ACT FIVE
FADE IN:
28 INT. BAJORAN CONTROL CENTRE
The THUMP of Bashir’s body hitting the computer, the CRACK of his skull hitting the glass, the CLATTER of equipment, indistinct SHAPES visible through the translucent glass...
The SCREECH of a phaser shot scorching the glass, a SHOUT of pain, more CLATTER of medical equipment being thrown...
Then the door of the medical suite SLAMS open and th’Shant SPRINTS out, phaser burn on his shoulder, adrenaline on overload, heads straight for the transporter platform...
...past junior crew rising in shock and horror from their stations, familiar faces like NARAN and O’BRIEN...
ETANA appears in the doorway, phaser in hand...
ETANA
Stop him!
SLAINE happens to be the closest one, makes a beeline for th’Shant before he can reach the transporter...
...the Andorian PUNCHES the Cardassian he saved earlier, she goes down, he reaches the transporter...
...Slaine reaches up from the floor, urgently works the nearest computer at top speed...
...the transporter powers down. th’Shant ROARS and rips off a cover panel, plunges his hands into the innards, tries to reactivate power... Etana approaches, phaser pointed...
ETANA
Stand down, Ensign.
Grasping that there is no escape, th’Shant looks up...
...and sees everyone looking at him. Etana, Slaine, Naran, O’Brien, Candlewood... and finally Tenmei. Staring in horror, tears in her eyes. He did that to her.
th’Shant ROARS and leaps for Etana, planning to wrestle the phaser from her...
...she FIRES, hits him in the chest, and he falls to the deck, half-conscious...
29 TH’SHANT’s POV
Looking up from the deck, he sees all the bodies gathering around him... including RO, glaring down at him with a very personal disappointment.
30 EST. VANADWAN MONASTERY - EARLY EVENING
Evening, moving towards dusk at the mountaintop monastery.
31 INT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - BEDROOM - EARLY EVENING
BASHIR winces at SARINA’s hand cradling the back of his head, as they lie tastefully together in the double bed.
BASHIR
Yeoww! Careful...
SARINA
Oh come on, you’ve had worse.
BASHIR
Nice to know the woman I love
cares so little for my pain.
Meant as a joke, but Sarina looks at him nervously...
SARINA
Do you...? Love me, I mean.
BASHIR
You know I do.
SARINA
I know this whole thing had to
have brought up all your doubts
again. It couldn’t not.
Bashir takes a moment to put it all together...
BASHIR
Yes, it did. I won’t deny that. But
thinking back... I think it gave
me some clarity as well.
SARINA
What do you mean?
BASHIR
What you said about intelligence
work forcing us to cross lines. I
lied to Ensign th’Shant. There was
no revitrite in his lungs - in any
of them. I’d used that line on
fourteen other people before him.
Just waiting to see who reacted.
SARINA
That’s why Etana was really there.
Not to help with the physicals.
Because she used to be security
before transferring to medical.
BASHIR
That... and she’d been fooled by
Section Thirty-One herself before.
She’d have the motivation.
SARINA
Is that what you think I did?
Fooled you?
BASHIR
Didn’t you? But... violating my
medical ethics that way, such a
small thing... it brought it all
closer to home than any of our
ridiculous, overblown adventures
on Salavat ever managed.
SARINA
It wasn’t so fantastical. It was
real life. But the goal was the
same - to protect the Federation.
BASHIR
No doubt that’s what Vaughn always
told himself. He had a mission...
and the ends justified the means.
SARINA
So what about me? What about us?
BASHIR
I’m not sure the doubts will ever
go away, Sarina. Every argument
you give me to prove you’re being
honest with me... my brain can’t
help coming up with the counter-
argument that proves you’re a liar.
Sarina absorbs that... she can’t really blame him.
BASHIR
So... I suppose there’s nothing
else to do but make a decision.
And I’ve decided... to believe
the woman I love. To trust you.
SARINA
(relieved)
Thank you, Julian. I know this
wasn’t easy for you.
BASHIR
Then it’s a perfect time for me to
take that leave we talked about.
SARINA
(grin)
What shall we do with the time?
He grins back to her, and they KISS, snuggling back down into the bed. PAN over to the TAPESTRY hanging opposite...
BASHIR (o.s.)
Nice tapestry, by the way. Where
did you get it?
Sarina chuckles...
32 EXT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - EARLY EVENING
TENMEI stands just within the arch that leads out onto the transporter plaza. Staring at it, and the mountain scenery beyond. Hugging herself against the chill at this height.
CANDLEWOOD (o.s.)
Hey...
She glances back, sees CANDLEWOOD approaching sensitively. She turns away again, goes back to staring...
TENMEI
Come to gloat, I see. Well go on,
then. I guess I deserve it.
He joins her under the archway, hugs her from behind...
CANDLEWOOD
I would never do that.
(beat)
Okay, I would totally do that. But
I won’t. I know all about seeing
an idealised version of people.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out.
TENMEI
I just don’t understand, John. He
argued for Starfleet against his
own people. Why would he...
She can’t even say what he did. Candlewood fills the void.
CANDLEWOOD
Have you spoken to him? Asked him?
She turns, looks at her friend... can she do that?
33 INT. DEFIANT - BRIG
TH’SHANT sits in the cell, arms folded petulantly...
TH’SHANT
I don’t want to see anyone.
RWOGO stands facing him through the forcefield...
RWOGO
What you want is immaterial, Ensign.
Lieutenant Tenmei outranks you.
The Ferengi inspector turns, the door opens... and TENMEI enters hesitantly, unsure what she’ll find.
RWOGO
I’ll be right outside if you need
anything, Lieutenant.
TENMEI
Thanks, Inspector.
Rwogo EXITS, the door closes. Tenmei approaches th’Shant...
TENMEI
Hi, Vakell.
(he turns away)
I know you don’t want to talk.
But I want to try to understand
why you did... what you did.
TH’SHANT
Oh? Nobody’s bothering to explain
to me why you did what you did.
TENMEI
What I did?
TH’SHANT
All of you! But then I guess there
is no explanation for racism...
TENMEI
Racism? I really don’t -
TH’SHANT
(sarcastic smile)
No, of course you don’t. You just
belong to an organisation that
demonises all Andorians.
Tenmei pauses. It’s clear that his fear is coming out as anger, and she will force herself not to react to it.
TENMEI
The reassignment orders.
FLASHBACK - 14x08 “99 PROBLEMS”
Tenmei comforts th’Shant on the couch in his quarters...
BACK TO SCENE
TENMEI
But you chose to stay. To fight for
your right to stay.
TH’SHANT
And they still accused me anyway.
TENMEI
Look, I don’t know why Lieutenant
Douglas said what she said. Maybe
it was an honest mistake.
TH’SHANT
It doesn’t matter why. Everyone
believed her anyway. After all,
who could ever trust Andorians?
We left the Federation!
TENMEI
So... what? You decided to punish
us by becoming exactly what you
thought we thought you were?
TH’SHANT
I don’t owe you anything. You’re
the ones who betrayed us!
FLASHBACK - 14x08 “99 PROBLEMS”
th’Shant pauses at the airlock with Cmdr ZHRAR, exchanges a significant look, then notices SARINA watching them...
BACK TO SCENE
Tenmei adds the pieces together...
TENMEI
So you used Andor’s connection to
the Tholians to offer the Typhon
Pact an agent on the station. You
got ahold of the bombs somehow...
As th’Shant watches her figure it out...
FLASHBACK - 14x09 “CROSSROADS”
The True Way agent MORAD exchanges code words and data chips with a heavily cloaked figure in Quark’s bar...
BACK TO SCENE
TENMEI
...you waited for the Romulans’ signal...
FLASHBACK - 14x12 “HELTER SKELTER”
th’Shant nervously working the Ops engineering station...
BACK TO SCENE
TENMEI
...and then you planted the bombs
to force an evacuation, so we’d be
distracted when the Romulans tried
to sneak through the wormhole.
(beat)
But it went wrong, didn’t it? You
never meant for the station to be
destroyed, or for so many to die.
You never meant to kill Jeanette.
TH’SHANT
You’re wrong. I wanted them dead.
I wanted you dead.
TENMEI
No you didn’t.
FLASHBACK - 14x14 “ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS”
th’Shant crying and raging at Tenmei in the street...
BACK TO SCENE
TENMEI
You were horrified at what you’d
done. That’s why you saved Captain
Ro and Major Cenn... not out of
heroism... out of guilt.
(beat)
But what about me? I never accused
you of anything. I defended you.
TH’SHANT
You? You’re just as racist as the
rest of them. Chasing after me for
months, and not because you were
interested in me... just because
I reminded you of Shar.
TENMEI
(sigh)
Maybe you’re right, Vakell. Maybe
I was seeing what I wanted to see.
But I won’t take the blame for what
you did. You made those decisions
all on your own. And now you’ll
have to face the consequences.
She turns away to leave, then pauses and turns back...
TENMEI
You were right about one other
thing. You’re not Shar. And you
never will be. Goodbye, Vakell.
She EXITS, leaving him in the brig cell...
BLACK OUT
END OF SHOW