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The Darkness and the Light

I am Vedek Latha Mabrin and I welcome you to the Calash Retreat.

Today, we begin prayer and meditation as preparation for our Days of Atonement.

May the Prophets walk with us as we begin our journey.

( groans )

Have you been taking your makara herbs?

Absolutely.

( clears throat )

Mostly.

Kira, you have to take them.

Your progesterone levels are way too low.

But if I take the herbs then the sedatives you gave me don't work.

The herbs do act as a counteragent.

But I thought you said you weren't having any trouble sleeping and that you didn't need any sedatives.

I don't.

But, Julian, those herbs taste like something that crawled out of Quark's ear.

Just take them.

All right.

ODO: Major, may I have a word with you?

We're finished here.

Sure.

I'm afraid I have some very bad news.

One of the former members of your resistance cell has been killed on Bajor.

Latha Mabrin.

How?

It appears a small hunter probe was hidden inside a ceremonial candle and fired a disrupter blast.

Do they have any suspects?

Too many.

Before he became a vedek your friend was involved in some very questionable activities.

Latha was a violent man but then he found the Prophets.

And the last time I talked to him, he'd changed-- really changed.

I don't doubt that, Major, but it would appear that the violence of his past has finally caught up with him.

Let me know if you hear anything else.

Of course.

COMPUTER: Major Kira

there is one message waiting for you.

( sighs )

Play back message.

( scrambled voice ): That's one.

Replay audio.

That's one.

Again.

That's one.

( scrambled voice ): That's one.

As you might have guessed, there's no point of origin listed in the computer log.

When did we receive this message?

It came over the primary subspace antenna at 1341 hours-- almost the same moment Latha was killed on Bajor.

And you think that this is a threat to all the former members of the Shakaar resistance cell?

That's my working theory, but I'm not ruling anything out.

Did anyone else receive this message?

Not that we know of.

So obviously there's some connection to me but I don't know what it is.

I haven't even spoken to Latha in two years.

I'm waiting for the preliminary crime scene report from the authorities on Bajor before I begin my own investigation, but I'd like to increase security here on the station and initiate random checks on all incoming cargo.

Agreed.

I've contacted most of the surviving members of the Shakaar-- warned them to take precautions just in case.

I'm sorry about your friend.

He died serving the Prophets.

They'll take care of him.

I'm sure they will.

Keep me informed.

How you feeling?

Fine.

Exhausted.

I didn't get much sleep and Julian's got me back on those herbs again.

I know.

I heard you pacing all night.

I'm sorry. Don't be.

I would have gotten up and kept you company but I figured you wanted to be alone.

I couldn't stop thinking about Latha.

All those firefights and bombs he lived through just to be killed during a religious ceremony.

You know, if I wasn't pregnant,

I would be down on Bajor right now trying to narrow down the suspects.

You're safer on the station.

That's what's driving me crazy.

I'm sitting here eating breakfast while someone may be hunting down my friends.

I'm a Major in the Bajoran militia.

I should be down there trying to protect them.

Right now, you're needed here, protecting someone else.

Yeah, I... guess I do have my hands full at the moment.

ODO: Ops to Major Kira.

Go ahead, Odo.

There's another incoming message for you, Major,

and they refuse to give either their name

or location.

I'm on my way.

We're having trouble tracing the signal.

They're running it through some kind of scrambler using a phase-divergent carrier wave.

Try to keep them talking.

This is Major Kira Nerys.

Who am I talking to?

Nerys? Is that really you?

Fala?

Are you alone?

I don't want anyone to hear me.

I think...

I think someone's trying to trace my signal.

Stand by.

She's a friend.

Her name is Trentin Fala.

One of the members of your cell?

No. Then why is she hiding her location?

I'd rather not talk about it here but trust me, she's no threat to anyone.

Let me talk to her alone and see what's going on.

I'm alone, and no one here will trace your signal.

You heard about Latha?

They killed him.

As he knelt in prayer, they killed him.

I know, and the authorities are investigating that right now.

They're going to kill me, too, Nerys.

They've been watching me.

Who's been watching you?

I don't know.

But I feel it.

I need to get out of here.

Go somewhere safe.

Please, Nerys, you've got to help me.

You always promised you'd help.

All right, calm down.

I'll protect you.

You can stay here at the station until all of this is over.

Okay.

Two of our officers are returning this afternoon from Starbase 63.

I'll reroute them to Bajor and have them pick you up, okay?

Okay.

Their names are Worf and Jadzia Dax.

They'll contact you within the hour.

I knew I could count on you.

I'll see you soon.

You've been smirking ever since we left the starbase.

I do not smirk.

But if I did, this would be a good opportunity.

How was I supposed to know that Captain Ramirez was a three-time tongo champion?

You might have asked before mocking him and then allowing him to up the stakes to a no-limit game.

I didn't lose that much.

Two bars of latinum.

I hope you have it.

I have it... most of it.

Worf...? No.

Fine.

I'll borrow it from Quark.

He likes me.

( console beeping )

Major Kira's friend is ready for transport.

Quark may lend you the money, but remember Rule of Acquisition Number 111:

"Treat people in your debt like family-- exploit them."

You know the Rules of Acquisition?

I'm a graduate of Starfleet Academy.

I know many things.

Energizing.

There's a power surge in the buffer.

Something is interfering with the integration matrix.

I'm transferring her pattern to the secondary buffer.

Boost the gain on the energizing coils.

It won't go any higher.

I'm losing her.

I'm sorry, Nerys.

I'm hearing that a lot lately.

Can I have a moment?

Of course.

I wish there was something I could say, Major.

Just tell me it was an accident.

The Constable thinks otherwise.

I believe she was killed by a remat detonator.

It's a device programmed to scramble a transporter beam during rematerialization.

They're typically no more than two cubic millimeters in size.

It could have been hidden in her clothing or injected into her skin.

The device is typically used by the Romulans.

However, it is sold on the black market.

Why didn't the transporter security system detect the device?

DAX: We're not sure.

The system is programmed to scan for remats.

So whoever did this has a sophisticated understanding of our security protocols.

And a vendetta against the Shakaar resistance cell.

I thought you said that Trentin Fala wasn't a member of the Shakaar.

She wasn't... at least not officially.

Fala spent the occupation cleaning floors in a Cardassian records office in Dakhur Province.

She passed us information for years without anyone catching on but she was always so afraid-- afraid she'd be caught and executed... but she never stopped.

I told her once that I thought she was braver than all of us because she had to live with her fear every day.

Even after the occupation was over, she didn't want anyone to know that she was secretly helping us.

She was worried... that someone would come looking for her for revenge.

Looks like her fears were well founded.

( scrambled voice ): That's two.

That's two.

That's two.

That's two.

That's two.

Hello, Major.

I was just about to call you.

Quark, what is that?

I just found this padd in a shipment of Saurian brandy I just received.

It was coded for you but somehow, I accidentally activated it.

Give that to me.

That's two.

That's two.

That's two.

That's...

ODO: Since she was an informant, it stands to reason that Fala was killed because she was providing information to the resistance-- information that the Shakaar used to plan an attack on a Cardassian target.

The killer is probably someone who was either injured or who lost a family member or a friend in that attack.

We planned dozens of attacks based on Fala's information.

It could be any of them.

Not "any."

We're dealing with an operation in which you played a prominent part.

Now, perhaps you could make a list of all the attacks by the Shakaar in which you participated.

It's a long list.

( console beeping rapidly )

Someone is accessing the security database.

Can you trace it?

No.

( scrambled voice ): That's three.

Mobara.

He was in the Shakaar.

Where does Mobara live?

Um, Musilla province, at the University...

Engineering School.

I'm sending an emergency message to the authorities in Musilla.

Maybe it's not too late.

Are you all right?

No, I'm not all right!

I haven't slept in three days, someone is killing my friends and my back...

Sorry.

No apology necessary, Major.

( console beeping )

( sighs )

They haven't been able to contact Mobara so they're sending a search party to the University right now.

They'll let us know what happens.

Major, if I may make a suggestion-- why don't you return to your quarters and rest for now?

It may be several hours before they're able to make a complete search.

Maybe you're right.

But let me know the moment you hear something.

You have my word.

( sighs )

I'm going to lie down.

Help yourself to the replicator if you're hungry.

Thank you, Major.

( sighs )

( thud )

( thumping )

( clatter )

Don't move! Hold it.

Furel?

Nerys?

( sighs )

Oh! You're lucky I didn't shoot you.

Well, I could say the same about you.

What are you doing creeping around in a dark room with a phaser?

I live here.

What about him?

Oh... This is

Lieutenant Brilgar.

He's station security here to protect me.

Oh. Sorry.

You know these people, Major?

I'm afraid so. This is Furel, Lupaza.

We were in the same resistance cell.

Brilgar, sorry about the...

Yeah, yeah.

I'll be outside if you need me.

Thank you.

How did you get in?

We just installed a new security system.

And a pretty good one it is, too.

But they have not yet invented the system that Lupaza cannot beat.

( laughs )

It took some work but I managed to retune the transporter scrambler.

You beamed in? From where?

We stowed away aboard a transport ship making a run from Bajor.

Just before it docked,

I accessed the station personnel records.

We beamed into the bedroom about five minutes ago.

We heard somebody moving around in here.

I thought it was you.

But it turned out to be a man with a phaser--

FUREL: And I tried to tell her that we should contact you before we came--

You did not.

I should have you both thrown in the brig... but I'm glad to see you.

( chuckling )

It's good to see you.

( whispering ): Go get it.

What? Oh...

Can I?

Oh.

How much longer?

A couple of weeks.

Been sneezing?

Off and on.

The doctor's giving me something.

But before we get too deep into baby talk

I had another message today.

This time, it's Mobara.

Dead? We don't know yet.

There's a search party out right now looking for him.

Do you have any suspects?

No. Well, when you do you let us know.

That's why we're here-- to find out who's doing this... and take care of it.

I can't send you out like some assassination squad.

You don't have to send us anywhere.

You just give us the name.

We'll take care of the rest.

The occupation is over.

We can't go around fighting private wars.

Times have changed.

We have got to change with it.

Leave this for the authorities.

Authorities?!

Maybe you feel that way now but trust me when you find out who killed Latha and Fala and maybe now Mobara, you're not going to want to leave it to someone else.

You're going to want him dead and you're going to want us to do it.

( sighs )

Maybe so, but we're not at that point yet.

Hmm.

What's in the box?

It's for you.

For me?

A gift.

Makara herbs.

You're...

You're supposed to take them during your pregnancy.

LUPAZA: She knows what they're for.

We thought you might have trouble getting fresh herbs on the station so we picked them last night.

Thanks.

Really... thank you.

Well, if you're staying, I better find you some quarters.

We're staying right here where we can keep an eye on you... on both of you.

Yeah, we'll sleep out here.

The couch is a little short but it's probably as comfortable as our bed.

Well, since Keiko's visiting her parents with Molly,

I guess there's room.

Hold it!

It's all right!

Miles... we have houseguests.

ODO: They found his body about two hours ago... or at least what was left of it.

Mobara had a micro-explosive implanted just behind his right ear.

How could someone get close enough to implant something behind someone's ear and not get caught?

I doubt he was ever near Mobara.

The killer's shown a pattern of using remote control devices.

He was probably using some sort of hunter probe and injected Mobara as he slept.

What are we dealing with here-- a professional assassin?

Well, that was my initial thought, but a professional would never be sending anonymous messages.

No, our killer is someone with a very personal stake in this-- someone who is trying to make a point to Major Kira.

And once he drives his point home?

He'll try to kill her, too.

( scrambled voice ): That's one.

That's two.

That's three.

It doesn't sound natural.

No kidding.

I mean, I know they're using some kind of scrambler to disguise the voice, but there's something else.

The rhythms don't sound natural.

More like a composite of words from different speeches put together.

You can tell that through all the distortion?

It's the lobes.

The intonation and phrasing are slightly off.

I've made it a policy never to argue with someone's lobes.

KIRA: All right let's say these are composite messages.

Does that help us?

Maybe.

Since the first word of all three messages is the same, let's assume it's simply been copied three times.

That gives me a reference to begin screening out the electronic interference.

That's... that's... that's...

that's...

NOG: It's a female.

that's...

And it's not Cardassian.

You're sure?

Uh, all right.

All right.

...that's... that's...

It's... Bajoran.

I know that voice.

Can I hear the rest of the words?

That's one.

That's two.

That's three... It's me.

That's one...

He's using my voice.

( beeping )

There's been an explosion in the Habitat Ring.

Location.

Level 5, Section 21-Alpha.

The O'Brien's quarters.

Go to Red Alert.

Stop all incoming and outgoing ships until further notice.

NOG: Aye, sir.

Dax to Infirmary.

Dr. Bashir report to Habitat Ring Level 5

Section 21-Alpha-- medical emergency.

Report.

There's been an explosion in O'Brien's quarters.

There's a hull breach.

The compartment is venting air into space.

Casualties?

No word yet.

I'm having trouble scanning through the debris.

Where's Kira?

MAN: Major, you can't go in.

There's a hull breach--

Get out of my way!

Major, please...

Major, no.

You'll vent the whole corridor.

( gasps )

( groaning )

Nerys?

Nerys, can you hear me?

Julian...

You're in the Infirmary.

( gasps ): The baby...?

He's fine.

You suffered a placental laceration and then you began to hemorrhage but I've repaired the damage.

You're going to be all right.

( groans )

( sighs )

Lupaza and Furel... they're dead, aren't they?

I'm afraid so.

Miles?

He wasn't there when it happened.

Did they die quickly?

Instantly.

ODO: Doctor, may I?

BASHIR: I'll be right outside.

I was 13 when I joined the resistance.

I'd been hanging around the Shakaar base camp for a couple of weeks-- you know, running errands cleaning weapons, that kind of thing.

Then one night, they had an ambush planned and they were a man short, so I volunteered but everyone thought I was too young, too small.

Lupaza stuck up for me.

She said I had the heart of sinoraptor

and they didn't have much choice.

Furel made some kind of joke.

I don't remember what it was but I do remember that Lupaza hit him.

She was always doing that.

They loved each other in some way.

But it was up to Shakaar, and he stared at me for a long time before he decided I was big enough to carry a phaser rifle after all.

So we set the ambush up along a ridgeline that night and waited.

I was so cold.

My hands were shaking.

I was so afraid that one of them would look at me and think that I was nervous that I kept biting my fingers to keep the blood flowing.

We must have waited there three or four hours before the skimmer appeared.

It set down right where Furel said it would.

And when that hatch opened and that first Cardassian appeared,

I just started firing and I didn't stop

'till I'd discharged the entire power cell.

When it was all over, I...

I was so relieved that I hadn't let anyone down

I, I was giddy.

Furel told me to stop grinning, that it made me look younger, but I couldn't help it.

I was one of them.

I was in the resistance.

Lupaza made me this... out of some of the metal from that skimmer.

How were they killed?

Someone attached a small hunter probe to the hull of a Talavian freighter.

When the ship docked at the station, the probe detached itself and then began a visual scan of every room in the Habitat Ring.

Once the probe found its assigned targets, it attached itself to the window and exploded.

Do you have any leads?

My sources on Cardassia have given me a list of possible suspects.

They all have the computer skills the opportunity, and the motive to carry out these attacks.

You must have called in a lot of favors.

One or two.

How many people are on the list now?

Twenty-five.

Can I see it?

Not... just yet.

I'd like to... narrow it a little.

You're afraid I'm going to take the names and go charging off after them.

Something like that.

( laughing )

You're right.

I probably would.

I'm going to find the person that's done this.

I promise you that.

I know you will, Odo.

Keep me informed.

Absolutely.

( panting )

COMPUTER: Emergency transport standing by.

Enter command code authorization.

Authorization: Kira- one-five-seven-alpha.

Initiating transport.

Computer, initiate emergency transport program Kira-2.

Initiating transport.

Computer, locate Major Kira.

Major Kira is no longer on the station.

( grunts )

ODO: She's obviously going after the suspects on the list but she erased their names from my computer file when she got them, so there's no way to know where she's headed.

Prepare the Defiant.

I want to leave in ten minutes see if we can pick up her ion trial.

It will be difficult.

Our sensor logs show Major Kira masked her engine emissions with a polaron field.

The runabout's particle--

I know what the difficulties are.

You have your orders. Dismissed.

Aye, sir.

( sighing )

Kira Nerys, Personal Log, Stardate 50416.2.

I've eliminated three of the suspects from Odo's list.

I'm satisfied that none of them

could have committed the murders.

The fourth name is Silaran Prin

a Cardassian living on a planet near the DMZ.

MALE: A creature, born within the comforting anonymity of darkness awakens in the harsh truth of daylight.

It squirms in the glare, afraid of the light that pins it to the chair like a needle through its heart.

Its heart beats faster...

Who's there?

Silaran, is that you?

Panic starts to creep into its soul.

Does it understand?

Or is it so blinded by the light that it can think only of returning to the velvet cloak of darkness?

No matter.

Perhaps it is better that it doesn't realize how close death has come.

But make no mistake, there is no escape.

It has reached the end and soon it will die.

What's the matter, Silaran?

Are you so afraid of a pregnant woman in a restraining field you have to hide in the dark?

It bears its tiny fangs, hoping for a chance to strike-- to sink its teeth deep into the flesh of its tormentor, but that chance will never come.

You better hope

I don't get that chance.

And somewhere beneath the gleam of hatred in those eyes lurks the certain knowledge of its impending death, and it begins to know fear.

I'm not afraid of you.

I'm not some coward who's been sending anonymous messages and bombs to murder innocent people.

No, Kira, I didn't murder anyone!

You did.

You killed them all.

There.

That wasn't so hard, was it?

Now we can talk.

Talk and lies won't help you.

You're in the light, and the light reveals the truth.

And the light shows me no regret in those eyes, no compassion.

You want me to... feel compassion for you?

You murdered five people.

What compassion did you show to them?

Unrepentant.

How unfortunate.

I thought you might have changed... might have found a path out of the darkness.

What am I supposed to feel repentant for?

What are you talking about?

That is part of your guilt.

You did this to me... and you don't even know who... I... am.

So you were wounded during an attack I carried out when I was part of the resistance and I'm supposed to feel guilty?

We were at war, Silaran.

15 million Bajorans died during the occupation and you want me to feel sorry for you?

No, I wasn't part of your war.

I was an innocent.

I wasn't even in the military.

Do you know what I did on Bajor?

I was a servant.

I cleaned uniforms for Gul Pirak.

Gul Pirak...

Commander of the weapons depot at Hathon.

I'm glad that you remember.

Now, do you remember... what you did?

How you put a plasma charge outside his bedroom window in the middle of the night?

I remember.

He executed

15 Bajoran farmers because they refused to display the Cardassian banner outside their homes.

Trentin Fala showed you how to circumvent the defense system.

Latha Mabrin built the plasma charge.

Furel and Lupaza stood guard outside while you crept up to the house.

None of us liked killing.

We were fighting for our freedom against--

You vaporized the entire east wing!

12 Cardassians were killed including Gul Pirak's entire family.

23 others were crippled.

Don't you feel guilty?

Don't you feel ashamed of what you did?

None of you belonged on Bajor.

It wasn't your world.

For 50 years, you raped our planet and you killed our people, you lived on our land and you took the food out of our mouths and I don't care whether you held a phaser in your hand or you ironed shirts for a living.

You were all guilty, and you were all legitimate targets!

That's what makes you a murderer-- indiscriminate killing, no sense of morality, no thought given to the consequences of your action.

That's what makes us different.

I was a soldier!

You're just a bitter old man out for revenge.

I am bringing the guilty to justice... and unlike you, I take care to protect the innocent.

I could have killed every monk in that cavern or everyone on the runabout or half the population of Deep Space 9, but I didn't.

Only the guilty have died.

And that is why... although your actions have condemned you, the life of your child will be spared.

What does that mean?

What does that mean?!

The creature's diseased mind cannot understand its plight.

Its imagination is too limited to perceive the truth-- it cannot be saved.

But there is still hope for the child.

It could be taken from the womb and raised in the light.

Listen to me, Silaran.

The child I'm carrying, it isn't Bajoran-- it's human.

It has unique medical needs.

If you force me to give birth now, you risk--

The creature's cries grow louder but no one can hear them.

All that remains is to bring the child into the light and discard the diseased carcass of the mother before it can infect its offspring.

You can't bring it into the light-- not yet!

Dr. Bashir said if I don't have at least three more weeks-- It's time.

We both agree this baby is an innocent.

Don't put him at risk, please, Silaran.

Don't worry.

I promise that I'll take care of the child... and that I'll teach him the difference between darkness and light.

Wait.

Please, I'm begging you.

At least give me a sedative.

Show some compassion.

Don't just cut me open.

All right.

I'll show more mercy than you have.

( sighs )

Take a good look at my face, Kira!

I want it to be the last thing you see.

The creature slept... dreaming its dark dreams and happy to be out of the light.

The innocent life it held would awaken in brilliance... and never... know darkness... again.

Oh!

( grunts )

Are you all right?

She's fine but there's a large amount of merfadon in her system.

"Merfadon"? It's a sedative.

But the makara herbs she's been taking have counteracted the effect.

I take it this is our assassin.

Why did he give you a sedative?

He wanted to protect the innocent... and separate the darkness from the light... but he didn't realize... the light only shines in the dark and sometimes innocence is just an excuse for the guilty.

Let's go home.

Sisko to Defiant.

Go ahead.

Four to beam up.

Energize.