ACT TWO
FADE IN:
17 INT. WORMHOLE
The horrific, ragged red wound in the wormhole’s side... and Defiant struggling to hold position in its mouth.
18 INT. DEFIANT - BRIDGE
The ship SHAKES, a constant low-level shudder of the effort to hold position. NOG calls from the engineering station...
NOG
Shields are at maximum strength
and extension, Captain. But we’re
only covering half of the opening.
Another ship could slip past us.
TENMEI
I’d suggest sending someone back
in a shuttle to get help, sir...
except we gave our shuttle to Ro.
SISKO
Candlewood, Bashir - find me a
solution, fast. Nog, Tenmei - keep
this ship steady and in one piece
while they do. And Aleco... you
keep your sensors trained on the
other end of the wormhole... for
any sign of Romulan warbirds.
The crew do as they’re ordered. Sisko settles back to wait.
19 INT. VETRUVIS - BRIDGE
Dark lighting, under cloak. Commander KOZIK watches the warping stars on his viewscreen with satisfaction...
KOZIK
Centurion - any sign of pursuit?
CENTURION
None so far, Commander.
KOZIK
Excellent. Is it not, Trop Sar?
The Romulan commander turns to a suited BREEN working at a nearby console, TROP SAR. He BUZZES, translation overlaid.
TROP SAR
“So far”, your underling said. But
the longer we take to get back to
Idran, the greater the chances of
the Jem’Hadar coming for us,
just as they did for Thot Trok.
KOZIK
We Romulans know never to travel
at high warp under cloak, my Breen
friend. The emissions can make us
detectable even through the cloak.
20 INT. VIR-AKZELEN LABORATORY (INTERCUT)
...where Nelzik concentrates on her work as if her life depends on it (which it does), while Hekt the Cardassian stalks behind her, determined to “flirt” with her...
KOZIK (v.o.)
Nelzik Tek Lom-A will just have to
keep her artificial wormhole open
until we get there...
21 INT. VETRUVIS - BRIDGE (INTERCUT)
Kozik turns to the other side, where the Cardassian agent MORAD stands among the Romulan crew, sharing his pride...
KOZIK
...And then, where the Dekkona
and the Eletrix failed, the Vetruvis
will succeed.
TROP SAR
Dekkona and Eletrix did not fail.
Their missions succeeded. It was
Starfleet who spoiled our plans.
MORAD
(smug)
Neither Starfleet nor my military
have the slightest clue what we’re
doing. Certainly not that Nelzik’s
laboratory is in Cardassian space.
TROP SAR
And what about the Starfleet ship
on the Tzenkethi border?
KOZIK
Our colourful Tzenkethi friends
will keep the Aventine occupied.
(shrug)
Or destroy them. Either way they
will not be a concern.
Off Kozik’s relaxed satisfaction...
22 INT. AVENTINE - BRIDGE
A BURST OF SPARKS from a console in the walls of Aventine’s long narrow bridge... As the ship SHUDDERS from another weapons hit, KEDAIR calls back from her tactical console...
KEDAIR
Primary shields are regenerating.
DAX clinging to the arms of her chair, frustrated...
DAX
Why didn’t the chain pulsar take
them all out at once? Helkara?
HELKARA, the Zakdorn science officer, checks his screens...
HELKARA
It must be the Tzenkethi’s organic
technology. The chain pulsar can’t
suck up all their power when their
technology produces its own power.
KEDAIR
Firing phaser cannons now...
23 EXT. SPACE (INTERCUT)
Aventine’s two gimbal-mounted PHASER CANNONS twist and FIRE - the super-advanced heavy phaser beams shoot out...
...and PUNCH one of the five remaining Tzenkethi HARRIERS right in the side. Its silver teardrop skin CRUMPLES...
Another harrier SWOOPS in to replace the first - and FIRES. Its own bolt of white plasma hits the besieged Aventine...
24 INT. AVENTINE - BRIDGE (INTERCUT)
...causing more EXPLOSIONS and SPARKS across the bridge. While Bowers comes back to Dax’s side, she shouts out...
DAX
Transphasics!
Kedair works her console... the giant IMAX viewscreen shows the tiny BLUE STAR of a transphasic torpedo shooting out... and the harrier explodes. Dax keeps it tight, focused...
DAX
Three down, three to go.
BOWERS
(leans in, sotto)
Captain... we’ve taken a hell of a
beating off those three. I can’t
guarantee we’ll last another -
THARP (o.s.)
Collision alert!
Dax looks urgently to the viewscreen...
...where another harrier is twisting its body, the deadly tail flipping up and over towards the Aventine’s hull. Dax and Bowers both know the damage that tail can do...
BOWERS
Evasive!
Tharp tries to move the large and heavy ship fast enough...
25 EXT. SPACE (INTERCUT)
...but with barely a second to spare, a YELLOW PHASER BEAM comes in from off-screen and BLASTS the harrier’s tail to pieces, saving the Starfleet ship.
REVEAL three Cardassian Galor-class ships zooming to their rescue, phasers firing...
26 INT. AVENTINE - BRIDGE (INTERCUT)
As the crew breathes with relief at the last-minute rescue, Dax stands from her chair, descends into the pit... and the HOLO-COMM in the middle comes to life, revealing MACET.
DAX
Good timing, Legate. My thanks.
MACET
We noticed three Tzenkethi ships
leaving their lines in the Lamenda
system, so we followed them. Looks
like it’s a good thing we did.
DAX
Can you handle the Tzenkethi? We
need to get back to Bajor.
MACET
Based on the reports from dalin
Slaine, the situation at Bajor has
changed. But there is something
else you can do for us...
DAX
Go ahead. We owe you a favour.
MACET
The True Way concealed a Tzenkethi
facility within our space. It must be
destroyed, Captain. All we know is
it’s within five light years of Bajor.
Most of my fleet are still gathered
at the border, but even without
slipstream, your ship has greater
speed and better sensors.
DAX
Consider it done, Legate.
MACET
Thank you, Captain. Good hunting.
At Dax’s nod, Macet’s image DISSOLVES. Dax returns to her command chair, re-energised, throwing out orders...
DAX
Tharp - as soon as the Cardassians
have the Tzenkethi distracted, get
us out of here. Helkara - set up a
search pattern of Cardassian space
within five light years of Bajor.
27 EXT. SPACE
With the three remaining Tzenkethi ships occupied by the three Cardassian ships... Aventine JUMPS TO WARP and away.
28 INT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - SHRINE ROOM
The STORM still rages outside, heavy rain and wind slamming the stone walls outside. But in here it’s almost calm - all the ranjens are elsewhere looking after the scared people.
KIRA rushes in, going straight to the ORB BOX sat among the books and relics. She plans to heft it, get it to safety...
...but she stops, suddenly feeling... something.
As if the Orb is calling to her. “Open me, look at me.”
So she does. Kira reverently opens the door of the Orb Box, revealing the shining hourglass shape within. The ENERGY streams out, filling the room, enveloping Kira in light...
WHITE OUT
29 SUPER-QUICK FLASHBACKS - 14x13 “FRAGMENTS”
-- Kay Eaton running urgently down a Manhattan sidewalk
-- Benny and Eli running west, towards the setting sun
-- Yellow cabs and lumbering city buses blocking Kay’s view
-- Benny and Eli in the boat, paddling out into the river
-- The red whirlpool in the choppy waters of the Hudson
-- Kay pushes another man out of the way, steals his boat
-- The bird in the sky, circling the scene like a vulture
-- Benny waving to Kay from the Promenade, safe and sound
-- Eli grabs Kay by the waist, throws her into the air
-- Kay thrown high into the air, into the blinding light...
WHITE OUT
30 INT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - HOSPICE ROOM
VAUGHN lies as unconscious as ever in his hospital bed. The door creaks open - KIRA enters, shell-shocked from what she just experienced. OPAKA looks up from Vaughn’s bedside...
OPAKA
Nerys...? Is everything okay?
KIRA
...what? Oh. Yes. Sorry. I just came
to see Elias...
OPAKA
He’s still with us.
Kira pauses, looks at the old man’s lined, lifeless face...
KIRA
He really is.
She goes to look out of the window, at the wind and rain...
KIRA
The storm’s getting worse. Closer.
OPAKA
We could never move Elias without
putting him at risk, Nerys. And he
needs someone to stay with him.
KIRA
(turns back to them)
Thank you, Sulan. No-one better I
can think of to take care of him.
As she looks at Vaughn’s sleeping face one last time...
31 INT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - COMMISSARY
Kasidy and the young Siskos, Keiko and the young O’Briens, Sibias and their children, Raiq and her Ascendant family.
Kira walks in, still processing. Kasidy notices her...
KASIDY
Nerys? You okay?
KIRA
I’m fine, Kasidy. Don’t worry.
Everything’s going to be fine.
But that comes across as ominous rather than comforting.
JAKE
I helped Chief O’Brien pack up the
runabout with everything we need.
KIRA
(blink)
The runabout. Yes. Of course.
KASIDY
Nerys, seriously... what’s wrong?
KIRA
(warm smile)
Nothing’s wrong, Kas. Raiq will
look after you. Won’t you, Raiq?
Kira looks to the Ascendant woman, who looks back confused.
KIRA
(takes her hands)
You saved my life countless times,
Raiq. I trust you to take care of
my friends. You’ll do that, right?
Raiq absorbs the moment. She doesn’t understand why, but Kira is showing faith in her, and she takes it seriously.
RAIQ
Yes, my sister. I will.
Kira smiles her thanks. Kasidy isn’t sure how she feels, watches worried as Kira walks away towards the storm...
32 EXT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - SHUTTLE PORT - DAY
The runabout stands on the docking platform, wind and rain pelting its sides. O’BRIEN emerges from the open hatch...
O’BRIEN
Nerys - there you are. You okay?
Kira stands outside the runabout, vedek’s robes soaked.
KIRA
I’m good, Miles. Just thinking
about Iliana... how she lived
through so much horror, gave back
so much horror in return... until
she saved herself by sacrificing
herself for her people.
He doesn’t know what she’s on about, but it worries him.
KIRA
You know I love you, don’t you,
Miles? You and Keiko and the
children. I love all of you.
O’BRIEN
Of course, but -
KIRA
Then let’s get this show on the
road, shall we? Oh, Jake had one
last question for you inside...
O’BRIEN
Oh, okay, sure...
O’Brien turns to walk back into the monastery, through the rain. He assumes Kira is with him, turns to her...
...and the runabout’s hatch is closing, no sign of Kira. Then its engines FIRE, and it starts to lift off...
O’BRIEN
(taps combadge,
shouts over the rain)
Nerys! What are you doing? Nerys!
But there’s no response. The runabout LIFTS OFF, turns and surges up into the rainy, black sky, leaving the monastery.
And O’Brien watches it go, powerless to stop it, confused and horrified. Kira has left them all without rescue...
BLACK OUT
END OF ACT TWO