Kira: Is all this really necessary?
Bashir: The Klingon invasion has all but destroyed the Cardassian health system. They're suffering outbreaks of all kinds of diseases and in epidemic proportions. Besides, you've only got twelve more inoculations to go.
Kira: Twelve?
Bashir: Sorry, but if you want to go to the conference.
Kira: I don't want to go. I'm no diplomat. Going to some obscure Cardassian outpost to share Bajoran intelligence about the Klingons isn't exactly something I'm good at. I don't know why I even agreed to go in the first place.
Bashir: You agreed to go because it was a personal request from the First Minister of Bajor.
Kira: Oh, it was a personal request all right. Shakaar took me to my favorite restaurant in Jalanda City, poured me glass after glass of spring wine, then took me to his home, and gave me a massage with Kolaish spice oil.
Bashir: Well, nice to know he's keeping in touch with his constituents.
Kira: It wasn't fair. I mean, I would have said yes to anything at that point.
Bashir: What is it?
Kira: I'm seeing spots.
Bashir: Big green, swirling ones?
Kira: The size of Alvinian melons.
Bashir: And is the room beginning to spin?
Kira: Yes.
Bashir: Good. It means the vaccine's beginning to work. Everything'll settle down in a moment.
Worf: Major, may I speak with you?
Kira: I'm not going anywhere.
Bashir: This one might make you a little queasy. If you have something to say to the major, you'd better make it fast.
Worf: The Federation has some concerns about your upcoming meeting with the Cardassians.
Kira: So do I.
Worf: There are certain technological advances that we have shared with both Bajor and the Klingons that we prefer to keep out of Cardassian hands.
Kira: Such as?
Worf: Photon torpedo guidance systems, long-range sensors, enhanced warp core overdrives. This is a complete list.
Kira: Oh. Well, I think the Cardassians are going to be a little disappointed.
Worf: Undoubtedly.
Kira: Is that all?
Worf: Yes.
Kira: Oh good. I'll be right back.
Bashir: I'm glad I'm not going to Cardassia.
Kira: Come in.
Dukat: Hello, Major.
Kira: Dukat? What are you doing here?
Dukat: I'm to escort you to your meeting on Korma.
Kira: You're commanding the Groumall?
Dukat: Thanks to you. If you had not convinced me to bring my half-Bajoran daughter back to Cardassia, I'd still be Chief Military Advisor to the Detepa Council.
Kira: They demoted you.
Dukat: Exactly one week after my mother disowned me and my wife took our children and left.
Kira: You still did the right thing, Dukat.
Dukat: And as a reward for following your advice, I have been relegated to ferrying freight. And, occasionally, various foreign dignitaries such as yourself.
Kira: Look, if it makes you feel better to blame me, go right ahead.
Dukat: No, no, no. I blame no one but myself. I was indiskreet. I compromised myself and have been punished accordingly. If someone under my command had behaved so outrageously, I would do the same to him. Besides, I assure you, this is only a temporary setback. Everything I have lost, I will regain. It's only a matter of time. Now, may I take your bags? Please?
Kira: Come in. Ziyal! I didn't know you were on board.
Ziyal: Hello, Major.
Kira: Oh please, call me Nerys. So, I take it living on Cardassia didn't work out very well.
Ziyal: I wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms. There were some Cardassians who could see past the Bajoran ridges on my nose, but not many.
Kira: I'm sorry. I know it must have been very difficult for you.
Ziyal: The only good thing about living on Cardassia was being with my father.
Kira: I'm glad you two are getting along.
Ziyal: He's been wonderful. And so brave. He never tried to hide me away. He never acted like he was ashamed of me. We'd go out to dinner together, take long walks.
Kira: And now that he's been exiled?
Ziyal: Wherever he goes, I go. He's the only family I have. And this is the only home I need.
Kira: Your father isn't the only one who's brave.
Kira: What's that?
Ziyal: It's a battle drill.
Kira: On a freighter?
Damar: Target at four hundred thousand kilometers and closing.
Dukat: Shields at maximum. Maintain scan.
Damar: Engineering and Tactical, ready. Waiting on weapons, sir.
Dukat: What's taking so long?
Damar: The phaser banks are still charging.
Dukat: I want those weapons online now!
Damar: Phasers ready.
Dukat: Lock on target.
Damar: Target set.
Dukat: Fire!
Dukat: Time?
Damar: Three forty seven.
Dukat: That's pitiful. A crew of Ferengi scrap peddlers could do better than that. Select another target. We'll do it again.
Damar: Aye, sir.
Dukat: This may be a lowly freighter, Major, but it's still a military vessel and will be run in a military manner.
Kira: You know, you could speed up your phaser recharge time by routing power through an anodyne capacitor.
Dukat: Thank you, Major. That's very helpful. And if we had an anodyne capacitor, we would use it. But we don't. Major, please forgive me. I do appreciate your suggestion. Any anger I may have expressed was due to my frustration over the complete inadequacy of this vessel. I hope you'll allow me to make it up to you.
Kira: What did you have in mind?
Dukat: I was hoping we might have dinner together. After all, it is Cardassian tradition for the commanding officer of a ship to entertain his guests.
Kira: Far be it from me to stand in the way of tradition.
Kira: This is Bajoran Spring Wine.
Dukat: My last bottle. It's one of the things I miss most about Bajor.
Kira: I talked to Ziyal. She's a lovely girl.
Dukat: I'm very glad that you convinced me not to kill her.
Kira: Despite everything that's happened?
Dukat: You may not believe this, Major, but when it comes to Ziyal I regret nothing.
Kira: It's good to hear that.
Dukat: By the way, Major. What is this I hear about you and Shakaar?
Kira: I don't know what you've heard.
Dukat: First it was Vedek Bareil, and now it's the head of the Bajoran government. You do like powerful men, don't you?
Kira: First of all, Shakaar's an old friend. Second of all, what business is it of yours?
Dukat: Let's just say it's further incentive for me to regain my former position.
Kira: It's good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor.
Dukat: I must say, I've always admired Shakaar's success with women. The intelligence file I kept on him during the occupation is filled with reports of his conquests. In fact, if you remember correctly, you were the only female in his resistance cell that he didn't charm. At least until now.
Kira: Is that what you kept track of during the occupation? No wonder you lost.
Dukat: More wine, Major?
Kira: Another drill?
Dukat: I didn't schedule one.
Damar: Sir, we're approaching the outpost on Korma, or what's left of it.
Dukat: What are you talking about?
Damar: From what we can tell, it's been attacked. The planetary defense systems have been disabled. Every building has been destroyed.
Kira: How many casualties?
Damar: There are no life signs.
Dukat: Then we have to assume that everyone at the outpost, including the Cardassian and the Bajoran dignitaries, is dead.
Damar: Sir, I'm reading a subspace distortion bearing zero zero one mark one five.
Dukat: On screen.
Dukat: Klingons.
Damar: They're scanning us, sir.
Dukat: Full power to forward shields.
Kira: At this distance your shields won't mean much.
Damar: Sir, they've stopped scanning us.
Dukat: What are they doing?
Damar: Nothing, sir. They don't seem to be in a hurry to do anything about us.
Kira: They don't think we're a threat, Dukat.
Dukat: Then why were they cloaked when we arrived?
Kira: They detected an incoming vessel, they didn't know what it was, so they hid. Now they know and they're unconcerned.
Damar: The Klingon ship has lowered its shields. They're moving off at one quarter impulse.
Dukat: They'll pay for their arrogance. Charge phaser banks.
Kira: What are you doing, Dukat? You can't go up against a bird of prey!
Dukat: Must I remind you, Major, they just murdered your people as well as mine?
Kira: I know that, but getting all of us killed isn't going to change that.
Dukat: We're the only Cardassian ship in the area. I'm not going to let these Klingons escape unchallenged.
Kira: You attack them and all you're going to do is give them a little target practice. They're going to blow us to pieces with their first shot.
Damar: Phaser banks charged.
Dukat: Lock phasers on target.
Damar: Phasers locked.
Kira: Dukat! At least lock onto the underside of their hull. It's their weakest spot.
Dukat: You heard the Major.
Damar: Target set.
Dukat: Fire!
Damar: Their shields were down and we didn't penetrate their hull.
Dukat: Divert all power to forward shields.
Damar: Aye, sir.
Damar: They've gone to warp.
Dukat: Well, it would seem we're not worth destroying.
Kira: Lucky for us.
Dukat: I suppose from their point of view, there's no honor in destroying a worthless freighter. I have to inform Central Command. These Klingons have been operating behind our lines with impunity. Somebody has got to stop them. Someone else.
Kira: How close is the nearest Cardassian warship?
Dukat: Probably in the Dopa System somewhere.
Kira: That's almost three days away. By the time they get here, the Klingons'll be long gone.
Dukat: That's true, but what can we do about it?
Kira: We can go after the Klingons.
Dukat: A few moments ago, you were advising caution.
Kira: That's because a moments ago we were in no position to fight back. I have no intention of letting them get away with what they did. Now, you said scanners showed that the outpost disruptors were disabled not destroyed, right?
Damar: Correct.
Kira: Dukat, do you think you'd be able to repair one of those disruptors?
Dukat: What would be the point? I doubt we can lure the Klingons back to the outpost.
Kira: Maybe not. But there's no reason we can't make a few alterations to your ship.
Dukat: What kind of alterations?
Dukat: Here? In the cargo hold?
Kira: Why not?
Dukat: Because the outpost's planetary defense weapons are system five disruptors. They were never designed to operate aboard a moving spacecraft, and this cargo bays were never designed to hold them.
Kira: Dukat, you are going to have to stop thinking like a Cardassian military officer.
Dukat: And more like you?
Kira: More like a resistance fighter. You have got to make use of what you have. If you need a hammer and you don't have one, use a pipe.
Dukat: And you really think we can make those weapons operational on this ship?
Kira: It's worth a try.
Dukat: I suppose if we disable the tractor beam, we could reroute enough power to operate one of the disruptors. But those weapons are huge. What do we do with all this cargo?
Kira: Get rid of it.
Dukat: All of it?
Kira: I realize it's traditional for a Cardassian captain to take a percentage of the haul, but you are going to have to shed a lot of traditions if you are serious about fighting the Klingons.
Dukat: Some traditions are hard to break.
Kira: You'll get used to it.
Dukat: You never cease to impress me, Major. I've got a lot to learn from you.
Damar: Target at five hundred thousand kilometers.
Kira: System five disruptor's online.
Dukat: Open the cargo bay doors.
Damar: Doors opening.
Kira: Telemetry lock confirmed.
Dukat: Are you ready? Diverting all power to your station.
Damar: Two hundred thousand and closing.
Dukat: Fire!
Dukat: Very impressive, Major.
Kira: Don't be too impressed yet, Dukat. We still have some problems. Firing the disruptor ruptured power relays and plasma circuits all over the ship.
Damar: We have small plasma leaks on levels two, four and five.
Dukat: I want those leaks fixed immediately.
Soldier: Aye, sir.
Kira: We're going to have to do something about that recoil.
Dukat: Major, I'm confident you'll have that disruptor running so smoothly it wouldn't wake a sleeping child.
Kira: Why is it when you smile, I want to leave the room?
Dukat: I suppose it's because of my overwhelming charm. But you must admit it is rather amusing. When we do destroy that bird of prey, it will no doubt go a long way toward restoring my reputation. And I have you to thank for it.
Kira: I'm trying not to think about that.
Dukat: Major, why are you so reluctant to face the obvious? We make an excellent team.
Kira: We are not a team, Dukat, and we have nothing in common. The only reason I'm helping you is because those Klingons killed fifteen Bajoran diplomats.
Dukat: There were Cardassians at that outpost too.
Kira: Maybe. But all you care about is redeeming yourself in the eyes of the Cardassian government. You have seen an opportunity for advancement and you are grabbing it.
Dukat: You judge me too harshly, Major. Maybe I am seeking to regain my former position. One which I earned through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. But redemption is not my sole motivation. I care about my people and I don't intend to allow the Klingons to get away with murdering them. I'm a much more complicated man than you give me credit for.
Kira: If that's true, I suppose I prefer simpler men.
Dukat: Like Shakaar? It amazes me that a woman as intelligent and sophisticated as you could be attracted to such a lumbering, simplistic field hand. I mean, what could the two of you possibly talk about?
Kira: That lumbering field hand is the First Minister of Bajor. And he knows more about how to talk to me than you ever will.
Dukat: How can you be so sure? After all, you don't know me well enough to make a comparison.
Kira: I don't want to know you well enough. And if you want to keep working with me, I suggest you stick to business.
Dukat: I'm sorry, Major. I didn't mean any harm. I was only making conversation. Damar, set another target. We'll test our new weapon as soon as the Major's ready. Let's see if we can't work out our problems. At least the ones we're having with the disruptor.
Kira: This is a standard issue, Cardassian phase-disruptor rifle. It has a four point seven megajoule power capacity, three millisecond recharge two beam settings.
Ziyal: How do you know so much about Cardassian weapons?
Kira: We captured a lot of them during the occupation. It's a good weapon, solid, simple. You can drag it through the mud and it'll still fire. Now this. This is an entirely different animal. Federation standard issue. It's a little less powerful, but it's got a more options. Sixteen beam settings. Fully autonomous recharge, multiple target acquisition, gyro stabilized, the works. It's a little more complicated, so it's not as good a field weapon. Too many things can go wrong with it.
Ziyal: I can see why my father likes having you around.
Kira: I think you should stick with the Cardassian rifle. It's smaller, easier to use, and if we get boarded I don't want you to have to think too much about the weapon you're using.
Ziyal: You don't like my father much, do you?
Kira: No. I don't.
Ziyal: I understand. He did some very bad things during the occupation.
Kira: Yes, he did.
Ziyal: It bothers him, you know.
Kira: Does it.
Ziyal: Very much. He talks about it sometimes. He'd never admit it to anyone else, but he thinks the occupation was a mistake.
Kira: Somehow I don't think he'd say that if the Cardassians had won.
Ziyal: Maybe not. But maybe losing made him a better person.
Kira: Then a lot of innocent people died for his education.
Ziyal: I know. I think about that a lot. But when I look at my father, I have a hard time seeing a murderer.
Kira: And when I look at him, I have a hard time seeing anything else. You're his daughter.
Ziyal: My father says that the two of you have a lot in common. That you both did things during the war that you regret. That's why he cares so much about what you think of him.
Kira: Ziyal, what your father wants from me is forgiveness. That's one thing I can never give him. Now, I think we should concentrate on getting you comfortable with this weapon.
Kira: What about the Cardassian base on the fourth moon of Rakal?
Dukat: It's subterranean, much too fortified to be a viable target for a bird of prey. It would take a Vor'Cha class cruiser to do any real damage. How about the station on Amleth Prime?
Kira: The Amleth system's located inside an emission nebula. The Klingon cloaking device would be useless.
Dukat: I know where they'll go next. Loval.
Kira: That's on the other side of the sector.
Dukat: A long way from the Cardassian fleet.
Kira: From what it says here, Loval is mainly a civilian outpost with a small subspace relay station. The Klingons have been going after a lot bigger prizes.
Dukat: What it says there is not exactly true. Loval is also a weapons research installlation, which is supposed to be a closely guarded secret. Now considering the targets the Klingons have hit so far, I think we've underestimated their intelligence network.
Kira: Sounds like a choice target.
Dukat: Loval it is. The question is, even if we're right, can we stop them?
Kira: All we need is one good shot with the new disruptor.
Dukat: Which won't be easy to get considering they'll be cloaked.
Kira: We don't have to find them. We have to make them come to us.
Dukat: Lure them in. Make them think that we're a helpless freighter.
Kira: We have to make them think that we have valuable cargo aboard.
Dukat: How does refined dilithium crystal sound? I can get Damar to modify the subspace transceiver array to emit a false dilithium signal. Now if I know the Klingons, they'll lock their tractor beam on us and try to take our cargo.
Kira: And we'll have a little surprise waiting for them.
Dukat: Yes.
Kira: Not bad.
Dukat: I told you we make a good team, Major. You are as insightful a woman as you are intriguing.
Kira: I thought we agreed to keep this strictly business.
Dukat: Major, is it my imagination, or do you have a hard time accepting compliments?
Kira: I have a hard time accepting compliments from you.
Dukat: Well, I'll try to restrain my enthusiasm, but I can't make you any promises.
Kira: We'd better get to Loval before the Klingons do.
Dukat: Damar.
Damar: Sir?
Dukat: Set a course for Loval. Maximum warp.
Damar: Aye, sir.
Damar: Loval system within scanning range, sir.
Dukat: Any sign of them?
Damar: No, sir.
Kira: If they're not there now, they'll be there soon enough.
Dukat: Begin modifications to the subspace transceiver array.
Dukat: We soldiers spend a lot of time waiting, don't we, Major? It's not easy to keep your mind from drifting.
Kira: I don't usually have any trouble concentrating, unless I'm being distracted.
Dukat: Lately, when my mind wanders, I find myself thinking more and more about Gul Marratt. Do you know him? Very dashing. One of Cardassia's rising stars. Graduate of the Cardassian Military Academy, smooth-talking junior member of the Detepa Council, and like your friend Shakaar, quite a lady's man. Especially with other officer's wives.
Kira: Including yours?
Dukat: Mmm. A year ago he wouldn't have dared, but now? I think the first thing I do when I'm returned to power is to demote him. Assign him to the Cardassian Embassy on Breen. I hear it's bitter cold on Breen. And we Cardassians do despise the cold.
Damar: Sir, I've got something.
Dukat: On screen.
Dukat: Well, Major, it seems fate has smiled on our little plan.
Damar: They're scanning us.
Dukat: Good. Let's hope they take the bait.
Damar: Sir, they've locked their disruptors on us.
Dukat: They haven't fired. Which means they could be interested in our cargo.
Damar: They're hailing us, sir. Demanding our surrender.
Kira: They're interested. Now let's see if you can make them bite.
Dukat: On screen.
K'Temang: Identify yourself.
Dukat: I'm Gul Dukat, Commander of the Cardassian freighter Groumall. Who are you?
K'Temang: What is your cargo and destination?
Dukat: We are carrying replicator and transporter parts to the Dopa System.
K'Temang: You're lying!
Dukat: I assure you, Captain.
K'Temang: I'm confiscating your ship and its cargo.
Dukat: On whose authority?
K'Temang: On the authority of the Klingon Empire and the disruptors I have pointed at your vessel.
Dukat: Convincing, wasn't I?
Kira: I'll let you know.
Damar: They've locked their tractor beam on us.
Dukat: Wait for my signal. Wait. Open the cargo bay doors.
Kira: Doors opening.
Dukat: Fire!
Damar: We've breached their hull! Their impulse engines are down. They're adrift.
Dukat: Excellent.
Damar: They're re-locking their disruptors on us.
Dukat: All power to forward shields.
Dukat: Damage?
Damar: Both shields are down to twenty percent. We can't sustain another hit.
Dukat: I think it's time to improvise.
K'Temang: I want all power to the disruptors now! You. Get down to the weapons room and find out what's taking them so long.
Dukat: Major!
Kira: Just give me a minute.
Dukat: Hurry, Major.
Kira: Quiet. I need to concentrate.
K'Temang: Lock target. Prepare to fire.
Dukat: You are a magician, Major.
Kira: There's nothing magical about it. Not when you know Klingon transporter codes.
Kira: It worked. All our people are here and all thirty six Klingons are on the freighter. I can just imagine that Klingon Captain explaining this to his superiors.
Dukat: He won't get the opportunity.
Kira: Was that necessary?
Dukat: You're the terrorist. You tell me.
Damar: Weapons secured, sir.
Dukat: Excellent.
Ziyal: So is Engineering.
Dukat: Well done. Well, Major, quite a prize we've taken. The first Klingon bird of prey ever to be captured by Cardassia.
Kira: I think I just found a bigger prize. It looks like we've got the target priorities of all Klingon raiders in Cardassian space.
Dukat: I'll contact Central Command and inform them of our success. I think I'll request my Legate title be reinstated, effective immediately. Get me Central Command. No, on second thought, this is too important for them. I want to speak to the Chairman of the Detepa Council himself on a secure channel.
Damar: I can't do that from here, sir. The communication terminals on the bridge are down but I could re-route it to the Captain's quarters.
Dukat: Good. Do so. Then make the repairs. I want this ship fully operational as soon as possible.
Damar: Aye, sir.
Kira: Ziyal, do you see the phase compensator in the backup plasma manifold?
Ziyal: What's it look like?
Damar: Perhaps I should go help her. Klingon technology is
Kira: Odd. Good idea. Hang on, Ziyal. Help's on the way.
Ziyal: Understood.
Kira: You know something, Dukat? These computer logs are even more valuable than I thought. They contain status reports from Klingon ships and outposts throughout Cardassian space. With information like this, Cardassia could launch a major counterattack against the Klingons.
Dukat: They could, but they won't.
Kira: Why not?
Dukat: The Detepa Council has something else in mind. They've ordered me not to engage the Klingons in any further conflict. The Council is looking for a diplomatic solution. They've ordered me to return to Cardassia Prime to resume my post as Military Advisor.
Kira: I thought that's what you wanted.
Dukat: It was. But what is the point of being a Military Advisor to a government that won't fight.
Kira: You can change their minds. Convince your fellow Cardassians to go on the offensive.
Dukat: No, I'd be wasting my breath. They wouldn't listen to me. No one wants to fight. There was a time when the mere mention of my race inspired fear. And now we're beaten people, afraid to fight back because we don't want to lose what little is left.
Kira: That's not the Cardassians I know.
Dukat: What Cardassians? Don't you see, Major? They're paralyzed. They're beaten and defeated. I am the only Cardassian left. And if no one else will stand against the Klingons, I will.
Kira: Look, Dukat, I know you're angry, but maybe you ought to think about what you're proposing. I mean, you can't go to war against the whole Klingon Empire with one bird of prey.
Dukat: Why not? Your people fought against us for fifty years with much less sophisticated weaponry than this. And you beat us.
Kira: It's not the same. The Bajoran people were united. We were all fighting for the same goal. You and your crew would be out there alone.
Dukat: Maybe at first, but perhaps our actions would inspire others to join the struggle.
Kira: It's not that easy, Dukat.
Dukat: I know. Which is why I need you.
Kira: Me?
Dukat: Who else? You know how to organize a resistance cell. You're an expert in terrorist tactics. You have close ties with Bajoran and Federation officials. And besides all that, it would give you a chance to do what you were meant to do.
Kira: No, thanks. I've already got a job.
Dukat: What do you mean? On that space station? We both know your talents are being wasted there. Coordinating docking assignments and leading training exercises. On Deep Space Nine, you're nothing but a bureaucrat, an administrator. If you come with me you can be a soldier again. Think about it, Major. The chance to fight against a superior foe in a righteous cause, to protect a defeated and broken people from a cruel aggressor. You know as well as I do that if Cardassia falls, Bajor is next. Help me stop the Klingons before you become their next target.
Kira: You're really serious about this.
Dukat: Absolutely. Look, Major, I'm not asking you to like me or to be my friend. I'm asking you to join me. To fight at my side. You know what I'm doing is right, and it's what you want to do as well. I know that our past makes it difficult for you to accept me as an ally. I also know that every fiber of your being is telling you to say no, no, no, but somewhere I know there's a yes. You need to listen to that yes. Not for my sake, not for Cardassia's, not even for Bajor's, but for your sake.
Damar: We've completed the repairs on the navigational system and the cloaking device.
Dukat: Good. We'll leave as soon as you have it online. Think about it, Major. Think about the possibilities.
Ziyal: Nerys! I want to show you something.
Ziyal: Go ahead, attack me.
Kira: What are you talking about?
Ziyal: It's okay. I know what I'm doing. Damar showed me a good trick. Try to stab me with the knife.
Ziyal: I guess it wasn't such a good trick.
Kira: The best way to survive a knife fight is to never get in one.
Ziyal: If I'm going to help my father, I have to be prepared for anything. Show me what you did again. Please. I know I have a lot to learn. I've been practicing with the disruptor rifle but I need to know how to defend myself in hand-to-hand combat. I was lucky not to have to fight when we boarded this ship. I may not be so lucky next time.
Kira: Chances are you won't be. Fighting the Klingons is going to take more than knowing how to fire a rifle or use a knife. You have to learn how to be ruthless. You have to learn to hate the Klingons even more than you hated the Breen.
Ziyal: Whatever it takes, I will do it. But I'm going to need your help.
Kira: You're right. You do need my help.
Dukat: I am disappointed, Major.
Kira: But not surprised.
Dukat: Tell me, were you even tempted?
Kira: Not really.
Dukat: I thought I was so eloquent.
Kira: You had your moments. But the fact of the matter is I've already been where you're going. I've lived the life you're choosing. Fighting hit and run, always outgunned, living on hate and adrenaline. It's not much of a life, and it eats away at you so that every day a little bit of you dies.
Dukat: Very inspiring, Major. But I don't have any choice in this. No more than you had when you fought against us.
Kira: No, I don't suppose you do.
Dukat: Well, all that's left is for you to wish me luck.
Kira: That's not quite all. There's still Ziyal.
Dukat: What about her?
Kira: The life you're choosing isn't for her. She deserves better.
Dukat: She deserves to be with her father. You taught me that. I love her.
Kira: I know you do. And that's why you've got to let her go.
Dukat: Go? Where? She's not welcome on Cardassia or Bajor. This is the only place she belongs.
Kira: That's not true. She could come to Deep Space Nine with me.
Dukat: Are you serious?
Kira: She's a remarkable young woman. I'll make sure she's okay.
Dukat: Why? Why do you care so much?
Kira: Because she reminds me of myself, and I don't want her to go through what I went through. And neither do you.
Dax: Captain, a Klingon bird of prey just decloaked off the station.
Sisko: On screen.
O'Brien: They're hailing us.
Sisko: Let's find out what they want.
O'Brien: Sir, it's Gul Dukat.
Sisko: On a Klingon ship?
O'Brien: He's asking permission to dock.
Dukat: When this is all over, I'll come back for you. I promise you that.
Ziyal: I know you will.
Dukat: Major.
Kira: I'll take good care of her.
Dukat: I know. Well, Major, it appears that whether you like it or not, our lives have become deeply intertwined.
Kira: That really pleases you, doesn't it?
Dukat: Pleases me? Major, it gives me reason to live.
Kira: Come. I'll show you to your quarters.
Odo: Welcome back, Major.
Kira: Odo, this is Tora Ziyal.
Odo: Gul Dukat's daughter.
Ziyal: That's right.
Kira: She's going to be living here on the station with us for a while.
Odo: Ah.
Kira: I'll tell you all about it.
Odo: I certainly hope so.


Worf: E-cha!
Dax: Movek. Okay. I see your point. The mek'leth definitely have its advantages. But I still think the bat'leth, with its longer reach, is usually the deciding factor.
Worf: That is a classic argument. However, I find using a large and intimidating weapon like a bat'leth often leads to overconfidence.
Dax: So you think that I was overconfident?
Worf: You were overconfident. You thought by distracting me with your outfit you would gain an advantage.
Dax: My outfit?
Worf: Er, I thought that. I mean, I only assumed that
Dax: You thought I wore this for you? Talk about overconfidence.
Dax: Worf. Gotcha.
Worf: Movek.
Dax: But in my own defense, you do try your own tactics of distraction with all that shouting and growling you do.
Worf: I am only vocalizing my
Odo: Odo to Worf.
Worf: Worf here.
Odo: Please report to airlock five, Commander. There's an intoxicated Klingon here who's demanding to see you.
Worf: I'm on my way. Computer, exit.
Kurn: Stay back! You miserable koruts.
Odo: Easy. None of us koruts is going to hurt you.
Worf: Kurn!
Kurn: Worf. I knew you would come.
Worf: He is my brother.
Kurn: The sons of Mogh reunited one last time.
Worf: Where have you been? I have tried to contact you for months.
Kurn: Well, I'm here now, but not for long. Soon there will be only one son of Mogh. I have come for Mauk-to'Vor.
Worf: What?
Kurn: Yes, brother. I want you to kill me.
Kurn: Guard! Something for my head. Guard!
Worf: You are not in the holding cell. You're in my quarters.
Worf: For your head.
Kurn: Soft, comfortable, just like the rest of these quarters. No one would ever suspect a warrior lives here.
Worf: It serves me.
Kurn: Always defending the Federation. Tell me, Worf, does Starfleet ever make mistakes even in their furniture?
Worf: Kurn, where have you been? It has been four months since your last message.
Kurn: I've been overseeing the end of a once-proud house. Perhaps you've heard of it. It was called the House of Mogh.
Worf: I know what has happened. I regret that by opposing Gowron I have brought disgrace to our family.
Kurn: You regret? What's next, Worf? Do you want to apologize to me? Express your sympathy? How many human weaknesses will you display?
Worf: I do not apologize for what I have done. I could not join Gowron in his war with Cardassia or the Federation. It would have been dishonorable.
Kurn: Oh, so in avoiding dishonor for yourself, you brought it on the rest of your family. What a noble act. How selfless.
Worf: I will not debate this with you, Kurn. What is done is done.
Kurn: For you, it's done. You and your comfortable Federation life, your glorious Starfleet career. But not for me. Our family had a seat on the High Council. We were feared by our enemies, respected by our friends. It was even said that if Gowron died the leadership of the Council might be passed to someone from the House of Mogh. Then you chose to side with the Federation against the Empire. Gowron took our ships, our land, our seat on the Council, everything.
Worf: Kurn, I know this has been difficult for you.
Kurn: What do you know? Did you watch as Gowron's men seized our land and stripped our family of its name? Did you have to endure the humiliation of being ejected from the High Council in front of the Emperor himself? No. You chose to stay here, safe, comfortable, secure. You have everything you want and I have nothing, not even my honor. But you can give that back to me.
Worf: By killing you?
Kurn: I'm already dead to our people, and so are you, but you don't care. I have never asked you for anything, but you took away my honor and only you can give it back. So now, I am asking you for Mauk-to'Vor. Is an honorable death too much to ask from my brother? Operations log, stardate 49556.2. Major Kira and I are returning to the station after completing our inspection tour of the Bajoran colonies along the Cardassian border.
O'Brien: This is the Federation runabout Yukon, requesting permission to enter Bajoran space.
Bajoran: This is Bajoran Control. Please transmit your identification code and flight plan.
O'Brien: Acknowledged. Major. Major!
Kira: Yes! What?
O'Brien: Sorry, Major. It's just we're almost home.
Kira: Oh. Thanks. Almost home? How long have I been asleep?
O'Brien: Seven hours.
Kira: I don't get seven hours sleep at the station.
O'Brien: Must be the company.
Bajoran: Bajoran Control to Yukon. You are cleared to enter the system and proceed to Deep Space Nine.
O'Brien: Thank you.
Kira: I am so hungry I could even eat Quark's food.
O'Brien: Let's not get crazy. If you really want some good
Kira: What was that?
O'Brien: Some kind of high energy diskharge. It was pretty close. Only five thousand kilometers from here.
Kira: Just outside Bajoran space. Elevated tachyon readings, subspace shockwaves. Looks like a cloaked ship exploded.
O'Brien: There's no debris, no residual warp fields.
Kira: Something exploded. Let's take a closer look. Bring us to five hundred meters from those coordinates.
O'Brien: Approaching the coordinates. I'm not seeing any signs of. Wait a minute. I'm picking up another tachyon surge. A ship's decloaking directly ahead of us.
Klingon: Federation vessel. This is the Imperial Klingon Ship Korinar. We are engaged in military exercises in this area. You will alter course and return to Bajoran space immediately.
Kira: This is Major Kira Nerys. We're investigating an explosion which happened at these coordinates.
Klingon: You have been given a warning according to interstellar agreements. You will not receive another.
O'Brien: They've locked their disruptors onto us, Major.
Kira: Take us home, Chief. But keep scanning the coordinates of that explosion. There's a lot more going on out here than just military exercises.
Dax: Quark, have you seen Worf? He was supposed to meet me in the holosuite five minutes ago.
Quark: As if you're never late.
Dax: Worf is never late. In fact, he grumbles at me if I'm two minutes behind schedule.
Quark: Well, I haven't seen him since this morning. And if he can't at least be civil, I don't care to see him in my bar again.
Dax: It's just his way. It's nothing personal, Quark.
Quark: No, this was more than his standard rudeness. He came in here, ordered some Klingon incense and nearly threw me across the bar when I tried to give him some replicated incense.
Dax: What kind of Klingon incense?
Quark: Something called adanji.
Dax: Why would he want adanji?
Quark: Why? Is there something special about adanji?
Quark: That's it. I'm going to stop talking to the customers.
Worf: You have been wronged in this life. There is nothing left here for you. No honor, no future.
Kurn: I wish to reclaim my honor in the next life. I am ready to cross the river of blood and enter Sto'Vo'kor.
Odo: Commander.
Dax: Odo. Yesterday you called Worf to the airlock to see some Klingon.
Odo: That's right.
Dax: Who was it?
Odo: His name is Kurn. It turns out he's Worf's brother.
Dax: Worf's brother. Oh my god. Dax to Worf. Computer, locate Commander Worf.
Computer: Commander Worf is in his quarters.
Dax: Is he alone?
Computer: Negative. Captain Kurn is with him.
Dax: Come on.
Worf: May this blade speed you on your journey.
Worf: Goodbye, my brother.
Kurn: Goodbye.
Dax: Dax to Ops. Emergency transport. Two to the infirmary.
Worf: This is not your concern! It is a private matter!
Odo: I doubt Captain Sisko would agree. You'd better hope he lives, Commander. If not, you'll be charged with murder.
Dax: Kurn's going to make it. Julian said he'll be up on his feet by tomorrow morning.
Sisko: Good. Mister Worf, I want you to tell me why I shouldn't put you on the next transport out of here.
Worf: You are well within your right to do so.
Sisko: I didn't ask you about my rights. Answer my question.
Worf: Captain, I do not have an answer. Sir, I realize my actions were in violation of Starfleet regulations, but
Sisko: Regulations? We're not talking about some obscure technicality, Mister Worf. You tried to commit premeditated murder.
Dax: Benjamin, it wasn't murder. Worf and Kurn were performing a Mauk-to'Vor ritual. It's part of Klingon belief that when
Sisko: At the moment, I don't give a damn about Klingon beliefs, rituals or custom. Now I have given you both a lot of leeway when it comes to following Klingon traditions, but in case you haven't noticed, this is not a Klingon station, and those are not Klingon uniforms you're wearing. There is a limit to how far I'll go to accommodate cultural diversity among my officers and you've just reached it. When your brother is released from the infirmary, you better find another way to settle your family problems. Is that clear?
Worf: Captain, it may not be possible to
Dax: It's clear. There are definitely other possibilities for Kurn. This will never happen again.
Sisko: You're damn right it won't. Now both of you, get out!
Sisko: What do you make of it, Chief?
O'Brien: From these magnetic flux readings, the energy diskharge we detected could've been caused by the destruction of a cloaked target drone.
Kira: Which would support their story about conducting military maneuvers.
O'Brien: On the other hand this type of explosion could also have been caused by an accidental warp nacelle inversion.
Kira: Or a blown plasma conduit, or a dozen other things. The bottom line is, there's no way to be certain from these readings.
Sisko: The larger question is, what are these Klingons up to?
Kira: Whatever it is, they're doing it awfully close to Bajoran space.
O'Brien: And they're very touchy about it.
Sisko: One thing I've had enough of is tiptoeing around Klingons. Take the Defiant and run a sensor sweep of those coordinates.
Kira: And if I run into the Klingons?
Sisko: Tell them that the ship is conducting military exercises according to interstellar agreements.
Kira: Understood. Should I take Worf?
Sisko: I don't want Worf anywhere near other Klingons right now. Keep him informed of what's going on, but under no circumstances is he to accompany you. Is that clear?
Kira: Yes, sir.
O'Brien: Sir.
Sisko: Don't say it, Chief. I've already got one officer defending Worf. I don't need two.
Bashir: He's stabilized. I can revive him at any time.
Worf: Wake him.
Bashir: I'll be just outside if you need me.
Kurn: I am alive?
Worf: Yes. Commander Dax realized what we were doing and she had you beamed to the Infirmary.
Kurn: I was looking forward to being in Sto'Vo'kor. I was hoping to see father there.
Worf: He still awaits you, but it is not yet time for you to join him.
Kurn: And I suppose you will decide when that time has come?
Worf: It is not for me to make that choice.
Kurn: Why not? You chose not to complete the Mauk-to'Vor ritual.
Worf: It was not my decision. It was Dax and Odo that prevented
Kurn: Did you fight them? Did you threaten to kill them both if they interfered? And are you standing here now with the mevak dagger ready to slit my throat and bring me the death I deserve? No. For a moment in your quarters during the ritual you were Klingon. But your Federation life has claimed you again and now it is claiming me as well. I have no life. I have no death. whatever is to become of me is up to you.
Worf: Enter. What can I do for you, Commander?
Dax: I wanted to apologize. I interfered in a family matter, and if I caused you and your brother any further dishonor, I'm sorry.
Worf: You were following your conscience. That is an honorable motive.
Dax: Not from a Klingon point of view.
Worf: You are not Klingon.
Dax: Is there anything I can do to help?
Worf: No.
Dax: Okay.
Worf: Commander, there is the question of what to do next.
Dax: Right. Do you have any ideas?
Worf: None.
Dax: Well, in the short term, there's no reason why your brother can't stay here on the station.
Worf: If Kurn is to remain on the station, he will need tasks to perform. A job.
Dax: What about security? It worked for one Klingon officer I know.
Worf: Yes, but I doubt Kurn would be interested in joining Starfleet.
Dax: Well, there is another security force on the station.
Odo: Your brother's had an interesting career with the Klingon Defense Forces, Mister Worf. I just have one question. Does he know how to use the stun setting on a disruptor?
Worf: Non-lethal skills are not valued in the Empire.
Odo: They are among my deputies. And if your brother is going to be a member of my detachment, he's going to have to make some adjustments in his thinking.
Worf: He will.
Odo: You're certain of that?
Worf: I would not be asking you to consider him if I were not.
Odo: I can appreciate how difficult it must be for you to be asking for a favor, especially from me. Very well. Have Kurn report here tomorrow morning.
Worf: I am indebted to you.
Odo: Yes, you are. And Mister Worf? You'll find I'm a man who collects on his debts.
Kurn: This container is not on your manifest.
Tilikia: It must be a clerical error. I apologize.
Kurn: Open it.
Worf: This is a message from Starfleet Command requesting an update on our defense systems.
Odo: I'd say your brother's doing well, Commander. He's been on the job six hours and he's only killed four Boslics so far. Kira's right. You do need a sense of humor. He's quite good, actually. A little stern, but he never steps over the line. I'm finding him to be a pleasant surprise.
Worf: I am gratified to hear that.
Odo: I'm sure you are. Well, thanks for the report, Commander. I'll give it my immediate attention.
Kurn: Brother.
Worf: Kurn.
Kurn: I hate this uniform.
Worf: I understand. The transition will probably be difficult for some time.
Kurn: That's not what I mean. I have accepted the transition. I am a Bajoran security officer. The uniform is simply uncomfortable.
Worf: I see.
Kurn: But I will get used to it. You need not concern yourself with me, brother. I won't disgrace you.
Worf: I never doubted it. Carry on.
O'Brien: The same thing, Major, High concentrations of tachyons, subspace distortions and magneton traces. Some cloaked ships definitely passed through this area in the last twenty four hours.
Kira: They're getting close to violating Bajoran space but they're never crossing the line.
O'Brien: I've never known Klingons to be this fastidious when it comes to respecting borders.
Kira: Especially when they're cloaked. Something's wrong here.
O'Brien: That's a Vor'cha-class cruiser.
Kira: Stand by shields and phasers.
O'Brien: They've been damaged. There's a massive hull breach in their port quarter. Main power's failing.
Kira: Casualties?
O'Brien: It's hard to tell through all this radiation.
Kira: Open a channel.
O'Brien: Channel open.
Kira: This is Major Kira Nerys on the USS Defiant to unidentified Klingon vessel. Do you require assistance?
Klingon: This is IKS Drovana to USS Defiant. We do not require assistance at this time. Do not approach us.
Kira: Understood, Drovana. Defiant out.
O'Brien: They're losing emergency power.
Kira: Why aren't the other Klingon ships helping them?
O'Brien: Maybe they don't want to give away their positions.
Kira: Maybe they're busy doing something that can't be interrupted. Something that blew a hole the size of a house in a Vor'cha-class cruiser.
O'Brien: Incoming transmission.
Klingon: Drovana to Defiant. We need access to your medical facilities.
Kira: Our medical facilities are extremely limited. If you wish, we can tow you to Deep Space Nine.
Klingon: Stand by. Defiant, your offer is accepted.
Odo: Odo to Worf.
Worf: Worf here.
Odo: We need you in the Infirmary, Commander. Your brother's been seriously injured.
Worf: On my way.
Worf: What happened?
Odo: Kurn found a container of contraband in the lower hold of the Boslic ship. When he confronted their Captain, the man pulled out a disruptor pistol, and then Kurn let himself get shot.
Worf: Let himself?
Odo: Kurn is a trained Klingon warrior. He could have disarmed the Boslic without breaking a sweat, but he just stood there, let the man pull out his weapon, aim, and fire. The only thing that saved him was the man was so frightened, his hand was shaking.
Bashir: He'll be all right. Again.
Odo: Good. A man with a death wish is a danger not only to himself, but to the rest of his team. Kurn's days as a security officer are over.
Bashir: Would you like to see him?
Worf: Yes.
Worf: Thank you, Doctor. How do you feel?
Kurn: Like a man who's tired of waking up and seeing a human doctor's face.
Worf: I thought we had agreed that you would try to make
Kurn: Worf. I don't want to talk anymore. It's not Klingon. You're the elder brother. You tell me what to do, and I'll do it. My life is in your hands.
Bashir: So far, there's nothing unusual about any of their casualties. I've treated fifteen cases of severe radiation burns, seven thoracic perforation traumas caused by shrapnel and twenty three decompression related injuries. All just what you'd expect following an explosion on a starship.
Sisko: Do you have any idea what caused the explosion?
Bashir: Well, the radiation burns were the result of exposure to gamma rays. My guess is they were hit by a photon torpedo.
Sisko: A torpedo?
O'Brien: From the fracture pattern of the damage, I'd say something exploded about ten kilometers off their port quarter.
Dax: But torpedoes leave ion trails, and the Defiant didn't pick up any in the vicinity.
Kira: And the Drovana was cloaked. Even Klingon torpedoes can't track vessels operating under cloak.
Worf: Mines. They hit a mine.
O'Brien: That's why there weren't any ion trails.
Dax: And cloaked mines can't be detected by any known sensor array.
Kira: But there have been at least a dozen ships moving in and out of the system since that explosion. Why haven't they struck any mines?
Worf: The type of mine currently used by the Klingons remains dormant until it is armed by a coded subspace signal.
O'Brien: The mine that damaged the Drovana must've malfunctioned or been set off prematurely.
Dax: If we're right, there could be thousands of mines out there right now and we'd have no way of knowing it.
Bashir: Mining a star system is an act of war. I didn't think the Klingons were ready for that.
Sisko: At the moment we can't even prove these mines exist. But if war comes, the Klingons would be able to cut off Deep Space Nine and the entire Bajoran system.
Kira: How do we find these mines?
Dax: Unless we know their coordinates, there's no way to find them until we run into one.
O'Brien: Then we'd better get those coordinates.
Kira: The place to get them is docked at upper pylon three right now. The only question is how?
Worf: I have an idea.
Kurn: You want me to turn against my own people? Will my dishonor never end?
Worf: It is their actions that are dishonorable. Secretly mining star systems is not the act of warriors. They behave like, like Romulan cowards.
Kurn: Is that how you rationalize this? By calling your people cowards so you can be a hero?
Worf: Kurn, let me ask you this. Do you agree with what has happened between the Empire and the Federation?
Kurn: It is not my place to criticize.
Worf: Answer the question!
Kurn: No. I opposed the decision to break the treaty but I was overruled in Council.
Worf: Why did you oppose the decision?
Kurn: Because Gowron underestimates the Federation. He thinks they're soft, weak, and he is wrong. Sooner or later there will be war.
Worf: A war the Empire may lose.
Kurn: Yes.
Worf: You know that mining this system is just the beginning. If we do nothing, it will only encourage Gowron to continue thinking of the Federation as weak. Eventually he will attack, and that will be the end of the Empire. That is why you must join me on this mission. Not for my honor, and not for the Federation, but to prevent the Empire from being destroyed in a war they cannot win. Our people have turned their backs on us but we have not turned our backs on them. Let it be the Sons of Mogh, side by side, saving our people. Do this with me.
Bashir: There. Very ugly. Uglier, that is. A joke.
Worf: I got it.
Bashir: This will temporarily alter your DNA signature to match one of our friends over there. It should be good enough to pass a cursory test.
Worf: How long will it last?
Bashir: About four hours.
Worf: That should be sufficient.
Bashir: Kurn. Kurn?
Kurn: Yes, Doctor?
Bashir: Please, take a seat.
Kurn: The deployment plan for the mines should be in the defense system database.
Worf: I have found the main file directory.
Kurn: No, no, ignore it. It's a security procedure the High Council instituted three months ago. False directories, files, entire databases of disinformation designed for spies to steal. Here's the real database.
Worf: Can you access the deployment plan?
Kurn: My security codes have been changed, but not all of them. Yes.
Officer: You two. What are you doing?
Kurn: We're running a diagnostic on the computer core. There have been power fluctuations in the navigational control system.
Officer: I've not been informed of any computer problems.
Worf: Perhaps you have not been tending to your duties.
Officer: I do not know you. What is your name?
Worf: I am Commander Sorval, son of M'tokra.
Officer: How long have you been aboard, Commander?
Worf: I will not be questioned by a Lieutenant who should be cleaning my quarters. Leave us, or I shall have you stripped of rank and sent home in a transport!
Officer: My words were ill-chosen, Commander. Perhaps I can help in your investigation.
Worf: That will not be necessary. All that we require is
Worf: You did not have to do that. He was backing down.
Kurn: He was going to kill you.
Worf: We must hurry. The disruptor blast will alert the security sensors.
Kurn: He was a warrior doing his duty defending the Empire, and I killed him. My dishonor is complete.
Worf: Since we now have the detonation codes for each mine, we can set them off individually or all at once.
Sisko: Thank you, Commander. Major?
Kira: We'll take care of it.
Sisko: Congratulations, Mister Worf. You did an excellent job. That goes for your brother too.
Worf: Thank you, sir.
Dax: You don't seem very pleased.
Worf: I am still troubled by the death of that Klingon officer.
Dax: Your report said it was self-defense.
Worf: That us not the point. I should have seen what he was going to do.
Dax: What do you mean? From the way you described it, he was standing so close to you, you couldn't have seen the knife in his hand.
Worf: He decided to kill me while I was looking him right in the eyes and I never saw it. But Kurn did, and he was three meters away.
Dax: Worf, I don't think you can tell someone's going to kill you by looking at them.
Worf: A Klingon can. It is an instinct. The ability to look someone in the eyes and see the decision to kill. An instinct I no longer have. Kurn was right. I have lived with humans so long I no longer think like a Klingon. For a long time I have tried to walk the line between the Empire and the Federation. I told myself I could live in either world, that it was my choice. But the truth is, I cannot go back to the Empire.
Dax: Do you want to go back?
Worf: I had always hoped that one day the House of Mogh would reclaim its rightful place and that I would return. But now I know that even if I did, I have no place there. This is all I have.
Dax: Is that enough?
Worf: It will have to be. But my brother does not even have this. For him there is no future without the Empire. No life.
Dax: Sounds like you're thinking of carrying out the Mauk-to'Vor ritual again.
Worf: No. I was able to do it once by telling myself it was an honorable Klingon ritual. But now I cannot help but think of it as humans do. As murder.
Dax: What if there was a way for you to kill your brother without killing him?
O'Brien: We're ready, Major.
Kira: Open a channel. This is the USS Defiant to all Klingon vessels near the Bajoran system. We are preparing to destroy your minefield. I suggest you leave immediately. This is your only warning. Anything?
O'Brien: Nothing. If they're out there, they're keeping quiet.
Kira: Oh, they're out there all right, and I think we'll be seeing them fairly soon. Prepare to detonate the mine in grid twenty one alpha.
O'Brien: Ready, sir.
Kira: Send out the code.
O'Brien: Still nothing, Major.
Kira: We can't say we didn't warn them. Detonate all the mines in grids twenty two alpha through forty seven gamma.
O'Brien: Aye, sir.
O'Brien: Just like flushing quail. They're setting course three two seven mark two one five. Back to the Klingon Empire.
Kira: Let's see how many other birds we can flush out of here.
Kurn: Why is it that suicide is considered a dishonorable death, Worf? Shouldn't a warrior have the right to decide when his time has come?
Worf: If you die by your own hand you will not travel across the River of Blood and enter Sto'Vo'kor.
Kurn: Even if I got cast down into the Underworld, at least I'd be with other Klingons, even though they are the dishonored dead.
Worf: Put down the disruptor.
Kurn: Do you know what my one regret is, Worf? That we weren't raised together. In the Empire, on Earth, it wouldn't have mattered, but the Sons of Mogh should have never been separated.
Worf: On that we both agree.
Kurn: But that is the past, and a warrior should look to the future.
Kurn: And in the future you should not be burdened by my dishonor.
Worf: You are not a burden.
Kurn: I have never understood you, Worf. But I do know this. In your own way you are an honorable man.
Worf: And you will be an honorable man again, but not as my brother.
Dax: How long will the procedure take?
Bashir: Well, wiping his memory is relatively simple, say an hour. But changing his genetic coding, combined with surgically altering his features will take at least another five hours.
Worf: What will he remember?
Bashir: He'll know he's a Klingon, and how to speak the language, and virtually everything he needs to know in order to survive, except who he is. And that's the first question he'll ask. Who am I? Do you have an answer?
Worf: There is a man named Noggra, a friend of our father's. He will be arriving in a few hours. He has agreed to provide Kurn with a new identity and a new family. He will supply Kurn with all the answers he needs.
Bashir: Are you absolutely certain about this, Worf? Once I've erase his memory engrams it'll be almost impossible to restore them. He won't remember you or anything about his real life.
Worf: It is the only way. You may begin.
Bashir: Prep him for surgery.
Noggra: Rodek? Can you hear me? Rodek!
Kurn: Where? Where am I?
Noggra: On a Federation space station. Our shuttle was damaged. You were hit by a plasma diskharge.
Kurn: I, I don't remember being on a shuttle. In fact, I don't remember anything.
Bashir: The plasma diskharge damaged your hippocampus. You're suffering from a severe form of amnesia. I'm afraid you may never regain all of your memory.
Kurn: Who am I?
Noggra: Your name is Rodek. You are my son. You're part of the House of Noggra, a small but proud family. So don't worry. I will teach you all that you have forgotten when we get home.
Kurn: I understand, father.
Kurn: Who are you?
Worf: I am Worf.
Kurn: Are you part of my family?
Worf: I have no family.


Worf: Department heads, prepare reports for tomorrow's briefing. All hands, dismissed.
Dax: I'd say that was successful mission. Five days in the Gamma quadrant and no sign of the Jem'Hadar.
Worf: Commander, during our maneuvers through that asteroid belt in the Kar-telos system, I noticed the Defiant felt a little sluggish when turning hard aport.
Dax: The inertial dampening generators may need to be realigned.
Worf: I'll begin drawing up a schedule immediately. And while we're at it, we should recalibrate the targeting scanners and check the EPS relays.
Dax: O'Brien's going to be a little disappointed. He thought he finally had the ship running smoothly.
Worf: Chief O'Brien has done an excellent job. This is a fine ship. But it is my duty to keep her functioning at peak proficiency.
Dax: Mister Worf, you're in love. With the Defiant.
Worf: You exaggerate, as usual.
Bashir: I feel silly.
Leeta: I like it. It shows off your legs.
O'Brien: There, you see. Your public has spoken.
Leeta: Have fun.
Bashir: What do you call this holosuite program of yours called again?
O'Brien: The Battle of Clontarf. You and me and a thousand stalwart Irish warriors against a ravening hoard of Vikings. It's like the Battle of Britain, only with swords.
Bashir: How come you get to be the High King?
O'Brien: I am a direct descendant of King Brian Boru. Besides, it's my program.
Bashir: I suppose that's only fair.
Quark: I know exactly how you feel. The Bajoran Time of Cleansing. Could someone explain to me why the Bajorans need to abstain from worldly pleasures for an entire month? I mean, it's not like they're a bunch of hedonistic holosuite-obsessed drunkards to begin with. No use moaning about it.
Rom: It hurts.
Quark: Who's that for?
Rom: Me. It's one of Moogie's home remedies.
Quark: Your ear? Again?
Quark: That's disgusting! You want to drive away all the rest of my customers?
Rom: I feel dizzy.
Quark: What else is new? Go wait on table seven.
Leeta: Rom, you look terrible. I think you'd better lie down.
Quark: I don't pay you to think. I pay you to spin the dabo wheel. So get spinning.
Leeta: But nobody's gambling.
Quark: How can they when you're not at the wheel?
Rom: I really don't feel good.
Leeta: Can't you see he's sick? He needs to lie down.
Quark: Just because you happen to be intimately acquainted with Doctor Bashir's bedside manner doesn't make you a medical expert.
Rom: Brother, am I still standing?
Leeta: What I do during my time off is no business of yours.
Quark: If you don't get back to work this instant, you're going to have more time off than you know what to do with. The same goes for you. Here.
Rom: Yes, brother.
Leeta: Aren't you going to do something?
Quark: Of course I'm going to do something. I'm going to dock his pay. Broik, clean up this mess.
Bashir: This is one stubborn infection. How long have you had it?
Rom: A couple of weeks.
Bashir: You mean to tell me you've been walking around with a seeping infection of the tympanic membrane for two weeks?
Rom: More like three, actually.
Bashir: Rom, you could have died! Another forty eight hours and you'd have been bidding for a new life in the Divine Treasury.
Rom: I guess it's a good thing I fainted when I did.
Bashir: Why didn't you come and see me sooner?
Rom: I couldn't. I was busy.
Bashir: I'm sure your brother could have spared you for half an hour.
Rom: It would've been a violation of my contract. Paragraph seventy six, subsection three. Employees of Quark's Bar and Holding Company are strictly prohibited from leaving the work environment during business hours unless ordered to do so by their employer. Any failure to comply with this provision will result in severe fines and possible dismissal. It's a standard provision in all Ferengi labor contracts.
Bashir: You mean you don't get time off even if you're sick?
Rom: It's all part of our generous employee compensation package. No sick days, no vacations, no paid overtime.
Bashir: It sounds to me like you need a better contract.
Rom: There's no such thing. All Ferengi labor contracts are the same.
Bashir: Well, that should do it. But I want you to see me first thing in the morning for a follow-up.
Rom: It'll have to be before the bar opens.
Bashir: What you people need is a union.
Rom: A what?
Bashir: You know, a trade guild, a collective bargaining association. A union. Something to keep you from being exploited.
Rom: You don't understand. Ferengi workers don't want to stop the exploitation. We want to find a way to become the exploiters.
Bashir: Suit yourself. But I don't see you exploiting anyone.
Leeta: Rom, how'd it go?
Rom: I'm okay.
Leeta: Julian's a wonderful doctor. Your brother should have let you see him weeks ago.
Rom: It's not Quark's fault that I got sick. I forgot to get my bimonthly ear scan. And besides, I've probably been getting too much oo-mox.
Leeta: Really? Who's the lucky female?
Rom: No female. Just me.
Leeta: I'm sorry.
Rom: Sorry enough to do something about it?
Leeta: I don't think Julian would approve.
Rom: We could ask him.
Quark: All right, everyone. Gather around.
Leeta: What now?
Quark: I have an announcement to make. I've just been going over today's receipts and it's not good. The only thing this Bajoran Cleansing Ritual has cleansed is my profit margin. So, starting tomorrow, everyone's salary gets cut by a third.
Rom: No, no, it's not fair. I'll talk to him.
Leeta: It's ridiculous.
Quark: It was either that or fire half the staff. Don't bother thanking me.
Leeta: I can't afford a pay cut.
Quark: It's either a pay cut or a layoff. You decide. All right everyone, get back to work. I want this place cleaned up and the lights off in ten minutes.
Rom: Brother, this isn't right. You can't just cut people's salaries without warning.
Quark: Actually, I can. And I have. Now why don't you concentrate on keeping your hands off your lobes and leave the business matters to me.
Rom: But once the Cleansing Ritual is over you'll restore everyone's salary, right?
Quark: That depends on next quarter's fiscal summation.
Rom: Brother, I'm asking you as a personal favor to reconsider this pay cut.
Quark: Anything for you. There. I've reconsidered it. My decision stands.
Rom: But, brother
Quark: Don't brother me. In this bar you're not my brother. You're my employee. And employees have no right to question the management's decisions.
Rom: I'm warning you, if you don't rescind the pay cuts you're going to regret it.
Quark: The only thing I regret is not being an only child.
Dax: You know, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this mek'leth. Don't you think?
Worf: It would seem so.
Dax: Then why haven't you told me?
Worf: A Klingon warrior does not need the praise of his teacher.
Dax: I'm not a Klingon warrior. I'm a beautiful and sensitive young woman who thrives on.
Dax: What is it?
Worf: Listen.
Worf: Do not move.
Dax: Isn't this your tooth sharpener?
Worf: This p'tak just robbed my quarters.
Odo: Take him to a holding cell.
Odo: I'll need a statement.
Worf: And you will have one. But I want to know why such a security breach was allowed to occur in the first place.
Odo: Unfortunately, these things happen.
Worf: They did not happen on the Enterprise.
Odo: Really? Now let me see. Stardate 46235.7, Ferengi privateers led by DaiMon Lurin boarded and seized control of the Enterprise using two salvaged Klingon birds of prey. Stardate 45349.1. Berlinghoff Rasmussen, a petty criminal impersonating a scientist, committed numerous acts of theft against the crew of the Enterprise. Shall I continue?
Worf: That will not be necessary.
Odo: I know these incidents are the exception rather than the rule, but if security breaches like these could happen on the flagship of the Federation, imagine the difficulty of maintaining security at an open port such as DS Nine.
Worf: I understand. It is just that I find it irritating.
Odo: So do I, but I'm afraid you're just going to have to get used to it.
Rom: Attention please. Thank you all for coming. I know that in the past I've always defended my brother whenever he's taken a stance that's proven unpopular with the staff. But I'm not going to do that today.
Grimp: You're not?
Rom: No. I'm not. Quark's just using the Cleansing Ritual to increase his profits at our expense. It isn't fair, and we're not going to take it.
Grimp: Since when?
Rom: Since right now.
Leeta: So what are we going to do about it?
Rom: We're going to fight back in the only way we can. We're going to form a, a
Frool: A what?
Rom: We're going to form a union.
Grimp: Are you insane? You've just destroyed the lives of every Ferengi in this room. When the FCA finds out we've even been talking of a, a
Leeta: A union.
Grimp: Don't say that word again. We're in enough trouble as it is.
Frool: The Ferengi Commerce Authority doesn't have to hear about this. If we all go back to work now, no one else has to know this ever happened.
Grimp: No, no, it's too late for that. The FCA has ears everywhere. And as soon as their lobes get wind of this, we're all doomed.
Rom: All right. So we're doomed. FCA Liquidators will probably haunt us for the rest of our lives. But I say if they're going to come after us, let's give them a good reason. Every one of you, Ferengi and non-Ferengi alike, knows that the way Quark treats us is unfair. Frool, don't you deserve a day off when your back starts acting up?
Frool: Well, I suppose.
Rom: And Grimp, wouldn't you like to take a paid vacation?
Grimp: You're being ridiculous.
Rom: Answer the question.
Grimp: It's not going to happen.
Rom: It won't happen unless you make it happen. We're Ferengi. And when a Ferengi sees an opportunity, what does he do?
Frool: He seizes it.
Rom: That's right. And I for one intend to grab it. We've been exploited long enough. It's time to be strong, take control of our lives, our dignity and our profits.
All: Yes!
Rom: Strike a blow against Quark.
Leeta: Yes.
Rom: Strike a blow against the FCA.
All: Yes.
Rom: Strike a blow against exploitation.
All: Yes!
Rom: Are you with me?
All: Yes! Union! Union! Union!
Bashir: What you have there is a sebaceous cyst.
O'Brien: I know it's a cyst. But it's getting bigger.
Bashir: It's nothing to worry about. Dermatologically speaking, you're perfectly healthy.
O'Brien: I'm perfectly healthy except I've got a disgusting cyst on the back of my neck. Now either I paint a nose, eyes and mouth on it and pretend I've got two heads, or you take it off.
Bashir: I'll get you some paint.
O'Brien: Julian, get it off of me!
Bashir: All right, all right. But you know what they say, two heads are better than one.
O'Brien: Julian, I'm waiting.
Rom: Doctor Bashir, I'm glad you're in. I need your help.
Bashir: That ear acting up again?
Rom: My ear's fine. I need some advice about unions.
Bashir: Unions?
Rom: You said the other day I should form a union, so I did.
Bashir: Rom, I was speaking theoretically.
Rom: And I put your theory into practice. All of Quark's employees have joined. We're going to force Quark to treat us better. I hope.
O'Brien: A union, huh? Good for you.
Rom: You know about unions?
O'Brien: Who do you think led the Pennsylvania coal miners during the anthracite strike of nineteen oh two?
Rom: I have no idea.
O'Brien: Sean Aloysius O'Brien.
Bashir: I didn't know that.
O'Brien: There're lots of things about my family that you don't know. Eleven months those mines were closed, and they didn't open again until all the miners' demands were met.
Rom: You mean we should force Quark to close the bar?
Bashir: Only as a last resort. If he's reasonable about your requests, there's no need to strike.
O'Brien: Quark reasonable? Ha! Unlikely. You'll have to strike, mark my words. And when you do, you'll have to be strong.
Rom: Just like Sean O'Brien.
O'Brien: Exactly. You know, he had the biggest funeral in all of western Pennsylvania.
Rom: Funeral?
O'Brien: They fished his body out of the Allegheny river a week before the strike ended. Thirty two bullets he had in him. Or was it thirty four?
Bashir: Well, he died a hero.
O'Brien: He was more than a hero. He was a union man.
O'Brien: I see the problem now. You've got a bad ODN relay here. We'll have to replace the whole unit.
Worf: How long will it take?
O'Brien: Two or three hours. But after that, it'll work like a charm.
Worf: Until the next time it breaks down.
O'Brien: That's the problem when you combine Cardassian, Bajoran and Federation technology. None of it was meant to work together.
Worf: How do you tolerate working in this environment?
O'Brien: It's a lot easier than working on the Enterprise.
Worf: Easier? The Enterprise never had these kind of problems.
O'Brien: Tell me about it. Have you have any idea how bored I used to get sitting in the Transporter room waiting for something to break down? Here, I've a half dozen new problems every day. This station needs me. Oh, do me a favor. Hand me the coil spanner.
Quark: Happy Cleansing.
Quark: If this is a surprise birthday party, you're a month late.
Rom: It's not a party. We're the Guild of Restaurant and Casino Employees and we're here to present our demands.
Quark: The Guild of Restaurant and Casino Employees? What's that supposed to be?
Rom: What does it sound like?
Quark: It's sounds like, like a union.
Rom: Exactly. So you'd better take our demands seriously.
Quark: Increased pay. Shorter hours. Paid sick leave.
Rom: This is no joke.
Quark: Yes, it is. And the fact that you don't know that is what makes it so funny. Now get back to work before I fire the lot of you.
Rom: You can't fire us.
Quark: Why not?
Rom: Because as of right now, we're all on strike.
All: Yeah!
Rom: Thank you for not patronizing Quark's. Thank you very much. Thank you for not patronizing Quark's. Thank you for not patronizing Quark's. Thank you for not patronizing Quark's. Thank you for not patronizing Quark's.
Leeta: I hope Rom's voice holds out.
Grimp: I hope our latinum holds out.
Rom: Thank you for not patronizing Quark's.
Odo: You wanted to see me.
Quark: May I take you're order, sir?
Odo: Quark, I'm in no mood for games.
Quark: There seems to be an opening at the dabo table. Or perhaps I might interest you in some time in the holosuites?
Quark: Not again.
Quark: Are you carrying a tricorder or anything with a portable energy source?
Odo: What are you talking about?
Quark: I'm still working out the bugs in these holographic waiters. The Lissepian who sold me the program neglected to mention that certain energy sources can interfere with the imaging system.
Odo: Sounds like there's no end to the problems you're facing.
Quark: I can take care of the Lissepian. I need you to get those traitors away from my front door. They're blocking access to my place of business, causing a disturbance on the Promenade, and they're probably a fire hazard. They belong in a holding cell, every last one of them.
Odo: Well, I hate to admit this, but I agree with you. From what Chief O'Brien tells me about strikes, they sound like trouble. I don't like mobs. In my opinion, if you need one to get what you want, it's not worth getting.
Quark: Good. Then you'll haul them away.
Odo: I'll do nothing of the sort.
Quark: But you said
Odo: I know what I said. But I have strict orders from Captain Sisko not to impinge on your employees' freedom of expression. As long as they stay peaceful and allow your customers access through the second level entrance, I'm not allowed to interfere.
Quark: In that case, would you mind serving some drinks?
Quark: I didn't think so.
Bashir: What about that Vulcan?
O'Brien: With their sense of ethics? Definitely on the side of labor. Pass.
Bashir: I'd say this one's an Enter.
O'Brien: Lucky guess.
O'Brien: Pass. He barely set foot in the place when there wasn't a strike.
Bashir: Quark isn't exactly his favorite person.
Bashir: Wait a minute. I can't believe it! He's an Enter.
O'Brien: Not for long.
Bashir: Where are you going?
O'Brien: To talk some sense into him. Commander! Hold on!
Sisko: I cannot believe what I'm seeing.
Worf: Sir, if I could explain.
Sisko: Mister Worf, do I look like I'm ready for an explanation? Three of my senior staff brawling on the Promenade.
O'Brien: With all due respect, sir. We weren't brawling.
Sisko: Maybe you should take a closer look at Doctor Bashir's forehead.
O'Brien: He shouldn't have got in the way.
Bashir: I was trying I was trying to stop the fight.
Worf: We were not fighting.
Sisko: Then what were you doing?
O'Brien: We were
Worf: Having a difference of opinion.
O'Brien: I suppose towards the end there, we might have done a bit of shoving.
Sisko: According to Odo, Doctor Bashir was shoved over a table.
Worf: Now that was an accident.
Bashir: It was just, things just got a little out of hand.
Sisko: Things got more than a little out of hand. I suppose I'm going to have to talk to Quark myself, find a way to settle this strike, get things back to normal around here.
O'Brien: Captain? Can we leave now?
Sisko: I'll tell Constable Odo to let you go in the morning.
Bashir: I hope you're proud of yourselves.
Quark: Captain, believe me, I want this strike settled as much as you do.
Sisko: Then settle it.
Quark: It's not that simple.
Sisko: Make it simple. Sit down with your brother and hammer out an agreement today.
Quark: Captain, I'm afraid you don't understand what a delicate situation this is. Even talking with strikers would be a violation of the most sacred precepts of Ferengi culture.
Sisko: Maybe I don't know much about Ferengi culture but I do know who holds the lease on your bar.
Quark: The Federation. And I couldn't ask for better landlords.
Sisko: That's because we don't ask you to pay your rent, or to reimburse us for your maintenance repairs, or the drain on the station's power supply.
Quark: You're a very generous people.
Sisko: Until today. Let's see. Five years of back rent, plus power consumption, plus the repairs. Do you know how much latinum that is?
Quark: A lot.
Sisko: That's right.
Quark: I'll talk to my brother.
Sisko: I'm glad we're in agreement.
Rom: Labor. Where's wages? Wages are here. Wages.
Rom: Come in.
Rom: What do you want?
Quark: Here.
Rom: What's this?
Quark: It's the amount of latinum I'm willing to transfer into your private account if you'll just end this strike.
Rom: Are we talking about slips, strips, or bars?
Quark: Slips. All right, strips.
Rom: It wouldn't matter if it were bars. I'm not going to end the strike unless you meet our demands.
Quark: Rom, we shouldn't be fighting. We're brothers.
Rom: Not when it comes to business. We're nothing but employer and employee. You said so yourself.
Quark: I was wrong.
Rom: No, you weren't.
Quark: Rom, can't we talk about this?
Rom: There's only one thing I have to say to you. Workers of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains.
Quark: What's happened to you?
Brunt: Ah. It's about time you got back.
Quark: Brunt.
Brunt: That's Liquidator Brunt to you. I see you remember me.
Quark: Who could forget. What do you want?
Brunt: Quark, don't worry. I'm here to help. The Ferengi Commerce Authority has ordered me to end this nasty little labor dispute of yours.
Quark: How do you propose to do that?
Brunt: By any means necessary.
Frool: I hear Quark had only fourteen customers all day.
Leeta: And he'll have even less tomorrow. I've been talking to people all over the station and support for our cause is growing.
Frool: Quark will have to settle. Either that or go out of business.
Grimp: I don't know. Quark can be awful stubborn. I think he'd rather lose the bar than give in to us.
Rom: Don't be such a pessimist. Remember Rule of Acquisition two sixty three. Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for latinum.
Grimp: Your brother can quote the Rules of Acquisition, too. I think his favorite is two eleven. Employees are the rungs on the Ladder of Success. Don't hesitate to step on them.
Rom: My ex-brother wasn't quoting the Rules of Acquisition when he came to see me yesterday.
Leeta: What did he say?
Rom: He offered me a bribe if I would end the strike.
Grimp: Did you take it?
Rom: No, I didn't take it. Don't you see what that means? He's getting desperate. A few more days and we'll get everything we want.
Brunt: Brunt, FCA.
Frool: It's not my fault. They made me do it. It was all his idea. Forgive me.
Brunt: If this was Ferenginar, I'd have you all taken to the Spire of the Tower of Commerce, displayed to the crowds in the Great Marketplace below, then shoved off, one by one. Small children would bet on where you would land, and your spattered remains would be sold as feed mulch for gree-worms.
Frool: Spare me. I'm old, I'm fragile. I'll push the rest of them off myself.
Grimp: I thought you said you weren't afraid of the FCA.
Frool: I lied.
Rom: Don't let him intimidate you. We're not on Ferenginar.
Brunt: Lucky for you. But the FCA understands that living on this station has corrupted you. You've been tempted by unwholesome Bajoran ideals, exposed to the twisted values of the Federation. And because of that, we are willing to forgive.
Frool: Really?
Brunt: But don't confuse our mercy with weakness. If you are not back at your jobs tomorrow morning, your financial accounts on Ferenginar will be confiscated, your families fined and your trading permits revoked. You'll be ruined, reduced to utter destitution. Am I understood? Good. I thought so. Don't bother getting up.
Grimp: Would you get up? Come on.
Rom: Let him stay there. That's where he belongs. The question is, where do we belong? On our knees, like Frool, or standing tall like Sean O'Brien?
Leeta: Who's Sean O'Brien?
Rom: He was a union man. A man who gave his life to earn a decent wage for his fellow workers. Brunt wouldn't have intimidated him, and he won't intimidate me.
Grimp: What about our accounts on Ferenginar?
Rom: If your accounts on Ferenginar were worth anything, you wouldn't be working as a waiter. I'm telling you, nothing has changed. Victory is within our grasp. All we have to do is take it. Now are you with me? GRIMP +
Leeta: Yes.
Rom: I said, are you with me!
All: Yes!
Rom: Then let's get back on that picket line and show Quark what we're made of.
All: Yeah!
Frool: Can I get up now?
Rom: Look sharp now, no slouching. Remember, in unity there is strength, so be strong.
Worf: Chief, may I speak with you?
O'Brien: Sure. What's on your mind?
Worf: I feel I owe you an apology. I allowed our argument in Quark's to get out of hand.
O'Brien: I think there was plenty of blame to spread around.
Worf: Nonetheless, we are Starfleet officers, and Starfleet officers do not brawl with each other.
O'Brien: It wasn't much of a brawl, really. I grabbed you, you shoved me, and Julian was tossed over a table.
Worf: It never should have happened. And under normal circumstances, it never would have. But there is something about this station I find unsettling.
O'Brien: You'll get used to it.
Worf: Perhaps. But in the meantime, I think I've found a solution. I'm going to move my quarters to the Defiant.
O'Brien: You're going to live on the Defiant?
Worf: I have already discussed it with Captain Sisko.
O'Brien: And he said yes?
Worf: As long as it doesn't interfere with my duties.
O'Brien: But you'll be living out there all by yourself.
Worf: I know.
Leeta: That was pretty impressive, standing up to Brunt the way you did.
Rom: Who'd have thought I had such natural leadership skills?
Leeta: I knew it all along.
Rom: Really?
Leeta: No.
Rom: I didn't think so.
Leeta: Well, you surprised a lot of people, including me. I've got to get ready. I'm having dinner with Julian.
Rom: He's a lucky man.
Leeta: And almost as brave as you are.
Quark: Psst! Rom!
Rom: She kissed me!
Quark: There's no accounting for taste. Rom, we have to talk.
Rom: Are you ready to give in to our demands?
Quark: Of course not.
Rom: Then there's nothing to talk about.
Quark: There's plenty to talk about. The FCA's involved now, and those Nausicaans working for Brunt aren't just for show.
Rom: I'm not going to let Brunt intimidate me.
Quark: Don't you see, Rom? You should be intimidated. There's no telling what Brunt might do, and I don't want you to get hurt.
Rom: You never cared what happened to me before.
Quark: I always cared about you. I tried to protect you, save you from yourself.
Rom: How? By telling me I was an idiot my whole life?
Quark: I had to be tough on you. I was trying to make you a better Ferengi.
Rom: What you were trying to do was make yourself feel important. Making me feel dumb made you feel smart. But I'm not dumb and you're not half as smart as you think you are.
Quark: Rom! You have to listen to me! The FCA doesn't have to answer to anyone, and if Brunt decides to get rid of you I won't be able to stop him.
Rom: Look at it this way. If Brunt gets rid of me, then all your problems are solved. You always said you wanted to be an only child.
Quark: Doesn't that hurt?
Brunt: I'm sure it does. Most Nausicaan games do. Speaking of pain. Did you talk to your brother?
Quark: We talked.
Brunt: And?
Quark: I need more time.
Brunt: Time, like latinum, is a highly limited commodity.
Quark: Look, you're here to help me, right?
Brunt: Wrong. I'm here to enforce Ferengi law and to protect Ferengi traditions. And that means ending this strike. Now I can see we are going to have to make an example of someone.
Quark: What kind of example?
Brunt: Oh, I'm sure that we'll come up with something that will get people's attention.
Quark: I don't want my brother hurt.
Brunt: I wasn't thinking of him. Attack the leader of a movement, you risk creating a martyr. No, Rom must not be touched. Our target must be someone unexpected, someone he cares about. Like that dabo girl.
Quark: Leeta? But she's not even Ferengi.
Brunt: I know. That's what makes it so memorable. But she has such delicate lobes. I'm afraid I couldn't bring myself to give the order. Let's see. Who else does Rom care about? Boys.
Quark: Me? But I'm on your side.
Brunt: Ironic, isn't it.
Quark: I thought I wasn't allowed to have any visitors.
Rom: Doctor Bashir made an exception. He said you were almost killed.
Quark: It's nothing to smile about. Those Nausicaans shattered my left eye socket, broke two of my ascending ribs and punctured my lower lung. If Odo hadn't come along when he did.
Rom: Does it hurt?
Quark: Of course it hurts.
Rom: Too bad.
Quark: If you're going to stand there and gloat, you can leave right now.
Rom: I'm not done gloating.
Quark: Don't you get it? This was a message for you.
Rom: It's not going to work.
Quark: I wish Brunt had known that.
Rom: Odo has him and the Nausicaans in a holding cell. He says it's an open and shut case.
Quark: It's an open and shut case all right, but I'm not going to press charges.
Rom: You're not?
Quark: Of course not. I'm in enough trouble with the FCA as it is.
Rom: But then Odo will have to let them go.
Quark: Either way, the FCA will just send another Liquidator. And that one will make an example of you.
Rom: Then you'll be the one gloating.
Quark: I don't want to gloat. I want to end the strike.
Rom: So give us what we want.
Quark: Rom, I can't. I'm not going against ten thousand years of Ferengi tradition.
Rom: You're just afraid of the FCA.
Quark: Of course I'm afraid of the FCA. They crushed my eye socket. And if you had any sense, you'd be afraid of them too. If this strike doesn't get settled soon, we're both going to find ourselves tossed out of the nearest airlock. You have to dissolve the union. At least officially.
Rom: What do you mean?
Quark: I mean, I mean you dissolve the union, make it look like I've won, and I'll give you everything you want.
Rom: You'll meet our demands?
Quark: That's what I just said, you idiot.
Rom: Even sick leave?
Quark: Even sick leave. And six months from now, when the FCA isn't watching my books so closely, you'll get your raises.
Rom: Six months!
Quark: It's the best I can do.
Rom: No, it's not. All you have to do is make up one of your fake business ledgers for the FCA. They'll never know the difference.
Quark: Shush! All right, you'll get your raises by the end of the week. But the union dies here. Today. And that's my final offer.
Dax: Better?
Worf: Much.
Dax: I thought about getting you a plant, but somehow it didn't seem right.
Worf: A wise decision.
Dax: So I brought you this instead.
Dax: It's a collection of my favorite Klingon operas. Think about it. You can lie in bed and pipe them through the Defiant's comm. system. Play them as loud as you like.
Worf: A thoughtful gift.
Dax: You know, Worf, in the end living on the Defiant isn't going to change anything. You're still going to have to get used to life on the station.
Worf: I am not sure I agree.
Dax: Sooner or later you're going to have to adapt.
Worf: Perhaps in the end it will be all of you who that have to adapt to me.
Quark: Come in. Come in. Welcome back.
Leeta: Why don't you try your luck at dabo wheel? Remember, every Bajoran gets one free spin.
Quark: You're in a good mood.
Leeta: I just got a raise.
Quark: Major. I must say, you are looking particularly cleansed today.
Kira: Just get me two mugs of synthale, a double order of hasperat, and hold the conversation.
Quark: No wonder I missed you.
Quark: Ah, Rom, there you are. Why aren't you in your waiter's uniform?
Rom: I'll have a large snail juice, please. Straight up.
Quark: You know there's no drinking on the job.
Rom: That's no way to talk to a customer.
Quark: You're not a customer. You're an employee.
Rom: Not anymore. I've wiped my last table and mixed my last Blackhole. Starting today, I'm one of the station's diagnostic and repair technicians. Junior grade, night shift.
Quark: You're quitting?
Rom: Effective immediately.
Quark: I gave you everything you wanted.
Rom: I know. But if the strike taught me anything, it's that I do a lot better when you're not around. Don't worry. I'll keep your holosuites running and fix your replicators when they're broken. I think this'll be really good for our relationship.
Quark: I don't.
Rom: Think about it from my point of view. If I keep working for you, all I have to look forward to is waiting for you to die so I can inherit the bar. Well, I don't want you to die. And besides, I deserve to have a life of my own now.
Quark: But without me looking after you
Rom: I'll do fine.
Quark: I suppose you will. I'll miss you.
Rom: No, you won't. I'll be here all the time. Only I'll be a paying customer. Now get me my snail juice, brother.
Quark: Coming up.