Star Trek: Deep Space Nine s02e06 Episode Script
Melora
Medical log, stardate 47229.
1 .
Chief O'Brien and l are prepared|for the arrival of a cartographer.
Ensign Melora Pazlar|is the first Elaysian to join Starfleet and requires special accommodations.
l haven't seen one of these|in 300 years.
l'm surprised it was even on file.
lt isn't.
Ensign Pazlar sent me|the specifications.
Her normal anti-grav unit|isn't going to work here.
Cardassian construction|isn't compatible.
The Yellowstone has just docked|at airlock 14, Doctor.
We're on our way.
Just think what it must be like|to adjust to our gravity after living on a planet|with low gravity.
We've done the best we can|with the ramps.
l've modified the vertical clearance|of the chair three centimetres.
lt still leaves places|she can't access.
Can't we use the transporter? She sent word that it wasn't|acceptable to her.
- l wonder why.
|- l know exactly why.
Once her basic needs are met, she refuses any special assistance.
|She's extraordinary.
Sounds like|you've known her for years.
l feel as though l have.
l've pulled|all her personnel and medical files.
- Are her quarters ready?|- l've got the bumps to prove it.
- Thanks, Chief.
|- Let me know if there's anything else.
lt'll be something to see|when we switch off the gravity.
Ensign Pazlar reporting for duty.
l'm Chief Science Officer Jadzia Dax|and this is Dr Bashir.
|We spoke on subspace.
- Good to meet you.
|- You have my trolley car ready.
- Can l help?|- l'm fine, thank you.
That's better.
|You've modified it.
l wanted to give you|as much mobility as l could.
l've been practising on the model|l requested.
- We can replicate the other design.
|- No, l'll just have to adapt.
l'll be accompanying you|on your mission.
l'm perfectly capable of piloting|a runabout.
- Commander Sisko thought|- What every officer has thought: l need help to get the job done.
|Tell him l don't.
He wouldn't allow any ensign to take|a runabout a day after arriving.
You must have|more important things to do than chart the Gamma Quadrant.
Here we are.
You didn't modify the specifications|for my quarters, did you? No, you control the gravity unit with this.
Thank you.
lt was a pleasure|meeting both of you.
Paltriss only created 80 of them, each a work of art.
l've come into the possession of 42.
My world will honour your name for returning the rings of Paltriss|to his birthplace.
As long as your honour|is accompanied by 1 99 bars of gold-pressed latinum.
l heard you drive a hard bargain.
Shall we celebrate our closing the deal with another drink? Excuse me.
l'm sorry.
We're not open yet.
|lf you'll come back Have another drink on me.
Fallit Kot, is it really you? - How long has it been?|- Eight years.
- Eight long years.
|- lt can't be! l must say, you look terrific.
Tanned, toned up.
That baby fat|has disappeared from your face.
You don't keep extra weight on|where l've been.
Just passing through? l bet you have business|in the Gamma Quadrant.
l'm not going to the Gamma Quadrant.
|My business is here with you.
- With me?|- That's right.
l've come to kill you, Quark.
l've gone through her profile.
|She knows what she's doing.
This is her first deep space assignment.
|lt doesn't make sense to Here she is.
Welcome, Ensign.
|l'm Commander Benjamin Sisko.
Am l late? lt looked as though|the meeting had already begun.
Dax and Bashir were telling me|about your request to pilot a runabout.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate|to include me in that conversation? l was being briefed|by my senior officers.
We discuss personnel matters|all the time.
l'm sorry if l seem overly sensitive.
l'm used to being shut out|of the Melora problem.
The truth is|there is no Melora problem until people create one.
This may sound ungrateful because Dr Bashir has been|very helpful preparing for my arrival, but l wonder why a medical opinion|is necessary in this discussion.
Julian knows your capabilities|better than any of us.
l don't need a medical opinion|to tell me my capabilities.
l won't be treated like l'm ill.
- Nobody is doing that.
|- Try sitting in the chair.
No one can understand|until they sit in the chair.
l've been in one chair or another|since l left my home world.
My family gave me this cane,|made from the wood of a garlanic tree.
They had no idea|what it would be like to live in what you call normal gravity.
Only a few Elaysians have left home, but l always knew|that l had to be one of them.
l dreamt about exploring the stars|as a child and l wasn't going to allow any handicap, not a chair,|not a Cardassian station, to stop me from chasing that dream.
You must feel proud|of everything you've achieved.
l've achieved that, Commander,|without being dependent on anybody.
To be honest,|l prefer to work alone.
lt's simply easier for me.
l am not comfortable sending you alone|into the Gamma Quadrant.
l can focus on the job better, work at my own pace|without being a bother to anyone.
Lieutenant Dax will be going with you.
Yes, sir.
When do you wish to leave,|Lieutenant? - Your schedule is fine with me.
|- Then tomorrow at 07:30.
ls it working?|The low-grav field actuator.
- l heard it go off.
|- lt's working fine.
So you were just For me, it's like slipping into a hot tub|at the end of a long day.
Really? l'm a shower man myself.
Look at this.
ls this your husband? Boyfriend? Doctor, if you came for an apology - l apologise.
|- Apology? My speech wasn't intended|to attack you personally.
l'm sure you never set out|to attack anyone personally, but you seem to attack a lot.
- That's insensitive of you, Doctor.
|- Julian.
- l'm no longer your doctor.
|- l see.
- You've decided l need a friend.
|- Was that an attack? You do it so well, with such charm,|it's hard to tell.
- l really don't mean to|- Sure you do.
- l beg your pardon?|- Of course you mean to.
The shots you fire are your way of|keeping the universe on the defensive.
Has to be.
|You're too good at it.
lt always seemed to work pretty well.
Until now.
That is the nicest thing|you've said to me.
Or anybody else.
Are you hungry? l came here|thinking about asking you to dinner.
- Then afterwards we'll go dancing?|- Red alert.
Sorry.
There's a new Klingon restaurant|on the Promenade, if you like that sort of thing.
All right.
- Dinner is served!|- l didn't order dinner.
What better way to mollify satisfy a hungry traveller than|with a delicious home-cooked meal starting with a delicate|Vak clover soup? Why spoil your appetite with soup?|Here's the real treat.
Jumbo Vulcan molluscs sautéed|in rhombolian butter.
A taste so exquisite,|it's to die for.
Or to live for.
Do you know dabo, Fallit? lt's a wonderful game|and easy to learn.
l took the liberty of lining up|a couple of excellent tutors.
Be sure to ask them about|their double-down betting strategy.
lf l haven't made it clear,|l intend your stay here to be as pleasurable|as you could ever imagine.
Allow me to propose a toast to - old friends.
|- Old debts.
Shall l order for us both?|We'll have some "racht" , of course.
And a double order of "gladst" .
|No sauce, please.
And a side order of "zilm'kach" .
|ls that too much for two? - May l?|- Don't be alarmed.
- l can't eat this.
|- l know how it looks l like a customer|who knows what she wants.
There's nothing worse|than half-dead "racht" .
When l was ten, my father was a Federation diplomat|on lnvernia ll.
One day, on a remote part|of the planet, we were hit by a massive storm.
While we waited it out, we found an lnvernian girl|about my age who was sick.
After the storm cleared,|my father went for help.
lt was too late.
l sat there and watched her die.
The next day, when he returned, his guide told us we could have treated|her with a simple herb.
l could have saved her life.
So you started to study medicine.
- Actually, first l started to study tennis.
|- Tennis? l thought l could make a career|out of it.
- You must be very good.
|- l used to think so.
Then l went to my first competition.
My opponent served|and the ball bounced past me.
The computer said it was good|and l was in trouble.
Turned out l had more talent|at medicine than tennis.
l have an early mission tomorrow.
|l'd better get some rest.
Of course.
Dax to Pazlar.
Computer, level one security access.
Ensign Pazlar? Computer, locate Ensign Melora Pazlar.
- Docking level 22, section 14.
|- Section 14? - We need to get you to the infirmary.
|- lt's my own fault.
l decided l could use|an extra astrometric array after going through the mission profile.
|l came to storage to get one.
l wasn't paying enough attention|to what l was doing.
My boot didn't make the lip of the door.
|l fell on my controls.
Dax to Bashir.
Ensign Pazlar's|had a minor accident.
- We need you in the infirmary.
|- Acknowledged.
What kind of architect|would design a raised rim at the entrance to every door? So much for the Gamma Quadrant.
|l didn't even make it there.
There's no concussion.
You can|reschedule your mission for tomorrow.
lt was so Flopping back and forth|like a broken toy.
l didn't want anyone to find me like that,|but l couldn't get up.
Why didn't you wait for Dax|before going in? l didn't need Dax.
|lf l'd just paid attention.
Melora, no one on this station|is completely independent.
ln space,|we all depend on one another.
l just want you to know|that you can depend on me.
You've proven that.
What do the rest|of us have to do to convince you? - Of what?|- That you can depend on us.
Have you heard of Nathaniel Teros'|work with low gravity species? Neuromuscular adaptation.
|lt had no practical success.
A lot of progress has been made|in neurochemistry since then.
You think some day|l could throw away the chair? Theoretically, perhaps.
Would you like to come in? No, l know how you look forward|to turning down the gravity.
Don't let that stop you.
You may want to brace yourself|until you get used to it.
Come on, Julian.
- What do l do?|- Give a gentle push.
lt's easy.
This is astonishing! l can't tell you|how curious l was about this.
Most people are.
They make me feel|like a carnival attraction.
- l prefer to keep everyone out.
|- Thank you for letting me in.
- He's my brother.
|- Who? Oh.
- Setting course 28, mark 142.
|- Confirmed.
Computer, any Vulcan études on file? Affirmative.
lf you have no objections.
|Computer, play something by Delvok.
Delvok never seems a Vulcan to me.
There's too much emotion in his music.
lt's pretty.
Tell me something, Lieutenant.
You think there's room|for romance in Starfleet? - l think so.
|- You've made it work? - Now and then.
|- l mean really work.
Really work? For that l'd have to go back|150 years.
That's a long time.
Could it be that Dr Bashir's|bedside manner has won you over? Our species are just sodifferent.
When did that stop anyone? l knew a hydrogen-breathing Lothra|who fell in love with an Oxygene.
How could they even be|in the same room? What about career conflicts? Two friends of mine got engaged|but were assigned to different starships.
Subspace relationships?|That's a tough one.
They may not be together for a year|and then for only a few weeks.
Love across light years.
|lt's just so - lt lacks intimacy.
|- You could say that.
l finish my mission here,|l move on to the next one.
What kind of future is that|for a romance? Look at the alternative.
l guess.
Oh, it's you.
- Don't be so happy to see me.
|- All right, l won't.
Odo, there's a desperate criminal|on board the station.
You're not talking about Fallit Kot, who got eight years at a labour camp|for hijacking Romulan ale and whose name appears|next to yours on the indictment? l had nothing to do with the hijacking.
|l was only the middleman.
Trafficking in stolen goods should have|got you your own cell at the camp.
Unless, of course,|you sold out your partner.
l can honestly say justice was served.
l imagine that Fallit Kot is looking|for his own kind of justice now.
He threatened to kill me.
- What?|- Nothing.
- Just a passing thought.
|- Odo, he means it.
Nothing l do seems to change his mind.
|You've got to do something.
l'll do my job, Quark.
Unfortunately.
- "Racht" , anyone?|- l've got something to show you.
What is it? An elevated neural output|from the brain's gross motor cortex.
lt's stimulating acetylcholine|absorption.
- Neuromuscular adaptation?|- lt was a theory until the development|of neo-analeptic transmitters.
No one has re-examined the ideas|of Nathaniel Teros.
Until now.
Thiscould actually work? No more servo controls,|no more chair - Have l done something wrong?|- Not that l'm aware of.
- We have something in common.
|- We do? l don't like Quark, either,|but l can't let you kill him.
Did he tell you l was going|to do that? l know of your history together.
Let bygones be bygones,|l always say.
And l always say you can tell a man's|intentions by the way he walks.
How do l walk? Like someone carrying a lot of weight|on his shoulders.
Must be the memory of|those Romulan bricks l carried.
Must be.
But you can't lock a man up|for the way he walks, can you? Well? l'd say he's a man|with nothing to lose.
l have no reason to hold him for now|and he knows it.
l'll watch him the best l can, but carry a combadge.
|Call me at the first sign of trouble.
What if the first sign is the last sign? You people sell pieces of yourself|after you die, don't you? l'll buy one.
- My heart is pounding.
|- l hope that has to do with me.
Would that also explain|why my backside is getting warm? That's neuromuscular tissue|stimulation due to increased motor cortex activity.
l'd say that's enough first time out.
lt's good to use your muscles|in this gravity environment.
- Feel any different?|- No.
- Nothing at all?|- l'm sorry, Julian.
The acetylcholine absorption|is at 1 4% above normal.
lncreased tensile strength|would be the result.
l can lift my leg.
Your neural pathway's|beginning to adapt.
Endurance and coordination|might take a while, but you should be walking|within the hour.
- How's the upgrade coming?|- We've got it to about 70%, but it looks like that's l'll be damned.
l wanted to give you|our mission summary myself.
- A pleasure, Ensign.
|- Julian, how did you? l increased output|on the brain's motor cortex.
Someone else's research, actually.
You'll get your name|in the medical journals.
l don't know how to tell you this,|but l'm not sure lt's just the first treatment wearing off.
|Nothing to be concerned about.
l'd better get you back|to your quarters.
Habitat ring, level 14.
With each treatment,|you should get stronger and the effects should last longer.
What about this? A low-grav environment now|would confuse your motor cortex.
l understand.
Julian You let me fly for the first time.
l let you walk.
We're even.
l'll see you in the morning.
Lights.
Computer, turn on No one can hear you, Quark.
|lt's just you and me.
l wasn't prepared to entertain|this evening, but make yourself at home.
- l already have.
|- What's mine is yours.
l'm tired of your gifts, Quark.
|All l want is your miserable life.
Wait! Everything's negotiable.
Believe me,|l'm worth much more to you alive.
How does 199 bars of gold-pressed|latinum sound to you? lt's a start.
The mattress felt like rocks.
|My muscles ached all night long.
You'll adjust to that.
This time the effect should last|for several hours.
Exactly when does this become|irreversible? Melora, if you're not certain lt's just some strange form|of buyer's remorse.
l'll be fine.
Tell me exactly what you're feeling.
Last night, l just missed l didn't feel like me.
lf you want to end your dependence|on the chair and the servo controls, you'll have to give up|the low-grav environment.
lt seemed like a good trade,|until l realised l couldn't do it any more.
l'm concerned|that going back and forth could lead to a loss|of fine motor control.
Meaning? Your ability to perform complex tasks|could be affected.
The effects are reversible|for the next few days.
We can pull the plug at any time|before then.
But after that, your motor cortex impulses|will kick in on their own.
Permanently.
lt's starting to wear off again.
l don't understand myself.
How could l possibly|have second thoughts? This would mean real independence.
|lt's everything l ever wished for.
Then l start to think about home|and how l won't be able to go back.
Maybe just for a short visit,|but never really go back.
''The Little Mermaid.
'' - Mermaid?|- lt's an Earth fable by HC Andersen.
She trades her magical life|under the sea for a pair of legs to walk on land.
Didn't she live happily ever after? Ashrok.
Right on time.
May l present my long-time|business partner, Fallit Kot? For your inspection.
Exquisite.
- Then our transaction is complete.
|- Not quite.
- l'll take them, too.
|- They warned me about you.
A deal is a deal.
|Rule of Acquisition number 1 6.
You got what you came for.
|Be reasonable.
Pick it up.
Hurry up! Move! Let's go! Security to level 22, section 5.
Julian will understand.
He can publish the results|of the first treatments.
Both of you, back in the ship.
Move it! Come on, move it! - Get us out of here.
|- Do as he says.
- l'll wait in the back.
|- The front, where l can see you.
She needs motor support in our gravity.
They're in the Orinoco.
|Docking clamps have been released.
Ready a tractor beam,|open a channel.
This is Commander Benjamin Sisko.
|Return at once.
- No reply.
|- Engage the tractor beam.
They've locked onto us|with a tractor beam.
Release the ship|or l'll kill a hostage.
l'm willing to negotiate, but first Didn't you hear what l said? No, l have something special|in mind for you.
Do l make myself clear?|Release the ship now.
Doctor, Chief, with me.
|Beam us to the Rio Grande.
On ten seconds,|disengage the tractor beam.
Understood.
Energising.
- They've released us.
|- Through the wormhole.
- What was that?|- l'm not sure.
Another ship|coming through the wormhole.
- Take us to warp.
|- We haven't set a course yet.
lf we don't set a course,|we could warp ourselves into oblivion.
Set a course.
|Just get us out of here.
- They're powering up their warp drive.
|- Stay with them.
Engaging warp engines.
- Can we beam them aboard at warp?|- l wouldn't recommend it.
- Get the phasers ready.
|- l'm not going to fire at them.
You'll do it or you'll die.
|lt's your choice.
Fine.
Then l hope|you can fly this ship.
Just sit down|and do what l told you.
Now.
Quark, how well do you know this man? We've been friends for years.
Then explain to him that Starfleet|isn't going to stop chasing us.
You don't know these Starfleet types.
Then we'll all die.
Great! We escape and he's got|something special planned for me.
We don't escape and l die.
|Am l missing a choice here? - They've dropped out of warp.
|- Go to impulse.
- Their gravity generators are off.
|- Melora's alive.
Gravity has been reinstated.
|All engines are down.
Come on, Doctor.
We have the situation in hand,|Commander.
Sisko to Rio Grande.
|Everything's under control.
Setting course for the wormhole.
- Why didn't the phaser kill me?|- l don't know.
- Maybe all the neuro-stimulants.
|- That's what l was wondering.
lt might make an interesting side effect|of the treatment.
Julian l'm not going ahead|with the treatments.
You can always try again some day.
l don't think l will.
l like being independent.
But to give up everything l am|to walk on land l might be more independent,|but l wouldn't be Elaysian any more.
l'm not sure what l'd be.
Maybe independence isn't all|it's cracked up to be.
l like being dependent|on someone for a change.
l'm glad you got me to unlock|the doors to my quarters so l could finally let someone|into my life.
So am l.
You must be exhausted.
|lf you don't want to stay Let's just sit a while and listen.
l want to remember all of this.
1 .
Chief O'Brien and l are prepared|for the arrival of a cartographer.
Ensign Melora Pazlar|is the first Elaysian to join Starfleet and requires special accommodations.
l haven't seen one of these|in 300 years.
l'm surprised it was even on file.
lt isn't.
Ensign Pazlar sent me|the specifications.
Her normal anti-grav unit|isn't going to work here.
Cardassian construction|isn't compatible.
The Yellowstone has just docked|at airlock 14, Doctor.
We're on our way.
Just think what it must be like|to adjust to our gravity after living on a planet|with low gravity.
We've done the best we can|with the ramps.
l've modified the vertical clearance|of the chair three centimetres.
lt still leaves places|she can't access.
Can't we use the transporter? She sent word that it wasn't|acceptable to her.
- l wonder why.
|- l know exactly why.
Once her basic needs are met, she refuses any special assistance.
|She's extraordinary.
Sounds like|you've known her for years.
l feel as though l have.
l've pulled|all her personnel and medical files.
- Are her quarters ready?|- l've got the bumps to prove it.
- Thanks, Chief.
|- Let me know if there's anything else.
lt'll be something to see|when we switch off the gravity.
Ensign Pazlar reporting for duty.
l'm Chief Science Officer Jadzia Dax|and this is Dr Bashir.
|We spoke on subspace.
- Good to meet you.
|- You have my trolley car ready.
- Can l help?|- l'm fine, thank you.
That's better.
|You've modified it.
l wanted to give you|as much mobility as l could.
l've been practising on the model|l requested.
- We can replicate the other design.
|- No, l'll just have to adapt.
l'll be accompanying you|on your mission.
l'm perfectly capable of piloting|a runabout.
- Commander Sisko thought|- What every officer has thought: l need help to get the job done.
|Tell him l don't.
He wouldn't allow any ensign to take|a runabout a day after arriving.
You must have|more important things to do than chart the Gamma Quadrant.
Here we are.
You didn't modify the specifications|for my quarters, did you? No, you control the gravity unit with this.
Thank you.
lt was a pleasure|meeting both of you.
Paltriss only created 80 of them, each a work of art.
l've come into the possession of 42.
My world will honour your name for returning the rings of Paltriss|to his birthplace.
As long as your honour|is accompanied by 1 99 bars of gold-pressed latinum.
l heard you drive a hard bargain.
Shall we celebrate our closing the deal with another drink? Excuse me.
l'm sorry.
We're not open yet.
|lf you'll come back Have another drink on me.
Fallit Kot, is it really you? - How long has it been?|- Eight years.
- Eight long years.
|- lt can't be! l must say, you look terrific.
Tanned, toned up.
That baby fat|has disappeared from your face.
You don't keep extra weight on|where l've been.
Just passing through? l bet you have business|in the Gamma Quadrant.
l'm not going to the Gamma Quadrant.
|My business is here with you.
- With me?|- That's right.
l've come to kill you, Quark.
l've gone through her profile.
|She knows what she's doing.
This is her first deep space assignment.
|lt doesn't make sense to Here she is.
Welcome, Ensign.
|l'm Commander Benjamin Sisko.
Am l late? lt looked as though|the meeting had already begun.
Dax and Bashir were telling me|about your request to pilot a runabout.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate|to include me in that conversation? l was being briefed|by my senior officers.
We discuss personnel matters|all the time.
l'm sorry if l seem overly sensitive.
l'm used to being shut out|of the Melora problem.
The truth is|there is no Melora problem until people create one.
This may sound ungrateful because Dr Bashir has been|very helpful preparing for my arrival, but l wonder why a medical opinion|is necessary in this discussion.
Julian knows your capabilities|better than any of us.
l don't need a medical opinion|to tell me my capabilities.
l won't be treated like l'm ill.
- Nobody is doing that.
|- Try sitting in the chair.
No one can understand|until they sit in the chair.
l've been in one chair or another|since l left my home world.
My family gave me this cane,|made from the wood of a garlanic tree.
They had no idea|what it would be like to live in what you call normal gravity.
Only a few Elaysians have left home, but l always knew|that l had to be one of them.
l dreamt about exploring the stars|as a child and l wasn't going to allow any handicap, not a chair,|not a Cardassian station, to stop me from chasing that dream.
You must feel proud|of everything you've achieved.
l've achieved that, Commander,|without being dependent on anybody.
To be honest,|l prefer to work alone.
lt's simply easier for me.
l am not comfortable sending you alone|into the Gamma Quadrant.
l can focus on the job better, work at my own pace|without being a bother to anyone.
Lieutenant Dax will be going with you.
Yes, sir.
When do you wish to leave,|Lieutenant? - Your schedule is fine with me.
|- Then tomorrow at 07:30.
ls it working?|The low-grav field actuator.
- l heard it go off.
|- lt's working fine.
So you were just For me, it's like slipping into a hot tub|at the end of a long day.
Really? l'm a shower man myself.
Look at this.
ls this your husband? Boyfriend? Doctor, if you came for an apology - l apologise.
|- Apology? My speech wasn't intended|to attack you personally.
l'm sure you never set out|to attack anyone personally, but you seem to attack a lot.
- That's insensitive of you, Doctor.
|- Julian.
- l'm no longer your doctor.
|- l see.
- You've decided l need a friend.
|- Was that an attack? You do it so well, with such charm,|it's hard to tell.
- l really don't mean to|- Sure you do.
- l beg your pardon?|- Of course you mean to.
The shots you fire are your way of|keeping the universe on the defensive.
Has to be.
|You're too good at it.
lt always seemed to work pretty well.
Until now.
That is the nicest thing|you've said to me.
Or anybody else.
Are you hungry? l came here|thinking about asking you to dinner.
- Then afterwards we'll go dancing?|- Red alert.
Sorry.
There's a new Klingon restaurant|on the Promenade, if you like that sort of thing.
All right.
- Dinner is served!|- l didn't order dinner.
What better way to mollify satisfy a hungry traveller than|with a delicious home-cooked meal starting with a delicate|Vak clover soup? Why spoil your appetite with soup?|Here's the real treat.
Jumbo Vulcan molluscs sautéed|in rhombolian butter.
A taste so exquisite,|it's to die for.
Or to live for.
Do you know dabo, Fallit? lt's a wonderful game|and easy to learn.
l took the liberty of lining up|a couple of excellent tutors.
Be sure to ask them about|their double-down betting strategy.
lf l haven't made it clear,|l intend your stay here to be as pleasurable|as you could ever imagine.
Allow me to propose a toast to - old friends.
|- Old debts.
Shall l order for us both?|We'll have some "racht" , of course.
And a double order of "gladst" .
|No sauce, please.
And a side order of "zilm'kach" .
|ls that too much for two? - May l?|- Don't be alarmed.
- l can't eat this.
|- l know how it looks l like a customer|who knows what she wants.
There's nothing worse|than half-dead "racht" .
When l was ten, my father was a Federation diplomat|on lnvernia ll.
One day, on a remote part|of the planet, we were hit by a massive storm.
While we waited it out, we found an lnvernian girl|about my age who was sick.
After the storm cleared,|my father went for help.
lt was too late.
l sat there and watched her die.
The next day, when he returned, his guide told us we could have treated|her with a simple herb.
l could have saved her life.
So you started to study medicine.
- Actually, first l started to study tennis.
|- Tennis? l thought l could make a career|out of it.
- You must be very good.
|- l used to think so.
Then l went to my first competition.
My opponent served|and the ball bounced past me.
The computer said it was good|and l was in trouble.
Turned out l had more talent|at medicine than tennis.
l have an early mission tomorrow.
|l'd better get some rest.
Of course.
Dax to Pazlar.
Computer, level one security access.
Ensign Pazlar? Computer, locate Ensign Melora Pazlar.
- Docking level 22, section 14.
|- Section 14? - We need to get you to the infirmary.
|- lt's my own fault.
l decided l could use|an extra astrometric array after going through the mission profile.
|l came to storage to get one.
l wasn't paying enough attention|to what l was doing.
My boot didn't make the lip of the door.
|l fell on my controls.
Dax to Bashir.
Ensign Pazlar's|had a minor accident.
- We need you in the infirmary.
|- Acknowledged.
What kind of architect|would design a raised rim at the entrance to every door? So much for the Gamma Quadrant.
|l didn't even make it there.
There's no concussion.
You can|reschedule your mission for tomorrow.
lt was so Flopping back and forth|like a broken toy.
l didn't want anyone to find me like that,|but l couldn't get up.
Why didn't you wait for Dax|before going in? l didn't need Dax.
|lf l'd just paid attention.
Melora, no one on this station|is completely independent.
ln space,|we all depend on one another.
l just want you to know|that you can depend on me.
You've proven that.
What do the rest|of us have to do to convince you? - Of what?|- That you can depend on us.
Have you heard of Nathaniel Teros'|work with low gravity species? Neuromuscular adaptation.
|lt had no practical success.
A lot of progress has been made|in neurochemistry since then.
You think some day|l could throw away the chair? Theoretically, perhaps.
Would you like to come in? No, l know how you look forward|to turning down the gravity.
Don't let that stop you.
You may want to brace yourself|until you get used to it.
Come on, Julian.
- What do l do?|- Give a gentle push.
lt's easy.
This is astonishing! l can't tell you|how curious l was about this.
Most people are.
They make me feel|like a carnival attraction.
- l prefer to keep everyone out.
|- Thank you for letting me in.
- He's my brother.
|- Who? Oh.
- Setting course 28, mark 142.
|- Confirmed.
Computer, any Vulcan études on file? Affirmative.
lf you have no objections.
|Computer, play something by Delvok.
Delvok never seems a Vulcan to me.
There's too much emotion in his music.
lt's pretty.
Tell me something, Lieutenant.
You think there's room|for romance in Starfleet? - l think so.
|- You've made it work? - Now and then.
|- l mean really work.
Really work? For that l'd have to go back|150 years.
That's a long time.
Could it be that Dr Bashir's|bedside manner has won you over? Our species are just sodifferent.
When did that stop anyone? l knew a hydrogen-breathing Lothra|who fell in love with an Oxygene.
How could they even be|in the same room? What about career conflicts? Two friends of mine got engaged|but were assigned to different starships.
Subspace relationships?|That's a tough one.
They may not be together for a year|and then for only a few weeks.
Love across light years.
|lt's just so - lt lacks intimacy.
|- You could say that.
l finish my mission here,|l move on to the next one.
What kind of future is that|for a romance? Look at the alternative.
l guess.
Oh, it's you.
- Don't be so happy to see me.
|- All right, l won't.
Odo, there's a desperate criminal|on board the station.
You're not talking about Fallit Kot, who got eight years at a labour camp|for hijacking Romulan ale and whose name appears|next to yours on the indictment? l had nothing to do with the hijacking.
|l was only the middleman.
Trafficking in stolen goods should have|got you your own cell at the camp.
Unless, of course,|you sold out your partner.
l can honestly say justice was served.
l imagine that Fallit Kot is looking|for his own kind of justice now.
He threatened to kill me.
- What?|- Nothing.
- Just a passing thought.
|- Odo, he means it.
Nothing l do seems to change his mind.
|You've got to do something.
l'll do my job, Quark.
Unfortunately.
- "Racht" , anyone?|- l've got something to show you.
What is it? An elevated neural output|from the brain's gross motor cortex.
lt's stimulating acetylcholine|absorption.
- Neuromuscular adaptation?|- lt was a theory until the development|of neo-analeptic transmitters.
No one has re-examined the ideas|of Nathaniel Teros.
Until now.
Thiscould actually work? No more servo controls,|no more chair - Have l done something wrong?|- Not that l'm aware of.
- We have something in common.
|- We do? l don't like Quark, either,|but l can't let you kill him.
Did he tell you l was going|to do that? l know of your history together.
Let bygones be bygones,|l always say.
And l always say you can tell a man's|intentions by the way he walks.
How do l walk? Like someone carrying a lot of weight|on his shoulders.
Must be the memory of|those Romulan bricks l carried.
Must be.
But you can't lock a man up|for the way he walks, can you? Well? l'd say he's a man|with nothing to lose.
l have no reason to hold him for now|and he knows it.
l'll watch him the best l can, but carry a combadge.
|Call me at the first sign of trouble.
What if the first sign is the last sign? You people sell pieces of yourself|after you die, don't you? l'll buy one.
- My heart is pounding.
|- l hope that has to do with me.
Would that also explain|why my backside is getting warm? That's neuromuscular tissue|stimulation due to increased motor cortex activity.
l'd say that's enough first time out.
lt's good to use your muscles|in this gravity environment.
- Feel any different?|- No.
- Nothing at all?|- l'm sorry, Julian.
The acetylcholine absorption|is at 1 4% above normal.
lncreased tensile strength|would be the result.
l can lift my leg.
Your neural pathway's|beginning to adapt.
Endurance and coordination|might take a while, but you should be walking|within the hour.
- How's the upgrade coming?|- We've got it to about 70%, but it looks like that's l'll be damned.
l wanted to give you|our mission summary myself.
- A pleasure, Ensign.
|- Julian, how did you? l increased output|on the brain's motor cortex.
Someone else's research, actually.
You'll get your name|in the medical journals.
l don't know how to tell you this,|but l'm not sure lt's just the first treatment wearing off.
|Nothing to be concerned about.
l'd better get you back|to your quarters.
Habitat ring, level 14.
With each treatment,|you should get stronger and the effects should last longer.
What about this? A low-grav environment now|would confuse your motor cortex.
l understand.
Julian You let me fly for the first time.
l let you walk.
We're even.
l'll see you in the morning.
Lights.
Computer, turn on No one can hear you, Quark.
|lt's just you and me.
l wasn't prepared to entertain|this evening, but make yourself at home.
- l already have.
|- What's mine is yours.
l'm tired of your gifts, Quark.
|All l want is your miserable life.
Wait! Everything's negotiable.
Believe me,|l'm worth much more to you alive.
How does 199 bars of gold-pressed|latinum sound to you? lt's a start.
The mattress felt like rocks.
|My muscles ached all night long.
You'll adjust to that.
This time the effect should last|for several hours.
Exactly when does this become|irreversible? Melora, if you're not certain lt's just some strange form|of buyer's remorse.
l'll be fine.
Tell me exactly what you're feeling.
Last night, l just missed l didn't feel like me.
lf you want to end your dependence|on the chair and the servo controls, you'll have to give up|the low-grav environment.
lt seemed like a good trade,|until l realised l couldn't do it any more.
l'm concerned|that going back and forth could lead to a loss|of fine motor control.
Meaning? Your ability to perform complex tasks|could be affected.
The effects are reversible|for the next few days.
We can pull the plug at any time|before then.
But after that, your motor cortex impulses|will kick in on their own.
Permanently.
lt's starting to wear off again.
l don't understand myself.
How could l possibly|have second thoughts? This would mean real independence.
|lt's everything l ever wished for.
Then l start to think about home|and how l won't be able to go back.
Maybe just for a short visit,|but never really go back.
''The Little Mermaid.
'' - Mermaid?|- lt's an Earth fable by HC Andersen.
She trades her magical life|under the sea for a pair of legs to walk on land.
Didn't she live happily ever after? Ashrok.
Right on time.
May l present my long-time|business partner, Fallit Kot? For your inspection.
Exquisite.
- Then our transaction is complete.
|- Not quite.
- l'll take them, too.
|- They warned me about you.
A deal is a deal.
|Rule of Acquisition number 1 6.
You got what you came for.
|Be reasonable.
Pick it up.
Hurry up! Move! Let's go! Security to level 22, section 5.
Julian will understand.
He can publish the results|of the first treatments.
Both of you, back in the ship.
Move it! Come on, move it! - Get us out of here.
|- Do as he says.
- l'll wait in the back.
|- The front, where l can see you.
She needs motor support in our gravity.
They're in the Orinoco.
|Docking clamps have been released.
Ready a tractor beam,|open a channel.
This is Commander Benjamin Sisko.
|Return at once.
- No reply.
|- Engage the tractor beam.
They've locked onto us|with a tractor beam.
Release the ship|or l'll kill a hostage.
l'm willing to negotiate, but first Didn't you hear what l said? No, l have something special|in mind for you.
Do l make myself clear?|Release the ship now.
Doctor, Chief, with me.
|Beam us to the Rio Grande.
On ten seconds,|disengage the tractor beam.
Understood.
Energising.
- They've released us.
|- Through the wormhole.
- What was that?|- l'm not sure.
Another ship|coming through the wormhole.
- Take us to warp.
|- We haven't set a course yet.
lf we don't set a course,|we could warp ourselves into oblivion.
Set a course.
|Just get us out of here.
- They're powering up their warp drive.
|- Stay with them.
Engaging warp engines.
- Can we beam them aboard at warp?|- l wouldn't recommend it.
- Get the phasers ready.
|- l'm not going to fire at them.
You'll do it or you'll die.
|lt's your choice.
Fine.
Then l hope|you can fly this ship.
Just sit down|and do what l told you.
Now.
Quark, how well do you know this man? We've been friends for years.
Then explain to him that Starfleet|isn't going to stop chasing us.
You don't know these Starfleet types.
Then we'll all die.
Great! We escape and he's got|something special planned for me.
We don't escape and l die.
|Am l missing a choice here? - They've dropped out of warp.
|- Go to impulse.
- Their gravity generators are off.
|- Melora's alive.
Gravity has been reinstated.
|All engines are down.
Come on, Doctor.
We have the situation in hand,|Commander.
Sisko to Rio Grande.
|Everything's under control.
Setting course for the wormhole.
- Why didn't the phaser kill me?|- l don't know.
- Maybe all the neuro-stimulants.
|- That's what l was wondering.
lt might make an interesting side effect|of the treatment.
Julian l'm not going ahead|with the treatments.
You can always try again some day.
l don't think l will.
l like being independent.
But to give up everything l am|to walk on land l might be more independent,|but l wouldn't be Elaysian any more.
l'm not sure what l'd be.
Maybe independence isn't all|it's cracked up to be.
l like being dependent|on someone for a change.
l'm glad you got me to unlock|the doors to my quarters so l could finally let someone|into my life.
So am l.
You must be exhausted.
|lf you don't want to stay Let's just sit a while and listen.
l want to remember all of this.