 Commander Sisko, in dress uniform,
prepares to receive the first formal alien delegation from the
Gamma Quadrant — a group from a newly discovered species known
as the Wadi. Sisko, Kira, Dax, and Bashir greet the new
representatives from this race at one of the docking bays, after
the Wadi's arrival through the wormhole. But the leader of the
group, a humanoid male named Falow, dispenses quickly with the
pleasantries. He and his companions want to be taken immediately
to Quark's, where they have heard they will find games to play.
The disappointed officers escort the delegation.
Quark, upon meeting the Wadi,
senses profit in the making. The aliens show Quark they have
much to wager in priceless gemstones, and quickly learn how to
play the game of Dabo. Hours later, they are still going strong
and winning big at the Dabo table. A weary Sisko decides to call
it a night, leaving the Wadi with an equally tired Quark. He
unsuccessfully tries to discourage them into leaving.
Discreetly, he has one of his assistants rig the Dabo table to
make the aliens start losing, hoping that will do the trick.
Unfortunately, Quark's accomplice is caught by the Wadi. The
Ferengi fears reprisal from the visitors. But Falow decides
instead to have Quark participate in playing a new game — one of
Falow's choosing. He opens a rectangular metallic case, which
releases a blinding flash of light. When it clears, the Dabo
table is gone — replaced by a strange alien game board. The game
is called Chula. Quark's objective — to move his four oddly
shaped onyx figurines around the serpentine downward spiral of
the board. Quark watches with apprehension as the board is set
up and the Wadi begins placing bets. Meanwhile, Sisko, sound
asleep in his quarters, turns over in his bed. He wakes up to
find himself dressed in standard uniform, lying on a hard stone
floor instead of the bed. He is no longer on the space station,
but in an alien corridor, empty but for a series of doors with
strange markings — and totally alone.
Determining he is in no holodeck illusion, Sisko tries each of
the doors, looking for escape. He finally opens one, only to
find Falow on the other side, instructing Sisko cryptically to
move along home, after which the door quickly closes. Then a
piercing scream leads Sisko down the corridor, where he
discovers a terrified Bashir, trying to wake himself up from
what he thought was a bad dream. Kira and Dax turn up next.
Together, they try to find the way "home."
Learning from Sisko's son that the commander has disappeared
from the station, Odo soon discovers the other three senior
officers are also gone. Back at Quark's establishment, the
Ferengi is forced to begin play on the new game, even though he
does not yet know the rules. He places a minimum bet and rolls
the alien dice. Falow states that the combination will cause
Quark's pieces to meet the Chandra.
In the labyrinth, Sisko and the other officers follow a singing
voice to discover a young Wadi girl chanting a rhyme while
playing an alien game similar to hopscotch. A force field keeps
them from getting to a door on the far side of the room, but the
girl can pass through it without a problem. Dax determines they
can get to the door that only by repeating the rhyme and
performing the hopscotch-like moves. The four officers do it,
and are able to exit, with the girl telling them they are at the
Third Shap. As this happens, the Wadi group in Quark's goes wild
because he has reached the next level. The befuddled Quark wins
a nice payoff, not realizing the connection.
Falow proposes to Quark that he can progress faster by taking a
shortcut on the board, although it doubles the risk to his game
pieces. However, a successful move can also double his winnings.
While he thinks, Odo arrives, asking Quark if he might know
anything about the missing crew members. A knowing look from
Falow causes Quark to make the connection with the four game
pieces and the four missing officers. Realizing that the lives
of Sisko and the others are literally in his hands, Quark
chooses to move the pieces along the safer path. The four
officers, meanwhile, continue along the alien corridors, slowly
realizing that they may indeed be pawns in one of the Wadi
games. A door opens revealing a Wadi party in a smoke-filled
room. Falow and other revelers carry drinks. The officers begin
to cough violently form the smoke, until Bashir discovers the
drinks are really an antidote. A back door to the room opens,
and Falow announces the proclamation of Shap Four. The party
vanishes and the officers exit through the door. Back at
Quark's, huge reactions with the success. A larger pile of
jewels is shoved toward a happy Quark, while Odo watches with
displeasure.
Discovering a strange bi-polar current aboard the Wadi vessel,
Odo finds a room on the ship that emits a blinding light. He
enters the chamber, and suddenly appears in Quark's. Odo tries
to break up the game. But Falow, knowing that Odo is putting the
pieces together, tells Quark the game must continue or he will
lose his players. Quark, with Odo's prodding, decides to
continue his game pieces along the safer path. He rolls the
dice. The Wadi gasp, and Falow announces that it is an
unfortunate roll. In the maze, the officers hear a weird energy
surge building, which becomes an ominous swirling field which
they try to elude. But Bashir is caught by it and swept away.
Back to the game, the Bashir game piece is placed in a holding
area on the board. Quark decides to gamble, despite Odo's
protestations, and take the pieces on a shortcut, hoping to end
the game in one move. The chance doesn't work, though. The
resulting dice roll causes Falow to declare that Quark must
sacrifice one game piece so that the other two may live. Quark
begs to not be forced into picking a piece. Falow leaves it for
the board to determine at random. As the final wagers are
placed, Sisko, Dax, and Kira continue wandering through the
corridors. They hear Bashir, shouting he's found the way home.
Following his voice, they enter a cavern. The ground begins to
shake, causing Dax to injure her leg. Falow again appears,
telling them to go to Shap Six. Not finding Bashir, the officers
try to escape, but massive quakes in the cavern open an abyss
into which they fall helplessly. Suddenly, all four of them find
themselves back in Quark's establishment. Falow then informs
them that even though Quark lost, they were never in any real
danger. It was only a game, after all. Sisko and the others
realize this predicament wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for
Quark's cheating. As for whether or not he learned his lesson
...
See Also: Image Captures |
