That is the worst mug shot
I have ever seen.

I have never understood
why law enforcement agencies

don't keep
better visual records.

You'd think they'd be concerned
about little things

like making
an accurate identification.

The picture is accurate enough

to establish that your customer
is Regana Tosh

who is known to be associated
with a Markalian smuggling operation.

Really? Well, everyone
is welcome at Quark's.

I don't discriminate.

Just like Starfleet.

They have a nondiscrimination
policy, too, don't they, Commander?

I guess we have
something in common.

You have more in common
with a Rakonian swamp rat, Quark.

Major.

Always a delight to see you here.
What can I get for you?

Tarkalean tea.

But not, not too sweet
this time.

Catching up on some work?

Not exactly.

That man arrived on the station
this afternoon and came directly here.

I believe the Ferengi bartender
is plotting something with him.

I wouldn't be surprised.

Quark's always up to something.

If he is a known criminal

why does your Security Chief
not do anything about him?

Odo keeps him in check.

Yes.

But not in prison.

Medical Officer's Log,
Stardate 49066.5.

Chief O'Brien and I have concluded our
bio-survey of Merik III in the Gamma Quadrant.

We are on course
back to the wormhole

and should arrive at the station
two days ahead of schedule.

Keiko only spends a few days
at a time on the station.

I'm the one living
in those quarters.

And if I want to set up a little
workshop in the bedroom...

You set up a workshop
in the bedroom?

Yeah.

Well, I don't use it
when she's visiting.

Oh, of course not.

She says I'm trying to live
"like a bachelor again"

that I'm expressing a "subconscious desire"
to push her out of our quarters.

Now that is ridiculous.

That's what I said.

I mean, if anything

by spending your free time
in the bedroom...

a place you intimately associate
with Keiko

you are actually expressing

a desire to be closer to her
during her absence.

It's quite touching, really.

Exactly. Exactly!

See, you understand.
Why can't she see that?

Why can't she be more like...

More like... ?

Well, a man.

More like a man.

So...

you wish...

Keiko was a man.

I wish I was on this trip
with someone else.

That's what I wish.

We're picking up a subspace
magneton pulse.

Bearing 090, mark 115.

The Bopak system.

What's a magneton pulse?

It's a burst of polarized
magnetic energy.

It's usually produced
by a damaged warp core.

So there could be
a ship in trouble?

Possibly.
Let's take a look.

I'm having trouble pinpointing
the source of the plasma surge.

Too much EM interference
in the atmosphere

but it's definitely
down there somewhere.

According to our records,
Bopak III is uninhabited.

The nearest Dominion outpost
is six weeks away

and this system is well off the established
trade routes in the Gamma Quadrant.

Strange place for a ship to set down,
even if it was having engine trouble.

Of course, it could be
an anomalous reading

but I'd feel a lot better
if we could...

Hold on.

There's some kind
of energy surge on...

Wha... what the hell... ?

We've been hit
by a plasma field.

We're losing main power.

Switching to auxiliary units.

The field's draining our power.
I can't break free.

We're losing altitude.

Send out a distress call.

I'll try and get us
down in one piece.

And the com system jammed!

I'm reading a clearing up ahead.

I think we can make it.
Hold on.

What a lovely place.

Smells like a garbage dump.

I'm sorry I couldn't find
a nicer place to crash-land.

Well, should we try again?

Do not move.

You are prisoners
of the Jem'Hadar.

Are there other Starfleet
ships with you?

Tell me.

There are no other ships with us,

but if we don't return, Starfleet
will begin looking for us.

- When?
- Soon.

You're lying.

No other crew.

Standard Danube-class runabout.

Some modification to the phaser array
and shield generators.

Why were you
in this star system?

We picked up a magneton pulse.

We thought there might be a ship in trouble,
so we altered our course...

Return to the ship.

Put a damping field
on our warp engine.

Human.

Gold uniform indicates a specialty
in security or engineering.

Rank, Chief Petty Officer.

You are what Starfleet
refers to as a "noncom."

That's right.

You must have a great deal
of experience.

I've been around.

That makes you a priority target.
We will kill you first.

Human, rank of Lieutenant

with a specialty
in the sciences.

Doctor, actually.

Science and medical officers
are low-priority targets.

I submit we execute this one

and use the other
in a tactical exercise.

No.

Bring them both back to camp.

Move.

We cannot allow him to continue
these criminal activities.

I am fully aware
of Quark's activities

and I'm conducting a thorough investigation
of his connection with the smuggler.

If you'll excuse me, Captain.

Of course.

I know Odo may do things

a little differently
than you're used to

but he really is
very good at his job.

I'm not questioning
his competence.

How many years were you
in security, Commander?

Seven.

Must be a hard habit to break.

I remain vigilant.

And I do encourage vigilance
in my officers.

But remember...

Odo is Chief of Security
on this station

and you're the Strategic
Operations Officer.

Your primary duty is to coordinate
all Starfleet activity in this sector,

not to catch smugglers.

Understood.

I will not let this matter
interfere with my duties.

Very well.
Dismissed.

Does he look nervous to you?

A bit distracted, yeah.

And at the runabout

they seemed concerned
about being found here.

Something's going on.

I'd hate to think what would make
the Jem'Hadar jumpy.

They need a doctor.

Someone's injured or sick.

If that's true, Julian,
don't help them.

Anything that weakens them

increases our chances
of getting out of here.

Come with me.

He stays.

You will work here.

Where are the patients?

There are no patients.

You are here to carry out
scientific research for us.

If you refuse,
I will have to kill you.

Do you understand?

And you need to understand
that I'm a Starfleet officer

and I won't do any work for you

that might potentially be
used against the Federation

or any other race,
for that matter.

Now, if that's what you want,
you'll have to kill me.

Fortunately for you, weapons
research is not what I need.

There is a drug...

that all Jem'Hadar must have
in order to live.

We call it ketracel-white.

An isogenic enzyme.

You know about it?

I know that the Jem'Hadar have been
genetically engineered by the Dominion

to be addicted
to what you call ketracel-white.

And that by controlling
the supply of this drug

the Founders
maintain control over you.

The Vorta.

They are the ones
who control the drug.

They are the ones
we came here to escape.

Escape?

You're trying
to leave the Dominion?

Yes.

You disapprove?

No. I...

I'm just... just surprised.

Surprised
because a Jem'Hadar soldier

might want something more
than the life of a slave?

You know nothing
about the Jem'Hadar

except that you fear us.

But...

you will make our final escape
from the Dominion possible.

We have only enough white
to last another five days.

And you want me to try
and synthesize this drug?

No.

We do not want
more of the drug.

We want to be free of it...

to break the addiction.

I'm not sure
that that's possible.

It is possible.

I know, because I am
free of the drug.

No supply tube.

I don't understand.

Your entire genetic structure was designed
to collapse without the ketracel.

Why did you stop
taking the drug?

It was not by choice.

Three years ago

I was on a ship
that crashed on this world.

The rest of the crew died,
and I was left

with only enough white
to sustain me for three days.

I rationed my supply and managed
to stretch the drug out for eight days

and then it was gone

and I was ready to die.

But death never came.

I lived here...

for 35 days without
a single drop of white.

Being here,
on this planet, cured me.

So that's why you
returned here...

to cure the rest
of your men as well.

But it hasn't worked, has it?
They still need the drug.

We have come to the same place,

breathed the same air

eaten the same food... it should
have cured them as well.

That may be oversimplifying
the situation.

There may be many factors...

I want you to see this.

Take the pain.

Show Goran'Agar
we're still Jem'Hadar.

You did not fall.

Feel pride in that.

As a Federation doctor

I know you are trained to feel sympathy
and compassion for those in pain.

These men are suffering now

but it is nothing compared
to what will happen

if they are not freed from the drug
before our supply runs out.

I can't promise anything.

Will you try?

I'll need Chief O'Brien's help.

Yes, I'll try.

Now give those men
what they need, please.

Second.

I've told them we have
enough white to last 27 days.

That is a lie.

There's only enough
to last five days.

You have that long, Doctor.

After that, they will die

but not before they kill me
for betraying them

and you for not saving them.

The Klingons have also attacked three
more outposts along the Romulan border.

In short, they're reasserting
themselves all over the Quadrant.

You'd think they'd be a little less aggressive
after failing to conquer Cardassia.

If the invasion was seen
as a failure,

Gowron would have been
assassinated by now.

He simply declared victory
and returned home.

Now he's looking
for his next victory.

Bajoran Intelligence believes

the Klingons are searching for weaknesses
in the star systems along their borders.

And when they find an appropriately
weak system, they invade.

It's the same old story.

The strong survive,
and the weak perish.

We'll save that particular
debate for another time.

I want a complete briefing
every day about the Klingon situation.

Dismissed.

May I speak with you a moment?

I assume this is about Quark.

He has made arrangements to acquire
a type IV Tallonian microscanner.

Has he?

The type IV is primarily used to determine
the purity of Tallonian crystals.

Which are illegal anywhere
but on the Tallonian homeworld.

Interesting.

I appreciate you bringing me
this information, Commander.

I expect him to be meeting with
the smuggler again this evening.

That would seem likely.

- You will arrest him when...
- Thank you, Mr. Worf.

Rest assured I'll take
care of this matter.

How long until that
scanner's ready, Chief?

Uh, about 30 minutes.

I'm having trouble
with the transtater interface.

Maybe you should
take a look, sir.

The plasma charge will have
an effective range of about 15 meters.

That's pretty close.

Well, it's enough
to take care of the guard.

Once he's down,
I'll get his weapon.

We run like hell
for the runabout.

Good work, Chief.

Keep this up.
You may make a fine officer someday.

Oh. Thank you, Lieutenant.

Coming from you,
that means a lot to me.

I know. Carry on.

What have you found?

Well, uh, so far...

nothing I've tested matches
the molecular structure of the, uh...

enzyme receptors in your body

but I did find something promising
in one of the native plants here.

Take a look at this.

Uh, as you can see,

there is a high concentration
of chlorophyll in these plants

which you wouldn't expect from
a planet orbiting a red giant.

When will you have the cure?

I'm not really sure... yet.

Three days left, Doctor.

What is this?

That is something I put together
to enhance the resolution on that scanner.

Ow!

Stay where you are.

Release him.

I said release him.

Let him go.

You know the penalty
for disobedience.

You have a bruised trachea,
but there's no permanent damage.

Return him to the holding cell.

He cannot stand.

Heal his wound.

Well, it missed the femoral artery
but the knee joint's been destroyed.

I can give you
something for the pain

but I'll need a surgical
unit to replace this joint.

He'll have to stay off this leg
until you can get him to a medical facility.

If I cannot stand,
I am useless.

You are not going to kill him.

This has nothing to do
with you, human.

When I am dead

there will be more white
for the rest of the men.

No.

Take him back to the ship.

You know the rule.

If the death of one will make
the rest stronger, then he dies.

We came here to be
free of the Vorta.

It is time to stop
living by their rules.

Get back to work.

Come in.

Do you have it?

Of course.

You are supposed to be
watching the Ferengi.

I don't need you to tell me
what I'm supposed to be doing.

I saw him inspecting
the crystals.

You had an opportunity
to arrest him.

I perform my duties
as I see fit.

You do not seem to be
performing them at all.

Frankly, Commander.

I'm not interested in your opinion
of my job performance.

Now I suggest you attend to your own
duties and stop interfering in mine.

Remarkable.

Your body is producing the exact amount
of ketracel-white you need to survive.

But I can't find
where it's coming from.

There don't appear to be any glands or
cell clusters producing the enzyme.

Mind you, your entire
metabolism defies belief.

The growth rate of the Jem'Hadar
children is extraordinary.

You have seen our children?

We found a newborn
in the station once.

He was fully grown
in three days.

I would like to have seen a group of
humans try to control a Jem'Hadar child.

Well, we couldn't.

All he wanted to do
was fight and kill.

If it wasn't for Odo, I don't know
what we would have done.

Odo...

is the Founder
on your space station.

That's right.

I have never seen a Founder.

Never?

To us, they are almost a myth.

But everyone in the Dominion

even the Vorta,
serve the Founders.

I have fought against races
that believe in mythical beings

who guide their destinies
and await them after death.

They call them gods.

The Founders are like gods
to the Jem'Hadar.

But...

our gods never talk to us

and they don't wait for us
after death.

They only want us
to fight for them

and to die for them.

He's beginning to question
everything he's been taught...

blind obedience to the Founders,
killing without remorse

and the devaluation
of other sentient life-forms.

He's developing
his own moral structure.

It's incredible!

Or maybe that's
what he wants you to believe.

Think about it, Julian.

What did he say to you?

"Federation doctors are trained
to feel compassion and sympathy."

He's manipulating you!

He wants you to work hard
and stop trying to escape.

What about saving the life
of the wounded Jem'Hadar?

I saw the look on their faces.

They were shocked
at his behavior.

I'm telling you, he's changing.

All right,
let's say you're right

and he's turning
into a nice guy.

What are you getting at?

I think we should
cooperate with him...

help him in what he's doing.

What?

What makes Goran'Agar
different from the others?

He's not addicted to the drug.

Now, if we can get the other
Jem'Hadar soldiers off the drug

they may go through
a similar change.

And with the Jem'Hadar soldiers
thinking for themselves

the Founders may suddenly find themselves
without an army to give orders to.

You're just guessing.

You don't know how the other Jem'Hadar
will react when they're off the drugs.

They may go marauding
through the galaxy on their own.

At least now, the Dominion
keeps them on a short leash.

They're not animals!

They're people
being used as slaves.

And this is their one chance
at freedom.

And what are they going
to do with that freedom?

Stop being so naive, Julian

and look at them
for what they are.

They're killers.

That's all they know how to do
that's all they want to do.

But they have the potential
to be so much more.

Goran'Agar has shown them that.

They just need our help.

Well, then they should
have asked for our help

instead of shooting us down
and threatening to kill us.

But they didn't know
why we were coming.

They probably thought
we were trying to attack.

I can't believe
you're making excuses for them.

I'm trying to make you understand
there are larger issues here.

We're dealing
with a complex situation.

No, it is not complex.

It is simple.

Those men out there
are Dominion soldiers.

We help them, we may end up unleashing
the Jem'Hadar against the Federation

and that is a risk
I am not willing to take!

So we do not help them.
And that's the end of it.

No, that is not the end of it.

I am the senior officer here

and I have decided
what we're going to do.

Now, I need the biospectral
phase discriminator

from the runabout's
sensor array.

I haven't got the technical
skills to remove it

so I'm ordering you to do it.
Now, is that clear?

Yes, sir.

How long will this take?

A few minutes.

Your escape plan was flawed.

Obviously.
I got caught.

Even if you had killed the guard
you never would've reached the runabout.

I guess we'll never know that.

I know.

I'm sure you do.

You're not like the other human.

We have our differences.

You don't like helping us.

No, I don't.

Good.

I don't like it, either.

Well, I'm glad
we understand each other.

Slowly.

Now, put it down.

Nothing.

I can find nothing
in the atmosphere, the soil

the water, the plant
or the animal life

that is remotely compatible to your
cellular structure or your DNA.

Maybe you were exposed to some
anomalous conditions four years ago

that no longer exist...

a magnetic storm,
solar radiation, volcanic gases.

No.

Everything is as it was
four years ago.

The planet is the same.

The conditions are the same!

The answer must be here.

There is no other explanation
for what happened to me.

Maybe there is an explanation.

Maybe nothing happened
to you on this planet.

Maybe you were never addicted
to this drug at all.

But I took white all my life.

But maybe you didn't need it.

It's possible that your DNA structure
underwent a random mutation that...

He's escaped.

How?

Using their ship's transporter.

They planned this together.

Do you know where O'Brien is?

No.

- Deploy the men in a standard...
- He's lying.

He's been lying for days.
There is no cure here.

Even if there was,
he wouldn't give it to you.

There is a cure.

I am the proof.

Now, deploy the men
in a standard search pattern.

Find O'Brien and return him
to the holding area alive.

Alive?

Are you questioning me?

I knew you once, trusted you,
obeyed you without question

but now you're like this human...

weak, soft, inferior.

If being free of white
means becoming like you...

I don't want to be cured.

What'll happen to O'Brien?

There is nothing
we can do for him.

My men will no longer obey me.

You have to find him first and
keep him alive until I can find a cure.

If I go, there will be
no one here to guard you.

I will not try to escape.

I give you my word.

I will do what I can.

I've been saving this
for a special occasion.

Tonight certainly qualifies.

How'd you manage to get these
out of the Tallonian system?

I have my resources.

A hundred percent pure.

Well worth twice
the price I'm asking.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

Trafficking in illegal merchandise
is a felony under Federation law.

What's he doing here?

A very good question.

I was just about to arrest
these criminals.

I should arrest you for interfering
in my investigation.

Will someone tell me
what is going on here?

Odo, why did you not tell me
what you were doing?

I don't report to you, Commander

and I don't spread the word when I'm
conducting an undercover investigation.

I also thought that your surveillance
would make the setup more convincing.

I'm not interested in this man.

He was supposed to complete
the transaction

and take the latinum
back to his ship

so that I could infiltrate
the entire Markalian smuggling operation.

Now I suppose I'll have
to settle for the middleman.

If you gentlemen are finished
with this little fiasco

I'd like to tidy up.

Quark!

On your feet.
Let's go.

I've lost the signal.

Spread out.

Chief!

Where's the guard?

Everyone's out looking for you.

Good.

Anything else around here
we can use as a weapon?

No?

Let's get moving.

It's only 300 meters to the runabout
but those guys move fast.

Chief, I'm not going.

What the hell do you mean,
you're not coming?

I'm onto something here.

With a little more time,
I think...

I don't care what you think.

This is our one chance to get out of here
and we've got to take it.

And it's also our one chance
to break their addiction.

Julian, even if you find a cure
they're going to kill you anyway.

That's not true.
Goran'Agar...

Forget about him.

What about all the others?

They're still
a bunch of bloodthirsty...

Look, we haven't got enough
time to argue about this.

If you want to go, go.

All right.

I will.

But you're coming with me.

There.

You can bring me up on
charges when we get back

but there's nothing
to keep you here now.

So let's get going.

You did this?

Yes.

I did.

Move... both of you.

- This won't...
- No discussion!

Move!

There still might be a way

if I had another sample
of your blood.

There is no more time.

The supply of white
will run out tomorrow.

You caught him.

I shouldn't have doubted you.

Should we kill them ourselves
or let the others?

I will do the killing.

Take your ship and go.

Goran'Agar, if you stay here,
they'll kill you.

Unless I kill them first.

It would be better for them to die
quickly in battle,

than slowly as the drug runs out.

You don't have to do this.

Even if we can't
save their lives

there's no need
to sacrifice yourself.

You are a soldier?

I have been.

Then you explain.

He's their Commander.

They trusted him.

He can't leave them.

Julian.

Come in.

Captain.

There's some information I would like to
add to Security Chief Odo's last report.

He did not feel it was necessary to
include the details of my involvement, but...

I think you should know that I
hindered his investigation.

Yes, I heard what happened.

Please, sit.

Word gets around
in a place like this.

It's one of the things
you have to get used to.

One of many things, it seems.

Starfleet officers
often have trouble

learning the unofficial rules
of the station.

There's no manual to study.

You have to learn things
as you go.

A little different
than life on a starship.

When I served
aboard the Enterprise

I always knew who were my allies
and who were my enemies.

Let's just say DS9
has more shades of gray

and Quark definitely is
a shade of... gray.

He has his own set of rules
and he follows them diligently.

Once you understand them,
you understand Quark.

I'd say that's true
for... everyone here.

You'll fit in, Commander.

Just give it time.

Kira to Rubicon.
Docking Platform 2 is open.

Welcome back, gentleman.

Thanks, Major.

You can bring me up
on charges, you know.

Well, that's not
really my style.

I wish things could have
been different, Julian.

So do I.

And I'm sorry I had
to destroy your work.

You didn't have to, Chief.

You had a choice

and you chose to disobey orders

override my judgment

and condemn those men to death.

Yes, I did.

Because I thought it was
the only way to save your life.

Whatever else you may think
of who I am and what I did

at least try to understand that.

Tonight's supposed to be
our weekly darts game.

Don't worry.

I don't feel
much like playing either.

Maybe in a few days.