Jake: Dress uniform?
Sisko: I haven't worn this in almost three years. I must've lost a little weight. Feels kind of baggy.
Jake: It looks great. Besides, baggy's quite fashionable on Bajor right now. Lemonade.
Sisko: Since when are you interested in Bajoran fashions?
Jake: Well, a lot of Bajoran girls come to the station with their families.
Sisko: Since when are you interested in Bajoran girls?
Jake: Dad.
Sisko: Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that you were playing with model starships?
Jake: Try a few years ago.
Sisko: You and I have got to have a talk, young man, about women.
Jake: That's okay.
Sisko: I mean it. There are some things you have got to know.
Jake: I already know them, Dad.
Sisko: Oh yeah? And who told you?
Jake: Nog.
Sisko: Nog. So all you know about women you've heard from the Ferengi boy.
Jake: We were just talking.
Sisko: Swell. Listen, I don't have time now, but obviously I have a lot of damage control to do with you on this subject. Let's set aside some time tomorrow.
Jake: Fine.
Sisko: Okay. Tomorrow morning, first thing.
Jake: Fine. What's going on anyway?
Sisko: A Vulcan ship has made contact with a new species called Wadi in the Gamma Quadrant three weeks ago. We're expecting a delegation from their planet.
Jake: Rolling out the red carpet, huh?
Sisko: First contact is our most important mission, Jake. It has to be handled delicately. You might say it's sort of like a first date with a girl. You want to show a certain respect for
Kira: Ops to Sisko
Sisko: Go ahead.
Kira: The Wadi ship has just come through the wormhole. We're sending them to docking bay four.
Sisko: I'll meet you all there.
Sisko: Sisko out. Tomorrow morning.
Bashir: I'm positive I packed my dress uniform. I can't understand it.
Dax: You look fine, Julian. Relax.
Bashir: I mean, they are aliens, aren't they. I mean, they won't know our protocol.
Kira: It'll be fine.
Sisko: Where's your uniform, Doctor?
Bashir: I can't seem to find it, sir. I mean, I'm certain I packed it.
Sisko: Listen to me. This is no dress rehearsal, this is the real thing. Our first formal reception for a delegation from the Gamma Quadrant, and I want things to go right from this moment on. Clear?
Bashir: Yes.
Sisko: Let's do it.
Falow: I am Falow, Master Surchid of the Wadi.
Sisko: Welcome in the name of Bajor and the United Federation of Planets. I am Commander Benjamin Sisko, and on behalf of my senior staff officers, Major Kira, Lieutenant Dax and Doctor Bashir
Falow: Yes, yes, yes. Now, where are the games?
Sisko: Games?
Falow: We were told you had games. Quark's. Take us to Quark's.
Kira: Right this way.
Sisko: First contact is not what it used to be.
Quark: Do they have money?
Dax: We don't know. We didn't ask.
Sisko: That's not the point.
Quark: It may not be your point, but it's mine.
Sisko: Damn it, Quark, this is a new lifeform from the Gamma Quadrant. I expect you to treat them with
Quark: Commander, I'm a host. A host is an ambassador of good will. The more good will that I can generate, the longer they'll stay, the greater my profits. I think we're talking the same language here.
Sisko: Not quite.
Quark: Allow me to put your concerns to rest. So, do you fellows do a lot of gambling where you come from?
Falow: We like games.
Quark: Doesn't everybody? Doesn't everybody? You know, those virgin territories in the Gamma Quadrant are ripe for dabo franchising. You and I might want to talk about an investment opportunity at some point.
Quark: So, have you figured out the essentials of the game yet?
Falow: I believe we have.
Quark: Give her a spin, One time, on the house.
Quark: Ah, two pinch showing. Too bad. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I always say. What would you care to wager?
Quark: Oh, what a handsome container. There's an old Ferengi expression. Good things come in small packages. Sticks?
Falow: Klon peags. Highly sought in our culture. They have many different uses.
Quark: I'm sorry, but I have enough sticks right now.
Quark: What's this?
Falow: Alpha-currant nectar. It's priceless.
Quark: One man's priceless is another man's worthless.
Sisko: Quark. Take the juice.
Quark: Sorry, not interested.
Falow: Then, we really have nothing to wager, except this.
Quark: Get these folks some drinks
Sisko: McCoullough.
Quark: McCoullough?
Sisko: Captain McCoullough. That's the name I've been trying to remember for the last six hours.
Girl: Dabo!
Quark: Good Lord, they've won again.
Sisko: McCoullough's the one who wrote the revised First Contact procedures for Starfleet.
Quark: That right?
Sisko: I wish he was here now instead of me.
Girl: Dabo!
Quark: No, they couldn't have doubled again.
Sisko: With all due respect to the procedures and to McCoullough, I have had it. This is as far as duty takes me. Keep them happy. If they ever get tired of playing dabo, let me know. Good night.
Quark: What's good about it? Getting ready to call it a night?
Falow: We've only just started.
Quark: The girl's arm must be getting tired. All that spinning.
Falow: Replace her.
Quark: Very well. Broik, take the wheel.
Quark: Oh. One pinch showing. An unfortunate reversal.
Sisko: What are you still doing up?
Jake: Nog and I were setting up a reactive ion impeller for school.
Sisko: Nog is older than you, Jake. He stays up later. He probably does things, things with girls for instance, you're not ready for yet.
Jake: Come on. We were just working on a school project.
Sisko: You know what time you're supposed to go to bed. We never had any problems with it until Nog.
Jake: Dad, I'm fourteen.
Sisko: I'm glad we agree on something. Go to bed.
Jake: Fine. So, how'd it go?
Sisko: Great. Just great. I've done nothing for the past six hours but eat Ferengi lokar beans and watch people play childish games.
Quark: Broik, you disreputable swindler! I've put up with your cheating for the last time.
Falow: Sit.
Quark: Look, er, why don't we just call it even and no hard feelings. Or take another spin on the house. Or two or three. A free visit to a holosuite. Do you know what a holosuite is? Do you have sex on your world? Look, take it all back, all the gemstones, and I'll throw in a case of Andolian brandy to make your trip home a little more enjoyable.
Falow: You like our gemstones? You will have the opportunity to win more. A lot more.
Quark: I will?
Falow: In a new game. An honest game.
Quark: Very unusual. I don't think I know this game. What's it called?
Falow: Chula.
Quark: What are the rules?
Falow: These are your players. We'll start them on the second shap.
Quark: Second shap? Can't we start at the beginning?
Falow: Only children enter at the first shap.
Sisko: Sisko to Ops. Sisko to Security. Computer, freeze program. End program. Exit.
Sisko: You?
Falow: Shap two. Move along. Move along home.
Sisko: Where is this place? Where have you brought me?
Falow: Move along home.
Sisko: Falow!
Sisko: Doctor!
Bashir: Aaah! Oh. Oh, thank God. I thought I was having a nightmare. I couldn't wake up.
Kira: You two.
Dax: What was all that yelling?
Bashir: Haven't you ever had to wake yourself up out of a bad dream?
Sisko: This isn't a dream. We're guests of the Wadi.
Kira: What do they want?
Sisko: I don't know yet. I just had a strange run-in with Falow. He said something about moving along home.
Dax: Home?
Bashir: Perhaps we're being given some sort of behavioral test, like a laboratory rodent who must work his way out of a maze.
Kira: Behavioral test? Now wait a minute.
Dax: There doesn't seem to be any immediate threat, Major.
Kira: Oh, no. I'm sure all you Starfleet explorers find this fascinating, but I'm a Bajoran administrator. This is not what I signed up for.
Sisko: I don't find this fascinating either, Major, but I suggest we take Falow's advice and find our way home.
Dax: Do the comm. badges still work? As long as we can maintain contact, it should be reasonably safe to split up and see if any of us can find a way out of here.
Sisko: Use your tricorders for proximity checks every two minutes. And if all else fails, just yell again, Doctor. We'll find you.
Odo: Mister Sisko, how can I help you?
Jake: Do you know where my Dad's gone?
Odo: You can't find him?
Jake: Last night, he was making a big deal about us having a talk this morning. But when I got up he was gone.
Odo: Have you checked his office?
Jake: The computer says he's not on the station.
Odo: Why don't you go on to school while I track him down.
Jake: School's closed while Mrs O'Brien's back on Earth. Nog and I were going over to airlock three and watch the Bajoran transport passengers come on board
Odo: You mean, to look at the girls.
Jake: No, we were just
Odo: Go on. When I find out where your father went, I'll let you know.
Jake: Thanks, Odo.
Odo: Computer, confirm that Commander Sisko is not on the station.
Computer: Confirmed.
Odo: What time did he log out?
Computer: That information is not on file.
Odo: What ship did he leave on?
Computer: That information is not on file.
Primmin: Constable Odo. Good morning to you.
Odo: Where's Major Kira?
Primmin: Didn't report for duty on time this morning. None of the senior officers did.
Odo: And you don't find that odd?
Primmin: I heard that Wadi party went on all night.
Odo: How long have you been a security officer, Lieutenant?
Primmin: Six years. Why?
Odo: Lost many Commanders?
Primmin: Lost?
Odo: Because you've lost one now. Sisko's off the station, missing. All of the senior officers may be missing. I want a sweep of this station, and if the others are missing too, I want to know the last time anybody saw them. I'm going to contact all ships that have departed since last night. Understood?
Primmin: Yes, Constable.
Odo: And don't call me Constable. I'm Chief of Security.
Primmin: Yes, sir.
Falow: Last wagers. The board is ready.
Quark: It is?
Falow: How much do you wish to risk on the second shap?
Quark: Is there a minimum wager?
Falow: Roll.
Quark: Roll? Roll? But you haven't even told me the rules yet.
Falow: You're required to learn as you play. Roll.
Falow: Chula!
Quark: Did I win?
Falow: Hardly. Your pieces will meet the Chandra.
Quark: The Chandra? What does that mean? Is it good or bad?
Falow: Neither. Both.
Quark: I don't understand.
Falow: Ah, but there is the key. Some will never understand while others will consider it mere child's play.
Chandra: Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me.
Sisko: This is Sisko I've found something.
Chandra: Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me.
Chandra: Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me. Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me. Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me.
Dax: Hello. Can you tell us where we are? Is there a way to leave?
Bashir: Do you think we're supposed to do something?
Kira: Well, this is the first door that's opened for us. I want to know where it goes.
Sisko: Are you all right?
Kira: I'll be okay.
Dax: Some kind of ionic field.
Sisko: She's goes right through it.
Bashir: The panels on the floor. She steps on certain panels which must allow her to go through the field.
Dax: If you can see, you'll come with me.
Bashir: Watch this.
Chandra: Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me.
Bashir: But I did everything she did.
Dax: No, Julian, you didn't.
Bashir: I followed her footsteps exactly.
Dax: But you didn't say the rhyme. CHANDRA +
Dax: Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me.
Dax: Come on! Just say the rhyme. SISKO, BASHIR,
Kira: Allamaraine, count to four. Allamaraine, then three more. Allamaraine, if you can see. Allamaraine, you'll come with me.
Chandra: Allamaraine. Third shap.
Falow: Allamaraine!
Quark: I think I'm getting the hang of this.
Falow: Choose their path.
Quark: Path?
Falow: Short or long.
Quark: What's the difference?
Falow: The short path doubles the peril to your four players. It also doubles your winnings.
Quark: Double my winnings? Well, in that case
Falow: Choose carefully. If none of your players makes it home, you lose everything you've won.
Quark: Oh. I see why you find this game so interesting.
Falow: Do you?
Quark: Yes. You know I might have room for another gaming table or two on the second floor. We might negotiate a licensing agreement? Perhaps we could discuss
Odo: Quark!
Quark: I'm busy.
Odo: Yes. I can see. When was the last time you saw Sisko?
Quark: Last night when he went home to bed.
Odo: Did he say anything to you about leaving the station?
Quark: Not a thing.
Falow: Choose their path.
Odo: Quark.
Quark: Really, Odo you'll have to
Odo: He's missing, and so are Kira, Dax and Bashir. Four officers have just disappeared. You're sure you have no idea?
Quark: Why would I know anything about. Four? Did you say four officers are missing?
Odo: Yes.
Falow: Double their peril. Double your winnings.
Falow: Bet or leave.
Quark: Odo, how about taking my place?
Falow: Choose their path.
Quark: I'll take the safer path.
Falow: Roll.
Kira: Rhymes and riddles and mazes. What's the logic behind all this? what do they want from us?
Bashir: Move along home. That's what the man told the Commander.
Dax: A game. Home is often the destination in a game.
Kira: The Wadi do love games.
Dax: Think of it. We've been given directions, clues, obstacles to overcome.
Sisko: Pawns.
Kira: Excuse me. Excuse me. This has gone far enough.
Kira: Will somebody please tell me what is going on around here. Why are you doing this to us? What is wrong with you people?
Bashir: Madame, this is no laughing matter.
Sisko: Don't drink or eat anything.
Bashir: Maybe it's the Wadi's way of providing nourishment.
Sisko: Or maybe it's drugged or poisoned.
Sisko: Falow.
Falow: Drink?
Sisko: We're not playing any more.
Falow: Move along. Move along home.
Sisko: You brought us here. You take us home.
Dax: The smoke.
Bashir: Not bothering them.
Kira: You're hurting us. Can't you see that?
Bashir: Drink! It's the antidote.
Kira: How did you know?
Bashir: Scientific method. Actually, I took a guess. It didn't seem like I had much to lose.
Falow: Shap four.
Sisko: Let's go.
Falow: Allamaraine!
Odo: Wouldn't your scans pick up human life signs on their ship?
Primmin: Usually, but we've never encountered Wadi technology before.
Odo: Isolate that energy flux on their second deck.
Primmin: Some kind of intense bipolar current.
Odo: What would cause something like that?
Primmin: Got me. The only thing we've got that would put out that type of current would be a transporter, but a transporter burst would only last for a few seconds.
Odo: I think we better go take a look.
Primmin: No, wait a minute, Odo. You can't just go storming onto their ship without their permission.
Odo: Oh, is that Starfleet policy?
Primmin: That's right.
Odo: Well, I'm not in Starfleet. Set the coordinates to midway down the second deck corridor. Is it against Starfleet rules to press a few buttons?
Primmin: Energizing.
Falow: Choose their path.
Odo: No. This game is finished right now.
Falow: Stop the game. Lose your players.
Quark: Odo, just stay out of this.
Odo: Quark.
Quark: I'm doing fine. They're doing fine.
Falow: Choose their path. Double their peril, double your winnings.
Odo: Quark!
Quark: Fine. Fine. The safer path.
Falow: Roll.
Falow: An unfortunate roll.
Bashir: Isn't it a matter of simply figuring out how to win this game?
Kira: Simply?
Dax: I don't think we have any other choice.
Bashir: Seriously, we've gone from the second shap to the third shap to the fourth shap already.
Kira: What is a shap?
Bashir: I have no idea, but we're making progress, whatever it are.
Kira: We're playing for our lives here, Doctor. I don't think you're taking this very seriously.
Bashir: On the contrary, Major. I find the stakes to be highly motivating.
Sisko: Listen.
Dax: I'm reading high magnetic field variations. Intense flux patterns. It's coming toward us.
Sisko: Find cover if you can.
Sisko: Falow!
Falow: Next move.
Odo: What happened to that one? Why is it there?
Falow: Next move. Choose their path.
Odo: Listen to me. I want that player back.
Falow: If you would care to play the game after he's done, it can be arranged. Choose their path. Double their peril, double your winnings.
Quark: Give me the shortcut.
Odo: The shortcut?
Quark: It's the right thing to do.
Odo: Are you crazy?
Falow: Double the stakes.
Odo: Wait!
Quark: I know what I'm doing. I've spent my life figuring the odds of all sorts of games. Now, I'm just learning this one, that's true, but I know this is the right move.
Odo: The right move to make you rich.
Quark: More than that. Look at the board. The shortcut skips a whole level. I've learned there are risks in every roll of the dice. This way, they can advance all the way home on just one move. Trust a gambler.
Falow: Roll.
Odo: What?
Quark: Blow on them.
Odo: Would you please just
Quark: Blow on them.
Falow: Thialo.
Quark: What does it mean?
Falow: Sacrifice one so that two may live.
Odo: You can't ask him to do that.
Falow: If you do not sacrifice one, all three will be lost.
Quark: I can't. Please.
Falow: Which player?
Quark: I don't even know which one is which.
Falow: Select one to be sacrificed or else this game is finished.
Quark: Fine! Fine! Fine. Fine. I can't do it. I beg of you. A terrible mistake has been made. This is all a misunderstanding. Please, I've learned my lesson. I'll never cheat again. I'll never cheat again! Please! Just don't make me do this. Anything but this. Please. Please. Please.
Falow: Very well.
Quark: I don't have to sacrifice one of them?
Falow: No. You do not. We'll program the game to choose one at random. Final wagers. Last move.
Kira: We should have eaten something at the party when we had the chance.
Bashir: Commander Sisko.
Sisko: Doctor?
Bashir: Over here. Hurry!
Kira: Where's it coming from?
Sisko: Spread out.
Bashir: I can see it! I've found the way home!
Dax: Over here! I've found an open door.
Bashir: Come on, Dax
Dax: Julian!
Bashir: Hurry up!
Dax: Julian, are you all right?
Sisko: Dax!
Dax: My leg!
Kira: Don't move.
Sisko: Nothing's broken.
Bashir: What's taking so long? We're almost out of here. Can't you see it?
Sisko: Doctor, we need some help, Dax is hurt.
Falow: Thialo. Move along home. Shap Six.
Kira: I'm reading a tectonic shift of two ground masses. We are directly over the fault line. The cavern wall structure has been significantly weakened by the stress. It's not going to hold much longer.
Sisko: See if you can put some weight on it. Come on, let's get out of here.
Dax: I'll never make it across.
Sisko: There's got to be a way around this.
Dax: Benjamin, you and Kira can make that jump.
Kira: We're not leaving you here.
Dax: This cavern is going to collapse and kill all of us if you don't go now. Seven lives is more than enough for a Trill. You haven't even finished one.
Sisko: How could I live out that life knowing I left you behind, old man.
Dax: Don't let sentiment get in the way SISKO +
Dax: Of command decisions.
Sisko: Yeah, I've heard that one somewhere.
Dax: If you were hurt, I'd leave you behind.
Sisko: Then I'm glad I'm not the one who's hurt. Major. Major, you go across. We'll find a way around. We'll be all right.
Sisko: Major, I gave you a direct order.
Kira: Court-martial me.
Sisko: I can't. You're not in Starfleet.
Dax: If I were your superior officer, I'd court-martial both of you.
Sisko: Only a few meters more.
Sisko: Hang on!
Dax: Benjamin!
Quark: They made it! I won! I had full confidence in you, Commander. There wasn't a moments doubt that you wouldn't prevail in this outrageous
Falow: No, Quark. I'm afraid all your players were lost.
Kira: What? You mean we were never in any real danger?
Falow: It's only a game.
Falow: Time to move along home.
Sisko: Not so fast. This may all have been a game to you, but we take first contact with a new species very seriously, and I don't appreciate
Odo: Excuse me, Commander.
Sisko: Yes, Odo?
Odo: Before you blame them, you might want to ask Quark just how all this started.
Sisko: Quark.
Quark: I wish I could explain it. They just had a run of bad luck and they blamed me for their losses and
Odo: That's not what you said when you were groveling on the floor.
Quark: Oh, that's right, you were here for the groveling.
Odo: You said something about cheating, didn't you?
Sisko: Cheating?
Quark: I would have said anything to end the ordeal. It was too much for me to bear. You have no idea the pressure I was under, Commander.
Falow: If you will excuse us. Perhaps, someday, a rematch.
Quark: You know, this game could work here. It really could. Excuse me. Falow? Mister Falow? A word with you, sir. What's your hurry? I think you'll like this. Mister Falow!


Jake: Shoes.
Sisko: Jake, I've got a terrific surprise for you.
Jake: Oh yeah, what is it?
Sisko: The two of us are going to Bajor for the start of the Gratitude Festival.
Jake: What's the Gratitude Festival?
Sisko: It's the biggest Bajoran holiday of the year. Major Kira says it's pretty spectacular. And I figured, while we were on the surface, we could visit those fire caverns you've been wanting to see.
Jake: Sounds great. When do we leave?
Sisko: This afternoon, right after school.
Jake: For how long?
Sisko: Three days.
Jake: Three days!
Jake: Computer, orange juice. Dad, do I have to go?
Sisko: Well, no, not if you don't want to.
Jake: Thanks, Dad. Nog and I kind of have plans for tomorrow.
Sisko: What kind of plans?
Jake: There's an Andorian freighter due in for a maintenance check tomorrow night.
Sisko: An Andorian freighter?
Jake: It's supposed to be carrying a shipment of those new anti-grav tractors. We're hoping we'll get a chance to see one.
Sisko: Let me get this straight. You would rather hang around a cargo bay with Nog than visit the Bajoran fire caverns with the old man?
Jake: Nog's my friend.
Quark: No need to thank me, madam. Here at Quark's customer satisfaction is our primary concern. Now, you run along back to the dabo table. Rom, that lady tells me she misplaced a fat currency pouch.
Rom: Yes, brother?
Quark: And then you found it.
Rom: Yes, brother.
Quark: And then you returned it to her intact.
Rom: I was dazzled by her beauty.
Quark: You worthless, tiny eared fool! Don't you know the First Rule of Acquisition?
Rom: Yes, brother.
Quark: Then say it.
Rom: Once you have their money, you never give it back.
Quark: Exactly. You can ponder its meaning this evening while polishing every rail in the place. Now get out of my sight before I toss you out the nearest airlock.
Rom: Nog! Is this what they teach you at that human school of yours? Sloth and indolence?
Nog: No, father.
Rom: We'll see about that. Tonight you'll polish every rail in the place until they sparkle. Is that clear?
Nog: Yes, father. Tonight. Every rail.
Quark: And so the Andorian says. your brother? I thought it was your wife. Get it, wife!
Quark: Had to think about that one, didn't you?
Krax: I'm looking for Quark.
Quark: You found him.
Krax: I am Krax and this is my father, Grand Nagus Zek.
Quark: Tell me, is the Grand Nagus here on business or pleasure?
Krax: Is there a difference?
Quark: No, of course not.
Krax: My father will reveal the purpose of his visit when he sees fit. As for now, he desires the use of a holosuite. He's heard that some of your programs are quite alluring.
Quark: Oh, they are. They are. But they may prove a touch energetic for his advanced years.
Krax: Are you refusing his request?
Quark: Not at all. Not at all. Is there a particular activity he'd like to sample?
Krax: The Nagus dislikes having to choose between so many delightful possibilities.
Quark: In that case, here's a list of five programs that rank among my personal favorites. I'd be happy to select one for him.
Krax: That won't be necessary. The Nagus has decided to try all five.
O'Brien: Sorry I'm late. The Transporter in Ops needed a minor adjustment in its upper molecular imaging scanner. but never mind that. All right, let's settle down. Let's settle down! Jake! Nog! Nog!
O'Brien: Thank you. Now we only have two more weeks to get through before Mrs O'Brien returns from Earth, so that shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right. Let's take out our homework PADDs. We'll begin with the older students. Your last assignment was to write an essay defining the term 'ethics.' Let's start with Nog.
Nog: I don't have my essay.
O'Brien: Why not?
Nog: My PADD was stolen.
O'Brien: Is that a fact? Any idea who stole it?
Nog: It happened in Quark's. I put it on a table and there were some Vulcans nearby
O'Brien: Hold on. You're saying Vulcans stole your homework?!
Nog: Yes, sir.
O'Brien: Any idea why?
Nog: Because they don't have ethics?
O'Brien: All right, that's enough.
Nog: It's the truth. Ask Jake. He was with me. Go on. Tell him.
Jake: I guess so.
O'Brien: You guess?
Jake: He, yeah. They took it. I was there.
O'Brien: All right, but I want that essay in tomorrow. Is that understood?
Nog: Yes.
O'Brien: I hope so.
Quark: Did the Nagus happen to mention how long he'd be using the holosuite?
Krax: The Nagus will be done when he's done.
Quark: What if he injured himself?
Krax: My father left specific instructions not to be disturbed. Are you suggesting we disobey him?
Quark: Forget I ever said anything.
Rom: The Grand Nagus, here under our roof. I've never been so proud.
Quark: I hope you can live on pride, because that's all we'll have left once he's through with us.
Rom: You think he's here to take over the bar?
Quark: Why else would he come all this way? To buy me out and for a fraction of what the place is worth.
Rom: You can always refuse to sell.
Quark: Oh, why didn't I think of that. Idiot, the Nagus doesn't take no for an answer.
Krax: Quark.
Zek: Here. Good program.
Krax: My father requires rest.
Quark: I would imagine. Please feel free to use my own brother's quarters for as long as you're with us.
Krax: That should be satisfactory.
Quark: Now, is there anything else I can do to make your stay a pleasant one?
Zek: Invite me to dinner.
Quark: I would be honored.
Sisko: Chief, I just heard that airlock nine is jammed again.
O'Brien: I'll get a crew on it immediately, Commander. Ensign Jonas?
Sisko: So how's school?
O'Brien: We'll muddle through, I imagine. Though I'm counting the days till Keiko gets back.
Sisko: The students giving you a hard time?
O'Brien: You know how it is, sir. Kids, there's nothing they like better than to take advantage of a substitute teacher. I always did.
Sisko: I hope Jake's behaving himself.
O'Brien: Jake? He's a fine lad, sir. It's just, well.
Sisko: Just what?
O'Brien: It's just, if he were my son, I'd find a friend for him other than Nog.
Sisko: I'm afraid that's easier said than done. The two of them have become inseparable.
O'Brien: Well, I'd find a way to separate them, sir. That Nog's a bad influence.
Sisko: I appreciate the advice, Chief, but I trust my son. Besides, if I get between them now, it would become me versus Nog, and I'm not going to force Jake to choose between us.
O'Brien: Why not?
Sisko: Because I'd probably lose.
O'Brien: I doubt that, sir.
Sisko: That's because your daughter's three. Wait until she's fourteen.
Zek: Are you sure? My compliments, Quark. These tube grubs are chilled to perfection.
Zek: Did I say I was finished?
Quark: Please, help yourself.
Zek: I saw your cousin Barbo recently.
Rom: Barbo? I thought he was still in that Tarahong detention center.
Zek: They finally released him.
Quark: How fortunate.
Zek: He told me how the two of you sold those defective warp drives to the Tarahong government. Very clever.
Quark: It was nothing. The Tarahongians are an incredibly gullible people.
Zek: He also spoke of how you betrayed him to the authorities and left him to rot behind bars while you kept all the profits.
Quark: The sixth rule of Acquisition expressly states
Zek: Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity. I certainly never have. You see, I told you he had brains. You've done well for yourself, Quark.
Quark: Not that well.
Zek: Never contradict your elders. It's impolite.
Quark: I suppose I'm doing quite well at that.
Zek: It was a stroke of brilliance to open a bar so close to a stable wormhole.
Krax: But he didn't even know the wormhole existed.
Zek: That's what makes it so impressive. He had the instinct, the ears, to make the smart move before anyone else did. You could learn from his example. Boy! Boy!
Nog: Can I go now? I have homework.
Zek: Did he say homework?
Krax: There's a Federation school here. Run by a human. A female.
Zek: And you allow your son to attend such a place.
Rom: Nog, I never want you to step foot in there again. Now go to your room. And no studying. My apologies, Nagus. It's those Federation do-gooders, always sticking their ugly noses in other peoples business.
Zek: Most distressing.
Rom: Yes, Nagus, most distressing. Yes, yes.
Zek: Now, speaking of business. Quark, I've come to ask you a favor, and one that would be very important to me. I need your bar.
Quark: I knew it.
Zek: And your services as host, for an important conference to be held here tomorrow at nine o'clock sharp.
Quark: I would consider it a privilege. And the purpose of this conference is?
Zek: The future. And for Ferengi business interests, the future is already here. And its name is the Gamma Quadrant.
Kira: Ferengi transport Sepulo has put in at docking bay five.
Sisko: That's the third Ferengi ship to arrive here in the last eighteen hours.
Dax: Maybe it's Quark's birthday.
Kira: My advice is to lock up the silverware.
Sisko: I don't think we have to go that far. Sisko to Odo.
Odo: Go ahead, Commander
Sisko: About all these Ferengi visitors we've been getting
Odo: I'm already on it.
Krax: No, no, no.
Quark: Is something wrong?
Krax: You can't seat Turot next to Hoex. They've been bitter rivals ever since Hoex bought out Turot's controlling interest in the cargo ports on Volchok Prime.
Quark: Rom! Change these seating arrangements immediately. Quickly, you fool, before I toss you out the nearest airlock.
Krax: I thought you understood this was to be a private meeting.
Quark: Yes. Go away! We're closed. Go away.
Quark: Shoo! Shoo!
Gral: What's the delay?
Krax: We await the Grand Nagus.
Gral: Well, he'd better show his ears soon or I'm leaving.
Krax: No one leaves until the conference has concluded.
Gral: Still hiding in your father's shadow.
Krax: The Nagus casts a very long shadow. Careful you don't disappear in it.
Zek: I see we're all here.
Quark: Enough drinks.
Nog: All right, I'm going.
Quark: Quickly.
Zek: No, you stay.
Quark: Me?
Zek: Gentlemen, be seated.
Jake: Hey, Nog. Where were you this morning?
Nog: I'm through with school.
Jake: What do you mean, through?
Nog: I mean I don't have to attend those boring classes anymore.
Jake: Is this your father's idea?
Nog: It's the right decision.
Jake: Look, if you want I'll talk to Mister O'Brien.
Nog: No. I don't belong there.
Jake: Don't you want to learn things?
Nog: You mean like ethics?
Jake: Yeah, and other stuff.
Nog: You don't understand. I'm a Ferengi. For me, school is a waste of time.
Jake: Why is that?
Nog: Because there's no profit in it.
Jake: So why are you getting mad at me?
Nog: Because you're a stupid human. I don't know why I bother with you.
Jake: I'm stupid? You're the one not going to school. See if I care.
Zek: And lastly, I would like to salute Nava, whose takeover of the Arcybite mining refineries in the Clarius system is now complete. I congratulate you all. Profits are better than ever. Nevertheless, it is becoming more and more difficult to find truly lucrative business opportunities here in the Alpha Quadrant. And why? Because no matter where we go, our reputation precedes us. A reputation tainted by the lies of our competitors, who maliciously spread the erroneous impression that we are not to be trusted. But now, thanks to the diskovery of the wormhole, for the first time we can now avoid such falsehoods. The Gamma Quadrant, gentlemen. Millions of new worlds at our very doorstep. The potential for Ferengi business expansion is staggering.
Krax: And best of all, no one there has ever heard the name Ferengi.
Gral: Our reputation will be absolutely stainless.
Nava: Our word can be our bond.
Krax: Until we decide to break it.
Zek: It'll be the good old days all over again.
Nava: And who shall lead us in this great endeavor?
Krax: Who else but my father.
Gral: The Nagus. The Grand Nagus. Yes, yes.
Zek: I thank you for your confidence, but I must decline the offer.
Krax: But father.
Zek: I'm old. The fire dims. I'm just not as greedy as I used to be.
Krax: Yes, you are. More so.
Zek: No, my mind's made up. I've already chosen my successor. A leader whose vision, imagination, and avarice will oversee Ferengi ventures in the Gamma Quadrant. The new Grand Nagus. Quark!
Gral: He's a lobeless amateur!
Krax: Father, have you lost your mind?
Nava: I won't stand for this!
Zek: Congratulations. I know you'll do a wonderful job.
Sisko: Oatmeal lumpy again?
Jake: Nah, just not hungry.
Sisko: Want to talk about it?
Jake: It's Nog. His father's pulled him out of school.
Sisko: I see.
Jake: It's not fair. Nog can't even read. School's not going to be much fun without him.
Sisko: You can still get together with him after school.
Jake: Maybe. I don't think he wants to be my friend anymore.
Sisko: Did he say why?
Jake: He says humans and Ferengis don't get along.
Sisko: Usually they don't.
Jake: But you're the one always saying that we should make friends with other cultures.
Sisko: I believe that, and I'm glad you believe that too. But human values and Ferengi values are very different. We've never been able to form a common bond.
Jake: So Nog goes his way and I go mine?
Sisko: These things happen. Hey, how about after school we play a little baseball?
Jake: I can't. I have something to do.
Gral: Grand Nagus Quark.
Quark: I love the sound of that.
Gral: I'm afraid we were never formally introduced. I am Gral, your new best friend.
Quark: You wish to serve me?
Gral: I wish to protect you.
Quark: Protect me?
Gral: From those who are jealous of your position and wish to take your place. They can be very dangerous.
Quark: How do I stop them?
Gral: Leave it to me. I'm not going to allow anybody to harm such a grateful friend as yourself.
Quark: How grateful am I?
Gral: Grateful enough to make sure that I have my pick of the most lucrative Gamma Quadrant opportunities.
Quark: And if I refuse?
Gral: You won't.
Quark: Nagus, I'm in desperate trouble.
Zek: So am I, and please, call me Zek. Now, which would you choose. Risa or Balosnee Six?
Quark: I don't quite follow.
Zek: For my vacation. My first in eighty five years. I'm told on Balosnee the soothing harmonies of the tide can cause the most stimulating hallucinations. But when I think of those voluptuous Risian females
Quark: Nagus, please. Gral just threatened my life.
Zek: So he's the first, is he? Well, he won't be the last.
Quark: But what am I to do? You picked me for your successor. Surely you must have some advice?
Zek: To survive, you must surround yourself with loyal men.
Quark: That's good.
Zek: But not too loyal. Never trust anyone who places your prosperity above their own.
Quark: I see.
Zek: And remember, when in doubt, be ruthless.
Quark: Yes. I can do that. Go on.
Quark: Zek. Zek?
Quark: I didn't do anything.
Nava: I don't know, Krax. Twenty bars of gold press latinum? I'll need to think about it.
Krax: In a year it will be worth twice as much.
Nava: All right, I'll take it.
Rom: You want me to be your bodyguard?
Quark: Think of it as a promotion.
Rom: But why me?
Quark: You're the only one left I can trust. You're my closest associate, my friend, my brother.
Rom: But I thought since you'd be so busy being Grand Nagus, I could take over running the bar.
Quark: You? Run my bar?
Odo: Not exactly overcome by grief, are we?
Quark: This is a private funeral service.
Odo: You have my sympathies for your loss. Nevertheless, when someone dies on my station there are questions that must be answered.
Krax: There was nothing suspicious about my father's death. It was caused by a massive infection of the tympanic membrane. A chronic condition.
Odo: Then I hope you won't mind if I ask Doctor Bashir to examine the body.
Krax: That would be difficult.
Odo: What's this?
Nava: My piece of Zek.
Krax: You see, when a Ferengi of my father's stature dies, the body is automatically vacuum-desiccated and sold as a prized collectible.
Odo: How touching.
Nog: I know there's a. I wonder where
Jake: Go ahead.
Nog: It wasn't important.
Jake: I guess humans and Ferengis don't have a lot to talk about.
Nog: That's what my father says.
Jake: Mine too. That doesn't mean they're right. We always had stuff to talk about before. So what do you say, you still want to be friends?
Nog: Yes. When my father finds out, he won't be happy.
Jake: Neither will mine. Come on, I have a great idea.
Nog: What is it?
Jake: Come on.
Odo: So, what exactly does it mean, becoming Grand Nagus?
Quark: It means that from now on if you wish to speak to me, you must first make an appointment with Rom.
Odo: Don't be ludicrous.
Quark: It's also customary to show respect by kissing my scepter.
Quark: I suppose I could make an exception in your case.
O'Brien: You see the diskoloration around the impact perimeter? These are sorium and argine traces.
Sisko: Aren't they Ferengi explosives?
O'Brien: Exactly. What we have here is a Ferengi locator bomb, designed to lock on to a target's pheromones.
Odo: You mean they're attracted to body odor?
O'Brien: Very deadly and very accurate. If Quark hadn't lowered his head at the last second
Bashir: Commander.
Sisko: Yes, Doctor?
Bashir: I've just given Quark a thorough examination. He's a bit shaken up, nothing more.
Sisko: I guess it's time to have little chat with the Grand Nagus.
Odo: I'd be delighted.
Odo: When are you going to get it through your twisted little brain that we are trying to save your life.
Quark: You're trying to interfere in Ferengi affairs of state, which are none of your concern.
Sisko: Now look here, Quark.
Rom: Grand Nagus Quark.
Sisko: Those locator bombs are damn near foolproof. You were lucky once. Next time we could be scraping you off the walls.
Quark: The Grand Nagus does not ask for help from outsiders.
Odo: I'm sure whoever tried to kill you is counting on that. You must have some suspicion who that could be?
Quark: I'm suspicious of everybody.
Odo: But who would you say stands to benefit the most from your death?
Quark: Let's see. That would have to be Krax. Yes, if anything happens to me, Krax becomes Nagus.
Rom: True, but let's not forget that it was Gral who threatened you.
Odo: Threatened you? How?
Quark: That's none of your concern. Besides, Gral and Krax were at the funeral when the bomb went off. Which means that neither one of them could have set it.
Sisko: Whoever planned this could have had an accomplice.
Odo: You're sure all of Zek's associates attended the funeral?
Quark: Yes, yes, they were all there. Look, this is getting us nowhere.
Odo: What about Zek's servant?
Rom: You mean Maihar'du?
Quark: What about him?
Odo: Was he at the funeral?
Rom: I don't recall seeing him there. Do you?
Quark: Now that you mention it, no, I don't.
Odo: Interesting. Hupyrian servants are renowned for their devotion to their employers. For Maihar'du not to have shown up at Zek's funeral is very odd indeed.
Sisko: You were out pretty late last night.
Jake: I was?
Sisko: You came in after midnight.
Jake: I guess I got kind of busy doing stuff.
Sisko: What kind of stuff?
Jake: Nothing important. Just hanging around.
Sisko: With Nog?
Jake: We weren't doing anything wrong.
Sisko: Good. Then you can tell me all about it.
Jake: I can't. It's private.
Sisko: Private?
Jake: I got to go or I'll be late for school.
Sisko: I want you home in time for dinner. Understood?
Jake: Understood.
Nava: The thing is, Nagus, I feel I've done all I can in the field of gouge mining.
Quark: You wish to find profit elsewhere.
Nava: Yes, Nagus.
Quark: And where would that be?
Nava: I'd like the chance to introduce synthehol to the Gamma Quadrant.
Quark: A very lucrative opportunity. Tell me Nava, when Zek announced I was to succeed him, were you pleased?
Nava: No, Nagus.
Quark: Did you come to me and offer your support?
Nava: No, Nagus.
Quark: Yet, now you call me Nagus. But is it out of true friendship? No. You only pretend to show me respect so I will grant you this immense opportunity.
Nava: Which I'm willing to split with you. fifty-fifty.
Quark: Well, in that case, let's hope the Gamma Quadrant develops a taste for synthehol.
Nava: Yes.
Krax: A very smart deal, Nagus.
Quark: I seem to have a knack for it, don't I.
Rom: Yes, Nagus.
Quark: The rest will have to come back tomorrow. All this benevolence wearies me.
Rom: Yes, Nagus.
Krax: As you wish, Nagus.
Quark: I think I'll head over to the bar and check the receipts. KRAX +
Rom: Yes, Nagus.
Krax: If he keeps handing out these choice opportunities, he's going to become very popular.
Rom: We'll just have to come up with a new plan. Something more reliable than a locator bomb. Something that can't possibly fail to kill my dear brother.
Sisko: Come in.
Dax: I was going to ask you to join me in a round of Jokarian chess but I can see you're just sitting down to dinner.
Sisko: I sat down a half hour ago, about the time Jake was supposed to be home.
Dax: Aubergine stew. Looks delicious. So where's Jake?
Sisko: Where else.
Dax: With Nog.
Sisko: Going through my own adolescence was difficult enough. Surviving my son's is going to take a miracle.
Dax: Maybe it's time you had a little talk with Jake. Children need to know their boundaries. I should know, I've been a mother three times and a father twice.
Sisko: Which was easier?
Dax: Actually, I wasn't very successful either way, so feel free to reject what I'm about to say, but if I were you, I would go find Jake and bring him here to eat his dinner.
Sisko: You would?
Dax: Absolutely.
Sisko: Computer, locate Jake Sisko.
Computer: Jake Sisko is in cargo bay fourteen.
Sisko: Thanks, old man.
Nog: There are four teen
Jake: Fourteen planets.
Nog: Planets in the Bajoran. What's that word?
Jake: System.
Nog: System.
Jake: That was pretty good. Want to try some more?
Nog: The lar, largest planet is Bajor. It has three moons?
Jake: You got it. Keep going, keep going.
Nog: The third moon, it has
Quark: You clumsy idiot. You want to strangle me?
Rom: My apologies, Nagus.
Quark: Stop daydreaming and pay attention to your work.
Rom: Yes, Nagus.
Quark: When do we leave?
Rom: Just as soon as you're ready, Nagus.
Quark: I've always wanted to take a trip through the wormhole. Still, it's odd Zek never mentioned that he'd traveled to the Gamma Quadrant, let alone opened negotiations with one of its worlds.
Rom: Negotiations that you will have the honor of completing. According to Krax, Stakoron Two contains rich deposits of mizanite ore.
Quark: A very lucrative opportunity.
Rom: Quark?
Quark: What now?
Rom: About the bar. You have so much, and I have so little.
Quark: Which is exactly how it was meant to be.
Rom: Come. Let's not keep our new partners waiting.
Krax: May I say, Nagus, that my father himself never looked more commanding.
Quark: I've been thinking, maybe it would be wise to take a dabo girl along with us.
Krax: Whatever for?
Quark: A pretty woman by my side will only add to my prestige. Never underestimate the importance of a first impression.
Krax: One look at your imposing features, and the Stakoron negotiators will give us everything we ask for.
Quark: All right, if you really think I won't need her.
Krax: Believe me, you won't. Shall we?
Krax: This is an historic moment.
Krax: Nagus.
Quark: There must be some mistake. There's no ship docked here
Quark: Wait! Rom, you idiot. Krax, what are you standing there for? What's the matter with you two? Open the door! Do you hear me? Open up. You must obey your Nagus!
Krax: Sorry, Quark, but you've just been voted out of office.
Quark: Rom! Brother! Please!
Rom: So you were going to toss me out an airlock.
Quark: I never meant it.
Rom: Well I do. Rom's. Nice name for a bar, don't you think?
Krax: Enough talk. Let's get this done.
Krax: Would you like to do the honors, or should I?
Quark: Let me out! Let me out of here! Please.
Zek: Release him. ROM +
Krax: Nagus! You're alive!
Odo: Well, Quark, looks like you needed my help after all.
Zek: Don't you recognize your father?
Krax: You died.
Quark: I saw it happen.
Zek: You saw me enter a Dolbargy sleeping trance. Maihar'du taught it to me.
Krax: But why, father?
Zek: It was a test to see if you were ready to take my place. And you failed miserably.
Krax: But father, I am ready. I am ready. You saw for yourself. I was about to grab power.
Zek: You don't grab power. You accumulate it quietly without anyone noticing.
Krax: But, but, I don't understand.
Zek: The bar, you fool. That was the key. All those visitors stopping by on their way to and from the wormhole. You could have sat there quietly at your leisure and gathered up all the information you needed about the Gamma Quadrant.
Krax: But what about him?
Zek: You could have let him hold the scepter while you controlled everything from the shadows. And then, when everything was running smoothly, only then would you take over.
Krax: But, Father.
Zek: No! I'm not interested in excuses. Go back to the ship. We'll be leaving here shortly.
Krax: Yes, Father.
Zek: It's like, it's like talking to a Klingon.
Quark: I guess this still belongs to you.
Zek: Yes, it looks like I'll have to remain Grand Nagus long enough to establish a Ferengi presence in the Gamma Quadrant. And I was really looking forward to retirement. If I hear of any good Gamma Quadrant deals you'd be right for, I'll let you know.
Quark: You know where to find me.
Zek: You've done a very profitable job with this place. Who knows, maybe one day I'll come back and buy it from you.
Quark: So, Rom, you were going to toss me out an airlock.
Rom: Forgive me, brother.
Quark: Forgive you? Why, brother, I didn't think you had the lobes. Such wonderful treachery deserves a reward. I'm going to make you the assistant manager of policy and clientele here at Quark's.
Rom: What exactly does that mean?
Quark: How should I know, I just made it up. Come on, I'll buy you a drink.
Jake: So, what time tomorrow?
Nog: How about as soon as you get out of school.
Sisko: Jake.
Jake: Dad, what are you doing here?
Sisko: I was waiting for you.
Jake: Dad.
Sisko: You're a great boy, you know that? Now go be with your friend.


Quark: The usual, Odo?
Odo: Nothing.
Quark: The usual. If all my customers were like you, my family would be begging on the Promenade.
Odo: Oh, I seriously doubt that. Not as long as there's a Miradorn raider for you to do business with.
Quark: Raider? You mean the Miradorn ship that just docked?
Odo: The raider.
Quark: It's reputation, like mine, has probably been exaggerated. Anyway, I don't know the ship or its crew.
Odo: You didn't make your usual welcome call inviting them in for a free drink?
Quark: The Miradorns are a quarrelsome people. I chose to forego the usual amenities.
Odo: He looks away whenever we make eye contact.
Quark: Who?
Odo: The new arrival. The one the Klingons brought back from the Gamma Quadrant.
Quark: Croden? He's harmless.
Odo: Really. How is it you've come to know him so well?
Quark: A man comes in for a drink, he wants to talk
Odo: He didn't seem to want to talk much to Sisko when he arrived.
Quark: Who would? All those Starfleet officers greeting him at the airlock. It would scare me too. The Federation could learn a few things from the Ferengi about hospitality.
Odo: They scared him, huh?
Quark: Of course.
Odo: I wonder what he has to be scared about.
Odo: Well, now. I believe a pair of twinned Miradorn just nodded your way.
Quark: I'm the man behind the bar. Obviously, they want to use a holosuite. You think the whole galaxy is plotting around you, don't you. Paranoia must run in your species, Odo. Maybe that's why no one has ever seen another shape-shifter. They're all hiding. I won't have you come in here harassing my customers. Order a drink, play the tables, or vacate the premises. Rom, bring a flask of my special langour.
Kel: One thousand bars of gold pressed latinum. Non-negotiable.
Quark: Very nice. Unfortunately, there's a problem. RO-
Kel: Problem?
Rom: Langour, anyone? AH-
Kel: What problem?
Quark: The buyer has backed out. RO-
Kel: You guaranteed us a buyer.
Quark: A question has been raised about the origin of this bauble. A similar one was taken during a raid on a Vanoben transport just two light years from here. If you had a bill of sale RO-
Kel: You didn't ask for any bill of sale when we contacted you. You will find another buyer.
Quark: A buyer who asks no questions? That could take a long time. AH-
Kel: We don't have a long time.
Croden: Just stay, stay, stay where you are, please. RO-
Kel: What's this?
Quark: Don't fire. What do you want?
Croden: No one is going to get hurt. Just give me that. AH-
Kel: Whoever you are, you're making a mistake.
Croden: Well, it wouldn't be the first, and probably won't be the last. Give that to me.
Odo: Security and medical to holosuite one.
Quark: Five glasses for four people? AH-
Kel: He's dead. My brother.
Odo: Take them all to Security.
Quark: Yes, take them both to his office. Thank goodness you were close by, Odo
Odo: All of them. Get out. Go on.
Kel: Have you known any twinned Miradorn, Commander?
Sisko: I haven't met any before now. AH-
Kel: In my species, we are not just twin brothers. Together we are a single self, two halves of one being. I am incomplete now.
Odo: You should have considered the risks before trying to sell stolen property. AH-
Kel: You have no proof
Odo: Two people were killed on the transport this object was taken from. AH-
Kel: My brother and I purchased it from a passing Altoran trader.
Odo: His name? His ship's identification? AH-
Kel: I am the one whose brother was killed, Commander.
Odo: You have only yourself
Sisko: I'd like you to return to your ship now. You have my sympathies, but there may be more questions. Please don't leave the station. AH-
Kel: I want to deal with the one who killed my twin.
Sisko: The law will deal with him. AH-
Kel: My only purpose in life from here on is to see him dead.
Quark: Well, can't say I didn't warn you about Miradorns, Odo. I assume we are free to go?
Sisko: Do you have enough evidence to hold them, Constable?
Quark: As Odo will be happy to confirm, I was just as concerned as everyone else that this was a stolen objet d'art.
Odo: Yes. Curious, but it's true.
Quark: We'll be on our way then.
Odo: You know what else is curious? It's curious that Croden had a Ferengi phaser.
Quark: Available in many a port.
Odo: And it's curious that he knew the Miradorn were trying to sell you something of value.
Rom: How dare you suggest that my brother set up this robbery!
Odo: What an interesting theory, Rom.
Quark: If that theory should ever reach the Miradorn, I'd wake up dead one morning. So, I'd appreciate your not spreading wild theories around casually.
Quark: Lobeless idiot, next time I'll
Croden: Don't you feed your prisoners?
Odo: The fact that you just killed a man doesn't affect your appetite?
Croden: It was him or me. And if he'd have killed me, I wouldn't be hungry now.
Sisko: I want to be sure you understand exactly what's going to happen. There will be a trial to determine your guilt or innocence. We can assign an advocate or you can request one from your home world.
Croden: I doubt that anyone on Rakhar would much care.
Sisko: Really. Isn't murder considered a serious crime where you come from?
Croden: On Rakhar, all crimes are serious, only there are no trials.
Sisko: It's a shame that our first encounter with your species had to take place under these circumstances.
Croden: I'm sorry if I made things awkward. I didn't have much choice.
Sisko: Why not?
Croden: My needs exceed my skills. Now, if I had his talents, I would have no problems at all. I've never heard of a changeling with such versatility.
Odo: A what?
Croden: A changeling, like you.
Odo: You've heard of other shape-shifters in the Gamma Quadrant?
Croden: Haven't they come through the wormhole yet? I assumed when I saw you
Odo: It's a lie. He heard me talking in the bar to Quark.
Croden: Well, maybe I dissemble a little. Lie is a hard word. But shape-shifters are harsh in their judgments. Feed me, and maybe I'll tell you where I met someone just like you.
Sisko: I don't see that we have any choice. We have to contact his planet.
O'Brien: Not the best way of introducing ourselves.
Bashir: Homicide as a means to open relations, it's not exactly how they teach it at the academy, is it.
Kira: I think you're all wrong.
Sisko: How's that?
Kira: They're going to thank us.
Sisko: Thank us?
Kira: That's what I'd do. He's probably committed all sorts of crimes in their system. They'll be glad to have the problem taken off their hands.
Sisko: There's only way to find out. Dax?
Dax: It won't be hard to find Rakhar. According to the logs, Croden was found in a damaged shuttlecraft about three light years from the wormhole. There aren't many M class planets in that area.
Sisko: You're with me. Major Kira, as long as the Miradorn ship is here, there's a threat to Croden. I don't want to have to tell his people that he was killed while in our custody.
Kira: I'll have Odo increase security.
Quark: Stop in to see if I'd run away?
Odo: I couldn't get that lucky. That Croden is an interesting character.
Quark: I wouldn't know.
Odo: Really? I thought you said you got to know him rather well.
Quark: I never told you that. I merely said we chatted when he bought a drink or two.
Odo: I've talked to several people who saw the two of you engaged in heavy conversations. Why, Morn here says you even bought the fellow a meal.
Quark: Morn should keep his big mouth shut!
Odo: So what were you talking to him about?
Quark: Just being friendly. He was so out of place here, alone. I felt sorry for him. You should sympathize with my kindness.
Odo: There's no profit in kindness.
Quark: You attribute odious motives to my every charitable act.
Odo: That's because your favorite charity is your own pocket. Speaking of odious motives, I hear you've been making inquiries about finding a small ship to go through the wormhole.
Quark: That had nothing to do with any of this.
Odo: I think it does. I think you were trying to secure passage back to the Gamma Quadrant for Croden in exchange for staging this tragic little robbery of yours.
Quark: This could turn into a much bigger tragedy for me if you don't keep your voice down.
Odo: What did Croden tell you about himself?
Quark: Nothing. We didn't talk about anything except business. Inconsequential things.
Odo: What's inconsequential to you may be important to me. Did he say anything about his home world?
Quark: No.
Odo: Other species in the Gamma Quadrant?
Quark: No.
Security: Security to Odo.
Odo: Go ahead.
Security: Ah-Kel and his crew are blocking the entrance to your office. Should we clear them out?
Odo: Leave it. I'll handle them.
Odo: You were told to stay on your ship. AH-
Kel: Understand me, shape-shifter. He killed the part of me that made existence bearable. I cannot stop until I kill him.
Odo: You're not going to kill anyone. Get back to your ship and stay there. If I find you here again, I'll lock you up too.
Odo: You've made a lot of friends in your short stay here.
Croden: Well, I guess you'd know how that feels. You and I have a great deal in common, changeling.
Odo: We have nothing in common.
Croden: We are both aliens here, the only ones of our kind. Each of us is alone, isolated, shut out. Others like us only exist in the Gamma Quadrant. I have always wondered why changelings are so distrustful of other species.
Odo: I doubt the changelings on your world would trust you.
Croden: Of course not. There are no shape-shifters on Rakhar.
Odo: You just said. You implied there were.
Croden: I'm sorry if I misled you. There were shape-shifters on Rakhar at one time, but that was centuries ago.
Odo: What happened to them?
Croden: They were persecuted. Driven out. But I know a place where there are still some left. Of course, that was a few years ago.
Odo: And if you had the chance, you'd take me there.
Croden: Sure I would. Why not?
Odo: Tell me where it is. I'll have a look.
Croden: No, I have to show you. There is no way you could find it on you own.
Odo: The next time you lie, I'll save Ah-Kel the trouble of killing you.
Croden: There's that hard word again. There are times when I don't dissemble.
Odo: Whatever you call it, the truth isn't in you.
Croden: From the colony of the changelings.
Dax: We're in orbit.
Sisko: Open hailing frequencies.
Dax: Open.
Sisko: This is the Federation Starship Rio Grande attempting to make contact with the planet Rakhar. Please respond. One of your people has committed a homicide and we have him in custody. His name is Croden.
Dax: I'm picking up a signal in the southern hemisphere. They're hailing us.
Sisko: On screen
Hadran: I am the Exarch of Nehelik Province. You will transport Croden to this location.
Sisko: I'm afraid we haven't brought him with us.
Hadran: Your communication clearly stated that he was in your custody.
Sisko: On our space station. Perhaps I should explain where we come from.
Hadran: We are well aware of the traffic through the newly diskovered passage. We simply have no interest in contact with anyone from your quadrant.
Sisko: I am sorry to hear that, but we certainly will respect your wishes. We just felt it necessary after Croden was arrested
Hadran: Croden is an enemy of the Rakhari people. We request that he be returned immediately.
Sisko: He's scheduled to be tried for his crime on our station .
Hadran: Tried? Croden has already been declared guilty in absentia for myriad crimes on this world. That judgment supersedes your charges. Return him, and I can assure you his punishment will be appropriate to your crime as well as ours.
Sisko: I would feel more comfortable if we could
Hadran: I do not know what kind of people you are. I do not care to know. But if your society purports to respect the rules of our society, you will return him without delay.
Sisko: Expect him to return in a vessel just like this one within fifty two hours.
Bashir: It's an amalgam of organic material and some sort of crystal.
Odo: You mean it's alive?
Bashir: More or less. It's almost like a transitional stage between organic and inorganic matter. I've only seen one life form that even remotely resembles it.
Odo: Me.
Bashir: In a way, this stone might qualify as a distant cousin of yours. Maybe there's a clue to your origins here. Where did it come from?
Odo: Unfortunately, the only one who can tell me is less reliable than Quark.
Croden: How do you like my stone, changeling?
Odo: Where'd you get it?
Croden: What would telling you get me?
Odo: Nothing.
Croden: Well, that's too bad. I was hoping you'd feel sorry for me, seeing as we're the only two here from the other side of the passage.
Odo: I feel nothing for you but contempt. You're a thief, and a killer, and who knows what else.
Croden: Typical. It's typical.
Odo: Of changeling behavior. Yes, I'm sure.
Croden: Excuse me.
Croden: In my sector, there is a nebula called the Chamra Vortex. There are millions of asteroids in it. I found this stone on one of them. I could take you to it, changeling.
Odo: Others must know where it is.
Croden: No, no, the Vortex is uncharted, but as a thief and a killer and who knows what, I hid there often. I found this colony of changelings by chance. And I know my way back.
Sisko: Come in.
Odo: Yes, Commander?
Sisko: Constable, I want you to escort the prisoner back to his home planet.
Odo: He's not to stand trial here?
Sisko: Croden apparently committed crimes on Rakhar. His government is adamant and the Bajorans have agreed to release him.
Odo: We're going to have trouble getting him past the Miradorn.
Sisko: Yes, I know. Ah-Kel's been screening every ship leaving the station. How soon can you be ready?
Odo: I'm ready now.
Sisko: There's a Rigelian freighter leaving here for the Gamma Quadrant in an hour. Maybe we can use them to run interference between you and the Miradorn ship.
Odo: I'll move the prisoner to the runabout right away.
Sisko: Constable, once you're on the other side, you'll be on your own. The Miradorn vessel can outrun any of our runabouts and if they do come after you, a warning from us will just point an arrow to you.
Odo: Understood.
Croden: So you're finally taking me up on my offer.
Odo: I'm taking you home.
O'Brien: Commander. The Rigelian freighter's ready for departure.
Sisko: Signal Odo.
Kira: The Miradorn ship is scanning the freighter. Doesn't look like they're reading the runabout.
Croden: How do you stand it, changeling, living where you don't belong. Are you happy?
Odo: I'm as much a part of the place as anyone else.
Croden: I doubt it. They tolerate you, but you're not one of them. Being what you are, you can pour your square shape into a round hole, but you never really fit, do you? You're like my stone.
Odo: I think I finally figured out what crime you were found guilty of on your world.
Croden: What's that?
Odo: You talked too much.
Croden: Maybe you're right. Perhaps that is how it started. Perhaps I asked one question too many. Anyway, that's as good an explanation as any.
Odo: Explanation for what?
Croden: For why they came that night. I never was told and to this day I don't know. They broke into my home just before dawn, and before I had time to stop them, they had murdered both my wives. You see, on my world, the punishment for being an enemy of the people is the death of your family. I had no sophisticated weapon. Only a short, slaughter knife that I used for cutting the necks of fowl we would prepare for supper. Imagine my surprise when I diskovered that the necks of the security officers were no more difficult to cut than the birds. Even the sound they made as the blade crossed their gullets were similar.
Odo: You expect me to believe this appallling tale?
Croden: Would it make any difference if you did?
Odo: No.
Croden: Well then, believe it, because it's true. My return will be celebrated, changeling. They'll be very grateful. You'll be a hero. Perhaps you might even use this as an excuse to exchange envoys.
Odo: If you don't stop talking, I could sedate you for the rest of the trip.
Croden: Sorry. I didn't, I didn't know I bothered you.
Kel: Get in there!
Rom: He's going to kill us. He says we were in with Croden. AH-
Kel: Where is he, Quark?
Quark: Croden? He's in security. AH-
Kel: You're lying. He's gone. You're hiding him. You've been in this together all along. You're as responsible for my brother's death as he is.
Quark: Ah-Kel, no. This is Odo's doing. Don't you see? He wants to turn us against each other. AH-
Kel: Why should I believe you? Tell me where Croden is, or you can die in his place.
Quark: I don't know where he is. But maybe I can find out if you'll just release me. Get me the security chips. Level four clearance.
Quark: It isn't at all clear. AH-
Kel: The coordinates are very clearly stated right here in the log entry. One more thing, little Ferengi. You better be telling the truth or I'll be back to finish this.
Rom: Oh, you are clever, brother. Now, Ah-Kel will rid us of Croden and Odo.
Quark: Unless Odo is sensible and gives up his prisoner.
Rom: Oh, no. Then Croden would tell Ah-Kel the truth about our plan. We're dead. We're dead. You shouldn't have told him how to find them.
Quark: Be quiet. Odo would never give up his prisoner. He'll just get himself killed.
Rom: Do you really think so?
Quark: Oh, get out of here, you fool!
Sisko: Yes, Chief?
O'Brien: The Miradorn ship is leaving the station.
Sisko: Major, do whatever you can to delay them.
Kira: Ops to Miradorn vessel. Please hold your position. Stand by for departure instructions.
O'Brien: No response. They're still moving.
Sisko: Dax, how long before Odo reaches Rakhar?
Dax: Just over five hours.
Kira: Miradorn vessel, you are in violation of Bajoran transit regulations. Please return at once to the docking ring.
O'Brien: They've increased power to their thrusters.
Sisko: On screen.
Croden: You'd save time going through the Vortex. It's a long way around it. Aren't you the least bit curious about your own people?
Odo: Of course I am. Unfortunately, I don't have the liberty of pursuing that curiosity right now.
Croden: They don't maintain a humanoid shape, you know. They refused to assimilate on my world. They're a proud species. That's why they were so persecuted. But I will say this for them, they treated me well enough when I landed at their colony. I was badly wounded. They could have allowed me to die. They didn't. You're one of them, that's for sure. You have the sense of decency, of justice.
Odo: You don't give up, do you.
Odo: Computer, what was that?
Computer: A temporary loss of stability resulting from the impact of a concentrated plasma charge.
Odo: We're being attacked?
Computer: Affirmative. Pursuing vessel approaching from one eight one mark one two.
Odo: Put it on the monitor and identify.
Computer: Miradorn vessel, Theta class.
Odo: He's hailing us. AH-
Kel: The first shot was a warning. You will surrender the Rakhari prisoner to me.
Odo: I don't give up my prisoners, Ah-Kel. AH-
Kel: Very well. Then you can die with him.
Computer: Warning. Damage to shields
Odo: Computer, evasive maneuvers!
Computer: Warning. Shields at forty one percent.
Croden: Your computer's not going to outsmart him.
Odo: I'm a security chief, not a combat pilot.
Croden: Then give me the controls!
Odo: You?
Croden: I can get us through the vortex. The ionized gasses would screen us from his sensors. Drop your suspicious nature for a minute, changeling. Can't you see it's our only chance.
Odo: Why are we slowing down?
Croden: The vortex is riddled with volatile pockets of a gas we call toh-maire. If we destabilize them, they could ignite and blow this ship apart.
Odo: You really have been through here before.
Croden: Sometimes I do tell the truth.
Odo: How do you remember what's true and what isn't? I thought you said they couldn't detect us in here.
Croden: He must be following our impulse wake. Computer, disengage impulse engines. Go to thrusters.
Computer: Acknowledged. Thrusters engaged.
Odo: What are you doing?
Croden: Once our impulse wake drops off, he might try to pick up the diskharge of our thrusters. We'll be better off if we land. So, changeling, I guess I'm going to take you home after all.
Croden: Hurry. This way.
Odo: Croden! Slow down, Croden. Stay where I can see you. Croden! What's your hurry? What's in here?
Croden: I told you. The colony.
Odo: Anxious to see them again, are you?
Croden: Yes. Of course.
Odo: Whatever it is you came here for, you can forget it. We're leaving.
Croden: No!
Odo: Now! How much of it was true? Any of it? Any of it?
Croden: No. No. On Rakhar, we tell stories about changelings. I thought they were myths until I met you.
Odo: The stone.
Croden: I have no idea where it came from. Rakhari merchants buy stones just like it from off-world traders. It's used as a key.
Odo: A key to what?
Croden: To my only reason for living. And it's ahead, in that cavern there.
Croden: Please, help me. There's been a cave-in.
Odo: What is it?
Croden: A stasis chamber.
Croden: It's my daughter, the only member of my family I could save. Help me.
Croden: It shapes itself to fit the lock.
Yareth: Father? I was dreaming about you.
Croden: I'm here now, Yareth. You don't have to dream anymore.
Yareth: Hello.
Croden: This is Odo. He's a security officer. No, no, he's not going to hurt you. He's going to take you to a place where you'll be safe. Won't you?
Yareth: Where are you going?
Croden: I'm going home.
Yareth: But you can't. They'll kill you.
Croden: Yareth, I must answer for my crimes.
Yareth: But all you did was try to protect us.
Odo: Their sensors must have picked up our life signs. We've got to get back to the runabout.
Croden: Odo!
Yareth: Is he badly hurt?
Croden: There's no way to tell. I don't know anything about his species. I'll carry him back to the ship.
Yareth: What's the matter, father?
Croden: Nothing, Yareth. Nothing.
Croden: Nothing. Go! Go!
Croden: You're heavier than you look.
Odo: You could have left me behind.
Croden: Don't thank me. I already regret it.
Croden: I haven't been able to lose them. Sooner or later, one of his photons is going to trigger a toh-maire explosion and kill us all.
Odo: Let me have the controls. Find us one of those toh-maire fields.
Croden: I just told you, you don't want to go anywhere near one, changeling.
Odo: Find the closest toh-maire field.
Croden: Six degrees to starboard.
Odo: Changing course. He's chased us everywhere else, maybe he'll follow us in there too.
Croden: His sensors may not be able to detect how volatile the field is. If he fires on us in there, the whole thing will ignite.
Odo: That's what I'm counting on.
Odo: Set a course along the interior perimeter.
Croden: Done.
Odo: Computer, shut down all engines.
Computer: Engines disengaged.
Odo: Maintain emergency readiness to re-engage impulse on my command.
Croden: We're an awfully easy target.
Croden: He's hailing us.
Odo: On screen. AH-
Kel: Are you prepared to surrender your prisoner?
Odo: I have a full array of Starfleet weapons trained on you, Ah-Kel. Frankly, I don't know much about them but I understand they equip this little vessel with some pretty powerful stuff. So I suggest you withdraw while you still can AH-
Kel: There will barely be a trace of your little vessel when we are finished with you.
Croden: He's coming about. Powering his shields. His starboard photon bank is armed.
Odo: Computer, engage.
Croden: He's firing photons!
Odo: Is everybody back there in one piece?
Yareth: Yes.
Odo: Good. Take us out of your precious vortex.
Croden: I only have one last favor to ask. Yareth is going to be alone on your world, just as you've always been. She's going to need someone to look after her.
Odo: If you're asking me what I think you're asking.
Croden: You know you could use some company, changeling. You deny it, but we both know it's true, or the stone would have meant nothing to you.
Computer: Incoming subspace signal. Vulcan band frequency.
Odo: On screen.
Vulcan: Starfleet runabout, this is the Vulcan Science Vessel T'Vran. Are you in any difficulty?
Odo: Chief of Security Odo from DS Nine. We're fine, Captain.
Vulcan: We detected a major eruption in the Chamra vortex. I was afraid a small ship like yours might have suffered damage.
Odo: I appreciate your concern. What's your course?
Vulcan: To the wormhole, then home to Vulcan.
Odo: I've beamed over two survivors from a ship that wasn't so lucky. I have to complete a mission. Could you give them transportation to Vulcan?
Vulcan: Easily done. We will rendezvous with you shortly. Prepare for transport.
Odo: Don't thank me. I already regret it.
Croden: How? How will you explain not delivering me?
Odo: I'll tell them you were killed when Ah-Kel torpedoed the asteroid. This dissembling must be catching. You're going to have to get used to living in an alien society.
Croden: Like you. But I know where my home is. And perhaps someday I'll be able to go back there. I hope this helps you to find where you came from.
Vulcan: T'Vran to Ganges. Ready for transport.
Yareth: Are you really a changeling?
Odo: Yes, I suppose I am. Go on, we don't want to keep the Vulcans waiting. Energizing.
Odo: Computer, set a course for the wormhole.
Computer: Course laid in.
Odo: Ready engines. Home. Where is it? Someday we'll know, cousin. Engage.


O'Brien: What's funny is where the files were located, right there in Ops protocols.
Dax: The encryption system was extremely easy to break.
Sisko: So they wanted us to find these.
Dax: Or they didn't care.
Sisko: Well, there's nothing of strategic value here, just personal logs and some files on Bajoran terrorists. But it is a glimpse into the Cardassian mind.
O'Brien: You might want to warn Kira before she sees her file.
Kira: Warn me? About what?
Sisko: Oh, er, Dax and Mister O'Brien diskovered some of the last Prefect's personal files. There's a file on you. You may find it disappointing.
Kira: I'm a big girl, Commander.
Bashir: Bashir to Sisko.
Sisko: Sisko here.
Bashir: I'm at airlock fourteen, Commander. I think you'd better get down here.
Sisko: What's the problem
Sisko: Doctor?
Bashir: Well, I was about to begin off-loading some medical specimens from the Bajoran transport
Bashir: And, well, the Kai is here.
Sisko: Kai Opaka. Why would she be here?
Bashir: She says you once offered her a tour of the station.
Kira: A minor operative whose activities are limited to running errands for the terrorist leaders?
Sisko: Major, when you're through feeling underappreciated, perhaps you'd join me in welcoming the Kai aboard.
Bashir: You say she's never been here before?
Sisko: She's never even left Bajor before.
Bashir: Excuse me for saying so, Commander, but she looks preoccupied.
Kira: Is something wrong, Opaka?
Opaka: Contemplating prophecy.
Kira: It's interesting you chose this viewport. The wormhole is just out there.
Bashir: It's a spectacular sight to see.
Sisko: Unfortunately, it can only be seen when a ship enters it or exits. But there's nothing scheduled for today.
Opaka: A shame.
Sisko: Sisko to O'Brien.
O'Brien: Go ahead Commander.
Sisko: Prepare the Yangtzee Kiang for launch, Chief. Kira and I are taking the Kai through the wormhole.
O'Brien: Right away, sir.
Opaka: Thank you.
Sisko: I didn't want to keep you from your duties, Doctor.
Bashir: It's a slow day.
Sisko: All right. This way.
Sisko: Is the ship ready, Chief?
O'Brien: All prepped and ready for departure, Commander. Ma'am
Sisko: After you.
Opaka: You have a child, don't you?
O'Brien: I do. I have a little girl, ma'am.
Opaka: Yes. Would you give this to her for me.
Sisko: We'll be entering the wormhole in about a minute.
Opaka: Thank you again for indulging me.
Kira: Not at all, Opaka. You honor us with your presence.
Sisko: Yangtzee Kiang to DS Nine. Estimated time of return, fourteen hundred hours.
Dax: Logged in We'll expect you then.
Kira: Flight stabilization at maximum.
Sisko: Here we go.
Bashir: Spectacular, isn't it?
Opaka: More than I imagined.
Sisko: My smoothest ride yet, Major.
Bashir: There's Idran, the closest system. It's a ternary star.
Opaka: A doorway into the unknown.
Sisko: The other side of the galaxy, to be precise. The Gamma quadrant is seventy thousand light years from Bajor. It would take our fastest starship over sixty seven years to get here.
Opaka: I'm glad I got the chance to see it.
Sisko: You'll be seeing what this wormhole is worth to Bajor in a few years.
Opaka: If that is to be my fate, Commander.
Kira: Should I reverse course?
Opaka: So soon?
Sisko: There's not much else to show you yet.
Opaka: Prophecy can often be vague, Commander. That's why we must test it.
Sisko: I don't understand, Opaka.
Opaka: You may return.
Sisko: Take us back to the wormhole, Major.
Kira: Coming about. Sensors are picking up a narrow band subspace signal.
Sisko: What do you make of it?
Kira: Just a long stream of statistical data followed by a request for reply. I'm not reading any response.
Sisko: Launch a class two probe. We'll follow it up later.
Opaka: You're not going to investigate it now?
Sisko: I'm not sure that's a good idea.
Opaka: Because of my presence?
Kira: There's no telling what it may be.
Opaka: Please, Commander. I don't get out often.
Sisko: Can you get a fix on the source, Major?
Kira: Point three five light years, bearing two two nine mark four one.
Sisko: I guess we'd better take a look.
Kira: This is definitely the origin of the signal. I'm having trouble pinpointing the source. It's not coming from the surface.
Sisko: There's your answer. A network of artificial satellites. One of them looks like it's malfunctioning. Its orbit is unstable. I'd bet the signals we picked up were from the system trying to repair it.
Bashir: Commander, sensors indicate lifeforms localized in twelve square kilometers on the moon's surface. They may be humanoid, sir
Sisko: Humanoid? Can you verify that?
Bashir: I can't resolve the biopatterns. There's too much interference.
Sisko: Take us in a little closer.
Kira: We're being scanned by one of the satellites. I don't like this. It's heading toward us.
Sisko: Shields up!
Kira: Reading a significant energy build-up in the satellite. Six hundred megawatts, nine hundred, it's firing.
Kira: Shields are down. Forward thrusters are gone. We're losing power.
Sisko: Attempting to compensate with secondary boosters.
Kira: Impulse generators failing.
Sisko: Hold on, we're going down. Check contingency fuel cell output.
Kira: Holding at sixty-five percent.
Sisko: Doctor, watch the hull temperature.
Bashir: Aye, sir.
Kira: Stabilizing attitude control response.
Sisko: Pitching up to twenty degrees.
Bashir: Hull temperature nine hundred C, nine fifty, eleven hundred.
Kira: We're holding profile.
Bashir: Twelve hundred C. Thirteen.
Sisko: Ejecting antimatter pod.
Kira: Pitching up to sixty degrees. Prepare for final braking maneuvers.
Sisko: Brace for impact!
Bashir: Commander. Pulmonary collapse. Her upper thoracic vertebrae have been crushed.
Kira: Stay with us, Opaka. Stay with us.
Bashir: I'm sorry.
Kira: Ahn-kay ya, ay-ya vasu. Coh-ma-ra, di-nay-ya. Ahn-kay ya, ay-ya vasu.
Sisko: We've got company.
Odo: Still no contact with Sisko?
Dax: Not yet.
Odo: But they're nearly three hours overdue.
O'Brien: Three and a half.
Odo: Opaka's people are on subspace to me every five minutes.
O'Brien: Tell them one of our runabouts found a trace of a warp eddy current. It's got to be from their ship.
Dax: With any luck, we should be able to tell which direction they were headed.
Odo: That's not going to satisfy them on Bajor. You have no idea what the Kai means to them. When they heard Sisko had taken her into the wormhole
O'Brien: Constable, tell them we're doing the best we can, okay? Runabout pad C.
Dax: Have the Bajorans station a ship on the Gamma side, we'll stay in close touch by subspace.
Ennis: Move. SHEL-
La: Our first visitors. You're not all the same race.
Kira: I'm a Bajoran.
Sisko: I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko. Major Kira Nerys and Doctor Julian Bashir. SHEL-
La: A doctor? How ironic. I'm Golin Shel-la, leader of the Ennis. Why are you here?
Sisko: We were attacked by one of your satellites. Our ship was damaged and we crashed. SHEL-
La: Of course, Commander. But why did you come here?
Sisko: We were exploring. We've recently diskovered a permanent wormhole linking our quadrant of the galaxy with yours. I command a space station at the mouth of that wormhole. SHEL-
La: You know nothing of our home planet. You know nothing of the punishment.
Sisko: We're just beginning to explore this sector. As I said, our home is on the other side of the galaxy.
Bashir: Major.
Kira: I'm all right.
Bashir: The hell you are. She needs treatment. I'd like my medical case, if you don't mind.
Bashir: For God's sake. SHEL-
La: I apologize for our cautious nature. If you haven't realized, we're at war.
Sisko: Who are you fighting? SHEL-
La: A brutal enemy that attacks at whim. We maintain a constant vigil. This is an energy weapon.
Sisko: Yes. SHEL-
La: The Ennis stopped using directed energy weapons centuries ago. Not damaging enough. Your arrival complicates matters.
Sisko: We don't plan to be here long. SHEL-
La: Oh, you expect to repair your ship?
Sisko: No, but a rescue team is probably on it's way right now. SHEL-
La: Like you, they'll have to deal with the defense net, and that is beyond my influence.
Sisko: You don't control the satellites? SHEL-
La: We're all prisoners on this moon.
Sisko: Then this is a penal colony SHEL-
La: My immediate concern regards your partisanship. By your presence here, you'll be considered our allies. All your lives are in danger. SHEL-
La: The latest victims of our enemy, the Nol-Ennis.
Sisko: Where are your doctors? SHEL-
La: We have none.
Sisko: You have no medical personnel? How do you survive without SHEL-
La: We were thrust into this situation with few resources. Since you're here under similar circumstances I was hoping we'd be of some help to each other.
Bashir: This should make you feel better. Major, I'm so sorry. I would've done anything.
Kira: It's all so senseless. Opaka's always been a symbol of hope to me. Her words gave our struggle meaning. And now she's dead. Her life ends on some unknown moon, and for what?
Sisko: Doctor Bashir will give you any medical assistance he can, but understand, we can't take sides in your battle. SHEL-
La: It doesn't matter what I understand if the Nol capture you.
Sisko: Seems we're in the middle of a pretty ugly war.
Bashir: I gathered that.
Sisko: Shel-la says his people will protect us from their enemy in exchange for your services.
Bashir: Perhaps I can train some of them in the basics of field triage.
Sisko: Do whatever you can. How's the shoulder, Major?
Kira: I'll live.
Bashir: I still have to run a neuromuscular scan on her when we get back.
Sisko: Don't count on a quick rescue. This moon is some kind of high security prison colony.
Sisko: Major!
Nol: Let's go! Leave him!
Kira: Commander!
Sisko: Put your phaser down, Kira.
Bashir: Her vital signs appear to be normal, but I could have sworn she was
Kira: I was there, Doctor.
Sisko: Opaka, are you aware of what happened?
Opaka: The surface was approaching so quickly, I must admit I closed my eyes, Commander. There was a deafening whine. I felt the impact. A wall of heat seemed to pass through me, and then nothing.
Sisko: After we crashed, we pulled you from the wreckage but you were
Opaka: Dead.
Sisko: How do you explain this, Doctor?
Bashir: Although she appears to be normal, her physiology has been radically altered.
Sisko: How?
Bashir: I'm not sure. The tricorder indicates some kind of bio-mechanical presence at a cellular level.
Sisko: Bio-mechanical? You mean something artificial?
Bashir: I wish I could tell you. Whatever it is, it seems to be directly controlling her metabolic processes.
Sisko: Is she in any danger?
Bashir: I'm sorry to keep saying it, Commander, but I really don't know. If the runabout's computer were functional, I might be able to run a full analysis.
Kira: Commander. Over here.
Bashir: It's okay. It's all right.
Dax: There's still no sign of them on any of the long range scanners.
O'Brien: Not even a transponder signal. If they went down, we should at least get something from their transponder. The warp eddy has traces of meson particle emissions. That makes it a Starfleet power reactor.
Dax: The current shows that their heading was approximately two three zero mark four.
O'Brien: Anything interesting in that direction?
Dax: An uncharted binary star system.
O'Brien: I guess it's time to chart it.
Dax: Setting a new course.
Bashir: His reading's are the same as Opaka's. Virtually every cell in his body shows signs of this bio-mechanical presence. Now somehow it has literally brought him back to life.
Sisko: You've died before? SHEL-
La: Many times. Too many to count.
Bashir: Sir, I'd like to return to the runabout and try to get the computer up and running.
Sisko: Doctor, we're in the middle of a war.
Bashir: Sir, this could be a breakthrough of unprecedented magnitude.
Sisko: It's too dangerous. SHEL-
La: I'll see to his protection. SHEL-
La: I would like to know more about this breakthrough myself. Your doctor acts as though he's seen a miracle.
Sisko: He's not alone. SHEL-
La: If you lived with it as we have, you'd see it as a curse.
Sisko: How long have you been here? SHEL-
La: It feels like an eternity. It's all part of the punishment.
Sisko: What is this punishment, Shel-la? SHEL-
La: Everything here is designed to prolong our suffering.
Sisko: What was your crime? SHEL-
La: The Ennis and the Nol-Ennis are ancient enemies. For generation after generation we fought the same war. The leaders of our planet were unable to mediate a peace. Finally, they sent us all here and told us that we would serve as an example for the rest of civilisation.
Opaka: How did your fight begin? SHEL-
La: Some say it was water, some say it was land. It's not really very relevant now.
Opaka: Then what do you hope to gain by continuing? SHEL-
La: Vengeance. All of us has seen our families suffer incredibly at the hands of the Nol.
Sisko: The Nol can say the very same thing. SHEL-
La: They probably do.
Kira: If you must fight your war, the least you can do is to learn to fight it more effectively.
Sisko: Major, this is not our SHEL-
La: What do you mean?
Kira: There were no guards at the entrance when we arrived. You have no system to alert your forces of an attack. Your people are obviously unprepared for fighting close-quartered.
Sisko: That's enough, Major.
Kira: We're trapped on this moon with only his forces between us and damnation. We have to defend ourselves to stay alive. Now, when the Nol attack again we
Sisko: I said, that's enough!
Kira: We have to be ready!
Opaka: This is not your war, Kira. SHEL-
La: We used to defend ourselves better, Major. Safety perimeters, counter-attacks, preemptive strikes. And then we realized that it was all pointless. When you cease to fear death, the rules of war change. You'll understand as the years begin to pass, Major.
Sisko: Listen to me, Shel-la. Our rescue is not going to take years. Days, weeks maybe, but they will find us and then they'll penetrate the defense net and transport us out of here. SHEL-
La: Then you will be luckier than we have been.
Sisko: We'd be willing to transport all of you away from here if that's what you want. SHEL-
La: Away from here? To live one life, to die in peace? To us this is an ancient prayer that's never been answered, Commander. You would do this for us?
Sisko: For both sides, the Ennis and the Nol-Ennis. After you leave, you can go wherever you want, but end this nightmare. Stop fighting long enough for all of us to get off this moon. SHEL-
La: Zlangco, the leader of the Nol would never agree to a cease-fire.
Sisko: Ask him. SHEL-
La: You don't know them. All they care about is
Sisko: What do you care about? If you want to end the suffering of your people, then at least try. Set up a meeting with this Zlangco. Talk about this. SHEL-
La: This is hopeless. But I will talk, if he will.
O'Brien: I'm not reading a single M Class planet in the system. If they went down anywhere around here, they couldn't have survived.
Dax: I'm not sure we can believe the scans, Chief. The star is putting out abnormal levels of delta radiation.
O'Brien: That'd foul up our long range scanners.
Dax: We'll have to survey each planet, one at a time.
O'Brien: Not to mention two dozen or so moons and an asteroid belt. Bloody needle in a haystack. A needle in a haystack. What we need is a magnet.
Dax: A magnet?
O'Brien: Yeah. You want to pick a piece of metal out of the straw, you use a magnet.
Dax: I don't think I'm following you, Chief.
O'Brien: Runabout hulls are made out of metallic composites that interact with magnetic fields. We could send out a few probes to scan the system for those specific magnetic resonance patterns. If Sisko's runabout is in the system, we might pick up a fluctuation in the hysteresis curve.
Dax: The magnetic deflection of a runabout's hull is extremely weak. The probes will never be able to detect it.
O'Brien: They will, if I can outfit them with a differential magnetomer.
Dax: A differential magnetomer. I've never heard of a differential magnetomer. How does it work?
O'Brien: I'll let you know as soon as I've finished making one.
Bashir: Nice work, Julian.
La: I'm surprised. Zlangco has agreed to listen to your proposals.
Sisko: Good. When. SHEL-
La: Right away. We'll meet at a neutral site near your vessel. We've both agreed to carry no firearms.
Kira: What if they use the opportunity to set a trap? SHEL-
La: We've taken the appropriate precautions, Major, but if you personally would care to check the security, I'm sure your Commander will allow you to accompany us.
Sisko: Major Kira will be staying here with the Kai. SHEL-
La: What a shame.
Opaka: You can't bury it, Kira.
Kira: What?
Opaka: Do you recognize yourself in these people?
Kira: Me? No, not at all, I. They're content to die. I've always fought to stay alive. I don't want you to have the wrong impression of me, Opaka.
Opaka: Jus what impression do you think I have?
Kira: That I enjoy any of this. I don't enjoy fighting. Yes, I've fought my entire life, but for a good cause, for our freedom, our independence. And it was brutal and ugly and I. But that's over for me now. That's not who I am. I don't want you to think that I am this violent person without a soul, without a conscience. That is not who I am.
Opaka: Don't deny the violence inside of you, Kira. Only when you accept it can you move beyond it.
Kira: I've known nothing but violence since I was child.
Opaka: In the eyes of the Prophets, we are all children. Bajor has much to learn from peace.
Kira: I'm afraid the Prophets won't forgive me.
Opaka: They're just waiting for you to forgive yourself.
Computer: Twenty-two minutes into launch. All readings within normal parameters.
Dax: Probe B approaching planet six. Three moons. No change in the hysteresis curve. Probe C approaching planet seven. No change.
O'Brien: What the hell would they be doing here anyway. It's a waste of time. They could be twenty light years from here and we wouldn't have the first clue.
Dax: Probe A approaching planet three. One moon. Chief.
Computer: Probe A measuring a point zero zero one two fluctuation in the hysteresis curve.
O'Brien: It's the third planet.
Dax: No, look, it isn't. We're picking up something from its moon.
O'Brien: Laying in a new course, full impulse.
Sisko: Any progress, Doctor?
Bashir: Yes, sir. I've got the computer up, more or less. It's processing the data now. I can already confirm that these microbes are artificial. rather like nanites in a way. I should have a complete analysis from the computer in a few minutes. What's going on?
Sisko: Talks about a cease fire.
Bashir: No kidding. How'd you arrange that?
Sisko: I told them that we'd transport them off this moon.
Bashir: Isn't that a bit like assisting a jailbreak?
Sisko: I don't need you to interpret the prime directive for me, Doctor.
Bashir: Yes, of course. I only meant
Sisko: Whatever crimes they've committed they've paid for a hundred times over. They've been altered somehow and been abandoned by their world. I believe the Federation would recognize them as separate and unique.
Bashir: Yes, sir. Well, I should be checking on that analysis.
Zlangco: So, you are the leader of the aliens.
Sisko: Benjamin Sisko, Commander of a Federation space station.
Zlangco: Federation? SHEL-
La: What does it matter to us, Zlangco?
Zlangco: It matters to me.
Sisko: The Federation is made up of over a hundred planets who have allied themselves for mutual scientific, cultural and defensive benefits. The mission that my people and I are on is to explore the galaxy.
Zlangco: Such a noble purpose. There'll be no reward for our release, you know. SHEL-
La: You are being a fool, as usual.
Zlangco: A fool who always manages to outwit you, Shel-la, as I have proven over and over again. SHEL-
La: If you care to die once again, then all you need to do is ask.
Sisko: If you've had enough of this, then make your leaders stop and listen. Your only reason to live is to make each other suffer. If you've had enough of suffering, then make them stop. I'm not here to be a mediator, but if you ask for an alternative I'll give you one.
Zlangco: We're listening.
Sisko: In a matter of days, when our rescue party arrives, I can arrange to transport you and your people off this moon, if both sides can only cooperate until then. SHEL-
La: Zlangco, they will resettle us on different planets.
Sisko: If that's what you wish.
Zlangco: The two of you seem to have discussed this plan in detail. SHEL-
La: Of course. His crew has been with us for two days.
Zlangco: Explain why you choose to ally yourself with the Ennis.
Sisko: We have allied ourselves with no one.
Zlangco: One of your people fired a weapon at us.
Sisko: We were defending ourselves.
Zlangco: I think you're lying. I don't know the alien, but I know Shel-la. I know how his mind works. I promise you this is an Ennis trick to lure our entire population out of hiding so they can be slaughtered.
Sisko: That's not true.
Zlangco: Then the Ennis are surely willing to make the first gesture of peace. Let them bring all of their people out of hiding first to prove their honorable intention. SHEL-
La: Do you think I would allow a single Nol escape this moon alive?
Zlangco: No more than I would let an Ennis go free.
Bashir: I'm sorry, Commander, but I've diskovered we can't afford to die here. Not even once.
O'Brien: It's some kind of artificial satellite system. That's what our probe must have picked up.
Dax: Our sensors are reading lifeforms on the surface, Chief. I think some of them are human.
O'Brien: If the ship's down there, why wouldn't the transponder be sending out a
Dax: We're being scanned
O'Brien: Increasing orbital altitude.
Dax: What are you thinking?
O'Brien: The only thing that could block out a transponder signal is a broad band damping field. That requires a low level satellite system like this one. Suddenly we're being scanned by these satellites, so
Dax: Maybe they had something to do with our missing runabout.
O'Brien: Exactly. See, they're putting out a mutual induction field that would block out ninety nine percent of all transmissions to and from the surface.
Dax: Is there any way for us to get a comm. line through the field?
O'Brien: Well, I've got one percent to work with, don't I?
Bashir: The analysis is very clear. Once the microbes have restored a body after death, that body becomes permanently dependent on them for all cellular functions.
Sisko: Permanently?
Bashir: It gets worse. The designers made them environment specific. If the microbes are removed from this ecozystem, they'll stop functioning.
Sisko: So if we transport anyone off this planet, we kill them.
Bashir: I'm afraid so.
Sisko: The Kai?
O'Brien: Rio Grande to Sisko. Do you read me? This is O'Brien, come in.
Sisko: Go ahead, Chief. I can barely read you.
Dax: Is everyone all right?
Sisko: We're alive, but the Yangtzee Kiang was destroyed. Will you be able to beam us up?
O'Brien: Not quite yet, Commander.
O'Brien: we've got to find a way to penetrate this network of satellites. They're making it impossible to lock on to anything down there.
Sisko: Understood.
Sisko: But those satellites will come after you if you get too close. They're armed. One of them cut us down without any trouble at all.
O'Brien: Yeah, we figured as much.
Sisko: Let me know before you're ready to make an attempt.
O'Brien: Acknowledged. Rio Grande out.
Sisko: We have to talk to the Kai.
Kira: Is there a cease-fire?
Sisko: Neither side took it seriously.
Opaka: I'm not at all surprised. You were right, Kira. They don't know how to do anything else but die. They've forgotten how to live.
Sisko: The Rio Grande has made contact. Dax and O'Brien are in orbit. They're working on a way to penetrate the defense system.
Opaka: I'll be staying, Commander.
Kira: What?
Opaka: This is the answer to all the prophecies of my life.
Kira: It's the wrong answer, Opaka. You can't stay here.
Opaka: I didn't know how or why, but when we came through the wormhole, I knew I wouldn't be returning. You must tell our people, Kira, that I have answered the call of the Prophets. I was brought here because it is time for these people to begin their healing process, just as you were brought here to begin yours.
O'Brien: You know, all we really need to do is find a way to create a gap in the net.
Dax: Maybe a photon would destroy one of the satellites.
O'Brien: Maybe, but you'd think they'd build a defense network with that in mind. You shoot one, the rest might swarm up like Vayan horn flies. We need to go for something simpler. all I need is about a fifteen percent increase in the opening in the net. Rio Grande to Sisko.
Sisko: Go ahead, Chief.
O'Brien: We're going to try to poke a hole up here, sir, if you're about ready to end your stay.
Sisko: Only three of us are coming back. Kai Opaka is remaining.
Dax: Benjamin, please confirm. Did you say we're not transporting the Kai?
Sisko: That's correct. I'll explain later.
O'Brien: We'll need a few minutes, Commander.
O'Brien: Rio Grande out. SHEL-
La: Leaving without us?
Bashir: My analysis of these microbes that keep you alive showed that if you were to leave the moon, you would die. SHEL-
La: Then there is no end.
Bashir: Commander, I find myself caught in a moral dilemma. As much as I am dedicated to the preservation of life, I wonder if we shouldn't help these people end this torture.
Sisko: How could you do that?
Bashir: Anything that can be programd can be reprogramd. If I could disable the mechanism in these microbes, they should no longer function when someone is killed, and these people would finally be able to die. SHEL-
La: You've seen our life here. Please, it's the only solution left. Give us a way to reprogram these microbes. It will put an end to this war.
Kira: You really think the fear of death will end the fighting? It never has in any other war. SHEL-
La: No, but it will allow us to finally win, to wipe out the Nol for good. On this world, Doctor, your disabled microbes would be the ultimate weapon. We could finally and truly destroy our enemies.
O'Brien: Rio Grande to Sisko. Stand by for transport.
Sisko: Ready.
Dax: Coordinates set.
O'Brien: Launching probe.
Dax: Twelve seconds to intercept.
O'Brien: Come on, come on, go for it.
Dax: One of the satellites is breaking orbit, moving toward the probe.
O'Brien: That's it.
Dax: The satellite is showing a power buildup, about eight hundred megawatts.
Dax: Probe destroyed
O'Brien: Rio Grange to Sisko. Trying to lock on, Commander.
O'Brien: Establishing pattern lock. SHEL-
La: You can't leave without giving us
Sisko: Energize when ready, Chief.
Sisko: Opaka, if we can ever find a way
Opaka: My work is here now, Commander. But your pagh and mine will cross again.
O'Brien: Energizing.