 While Keiko O'Brien is teaching
her students about the scientific aspects of the wormhole, a
Bajoran woman in religious garb, Vedek Winn, observes the class
and calmly objects to Keiko's secular methods of instruction.
According to Winn, it is not science that guides ships safely
through the wormhole, but "the hands of the prophets," and
Keiko's words are a blasphemy the Bajoran cannot allow to
continue. In Ops, Sisko listens to Keiko's concerns, but Kira
expresses her support for Winn, suggesting to the defensive
teacher that informing Bajoran children only about the science
of the wormhole without placing it into a spiritual context is
akin to imposing a philosophy on them. Sisko talks with Winn in
the station's Bajoran shrine, and although she is honored to
meet the "Emissary" to the prophets, Winn refuses to step back
from her stance, warning that she won't be responsible for any
consequences that result if Keiko continues her teachings.
O'Brien, working with his young
Bajoran apprentice, Neela, is concerned when he cannot locate
one of his tools, one which can be used to access every critical
system on the station. When it turns out Ensign Aquino is also
missing, they make a search, finding the melted remains of the
instrument in a large power conduit — plus traces of organic
material, which prove to be human remains. Apparently, Aquino
went to fix an irregularity in the conduit, and accidentally got
caught in the power flow and killed. Later, O'Brien and Keiko
find to their dismay that some Bajorans are treating her with
contempt. In front of the school, the O'Briens find Bajoran
parents and the students, including Jake, listening to Winn, who
asks Keiko to stop teaching about the wormhole altogether if she
will not instruct the children about the spiritual aspects. When
Keiko refuses, Winn leads away the Bajorans in silent protest.
O'Brien comforts his saddened wife.
O'Brien is still puzzled by Aquino's death, and Sisko asks Odo
to investigate further. Jake then approaches his father about
the school situation, and Sisko explains to him the importance
of respecting the beliefs of others. Realizing the growing
uneasiness on the station, Sisko seeks help on Bajor from Vedek
Bareil, a spiritual leader who is the leading candidate to
become the planet's next Kai. Although his ideology is quite
different than Winn's, Bareil will not risk his growing status
to help Sisko get an audience with the Vedek Assembly.
Frustrated, Sisko returns to the station and finds that three
Bajoran crewmembers failed to report for duty due to "illness,"
according to Kira. Tension builds between the two as Sisko grows
tired of these games, but Odo and Bashir interject with the
results of their investigation — Aquino was really killed by a
phaser blast.
The officers discuss the murder, and Odo reveals that, according
to turbolift records, the ensign's true destination that fateful
night was Runabout pad C. While O'Brien and Neela investigate
the area, Odo goes to the Promenade just as more Bajorans,
members of an orthodox spiritual order, arrive on the station to
support Winn. O'Brien finds Odo and reports something most
unusual — a security bypass module was placed at Runabout pad A.
Odo deduces that Aquino must have interrupted someone planning
to steal a Runabout from pad C. The ensign was killed, and the
culprit went to pad A to escape later detection. Odo and O'Brien
suddenly hear an explosion, and rush to find Keiko's school
engulfed in flames.
The wreckage is examined, revealing the school was destroyed by
a homemade bomb. Winn approaches the area, and an angry Sisko
lets her know that, despite this terrorist act, the majority of
Bajorans do not feel the contempt she does for the Federation.
As he leaves, Winn is surrounded by her supporters, and silently
acknowledges Neela in the crowd. Then, in the Bajoran shrine,
Neela reveals privately to Winn that the officers know about the
Runabout, leaving Neela with no mode of escape, but Winn insists
their secret plan must be carried out — it is "the will of the
prophets." Later, Sisko is pleased as Bareil arrives at the
station to survey the situation, and while they move through the
huge crowd of Bajoran well-wishers with Kira, O'Brien finds an
unknown file in the computer, which turns out to be a series of
forcefield overrides to Runabout pad A — an escape route from
the Promenade. While Bareil and Winn together go to the remains
of the school, O'Brien suspects the weapons detectors are
disabled, and urgently tells Sisko only Neela — the last person
to repair that unit — could have done it. Sisko spots Neela in
the crowd, calmly pulling out a phaser, and he knocks her to the
ground, making Neela miss her target — Bareil. It is discovered
Winn started the religious controversy as a ruse to have Bareil
assassinated before he could be made Kai. But in the end, it
only serves to strengthen the alliance between Sisko and Kira.
See Also: Image Captures |
