, I put on a big smile, looked her straight in the eye and said, 'Hi, Mom, it's me, Curzon. Things kinda went downhill from there.
Sisko: I'm sure she understood what you were going through. You weren't prepared to be joined. She couldn't blame you for being confused.
Ezri: She didn't. Not really. But she did want me to come home to recuperate, and we had a disagreement.
Sisko: Not for the first time?
Ezri: No, not for the first time.
Sisko: If there was any other way, I wouldn't ask you to do this.
Ezri: No, that's all right. I mean, my family problems aren't as important as finding the Chief. I'll call my mother right away.
Sisko: Thanks, old man.
Ezri: Anytime.
Yanas: We've been worried about you.
Ezri: I'm all right. Really. And I'm a lot more sure of who I am than the last time you saw me.
Yanas: Well that's a relief. I'd hate to have to start calling you Curzon.
Ezri: I've been promoted.
Yanas: Oh?
Ezri: Lieutenant junior grade Ezri Dax at your service.
Yanas: Ezri Dax.
Ezri: The symbiont name always replaces the family name of the new host. It's traditional.
Yanas: Of course it is. I haven't been away from Trill that long. The important thing is you're doing well.
Ezri: Mother, I'm calling because I need your help. One of our officers, Miles O'Brien, went to New Sydney three weeks ago and now he's missing. Captain Sisko was wondering if maybe you could
Yanas: I'll do everything I can.
Ezri: Thank you.
Yanas: Now. When are you coming home?
Ezri: I'm not sure when I can get away.
Yanas: Ezri, you haven't been home in three years.
Ezri: I know, but with the war on and everything
Yanas: Ezri Tigan. Dax. You tell your commanding officer that your mother is a very difficult woman, and that she refuses to help look for Mister O'Brien unless you're allowed to return home right away.
Ezri: Mother, no. Please don't put me in this
Yanas: Ezri, goodbye. I'll see you when you get here.
Bashir: Here. Use twenty milligrams at the first sign of spacesickness. If you don't, you'll regret it.
Ezri: So will the other passengers.
Bashir: Everything Starfleet knows on Bilby and his widow.
Ezri: Where's your report?
Bashir: Oh, it's in there. It's the one with Captain Sisko's bootprints all over it.
Ezri: Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be out of the doghouse by the time I get back.
Bashir: I hope so.
Bashir: Would it help if I said that as someone who isn't especially close to his parents, I sympathize.
Ezri: I'm about to present my family with a whole new Ezri. And to tell you the truth, they didn't really know what to make of the old one. But thanks for trying, Julian. I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything about Miles.
Bashir: Well, have a safe trip.
Norvo: Zee!
Ezri: Norvo.
Norvo: I cannot believe you're really here.
Ezri: Neither can I.
Norvo: You cut your hair.
Ezri: Oh, yeah. It kept getting in my eyes. Do you like it?
Norvo: It'll take a some getting used to.
Ezri: I think you've just summed up my entire visit. Is this yours?
Norvo: Mom insisted on hanging it in here. I hate it.
Ezri: Why?
Norvo: Well, the composition is puerile and obvious. The colors belong on a child's toy and the technique is laughable.
Ezri: But other than that
Norvo: It's perfect.
Janel: Welcome home, little girl.
Ezri: Hi, Janel.
Janel: Do I have to take a sonic shower before I get a hug?
Ezri: It's good to see you.
Janel: You too. What happened here?
Norvo: She cut it. I think it brings out her eyes, gives her more of a classic look.
Janel: It's cute. Mom's on her way. She said to give you the preliminary police report on your friend.
Ezri: Have they found out anything?
Janel: Not yet.
Janel: But they have a few leads. I hope you appreciate all the trouble she's going to. She called in a lot of favors from the New Sydney police.
Ezri: Of course I appreciate it.
Norvo: So how long are you staying?
Ezri: I'm not sure yet.
Janel: She's not going to be here a minute longer than she has to. You know that.
Ezri: We're in the middle of a war, Janel. I have responsibilities back on DS Nine.
Janel: There's always something.
Ezri: Hello, Mother.
Yanas: I hate your hair. Have you eaten?
Ezri: No, not yet.
Yanas: Good. Because I've got Korella working on a very special dinner. Have you taken care of Lorkin?
Janel: I was just going to contact him.
Yanas: I want him paid and gone before dinner's ready.
Janel: Yes, ma'am.
Yanas: And what about that third quarter review I asked you for?
Norvo: I'm still working on it.
Yanas: You've been working on it for a week now.
Norvo: I miscalculated some of the revenues. I have to redo them.
Yanas: I know you don't like doing the bookkeeping, but I really need that review as soon as possible, all right? Good. I want to show you the new solarium. I had these tiles all brought in from Andoria and then hand painted by a very charming old man I met on a trip to the Hovarian cluster.
Janel: Have Mister Lorkin report to the main house.
Man: Yes, sir.
Norvo: Why are you getting rid of Lorkin?
Janel: That broken waveguide in fourteen three A is going to cost us a thousand bars of latinum a day. Mother thinks it's a result of sloppy maintenance.
Norvo: What do you think?
Janel: I think a brand new waveguide doesn't just break.
Norvo: You mean Bokar was behind it?
Janel: He's trying to send us a message. The Orion Syndicate doesn't take no for an answer.
Norvo: Maybe we should tell Mother.
Janel: No. I can deal with Bokar.
Norvo: I don't know.
Janel: Relax. Everything's going to be all right.
Ezri: Jadzia considered Kira one of her best friends, and I'm starting to think of her the same way. We spend a lot of time together.
Janel: She didn't have any trouble adjusting to having a new Dax in her life?
Ezri: Well, no more than anyone else. I don't really think any of them were expecting another Dax to walk into their lives.
Norvo: Did any of them wonder if you
Yanas: Whatever happened to that young man you were interested in on the Destiny? Lieutenant, er, something?
Ezri: Brinner Finok.
Yanas: Yes.
Ezri: He was an Ensign. I did talk to him after I was joined, once. I don't think we're really right for each other anymore. He reminds me too much of my son Gran. It makes me a little uncomfortable being around him now. Sorry. Audrid's son Gran. I'm still sorting out my pronouns.
Norvo: I'm sure all joined Trills go through this.
Ezri: No, just me. Nothing simple for Ezri. There's times when the computer asks me to identify myself and I have to think about what to say. Or worse yet, there're days when I wake up and I don't even know if I'm a man or a woman until I pull back the covers. I also have an unfortunate tendency to ramble.
Yanas: Don't be embarrassed, dear. It's not your fault. You should've gone through years of training to receive a symbiont. It wasn't fair of them to join you to Dax just because you happened to be the only Trill on board. It's no surprise to me you're having trouble sorting out eight lifetimes of memories and experiences.
Ezri: It can be a little overwhelming at times.
Yanas: I'm sure. But don't you worry. We'll take care of you, won't we?
Norvo: Absolutely.
Janel: Of course.
Ezri: That's nice to know. But I think I've got things under control now.
Yanas: Ezri, you always were too proud for your own good.
Norvo: Come in, Zee.
Ezri: How'd you know it was me?
Norvo: No one else would bother with the chime.
Ezri: Hmm. I see some things never change.
Norvo: Here, have a seat.
Ezri: How many of these are yours?
Norvo: All the bad ones.
Ezri: When did you become such a harsh critic of your work?
Norvo: Just being realistic. It's amateurish. I know that. It says so right there. Saurian brandy?
Ezri: Sure.
Norvo: Oh. I should probably get a clean one.
Ezri: I don't care. Norvo, this doesn't mean that
Norvo: To my sister. A shining angel in a dark sky.
Ezri: All right. The Andorian Academy rejected your application. That doesn't mean your work is amateurish. There are other art schools.
Norvo: It's the best.
Ezri: So? You shouldn't just quit.
Norvo: I'm not very good, Zee. I never was. All this, it's an indulgence. Just like my other hobbies, poetry, music. I can't concentrate. My mind wanders. I don't have the diskipline it takes to succeed.
Ezri: Those are Mother's words. I know because I've heard them too. She wasn't right about me and she's not right about you, either.
Norvo: I'm fine with the way things have turned out, really. Besides, they need me here.
Ezri: To do what, the family bookkeeping? Norvo, you could do so much more. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to know that I still believe in you.
Norvo: Thanks. Thank you.
Ezri: Good night.
Norvo: Good night.
Yanas: I hope you're satisfied. Have you seen Norvo today?
Ezri: No.
Yanas: Well maybe you should. He's lying in bed with a hangover. When I woke up this morning I found him passed out in the entry room. Evidently he spent most of the night doing this. You think it's funny?
Ezri: I think it's funny you think he did this because of me. He's not happy here, Mother. Can't you see that?
Yanas: That's nonsense.
Ezri: Mother, he's defacing his own artwork. Work that you insisted on displaying even after he objected.
Yanas: I'm proud of him. I'm trying to encourage him.
Ezri: But what you've done is made him feel trapped and powerless.
Yanas: You've barely spent one night in this house and you think you can analyze our entire family? You don't know your brother anymore, Ezri. He's is a fragile young man who needs to be cared for.
Ezri: He is a grown man who needs his freedom. You're smothering him.
Yanas: How dare you come in here and tell me how to be a mother! What do you know about raising children?
Ezri: Actually I have three, no, four lifetimes worth of memories about raising children.
Yanas: I have worked and sacrificed for each one of you for over thirty years.
Yanas: Not now!
Janel: Sorry to interrupt, but
Ezri: Miles!
O'Brien: Ezri? What are you doing here?
Ezri: This is my home. This is where I live. My mother.
Yanas: I'm pleased to meet you, Mister O'Brien. Can you?
Fuchida: He wasn't very friendly when we located him.
O'Brien: Neither were you.
Janel: If you'll excuse me, we're having a problem with the drill down in twenty four B.
Ezri: Did you do this to him?
Fuchida: Just the one on the jaw. The rest he got thanks to the Orion Syndicate.
Ezri: Did you find anything on Bilby's wife?
O'Brien: I found her. She's dead.
O'Brien: Thanks. The DNA scan confirmed that the body was Morica's. She'd been dead at least six weeks.
Ezri: Do you have any idea of cause of death?
Fuchida: No.
O'Brien: The cause of death was the Orion Syndicate.
Fuchida: There's no evidence of that. It could have been an accident.
O'Brien: Oh yeah. She accidently hit herself in the head and accidently threw herself in the river, huh?
Fuchida: We pull a dozen bodies a month out of that river. You think they're all Syndicate murders?
O'Brien: If they're anything like this, yes. And if you hadn't interfered, I might have proved she was murdered.
Fuchida: If we hadn't interfered, you'd be dead. When your mother called us, we already had word that a Starfleet Intelligence operative was trying to infiltrate the Syndicate. It didn't take long to realize that it was your friend. We found him being beaten up by a pair of Nausicaans.
O'Brien: They were just trying to scare me.
Ezri: Why?
O'Brien: Exactly! Why were they trying to scare me? Because I had found the body of Morica Bilby and they didn't want me to trace the murder back to them.
Fuchida: The Syndicate would never kill the widow of an operative. The only thing holding them together is this loyalty they show to operatives and their families.
O'Brien: They may not be as loyal as you think.
Fuchida: Mrs Tigan, please contact us if there's anything else we can do for you.
Yanas: Thank you. I will.
Yanas: Ezri, why don't you show Mister O'Brien to one of out guest rooms. Let him clean up and have something to eat.
O'Brien: Thanks.
O'Brien: So that tip led me to the river. I searched the south bank for about three hours before I found her. The organic solvents in the water had partially decomposed the body, but it was her.
Ezri: I'm sorry, Chief. I wish there was something more I could do.
O'Brien: Maybe you could put in a good word for me with Captain Sisko.
Ezri: It may take a lot of good words, but I'll talk to him.
Yanas: Mister O'Brien, how are you feeling?
O'Brien: Fine, thank you. I've eaten enough for a week.
Yanas: Glad to hear it. I understand that you're an engineer.
O'Brien: That's right.
Janel: He's not a mining engineer.
Yanas: We have a problem with a trans-sonic drill that no one on my staff seems capable of fixing, and I would appreciate it very much if you would be kind enough to take a look at it.
Ezri: Now? Mother, he needs some rest.
Yanas: How much rest do you require, Mister O'Brien?
O'Brien: Actually, I feel fine
Yanas: Thank you. I'll see you at dinner.
Ezri: I'm sorry about this. Our mother's a force of nature.
O'Brien: It's all right. It'll be good to get my hands on a problem I can solve for a change. Lead on.
Norvo: Good morning.
Ezri: Good afternoon.
Norvo: Oh. Mother is not going to be happy about this.
Ezri: Don't worry. You're out of the line of fire for the moment. She's too busy torturing Janel and Miles.
Norvo: Miles? Oh, your friend. They found him?
Ezri: He's fine.
Norvo: Great. That's great, Zee. Does that mean you're leaving?
Ezri: Not right away. Let's talk about you. More specifically, about what you did last night.
Norvo: What can I say? When I get drunk, I become an art critic.
Ezri: Do you regret what you did?
Norvo: Not really. I never liked those pieces anyway.
Ezri: So, what are you feeling?
Norvo: I'm feeling like I don't want to be analyzed by my sister.
Ezri: Sorry. It's what I do.
Norvo: The situation is not that complex, Zee. I am wallowing in self pity and acting out my frustrations by throwing tantrums.
Ezri: All right, Doctor Norvo. If that's your diagnosis, what's your prescription?
Norvo: Mother disapproves of suicide. All that blood on the carpets.
Ezri: Not funny.
Norvo: Best I can do with a hangover.
Ezri: Norvo, what would happen if you left with me tomorrow?
Norvo: What do you mean?
Ezri: I mean, what would happen if you went back to Deep Space Nine with me?
Norvo: Mother would go insane.
Ezri: Forget about her for the moment.
Norvo: I can't just pick up and leave.
Ezri: Well, it doesn't have to be a permanent move. Think of it as a vacation, a break from all of this. Some time to clear your head, that's all.
Norvo: I don't know if I can leave all this on Janel's shoulders.
Ezri: Janel can handle it.
Norvo: It's not that simple. There are some things going on that are complicated.
Ezri: Like what?
Norvo: Things with the company.
Ezri: No offense, Norvo, but you're not exactly holding the company together. Mother can pay a real accountant to do the work she's given you.
Norvo: I don't know, Zee.
Ezri: Well think about it.
O'Brien: You're right. The problem's definitely in the secondary input transtator.
Janel: But the transtator checks out perfectly.
O'Brien: I'm sure it does, but it's the wrong transtator for this drill.
Janel: What?
O'Brien: You need a fifty two J, this is a fifty two L.
Janel: It says fifty two J.
O'Brien: I know. But it's definitely an L. It must've been accidently mislabeled.
Janel: Or deliberately.
Bokar: Another equipment failure? Perhaps if you hadn't dismissed Mister Lorkin, this wouldn't have happened.
Janel: He was dismissed on my Mother's personal order.
Bokar: Then we'll have to find a way of changing her mind, won't we. Who's your new mechanic, Janel?
Janel: This is Mister O'Brien. He's a friend of the family.
Bokar: That wouldn't be Chief O'Brien, would it?
O'Brien: How did you know that?
Bokar: I have several friends in the New Sydney Police. I heard they recently rescued a Starfleet Chief named O'Brien from an unpleasant situation.
O'Brien: That's me. I don't believe I caught your name.
Bokar: Thadial Bokar. I'm a commodities broker, attempting to establish business ties with the illustrious Tigan family.
Janel: Will you excuse us for a moment, Chief? Mister Bokar and I have some business to discuss. Thank you for your help. I'll have a new transtator installled right away.
O'Brien: Glad to do it.
Janel: Sabotaging our drills isn't going to convince me to do more business with the Orion Syndicate.
Bokar: We'll argue about that later. We have more immediate concerns. O'Brien is with Starfleet Intelligence.
Janel: No, he isn't. He works with my sister on Deep Space Nine.
Bokar: That may be what he wants you to think. But why was he on New Sydney trying to infiltrate the Syndicate?
Janel: He was looking for some woman.
Bokar: Some woman. Do you know the name of this woman?
Janel: No.
Bokar: Well I do. Her name was Morica Bilby.
Janel: What?
Bokar: Now, of course, I haven't heard from Morica Bilby in quite some time. Tumor has it that she's dead, but I wouldn't know anything about that. What I do know is that Chief O'Brien should leave this system, quickly, before something happens to him.
Janel: So, you're not leaving until tomorrow?
O'Brien: Probably. It really depends on Ezri.
Janel: Why?
O'Brien: Well, she's my superior officer. I go when she goes. Besides, I'm not looking forward to seeing Captain Sisko. He has a boot with my name on it.
Janel: This isn't a good time for guests. There's a lot of work to do. The quicker you're on your way, the better.
O'Brien: Your brother seems eager to get rid of us.
Ezri: Oh, don't mind him. He's been under a lot of pressure.
O'Brien: Do you know a man named Thadial Bokar? Says he's a commodities broker.
Ezri: No. But I make it a point to know as little as possible about the family business. Why?
O'Brien: Well, he came to the mine to talk with Janel while I was working on the drill. There was something about him reminded me of when I was working undercover with the Orion Syndicate. You know, something about the way they dealt with civilians.
Ezri: You think this Mister Bokar is a member of the Syndicate?
O'Brien: It's just a feeling. A pretty strong feeling.
Ezri: We should tell Janel.
O'Brien: I think Janel already knows. I know I'm not offering you any hard evidence here, Lieutenant, but your brother seems like a man who's being pressured by the Syndicate. He's experiencing sudden equipment breakdowns, work stoppages, mysterious accidents. That's the way the Syndicate extorts money from legitimate companies. 'Do business with us or we'll ruin you.'
Ezri: Janel is not someone who is easily intimidated. And my mother? She would burn this place to the ground before she did business with the Syndicate.
O'Brien: Well, there's one way to find out. Do you have access to the company's financial records?
Yanas: What would you do on Deep Space Nine?
Norvo: Take a vacation. Clear my head.
Yanas: Clear your head of what?
Norvo: I don't know.
Yanas: Then why do you need a vacation?
Norvo: I guess I don't, really. I just. But it'd be nice to spend some time with Ezri
Yanas: You're spending time with her right now, aren't you?
Norvo: Yes.
Janel: We're ready to open twenty five beta.
Yanas: I'll be right there. Norvo, this is a very bad time for you to take a vacation. We have far too much work to do. Have you finished the review?
Norvo: Almost.
Yanas: Well then, maybe you should get to it.
Norvo: Yes, ma'am.
Yanas: Let's go.
Ezri: Now I remember why I never went into the family business. All these contracts and invoices, balance sheets and shipping orders. I feel like I'm trapped in some kind of Ferengi nightmare. What? What is it?
O'Brien: I don't know. What's going on here?
Ezri: What do you mean?
O'Brien: Did you come here to find me or to prevent me finding out the truth?
Ezri: I don't know what you're talking about, so maybe you should just tell me, Chief.
O'Brien: The connection between the Orion Syndicate and your family is Morica Bilby. She was on the company's payroll when she died. Did you know about this?
Ezri: No. Of course not.
O'Brien: Someone in your family did, and since they didn't mention it they obviously don't want us to know.
Ezri: Are you suggesting
O'Brien: I'm not suggesting anything, but you have to face the possibility that somebody in your family may have been involved in her death.
O'Brien: There. Nine months ago, Morica Bilby shows up on the payroll as a shipping consultant.
Ezri: Five bars of latinum a week for services rendered. What services? There's no cross reference. No indication of what she was doing for the company.
O'Brien: Whatever it was, she must have been good at the job. Look here. Her salary increases to ten bars a week, then twenty, then thirty.
Ezri: The last payment entry was six weeks ago.
O'Brien: The day before she was killed. Who's in charge of the payroll?
Ezri: My mother, ultimately. But she's turned over most of the day to day operations to Janel, and Norvo's been doing the bookkeeping. Any one of them could know about Morica's payments. Or all of them.
O'Brien: Lieutenant, we have to show this to the authorities on New Sydney.
Ezri: Not yet. Not until I find out what's happened. That's an order.
O'Brien: Yes, sir.
Yanas: Why was this woman on our payroll?
Janel: We were returning a favor.
Yanas: To whom?
Janel: To the Orion Syndicate.
Yanas: And what favor did they do for us?
Janel: Remember when the Ferengis opened up the Timor Two mine and there was a ten point drop in the price of pergium? Well, that came at a bad moment. We were overextended on some loans, our cash reserves were depleted, and a Jem'Hadar raid destroyed an entire shipment before it reached the refinery on Rigel Four.
Ezri: So you turned to the Syndicate?
Janel: They came to me! They offered us a way out and I took it. I did what I had to do. And I don't remember you asking a lot of questions when our cash problems were resolved overnight.
Yanas: Because I trusted you. Obviously it was a mistake.
Ezri: What about Morica?
Janel: About a month after Bokar arranged the loan, he came to me and said it was time to return the favor. There was a woman who needed a job with a salary, but without any actual work involved. He said she was the widow of one of their associates and they needed to take care of her. I didn't feel like I was in a position to say no. So I started making the payments. No one would've been the wiser if Norvo had altered the payroll records like I asked him.
Yanas: You dragged your little brother into this?
Janel: You're the one who says there's nothing more important than the company. Well, that's all I was thinking about. The company. You dumped it in my lap and I saved it, so don't start complaining now. if it weren't for me, we would have been finished.
Yanas: Don't you rationalize what you've done.
Ezri: All right! All right! We can talk about who saved what later. Right now, we have to concentrate on what happened to Morica. The payroll records show a steady increase in her payments. Why?
Janel: She wasn't happy with her salary. She said the Syndicate had promised her a comfortable living and she wasn't comfortable on what we were paying her.
Ezri: How did she die?
Janel: I don't know.
Yanas: Janel, if you have anything to do with this, now is the time to speak.
Janel: What are you saying? That I had her killed?
Yanas: I'm asking.
Norvo: Mother, he wouldn't have killed her.
Yanas: You stay out of this. Listen to me. I will get you the very best solicitor on New Sydney, but you must tell me the truth.
Janel: I didn't kill her.
Yanas: Oh, Janel, why don't I believe you? Why don't I believe that this woman just happened to die at the exact moment she was pressuring you for more money?
Norvo: Why won't you listen to him? He didn't do it.
Janel: I may not have shed any tears when I found out she was dead, but I didn't kill her.
Yanas: Then who did?
Janel: The police said it was an accident!
Ezri: Norvo, you don't know what happened to Morica, do you?
Norvo: I'm the idiot brother. How would I know?
Ezri: Tell me you don't know anything about this.
Norvo: I tried to reason with her, but she was very angry. Angry at the Syndicate, angry at us. Even angry at her husband for getting himself killed. I didn't go there to kill her, Zee. I really didn't. But she wouldn't listen to me. She started yelling, said that our family was just as bad as the Syndicate. That we were all liars and cheats. And then suddenly I realized that if she were dead all of our problems would go away.
Yanas: Oh, Norvo.
Norvo: I took care of it. You always said that I was too weak to handle the tough ones. I'm not. I proved it. I handled a problem that you couldn't. I handled it.
Janel: I need to inspect the ore samples from fifty three C. We have to make a decision on whether to open up a new
Ezri: Janel, forget about the mine. It doesn't matter. I want you to listen to me. After Norvo's trial is over, you need to go.
Janel: Go where?
Ezri: It doesn't matter. Just go. Find another life for yourself. Trust me. You'll be happier.
Ezri: They've taken Norvo. I'm going to stay on New Sydney for the trial and then I'm going to head back to Deep Space Nine.
Yanas: This isn't my fault, is it, Ezri? I didn't do this, did I?
O'Brien: Mind if I join you? When'd you get back?
Ezri: Last night. Norvo was sentenced to thirty years.
O'Brien: I wish I could say I'm sorry, but considering what he did he got off easy.
Ezri: I understand why you feel that way. But you didn't know him, Miles. Norvo was very gifted. When we were young he had so much potential. Norvo was always the one that we all thought would be something special. And I don't know what happened. I don't know how my brother turned into. You know, I guess I just spent so many years dreaming of ways to get out of that house that I didn't see what was really going on inside, what was happening to Norvo. The endless humiliation, the constant drumbeat of criticism, the way his heart was carved up into little pieces. I should have seen it. I should have tried to stop it.
O'Brien: You can't blame yourself. You're not responsible for that.
Ezri: But I am, don't you see? I should have gone home a long time ago.