Dax: That's it?
Sisko: That's it. The City of B'hala, painted nearly twenty thousand years ago.
Dax: Hmm.
Kira: Jadzia, you're looking at the most important Bajoran icon ever painted. The only known proof that B'hala actually existed, and all you have to say is hmm.
Dax: No, it's just that you both gave it such a build up I thought it would be a lot bigger.
Kira: We've been trying to force the Cardassian government to return this to us since the end of the Occupation. It's good to have it back.
Dax: I thought you said it was going to be returned to the State Museum in Ilvia.
Sisko: It will be. Tomorrow. But I couldn't let it pass without stealing a look. Sometimes being the Emissary isn't such a bad thing. You see this? It's a Bantaca spire. Ancient Bajoran cities were built around them. They were all about eleven meters high, made from hundreds of stones carved and fitted together so tightly they didn't need mortar.
Kira: It's said they mark the city's place in the cosmos.
Dax: Beautiful markings.
Sisko: Supposedly, they're coordinates of the lost city. But because we can't see the markings on the other two sides, they're impossible to decipher.
Kira: Which is why B'hala is likely to remain lost.
Sisko: Before you pack it up, have it scanned into the computer.
Dax: You're going to study it? Maybe see if you can find the lost city?
Kira: I was just thinking about Zocal's third prophecy. It said only someone who had been touched by the Prophets could find the ruins of B'hala.
Dax: No pressure.
Sisko: Computer, magnify grid C four.
Sisko: It's a reflection. Magnify D two.
Sisko: Computer. Process Sisko image file three seven six. Reduce in size seventy five percent.
Sisko: Oh. Ah, yes. Superimpose grid D two. Reverse image and enhance.
Quark: Sorry to disturb you, Captain, but
Sisko: But what?
Quark: It's after three in the morning.
Sisko: Three, already?
Quark: Time flies when you're having fun.
Sisko: Quark I want you to save this program for me.
Quark: What is it?
Sisko: An ancient puzzle.
Quark: You know, Captain, if you like puzzles I have a wide assortment of pleasure mazes. And they all come with a surprise in the center.
Sisko: Never mind, Quark. I'll save the program myself.
Quark: Computer, Quark to Infirmary. Medical emergency in holosuite four.
Quark: You said yourself the Captain's all right.
Odo: Lucky for you.
Quark: Then why am I being arrested? I already told you it was an accident. A minor technical difficulty. You can't arrest somebody for a minor technical difficulty.
Odo: No, but I can arrest you for negligence. Your own records show your holosuites are in desperate need of maintenance.
Quark: Which is what I've been telling Chief O'Brien for the past week. I begged him to have Rom fix them, but you know what he said? Rom's too busy upgrading the sensor array. Can you believe that? Anyone can fix the sensor array but no one can fix the holosuites like that idiot brother of mine. So you see, if anyone should be arrested for negligence, it's Chief O'Brien.
Odo: Tell it to the magistrate.
Bashir: Well, there are no signs of any permanent neural damage, although I am reading some odd synaptic potentials. Let me ask you something, does my uniform look any brighter to you?
Sisko: Yes, everything does. Colors seem more intense and shapes more focused.
Bashir: It's called post-neural shock syndrome. Your neural pathways were overloaded by the plasma burst. All external stimuli are going to seem more pronounced. It's going to take a while for things to settle down though, so I'm going to put you on restricted duty for the next three days. And if you experience any other side effects such as headaches, dizziness, even nausea, let me know immediately.
Sisko: Yes.
Bashir: In the meantime, enjoy the show.
Jake: So, did dinner meet with the Sisko stamp of approval?
Sisko: Grandpa would be so proud of you.
Jake: I was a little worried I overcooked the lingta roast, but I'm glad you liked it anyway. Can I get you anything else?
Sisko: Oh, no, I'm fine.
Jake: I guess you'll be cooking tomorrow night.
Sisko: Why's that?
Jake: To welcome back Kasidy Yates to the station. Maybe cook some of that jambalaya that she likes so much.
Sisko: We'll see.
Jake: Dad, Kasidy's spent the last six months in prison for helping the Maquis. She's paid the price for what she did.
Sisko: I suppose so.
Jake: I just hope you give her a chance that's all. You two had something together.
Jake: Dad? Dad, what is it?
Sisko: These shapes. I know what they are.
Dax: Ops to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Dax: Sorry to disturb you, Captain, but I have Admiral Whatley calling from Starfleet Headquarters.
Sisko: I'll take it in here.
Whatley: Hello, Ben.
Sisko: Admiral.
Whatley: How've you been?
Sisko: Never better.
Whatley: Glad to hear it. I know you've been waiting for this news for a long time. I'm glad to be the one who tells you. Bajor's petition to join the Federation has been approved.
Sisko: It's about time.
Whatley: Congratulations, Ben. You've done a hell of a job out there.
Sisko: Thank you.
Whatley: And we're not the only ones who think so. The Bajorans requested that the signing ceremony take place on your station. So make sure you spruce up that floating bicycle wheel of yours. Count on me and a lot of other brass showing up for this one, Captain. cap.
Quark: Computer, spotlight.
Quark: Drum roll.
Worf: Welcome Klingons.
Quark: Not that one.
Dax: I see you're prepared for anything.
Quark: Never hurts.
Dax: I take it you think the Federation membership is going to be good for business?
Quark: Of course it is. This station is going to get busier than an Alvanian beehive. I'm expecting to do five times the volume in root beer alone. You see, it's all about foot traffic. The more people come in, the more they drink. The more they drink, the more they talk. The more they talk, the more they let slip things that I shouldn't know, And that, that always leads to latinum.
Worf: Perhaps so. But there is one problem.
Quark: What's that?
Worf: There is an ancient Klingon proverb that says, You cannot loosen a man's tongue with root beer.
Kira: It is wonderful news, Vedek Mera. I'll see you at the signing ceremony. Enjoying the celebration?
Dax: As far as I'm concerned, the Federation should accept a new member every week.
Worf: And you, Major? Are you celebrating?
Kira: You know, five years ago I wouldn't have been. I didn't think Federation membership was right for Bajor. It hadn't been that long since the occupation and I thought it was important for us to learn to stand on our own two feet.
Worf: And what changed your mind?
Kira: A lot of things. My time on the station, my dealings with Starfleet, but mostly the captain.
Dax: He can be very persuasive.
Kira: No doubt about it. He made me a believer.
Dax: Well I'll drink to that.
Kira: Where is the Captain? I'd like to congratulate him.
Dax: Well, he was here for a little while, but I think he went back to the holosuite.
Quark: Don't worry. I fixed it.
Kira: Captain. Sir? Is something wrong? Captain! Benjamin!
Sisko: Major.
Kira: Are you all right?
Sisko: I was there.
Kira: Sir?
Sisko: B'hala. It was the eve of the Peldor Festival. I could hear them ringing the temple chimes.
Kira: You were dreaming.
Sisko: No, I was there. I could smell the burning bateret leaves, taste the incense on the wind. I was standing in front of the obelisk and as I looked up, for one moment I understood it all. B'hala, the Orbs, the occupation, the diskovery of the wormhole, the coming war with the Dominion.
Kira: You could see the future as well as the past?
Sisko: For one moment, I could see the pattern that held it all together.
Kira: You were having a pagh'tem'far, a sacred vision.
Sisko: Hell, I don't know what I had, but it felt wonderful.
Kira: The Prophets chose well when they made you their Emissary. So how does it all fit together?
Sisko: I wish I knew. Someone woke me up.
Kira: I was worried about you.
Sisko: I understand. If I found you in the middle of a pagh'tem'far, I'd be worried about you, too.
O'Brien: O'Brien to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
O'Brien: Sir, I've just received word that Kai Winn is on her way to the station. She should arrive in less than two hours.
Sisko: Thank you, Chief. Major Kira will greet her at the airlock. Make my apologies. Tell the Kai that I am busy today but I'll meet with her tomorrow. Make something up.
Kira: Where are you going to be?
Sisko: Right here. The answer is in this spire. I know it.
Kira: Kai Winn.
Winn: Greetings, my child. You look very sweet.
Kira: Looks can be deceiving. But you don't need me to tell you that.
Winn: Why isn't the Emissary here to greet me?
Kira: I'm afraid Captain Sisko's busy at the moment.
Winn: Still basking in the adulation of Starfleet Command.
Kira: Something like that.
Winn: I'm sure the Federation is very pleased with the job he's done.
Kira: I thought everyone was.
Winn: Well, not everyone. You know, our culture has had only five short years to recover from the occupation. Only five years of freedom. It hardly seems enough time, does it?
Kira: Well, Bajor's still going to be free. Joining the Federation isn't going to change that.
Winn: I see working beside Captain Sisko all these years has had quite an influence on you.
Kira: I have to give you credit. You just never give up. I'm sure the Emissary will consider everything you have to say, and then Bajor's admittance can go forward unobstructed.
Winn: I await the will of the Prophets.
Kasidy: Hello, Ben.
Sisko: Kasidy.
Kasidy: Jake said I could find you here.
Sisko: Something wrong?
Kasidy: Er, no, not at all. I'm just a little surprised. I didn't know you'd be happy to see me.
Sisko: What are you doing for the next few hours?
Kasidy: I don't know. I just got here.
Sisko: Why don't you come to Bajor with me?
Kasidy: Right now?
Sisko: I think I know where to find B'hala, the sacred lost city of Bajor. You see these markings here? They're a coordinate system keyed to mark the position of the stars at a certain time of night. You don't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about, do you?
Kasidy: Not a clue.
Sisko: Well, why don't you come to Bajor and I will show you.
Kasidy: I'm not even sure where I'm staying yet.
Sisko: You can have your old quarters, if you want them.
Kasidy: They're still available?
Sisko: Everything is just as you left it. I have some pull with the station's CO.
Kasidy: Ben, I've missed you.
Sisko: I'm glad you're back. Now what do you say we go find B'hala?
Kasidy: Somehow I don't think you'll take no for an answer.
Sisko: This way.
Kasidy: Oh, we must be two hundred meters underground. I don't want to be negative, Ben, but this doesn't look like a lost city to me.
Sisko: You're looking at twenty thousand years of sediment here. Come on, stay close. We're not far from
Kasidy: Oh, what's the matter?
Sisko: It's nothing. I'll be all right in a second. Julian said that headaches might be a side effect of the accident.
Kasidy: Or obsessing over an ancient Bajoran city? Is that a side effect, too?
Sisko: You're being negative again. Come on, it's just around the bend.
Kasidy: What is it?
Sisko: B'hala.
Kasidy: Ben, it's a wall of stone.
Sisko: But what's behind the wall?
Worf: Those quarters are not appropriate for Admiral Colti. She outranks Admiral Veta.
Odo: Well then we'll put her in H two, Veta in D nine, and Rifkin in K four.
Worf: That will not do. Rifkin commands a starship. Protocol requires he be given equal quarters.
Odo: But he's only a captain.
Worf: It is naval tradition.
Odo: So is keelhauling, but right now we should focus on accommodations. Don't you agree, Major? Major?
Kira: Hmm?
Odo: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your reverie.
Kira: I was just thinking about Captain Sisko finding B'hala. Bajoran archeologists have been searching for the sacred city for ten thousand years. He found it in just a few days.
Worf: Your gods have granted the Captain a powerful vision.
Odo: Or else he made a very lucky guess.
Kira: It's a sign. A sign from the Prophets.
Odo: I wonder if the Prophets can help us find quarters for Captain Rifkin.
Winn: I hope I'm not interrupting. I was wondering, could I have a word with you, Major?
Kira: Of course. Good luck.
Odo: I was about to say the same to you.
Winn: My child, you and the Emissary are close, are you not?
Kira: I consider Captain Sisko a friend.
Winn: So you know his mind, how he thinks, how he reacts in certain situations
Kira: I'm not really sure what you're asking.
Winn: I'm asking if you think the Emissary will forgive me.
Kira: Forgive you?
Winn: For doubting him. He must have been aware that I never truly believed he was the Emissary.
Kira: I'm sure it crossed his mind.
Winn: I was wrong, I know that now. Only someone touched by the Prophets could have found B'hala.
Kira: Does that mean you're not going to try to block Bajor's admittance into the Federation?
Winn: I'm going follow the path the Emissary has laid out for us.
Kira: I must admit I'm surprised to hear that. It takes a lot of courage to admit you're wrong.
Winn: And you think I lack courage?
Kira: I didn't say that.
Winn: But it is what you think. Those of you who were in the Resistance, you're all the same. You think you're the only ones who fought the Cardassians, that you saved Bajor singlehandedly. Perhaps you forget, Major, the Cardassians arrested any Bajoran they found teaching the word of the Prophets. I was in a Cardassian prison camp for five years and I can remember each and every beating I suffered. And while you had your weapons to protect you, all I had was my faith and my courage. Walk with the Prophets, child. I know I will.
Sisko: Hello, Admiral.
Whatley: Ben. So this is the ancient city of Balla.
Sisko: B'hala.
Whatley: Missing for twenty thousand years and you found it. Pretty impressive. Sure as hell impressed the Bajorans. How'd you know where to look?
Sisko: You might say it came to me in a vision.
Whatley: I know that's what the Bajorans think. But just between you and me, what really happened?
Sisko: I know it's hard to understand, but it really was a vision. For the past few days, I've had these moments of insight, flashes of understanding.
Whatley: And they started after that accident. I don't know, Ben. This is a little strange.
Sisko: You didn't come here to see B'hala, did you, Admiral?
Whatley: No, I came to see you. I was surprised you weren't on the station when I arrived.
Sisko: I'm sorry about that.
Whatley: Not sorry enough to return my comm. signals. All three of them. That could get an officer in a lot of trouble. Look, Ben, I need to know that I can count on you. Now, Bajor's admission is only the beginning. Now comes the hard part. Federation council members have to be chosen, the Bajoran militia has to be absorbed into Starfleet. There are thousands of details that have to be overseen and you're our point man here. That means we need to depend on you more than ever.
Sisko: Don't worry. I won't let you down.
Whatley: I'm glad to here that. Now, what do you say we get back up to the station?
Sisko: I can't go back to the station. Not just yet.
Whatley: Why not? I'm sure the Bajorans can take it from here. Or were you thinking of digging up this entire city all by yourself?
Sisko: Charlie, I just need a little more time.
Whatley: For what?
Sisko: For answers. There's clarity here. I wish I could explain it better, but I can't.
Whatley: You're scaring me with this, Ben.
Sisko: I'm a little scared too, Admiral.
Whatley: All right, I'll give you some time. But I want you back on the station by zero seven hundred hours tomorrow. You're to report to Doctor Bashir for a complete physical.
Sisko: I'll be there.
Whatley: Good.
Whatley: It's oh seven fifteen. Where the hell is he?
Bashir: His runabout only docked twenty five minutes ago, sir. I'm sure he's on his way.
Whatley: When he gets here, I want you to give him a full work-up.
Bashir: I examined him before he left for Bajor. He didn't complain of any new symptoms, but my scans still showed the same odd synaptic potentials. I was hoping the problem would have cured itself by now.
Whatley: But it hasn't. Isn't there something you can do to help?
Bashir: I could try neuro-polaric induction. But that's a very serious operation, and I'd rather not do it unless it were absolutely necessary.
Whatley: So in the meantime he's going to keep having visions. I knew we were headed for trouble the minute he allowed the Bajorans to call him Emissary.
Bashir: He didn't have much choice. The Bajorans are deeply committed to their spirituality, not to mention incredibly stubborn. They believe that Captain Sisko is the Emissary and nothing's going to change their minds.
Woman: Here he comes!
Bashir: I told you held be here, sir.
Sisko: There's no need to worry. The katterpod harvest will be much better this year. You don't belong here. Go home.
Bashir: Captain?
Whatley: What's wrong?
Sisko: I'm fine. Admiral.
Whatley: What is it, Ben?
Sisko: Your son. You can stop worrying about him. He forgives you.
Whatley: How the hell did he know that Kevin and I weren't getting along?
Bashir: He's the Emissary.
Bashir: That should do it. I'll have the test results in a few minutes.
Whatley: Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?
Kira: Captain?
Sisko: Cardassia.
Kira: Sir?
Sisko: That's where it was going. The cloud.
Whatley: What cloud?
Sisko: I was on Bajor. B'hala had been rebuilt. The people were in the streets, celebrating. But then a shadow covered the sun. We looked up and saw a cloud filling the sky. It was a swarm of locusts, billions of them. They hovered over the city, the noise was deafening, but just as quickly as they came, they moved on. Now I know where they were going. Cardassia.
Kira: What do you think it means?
Sisko: I don't know.
Kira: At least the swarm was moving away from Bajor. That's a good sign. Isn't it?
Sisko: But what do these locusts represent? And why Cardassia?
Whatley: You were dreaming. And dreams don't always make sense.
Sisko: This was no a dream.
Bashir: Captain, why didn't you tell me about these headaches of yours?
Sisko: I guess I was too busy.
Bashir: Well, if you'd stayed busy much longer you could have died. The area of unusual neural activity has increased another eight percent. As a result, your basal ganglia are starting to depolarize. I'm going to have to operate, try to repolarize your neural sheaths.
Sisko: How will that affect my visions?
Whatley: That's not really the issue here, is it?
Sisko: It is to me. Doctor?
Bashir: Well, there's no way to tell for sure. But I assume if I can complete the procedure, your brain activity will return to normal and the visions will stop.
Sisko: Then you can't do it.
Whatley: Ben, that's ridiculous.
Bashir: If I don't operate, sir, you could die.
Sisko: I understand that. But something is happening to me. Something extraordinary. I have to see it through.
Jake: What do you mean you're not going to let Doctor Bashir operate on you? You have to.
Sisko: Don't you see? These visions are gifts. I can't refuse them.
Kasidy: I cannot believe what I'm hearing. Listen to yourself, Ben. Sitting there, telling us that this mystical journey of yours is more important than watching your son grow up.
Jake: Dad, please think about what you're doing. These visions, they're not worth dying for.
Sisko: I remember the first time I held you in my hands. You were only a few minutes old and when I looked down at your face, it was almost as if I could see your whole life stretched out in front of you. All the joys it would bring, and the bruises. It was all there, hidden in that scrunched up little face. The baby that I'm holding in my hands now is the universe itself. And I need time to study its face.
Kasidy: Look at the face of your son now and then tell me you're doing the right thing.
Sisko: Come in.
Winn: It's time, Emissary, if you're ready.
Sisko: I am.
Kasidy: Ready for what?
Winn: The Emissary has asked for help in his journey. I'm providing it.
Jake: And you trust her? Since when?
Sisko: Jake, it'll be all right. I love you. Both of you.
Kira: I've never seen the Temple so crowded. Seemed like every Bajoran on the station was there to pray for the Emissary.
Dax: Glad to hear it. He going to need all the help he can get if he's going to survive this.
Kira: The Captain is not going to die. He is the Emissary. The Prophets will take care of him.
O'Brien: With all due respect, Major, I'd rather see Julian take care of him.
Kira: Chief, I know you're worried, but the Prophets are leading the Emissary on this path for a reason.
Worf: Do not attempt to convince them, Major. They cannot understand.
Dax: Since when did you believe in the Prophets?
Worf: What I believe in is faith. Without it there can be no victory. If the Captain's faith is strong, he will prevail.
Dax: That's not much to bet his life on.
Kira: You're wrong. It's everything.
O'Brien: I hope you're right, Major. I hope you're right.
Winn: He asks for your guidance. Let him see with your eyes. Lift the veil of darkness that obscures his path. Emissary?
Sisko: I'm ready.
Winn: The Orb of Prophecy is very powerful. It taxs even the healthy. Are you sure you want to go through with this?
Sisko: I have to. I need to bring the visions into focus, tie them together. I can't do it alone.
Winn: But you're very weak. Perhaps it would be better to wait until after the signing.
Sisko: I may not have time. I need to do this now.
Winn: As you wish. May the Prophets reveal their wisdom to you, Emissary.
Whatley: He's already an hour late.
Winn: He's still consulting the Orb of Prophecy.
Whatley: How long do these Orb experiences last?
Winn: Minutes. Hours. Sometimes days.
Whatley: Then maybe we shouldn't wait for him. Do you have any objections to proceeding without Captain Sisko?
Winn: I'm sure the Emissary would want to be here, but under the circumstances.
Whatley: May I have your attention. I've been looking forward to this day for many years, as I'm sure all of you have. Welcoming a new planet to the Federation is the happiest assignment an Admiral could hope for. The Federation is not just a union of planets, it's much more.
Winn: Emissary!
Whatley: Get him to the Infirmary.
Sisko: No! I have to tell them.
Winn: What is it, Emissary? Have the Prophets revealed something to you?
Sisko: Locusts. They'll destroy Bajor unless it stands alone.
Whatley: Ben, what the hell are you talking about?
Sisko: It's too soon! Bajor must not join the Federation. If it does, it will be destroyed.
Bashir: His entire central nervous system is depolarizing. We have to operate immediately.
Whatley: Then what are you waiting for?
Kira: Captain Sisko made it clear he didn't want surgery.
Kasidy: What are you suggesting, Major? We stand around and let him die?
Kira: It isn't about what I want or what you want, it's about Captain Sisko. And he told us he doesn't want anything interfering with his visions.
Whatley: Major, these visions may be important, but I think we're all in agreement here that they are not as important as Captain Sisko's life. Start the procedures.
Bashir: It's not that simple. Captain Sisko refused surgery and I can't go against the decision of my patient. Not without the express consent of his closest relative.
Jake: I guess that means it's up to me. Dad, I know you want to see this thing to the end, but I need you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do.
Bashir: Prepare for surgery. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. Nurse.
Winn: Any news about the Emissary?
Kira: He's still in surgery.
Winn: I hope the Prophets will forgive us. We never should have allowed the Federation to interfere with the Emissary's visions.
Kira: It wasn't the Federation. It was his son and he had every right to make that decision.
Winn: It was a selfish act.
Kira: He's an eighteen year-old boy who doesn't want to lose his father. What would you have done in his place?
Winn: I would trust the Prophets.
Kira: Maybe we're the ones who need to trust the Prophets. For all we know, this is part of their plan. Maybe they've told Captain Sisko everything they want him to know.
Winn: Perhaps. I suppose you heard that Bajor will not join the Federation today. The Council of Ministers has voted to delay acceptance of Federation membership.
Kira: You must be very pleased.
Winn: I wish I were. But things are not that simple. Not anymore. Before Captain Sisko found B'hala, my path was clear. I knew who my enemies were. But now? Now nothing is certain.
Kira: Makes life interesting, doesn't it?
Sisko: No. No! You took them away.
Bashir: We had no choice. You were dying.
Sisko: I almost had it. Almost understood it all. Now it's gone.
Sisko: Yes.
Whatley: How are you feeling?
Sisko: I'm fine, Admiral.
Whatley: Look, Ben, it's not too late. You could contact the Chamber of Ministers. Tell them you were wrong. Convince them to accept Federation membership.
Sisko: I can't do that. The visions may have faded, but everything I said, everything I did, still feels right. When I said that Bajor should wait before it joins the Federation, I have never felt so certain about anything in my life.
Whatley: I was afraid you would say that, Ben. I could have your commission for this.
Sisko: I know.
Whatley: But considering how the Bajorans feel about you, if I pulled you from this post we'd probably lose Bajor forever.
Sisko: Admiral, for what it's worth, I wish things had turned out differently.
Whatley: So do I.
Sisko: But it's not over. One day Bajor will join the Federation. That I'm sure of.
Whatley: Are you speaking as a Starfleet Captain or as the Emissary of the Prophets?
Sisko: Both.
Whatley: In that case, I'll keep the champagne on ice.
Jake: Just in time, Dad.
Sisko: What's this all about?
Kasidy: It's about jambalaya.
Jake: We never had that welcome back dinner for Kasidy.
Kasidy: Welcome back. To both of us. Ben, I can't say I understand what you've gone through. I know you feel you've lost something important and maybe you have. But believe me, you've held on to something important as well.


Latha: I am Vedek Latha Mabrin and I welcome you to the Calash Retreat. Today we begin prayer and meditation as preparation for our Days of Atonement. May the Prophets walk with us as we begin our journey.
Bashir: Have you been taking your makara herbs?
Kira: Absolutely. Mostly.
Bashir: Kira, you have to take them. Your progesterone levels are way too low.
Kira: But if I take the herbs, then the sedatives you gave me don't work.
Bashir: Yes, the herbs do act as a counteragent, but I thought you said you weren't having any trouble sleeping and that you didn't need any sedatives?
Kira: I don't. But Julian, those herbs taste like something that crawled out of Quark's ear.
Bashir: Just take them.
Kira: All right.
Odo: Major, may I have a word with you?
Bashir: We're finished here.
Kira: Sure.
Odo: I'm afraid I have bad news. One of the former members of your resistance cell has been killed on Bajor. Latha Mabrin.
Kira: How?
Odo: It appears a small hunter probe was hidden inside a ceremonial candle and fired a disruptor blast.
Kira: Do they have any suspects?
Odo: Too many. Before he became a Vedek, your friend was involved in some very questionable activities.
Kira: Latha was a violent man, but then he found the Prophets, and the last time I talked to him, he'd changed, really changed.
Odo: I don't doubt that, Major. But it would appear that the violence of his past finally has caught up with him.
Kira: Let me know if you hear anything else.
Odo: Of course.
Computer: Major Kira, there is one message waiting for you.
Kira: Play back message.
Voice: That's one.
Kira: Replay audio.
Voice: That's one.
Kira: Again.
Voice: That's one.
Voice: That's one.
Odo: As you might have guessed, there's no point of origin listed in the computer log.
Sisko: When did we receive this message?
Kira: It came over the primary subspace antenna at thirteen forty one hours. Almost the same moment Latha was killed on Bajor.
Sisko: And you think that this is a threat against all the former members of the Shakaar resistance cell?
Odo: That's my working theory, but I'm not ruling anything out.
Sisko: Did anyone else receive this message?
Kira: Not that we know of. So obviously there's some connection to me, but I don't know what it is. I haven't even spoken to Latha in two years.
Odo: I'm waiting for the preliminary crime scene report from the authorities on Bajor before I begin my own investigation. But I'd like to increase security here on the station and initiate random checks on all incoming cargo.
Sisko: Agreed.
Kira: I've contacted most of the surviving members of the Shakaar and warned them to take precautions, just in case.
Sisko: I'm sorry about your friend.
Kira: He died serving the Prophets. They'll take care of him.
Sisko: I'm sure they will. Keep me informed.
O'Brien: How you feeling?
Kira: Fine. Exhausted. I didn't sleep much and Julian's got me back on those herbs again.
O'Brien: I know. I heard you pacing all night.
Kira: I'm sorry.
O'Brien: Don't be. I would've gotten up and kept you company, but I figured you wanted to be alone.
Kira: I couldn't stop thinking about Latha. All those fire fights and bombings he lived through just to be killed during a religious ceremony. You know, if I wasn't pregnant I would be down on Bajor right now trying to narrow down the suspects.
O'Brien: You're safer on the station.
Kira: That's what's driving me crazy. I'm sitting here eating breakfast while someone may be hunting down my friends. I'm a Major in the Bajoran militia. I should be down there trying to protect them.
O'Brien: Right now you're needed here, protecting someone else.
Kira: Yeah, right. I guess I do have my hands full at the moment.
Odo: Ops to Major Kira.
Kira: Go ahead, Odo.
Odo: There's another incoming message for you, Major, and they refuse to give either their name or location.
Kira: I'm on my way.
Odo: We're having trouble tracing the signal.
Sisko: They're running it through some kind of scrambler and using a phase-divergent carrier wave. Try to keep them talking.
Kira: This is Major Kira Nerys. Who am I speaking to?
Fala: Nerys? Is that really you?
Kira: Fala?
Fala: Are you alone? I don't want anyone to hear me. I think, I think someone's trying to trace my signal.
Kira: Stand by. She's a friend. Her name's Trentin Fala.
Sisko: One of the members of your cell?
Kira: No.
Odo: Then why is she hiding her location?
Kira: I'd rather not talk about it here, but trust me, she's no threat to anyone. Let me talk to her alone and see what's going on.
Kira: I'm alone, and no one here will trace your signal.
Fala: You heard about Latha? They killed him. As he knelt in prayer, they killed him!
Kira: I know. And the authorities are investigating that right now.
Fala: They're going to kill me too, Nerys. They've been watching me.
Kira: Who's been watching you?
Fala: I don't know, but I feel it. I need to get out of here, go somewhere safe. Please, Nerys, you've got to help me. You always promised that you'd help.
Kira: All right, calm down. I'll protect you. You can stay here at the station until all of this is over. Two of our officers are returning this afternoon from Starbase sixty three. I'll reroute them to Bajor and have them pick you up. Okay?
Fala: Okay.
Kira: Their names are Worf and Jadzia Dax. They'll contact with you within the hour.
Fala: I knew I could count on you.
Kira: I'll see you soon.
Dax: You've been smirking ever since we left the Starbase.
Worf: I do not smirk. But if I did this would be a good occasion.
Dax: How was I supposed to know that Captain Ramirez was a three-time tongo champion?
Worf: You might have asked before mocking him and then allowing him to up the stakes to a no-limit game.
Dax: I didn't lose that much.
Worf: Two bars of latinum. I hope you have it.
Dax: I have it. Most of it. Worf?
Worf: No.
Dax: Fine. I'll borrow it from Quark. He likes me.
Worf: Major Kira's friend is ready for transport. Quark may lend you the money, but remember Rule of Acquisition number one hundred and eleven. Treat people in your debt like family, exploit them.
Dax: You know the Rules of Acquisition?
Worf: I am a graduate of Starfleet Academy. I know many things.
Dax: Energizing.
Dax: There's a power surge in the buffer!
Worf: Something is interfering with the integration matrix.
Dax: I'm transferring her pattern to the secondary buffer.
Worf: Boost the gain on the energizing coils.
Dax: It won't go any higher. I'm losing her!
Bashir: I'm sorry, Nerys.
Kira: I'm hearing that a lot lately. Can I have a moment?
Bashir: Of course.
Sisko: I wish there was something I could say, Major.
Kira: Just tell me it was an accident.
Sisko: The Constable thinks otherwise.
Odo: I believe she was killed by a remat detonator. It's a device programd to scramble a transporter beam during rematerialization. They're typically no more than two cubic millimeters in size. It could have been hidden in her clothing or injected into her skin.
Worf: The device is typically used by the Romulans. However, it is sold on the black market.
Kira: Why didn't the transporter security system detect the device?
Dax: We're not sure. The system is programd to scan for remats, so whoever did this has a sophisticated understanding of our security protocols.
Kira: And a vendetta against the Shakaar resistance cell.
Sisko: I thought you said that Trentin Fala wasn't a member of the Shakaar.
Kira: She wasn't, at least not officially. Fala spent the occupation cleaning floors in a Cardassian records office in Dahkur Province. She passed us information for years without anyone catching on. But she was always so afraid. Afraid that she'd be caught and executed. But she never stopped. I once told her that I thought she was braver than all of us, because she had to live with her fear every day. Even after the occupation was over, she didn't want anyone to know that she was secretly helping us. She was worried that someone would come looking for her for revenge.
Sisko: Looks like her fears were well founded.
Voice: That's two. That's two. That's two. That's two. That's two.
Quark: Hello, Major. I was just about to call you.
Kira: Quark, what is that?
Quark: I just found this PADD in a shipment of Saurian brandy that I just received. It was coded for you, but somehow I accidently activated it.
Kira: Give that to me.
Voice: That's two. That's two. That's two That's
Odo: Since she was an informant, it stands to reason that Fala was killed because she was providing information to the resistance. Information that the Shakaar used to plan an attack on a Cardassian target. The killer is probably someone who was either injured or who lost a family member or a friend in that attack.
Kira: We planned dozens of attacks based on Fala's information. It could be any of them.
Odo: Not any. We're dealing with an operation in which you played a prominent part. Now perhaps you could make a list of all the attacks by the Shakaar that you participated in?
Kira: That's a long list.
Odo: Someone is accessing the security database.
Kira: Can you trace it?
Odo: No.
Voice: That's three.
Kira: Mobara. He was in the Shakaar.
Odo: Where does Mobara live?
Kira: Er, Musilla Province, at the university. Engineering school.
Odo: I'm sending an emergency message to the authorities in Musilla. Maybe it's not too late. Are you all right?
Kira: No, I'm not all right! I haven't slept in three days, someone is killing my friends, and my back! Sorry.
Odo: No apology necessary, Major. They haven't been able to contact Mobara, so they're sending a search party to the university right now. They'll let us know what happens. Major, if I may make a suggestion? Why don't you return to your quarters and rest for now? It may be several hours before they're able to make a complete search.
Kira: Maybe you're right. But let me know the moment you hear something.
Odo: You have my word.
Kira: I'm going to lie down. Help yourself to the replicator if you're hungry.
Brilgar: Thank you, Major.
Kira: Don't move!
Furel: Hold it!
Kira: Furel?
Furel: Nerys?
Kira: You're lucky I didn't shoot you.
Furel: I could say the same about you. What are you doing creeping around in a dark room with a phaser.
Kira: I live here!
Lupaza: What about him?
Kira: This is Lieutenant Brilgar. He's station security. He's here to protect me.
Lupaza: Oh. Sorry.
Brilgar: You know these people, Major?
Kira: I'm afraid so. This is Furel and Lupaza. We were in the same resistance cell.
Furel: Brilgar, worry about the
Brilgar: Yeah, yeah. I'll be outside if you need me.
Kira: Thank you.
Kira: How did you get in here? We just installled a new security system.
Furel: And a pretty good one it is, too, but they have not yet invented the security system that Lupaza cannot beat.
Lupaza: It took some work, but I managed to retune the transporter scrambler.
Kira: You beamed in? From where?
Lupaza: We stowed away aboard a transport ship making a run from Bajor. Just before it docked, I accessed the station personnel records.
Furel: We beamed into the bedroom about five minutes ago. We heard somebody moving around in here. I thought it was you
Lupaza: But it turned out to be a man with a phaser
Furel: And I tried to tell her that we should contact you before we came.
Lupaza: You did not.
Kira: I should have you both thrown in the brig. But I'm glad to see you.
Furel: It's good to see you.
Lupaza: Go get it.
Lupaza: Can I? How much longer?
Kira: A couple of weeks.
Lupaza: Been sneezing?
Kira: Off and on. The doctor's giving me something. But before we get too deep into baby talk. I had another message today. This time it's Mobara.
Furel: Dead?
Kira: We don't know yet. There's a search party out right now looking for him.
Lupaza: Do you have any suspects?
Kira: No.
Furel: When you do, you let us know.
Lupaza: That's why we're here, to find out who's doing this and take care of it.
Kira: I can't send you out like some assassination squad.
Lupaza: You don't have to send us anywhere.
Furel: You just give us the name. We'll take care of the rest.
Kira: The occupation is over. We can't go around fighting private wars. Times have changed. We have got to change with it. Leave this for the authorities.
Furel: Authorities.
Lupaza: Maybe you feel that way now, but trust me, when you find out who killed Latha and Fala, and maybe now Mobara, you're not going to want to leave it to someone else. You're going to want him dead and you're going to want us to do it.
Kira: Maybe so. But we're not at that point yet. What's in the box?
Lupaza: It's for you.
Kira: For me?
Furel: A gift.
Kira: Makara herbs.
Furel: You're supposed to take them during your pregnancy.
Lupaza: She knows what they're for. We thought you might have trouble getting fresh herbs on the station, so we picked them last night.
Kira: Thanks. Really, thank you. Well, if you're staying, I'd better find you some quarters.
Lupaza: We're staying right here where we can keep an eye on you. On both of you.
Furel: We'll sleep out here. The couch is a little short, but it's probably as comfortable as our bed.
Kira: Well, since Keiko's visiting her parents with Molly, I guess there's room.
Furel: Hold it!
Kira: It's all right!
Kira: Miles, we have houseguests.
Odo: They found his body about two hours ago. Or at least what was left of it. Mobara had a micro-explosive implanted just behind his right ear.
Sisko: How could someone get close enough to implant something behind someone's ear and not get caught?
Odo: I doubt he was ever near Mobara. The killer's shown a pattern of using remote-controlled devices. He was probably using some kind of hunter probe and injected Mobara as he slept.
Sisko: What are we dealing with here, a professional assassin?
Odo: Well, that was my initial thought. But a professional would never be sending anonymous messages. No, our killer is someone with a very personal stake in this. Someone who is trying to make a point to Major Kira.
Sisko: And once he drives his point home?
Odo: He'll try to kill her, too.
Voice: That's one. That's two. That's three.
Nog: It doesn't sound natural.
Dax: No kidding.
Nog: I mean, I know they're using some kind of scrambler to disguise the voice, but there's something else. The rhythms don't sound natural. More like a composite of words from different speeches put together.
Kira: You can tell that through all that distortion?
Nog: It's the lobes. The intonation and phrasing are slightly off.
Dax: I made it a policy never to argue with someone's lobes.
Kira: All right, let's say these are composite messages. Does that help us?
Dax: Maybe. Since the first word of all three messages is the same, let's assume that it's simply been copied three times. That gives me a reference to begin screening out the electronic interference.
Voice: That's. That's. That's. That's. That's.
Nog: It's a female. And it's not Cardassian
Kira: You're sure? All right, all right.
Nog: It's Bajoran. I know that voice. Can I hear the rest of the words?
Kira: That's one. That's two. That's three.
Kira: It's me. He's using my voice.
Dax: There's been an explosion in the habitat ring.
Kira: Location?
Dax: Level five, section twenty one alpha. The O'Brien's quarters. Go to Red alert. Stop all incoming and outgoing ships until further notice.
Nog: Aye, sir.
Dax: Dax to Infirmary. Doctor Bashir report to Habitat ring level five, section twenty one alpha. Medical emergency.
Sisko: Report.
Dax: There's been an explosion in O'Brien's quarters. There's a hull breach. The compartment is venting air into space.
Sisko: Casualties?
Dax: No word yet. I'm having trouble scanning through the debris.
Odo: Where's Kira?
Guard: Major! You can't go in. There's a hull breach and
Kira: Get out of my way!
Guard 2: Major, please.
Brilgar: Major, no! You'll vent the whole corridor!
Bashir: Nerys. Nerys, can you hear me?
Kira: Julian.
Bashir: You're in the Infirmary.
Kira: The baby?
Bashir: He's fine. You suffered a placental laceration and then you began to hemorrhage. But I've repaired the damage. You're going to be all right.
Kira: Lupaza and Furel. They're dead, aren't they?
Bashir: I'm afraid so.
Kira: Miles?
Bashir: He wasn't there when it happened.
Kira: Did they die quickly?
Bashir: Instantly.
Odo: Doctor, may I?
Bashir: I'll be right outside.
Kira: I was thirteen when I joined the resistance. I'd been hanging around the Shakaar base camp for a couple of weeks, running errands, cleaning weapons, that kind of thing. Then one night they had an ambush planned and they were a man short, so I volunteered. But everyone thought I was too young, too small. Lupaza stuck up for me. She said I had the heart of a sinoraptor and they didn't have much choose. Furel made some kind of joke. I don't remember what it was, but I do remember that Lupaza hit him. She was always doing that. They loved each other in some way. But it was up to Shakaar and he stared at me for a long time before he decided I was big enough to carry a phaser rifle after all. So we set up the ambush up along a ridgeline that night and waited. It was so cold my hands were shaking. I was so afraid that one of them would look at me and think that I was nervous, that I kept biting my fingers to keep the blood flowing. We must have waited there three or four hours before the skimmer appeared and set down right where Furel said it would. And when that hatch opened and that first Cardassian stepped out, I just started firing. And I didn't stop till I'd diskharged the entire power cell. When it was all over, I was so relieved that I didn't let anyone down that I was almost giddy. Furel kept telling me to stop grinning, that it made me look younger, but I couldn't help it. I was one of them. I was in the Resistance. Lupaza made me this out of some of the metal from that skimmer. How were they killed?
Odo: Someone attached a small hunter probe to the hull of a Talavian freighter. When the ship docked at the station, the probe detached itself and then began a visual scan of every room in the Habitat ring. Once the probe found its assigned targets, it attached itself to the window and exploded.
Kira: Do you have any leads?
Odo: My sources on Cardassia have given me a list of possible suspects. They all have the computer skills, the opportunity and the motive to carry out these attacks.
Kira: You must have called in a lot of favors.
Odo: One or two.
Kira: How many people are on the list now?
Odo: Twenty five.
Kira: Can I see it?
Odo: Not just yet. I'd like to narrow it a little.
Kira: You're afraid I'm going to take the names and go charging off after them.
Odo: Something like that.
Kira: You're right. I probably would.
Odo: I'm going to find the person that's done this. I promise you that.
Kira: I know you will, Odo. Keep me informed.
Odo: Absolutely.
Computer: Emergency transport standing by. Enter command code authorisation.
Kira: Authorisation Kira one five seven alpha.
Computer: Initiating transport.
Kira: Computer, initiate emergency transport program Kira two.
Computer: Initiating transport.
Odo: Computer, locate Major Kira.
Computer: Major Kira is no longer on the station.
Odo: Damn.
Odo: She's obviously going after the suspects on the list, but she erased the names from my computer file when she got them so there's no way to know where she's headed.
Sisko: Prepare the Defiant. I want to leave in ten minutes. See if we can pick up her ion trail.
Worf: It will be difficult. Our sensor logs show that Major Kira masked her engine emissions with a polaron field. The runabout's particle
Sisko: I know what the difficulties are. You have your orders. Dismissed.
Worf: Aye, sir. Kira Nerys, personal log, stardate 50416.2. I've eliminated three of the suspects from Odo's list. I'm satisfied that none of them could've committed the murders. The fourth name is Silaran Prin, a Cardassian living on a planet near the DMZ.
Silaran: A creature born within the comforting anonymity of darkness, awakens in the harsh truth of daylight. It squirms in the glare, afraid of the light that pins it to the chair like a needle through its heart. Its heart beats faster.
Kira: Who's there? Silaran, is that you?
Silaran: Panic starts to creep into its soul. Does it understand? Or is it so blinded by the light that it can think only of returning to the velvet cloak of darkness? No matter. Perhaps it is better that it doesn't realize how close death has come. But make no mistake, there is no escape. It has reached the end, and soon it will die.
Kira: What's the matter, Silaran? Are you so afraid of a pregnant woman in a restraining field you have to hide in the dark?
Silaran: It bares its tiny fangs, hoping for a chance to strike, to sink its teeth deep into the flesh of its tormentor. But that chance will never come.
Kira: You'd better hope I don't get that chance.
Silaran: And somewhere beneath the gleam of hatred in those eyes lurks the certain knowledge of its impending death. And it begins to know fear.
Kira: I'm not afraid of you. I'm not some coward who's been sending anonymous messages and bombs to murder innocent people.
Silaran: No, Kira! I didn't murder anyone. You did! You killed them all.
Kira: There. That wasn't so hard, was it? Now we can talk.
Silaran: Talk and lies won't help you. You're in the light and the light reveals the truth. And the light shows me no regret in those eyes, no compassion.
Kira: You want me to feel compassion for you? You murdered five people. What compassion did you show to them?
Silaran: Unrepentant. How unfortunate. I thought you might have changed, might have found a path out of the darkness.
Kira: What am I supposed to be repentant for? What're you talking about?
Silaran: That is part of your guilt. You did this to me.
Silaran: And you don't even know who I am.
Kira: So you were wounded during an attack I carried out when I was part of the resistance, and I'm supposed to feel guilty? We were at war, Silaran. Fifteen million Bajorans died during the occupation and you want me to feel sorry for you?
Silaran: No, I wasn't part of your war. I was an innocent. I wasn't even in the military. You know what I did on Bajor? I was a servant. I cleaned uniforms for Gul Pirak.
Kira: Gul Pirak. Commander of the weapons depot at Hathon.
Silaran: I'm glad that you remember. Now, do you remember what you did? How you put a plasma charge outside his bedroom window in the middle of the night?
Kira: I remember he executed fifteen Bajoran farmers because they refused to display the Cardassian banner outside their homes.
Silaran: Trentin Fala showed you how to circumvent the defense system. Latha Mabrin built the plasma charge. Furel and Lupaza stood guard outside while you crept up to the house.
Kira: None of us liked killing. We were fighting for our freedom against
Silaran: You vaporized the entire east wing! Twelve Cardassians were killed, including Gul Pirak's entire family. Twenty three others were crippled. Don't you feel guilty? Don't you feel ashamed of what you did?
Kira: None of you belonged on Bajor. It wasn't your world. For fifty years you raped our planet and you killed our people. You lived on our land and you took the food out of our mouths, and I don't care whether you held a phaser in your hand or ironed shirts for a living. You were all guilty and you were all legitimate targets!
Silaran: And that's what makes you a murderer. Indiskriminate killing. No sense of morality. No thought given to the consequences of your actions. That's what makes us different.
Kira: I was a soldier. You're just a bitter old man out for revenge.
Silaran: I am bringing the guilty to justice. And unlike you, I take care to protect the innocent. I could have killed every monk in that cavern or everyone on the runabout, or half the population of Deep Space Nine, but I didn't. Only the guilty have died. And that is why, although though your actions have condemned you, the life of your child will be spared.
Kira: What does that mean? What does that mean?
Silaran: The creature's diseased mind cannot understand its plight. Its imagination is too limited to perceive the truth. It cannot be saved. But there is still hope for its child. It can be taken from the womb and raised in the light.
Kira: Listen to me, Silaran. The child I'm carrying, it isn't Bajoran, it's human. It has unique medical needs. If you force me to give birth now you risk
Silaran: The creature's cries grow louder, but no one can hear them. All that remains is to bring the child into the light and diskard the diseased carcass of the mother before it can infect it's offspring.
Kira: You can't bring it into the light! Not yet! Doctor Bashir said if I don't have at least three more weeks
Silaran: It's time.
Kira: We both agree this baby's an innocent. Don't put him at risk, please, Silaran.
Silaran: Don't worry. I promise that I'll take care of the child and that I'll teach him the difference between darkness and light.
Kira: Wait. Please, I'm begging you. At least give me a sedative. Show some compassion. Don't just cut me open.
Silaran: All right. I'll show more mercy than you have. Take a good look at my face, Kira. I want it to be the last thing you see.
Silaran: The creature slept, dreaming its dark dreams and happy to be out of the light. The innocent life it held would awaken in brilliance, and never know darkness again.
Odo: Are you all right?
Bashir: She's fine. There's a large amount of merfadon in her system.
Sisko: Merfadon?
Bashir: It's a sedative, but the makara herbs she's been taking have counteracted the effect.
Sisko: I take it this is our assassin?
Odo: Why did he give you a sedative?
Kira: He wanted to protect the innocent and separate the darkness from the light. But he didn't realize the light only shines in the dark and sometimes innocence is just an excuse for the guilty. Let's go home.
Sisko: Sisko to Defiant.
Crewman: Four to beam up. Energize.


Bashir: Good morning, Constable. And what can I do for you today?
Odo: It's my back.
Bashir: Let's take a look.
Odo: It happened this morning when I got out of bed.
Bashir: Hmm.
Odo: I have Alvanian spine mites, don't I?
Bashir: Actually
Odo: I'll be in pain for the rest of my life.
Bashir: Odo, you have a pinched nerve.
Odo: Really?
Bashir: It comes from bad posture.
Odo: Me? Ridiculous. You've never seen anyone sit so straight.
Bashir: Exactly. You carry yourself too rigidly.
Odo: This is how I've always carried myself.
Bashir: You haven't always have a spinal column. You're not a changeling anymore. Now that you're a humanoid, you have to learn to relax.
Odo: That's what you said last week.
Bashir: And?
Odo: And it helped. That and the prune juice.
Bashir: There, you see? I know what I'm talking about.
Quark: Back trouble?
Odo: It's none of your concern, Quark.
Quark: Bad posture.
Odo: Will you get out of here.
Bashir: What you need is a stretching regimen. Worf's morning exercise class should be just the thing.
Quark: Forget that. I've got a holosuite program that'll take care of him. Three Orion slave girls strap you
Odo: Quark.
Quark: Go ahead, suffer.
Odo: What do you want?
Quark: A Yridian I've been dealing with sold me something that might interest you.
Odo: I don't think so.
Quark: You don't even know what it is.
Odo: I know I don't want it.
Quark: In that case, can you tell me how to get in touch with the Founders? I know they'll want it.
Odo: What are you talking about?
Quark: It's a changeling. Or it was, anyway. Since it's dead I'll let you have it for five slips of latinum.
Odo: It's not dead.
Quark: In that case make it ten.
Odo: It's sick.
Quark: Eight and we'll call it even.
Quark: It's a pleasure doing business with you.
Bashir: If that is a changeling, maybe we should get it into a security field.
Odo: That won't be necessary.
Bashir: If it gets out of that container, it could be dangerous.
Odo: It's not going anywhere, Doctor. It doesn't know how. It's just a baby.
Sisko: A baby changeling?
Odo: Centuries ago, my people sent a hundred of us out into the galaxy so we could learn about other races. When I was found, I looked very much like this.
Sisko: You were this small?
Odo: Like a humanoid child, it'll grow. Its mass will increase as its shape-shifting abilities develop.
Bashir: As far as I can tell, it was exposed to a massive amount of tetryon radiation. I'm going to have to purge the isotopes with an electrophoretic diffuser.
Sisko: Get on it. Are you sure it's no danger to us, Constable?
Odo: When I was first diskovered, I didn't know what I was. I had no memory of where I was from. I didn't even know I had the ability to mimic other forms.
Sisko: Why would the Founders send such helpless creatures out into space?
Odo: To find out if the species they encountered posed any threat. What better way to gage another race than to see how it treats the weak and vulnerable?
Sisko: I see your point. How long before it is able to take humanoid form?
Odo: Several months. Why?
Sisko: Well, there's still a lot we don't know about your people. The changelings could provide Starfleet with invaluable information about the Dominion.
Odo: Well, that being the case, I'd like to be allowed to work with it, to teach it how to shape-shift.
Sisko: Oh, I can't think of anyone better qualified. You might just want a little help. Maybe you should contact Doctor Mora?
Odo: Mora? Why?
Sisko: Well, he managed to find a way to communicate with you. He obviously knows what he's doing.
Odo: Maybe so, but I'd prefer to do this alone.
Sisko: It's your call. But it's always nice to have someone around to help change the diapers.
Odo: I'll keep that in mind.
Bashir: The purge was almost a hundred percent effective. The concentration of isotopes is nearly negligible.
Odo: It certainly looks healthier.
Bashir: Well, I'd better go and check on Kira. Did you hear? She's in labor.
Odo: Mm-hm.
Bashir: But I guess you have your own baby to think about. There is still a small degree of instability in its morphogenic matrix. I'm hoping it'll level out. I've set the computer to monitor for biomimetic fluctuations just in case.
Odo: Thank you, Doctor.
Bashir: Good luck.
Odo: How do you feel? Better? I realize you can't understand a word I'm saying, but that doesn't matter. I know you're aware of me. You see, I was once like you. I spent months in a lab being prodded and poked by a scientist who didn't recognize I was a lifeform. He thought I was a specimen, a mystery that needed to be unraveled. He never talked to me. It didn't occur to him. I didn't know what I was, or what I was supposed to do. I was lost, alone, but it's not going to be that way with you. No, I'm not going to make the same mistakes that were made with me. Come on, I want to show you something.
Keiko: I'm sorry.
O'Brien: Something's wrong. Kira said this would only take about an hour.
Bashir: For Bajoran women, giving birth is all about being relaxd.
Keiko: He's right, Miles. That's why it's important for us to keep the rhythm.
O'Brien: She's not going to relax until Shakaar gets here. I called him almost six hours ago. It takes half that time to make the trip from Bajor.
Keiko: He's the First Minister of Bajor. He's a very busy man.
Bashir: And so am I. I have three surgeries scheduled this afternoon. I'll try and pop by later.
Kira: Y'Pora, the baby, he's moving.
Y'Pora: Relax. Breathe. It won't be long now.
Shakaar: Sorry I'm late. How are you?
Kira: All right.
Shakaar: I threw you off, didn't I?
Kira: It's all right, I'll get back on track. I'm glad you're here.
Odo: This is the Replimat. Humanoids come here to eat. They, we rather, need to ingest nutrients. This is my home. It's a space station. People of many different species live here together. After you've learned to take humanoid shape, I'll show you everything. You can live here too, if you want. It's a fascinating place.
Worf: Constable. Why are you talking to your beverage?
Odo: It's not a beverage. It's a changeling. Excuse me, Commander.
Odo: There we go. Now, doesn't that feel better? Nothing like spreading yourself out after being cooped up in a jar, eh? You have no idea of the marvels that are in store for you. Do you know what you are? You're a changeling. A shape-shifter. You can be anything. A Tarkalean hawk soaring through the sky, or a Filian python burrowing deep beneath the ground. It's all yours for the taking. I was never a very good shape-shifter. If you could see the face I'm stuck with, you'd know what I mean, but I think I can be a good teacher. You'll be better than I ever was. And I promise I'll never treat you the way I was treated. Never.
Mora: Odo!
Odo: Doctor Mora. What are you doing here?
Mora: Well, I heard about the changeling. I came to help. Remarkable. You know, it's much larger than you were. What is that, about a quarter of a liter?
Odo: I suppose so.
Mora: You didn't measure it?
Odo: What difference does it make how large it is?
Mora: It could make a great deal of difference. Size could be an indication that it's already exercised its ability to shape-shift.
Odo: I thought you were on Earth, working with Starfleet on new ways to detect changeling infiltrators.
Mora: Fortunately I was visiting my parents on Bajor when I got news of your find. How are you, Odo? I've been worried.
Odo: Worried?
Mora: I heard that your people took away your ability to shape-shift.
Odo: Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine.
Mora: I knew you were going to say that. You never want to give anything away even though it's all right there in your face. Well, let's get started, hmm? We have a lot of work ahead of us.
Odo: Actually, Doctor
Mora: I told Starfleet that I won't be coming back for a couple of weeks.
Odo: That may have been premature.
Mora: No, it'll take at least that long to get the changeling to respond.
Odo: Don't do that!
Mora: Well, I see you still have trouble controlling your temper. I was just trying to determine its mass.
Odo: Doctor Mora, I understand that you want to help, but I'm going to do this alone.
Mora: Alone? Odo, you don't know the first thing about teaching a changeling how to shape-shift.
Odo: Well then I'll just muddle through somehow. You did.
Mora: It's too warm in here. You know, a changeling's morphogenic matrix is most malleable at seventeen degrees Celsius.
Odo: I used to be able to change shape in almost any temperature.
Mora: That's true. But why not make it easy for the changeling. It took me weeks to figure out the optimal temperature, the humidity, even the light levels. Now don't you think that's information you could use?
Odo: Well, I suppose I could take a look at your reports.
Mora: Oh, feel free to, of course. Except I was never one to keep extensive records. I always wanted to move on to the next test.
Odo: Oh, believe me, I remember your tests very well.
Mora: Oh, so that's what this is about. You still resent the things I did to you in order to induce you to shape-shift. Well I know they weren't pleasant for you, but really, Odo, I would hope that you would get past that by now. I am disappointed.
Odo: I have my own ideas about how to teach the changeling.
Mora: I imagine they're less invasive.
Odo: Exactly.
Mora: Huh.
Odo: You don't think I can do it, do you?
Mora: I didn't say that. As a matter of fact, I'd be fascinated to see what you have in mind.
Odo: Well, in that case, why don't you stay and observe?
Mora: If you insist.
Keiko: What's wrong?
Kira: I don't know. It's like a cramp or something.
Y'Pora: You shouldn't be feeling any pain. Well, it appears you're not going to be having the baby today.
Kira: What?
Y'Pora: You were in labor too long.
O'Brien: I wonder why.
Y'Pora: For whatever reason you weren't able to fully relax. Your system had to stop producing endorphins before they accumulated to toxic levels.
Shakaar: When will she have the baby?
Y'Pora: It could be a few more days, or a few more weeks.
Kira: Weeks? If I don't have this baby soon, I'm going to go out of my mind.
Y'Pora: If you want, you can go see Doctor Bashir and have him
Kira: No, no, I want to have this baby the traditional Bajoran way.
Keiko: We're a hundred percent behind you, Nerys. Right, Miles?
O'Brien: Absolutely.
Kira: Can you stay?
Shakaar: I'll have to rearrange my schedule, but I think so.
Y'Pora: Nerys, return to your quarters and rest. I'll come by and see you later. You. Be punctual next time or don't come at all. And you? Practice.
Odo: This is a sphere. It's one of the most basic forms in nature.
Odo: See how it rolls? Interesting, isn't it? You're in my light. Now, this won't hurt a bit. Here we are. Here we go. Yeah, yeah.
Odo: Now, this is also a sphere. Feel its symmetry, the softness of its shape, the sameness. Now you try.
Odo: There we are. I understand that you prefer to remain shapeless. Believe me, I remember how relaxing it could be. But you have to learn to take other forms. That's what changelings do. It can be immensely rewarding. I remember the first time Doctor Mora here coerced me into taking the shape of a cube with one of his electrostatic gadgets. Once I did it, and he turned the infernal thing off, I was perfectly content to stay a cube for hours. It was fascinating, all those right angles. Of course, he had other plans. Before I knew it, he had me spinning around in a centrifuge. Well, if you're not interested in a sphere right now, we can always try a cube. What do you think? All right, now, this is a pyramid. It's one of the most mysterious shapes in nature.
Odo: Now Mister Pyramid, here comes Mister Cube.
Odo: What are you doing?
Mora: I'm measuring its volume. It's been here a week and it's only grown seventeen percent. After three days in my lab, you were twice that size.
Odo: Well, maybe I was anxious to grow up so I could get out of there.
Mora: My point is, you've made no progress. By this time I'd already gotten you to mimic half a dozen simple forms.
Odo: I'm trying to gain its confidence, not teach it tricks.
Mora: It's a shame you're not a changeling anymore. You could link with it and teach it everything it needs to know.
Odo: You make it sound like it's my fault.
Mora: It might very well be. Let's face it, Odo, your shape-shifting ability was somewhat limited. Maybe that's why your people were able to force you to take a humanoid form.
Odo: That is pure speculation.
Mora: Let's run a few tests and find out.
Odo: Oh, you are just dying to get me into one of your contraptions, aren't you?
Mora: I'm trying to help.
Odo: I am not about to submit myself to another round of your experiments.
Mora: Everything I did to you was for your own good.
Odo: Ha!
Mora: True, some of the tests that I subjected you to proved inconclusive.
Odo: The vacuum chamber springs to mind. The cytoplasmic separator. Come to think of it, the protein decompiler as well.
Mora: How could I know until I tried? By the Prophets, Odo, I wasn't even sure you were a lifeform.
Odo: I wasn't sure about you either.
Mora: Once I realized you were sentient, the Cardassians wanted to know everything about you. I was under enormous pressure to come up with results, and I did. My technique worked. The fact that you are standing here whining about it proves it.
Odo: You enjoyed watching me suffer.
Mora: You really believe that? How pathetic. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be sitting on a shelf somewhere, in a beaker labeled unknown sample.
Odo: If it wasn't for me, you'd be a nobody. Starfleet wouldn't hire you to judge a science fair.
Mora: I'm getting a little tired of standing around watching you, but I can't seem to pull myself away. I can't wait to see what next preposterous thing you're going to try. Who knows, maybe in a couple months, it may get so tired of your incessant chatter that it might actually do something.
Odo: You'd love to get your hands on it, wouldn't you? You could sell tickets on the Promenade. Doctor Mora's Chamber of Horrors open for business. Right this way.
Odo: Captain.
Sisko: How's it going, gentlemen?
Odo: Making progress, sir.
Sisko: I'm glad to hear it. I was just talking with Starfleet Command. They want you to establish communication with the changeling as soon as possible.
Mora: At the rate we're going, that is still a long way off.
Sisko: Better not be too long, otherwise Starfleet is going to want to take over the project.
Odo: Sir.
Sisko: As long as you're making progress, there's nothing to worry about. Oh, by the way. Starfleet wants you to file daily reports for their review.
Odo: Understood, sir.
Sisko: Carry on.
Mora: Now you understand the kind of pressure I was going through. I brought my old equipment from Bajor. Maybe it's time we started unpacking.
Mora: Any time you're ready.
Odo: Don't worry. You're going to get through this all right.
Mora: Oh, no, no, no. I'm just an observer here.
Mora: Odo, the changeling won't respond to anything less than six millivolts.
Odo: There must be some other way.
Mora: Spare the rod, spoil the child. Odo, without diskomfort the changeling will be perfectly comfortable to remain in its gelatinous state. It'll just lie there, never realizing it has the ability to mimic other forms, never living up to its potential. Odo, six millivolts is not going to hurt it. Once it realizes there's no charge in the center, the procedure will be finished.
Mora: Checking to see if I'm enjoying myself?
Odo: That's it. You've found it.
Mora: I smiled the first time you did that. Little did I realize you'd end up hating me for it. Well, shall we move on?
Odo: Why not?
Shakaar: Ahem.
Kira: Edon.
Shakaar: How're you feeling?
Kira: I'm all right. My feet are a little swollen.
O'Brien: A little? They've never been this bad.
Shakaar: There's a zero-grav tumbling performance on the Promenade tonight. Do you want to go?
Kira: Well, maybe.
O'Brien: You can't go standing around for an hour.
Shakaar: Chief, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute?
O'Brien: I'm almost done.
Shakaar: I'll take over.
Kira: I think it's time.
O'Brien: You got to do it harder.
Shakaar: I know what I'm doing.
Kira: It's time.
O'Brien: And you've to work up the legs.
Kira: It's time!
Odo: Now if I were you, I'd hold this shape. Otherwise you'll be in for a little shock.
Odo: Wait a minute.
Mora: I had to try that three times before you caught on.
Odo: Actually, the first two times I didn't hold my shape on purpose.
Mora: You're not serious.
Odo: I suppose I didn't want to give you the satisfaction.
Mora: Well someday, if you're very lucky, this changeling will give you the satisfaction of saying, thank you very much, you did so much for me. Then again, it may leave the way you did. It will announce that it's striking out on its own and you will never hear from it again. I'm going to get something to eat.
Mora: I mean, the eyes!
Odo: When he rose up.
Mora: The eyes are incredible.
Odo: For a minute there, I thought he was going to say something.
Mora: Oh, put that down. We're celebrating.
Odo: Oh, er, it's just that I've fallen behind in my security reports over these last few days.
Mora: Well you can catch up later. Aren't you excited about what happened?
Odo: Of course I'm excited.
Mora: Tomorrow, we can expose the changeling to simple life-forms so it can mimic them. Some algae, some fungus. In a few more days, maybe even an invertebrate.
Odo: I can't wait until I can actually communicate with it. There's so much I want it to see, so much I want to share.
Mora: Well, you may get that chance sooner than you think. The changeling is developing far faster than you did. I didn't mean that as a criticism. If anything, it's a compliment. I mean, I was wrong. Your approach to communicating to the changeling was sound. I mean, don't you see? It's reaching out to you. It's curious about you. The first time you ever did anything like that was when you formed a tentacle to slap my hand away from the control panel.
Odo: I remember. I wanted you to stop zapping me.
Mora: You formed a connection with this changeling. That is something I was never able to do with you.
Odo: That's not true. I respected you.
Mora: You feared me.
Odo: You didn't know what I was. You were experimenting on what looked like a lump of organic residue. That's what I'd still be if it weren't for you.
Mora: You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that. I'm sorry, I know this sort of talk makes you uncomfortable. I suppose it's all my fault. If I hadn't poked and prodded you so much, you may have grown up with a less forbidding disposition.
Odo: Something tells me no matter what we do to that changeling, it's going to have a more pleasant disposition than mine. It's just the way I am.
Mora: I'll leave you to your work.
Odo: Doctor Mora? Two glasses of champagne, please. We're celebrating.
Y'Pora: The baby has turned. It's time. Awake, child.
Keiko: We await you with love.
Shakaar: And welcome you into the world.
Shakaar: Why don't you stay there?
O'Brien: I can't see from here.
Shakaar: Exactly.
O'Brien: It's my baby.
Y'Pora: Shh.
Shakaar: I think it would make Nerys uncomfortable.
O'Brien: What are you talking about? She's been living in my home for the last five months.
Keiko: Be quiet.
Shakaar: What's that supposed to mean?
O'Brien: Look, I missed Molly's birth, I am not going to miss this one.
Kira: I'm trying to have a baby. I am sick of this ridiculous little competition between the two of you. Now, if one of you says one more word, you're going to have to leave.
O'Brien: Fine, tell him to let me to
Shakaar: Just tell him to stay where
Kira: Right, that's it. Out, both of you.
O'Brien: Kira.
Shakaar: Nerys.
Kira: Go.
O'Brien: You're joking.
Keiko: Does it look like she's joking? Out!
O'Brien: Nice going.
Shakaar: Oh, do me a favor. Next time you have a baby, leave my girlfriend out of it, huh?
Quark: Comes to three hundred and twenty four. I'm going to have to start watering the drinks again
Quark: Constable?
Odo: Quark!
Quark: What are you doing back there?
Odo: What does it look like I'm doing?
Quark: We're closed.
Odo: Have a seat.
Quark: You're in a good mood.
Odo: Yes, I am.
Quark: Which means you're probably about to arrest me on some trumped up charge.
Odo: Not at all. I am buying you a drink.
Quark: Why?
Odo: Doctor Mora has gone to sleep, and I still feel like celebrating.
Quark: What are you up to?
Odo: I am happy, Quark. Can't you just accept that?
Quark: No. It doesn't fit. If you're happy, something's very wrong in the world. The center cannot not hold.
Odo: There we go.
Quark: I've got it. You're getting back at me for selling you that sick changeling.
Odo: Actually, I should thank you.
Quark: If you want the money back, just say so.
Odo: It changed my life. Here's to you, Quark.
Quark: All right, all right, I confess. I don't know what I did, but I did it. Just stop. I can't take it anymore.
Odo: Do you ever think about having children?
Quark: Huh?
Odo: You see, I never did. It seemed like too much trouble. But then fate dropped one into my lap and now I couldn't be happier. Cheers. It's strange. Over the past few months, I came to accept the fact that I'd never have any contact with my people again. They rejected me, they turned me into a humanoid. A part of me was lost forever. But that little ball of goo back in the lab changed everything. I feel as if I'm experiencing what it is to be a changeling again. And somehow, being a solid doesn't seem so bad anymore.
Quark: Fill me up.
Computer: Computer to Security Chief Odo. Please acknowledge.
Odo: Go ahead.
Computer: The lifeform being monitored is displaying biomimetic fluctuations beyond stated parameters.
Odo: Have Doctor Mora meet me in the science lab.
Computer: Acknowledged.
Odo: What's happened?
Mora: It's morphogenic matrix is destabilizing. It's dying.
Bashir: Its lifesigns are fading. The radiation may have damaged its cytoplasm in a way we weren't able to detect.
Odo: There must be something you can do.
Mora: You might try an enzymatic induction. That might stabilize the biomimetic fluctuations.
Bashir: It's worth a shot.
Odo: It has to work, it has to.
Mora: Odo, please, wait outside. We'll do everything we can.
Kira: I feel so good.
Keiko: You're doing great, Nerys.
Y'Pora: Here he comes.
Kira: Keiko, would you do me a favor?
Keiko: Kira said you can both come back in if you promise to behave.
O'Brien: After you.
Shakaar: Oh, no. After you.
O'Brien: Please.
Keiko: Will you two get in here! You're going to miss everything.
Y'Pora: That's it, Nerys. Relax. Let it come. That's right. Breathe.
Keiko: Oh, look at him, Miles.
O'Brien: He's beautiful.
Bashir: There's nothing we could do. I'm sorry, Odo. It won't be very long now.
Odo: Please, don't die. There's so much I want to show you. I was going to teach you how to become a Tarkalean hawk, remember?
Mora: What happened? Where did it go?
Bashir: It somehow integrated itself into Odo's body
Bashir: Odo, what's wrong?
Odo: It can't be.
Mora: What?
Shakaar: This might be a good time to take some leave and come down to Bajor.
Kira: Maybe in a few weeks. Right now I feel like staying around here.
Shakaar: So you can be close to the baby. He's a good-looking boy.
Kira: He is, isn't he?
Crewman: Shuttle four seven zero nine for Bajor now departing.
Kira: You'd better go.
Shakaar: I have a few minutes left.
Mora: So how does it feel to be yourself again?
Odo: I just wish it hadn't happened the way it did.
Mora: I am sorry. If it helps, think of it as a gift. Something the changeling wanted you to have.
Odo: I think I finally understand how much I meant to you and what you must have gone through when I left.
Mora: You had to find your own way in the world.
Odo: I should have included you in my life.
Mora: You still can. Take care of yourself, Odo
Odo: I thought the O'Briens were having a party.
Kira: Shakaar and I stopped by. I didn't feel much like celebrating.
Odo: Oh?
Kira: I got into this because the O'Briens' needed my help. I never wanted a baby. But now? I just wish I could hold him in my arms and never let him go.
Odo: I think I know how you feel, Nerys.
Kira: Want to take a walk?
Odo: Yeah.