SISKO: Captain's Log, Stardate 51145.3.
The Defiant has been operating out of Starbase 375
conducting forays into Dominion controlled space.
While the missions have taken a toll on my people
they remain determined to do
whatever it takes to win this war
as do I.
NOG: Here you are.
Where did you get your hands on Saurian brandy?
In the middle of a war, no less.
It's a busy starbase.
I may be a cadet, but I'm still a Ferengi.
Lucky for us.
Excuse me, Captain.
The power cell from the phaser array.
We used it up on the last mission.
Take a good look at this, people.
It says something about this ship.
It says that we will fight
and we will keep on fighting until we can't fight anymore.
CREW: Yes, sir.
You don't just throw something like this away.
CREW: No, sir.
( all cheer )
Admiral on deck.
As you were.
Ben.
Admiral.
Um, let's, uh, take a walk.
What was going on in there?
Just a little ritual we fell into.
It kind of helps the crew unwind.
Well, they deserve it.
They did a hell of a job.
Thank you, sir.
But you didn't come here to tell me that, did you?
( chuckles )
No, I didn't.
Ever since this war began, the Dominion's been able
to outmaneuver us at every turn.
Wherever we send our ships
they seem to be there waiting for us.
I've noticed that.
It was enough to make you think
that they were smarter than we are.
But they're not.
They just had an edge that we didn't know anything about...
until yesterday.
Starfleet Intelligence
has located a massive sensor array
hidden on the periphery of the Argolis Cluster.
The damn thing's capable
of monitoring ship movements over five sectors.
That's how they managed to stay one step ahead of us.
They've had an enormous tactical advantage.
I want you to take it away from them.
Gladly, sir.
It won't be easy.
The array is heavily defended.
This is the intelligence report.
Look it over.
I want an attack plan on my desk by 0800.
You'll have it.
ROM: There he is.
Damar's a creature of habit, all right.
KIRA: After a hard day at work, he deserves his glass of kanar.
"Why are the Jem'Hadar always in here?"
He asks himself.
They don't drink. They don't eat.
They don't gamble.
All they do is take up space.
Damar asks his bartender
if he found a padd he was working on the other day.
ROM: My brother tells the truth.
He hasn't seen it.
Damar doesn't like that.
The padd contained a draft copy
of a secret memorandum he was working on
concerning the shortage of white.
In it, he speculates that, without the drug
the Jem'Hadar will run amok
killing everyone and everything in their path.
Damar recommends that if the Cardassians
can't bring down the minefield
and reopen the supply-line from the Gamma Quadrant
they should poison the last ration of white
eliminating the Jem'Hadar before it's too late.
How did you get ahold of Damar's padd anyway?
I'm good with my hands.
Here we go.
They've seen him.
JEM'HADAR: Damar.
KIRA: The missing padd.
DAMAR: Where'd you find that?
KIRA: Damar accuses them of stealing it.
ROM: But they say they found it outside their quarters...
right where I left it.
DAMAR: have you and your whole race thrown off of this station!
I knew this was going to work.
The Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar
can pretend to be allies...
but they hate each other.
DAMAR: Get out of my way!
( Quark screaming )
Ow.
( cries out )
( groans )
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When I confronted them, they attacked me.
I don't care what they did.
You should never have let
this situation get out of hand.
Get out!
How could Damar be so stupid as to leave
such an inflammatory document
lying around for anyone to find?
Your men stole it from him.
Jem'Hadar are not thieves.
And Damar is not a liar.
Keep your voice down.
Our men need to see that we're still allies.
Smile.
Dukat.
I'm smiling.
Gentlemen, I suggest we get everyone out of here
as soon as possible.
Odo's right.
Tell your men they're confined to quarters
pending disciplinary hearings.
I'll do the same.
And keep smiling.
( chuckles )
Come.
SISKO: According to Intelligence
the array is capable of detecting cloaked ships
as far as two light years away.
By the time the Defiant goes around the Argolis Cluster
the Dominion will already know we're coming.
You'll have a dozen Jem'Hadar ships on you
before you can even get close.
That's why we need the element of surprise on our side.
It's the only way.
What are you suggesting?
That I take the Defiant through the Argolis.
You can't get a ship through there.
You'd be cut to pieces
by the gravimetric shear.
That's exactly what the Dominion thinks.
But if we come at them from the Argolis
they won't know what hit them.
What makes you think you can get through?
Dax says she can navigate
around the gravimetric distortions.
She's studied protostar clusters.
She knows what to look for.
It's a gamble
but it's one I'm willing to take.
All right.
Let's give it a shot.
When can you leave?
As soon as we finish repairs on the Defiant.
Keep me posted, Captain.
( door opens )
You wanted to see me.
Well?
Don't you have something to say to me?
About what happened at Quark's?
Yeah.
It worked better than I expected.
I knew you were behind it!
Of course you did.
We discussed it at our last resistance meeting.
And I said it was a bad idea.
Yes, you did.
And then you walked out of the room
like there was nothing left to say.
But Rom and Jake stayed
and we discussed it, and you know what?
I decided it was a good idea.
So you went ahead and did it behind my back?
Why are you taking this so personally?
How do you expect me to take it?
I spend my days sitting on the Council with Dukat and Weyoun
doing whatever I can to make sure that Bajor
survives this war intact.
The last thing I need
is to have you running around causing mayhem.
Do you have any idea what Dukat would do
if he found out you were behind it?
It's all the excuse he would need
to throw every Bajoran off this station.
The Federation is losing this war.
We can't sit by and do nothing.
There are limits to what we can do.
I'm beginning to think
you shouldn't have agreed to sit on that Council.
It's as if you're so invested
in making sure the station runs smoothly
you've forgotten there's a war going on.
Are you questioning my loyalties, Major?
I need you, Odo.
The resistance needs you.
Answer me.
Are you questioning my loyalties?
Oh, of course not.
That's not what this is about—
( door opens )
Hello, Odo.
It's good to see you again.
Leave us.
I need to speak with Odo.
Do you?
It's all right, Nerys.
I may as well hear what she has to say.
Are you sure?
You called her "Nerys."
What of it?
Well, you used to call her "Major."
Using the name of a solid denotes intimacy.
You're a long way from home.
Here to keep an eye on the war effort?
I'm content to leave the details of the war to the Vorta.
Then what brings you to Deep Space 9?
You.
I was trapped in the Alpha Quadrant
when Captain Sisko mined the entrance to the wormhole.
I have spent too much time with solids.
I came because I felt the need to be with one of my own.
Ah.
Well, that's ironic
considering what happened the last time we crossed paths.
You caused the death of a fellow changeling, Odo.
Turning you into a solid
was the only punishment severe enough for your crime.
And now that I'm a changeling again
you come here as though nothing ever happened?
We have forgiven you.
Well, I haven't forgiven you.
It is time to put the past behind us, Odo.
And what about the present?
You're waging a war against my home.
This is not your home.
You belong with your own kind
as part of the Great Link.
I'm quite content here, thank you.
You say that because you don't know
what you're capable of becoming.
Perhaps if we spent some time together
you might begin to understand.
Admiral, you wanted to see me?
I just got word.
Captain Bennet's promotion has come through.
At my recommendation
Starfleet's putting her in charge
of Seventh Tactical Wing.
She was one of the best adjutants I've ever had—
a strong grasp of strategy
and ability to see the big picture.
Sounds like it's not going to be easy
to find someone to take her place.
I already have— you.
Sir?
I've been very impressed with you over these past few weeks.
I think we would make a good team.
Thank you, sir.
Your new assignment is effective immediately.
Immediately, sir?
What about the Argolis mission?
Commander Dax will captain the Defiant.
She is up to it, isn't she?
Oh, absolutely, sir.
I guess I'd just gotten used to the idea
of commanding the mission myself.
Look over these tactical reports.
I want your thoughts on the Bolian operation.
We'll meet here at 0600.
Ben...
congratulations.
Legate Krim will be arriving in the morning.
I'll have a security detail
escort him to your office.
Well, if that's all...
Founder, you honor us with your presence.
I understand the war is going well.
Only because I've followed the plan
the Founders laid out for me.
Welcome to Terok Nor.
I'm glad we're finally getting a chance to meet.
As leaders of our respective worlds
you and I will be taking our people
into a future that I'm quite confidant—
What about the minefield?
Why hasn't it been deactivated?
Yes, Dukat.
This delay is intolerable.
There are thousands of Jem'Hadar ships
stranded on the other side of the wormhole
waiting to come through and join the war effort.
Maybe you haven't read the latest reports
but even without those ships
I'm still winning this war.
You're winning?
I assure you, I'm intimately involved
in all military decisions.
See to it the minefield is brought down.
Of course.
We've imposed our presence on you long enough.
If there's anything you need while you're here
please, let me know.
Do they always compete with one another like that?
As a matter of fact, they do.
You have to interact with them often.
It must be trying for you.
It hasn't been easy.
Now, if you'll excuse me
I have some work to do in my quarters.
May I walk with you?
To become a thing is to know a thing.
To assume its form
is to begin to understand its existence.
You tried to teach me that when I visited our homeworld.
Hmm...
I remember.
I didn't understand
what you meant by it at first.
So when I returned to the station
I got rid of all the furniture
I used to have in my quarters
and replaced it with these objects.
I've assumed every shape in this room.
I suppose if it weren't for you
I never would have known the simple pleasure
of spending time existing as a stone or a branch.
I'm glad you learned something from your visit.
Your arrival was a time of great joy for the Link
and your departure, a time of great sadness.
If only you had stayed with us, Odo...
I couldn't.
You chose the solids.
And I haven't regretted it.
Not even a little?
I do think about the Link from time to time.
It's there for you.
I can't.
Why?
Because of Kira?
You still have feelings for her, don't you?
But she doesn't share them.
I'm sorry.
Aren't you going to tell me
I shouldn't waste my time with a solid?
You love her.
And I wish I didn't.
I'm so vulnerable to her.
All she has to do is smile at me
and I'm happy beyond reason.
A minor disagreement between us
and I'm devastated.
It's absurd.
Sometimes, I wish I could reach inside myself
and tear out my feelings for her.
But I can't.
Poor Odo.
I don't want your pity.
I am not offering pity.
What I need is some peace.
What you need is clarity.
I can give you that.
Do you want me to stop?
That'll be all.
What are you doing here, Damar?
Did Dukat demote you to security detail?
What can I do for you, Major?
I'm looking for Odo.
Well, he's not here.
Do you know where he is?
Yes.
That's good.
It's good to know where your boss is.
He's in his quarters
with the other shape-shifter.
Jealous, Major?
Try to stay out of trouble, Damar.
You don't want to end up on sanitation duty.
( door chimes )
Come in.
Odo?
Nerys.
I dropped by your office
and Damar told me you were here with her.
She was here, but she's gone now.
You all right?
What did she want?
She didn't want anything.
Then what was she doing here?
I know how you feel about her, Major
but there's no reason to be concerned.
You don't know how much I wish I could believe that.
You didn't link with her, did you?
Actually, I did.
You did?
What were you thinking?
She didn't find out about the resistance
if that's why you're worried.
It's not.
The Link isn't about
exchanging information.
It's about merging thought and form, idea and sensation.
That sounds like a perfect way to manipulate someone.
She's not manipulating me.
Ever since
the day you two crossed paths
she has lied to you, tricked you
stood in judgment of you.
I don't trust her.
I don't understand how you can.
I linked with her.
If she had any hidden motive
I would have sensed it.
She's just trying to teach me about myself—
about what I'm capable of becoming.
An intergalactic warlord, maybe?
Because that's what she is.
Who knows?
By linking with her
I might be able to make her understand
that the Federation doesn't pose a threat to her people.
You believe you can convince her
to call off the war?
If you could experience the Link
you'd understand the effect it has on my people.
You'd realize that anything is possible.
I'm only beginning to understand it all, myself.
I still have so many questions.
Now that she's here, I have a chance to find some answers.
Odo, this isn't the time
to go off on some kind of personal quest.
There's too much at stake.
After the war
is over, do whatever you need to do.
If you feel you need to go and join the Great Link
I'm... I'm not going to stop you.
But for right now
I need you here— focused.
Please promise me
that you're not going to link with her again.
Not until this is over.
All right.
I won't.
Now, if you'll excuse me
I have to get to work.
I'll see you at the resistance meeting.
Are you two ever going to be finished?
Just a few more minutes, Commander.
That's "Captain."
It's an old naval tradition.
Whoever's in command of a ship
regardless of rank
is referred to as "Captain."
You mean, if I had to take command
I would be called "Captain," too?
Cadet, by the time you took command
there'd be nobody left to call you anything.
Good point.
Come to take a last look around?
Not a last look, I hope.
How are the repairs coming?
Almost done.
I wouldn't get too comfortable
in that chair, old man.
When this war is over
I'm going to want my ship back.
Fine. When this war's over
I'm going on a honeymoon.
All done here, Captain.
Very well. All right.
Plot a course for the Argolis Cluster
and prepare for departure.
HELM: Aye, Captain.
Benjamin...
I wish you were coming with us.
You'll do fine.
( sighs )
Pardon our appearance.
We're renovating.
Kanar.
Not that one.
The '27.
'27?
Expensive.
I can afford it...
on a Gul's salary.
Wait a minute.
You started a fight in my bar
and now you're getting a promotion?
What kind of way is that to run an army?
Dukat wasn't happy about what happened.
I had to find a way to make it up to him.
I hope it was something big.
Let's just say...
it will change the course of history.
As a businessman
I'm very interested in the course of history.
This one's on me.
Well, that's very kind of you, Quark...
but I can't talk about it.
Of course.
I understand.
Here. Let me pour you another.
There's obviously a lot of bad blood
between the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar.
It wouldn't take much
to get them to go at each other again.
Yeah, I'm not sure we want to do that.
But it worked so well.
What do you think, Odo?
I'm not sure it's a good idea.
Then we'll do something else.
Major—
Something
that we can all agree on.
( door chimes )
Who could that be?
We're just sitting here
enjoying each other's company.
Right.
Come in.
Brother...
are you all right?
No, I am not all right.
I just shared a bottle of kanar with Damar.
( laughing )
That rhymes.
( laughing )
You're drunk.
Of course I'm drunk.
I wouldn't risk coming in here
and associating myself with your little resistance cell
if I wasn't drunk.
Oh, well then maybe you'd better leave
before someone sees you.
I tried.
I tried my best
to run my establishment under this occupation.
But you know what?
It's no fun.
I don't like Cardassians.
They're mean and arrogant.
And I can't stand the Jem'Hadar.
They're creepy.
They just stand there like statues
staring at you.
That's it.
I don't want to spend the rest of my life
doing business with these people.
I want the Federation back.
I want to sell root beer again.
KIRA: All right.
You made your point. Relax.
How can I relax
when there are thousands of Jem'Hadar ships
sitting on the other side of the wormhole
waiting to come through?
Don't worry about it.
They're stuck there.
Not if what Damar told me is true.
What are you talking about?
He said he came up with a way to deactivate the mines.
Dukat wants him to start
field tests right away.
Come on, Quark, think.
Did Damar say anything about how he was planning
to deactivate the mines?
Yes.
He said something about the station's...
defector.
Defector?
That's impossible.
The only person on the station
who knows anything about the mines is...
Me.
Defector. That doesn't sound right.
Maybe it was... deflector?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's it.
He said something about using the station's...
deflector array.
What do you think, Rom?
I'm glad it wasn't me.
About the deflector array.
Is there any way to use it to deactivate the mines?
No.
I designed the mines to be self-replicating.
The only way to keep them from replacing themselves
is to isolate them in an anti-graviton beam.
The deflector array can't do that.
Unless...
you reconfigured
the field generators
and refocused the emitters
which would turn the deflector array
into one big anti-graviton beam.
Why didn't you think of that
when you set up the mine field?
Uh, I don't know.
( imitating ): Uh, he doesn't know.
Quark.
How can we disable the deflector array?
All you have to do is access the EPS feed
and overload the waveguide.
All right, let's do it.
But there's no way
to get to the EPS feed.
It's in a secured conduit rigged with alarms.
Odo, can you disable those alarms?
I can take them off-line for about five minutes
if I run a security diagnostic.
Will that give you enough time?
I think so.
I'll run the diagnostic
as soon as I get to my office. in the morning.
All right.
You and I will meet here.
At exactly 0800
you will begin the diagnostic.
Has there been any news, sir?
None.
The Defiant has been gone over 16 hours.
Mr. Worf
I know this is difficult for you.
Yes, sir.
But I sense it is more difficult for you.
The Defiant is your ship.
Dax'll bring her home.
Besides
there's no way she's going to miss her own wedding.
No, I suppose not.
As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know.
Thank you, sir.
Captain—
you should get some rest.
Not tonight, Mr. Worf.
Not tonight.
Ben?
Admiral.
It's late.
I know. I was just waiting to see if there was any news.
Ben, we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.
I want to nail down the details on the Bolian operation.
I need you focused.
I will be.
I know how you feel about your crew
but you and I are responsible for an entire tactical wing.
Thousands of lives depend
on the decisions we make tomorrow.
You can't afford to be awake all night
worrying about one ship.
Admiral, you can order me to my quarters
but there's no way I'm going to sleep.
Not as long as the Defiant is out there.
All right, as you wish
but you should understand one thing.
With any luck, we'll be sending
the Defiant on a lot of missions
and you're going to have to get used to it.
Good night.
Have our people always been shape-shifters?
Or was there a time when we were like the solids?
Eons ago, we were like them
limited to one form, but then... we evolved.
Ah...
On the homeworld
are you always in the Link
or do you sometimes take solid form?
We prefer the Link
but, on occasion, it is interesting
to exist as something else—
a tree perhaps...
a cloud in the sky.
Ah... a cloud.
How many of us are there?
Oh...
so many questions, Odo.
I'm sorry
but there's still so much
that isn't clear to me yet.
If you link with me again
everything will be made clear to you.
You have to understand
that the Link is very overwhelming for me.
Right now, it's easier to talk.
But words are so clumsy
so imprecise.
Even so.
As you wish.
You haven't told me your name.
What use would I have for a name?
To differentiate yourself
from the others.
I don't.
But you are a separate being, aren't you?
In a sense.
When you return to the Link
what will become of the entity
I'm talking to right now?
The drop becomes the ocean.
And if you choose to take solid form again?
The ocean becomes a drop.
Ah...
yes.
I think I'm beginning to understand.
Then you can answer your own question.
How many of us are there?
One.
And many.
It depends on how you look at it.
Very good.
You are beginning to understand.
But there's so much you don't know.
Tell me.
Oh.
Words are insufficient.
Link with me again.
It is the only way I can give you the understanding you seek.
I can't.
Why not?
I promised Kira.
She is a solid.
This has nothing to do with her.
This is about you
about what you want.
Am I early?
A little.
I hope there's more
than just fruit in that basket.
I needed a place to hide my tools.
In case anybody asks, I'm making a delivery.
Right.
Here's your fruit.
I didn't order any fruit.
Oh, your brother sent this
didn't he?
If he is trying
to win me over
tell him it's just not going to work.
Better yet, I'll tell him myself.
Odo should be in his office by now.
Now.
Remember, he's going to interrupt the sensor alarms
at exactly 0800 hours.
I'll be ready.
If there's a problem, I'll contact you.
Good luck with your delivery.
Computer, time.
0700 hours, 58 minutes.
Two minutes to go.
Odo.
Kira to Odo. Please respond.
Kira to Odo.
Odo, answer me.
Computer, time.
0700 hours, 59 minutes.
Hello, Major.
Just the person I was looking for.
Congratulations on your promotion
but we'll have to discuss
the personnel report another time.
We'll discuss it now.
I don't think so.
Kira to Rom. Don't open that hatch.
I already did.
Get out of there.
( alarm blaring )
Intruder alert.
Come with me.
Well, well...
what do we have here?
SISKO: Captain's Log, Tactical Update, Stardate 51149.5.
The Defiant has returned to Starbase 375
after its successful attack on the Dominion sensor array.
Admiral Ross and I have recommended
that Commander Dax and the entire Defiant crew
be cited for exceptional performance of their duties.
NOG: Admiral on deck!
Carry on.
Nog, Saurian brandy for the brass.
Dax, could you tell Ensign Kirby
how I took over the con
when Lieutenant Haj was injured?
She doesn't believe me.
Frankly, I'm not sure I believe it happened myself.
( Sisko clears throat )
Sir. Sir.
Congratulations, Captain.
Thank you, sir.
Will you excuse me a minute?
Julian needs me.
Certainly.
Here you are.
Don't ask where he got it.
Don't worry.
I don't want to know.
( door opens )
O'BRIEN: Here's another one, Captain.
Take a good look...
because this says something about us—
that we're willing to fight
and that we'll keep on fighting
until we can't fight anymore.
CREW: Yes, sir!
You don't throw something like this away.
CREW: No, sir!
Hear, hear.
They're a good crew.
The best.
What do you say we get back to work?
What the hell happened?
Why didn't you disable that alarm?
It's difficult to explain.
Rom is sitting in a holding cell being interrogated.
He was counting on you.
I was counting on you!
I know.
You know?
Do you realize what you just did?
You just handed the Alpha Quadrant to the Dominion.
I was in the Link.
Are you saying you forgot?
I didn't forget.
It just... didn't seem to matter.
A lot of people are going to die.
Don't you care?
It has nothing to do with me.
How can you say that?
If you could experience the Link
you'd know why nothing else matters.
The last five years—
your life here, our friendship—
none of that matters?
It did... once.
I wish I could make you understand
but you can't.
You're not a changeling.
You're right.
I'm a solid.
( door opens, closes )
You look troubled, Odo.
Did she upset you?
No, not really.
Ah.
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