was pushing it.
It's just as well,
they're extremely fattening.
You only missed Gul Evek by hours.
I asked him to stay.
I thought an Admiral's assurances
might convince him we are trying
to deal with the Maquis.
Evek manages to make the Cardassians
sound like helpless sheep
being preyed on by Federation wolves.
But we caught the Cardassians
supplying their colonies in
the Demilitarised Zone with weapons.
Gul Evek told me
they had stopped that practice.
How comforting.
Admiral, this Maquis situation
has you worried.
If I were living that close
to the Cardassians,
I'd keep
a phaser under my pillow, too.
But in the last weeks,
we've seen signs
that the Maquis
are moving beyond self-defence.
Their ranks are growing.
They're acquiring ships, weapons.
They seem to be preparing
a more aggressive military posture.
We've got to put a stop to them
before the entire
Demilitarised Zone ignites.
But before we stop them,
we have to find them.
They seem to be scattered
in small cells around the Zone.
We don't have reliable intelligence
about them.
Perhaps you need
an undercover operative.
Our thinking exactly.
We intend to infiltrate
their organisation,
and the person we want to do it
is aboard your ship right now.
Starfleet wants me
to infiltrate the Maquis?
Because of your recent training,
because you're Bajoran,
and because of your past troubles
with Starfleet
gives you a certain credibility.
Well, that's certainly true.
Just how soon
would this mission begin?
Immediately.
I see.
I've spent the better part
of my life fighting the Cardassians.
I never thought
I'd be helping them out.
This is a rare case when our
interests and theirs coincide.
We both want peace
in the Demilitarised Zone
I've heard a lot about the Maquis.
One of my instructors
at Tactical Training,
a lieutenant commander in Starfleet,
a man I both admired and respected,
he was sympathetic to them.
He resigned and left to join them.
We're all sympathetic, Lieutenant.
Our civilians
in the Demilitarised Zone
are in a difficult situation,
but even sympathy
must end at some point.
The peace treaty
isn't just a piece of paper.
If the Maquis force us into a war
with Cardassia,
it may mean
hundreds of thousands of lives.
Two years ago, Starfleet would never
have tapped you for this mission.
They must have
a lot of confidence in you now.
The way I see it, there's
one good reason to take this mission,
and that's to validate
your faith in me.
We are looking for a Bajoran woman,
dark hair.
She is responsible for the death
of a Cardassian soldier.
If we learn she has been here, this
establishment will be closed down.
You say she has dark hair?
- Yes.
- She was here.
- Just missed her.
- Do you know where she went?
No.
It was really nice meeting you.
Thanks.
So, did you kill that Cardassian?
Starfleet thinks I did.
That's reason enough to hide.
Why did you tell them that I'd left?
There are worse things a person can
do than kill a Cardassian soldier.
You don't often meet someone
willing to say that out loud.
In the Zone,
a lot of us feel that way.
I'd like to meet people like that.
Don't be afraid.
You're not in danger here.
What is your name?
- Did you kill that Cardassian?
- Who are you?
We're the people
who saved you from Starfleet.
Thanks, but I'll be going now.
Did you kill that Cardassian?
Yes.
That's a risky thing to do
in the Demilitarised Zone.
You can end up hunted
by Starfleet and the Cardassians.
Then why did he risk
bringing me here?
We're asking the questions.
Who are you?
My name is Ro Laren.
I grew up in the Bajoran camps.
That would explain
why you have no love for Cardassians.
I know what they're capable of.
They tortured my father to death,
and I was forced to watch.
Where are you living now?
Nowhere.
I was a Starfleet officer,
but I was court-martialled and I was
sent to the stockade on Jaros II.
I'm not exactly what you'd