#except so far this is going much better for Jake and Nog than it usually goes on MASH

[youngpettyqueen]

In the Cards is a fantastic episode just for the 1 - 2 combo of 1) Julian without hesitation declaring his childhood teddy bear would be the one thing that would make him happy right now and agreeing to get Jake and Nog what they want if they get him Kukalaka and 2) the reveal that Leeta fucking stole it and has been sleeping with it

[jewishdragon]

Jake the Borrower Chapter 3

Visions and Meetings

[DS9 Borrower AU inspired by onetobeamup. Chapter 1: Space is no Place for a Human. Chapter 2: The Invisible Resistance]

[Recap from the end of chapter 2: Jake was seen by Tora Ziyal. And then runs into his dad]

This is the chapter where I realized I’m in too deep and this AU should be called Ben the Borrower but it’s too late

----

"I can't believe you would do something so foolish, Jake. You know better than that. This is the first lesson a Borrower learns. Or have you forgotten?" Ben said, raising his voice as much as he dared. 

Jake was avoiding his father's eyes.

"No sir, I haven't."

"Look at me when you're talking, and tell me what the rule is," instructed Ben.

It took a lot to look back at his dad's face, so full of disappointment.

"You must not be seen," supplied Jake. "I didn't mean to break the rule."

"That's the problem, Jake - I think you did. And in doing so you not only endangered yourself but all of us, in this house, on this planet! By being seen, you risk all humans to exposure. More importantly, it risks my losing you, and I... I can't bearto think I could have so easily." Ben's voice was starting to waver. He had been so scared. "Since you got away, we just have to be extra careful, and she will just think it was only a dream."

"I guess you won't let me borrow for a while now," said Jake.

"If I could afford to issue that punishment, I would. But we are stocking up tonight and morning is only a few hours away. Jadzia and I are making another kitchen borrow. I need you and Nog to do a supply run from the other guest room. There are pieces of broken toys and computers, you know the like, that I want Miles to have. He's going to meet you there; No one is in those rooms. Tomorrow we can see what's going on with the garden and maybe gather some herbs."

At the mention of his name, Nog was at Jake’s side. Ben gave them both a few extra tools used to borrowing electronics and led them all the way to the other room. He left them with Miles, but not before giving Jake one last warning.

"You aren't to go near the girl again. Is that understood?" growled Ben

"Yeah, dad."

"Good! Now good borrowing!”

"Good borrowing to you too, Mr. Sisko," said Nog, waving goodbye.

Miles started to lead them in the opposite direction. Then Nog turned to Jake, looking up at his friend who looked guilty even though accused of nothing. "You're going to try and see her again, aren't you?" Nog asked, whispering, since Miles might have been instructed to monitor them more closely than usual.

"I don't think you want me to answer that," said Jake.

"Why not?" asked Nog

"Plausible deniability."

"That's the opposite of reassuring," said Nog.

"Hey, come help me with this!" called Miles from across the room and under the bed.

That area was like a junkyard. There were years worth of random discarded items accumulated there, with treasures hidden in it. It seemed to be a place where anything broken was just shoved. But if the room was to be cleaned, they had to get to what they could now. It had been scoured many times by the Borrowers but knowing this might be the last time, they were finding things they'd missed before.

The engineer was trying to pull something shiny from a tangle of other shiny things. A Bajoran earpiece! Though it looked a bit bulky.

"Jewelry? Mr. O'Brian, is this really the time to be looking for something nice for your wife?" Jake said, not hesitating to assist Miles in liberating the object.

"You sound like your father, Jake. This piece is a communicator! The delicate instrumentation that is needed to make it look like jewelry is some of the highest quality," said Miles. "For being a few years old..." With a trusty wrench, Miles was able to open up and take apart the electronics, stuffing wires and crystals into his bag.

Jake moved on, heading to another pile of tangled junk. He couldn't remember if he'd ever searched this one before. Everything in the pile was technically useful, but most wasn't needed right now. Pieces of metal, plastic, paper, odd items that could be raw materials. This place had served as a sort of vault for everything, but they couldn't move most of it. There was just so much.

Jackpot! Jake found an old remote to something, maybe a toy? Who knew, but it had small batteries. He was sure that Kasidy could use more, or someone would find a use. He pulled them out of the device, careful not to turn it on, and pocketed the metallo-crystals. They were kind of pretty.

Nog hadn't made any sort of noise, grumble of boredom or otherwise, in a little while, which made Jake suspicious. Abandoning his pile Jake went searching for his friend and discovered him quickly, by a ancient data pad. Nog had hooked it up to his own, smaller pad, and was clearly browsing through some items. He jumped when he noticed Jake.

"Dude, it's just me!"

"Yes, of course! I knew that!" said Nog.

"Whatcha looking at?" said the voice of Miles, who had followed Jake. He looked at both boys suspiciously.

"Nothing! I mean! Well I found this old data pad and since the tech is too bulky I thought maybe the information it contained might be valuable!" said Nog

"And?" asked Miles. Nog's ears went red.

"There was a large file of, um, pictures of Bajoran women, and not much else."

Miles pinched his brows. God damn teenagers. He dragged Nog away from the pad and assigned him a new pile to work on, with Jake's help. Hopefully Jake would keep them on track.

The sun had just begun to rise when the door to the room opened and several Cardassians stormed in. The humans snatched up what they could and ran back to the safety of the wall space. They scrambled to a view port behind a wall fixture. from there they could watch what was going on.

The Cardassians spread out, there were four of them. They didn't look happy.

"All of this needs to go!" said a Cardassian with greenish skin, clearly the boss of the other three. He waved at the piles of junk and the bed.

Everything was cleared out, and a long forgotten floor was revealed. Then an object was brought in on a very ornate pedestal. It looked like a plain black box. The Cardassian with greenish skin pressed his fingers to the edge of the box in a sequence and it opened. A second object, covered in a cloth, was brought in and placed into the box.

"Place a guard by the door. Two, actually. No one is to enter the room without my authorization!" the Cardassian in charge ordered.

With that, the room was empty of both people and things, except for the box. Miles took both boys by their elbows and dragged them away. It was nearly morning, they needed sleep. After escorting Nog, then Jake, back to their homes, Miles returned to the garden shed where he lived with Keiko and their daughter.

Benjamin made sure Jake had fallen asleep before allowing himself to do the same.

---

<i>Sisko.

SISKO sisko Sisko</i>

"Mr Sisko?"

Everything was fuzzy. The voices, the figures they came from. He couldn’t remember what he was doing or where he was. The voices were familiar, and they had faces attached, which he could almost make out. Friends? Family?

“He can’t hear us, he is too far,” said a voice. Female, maybe?

“I’m right here! I can hear you!” said Ben, grasping at the figures in the haze.

The faces turned away.

“Ben!”

Hands on his shoulders, clear voice of Jadzia, and he was back in the kitchen, on the table. He had been cutting berries off of a stem in strategic places to make sure the few missing weren’t noticeable. But the knife wasn’t in his hand anymore. It was at his feet.

“Jadzia, did you see that?” Ben already knew the answer.

“No, and I think we should go to Julian. You just stood there for a good minute, staring at the berries,” said Jadzia, picking up the knife and not returning it to Ben.

“But the borrowing, we-” He wobbled where he stood.

“You are in no shape to borrow, or even make it to Julian’s. I’m taking you home to bed. You  need rest Ben.”

He didn’t make another objection, but by the time he got back to his room, he was feeling much better. And Miles was waiting for him.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Ben looked at Nog and Jake, who were on the couch.

“I’m not sure, but I need to tell you something.” Miles also looked to the two boys. “After these two get to bed.”

“Nog, go back to your place,” Ben ordered, and Nog ran out, Ben locked eyes with Jake.

“I’m still angry at your recklessness, but I’m also grateful you’re alive.” He sat next to his son. “We’ll talk more in the afternoon,” he finished, and he held out his arms. Jake considered for a second before embracing his dad and heading off to bed.

“Now Miles, what is it you wanted to tell me? Did Jake do something?”

“Oh no, sir. He behaved himself.” Miles told Ben about the mysterious object.

“Sounds like none of our business,” said Ben.

“But Sir, you need to see this for yourself.”  said Miles, not really knowing why.

“You said it’s guarded? I don’t think that will be possible” said Ben

“Can’t argue with that, Sir. Good morning, sleep well”

“You too Miles.”

—

He must have gone to bed soon after, he was sure of it. So why was he awake?

Benjamin blinked. He was looking at Miles, or at least, he thought he was. But this man was too young. He also wore the grey and red-brown uniform of the Invisible Resistance.

Looking around, Sisko saw other humans, most of them running up the narrow corridor that stretched away in three directions and also up, all in resistance gear. He was not in the estate, but aboard a Cardassian prison transport. He didn't know how he knew that, as the insides of ship walls all looked the same, but he knew. He also knew that several Bajoran resistance leaders had been captured and were aboard the transport. He knew this place.

"Benjamin, we've re-routed the plasma flow and shut off of the shunts. She'll blow any minute. It's now or never to make our exit."

No, it couldn't be, that voice. Benjamin turned around to come face to face with.

"Jennifer?"

His mind had frozen. She looked at him odd. No, it was odd that she was looking at him at all. With dark eyes pulling him in like a black hole does light, and a face that would charm a Vulcan.

"Yes Ben? Are you alright? You're looking at me funny," she said.

"I- I just,"

"Come on you two. We gotta get a move on, we have to climb over to the other side before-"

BOOM

That was the sound, and shock wave, of the building pressure of plasma blasting the walls of the brig.

"It's too late to climb across. We’ve got to run for it!" shouted O'Brien, as he and the other humans scrambled to get through a small hole that led into the corridor, heading for a compartment in the was on the other side. Alarms were blaring, the lights were flashing, and security could be heard running down the hall. They did not have much time. They must not be seen.

Shots from phasers passed overhead, but Ben was not concerned with who was firing. Then another explosion, closer, much closer. Debris started to hit the ground, and now Sisko saw: the rebels had overpowered their guards and gotten their weapons, (as per the rebel's rescue plans) and the Cardassian security was peeking around the corner on one end of the hall, rebels at the other. The humans had not been seen.

They were almost all in the opposite wall! That provided a direct route to the shuttle bay where they could use the transporters. Once back on the rebel's ship, they would finally be safe.

"Benjamin!"

NO! He knew what was happening. It had happened before, and now he remembered what this was.  Even though he knew what he would see, he turned around. Jennifer on the ground, struck by a piece of flying metal. She could not run. She was struggling to get up to walk. She had fallen behind, and now the Cardassians were running down the hall.

"JENNIFER!"

He instinctively stopped to run to her. More than one person took hold of his arms to drag him away, into the wall. He was screaming, a hand went over his mouth and he bit it. He tasted blood, but the hand stayed. Through tears He still caught a glimpse of the stomping Cardassian feet, going so fast and so dense, there was no hope that Jennifer would survive.

It was no consolation that she hadn't been seen. If she had, maybe they would have stopped, giving him enough time to- no. If he had, he would have been captured, and probably by Cardassians who would experiments on and torture him. Sometimes he wished the Bajorans knew about them, but then the Invisible Resistance wouldn't be so invisible. It was as if the fact that neither the Cardassians nor the Bajorans knew about humans was crucial to freeing Bajor. Ridiculous, of course.

Weird... It was suddenly very bright all around him? And where was everyone?

"Sisko?" a near monotone voice asked.

He was no longer in the ship's walls. No, this was much worse.

Looking down a wide ridged nose at him with large shining brown eyes, was a Bajoran, dressed in purple religious regalia, and he was standing in their hands.

He fell to his knees, unsteady on the flesh of the hands.

NO!

He was lifted up to its face, he could feel its warm breath as it said again. “Sisko”

He had been caught? Found? How? He looked around. More Bajorans! Surrounding him, all staring at him. Not with surprise, or anger, or curiosity. In fact no emotion at all.

“He is still too far gone,” said one.

“Who, who are you? What is happening? Where am I?”

The expressions and voices remained neutral.

“He can hear us.” Ben couldn’t tell which one said that.

“He is leaving us. We must give him directions,”

This time, he found himself in the hands of the one who spoke, not the hands he was in before. And then again, new hands, new speaker.

“You are wrong. Be concerned,” it said.

New hands, new speaker.

“The shadows are not your home!”

“What do you mean? What is my home?” He knew he should feel fear, but his question still came out.

New hands, new speaker

“Sisko of Bajor. You are wrong. Be concerned”

New hands, new speaker. The crowd closed in.

“You are wrong. Be concerned”

New hands, new speaker. The hands now closed around him.

“Be concerned”

--

He woke up. The darkness of the room took him by surprise, It has been so very bright a second ago, or at least, his dreams had been. But they felt so real, and he remembered everything.

Cold sweat dropped off him now that he was sitting up, but his heart would not calm down. The image, no, the sensation of being held in the Bajoran hands were still with him, conflicting with the current sensory input.

"Everything alright?" A body stirred next to him. Kasidy rolled over to look up at her husband, whose eyes were wide and shifting. Something was not alright.

"Just... just a bad dream," said Ben.

His wife moved closer to him, bringing with her warmth. She propped herself up on an elbow. "Must've been some dream, do you want to talk about it?"

"I- I can't remember it now,"

"You're a terrible liar, Ben. I asked a yes or no question. You could have just said-"

"It was my wife. Jennifer, I mean."

"Oh- oh Ben. I won't be mad if you've dreamt about her. You know that."

"I dreamt about her death."

"I can't even imagine..." Kasidy sat up, about to say more, then thought better of it. There wasn't much she could do to comfort him besides being there. As Sisko's current wife, she was a constant reminder of what he'd lost, regardless of how much he had gained. Trying to hold him like a lover wouldn't do any good, Ben needed a friend.

Jake fit the bill better than she did, but she wasn't sure Ben could manage getting dressed to wake his son. So she sat up all the way, sitting next to him in the cool room, and took his hand. The first tears hit the sheets with a soft *thup*.

---

Past noon was when Jake woke up again, but it was Kasidy tapping him on the shoulder, not his father

"Five more minutes."

"Sorry Jake, but you should get up now. You're harvesting today, in case you had forgotten. The Bajorans still have not given signs that they will use the garden but we can't be sure they won't so get your gloves and boots!"

Jake groaned.

"Also, your dad had a rough night, and-"

"I know, it's my fault. I... I feel terrible," said Jake.

"I don't think it's anyone's fault," said Kasidy concernedly, getting Jake's clothes out of his dresser and dropping them in his lap. "But it certainly ain't yours. Still, behaving a little might help his mood."

Jake was about to ask what was going on, since it most certainly was his fault! Then a smell wafted into his room, something sweet and something fried.

"Stress cooking?"

"Yeah. Hope you're hungry because I gotta jet. It’s late as it is." Kasidy left his room and Jake was able to get dressed.

Dinner for breakfast. The Standard Sisko stress response was to cook away the bad feelings, and while Ben could make the most amazing lunches and dinners, he couldn't make a breakfast item to save his life.  The table was covered in steaming entrees.

"Dad, this stuff will go bad. I can't eat it all!"

"Huh? Oh, I guess not. We could take this to the O'Brians, but we can't carry it all on our own." He was trying to sound energetic but Jake could tell his father had not slept much.

"I'll see if Nog or Jadzia can help. Or Alex. No, wait, he's still at Bashir's..." said Jake.

"That's where we are headed. It'll be like a picnic."

Fake excitement didn’t make sense as a response to Jake’s recklessness. He had expected another reprimand. What had happened last night that Jake didn’t know about? There were no clues as to what it could’ve been, and Jake felt to guilty to ask. Instead he walked over to the comm pad on the wall to see if Nog was still home.

—

The Siskos and Ferengis arrived in the garden with plates of food.

There was something to be said for the natural security of the overgrown bramble that grew alongside the garden shed where the O’Brians made their home. Ok, so they didn't live in the bramble, they lived under the shed, not far from gas and power lines. The bramble hid the main entrance but also provided a small area to gather.

"Wasting food, and when we might not get to borrow again for who knows how long?" said Quark as Nog, Jake, Rom, and Ben put the food down on a table made from a broken touch pad screen and corks.

"We have plenty of food, Quark. But if you think it's a waste, I won't waste it on your stomach," said Ben, serving everyone but Quark.

"Wait, I didn't mean it that way! I just meant- oh, never mind." He served himself food, looking at Ben as he did for a hint of aggression. But everyone's attention had turned to the latest arrivals.

A tall, strong young man with dark skin that sharply contrasted his long curly strawberry blonde hair done up in a tight bun, was hobbling on crutches. He had arrived with a skinnier, but just as tall brown skinned man. Alexander Dax and Julian Bashir.

“How’s the foot doing, Alex!?” Nog shouted.

“Better every day!” Alex smiled, and his eyes fell on the banquet.

“That wouldn’t be a lie if you followed my instructions,” said Julian, sitting down and taking a plate of food. He didn’t eat as he continued to talk. “He would have been fit to go home two days ago, but he’s impatient and overdid it on the physical therapy. This is marvelous Ben, what’s the occasion?” Julian finally had taken a bite of the food.

“Just felt like cooking,” said Ben.

Julian understood, and he didn't press the issue.

“Will Worf be joining us?” asked Alex, taking a seat across from Jake and Nog.

“He’s busy, but Jadzia should be here soon,”

As soon as he knew his father wasn’t going to be able to tell him off for aggravating his injury, Alex became focused on his friends.

“So, tell me about the borrowing!”

Nog rolled his eyes. “Alex you’re normally with us. You know how it goes.”

Alex looked disappointed. “Aw, nothing exciting then?”

“Nothing,” said Jake, sighing and looking at his food.

Nog couldn’t contain it anymore. “Just kidding. Last night was crazy! First off...” He ran over to his borrowing pack and pulled out a piece of chocolate confectionary. Alex’s eyes grew wide. “We got sweets” and Nog placed the head sized piece on the table. The three were about to dig into it when Julian intervened.

“Finish your real food first, boys. Especially you, Alex. Your body needs proper nutrition to heal.”

“Yes Doctor,” the three said in unison.

“Hey Doc! Relieve the boys of some of their prize. We adults also have sweet-tooths!” Quark shouted.

“You boys don’t mind?” Julian asked.

“Help yourself,” said Jake. He was eager to get back to recounting the night’s adventure, so he helped load up a plate with chocolate for Julian to take back to the adult side end of the table.

The O’Brians arrived as Julian left them, which finally took the adults attention off of the teenagers, and onto the toddler in Keiko’s arms.

“Second?” asked Alex.

It took a moment for Jake to remember what they were talking about. Nog beat him to it.

“Second, you know that guest room on the second floor? The one right there?” Nog pointed up at the window that was right across from the bramble that hid them from view.

“Well, it's being used, and last night, Jake-“ Jake kicked Nog. He hoped Alex didn’t notice. Nog paused mid sentence but pretended to choke on some food and took a drink of water before continuing.

“Jake and I, we were going to borrow from that room, but there’s a girl in there.”

“Oh! Is this why the meeting was held? Julian didn’t tell me anything! He never does!” said Alex

“Yeah, she arrived in a car with the crest of the House of Dukat on it! He’s some high ranked Cardassian.”

Alex started to look bored as Nog recounted the meeting in detail. He no longer resented Dr. Bashir for not telling him.

“Anyways!” said Jake, “We had one more incident last night. In the supply room.”

“It was finally cleared out!” said Nog, getting the hint.

“You’re kidding!” said Alex.

“Not at all! It was cleared out and it now holds... well, we don’t know what but it’s guarded! With Cardassians! With big guns!” said Nog, rather ineloquently. They spent the rest of the meal theorizing as to what could be in the mysterious box.

Even engaged in conversation with Miles and Julian, Ben couldn’t help but hear the kids mention the box and the object. And after, that is was hard to think of anything else.

Perhaps the arrival of 5 Dax members could take his mind off it. With effort, he pushed it to the back of his mind, and was momentarily satisfied.

“Ah! Julian! Just the man I wanted Ben to see,” said Jadzia, announcing her arrival and immediately setting upon the food. The other four Daxes made longer greetings.

“Jadzia, I am feeling much better this morning, there is no need too-”

“Ben went catatonic during an outing,” said Jadzia after swallowing a rather large mouthful of food.

“Did he now?” said Julian, with an air of confusion and interest.

Everyone went silent, everyone was staring. Jake most of all.

His dad hadn’t said a word about this to him. Was this the reason his dad had been stress cooking? A second ago Jake would have loved any reason for him to no longer be his dad’s source of stress, but now he wasn’t so sure. Catatonic? Was his dad ill?

“Perhaps, Doctor, this is something to be discussed later. In private,” said Ben, calmly but forcefully, and taking a sip of coffee.

“Yes, of course,” replied Julian.

The rest of the meal was eaten in an atmosphere of tension, but they honored Ben’s request for privacy. Jake’s hands became clammy with worry. But eventually, everyone was full and relatively happy, and soon, jobs were being assigned.

Ben, Jadzia, and Miles would go check any rooms they still had access too. Daytime it may be, but populated the estate is not, even with guests. Any room not being cleaned out was not in use. Julian soon ran after them.

Jake and Nog would collect herbs and other plant material that were hard to reach for the expecting Keiko. Supplies that were found deep in bushes, on top of a tall stem of a flowering plant, or up a wall of ivy, for example. Alex was to rest. He could watch his friends, but he was not allowed to use his leg. This meant sitting on a spool and napping, because watching other people gather random shit from a garden isn’t the most exciting pastime.

“Why didn’t you want me to mention the girl to Alex?” Nog cried up to Jake who was a few inches above him, after making sure Alex was asleep.

They were gathering baby leaves that were just sprouting from the top of a overgrown bush. The leaves actually belonged to a vine that had snaked its way through the bush to reach sunlight, only to have its leaves plucked by two humans. Keiko had instructed them to leave some leaves so that the plant would survive.

“It wasn’t Alex I didn’t want hearing about last night. It was everyone else,” said Jake. “You can tell him now if you like.”

Nog glanced down at Alex, who was keeping cool under the shade of a large leaf, while his friends roasted in the sun. He was also still sleeping, his leg elevated slightly on a cushion. “I won’t disturb him. he needs to rest to recover,” said Nog, adjusting his bandana. Today’s was yellow.

Jake looked up at the sky, wiping the sweat from his brow. And as he glanced down, his eyes passed by the house and fell upon a window. In the window was a figure - the girl. She was looking out over the garden, and for a moment Jake flinched, before realizing that he couldn’t be seen from this distance. A small part of him wished he could. That part of him was forming a devious plan. And that part of him dropped his knife.

“What the hell, Jake? That nearly hit me!” cried Nog.

“Sorry about that! Do you think you could get it back for me? You’re closer to the ground!” asked Jake, giving Nog a pleading smile. Nog huffed, grumbling a “fine” and proceeded downward.

Once Nog was out of site, Jake scrambled over the bush towards the house. The edge of the thick bush was about half a foot from the vines the snakes up the gutter drain. Half a foot was about Jake’s height, and he could normally jump that distance, but a bush wasn’t the best jumping-off material.

Determination won over common sense and he leaped, hugging the first piece of vine that he could. The impact jarred him but he didn’t have time to waste and started climbing. The window was only, on the second floor… Nog was sure to discover his absence at any moment. Would he now personally try to stop him? Or go fetch his father…

—-

Ben was pacing the floor as Jadzia and Miles watched. He had been at this for five minutes. Julian had pronounced him in full health, and couldn’t find anything wrong. That didn’t mean nothing was. Jadzia and Miles still worried.

“I’ve changed my mind,” said Ben, looking up at Miles and then to Jadzia. “I must go investigate this object. And as soon as possible. Now in fact.”

“Now!?” said Jadzia and Miles in unison.

“Ben, the room is guarded! It’s broad daylight!” objected Jadzia.

“Sir, if I may speak candidly...” Miles didn’t wait for permission. “This is a bad fucking idea. Last night, you said it was none of our concern.”

That made Ben falter momentarily. He should berate Miles for that. He should also listen to hi friends. They were right. But he was more right. He needed, more than anything in the world, to see the object.

“I was wrong. Based on new information, I believe it is of great concern,” said Ben.

“What new information could you possibly have gotten since you fell last night?” asked Miles.

Ben walked over to the wall; there was a small hole in it where he could look out into the hallway. He watched a Bajoran butler walk by before replying. What could he say? His new information was his gut. At least, he thought it was. His drama said it was important, but with Jadzia already fearing for his sanity, he wasn’t about to mention his dream. He didn’t want to think about the dream, how real the hands felt around him, so large and imposing, hands that could crush him instantly. How had his dreams conjured such realistic hands? He had never been caught.

“I can’t reveal my sources,” lied Ben. “But if I wait, it might be too late. I don’t know how long the object will be there. I’m going.”

“We’re going,” said Jadzia, picking up her gear.

“You don’t need to take this risk, Jadzia,” said Ben.

“I’m not letting you go alone. And even if you did, the risk is never just to yourself, It’s always to all of us, so I’m going,” said Jadzia, placing a hand on Ben’s shoulder. It was tense. “And so is Miles.”

They both stared at Miles, who hadn’t made a move. Then he picked up a climbing hook, put on his gear harness, and pulled his goggles over his eyes. “Of course I’m coming.”

Ben’s shoulders relaxed. Slightly.  “First, we need to see how the room is guarded.”

---

It took a little longer than Nog expected to retrieve the knife. It had landed on its hilt and bounced a ways away. By the time he was climbing back up, Jake was nowhere to be found. Jake hadn’t climbed back down, so he must be above. Nog continued to climb, and his head popped out of the dense leaves, and he looked around.

There were several tall stems shooting out of the bush with flowers and young leaves, but Jake was not perched at any of them. Where could he have gone? He had to get a better vantage point. He chose a flower and started climbing.

Eventually he was high up enough to scan the area. He found Jake, and he nearly lost his grip. He didn’t, instead he drew out a concave mirror.

---

Jake had to swing to get up on the slanted ledge that extended below the window, and once up there he sat down. While he was catching his breath, he looked out over the garden. It was stunning from this high up. Overgrown? Yes. Full of amazing and colorful plants? Also yes. Did a light suddenly shine in his eye? Yes.

The blindness was only for a moment as the light flashed in his face and he looked for the source, which didn’t take long. As he suspected, Nog had returned and found he was, and was furiously signaling to him.

Jake took it as a signal to get moving.

Nog made a split second decision. He couldn’t catch up to Jake. He had to get help.

---

Three pairs of eyes peered through a very small crack in the ceiling, down at the closed door. There was one guard standing right in front of it. They had a rifle, n. Not that a phaser was a threat to a human, being such a small target. But they were alert.

“Ok., Now the room itself,” Ben whispered, as they traveled through the ceiling. As they neared the area over the room, muffled voices reached their ears. This ceiling had no faults; they had to go to the ground. There was a broken wall socket that they could peek out of. Once lower down, the voices became audible.

“And the Bajorans will trade for this? It’s a lump of rock!” someone spat. The voice was Cardassian.

“It isn’t a lump of rock. A common mistake. It’s more energy than matter, and it is sacred to them. They would give almost anything to have it back,” said another voice, also Cardassian.

“They are demanding reparations. This isn’t the time to be demanding things from them,” insisted the first voice.

Ben and company reached the wall socket and looked out. Their vantage point was from the wall on the left of the table. Two Cardassian men were arguing in front of the table. They were dressed in fine clothing of the latest fashion, faces painted and wearing a few pieces of jewelry, all tasteful. A third Cardassian, a guard, was in front of the door, positioned exactly as the other guard.

“Reparations! What a load of crap. The damage they did to all our infrastructure is worth more than what they could hope to take from us now. We are at a ceasefire at best. A long one, yes, but still a ceasefire. They are desperate; they will want this... this Orb, or whatever. I was assured this.”

“By whom?”

“My dear, I cannot compromise with them, but it was a Vedek,” the Cardassian chuckled, “Their religion is almost as important to them as their autonomy, and for some, for many, it is more important.”

“If you are right, then you may have my support. Now, the luncheon is about to start.”

The guard knocked on the door, which was opened by the one outside. All three Cardassians exited. Before the guard shut the door, he placed a hand on a terminal, which had not been there last night. It flashed a confirmation that the room was secure.

“Miles?” asked Sisko.

“I dunno about politics, sir, not since the revolution ended. Been focused on my family you know,” said Miles.

“No, Chief,” said Ben, using Miles’ resistance codename which had become a friendly nickname. “This room has security. Are the special features of your goggles still operational?”

“Yes sir,” said Miles, blushing, but also proud that his cobbled together tech held up so well. He flipped through different modes. After a minute, he smiled. “Sensors on the windows, the door. Motion detectors at 2 decimeters above the ground, making a 2 square decimeter grid. We will have to crawl, but we won’t be detected. OH!” he cried out as his vision went white. “That might be a problem. A life signs detector. It might register us as rodentia and not trigger an alarm, but we can’t tell until it happens.”

“Those detectors never saw us during the resistance. Lead the way, Chief,” said Ben.

Pushing against the wall socket made enough of a gap for the three humans to squeeze through and onto the floor. Miles got them to the table and made sure to have each of them stand up inside a square, and to be careful not to move too much in any horizontal.

None of them could possibly throw a hook that high. But Miles, ever resourceful, had a hook launcher.

“It makes a bit of noise. Are you sure?” he asked, taking it out.

Ben took it. “Point and click?”

“Yes sir,” said Miles.

Ben angled it slightly. A small POP, and it shot up, arcing a bit before hitting the table and snagging the tablecloth. He freed the end of the rope from the launcher and motioned for Jadzia. She carefully entered his square.

“Hold the rope steady,” he instructed. “Don’t let it swing out. When I’m above the sensor grid, cut it.” He began to climb. Once it was cut, the going wasn’t as smooth. He was swinging, but the hook held. He made it onto the table. A black hexagonal cylinder of a box stood before him like a mighty obelisk. He must see what was inside. He ran to the front. It was closed, but not locked. It had a clasp.

“Chief?” said Jadzia, looking worried. “We can’t tell if the box has security, can we?”

“Shit.” said Miles, “We can’t, and even if we could, how would we tell him?”

They could only stand and look up at the table, with no clue as to the goings on top.

---

Jake had reached the window. It was open, but had a mesh screen to keep out bugs. He stayed by the corner as he glanced in. The girl, Ziyal, wasn’t in the bed; instead she was at the small table, reading a book. She was in a nice, but simple dress in the Cardassian style. And she wasn’t alone. Beside her, a grumpy looking Bajoran woman, with short red-brown hair and in a plain uniform. Her legs and arms were crossed. Jake watched as the girl tried to make small talk, but soon gave up.

After a few minutes, the woman got up. Someone was at the door - another Bajoran woman, this one dressed in a maid’s attire. She brought in a tray of food and drink, enough for one person, and set it down on the table.

“I take it I am not to join the lunch?” asked Ziyal, setting her book in her lap. It was hard to tell, but she sounded a bit disappointed.

“No ma’am,” said the uniformed woman, who remained standing, her arms still crossed. “But your father has requested that I be in attendance.”

“I promise not to cause any trouble,” said Ziyal, pouring herself some tea, accepting her lonely lunch.

“You do that just by existing, ma’am,” said the Bajoran, who stiffened at her own harsh words, but she glanced around.

Jake became aware that he was no longer in the corner, but leaning against the mesh, and jumped back to concealment. The Bajoran hadn’t seen him and continued. “And if you do, it will be my neck on the line.” She leaned in close to Ziyal. “You would do best to remember that.”

“It’s nice, not having the room bugged,” said Ziyal. “I wonder if they forgot, or didn’t bother.”

Without another word, the Bajoran left, her tail held stiff to keep it from swishing with frustration. As she exited, Jake moved in front of the window again, not as far as he had let himself before, still in the corner. Ziyal was reading her book again.

---

Ben only reached for the clasp when it unclasped itself and the box swung open.

The incomprehensible was inside, until it shifted, and shifted again, until it took a form that human eyes could handle. It did look a bit like a rock, with its jagged hourglass shape, but it was suspended in the box, and slowly revolving as edges constantly shifted, giving off an intense light.

---

Nog had figured out where Ben was, and had thrown caution to the wind. He was behind the wall socket, and he lifted it up, jumping out and running to Jadzia and Miles as he shouted “Mr. Sisko!”

Jadzia and Miles spun around in terror, “Nog, no!” shouted Jadzia. It was too late. Even so short, Nog had passed through a sensor as he leapt, and the alarm was beeping.

---

The alarm was beeping, the door was opening, but Ben didn’t notice, because for him, time had stopped.

From behind the box walked humans. All of them resistance members that had died. Jennifer led the pack, and took his hands. Instantly, she was gone and he found himself underground, a cavern lit with fairy lights. A resistance compound. No danger, this was an abandoned human colony, now a base. He was eating rations alone in a mess hall. But he was not alone for long.

“Mind if I join you?” Jennifer asked. Ben couldn’t answer. But she sat down. “I’ve seen you here, at this table before. You usually eat with friends, where are they?”

“Jennifer,” Ben finally said.

“That’s my name. How do you know it?” She began eating her rations.

“I- this- this isn’t possible,” said Ben. This was the day he first met Jennifer. She had given him company, which he sorely needed, as his comrades were off on missions. She had taken his mind off worrying about his friends for a few moments. But those few moments turned into daily, then for every meal, even when his friends (most of them, at least) returned.

“You got closer, but there is danger,” she said. Her food was gone. His was too.

“What are you talking about?”

“You must get closer,” she said.

Then she was gone. In her place was Jake; they were sitting on the roof of the mansion. Jake was looking up at the sky.

“Do you ever wonder what’s out there?” Jake asked.

It was a cool night, not unusual, but he remembered this moment. It was from a few years ago.

“You know what is out there,” Ben recited the words, which he had said before. “The Cardassians are out there.”

“But what about beyond them? Surely there is more,” said Jake. “There is more, closer than we even know.”

Ben took a chance that this was not Jake. “How do we do that?” he asked.

Jake looked at him, and then back up. Just like on that night, a ship streaked across the sky.

“What is out there?” asked Ben. “What will I find?”

“You. We. Us,” said Jake.

Ben stood up. He wanted to shake the thing that was not Jake, but he couldn’t, because he was also so clearly Jake.

“How do I find you?”

Jake looked out over the roof. Something was moving across it.

--

Ben was back standing before the object. The light was less intense now, the room around him was a dulled and fuzzy. That something from the roof was there too.

A large black snake was slithering from behind the box, and it reared up, hissing, mouth wide open, the inside of the mouth was as indiscernible as the object had first been. Ben was helpless to move as it lunged at him, engulfing him in darkness. He was suspended in a black void for a second before once again finding himself in the hands of a Bajoran dressed in religious regalia. It was holding him over the table. The box was open, empty. In his own hands was the object, small enough for him to hold. It hurt, the edges were sharp. His hand had cuts, but they weren’t bleeding.

“Danger, we cannot allow this,” said the Bajoran. It walked away from the table, and Ben looked down. He saw, frozen in time, Jadzia and Miles, gesturing at something across the room. It was Nog, who was running towards them.

The Bajoran walked over to Nog and placed Ben next to him. The walk had no gate, there was no feeling of movement at all, even as it lowered him down.

And time started again. He only had a moment to act, the door was opening.

“RUN!” he bellowed, praying he would not be heard above the alarm.

Nog stumbled, as far as he knew, Ben had teleported to him, and was now pulling him into the wall. Jadzia and Miles were running towards them.

The guards burst into the room, but their eyes didn’t look down. They were puzzled momentary by the lack of an intruder. Then they noticed, the box was open. The Orb was gone.

The humans were out of the room as they heard the guards shout with anger and despair. Ben slipped the object into his bag. The small cuts on his hands were now dripping with blood. They stung, but he couldn’t do anything about that right now. They couldn’t stay here, the guards would be back to search the room.  So they swiftly moved to a wall space a few rooms down. Here there was silence, and it was cool.

Miles rounded on Nog, about to give him a piece of his mind, but Ben beat him to it. Or so he thought. “Nog?” asked Ben, not angry. Nog could not have known about the sensors. The fact that Nog was here could only mean one thing.

“Where is Jake?”

---

Without putting her book down, her teacup at her lips, Ziyal glanced over to the window.

Right at Jake.

“Oh, it’s you again,” she said, smiling. “You’re back.”

------------------------

Thanks for reading! Please reblog. I’ve also uploaded it to AO3 so you can leave comments and kudos! 

[Special thanks to @j0hnny0hm for proofreading this monster and knowing nothing about DS9]

[sleepymarmot]

DS9 season 5 liveblog

[Season index: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PS]

Apocalypse Rising

This is the worst device prototype... :D

Sisko makes a very handsome Klingon!

"But don't forget, this is still your fault." I knew they'd have to make a joke about this... :D

The Klingon practive! :D

Dukat does a Renegade interrupt... :D "It was either that or trust in Mister Worf's ability to lie. And frankly, I have more faith in my weapons"

How does nobody recognize Worf?!

Okay, so when Odo "got sick" he was actually poisoned by the Founders to bring him to them for judgement except it was to implant him with false information so that they would assassinate Gowron for them, except if they managed to kill Gowron it would have been obvious he was a Klingon, and if they caught Martok in the field his identity would have been exposed, so maybe they just intended them to be caught and be a reason for escalation, but none of this is addressed...

What was the official reason for invading Cardassia anyway, I don't remember after marathoning so fast?

The Ship

I like O'Brien and Muniz

of course a female Vorta wears a bright colored dress with giant cleavage, heavy makeup, and earrings

oh god, did the boy actually die? :O

I freaking knew it was a changeling aboard

god, so many people died because of miscommunication?!

(This trope is pretty much my worst nightmare aaa) 

this is one of the most upsetting stories so far :( I don't think even Hard Time made me cry for so long...

Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places

Julian...

Worf has good taste!

"What house is she from" Boy you have a surprise waiting for you! :D

grow up, Julian, seriously... :D

poor Worf, what an embarrasment

what a happy poly family!

someone's jealous, Odo!

aw everyone, stop making their lovely arrangement awkward

oh Worf, when will you see it :D

aww just accept that the three of you are married now

that's what you get for being nosy at the beginning of the episode, Julian :D 

congrats on the sex, everyone! :D I didn't expect Quark to actually get lucky with Grilka... And I'm so happy that Worf finally got laid properly -- it was so sad to watch his human-like advances on Deanna and that one half-Romulan in TNG.

this episode watered my crops, cleared my skin etc. it's been an hour and I'm still in a great mood

...Nor the Battle to the Strong

Bashir's unstoppable monologue claims another victim

I really like this dynamic -- young Jake who didn't know what he was getting into and feels very out of place, and the mature and experienced Bashir seen from his perspective

oh god, Bashir is so happy and relieved to see Jake and even apologies while Jake is about to be crushed by his guilt, I'm going to cry :(

Bashir is such a kind person :(

The Assignment

Yikes, you two really messed up! "I have to be in surgery, operating." "On who?" "I'll find someone."

Wow, Rom's really a genius

I hope this was *the* O'Brien suffering episode of the season and he'll be free for the rest of it! It was pretty tame, especially compared to last year...

Trials and Tribble-ations

I've been looking forward to this episode for years! And I just rewatched The Trouble with Tribbles for preparation.

What did Bashir do to his hair?!

"I'm a doctor, not an historian"

omg Odo in the same frame as Uhura and Chekov!

damn, they're really good at pasting new characters into the archive footage :D

Dax repeating Spock's line :D

going back to the greyness of the DS9 ops after all these bright colors...

This is really a perfect example of an anniversary/tribute/crossover episode! All of those disappointing cameos in TNG look even weaker now. And the visuals are incredible. I expected them to just but back and forth between old and new footage, not to actually edit TOS scenes -- and so cleanly!

Let He Who is Without Sin...

Poor introverted Worf...

I still don't want to see Julian/Leeta but at least they came here to break up

Worf I'm pretty sure this is illegal not to mention tremendously stupid

welp this was bad

Things Past

yikes Garak, no the Bajorans don't appreciate you playing devil's advocate

poor Dax "ran out of speculation" trying to justify standard filming conventions :D

y i k e s @Dukat

Garak: "I never knew we were such messy conquerors. I remember the occupation being a little more tidy than this." Sisko: "Everything's tidy when someone else is doing the cleaning." Garak: "The Bajorans were much more suited for this sort of thing than we were. Servile work is in their nature." also yikes

Dax is hyper-competent this time. like we’ve seen in “Past Tense”, she has a talent for impersonating someone from the past

"When your people resort to terrorism and violence, they're fighting against order, against stability, against the rule of law, and this must be stopped" this is all about trying to convince Odo that the Founders are right, isn't it

A reversal of "Necessary Evil" -- this time it's Odo who didn't magically spend years enforcing order for the occupants and still remain innocent. Odo as a "former Cardassian oppressor" is a story that was waiting to be told (even if this episode is weaker than Necessary Evil). The further I go, the more I become convinced that Odo is the best character and the heart and thematical center of the entire story. 

I... don't really understand Garak's part in this episode. Dax is better than him as a secret agent, Odo is better both at being a Cardassian oppressor and at reflecting on it. It's not like I expected Garak to go "omg I learned my lesson" at the end, but I was waiting for something. He comes off kind of naive and incompetent about the whole thing. And Odo of all people saying "Interesting that a simple tailor should just happen to have a high-level security code" is out of season or out of character and either way has no place here. Which kind of makes me lose faith that the rest of Garak’s behavior -- why is he so eager to parrot anti-Bajoran propaganda? -- is a part of some long pre-planned arc. By now I kinda have a feeling that the writers just throw out random lines and hope the actor’s skill will save them.

The Ascent

Odo is Cassandra Pentaghast :D

How did they survive in these conditions without food and water? Sometimes I don't know if I'm too weak & spoiled or the writers are exaggerating the hardships their characters go through...

Jake-Nog subplot got solved too fast

Rapture

What, they just change uniforms overnight in the middle of the season?!

"Those of you who were in the Resistance, you're all the same. You think you're the only ones who fought the Cardassians, that you saved Bajor singlehandedly. Perhaps you forget, Major, the Cardassians arrested any Bajoran they found teaching the word of the Prophets. I was in a Cardassian prison camp for five years and I can remember each and every beating I suffered. And while you had your weapons to protect you, all I had was my faith and my courage."

Look, I can understand why Sisko is choosing his visions over everything, and maybe I would have done the same, but this still squicks me and I don't want to watch it

Let me guess, all this religious propaganda will be justified because Sisko's vision will reveal something super important about the Dominion's moves

can we not go back to Bajoran spirituality any time soon please

(Why did the visions start, anyway? He was zapped by the holosuite computer, so what?)

Btw, if, judging from the uniforms, First Contact happened between the previous episode and this one, I'd like a reference to it? Worf, you were there! Sisko, that was the Borg! Hello?

The Darkness and the Light

ouch D:

if he was just a servant, how does he have the skills and knowledge for precize and difficult attacks like these?

"He wanted to protect the innocent and separate the darkness from the light. But he didn't realise the light only shines in the dark and sometimes innocence is just an excuse for the guilty" why is Kira talking like this... what kind of OOC bullshit...

maybe it's just because I caught Bryan Fuller's name in the credits, but this just felt like an episode of Hannibal... A string of brutal and overcomplicated murders, a grotesque villain with poetic speech, focus on misogynistic violence... I sure hope Discovery is nothing like this! I'm so angry Kira's friends died for this nonsense

the only good part was Kira’s unrepentant speech

The Begotten

Baby changeling! Odo gets "The Offspring" of his own! Let's hope this one has a happier ending...

is it just me or is Bashir prettier than usual in this episode?

Odo don't put the baby in a cup!!! what if someone drinks it?! D:

oh god, he's making Odo do these things himself D:

what a magical moment!!! aaaa

oh no Odo was so happy I just knew they'd kill his baby

he's holding it in his hands :((

I had a feeling they'd be able to link!! Even the conclusion is like "The Offspring" -- the father absorbs his child. I expected the story to end with Odo having to give it to the Founders because only they can save its life/raise it for some reason

Odo and Kira bonding over losing their babies :(

finally, a great episode again!

For the Uniform

Loving the manual departure scene! But how exactly is Nog relaying communications to the engine room?

I continue to understand nothing about the Maquis situation. What's a "Maquis colony"? I thought only the terrorists themselves used that name, not the civilians they protected? 

Eddington's use of chemical weapons against civilians is presented as moral event horizon, but Sisko's retaliation in kind is postfactum approved by Starfleet? I thought he was bluffing, and I assume his crew thought he knew what he was doing which is why they didn't object, but Eddington expected him to act like a villain and he literally did?? He used weapons of mass destruction against an entire planet populated by humans who may or may not be Federation citizens (or, alternatively, Cardassian citizens, which might be even worse politically). But that's fine, because the entire population of that planet managed to evacuate before the poison killed them. I don't know how to go on watching the show after this.

In Purgatory's Shadow / By Inferno’s Light

Bashir is great :D

Aw, Bashir isn't going with him? :(

hate to agree with Dukat, but yeah, this is inappropriate

"The man is a heartless, cold-blooded killer" "Like I said, he's a Cardassian"

w h a t

damn, just as I thought Julian was being unusually cool at the beginning of the episode, he turned out to be a changeling

okay, I knew about Dukat and the Dominion and had been waiting for it. but I'm stuck on Changeling Bashir. How long? Since before the uniform change? I feel betrayed. I want to believe it was the real Bashir in The Begotten! Not only because I love that episode -- the presence of a Founder would have changed the plot completely!

I thought I could spend one episode without gushing about how Dukat is written, but apparently not, so here it goes. This plot twist makes perfect sense on so many levels! Sisko has commented before on how quick Dukat was to join the winning side after the fall of the Obsidian Order. Dukat himself made a big speech about missing the good old times when Cardassia was feared (and as a viewer, I kind of miss that too...). Cardassia is the main antagonist of the show's past and the Dominion -- of present/future, and their autoritarian nature is pretty similar. As far as I remember, Dukat hasn't met the Founders before and is probably unaware of their deep hatred of solids, plus his usual overconfidence makes him underestimate the Dominion’s power, so I can see how he would treat this like any other alliance. I hope this means we'll see more Cardassians again, not just Jem'Hadar exploiting their territory and resources. 

I wish Ziyal were a bit more conflicted over the entire thing -- she spent her entire life idealizing her father and trying to justify his actions, and taking off the rose-tinted glasses should be more difficult and traumatic than "Oh I guess all of you were right and my dad is a bad guy after all".

Doctor Bashir, I Presume

Leeta, just ask him out yourself!

lol, Bashir should have told them about the hologram...

I knew the big spoiler, but assumed the genetic enhancement was prenatal, so the actual story about parental ableism still came as a surprise. I hope this will be discussed again in the following episodes! 

The story about a son who has good reasons to resent the father but forgives him in the end is a bit to similar to The Begotten, but I don't mind that much.

Miles is such a good friend :')

All of the A-plot was great, but the B-plot slightly spoiled the impression.

The resolution of the problem is what should have happened in the first place. Julian is in no way responsible for what was done to him as a child!

So if we didn't take this perfect opportunity to talk about changeling!Bashir now, I guess that won't be discussed ever?

A Simple Investigation

"I've done things in my life I'm not proud of, too. You worked for Draim, I worked for the Cardassians. I never had the courage to walk away. You did. I admire that"

Bashir and O'Brien's larping :D

I thought Odo wasn't capable of enjoying this kind of thing?

"Once, on my homeworld, I had an experience that you might consider sexual" uh... did I miss something? 

remember season 1 when Odo was adamantly aroace? good times...

wait what did he do with her hand?

the plot was so boring I had to force my self to focus on screen. and why make Odo fall in love (again) and have sex? that's stupid, leave him alone

Business as Usual

How come Quark is shunned by absolutely everyone? And the general disapproval is represented by Kira (who herself admits that weapon trade saved Bajor), Sisko (who used WMD only a few episodes ago) and Dax (a big fan of a certain culture built around violence).

Ties of Blood and Water

Just as I was thinking that this season has a lot stories with daddy issues, and that Kira doesn't have a father -- this guy shows up! Aww, Kira is so happy to see him"! I hope this doesn't mean he'll be dead by the end of the episode...

"I'm dying" of fucking course........

SHE JUST THREW A CUP RIGHT AT HIS FACE this is incredible

(Kira is literally too tired to deal with his shit. And it's beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen anything like her body language, expressions and voice in this scene. She doesn't even dignify his "sick little games" with a single shifting of pose before that one sharp movement to throw the cup.)

(at first I thought the cup broke as it hit his face, which was a completely delightful image, but sadly not what happened)

Kira, he was a member of the Central Command, what did you expect?

Weyoun is great :D

Kira, have you finished questioning him or not? If not, you shoud continue, regardless of your personal relationship.

I really enjoyed this episode, though there are some things that don't let me be truly impressed by it. It was pretty predictable; Kira's anger seemed naive and immature, and the revelation at the end did not completely disperse that impression.

From reactions of Odo and Bashir, who say nothing like "It's your duty to continue asking him questions" it seems like their interviews were over, but the montage and Dukat's poisoning attempt suggest the opposite. All of that is a shame, because this episode is my favourite kind of DS9 episode.

Ferengi Love Songs

Why is the Nagus of all people completely fine with her wearing clothes?

It's disappointing to go back to status quo. I thought the new life without a Ferengi business license would mean character development, but apparently not. And Ishka is weaker here than in Family Business.

Soldiers of the Empire

Always love a good Klingon episode! Honor! Fighting spirit! Jadzia and Worf being awesome!

Also I'm greatly amused that Julian was assigned to be an intelligence officer of all things.

Children of Time

O'Brien is the only one who reacts normally to this creepy situation...

The premise of the entire story doesn't work for me because apparently we're supposed to think that being stuck on an isolated planet with little technology is idyllic instead of horrifying??? I'd do a lot of things just to prevent that. Imagine all the inbreeding that must happen with only 48 ancestors, eww.

Oh boo fucking hoo, you won't have descendants on the planet, well you'll have about as many in the real world in 200 years, plus your absense at DS9 won't deal a strategic blow to the security of the Alpha Quadrant -- why isn't anyone talking about that?

And as usual with time loop stories, it's hard to take the entire thing seriously because -- what happened the first time? Did Jadzia fail to check the logs? Did they not meet their future descendants at all, sat for two days on the empty planet repairing the ship and just happened to stumble upon the anomaly on their way out? By interacting with the crew, the colonists are already changing the timeline, so there's no reason to believe that going back in time will preserve their history instead of making a new version of it.

Blaze of Glory

Eddington is like people who complain about products that have too many 'chemicals'

The writers didn't know what to do with the Maquis so they wiped them out offscreen and tried to wrap up the story with another team-up of rivals, but Eddington is no Dukat and the story itself is not strong enough. RIP Maquis storyline, you were a mess.

Empok Nor

Ouch, Garak, don't so casually bring up O'Brien's greatest traumas!

I have a bad feeling about all of these young nameless officers...

That doesn't look like a great environment for someone with claustrophobia

Cardassian faces always look so great in chiaroscuro! Since season 2 I've wanted to see Garak in this lighting, and the show finally delivers.

"You're right. I'm an engineer" :D

Very cheesy episode, but I enjoyed it more than any of the Mirror ones...

In the Cards

The scene with the crazy doctor and bargaining with Bashir are really hilarious...

"It is enough to know that you and I have found so many common interests. I feel that we are very much alike. :))))" "*grabs his ear* No. We are nothing alike. Nothing at all. :))))))"

What a wonderful episode!!! (But where was Dax?)

Call to Arms

"We're losing the peace, which means a war could be our only hope"

THIS IS SO EPIC!!! And finally, Sisko's prophecy in "Rapture" comes true.

General impressions:

Dax was reinvigorated! -- by the romance or not, but she seemed more vibrant than ever this season. Bashir got more character development! O'Brien suffered a little less than in the previous years! Dukat got to be openly antagonistic!

As usual, my favorite part is the main epic plot. There were three great comedy episodes this time: Par'Mach, Tribbles and Cards. Other favorites: Nor the Battle to the Strong; Things Past; The Begotten; Doctor Bashir, I Presume; Ties of Blood and Water.

Once again, Klingons are allies, Cardassians are enemies, and Quark is not an outcast. Must we cling so hard to the status quo?