"The Cardassians are still closing." "They have powered their weapon systems." "They have established weapons lock." "Weapons lock broken." "Going to warp." "Get out of here, Jake!" "I'm-I'm in the middle of a simulation!" "I said get out of here!" "Computer, end program." "Oh!" "Oh, Oh!" "You okay?" "Look what you made me do." "Well, you should know not to end a program sitting down." "Why did you come in here?" "You were supposed to meet me half an hour ago." "Well, I didn't realize it had gotten so late." "Sorry." "Don't worry about it." "How's it going, anyway?" "Pretty good, I've improved my reaction time by almost 20 percent but I've got to get it up another five." "Is that the cutoff point for getting into the Academy Preparatory Program?" "Exactly." "Don't worry about it, Nog." "You'll get there." "I'd better." "Because if I don't get into the program" "I'll never be admitted into the Academy next year." "You think six weeks of summer classes will make the difference?" "If I do well." "I have to show the admissions committee how determined I am to become a cadet." "Don't worry so much, Nog." "You'll be a great cadet." "In the meantime, you make a lousy stock boy." "Why can't you take after your friend here?" "He knows enough to stay out of Starfleet." "Even a human can see there's a lot more profitable opportunities out there for a young man with ambition." "Uncle, he wants to be a writer." "There's no profit in that." "On the contrary, writing holosuite programs-- especially the more intimate variety-- is very profitable." "I'll bet." "I'll tell you what." "The two of you come up with a proposal and I'll put up the latinum for your first program." "I don't think so, Uncle." "All right, fine... join Starfleet." "I don't know why I bother trying to help you anyway." "Go down to the storeroom and get your father." "Tell him to get behind the bar." "Lieutenant Dax has asked me to join the senior staff for a very important meeting in the wardroom." "Do you have any idea what Dax wants to talk to us about?" "No." "Apparently, she asked Leeta to come as well." "Hmm." "I've noticed they've been spending quite a bit of time together." "Do you keep tabs on everybody, Constable?" "Not everyone." "But really, Doctor two Delvin fluff pastries for breakfast this morning?" "You of all people should know better than to start your day like that." "Major." "Chief." "Hello, Leeta" "Oh, hello." "And how are you doing?" "Thank you all for coming." "No problem." "What's up?" "I'll get right to the point." "You are the seven people on this station that I feel closest to and I want you all to be a part of my zhian'tara." "Zhian'tara, what's that?" "It's the Trill rite of closure." "I've read about it." "The zhian'tara is a ritual where joined Trills get a chance to actually meet their previous hosts." "Meet them-- how?" "That's where you come in." "If you don't mind, I'd like to borrow your bodies for a few hours." "What do you mean, "borrow" our bodies?" "Well, if you agree to participate the memories of one of my previous hosts will be temporarily removed from the symbiont and imprinted onto you." "You essentially become one of my hosts for the duration of the ritual." "And how is this accomplished?" "The memories are transferred telepathically by a Guardian." "A Guardian?" "They take care of the symbionts." "Usually, they're unjoined Trill." "Leeta is sort of an amateur sociologist." "It comes in handy in my line of work." "You never know who you'll meet at the dabo table." "You're asking me to hand my body over to some dead person." "Only for a few hours." "Uh-huh." "What happens to me in the meantime?" "You'll remain conscious of everything that's going on around you." "And at any time, you can reassert yourself and regain control of your body." "But it's best to relax and let the host's memories emerge." "The point is to give Jadzia a chance to interact with her previous hosts." "Curzon spoke very fondly of his zhian'tara." "He said it was one of the most powerful experiences of his life." "I do have one question." "What about Joran?" "Joran... wasn't he the, uh, crazy host of yours-- the musician who killed someone?" "Uh, Commander Sisko has volunteered to embody Joran." "We've already discussed taking certain precautions during the transfer." "Well, count me in." "Me, too." "Yes." "Agreed." "Chief?" "Oh, yes, yeah, I'm in." "Why is everybody looking at me?" "Because you're the only one who hasn't agreed to participate." "I'm sorry, Lieutenant." "You're going to have to find someone else." "I really want you to be a part of this, Quark." "I was hoping that you would embody Audrid for me." "Well..." "I think it will make us closer." "Uh... when you put it that way..." "I knew I could count on you." "Kira, I would like you to embody Lela, my first host." "We'll start tomorrow after the Guardian arrives." "It means a lot to me that all of you are willing to do this." "Thank you." "Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Quark just agree to embody one of your female hosts?" "Yes, he did." "Hmm." "After that, comes the deductive reasoning portion of the exam and then the spatial orientation test." "The whole thing should take about four days." "Now, I know it must sound overwhelming to you." "Just try to take it one day at a time." "One day at a time, right." "And today, all you have to worry about is the stress reaction test." "Computer, run program delta 59." "I-I thought this was going to be a runabout simulation." "No." "But... that's what I practiced." "Well, if we tested you where you practiced it wouldn't exactly be stressful, now would it?" "Man your post." "You're the Operations Officer on duty." "What was that?" "!" "You tell me." "We've been trying to get Dax back to the homeworld to perform the zhian'tara for some time now." "She kept putting us off, so the Symbiosis Commission decided to force the issue and send me here." "I just haven't had time to get away." "You could have made the time." "Where is the zhian'tara to take place?" "I have preparations to make." "This way." "I 'nora, ja 'kale Dax... zhian'shee, Lela tanus rem." "Gon'dar, Jadzia tor." "Jadzia, zhian'tara vok." "Tu Dax, zhian'tani ress." "Zhian'par, Lela garu'koj..." "Kira?" "No..." "Lela." "You must be Dax's new host." "I'm Jadzia." "Oh, what a beautiful name." "I have a few questions for both of you." "I need to make sure the memory transference is complete." "Go ahead." "What is the last thing you remember?" "Talking to Curzon at his zhian'tara." "Can you tell me the name of the person who supervised Lela when she was an initiate?" "No, I can't remember." "Well, that's perfectly all right." "It just means Lela's memories have been temporarily removed from your mind." "It's a little disorienting like part of me is suddenly missing." "Not missing-- right here-- and the name of my initiate supervisor was Jobel." "Excellent, the transference seems to be complete." "Unless either of you have any questions" "I'll leave you alone for a few hours." "Thank you." "Such odd fellows these Guardians are." "I know." "Well, it's understandable, I suppose." "They spend most of their time underground tending symbiont pools full of this stuff." "Ah, I love the smell of it." "Don't you?" "It looks like you've ended up a long way from home, Jadzia." "What is it?" "It's just, uh..." "I hold my hands behind my back... the same way you do." "Ah, it's a habit I picked up when I was a legislator." "I was one of the first women to serve as a council member." "When I started out, I talked with my hands a lot lots of emphatic gesturing." "I discovered some of my male colleagues were imitating me so I started to do this." "I just thought it was an unconscious habit." "I never realized why I did it." "Ah, that's the point of a zhian'tara-- to discover these things about yourself." "It's so strange." "It's like you really are Lela." "Well, in a sense, I am." "After all, what is a person but a sum of their memories?" "Oh..." "I have a feeling that these next few days are going to be extraordinary for you." "Tobin, I don't think Chief O'Brien is going to appreciate you biting his nails." "Sorry." "I guess I'm a little nervous." "That's all right." "I get that way sometimes myself." "And now you know who you have to thank for it." "Sorry." "Will you please stop saying you're sorry?" "Sorry." "I've been working on finishing your proof of Fermat's Last Theorem." "You have?" "!" "It's the most original approach to the proof... since Wiles, over 300 years ago." "Thanks." "I guess I tend to look for original approaches myself." "I guess I have you to thank for that as well." "Very nice." "This is an excellent body you managed to get for me." "I'll be sure to pass that along." "I remember when I first got the Dax symbiont" "I was worried that it might affect my coordination in some way." "And hurt your gymnastics career." "As it turned out being joined improved my concentration." "Really?" "I found that as well." "You're a gymnast?" "No, but I'm an expert in Klingon martial arts." "Oh." "Did you take it up before or after you were joined?" "After." "Why am I not surprised?" "Sit right here, and I'll tell you all about it." "The day I was named head of the Symbiosis Commission was one of the happiest of my life." "Right behind the day I gave birth to my first child." "Are you a mother, Jadzia?" "No." "Oh..." "I hope you will be someday." "There's nothing quite like holding a baby to your breast nursing it..." "The entity that lent me this body wishes to speak." "How much longer am I going to have to do this?" "Another hour at most." "And the sooner we get back to it the sooner it'll be over." "Just remember, not a word about this to anyone." "I promise." "Maybe you should go easy on those, Torias." "Julian was just telling me the other day he's started to watch what he eats." "Well, you should tell your friend to live a little." "Life's too short to deprive yourself of the simple pleasures." "I should know." "You didn't exactly deprive yourself." "No, but my life was too short." "The accident." "Still, I'm lucky." "I continue to exist, as part of you just as Jadzia will go on existing when the symbiont is passed on to a new host." "We're part of something bigger than any one of us." "I just feel lucky to have been chosen." "So do I." "Come in." "It's late." "I think it's time we returned Dr. Bashir's body to him." "It was nice meeting you." "I'm ready." "Are you sure about this, Commander?" "Don't worry, Odo." "Joran isn't going to be able to hurt anyone from inside of a holding cell." "There's just one problem." "You're going to be in there with him." "Hmm." "Activate the force field." "Joran." "Hello, Jadzia." "If you need me, I'll be right outside." "As will I." "It's good to see you again, Jadzia." "Tell me, have you been practicing your music?" "Yes, when I have the time." "Good." "Do you think of me when you play?" "Sometimes." "I'm glad." "You're a very pretty girl, Jadzia." "Very pretty." "But unfortunately, that's all you are." "You're nothing compared to Lela, Torias or myself." "You're a pretender." "You must realize that by now." "You don't know anything about me." "Only what I can see." "A little girl, not worthy of the noble creature nestled inside her." "You're overwhelmed by it." "You're in over your head." "And they said it was a mistake choosing me for joining." "But there is one hope for you, Jadzia and that's me." "My strength is within you." "You don't have to be afraid of it." "I'm not." "Then let me show you how to use it." "Lower the force field, Jadzia." "Lower it... and you will never have to be afraid of anything ever again." "No." "Joran!" "Stop it." "You're hurting him!" "Benjamin, take control!" "I think that's enough of Joran for now." "Are you all right?" "Surprise." "It's all right, old man." "It's me." "Whoo!" "Thanks." "For what?" "For not breaking any bones." "Dabo!" "Will you stop doing that?" "It's very distracting." "I'm trying to do the books." "I can't help it." "My son's future is being decided at this very minute." "Well, pacing around like some Alvanian cave sloth isn't going to help him." "What's that?" "Uh... a cadet's uniform." "I got it for Nog." "I had Garak make it to order." "It cost five strips of latinum." "Well, you wasted your money." "He's not going to need it." "Why not?" "Because..." "he'll be issued a uniform if and when he gets to the Academy." "Well, now he'll have two." "I keep thinking about Joran." "I heard what he told you." "I can't seem to get it out of my head." "Jadzia, did you put off having your zhian'tara because you were afraid you wouldn't measure up to the other hosts?" "I don't know, maybe I did." "Now that it's almost over" "I hope you realize you were wrong." "I'm not so sure I was." "I don't understand how you could say that." "You were chosen for joining because you deserved it just as much as any of the others." "If that's true, then why did Curzon wash me out of the initiate program?" "You tell me." "I've always believed it was because he wanted to challenge me so that I would reapply and try harder." "Now I'm not so sure." "Why not?" "That's exactly what you did." "Maybe Curzon just didn't think I was good enough." "I find that hard to believe." "But if that's what you're afraid of why don't you ask him when you see him?" "I Will... but what if he tells me something I don't want to hear?" "I have to go." "Jadzia, zhian'tara vok." "Tu Dax, zhian'tani ress." "Zhian'par, Odo garu'koj..." "I'm going to my office for a while." "Benjamin!" "You do recognize me, don't you?" "Curzon?" "Don't tell me, the nose gave me away, huh?" "What's the matter?" "Aren't you happy to see me?" "Of course." "Of course." "So, where's Jadzia?" "Ah, it's all right." "I told her I wanted to come see you." "That we'd meet up later at Quark's." "I'm going to give that little toad the scare of his life." "You sound like Odo." "I am Odo." "I don't understand." "I thought you were Curzon." "I'm both." "The, uh, Guardian thinks it has something to do with my shape-shifting nature." "It's as if Odo and Curzon have been joined." "It's proven to be quite an interesting experience for both of us." "In any case, the Guardian says it's nothing to worry about." "I like the beard, by the way." "Yeah?" "Absolutely." "So... when is Kasidy Yates coming back, huh?" "Huh?" "Not you, too." "Well, she's a fine-looking woman, Ben." "Reminds me of the girl you took up with on Pelios..." "Why don't we join Jadzia in Quark's?" "And let Jake finish his homework." "I'll tell you all about it later." "Okay." "Curzon, remember?" "Quark!" "Odo?" "What happened to your face?" "Never mind my face." "Did I ever mention you're a magnificent scoundrel?" "Two tranyas please, very cold." "Right away." "It's going to take Quark a little while to get over that." "Jadzia." "It looks like the two of you are having a good time." "Well, as good a time as two gentlemen can have without the company of a lady." "Please, join us." "Excuse me while I slip into something more appropriate." "Ah!" "I love being a changeling." "Well, if you two don't mind, I think I'll be pushing off." "Benjamin, don't go." "I have to finish evaluating Nog's test results." "He's waiting to hear how he did." "Thanks for stopping by, old man." "It was good to see you." "Oh!" "Well, there goes the best friend I ever had." "Well?" "So... are you enjoying your zhian'tara?" "For the most part." "What about that Tobin, huh?" "Did he tell you that I got him drunk for the first time during my zhian'tara?" "No." "But I can see why you did." "Curzon, there's something I want to talk to you about." "Oh?" "Do you remember when I was an initiate?" "Do you see that Ferengi over there?" "A bulletin came in on him last week." "He's a tongo hustler." "I'd love to clean him out." "We should get a game going." "Tongo" "I just don't understand how I could have failed, Father." "You've always been so good with spatial orientation." "Remember the time we redid the floors and you managed to stack all the chairs so they fit behind the bar?" "Now I won't qualify to take the Academy Entrance Exam." "My Starfleet career is over before it even started." "He's right, you know." "And it's not fair." "Starfleet has no idea who it's passing up." "Nog, you would have made a good officer." "I want you to know something." "There will always be a place for you here-- at Quark's." "Sorry, Lonzo." "Excuse me, folks, but the bar has been closed for over an hour now." "I asked you nicely before, but if you don't leave" "I'm going to have to call Security." "I am Security." "Don't worry, Quark." "We're going." "I confiscated this from a Yridian smuggler." "Don't you need it for evidence?" "Bah!" "I still want to talk to you about what happened when I was an initiate." "I know you do." "So..." "What is it you want to ask me?" "Why didn't you object when you heard I was reinstated into the program?" "I don't know, Jadzia." "Maybe I decided I'd been too hard on you." "It was your job to be hard on initiates." "Yes, but..." "The truth is" "I felt sorry for you." "Well, you wanted to be joined so badly." "You were so young, so lovely." "I guess I've always had this nagging feeling" "I didn't have your complete confidence." "I-I tried to push it aside but now it turns out I was right." "You never thought I was good enough to be a host." "Whatever I may have thought doesn't matter." "You are a host." "Isn't that enough?" "No." "I feel like I don't have your respect and I'm afraid when your memories are restored to me" "I'm going to feel like I don't respect myself." "In that case, you'll be happy to know that I've come to a decision that's going to benefit both of us." "What do you mean?" "I've decided to stay where I am, in this body." "And I'm not just speaking as Curzon." "This is Odo's decision as well." "We like what we've become and neither of us wants to go back to the way things were." "Ahh!" "There's no way to remove Curzon's memories from Odo without his cooperation." "He has to give them up willingly." "What'll happen to Jadzia if we can't persuade him?" "It'll take some time for her to adjust to the new balance but she'll be fine." "Do you want me to talk to Curzon?" "I know him better than anyone." "I might be able to get him to cooperate." "I don't think so." "I don't think I want to do anything." "What do you mean?" "I mean I'm fine." "And obviously, Odo and Curzon are well-suited to each other." "Maybe it's better this way." "I'd like to speak to Jadzia alone for a moment." "Do you really want to leave things as they are?" "Or are you just trying to avoid a confrontation with Curzon?" "You once told me that Curzon intimidated you when you were an initiate." "I looked up to him." "I still do." "Maybe that's why I find it hard to challenge his decisions." "Let me tell you something about Curzon." "He was my friend he was my confidant." "In a way, he was my teacher as well but he was also manipulative, selfish and arrogant." "Most people let him get away with it because he was so charming." "Sometimes, I let him get away with it, too but, from time to time, he'd push me too far and I'd have to stand up to him, tell him he'd crossed the line." "And how would he react?" "Sometimes, he'd just laugh and admit it." "Sometimes, he'd be furious." "But either way, he'd back off because he knew he was wrong." "And he is wrong now." "He's being selfish, and he's manipulated you to get you to go along with what he wants." "Now... are you going to confront him or let him get away with it?" "It's up to you." "I know what you did." "Take it easy." "What's wrong with you?" "You know what's wrong." "You reconfigured the holosuite so that Nog would fail the spatial orientation test." "I did it for his own good, Rom." "I couldn't just stand by and watch my nephew throw his life away." "You had no right to interfere!" "I've already told Commander Sisko what you did and he's going to let Nog retake the test." "You what?" "You heard me." "And if you ever do anything to hurt Nog again" "I'll burn the bar to the ground." "You wouldn't dare." "Oh, yes, I would." "My son's happiness is more important to me than anything, even latinum!" "Remember that, Brother!" "Jadzia." "Come in, come in." "I was just oozing around the room." "You have no idea what a liberating experience it is to be in a liquid state." "We need to talk." "All right." "What is it you want to talk about?" "I want my memories back." "Ah..." "I'm sorry." "I realize this is difficult for you but you'll get over it." "Trust me, it's better this way." "For you, maybe." "You're both living out a life you never could have had otherwise." "But it's my life you're living." "Those should be my memories." "Not anymore." "Maybe they never should have been." "That's where you're wrong." "I earned the right to be joined." "I am the only person in our planet's history who was ever readmitted to the initiate program after being washed out." "The only reason you got back in was because I felt sorry for you." "Curzon was famous for rejecting initiates." "Why feel sorry for me?" "Now don't you use that tone of voice with me, little girl." "You can't intimidate me, Curzon." "And I'm not a little girl anymore." "No." "I suppose you're not." "The truth is you weren't a little girl back when you were an initiate." "You were a brilliant and beautiful young woman." "Very beautiful." "You were in love with me?" "At first..." "I thought it was just an old man's passing infatuation." "After all, I'd always had an eye for the ladies." "But as we spent more time together..." "I started to realize it was something... deepen" "Then why were you so hard on me?" "I couldn't let you know the truth." "You were an initiate." "I was your supervisor." "So you washed me out of the program." "Later, I realized that I'd robbed you of something you'd wanted all your life." "I felt so guilty, I nearly retired from the Symbiosis Commission." "So when I reapplied, you didn't object." "On the contrary." "I was grateful when you reapplied." "It let me off the hook." "So, now that you know you can see that it's best for both of us that I stay here in this body." "Why?" "Because you loved me?" "Because I still love you." "There's no shame in that, Curzon." "Yes, there is." "And if we rejoin, you'll feel it, too." "No, I won't... because I love you." "You're a part of me, and I want you back." "That way, Jadzia and Curzon can be together the way they should be... through Dax." "He's coming!" "He's coming." "Ladies and gentlemen" "I'd like to introduce Starfleet's... future... my son, Nog." "Congratulations, Nog." "Thank you, sir." "Yeah, way to go." "I'm afraid you've jumped the gun putting on that uniform." "I know I haven't earned the right to wear it yet but my father got it for me." "Hopefully, you'll get to put on the real one next year." "When you ace the Academy Entrance Exam." "What's the matter, Chief?" "It just occurred to me." "As soon as that kid graduates from the Academy" "I'm going to have to call him "sir."" "Okay." "What can I get you, Nog?" "Oh." "A root beer." "It's an Earth drink-- something they serve at the Academy." "A root beer." "This is the end of Ferengi civilization." "May I join you, Lieutenant?" "Of course." "I'd just like to apologize for my behavior while I was joined with Curzon." "There's no need to apologize." "In a way, I'm glad it happened." "It forced me to deal with some things about myself" "I've never really faced." "Besides, you've..." "given me a special gift." "Oh?" "You see... now I have Curzon's memories of what it felt like to be a changeling." "I never realized how much joy it gives you." "And I never understood how much joy you humanoids experience in things like eating, drinking staying up all night playing tongo." "Frankly, I don't see how Curzon ever managed to get any work done." "He always seemed to somehow." "Well... he must have been a remarkable man." "Yes, he is."