Scene: Captain's log, stardate 50814.2. The Defiant is returning to Deep Space Nine after a weeklong reconnaissance mission in the Gamma Quadrant.
Dax: I can't wait to get home and sleep in my own bed. The bunks on this ship are so uncomfortable.
Kira: You know what I could use? A weekend at the Golian Spa.
Dax: Maybe you and Shakaar can slip away when we get back.
Kira: We're not seeing each other anymore.
Odo: When did this happen?
Kira: Last week.
Dax: No wonder you've been so down lately.
Kira: I miss him. But last time we were on Bajor, we went to the Kenda Shrine and we asked the Prophets if we were meant to walk the same path.
Dax: And?
Kira: We're not.
Dax: You make it sound so cut and dry.
Kira: The way I see it, people are either meant to be together or they're not.
Dax: I guess I'd rather believe that any relationship can work as long as both people really want it to.
Odo: I'm not sure I have an opinion on the subject. Excuse me. I need to regenerate.
Kira: Is he all right?
Dax: You know Odo. This sort of talk makes him uncomfortable.
Sisko: No, thanks. I'm trying to cut down.
O'Brien: I'm making Molly a dollhouse for her birthday. Thank you. The house itself was easy, but the furniture? Even with a microlathe, I'm not sure I'm going to get it all finished in time.
Kira: I guess her dolls are going to have to rough it for a while.
Dax: Interesting. I'm getting some unusual readings from a nearby solar system.
Worf: What kind of readings?
Dax: There's some sort of energy barrier surrounding the fourth planet.
Kira: It's hard to tell from the interference, but there could be lifeforms on the surface.
Dax: If there are, I'd be interested to see how they've adapted to the quantum fluctuations in the barrier.
O'Brien: Can't we check it out the next time we come this way?
Dax: It'll be too late. At the rate the interference is intensifying, in few weeks we won't even be able to send a probe through it.
Sisko: Dax.
Dax: I know everyone wants to go home, but if we're going to take a look at this planet, it'll be our only chance.
Sisko: Are you sure it's safe to pass through the interference?
Dax: A few shield modifications and it should be smooth sailing.
Sisko: All right, we'll make a quick survey. But if all we detect is some fungus, we're not beaming down.
Dax: What if it's smart fungus?
Kira: We're approaching the barrier.
Sisko: All right, old man, take us in.
Dax: Adjusting shield harmonics to compensate.
O'Brien: Quantum fluctuations are intensifying.
Dax: We're through.
Sisko: Are you all right?
Kira: I think so.
Sisko: Doctor Bashir to the Bridge.
Kira: Oh, no, I'm fine.
O'Brien: The inertial dampers are offline, and the gyromagnetic stabilizers are depolarized. We're going to be here for a few days.
Sisko: Smooth sailing.
Worf: Sir, we are being hailed from the surface. There are several scattered settlements across the southern peninsula. I am reading approximately eight thousand inhabitants. They appear to be human.
Sisko: On screen.
Miranda: Welcome to Gaia, Captain Sisko.
Sisko: You know my name.
Miranda: We've been expecting you.
Yedrin: It's a long story, Benjamin. Why don't you come down and we'll talk about it over some raktajino. Oh, I forgot. You're trying to cut down.
Miranda: Miranda O'Brien.
Yedrin: Yedrin. Yedrin Dax.
Dax: What a coincidence.
Sisko: Would one of you mind telling us what's going on?
Miranda: This settlement was founded by the crew of a Starfleet vessel that crashed on this planet two centuries ago. I realize this is going to be hard for you to accept but that ship was the Defiant. Two days from now, when you leave here and try to pass through the energy barrier, you'll be thrown back in time two hundred years. You'll be stranded here and become the founders of this settlement. We are your descendents.
Yedrin: Go ahead, Jadzia, scan me. You'll find the Dax symbiont right here.
Dax: It's true.
Yedrin: The symbiont has been passed down to Jadzia's descendents for three generations. I remember all of you like it was yesterday. If you scan Miranda, you'll find that her DNA is substantially similar to that of the Chief's.
Dax: She's an O'Brien, all right.
Miranda: And a Tannenbaum, too.
O'Brien: You mean Ensign Tannenbaum? From Engineering?
Yedrin: You and Rita were married ten years after the Defiant crashed. You were trapped here, Miles, two hundred years in the past. There was no going home. There was no chance of ever seeing your family again. You were the last to give up hope, but eventually you had to make a new life for yourself here. I know that face, Benjamin. You're still not convinced that we're telling you the truth. All right. If you want, I could tell you something that only Curzon would know. Do you remember that dancer that you met on Pelios station? The one who
Sisko: The one? That'll do. Thank you.
Gabriel: Are you the son of Mogh?
Worf: I am.
Gabriel: Is it true you can kill someone just by looking at them?
Worf: Only when I am angry.
Miranda: Why don't we go inside? You can meet some of the others later. We still have a lot to talk about.
Quark: Ready for the next problem? Say you have twenty seven tessipates of land you want to plant with nice juicy yelg melons.
Miranda: This is our meeting hall, which as you can see, we sometimes use as a schoolroom.
Quark: If each melon needs one square kerripate to grow in, what is the total number of melons you can plant? Let me know as soon as you have an answer.
Yedrin: Jadzia designed it as an educational program. She took Quark's image from the security logs of the Defiant. I've always thought that Quark would make a great math teacher. He's so good with numbers.
Dax: I like your spots.
Lisa: Most people don't have them because our ancestors were mostly human. My mom says they make me special.
Molly: It's just genetics, Lisa. Like Torvin's ridges.
Lisa: You're just jealous, Molly.
O'Brien: Molly?
Yedrin: Oh yes. You'll find a lot of them here. The name has been passed down through the O'Brien line.
Miranda: Molly, this is your grandfather's great great great grandfather.
Molly: Hello.
O'Brien: Hi. How much were we, were you able to salvage from the Defiant?
Yedrin: A portable generator, a replicator, a few phasers, tricorders. Things of that sort.
Worf: Did anybody ever try to send out a distress signal?
Yedrin: To who? It was two hundred years ago. The wormhole hadn't even been diskovered yet. There was no way back to the Alpha Quadrant.
Lisa: Our ancestors decided to make this their new home.
Molly: And they needed a shelter quickly before the winter came.
Lisa: This is it. This is the oldest building there is. At first, everyone had to sleep here. All forty eight of them.
Sisko: Forty eight?
Yedrin: Um. Kira died a few weeks after the crash. The energy diskharge that struck her on the Bridge damaged her neural pathways. The Defiant didn't have the medical equipment that Julian needed to treat her.
Lisa: You want to see where she was buried?
Dax: Maybe later.
Miranda: Girls, why don't you run along and help your parents? It's almost time for planting and there's a lot of work to be done.
Lisa: Bye.
Molly: Bye.
Sisko: Obviously we need to get Kira back to the station for treatment as soon as we can repair the Defiant.
Yedrin: Of course.
Sisko: I don't quite know how to say this, but now that we know about the accident that sent the ship back in time, we should be able to avoid it.
Worf: But if we do that, your timeline will collapse and everything here will cease to exist.
Yedrin: Not necessarily. I have a plan, and the key is what happened to Kira on the Bridge. This energy diskharge caused a subspace doubling effect. For an instant, every molecule in her body had a corresponding quantum duplicate. There were literally two Kiras.
Sisko: Go on.
Yedrin: If we make certain modifications to the Defiant's systems, we should be able to amplify this doubling effect and create a quantum duplicate of the entire ship. When you encounter the temporal anomaly, the duplicate will be thrown back into the past, and the original, you, will pass through the barrier unaffected.
O'Brien: So you're saying we go home, and your timeline is preserved.
Yedrin: Exactly.
Sisko: What do you think?
Dax: It might work.
Yedrin: According to the logs I retrieved from the wreckage, the Defiant encountered the anomaly thirty nine hours after it arrived in orbit.
Worf: If your plan is to work, we must do the same.
Yedrin: There are almost eight thousand people living on this planet. This is the only chance they have.
Sisko: Dax, I want a full evaluation as soon as possible. If the plan is sound, start making the modifications immediately.
Yedrin: Thank you, Benjamin.
Sisko: Anything for you, old man.
Bashir: Apparently the planet is crawling with Bashirs.
Kira: Maybe I'll stay up here. How's Odo?
Bashir: He's resting comfortably. He can't hold his shape because of the quantum fluctuations inside the barrier.
Bashir: Sweet dreams, Odo. But he'll be as right as rain as soon as we leave orbit. You, on the other hand, are going to have to undergo a complete neural pathway induction as soon as we get back to the station.
Kira: If you say so. I feel fine.
Bashir: That's because your neural tissue hasn't begun to deteriorate yet. But rest assured, you'll be on my operating table eventually.
Kira: Hey. Where are you off to?
Bashir: I have to get down there, meet some of those Bashirs.
Odo: Hello, Nerys.
Kira: Odo?
Odo: I came up from the surface as soon as I heard you were here.
Kira: How are you holding your shape? I thought
Odo: I learned to counter the barrier's effects a long time ago. It's good to see you.
Kira: You look different.
Odo: I've gotten better at shape-shifting over the years. You're as beautiful as I remember. You can't know how I've longed to hear your voice, see your smile.
Kira: Odo, what's gotten into you?
Odo: There's something I want you to know. Something I've wanted to tell you for two hundred years. I love you, Nerys. I've always loved you.
Kira: What do you mean, you love me?
Odo: Is it so hard to believe?
Kira: I never knew you felt that way about me.
Odo: I did everything I could to make sure you wouldn't find out.
Kira: It worked. Why didn't you ever say anything?
Odo: I didn't think you could possibly care for me the way I care for you. I suppose I was afraid of ruining what we had. Our friendship meant everything to me. It still does. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.
Kira: It's not that. I was just thinking about all the times I came to you for advice about Shakaar and Bareil. It must have been very hard for you to listen to me go on about another man.
Odo: No, I can't say I enjoyed it, but I wanted to be a good friend to you.
Kira: You were.
Odo: Nerys, I didn't come here expecting you to throw yourself in my arms. But you're leaving here in two days. I'm never going to see you again. All I'm asking is that you spend some time with me. Gaia is a very beautiful place. I'd love to show it to you.
Kira: I'd like that.
Miranda: He has your eyes.
Sisko: You think so? You think so?
Dax: Dax to Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Dax: Good news, Benjamin.
Dax: I've gone over the sensor logs from the crash. It looks like Yedrin's plan to create a duplicate Defiant is going to work.
Sisko: Did you hear that? Yes. Everything's going to be all right.
Yedrin: Sounds like you have your hands full down there, Benjamin.
Sisko: Oh, yes, you could say that.
Dax: We'll keep you posted.
Bashir: Thirsty?
Worf: The captain asked me to make a survey of the settlement's infrastructure so we can leave behind the appropriate supplies.
Bashir: I've just been doing the same thing at the clinic. I met one of my descendents there. My great great great great granddaughter, the doctor. She made quite a fuss over me. Apparently my healing touch is something of a legend around here.
Gabriel: They're here! They're here!
Worf: Who?
Gabriel: The Klingons!
Brota: Q'apla.
Worf: Q'apla.
Brota: We are the Sons of Mogh.
Worf: You are my descendents.
Brota: Some by blood, some by choice. Our hearts are Klingon. We live as warriors, just as you taught our ancestors long ago.
Gabriel: I'm going to be one of them someday. I'll ride a wild torga and go hunting, and only come to the settlement to trade furs for the things I need.
Parell: When you're older, you'll have the chance to prove yourself. If you are worthy, you can take a Klingon name and live among us.
Brota: The Sons of Mogh are gathering to celebrate your return. It would honor us greatly if you would feast with us tonight.
Worf: I look forward to it.
Brota: We'll come for you at nightfall.
Bashir: Well, it would appear I'm not the only legend around here.
Dax: Once the emitter array is recalibrated, we can start synchronizing the shield generators.
Yedrin: Oh, good. We're ahead of schedule.
Dax: What? Tell me.
Yedrin: You just reminded me of something. The summer after the crash, it was so hot Jadzia cut her hair short. Worf hated it. I remember promising to grow it back in time for the wedding.
Dax: We got married?
Yedrin: The next fall. Benjamin performed the ceremony. I'll never forget Worf's voice as he said the vows. It was shaking.
Dax: Were we happy together?
Yedrin: He's a good man, Jadzia.
Dax: I know. It's just, sometimes, he's so hard to get along with.
Yedrin: Don't worry. You'll learn to handle him.
Bashir: Did I mention she was a doctor?
O'Brien: Twice.
Bashir: She showed me pictures of the family going all the way back to me. You know who I ended up with after the crash? Angie Kirby.
O'Brien: Who's that?
Bashir: Yes, that's what I said. Apparently she transferred aboard last week, but she's gorgeous.
O'Brien: Congratulations.
Bashir: I think I'm going to ask her out when we get back. We obviously got along well here. So, you and Rita Tannenbaum.
O'Brien: I don't want to hear about it, Julian. I have a wife and kids back home.
Bashir: Sorry. I didn't mean anything. You know, I'm going to let you get back on with your work.
Kira: Praying over your own grave. That's got to be a new one.
Odo: If the Prophets were listening, they're probably very confused.
Kira: Well, I wouldn't blame them. I've got to tell you that this whole quantum duplicate two Defiants thing has me feeling a little strange.
Odo: Why? Thanks to Yedrin's plan our timeline is being preserved. You're going back to the station for the treatment you need.
Kira: I know. It's just that I've always believed that we're all given one destiny, one path, and now we're using technology to get around that. I'm not sure how it makes me feel.
Odo: I know exactly how it makes me feel. You can't know how much it means to me to know you're going home, Nerys. It won't change anything for me. I lost you two hundred years ago. But for the other Odo, up on the ship, it changes everything. He doesn't have to lose you. And somehow, knowing that makes me feel better. Does that make any sense?
Kira: You've changed so much, Odo. I don't just mean the way you look. You used to be so closed off.
Odo: I have changed. And the Odo you know will change too, if you're patient with him.
Kira: Why don't we head back?
Sisko: Nice catch. Dax.
Dax: We need to talk. I was going over the sensor logs from the crash and I came across something odd. The quantum fluctuations in the barrier factored out to zero. The chances of that must be a billion to one.
Sisko: What are you getting at?
Dax: That Yedrin faked the logs.
Sisko: Why would he do that?
Dax: So we'd think his plan was going to work. It's not. There was never going to be a duplicate Defiant. Just one. And Yedrin wanted to make sure it went back in time.
Sisko: So that history would repeat itself.
Dax: If I hadn't realized what he had done, we would have ended up stranded here and Kira would have died.
Dax: You betrayed us. You betrayed me! You call yourself Yedrin Dax, but I don't recognize you.
Yedrin: Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?
Sisko: What do you think?
Yedrin: Damn it, Ben. If you don't take the Defiant back in time, the eight thousand people on this planet will cease to exist.
Sisko: You think I don't care? Oh, come on, you know me better than that. What am I supposed to do, recreate the accident and deliberately maroon my crew?
Yedrin: It's what would have happened. Who's to say it's not what's supposed to happen?
Sisko: I'm not going to stand here and argue philosophy with you. I have a duty to protect my people.
Yedrin: Look around you, Benjamin. Think of the things that you've seen since you got here. This is what your crew and their descendents will build if you let history play itself out. I'm not saying that it won't be hard at first, but they will have good lives here. Happy lives.
Dax: What about Kira? If we don't get her back to the station, she'll die.
Yedrin: Is one life too much to ask if it saves eight thousand?
Sisko: Who are you to decide who lives or dies? Who are you to make that call?
Yedrin: I have to make that call because I'm responsible for what happened here! Jadzia knows what I'm talking about. She's the one who insisted that the Defiant investigate this planet. You know as well as I do that you should have been more careful. You should have seen that the barrier was unstable when you scanned it.
Dax: But I didn't. I was so bent on making some great diskovery that I missed it.
Yedrin: And because of you, because of me, Kira died and forty eight people were stranded here. You don't know what it was like to live with that. For years, Benjamin, every time I looked at you all I could think of was Jake and how because of me, he would never see his father again. Eventually I had to accept the fact there was nothing I could do to change things. I couldn't bring Kira back. All I could do was look to the future, Benjamin, and make sure that we survived here no matter what. This community is my responsibility. For two centuries, I have watched it grow into something to be proud of. For generations these people have worked to make a life for themselves here. They deserve a chance to hang on to it.
Sisko: I'm not denying that. I wish there was a way we could help you, but my people have the right to go home to their families. And I will not ask Kira to sacrifice her life for eight thousand people, for eight million. No one has the right to ask that. I'm sorry, old man, but there is nothing I can do.
Kira: Look at them. They have no idea what's going to happen.
Worf: It is for the best. They are children. They would not understand.
Kira: I'm not sure I understand. Eight thousand people, Worf. They have to die because I have to go back to the station to be treated for some condition I can't even tell I have.
Worf: That is not the only reason we are going back. Do not blame yourself, Major.
Kira: I'm going up to the ship.
Miranda: It would've been a good crop this year. Spring came so early.
Gabriel: Miranda, is something wrong? Everyone's so quiet.
Miranda: It's nothing you need to worry about.
Parell: We came to tell you. There will be no feast tonight.
Worf: I understand. This is not a time for celebration.
Brota: Tomorrow we will see the sun rise again, but no one here will see it set.
Worf: Join me. There is something I wish to say. It is a great honor to know that my legacy has thrived on your world for so long. I can see the Klingon heart beats strong here.
Brota: You honor us with your words. We have tried to live as you taught us to.
Parell: We've never plowed fields or milked chattel. We've lived as warriors, hunters.
Brota: Last year, I slew a yarbear three meters tall. Your mek'leth was my only weapon. The beast maimed me, and for a time it seemed I would die from my wounds. Now I wish I had. It would have been a warrior's death.
Parell: He could have taken his place among the honored dead in Sto'Vo'Kor.
Worf: Perhaps he will yet.
Brota: No. Ceasing to exist because my parents were never born? That is not a death worthy of Sto'Vo'Kor. Kill me, Worf. I have no enemies to fight, no glory to be won. Give me an honorable death.
Parell: Don't make us wait for the end like farm animals waiting for slaughter.
Worf: I will come to you tomorrow and do what you ask.
Odo: Why did you want to come back here?
Kira: I had to see it again so I could be sure.
Odo: Sure about what?
Kira: That this is where I belong. The path the Prophets laid out for me ends here.
Odo: But not this time, Nerys. The Captain's taking you back to DS Nine.
Kira: I can't let him do that. Not if it's going to cost eight thousand lives. No, we have to let history take its course, even if it means I have to die here.
O'Brien: What? Have you lost your mind?
Bashir: Kira, if we don't go back to the station you'll die within a few weeks. There's nothing I can do for you here.
Kira: I know that, Julian. I've accepted it. We've got to take the Defiant back in time, otherwise we're cheating fate.
O'Brien: Yeah, well, I wouldn't mind cheating fate all the way home to the station.
Dax: Neither would I. But if we go home, eight thousand people are going to cease to exist.
O'Brien: I don't know those people. But I have a wife and kids back home who need me.
Kira: Your family will be fine, Miles. The Prophets will take care of them.
O'Brien: No offense, but I don't believe in your Prophets.
Worf: All Major Kira is saying is our families will survive no matter what we do. The colonists will not. If she is willing to sacrifice her life to save them, I am willing to remain here.
O'Brien: That's easy for you to say. You hardly see your son.
Worf: And you are afraid to face your destiny.
O'Brien: We can sit here arguing destiny until we're blue in the face, but the bottom line is, nobody has the right to tell me I can't go home to my family.
Sisko: I want to go home as much as you do, Chief. I'm just listening to what everyone has to say.
O'Brien: So we're not actually considering this?
Sisko: No, we're not.
Kira: Captain.
Sisko: Major, you've made your position clear. All right, people. Dismissed.
Worf: By sunset this will all be gone.
Dax: Taking a last look around?
Sisko: Whoa. Gabriel, where are you going in such a hurry?
Gabriel: To the fields. It's time for planting.
Miranda: Come on, Gabriel, there isn't much time. Put some of this on your face. The sun's strong today.
Yedrin: Planting day has always been important here. It brings everyone together. Somehow it feels right to see it through.
Miranda: Here's one for you. Molly, take that from the bottom.
Molly: Thank you.
Bashir: Thank you.
O'Brien: The status report you asked for, sir. The repairs are finished. The Defiant's ready to leave orbit.
Molly: Aren't you going to help?
O'Brien: I'm busy.
Molly: You don't look busy.
Sisko: She's an O'Brien, all right. Better get to it, Chief.
Brota: You said there was an enemy for us to fight.
Worf: They are attempting to plant their fields before the sun sets. Time is their enemy. We should help them defeat it.
Brota: Bring the others.
O'Brien: Ah, great. You know, I have a little girl named Molly, too.
Molly: Really? Can I meet her?
O'Brien: We'll see.
Molly: By summer, this plant will be taller than you. After the harvested, I'll help my mother make gelm bread with it.
Woman: Molly?
Sisko: Is something wrong?
O'Brien: We can't do it.
Sisko: What?
O'Brien: We can't let these people die.
Yedrin: The navigational logs from the original crash. Download them into the ship's autopilot and it'll match the original trajectory. That should send the Defiant back to the right point in time.
Miranda: I don't know how to thank you for what you're doing.
Dax: We'd better go, Benjamin. There isn't much time.
Odo: You can't do this.
Kira: Please don't make it any harder than it already is.
Odo: You have to go home, Nerys. You have to.
Kira: This isn't about me. This is about the eight thousand people down on that planet, and their children and grandchildren.
Odo: What about the children who'll never be born because the Defiant doesn't return to DS Nine?
Kira: They don't exist yet. These people do.
Odo: Nerys, just tell me one thing. If you'd known how I felt about you, if I'd said something years ago, do you think things might have been different?
Kira: Maybe.
Sisko: Has everyone had a chance to record a message to their families?
O'Brien: I've downloaded the recordings into a class four probe. It'll start transmitting a location signal as soon as it clears the barrier.
Sisko: Launch the probe, Chief.
Kira: It's time.
Sisko: Transfer helm control to autopilot.
Dax: Autopilot engaged.
Sisko: Raise shields.
Dax: Aye, sir.
Worf: We are breaking orbit.
Dax: Coming around to four two mark seven.
O'Brien: I'm picking up an unusual temporal signature.
Kira: It's the anomaly. We're headed straight for it.
Dax: Ten seconds to impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four
Kira: We're veering away from the anomaly!
Sisko: Try to override the autopilot.
Dax: I can't.
O'Brien: We're clearing the barrier.
Sisko: What happened?
O'Brien: Someone changed our flight plan. It wasn't me.
Sisko: Scan the surface.
Kira: No sign of the settlement or the inhabitants. Everything's gone.
Sisko: Whoever changed our flight plan knew their way around the computer system. They bypassed our security protocols without leaving a trace.
Dax: It must have been someone from the crew.
Sisko: Or someone who used to be.
Dax: Yedrin? But all he cared about was the settlement. What could have changed his mind?
Sisko: Seeing us again. Perhaps he decided he couldn't let us go through with it.
Dax: Everyone we met, they never existed.
Sisko: They existed. As long as we remember them, they always will.
Kira: Come in. Odo.
Odo: There's something you should know. The other Odo, the one from the planet, came to Sickbay before he left the ship.
Kira: Oh?
Odo: He linked with me. Now I know everything that happened.
Kira: The other day, when I told you about Shakaar and me not seeing each other anymore, you seemed so uncomfortable.
Odo: I'd come to accept the fact that you were involved with someone else, then suddenly everything changed.
Kira: I don't know what to say. I'm still trying to sort everything out.
Odo: So am I. I think we both need time. There's something else the other Odo wanted you to know. He was responsible for changing the Defiant's flight plan.
Kira: Why?
Odo: So that you wouldn't have to die.
Kira: I can't believe it. Eight thousand people!
Odo: He did it for you, Nerys. He loved you.
Kira: That makes it right?
Odo: I don't know. He thought so. I'll see you in the morning.


Nog: Squid. My favorite human food. Mmm. Delicious, sir.
Jake: Terrific as always, Dad.
Sisko: I'm glad you like it.
Nog: Sir, if I may say so, this sauce tastes very familiar.
Sisko: Well it should. It's puree of tube grubs.
Jake: Tube grubs?
Sisko: I figured if Nog is willing to eat squid, it's only fair that we try tube grubs. Besides, you said it was terrific.
Jake: That was before I knew what it was.
Sisko: Eat. You need more meat on your bones. So, tell me, Nog. How do you like working security?
Nog: It's very interesting, sir.
Jake: That's not what you told me.
Nog: Jake.
Sisko: Something wrong?
Nog: No, sir. Everything's quite satisfactory. Thank you, sir.
Jake: Could've fooled me.
Sisko: Cadet, if there's a problem, I want to hear about it.
Nog: Well, sir, it's the Klingons, sir.
Sisko: What about them?
Nog: It's their attitude, sir. It's bad.
Sisko: Bad?
Nog: They're loud, obnoxious, and if I may say so, sir, generally intoxicated. They walk around the station like they own the place, and whenever a station security officer tries to talk to them, say to ask them to keep the noise level down on the Promenade, they ignore him.
Jake: You mean they ignore you.
Nog: They never look me in the eye when I try to talk to them, sir. They just stare over my head and pretend I'm not even there. I hate it when they do that.
Sisko: I can see how that might be annoying.
Jake: Not as annoying as listening to him complain about it all the time.
Sisko: Here is what I suggest, Cadet. The next time the Klingons refuse to acknowledge your presence, do what a Klingon would do. Confront them about it. If you stand up to them, you'll earn their respect.
Jake: Or get your butt kicked. One or the other.
Sisko: Either way, they'll never ignore you again.
Sisko: Enter.
Martok: Captain, I need to speak to you. Alone.
Nog: That does it.
Sisko: Not now, Nog.
Nog: But sir.
Jake: Come on, Nog, let's go.
Martok: Captain, my crew and I were patrolling the Cardassian border. We intercepted a very disturbing message.
Sisko: This is a Maquis code.
Martok: I was as surprised as you. I thought the Maquis were wiped out by Cardassia and their new Dominion allies, but it would appear I was mistaken.
Sisko: Were you able to decode it?
Rebecca: Michael, I hope you get this message. We've launched the missiles. They should reach Cardassia in thirteen days. It may not bring back our dead, but at least they'll have a lot of company.
Sisko: Did you detect any missiles?
Martok: No. But that proves nothing. A few months ago, the Klingon High Council decided to aid the Maquis in their fight against Cardassia. We provided them with thirty class four cloaking devices. It was our understanding they would use them on their ships.
Sisko: But they could have been mounted on the missiles instead.
Martok: You see the problem.
Sisko: The Maquis had access to tricobalt explosives, biogenic weapons, antimatter warheads.
Martok: The death toll could be in the millions.
Sisko: I knew the Maquis were desperate, but I didn't believe that they would resort to something like this.
Martok: A saber bear is most deadly when it is trapped with no hope of escape.
Sisko: Cardassia is under Dominion protection. If millions of their citizens are killed by human terrorists, they'll demand revenge.
Martok: And their Dominion allies will see that they get it. They'll launch a counterstrike against the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the entire Alpha Quadrant.
Sisko: And start a war that could destroy us all.
Sisko: Report.
Dax: Do the words needle in a haystack mean anything to you?
Worf: We spent over fifty hours searching the Badlands for signs of the Maquis missiles, without success.
Dax: We would have stayed longer, but we had a hard time avoiding the Jem'Hadar patrols.
O'Brien: Let me guess. They homed in on your plasma wake.
Dax: Even though we were cloaked, they were still able to track us.
O'Brien: The Defiant's warp engines are too powerful. They ionize the nebular gasses in the Badlands.
Dax: It's like a Ligorian mastodon moving through the forest. You may not be able to see it, but it definitely makes the leaves rustle.
Sisko: I need answers, people. If those missiles do exist, they're only eleven days from their target. I want to know where they are and how to stop them.
Worf: We need more information, a way to narrow our search.
Sisko: I think I know someone who can help.
Sisko: Eddington, wake up.
Eddington: I'm dreaming, right? This is a nightmare.
Sisko: This is a nightmare, all right, but you are wide awake.
Eddington: I was wondering when you'd show up. I expected to see you here weeks ago.
Sisko: I've been busy.
Eddington: But now you're here. So enjoy yourself. Savor the moment. I know you've been wanting to gloat over my defeat for a long time.
Sisko: I'm not here to gloat.
Eddington: You deserve to. You won. I betrayed Starfleet by joining the Maquis. You swore you'd track me down and you did. You got your revenge.
Sisko: Actually, that's what I'm here to talk to you about. Revenge.
Eddington: One of my favorite topics.
Sisko: I believe that was intended for you.
Rebecca: Michael, I hope you get this message. We've launched the missiles. They should reach Carda
Sisko: Don't you want to hear the rest of it?
Eddington: Why should I? It has nothing to do with me. Michael is a very common name.
Sisko: True. But somehow I think you're the right one.
Eddington: Guess again.
Sisko: If those missiles hit Cardassia, it could start a war. Billions of people will be killed.
Eddington: If you expect me to shed a tear, you're going to be disappointed. I used up all my tears when the Dominion slaughtered the Maquis. I sat here in this cell for three days and listened to the reports as they came in. In those three days, everyone and everything I cared about was wiped out.
Sisko: I heard the same reports. It was a tragedy.
Eddington: Your generosity of spirit touches me. But you don't give a damn about what happened to us, and I don't give a damn about what happens to you.
Sisko: You may have taken off the uniform, but you're still a Starfleet officer. And you don't want a war between the Federation and the Dominion any more than I do.
Eddington: What you want and what I want doesn't really matter. There's nothing you can do to stop those missiles from hitting their targets. They're cloaked, highly maneuverable, programd to change course at random. You'll never find them.
Sisko: Maybe we can't locate the missiles, but that doesn't mean we can't stop them. You must have programd in an abort code, some way to deactivate the missiles by remote.
Eddington: Even if there was such a thing, you'd have to transmit it from the launch site. And I don't think you're going to find that either. No code, no launch site. I'm afraid you're out of luck, Captain. Looks like everyone's out of luck.
Sisko: That's it? You're just going to lie there and do nothing.
Eddington: That's what you do when you're in prison. Nothing. Just sit back and wait for the next counseling session, the next psychological evaluation, the next rehabilitation seminar.
Sisko: What if I could get you out of here? Arrange a pardon in exchange for your helping me?
Eddington: You like this, don't you, Ben? You like deciding the fate of others. It makes you feel important.
Sisko: It's not about me. Do you want your freedom or not?
Eddington: Freedom, huh? Tell me. If they did release me, where would I go? What would I do?
Sisko: Anything you want.
Eddington: What about bringing the Maquis back from the dead? Can I do that? Can you? Can anyone? No, I didn't think so. In that case, I'll tell you what I want. I want to lie here until the Jem'Hadar blow this place to pieces and me along with it.
Quark: Careful, that hurts.
Bashir: I haven't done anything yet.
Quark: Well, what are you waiting for? I told you it hurts.
Odo: You'll survive.
Quark: Did you catch him?
Odo: We caught him. Or rather I should say Major Kira caught him.
Kira: I didn't really do anything. I was in the Bajoran shrine, meditating, and he burst in stark naked, and fell to his knees crying out to the Prophets for protection.
Bashir: Morn, of all people. Who would have thought he'd just snap like that?
Odo: Certainly not me. Which makes me wonder what could've pushed him over the edge?
Quark: Why are you looking at me? I'm the victim here. He hit me with a barstool.
Kira: Why did he hit you?
Quark: I don't have the faintest idea.
Kira: Think harder.
Odo: Witnesses say you were talking to him right up to the second he went berserk.
Quark: Of course I was talking to him. That's what bartenders are supposed to do, talk to their customers.
Kira: What exactly was it that you were talking to him about?
Quark: All I said was that the military personnel on this station were starting to look a little nervous. When they get nervous, I get nervous.
Odo: And that's all you said?
Quark: Basically. I might've done a little harmless theorizing.
Bashir: About what?
Quark: Oh, something like it was only a matter of time before the Dominion launched a full-scale assault against the Federation and when that happened the station would undoubtedly be their first target. And I might've idly suggested that there wasn't a chance in hell that any of us would get out of here alive.
Odo: And that's when Morn hit you with a barstool and ran out onto the Promenade screaming, 'We're all doomed.'
Quark: Some people just don't react well to stress. Ow!
Dax: Ops to Major Kira.
Kira: Go ahead.
Dax: There's an incoming transmission from Captain Sisko.
Kira: I'll be right there. Probably wants to warn us that the first wave of Jem'Hadar is on the way.
Quark: Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. She's joking, right?
Bashir: Hold still.
Sisko: My plan is to go into the Badlands, find the launch site, and deactivate those missiles.
Kira: You make it sound so easy. You sure you don't want me to send the Defiant.
Sisko: The Defiant would just attract unwanted attention.
Kira: Maybe, but I'd feel a hell of a lot better if you weren't out there alone.
Sisko: Don't worry, Major. I'm not alone.
Sisko: Dinner.
Eddington: What about these?
Sisko: What about them?
Eddington: It makes it a little difficult to eat.
Sisko: You'll manage.
Eddington: Replicator entrée number one oh three. Curried chicken and rice with a side order of carrots. Or at least that's what they want us to believe. But you and I both know what we're really eating. Replicated protein molecules and textured carbohydrates.
Sisko: It's not that bad.
Eddington: It may look like chicken, but it still tastes like replicated protein molecules to me.
Sisko: If you don't want it, don't eat it.
Eddington: Remember that Thanksgiving dinner you cooked for the senior staff last year? How many months did it take you to grow all those vegetables in the hydroponic garden? Every ingredient fresh, real. Though you did put too much tarragon in the stuffing.
Sisko: I wasn't aware that you were a food critic.
Eddington: I wasn't, until I joined the Maquis and started eating real food. Food that I'd grown with my own hands. Fresh corn, sweet as a baby's smile. And tomatoes. Do you know how hard it is to grow tomatoes? There's always too much rain or not enough. It's too hot, it's too cold. I wonder what happened to those tomato plants? Probably burned to the ground along with everything else.
Sisko: If we don't stop those missiles, a lot of things are going to burn to the ground. And not just on Cardassia.
Eddington: You never give up, do you, Ben? Here we are, having a pleasant conversation about food, and all you're thinking about is the mission and how to get me to cooperate. You're wasting your breath. As far as I'm concerned my life is over. I'm dead.
Sisko: For a dead man, you talk a lot.
Eddington: Then why didn't you leave me in prison?
Sisko: Because I have a job to do and I can't do it without you.
Eddington: You're going to have to. I told you when you dragged me out of my cell that I wasn't going to help you. I meant it then and I mean it now.
Sisko: I am trying to prevent a war.
Eddington: You're the one who set the ground rules when you came after me, Ben. You're the one who made it personal. You could've looked the other way. You could've left the Maquis alone, but you didn't do it. You hunted us, hounded us, fought us every chance you got. And in the end, you set us up for the slaughter. I expected better of you than that. So did a lot of people. People like Cal Hudson. I bet you haven't heard that name in a while.
Sisko: You're right about that.
Eddington: He told me the two of your were friends at the Academy.
Sisko: And a long time after.
Eddington: Until he joined the Maquis.
Sisko: He betrayed his oath to Starfleet.
Eddington: If it makes you feel any better, he paid for his sins. He was killed in a skirmish with the Cardassians.
Sisko: He was a good man.
Eddington: He felt the same about you. He thought you were wrong about the Maquis, but he forgave you, which is ironic considering you never forgave him. You can't forgive any of us. And not because we betrayed Starfleet or the Federation, but because we betrayed you. That's what this is all about. Your ego. Where Benjamin Sisko leads, all must follow.
Sisko: Is that what you really believe?
Eddington: It's the truth, isn't it? The Maquis were never much of a threat to the Federation, but we were a threat to you. We were a stain on your record and you couldn't have that. Not when you were so busy measuring yourself for an admiral's uniform.
Sisko: You want to blame me for what happened to the Maquis? Fine. Go ahead, blame me. Blame Starfleet. Blame the Federation. Blame everyone except Michael Eddington.
Eddington: The Maquis won its greatest victories under my leadership.
Sisko: Your leadership. Your shining moment of glory. Michael Eddington gets to take off his gold uniform and play hero. That's what you always wanted, to lead troops in a glorious cause. Well, you had your chance and look where you led them. Right into their graves.
Eddington: They died because I wasn't there when they needed me most. Because you put me in jail.
Sisko: They died because you filled their heads with false hopes. Sold them dreams of a military victory when what they needed was a negotiated peace.
Eddington: We had the Cardassians on the run.
Sisko: And they ran right into the arms of the Dominion. End of story.
Eddington: Not quite the end.
Sisko: That's right. A few survivors of your noble crusade have decided to launch a pointless retaliatory strike against Cardassia.
Eddington: It's not so pointless. If you can't have victory, sometimes you just have to settle for revenge.
Sisko: Is that what you want? To be remembered as the man who helped bring about the worst war in Federation history?
Eddington: Not quite the legacy I had in mind, but I can live with it.
Sisko: Can you?
Martok: No, no, no. You can do better than that. You're barely making contact. Again! More wine!
Jake: I don't care what anyone says. That's got to hurt.
Nog: They're at sixty five decibels. Loud, but not loud enough.
Jake: What are you talking about?
Nog: Five more decibels and they'll be legally disturbing the peace.
Jake: And then what?
Nog: And then I'm going to escort them to a holding cell.
Jake: You're going to arrest General Martok for disturbing the peace?
Nog: I am.
Jake: Aren't you going to at least call for backup?
Nog: Jake, you heard what your father said. They won't respect me until I stand up to them, alone.
Jake: Personally, I think respect is overrated.
Nog: That's it. Seventy decibels. They're mine.
Nog: Whoaaa!
Jake: You okay?
Nog: I'm fine. Just tell me when everyone leaves.
Jake: Why?
Nog: Because I'm not getting up until they do.
Sisko: Eddington.
Eddington: Are we there yet?
Sisko: Where?
Eddington: That's the question, isn't it?
Sisko: There's something here I want you to see.
Eddington: I'll pass, thanks.
Sisko: Suit yourself. Maybe it's nothing. It is hard to get an accurate sensor reading in the Badlands. But unless I'm mistaken, two Jem'Hadar warships are headed our way.
Eddington: Yeah, those are Jem'Hadar warships all right. You've got a problem.
Sisko: We both do. They're getting closer. One AU away. Point nine AU. You said you wanted to be blown to bits by the Jem'Hadar? Well, it looks like you're going to get your wish.
Eddington: I have faith in you, Captain. You'll get us out of this.
Sisko: Not me, Mister Eddington. I don't know the Badlands that well. But you do.
Eddington: Where are you going?
Sisko: To get a raktajino.
Eddington: Now?
Sisko: Throat's a little dry. One raktajino.
Eddington: You're crazy. They're almost on top of us.
Sisko: One thing I will say about these replicators. They sure know how to make Klingon coffee.
Eddington: They're scanning us.
Sisko: They should be in firing range any minute now.
Eddington: Very clever, Captain, but it's not going to work. I am not going to take the helm.
Sisko: Suit yourself.
Eddington: That is what you're trying to do, isn't it?
Sisko: I'm trying to see how serious your death wish really is. I'm betting that it doesn't even exist. Just like I'm betting you won't be able to sit back and let your friends start a war that could destroy the Alpha Quadrant.
Eddington: That's an awfully big bet.
Sisko: I don't think so. Point seven AU.
Sisko: Can you lose them?
Eddington: I plotted a spiral course around a plasma filament. It should dissipate our warp signature.
Sisko: Very fancy.
Eddington: You can take over now.
Sisko: No, I don't think so.
Eddington: Let's get one thing straight, Captain. I'll get you to the launch site and I'll help you deactivate those missiles. But then you and I are going to have it out once and for all.
Sisko: You want a fight, mister? I will give you one.
Eddington: I don't intend to fight you, Captain. I intend to kill you.
Eddington: Captain, when I joined the Maquis, I left some personal items behind on the station.
Sisko: As far as I know, all your things were put in storage.
Eddington: You didn't happen to see an old Earth coin, about this big with a bird on the front?
Sisko: A bird?
Eddington: A loon, actually. My lucky looney. It's an old Canadian coin. Been in the family for over two hundred years.
Sisko: It's probably in some locker in the Assay Office, along with the rest of your things.
Eddington: I hope so. I'd hate to think I'd lost it.
Sisko: Speaking of things you thought you'd lost.
Eddington: There's no way those Jem'Hadar ships could have tracked us.
Sisko: Obviously there is. Can we lose them again?
Eddington: Dissipating our warp signature didn't work.
Sisko: Don't tell me the Maquis didn't have plan B.
Eddington: You're not going to like it.
Sisko: Half an AU and closing. If you do have a plan, I guarantee I'll learn to love it.
Eddington: We're going to have to realign the impulse flow regulators.
Sisko: You mean shut down the engines? They'd be on us in a second.
Eddington: Who said anything about shutting down the engines?
Sisko: You're thinking about realigning the emitter while the engines are engaged? One wrong move and the flow regulators will blow up in your face.
Eddington: You mean, in your face. I'll be piloting the ship. When you finish, we can use the impulse exhaust to detonate the plasma field behind us. Even if the Jem'Hadar survive the blast, the shockwave should wipe out any trace of our ion wake. Point four AU and closing. You'd better get started.
Sisko: All right. But hold the ship steady. I don't want any accidents.
Eddington: I'll do my best.
Sisko: Hmm.
Computer: Warning. Attempting to access impulse flow regulators while engines are engaged is not recommended.
Sisko: Tell me something I don't know. Disengage safeties. Authorisation Sisko A four seven one.
Computer: Acknowledged. Safeties disengaged.
Sisko: Damn it, Eddington, I told you to hold this ship steady.
Eddington: Sorry, captain. We ran into a pocket of boron gas.
Sisko: Don't do it again.
Eddington: You still there, Captain?
Sisko: Disappointed?
Eddington: Just checking. Captain, I hate to rush you
Eddington: But things are going to get very unpleasant if we don't get out of here soon.
Sisko: I'm aware of the problem. Eddington!
Eddington: That wasn't me. They're firing at us.
Sisko: In that case, let her rip.
Eddington: Well, that got the adrenaline pumping. No sign of the Jem'Hadar. Looks like we lost them, Captain. Captain? Computer, locate Captain Sisko.
Computer: Internal sensors are offline.
Eddington: Of course they are.
Sisko: I told you to keep the ship steady.
Eddington: You're alive. What a pleasant surprise.
Sisko: I'm sure. Now, get us to the launch site!
Jake: I understand, but all I'm saying, Nog, is next time you know I have a girl over, just call me before you come home.
Nog: The two of you were only talking.
Jake: Well, you never know.
Nog: Jake, I know your track record. You never get past talking.
Jake: Now that's a scurrilous lie.
Nog: Scurrilous? Is that worse than a regular lie?
Jake: Look, I don't know what the big deal is. Just check before you come home, okay?
Nog: Okay. And you do the same.
Jake: Nog, you haven't had a date since you left the Academy. Unless you're counting holosuites.
Nog: Now who's being scurrilous?
Nog: I don't believe this.
Jake: What's wrong?
Nog: They're loitering on the Promenade in our old spot.
Jake: I guess they know a good view when they see one.
Nog: Jake, don't you get it? They know I'm territorial about that spot. They're purposely doing this to insult me.
Jake: Nog, you are definitely getting stranger as you get older.
Nog: I can't let them do this to me. Stay back, Jake. This could get ugly.
Nog: All right, it's time for you to move along.
Martok: We will decide when it is time to move.
Nog: Station regulation eight two slash seven B clearly states that loitering on the Promenade is prohibited.
Martok: Is that so?
Nog: It is. Now either move or I'm going to have to place you under arrest.
Martok: You are either very brave or very stupid, Ferengi.
Nog: Probably a little of both.
Martok: Indeed. Courage comes in all sizes. But don't tempt fate. Khi-gosH.
Jake: Nog, I'm impressed.
Nog: Klingons. You just have to know how to handle them.
Eddington: Next stop Athos Four, a grim little fogbound piece of rock in the middle of nowhere.
Sisko: What better place to hide a missile launching site?
Eddington: We thought so.
Sisko: The sensors aren't detecting anything.
Eddington: That's the general idea. There's too much interference to detect anything, but it's there.
Sisko: We'll never get a transporter through all this static.
Eddington: We don't need to. There's a shuttle pad not far from the launch site.
Sisko: Then take us down.
Sisko: How far?
Eddington: A few kilometers. This tunnel will take us most of the way.
Sisko: These tunnels are man-made.
Eddington: I know. I helped dig them myself.
Sisko: Now where?
Eddington: Give me a minute to get my bearings. It's been a while.
Sisko: You hear something?
Sisko: These barrels are made of duridium. That should hold them off for a while. I thought you said the Jem'Hadar would never find this place.
Eddington: I didn't think they would. I was wrong. I say we rush them. In this fog, they'll have as much chance of hitting each other as hitting us.
Sisko: Too risky.
Eddington: You never would've made it in the Maquis with that kind of attitude.
Sisko: It's not me that I'm worried about, it's you. If you get killed, there'll be no way to stop those missiles.
Sisko: Take this. I'll go around and try to draw their fire. You should be able to catch them off guard when they come after me.
Eddington: I can barely see two meters in front of me. How will I know what I'm aiming at?
Sisko: I'll be the one holding the pipe.
Eddington: Attacking two Jem'Hadar soldiers with a pipe? That's a brilliant plan.
Sisko: It could be worse.
Eddington: I know. It could be me holding the pipe.
Sisko: Exactly.
Sisko: You've got sharp eyes.
Eddington: Not really. I just waited to see which of you was knocked down first, and then I shot the one still standing.
Sisko: Thank you for your vote of confidence.
Eddington: Now help me drag these bodies over to the well. Maybe that way the other Jem'Hadar will look for their friends and not us.
Sisko: In a couple of minutes this entire settlement is going to be crawling with Jem'Hadar. I suggest you get us to the launch site now.
Eddington: That way.
Sisko: Are you sure?
Eddington: Reasonably.
Eddington: We're close.
Sisko: Then let's keep moving.
Sisko: Wait.
Eddington: Vance.
Sisko: You knew him?
Eddington: He was a shuttle pilot, and a friend.
Sisko: There are more.
Eddington: This wasn't supposed to happen. We were winning. The Cardassian Empire was falling into chaos. The Maquis colonies were going to declare themselves an independent nation.
Sisko: Eddington, listen to me. This is not the time.
Eddington: It's over.
Sisko: It's not over. We still have to stop those missiles.
Eddington: That's all you care about? The missiles?
Sisko: It's too late for us to help these people. But if we don't stop the missiles, this'll just be the beginning.
Eddington: I was their leader. I was responsible for them and I failed. I failed them all.
Sisko: Maybe we all failed them. Maybe we could've prevented this from happening. I don't know. It's going to take a long time and a lot of soul-searching before I find the answer, but right now we have a mission to complete.
Eddington: I wish I knew for certain that killing you would make me feel better. But I suppose that can wait for another time.
Eddington: That's it.
Sisko: You're sure.
Eddington: You want to stand here and argue about it? Come on. It looks clear.
Sisko: Wait.
Eddington: I'm glad one of us remembered they can do that.
Eddington: No, wait. I don't want to damage any of the equipment. Let me try something.
Rebecca: Michael, I wondered when you'd get here.
Eddington: I came as soon as I could. Captain Sisko, I'd like you to meet Rebecca Sullivan. My wife. All right, we're getting out of here. We've got a runabout hidden at the landing site. We can still access the tunnels through the old well. Stick together. Try not to lose each other in the fog.
Sisko: Wait a minute. What about disarming the missiles?
Eddington: Look around you, Ben. Does this look like a launch site?
Sisko: Eddington, I want the truth. Now.
Rebecca: There never were any missiles, no retaliatory strike against Cardassia. It was all a ploy, a way to let Michael know that we'd made it here.
Eddington: This was our fall back position. But I needed your help to evacuate these people.
Sisko: What would you have done if I hadn't forced you to come with me?
Eddington: I would have volunteered. You should be smiling, Ben. That Dominion counterstrike you were so worried about, it's not going to happen.
Sisko: Yes, you're right. That is good news. But I still don't like being lied to.
Eddington: I hope you're ready to finish what you started.
Rebecca: Michael, we don't have time for this.
Eddington: We'll finish this later.
Rebecca: All right, you heard what Michael said. Stick together.
Sisko: You should've told me the truth. If I had known the Jem'Hadar were going to be here, I would have brought more men.
Eddington: The Jem'Hadar weren't supposed to be here. No one knew about this base but us.
Rebecca: They landed three days ago. We tried to fight.
Eddington: I know. I saw the bodies. I thought for a while there
Rebecca: I didn't think I'd make it either, but they kept all the leaders alive. They were going to make a present of us to the Cardassian government. Now I guess we'll end up in a Federation prison.
Eddington: No, we're not going to prison. Not if I have anything to say about it.
Sisko: Right now, I suggest you concentrate on getting off this planet. We can worry about the rest later.
Eddington: There's nothing to worry about. You're not going to put us in prison. Not this time.
Sisko: Damn it, you never give up, do you, Mister Eddington?
Eddington: Never.
Sisko: Move!
Eddington: Go. Whatever happens, don't stop until you get to the runabout. You, too.
Rebecca: I'm staying with you.
Eddington: I'll be right behind you. Now get going.
Sisko: I didn't know you were married.
Eddington: We held the ceremony two weeks before you captured me.
Sisko: Not much of a honeymoon. I suggest we fall back now.
Eddington: For once, you'll get no argument from me.
Sisko: Go!
Eddington: You'd better get to the runabout.
Sisko: What about you?
Eddington: I'd only slow you down. Just get Rebecca and the others to safety.
Sisko: I'm not going to let you just
Eddington: Go!
Sisko: Mister Eddington, you are one stubborn, headstrong son
Eddington: I told you only one of us would be coming back from this mission.
Rebecca: Where's Michael?
Sisko: He's not coming.
Rebecca: What do you mean, he's not coming?
Sisko: Rebecca, we have to go. Now.
Eddington: Okay, Crenshaw, Yuen, circle around to the left. Try to hit 'em from behind. Stiles, Dimitris, watch our right flank. Right. Seems like a perfect time for a song. Wish I could think of one. Does anyone know a good song? Something rousing? Too bad.
Eddington: Rebecca.
Nog: Major.
Kira: My earring clip. Where'd you find it?
Nog: In maintenance conduit thirty three A. I guess it fell off when you were doing the deflector grid inspection.
Kira: You must've searched every crawlspace in the central core.
Nog: Just doing my job.
Kira: And doing it with style.
Nog: Glad to be of help.
Martok: Cadet.
Nog: General. Now that's better.
Kira: What was that all about?
Nog: Respect.
Dax: I'll say this for him, he was a complicated man. If you ask me, Eddington couldn't have picked a better way to go, at least from his point of view. He was a romantic, and what is more romantic than a glorious death in defense of a lost cause.
Sisko: He died fighting for what he believed in. I called him a traitor once, but in a way he was the most loyal man I ever met. He was a Maquis, right up to the bitter end.
Dax: Is that what this is? The end of the Maquis?
Sisko: Who knows? There could still be more of them out there, hiding from the Dominion, biding their time.
Dax: You almost sound hopeful.
Sisko: There is something attractive about a lost cause.
Dax: Maybe you have more in common with Eddington than you want to admit.
Sisko: Maybe.
Dax: Good night, Benjamin. Get some rest.


O'Brien: Did you hear about the Tian An Men? She was reported missing last night bear the Cardassian border.
Kira: That's three in the last three weeks.
Bashir: At this rate we're going to run out of ships.
Kira: Well that's not funny.
Bashir: It wasn't meant to be. Unless Starfleet Command actually starts doing something about the Dominion threat, the situation's only going to get worse.
Kira: What do you want, Julian, a war?
Sisko: What I want is to talk about something else. Chief, what about Kirayoshi? Is he walking yet?
O'Brien: No, not yet. No.
Sisko: Odo, I understand you're going to Bajor next week. Do you plan to see Doctor Mora?
Odo: Actually, I've canceled my trip. There's been a seventy five percent jump in the theft of medical supplies and food rations on DS Nine. I haven't seen such an increase since
O'Brien: Since?
Odo: Since just before the Cardassians were forced to abandon the station.
Bashir: On that note, I think I'll turn in.
O'Brien: Me, too. Thank you for dinner, Captain. It was wonderful.
Sisko: It was my pleasure.
Odo: Sir.
Sisko: Goodnight, everyone.
Sisko: Mister Worf? You've been paroled. The party's over.
Worf: Thank you, sir. Goodnight.
Sisko: Don't bother. I'll clean up the rest up later. I want to be alone for a while. Go on.
Jake: Okay
Nog: Goodnight, sir.
Crewwoman: Ops to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Crewwoman: We just received a message from Bajor, Sir. Kai Winn will be coming to the station tomorrow morning and she'd like to meet with you.
Sisko: Acknowledged.
Nog: Thanks for the invitation, Jake. That was a lot of fun.
Jake: Did you see how down my dad was? He tried to hide it, but I could tell he was depressed.
Nog: He's not the only one. Look around. There's something in the air. People are scared.
Jake: Yeah, but he's usually the one who tries to lift everyone's spirits. I mean, people go to him for encouragement. Where does he go when he needs it?
Quark: I hope I'll be seeing the two of you tomorrow at twelve hundred hours.
Nog: Why?
Quark: Why? Haven't you heard? There's going to be an auction of some of the galaxy's rarest and most valuable antiquities. Here. Find something you like and make a bid with all that latinum you've got stashed under your bed.
Nog: Shh!
Quark: Oh, Nog. You don't really keep it under your bed?
Nog: No, of course not.
Jake: Where'd you get all this stuff, Quark?
Quark: I'm just conducting the auction, for a modest commission. The items up for sale were all aboard an old derelict freighter that the Bajorans found adrift about a light year from here. The cargo hold was crammed with valuable items of every description. Antiques, paintings, vehicles.
Nog: It's all a bunch of junk. Listen to some of this stuff. A mid twenty fourth century ceramic Romulan water basin, slightly cracked. A pair of Tellarite shoes, date unknown. A mid-twentieth century human baseball card. A Tholian pedestal of
Jake: A baseball card? A mint condition nineteen fifty one Willie Mays rookie card! Nog, this is it!
Nog: What do you mean?
Jake: It's perfect. This is how I can cheer up my Dad. You know how much he loves baseball. He'll go nuts when he sees this.
Quark: Tell him to be here at twelve hundred hours and he can bid along with everyone else.
Jake: No. I'm going to bid on this. He's always doing things for me, I want to do something for him for a change. And this is it. All I have to do is get him this card. How hard can that be?
Jake: Come on, Nog.
Nog: No.
Jake: Why not?
Nog: It's my money, Jake. If you want to bid at the auction, use your own money.
Jake: I'm human, I don't have any money.
Nog: It's not my fault that your species decided to abandon currency-based economics in favor of some philosophy of self-enhancement.
Jake: Hey, watch it. There's nothing wrong with our philosophy. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.
Nog: What does that mean exactly?
Jake: It means. It means we don't need money.
Nog: Well if you don't need money, then you certainly don't need mine.
Jake: How much latinum do you have? How much?
Nog: Five bars.
Jake: Five bars!
Nog: Look, it's taken me a lifetime to save up that much money, and I'm not going to just throw it away for some baseball card.
Jake: Not even for my father, the man who made it possible for you to enter Starfleet Academy.
Nog: Oh no, that's not fair.
Jake: The man who believed in you when no one else would.
Nog: Oh, this is so low.
Jake: I can't believe you would rather keep your filthy money locked away in a box under a bed than use it to give him endless moments of happiness.
Nog: Argh! All right, all right. I'll do it.
Jake: That's very generous, Nog. I'm proud of you. Now let's get that money.
Nog: Humans.
Sisko: Come in.
Sisko: Welcome back to Deep Space Nine, your Eminence.
Winn: Thank you, Emissary. You may go now, child.
Kira: Thank you.
Winn: Why don't we take a walk?
Sisko: A walk?
Winn: Yes. Would you mind?
Sisko: Something wrong, Eminence?
Winn: No, nothing wrong, but there was a shop down there as I recall. A woman who sold Bajoran tapestries and antiques.
Sisko: Ah. Kandra Vilk.
Winn: Yes.
Sisko: I believe she moved to a neutral world near the Coridan system about two months ago.
Winn: So many people have left Deep Space Nine in the last few months. I'm sure there are times when you must feel as if you're being abandoned here.
Sisko: Forgive me Eminence, but I have a very busy day ahead of me.
Winn: I'm here to meet with a representative of the Dominion.
Sisko: To what end?
Winn: I don't know. This meeting is being held at their request. You disapprove?
Sisko: I'm concerned. The Dominion is notorious for its political intrigue.
Winn: I have some experience in that area as well. This is a delicate moment for Bajor. This conflict between the Federation and the Dominion could escalate into open warfare at any moment. A misstep now could result in the destruction of our world.
Sisko: For once I am in complete agreement with you. You have my word I will do whatever it takes to safeguard Bajor.
Winn: Walk with the Prophets.
Quark: the bid is to you, sir one bar, three strips. Don't let the lady steal this fine example of post-eventualistic, pre-Matoian, bronze and triptin sculpture for such a pittance.
Quark: One bar, three strips. One bar four strips, and it's all yours. An honorable addition to any Klingon household. Remember, all the proceeds from this auction go to the Bajoran War Orphans' Fund, minus a modest commission. Think of those poor, lonely children and how much your latinum will mean to them. Looks like the kids'll have to make do with one bar, three strips Sold to the blue man in the good shoes.
Quark: Lot forty-eight. An Andorian chest containing a pre-Surak Vulcan bracelet, a sixth century Bajoran mandala, a twenty-third century ion transtator, a Willie Mays baseball card from Earth dated nineteen fifty one. Who'll start the bidding with one bar of gold-pressed latinum?
Jake: One bar.
Quark: One bar. Do I hear one bar, five strips?
Quark: One bar, five strips. Do I hear one bar, ten?
Nog: Don't worry. He'll drop out at two bars.
Jake: How do you know that?
Nog: I'm still a Ferengi. One bar, ten.
Quark: One bar, ten. One, fifteen? One, fifteen. One, twenty? One, twenty. One, twenty-five?
Giger: Two bars.
Quark: The bid is two bars. Do I hear two bars five? Vedek, are you in?
Nog: I told you.
Quark: Two bars, five.
Giger: Three bars.
Jake: Four bars!
Nog: Jake!
Giger: Ten bars.
Quark: The bid is ten bars of gold-pressed latinum. Is there another bid?
Jake: What do we do now?
Nog: Nothing. We're out of money.
Quark: Jake? Do you want to make another bid? Sold to the gentleman sitting in the aisle.
Quark: Lot forty nine. A rare example of a twentieth century human art form, acrylic on black velvet. This image was the inspiration for the flag of the Martian colonies in the twenty second
Nog: I know you wanted that card, but we lost it, okay? So let's come up with something else to cheer up your dad. Like a new pair of shoes.
Jake: Shoes?
Nog: What's wrong with shoes?
Jake: Nothing, except it's stupid. I want to give my dad something that'll bring a little joy into his life. Something special. I'm telling you, that baseball card is the answer. It's kismet.
Nog: Kiss you?
Jake: Kismet. Fate, destiny. I was meant to give that card to my father.
Nog: Jake, I think you're taking this whole baseball card thing way too seriously.
Jake: It's not the card, it's my dad. This is very important to me. My father has never let me down. He's always been there for me when I needed him. And right now he needs me. I don't want to let him down. Nog, please, let's get that card.
Nog: All right. What do you want to do?
Nog: Sir.
Jake: Excuse me, sir. Could we talk to you for a minute?
Giger: Who sent you?
Jake: No one.
Nog: We wish to discuss a business transaction.
Giger: Not interested.
Jake: You don't even know what it is yet.
Nog: We just want to buy the baseball card.
Giger: Listen to me. I haven't done anything wrong and I won't be hounded by you and your soulless minions of orthodoxy. I haven't broken any laws, except perhaps the laws of nature. So stay away from me. Habitat ring.
Weyoun: Captain Sisko, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you again.
Sisko: I wish I could say the same.
Weyoun: How delightful. You feel comfortable enough around me to make jokes. I'm so pleased to see our relationship evolving beyond the stale adversarial stage.
Sisko: No it's not. But before you twist that into a compliment, let me be blunt. I don't like the Dominion, I don't like what it stands for, and I don't like you. So let's dispense with the hollow pleasantries and stick to business.
Weyoun: I can't tell you how it pains me to hear you say that, Captain. You see, I really like Deep Space Nine and I like you. And after this meeting with Kai Winn, I think you and I will be seeing a lot more of each other.
Nog: Jake! Jake! He wants to see us!
Jake: Who?
Nog: Doctor Giger, the man who bought the baseball card. He wants us to come to his quarters, He says he's willing to make a deal.
Jake: You're kidding.
Nog: No. He left a message for us about an hour ago. It said to meet him at eighteen hundred hours.
Jake: That's in ten minutes. Let's go!
Nog: Remember let me do the talking.
Jake: You?
Nog: You had your chance on the Promenade. Now stand aside and let a professional handle this.
Giger: Step out of the doorway, please. And don't touch anything. This is very sensitive equipment. I did some checking on you two. It turns out that you are the station commander's son and you are the nephew of the man who owns the bar.
Nog: That's right.
Giger: Since you are not, in fact, working for the soulless minions of orthodoxy that have hounded my work and plagued my existence, I have decided to open negotiations regarding the sale of a mint condition nineteen fifty one Willie Mays rookie card, without the original packaging or chewing gum.
Nog: Excellent. We would like to open the negotiations with a bid of
Giger: The card is not for sale.
Jake: What?
Nog: But you just said that
Giger: I am willing to trade the card in exchange for the following items.
Jake: Two liters of anaerobic metabolites suspended in a hydrosaline solution? A neodymium power cell? Where are we supposed to get all this stuff?
Giger: Surely the station commander's son and a promising young cadet have access to a wide variety of equipment and supplies that would not be available to someone like myself.
Jake: It's a very long list. It'll take some doing.
Nog: Wait a minute. What are you planning to do with these things?
Jake: Nog?
Nog: Look, we can't start delivering equipment and medical supplies to you without knowing what you're going to do with them.
Giger: Very well, young man. Let me ask you both a simple question. Do you want to die?
Nog: No.
Jake: Not really.
Giger: Of course you don't, so why should you? Why should any of us end up as putrefying corpses in wooden boxes stuck in the ground, or vaporized into subatomic particles and vented into the cosmos like a bad case of gas? No reason that I can think of. I have devoted my life to the study of death, and do you know what I found? Death is nothing more than the result of cellular boredom.
Jake: Boredom?
Giger: Think about it. The cells in your body have been doing the same job, the same dull monotonous routine, every day since you were conceived. Metabolize, divide, metabolize, divide. Wouldn't you get bored? Of course you would. So at some point, the cells just say, 'that's it', and you, the unwary victim of cellular ennui, are quite literally bored to death.
Nog: I never thought about it that way.
Giger: Doctor Bathkin of Andros Three was the first to come up with the answer to solving the puzzle of death. Keep the cells energized. Keep them in the game by teaching them new mitochondrial tricks. Unfortunately, before he could finish his work, Doctor Bathkin died in a shuttle accident. Or so they say. And while the soulless minions of orthodoxy refuse to follow up on his important research, I could hear the clarion call of destiny ringing in my ears. And now, after fifteen years of tireless effort, after being laughed at and hounded out of the halls of the scientific establishment, after begging and scrounging for materials across half the galaxy, I have nearly completed work on this. The Cellular Regeneration and Entertainment Chamber.
Jake: What does it do?
Giger: I'm glad you asked. It is specially designed to transmit biogenic energy on a chromoelectric wavelength and send uplifting and entertaining messages to the nuclei of every cell in your body. Spend eight hours a day in this machine and your cells will never get bored. You will never grow old, and most important, you will never die. That is the goal of my work, nothing less than immortality itself.
Jake: Excuse us for a moment.
Giger: Of course.
Jake: What do you think?
Nog: I don't know. I'm no expert in cellular chemistry but his theory sounds a little odd to me.
Jake: He had me going there for a minute, but a Cellular Entertainment Machine?
Nog: He's crazy, isn't he?
Jake: Completely. But he does have the baseball card.
Nog: So?
Jake: So that means we've got to help him.
Nog: I'm not so sure this is such a good idea.
Jake: Nog, I can't let my father down.
Nog: Let him down? Your father doesn't even know this card exists. I don't know which of you is crazier.
Jake: I'm not crazy. I'm just a little obsessed.
Nog: A little?
Jake: Okay, Doctor. We're in.
Giger: Do you know how many germs are transmitted by a handshake? You want to kill me? Just nod if we have a deal. Him too.
Jake: Hey, Chief, we need a neodynium power cell from a Cardassian phase coil inverter. You think you could help us out?
O'Brien: That's an unusual piece of equipment. What do you need that for?
Nog: We have to trade it for a
Jake: It's kind of a secret.
O'Brien: I'm sure there's an old cell lying around here somewhere, but I don't have time to scrounge around for it at the moment.
Nog: What's the matter with you? Just tell him you're trying to give your father a gift.
Jake: No. I want it to be a surprise. You know you can't keep a secret on this station. If I tell the Chief, he tells Keiko, Keiko tells Dax
Nog: But you're not giving him any reason to help us. Okay. Let me show you a little something about incentive-based economics. Chief, may I ask you a question? Wouldn't you rather be doing something else right now?
O'Brien: Almost anything.
Nog: But isn't there something specific you'd rather be doing? Like going to the holosuites, maybe?
O'Brien: Sure.
Nog: I bet you'd rather be kayaking right now, wouldn't you? You probably haven't shot those rapids in weeks. No interruptions, no maintenance schedules. Just you and the river.
O'Brien: That's what I'd be doing right now if Decker hadn't gotten sick. But I have to recalibrate all these EPS regulators so they don't interfere with the station's artificial gravity grid.
Nog: What if someone else recalibrated the regulators for you? Someone like us?
O'Brien: You'd do that for me?
Jake: Absolutely.
Nog: Don't give it a second thought. Just go shoot those rapids.
O'Brien: Thanks. Thanks a lot. I owe you one.
Nog: Our pleasure. And Chief? About that power cell?
O'Brien: Oh, yeah. I think I know where there's one. I'll have it sent up to your quarters.
Jake: Thanks, Chief.
Nog: Come on. You calibrate, I'll scan.
Bashir: Five liters of anaerobic metabolites suspended in hydrosaline solution? What could you possibly want with that?
Nog: We can't tell you. It's a surprise for someone.
Bashir: They're not going to drink it, are they?
Jake: Oh, no. At least, I don't know. Is he?
Bashir: I don't have time for this.
Jake: Can I ask you one question? Wouldn't you rather be doing something else right now?
Bashir: No.
Jake: No?
Bashir: No. This is the first chance I've had to get any research done on my prion project in five months. You couldn't drag me away from here.
Jake: Oh.
Nog: What Jake is trying to say is that you seem unhappy.
Bashir: I suppose I have been feeling a little down, now that you come to mention it.
Nog: Just out of curiosity. If you had to name one thing that would make you happy right now, what would it be?
Bashir: I don't know.
Nog: Humor me. One thing. Anything at all.
Bashir: Kukalaka.
Jake: Excuse me?
Bashir: That's what I want. Leeta borrowed him, said he was cute, but she never brought him back.
Nog: Kuka-what?
Bashir: Kukalaka. You bring him to me and you'll have earned yourselves five liters of anaerobic metabolites suspended in hydrosaline solution.
Jake: Done. Just one thing, Doctor. What's a Kukalaka?
Winn: Weyoun has made a startling proposal. The Dominion wishes to sign a non-aggression treaty with Bajor.
Sisko: They're trying to split Bajor from the Federation.
Winn: Forgive me, Emissary, but you've already done that. It was your advice six months ago that kept Bajor out of the Federation. How did you put it? Bajor must stand alone. Well, we are very much alone now.
Sisko: Even though you're not a member of the Federation, Starfleet is committed to the protection of your world. We're not going to stand idly by and watch the Dominion conquer Bajor.
Winn: Can you promise me that you will not let one Jem'Hadar soldier set foot on Bajor? Can you promise me that you will use your entire fleet to protect our planet, even if it means sacrificing other worlds like Vulcan or Andor or Berengaria, or perhaps Earth itself?
Sisko: I can't make that kind of promise.
Winn: I wouldn't believe you if you did. So you see my predicament. If we ally ourselves with the Federation against the Dominion, we risk becoming the first casualty of the next war.
Sisko: And if you ally yourselves with the Dominion, you risk becoming the next conquered world.
Winn: A most unhappy choice. I have asked the Prophets to guide me, but they have not answered my prayers. I even consulted the Orb of Wisdom before coming here and it has told me nothing. So I come to you, Emissary. You have heard the voice of the Prophets. You were sent here to guide us through troubled times. Tell me what to do and I will do it. How can I save Bajor?
Sisko: You want my advice? Then this is it. Stall. Tell Weyoun you have to consult with the Council of Ministers, or that you have to meditate on your response. Anything you want, but you have to stall for time.
Winn: Time for what?
Sisko: I don't know. But I do know the moment of crisis isn't here yet, and until that moment arrives we have to keep Bajor's options open. I'm aware that this is difficult for you, given our past, but this time you have to trust me.
Winn: Very well, Emissary. We put ourselves in your hands. May we all walk with the Prophets.
Giger: Refreshed, regenerated, mildly entertained. I still get a little bored after the first five hours.
Jake: I've got half the things you wanted.
Giger: Good. Good. Where's the hydrosaline solution?
Jake: We should have it soon. Nog just got the bear. Don't ask.
Giger: You know what that is? It's the sound of immortality.
Weyoun: What's going on down there?
Jake: Nog! Turn that down! Nog! I'm working out here!
Nog: So am I! I have to listen to all of Worf's opera recordings and filter out the sub-harmonic distortions!
Jake: Can you turn that down? I'm trying to add a little humor to Kira's speech to the Agricultural Delegation.
Nog: No! I have to listen at precisely eighty two decibels because that's the volume Worf listens at! Of course, if I could've simply told him why I needed two meters of electro-plasma conduit from the Defiant, he probably would've just given it to me and things would be a lot quieter around here!
Jake: We can't tell anybody, Nog! Now, listen to this for a second. Thank you for that kind introduction, and thank you for inviting me to address you here today. I've always thought it odd that the topic of water reclamation was usually treated as such a dry subject. Is that funny?
Nog: No.
Jake: I didn't think so either.
Jake: Would you watch it with that thing.
Nog: Try staying out of the way.
Nog: He's probably sleeping inside his Cellular Entertainment thing again. It's not locked.
Odo: No, there is no record of a Doctor Giger being assigned to those quarters.
Jake: He was there, Odo.
Nog: Maybe the soulless minions of orthodoxy finally caught up with him.
Odo: The who?
Jake: We don't know who they are, but they were after Doctor Giger's Cellular Regeneration and Entertainment Chamber.
Odo: His what?
Jake: It's a device used to keep the cells in your body from getting bored. You see, he was going to transmit messages to people's cells to keep them entertained so they wouldn't die off and as a result these people would live forever.
Nog: Do you think he's really going to charge us with filing false reports, obstructing justice and being public nuisances? I can't have that on my Academy record.
Jake: I think he was just trying to scare us. Nog, look.
Nog: It's Kai Winn.
Jake: Do you see who she's talking to? That's the Vedek who was bidding against us at the auction.
Nog: Jake, I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm sure I'm not going to like it.
Jake: Don't you see? The Vedek was bidding on that lot because there was an old Bajoran mandala in it. He must have been working for the Kai. When they lost, the Kai must have gotten angry. And we all know how dangerous she is when she's angry.
Nog: What are you saying? That in order to get the mandala she kidnapped Giger?
Jake: It all makes sense now.
Nog: Jake, I'm really starting to worry about you.
Jake: Come on.
Nog: Where're we going?
Jake: Let me introduce you to a new human expression. We're going to beard the lion in its den.
Nog: Lions, Gigers, bears.
Jake: Oh my.
Weyoun: I hope you've found our talks as rewarding as I have, your Eminence. May I enquire if you plan on giving the First Minister a positive recommendation regarding the non-aggression pact?
Winn: I'm afraid I cannot reveal my recommendations to the First Minister. You understand.
Weyoun: Of course, of course. Forgive me for even asking. It is enough to know that you and I have found so many common interests. I feel that we are very much alike.
Winn: No. We are nothing alike. Nothing at all.
Winn: What is it, my children?
Jake: We need to talk.
Sisko: You accused the Kai of burglary and kidnapping?
Jake: We didn't really accuse her of anything.
Sisko: Oh, I see. You just implied it.
Nog: Exactly.
Sisko: Are you trying to be funny, Cadet? Because I'm not laughing.
Nog: No, sir.
Sisko: I want an explanation and I want it now.
Nog: Well, sir, it all began in my uncle Quark's bar when we saw this list of various
Jake: We were in the bar and I guess we got a little drunk.
Nog: Jake!
Jake: It won't do any good to lie about it, Nog.
Nog: What? Captain, I would like to separate myself from
Sisko: As you were, Cadet! Drunk. I see that my faith in the two of you has sadly been misplaced. You both are confined to quarters until further notice. Dismissed!
Nog: What did you say that for?
Jake: I didn't want him to know about the baseball card.
Nog: Of course not. If you tell him about the card, he might forgive us. He might even be grateful for all the effort we've gone through just to make him happy. And we certainly wouldn't want that. Habitat ring.
Jake: Once we get the card, everything'll be fine.
Nog: Jake, as your friend, I think I should tell you that you're starting to go over the edge. You need some perspective on all this. You need to get away, clear your head.
Nog: This isn't what I had in mind.
Weyoun: Do you think I'm a fool? Let's start at the beginning. What is the nature of your relationship with Doctor Elias Giger?
Jake: We barely know him. He had a baseball card that I wanted to give to my father to cheer him up. My father's the Station Commander, by the way.
Weyoun: I know who your father is. Go on.
Jake: That's it. We wanted the card, and so we agreed to help him get a few things for his research. We got all the equipment, but he disappeared about three hours ago and we haven't seen him since.
Weyoun: Do you really expect me to believe that everything you've been doing for the last twenty two hours has been perfectly innocent? That it was merely a coincidence that Doctor Giger has been running experiments with highly charged polaric particles directly below my quarters? I suppose there's also an innocent explanation to the secret meetings you've been having with virtually the entire senior staff of Deep Space Nine, or that Kai Winn met with you immediately after leaving me? I suggest that you stop playing games with me and tell me the truth. Quickly.
Jake: This is all just a misunderstanding. Nothing's going on, and we're certainly not involved in some secret plot against
Giger: You betrayed me. You turned me over to these soulless minions of orthodoxy. Well, they won't diskover the secret of my work without a
Giger: Fight.
Weyoun: So, there are secrets after all. There shouldn't be any secrets between friends, Jake. I do want to be your friend.
Nog: Do something.
Jake: All right. We'll tell you the truth.
Weyoun: I'm listening.
Jake: We weren't supposed to divulge this, but since you left us no choice. We're working for Starfleet Intelligence.
Nog: Oh, no.
Jake: Forget about it, Nog. We have to tell him. We've been investigating the man whose picture is in your hand right now. Until yesterday, that man, one Willie Mays, did not exist in any historical documents. Then, in the blink of an eye, that card appeared on the station, and at that same moment a bust of Willie Mays appeared at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. There's only one explanation. We suspect that this man is from the future.
Weyoun: A time traveler?
Jake: That's right. And so far that card is the only link we have to him. We must to find out what he's planning to do in the past, or what he may have done already. We need that card. The entire future of the galaxy may depend on us tracking down Willie Mays and stopping him.
Weyoun: I believe you.
Nog: You do?
Weyoun: Yes. That is, I believe your first story. That you're two innocent boys trying to give a gift to Captain Sisko.
Jake: You are very wise.
Weyoun: Which still leaves the question of what you were doing beneath my quarters.
Nog: He's harmless. He's just working on a way to become immortal.
Weyoun: Really? I have a background in, shall we say, creative genetics. I'd be most interested in hearing your theories.
Giger: Well, it may take some time to explain. Let me ask you a simple question. Do you want to die?
Nog: Excuse me? Can we go?
Weyoun: Of course.
Nog: Thank you.
Weyoun: Aren't you forgetting something? Captain's log, stardate 50929.4. Two days ago, this station felt like a tomb. I'd never seen so many of my crew depressed at the same time. But for some reason, it now seems as though a new spirit has swept through the station, as if someone had opened a door and let a gust of fresh air blow through a musty old house. Why this is happening, frankly, is a mystery to me. After all, nothing has really changed. The Dominion is still a threat, the Cardassians are still threatening to take the station, and I can still see the clouds of war gathering on the horizon. So why do I sense a new-found optimism in the air? But maybe I'm over-thinking this. Maybe the real explanation is as simple as something my father taught me a long time ago. Even in the darkest moments, you can always find something that'll make you smile.