ACT ONE

FADE IN

5 INT. DEFIANT - BRIDGE

Picking back up where we left it - the viewscreen image of a Cardassian warship attacking one of their own freighters.

RO
Hail Macet. 

Bowers works his panels, then nods to Ro to continue. 

RO
Defiant to Trager. We are responding
to a distress call from that barely
armed freighter you’re attacking.
Please stand down your weapons
and let’s talk about this.

They wait in tension... until the Trager does indeed stop firing. Bowers receives another incoming signal. He turns to Ro - she understands his meaning and nods to continue. 

The image of the ships changes to a close-up of GUL MACET (Cardassian male, last seen DS9 10x06 “The Dream Box”).

MACET (screen)
Commander Ro. How pleasant to see
you again - it’s been too long.

RO
I wish I could say the same. Why
are you attacking a defenceless
freighter, Gul Macet? 

MACET (screen)
(silkily 
threatening)
I might remind you, Commander Ro,
that you are in Cardassian space.
We have jurisdiction over our own
ships and our own citizens, as
agreed by the treaty between us.

RO
That same treaty also gives me
the right to intervene in cases of
humanitarian crisis, Macet - like
when a freighter with barely
enough weapons to nudge an
asteroid out of its path is being
obliterated by a fully armed
warship. Who’s on that ship, and
why are you attacking them? 

MACET (screen)
(grudging)
Criminals, Commander. Outlaws
who it is my job to apprehend. I
strongly suggest you withdraw
and let me complete that job.

RO
I’m afraid I can’t do that. They
asked for my help, and I am now
legally - not to mention morally
- obligated to provide it. 
(cooler)
Please, Macet. We’ve worked well
together in the past. Let’s do it
again. Let me at least board the
ship and give them medical care.
You can even join me if you want.
After that, if you still believe
they’re criminals, I’ll let you take
them away and deal with them
in your own way. 

On screen, Macet seethes for a moment. 

MACET (screen)
Very well, Commander Ro. I’ll meet
you on the Ashell in ten minutes. 

RO
Thank you, Gul. Ten minutes. 

The signal drops, returning us to the image of the looming warship and the nearly crippled freighter. Ro stands. 

RO
Ro to Doctor Bashir - meet me in
the transporter room with a full
trauma kit. 

BASHIR (comm)
On my way, Commander. 

RO
Nog, grab your repair kit too.
Sam, you’ve got the bridge. 

As Nog stands and turns towards the exit, Ro joins him. But Bowers stands and intercepts her, speaking confidentially.

BOWERS
Commander, if I may... Gul Macet
is correct. The Prime Directive
forbids us from interfering in
internal Cardassian conflicts.

RO
I’m not interfering, I’m helping. 

BOWERS
And if he does decide to complete
his job and deal with these
criminals according to Cardassian
law, will you ‘help’ again? 

RO
It won’t come to that. It’s like
Evik said - you just need to get
them to put down their weapons
first. Then when you’ve talked it
out, weapons won’t be necessary.

BOWERS
And I’m still afraid that’s naive.

RO
Believe me, this is development
for me too. A Bajoran former
Maquis’s first instinct when faced
with a Cardassian warship is not
to talk. But if it saves lives... 

After a moment, Bowers nods his acknowledgement of that. 

RO
Thanks, Lieutenant. Keep in touch. 

Ro turns to leave. Bowers takes the centre chair. 

6 EXT. SPACE

The Trager, the Ashell and the Defiant all rest in open space, stationary. 

7 INT. CARDASSIAN FREIGHTER - CORRIDOR

A half-destroyed wreck of a freighter. Sputtering lights, fallen bulkheads, sparking wires, hissing vents. The usual. 

Six Starfleet TRANSPORTER beams deposit six Starfleet officers into this - NOG, his deputy LEISHMAN, BASHIR, his nurse RICHTER, security officer ALECO, and RO in command. 

RO
Alright, let’s find somebody who’s
in charge here. 

BASHIR
Shouldn’t we wait for Macet? 

RO
He said he’d meet me in ten
minutes. He knew it wouldn’t take
me that long. He was giving us
time to make a start without
him looking over our shoulders.

NOG
Why would he do that? 

RO
I know he looks like Dukat, but
he’s not Dukat. He’s a good guy -
for a Cardassian soldier, anyway.
I have a feeling he’s on our side
in this, really. 

A small EXPLOSION from a wall panel makes the team flinch back. Steeling herself, Ro leads the crew down the hallway, stepping over fallen debris and shouting out loud.

RO
Hello? This is Commander Ro Laren,
I’m with Starfleet. We responded
to your distress call.

NATIMA (o.s.)
Over here! 

Ro leads the party towards the voice... 

...and finds NATIMA LANG, the Cardassian professor (last seen DS9 8x18 “This Grey Spirit”). Dirty and bedraggled, she presses her hand over a bleeding WOUND in her arm. 

RO
Ambassador Lang? Is that you? 

NATIMA
Ro Laren. Oh, it’s good to see
a friendly face. 

RO
You’re the criminal Macet was
trying to catch? I thought you
were a Cardassian official.

NATIMA
It’s a long story. Please, come
with me - we need help. 

RO
Of course, whatever you need. 

Natima turns and leads the Starfleet team further down the corridor. Leishman YELPS in surprise, causing Aleco to SPIN with his weapon raised. But she’s fine - it was another EXPLOSION of sparks catching her off guard in the darkness. 

As they walk, Bashir notices Natima is wounded... 

BASHIR
You’re hurt. Let me help. 

NATIMA
It looks worse than it is. But we
could definitely use your help. 
(beat)
You were Elim Garak’s friend,
weren’t you? 

BASHIR
You have good memory, Ambassador. 

NATIMA
I’m a Cardassian. Here we are... 

They reach a room and enter... 

8 INT. CARDASSIAN FREIGHTER - CARGO BAY

A large room stacked with crates and boxes and containers, although half of them are busted open and burned to a crisp. Ro reacts to the sight of...

...Three CARDASSIAN civilians, lying on the deck between the crates, WHIMPERING and GROANING in various states of bloody injury and maiming. Two other Cardassians tend to them as best they can, which is to say not at all. 

Bashir and Richter push past Ro and rush up to the injured, do a quick visual inspection... 

BASHIR
I’m going to need to beam them
back to the Defiant, Commander. 

RO
(nods, taps combadge)
Ro to Defiant - beam Doctor
Bashir, Nurse Richter, and three
Cardassians direct to sickbay. 

BOWERS (comm)
Stand by, Commander. 

Natima beckons the helpers away, letting the TRANSPORTER take the Starfleet medics and the Cardassian wounded. As if on cue, another EXPLOSION of sparks rocks the cargo bay. 

RO
Lieutenants Nog and Leishman can
help you with some of this damage
too, if you like. 

LANG
Happily. Korayn, would you show
them the way to the engine room? 

One of the civilians nods and leads Nog and Leishman out of the room. 

Ro, Natima and Aleco are left alone with the last civilian, who begins trying to reclaim some of the contents from the broken crates. Ro notices. Natima notices her noticing. 

NATIMA
Food, Commander. Nothing but food,
for the colony on Orias Three. 

RO
Why would that make you criminals?

NATIMA
Because the food wasn’t provided
via official Cardassian channels. 

Frustrated, Natima turns and walks out of the cargo bay...

9 INT. CARDASSIAN FREIGHTER - CORRIDOR

Ro catches up with Natima, while Aleco follows, still wary. 

RO
Ambassador Lang...

NATIMA
Call me Natima, you may as well. 

RO
Okay. Natima, I don’t understand.

NATIMA
They don’t want you to understand.
They don’t want you to know that
the government is incapable of
feeding their own people. Not this
far from Cardassia Prime, anyway.

RO
You mean Orias isn’t the only one? 

NATIMA
All the outer colonies - they’re
all starving, Laren. Cardassia
can’t spare the food, the tech,
the medical supplies... so I
help however I can. 

RO
And that means going outside the
law to get what you need. 

NATIMA
Which is why Macet is trying to
kill us. 

RO
Look, we’ve both dealt with Macet
before. We both know he’s not the
typical Cardassian military thug.

NATIMA
And yet he only stopped firing on
us because you showed up.

RO
So let’s use that. Keep it going. 

Natima pauses to look at Ro, letting her indignation fade for a moment. It is good to see a friendly face.

NATIMA
You’re right. If it helps the
starving colonists... 

RO
I’m sorry we haven’t stayed in
touch, Natima. Just that there’s
been a lot going on - 

NATIMA
(grin)
Since we tortured Quark over a
drink in his bar, you mean? 

RO
(laugh)
He’s just so much fun to wind
up sometimes. I can’t resist.

NATIMA
Oh believe me, I know. 

RO
Can’t help wonder how he’d react
knowing I was here helping you. 

NATIMA
Well, now that you mention it... 

Natima turns another corner into another room...

10 INT. CARDASSIAN FREIGHTER - MESS HALL

What serves as a meagre mess hall for this small Cardassian freighter’s small crew. At one of the tables, tending to another injured and bleeding Cardassian... is QUARK.

He looks up as Lang enters - and he and Ro lay eyes on each other with shock...

RO
Quark!

QUARK
Laren... 

FADE OUT

END OF ACT ONE