 Sisko, Kira, and Bashir are held
in a Maquis camp, but Gul Dukat is not there. Cal Hudson then
tells Sisko he is leaving Starfleet to work with the rebels,
certain Cardassia is violating the Federation treaty by
smuggling weapons into the Demilitarized Zone, and insisting he
and the Maquis will do anything to stop them. Sisko offers to
help his friend use more peaceful methods, but Hudson refuses,
then stuns Sisko and his comrades in order to slip away. Back on
Deep Space Nine, Sisko receives little help from Admiral
Nechayev, who insists the treaty be upheld. Unwilling to give up
on Hudson, Sisko does not report his friend's betrayal, then
meets with Cardassian Legate Parn, who blames Dukat for the
weapons smuggling. The encounter convinces Sisko that Cardassia
is definitely smuggling weapons — but not through Dukat.
The crew finds Gul Dukat and
the Maquis hidden on a small planet, and Sisko, Bashir, and Odo
take a Runabout to bring him back. A tense standoff ensues, and
when one of the Maquis opens fire, Sisko is able to gain
control, rescue Dukat, and take prisoners. However, Sisko leaves
one Maquis member behind, asking him to tell Hudson that
Starfleet knows nothing about his betrayal and he still has time
to change his mind.
Upon their return to the station, Sisko tells Dukat that the
Cardassians have turned against him. Not surprised, Dukat joins
forces with Sisko, offering to help stop the smuggling if Sisko
will help him stop the Maquis. Later, Quark, who has been
arrested for helping sell weapons to the Maquis, reveals a list
of what the group has. Dukat believes the Xepolites are
transporting the weapons for the Cardassians, so they soon
locate a Xepolite ship and prepare to board it.
Locked in Odo's holding cell with Sakonna, the Maquis' Vulcan
liaison, Quark convinces her to reveal the rebels' next step — a
plan to attack a weapons depot hidden in a Cardassian civilian
population center. Sisko tries to talk to the Maquis one last
time, warning them that he will stop their plan. Hudson then
arrives, and when Sisko tells him he will be able to stop the
Cardassian weapons shipments, Hudson replies that he is
determined to fight this war and win anyway, ultimately
rejecting Sisko's offer to return to Starfleet.
Dukat learns that the targeted weapons depot is located in the
Bryma Colony, then joins Sisko and the senior officers for one
last stand against the imminent Maquis attack, taking three
Runabouts to stop the group before it gets to the planet. When
the Maquis ships finally appear, the initial skirmish results in
damage on both sides, leaving only Sisko and Hudson in a final
face-off. Sisko successfully stops his friend, then allows him
to escape. Sisko returns to Deep Space Nine a hero, but wonders
if he has really stopped a war, or merely delayed the
inevitable.
See
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