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Prodigal Daughter

By the way, your gagh has arrived.

My what?

Oh, no.

Oh, yes, and it's waiting for you in Cargo Bay 2.

Your gagh?

Jadzia ordered it.

She was planning a party for Martok's birthday next week.

How much gagh did she order?

51 cases.

Each containing a different variety.

There are varieties of gagh?

Oh, yes. I can remember what each one tastes like and the way they feel when you swallow them.

Torgud gagh wiggles.

Filden gagh squirms.

Meshta gagh jumps.

( coughing )

Are you all right?

Are you all right?

Me?

Well, you've barely said three words.

Something on your mind?

Oh, no. I just, uh... can't wait to see Miles, that's all.

Oh, let me guess.

You have a holosuite appointment-- defending the Alamo again?

You know me too well.

KIRA: When does his transport arrive?

Half an hour.

Bithool gagh has feet.

Flush it out the airlock, all of it.

Environmental regulations.

Well, why don't you just give it to Martok?

He'd insist on sharing it with me as a point of honor.

Wistan gagh is packed in targ blood.

I have to go now.

See you later.

I think I'd better go, too.

Give my regards to Santa Anna.

What?

Miles asked me not to say anything, but, uh, I haven't heard from him in three days and since he wasn't on this morning's transport,

I think something might have happened to him.

He told me he was going home to visit his father.

He may have implied that he was going to visit his father, but he didn't actually say it.

Doctor, please.

Yes, sir.

So where is he?

The last message I received from him said that he was still in New Sydney and that he was following up on some promising leads.

He's not a detective.

He's an engineer.

He is my Chief Engineer and now he's missing.

So who is this woman he's supposed to be looking for?

She's the widow of Liam Bilby.

Bilby? Bilby?

The man he befriended in that undercover operation last year?

Yes, sir. Miles still feels responsible for his death and has been in touch with his widow ever since, and when she dropped out of sight three weeks ago he got worried and decided to find her.

And now they're both missing. Perfect.

In his defense, sir, he did try and go through the official channels, but the authorities on New Sydney weren't very cooperative, to say the least, and since it isn't a Federation world,

Starfleet doesn't have any jurisdiction.

So he decided to turn into a one-man police force.

Yes, sir.

( sighs )

New Sydney... it's in the Sappora system, right?

Right.

I want a written report detailing everything you know about this woman,

O'Brien's plan to find her, and everything else you neglected to mention to me.

Aye, sir. May I ask what you're going to do?

No, you may not, and I want that report on my desk within the hour.

And since your family still lives in the Sappora system, I thought they might have a few contacts on New Sydney.

I'm sure they do.

My mother's one of the more important business leaders in the system.

Your personnel file says she owns the fifth largest pergium mining facility in the entire sector.

Actually, it's the sixth now.

The Ferengi found a large deposit on Timor II a few years ago.

My mother nearly had a heart attack when she found out we'd been knocked out of the top five.

Please.

Do you think she'd be willing to intervene with the local authorities, to look into what happened to the Chief?

Oh, I'm sure she would.

That's the first good news I've heard all day.

Something wrong?

No.

Yes.

I don't know.

( sighing )

I haven't talked to my mother in almost six months.

Oh.

The last time I saw her was just after I was joined.

She came to visit me on Trill, and I was still a little confused.

When she walked into my room,

I put on a big smile, looked her right in the eye and said, "Hi, Mom. It's me-- Curzon."

Things kind of went downhill from there.

I'm sure she understood what you were going through.

You weren't prepared to be joined.

She couldn't blame you for being confused.

She didn't, not really, but she did want me to come home to recuperate, and we had a... disagreement.

Not for the first time?

No, not for the first time.

If there was any other way, I wouldn't ask you to do this.

No. That's all right.

I mean, my family problems aren't as important as finding the Chief.

I'll call my mother right away.

Thanks, old man.

Any time.

We've been worried about you.

I'm all right.

Really.

And I'm a lot more sure of who I am than the last time you saw me.

Well, that's a relief.

I'd hate to have to start calling you Curzon.

I, uh... I've been promoted.

Oh?

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Ezri Dax, at your service.

Ezri Dax?

The symbiont name always replaces the family name of the new host.

It's traditional.

Of course it is.

I haven't been away from Trill that long.

The important thing is you're doing well.

Mother, I'm calling because I need your help.

One of our officers, Miles O'Brien, went to New Sydney three weeks ago, and now he's missing.

Captain Sisko was wondering if maybe you could...

I'll do everything I can.

Thank you.

Now... when are you coming home?

I'm not sure when I can get away.

Ezri, you haven't been home in three years.

I know, but with the war on and everything...

Ezri Tigan-- Dax-- you tell your Commanding Officer that your mother is a very difficult woman and that she refuses to help look for Mr. O'Brien unless you're allowed to return home right away.

Mother, no.

Please don't put me in this...

Ezri, goodbye.

I'll see you when you get here.

Here. Take 20 milligrams at the first sign of spacesickness.

If you don't, you'll regret it.

So will the other passengers.

Everything Starfleet knows on Bilby and his widow.

Where's your report?

Oh, it's in there.

It's the one with Captain Sisko's boot prints all over it.

Don't worry.

I'm sure you'll be out of the doghouse by the time I get back.

I hope so.

Would it help if I said that, as someone who isn't especially close to his parents,

I sympathize?

I'm about to present my family with a whole new Ezri, and to tell you the truth, they didn't really know what to make of the old one.

But thanks for trying, Julian.

I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything about Miles.

Well, have a safe trip.

Zee.

Norvo.

I cannot believe you're really here.

Neither can I.

You cut your hair.

Oh... yeah, it kept getting in my eyes.

Do you like it?

Takes some getting used to.

I think you've just summed up my entire visit.

Is this yours?

NORVO: Mom insisted on hanging it in here.

I hate it.

Why?

Well, the composition is puerile and obvious, the colors belong on a child's toy, and the technique is laughable.

But other than that?

It's perfect.

Welcome home, little girl.

Hi, Janel.

Do I have to take a sonic shower before I get a hug?

It's good to see you.

You, too.

What happened here?

She cut it.

I think it brings out her eyes, gives her more of a classic look.

It's cute.

Um, Mom's on her way.

She said to give you the preliminary police report on your friend.

Have they found out anything?

Not yet.

But they have a few leads.

I hope you appreciate all the trouble she's going to.

She called in a lot of favors from the New Sydney police.

Of course I appreciate it.

So how long are you staying?

I'm not sure yet.

JANEL: She's not going to be here a minute longer than she has to.

You know that.

We're in the middle of a war, Janel.

I have responsibilities back on DS9.

There's always something.

( sighs )

Hello, Mother.

I hate your hair.

( laughs )

Oh...

Have you eaten?

No, not yet.

Good, because I've got Korella working on a very special dinner.

Have you taken care of Lorkin?

I was just going to contact him.

I want him paid and gone before dinner's ready.

Yes, ma'am.

And what about that third quarter review I asked you for?

I'm still working on it.

You've been working on it for a week now.

I miscalculated some of the revenues.

I have to redo them.

I know you don't like doing the bookkeeping, but I really need that review as soon as possible, all right?

Good.

I want to show you the new solarium.

I had these tiles all brought in from Andoria, and then hand-painted by this very charming old man...

Have Mr. Lorkin report to the main house.

Yes, sir.

Why are you getting rid of Lorkin?

That broken waveguide in 14-3-A is going to cost us a thousand bars of latinum a day.

Mother thinks it's the result of sloppy maintenance.

What do you think?

I think a brand-new waveguide doesn't just break.

You mean... Bokar was behind it?

He's trying to send us a message.

The Orion Syndicate doesn't take no for an answer.

Maybe we should tell Mother.

No.

I can deal with Bokar.

I don't know...

Relax.

Everything's going to be all right.

EZRI: Jadzia considered Kira to be one of her best friends, and I'm starting to think of her the same way.

We spend a lot of time together.

She didn't have any trouble adjusting to having a... new Dax in her life?

Well, no more than anyone else.

I don't really think any of them were expecting another Dax to walk into their lives.

Hmm. Did any of them wonder...

MOTHER: Whatever happened to that young man you were interested in on the Destiny?

It was, uh, Lieutenant, uh, uh... something.

Brinner Finok.

Yes.

He was an Ensign.

I did talk to him after I was joined... once, but... I don't think we're really right for each other anymore.

He reminds me too much of my son, Gran.

It makes me uncomfortable being around him now.

Sorry. Audrid's son Gran.

I'm still sorting out my pronouns.

I'm sure all joined Trills go through this.

No, just me.

Nothing simple for Ezri.

There's times when the computer asks me to identify myself and I have to think about what to say.

Or worse yet, there's days when I wake up, and I don't even know if I'm a man or a woman until I pull back the covers.

I also have an unfortunate tendency to ramble.

Don't be embarrassed, dear. It's not your fault.

You should have gone through years of training to receive a symbiont.

It wasn't fair of them to join you to Dax just because you happened to be the only Trill on board.

I mean, it's no surprise to me you're having trouble sorting out eight lifetimes of memories and experiences.

Well, it can be a little overwhelming at times.

Sure.

But don't you worry.

We'll take care of you, won't we?

Absolutely.

Of course.

That's nice to know, but I think I've got things under control now.

Ezri... you always were too proud for your own good.

( door chimes )

Come in, Zee.

How did you know it was me?

No one else would bother with the chime.

Hmm, I see some things never change.

Here... have a seat.

How many of these are yours?

All of the bad ones.

When did you become such a harsh critic of your work?

Just being realistic.

It's amateurish, I know that.

It says so right there.

Saurian brandy?

Sure.

I should probably get a clean one.

I don't care.

Norvo, this doesn't mean...

To my sister... a shining angel in a dark sky.

All right. The Andorian Academy rejected your application.

That doesn't mean your work is amateurish.

There are other art schools.

It's the best.

So? You shouldn't just quit.

I'm not very good, Zee.

I never was.

All of this... it's an indulgence.

Just like my other hobbies-- poetry, music...

I can't... concentrate.

My mind wanders.

I don't have the discipline it takes to succeed.

Those are Mother's words.

I know because I've heard them, too.

She wasn't right about me, and she's not right about you, either.

I'm fine with the way things turned out. Really.

Besides, they need me here.

To do what, the family bookkeeping?

Norvo, you could do so much more.

I'm not trying to make you feel bad.

I just want you to know that I still believe in you.

Thanks. Thank you.

Good night.

Night.

( sighs )

MOTHER: I hope you're satisfied.

Have you seen Norvo today?

No.

Well, maybe you should.

He's lying in bed with a hangover.

When I woke up this morning,

I found him passed out in the entry room.

Evidently, he spent most of the night doing this.

You think it's funny?

I think it's funny you think he did this because of me.

He's not happy here, Mother.

Can't you see that?

That's nonsense.

Mother, he's defacing his own artwork, work you insisted on displaying even after he objected.

I'm proud of him.

I'm trying to encourage him.

But what you've done is made him feel trapped and powerless.

You've barely spent one night in this house, and you think you can analyze our entire family?

You don't know your brother anymore, Ezri.

He's a fragile young man who needs to be cared for.

He is a grown man who needs his freedom.

You're smothering him.

How dare you come in here and tell me how to be a mother?

What do you know about raising children?

Actually, I have three... no, four lifetimes' worth of memories about raising children.

I have worked and sacrificed for each one of you for over 30 years.

( door chimes )

Not now!

Sorry to interrupt, but...

-Miles! -Ezri.

What are you doing here?

This is... my home. This is where I live.

Uh... my mother.

I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. O'Brien.

Can you...?

He wasn't very friendly when we located him.

Neither were you.

If you'll excuse me, we're having a problem with a drill down in 24-B.

Did you do this to him?

Just the one on the jaw.

The rest he got thanks to the Orion Syndicate.

Did you find out anything on Bilby's wife?

I found her.

She's dead.

Thanks.

The DNA scan confirmed that the body was Morica's.

She'd been dead at least six weeks.

Do you have any idea of the cause of death?

No.

The cause of death was the Orion Syndicate.

There's no evidence of that.

I-it could have been an accident.

O'BRIEN: Oh, yeah. She accidentally hit herself in the head and accidentally threw herself in the river, huh?

We pull a dozen bodies a month out of that river.

You think they're all Syndicate murders?

If it was anything like this, yes.

And if you hadn't interfered,

I might have proved she was murdered.

If we hadn't interfered, you'd be dead.

When your mother called us, we already had word that a Starfleet Intelligence Operative was trying to infiltrate the Syndicate.

It didn't take long to realize that it was your friend.

We found him being beaten up by a pair of Nausicaans.

They were just trying to scare me.

Why?

Exactly.

Why were they trying to scare me?

Because I had found the body of Morica Bilby, and they didn't want me to trace the murder back to them.

The Syndicate would never kill the widow of an operative.

The only thing holding them together is this loyalty they show to operatives and their families.

They may not be as loyal as you think.

Mrs. Tigan, please contact us if there's anything else we can do for you.

Thank you. I will.

Ezri, why don't you show Mr. O'Brien to one of our guest rooms.

Let him clean up and have something to eat.

Thanks.

...so that tip led me to the river.

I searched the south bank for about three hours before I found her.

The organic solvents in the water had partially decomposed her body... but it was her.

I'm sorry, Chief.

I wish there was something more I could do.

Maybe you could put in a good word for me with Captain Sisko.

It may take a lot of good words, but I'll talk to him.

Mr. O'Brien, how are you feeling?

Fine, thank you.

I've eaten enough for a week.

Glad to hear it.

I understand that you're an engineer.

That's right.

He's not a mining engineer.

We have a problem with a transsonic drill that no one on my staff seems capable of fixing, and I would appreciate it very much if you would be kind enough to take a look at it.

Now? Mother, he needs some rest.

How much rest do you require, Mr. O'Brien?

Actually, I feel fine.

Thank you.

I'll see you at dinner.

I'm sorry about this.

Our mother's a force of nature.

It's all right.

It'll be good to get my hands on a problem I can solve for a change.

Lead on.

Good morning.

Good afternoon.

Oh.

( groans )

Mother is not going to be happy about this.

Don't worry. You're out of the line of fire for the moment.

She's too busy torturing Janel and Miles.

Miles?

Oh, your friend.

They found him?

He's fine.

Great. That's great, Zee.

Does that mean you're leaving?

Not right away.

Let's talk about you.

( chuckles )

More specifically, about what you did last night.

What can I say?

I get drunk, I become an art critic.

Do you regret what you did?

Not really.

I never liked those pieces anyway.

So, what are you feeling?

I'm feeling like I don't want to be analyzed by my sister.

Sorry.

It's what I do.

This situation is not that complex, Zee.

I am wallowing in self-pity and acting out my frustrations by throwing tantrums.

All right, Dr. Norvo.

If that's your diagnosis, what's your prescription?

Mother disapproves of suicide-- all that blood on the carpets.

Not funny.

Best I can do with a hangover.

Norvo... what would happen if you left with me tomorrow?

What do you mean?

I mean, what would happen if you went back to Deep Space 9 with me?

Mother would go insane.

Forget about her for the moment.

I can't... I can't just pick up and leave.

Well, it doesn't have to be a permanent move.

Think of it as a vacation-- a break from all of this, some time to clear your head, that's all.

I... I don't know if I can leave all of this on Janel's shoulders.

-Janel can handle it. -It's not that simple.

There are some things going on that are complicated.

Like what?

Things with the company.

No offense, Norvo, but you're not exactly holding the company together.

Mother can pay a real accountant to do the work she's given you.

I don't... I don't know, Zee.

Well, think about it.

( hum of machinery )

You're right. The problem's definitely in the secondary input transtator.

But the transtator checks out perfectly.

I'm sure it does, but it's the wrong transtator for this drill.

What?

You need a 52-J.

This is a 52-L.

It says 52-J.

I know, but it's definitely an "L."

Must have been accidentally mislabeled.

Or deliberately.

MALE: Another equipment failure?

Perhaps if you hadn't dismissed Mr. Lorkin, this wouldn't have happened.

He was dismissed on my mother's personal order.

Then we'll have to find a way of changing her mind, won't we?

Who's your new mechanic, Janel?

This is Mr. O'Brien.

He's a friend of the family.

That wouldn't be Chief O'Brien, would it?

How did you know that?

I have several friends in the New Sydney police.

I heard they recently rescued a Starfleet Chief named O'Brien from an unpleasant situation.

That's me.

I don't believe I caught your name.

Thadial Bokar.

I'm a commodities broker attempting to establish business ties with the illustrious Tigan family.

Will you excuse us for a moment, Chief?

Mr. Bokar and I have some business to discuss.

Thank you for your help.

I'll have a new transtator installed right away.

Glad to do it.

Sabotaging our drills isn't going to convince me to do more business with the Orion Syndicate.

We'll argue about that later.

We have more immediate concerns.

O'Brien is with Starfleet Intelligence.

No, he isn't.

He works with my sister on Deep Space 9.

That may be what he wants you to think, but why was he on New Sydney trying to infiltrate the Syndicate?

He was looking for some woman.

"Some woman."

Do you know the name of this woman?

No.

Well, I do.

Her name was Morica Bilby.

What?

Now, of course, I haven't heard from Morica Bilby in quite some time.

Rumor has it that she's dead, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

What I do know is that Chief O'Brien should leave this system quickly, before something happens to him.

So, you're not leaving until tomorrow?

Well, probably.

It really depends on Ezri.

Why?

Well, she's my superior officer.

I go when she goes.

Besides, I'm not looking forward to seeing Captain Sisko.

He has a boot with my name on it.

This isn't a good time for guests.

There's a lot of work to do.

The quicker you're on your way, the better.

Your brother seems eager to get rid of us.

Oh, don't mind him.

He's been under a lot of pressure.

Do you know a man named Thadial Bokar?

Says he's a commodities broker.

No.

But I make it a point to know as little as possible about the family business.

Why?

Well, he came to the mine to talk with Janel while I was working on the drill.

There was something about him reminded me of when I was working undercover with the Orion Syndicate-- you know, something about the way they dealt with civilians.

You think this Mr. Bokar is a member of the Syndicate?

It's just a feeling... and a pretty strong feeling.

We should tell Janel.

I think Janel already knows.

Well, I know I'm not offering you any hard evidence here, Lieutenant, but your brother seems like a man who's being pressured by the Syndicate.

He's experiencing sudden equipment breakdowns, work stoppages, mysterious accidents.

That's the way the Syndicate extorts money from legitimate companies.

"Do business with us or we'll ruin you."

Janel is not someone who is easily intimidated, and my mother-- she would burn this place to the ground before she did business with the Syndicate.

Well, there's one way to find out.

Do you have access to the company's financial records?

What would you do on Deep Space 9?

Take a vacation.

Clear my head.

Clear your head of what?

I-I don't know.

Then why do you need a vacation?

I guess I don't, really.

I just... but it would be nice to spend some time with Ezri.

You're spending time with her right now, aren't you?

Yes...

We're ready to open 25 Beta.

I'll be right there.

Norvo, this is a very bad time for you to take a vacation.

We have far too much work to do.

Have you finished the review?

Almost.

Well, then maybe you should get to it.

Yes, ma'am.

Let's go.

Now I remember why I never went into the family business-- all these contracts and invoices, balance sheets and shipping orders. Ugh!

I feel like I'm trapped in some kind of Ferengi nightmare.

What?

What is it?

I don't know.

What's going on here?

What do you mean?

Did you come here to find me or to prevent me finding out the truth?

I don't know what you're talking about, so maybe you should just tell me, Chief.

The connection between the Orion Syndicate and your family... is Morica Bilby.

She was on the company's payroll when she died.

Did you know about this?

No. Of course not.

Well, someone in your family did.

And since they didn't mention it, they obviously don't want us to know.

Are you suggesting...?

I'm not suggesting anything, but you have to face the possibility that somebody in your family... was involved in her death.

There. Nine months ago.

Morica Bilby shows up on the payroll as a shipping consultant.

Five bars of latinum a week for services rendered.

What services?

There's no cross-reference, no indication of what she was doing for the company.

Whatever it was, she must have been good at the job.

Look here.

Her salary increases to ten bars a week, then 20, then 30.

The last payment entry was six weeks ago.

The day before she was killed.

Who's in charge of the payroll?

My mother... ultimately, but she's turned over most of the day-to-day operations to Janel, and Norvo's been doing the bookkeeping.

Any one of them could know about Morica's payments.

Or all of them.

Lieutenant, we have to show this to the authorities on New Sydney.

Not yet.

Not until I find out what's happened.

That's an order.

Yes, sir.

Why was this woman on our payroll?

We were returning a favor.

To whom?

To the Orion Syndicate.

And what "favor" did they do for us?

Remember when the Ferengi opened up the Timor II mine and there was a ten-point drop in the price of pergium?

Well, that came at a bad moment.

We were overextended on some loans, our cash reserves were depleted, and a Jem'Hadar raid destroyed an entire shipment before it reached the refinery on Rigel IV.

So you turned to the Syndicate?

They came to me.

They offered us a way out, and I took it.

I did what I had to do.

And I don't remember you asking a lot of questions when our cash problems were resolved overnight.

Because I trusted you.

Obviously, it was a mistake.

What about Morica?

About a month after Bokar arranged the loan, he came to me and said it was time to return the favor.

There was a woman who needed a job with a salary but without any actual work involved.

He said she was the widow of one of their associates and they needed to take care of her.

I didn't feel like

I was in a position to say no, so I started making the payments.

No one would have been the wiser if Norvo had altered the payroll records like I asked him.

You dragged your little brother into this?

You're the one who says there's nothing more important than the company.

Well, that's all I was thinking about-- the company.

You dumped it in my lap and I saved it, so don't start complaining now.

If it weren't for me, we would have been finished.

Don't you rationalize what you've done.

All right, all right.

We can talk about who saved what later.

Right now, we have to concentrate on what happened to Morica.

The payroll records show a steady increase in her payments.

Why?

She wasn't happy with her salary.

She said the Syndicate promised her a comfortable living, and she wasn't comfortable on what we were paying her.

How did she die?

I don't know.

Janel... if you have anything to do with this, now is the time to speak.

What are you saying? That I had her killed?

I'm asking!

Mother, he wouldn't have killed her.

You stay out of this.

Listen to me.

I will get you the very best solicitor in New Sydney, but you must tell me the truth.

I didn't kill her.

Oh, Janel, why don't I believe you?

Why don't I believe that this woman just happened to die at the exact moment she was pressuring you for more money?

Why won't you listen to him?

He didn't do it.

JANEL: I may not have shed any tears when I found out she was dead, but I didn't kill her. MOTHER: Then who did?

JANEL: The police said...

Norvo, you don't know what happened to Morica, do you?

MOTHER: Even if it was an accident, we are going to hire...

I'm the idiot brother.

How would I know?

Tell me you don't know anything about this.

I tried to reason with her, but she was very angry-- angry at the Syndicate, angry at us, even angry at her husband for getting himself killed.

I didn't go there to kill her, Zee.

I really didn't, but she wouldn't listen to me.

She started yelling.

Said that our family was just as bad as the Syndicate, that we were all liars and cheats.

And then, suddenly I realized that if she were dead... all of our problems would go away.

Oh, Norvo.

I took care of it.

You always said that I was too weak... to handle the tough ones.

I'm not.

I proved it.

I handled a problem that you couldn't.

I handled it.

I need to, uh... inspect the ore samples from 53-C.

We have to make a decision on whether to open up a new...

Janel, forget about the mine.

It doesn't matter.

I want you to listen to me.

After Norvo's trial is over, you need to go.

Go where?

It doesn't matter. Just go.

Find another life for yourself.

Trust me.

You'll be happier.

They've taken Norvo.

I'm going to stay on New Sydney for the trial, and then I'm going to head back to Deep Space 9.

This isn't my fault, is it, Ezri?

I didn't do this, did I?

Mind if I join you?

When did you get back?

Last night.

Norvo was sentenced to 30 years.

I wish I could say I was sorry, but... considering what he did, he got off easy.

I understand why you feel that way, but you didn't know him, Miles.

Norvo was very gifted.

When we were young, he had so much potential.

Norvo was always the one that we all thought would be something special, and I don't know what happened.

I don't know how my brother turned into...

You know, I guess I just spent so many years dreaming of ways to get out of that house that I didn't see what was really going on inside, what was happening to Norvo-- the endless humiliation, the constant drumbeat of criticism... the way his heart was carved up into little pieces.

I should have seen it.

I should have tried to stop it.

You can't blame yourself.

You're not responsible for that.

But I am, don't you see?

I should have gone home a long time ago.