"25.000" "All right." "Next item. item seven." "Warbird repair and maintenance." "Senator?" "Repairs on our ships have continually been delayed in favour of other vessels." "The Dividices and the Genorex have waited three weeks while a dozen Klingon ships have been given priority." "I plan the schedule according to which ships have the greatest need." "Odd that the Klingons always have the greatest need." "They are more damaged because Klingon warships are relentless." "Relentless or reckless?" " The fight must be taken to the enemy." " We're not here to debate tactics." "When can you have those warbirds in a docking bay?" "I could bring them in tomorrow and delay repairs to the Hornet and the Rotarran." "Someone will have to tell General Martok why his flagship was bumped." "Worf, you just volunteered for that assignment." "This brings up the question of shore leave." "Right now we have the crews from two Klingon ships on the station." "I'd rather not have that many Klingons and Romulans here at the same time." "We'll forgo shore leave." "Our soldiers are professionals." "They're here to fight, not to get drunk in Quark's." "That's it for today." "Same time next week?" "Senator, you'll be attending the conference, won't you?" "Yes." "But Sub-Commander Velal will be here in my place." " Have a safe trip." " Thank you." "Ah, yes." "Romulus." "How well l remember it." "You'll find the predominant colour to be grey - the buildings, the clothes, the people." "The Romulan heart itself is grey." "It's true." "And appropriate for such an unimaginative race." "I take it you didn't enjoy your stint on Romulus?" "Weren't you posing as a gardener?" "My cover was more enjoyable than the actual assignment." " What was the assignment?" " l can't talk about that." "Back to the subject at hand." "What will your role be at this conference?" "I'll be giving a talk on biogenic weapons, chairing a seminar on Ketracel white, and attending a meeting on a proposal to transfer 25 Federation hospital ships over to Romulan control." " How dull." " Sorry to disappoint." "Admiral Ross will be discussing the exciting issues." "I see. I trust that Starfleet Intelligence will sending someone to make good use of this opportunity." "What do you mean?" "This is a golden opportunity to gather intelligence on Romulan intentions and capabilities." "They're our allies, Garak." "This could be the beginning of a new friendship between us." " The eternal optimist." " Guilty as charged." "How sad." "I'm disappointed, hearing you mouth platitudes of peace and friendship regarding an implacable foe like the Romulans." "But I live in hope that one day you'll come to see this universe for what it truly is, rather than what you'd wish it to be." "I shall endeavour to become more cynical with each passing day, look gift horses squarely in the mouth, and find clouds in every silver lining." "If only you meant it." "Lights." " Sloan?" " Hello, Doctor. it's good to see you." "I hope you're well rested." "Section 31 has an assignment for you." "I could have a security team here in 30 seconds." "You'd be unable to communicate with anyone outside of this room." " l could scream." " Possible but uncharacteristic." "Screaming for help is too undignified for you." "But don't let me stop you." "I enjoy being wrong." " What do you want?" " You have an assignment." "I don't work for you." "You passed." "You were accepted." "I didn't ask to be accepted." "But you were." "And now it's time to go to work." "I'm sure you want to know what your mission is but you won't admit it." " So I'll just tell you." " Lucky me." "Section 31 is extremely interested in this conference of yours." "However, the Tal Shiar will be handling security so we'll have no chance to use technical assets to gather intelligence." "We have to rely on organic assets." "Like you." "Your mission is to gather data about the Romulan leadership." "We want you to take the pulse of their government." "No pun intended." "You want me to spy on an ally." "To evaluate an ally." "And a temporary ally at that." "I say that because when the war is over the following will happen - the Dominion will go back to the Gamma Quadrant, the Cardassian Empire will be occupied, the Klingons will spend ten years recovering and won't pose a serious threat to anyone." "That leaves two powers to vie for control of the quadrant - the Federation and the Romulans." "This war isn't over and you're already planning for the next." "Well put. I hope your report is equally succinct." "How many times do I have to tell you?" "I don't work for you." "You will." "It's in your nature." "You are a man who loves secrets." "Medical, personal, fictional." "And I am a man of secrets." "You want to know what I know, and the only way to do that is to accept the assignment." "Easy, Julian!" "What's going on?" "There's no indication of how Sloan got aboard or where he went." "I can't say I'm surprised." "Section 31 is meticulous in covering its tracks." "I spoke with Admiral Ross this afternoon." "He and I agree that the Romulan conference is too important to cancel." " What about me?" " Starfleet promised to send the expert on Dominion biogenic weapons and Ketracel white." "Since that's you, you go." "And we want you to carry out your assignment." "Make observations on the Romulan leadership and wait for Sloan to contact you again." "Giving Sloan any information is a bad idea." "That was my instinct as well, but after talking to Ross, I think we might have an opportunity here we can turn to our advantage." "Officially, Starfleet is appalled at the very notion that Section 31 might exist and they plan to get to the bottom of this entire business." " And unofficially?" " They pushed the investigation aside, which means either they don't take Section 31 seriously or someone at Starfleet Command is protecting them." "Either way, we have a chance to get someone inside and I want to take it." "So I play along, pretend I've decided to work for Sloan after all." "Exactly." "When he contacts you to find out what you learned at the conference, make it seem like you've come around to his way of thinking." "Let him believe that he's seduced you into helping him." "That shouldn't be too difficult." "Sloan thinks I'm already tempted." "I'd better pack." "The Bellerophon leaves in three hours." "One more thing, Doctor." "Remember this isn't a game." "Section 31 is very dangerous." " lf Sloan even suspects that you're..." " l understand." "Good hunting." " A glass of Romulan ale, Doctor?" " Thank you." "The trading embargo has been officially lifted, if you were wondering." "To one of the many benefits of the alliance." " Need a medical team?" " No, thank you." "This isn't your first glass of Romulan ale!" "It...was...illegal." "That never stopped your colleagues." "I know. I may be the only officer in the fleet who didn't indulge." " Would you like something else?" " No." "That's the spirit, sir." "Never say die." "What an odd expression." "What does it mean?" "It's a line from an old Earth poem." "Forgive me for interrupting." "I couldn't help overhearing and etymology is one of my hobbies." "The phrase "Never say die" is originally from a 19th-century poem based on Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice"." "It's since passed into the vernacular as an exhortation never to give up, no matter the cost." "Interesting." "Wendell Greer, Assistant Director, UFP Department of Cartography." "I'm Admiral William Ross." "Senator Cretak." " Admiral." "Senator." " And Dr Julian Bashir." "Ah!" "The physician from Deep Space 9." "I was hoping to meet you." "I have so many questions about the Bajoran sector - the navigational anomalies, the transport patterns." "Do you have a moment?" "Unless I'm interrupting." "Not at all." "Try to play your cards a little closer to your vest." "You're lucky they didn't see the shock on your face." "If you're here, why do you need me?" "All in due time." "You have a lot of work to do before we arrive at Romulus." "There's a padd in your quarters." "Read it. I'll join you at 2200." "Mr Greer certainly has his ducks in a row." "Apparently he's been a low-level bureaucrat for almost 15 years." "I'm not surprised he has a solid cover story." "But it's too dangerous to allow him to even set foot on Romulus." "But if we move against him, we'll lose any hope of penetrating Section 31." "His access at the conference will be limited to a few briefings." "It shouldn't be hard keeping tabs on him." "If Sloan's here it suggests more than a simple intelligence-gathering mission." "He's up to something and it's imperative that we know what that something is." "We go forward." "Next." "Neral." "Formerly Proconsul and now Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire." "Neral's ascension to the top post was confirmed a little over a year ago." "His immediate family was killed in a Klingon raid 25 years ago." "His interests include sociology." "His favourite food is Delvan pudding and his pet "set'leth's" name is Pensho." "Very good." "Total recall is a useful attribute for an operative." "Koval." "Chairman of the Tal Shiar." "He may have been involved in the death of Vice Admiral Fujisaki." "The proof is buried somewhere in Koval's personal database." "But the Deputy Chief of Starfleet Intelligence doesn't just die of food poisoning." "But I have to give him credit." "It was a textbook operation." "No sign of foul play, and certainly no sign of Romulan involvement." "Very tidy." " Koval's political status?" " Ambiguous." "He hasn't been elevated to the Continuing Committee." "That's probably due to his opposition to the Federation alliance, which is supported by the majority." "Which opens the door for your friend, Senator Cretak." "She's an advocate of the alliance and she's been lobbying for this open seat." "There is another rumour about Koval, not contained in his file." "We've heard he's ill." "Something called Tuvan Syndrome." "It's a neurological disease affecting Vulcans, Romulans and Rigelians." "It's degenerative and incurable." "If Koval is ill, he'll hide it." "It could hamper his chances of being appointed to the Committee." "is that what I'm here for?" "A diagnosis?" "Doesn't Section 31 have its own doctors?" "They're not genetically enhanced." "They need equipment that the Romulans won't permit here." "I can't make a diagnosis by looking at a man." "Your genetically enhanced friends knew that Gul Damar killed a woman just by watching him give speech." "I'm sure you can do better than that." "You're going to move against Koval, aren't you?" "You going to use his illness to keep him off the Committee." "is it naive to point out that interfering in the affairs of a sovereign power is forbidden by the Federation charter?" "Without confirming or denying your speculation, I will say that if Koval comes to power, it'll be a disaster for the Federation." "He'll want to abrogate the alliance and negotiate a peace with the Dominion." "You know what that would do to the course of the war." " That doesn't justify manipulating..." " Let's make a deal." "I'll spare you the ends-justify-the-means speech and you spare me the do-what's-right speech." "We are not going to agree on this subject so let's stop discussing it." "This mission is reconnaissance." "We won't be called upon to do anything other than that." "Why don't you get some rest." "We'll be in orbit of Romulus soon and you'll need to have your wits about you." "Here you are, sir." " Dr Julian Bashir?" " Yes." "You first identified the weapon known as the Quickening." "Yes." "On Boranis lll, in the Gamma Quadrant." "I don't believe we've met." " Koval." " lt's a pleasure to meet you." " Why?" " You've got me there." " lt's just a form of expression." " And completely devoid of meaning." "Can the Quickening virus be replicated?" "We've had difficulty recreating the exact RNA sequence of the virus, so we can't develop a vaccine." " However, there are..." " l'm not interested in the vaccine." "Do you know how to introduce the Quickening into a population?" " Basically." " Good." "I look forward to hearing your lecture." " You'll make a fine operative." " Pardon?" "He rarely speaks with anyone in public, much less someone in that uniform." "Starfleet Intelligence should recruit you." "What makes you think I'm not working for them now?" "It wouldn't surprise me if half the people here were operatives." "You are joking?" "It may be impolitic to say this, but there are those who think the alliance is merely a momentary truce." " Are you one of them?" " l could ask you the same." "In my case, no." "But you've answered my question with a question." " l try not to predict the future." " What about Chairman Koval?" "You just spoke with him." "That's more than I've done in six months." " l take it you don't get along?" " We have different views." "Which are?" " State secrets." " Naturally." "This is an adult female inhabitant of Boranis lll." "The markings are typical of a humanoid infected by the disease, but not yet in the terminal stage." "Here, you can tell by the necrotic nature of the lesions the patient has entered the terminal stage of the disease." "This is marked by an increase in leukocyte production." "You almost made it comprehensible." "Next time I'll do the lecture with hand puppets." "I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humour." "I trust you noticed who was in the front row." "He came to see me this morning between sessions." "He wanted to know if I knew how to replicate the Quickening virus and how to introduce it to people." " What did you think of his health?" " Didn't you hear me?" "I heard you." "Koval wants to get his hands on the Quickening." "It's not news that the Tal Shiar is interested in biogenic weapons." "Pull your head out of the sand, Doctor." "These are not nice people we're dealing with." "Answer my question." "His eyelids were slightly displaced." "He had weak facial muscles due to a compromised neuromuscular function." "And his respiration was somewhat irregular." " Bottom line?" " He may have Tuvan Syndrome." "But if he does it's in the very early stages." "How long does he have?" "If his case fits the profile, he'll start to lose motor skills in 10 to 15 years, with life expectancy in the 20 to 25 year range." "Are there instances in which the disease accelerates without warning?" "It happens, but in less than 5% of the cases." "Could anything trigger the acceleration?" "I don't know what you're asking me." "Never mind." "Thank you, Doctor." "You've been very helpful." "Let's put aside that he's contemplating the murder of a high-ranking official." "Why does he think the next head of the Tal Shiar will be better than Koval?" "Sloan's concerned that Cretak gets the seat on the Continuing Committee." "I agree with him there." "Cretak is at least a patriot." " How is she different from Koval?" " lf you saw the intelligence reports you would never ask that question." "Koval would love to see the Romulan banner waving over Earth." "Chairman Koval is not someone we want at the Praetor's right hand." "I'll have Sloan confined to quarters but that may not solve our problem." "You and Sloan may not be the only ones here working for Section 31." "For all we know, he has a confederate in the delegation." "He said our mission would be reconnaissance, that we wouldn't do anything else." "That could suggest an operative who isn't limited." "It could be anyone." "Even a member of the Bellerophon crew." " Or a Romulan." " What?" "Sir, I believe Sloan has an accomplice here on Romulus." " What makes you say that?" " Two things." "Sloan has too much information on their government, too many insights into their politics." "And Sloan's plan is to kill Koval while making it appear to be Tuvan Syndrome." "To do that, he'd have to expose Koval to a burst of nadion radiation." "You could manoeuvre him near a phaser relay and irradiate him." "Since I doubt very much that Sloan will have the chance to do that, someone else is going to have to." " A Romulan." " Exactly." "Sloan may have already gotten things underway." "We have to warn them." "And how am I supposed to explain Section 31 to the Romulans?" "Imagine if they hear that a Federation agency is plotting assassinations." "It could bring the alliance down." "Besides, all we have is speculation." " Admiral..." " The answer is no." "After I have Sloan arrested I'll inform Starfleet Command of the situation." "Your orders are to sit tight and do nothing until you hear from me." "Jepella went in to deliver a report and found him slumped over his desk." "Do they know what happened?" "It looked like an aneurysm, but they're still running tests." " The admiral looked fine this morning." " Which admiral?" " Admiral Ross." "He collapsed." " Where is he?" "Sickbay." "Hey." "I can't trust anyone on the Bellerophon and I can't contact DS9." "There's a communications blackout." "I have no one else to turn to." " l need your help." " To do what?" "I think Sloan has an accomplice within the Romulan government, someone who will help him carry out the assassination." "Koval has been saying someone in the Senate was working for Starfleet." "Section 31 isn't Starfleet." "They are Federation citizens working for your interests." " That makes them your responsibility." " You're right." "That's why I'm trying to stop them." "I'm convincing Sloan that Koval doesn't have Tuvan Syndrome, but his accomplice may be proceeding." "So we have to find Sloan's Romulan accomplice." "You expect me to find this traitor?" " Sloan mentioned Koval's database." "It might contain a list of potential suspects." "is there any way you can get me a copy of the database so I can..." "You're asking me to hand over secret documents!" "I'm asking you to put aside centuries of mistrust and help me stop a murder." "If we can't reach out and bridge the gulf that is between us, if we can't trust each other, a man will die." "And we will be partially responsible." "I need your help." "Please." " You wanted to see me, Doctor?" " Yes." "I'm not sure that Koval has Tuvan Syndrome." "His symptoms could be the result of many health problems." " You didn't say that before." " l don't know Romulan physiology." "Most of my knowledge comes from studies done on Vulcan patients." "I thought Vulcans and Romulans were virtually identical." "Yes, but there are some important genetic differences." "And the more I study the available data, the less sure I am of my diagnosis." " How could you find out for sure?" " By doing an examination, but I doubt he'll agree to that." "What if you obtained a sample of his cells?" " Could you run an analysis?" " Probably." "But how do you propose..." "We'll treat your palm with a microcellular adhesive." "The next time you shake his hand, you'll get your sample." "All right." "Mr Chairman?" "What a pleasure to see you again." "I'd be happy to resume our discussion on the Quickening." "I believe you answered all my questions." "I'm glad to have been able to help." "Doctor. I would like to have a word with you on another matter." "I believe the lecture hall is empty." "We have more comfortable facilities available." "Sit down." "You will be sitting in that chair one way or the other." " Now we'll have our private talk." " What shall we talk about?" "Why you're on Romulus, who you're working for and who's helping you." "Don't worry. I won't waste your time with pointless questions." "This can be painful or not." "That's up to you." "Either way, I will know what you know." "Your brain is not susceptible to our scanning techniques, a result of the genetic enhancements made to your parietal cortex." " Sorry." " l do have other methods, but it would save trouble if you would simply tell me what I want to know." " You haven't asked me any questions." " You know what I'm interested in." "Who are you working for?" "Why are you here?" "Bring him." "Dr Julian Bashir, you are appearing before the Romulan Continuing Committee." "Statements will be made part of the record." "Senator Cretak is charged with attempting to access a Tal Shiar database." "The Senator has told the Committee a remarkable story." "Since you're a key figure in her story, we are eager to hear your version of events." "What I'm about to say may be shocking." "It may even damage the relations between our peoples." "But it is the truth." "A few days ago, I became aware of a plot to assassinate Chairman Koval." "It was conceived of by a man known to me only as "Sloan"." "He works for an organisation called Section 31." "They see themselves as protecting the interests of the Federation, although they have absolutely no official standing." "Once I realised what Sloan was attempting to do, I contacted Senator Cretak to enlist her aid in stopping him." " Why her?" " l had no one else to turn to." "I was unable to contact Deep Space 9, and I couldn't trust anybody aboard the Bellerophon." "But you could trust a Romulan senator?" "Yes." "For all our differences, I do respect her." " Continue." " For extremely complicated reasons, I came to think there's a traitor in your government working for Section 31." "I asked the Senator to get the database so we could prevent the assassination." "Senator, why didn't you come to me with this information?" "I was afraid that if word of this plot got out, it would destroy the alliance." "I decided to keep my own counsel." " l regret that decision." " As well you should, Kimara." "It's an interesting story." "But it's not the whole story." "If I may be permitted to bring in another witness?" "Bring in prisoner 527." "Praetor, this is the man known as Sloan." "His mind is quite susceptible to our data retrieval methods." "He has confirmed much of what the others have said." "With one important exception - there is no Section 31." "Sloan, in fact, works for Starfleet Intelligence." "Far from being the master of an agency, he is one of many operatives in the employ of the Federation." "He's had a long career, most of which is unknown to us." "But there is one interesting element that we do know - he was the protégé of Vice Admiral Fujisaki." "Sloan did not take the death of his mentor well." "He believed he was murdered by the Tal Shiar." "The assassination of a Starfleet admiral was "stepping over the line"." "Isn't that the phrase?" "After Fujisaki's death, he was confronted with a dilemma." "How could he seek vengeance without violating Federation law?" "His answer was to invent Section 31, an organisation that answered to no one." "If they killed the head of the Tal Shiar," "Starfleet Intelligence would be held blameless." "As the Committee knows, I have been diagnosed with Tuvan Syndrome." "Sloan hoped to make my death look like a sudden acceleration of the disease." "To do that, he needed a doctor." "Sloan arranged to recruit Dr Bashir into Section 31." "After that, Sloan waited for an opportunity to present itself." "He found one when he learned of this conference." "He then arranged for Bashir to be invited." "Everything was going perfectly." "But then he made a fatal mistake." "He decided to come to Romulus himself." "He was unaware that he had become known to us." "Once we recognised him, we knew that an intelligence operation was underway." "What I don't understand is why?" "Why take the risk of being discovered?" "I had to make sure nothing went wrong." "And I wanted to watch you die." "You broke the cardinal rule of our profession - you allowed business to become personal." "So there was an assassination plan?" "Most definitely." "As to the involvement of the doctor and the senator..." "Dr Bashir may have intended to kill me or save me." "There's no way to know." "As for Senator Cretak, we all know she's an ambitious woman." "She might welcome my death if it meant she was elevated to the Continuing Committee." "That is a lie, Koval." "I was trying to save your life." "Then you're simply a fool." "You let a Starfleet officer manipulate you into committing treason." "It is the finding of this Committee that Senator Cretak has conspired to commit treason against the state, sentence to be determined at a later date." "Dr Bashir will be returned to the Bellerophon." "Mr Sloan is remanded to the custody of the Tal Shiar for further interrogation." "No!" "Come in." " Admiral." " Doctor." " Feeling better, sir?" " Much." "Dr Frame says I should take it easy for a few days, but paperwork waits for no man." " What can I do for you?" " l have a question." " Where's Sloan?" " Sloan's dead." "Admiral, where's Sloan?" "If we're going to have this discussion, then it's off the record." "Before I answer your question, answer mine." "How did you know?" "The man Koval described was not the same man who recruited me into Section 31." "Anyone clever enough to pull the wool so completely over my eyes wouldn't have been caught so easily." "There had to be another explanation." "Then I remembered that you were the one who planted the idea in my head that Sloan had an accomplice." "You didn't want to tell the Romulans about the assassination plot." "You were the one who gave the orders preventing me from contacting DS9." "And when the time came to arrest Sloan, you conveniently had an aneurysm, leaving me alone, with no one to turn to for help, except Cretak." "And as I realised your involvement, the rest began to fall into place." "Where is he?" " l don't know." " But he's alive, isn't he?" "He was supposed to be beamed away before the phaser beam hit him." "Whether it worked or not, I couldn't say." "How long has Koval been working for Starfleet?" "He's been providing the Federation with military intelligence for over a year." "When he started working with Section 31 I don't know." "But in any case, we have our mole working for us at the top levels of Romulan government." "Good for us." "And what about your friend Senator Cretak?" "What's going to happen to her?" "Dismissed from the Senate, definitely." "lmprisoned, most likely." " Executed?" " l hope not." "You set her up!" "She was an innocent woman and you let Sloan destroy her!" "Why?" "She believed in the alliance." "She was on our side!" "No, she wasn't." "I told you before, Julian, she's a patriot." "If it served the Romulans to negotiate peace with the Dominion," "Cretak would push that option." "And the Dominion would love to make a deal with the Romulans right now." "So Koval is your guarantee that that does not happen." "And his recommendation to stay in the war will be all the more convincing." "That's the idea." "How long have you worked for Section 31?" " l don't." " Just a temporary alliance, is it?" "Something like that." "You see nothing wrong with what happened." "I don't like it." "But I've ordered young men and women to die." " l like that even less." " That's a glib answer and a cheap way to avoid the fact that you've trampled on the very thing they're dying to protect." " Does that not mean anything to you?" " "lnter arma enim silent leges."" ""ln time of war, the law falls silent." Cicero." "So is that what we've become?" "A 24th-century Rome, driven by nothing other than the certainty that Caesar can do no wrong?" "This conversation never happened." "You're dismissed." "Good evening." "Are you expecting applause?" "Have you come to take a bow?" "I just wanted to say thank you." "For what?" "Allowing you to manipulate me so completely." "For being a decent human being." "That's why we selected you in the first place." "We needed somebody who wanted to play the game, but who'd only go so far." "When the time came, you stood your ground and did the right thing." "You reached out to an enemy, told her the truth, and tried to stop a murder." "The Federation needs men like you." "Men of conscience." "Men of principle." "Men who can sleep at night." "You're also the reason Section 31 exists." "Someone has to protect men like you from a universe that doesn't share your sense of right and wrong." "Should I feel sorry for you?" "Should I weep over the burden you're forced to carry to protect the rest of us?" "It is an honour to know you, Doctor." "Good night." " Bashir to security." " Odo here." "Never mind." "My mistake."