ACT FIVE

FADE IN:

28 INT. DS9 – SECURITY CELLS

Picking up where we left off again. Cenn leans against the wall, wracked with shudders and pants. Quark slumps in his chair, his hands still bound behind him. Ro gawps in shock.

Slowly, she turns away, takes a few steps, places the hypos down on a table as she tries to process this. She can’t look either of them in the face right now.

RO
You.
(shakes head)
...You?

CENN
General Lenaris ordered me to do it.
To find a way to get the data out
there... without it looking like it
was us.

RO
So you used Quark? Set him up to
take the fall?

CENN
No! No-one was supposed to know.
I gave it to Quark... I thought he
would pass it on to somebody else.
I never thought they’d trace it
back to him.

QUARK
(slurry)
Thanks for the confidence.

CENN
This all got so far out of hand...
But this makes it okay, right? If
I own up to this... then that makes
it an internal Bajoran matter. The
diplomatic crisis with the Ferengi
goes away.

Ro finally turns to him.

RO
It makes it okay? Yeah, sure! It
just means that instead of my best
friend betraying me, it was my
first officer instead.

CENN
But -

RO
Does it make it okay that Quark
still let out classified data, no
matter where he got it from? Does
it make it okay that I arrested an
ambassador and held him without
charge? Does it make it okay that
there have been deaths on the
street because of this? Or that
I was about to...

She can’t even finish that.

QUARK
Can I say something?

RO
Oh god, Quark...

Ro rushes to free Quark’s hands. Unbound, he gingerly touches his face, winces at the bruises and swelling.

QUARK
This doesn’t change anything. It
was still the right thing to do.

RO
How can you say that?

QUARK
You were still wrong, Laren. You
shouldn’t have kept this secret.
Whoever told it, the people had
a right to know.

RO
But look what’s happened.

QUARK
Because of the secrets. Not
because of the truth.

Ro sags against a table. She looks at Quark slumped in his seat, beaten and bruised. She looks at Cenn, crying softly against the wall.

RO
What do we do now?

No-one has any answers.

29 INT. DS9 – SECURITY OFFICE

Evik sits in his chair, unhappy about things. He looks up as he sees BASHIR approaching in a hurry, carrying a med kit. The door opens and Bashir enters. (Outside on the Promenade, a bit of a crowd has gathered).

EVIK
Doctor?

The door from the cells opens and Ro steps through.

RO
Julian. In here.

Bashir quickly follows Ro back into the cells. Curious, Evik follows too.

30 INT. DS9 – SECURITY CELLS

Ro, Bashir and Evik re-enter the cells area, finding Quark standing, Cenn helping him. Bashir rushes to Quark, begins to inspect his face. He throws a sour look at Ro.

BASHIR
Is it even worth me asking what
went on in here?

Ro doesn’t answer. Evik is very much not happy either. Bashir just does his work, mending Quark’s face.

31 INT. DS9 – PROMENADE

The security office doors open, and Quark emerges, to a ROAR of applause and cheers from the gathered crowd. Treir is there, cheering and clapping at the front of the crowd. Kira, Ledahn and Daimon Grob are also there, in various emotional states. (Security bodies keep everyone in line.)

Quark stands in the doorway of security, looking fully healed, no sign of his injuries. He raises his hands in thanks to his supporters. Ro, Bashir and Evik stand grimly behind him. Cenn is nowhere to be seen.

Quark moves off into the crowd, letting them adore him. As she exits the office, Ro catches eyes with Treir. Treir nods her thanks to Ro. Ro looks away awkwardly.

32 EXT. DEEP SPACE NINE

The three Ferengi Marauders slowly turn and leave the area. The Bajoran shuttle also detaches and moves away.

33 INT. DS9 – COMMANDER’S OFFICE

Ro is sat at her desk, talking again into the comm screen, which now features General Lenaris.

RO
You know, General, if you hated
me this much, you could have just
said so. Cenn told me it all.

On screen, Lenaris takes a deep breath and centres himself.

LENARIS (screen)
Prophets save me from officers
with persecution complexes.

RO
I beg your pardon?

LENARIS (screen)
This was not personal, Commander.
At least, not in so much that I
wouldn’t have taken this action
regardless of whose wrong-headed
decision this was.

RO
I gave you that information as a
sign of good faith. And you just
stomped all over my good faith
like it meant nothing to you.

LENARIS (screen)
Good faith does mean nothing,
Commander, when it’s including me
in something so corrupt. You have
put the lives I protect at risk. And
I have no problem embarrassing
Starfleet publicly because of it.

RO
While you look like the victim. So
now what? I’m supposed to throw
myself on my sword, beg for mercy?

LENARIS (screen)
You’re supposed to get rid of the
ship, Commander, before it gets
rid of us.

RO
It’s a source of vital tactical and
technological information.

LENARIS (screen)
It’s a death machine. And now
everyone – everyone – knows where
to find it. You have no choice.

RO
(cold smile)
Don’t underestimate me, General.

LENARIS (screen)
Is that a threat, Commander?

RO
(shrug)
I just think that if the public were
so eager to know my secrets, I’m
sure they’d be fascinated by yours
as well.

LENARIS (screen)
Mutually assured destruction, then.

RO
It’s what it’s all about, General.

Ro stabs the comm panel, cutting the signal. She sits for a moment, ponders. Then she hits the comm button again.

RO
Major Cenn to my office please.

CENN (comm)
On my way, Commander.

Ro stands and gazes out of the window behind her desk. After a moment, the door opens and Cenn enters the office. He keeps it tight and controlled, no idea how this will go.

CENN
Major Cenn, reporting as ordered.

RO
(still not looking)
Thank you, Major.

There’s a pause. Cenn wonders if he should say something.

RO
I’ve spoken to Lenaris. I’ve think
we’ve both agreed that this will
go no further.

CENN
Do you want my resignation, sir?

RO
I thought about it. But of the two
of us, you’re the only one who was
actually following orders. So no.
(turns to him)
But I do want your honesty. You’ll
get mine in return. The Militia and
Starfleet can’t be working at odds
like this.

CENN
I’m gradually coming to the same
conclusion, Commander.

RO
I haven’t told the crew. They all
think it was just Quark, and he
got away with it because he’s the
ambassador. So your secret’s safe.

CENN
I appreciate that, sir. May I ask –
what about the ship?

RO
I’m having it moved again as we
speak. A whole new hiding place.

CENN
Can I know where?

RO
Can I trust you to know?

As we await Cenn’s answer to that...

34 INT. DS9 – QUARK’S QUARTERS

The tissue regenerator is in Quark’s hand, and he casts it slowly and gingerly across his cheek. He’s in his pyjamas, and alone. The DOOR CHIME sounds.

Afraid he knows who it is, he hesitates. But then he places down the regenerator on a table and goes to answer it.

The door opens – it’s Ro. She waits, cautious.

RO
Hi, Quark. Can I come in?

Quark almost says no. But eventually he steps aside. She enters, fidgety, not sure what to say now she’s here.

Quark returns to pick up the tissue regenerator, sits on the couch, resumes passing it over his cheek.

QUARK
What do you want?

RO
I thought Bashir fixed you.

QUARK
That was just cosmetic. So I
could look good for my public.
It’s still bruised underneath.

He winces as the regenerator goes over a particularly sore spot. Ro rushes to him...

RO
Let me?

Reluctantly, he lets her take the regenerator. She sits beside him on the couch and begins gently healing him.

RO
I don’t know what to say, Quark.

QUARK
Neither do I. It’s not something
that happens every day.

RO
I’m still mad at you for going
behind my back.
(off Quark’s
reaction)
I know, I know. You have more
reason to be mad at me.

Quark settles back down, lets her run the regenerator.

RO
The protests are dying down, now
that you’re out of jail.

QUARK
These things always blow over.
There’ll be another next big thing
soon enough, and then everyone’s
attention will be on that.

RO
I guess so. Kira’s gone too. And
Ledahn. And Grob.

QUARK
I’m gonna have some explaining to
do to Rom.

RO
Me too. I’ve agreed to go on BNN
and be interviewed. Prophets only
know what I’m going to say.

QUARK
I can help you prepare for it, if
you want.

A long pause as Ro continues to heal Quark’s wounds.

RO
Thanks, Quark. That would be good.

Leaving on that...

FADE OUT:

END OF SHOW