Scene: Chief Medical Officer's log, supplemental. Chief O'Brien and I are on board a T'Lani cruiser helping the T'Lani and the Kelleruns eliminate their stockpile of Harvesters, deadly biomechanical gene disrupters used by both sides in their centuries-long war
Bashir: Doctor Nydrom, how's our muon charge?
Nydrom: Coming up to full power.
Bashir: Go ahead, please. (A woman puts a cylinder of orange stuff into the central machine - think Tardis console)
Bashir: Computer, this is harvester test sequence three hundred and seventy five.
Nydrom: Muon generator now at full power.
Bashir: Once more unto the breach. I hope this works, because quite frankly I'm running out of ideas.
Nydrom: It took ten years to perfect the harvesters. We've only been trying to eliminate them for a week.
Bashir: Is that all it's been? It feels like we've been working more than a month. I've never seen a nanobiogenic weapon so resistant to broad spectrum radiation. It's just a matter of finding the right combination of muon frequencies. It should be simple, but it's not.
O'Brien: Doctor, start the sequence or we will be here a month.
Bashir: All right, Chief. I'm introducing the harvester into the genetic bath. Beginning muon influx now.
Bashir: Doctor, please check for any gene-disrupter phasing.
Nydrom: The genetic integrity of the sample is holding steady. I'm not reading any genetic disruption at all.
Bashir: Are you sure? Check the sequence again.
Nydrom: The results are identical.
O'Brien: What? It worked, didn't it? Would somebody say something?
Bashir: It worked all right.
Nydrom: The harvesters have been destroyed.
Sharat: Good news, I take it.
Nydrom: Ambassador Sharat, I'm pleased to inform you that we have found a way to eliminate the harvesters.
Sharat: Excellent. Well done. I knew if our people stopped killing each other and worked together, we could put an end to these horrible weapons. This is a symbol of the new future we have embarked upon.
Nydrom: Yes. And let's not forget, we couldn't have done it without the help of our friends from the Federation.
Sharat: At first we had questioned Doctor Nydrom's decision to bring in outside help. Obviously it was the right thing to do. We're all very grateful for your assistance.
Bashir: It was our pleasure, I assure you.
Sharat: But eliminating the harvesters is only half the task. We must make certain all scientific data concerned with them is wiped out as well.
O'Brien: I've purged every file in the T'Lani and Kellerun data banks pertaining to harvesters. If anyone gets it in their head to build these things again, they'll have to start from scratch.
Nydrom: Then it's finished.
Sharat: Not quite. We shouldn't rest until the entire Kellerun and T'Lani supply of harvesters has been destroyed.
Bashir: We will begin immediately.
Kira: Commander, I have Doctor Bashir for you on subspace.
Sisko: In here.
Bashir: Commander, we have some good news to report.
Sisko: I've already heard.
Bashir: You have?
Sisko: Yes. I received a message from both the T'Lani and Kellerun ambassadors, informing me of your success in neutralizing the harvesters. Congratulations, gentlemen.
O'Brien: Thank you, sir, but Doctor here deserves the bulk of the credit.
Bashir: Actually, it was a team effort
O'Brien: The Doctor's just being modest, sir. He was the one who came up with muon rays as a possible solution.
Bashir: Luckily, it worked.
Sisko: When can we expect you back?
O'Brien: Soon, I hope.
Sisko: The ambassador said something about a celebration on T'Lani Prime.
Bashir: Yes, it's set for tonight, but the Chief is quite anxious to return back to the station.
O'Brien: It's been a long week.
Sisko: Still, I think we can spare you for another day.
Bashir: I agree. If that's okay with you, Chief.
O'Brien: I suppose another day won't kill me.
Bashir: That's the spirit.
Sisko: Then we'll expect you back day after tomorrow.
Bashir: Yes, sir.
Sisko: Enjoy yourselves, gentlemen. You've earned it.
Nydrom: The last cylinder. I believe that you should have the honor, Doctor.
Bashir: My pleasure.
Nydrom: It's ironic, isn't it, that the war would finally come to an end up here, above T'Lani Three, a planet whose entire population was decimated by harvesters. I hope this will be a lasting peace.
Nydrom: What is this? Weapons aren't allowed up here.
Bashir: They're all dead.
O'Brien: We will be, too, if we don't get out of here. O'Brien to Ganges. Computer, activate remote transporter sequence. O'Brien to Ganges.
Bashir: They must be jamming communications with the runabout.
O'Brien: We sure as hell can't stay here. We'll have to beam down to the surface.
Bashir: But they'll be able to follow us.
O'Brien: I'm programming the system to overload thirty seconds after we transport. Let's go.
Sisko: I'll have a cup of Alterian chowder, uttaberry crepes, and a slice of
Kira: Kira to Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead, Major.
Kira: The T'Lani and Kellerun ambassadors have just arrived on the station. They're asking to see you.
Sisko: Are O'Brien and Bashir with them?
Kira: No, Commander. And the ambassadors refuse to speak to anyone but you.
Sisko: Show them to my office. I'll be right there.
Kira: Yes, sir.
Sisko: I'll have to cancel that order.
Sisko: Are you saying both of my officers are dead?
E'Tyshra: Along with some of our greatest scientists.
Sharat: We're sorry you had to share in our misfortune.
Sisko: What happened?
E'Tyshra: It was
Sharat: It was a terrible accident. It appears one of your officers, a Chief O'Brien I believe, inadvertently tripped a security device. A lethal pulse of radiation flooded the room, killing everyone.
E'Tyshra: Ambassador Sharat transported off the ship just minutes before the accident occurred.
Sisko: This security device
E'Tyshra: It was built into the lab's computers decades ago. We didn't even know it existed.
Sisko: If there were no survivors, how do you know that Chief O'Brien caused the accident?
Sharat: I was able to return to the ship almost immediately after the accident. The first thing I did was to check the internal security sensors. They recorded the entire incident. We assumed you'd want to see for yourself.
Sisko: Thank you.
E'Tyshra: Commander, I just want you to know we don't blame Chief O'Brien for what happened.
Sharat: On the contrary, both he and Doctor Bashir will always be considered heroes to both the Kellerun and the T'Lani. Without their help, we never could have destroyed the harvesters.
E'Tyshra: Please extend our sympathies to their families.
Sisko: I'll do that.
Bashir: Chief! Chief, in here.
O'Brien: Wait. Don't touch anything.
Bashir: Why not? There's food and medical supplies.
O'Brien: They could be booby-trapped. The Cardassians used to rig the supplies they left behind with pressure grenades. I've seen more than one soldier permanently lose his appetite that way.
Bashir: Well, did you find anything?
O'Brien: It looks all right.
Bashir: Good. At least we won't starve. Here.
O'Brien: No.
Bashir: Why not, Chief? I thought you loved military rations.
O'Brien: Federation rations. I've had enough T'Lani food this past week to last me a lifetime.
Bashir: Well, we've got to keep our strength up. We're going to have to find some way of warning the T'Lani the Kelleruns have broken the treaty.
O'Brien: I still can't figure it. Why would the Kelleruns wait till the harvesters were destroyed before they made their move?
Bashir: Maybe they didn't ha d over all the harvesters for destruction.
O'Brien: Maybe they're convinced they can defeat the T'Lani with conventional weapons.
Bashir: I suppose, but that might mean continuing the war for another hundred years. Well, whatever the reason, we'd better keep moving.
O'Brien: Wait. Listen to me, Julian. The Kelleruns are going to expect us to be on the move. If we start running, their sensors'll pick us up before we've gone a kilometer. If we stay still maybe, just maybe, it'll take them longer to find us. The way I see it, we have only one chance to survive this thing that's to stay alive long enough for Commander Sisko to find us.
Bashir: But that won't be for at least another day. He still thinks we're celebrating on T'Lani Prime.
O'Brien: I said it was our only chance, I didn't say it was a good one. What have we here? Looks like some kind of comm. system. Maybe we can contact the T'Lani from here.
Bashir: Do you think you can get it working?
O'Brien: I'll have to open it up, see if there's a backup power supply. Why don't you take a seat, Doctor?
Bashir: I thought maybe I could help. I took the engineering extension courses at Starfleet Medical.
O'Brien: Extension courses?
Bashir: They were actually quite informative.
O'Brien: Julian, do you really want to help?
Bashir: Yes.
O'Brien: Then let me do my job.
Bashir: Of course. I'll inventory the supplies.
O'Brien: Fine. Why don't you do that.
Nydrom: The last cylinder. I believe you should have the honor, Doctor.
Bashir: My pleasure.
Nydrom: The harvesters have been destroyed. We must make certain that all records of their existence are wiped out.
O'Brien: I've purged every file in the T'Lani and Kellerun data banks pertaining to the harvesters. If anyone gets it in their head to build these things again, they'll have to start from scratch.
Nydrom: Then it's finished.
O'Brien: Hold on, what's this?
Bashir: Chief?
O'Brien: I don't know. Closing the last file seems to have activated some kind of security program. It looks like it was part of the original operating system. I can't shut it down. Do you know anything about this?
Nydrom: No. Maybe you should try cutting the power.
O'Brien: It's not responding
Odo: I've heard of security weapons like this. A radiation pulse that vaporizes any intruder who doesn't enter the proper code.
Kira: I'm surprised the Chief didn't detect it.
Dax: It must've been buried very deep in the system.
Kira: I'd like to talk to the chief of security for that ship.
Odo: So would I.
Sisko: Remember, they lost people too.
Kira: The T'Lani were responsible for O'Brien's and Bashir's safety. They should have known about that device and deactivated it.
Sisko: That'll do, Major. I'd like for you to contact Bajoran medical officials. We'll need a doctor to be temporarily assigned to the station until Starfleet can send us a replacement for Doctor Bashir. Dax, inform Starfleet of the accident. Tell them we'll need a new medical officer and a new chief of operations.
Dax: Would you like me to go with you to see Mrs O'Brien?
Sisko: No, I'll take care of it. Find out how I can contact Julian's family. Major, inform the crew we'll be holding a memorial service tomorrow evening at eighteen hundred hours.
Kira: Yes, sir.
Sisko: All right, people. I know the next few days are going to be hard, but we all have jobs to do. Dismissed.
Bashir: So, having any luck?
O'Brien: I wish you'd stop asking me that.
Bashir: I'm sorry. It's just all this standing around. I'm used to doing something constructive.
O'Brien: Just keep your eyes open for any Kellerun soldiers.
Bashir: Don't worry, I will.
O'Brien: It's such a mess in here.
Bashir: You'll make it work, Chief. It's the kind of challenge you live for. You know, I was looking forward to the celebrations on T'Lani Prime. I don't know if you'd noticed, but T'Lani women are quite attractive.
O'Brien: I'm not blind, you know.
Bashir: Of course not. But you are married.
O'Brien: Just because you're married doesn't mean you stop looking at women.
Bashir: Just as long as you don't let your wife see you look. For me, tonight's celebrations would have been an adventure. The most you could have hoped for was a good meal.
O'Brien: Women. That's all you ever think about
Bashir: No, it isn't. Though I do think about them a lot.
O'Brien: Yeah, well, one of these days you'll fall in love with one.
Bashir: I did once.
O'Brien: Not work out?
Bashir: Not quite. Close. I don't know. Somehow marriage just doesn't seem fair.
O'Brien: Fair?
Bashir: Fair to them. I mean, look at us. Our lives are constantly in danger. There's enough to worry about without worrying about the wife and kids at home worrying about us. I'm sorry, Chief. I just feel that way. A lot of career officers feel that way.
O'Brien: Well, you career officers don't know what you're missing.
Bashir: Really? That may be so. I just look at you and Mrs O'Brien and I
O'Brien: What about me and Mrs O'Brien?
Bashir: Nothing.
O'Brien: What?
Bashir: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's no secret that your assignment to this station hasn't been conducive to your marriage.
O'Brien: Say that again?
Bashir: Why don't we just forget it.
O'Brien: That's the first intelligent thing you've said since we got here.
Bashir: Are you cold?
O'Brien: Yes. Aren't you?
Bashir: No. Actually it's quite warm in here. You're looking a little pale.
O'Brien: I'm fine.
Bashir: Your blood pressure's low. You're running a fever. You'd better sit down.
O'Brien: I don't want to sitting down. I've got work to do.
Bashir: Roll up your sleeve.
O'Brien: Why?
Bashir: Do it. Please.
Bashir: You were behind the genetic bath when it shattered, weren't you?
O'Brien: You have something to tell me, Doctor?
Bashir: You've been infected by the harvesters.
Keiko: Come in.
Keiko: Commander Sisko.
Sisko: Keiko.
Keiko: Something's happened to Miles.
Sisko: There was an accident. Both your husband and Doctor Bashir were involved.
Keiko: They're dead.
Sisko: I'm sorry.
Keiko: Tell me what happened.
Sisko: The T'Lani security sensors recorded the entire incident.
Keiko: I want to see it.
Sisko: I'll have it sent to you. Miles was a fine officer and a fine man. I'll miss him.
Keiko: Thank you, Commander. I would like to be alone now.
Sisko: If there's anything you need, just let me know.
Bashir: Chief?
O'Brien: It's my eyes. They're getting fuzzy.
Bashir: You'd better sit down. I'll take over from here.
O'Brien: What makes you think you can fix this?
Bashir: Because you're going to talk me through it. Now, take a seat.
O'Brien: Maybe. Just for a minute. Or two.
Bashir: Now, tell me where you left off.
O'Brien: You see the dark blue coil in the upper right hand corner?
Bashir: No.
O'Brien: It's there, beside the green cylinder. Just below it.
Bashir: Yes, I see it.
O'Brien: You have to lock the base of the coil into the tiny receptor just below it.
Dax: You know, I just remembered I still have Julian's medical school diaries.
Kira: He let you read them?
Dax: He felt they would help me understand him better.
Kira: How? By reading about all the women he went out with?
Dax: That's not what they're not about. When he gave them to me, he told me that they were about his innermost thoughts, his struggle to graduate top of his class, his dream of a career in Starfleet, his constant fear of failure.
Kira: Really? And did you understand him better?
Dax: I never got around to reading them. I suppose I should send them to his parents.
Kira: You could keep them.
Dax: Really?
Kira: I think he'd like that. He cared a great deal about you.
Dax: I know. I cared about him, too.
Quark: These are on the house.
Kira: How come?
Quark: I thought we'd have a toast to the memory of Chief O'Brien and Doctor Bashir.
Dax: That's very thoughtful, Quark.
Quark: I can be thoughtful. To our dear departed comrades. We may have had our differences, but I'll say this for them, and it's no higher tribute I can think of. They were good customers. They always paid their bar bills on time.
Kira: That's it?
Quark: I'm not done yet. At times like these I'm reminded of the Fifty Seventh Rule of Acquisition. Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them.
Kira: Mrs. O'Brien?
Keiko: Major, I need to see Commander Sisko. It's very important.
Kira: I'll tell him you're here. I just wanted you to know how sorry I am. How sorry we all are.
Keiko: Thank you.
O'Brien: If anyone gets it in their head to build these things again
Keiko: Watch. It's coming up in just a few seconds.
Nydrom: Then it's finished.
Keiko: Computer, freeze image.
Keiko: There. Do you see it?
Sisko: I see the Chief drinking coffee.
Keiko: Exactly. Now look at the time index.
Kira: Fifteen hundred hours.
Keiko: That's right. Late afternoon. Miles never drank coffee late in the afternoon. It keeps him up all night.
Sisko: Maybe he made an exception this time. Working long hours, under a lot of stress.
Keiko: I know my husband. He never drinks coffee late in the day.
Kira: Maybe he isn't drinking coffee. Maybe it's tea.
Keiko: I checked the data clip. It contained a spectroscopic analysis. The liquid in Miles' cup consisted of vegetable-based oils and caffeine. It's coffee all right.
Sisko: You're suggesting someone tampered with this recording?
Keiko: Yes, I am. And I want to know the reason why.
Sisko: Lieutenant, when were you planning on bringing the Ganges back from T'Lani Three?
Dax: Tomorrow.
Sisko: I don't see any reason to wait, do you?
Dax: I'll leave right away.
Sisko: Good. I'll come with you. Mrs O'Brien, if this recording has been altered, we'll find out why.
Bashir: You were right, Chief. The contacts on the subprocessor are corroded.
O'Brien: Yeah. They need to be cleaned.
Bashir: I think there are some sterile pads in the med kit. Here we go.
Bashir: Don't leave me, Chief. I still need you.
O'Brien: Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. So who was she?
Bashir: Who?
O'Brien: Not quite close.
Bashir: Palis. Palis Delon. She was a dancer, a ballerina. She had the most exquisite feet. I'm serious. It's very important for a dancer to have good arches. She was gorgeous, not to mention brilliant. I used to watch her on stage. I couldn't believe how anyone could be so graceful.
O'Brien: And she was crazy about you?
Bashir: We were crazy about each other. I used to think, Julian, you lucky devil. You've found the perfect woman. We used to finish each other's thoughts. There. What do you think?
O'Brien: Good, good. Put it back in the comm. panel.
Bashir: Looks like we have some power, anyway. Still no response from the transmitter, though.
O'Brien: Try retuning the RF oscillators. So what happened with you and Palis?
Bashir: What happened is I graduated. Her father was the top administrator at a medical complex in Paris. He offered me a job, promised I'd be Chief of Surgery within five years
O'Brien: But you would have to give up your Starfleet career.
Bashir: I can't tell you how close I came. But, here I am.
O'Brien: You made your choice.
Bashir: Yeah. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I think to myself, will I ever find anyone that wonderful again? The oscillator's working, but the frequency is still fluctuating.
O'Brien: Let me take a look. Argh.
Bashir: What is it?
O'Brien: It's my legs. I can't feel them.
Dax: We're approaching T'Lani Three. Establishing a synchronous orbit along side the Ganges.
Sisko: Open a channel to the T'Lani cruiser.
E'Tyshra: Commander Sisko. What a pleasant surprise. I take it you're here for your runabout?
Sisko: That's correct.
E'Tyshra: We were about to leave for the memorial service on T'Lani Prime. You're welcome to accompany us.
Sisko: Perhaps we will. But first I'd like to see for myself where the accident took place.
E'Tyshra: Of course.
Dax: While you're on the cruiser, I think I'll beam over to the Ganges and take a look around.
Sisko: Good idea.
Bashir: Chief! Chief, it's working. The signal's very faint
O'Brien: You'll have to switch to a higher carrier frequency. Reset the actuators on the chamber's coil.
Bashir: That's better. It's still pretty weak though. I'm sending a distress signal. It's set to repeat every two minutes. Let's hope the T'Lani find us before the Kellerun do.
O'Brien: They'd better get here soon.
Bashir: Don't worry, Chief I'm going to get you home.
O'Brien: In a box, maybe.
Bashir: Nonsense. Don't go giving up on me now.
O'Brien: I'm not giving up, I'm dying. Listen to me, Julian. You must tell Keiko and Molly
Bashir: You'll tell them yourself.
O'Brien: You were wrong, you know, about marriage.
Bashir: Whatever you say, Chief.
O'Brien: Listen to me, Julian. You're always talking about adventure. Ha, adventure! Marriage is the greatest adventure of them all. It's filled with pitfalls and setbacks and mistakes, but it's a journey worth taking because you take it together. I know Keiko's been unhappy about us coming to the station. We still argue about it. But that's all right, because at the end of the day, we both know we love each other.
Bashir: Chief.
O'Brien: That's all that matters.
Bashir: Chief, you'd better get some rest. The T'Lani will be here soon.
Sisko: I see there's still some residual traces of the radiation pulse.
E'Tyshra: That's to be expected, given the pulse's intensity, but it poses no danger.
Sisko: Tell me, Ambassador. Have you been able to learn any thing else about the fail-safe device that caused the accident?
E'Tyshra: Not yet, Commander, but we're working on it.
Sisko: It was Ambassador Sharat who brought you the data clip?
E'Tyshra: That's right.
Sisko: I suppose he showed it to you as soon as you arrived?
E'Tyshra: Of course.
Sisko: Could the clip have been altered before you saw it?
E'Tyshra: Why would Ambassador Sharat alter the data clip?
Sisko: I have no idea.
Dax: Dax to Sisko.
Sisko: Sisko.
Dax: Commander, when you're through there, could you join me on the Ganges?
Sisko: Yes. I'll be here a few more minutes.
E'Tyshra: Commander, the T'Lani and Kellerun have finally made peace. That peace cannot survive unless both sides trust each other.
Sisko: What have you got, Dax?
Dax: It looks like someone erased five seconds from the Ganges's computer log.
Sisko: Show me.
Dax: At first I thought it was just some kind of power fluctuation, but when I checked the log's memory core it showed traces of a remote transport command.
Sisko: Did you find any indication of transporter activity at that time?
Dax: No.
Sisko: And you're saying somebody erased it later on?
Dax: Look at the time index when the call for transport came in.
Sisko: Fifteen thirty four. That's a full three minutes after the accident on the T'Lani cruiser.
Dax: Which means if either Chief O'Brien or Julian made that request
Sisko: They would've been alive after the fail-safe device went off. Good work, Lieutenant.
Bashir: Chief! Chief! Don't leave me now. Breathe. That's better. Now it you're doing it.
O'Brien: Tell me, Julian, ever talk to that ballerina of yours?
Bashir: Not since I left Earth.
O'Brien: Maybe you should.
Bashir: Well, maybe one day I will.
Bashir: Ambassador E'Tyshra, am I glad to see you. Chief O'Brien was infected by the harvesters when the Kelleruns attacked your ship. They killed all of the scientists.
Sharat: Not all of them.
Bashir: You're too late, Sharat.
E'Tyshra: No, Doctor. He's right on time.
Bashir: But why kill Nydrom and the others?
E'Tyshra: To ensure that the peace agreement between our two races will last.
Bashir: But we'd already destroyed the harvesters. There was no reason for more killings, unless
Sharat: It's not enough to simply destroy the harvesters. We have to be sure no one can ever recreate them.
E'Tyshra: The only way to do that was to eliminate everyone who possessed such knowledge, including the two of you.
Bashir: But we have no use for such horrible weapons.
Sharat: As long as the knowledge exists, there's a danger it may be used. That's a risk we refuse to live with.
E'Tyshra: I truly am sorry, Doctor, but at least you have the consolation of knowing your deaths will be for a noble cause.
O'Brien: Wait.
E'Tyshra: Let him speak.
O'Brien: Help me up. I want to die on my feet.
Bashir: I'm sorry I didn't get us home, Chief.
O'Brien: You did your best. It's been an honor serving with you.
Bashir: Why thank you, Chief. That means a lot.
Bashir: Commander, am I glad to see you. Chief O'Brien going to be dead within the hour if we don't get him back to the station.
Sisko: What happened?
Bashir: He was exposed to the harvesters. That should stabilize him for now.
Dax: They told us you were both dead, Julian.
Bashir: We would have been, if the T'Lani and Kelleruns had had their way. They're killing everyone involved in the harvesters project.
Dax: The T'Lani cruiser's coming this way. They're hailing us.
Sisko: Ignore them. Send a general distress signal on all Federation subspace frequencies.
Dax: They're blocking all subspace communications with a broadband inversion. They're hailing us again.
Sisko: Is the inversion field affecting sensors as well?
Dax: All short range sensors are useless.
Sisko: Which means theirs are useless too.
Jakin: Ambassador, Commander Sisko is attempting to escape. We are in pursuit.
Sharat: Can we overtake them?
E'Tyshra: Their runabout is no match for this ship. Fire a warning shot.
Jakin: Confirmed. Commander Sisko is hailing us.
E'Tyshra: I thought he would.
Sisko: By firing on this vessel, you've committed an act of war against the Federation.
E'Tyshra: Commander, we have no quarrel with the Federation or with you, but we must insist you turn over Doctor Bashir and Chief O'Brien.
Sisko: Why? So you can murder them?
Sharat: Unfortunately, Commander, your officers are the only two people left who've seen the data concerning the development of the harvesters.
Sisko: They have no intention of using that knowledge. You have my word
Sharat: Their intentions are irrelevant. The fact is, the threat remains as long as the knowledge exists.
E'Tyshra: Commander, I know this is painful for you. It wasn't easy for us to order the deaths of our own people, but it is necessary.
Sisko: And if I refuse to turn them over?
E'Tyshra: You can't outrun us and you can't fight us. We can destroy your runabout at any time.
Sisko: Lieutenant Dax and I have no knowledge of the harvesters. Are you willing to kill us too?
Sharat: We'll do whatever we have to do to ensure our safety.
E'Tyshra: Commander, you are running out of options. You have one minute to turn over Doctor Bashir and Chief O'Brien
Sisko: You want them, you're going to have to take us all.
Sharat: He leaves us no choice.
Jakin: The runabout is turning. It's heading back in our direction.
E'Tyshra: Full stop.
Jakin: He's preparing to fire.
E'Tyshra: Employ shields.
Jakin: Shields employed.
E'Tyshra: Put the runabout on screen.
Sharat: He must know his phasers can't hurt us.
Jakin: He's aiming his vessel straight for us.
Sharat: The man must be crazy.
E'Tyshra: Fire phasers.
Sharat: It's over.
E'Tyshra: Head back to T'Lani Three. Prepare to take the other runabout in tow.
Jakin: Ambassador, sensors indicate the other runabout is no longer in orbit.
E'Tyshra: Then where is it?
Jakin: I don't know. It's gone.
Sharat: It can't just have disappeared.
Jakin: I'm picking up a warp signature.
E'Tyshra: Sisko. Maybe he and the others weren't on that runabout we destroyed.
Jakin: They could have transported to the other runabout while our sensors were down.
E'Tyshra: And then piloted the first ship by remote navigation.
Sharat: But we saw them die.
E'Tyshra: Did we?
O'Brien: What's this?
Keiko: Something Molly made for you. She painted it herself.
O'Brien: It's lovely. She's really talented.
Bashir: How's my patient?
O'Brien: Better. Can I go home now?
Bashir: You should be out of here by tomorrow. I just wanted to let you to know how much I appreciated what you said back on T'Lani Three.
O'Brien: What did I say?
Bashir: That it was an honor serving with me.
O'Brien: Oh, right.
Bashir: And I'd like to return the compliment, if I may. It's been an honor serving with you, too, Chief. You know, Mrs O'Brien, they say when two people face death together, it creates a bond that cannot be broken. I never believed that until I was
O'Brien: Julian.
Bashir: Hmm? Oh, er, of course. You'd like to be alone. I understand.
Keiko: Miles, he saved your life, you know.
O'Brien: He's never going to let me forget it.
Keiko: So what was it like spending all that time alone with him?
O'Brien: It was hell. You can see for yourself the man never stops talking. You know, I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee right now.
Keiko: Miles, you never drink coffee in the afternoon.
O'Brien: Sure I do.
Keiko: You do?


O'Brien: Computer, set heading one four zero mark three two.
Computer: Course laid in.
O'Brien: Maximum warp. Engage. Time to Parada system?
Computer: One hour, fourteen minutes.
O'Brien: Open a new file, computer. O'Brien, personal log, stardate 47581.2. I've got to try to set the record straight about the last fifty two hours. I don't know who's going to hear this. I don't even know if I'll be alive by the time this log is recovered. I figure they'll be coming after me. If I'm right about this whole thing, they won't want me to warn the Paradas. Coffee, Jamaican blend, double strong, double sweet. I wish I could tell you who they are. That's part of the puzzle I haven't figured out yet. Part of the puzzle, hell. None of this whole damn thing makes any sense. I'm trying to remember the first time I noticed that things were wrong. It seems to me it was, yeah.
O'Brien: It had to be the first morning after I got back to the station.
O'Brien: What are you two doing up so early?
Keiko: I had a lot of work to catch up on at school. Thought I'd get an early start.
O'Brien: At five-thirty in the morning? Coffee, Jamaican blend, double strong, double sweet.
Keiko: I have a dozen essays to read.
O'Brien: Did you have sweet dreams, darling?
Molly: Go away.
O'Brien: Don't I get my morning kiss?
Molly: No.
O'Brien: What did I do to deserve that?
Keiko: It's just a phase, Miles. She doesn't mean it.
O'Brien: Huh?
Keiko: Don't let it bother you.
O'Brien: What time did you get to bed last night?
Keiko: I don't know. Late. I didn't want to wake you.
O'Brien: I was tired. I guess that trip really took it out of me.
Keiko: What did they have you doing?
O'Brien: The Paradas? They put me through basic training on all the security measures they want in place for the peace talks. Odo would have had a field day. I wish he could have been there.
Keiko: I'd better get going.
O'Brien: I'll drop Molly at day care on my way to Ops.
Keiko: That's okay, I'm taking her with me. Molly?
O'Brien: To school? When you've got all that reading to do? That doesn't make a lot of sense.
Keiko: There's something I want to show her. A Vulcan program that teaches basic problem solving skills.
O'Brien: At five-thirty-five in the morning?
Keiko: I want to do it while her mind is fresh.
O'Brien: If you say so.
Keiko: See you later.
O'Brien: What's this?
Decurtis: Just getting a head start, Chief
O'Brien: Head start? Everybody seems to be getting a head start on me today.
Decurtis: Sir?
O'Brien: DeCurtis, I appreciate your bushy-tailed enthusiasm but I was waiting for Odo to came back from Bajor to do this. We have to realign the entire security net for the peace talks. The Constable might have a few things to say about it all.
Decurtis: Commander Sisko didn't feel we should wait for Odo.
O'Brien: Sisko gave you permission to start this without asking with me first? I don't think so.
Decurtis: You might want to check with him, sir. I'm only following orders.
O'Brien: I'll check with him all right.
Decurtis: Mister O'Brien?
O'Brien: Carry on.
O'Brien: Computer, how much longer to Parada system?
Computer: Fifty three minutes.
O'Brien: Direct sensors back toward the wormhole. Scan for other warp signatures on this heading.
Computer: One warp signature found.
O'Brien: Display. Can you identify?
Computer: Identification confirmed. Starfleet runabout Mekong.
O'Brien: I figured as much. They'll wait for me to drop out of warp and then. Well, we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we.
Computer: Please restate question.
O'Brien: Disregard, computer. Continue personal log. Okay, so it was all a little curious but who could've guessed at that point
O'Brien: I mean, the way they were acting, they might've been trying to pull off one of those surprise parties that I can't stand, only my birthday's not until September, and believe me, as it turned out, I had nothing else to celebrate.
Bashir: Ah, there he is now. I've been waiting for you, Chief.
O'Brien: What is it, Julian.
Bashir: No excuses this time.
O'Brien: Excuses?
Bashir: I'd like you in my office in an hour.
O'Brien: For what?
Bashir: Your physical. You can't put this off any longer.
O'Brien: Look, this isn't a good day.
Bashir: It's a perfect day. Commander Sisko has arranged to have you covered and
O'Brien: What are you doing going to the Commander about my check-up?
Bashir: Because this has been. I just know how you feel about
O'Brien: Forget it. I've got things to do.
Bashir: I'm afraid I'll have to insist. If I have to order you as your superior officer, I will.
Sisko: Is there a problem?
Bashir: Mister O'Brien says he's unavailable for a physical.
Sisko: Make yourself available, Chief.
O'Brien: Commander.
Sisko: Doctor Bashir's annual report on the senior staff is due next week at Starfleet. We've all had to go through this.
O'Brien: Fine. Fine, I'll be there in an hour.
O'Brien: Commander, can I talk to you for a minute?
Sisko: Ensign DeCurtis mentioned to me that you were a little upset.
O'Brien: Not upset, exactly.
Sisko: No, no, you had every right to be. I'm sorry I assigned him before advising you. I guess I dropped the ball on that one.
O'Brien: Well, I guess I just felt a little left out of the loop, you know.
Sisko: Understood. I've gone through your reports on the Paradas. They seem unusually preoccupied with security.
O'Brien: They may be a little paranoid, but I suppose we would be too if we'd been engaged in a civil war for twelve years.
Sisko: Anything else I should know about them? Any unusual protocols we should observe when they get here?
O'Brien: No, nothing too out of the ordinary. It's all pretty much in my report.
Sisko: Now, tell me something that's not in the report.
O'Brien: Sir?
Sisko: You know, the kind of things we don't include in reports but might help me in these talks.
O'Brien: Well, I'd have to give it some thought. There was one thing I noticed. I don't know if it means anything or not, but the Paradas have an odor from some kind of skin excretions, I'd guess. It changes with their moods. When they're upset, it can get pretty strong actually.
Sisko: I'll try not to get them upset.
O'Brien: Good idea.
Sisko: Their leaders have been in regular contact with us. I've assured them that we'll be following all of their security recommendations to the letter.
O'Brien: I'll see to that.
Sisko: Well, I certainly want you to check everything before they get here, but the upfront work can be done by the Engineering crews. I have bigger problems for you.
O'Brien: Bigger?
Sisko: All three upper pylons are down again.
O'Brien: That's impossible. I went over that repair work when I got back. The pressure locks seemed to be at maximum efficiency.
Sisko: You'd better check again. We had to tow a Bolian freighter to a lower dock this morning.
O'Brien: It can't be anything that serious. I rebuilt that entire subsystem myself. I'll get on it right away.
Sisko: After your physical.
O'Brien: Yes, sir. Oh, by the way, I noticed you and Keiko out in front of the school this morning, talking. Is there anything wrong?
Sisko: Oh, Jake is having some problems with his grades.
O'Brien: I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Keiko's very fond of the boy. I'm sure she'll work that much harder to help him.
Sisko: I'm sure she will.
O'Brien: Are we nearly finished? I believe you've poked into every orifice of my body and created a few new ones.
Bashir: Any dizziness? Oversleeping? Lack of energy? Euphoria?
O'Brien: Yes, all of them. Especially euphoria. Lots of euphoria.
Bashir: Seriously.
O'Brien: Look, if you're determined to keep me here until you find something wrong with me, I'll see if I can't grow you a hangnail.
Bashir: Eye problems? Hearing? Headaches?
O'Brien: Headache. There you go. In fact, I'm getting a very bad one right now.
Bashir: Short temper. Flies off the handle under the slightest provocation. Perfectly normal behavior.
O'Brien: I'm glad you're enjoying this.
Bashir: Sorry. I know how you feel about doctors.
O'Brien: It's not doctors I have problems with. O'BRIEN +
Bashir: It's you, Julian.
Bashir: Well, your sense of humor seems normal enough
O'Brien: I don't have a sense of humor.
Bashir: Cough. How's the sex life?
O'Brien: I don't have a sense of humor.
Bashir: Cough. Everything all right in that department?
O'Brien: That department is none of Starfleet's business, or yours.
Bashir: Mother and father in good health?
O'Brien: Oh, come on, Julian. You knew my mother died two years ago.
Bashir: Did I?
O'Brien: You don't remember me telling you when my father remarried last spring? Me blathering on about this woman I've never met before?
Bashir: Of course. Now I remember.
O'Brien: Are you finished?
Bashir: Not quite. I just have one or two more tests to run.
O'Brien: This is insane! I haven't had a physical take this long since I was born. Look, unless I'm dying or something, I think it's about time. Wait. That's it, is it? I mean, there is something wrong with me. That's why everyone seems so strange.
Bashir: Relax, Chief. I'm giving you a clean bill of health. You can get dressed.
Jake: Hey, Chief!
O'Brien: Hello, Jake.
Jake: I need a favor.
O'Brien: Sure. What is it?
Jake: I'm working on a subspace transceiver for my science project but I can't seem to figure out how to get the emitter crystal to work.
O'Brien: A subspace transceiver model. I used to build them when I was your age. I'll be glad to help.
Jake: You don't think it's a conflict of interest or anything, you being married to the teacher?
O'Brien: We'll have to clear it with Keiko but I don't think she'll mind. Besides, it's a chance to help get those grades of yours back up, right?
Jake: My grades are great. I just want to keep them that way.
O'Brien: Sisko was telling the truth about one thing. The upper pylons had failed again. It didn't make any sense, because the new pressure locks I'd installled seemed to be working just fine, so it had to be an entirely new problem. I realized it wasn't going to be a quick matter to track it down after all. And I couldn't help thinking how this was going to keep me occupied while the security arrangements for the Paradas were underway.
O'Brien: How's it coming, DeCurtis?
Decurtis: Chief. I thought you had your hands full with the upper pylons.
O'Brien: I do, but I thought I'd take a break and check in on your progress.
Decurtis: Everything's on schedule here. We made a complete sweep of all the quarters assigned to the Paradas.
O'Brien: Good. Open it up. I'd like to look it over myself.
Decurtis: I can't, Chief.
O'Brien: That's an order.
Decurtis: Sir, the security seal was activated the minute we left. Only Major Kira has the access codes.
O'Brien: O'Brien to Kira.
Kira: Go ahead, Chief.
O'Brien: I'd like the access codes to the Parada quarters.
Sisko: Chief, what are you doing down there?
O'Brien: Commander, I spent the last week going over these arrangements with the Paradas. I really need to
Sisko: I want those upper pylons operational, Chief. That's your priority. Understood?
O'Brien: Yes, sir.
Jake: Chief, is this the right inverter for the subspace transceiver?
O'Brien: Where'd you get this? I haven't seen one of these since I was a kid.
Jake: I replicated it. I found the design in a really, really, old data file in the library program.
O'Brien: Really, really, old?
Jake: I didn't mean
O'Brien: Don't worry about it. Why don't you come by my place after dinner. We'll see if we can add the rest of the pieces.
Jake: Oh, that's great.
O'Brien: Jake, did anything unusual happen here at the station while I was in the Gamma Quadrant last?
Kira: Jake. Your Dad's been looking for you. I think he's back in your quarters. It may be important.
Jake: See you later.
Kira: Everything under control, Chief?
O'Brien: All under control, Major.
O'Brien: I worked on the pylon controls the better part of the day. Needle in a haystack wouldn't do this job justice. When I finally found the crack in the RF power conduit, I couldn't imagine how it could've occurred so deep in the system, unless someone had broken it deliberately.
Keiko: Hard day?
O'Brien: You could say that.
Keiko: You want to lie down before dinner?
O'Brien: No, Jake's coming over in a little while. I promised to help him with his science project.
Keiko: Er, Commander Sisko just called. Jake can't make it tonight. He isn't feeling well.
O'Brien: Really? He seemed okay a few hours ago.
Keiko: Well, you know how it is with kids. He probably just ate too much junk on the Promenade after school.
O'Brien: Where's Molly?
Keiko: She's over at the Fredricksons spending the night.
O'Brien: So there's just the two of us, then.
Keiko: We'd better eat while the food's still warm.
O'Brien: The replicator can keep it warm, and I can keep you warm.
O'Brien: What's the problem?
Keiko: No problem. I'm just not in the mood. I had a hard day too.
O'Brien: Okay, we'll eat. What is it?
Keiko: Fricandeau stew.
O'Brien: But you don't like Fricandeau stew.
Keiko: You do.
O'Brien: Yeah, but
Keiko: I just thought you'd appreciate one of your favorite meals. I know how you hate all that terrible food when you're away. A little endive salad, sweet flan for dessert.
O'Brien: How thoughtful of you. You're not having any?
Keiko: I just feel like having salad.
O'Brien: Not hungry?
Keiko: I had a late lunch.
Keiko: How is it?
O'Brien: You know, I think I will lie down.
Keiko: But you haven't eaten a bite.
O'Brien: I just don't seem to have an appetite right now.
O'Brien: I don't know if there was anything wrong with the stew or not. When I went back later to check, she'd already put it into the disposal. But all I could think of, as I looked at her, was that this was not my Keiko.
O'Brien: Computer, open O'Brien personal log. Play back last sentence.
O'Brien: But all I could think of, as I looked at her, was that this was not my Keiko.
O'Brien: You're right. She wasn't. Continue log. I didn't get much sleep that night.
O'Brien: I waited for Keiko, or whoever she was, to go to bed and I started my search. I had no idea what I was looking for. Something odd, something not quite normal, anything to explain what might be going on.
Computer: Scan complete. No unknown microorganisms detected.
O'Brien: Check for traces of any chemical agents with bioactive properties.
Computer: No chemical agents with bioactive properties detected.
O'Brien: Any unknown chemical agents?
Computer: Negative.
O'Brien: Access internal EM sensor grid.
Computer: Ready.
O'Brien: Scan for any evidence of sub-harmonic transmissions.
Computer: Scan complete. No sub-harmonic transmissions detected.
O'Brien: Any unusual neural wave patterns.
Computer: Negative.
O'Brien: Any telepathic activity on board.
Computer: Negative.
O'Brien: Computer, display all arriving vessels from stardate 47550 through 47571.
O'Brien: None from the Gamma Quadrant?
Computer: No ships arrived from the Gamma Quadrant within time parameters requested.
O'Brien: Coffee, Jamaican blend, double strong, double sweet. You're drinking too much of this stuff, O'Brien. Anything to stay alert, O'Brien. Okay, computer, play back station logs chronologically, starting with stardate 47550.
Computer: Identify which officer's logs are to be included.
O'Brien: All officers.
Computer: Vocal or transcribed?
O'Brien: Vocal.
Sisko: Captain's log, stardate 47552.9. Admiral Gupta has arrived to personally assess the Cardassian movements along the border. Several Federation colonies in the demilitarized zone have complained of
Dax: diskovered a new lifeform previously unreported. We have tentatively classified it as a protozoic species but still have to
Sisko: lost in a shuttlepod somewhere in the vicinity of the third moon of Bajor Seven. We have two runabouts
Kira: a request by the Chamber of Ministers that I find absolutely ridiculous. They have actually requested that we begin to screen all arriving
Decurtis: were completed at seventeen-hundred hours and seem to be functioning with no further difficulties. A level one diagnostic
Sisko: and the Admiral seemed satisfied that the Cardassians would not violate the treaty.
Computer: Access denied.
O'Brien: Denied? Access denied to what?
Sisko: Captain's logs after stardate 47569.4 are restricted.
O'Brien: The day I got back. Describe the restrictions.
Computer: Access restricted to level one security clearance.
O'Brien: I am level one.
Computer: Please enter security verification.
Computer: Access denied.
Decurtis: Anything I can help you with, Chief?
O'Brien: No, I'm just making sure these upper pylons are in working condition by morning.
Decurtis: You're an inspiration to us all.
O'Brien: There were several traps laid into the computer subroutine, no doubt to let someone know if I'd penetrated their security lockout. I wasn't fooled for a minute and released the protected files without any problem.
O'Brien: What I found in those hidden logs didn't answer all my questions, but it sure as hell confirmed what I'd been afraid of. They were analyzing and reanalyzing everything I had put into my report about Paradan security. They'd even broken into my personal logs to see what they could find in there. I hope they enjoyed reading the sexy letters to my wife. There were several entries by Sisko about secured messages from the Parada system but no indication what those messages were about. Maybe they were afraid I'd get into their files even with the security lockout. Smart people.
Odo: Chief.
O'Brien: Odo, we've got a problem. I have to talk to you.
Odo: It's good to see you too.
O'Brien: Aside from Jake, not one of them was, I don't know, real. I'm not sure who we can trust on the station at this point.
Odo: Do any of them know you're suspicious?
O'Brien: Probably. I've asked a few questions, been a few places that might have tipped them off. They'll be keeping close tabs on me. I'd call Starfleet but what could I tell them? My wife doesn't seem like my wife? Sisko's been making security arrangements without consulting me?
Odo: They might even call Commander Sisko and start asking questions about you.
O'Brien: That's what I was afraid of.
Odo: When are the Paradas due?
O'Brien: Thirty eight hours.
Odo: I don't want them coming anywhere near this place until we get this cleared up.
O'Brien: Agreed.
Odo: Go on about your business. Don't do anything to get their attention. In the meantime, I'll do some investigating. If I can confirm your suspicions, we can go to Starfleet and the Bajoran authorities at the same time.
O'Brien: I'm glad you're back, Odo.
Odo: We'll get to the bottom of this.
O'Brien: I felt better than I had for a long time. I finally had an ally. Now, all I had to do was wait. I like to think I'm a man with many talents, but waiting isn't one of them. I had to cover my bets, prepare myself for whatever might happen next. I still had a few tricks up my sleeve.
Quark: The odds are against you, O'Brien.
O'Brien: Against me? What are you talking about?
Quark: You know what I'm talking about. You look tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?
O'Brien: What are you talking about, Quark?
Quark: Racquetball. The rematch with Bashir next week. We never finished the first one, remember? My, we are jumpy, aren't we.
O'Brien: Change the subject.
Quark: Fine, we'll change the subject. So, tell me about the Paradas. They're going to be here, when, tomorrow?
O'Brien: Why do you want to know anything about the Paradas?
Quark: It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door.
O'Brien: Which Rule of Acquisition is that?
Quark: Oh, one of the high numbers. One ninety four, I think.
O'Brien: Well, you'll have to find out about the Paradas from someone else.
Odo: Odo to O'Brien.
O'Brien: Go ahead.
Odo: Can I see you in my office?
O'Brien: On my way.
Odo: I see what you mean.
O'Brien: What did you find out?
Odo: Sit down. How much do you know about the Paradan rebels?
O'Brien: Don't ask me to explain the politics of the situation, but I know they've been fighting the government forces for twelve years. Why?
Odo: I'm just trying to understand the players involved here.
O'Brien: Odo, Sisko's logs indicate that secret messages have been coming from the Parada System. Could those messages have been from the rebels?
Odo: As a matter of fact, they were.
O'Brien: That's already a breach of the security agreement we made with the Paradan government, and it's a good enough reason for us to cancel these peace talks.
Odo: That still might be premature.
O'Brien: What are you talking about? We've got more than enough They got to you.
Odo: Don't be ridiculous. I'm just trying to
O'Brien: No, they did. They got to you.
Sisko: All right, let's have a little talk.
O'Brien: Who the hell are you?
Kira: We don't want to hurt you.
Bashir: Here, this'll help you relax.
O'Brien: Thanks just the same.
O'Brien: Computer, lock on to my comm. badge. Initiate emergency transport to runabout Rio Grande.
Computer: Unable to complete request. Please contact station commander for assistance.
O'Brien: Making it tough for me, huh? Fine. You want forcefields, I'll give you forcefields. There. Now, you want to get me, you'll have to release them all.
O'Brien: Thank you.
O'Brien: Jake, are you okay?
Jake: Yeah.
O'Brien: Good. Listen to me. Something isn't normal round here. Your dad, the others, something's happened to them. You and I are the only ones who can help.
Jake: Jake Sisko to Security. He's here. Level H two, section five. It'll be okay. Just surrender to them and you'll be fine.
Odo: Spread out. Check all quarters. Advise people to stay where they are and not to let anyone in.
Security: Yes, sir.
Sisko: Shut down your engines.
O'Brien: Sorry, Commander. I have no intention of doing that.
Sisko: You will not be allowed to leave. I repeat, shut down your engines now.
O'Brien: If you check your systems, you'll find that the mooring clamps are already unlocked and your tractor beams are offline. O'Brien out. Shields up!
O'Brien: Are the shields holding, Computer.
Computer: Shields at seventy-one percent.
Computer: Warning. Shields at forty nine percent.
O'Brien: Transfer emergency life support power to shield generators.
Computer: Transfer complete.
O'Brien: Shield status.
Computer: Shields at ninety three percent.
O'Brien: Full impulse, heading four one mark three three-zero.
Computer: Confirmed.
O'Brien: Computer, open a subspace channel to Starbase four zero one. Priority one, Admiral Rollman.
Computer: Stand by.
O'Brien: Admiral. Miles O'Brien, Chief of Operations, Deep Space Nine.
Rollman: I know who you are.
O'Brien: Admiral, I must apprise you of an emergency situation on the station. There's been some sort of takeover, a conspiracy. I believe it has something to do with the Paradan peace talks.
Rollman: Listen to me very carefully. Return to DS Nine immediately.
O'Brien: Admiral, you don't understand. I believe Commander Sisko and all of the senior officers have fallen under the influence of something that
Rollman: Turn the ship around and go back. You will not be harmed.
O'Brien: It seemed almost unbelievable to me. Had someone or something started to infiltrate all of Starfleet?
O'Brien: Computer, new heading. One eight zero mark three one. To the wormhole.
O'Brien: Coffee, Jamaican blend, double strong, double sweet. Time to Parada system, Computer.
Computer: One minute, twenty seconds.
O'Brien: How much lead time do we have on the Mekong.
Computer: At current speeds, seven minutes, four seconds.
O'Brien: That'll disappear in a hurry once we drop out of warp. At least I get to choose where they catch up. Computer, identify the largest planet in the Parada system.
Computer: Parada Four.
O'Brien: Adjust course to approach Parada Four.
Computer: Confirmed.
O'Brien: How many moons around Parada Four?
Computer: Seven.
O'Brien: Lucky seven. Display coordinates.
Computer: Approaching the Parada system.
O'Brien: Drop to impulse. Status of Mekong?
Computer: Mekong has dropped out of warp and has adjusted course to identical heading.
O'Brien: Perfect. How much time have they made up on us?
Computer: At current speed, the Mekong is two minutes, one second behind this vessel.
O'Brien: Adjust speed to let them catch up to us in thirty seconds.
Computer: Dropping to point four impulse.
O'Brien: Come on, I'm waiting for you.
Computer: Warning. Entering polar magnetic field. Sensors will be nonfunctional for twenty seven seconds. Switch to manual navigation.
O'Brien: Switching. Computer, full impulse, engage.
Computer: Confirmed. Manual navigation in effect.
O'Brien: Shut down all engines, all main power systems. Maintain silent running status.
Computer: Confirmed.
O'Brien: Yeah, where did I go? Now you see me, now you don't. What's it going to be, fellas? I can play hide and seek with the best of them. No time for games, huh? Computer, identify Mekong's new heading.
Computer: Four one mark two zero one.
O'Brien: Probable destination?
Computer: Parada Two.
O'Brien: Parada Two? What's on Parada Two?
Computer: Specify parameters.
O'Brien: Computer, monitor all transporter activity to and from the Mekong.
Computer: Mekong transporter has been energized.
O'Brien: They beamed to the surface?
Computer: Confirmed.
O'Brien: How many people?
Computer: Three people.
O'Brien: Anyone left on board?
Computer: Negative.
O'Brien: Put us on a course for Parada Two. Take us into synchronous orbit above their location on the surface.
O'Brien: Having a little unscheduled negotiation with the rebels, are we?
Sisko: You don't understand. Put down your weapons and we'll explain.
O'Brien: No, I've got a better idea. You put down yours first. Do it.
O'Brien: You too.
Coutu: Everything you need to understand is behind this door.
O'Brien: Yeah, like a squadron of rebels maybe, huh?
Coutu: No. If you'd just permit me
O'Brien: Just stay where you are.
Kira: Listen to him. He's not your enemy. We're not your enemy.
O'Brien: No?
Coutu: Please. This will explain everything.
O'Brien: I don't want to hurt you.
Sisko: Doctor, we need you!
O'Brien: He's perfect. He looks just like me.
Kira: Apparently he thought he was you.
Coutu: No doubt they thought that would make him more convincing. We believe there was some triggering device programd into him that would have taken over during the peace talks. The government scientists have learned how to do remarkable things with replicants.
O'Brien: What was he programd to do?
Coutu: We're not entirely sure. Assassinate someone at the peace talks, we think. Perhaps our entire delegation.
Sisko: They were tipped off by one of the informants in their government. There was a rumor you'd been abducted and replaced by a replicant.
Coutu: We've had people looking for you ever since.
Bashir: There was no way to prove he wasn't you. He passed a physical exam with flying colors, and he sure knew his way around the station.
O'Brien: I had more wires attached to my head than you can count. Now I know why.
Kira: We were trying to shut him out of every sensitive security area while they were searching for you. He must have wondered what the hell was going on with all of us.
Bashir: By the time we learned of your rescue, he'd already gotten away from us and was on his way here.
Coutu: I wonder why he was coming back?
O'Brien: If it were me, I'd be trying to warn somebody there was something wrong at the station.
Sisko: Maybe in a strange sort of way, he was just trying to be a hero.
Fake O'Brien: Keiko.
O'Brien: What about her?
Fake O'Brien: Tell her I love


Scene: Station log, stardate 47573.1. To respond to questions about setting up colonies near the wormhole, Chief O'Brien and I have set out to survey nearby star systems.
Sisko: If it's an imposition
O'Brien: No, sir, it's fine.
Sisko: You're sure?
O'Brien: I'm sure, Commander. Jake's a good fellow. I'll enjoy working with him.
Sisko: I don't want you to make it easy for him, Chief. He has to know what it takes to make it in Starfleet.
O'Brien: I'll have him up to his elbows in thorium grease, sir.
Sisko: It's not going to be easy for him. He placed in the lower third of his age group in mechanical aptitude.
O'Brien: Good for him. So did I.
Sisko: You? Come on.
O'Brien: No, it's true. It wasn't till I got to the Cardassian front I found I had talents I never knew I had.
Sisko: At the front?
O'Brien: It was a matter of figuring out how to get a field transporter operational in ten minutes or wind up a Cardassian prisoner of war. Now, I didn't know a transporter from a turbolift in those days but somehow, in nine minutes fifty three seconds, I got that thing to work. I got thirteen men safely off the surface of Setlik Three. Next thing I know I'm the tactical officer on the Rutledge. That's how I got the gold suit.
Sisko: Well, Jake's ready for a new suit too. The boy seems to grow a centimeter each week. You know, he struck me out with a curve ball the other day. First time.
O'Brien: They grow up in a hurry, don't they, sir.
Sisko: That they do.
O'Brien: I think I've got one. Computer, set a new heading, four one mark three zero one.
Computer: Confirmed.
Sisko: It's an M class all right. One hundred and sixty million kilometers from Orellius Minor. Should be a perfect place to set up a colony.
O'Brien: Only it looks like someone's beat us to it.
Sisko: You're reading life forms?
O'Brien: Human life forms.
Sisko: I don't see anything on the books about a colony in the Orellius system.
O'Brien: Trying all hailing frequencies.
Sisko: Moving into synchronous orbit.
O'Brien: No response. I'm picking up some kind of low level duonetic field down there. It may be blocking communications.
Sisko: Let's introduce ourselves to our neighbors.
Sisko: Yours too?
O'Brien: Even the self-diagnostics aren't working. It's plain dead.
Sisko: Sisko to Rio Grande. Computer, respond.
O'Brien: I'd say there's no EM activity at all around here.
Sisko: Any idea why?
O'Brien: I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with that duonetic field our sensors picked up.
Sisko: Well, I hope you find a few more of those talents you never knew you had, because if you don't we're going to have a hard time getting off this
Vinod: Don't move!
Vinod: And put your hands up.
Vinod: Turn around. Slowly.
Joseph: They're from Starfleet.
Sisko: That's right. Mind if we put our hands down?
Joseph: The uniforms have changed, or have I just forgotten what they looked like? My name is Joseph. Vinod's the one playing with the sharp object.
Sisko: Benjamin Sisko, and this is Miles O'Brien.
Vinod: How did you get here?
O'Brien: We were going to ask you the same thing.
Sisko: We were surveying for habitable planets when our sensors picked up your lifesigns. There was no record of a human colony here.
Joseph: Our group was on its way to settle on Gemulon Five over ten years ago when our ship developed life support problems, and we had to land here for repairs.
Vinod: Once we got here, all our systems failed. Nothing worked anymore.
O'Brien: So we've seen.
Joseph: We've been stuck here ever since, and I guess you are too now.
Sisko: We have a ship in orbit. It won't take our people long to find us.
O'Brien: We'll be able to get all of you out of here.
Joseph: After ten years, this is our home.
O'Brien: But you just said it yourself. Nothing works.
Joseph: Well, we still do. Come, we'll show you. Vinod, run ahead and tell your mother we have guests. Come.
Sisko: Erewon-class personnel transport.
Joseph: Commissioned the Santa Maria. Now, we just call it the Cabin.
Alixus: After all this time, visitors!
Joseph: Alixus, meet Ben and Miles.
Alixus: Welcome to our community. Miles. Are there others?
Sisko: Just an empty runabout in orbit. Hopefully, it'll attract some attention.
Joseph: A runabout. Is that some kind of new Starfleet vessel?
O'Brien: Yeah, they commissioned the first ones two years ago. They're a short-range interstellar craft about a quarter the size of your cabin here.
Joseph: I was the engineer aboard the Santa Maria.
Alixus: You and Miles will have a lot to talk about, Joseph. I'm sure all of us have questions for our guests.
Vinod: Who won the soccer matches this year? Is Golanga still playing?
Sisko: No, he hurt his knee four years ago. They replaced it with a bio-implant but he wasn't the same after that. Who was it that won last year anyway? I never can remember.
Cassandra: What are women's fashions like back home now?
Sisko: Chief, you're the married one.
O'Brien: Keiko, my wife, she's been replicating longer dresses lately.
Cassandra: Oh, no. That means I'll have to alter everything I own.
O'Brien: That might just be the Bajoran styles she sees on Deep Space Nine.
Joseph: On Deep Space Nine?
Alixus: I'm sure Ben and Miles will be happy to tell us everything we want to know. There'll be plenty of time for that later.
O'Brien: Actually, the first thing I'd like to do is to try and get some response from the EM systems.
Alixus: We gave up any hope of that years ago.
Sisko: Yes, we noticed a low-level duonetic field in the area before we transported down.
Alixus: Yes, the same thing appeared on our sensors when we were landing. Our engines failed almost the instant we hit the surface.
Joseph: Without a functional tricorder, it was virtually impossible to track down the source.
Alixus: We do know that the marshes all around us are filled with astatine deposits. That's the only explanation we have. But we've done pretty well without our tricorders and EM converters and comm. links haven't we? After all, the human body is a powerful tool. We can plow the crops, harvest the fields, construct the walls that we need for protection against the wilderness, weave clothes that we need to stay warm. In a way, we've rediskovered what man is capable of without technology. It hasn't been easy. We've had some bitter winters and we've lost some dear friends. But we're very proud of what we've accomplished here.
Sisko: You have every right to be.
Cassandra: Are we all going to leave when the others come to rescue them?
Alixus: That's something each of us is going to have to think about, isn't it.
Cassandra: Are you going to leave, Alixus?
Alixus: Speaking for myself, no. No, I'll never leave. And I'll never want what we have in our community to change. It means too much to me. But while you are here, you are welcome to everything our community has to offer. The only thing we ask is that you contribute. We all work for our supper. You'd be surprised how much sweeter it tastes when you do.
Sisko: We'll be happy to do our part.
Alixus: Joseph, would you find them some bunks, please?
Alixus: Two more strong, healthy men, Vinod. That could mean an awful lot to this community.
Kira: Do you know an Admiral Mitsuya?
Dax: Best poker player in the fleet, next to me.
Kira: Well, he's diverting the Crockett to stop at DS Nine day after tomorrow to talk about Cardassian foreign policy?
Dax: That's just an excuse to get Benjamin in a game. Mitsuya cleaned him out last year. We'd better hail the Rio Grande and get them back this way. I've worked two lifetimes on Benjamin's poker. He just can't learn how to bluff.
Kira: That's odd.
Dax: I know. You'd think a man like Benjamin
Kira: No. The Rio Grande. It's not responding to our hails.
O'Brien: Commander.
Sisko: Come in, Chief. I'm just reading one of the books our host has written. Alixus is quite a prolific author.
O'Brien: A bunch of these were left in my room too. I haven't had a chance to look at them. What does she write about?
Sisko: She seems to have something to say on just about everything.
O'Brien: Yeah?
Sisko: Economic analysis, political commentaries, literary critiques. She says she's spent her life examining the human condition.
O'Brien: What's her prognosis?
Sisko: Not very good. She says we've become fat and lazy and dull.
O'Brien: My wife told me something along those lines just last week.
Sisko: The common conceit that the human species has evolved over the last several centuries is ludicrous. What gains we have made have come at the cost of our own core identities. Man has lost touch with his true power.
O'Brien: Sounds like it took a crash landing for her to find her paradise.
Sisko: Have you found anything in their ship that can help us restore contact with the runabout?
O'Brien: There's nothing to find. Waveguides, conduits, baffle plates. You name it, it's gone. The ship looks like it's been through a Ferengi junkyard.
Sisko: What happened to it all?
Joseph: We threw it away. Well, since none of it worked, to us it was merely useless junk taking up space.
Sisko: Alixus felt its presence was a constant reminder of who you used to be.
Joseph: Well, we all had to abandon our dependence on technology. Removing every trace of it, well, that made the transition easier.
O'Brien: As an engineer, you must've had some problems with that.
Joseph: I was the last convert. But as time passed, I realized Alixus was right. She was helping us diskover a new philosophy of life together, because we needed one to survive. And I'll tell you, every one of us is better for it. We're more committed to each other. We are truly a part of each other's lives. We've renewed a sense of community that man left behind centuries ago.
Cassandra: Joseph, Meg's fever's getting worse.
Joseph: The new herb doesn't seem to be helping at all.
Sisko: May I see?
Joseph: Please.
Alixus: We have an insect here that transmits a disease we haven't found a cure for. We've lost three to it already.
Sisko: Have you found anything in the forest like the sleeger fungi?
Joseph: We've searched everywhere for the right fungus or root that would draw out the infection.
Sisko: If it keeps spreading, she'll die before the rescue team finds us.
O'Brien: The medical kit in the runabout could probably take care of this in a second.
Sisko: We've got to find a way to restore the comm. link to the transporter.
Alixus: It would only be a waste of time.
O'Brien: This duonetic field inhibits energy flow, but a duonetic field is a form of energy too. Maybe we could modify our communicators to run on the field itself.
Joseph: Do you really think you could?
Alixus: No. If you want to put your efforts to good use, search the forest for something else we might use.
Sisko: This is primitive medicine. You can't expect to save her
Alixus: Ben, may I see you outside please.
Alixus: Talk like that isn't constructive.
Sisko: I'm talking about saving the life of one of your followers.
Alixus: You don't understand us yet. No one follows me. They follow their own hearts.
Sisko: My heart tells me to try to get back to my ship.
Alixus: I'm sure it does. But if we'd had that attitude for the last ten years, we wouldn't have been doing what was necessary to survive here. To find the plants, herbs, molds that cure disease. We've conquered seventeen illnesses with the most powerful resource man has. His ingenuity.
Sisko: An interesting philosophy. And while we're debating it, a woman is dying.
Alixus: We're doing everything we can for her.
Sisko: No, we're not.
Alixus: I won't have you disrupting everything this community has worked for, Ben.
Sisko: I don't intend to stay any longer than necessary.
Alixus: And that's another thing. Let's not bring up the Starfleet rescue party again. Until they come, if they come, you'll have to do things our way. I'd strongly advise you get rid of that uniform. By mid afternoon, it gets hot in the fields.
Dax: The Rio Grande's been spotted.
Kira: Where?
Dax: The details are coming in from Starfleet. The Romulan vessel Gasko reported seeing an abandoned runabout. Markings NCC seven two four five two.
Kira: That's our ship all right.
Dax: Traveling at warp two through sector four zero one.
Kira: At warp, with no one on board?
Dax: Command wants to know if we can send someone to investigate.
Kira: Signal them affirmative.
Dax: I already have.
Kira: Runabout pad C.
Vinod: You've got a real talent for this, Ben.
Sisko: Well, my father was a chef. He grew all his own vegetables. My brothers and I were sent out to the gardens every day.
Vinod: Most of the others, they'd only eaten replicated food before they got here. The flavor of the foods we prepare, quite a surprise to them.
Sisko: But not you?
Vinod: My mother would never let me eat replicated food.
Joseph: What?
O'Brien: I can't help thinking what my wife would say if she saw me doing this.
Joseph: Why?
O'Brien: Well, around my house, I'm known as the Black Thumb. I'm just one of those people, you know? The only way I could get anything to grow was to marry a botanist.
Joseph: A botanist? Really?
O'Brien: Yeah. You should have seen the arboretum she grew on the Enterprise. That's where I asked her to marry me. She'd love it here.
Joseph: Maybe you'll bring her someday.
O'Brien: Trouble is she wouldn't want to leave.
Joseph: That's okay too.
Joseph: Get him into the shade.
Joseph: Here, Stephan, chew these. They'll help you regain your strength.
O'Brien: What did he do to deserve this?
Joseph: He stole a candle.
O'Brien: One candle?
Sisko: How long was he in there?
Joseph: Since yesterday.
O'Brien: In that hell box?
Sisko: Is this part of your philosophy of life too?
Alixus: You're a Starfleet Commander. I'm sure you've had to diskipline members of your crew.
Sisko: Diskipline is one thing. Torture is another.
Alixus: The first thing this community accepted was the need to establish rules of conduct. All of us, including Stephan, approved this form of punishment as necessary and fair. How are you, Stephan?
Stephan: I'll be all right. I'm sorry, Alixus, that I let down the community.
Alixus: The matter is closed. Go inside. Get some rest now.
Stephan: Thank you, Alixus.
Alixus: Stephan will never steal another candle, and neither will anyone else who saw him here today. In time, you'll understand that this is a simple and effective way to maintain law and order in our community.
O'Brien: SI get the distinct impression that she expects us to be here for a while.
Sisko: If there's a way to adapt the energy in the duonetic field to get us back to the runabout, I want you to find it, Chief.
O'Brien: Yes, sir.
Cassandra: Is there anything you need?
Sisko: No, I don't think so.
Cassandra: I'm sorry. Alixus doesn't believe in doors. We all take it for granted now. You'll get used to it.
Sisko: Hopefully, I won't be here long enough to get used to it.
Cassandra: You don't like it here, do you.
Sisko: It's not what I'm used to.
Cassandra: Alixus has reminded us all that it wasn't easy for us at first either. She's told us to be patient with you.
Sisko: Has she.
Cassandra: I know your muscles must be sore from all the work today. This is an oil extract from the xupta tree. It's wonderfully soothing.
Sisko: Thanks, I'll try some.
Cassandra: Would you like me to massage you with it?
Sisko: I don't think so. Thanks, anyway.
Cassandra: It'll make you feel a lot better. Here, let me show you.
Sisko: Did she send you here? Did she send you here to make love to me?
Alixus: Ben, come in, I was just writing about you and Miles in my journal. I understand you're quite a chef.
Alixus: That's the first core behavior I've seen from you since you arrived.
Sisko: Core behavior. Does that chapter come before or after sexual procurement?
Alixus: I assume you're talking about Cassandra.
Sisko: Did you send her to my room?
Alixus: Yes.
Sisko: I think you're contemptible.
Alixus: Interesting. Contemptible. Try and see it through our eyes just for a moment, Ben. Cassandra came to me. She was worried. She sensed that you weren't happy.
Sisko: She was right about that.
Alixus: She was concerned that all you see here is work and hardship, and she wanted you to share in our joy as well.
Sisko: So you sent her to win my devotion to your cause.
Alixus: I suggested she might make it easier for you to become a member of our community. The choice was hers. Cassandra really likes you, Ben.
Sisko: It's fortunate that all these books of yours aren't on PADDS like the other materials the colonists brought.
Alixus: I used to print them myself.
Sisko: I'm not surprised. And Vinod told me you never ate replicated food before you came here.
Alixus: I'm not sure I see the connection.
Sisko: It's just that you never had much use for technology, did you? It's interesting you happened to crash on a planet that fit your philosophy of life so well.
Alixus: I agree. In fact, I've started writing a book about our experiences. I've been wondering if in the ancient religions of man, there aren't some new truths to be found. Something to explain how sometimes fate delivers us exactly where we need to be.
Sisko: Perhaps one day you'll even feel the hand of God on your shoulder.
Alixus: You won't give a millimeter, will you? Look at you, still in your uniform, wanting so badly to get back to your station with its artificial gravity and sterilized air. You are so diskonnected from your core identity, Ben. There is a better way. How can we help you to see it? Perhaps good hard work is the answer. Vinod!
Vinod: Yes, mother?
Alixus: Ben will be standing watch tonight.
O'Brien: Are you all right, Commander?
Sisko: Tired, but I'll be fine. Any luck on your end?
O'Brien: This duonetic field is still a mystery, sir. I can't believe it's being generated by the astatine deposits in the stream bed.
Alixus: Good morning, Ben. Ready for some breakfast? We have some lovely fruit. Try this. We found it growing along the riverbank a few years ago. It's some kind of native pear. Oh, will you be able to work your regular shift in the field today?
O'Brien: What are you talking about? You just had him up all night standing watch.
Alixus: Of course, if you'd like to be relieved of your duties, all you have to do is ask.
Sisko: I'll work my shift.
Alixus: Good. We're so short-handed out there. But you really should do yourself a favor and change into some more comfortable clothes. Oh, by the way, you'll be pleased to know Meg seems better this morning. Joseph is very optimistic about a new combination of herbs he's trying.
Dax: We're picking up a ship ahead. It's the Rio Grande, moving at warp one point three.
Kira: Plotting an intercept course. Once we're abeam, match our speeds exactly and I'll transport over.
Dax: Like hell you will.
Kira: Sorry, I'm the ranking officer here.
Dax: At warp, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to volunteer.
Kira: You got a better idea?
Dax: I'm the science officer. It's my job to have a better idea.
Kira: What are you doing?
Dax: Trying an old rope trick I learned on Earth once.
Kira: A rope trick.
Dax: A very talented Hopi I knew did things with a rope you wouldn't believe. It's an old West American artform.
Kira: You're suggesting we try to rope the Rio Grande at warp?
Dax: With a tractor beam.
Kira: Once we pull it back to impulse, isn't there a risk that the strain will rip both hulls apart?
Dax: If the ship assembly teams back in the yards did their jobs really well, we'll probably make it. If they had an off day, we're going to have a problem. But it's our best shot. Unless, a as ranking officer, you have a better idea.
Kira: We're within tractor range. Locking on.
Dax: Engaging impulse engines.
Dax: Remind me to send a thank you note to the assembly teams.
Kira: All stop. Computer, ready transporter.
Alixus: Meg has died. Suddenly, quietly. No one was prouder of what we've accomplished here than Meg was. Her dedication to this community and to us was an inspiration, which is why I find myself so troubled today by an act that by its very nature defiles her memory. Vinod?
Alixus: All of us have welcomed our new arrivals with open arms, but they continue to reject us. Despite their agreement to respect our fundamental way of life, this man has committed the worst offense that can be committed against this community. He has selfishly wasted precious time that could have been put to productive use. Miles was diskovered trying to activate his technological devices so he could return to his ship.
Joseph: Alixus, I'm sure he only wanted to get to the medical equipment that might have saved Meg's life.
Alixus: Thank you, Joseph. I knew you would feel that way and I'm glad you said it, so that all of us could see the true danger these two represent. Our very own Joseph defending what he knows is wrong. He knows that if we had spent our energy all these years trying to escape, we'd all be dead today. This is good. This is a test of our convictions, and we will survive.
Sisko: You're not going to put him in there.
Alixus: No, Ben, I'm not. You are his commanding officer. I hold you responsible for his actions. I'm putting you in there.
O'Brien: Wait a minute!
Kira: No signs of resistance. None of the onboard weapons has been fired.
Dax: But the logs have been erased. Someone else must have been here.
Kira: Maybe Sisko and O'Brien beamed off before the ship was boarded. But why would somebody send the runabout off at warp? Why wouldn't they just keep it or destroy it?
Dax: I think they were trying to destroy it.
Kira: How can you tell?
Dax: The hull's been exposed to high temperatures and intense gamma radiation. If we retrace the Rio Grande's course it takes us right back to
Kira: An F-type star.
Dax: Orellius Minor. There's only one way this ship could be coming straight from Orellius Minor and that's if someone tried to destroy the ship by flying it into the star.
Kira: And missed.
Dax: If the trajectory had been slightly off, the star's gravity flux would have deflected it in a new direction. Computer, send a tractor beam to the Orinoco. Prepare for a warp tow. With a little luck, we'll be able to find the warp signature the engines left when they were fired up.
Computer: Tractor beam in place.
Kira: Course laid in for the Orellius system. Engaging warp engines.
Alixus: Please. This is painful for me, too. I want so much to give you water, to let you lie down to sleep. But I can't. Not without your help. I know it's too difficult to speak right now. Just rest. Change doesn't come easily to you, Ben. I realize it. Believe me, I'm not expecting some sudden, miraculous conversion. Change will come by itself if you're open to it. But you do have to show us that you're open to it. A good start would be to get rid of the uniform. I'll leave you these clothes. Once you've changed, you can have this water. Join us, Ben.
Joseph: Miles? What are you doing here?
O'Brien: I need your help, Joseph.
Joseph: With what? There's nothing I can do, so please don't ask me.
O'Brien: I've got to try to track down where that duonetic field is coming from.
Joseph: We told you there are astetine deposits.
O'Brien: That's not what's causing it. If it were, I'd have that transmitter running and we'd all be out of here already. It's got to be something else and I think I've figured a way to get me to the source of it.
Joseph: And you want me to look the other way while you leave?
O'Brien: She'd put you in the box, wouldn't she. Then, do me a favor. Look down at that hematite deposit I just diskovered.
Joseph: Miles
O'Brien: I can do it so it won't hurt at all.
O'Brien: I owe you one, my friend.
O'Brien: Well, you finally got one of us out of our uniform.
O'Brien: Come on, move it. Where's Alixus?
O'Brien: Get her out here!
O'Brien: Get him some water! Do you know why this phaser is working now? Because I shut down the duonetic field that was stopping it from working. An artificially created duonetic field.
Sisko: Sisko to Rio Grande. Computer, respond.
Alixus: Your ship is no longer in orbit, Ben. I destroyed it.
Sisko: I assume that means you control the duonetic field.
Alixus: I helped invent it. You'd be surprised how many scientists are sympathetic to my philosophies.
Joseph: Then it was no accident we developed life support problems near this planet.
Alixus: No. We were always on our way here, Joseph. I chose it months in advance. It was far away from any trade route, completely isolated. It was perfect for our ideal community. I hoped when we landed we would never leave here.
Cassandra: You lied to us. You've been lying to us for ten years.
Alixus: Yes, but perhaps a lie can lead to a more important truth. Would any of you have learned who you really are at the core if you hadn't have come here? Joseph, you would have been a repairman all of your life. Cassandra, you would have been a technical clerk in some closed-in room. And Stephan, my friend, you probably would have been in prison by now. Look at yourselves. Look at what you've become. What you've achieved here has redefined your potential, the potential of man. Just as I knew it would. You are the living proof.
Sisko: What of the dead? What of Meg and the others?
Alixus: Only my son knows how I have suffered as I watched each of them die.
Sisko: You were willing to let them die for your theories. You're going to have to answer for what you've done.
Alixus: I'm prepared to go with you. Casualties were inevitable. I had to accept that from the start.
Sisko: What if it were your son who had been sick? Would you let him die, too?
Alixus: Yes. For the sake of the community. I did it all for the community.
Kira: Kira to Sisko. Are you all right, Commander?
Sisko: Everything is under control, Major. Stand by to begin multiple transports.
Kira: Acknowledged.
O'Brien: We have room for all of you on the runabout. If you have anything you want to bring with you, you ought to get it now.
Joseph: Miles, this is our home. Whatever Alixus may be guilty of, she did give us our community. I'm not sure if we'll leave the device on or off now that we know it's there. And we'll have to decide if we want to establish contact with the outside world. But Alixus is right. We have found something here that none of us is willing to give up.
Alixus: It's time for those of us who don't belong here to leave, Ben.
Sisko: Four to beam up, Major.
Joseph: Come. Come.