ACT THREE
FADE IN:
33 INT. BAJORAN CONTROL CENTRE
The map of BAJOR is on the main screen, RED CIRCLES showing all the many crisis points across the globe - hurricanes, sandstorms, earthquakes, tsunamis. Disasters everywhere.
RO stands below the viewscreen, eyes on the situation table as she moves back and forth from smaller screen to screen, putting out one fire after another. ETANA is on one screen, interior of the Defiant’s shuttle Cooper behind her, and the almost deafening sound of wind buffeting the ship.
RO
How’re you holding up, Kol?
ETANA (screen)
Well, okay I guess. We’ve got all
the Starfleet crew reinforcing the
university buildings against the
hurricanes, but Kristen says the
hospital’s getting overwhelmed...
RO
So use the Cooper’s replicators to
provide food and medicine, and the
batteries to shore up their power.
ETANA (screen)
Will do, boss. What about you?
RO
Don’t worry about me, Kol. Ro out.
Ro cuts the signal again before her friend can argue.
PERMENTER (comm)
Comet to Control Centre!
RO
(hits control)
Go ahead, Comet.
34 INT. SHUTTLECRAFT COMET (INTERCUT)
PERMENTER struggles to pilot while K’UHLLO prepares their plan. Out of the window a WILDFIRE rages, burning through the forest below as the shuttle flies over it.
PERMENTER
This forest fire is getting out of
control, sir. But we have a plan...
K’UHLLO
We’re gonna suffocate it.
RO (comm)
Do whatever you need to. Ro out.
K’Uhllo works his console...
35 EXT. JANITZA FORESTS
The same forest where Luka and Rebecca hid in 11x20, but now it is ON FIRE. A type-6 shuttlecraft as seen throughout TNG flies above, steadies itself, holds position...
...and projects its SHIELDS out in front of it, the energy bubble pushing the flames flat, snuffing them out...
36 EXT. TILAR VINEYARDS
Counsellor MATTHIAS protects her face as a SANDSTORM blasts through the vineyards around her, scouring the vegetation.
SARINA gestures “Come on! Come on!” for the Bajoran workers as they battle through the sandstorm towards her. The human woman directs them on to Matthias, who taps her combadge...
MATTHIAS
Matthias to Acheron - open hatch!
As Sarina catches up to Matthias, pushing the Bajorans down the rows before them, Matthias SHOUTS over the noise...
MATTHIAS
Still feeling bored on small-town
Bajor, Lieutenant?
37 INT. RUNABOUT - COCKPIT
The officers dash inside, quickly sliding the hatch closed. The Bajoran workers are gathered in the back of the cabin, covered in sand, coughing. Sarina rushes to the pilot seat.
SARINA
Oh, definitely. This is just so dull.
Everyone hold on!
The runabout SURGES up into the sky, through the sandstorm. Matthias turns to their coughing, sand-covered charges...
BAJORAN
Thank you, Commander...?
MATTHIAS
Matthias. Philippa Matthias.
BAJORAN
Chon Ivarish.
MATTHIAS
Chon? That’s my husband’s name.
Chon Sibias. We never knew...
BAJORAN
I remember hearing about a cousin
Sibias... I thought he was dead.
MATTHIAS
(stunned)
Let’s get you in the back, find you
all some medical care...
She guides them all into the rear cabin, processing this incredible news - they’ve found her husband’s family.
38 EXT. BAJOR STREETS
TREMORS shake the scene. Bajoran civilians SCREAM and RUN. CRACKS appear in stone walls, making the building slip and crumble. Lampposts CRASH to the ground in sparks and flame.
Trying their best to control the flow of scared people are a group of Bajoran Militia, plus TREIR and HETIK.
TREIR
Get away from the buildings!
Get to open ground!
Just in time, as the building COLLAPSES in a crash of stone and girders and dust. Hetik observes the wreckage sadly...
HETIK
That was my old orphanage. Spent
most of my childhood there.
TREIR
Well... it’s gone now. Sorry.
HETIK
(resolves)
I’m not. Come on.
They turn back to help the civilians...
39 INT. QUARK’S NEW BAR
SEBRIGAR the Nausicaan strides high over the 24thC SANDBAGS blocking the main doorway of the bar. Dripping with water, carrying a coughing, spluttering Bajoran CHILD. Passes the child to a Bajoran woman, who fusses, cries with gratitude.
HULPESH the Sti’ach DIVES over the sandbags, rolls over on to his six furry feet, shakes the water off himself...
...and QUARK and RWOGO pile on another layer, blocking the ever-rising water from entering the bar. As they work...
RWOGO
Clothes damp, water everywhere...
it’s like we’re back on Ferenginar.
QUARK
Especially since it gives me an
excuse to get them all in my bar.
Rwogo grins - amidst all the horror, they’re enjoying this. But with the wall of sandbags built, they turn back...
...and they see the hundreds of terrified, flood-stricken Bajorans cowering and filling every square inch of shelter. That’s not quite so fun. Rwogo taps her own combadge...
RWOGO
Rwogo to Ro. The bar is secure.
40 INT. BAJORAN CONTROL CENTRE (INTERCUT)
...where Ro is working her situation table. She tenses...
RO
Thanks, Inspector.
(beat)
How’s Quark?
RWOGO (comm)
The Ambassador is fine, thank you.
Quite enjoying himself, in fact.
A beat... Ro can’t help reading things into that.
RO
Glad to hear it. Keep me apprised.
Ro out.
She closes the channel, relieved to escape that particular emotional minefield. For now, anyway. She keeps working...
41 EXT. CENN’S VILLAGE
Another RUNABOUT flies overhead, CANISTERS attached that SPRAY pesticide down onto the houses, crops and LOCUSTS. Rows of FIGURES stride down the street between the houses, some SPRAYING the insecticide, some using FLAMETHROWERS.
A older Bajoran MAN rushes out of his house, TACKLING the figure that just set fire to his garden - SLAINE.
MAN
Stop that! Cardassian murderer!
I won’t let you do this! Not again!
The Bajoran starts attacking her, just like in 14x18. But this time she does her best to fight back, push him off.
SLAINE
Sir, please stop! I’m here to help.
CENN (o.s.)
Get off her!
CENN comes to her rescue, hauls the other man off her. The Man turns, sees a fellow Bajoran, is even more confused...
SLAINE
She’s not responsible for the
Occupation. She was barely a child.
And burning the crops is the best
way to kill the locust eggs.
SLAINE
Major. Let me speak for myself.
They both turn to see Slaine picking herself up...
SLAINE
I am very aware of my people’s
history with this planet, sir. I
wasn’t taught about it in school,
but I went out and learned it for
myself. And now I’m here... to
try and help you. If you’ll let me.
The Man pauses to consider this - can he believe her? Cenn turns aside and taps his combadge...
CENN
Cenn to Ro. Jo’kala is struggling,
Captain. This swarm of locusts
is really tearing the place apart.
RO (comm)
Do you need any extra support?
Cenn looks up past the cloud of insects, sees the RUNABOUT further down the street, still spraying pesticide...
CENN
No, I don’t think so. But I can’t
promise how long that will last.
42 INT. BAJORAN CONTROL CENTRE (INTERCUT)
Ro nods along, slightly relieved at that. She chuckles...
RO
Alright. Swarm of locusts - sounds
like something straight out of the
Prophecies, doesn’t it, Major?
CENN (comm)
Don’t tell me you’re starting to
believe in the Prophecies now.
RO
I don’t think so. You gotta admit
though - it’s ironic you all pray
to the Prophets in their Celestial
Temple, but it’s the Temple that’s
causing all this trouble.
CENN (comm)
But that’s not the Prophets’ fault,
is it? It’s the Typhon Pact’s.
Ro looks up, buoyed by the playful banter...
ANGLE
..and sees the completely empty Control Centre stretching out before her. She is completely alone here right now.
FLASHBACKS - 14x12 “HELTER SKELTER”
Ro in command as DS9 Ops is blasted around her, bombs going off, rocking the station, Ro looking to the viewscreen in desperate hope as Robinson emerges from the wormhole...
BACK TO SCENE
Ro sobers at the memory... then a new incoming SIGNAL...
O’BRIEN (comm)
O’Brien to Ro.
RO
Stand by, Major...
Ro swallows it down, closes one channel, opens another...
RO
Go ahead, Chief.
O’BRIEN (comm)
We’ve got a problem, Captain.
43 INT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - COMMISSARY (INTERCUT)
O’Brien at a comm panel in the stone wall, families behind him in the commissary, unaware of the newest problem...
O’BRIEN
Kira took the runabout and flew
away. Left the rest of us here at
the monastery with no way out.
44 INT. BAJORAN CONTROL CENTRE (INTERCUT)
Ro starts working the situation table, astonished...
RO
I can’t locate the Styx anywhere,
the distortions are interfering,
too many other ships...
O’BRIEN (comm)
All the children are here, Captain
- and the place is falling apart!
RO
I’ll... I’ll think of something,
Chief. Keep them calm. Ro out.
She closes the channel again, at a loss for what to do...
45 INT. VANADWAN MONASTERY - COMMISSARY (INTERCUT)
O’Brien turns away from the comm panel, deep breath, heads over to the families, wondering what to tell them...
46 EXT. SPACE
Jem’Hadar vessel 971 drops out of warp...
47 INT. JEM’HADAR SHIP - BRIDGE
With the Jem’Hadar crew working their stations, a headset-wearing WEYOUN calls out to ODO...
WEYOUN
We have entered the Idran system.
I feel I must point out, Founder,
that taking this vessel outside of
Dominion space is contrary to our
standing orders... and it will be
noticed by Laas and Vannis.
ODO
I can’t worry about that, Weyoun.
What about our message?
WEYOUN
I’m afraid it’s being jammed by
subspace interference.
ODO
So either the Romulans are already
here, or they left behind another
comm blocker like Defiant found.
WEYOUN
Second! Anti-proton scans at once.
Second ROTAN’TALAG obeys. First TARAN’ATAR steps forward...
TARAN’ATAR
Taran’atar to Even Odds. Status.
48 INT. EVEN ODDS – BRIDGE (INTERCUT)
DEZ clings to the arms of his command chair as the ship SHAKES around him, the FLAMES of an unplanned atmospheric re-entry on the viewscreen...
DEZ
Kinda busy right now, Taran’atar.
The gravitational distortions are
pulling us down to the surface.
TARAN’ATAR (comm)
Let them. Your vessel has Dominion
technology. You will survive.
DEZ
You sound very confident of that.
TARAN’ATAR (comm)
Follow my instructions! What about
the refugees?
DEZ
Patching you through...
The freighter captain works the controls at his side...
49 EXT. EAV’OQ CITY
Dominion refugees HUDDLE and SCREAM in terror as the ground SHAKES under them. The gleaming marble of the CITADEL is cracked. PIF looks up at the sky, hackles raised...
...and a GOLDEN DOME stretches over the city, filtering the light, METEORITES bouncing off it as they fall from above.
PIF
Meera is doing everything she can
to protect us. But I don’t know how
long she can last. Itu says the
Siblings are in peril - whatever
that means.
TARAN’ATAR (comm)
I believe I know. These Typhon -
The voice is lost in the filtered sound of EXPLOSIONS and SHOUTS... and finally the line drops. Pif BARKS in alarm...
50 INT. JEM’HADAR SHIP - BRIDGE
EXPLOSIONS and SPARKS and YELLS - they are under attack.
51 EXT. SPACE
DISRUPTOR BLASTS pummel the Jem’Hadar ship’s purple under-belly... followed by the Vetruvis zooming into the area.
52 INT. VETRUVIS - BRIDGE
KOZIK sits determined in his command chair...
KOZIK
Status of the Jem’Hadar ship?
TROP SAR
(buzz w/ translation)
Heavy damage. Communications are
down, shields below fifty percent,
and warp engines are offline.
KOZIK
They don’t need warp to enter the
wormhole. Fire again!
The Romulan crew follow their orders... the main VIEWSCREEN shows more DISRUPTOR BOLTS flying out towards the Jem’Hadar ship... which is hit hard, left drifting and powerless.
TROP SAR
Their shields are down to thirty-
one percent, sublight engines are
offline, and the hull is breached.
But our own cloak is also offline.
KOZIK
That no longer matters. We are
moments from home - and victory.
Helm - take us into the wormhole.
The crew push the ship on. Kozik settles into his chair...
...and shares a GRIN of success with MORAD. They’ve won.
BLACK OUT
END OF ACT THREE