Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Last time on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...

If you could do any science project you wanted to

anything at all...

Visit the Gamma Quadrant?

We've never heard of the Jem'Hadar.

Then you've been fortunate.

Negotiations with the Dominion

can be a dangerous thing.

The Dominion will no longer stand by

and allow ships from your side to violate our territory.

Starfleet's orders are simple.

Traffic through the wormhole will be suspended

until the Odyssey can investigate

the Jem'Hadar's threat.

What about Benjamin and the others?

Don't worry, Lieutenant.

Commander Sisko's return is a top priority.

If you're going to try to rescue them

then we're coming with you.

Here they come.

Major, one of the Jem'Hadar ships

is making a direct run at the Odyssey.

The Jem'Hadar wanted us to escape, didn't they?

You have no idea what's begun here.

She'll be back.

The question is who she'll bring with her.

If the Dominion comes through the wormhole

the first battle will be fought here

and I intend to be ready for them.

And now, the continuation.

We're in trouble, people.

We've run seven simulations and they all come out the same.

The Jem'Hadar overwhelm our defenses

and board the station within two hours.

Two hours doesn't even give us time

to get reinforcements from Bajor.

There must be something we overlooked.

Major, I'm the last one to say it's hopeless

but given DS9's structural limitations

our available power supply

and the difficulty of defending a stationary target

against a heavily armed mobile force

I'd say two hours is optimistic.

Well, regardless of the time

the casualties would be appalling.

All right, let's say we let them board the station.

That still doesn't mean we have to surrender.

What are you suggesting?

We can, uh...

we can hide in the conduits, set up booby traps

prepare ambushes... try and hold out

until we can get reinforcements.

We can try, but I don't think

there'd be much of a station left

by the time they got here.

That leaves us with two options...

abandon the station and make a stand on Bajor.

Or... collapse the entrance to the wormhole.

No, I want a third alternative.

I cannot believe that we can't...

Our security sensors.

Where is it?

Bearing 148

mark 215.

Distance 300 meters.

300 meters?

That's almost inside our shield perimeter.

From the intensity in the harmonic signature

it could be a cloaked ship

but I've never seen an energy dispersal pattern like this.

It's too close for comfort, whatever it is.

Red Alert.

Raise shields.

Energize phaser banks.

Stand by to lock photon torpedoes.

The energy signature's fluctuating.

It's de-cloaking.

It's definitely a Federation starship

but I've never seen that design before.

A Federation ship with a cloaking device?

It's hailing us.

On screen.

Hello, Major.

Sorry to startle you, but I wanted

to test the Defiant's cloaking device.

The Defiant?

I've brought back a little surprise for the Dominion.

Officially, it's classified as an escort vessel.

Unofficially, the Defiant's a warship...

nothing more, nothing less.

I thought Starfleet didn't believe in warships.

Desperate times breed desperate measures, Major.

Five years ago, Starfleet began exploring the possibility

of building a new class of starship.

This ship would have no families, no science labs

no luxuries of any kind.

It was designed for one purpose only...

to fight and defeat the Borg.

The Defiant was a prototype.

The first ship

in what would have been

a new Federation battle fleet.

So what happened?

The Borg threat became less urgent.

Also, some design flaws cropped up

during the ship's shakedown cruise

so Starfleet decided to abandon the project.

What sort of design flaws?

You'll have complete access to the ship evaluation reports

but, to put it simply, it's over gunned

and overpowered for a ship its size.

During battle drills, it nearly tore itself apart

when the engines were tested at full capacity.

And this is the ship that Starfleet sends us

to fight off an attack by the Dominion?

We're not going to fight the Dominion, Major

at least, not yet anyway.

Our mission is to take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant

and try to find the leaders of the Dominion, the Founders.

We have to convince them that the Federation

does not represent a threat to them.

What if they don't believe us?

That's why I asked for the Defiant.

She may have flaws, but she has teeth

and I want the Dominion to know

that we can and will defend ourselves, if necessary.

I've posted two security officers

at the Defiant's docking port, sir.

No one will get near the cloaking device

without us knowing about it.

I wasn't informed

about any special security arrangements.

The security arrangements were by my request

to protect the cloaking device.

A few introductions are in order.

This is Subcommander T'Rul

from the Romulan Empire.

She's here to operate the cloaking device

which her government

so kindly loaned us for this mission.

Romulan interests will be served through cooperation

and my role is to keep unauthorized personnel

away from the cloaking device.

May I present my officers.

This is Major Ki...

Thank you, but I know their names

and I'm not here to make friends.

Charming.

Well, I am here to make friends.

I'm Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington.

Starfleet Security.

Major Kira Nerys.

Odo, Head of Station Security.

May I ask what your function is here, Commander?

There will be a complete mission briefing

at 1800 hours, but be prepared

to depart the station at 0700 tomorrow morning.

Dismissed.

You needn't brace yourself

to give me unpleasant news, Commander.

I'll save you the trouble.

I've been relieved as Chief of Security.

Odo, wait!

You've not been relieved.

You're still in charge

of all non-Starfleet security matters aboard this station.

And what about matters that are Starfleet?

In those areas, you coordinate your efforts

with Commander Eddington.

"Coordinate" is another way of saying

I'll report to him.

I'm sorry, Odo.

This wasn't my idea.

I'm sure it wasn't.

You were just following orders.

An order I strongly disagreed with.

I did everything I could to fight this.

I even took it

to the Chief of Starfleet Security herself

but the decision was final.

May I ask why?

There were some concerns

about several recent security breaches.

If I was given the authority I asked for

instead of being tied to Starfleet regulations

there wouldn't have been any security breaches.

Odo, your resistance to following Starfleet regulations

is part of the problem.

Well, I think there might be a simpler explanation, Commander.

I think Starfleet decided to bring in

someone they could trust...

someone besides "the shape-shifter."

This is not a racial issue, Odo.

I understand

how you must feel, and I...

Commander.

I don't require your understanding.

My resignation will be logged within the hour.

Hey, hey, hey...

I thought you were unpacking.