ACT ONE

FADE IN: 

10 INT. VEDEK ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

The chamber is in chaos as the vedeks all SHOUT over each other, clamouring and arguing and gesturing wildly. Present among them are BELLIS, SOLIS, YEVIR and PRALON. 

SOLIS
You tried to get Starfleet to
leave?! Are you insane?

YEVIR
You could have at least told us
what you were planning, Bellis.

BELLIS
Would you have allowed me to
continue if I had? 

PRALON
Of course not. 

BELLIS
Well then. But as it happens, that
heathen Starfleet commander Ro
Laren refused to take my advice.

SOLIS
Good. That you could imagine - 

BELLIS
At least I was doing something to
help Bajor! No-one else here has
made any suggestions at all.

KIRA (o.s.)
I have a suggestion. 

The new voice cuts through the clamouring, and everyone turns to see KIRA, standing a little bashful. She is very much the junior in this august company, and she knows it. 

BELLIS
Kira Nerys. Of course you run to
your old crewmates’ defence. Sadly
for them, as a mere prylar you are
here to listen and to learn, not to
imagine you have the right to
tell us what to do.

SOLIS
I have never known Kira Nerys to
keep silent when something needs
to be said.

YEVIR
You should listen to her, Bellis
- you might learn something.

PRALON
The prylar may speak... 
(sly smile)
...this once. 

Bellis sits back down with a grumble. Kira takes a deep breath, nervous now that everyone is looking at her.

KIRA
Thank you, Kai Pralon. And thank
you to the entire Assembly.
(beat)
Vedek Bellis is correct. Something
needs to be done to help Bajor get
through this difficult time. But
sending Starfleet away is not it.
They have stood with us through
everything the galaxy has thrown
at us. We cannot abandon them now.
But... I have been speaking with
many of our citizens the last few
weeks. And they are terrified.
Bajor has never had to face the
Borg directly, thank the Prophets.
But everyone has heard stories.
Everyone knows there is little
chance of stopping them if they
decide to come for you. And that
knowledge is tearing us apart.

YEVIR
I have heard much the same. I try
to minister as best I can, to help
them keep calm and trust in the
Prophets... but fear too often
drowns out the words.

SOLIS
It’s true. Family members, life-
long friends and neighbours...
fighting over inconsequential
bits of nothing, just out of
the sheer emotional strain.

BELLIS
Clearly, this Assembly has set a
bad example, then. This is what
happens when Ohalavaru,
Oralians and... 
(sneer at Kira)
...you are allowed to enter it.

YEVIR
Opaka Sulan herself studies with
the Eav’oq in the Gamma Quadrant,
Bellis. Do you know the will of the
Prophets better than her? 

PRALON
This squabbling ends, now. 
(to Kira)
If you have a suggestion, Prylar
Kira, we are willing to hear it. 

KIRA
When the Cardassians came, we
fought. When the Klingons came, we
fought. When the Ascendants came,
we fought. Now that the Borg are
coming, are we really just going
to sit here and wait for them to
kill us all? We need to fight.

BELLIS
Are you suggesting we send
Bajoran citizens out against the
Borg? I hardly think that will
make them less terrified.

KIRA
No, I’m not suggesting that. But
we do need an army. That’s what
has always held us together before
- that and faith. And I can only
think of one army that even has a
chance of standing up to the Borg.

PRALON
And who is that? 

Kira takes another deep breath. This is the crux of it. 

KIRA
The Dominion.

The room explodes into more clamouring and arguing. Onala has to bang her GONG repeatedly to bring it to order again. As the shouting dies down, Pralon chooses her words... 

PRALON
Prylar Kira... I would think you
of all people can understand why
that idea would cause a little...
consternation.

KIRA
Of course I can. But we’ve worked
with them before, against the
Ascendants. We can do it again. 

BELLIS
They have banned anyone from the
Alpha Quadrant from even speaking
to them! How exactly do you expect
to persuade them to go to war
against the Borg on our behalf?

KIRA
I’ll speak to Odo. 

BELLIS
Ah, we come to the truth of it.
The prylar thinks her changeling
lover will ride to her rescue.

PRALON
About this at least, Vedek Bellis
is correct. The Dominion wants
nothing to do with us. 

KIRA
So I’ll change their minds. The
Jem’Hadar are strong, sure. But
sooner or later the Borg will come
for them too. Helping us now would
be helping themselves later. 

BELLIS
And you believe that telling the
Bajoran people that we can save
them from one murderous enemy by
calling in another murderous enemy
will help to keep them calm?

YEVIR
Knowing they have an army willing
to fight to the death for them
might just do that, Vedek Bellis. 

BELLIS
It’s insanity! 

SOLIS
The entire Alpha Quadrant may
be at death’s door, Bellis. What
harm can it cause to try? 

Kira looks towards Pralon, who has the final say. The whole room does. Yevir, Solis, Bellis and Kira all looking to Pralon for guidance. What will she do? 

11 EST. DEEP SPACE NINE

Returning us back to the familiar environs of the space station, with Defiant and several other vessels docked. 

12 INT. DS9 - COMMANDER’S OFFICE

Commander RO looks up from her work as the door CHIMES. Major CENN is there. She beckons him on in. 

RO
Afternoon, Major. What disasters
have befallen us all now? 

CENN
Funny you should put it that
way. I thought you should
knowthat another shuttle is
on its way up from Bajor.

Ro gestures for Cenn to sit, and sighs resignedly. 

RO
I should have known Bellis would
never let me get away with it. 

CENN
You were kind of brutal with him.

RO
You heard that, huh? 

CENN
Most of Ops heard it. Your voice
tends to carry.

RO
Yeah, well, he got me mad.

CENN
You got him mad too, believe me.
I think I managed to talk him down
on the walk back to the shuttle,
though. Get him to take a deep
breath before calling for your
public execution.

RO
Well, you’ve got more patience
than I do.

CENN
Which is why I’m going to try to
do the same for you.

RO
(tensing)
You think I was wrong? 

CENN
I think you made some excellent
points... that you could have
phrased more delicately.

RO
Come on, Major. He tried to blame
me for millions of deaths.

CENN
And I told him he was wrong about
that. But you said some pretty
unfair things too, Commander.

RO
I guess. He just wound me up so
much and it all came out.

CENN
I understand. But being in charge,
from what little I know on the
subject, sometimes means you
have to suck it up even when
you’d rather spit it all out. 

RO
You think I should apologise?

CENN
I wouldn’t go that far. At least
not right now. Bellis probably
wouldn’t hear it anyway. But it
might do you some good to figure
out a way to work better with the
recognised religious authorities. 
(stops, ponders 
a moment)
And the political authorities, for
that matter. Not to mention the
military authorities. We may be
detecting a theme here.

Ro sighs again. She knows he’s right, and she just has to suck it up. Might as well just get on with it. 

RO
Alright, fine. Whose ass am I
kissing today? The First Minister,
the Kai or the Over-General?
Who’s on that shuttle? 

CENN
(smile)
None of them. It’s just Kira.

RO
(jaw drops, annoyed)
Why didn’t you just tell me that
when you walked in the door?

CENN
Because it made for an easier
way into this conversation. 

RO
It’s not too late to throw you off
the station as well, you know. 

With a smirk, Cenn gets up and leaves. 

BLACK OUT

END OF ACT ONE