Tip: Highlight text to annotate itX
Medical log, stardate 47229.
1 .
Chief O'Brien and l are prepared
for the arrival of a cartographer.
Ensign Melora Pazlar
is the first Elaysian to join Starfleet
and requires special accommodations.
l haven't seen one of these
in 300 years.
l'm surprised it was even on file.
lt isn't.
Ensign Pazlar sent me
the specifications.
Her normal anti-grav unit
isn't going to work here.
Cardassian construction
isn't compatible.
The Yellowstone has just docked
at airlock 14, Doctor.
We're on our way.
Just think what it must be like
to adjust to our gravity
after living on a planet
with low gravity.
We've done the best we can
with the ramps.
l've modified the vertical clearance
of the chair three centimetres.
lt still leaves places
she can't access.
Can't we use the transporter?
She sent word that it wasn't
acceptable to her.
- l wonder why.
- l know exactly why.
Once her basic needs are met,
she refuses any special assistance.
She's extraordinary.
Sounds like
you've known her for years.
l feel as though l have.
l've pulled
all her personnel and medical files.
- Are her quarters ready?
- l've got the bumps to prove it.
- Thanks, Chief.
- Let me know if there's anything else.
lt'll be something to see
when we switch off the gravity.
Ensign Pazlar reporting for duty.
l'm Chief Science Officer Jadzia Dax
and this is
Dr Bashir.
We spoke on subspace.
- Good to meet you.
- You have my trolley car ready.
- Can l help?
- l'm fine, thank you.
That's better.
You've modified it.
l wanted to give you
as much mobility as l could.
l've been practising on the model
l requested.
- We can replicate the other design.
- No, l'll just have to adapt.
l'll be accompanying you
on your mission.
l'm perfectly capable of piloting
a runabout.
- Commander Sisko thought
- What every officer has thought:
l need help to get the job done.
Tell him l don't.
He wouldn't allow any ensign to take
a runabout a day after arriving.
You must have
more important things to do
than chart the Gamma Quadrant.
Here we are.
You didn't modify the specifications
for my quarters, did you?
No, you control the gravity unit with this.
Thank you.
lt was a pleasure
meeting both of you.
Paltriss only created 80 of them,
each a work of art.
l've come into the possession of 42.
My world will honour your name
for returning the rings of Paltriss
to his birthplace.
As long as your honour
is accompanied by 1 99 bars
of gold-pressed latinum.
l heard you drive a hard bargain.
Shall we celebrate our closing the deal
with another drink?
Excuse me.
l'm sorry.
We're not open yet.
lf you'll come back
Have another drink on me.
Fallit Kot, is it really you?
- How long has it been?
- Eight years.
- Eight long years.
- lt can't be!
l must say, you look terrific.
Tanned, toned up.
That baby fat
has disappeared from your face.
You don't keep extra weight on
where l've been.
Just passing through?
l bet you have business
in the Gamma Quadrant.
l'm not going to the Gamma Quadrant.
My business is here with you.
- With me?
- That's right.
l've come to kill you, Quark.
l've gone through her profile.
She knows what she's doing.
This is her first deep space assignment.
lt doesn't make sense to
Here she is.
Welcome, Ensign.
l'm Commander Benjamin Sisko.
Am l late? lt looked as though
the meeting had already begun.
Dax and Bashir were telling me
about your request to pilot a runabout.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate
to include me in that conversation?
l was being briefed
by my senior officers.
We discuss personnel matters
all the time.
l'm sorry if l seem overly sensitive.
l'm used to being shut out
of the Melora problem.
The truth is
there is no Melora problem
until people create one.
This may sound ungrateful
because Dr Bashir has been
very helpful preparing for my arrival,
but l wonder why a medical opinion
is necessary in this discussion.
Julian knows your capabilities
better than any of us.
l don't need a medical opinion
to tell me my capabilities.
l won't be treated like l'm ill.
- Nobody is doing that.
- Try sitting in the chair.
No one can understand
until they sit in the chair.
l've been in one chair or another
since l left my home world.
My family gave me this cane,
made from the wood of a garlanic tree.
They had no idea
what it would be like to live
in what you call normal gravity.
Only a few Elaysians have left home,
but l always knew
that l had to be one of them.
l dreamt about exploring the stars
as a child
and l wasn't going to allow any
handicap,
not a chair,
not a Cardassian station,
to stop me from chasing that dream.
You must feel proud
of everything you've achieved.
l've achieved that, Commander,
without being dependent on anybody.
To be honest,
l prefer to work alone.
lt's simply easier for me.
l am not comfortable sending you alone
into the Gamma Quadrant.
l can focus on the job better,
work at my own pace
without being a bother to anyone.
Lieutenant Dax will be going with you.
Yes, sir.
When do you wish to leave,
Lieutenant?
- Your schedule is fine with me.
- Then tomorrow at 07:30.
ls it working?
The low-grav field actuator.
- l heard it go off.
- lt's working fine.
So you were just
For me, it's like slipping into a hot tub
at the end of a long day.
Really?
l'm a shower man myself.
Look at this.
ls this your husband? Boyfriend?
Doctor, if you came for an apology
- l apologise.
- Apology?
My speech wasn't intended
to attack you personally.
l'm sure you never set out
to attack anyone personally,
but you seem to attack a lot.
- That's insensitive of you, Doctor.
- Julian.
- l'm no longer your doctor.
- l see.
- You've decided l need a friend.
- Was that an attack?
You do it so well, with such charm,
it's hard to tell.
- l really don't mean to
- Sure you do.
- l beg your pardon?
- Of course you mean to.
The shots you fire are your way of
keeping the universe on the defensive.
Has to be.
You're too good at it.
lt always seemed to work pretty well.
Until now.
That is the nicest thing
you've said to me.
Or anybody else.
Are you hungry? l came here
thinking about asking you to dinner.
- Then afterwards we'll go dancing?
- Red alert.
Sorry.
There's a new Klingon restaurant
on the Promenade,
if you like that sort of thing.
All right.
- Dinner is served!
- l didn't order dinner.
What better way to mollify
satisfy a hungry traveller than
with a delicious home-cooked meal
starting with a delicate
Vak clover soup?
Why spoil your appetite with soup?
Here's the real treat.
Jumbo Vulcan molluscs saut�ed
in rhombolian butter.
A taste so exquisite,
it's to die for.
Or to live for.
Do you know dabo, Fallit?
lt's a wonderful game
and easy to learn.
l took the liberty of lining up
a couple of excellent tutors.
Be sure to ask them about
their double-down betting strategy.
lf l haven't made it clear,
l intend your stay here
to be as pleasurable
as you could ever imagine.
Allow me to propose a toast
to
- old friends.
- Old debts.
Shall l order for us both?
We'll have some "racht" , of course.
And a double order of "gladst" .
No sauce, please.
And a side order of "zilm'kach" .
ls that too much for two?
- May l?
- Don't be alarmed.
- l can't eat this.
- l know how it looks
l like a customer
who knows what she wants.
There's nothing worse
than half-dead "racht" .
When l was ten,
my father was a Federation diplomat
on lnvernia ll.
One day, on a remote part
of the planet,
we were hit by a massive storm.
While we waited it out,
we found an lnvernian girl
about my age who was sick.
After the storm cleared,
my father went for help.
lt was too late.
l sat there and watched her die.
The next day, when he returned,
his guide told us we could have treated
her with a simple herb.
l could have saved her life.
So you started to study medicine.
- Actually, first l started to study tennis.
- Tennis?
l thought l could make a career
out of it.
- You must be very good.
- l used to think so.
Then l went to my first competition.
My opponent served
and the ball bounced past me.
The computer said it was good
and l was in trouble.
Turned out l had more talent
at medicine than tennis.
l have an early mission tomorrow.
l'd better get some rest.
Of course.
Dax to Pazlar.
Computer, level one security access.
Ensign Pazlar?
Computer, locate Ensign Melora Pazlar.
- Docking level 22, section 14.
- Section 14?
- We need to get you to the infirmary.
- lt's my own fault.
l decided l could use
an extra astrometric array
after going through the mission profile.
l came to storage to get one.
l wasn't paying enough attention
to what l was doing.
My boot didn't make the lip of the door.
l fell on my controls.
Dax to Bashir.
Ensign Pazlar's
had a minor accident.
- We need you in the infirmary.
- Acknowledged.
What kind of architect
would design a raised rim
at the entrance to every door?
So much for the Gamma Quadrant.
l didn't even make it there.
There's no concussion.
You can
reschedule your mission for tomorrow.
lt was so
Flopping back and forth
like a broken toy.
l didn't want anyone to find me like that,
but l couldn't get up.
Why didn't you wait for Dax
before going in?
l didn't need Dax.
lf l'd just paid attention.
Melora, no one on this station
is completely independent.
ln space,
we all depend on one another.
l just want you to know
that you can depend on me.
You've proven that.
What do the rest
of us have to do to convince you?
- Of what?
- That you can depend on us.
Have you heard of Nathaniel Teros'
work with low gravity species?
Neuromuscular adaptation.
lt had no practical success.
A lot of progress has been made
in neurochemistry since then.
You think some day
l could throw away the chair?
Theoretically, perhaps.
Would you like to come in?
No, l know how you look forward
to turning down the gravity.
Don't let that stop you.
You may want to brace yourself
until you get used to it.
Come on, Julian.
- What do l do?
- Give a gentle push.
lt's easy.
This is astonishing! l can't tell you
how curious l was about this.
Most people are.
They make me feel
like a carnival attraction.
- l prefer to keep everyone out.
- Thank you for letting me in.
- He's my brother.
- Who?
Oh.
- Setting course 28, mark 142.
- Confirmed.
Computer, any Vulcan �tudes on file?
Affirmative.
lf you have no objections.
Computer, play something by Delvok.
Delvok never seems a Vulcan to me.
There's too much emotion in his music.
lt's pretty.
Tell me something, Lieutenant.
You think there's room
for romance in Starfleet?
- l think so.
- You've made it work?
- Now and then.
- l mean really work.
Really work?
For that l'd have to go back
That's a long time.
Could it be that Dr Bashir's
bedside manner has won you over?
Our species are just sodifferent.
When did that stop anyone?
l knew a hydrogen-breathing Lothra
who fell in love with an Oxygene.
How could they even be
in the same room?
without their breathing apparatus.
What about career conflicts?
Two friends of mine got engaged
but were assigned to different starships.
Subspace relationships?
That's a tough one.
They may not be together for a year
and then for only a few weeks.
Love across light years.
lt's just so
- lt lacks intimacy.
- You could say that.
l finish my mission here,
l move on to the next one.
What kind of future is that
for a romance?
Look at the alternative.
l guess.
Oh, it's you.
- Don't be so happy to see me.
- All right, l won't.
Odo, there's a desperate criminal
on board the station.
You're not talking about Fallit Kot,
who got eight years at a labour camp
for hijacking Romulan ale
and whose name appears
next to yours on the indictment?
l had nothing to do with the hijacking.
l was only the middleman.
Trafficking in stolen goods should have
got you your own cell at the camp.
Unless, of course,
you sold out your partner.
l can honestly say justice was served.
l imagine that Fallit Kot is looking
for his own kind of justice now.
He threatened to kill me.
- What?
- Nothing.
- Just a passing thought.
- Odo, he means it.
Nothing l do seems to change his mind.
You've got to do something.
l'll do my job, Quark.
Unfortunately.
- "Racht" , anyone?
- l've got something to show you.
What is it?
An elevated neural output
from the brain's gross motor cortex.
lt's stimulating acetylcholine
absorption.
- Neuromuscular adaptation?
- lt was a theory
until the development
of neo-analeptic transmitters.
No one has re-examined the ideas
of Nathaniel Teros.
Until now.
Thiscould actually work?
No more servo controls,
no more chair
- Have l done something wrong?
- Not that l'm aware of.
- We have something in common.
- We do?
l don't like Quark, either,
but l can't let you kill him.
Did he tell you l was going
to do that?
l know of your history together.
Let bygones be bygones,
l always say.
And l always say you can tell a man's
intentions by the way he walks.
How do l walk?
Like someone carrying a lot of weight
on his shoulders.
Must be the memory of
those Romulan bricks l carried.
Must be.
But you can't lock a man up
for the way he walks, can you?
Well?
l'd say he's a man
with nothing to lose.
l have no reason to hold him for now
and he knows it.
l'll watch him the best l can,
but carry a combadge.
Call me at the first sign of trouble.
What if the first sign is the last sign?
You people sell pieces of yourself
after you die, don't you?
l'll buy one.
- My heart is pounding.
- l hope that has to do with me.
Would that also explain
why my backside is getting warm?
That's neuromuscular tissue
stimulation
due to increased motor cortex activity.
l'd say that's enough first time out.
lt's good to use your muscles
in this gravity environment.
- Feel any different?
- No.
- Nothing at all?
- l'm sorry, Julian.
The acetylcholine absorption
is at 1 4% above normal.
lncreased tensile strength
would be the result.
l can lift my leg.
Your neural pathway's
beginning to adapt.
Endurance and coordination
might take a while,
but you should be walking
within the hour.
- How's the upgrade coming?
- We've got it to about 70%,
but it looks like that's
l'll be damned.
l wanted to give you
our mission summary myself.
- A pleasure, Ensign.
- Julian, how did you?
l increased output
on the brain's motor cortex.
Someone else's research, actually.
You'll get your name
in the medical journals.
l don't know how to tell you this,
but l'm not sure
lt's just the first treatment wearing off.
Nothing to be concerned about.
l'd better get you back
to your quarters.
Habitat ring, level 14.
With each treatment,
you should get stronger
and the effects should last longer.
What about this?
A low-grav environment now
would confuse your motor cortex.
l understand.
Julian
You let me fly for the first time.
l let you walk.
We're even.
l'll see you in the morning.
Lights.
Computer, turn on
No one can hear you, Quark.
lt's just you and me.
l wasn't prepared to entertain
this evening,
but make yourself at home.
- l already have.
- What's mine is yours.
l'm tired of your gifts, Quark.
All l want is your miserable life.
Wait! Everything's negotiable.
Believe me,
l'm worth much more to you alive.
How does 199 bars of gold-pressed
latinum sound to you?
lt's a start.
The mattress felt like rocks.
My muscles ached all night long.
You'll adjust to that.
This time the effect should last
for several hours.
Exactly when does this become
irreversible?
Melora, if you're not certain
lt's just some strange form
of buyer's remorse.
l'll be fine.
Tell me exactly what you're feeling.
Last night, l just missed
l didn't feel like me.
lf you want to end your dependence
on the chair and the servo controls,
you'll have to give up
the low-grav environment.
lt seemed like a good trade,
until l realised l couldn't do it any more.
l'm concerned
that going back and forth
could lead to a loss
of fine motor control.
Meaning?
Your ability to perform complex tasks
could be affected.
The effects are reversible
for the next few days.
We can pull the plug at any time
before then.
But after that,
your motor cortex impulses
will kick in on their own.
Permanently.
lt's starting to wear off again.
l don't understand myself.
How could l possibly
have second thoughts?
This would mean real independence.
lt's everything l ever wished for.
Then l start to think about home
and how l won't be able to go back.
Maybe just for a short visit,
but never really go back.
''The Little Mermaid.
''
- Mermaid?
- lt's an Earth fable by HC Andersen.
She trades her magical life
under the sea
for a pair of legs to walk on land.
Didn't she live happily ever after?
Ashrok.
Right on time.
May l present my long-time
business partner, Fallit Kot?
For your inspection.
Exquisite.
- Then our transaction is complete.
- Not quite.
- l'll take them, too.
- They warned me about you.
A deal is a deal.
Rule of Acquisition number 1 6.
You got what you came for.
Be reasonable.
Pick it up.
Hurry up!
Move!
Let's go!
Security to level 22, section 5.
Julian will understand.
He can publish the results
of the first treatments.
Both of you, back in the ship.
Move it!
Come on, move it!
- Get us out of here.
- Do as he says.
- l'll wait in the back.
- The front, where l can see you.
She needs motor support in our gravity.
They're in the Orinoco.
Docking clamps have been released.
Ready a tractor beam,
open a channel.
This is Commander Benjamin Sisko.
Return at once.
- No reply.
- Engage the tractor beam.
They've locked onto us
with a tractor beam.
Release the ship
or l'll kill a hostage.
l'm willing to negotiate, but first
Didn't you hear what l said?
No, l have something special
in mind for you.
Do l make myself clear?
Release the ship now.
Doctor, Chief, with me.
Beam us to the Rio Grande.
On ten seconds,
disengage the tractor beam.
Understood.
Energising.
- They've released us.
- Through the wormhole.
- What was that?
- l'm not sure.
Another ship
coming through the wormhole.
- Take us to warp.
- We haven't set a course yet.
lf we don't set a course,
we could warp ourselves into oblivion.
Set a course.
Just get us out of here.
- They're powering up their warp drive.
- Stay with them.
Engaging warp engines.
- Can we beam them aboard at warp?
- l wouldn't recommend it.
- Get the phasers ready.
- l'm not going to fire at them.
You'll do it or you'll die.
lt's your choice.
Fine.
Then l hope
you can fly this ship.
Just sit down
and do what l told you.
Now.
Quark, how well do you know this man?
We've been friends for years.
Then explain to him that Starfleet
isn't going to stop chasing us.
You don't know these Starfleet types.
Then we'll all die.
Great! We escape and he's got
something special planned for me.
We don't escape and l die.
Am l missing a choice here?
- They've dropped out of warp.
- Go to impulse.
- Their gravity generators are off.
- Melora's alive.
Gravity has been reinstated.
All engines are down.
Come on, Doctor.
We have the situation in hand,
Commander.
Sisko to Rio Grande.
Everything's under control.
Setting course for the wormhole.
- Why didn't the phaser kill me?
- l don't know.
- Maybe all the neuro-stimulants.
- That's what l was wondering.
lt might make an interesting side effect
of the treatment.
Julian
l'm not going ahead
with the treatments.
You can always try again some day.
l don't think l will.
l like being independent.
But to give up everything l am
to walk on land
l might be more independent,
but l wouldn't be Elaysian any more.
l'm not sure what l'd be.
Maybe independence isn't all
it's cracked up to be.
l like being dependent
on someone for a change.
l'm glad you got me to unlock
the doors to my quarters
so l could finally let someone
into my life.
So am l.
You must be exhausted.
lf you don't want to stay
Let's just sit a while and listen.
l want to remember all of this.
