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Lieutenant Dax, preparing to
return to her quarters for the evening, is being observed by a
male Trill named Selin Peers. Ilon Tandro, a humanoid from
Klaestron IV, joins him in the shadows. Confirming Dax's
identity with Peers, Tandro and two of his officers succeed in
taking her hostage. Bashir, unable to save her, alerts the other
officers. Sisko, Kira, and Odo attempt to locate them, but Dax's
combadge was removed and left behind. To Odo's amazement, Tandro
and the two officers, with Dax in tow, avoid the security
tracking grid with ease. To complicate matters, Sisko realizes
that the abductors have disabled the station's tractor beam.
Kira finally discovers them in an airlock and imprisons the
group in a force field. However, they deactivate it and board a
Klaestron ship. Sisko, though, manages to get the tractor beam
working again, and they are able to keep the ship from escaping.
Forced to re-enter the space
station, Tandro informs Sisko that this is an extradition
mission. Dax is under arrest — charged with treason and the
murder of Tandro's father, General Ardelon Tandro, 30 years ago.
Sisko realizes that he is accusing Curzon Dax, not Jadzia, of
committing the crimes on Klaestron IV. For some reason, however,
Dax refuses to tell Sisko what happened back then.
In Dax's defense, Sisko and Kira tell Tandro that, since the
space station is technically Bajoran, an extradition hearing
must be held before they can release Dax to him. Quark
reluctantly agrees to allow the hearing to be held in his bar.
At the hearing, Sisko tries to convince Judge Els Renora that
Jadzia Dax is an entirely different entity than Curzon. Due to
the unusual circumstances, Renora agrees to extend the
proceedings.
Sisko, determined to keep Dax alive, directs Kira, Bashir, and
Odo to dig up all of the evidence they can find to prove Dax's
innocence. Odo, on Klaestron IV, contacts Enina, Tandro's
mother, who claims that Curzon Dax had nothing to do with the
death of her husband. She also claims that Tandro is obsessed
with his father's death, and that Tandro believes Curzon was
responsible because he can establish the whereabouts of all
suspects except himself. In short, Dax has no alibi.
 The hearing resumes, and Tandro calls Selin Peers, the Trill who
helped locate Dax, to the witness stand. Although Peers confirms
that if a Trill committed a crime, the symbiont's future host
body would know and feel everything involved with that crime,
Sisko establishes that with each new host, a new and different
personality results from the joining. A recess is called, and
Dax remains tight-lipped. She asks Sisko to please end his
efforts on her behalf, which leaves him wondering.
Bashir is called to testify that Curzon and Jadzia are two
physically distinct individuals. Unfortunately, Tandro then
indicates it is impossible to determine whether or not the
brainwave patterns of the symbiont have changed since they
joined the new host, Jadzia.
In a last effort, Sisko calls himself to the witness stand and
allows Kira to interrogate him. She and Tandro take their turns
questioning Sisko, after which a one hour recess is declared.
Suddenly, Sisko receives an urgent message from Odo on Klaestron
IV, that reports all evidence points to Curzon Dax and Enina
Tandro having an affair 30 years ago — which grants Curzon a
perfect motive for murder. Jadzia, confronted with this
information, admits shame over the marital indiscretions, but
still neither admits or denies any knowledge of the murder.
Returning from the recess, Dax takes the witness stand. Tandro
proceeds to pin her down with questions, when he is interrupted
by the surprise appearance of his mother, Enina. She admits, to
everyone's astonishment, that Curzon could not have been
responsible for her husband's murder. When the crucial
transmission was made that resulted in his death, she and Curzon
were in bed together. Dax is free to go, Sisko and the other
officers are relieved, and life on Deep Space Nine returns to
normal. |
