Sisko: Captain's personal log, stardate five one seven, er, five one seven four? Computer, what day is it?
Computer: Stardate 51721.3.
Sisko: It's only been two weeks. I need to talk about this. I have to justify what's happened, what I've done, at least to myself. I can't talk to anyone else. Not even to Dax. Maybe if I just lay it all out in my log, it'll finally make sense. I can see where it all went wrong. Where I went wrong. I suppose it started two weeks ago,
Sisko: While I was posting the weekly casualty list in the wardroom. Every Friday morning for the past three months, I've posted the official list of Starfleet personnel killed, wounded or missing in the war.
Sisko: It's become something of a grim ritual around here. Not a week goes by that someone doesn't find the name of a loved one, a friend or an acquaintance on that damned list.
Sisko: I've grown to hate Fridays.
Sisko: Who is it, Dax?
Dax: Leslie Wong.
Sisko: The skipper of the Cairo?
Dax: She was an instructor at the Academy when I was a sophomore.
Bashir: Do you know what happened to the Cairo?
Sisko: Just that she disappeared on patrol in the Romulan neutral zone. I'll look into it.
Dax: Don't bother. I'm sure it's the same old story. The Jem'Hadar crossed the Romulan border and caught them by surprise. It's only about the hundredth time it's happened.
Bashir: I can't believe the Romulans allow them to violate their territory so brazenly. Why do they get away with it?
Sisko: The Romulans have a treaty of non-aggression and friendship with the Dominion, so they're willing to turn a blind eye to almost anything in the name of friendship.
Bashir: What we need is to bring the Romulans into the war on our side. With the combined forces of the Federation, the Klingons and the Romulans we could finally go on the offensive.
Dax: That's the last thing the Romulans want. Think about it. They're in the perfect position. They get to sit back and watch as their biggest rivals slug it out in a long, bloody war. No one's threatening their interests. Why should they risk their necks? There's simply no reason for them to get involved in our war. No reason at all.
Sisko: That was the moment I made the decision. It was like I had stepped through a door and locked it behind me. I was going to bring the Romulans into the war.
Sisko: It's in their own best interest to join the war, that's the key. That's the reason the Romulans will finally take action. Not to do us any favors, but to protect themselves from the Dominion.
Dax: Okay. Let's say I'm the Romulan Proconsul. From where I'm sitting, the Dominion isn't a threat to me. I have a non-aggression pact with them. They're my allies.
Sisko: You're not going to put your faith in some piece of paper, are you?
Dax: Not at all. I've been watching them very closely since the beginning of the war, and so far, they've kept their part of the bargain.
Sisko: They're violating your territory almost every day. What kind of an ally is that?
Dax: So they're crossing my backyard to give the Federation a bloody nose. I can't say that makes me very sad.
Sisko: You can't be naive enough to think that the Dominion is going to stop with the Federation. When they're finished with us, they're be coming after you.
Dax: That's speculation.
Sisko: The Founders see it as their sacred duty to bring order to the galaxy. Their order. Do you think they'll sit idly by while you keep your chaotic empire right next to their perfect order? No. If you watch us go under, then what you're really doing is signing your own death warrant.
Dax: But before I plunge my people into a conflict that will kill millions of loyal Romulan citizens, I need something more concrete than the self-serving argument of a Starfleet officer. I need proof of Dominion duplicity. Not more words, proof.
Sisko: Very good, old man. You would have made a decent Romulan.
Dax: I prefer the spots to the pointed ears.
Sisko: Okay, you've convinced me. They're going to need evidence. But if there is evidence of a Dominion plan to attack Romulus, it's probably buried deep in the bowels of their headquarters on Cardassia Prime.
Dax: Not exactly the most accessible place in the galaxy.
Sisko: Not for us, maybe. But there is someone on this station who specializes in gaining access to places where he is not welcome.
Garak: I must say I'm flattered, Captain. I had no idea you held such a lofty opinion of me. Your faith in my ability to retrieve classified information from my former homeland is most gratifying.
Sisko: Mister Garak, let's dispense with the usual repartee and concentrate on the issue at hand. Can you do it or not?
Garak: No one wants to see the Dominion destroyed more than I do, but to go to Cardassia Prime, penetrate one of the most heavily guarded facilities in the quadrant, steal top secret war plans and then return them safely to you is not just another job. It's more like a suicide mission. And that is well outside my field of expertise.
Sisko: I didn't say you had to go there yourself. I have to believe that a man like you still has a few contacts at home. A colleague from the Obsidian Order, an old friend, a reliable informant. Someone who might owe you a favor.
Garak: Perhaps.
Sisko: Then I'd say it's time to call in a favor.
Garak: It would mean calling in all my favors, Captain. To do what you're asking would use up every resource I have left on Cardassia. And it may be a very messy, very bloody business. Are you prepared for that?
Sisko: I posted my fourteenth casualty list this morning. I'm already involved in a very messy, very bloody business. And the only way I can see to end it is to bring the Romulans into the war. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal, but I can't do it alone. I need help. Now, are you in or out?
Garak: I'm in.
Sisko: My father used to say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Sisko: I laid the first stone right there. I'd committed myself. I'd pay any price, go to any lengths, because my cause was righteous. My intentions were good. In the beginning, that seemed like enough.
Sisko: If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that bad news invariably comes in the middle of the night.
Kira: Kira to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead, Major.
Kira: We just received a priority one communication from Starfleet Command. The Dominion has invaded Betazed.
Sisko: According to initial reports, the invasion force must have come from somewhere in the Calandra Sector.
Dax: Did Starfleet Intelligence know anything about the buildup?
Worf: No. They believed Calandra was too far from the Dominion supply lines to be a threat.
Sisko: There's plenty of blame to go around. The Tenth Fleet was supposed to be protecting Betazed and its outlying colonies, but it was caught out of position on a training exercise. What's worse, Betazed's own defense systems are obsolete and undermanned. The planet was theirs in less than ten hours.
Kira: With Betazed in the hands of the Jem'Hadar, the Dominion is in a position to threaten Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, Alpha Centauri.
Dax: If we ever needed a new ally, it's right now.
Sisko: Mister Garak, it's been three days. Have you made any progress?
Garak: Well I suppose that depends on how you look at it.
Sisko: This is how I look at it is. Betazed has just fallen to the Dominion and we need to get this operation underway.
Garak: I share your desire for swift action, Captain. In fact, after our last conversation, I made a few diskreet inquiries among my former associates still living on Cardassia. As I anticipated, they shared my loathing for the current government and were willing to take on an assignment aimed at its destruction.
Sisko: That sounds like progress to me.
Garak: Doesn't it? Unfortunately, they're all dead now.
Sisko: What?
Garak: Yes. All killed within one day of speaking with me. I suppose that's a testament to the effectiveness of Dominion security. One should admire such efficiency.
Sisko: I'm sorry.
Garak: I hope you're not giving up that easily. After all, the stakes are much higher than a few dead operatives. The fate of the entire quadrant hangs in the balance. Or at least that's the case you made to me.
Sisko: Do you have another plan?
Garak: As a matter of fact, I do. But I suspect you won't like it.
Sisko: Try me.
Garak: If you want to guarantee that we obtain evidence of a Dominion plan to attack the Romulans, I suggest that we manufacture that evidence ourselves.
Sisko: Maybe I should have put a stop to it right there. Maybe I should have said, thank you very much for your input, Mister Garak. I will take your suggestion under advisement, and gone back to my office and forgotten about the whole thing. But I didn't. Because in my heart, I knew what he was saying made sense.
Garak: His name is Vreenak. He's been a key member of the Romulan Senate for the past fourteen years. He's Secretary of the War Plans Council, Vice Chairman of the Tal Shiar, and one of the most trusted advisors to Proconsul Neral.
Sisko: He's also the man that negotiated the non-aggression pact with the Dominion.
Garak: Since you're familiar with him, I'll skip the rest of his biography. What's important is that he continues to be one of the most ardently pro-Dominion voices in the Senate. If we can convince him that the Dominion is a threat, the rest of the Senate will follow.
Sisko: All right, how?
Garak: Ten days from now, Senator Vreenak will be making a trip to Soukara for a diplomatic meeting with Weyoun. I am certain that he can be persuaded to make a secret detour to DS Nine if he were invited by one Captain Benjamin Sisko.
Sisko: How do you know he'll be visiting Soukara?
Garak: There are some things I'd rather not discuss. May I continue?
Sisko: Please.
Garak: When Senator Vreenak arrives, you will show him a holographic recording of a secret meeting held at the highest level of the Dominion in which the planned invasion of Romulus is being discussed. You will tell the Senator that this information was obtained through various covert means at great cost to the Federation. At least ten good men lost their lives bringing it across the line, that sort of thing. He will immediately suspect it's a forgery, but you will assure him that such a thing would be impossible. You see, Senator, this is an official Cardassian transcript. It was recorded on a one time optolythic data rod used for official record keeping. These rods are manufactured only as needed on Cardassia Prime. Information can only be transcribed on them once, and then cannot be altered.
Sisko: He'll want to examine it.
Garak: Of course. And he will diskover to his amazement that it's completely genuine. At least, so it will appear.
Sisko: But in reality?
Garak: You will have handed him a genuine optolythic data rod, but it will contain one of the most perfect forgeries ever fashioned. I'm still working on obtaining the data rod, but I have located the man who will create the holorecording.
Sisko: You realize I can't authorize a thing like this on my own. I'll have to clear it with Starfleet Command.
Garak: Of course. But I suspect that with the fall of Betazed, they'll be ready to do whatever it takes to bring the Romulans into the war.
Sisko: I'll let you know.
Garak: One last thing, Captain. The man we need to forge this holoprogram is currently sitting in a Klingon prison awaiting execution. To save time and incidentally his life, I thought that perhaps you could contact Chancellor Gowron today and arrange a pardon.
Sisko: What's his name?
Garak: Grathon Tolar.
Tolar: I cannot tell you how grateful I am, Captain. The Klingons were going to execute me tomorrow. Of course, they say that every day. It's one of the little games they like to play.
Sisko: You do understand the terms of your parole?
Tolar: Oh, yes. I have to promise to stay away from the Klingon Empire. That'll be tough. And I have to create some kind of a special holoprogram for you. I can hardy wait. I've never worked for Starfleet before.
Sisko: Let's be very clear about this. You're not working for Starfleet. This entire matter is off the record. As far as you're concerned, you're working for me.
Tolar: Oh. A personal matter. Something special for your eyes only. Something with, perhaps, five or six Orion slave girls and
Sisko: Mister Tolar, I suggest you go wait in your quarters. Mister Garak will provide you with all the information you need.
Tolar: Garak is here?
Sisko: That's right.
Tolar: Oh. Oh. Well, that's different. I'll wait in my quarters.
Sisko: Why I didn't listen to the voice in the back of my mind telling me not to believe a word he said, I'll never know.
Sisko: But it didn't take long for me to come face to face with the fact that I'd made a mistake.
Odo: Odo to the Captain.
Sisko: Go ahead, Constable.
Odo: I'm sorry to disturb you, but do you know a man named Grathon Tolar?
Sisko: Yes. Why do you ask?
Odo: Because he just tried to kill Quark.
Bashir: Sit still, Quark. You'll be fine.
Odo: All right, keep an eye on him.
Sisko: What happened?
Odo: As I understand it, Mister Tolar over there came in about two hours ago and ordered a bottle of Whelan Bitters. Fifteen minutes later, he ordered a second bottle, then a third. Halfway through his fourth bottle he decided to dance with M'Pella. She was otherwise engaged running the dabo wheel and declined his invitation. He decided to force the issue. A brief struggle ensued and Quark, in an uncharacteristic display of chivalry, attempted to intervene, so Tolar stabbed him. Normally, he'd be sitting in a holding cell, but he claims he's a friend of yours.
Sisko: He's no friend of mine, but he is working for me. It's an extremely sensitive matter concerning Federation security. I can't have any record of him being on the station.
Odo: I see. I am certainly aware of the need for special security measures during wartime, but as a matter of law, if Quark chooses to press charges against Tolar, I have no choice but to make an arrest.
Sisko: May I speak to Quark.
Sisko: How is he?
Quark: How do I look? I'm a man who just had a brush with death.
Bashir: He'll be fine. His ribs deflected the knife from his major organs. The bleeding was superficial.
Quark: Superficial? Do you know how much this shirt cost?
Sisko: Will you excuse us for a moment, Doctor?
Bashir: I'll check on you tomorrow.
Sisko: Do you intend to press charges?
Quark: You bet I do.
Sisko: What will it take, er, to, er, convince you otherwise?
Quark: Are you offering me a bribe? I knew it. Captain, I've always liked you. I suspected that somewhere deep down in your heart of hearts there was a tiny bit of Ferengi just waiting to get out.
Sisko: What's your price?
Quark: Well, let's start with replacing my clothes and M'Pella's clothes.
Sisko: All right.
Quark: I'm not finished. I think I should be compensated for the loss of business I suffered today, which I calculate as no less than five bars of gold pressed latinum.
Sisko: Done.
Quark: I'm also having a problem with station security. They're holding some cargo containers which I've been waiting for because of some missing import license or something.
Sisko: I'll handle it. Anything else?
Quark: No. I think we can call it a bribe. And thank you, Captain. Thank you for restoring my faith in the ninety eighth Rule of Acquisition. Every man has his price.
Sisko: That was my first moment of real doubt, when I started to wonder if this whole thing was a mistake. So then I went back to my office and there was a new casualty list waiting for me. People are dying out there every day. Entire worlds are struggling for their freedom and here I am still worrying about the finer points of morality. No, I had to keep my eye on the ball. Win the war, stop the bloodshed. Those were the priorities!
Sisko: So I pushed on. And every time another doubt appeared before me, I just found another way to shove it aside.
Garak: Mind if I join you?
Sisko: Be my guest.
Sisko: Ops.
Garak: Hold. The less I'm seen parading through Ops, the better.
Sisko: I couldn't agree more.
Garak: You seem angry.
Sisko: Who's watching Tolar?
Garak: I've locked him in his quarters. I've also left him with the distinct impression that if he attempts to force the door open, it may explode.
Sisko: I hope that's just an impression.
Garak: It's best not to dwell on such minutiae. In any case, we have far more important matters to discuss. I've located a gentleman willing to sell us a genuine optolythic data rod.
Sisko: How do you know it's genuine?
Garak: I trust the source, but rest assured I will confirm the rod's authenticity before I make payment. Which brings me to you.
Sisko: How much does he want?
Garak: I'm afraid he's not interested in latinum. The gentleman in question has requested to be compensated with two hundred liters of biomimetic gel.
Sisko: What?
Garak: I don't know why, exactly. One would assume it has something to do with genetic experimentation.
Sisko: Offer him something else.
Garak: Believe me, I wouldn't be relaying this request if I thought he'd take anything else.
Sisko: Biomimetic gel is strictly controlled by the Federation and not for sale at any price. Find someone else who's willing sell us a rod.
Garak: I wasn't exaggerating when I told you about the near impossibility of obtaining a genuine Cardassian data rod. It's something of a minor miracle that I was able to locate this one source, I'm virtually certain I won't find another. I'm afraid we either give him what he wants or forget the whole enterprise.
Sisko: Then let's forget about it. Ops. Hold. Two hundred liters is out of the question. There's not that much gel in the entire sector.
Garak: I believe the quantity is open to negotiation.
Sisko: Ops.
Bashir: Captain, biomimetic gel is an extremely dangerous compound, as you know. I can't release it without at least some idea of where it's going. In the wrong hands, it could be used to make biogenic weapons, or for illegal replication experiments, or to develop organic explosives
Sisko: Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, Doctor. This is not a request, it's an order. You will package eighty five liters of biomimetic gel for interstellar transport and deliver them to cargo bay three. Is that understood?
Bashir: Yes. I'd like this order in writing, please, sir.
Sisko: I thought you might.
Bashir: You should know that I shall note this in my log and file an official protest with Starfleet Medical.
Sisko: That is your right. But I want the gel by the end of the day. Dismissed.
Weyoun: The Founders have decided to implement stage two ahead of schedule.
Damar: The invasion of Romulus? It's too soon. We're engaged in heavy fighting all along the border with the Federation. The Klingons are preparing to go on the offensive and
Weyoun: Fortunately, the Founders have better vision than you do. They can see the opportunities before us even when you cannot. Consider. The Romulans don't expect an attack from Cardassia. The bulk of the Romulan fleet is still deployed along the Neutral Zone with the Federation. The Founders estimate that we could be on Romulus itself in less than three weeks.
Damar: Three weeks? I heard the same kind of estimates before we attacked the Federation.
Weyoun: Those plans were ruined by the incompetency of your predecessor.
Damar: Gul Dukat is a great man.
Weyoun: Gul Dukat is a preening egotist and a fool. We offered him unchallenged control of the Alpha Quadrant and all he could think about was his daughter. Now, shall we get back to the business at hand?
Garak: That's it. Freeze program. That's all the new material. The rest of the program plays exactly as you saw it before. What do you think?
Sisko: It's better. They seem more real.
Garak: Yes, and all I had to do was add a little petty bickering and mutual loathing.
Tolar: So, you are happy?
Sisko: It's satisfactory.
Garak: You may record the program onto the data rod now.
Sisko: I've received a message. Senator Vreenak is on the way.
Garak: Excellent.
Tolar: Done. Who gets it?
Garak: Just put it in the case.
Tolar: Well. It has been a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen. Call me again if you ever need
Sisko: You're not going anywhere.
Tolar: What? What do you mean?
Sisko: I mean you're not leaving until your work is accepted by our client.
Tolar: That isn't fair. You can't keep me here against my will! I haven't done anything wrong. We had an agreement.
Sisko: I'm making a new agreement. If that program passes inspection, you walk free, but if there's even the slightest flaw, the I will send you back to that Klingon prison and tell Gowron to take his time while he executes you.
Tolar: All right. It will pass. You'll see. It will pass.
Garak: I sincerely hope so. Now why don't you go back to your quarters. I'll be along shortly to say hello.
Sisko: Maybe I was under more pressure than I realized. Maybe it really was starting to get to me. But I was off the hook. Starfleet Command had given the plan their blessing and I thought that would make things easier. But I was the one who had to make it happen. I was the one who had to look Senator Vreenak in his eye and convince him that a lie was the truth.
Garak: So while you're entertaining the Senator in the wardroom, I'll take the opportunity to make a quick search of his ship's database.
Sisko: For what?
Garak: For any intelligence information he may have picked up on the Dominion in Soukara.
Sisko: What if you get caught?
Garak: Oh, I think that's highly unlikely. I doubt the senator will be traveling with more than four bodyguards at the most. Two will stand watch outside the wardroom and two will stay in the landing bay. I assure you, they'll never know I was even near their ship.
Sisko: Just make sure you don't get caught.
Sisko: Report.
Worf: Sections fifty two Baker through sixty two Baker have been secured. I have posted armed guards at every entry points and I have personally scanned all compartments for signs of surveillance equipment.
Sisko: Very good, Commander. Maintain current security measures until further notice. No one is to enter this area except for Mister Garak and myself.
Worf: Aye, sir.
Garak: Always a pleasure to see you, Mister Worf.
Kira: Ops to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead, Major.
Kira: We've just received the coded subspace signal you were waiting for. Should I reply?
Sisko: No reply, Major. Sisko out.
Garak: I'll take my leave of you now, Captain. Oh, and one last thing. Vreenak believes he's on the winning side, so until you can prove otherwise, you may have to put up with a certain acerbic attitude.
Sisko: Mister Garak, after having spent a week with you, I have developed a very, very thick skin.
Garak: Good luck.
Sisko: Welcome aboard, Senator. I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko.
Vreenak: So, you're the Commander of Deep Space Nine, and the Emissary to the Prophets, decorated combat officer, widower, father, mentor, and oh yes, the man who started the war with the Dominion. Somehow I thought you'd be taller.
Sisko: Sorry to disappoint you.
Vreenak: To be honest, my opinion of Starfleet officers is so low that you'd have to work very hard indeed to disappoint me.
Sisko: If you'll come with me, I'll show you to your quarters.
Vreenak: I look forward to seeing your station, while it's still here, that is. The way the war's going with the Federation, it may not be around much longer.
Vreenak: A fair approximation. Somewhat lacking in aroma. Real kali-fal should forcibly open one's sinuses well before the first sip.
Sisko: We don't have much experience in replicating Romulan beverages. Of course, all of that would change if we became allies instead of cold warriors.
Vreenak: You are persistent, Captain, I'll grant you that, but dogged determination isn't enough to change the reality of your situation. Time is definitely not on your side. The Dominion shipyards are working at one hundred percent capacity. Yours are still being rebuilt. The Dominion is breeding legions of Jem'Hadar soldiers every day. You're experiencing a manpower shortage. But most important, the Dominion is resolved to win the war at any cost. You and I both know the Federation has already put out peace feelers. Now, in all candor, if you were in my position, which side would you choose?
Sisko: I'd pick the side most likely to leave us in peace when the dust settles. Maybe you're right. Maybe the Dominion will win in the end. Then the Founders will control what we now call Cardassia, the Klingon Empire and the Federation. So, instead of facing three separate opponents with three separate agendas, you'll find yourselves facing the same opponent on every side. There's a word for that. Surrounded.
Vreenak: It really is a good replica. The aroma's starting to grow on me. For a moment there I almost forgot that it wasn't the real thing, but only for a moment. You make some very good points, Captain, but it's still all speculation and theory. Nothing that would warrant abrogating our treaty and plunging the Empire into war.
Sisko: What if I told you that the Dominion is planning a sneak attack on the Romulan Empire at this very moment?
Vreenak: I'd want proof.
Weyoun: And with the Cardassian Fourth Order protecting their flank, the Twenty third Jem'Hadar division will begin its thrust across the Glintara Sector. They should begin the invasion of Romulus itself on the following day. Once we've taken the homeworld, organized resistance will crumble when outlying systems and colonies begin looking out for themselves. Consolidation of the entire Empire will take three months at most.
Damar: What if the Romulan fleet reacts faster than you're anticipating? What if they pull all of their forces away from the Federation border at the first sign of our attack?
Weyoun: I place my faith in the Founders. They say that the Romulans are not ready for war and will not react fast enough once it begins. Now, do you wish to dispute their judgment?
Damar: No, of course not. I serve the Founders.
Weyoun: As do we all. Meeting adjourned.
Vreenak: I'd like to examine that data rod.
Sisko: So all I could do was wait and see how masterful Tolar's forgery really was. So I waited. Tried to catch up on my paperwork. But I found it very difficult to focus on criminal activity reports, or cargo manifests, do I went back to pacing and staring out of the window. I'm not an impatient man. I'm not one to agonize over decisions once they're made. I got that from my father. He always says worry and doubt are the greatest enemies of a great chef. The soufflé will either rise or it won't. There's not a damn thing you can do about it, so you might as well just sit back and wait and see what happens. But this time the cost of failure was so high I found it difficult to follow his advice.
Sisko: If Vreenak diskovered that the data rod was a forgery, if he realized that we were trying to trick them into war, it could push the Romulans even farther into the enemy camp. They could start to openly help the Dominion. If worse came to worst, they could actually join the war against us. I had the distinct feeling that victory or defeat would be decided in the next few minutes.
Vreenak: It's a fake!
Sisko: So it blew up in my face. And all the lies and the compromises, the inner doubts and rationalizations, all for nothing. Vreenak was furious. I can't say I blamed him. I'd have reacted the same way. After telling me in no uncertain terms that he would expose this vile deception to the entire Alpha Quadrant, he got back in his shuttle and headed home. There didn't seem to be anything more to do.
Sisko: So I went back to work. Two days later, I got the news.
Bashir: No one for me today.
Dax: I had one. Maria Tatalia, wounded in action.
Bashir: Friend?
Dax: Friend of a friend. I actually only met her once. I don't think she'd remember me.
Bashir: A friend of a friend between the two of us. Well, I know it sounds a bit strange, but I'd say we're off to a pretty good start today.
Worf: Captain, we just received word from Starfleet Intelligence that a Romulan shuttlecraft carrying a high ranking senator has just been destroyed.
Sisko: Which Senator?
Worf: Senator Vreenak. He was returning to Romulus from a diplomatic mission to Soukara when his shuttle exploded. The Tal Shiar are investigating, but preliminary report points to sabotage. They believe that the Dominion is responsible.
Dax: The Dominion assassinated a Romulan Senator.
Bashir: On a diplomatic mission.
Worf: That changes everything. It could even bring the Romulans into the war.
Sisko: Excuse me.
Sisko: Get up. You killed him.
Garak: That's right.
Sisko: That's what you planned to do all along, isn't it. You knew the data rod wouldn't hold up to scrutiny. You just wanted to get him on the station so you could plant a bomb on his shuttle.
Garak: It wasn't quite that simple. I did have hopes that the rod would somehow pass inspection, but I suspected that Tolar may not have been up to the task.
Sisko: And what about Tolar? Did you kill him too?
Garak: Think of them both as tragic victims of war.
Garak: If you can allow your anger to subside for a moment, you'll see that they did not die in vain. The Romulans will enter the war.
Sisko: There's no guarantee of that.
Garak: Oh, but I think that there is. You see, when the Tal Shiar finishes examining the wreckage of Vreenak's shuttle, they'll find the burnt remnants of a Cardassian optolythic data rod which somehow miraculously survived the explosion. After painstaking forensic examination, they'll diskover that the rod contains a recording of a high level Dominion meeting at which the invasion of Romulus was being planned.
Sisko: And then they'll diskover that it is a fraud!
Garak: No, I don't think they will, because any imperfections in the forgery will appear to be a result of the explosion. So, with a seemingly legitimate rod in one hand and a dead senator in the other, I ask you, Captain, what conclusion would you draw?
Sisko: That Vreenak obtained the rod on Soukara and that the Dominion killed him to prevent him from returning to Romulus with it.
Garak: Precisely. And the more the Dominion protests their innocence, the more the Romulans will believe they're guilty because it's exactly what the Romulans would have done in their place. That's why you came to me, isn't it, Captain? Because you knew I could do those things that you weren't capable of doing. Well, it worked. And you'll get what you want, a war between the Romulans and the Dominion. And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal, and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain.
Sisko: At oh eight hundred hours, station time, the Romulan Empire formally declared war against the Dominion. They have already struck fifteen bases along the Cardassian border. So, this is a huge victory for the good guys. This may even be the turning point of the entire war. There's even a 'Welcome to the Fight' party tonight in the wardroom. So I lied, I cheated, I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But most damning thing of all, I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. Garak was right about one thing. A guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant, so I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it. Computer, erase that entire personal log.


Vic: Thank you. Hey, it's been four hundred years but that little number still works for me.
Bashir: Isn't he terrific?
Worf: I prefer Klingon opera.
Bashir: Come on, I'll introduce you.
Kira: To a hologram?
Odo: Doctor, is this really necessary?
Bashir: Trust me, he's no ordinary hologram. Vic. You're terrific. Great.
Vic: Thanks, Doc.
O'Brien: Wonderful.
Kira: Very nice.
Vic: I know what you're thinking. He has pretty sweet pipes for a light bulb.
Dax: Light bulb?
Vic: That's what I am, right? A collection of photons and forcefields. You know, your basic heuristic, fully interactive hologram.
O'Brien: He knows he's a hologram?
Bashir: Felix designed him that way. He thought it gave him the right attitude for the era.
Vic: If you're going to work Vegas in the sixties, you'd better know the score. otherwise, you're going to look like a Clyde.
Kira: A Clyde?
Vic: A Harvey, you know.
Worf: Harvey?
Vic: A square. You know what a square is, right?
O'Brien: It's one side of a cube.
Vic: Well, I guess that answers my question. Where are your manners, Julian? Aren't you going to introduce me to your entourage?
Bashir: I am so sorry. Commanders Dax and Worf, this is Vic Fontaine.
Vic: How long you kids been married?
Worf: How did you know we were married?
Vic: When you sing in as many joints as I have, you become a student of the human heart. Don't beat yourself up, pallie. Just because you miss your wife, doesn't mean you've gone blind.
O'Brien: What's that supposed to mean?
Vic: It means there's a lot of very attractive ladies in the room and it's all right to look at them as long as you don't touch.
O'Brien: He's good.
Vic: And as for you two.
Odo: Yes?
Vic: Never mind. Forget I brought it up. You have time for another song?
Bashir: Oh no, we've got to split, Vic.
Vic: Well, you know where to find me. By the way, this is a high class joint. That means coat and ties for the gents, dresses for the ladies. You guys look like a trapeze act.
Bashir: Catch you later, baby.
O'Brien: Come on, Julian. You told him about Keiko.
Bashir: I didn't say a word. So, why don't we all meet here tomorrow night at twenty one hundred? We can listen to Vic's whole set, then maybe hit the casinos, play a little blackjack, roulette.
Dax: We'll be there. Right?
Worf: I still prefer Klingon operas.
Kira: Well count me out. I'm leaving for Bajor in the morning.
Dax: Oh, that's right. I forgot. Say hi to Shakaar for me. Sorry. I forgot. Pretend you didn't hear that. She doesn't want anyone to know that she's visiting the First Minister.
Bashir: Business or pleasure?
Kira: Now you see what you started?
Dax: I said I was sorry.
Bashir: So, what do you think?
O'Brien: About what?
Bashir: About Vic. Clever, isn't he?
O'Brien: Too clever.
Bashir: I tell you, I owe the man, Miles. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be dating Ensign Walker.
O'Brien: What are you talking about?
Bashir: She turned down three dinner invitations. I talked to Vic, he gave me a few pointers and voila.
O'Brien: Julian, are you telling me that you discussed your love life with a hologram?
Bashir: He's not an ordinary hologram, Miles. He knows about life, love, women.
O'Brien: Three things you know nothing about.
Bashir: Now that's a little unfair.
O'Brien: Well then, why are you asking for advice from a light bulb?
Quark: I don't know why you're so surprised. What did you expect was going to happen?
Odo: I wasn't expecting anything.
Quark: I see. How long has it been since Shakaar and Major Kira broke up?
Odo: I don't know. About a year.
Quark: It's been over a year. You've had plenty of time to arrange a merger with Kira. But in all that time, have you even tried to open negotiations? No.
Odo: It's not that simple.
Quark: Odo, the woman waited a year for you to make an offer, any kind of an offer. Face it, you've had plenty of opportunities and you've let them all slip away.
Odo: Who asked for your opinion?
Quark: You did. I came here to talk about a missing shipment of groat clusters. You're the one that started talking about the Major. You want my advice?
Odo: No.
Quark: Make it easy on both of us. Forget all about her.
Odo: Is that the best you can do?
Quark: I'd like to see someone do better.
Odo: So would I.
Quark: You're not exactly the most lovable person in the galaxy. You're not even the most lovable person in this sector, or on the station. Or even in this room. You're cold, rigid, remote. Can I leave now?
Odo: Please do. Wait.
Quark: Odo, make up your mind.
Odo: I need a favor from you. It's about Doctor Bashir's new holosuite program.
Quark: You're up late, Doctor.
Bashir: Yeah, can't sleep. Feeling a bit tense, actually.
Quark: I've got just the thing. One Warp Core Breach coming right up.
Quark: A few sips of this and you'll be relaxd for the next three days.
Bashir: I'm not that tense, Quark. Look, I think I'll just go up to the holosuite for a bit and
Quark: The holosuite?
Bashir: Yes. If you could hand me my new program
Quark: Sorry, Doctor, all the holosuites are in use.
Bashir: At this hour?
Quark: It's been that kind of a night. I'm afraid there won't be one available for the rest of this evening.
Bashir: That's unfortunate. Maybe I'll go wake up Miles, play a little tongo.
Vic: I remember back in must've been fifty eight, I was playing the Sands. One night, Frank and Dean dropped by. We ended up taking over one of the blackjack tables. Between the three of us, we must've dropped fifteen big ones and believe me, back then that wasn't chump change. So, Frank goes over to the pit boss. What was his name?
Odo: Look, Mister Fontaine, I
Vic: Vic.
Odo: Vic. These stories are all very interesting, but I didn't come here to reminisce about your past. Yesterday, when my friends and I were here, you seemed to know things.
Vic: I've been around the block a couple of times.
Odo: You seem to know specific things. For instance, Dax and Worf are married, the Chief missed his wife.
Vic: You don't have to be an Einstein to clue into any of that.
Odo: At one point, you were going to make an observation about Major Kira and myself.
Vic: I thought about it but I didn't want to embarrass anyone you know, give away any secrets.
Odo: Exactly what secrets are you talking about?
Vic: C'mon, do I really have to connect the dots? You're crazy about the broad but you're afraid to do anything about it. And she? Well, you know.
Odo: No. Go on.
Vic: It's the oldest story in the book. She thinks of you as a friend.
Odo: I wouldn't call that a secret.
Vic: But women have been known to change their minds. You just have to give them a reason.
Odo: You make it sound so easy.
Vic: That's because it's not that hard. The girl already likes you. That means you're halfway home.
Odo: She's aware of my feelings toward her, but the truth is she prefers Shakaar.
Vic: Who?
Odo: The First Minister of Bajor. He's a leader, a hero, a man with great charisma.
Vic: I don't care if he's JFK. It's not the other guy you have to worry about, it's you.
Odo: Me?
Vic: That's right. I mean, for starters you've got to lose this whole Nanook of the North thing.
Odo: I don't understand.
Vic: Well, you've got about as much personality as an icicle. Cool is one thing, but you're frozen solid.
Odo: You think I have no emotions. Believe me, I do. I just don't always show them.
Vic: And therein lies the problem. Come with me.
Odo: Where to?
Vic: Look, pallie, if you want to win the girl, we got to thaw you out a little bit. You know, turn up the heat, get those emotions you claim to have bubbling to the surface. It's time to have some fun.
Odo: What does fun have to do with Major Kira?
Vic: I'll pretend I didn't hear that. First, let's lose those threads. I mean, here's nothing like a tuxedo to make you feel like a million bucks.
Odo: You mean something like this?
Vic: Very sharp. After you.
Odo: Oh, I don't sing.
Vic: Glad to hear it. I don't need the competition. What I do need is someone to handle the black and whites. My piano player just threw ten sevens in a row at the craps table and took off for Reno. So have a seat, my friend, the crowd's getting restless.
Odo: What crowd?
Vic: That one.
Vic: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Vic Fontaine. And tonight is going to be a gas. Hit it, Nanook.
Odo: No, I don't play the piano.
Vic: You want to bet?
Vic: Stay with me, pallie.
Odo: You don't need me. The piano's doing all the work.
Vic: That's not the point. You've got to sell it. Style, baby, style. Make 'em believe.
Odo: Style.
Odo: No, it's nothing. Cool!
Vic: Bottoms up.
Odo: No, I don't drink.
Vic: Why am I not surprised? It's not real booze. You're in a holosuite, remember? How'd you like being in the spotlight?
Odo: Very bright.
Vic: That's all you've got to say?
Odo: The lights kept me from seeing the audience. I suppose that's why I wasn't nervous.
Vic: Nothing to be nervous about. You were too busy having fun.
Odo: I suppose I was. I'm just grateful none of my friends saw me.
Vic: There you go, tensing up again. Look at you. I mean, you're standing there like a statue. I mean, the only things you're going to attract are pigeons. Sit down. Relax. Take a couple of deep breaths. You do that and everything you want will come to you.
Odo: That's all it takes?
Vic: Try it. Go on.
Vic: See?
Odo: Are you expecting someone?
Vic: Let's find out.
Ginger: Surprise!
Vic: Well for crying out loud. What are you two lovely ladies doing here?
Melissa: You invited us, remember?
Vic: Oh, that's right. Come on in. Odo, we've got company.
Ginger: Look, it's the piano player. We saw you perform tonight. Melissa thinks you're adorable.
Melissa: Would you mind if I looked at your hands?
Vic: Show her your hands.
Melissa: I knew it. They're so artistic.
Ginger: You know, I once played on the same bill with Liberace. He has the sweetest dimples.
Melissa: Are you classically trained?
Odo: No, actually I. Vic taught me everything I know.
Melissa: Is he a good student?
Vic: Head of his class.
Melissa: Maybe I can help you get your diploma.
Vic: All right, ladies. The night is young and I have a table waiting for us at the Dunes.
Ginger: We're going to see Shecky?
Melissa: Shecky.
Odo: Shecky who?
Melissa: Oh, you didn't tell me he had a sense of humor.
Ginger: He plays the piano and he's funny. Kind of like Victor Borge.
Odo: Who?
Melissa: I think I'm in love.
Vic: After you, ladies.
Odo: I don't think
Vic: What are you worried about? Melissa's a very nice girl.
Odo: Oh, I'm sure she is. It's just she's not Kira.
Vic: Tell me something, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Odo: I have no idea.
Vic: Practice, practice, practice. Get it?
Odo: No.
Vic: Think of this evening as a trial run. Trust me, you're going to do great.
Odo: Captain, here's the report on that smuggling ring you requested. Should I forward the information to the Zevian authorities?
Sisko: I'll let you know in a minute.
Odo: No, no, they can't take that away from me. The way your smile just beams.
Odo: Yes, Captain?
Sisko: Oh, don't stop on my account.
Odo: Stop what?
Sisko: You were singing.
Odo: I was singing?
Sisko: No, no, they can't take that away from me.
Odo: You're right. I was singing. They can't take that away from me. SISKO +
Odo: We may never, never meet again on that bumpy road to love.
Crewman: Dax.
Dax: Julian.
Bashir: Morning.
Dax: Ops. I wonder, should you ask Kira about Shakaar or should I?
Bashir: Why don't you do the honors. But you'll have to wait. She's staying on Bajor for two more days.
Dax: She and Shakaar must be having a good time.
Bashir: That'd be my guess.
Dax: Poor Odo.
Bashir: Odo? What's he got to do with it?
Dax: Not a thing. That's the problem.
Quark: Have fun.
Vic: Thank you. Thank you for that kind applause. Keep clapping. There's a fly buzzing the room and one of you is bound to nail him. Why the long face, buddy boy?
Odo: You still haven't told me what I'm supposed to do about Kira and Shakaar.
Vic: Shakaar? Forget about that fink. I'll bet he doesn't look half as good in a tux as you do.
Odo: What difference does that make?
Vic: You've been coming here every night for a week. Have I steered you wrong?
Odo: No.
Vic: Then trust your Uncle Vic. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special surprise for you tonight. If this babe doesn't raise your temperature, you'd better check the obituary column, because chances are you're in it, pallie. Let's have a nice warm round of applause for Miss Lola Crystal.
Vic: Remind you of anyone?
Vic: Don't look now, but I think she likes you.
Vic: A toast. As Georgie Jessel once said, 'To whatever makes you happy.'
Lola: My thoughts exactly.
Vic: I'm going to turn in. You two lovebirds can live without me, I trust?
Lola: We'll manage.
Odo: You have a beautiful voice.
Lola: And you have beautiful hands.
Odo: So I've been told.
Lola: They feel good, too.
Odo: So do you. I've been waiting to hold you like this for as long as I can remember.
Lola: We just met tonight.
Odo: I must have a short memory.
Lola: You're funny.
Odo: Kind of like Victor Borge?
Lola: How'd you know?
Odo: I can't. I can't do this.
Lola: Why not?
Odo: I'm sorry, it has nothing to do with you. Vic! Vic!
Vic: What's wrong?
Odo: This isn't working.
Vic: I thought you two were getting along just fine.
Odo: Of course we are. You programd her to find me irresistible. I could read her a criminal activities report, she'd think it was poetry.
Vic: You want me to reprogram her, make her play hard to get?
Odo: She's nothing like Kira.
Lola: Who's Kira?
Vic: Of course she's not Kira. She's a hologram.
Lola: A what?
Vic: Sweetheart, please. Stay out of this. Do you know how difficult it was for me to get a holographic image of Major Kira? Lucky for you, Julian used her image in one of his spy programs, though it did take me an hour to get rid of the Russian accent.
Odo: Look, I appreciate what you've done for me, but I'm afraid it's all been in vain. I may be Romeo in the holosuite, but I know the first time I see the real Kira, I'm going to turn back into Nanook of the North.
Vic: At least you're starting to talk the talk.
Odo: I was hoping for a bit more than that.
Vic: Wait. Wait a minute. You can't give up now.
Odo: I'm sorry, but I am tired of discussing my feelings with a hologram.
Lola: You're a hologram too?
Kira: Odo, hello.
Odo: Major.
Kira: Anything interesting happen while I was gone?
Odo: Interesting? No, no, nothing at all. As a matter of fact, it's been rather dull.
Kira: I'm sorry to hear that.
Odo: Well, I'd better get back to work.
Vic: Hey, doll face. You asleep?
Kira: How the hell did you get in here?
Vic: I'm performing next door for Dax and Worf. I'm between sets, so I transferred my matrix from that holosuite to this one. Now, I don't have much time.
Kira: What do you want?
Vic: We have to talk.
Kira: About what?
Vic: Odo, what else?
Kira: Odo.
Vic: Come on, Major, don't be coy. We both know he's nuts about you.
Kira: He told you that?
Vic: He tells me everything. We've been spending a lot of time together.
Kira: Odo spending time in a holosuite?
Vic: And loving it.
Kira: I'm sorry. That's just not the Odo I know.
Vic: Which tells you what? You don't know him as well as you think you do. He's not the same stick in the mud anymore. The cat can swing.
Kira: Are we're talking about the same Odo?
Vic: The one and only. But let me tell you, the only chick he wants to swing with is you.
Kira: I take it that's a good thing.
Vic: It's love, baby. Nothing better than that.
Kira: How did you get in here again?
Vic: Don't try to change the subject. We're talking about you and Odo.
Kira: No, that's what you're talking about. I'm trying to meditate.
Vic: And I don't mean to interrupt.
Kira: Good. Then leave.
Vic: Talk about your cranky aliens. You two really are made for each other. Which is why you've got to come to the holosuite tonight.
Kira: What for?
Vic: So you and Odo can have dinner together.
Kira: If Odo wants to have dinner with me, then why doesn't he ask me himself?
Vic: Because I'm asking you for him, and neither one of us will take no for an answer.
Kira: Then I better say yes.
Vic: Crazy.
Vic: Odo? Can you hear me?
Odo: Vic? What are you doing on the comm. line?
Vic: I need to talk to you. I want you to come to the holosuite tonight.
Odo: Why?
Vic: I've done a complete overhaul on the Lola hologram or should I say the Kira hologram? I'm telling you, Odo, you're going to think she's the real thing. She walks like Kira, she talks like Kira.
Odo: Really? How did you manage to accomplish that?
Vic: I don't have time to explain now. I'll see you tonight, nine o'clock. That's twenty one hundred to you.
Odo: I know.
Vic: I'll see you then, pallie.
Vic: I believe you two know each other.
Odo: You look lovely.
Kira: Thank you. So do you.
Vic: Mademoiselle. I'll be your server this evening. I'll try not to spill anything. To begin, a little Dom Perignon fifty five and some oysters Rockefeller. To be followed by Caesar salad, chateaubriand, and cherries jubilee.
Kira: This is all very interesting, but don't you feel a little silly being here in a holosuite?
Odo: A bit.
Vic: Let me know when you're ready for the salad.
Odo: Bon appétit. It's French, an Earth language. It means enjoy your meal.
Kira: I didn't know you spoke French.
Odo: I don't. It's something I learned from Vic. French is ze language of love.
Kira: Vic's a fountain of information.
Odo: He's certainly a man of many talents. But we're really not here to talk about Vic, are we?
Kira: I'm certainly not.
Odo: I always wondered what this would be like.
Kira: The two of us having dinner together?
Odo: It's certainly not the way I pictured it would be.
Kira: It is a bit unusual.
Odo: Is something wrong? You haven't touched your food.
Kira: No, it looks delicious. I'm not hungry. The truth is, I'm a little nervous.
Odo: You? Nervous?
Kira: A bit. It is our first date, right?
Odo: Right. Well, there's nothing wrong with being a little nervous as long it doesn't get in the way.
Kira: Of what?
Odo: Of enjoying yourself.
Kira: I thought the only thing you enjoy is your work.
Odo: How'd you know that?
Kira: You told me yourself.
Odo: Well done, Vic.
Kira: Vic?
Odo: Never mind. I do enjoy my work, but I'm afraid I've used it as an excuse to avoid the rest of my life.
Kira: I know the feeling.
Kira: It's a pretty song.
Odo: It is, isn't it? You're sure you're not hungry?
Kira: Sure. What do we do now?
Odo: Only one thing we can do. Dance with me.
Kira: I'm not sure I know how to dance to this kind of music.
Odo: Just stay close.
Kira: Sorry.
Odo: No, that's good.
Kira: I had no idea you could dance.
Odo: It's amazing what you can learn in a holosuite.
Kira: I can't believe we're having our first date in a holosuite. I understand that you wouldn't feel comfortable at Quark's, but I know one or two out of the way restaurants on the station.
Odo: I don't think that's possible.
Kira: Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?
Odo: No, no, I meant it would be difficult for you to leave the holosuite.
Kira: Why?
Odo: It's complicated.
Kira: Complicated to leave a holosuite? You make it sound like I'm a hologram.
Odo: Aren't you?
Kira: Is that what you think?
Odo: Maybe you'd better tell her.
Vic: There's nothing to tell. I'm good, pallie, but I'm not that good. You've been dancing with the real McCoy.
Odo: You tricked me.
Kira: And me.
Vic: Hey, I brought you two lovebirds together. That was the whole idea, wasn't it?
Odo: Nerys. Kira. Major.
Vic: Don't say it. Computer end program.
Vic: Odo? Are you there?
Odo: I have nothing to say to you.
Vic: Look, I know you think I sold you down the river.
Odo: You lied to me.
Vic: It was for your own good. It was time for you to stop playing around with holograms and start playing around with the real thing.
Odo: You should have told me it was really Kira.
Vic: Would you have shown up if I had? I don't hear an answer, pallie. If you think about it, there's not much to be mad about. I saw the way she looked at you while the two of you were dancing. The lady digs you big time.
Odo: She digs Shakaar. I can only imagine what she thinks of me. I kept insisting she was a hologram.
Vic: Odo, listen to me.
Odo: No, I'm done listening to you. Computer, end transmission.
Dax: Are you going to tell me what's wrong?
Kira: Oh, there's nothing's wrong. Have you ever had a moment of pure clarity? A moment where the truth just seems to leap up and grab you by the throat?
Dax: I bet this has something to do with your visit with Shakaar.
Kira: This has nothing to do with Shakaar. Now tell me, have you ever had a moment like that?
Dax: One or two. Of course, that's over a span of seven lifetimes.
Kira: Only two moments of clarity in seven lifetimes?
Dax: Nerys, total clarity is a very rare thing.
Kira: I guess so.
Dax: And when it comes to you, it's important that you act on it, because believe me, confusion and doubt will take over before you know it.
Odo: Check this out.
Kira: You're absolutely right. It makes perfect sense.
Dax: Don't tell me you're having another moment of clarity?
Kira: That's two in two days.
Dax: That's amazing.
Kira: Odo, wait.
Odo: Major, if you don't mind, I'd like to forget all about the last night.
Kira: No, I don't think that's a good idea. We need to talk about what happened.
Odo: Very well. We can meet in my office in an hour.
Kira: No, let's discuss it over dinner.
Odo: Dinner?
Kira: You can choose the restaurant. Anywhere but a holosuite.
Odo: What about Shakaar? Do you think he'll approve?
Kira: I don't care if he approves or not. Shakaar and I are friends. That's all, friends. The First Minister asked me to update him on the war with the Dominion. My visit was strictly business. Now, are we going to have dinner together or not?
Odo: And if we do, then what?
Kira: I don't know. Maybe we could go dancing.
Odo: And after that I suppose you'll expect me to kiss you.
Kira: Well, it's possible.
Odo: Then who needs dinner? Why don't I get it over with and kiss you right now?
Kira: Well why don't you?
Kira: You're right. Who needs dinner?
Vic: Cos I've got you under my skin. Cos I've got you under my skin.
Vic: Here in Vegas, there's only one way to make sure you don't lose any money. The moment you step off the plane, you walk right into the propellers. See you in a few minutes, folks. Odo. Hey, long time no see.
Odo: Well, I've been busy.
Vic: So I hear. Julian tells me that you and the Major are quite an item.
Odo: Well, for the moment. Who knows how long it'll last.
Vic: That's my Odo. Always ready to turn victory into defeat.
Odo: I wanted to thank you for all your help.
Vic: Anytime, pallie, anytime. Hey, you feel like sitting in on a number?
Odo: Some other time.
Vic: Say hi to the Major for me.
Vic: Hey, do me a favor? Leave the program running for a few minutes after you leave. I feel like singing.
Odo: Whatever makes you happy.


Sisko: The Dominion has solidified its hold on the Kalandra Sector. They're trying to establish a supply line running through Betazoid space into the Argolis Cluster.
Worf: If they succeed, they will be able to launch an attack against Vulcan.
Sisko: Starfleet's going to try to cut them off near the Tibor Nebula. The Seventh Fleet will be engaging the enemy in the morning.
Dax: The Seventh Fleet is still at half-strength. They took heavy losses at Sybaron.
Sisko: Well let's just hope they can get the job done. On a happier note, I do have a bit of good news.
Bashir: That makes a welcome change.
Sisko: The Romulans have forced the Dominion to retreat from the Benzite system.
Odo: That is good news. The question is, will the Romulans be willing to leave Benzar after the war is over? Once they capture territory, they very rarely give it up.
Sisko: Right now, we need to concentrate on beating the Dominion. We'll worry about the Romulans later. As some of you already know, Major Kira, Jake and I will be leaving for Bajor at twenty two hundred.
Dax: There's a war on. This is no time for a vacation.
Kira: The archeologists excavating B'hala have found something they want the Emissary to see.
Sisko: We'll be returning tomorrow night. That's all, people.
Kira: Will the Romulans leave Benzar? You love to bring up the worst-case scenario in these meetings, don't you?
Odo: Somebody has to. Besides, everyone expects me to be dour and suspicious. I don't want to disappoint them.
Kira: If they only knew the real you.
Odo: That is the real me. At least as far as everyone else is concerned.
Koral: I can't tell you how pleased we are by your visit, Emissary.
Sisko: Glad to be here, Ranjen.
Koral: Oh, there's no need to keep calling me Ranjen. I'm a simple monk. My order is quite informal.
Sisko: You've certainly been busy. The last time I visited the ruins, none of these tunnels had been cut yet.
Koral: It's been a great deal of work, but we do it gladly. Excavating the Holy City is a privilege. Our efforts are an expression of our faith in the Prophets and in the Emissary.
Sisko: It's very inspiring to see.
Kira: Something wrong, Jake?
Jake: No. It's just that Dad seems to be taking his role as Emissary very seriously these days.
Kira: You say that like you think it's a bad thing.
Jake: You have to admit, I mean, it's a long way to come to see some old ruins.
Kira: They may have found some very important religious artifacts in these old ruins.
Jake: Yeah, I hope so, otherwise I don't have a story.
Kira: Hey, try to look like you're enjoying yourself. Your father needs this. It's good for him not to have to think about the Dominion for a few hours.
Koral: Oh, don't let the bats bother you.
Kira: Don't worry, they rarely bite.
Jake: Rarely?
Koral: We're directly below the Temple of B'hala. These walls predate the ancient city by ten thousand years.
Jake: Who built this place?
Koral: We don't know much about the original inhabitants, but it appears they abandoned this site some twenty five thousand years ago. Over time, sediment buried the ruins.
Jake: And then B'hala was built on top of them.
Koral: Precisely. In here.
Koral: It's over thirty thousand years old.
Sisko: These inscriptions. They look like ancient Bajoran, but I can't quite make it out.
Koral: Neither can we, though we've been able to piece together a few of the translations. The syntax is unusual, but all forms of Bajoran share certain root ideograms. You may recognize this one.
Sisko: Welcome.
Koral: Here's where it gets interesting.
Koral: I see you recognize it.
Jake: What? I don't.
Kira: It says, Welcome, Emissary.
Koral: Now you know why I asked you here.
Koral: The Sisko has come.
Kira: The circle is complete.
Jake: The reckoning must begin.
Sisko: The reckoning?
Kira: Much will depend on the Sisko.
Koral: He is corporeal.
Jake: Limited.
Kira: He is the Sisko. He will not waver.
Jake: He is of Bajor.
Kira: He will bring the reckoning.
Sisko: What is it you expect of me?
Koral: It will be the end.
Jake: Or the beginning.
Sisko: I don't understand.
Kira: The Sisko will know.
Jake: Dad, are you okay?
Sisko: Yeah, right. The Prophets. They were here. They spoke to me.
Koral: You had a vision, Emissary? We saw nothing.
Kira: What did they say?
Sisko: They mentioned something about a reckoning. Is that part of some prophecy?
Koral: Not one that I know of.
Jake: Let's get out of here.
Sisko: It's all right, Jake. We'll be leaving soon. I have got to find out what these inscriptions say.
Koral: I wish we could translate them more quickly, but we don't have the resources.
Sisko: Fortunately, we do.
Dax: I had a pretty good idea what this was the minute I laid eyes on it. That confirms it. It's a slab of stone with some writing on it.
Sisko: Dax.
Dax: What do you want me to say, Benjamin? I'm not picking up any residual energy readings, certainly nothing that would explain how it threw you across the room.
Sisko: I want you to translate the inscriptions.
Dax: I was afraid you were going to say that.
Sisko: The Ranjen's translation program. It's not complete, but at least it's a start. Good luck.
Priest: Services are about to begin. Captain, services are about to begin.
Worf: Ops to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Worf: We just received a communication from Bajor.
Worf: Kai Winn is on her way to the station.
Sisko: Welcome to Deep Space Nine, your Eminence.
Winn: Thank you, Emissary.
Sisko: What brings you to the station?
Winn: I should think that would be clear. You removed an artifact from an archeological site without consulting the Vedek Assembly.
Sisko: I meant no disrespect.
Winn: You can understand how we would be sensitive to such matters. During the occupation, the Cardassians plundered Bajor's historical treasures as if it were their right. I never imagined that you would behave in the same manner.
Sisko: I assure you that the artifact will be returned as soon as I've finished studying it.
Winn: I was not aware that you had expertise in Bajoran history.
Sisko: I don't.
Winn: Then why not leave the artifact in the hands of those who do? There are scholars on Bajor who have devoted their lives to the study of such things.
Sisko: I understand, but I brought it here because I believe that's what the Prophets want.
Winn: I see. Then I take it this has something to do with your vision?
Sisko: Exactly.
Winn: Forgive me. I didn't realize that the Prophets told you to bring the relic here.
Sisko: Well, they didn't. Not in so many words.
Winn: I see. Then exactly what did they say?
Sisko: It's difficult to explain. The Prophets aren't always clear.
Winn: Since they have never spoken to me, I'll have to take your word for it.
Sisko: All I know is, for now it belongs here.
Winn: Who am I to argue with the Emissary of the Prophets?
Sisko: And then she contacted Starfleet and lodged a formal protest.
Dax: Is that why Admiral Ross wanted to talk to you? Well, how'd it go?
Sisko: He told me to stop meddling in Bajoran affairs and return the damn tablet.
Dax: You know how Starfleet feels about this Emissary thing. It makes them very uncomfortable that you've allowed the Bajorans to view you as a religious icon. It used to make you uncomfortable, too.
Sisko: Not anymore. I guess the Prophets have spoken to me one too many times.
Dax: I remember when you used to call them wormhole Aliens.
Sisko: Wormhole aliens or Prophets, it really doesn't matter. The fact is, they exist out of time, and over the centuries they've given the Bajorans glimpses of the future. Glimpses that the Bajorans have written down to help them guide succeeding generations. If whatever is written here can help me avoid mistakes, can help me make the right decisions, then I'd be a fool to ignore it.
Dax: Fair enough. But if you don't mind, I'm going to continue to think of them as wormhole aliens.
Sisko: All I know is that they have a relationship with Bajor that stretches back over a thousand years. They care about what happens to the Bajorans. They proved that when they kept the Dominion fleet from coming through the wormhole.
Dax: Didn't you have to talk them into it? Didn't they say they would exact some kind of penance for helping you?
Sisko: Yes, but they listened, and they saved Bajor and the rest of the Alpha Quadrant. Now they're asking me for something in return. I don't know what it is yet, but I'm not going to return the tablet until I do. It's the key. I can feel it.
Dax: I hope you're wrong about that, Benjamin.
Sisko: What have you got?
Dax: The computer has translated part of the inscription. It probably lacks the eloquence of the original passage, but you'll get the gist of it. Here it is in modern Bajoran.
Sisko: The time of reckoning is at hand. The Prophets will weep. Their sorrow will consume the Gateway to the Temple.
Dax: Tell me I'm wrong, but isn't the Gateway to the Temple Deep Space Nine?
Worf: I was just telling you what the translation said. I did not say I believed it.
Bashir: Well, I'm not worried. If you look hard enough, you'll find a Bajoran prophecy for just about anything. The Ancient Texts are a tangle of vague contradictions.
Odo: This one is anything but vague, and Bajoran prophecies have an odd way of coming true.
Bashir: Don't say me you believe in this stuff, too?
Quark: Odo believes in preparing for the worst.
Odo: True.
Quark: He's as bad as the Bajorans. Business hasn't been this slow since the Dominion was here. You know, I feel I have a civic duty to do something about all this doom and gloom, which is why I want to tell you that I've extended happy hour.
Bashir: Extended it?
Quark: From now on, every hour is happy hour. At least until business picks up. Eat, drink and be merry.
Bashir: For tomorrow we die.
Odo: So, what does the Captain say about this?
Worf: He's reserving judgment until the computer has finished the translation.
Bashir: Who knows? The rest of the tablet probably says go to Quark's. It's happy hour.
Quark: I like the way you think, Doctor.
Bashir: Oh, this is ridiculous. Nothing's going to happen. Someday we're going to look back on this and laugh.
Odo: What was that?
Bashir: How did that Prophecy go again?
Kira: You don't have to do this, you know.
Odo: Don't have to do what?
Kira: Sit here, watch me eat.
Odo: I don't mind. In fact, I rather enjoy it. You eat with such gusto. Most of the time.
Kira: Not today. I just wish that we knew more about the reckoning. It'd give us a better idea of what the Prophets want from us.
Odo: It seems to me that if the Prophets want the Bajoran people to follow a given path, they should provide more specific directions.
Kira: It doesn't work like that.
Odo: Maybe it should.
Kira: The Kai would say that you lack faith.
Odo: And you would agree.
Kira: I just don't know how people make it through the day without it.
Odo: We manage. Besides, I do have faith in some things.
Kira: Such as?
Odo: You.
Kira: I'll try not to disappoint you.
Winn: No doubt you've heard the latest news from Bajor.
Sisko: About the flooding in Rakantha Province, yes.
Winn: There was also an earthquake in the Kendra Valley last night. This morning a tornado struck Tamulna.
Sisko: Our sensors indicate that Bajor has been affected by the instability of the wormhole.
Winn: How comforting. Tell me, do your sensors have an explanation for the instability itself?
Sisko: No.
Winn: Then I'll give you one. You've angered the Prophets by taking the tablet from Bajor. As the spiritual leader of the Bajoran people, I'm asking you to return it.
Sisko: And as Emissary of the Prophets, I will ask you to give me more time to study it. I believe it is the will of the Prophets.
Winn: Well I disagree. This is a formal request from the First Minister for you to turn over the relic to me.
Sisko: You must have been very persuasive. This is the first time you and Shakaar have agreed on anything.
Winn: If you deny his request, I promise you it will damage relations between Bajor and the Federation.
Sisko: The tablet will be on its way to Bajor on the morning transport.
Winn: As will I.
Dax: You're sending it back? And I was just starting to have fun.
Sisko: You're not off the hook, old man. I need these inscriptions translated.
Dax: I can work off the holo-recordings I took yesterday.
Sisko: Have you made any more progress? Good news or bad?
Dax: That depends.
Sisko: On what?
Dax: What this ideogram means. The computer has given me two possibilities.
Sisko: They are?
Dax: During the reckoning, the Bajorans will either suffer horribly or eat fruit.
Sisko: Eat fruit?
Dax: Given the tone of the rest of the inscriptions, I would bet on horrible suffering.
Sisko: What else do you have?
Dax: You'll love this. It's about you. Once the reckoning begins, the Emissary will
Sisko: Go on.
Dax: I was hoping you could tell me. The rest of the inscription's damaged.
Sisko: That figures.
Dax: Oh, I wish the wormhole would stop doing that.
Sisko: So do I. Keep at it, old man.
Dax: Just do me one favor. If you talk to the Prophets again, ask for a dictionary. Please.
Sisko: I'll see what I can do.
Dax: Thank you.
Kira: Captain, I have a message for you from General Martok.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Kira: He's dispatched three Klingon attack cruisers to bolster the defense perimeter around the Dorala System.
Sisko: Good. I just hope they can hold out until Starfleet sends in reinforcements.
Kira: The Klingons will hold out. Martok will see to it. Long day?
Sisko: They seem to get longer.
Kira: You'll feel better in the morning. Once the Kai is off the station.
Sisko: She may be the spiritual leader of millions of Bajorans, but she is not an easy woman to like.
Kira: Well, if it's any comfort, I don't think she likes you either.
Sisko: I've known that for a while. I guess I should have consulted her before I brought the artifact up to the station.
Kira: She would've tried to stop you.
Sisko: Ah. That's why I didn't ask her.
Kira: In a way, I feel sorry for her. She spends her whole life in service to the Prophets. Then one day, after years of self-sacrifice and commitment, she's gets her reward. She's elected Kai. It should have been the greatest moment of her life.
Sisko: But my being the Emissary spoiled it for her.
Kira: The Kai has always been the spiritual leader of Bajor, but Winn has to share that role with you. And to make matters worse, you're an outsider, a non-Bajoran. That's something she can never forgive you for.
Sisko: I guess that's why she made such an issue of the whole thing.
Kira: She's jealous of you and of your relationship with the Prophets. I'm a little envious myself.
Sisko: Why?
Kira: You speak with the Prophets. They listen to you. That's a rare gift.
Sisko: It's certainly nothing I asked for.
Kira: I guess that's why I don't resent you, but the Kai does.
Sisko: I'll keep that in mind.
Kira: Is something wrong, Eminence?
Winn: What makes you say that, child?
Kira: You seem troubled.
Winn: Not at all. I am quite relieved the Emissary has decided to do the right thing.
Kira: You didn't leave him much choice, did you.
Winn: I suppose you think I enjoyed forcing his hand. I assure you I did not. I wish the situation had been resolved more amicably. Perhaps the next time we have a disagreement, he'll consider my wishes more thoughtfully.
Kira: The next time? You're anticipating more disagreements?
Winn: I merely meant to express my hope that in the future, we can work together for the good of Bajor.
Kira: Of course. After all, you are on the same side, aren't you?
Winn: Naturally. We both serve the Prophets. There is no higher calling.
Sisko: Yes. Jake-o.
Jake: You're up late.
Sisko: So are you. What's on your mind?
Jake: I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see if you're all right.
Sisko: I'm fine. Since when did you become a worrier?
Jake: I don't know. It's this Emissary stuff. It scares me a little. Twice now, twice in one year, Doctor Bashir's called me down to the Infirmary to tell me something was wrong with you. And there you were, lying unconscious on a biobed, having visions or something. And all I could do was stand there and wonder if you were going to wake up.
Sisko: I know it hasn't been easy, Jake.
Jake: I don't want it to happen again.
Sisko: You know, I didn't ask to be the Emissary. But for better or worse, I guess that's what I am. Except for being your dad.
Sisko: Why do you always have to be so damn mysterious? Answer me. I am tired of your riddles. If you need me to do something, say so.
Dax: Let me guess. You accidentally knocked it over.
Sisko: Not exactly.
Dax: I didn't think so.
Odo: So what did happen?
Sisko: I just had this uncontrollable urge to smash the tablet.
Dax: Oh, I get those urges all the time. Of course, I never act on them. I'm not reading any residual energy signatures.
Sisko: That's impossible. Check the station's internal sensors.
Odo: Nothing.
Sisko: I tell you, I saw something.
Odo: We believe you, Captain.
Sisko: Oh, please, Constable, don't patronize me.
Sisko: Sisko to Ops. Report.
Worf: We just experienced a stationwide power drain. We are attempting to determine the source.
Sisko: Keep me informed.
Worf: Aye, Sir.
Odo: It's possible the power drain is related to this energy diskharge you saw.
Dax: I'm starting to think the same thing.
Dax: Benjamin, you're not getting another urge, are you?
Sisko: No. I've done what I needed to do. I know this might sound strange, but I think the Prophets wanted me to shatter the tablet.
Dax: Try explaining that to Kai Winn.
Winn: I can't believe that you'd be so petty as to destroy the artifact rather than turn it over to me.
Sisko: That's not why I did it.
Winn: You expect me to believe that the Prophets wanted you to destroy a priceless piece of Bajor's history?
Sisko: That's exactly what you have to believe.
Winn: And why would they do that?
Sisko: I wish I had an answer for you.
Winn: Well I'm sure you'll come up with something.
Sisko: You and I haven't always seen things eye to eye, but we have one thing in common. We both believe that the Prophets have a plan for Bajor. Sometimes it's not easy to see the path they've laid out for us. Right now, I don't know what they want from me, but I'm willing to take a leap of faith and trust that they're guiding me, and I'm asking you to take that leap with me.
Winn: There's no need for a leap of faith, Emissary. The Prophets have made it quite clear. Two thirds of the Rakantha wheat harvest has been destroyed by floods. Earthquakes have devastated Kendra Province, leaving hundreds homeless. Bajorans are suffering because of you. They're paying the price for your act of sacrilege.
Odo: Odo to Captain Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead.
Odo: You'd better come down to the Promenade, sir.
Sisko: Is there a problem?
Odo: I'll let you be the judge of that.
Odo: I think we've found the source of the power fluctuations. When I tried to talk to her, she ignored me.
Kira: You are the Sisko.
Sisko: Keep your hands off your weapons. It's a Prophet. Why have you taken this woman's body?
Kira: This vessel is willing. The reckoning. It is time.
Sisko: The reckoning, what is it?
Kira: The end. Or the beginning.
Sisko: I don't understand.
Kira: I await Kosst Amojan.
Winn: The Evil One. A Pah-wraith banished from the Celestial Temple.
Sisko: You're saying a Pah-wraith will take corporeal form as well?
Kira: The battle will be joined.
Sisko: This battle, is it to be fought here?
Kira: Bajor will be reborn.
Winn: Shabren's Fifth Prophecy. The rebirth. If the Evil One is destroyed, it will bring a thousand years of peace. The Golden Age of Bajor.
Sisko: If it is destroyed?
Winn: Who will prevail is not known.
Sisko: What do you want from me? Am I supposed to help you in some way?
Kira: The Sisko has completed his task.
Winn: Forgive my blindness.
Winn: Prophet, hear me. I am the Kai of Bajor. I offer myself to you as your humble servant,
Kira: I await their vessel.
Winn: Speak to me. Tell me what I should do.
Sisko: We're evacuating.
Bashir: You can't be serious.
Sisko: This battle could destroy the station.
Dax: Then don't let it be fought here.
Sisko: I don't have any choice.
Dax: Yes, you do. We can flood the Promenade with chroniton radiation.
Winn: Are you that suggesting we kill a Prophet?
Sisko: I won't do that.
Bashir: You don't have to. If you ramp up the chroniton levels slowly, it'll give the wormhole alien a chance to leave Kira's body without getting hurt.
Dax: We have everything rigged and ready to go. Just say the word.
Sisko: No.
Dax: Benjamin.
Worf: Deep Space Nine is critical to the defense of the Federation. We cannot risk destroying it.
Sisko: When the Dominion fleet was about to come through the wormhole, I asked the Prophets for their help. They gave it to me. Now they're asking for my help. They need to fight this battle here, now. I'm not going to jeopardize my crew, but I'm not going to stand in the way of the Prophets either.
Bashir: What if the Prophets lose? Are you willing to sacrifice Kira?
Sisko: The Prophet said she was willing to be their instrument.
Worf: And you believe that?
Odo: I do. I know how important her faith is to her and I have no doubt that she would allow the Prophets to use her as their instrument.
Sisko: I'll notify Starfleet that we're abandoning the station. Begin the evacuation immediately.
Odo: Hurry along now, hurry along.
Worf: Is this transport full?
Odo: There's room. I'm going to check the Promenade for stragglers.
Worf: Odo, you should have helped us persuade the Captain to end this.
Odo: I had to respect Kira's wishes.
Worf: If it were Dax, I am not sure I could have done the same.
Odo: Just be grateful you didn't have to make that choice.
Worf: For your sake, I hope the Prophets are victorious.
Odo: They will be, if Kira has anything to do with it.
Worf: Come on.
Sisko: Report.
Dax: We expect to be down to a skeleton crew within the hour.
Sisko: Very well.
Dax: What did Starfleet have to say?
Sisko: I managed to convince them that we couldn't afford to defy the Prophets.
Worf: They are the only thing that's keeping the Dominion from coming through the wormhole.
Dax: The only problem is, there's no guarantee the Prophets will win this battle.
Odo: Odo to Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead, Constable.
Odo: Captain, there's a group of Bajorans on the Promenade who are refusing to leave.
Winn: Teradak embah ihsehelm ran embrah.
All: Daram tameen.
Winn: Teradak ihsehelm ran embrah.
All: Daram tameen.
Odo: The last transports are standing by.
Winn: Teradak ihsehelm ran embrah.
All: Daram tameen.
Sisko: Eminence.
Winn: Emissary.
Sisko: These people have to go.
Winn: We are offering prayers for the Prophet's victory.
Sisko: The Prophets will hear your prayers wherever you are. It isn't safe here.
Winn: Then why are you still here, Emissary? The Prophet told you your task was done.
Sisko: I am Captain of this station and I will do everything in my power to save it. Now, are you going to tell these people to go, or shall I?
Winn: My children, the Prophets have heard your prayers. You must go.
Sisko: Take them to the transports.
Odo: All right, this way.
Winn: Congratulations, Emissary. Thanks to you, the Prophets' victory is at hand.
Sisko: I hope you're right.
Winn: Where is your faith, Emissary? You don't think the Evil One will be victorious, do you? Rest assured, the Golden Age is upon us. The Prophets and the people will be as one. Think of it. There will be no need for Vedeks or Kais or even Emissaries.
Kira: Kosst Amojan has chosen its vessel.
Jake: Let it begin.
Sisko: Leave my son and take me instead.
Jake: Your Emissary offers himself to us. His faith wavers.
Winn: Emissary, we must go.
Dax: Benjamin! Worf is standing by in Ops. He can trigger the chroniton generator at your command. You can still end this, Ben.
Sisko: No, I've got to play this thing out.
Dax: That is your son out there!
Sisko: Don't you think I know that? The Prophets will protect him.
Dax: They're trying to kill him.
Sisko: No, they're trying to destroy the Pah-wraith. The Prophets will not let anything happen to him.
Dax: How do you know that?
Sisko: I know.
Dax: We've got to get out of here. According to the sensors, the energy building between them could explode any second.
Sisko: I'm not going to leave Jake here.
Winn: We must go, Emissary.
Dax: Benjamin.
Sisko: Get out of here. Get off the station, both of you! That's an order.
Winn: Come, child. We must go.
Dax: Dax to Worf.
Worf: Go ahead.
Dax: Go on ahead. Airlock eight is down to the right.
Man: This way. Move quickly. Let's go. Come on.
Man: Hurry up.
Dax: It's okay, it's okay.
Kira: No!
Computer: Chroniton levels at thirty seven percent and rising.
Winn: May the Prophets forgive me.
Sisko: Jake. Captain's log, supplemental. The station's population has returned and repairs are underway. Major Kira has recovered from her experience but my son is still in the Infirmary.
Sisko: Jake?
Bashir: He'll be laid up for a few days, but he'll all right.
Sisko: May I see him?
Bashir: Oh, yes.
Sisko: Jake.
Jake: Dad.
Sisko: How are you feeling?
Jake: Could be worse.
Sisko: You'll be up and about in no time. I don't know what to say.
Jake: Say you're happy to see me.
Sisko: You know I am. Jake, I wish I. I want to explain what happened, but I'm not sure that I can.
Jake: You don't have to explain. When the Pah-wraith was inside me, I could feel its hatred and I knew that no matter what, it couldn't be allowed to win. Even if it meant I had to die. You did the right thing.
Odo: How was the prayer service?
Kira: To tell you the truth, I didn't pay that much attention. I'm still trying to make sense of everything that happened. Of all the people on this station, the Prophets chose me. I'm not sure I know why I deserve that honor.
Odo: Perhaps that's why you were chosen. You have faith and humility.
Kira: I heard that you told the Captain that I was willing to give my life to serve the Prophets. I appreciate that you respect my beliefs.
Odo: Just the same, I wouldn't have minded if the Prophets had chosen someone else.
Kira: I have to go. I'll drop by Security after I take the Kai to her shuttle.
Winn: The Emissary couldn't escort me himself?
Kira: He's with his son.
Winn: I would think he'd want to thank me.
Kira: For what?
Winn: I prevented the destruction of this station. I saved the Emissary's life and the life of his son.
Kira: Don't pretend you did it for the Captain.
Winn: I did it for Bajor. If you haven't heard, the floodwaters have receded and the earthquakes have stopped.
Kira: And you're going to take the credit for that?
Winn: I take it as a sign I did the right thing.
Kira: You defied the will of the Prophets, and you did it because you couldn't stand the fact that a human, an infidel, had a stronger faith than you. The Emissary was willing to sacrifice his own son to serve the Prophets.
Winn: My faith is as pure as the Emissary's.
Kira: I think you're confusing faith with ambition.
Winn: I'm not confusing anything, child. You are. The Prophets chose you as their instrument. That doesn't mean you can speak for them.
Kira: Because of your interference, the reckoning was stopped. The Evil still exists, And I'm not sure if even the Prophets know what that will mean for Bajor.