SISKO: Station Log, Stardate 48543.2.
A team of Cardassian scientists
is coming to the station to assist us
in deploying a subspace relay in the Gamma Quadrant.
If successful, it will allow communication
through the wormhole for the first time.
I've assigned these quarters
to the senior Cardassian scientist, her name is Ulani.
Her colleague, Gilora, has the adjacent room.
It's warm in here.
I take it you reset
the environmental controls.
I also had Chief O'Brien reprogram
the replicators to provide Cardassian food.
Security measures?
I've assigned two of my people
to follow the Cardassians at all times.
Fine, have them keep their distance.
I want the Cardassians
to feel like guests, not prisoners.
Commander, there are still elements opposed
to the peace treaty between Cardassia and Bajor
on both sides.
We have to be prepared for trouble.
I realize that, but while the Cardassians are here
I want the Bajorans
to get used to seeing them walking on the Promenade...
buying from their shops,
eating from their restaurants...
getting to know them as something other
than brutal overseers.
( door opens )
I just received the final update from the Cardassians
on the transceiver they designed for the communications relay.
How does it look?
I'm still not convinced it's going to work.
The Cardassians seem sure that it will.
I hope they're right.
Whose quarters are these—
Gilora's or Ulani's?
Ulani's.
And how do you know their names?
I was just informed an hour ago.
Odo, please...
I have a bottle of kanar for each of them...
along with a personal invitation to Quark's.
Where did you get real kanar?
I've had three cases in my storeroom
since the occupation.
There hasn't been much call for it the past few years...
but that's about to change.
There are only two Cardassians coming to the station.
How much kanar do you think
they can drink?
There may only be two for now, but there'll be more
thanks to the peace treaty.
And as the 34th Rule of Acquisition states
"Peace is good for business."
That's the 35th Rule.
Oh, you're right. What's the 34th?
"War is good for business."
It's easy to get them confused.
The way I see it, it won't be long
before there's a permanent
Cardassian presence on the station...
scientists, diplomats...
spies.
And they'll all be welcome at Quark's.
As long as they can pay.
Rumor has it that the shop next door to mine
is going out of business.
I'm thinking of renting it and setting up
a few Cardassian gaming concessions.
There'll be no live vole fights on the Promenade, Quark.
I would never be party
to anything so cruel and inhumane.
But, of course, if some Cardassians
happen to bring their voles along
and they happened to get into a fight
I could hardly be held responsible for...
Oh, yes, you could.
And you will be.
Fine.
Forget the vole fights.
But I'll tell you this.
Good kanar is hard to find.
And I have three cases of it.
But that's just the beginning.
Soon, Quark's will become known as the best place
for Cardassian food and drink in this sector.
I'll probably set up daily shipments from Cardassia.
I may even
need to buy my own transport ship.
Quark, this kanar
has gone bad.
What?
I suggest you take your bottles
and leave, Quark
before I have you arrested
for attempting to poison our guests.
Excuse me, Commander.
There's a Vedek Yarka here to see you.
He says it's urgent.
Thank you for seeing me, Emissary.
What can I do for you?
I am here with a warning from the Prophets.
They don't want you to let the Cardassians
come aboard this station.
If you do, you will bring destruction on us all.
( sighs )
Captioning sponsored by PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Are you making some sort of threat, Vedek?
Not at all.
I'm simply telling you what was foretold
in the ancient texts.
Ancient texts... you mean a prophecy?
Trakor's Third.
When he first encountered the Orb of Change.
I'm afraid I don't know it.
Perhaps you should make more time
to study the texts, child.
Are you saying that the arrival
of the Cardassian scientists
was foretold in a Bajoran prophecy?
Exactly.
Trakor's words are clear.
"When the river wakes, stirred once more to Janir's side
three vipers will return to their nest in the sky."
The river has awoken, Emissary.
The Qui'al Dam was just put back into operation
to divert water to the city.
Just as Trakor prophesied over 3,000 years ago.
And even now, the vipers are making their way here.
And I take it
you think the vipers are a reference
to the Cardassian scientists?
Yes, and this station is their nest in the sky.
And how exactly is their presence here
going to bring destruction on us all?
Trakor said
"When the vipers try to peer through the temple gates
"a sword of stars will appear in the heavens.
The temple will burn, and the gates will be cast open."
You must not let the Cardassians come here.
You must not let them violate the Celestial Temple
or they will destroy it
and Bajor will be cut off from the Prophets forever.
Slow down. Now, let me get this straight.
You're saying that the vipers— the Cardassians—
are going to destroy the wormhole?
Don't you see?
This communications relay you hope to create
is part of the prophecy.
It will allow the vipers to peer through the temple gates—
the wormhole, as you call it.
And if they do, the temple will be destroyed.
Even if we accept that the Cardassians are the vipers
there are only two of them coming, not three.
Isn't it possible
that there are other mistakes
in your interpretation of the prophecy as well?
There will be three vipers, you will see.
SISKO: Do you understand what this communications relay
could mean for Bajor?
If it works, we'll be able to stay in contact
with ships in the Gamma Quadrant.
It'll facilitate exploration
help us monitor Dominion activity
give us warning in case of an attack.
None of that matters.
You must listen to me.
I know it is difficult for you to accept
because you are not Bajoran.
I have studied the prophecies all my life.
We are on the verge of a great disaster.
Is the Bajoran Assembly aware of this prophecy?
Yes...
as is the Kai herself.
Yet, they still want us to proceed
with the establishment of a communications relay.
They have chosen to ignore the signs.
And that is why I came to you, Emissary
because I have faith in you.
I know that you will do what must be done.
Vedek...
I have the utmost respect for your beliefs
but I have no intention of calling this project off.
I hope that you will reconsider, Emissary.
My followers and I will remain on the station
and pray that you change your mind.
You are free to do that, of course.
Major, have Odo find out everything he can
about Vedek Yarka and his followers.
I don't want them making any trouble
while the Cardassians are here.
( sighs )
I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko
and, on behalf of the United Federation of Planets
and Starfleet Command
I'd like to welcome you to Deep Space 9.
Thank you, Commander.
I'm Dr. Ulani Belor.
Gilora Rejal.
The Cardassian government
wishes to express its gratitude
to the Federation for agreeing
to work together on this project.
It is our hope that it is the first of many such projects
between our peoples.
That's a hope I can assure you we share.
This is my First Officer, Major Kira.
And on behalf of the Bajoran provisional government
I'd like to welcome you.
It is our belief that this project
will mark the beginning of a new era of peace
for Bajor and Cardassia.
Thank you, Major.
Well...
now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way
how was your trip?
Exhausting.
We spent most of it rehearsing
what we were going to say when we got here.
We're scientists, not diplomats.
You did very well.
Please feel free to let the Central Command know that.
In the past few days
I've been contacted by Guls I haven't even heard of
all of them wanting to emphasize how important this mission is.
I know what you mean.
I've gotten three calls
from Starfleet Command just this morning.
( laughs )
Major Kira
I want to thank you personally for allowing us to come here.
Me?
You're the ranking
Bajoran officer on this station.
I'm sure we wouldn't be here
if you had been opposed to working with us.
I'll work with anyone who's interested in peace.
I'm glad we already have so much in common.
Well, why don't I show you to your quarters?
The signaling platform we've designed
is intended to be positioned
in the Gamma Quadrant, at this point—
two kilometers from the far mouth of the wormhole.
Our transceiver is being configured to fit inside it
and use its existing power grid.
GILORA: A similar transceiver
will be put in place here on Terok Nor—
on Deep Space 9.
Ulani, I've looked over your design specifications.
I'm not clear on what sort of carrier wave
you're planning on using
to cut through the interference
on the inside of the wormhole.
We're planning to test various types of soliton pulses.
One of them should maintain
the required signal integrity.
We tried something similar about a year ago without much success.
Yes, the Bajoran government
made your data available to us.
I believe the problem had to do with
the phase variance in your transceiver coils.
Well, I configured those coils myself.
The variance was less than.01 percent.
Which, as you saw, was unacceptably high.
Our new design has less than half that variance.
You don't mind if I look at the specs?
If you think it's necessary.
Commander...
we'll need to make a few adjustments
to the station's signaling array
so that it can accommodate
the type of transmissions
we're planning to use.
Chief O'Brien's people can assist you with that.
And when you're ready
we'll take the Defiant to the Gamma Quadrant
deploy the communications relay and start running tests.
Excellent.
Well, it's been a long day.
We'd like to get some rest so we can start fresh tomorrow.
I'll have someone
show you to your quarters.
Thank you, but that won't be necessary.
Thank you.
Now, those are about
the two friendliest vipers I have ever met.
I'll explain later.
( door opens )
Commander, I almost forgot to tell you.
Another colleague of ours, Dejar
will be arriving later today.
I'll arrange quarters.
Thank you.
So...
we need to discuss
what we're going to do about...
What is it, Major?
There are going to be three of them.
Yes?
Three vipers...
just like in the prophecy.
ODO: It turns out that Vedek Yarka is no longer a Vedek at all.
He was stripped of his title two months ago.
Why?
Officially, for teachings
not in keeping with the Bajoran faith.
But according to my sources, he was defrocked because he led
a series of protests against the Vedek Assembly
when they endorsed the peace treaty with Cardassia.
So Yarka may be using this prophecy
as a way to scuttle the peace treaty.
That would seem to be his agenda.
And it's probably coloring his view of the prophecy
just as your agenda colors how you see it.
I don't have an agenda, Odo.
I want this project to succeed
because I want the peace treaty to succeed.
If I thought for a moment that there was any possibility
that this communications relay
could cause damage to the wormhole
I'd put a stop to it right now.
That's not the agenda I was referring to, Commander.
Oh?
I was referring
to your desire to distance yourself
from the title of Emissary.
It's just an observation, of course
but it's always seemed to me
that you've never been comfortable with it.
( sighs )
I can't deny that.
Are you suggesting
that I'm dismissing this prophecy too easily
because I don't want to be the Emissary?
I'm not suggesting anything
but it's been my experience
that all humanoids have an agenda of some sort
and that their agendas can influence them
without their even realizing it.
Morn came by the Infirmary this afternoon.
He had an acute case of food poisoning.
Morn? I didn't think anything could make him sick.
Well, he said he had
a bad glass of kanar at Quark's.
He should ask for a refund.
Apparently, it was on the house.
Major, may I have a word with you?
I'll see you later.
What can I do for you, Vedek?
Have you been able to convince the Emissary
to reconsider his decision?
I haven't tried and I'm not planning to.
But you must.
If not, the Celestial Temple will be destroyed.
I'm not convinced that's going to happen.
Don't you believe in the prophecies?
Yes.
And don't you believe
that Commander Sisko is the Emissary?
Vedek, you have to understand my position here.
Commander Sisko is my superior officer.
I have to deal with him on that basis first.
So you do believe he is the Emissary.
You just don't want him to know that.
I understand.
You want him to know
that he can count on you as an officer
under his command.
You want to keep your work and your faith separate.
Yes, and for three years now, I have.
I'm afraid that's no longer possible.
The Prophets have chosen you
to help the Emissary make this decision.
A decision that has profound implications for all of Bajor.
You must convince him to make the Cardassians leave
before the sword of stars appears.
Vedek, if you're asking me to...
It is not I who is asking, it is the Prophets.
If you turn your back on them now
you're abandoning your faith.
And without your faith, Nerys
what do you have left?
I prefer the serialist poets
from the First Republic, like Iloja of Prim.
He's easily my favorite Cardassian writer.
It is so rare to meet a non-Cardassian
who appreciates our literature.
I took an interest
because I had the chance to meet Iloja.
You knew him?
One of my previous hosts
Tobin, met him while he was in exile on Vulcan.
As I recall, he had quite a temper.
Really?
QUARK: I believe
this is the party you're looking for.
ULANI: Dejar.
May I introduce Jadzia Dax
and Miles O'Brien.
Our colleague, Dejar.
We weren't expecting you so soon.
I was able to arrange special transportation.
I'm sure you were.
I took the liberty of preparing
a few of our special Cardassian delicacies.
Tojal in yamok sauce.
Regova eggs.
All fresh, not replicated.
Well, enjoy.
Is something wrong?
It's just...
I don't really care for Cardassian cuisine.
GILORA: We try to avoid it
whenever possible.
( chuckling )
Fortunately, those of us in the Science Ministry
are provided with a wide variety of off-world food.
Yes, we're actually quite spoiled.
Some of us even think of ourselves
as better than the average Cardassian.
The main switching relays are in here.
I think we should hook your transceiver
to the ODN interface through the...
What happened to these couplings?
What? Oh, I-I made some modifications.
Well, these relays don't have nearly
as much carrying capacity as before.
They won't be able to handle
the signal load from the transceiver.
Well, in order to bring the system
up to Starfleet code, I had to take out the couplings
to make room for a secondary backup.
Starfleet code requires a second backup?
In case the first one fails.
What are the chances that both a primary system
and its backup would fail at the same time?
Well, it's very unlikely, but, in a crunch
I wouldn't like to be caught without a second backup.
Well!
( pounds fist )
What's done is done.
I'll try to figure out what we should do next.
Well, I think our best bet would be to go...
Please, please just give me a moment to think.
Fine.
I'll just sit here quietly.
Huh. In that case, could you get me
a cup of red leaf tea?
Why not?
We've loaded the communications relay
into the Defiant's cargo bay.
Good.
How are Chief O'Brien and Gilora coming along?
They've run into some kind of problem
but the Chief says the transceiver
should be on line in about four hours.
We won't be ready much before that anyway.
DAX: We've received clearance from Ops, Commander.
Release docking clamps
and set a course for the wormhole.
Full scan.
No sign of Dominion activity.
No other ships in the area.
SISKO: All right, take us into position.
Stand by to deploy the relay...
Wait a minute.
What is it?
I'm reading a large mass of ice and ionized gas
entering sensor range
bearing 215 mark 3.
It looks like a rogue comet.
Let's have a look.
Put it on screen.
It's beautiful.
DAX: Its core contains
unusually high concentrations of silithium.
That's why its tail
is so bright.
The sword of stars.
That's a very colorful way
to describe a comet, Major.
It's just a figure of speech.
Well, your sword of stars
is going to pass very near the wormhole
but not close enough to interfere with our plans.
We're in position, Benjamin.
Begin a final systems check on the relay station.
I want to deploy it within the hour.
Major, can I have a word with you?
The sword of stars?
It certainly looked like that to me.
That's open to debate
but what is not debatable is that this prophecy
has no place on the Bridge of the Defiant
especially in front of the Cardassians.
At the moment, they are not even aware of it
and I want to keep it that way.
You're right.
It won't happen again.
Well...
I take it, Major
that you believe the prophecy is coming true.
Yes, I do.
So you think I should call this mission off?
Look at what's happened already.
The river has returned to Janir, the three vipers
now the sword of stars—
each of them predicted by Trakor's prophecy.
And then there's you...
the Emissary.
You're here.
You have a decision to make, just like in the prophecy.
Do you really believe that I'm the Emissary?
I guess I always have.
I... never wanted to admit it to myself.
It's hard to work for someone who's a religious icon.
( sighs )
I hope I don't offend your beliefs
but I don't see myself as an icon, religious or otherwise.
I'm a Starfleet officer, and I have a mission to accomplish.
If I call it off, it has to be for some concrete reason
something solid, something Starfleet.
All right, how about this?
The Prophets...
the aliens who live in the wormhole
as you call them
exist outside of linear time.
They know the past, present and future.
Agreed.
It seems perfectly reasonable
that they could've communicated
their knowledge of the future
to a Bajoran named Trakor.
He wrote down that knowledge
in the form of a prophecy
and now, 3,000 years later
we are seeing those events unfold.
To me, that reasoning sounds concrete, solid.
I'd even call it "Starfleet."
( chuckles )
But that all hinges on how you interpret
an ancient text that's been translated
and retranslated over the centuries.
Words that were couched in metaphor to begin with.
I'm sorry, Major
but where you see a sword of stars
I see a comet.
Where you see vipers, I see three scientists.
And where you see the Emissary
I see a Starfleet officer.
Dax to Sisko.
Go ahead.
We're ready to deploy the relay.
On my way.
( sighs )
All right.
Now we just have to shunt the ODN line
through the secondary field coils.
We can't do that.
Why not?
Because those coils aren't configured
to handle ODN output.
Why not?
Did you modify them, too?
Actually, I replaced them.
They were always shorting out on us.
Frankly, I don't see how this station
kept running during the occupation.
Why didn't you tell me
you'd replaced the secondary field coils?
If you had told me
what you were planning to do, I would have.
I don't have time to explain everything.
What? You think I won't be able to understand?
It has been my experience that it...
What?
That humans aren't good engineers?
No, not humans— males.
I beg your pardon?
Men just don't seem to have a head for this sort of thing.
That's why women dominate the sciences.
Maybe on Cardassia, but on this station
this man is Chief of Operations
and I know more about these systems
than anyone, including you.
I think I know what the problem is
so if you want to get that transceiver on line
hand me the laser-torch and give me some room.
( sighs )
Are we ready on this end?
Almost. I'm just about to activate
the relay's transmission array.
Dejar?
Standing by.
I am receiving the relay's test signal.
Target the signaling array toward the wormhole
and initiate a carrier wave
in the delta band frequency.
Initiating carrier wave.
If they receive it on the station
they'll send an acknowledging signal
in the same frequency.
I'm not receiving anything.
Then we have to assume it didn't work.
Let's try the theta band frequency.
Initiating carrier wave.
Something's wrong.
I'm picking up a neutrino surge from the wormhole.
Report!
Somehow the carrier wave caused the wormhole to open.
The wormhole's gravity well has increased by a factor of three.
Terminate the carrier wave and maintain our position.
Gravimetric fields have returned
to normal.
What happened?
I'm not sure.
The carrier wave shouldn't have affected the wormhole at all.
Was there any damage to the relay?
None. I'm still receiving the test signal.
Benjamin, the gravitational surge
altered the course of the comet.
It's now heading directly toward the wormhole.
If the comet enters the wormhole
the silithium in its core
will cause a cascade reaction.
And collapse the wormhole permanently.
Commander's Log, supplemental.
With less than five hours
before the comet reaches the wormhole
I've brought the Defiant back to the station
and convened a meeting of the entire science team.
DAX: Apparently, the carrier wave we sent
created some sort of subspace inversion
inside the wormhole.
That's what caused the gravity well to form.
ULANI: The possibility
of subspace inversion was predicted in one
of our computer models.
Well, that wasn't included
in the data you sent us.
The probability of such an occurrence
was less than two percent— well within safety limits.
We saw no reason to include it in the data we sent you.
It would seem that our scientific methodologies
differ slightly.
It is our practice to examine all possibilities
no matter how unlikely, before we proceed with field tests.
We would, of course
prefer to operate that way, as well.
However, since the Science Ministry
falls under the jurisdiction of the military
we have to follow certain rules.
One of them is not to make any project
look unnecessarily dangerous.
We'll keep that in mind
when we resume work on the communications relay.
DEJAR: That is an extremely
unlikely possibility, Commander.
The Science Ministry
will undoubtedly wish to assemble a new team
before proceeding further.
SISKO: That is, of course
an internal Cardassian matter.
Chief...
Dax feels we can't risk
using tractor beams to deflect the comet.
It would probably break into smaller pieces
and we'd have a bigger mess on our hands.
The same thing would happen
if you tried to destroy it
with a phaser beam.
Not necessarily.
I could modify the Defiant's phaser array
to generate a beam wide enough
to encompass the entire comet.
Vaporizing it evenly, so it won't break up.
How long would the modifications take?
Three hours.
Get on it.
We'll be cutting this one pretty close.
I've accessed the Defiant's
primary phaser relay.
I'm going to try shunting it
through the warp drive.
Won't that overload the relay?
Not if we bypass the plasma emitter.
I hadn't thought of that.
( stammering )
The emitter coupling is over there.
What are you doing now?
I'm decoupling the servos
so they don't lock up.
You have very steady hands.
Well they get the job done, I guess.
And right now, the most important job
is bypassing the plasma emitter.
I assure you, I'm quite fertile.
I could provide you with many healthy children
if that's your concern, but, quite frankly
I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself.
Children?
What are you talking about?
I already have a child
and a wife.
You're married?
Yes, happily!
Then why have you been leading me to believe
that you wanted me?
I haven't.
All we've done since we've met is argue.
I took your overt irritability toward me as a signal
that you wished to pursue some physical relationship.
Of course.
Well, that's how Cardassians, uh, do things?
Oh, my.
I'm afraid this is a case
of cross-cultural misunderstanding.
I think so.
Oh.
I'm not remotely interested in you.
Well, that's not what I meant.
Look, you are very attractive
and I'm flattered, of course. But...
Please, Mr. O'Brien
there's no need to continue.
You've made your feelings clear.
Gilora, we-we have to finish this.
I'm sure you can complete the job on your own.
Chief O'Brien said the modification
to the Defiant's phasers would be ready
within half an hour.
Half an hour ahead of schedule, hmm?
The Chief's a born engineer.
He always gives himself
a comfortable margin with his repair estimates.
Let me guess.
You're reading up on Bajoran prophecies
concerning the Emissary.
There are hundreds of them.
Most of them are vague, some are contradictory.
But just enough truth in a few of them to make me wonder.
You mean some of them have come true?
If you interpret them in a certain way, yes.
So now you're wondering if Trakor's prophecy
is going to come true, as well.
I have to admit, it's getting harder to ignore.
But, Benjamin, there's every reason
to believe we'll be able to destroy the comet.
I know.
But I'm becoming more and more concerned
that if I don't send the Cardassians home
something else will go wrong.
And the "gates of heaven will burn and be cast open."
Let me ask you something.
If you never heard Trakor's prophecy
what would you do?
I'd continue working on the communications relay.
Then it seems to me you have a choice.
You can either make your own decisions
or you can let these prophecies make them for you.
As soon as the Defiant is ready
have the Cardassians meet us on board.
Yes, sir.
The comet is directly ahead.
Distance, 200 kilometers.
Bring us to within ten kilometers.
Chief, are your phaser modifications on line?
O'BRIEN: Aye, sir.
Phasers are locked on target.
Holding position at ten kilometers.
SISKO: Shields up.
Go to Red Alert.
Fire!
Chief, what the hell happened?
I don't know, sir.
The entire weapons relay just blew.
All defensive systems are down.
Benjamin, the sensors show
that the modified phasers never came on line.
We fired a standard burst
and it shattered the comet instead of vaporizing it.
There's no way they should have misfired like that.
I modified the systems myself.
KIRA: Commander, the three fragments
are still on course for the wormhole.
How soon before they reach the entrance?
26 minutes.
And without weapons, we have no way of stopping them.
The main emitter coupling has been depolarized.
I must have accidentally inverted the power flow
when I tried to modify the phaser array.
I can't believe it.
A first-year engineering student
wouldn't make a mistake like that.
This wasn't your fault, Mr. O'Brien.
And it wasn't an accident.
Gilora...
Dejar is a member of the Obsidian Order.
She was assigned to our team
for security reasons.
I believe
she sabotaged this coupling.
SISKO: The Order has always been opposed
to the peace treaty with Bajor.
They sent you here to sabotage the relay
because if the first joint venture
between Cardassia and Bajor was a failure
it would probably be the last.
This is all speculation, Commander.
You have no proof.
If it was sabotage, a DNA scan on the coupling
should reveal who's responsible.
Take her to quarters and detain her there.
SISKO: Now that the comet's been fractured
into smaller pieces
can we use the tractor beams to deflect them?
They'd just disintegrate further
releasing more silithium.
If we can't stop the fragments
is there any way that we can prevent the silithium
from interacting with the wormhole?
Maybe if we could contain it somehow.
ULANI: If you could generate
a subspace field around the fragments
that might contain the silithium.
The warp drive...
it could create a subspace bubble around the ship.
But we'd have to maneuver the Defiant
between the fragments.
They're too close together. There's not enough room.
A shuttlepod could maneuver between them.
And its warp drive should be able to create
a large enough subspace field.
Maybe, but it could overload the engines.
That's the chance I'll have to take.
Major, you have the Bridge.
I want you to take the Defiant back into the Alpha Quadrant
as soon as I've cleared the shuttlebay.
Commander.
I want to go with you.
Not just because I'm your First Officer
but because I believe I'm here to help the Emissary.
Dax, the Bridge is yours.
We've cleared the shuttlebay.
Signal the Defiant that they can leave.
They're heading for the wormhole.
I'm going to take us in
behind the comet fragments.
It'll be easier to maneuver into position.
Hold position here.
They could be in for a rough ride.
Stand by transporters in case we need
to beam them off the shuttlepod when they clear the wormhole.
We're in position.
Activate the subspace field.
Field engaged.
We'll reach the entrance to the wormhole in...
five seconds.
The subspace field is losing integrity.
Some of the silithium is starting to leak through.
Divert power from the engines
to the subspace field coils.
We'll let our own inertia
carry us the rest of the way.
That helped.
We're still losing silithium.
I'm picking up a neutrino surge.
Something's coming through.
( sighs )
Dax to Sisko.
Sisko here.
Are you all right, Benjamin?
There was some silithium leakage
inside the wormhole, but we're fine.
I don't believe it.
What is it, Chief?
I'm picking up the test signal from the communications relay.
SISKO: How is that possible?
DAX: I'm not sure.
We're reading a subspace filament
leading back through the wormhole.
It's acting like some kind of carrier wave.
The comet fragments...
they must have left a silithium trail in the wormhole.
It's almost like the wormhole
was wedged open just a crack...
just enough to let subspace signals through.
The prophecy came true...
all of it.
We just misinterpreted Trakor's words.
The three vipers.
He wasn't talking about the Cardassians.
He meant the three comet fragments.
The communications relay.
In a sense, we've been trying
to peer through the temple gates.
The silithium ignited the wormhole
burning the temple gates.
So that they never close again.
And it's all because
the Emissary...
used the sword of stars.
And Trakor saw it all...
3,000 years ago.
I just want to say that I appreciate
what you did on the Defiant.
I hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble
when you get back to Cardassia.
My superiors in the Science Ministry will protect me.
Frankly, I think Dejar's in much more trouble than I.
The Order doesn't reward failure.
Still, it was a brave thing to do.
I didn't want you to take the blame
for something that wasn't your fault.
I know how proud you are
of your work.
Too proud, sometimes.
It's gotten me into trouble, now and again.
What's your wife's name?
Keiko.
A lucky woman.
Emissary, I'm sorry I doubted you.
I realize now I let my distrust of the Cardassians
blind me to the Prophets' words.
It seems that the Prophets want peace
between your two peoples, after all.
Perhaps so.
There are signs that Trakor's Fourth Prophecy
will soon come to pass, as well.
Don't tell me that it has something to do with me.
You, Commander?
Well, it is a prophecy about the Emissary.
Tell me about it.
Trakor's Fourth Prophecy
says that the Emissary will face a fiery trial
and he'll be forced to choose...
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