New-to-me episode in which Kira teams up with an enemy to solve the mystery of a Cardassian ship that disappeared six years ago, along with its Bajoran prisoners.
An old friend from Kira’s resistance days has found a chunk of metal from the Ravinok. Knowing that Kira knew someone aboard that ship, Odo wishes her luck solving the mystery.
Sisko encourages Kira to agree to a Cardassian request to send someone to accompany her. That someone turns out to be Dukat.
He agrees that she’s in charge, and notes that having a personal connection to a mission can be very motivating. He praises Kira as “the embodiment of the new Bajor,” which he says is stronger thanks to the occupation, and predicts their governments will become allies and even friends. Kira is skeptical.
In the B-plot, Kasidy Yates accepts a job with the Bajoran government and Dax encourages her to find quarters on the station. Sisko’s stunned reaction is not exactly what she wanted to hear.
Though Dukat’s cheerful arrogance continues, he shows restraint and a willingness to work with Kira. Later, when they find the crash site and several graves, he shows respectful familiarity with Bajoran death customs, and asks Kira to let him dig up the graves alone.
He, too, had a personal reason for solving this mystery. A Bajoran woman on the ship was his lover.
Although presumably she could have done so as soon as they landed, now that we’re in Act III, it’s time for Kira to start scanning for the plot contrivance particles that, six years after the ship crashed, will lead them to wherever the Bajoran survivors may be.
During a layover in a cave (again with the caves), we have an unexpected bit of character development when Dukat sits on a big thorn, and the two end up laughing together. Kira reveals that the ship manifest listed a thirteen year old girl with a combined Bajoran and Cardassian name. Dukat admits he’s here to see his daughter… but not to rescue her. He says he wants to “correct” a mistake that threatens his wife and seven children, but Kira intuits that he’s really protecting his career.
He says when he buries his daughter he will weep over her grave, and warns Kira to stay out of his way.
Back on the station, Jake cuts through his father’s dissembling, and points out it’s Kassidy’s choice to make a big change just to be closer to him, and Sisko shouldn’t feel responsible if their doesn’t work out. Sisko is stunned at this wisdom from Jake-o, and even more stunned when Jake credits Nog.
The partnership between Kira and Dukat frays when they spot survivors, Ziyal among them, enslaved in a mine. After Dukat refuses Kira’s order to go back to DS9 for reinforcements, she warns him that if he hurts Ziyal, she will kill him.
The rescue operation goes pretty quickly, aided by the fact that the Breen enslavers wear full-body suits, so that infiltrating the compound is just a matter of a costume change.
The climax, including Kira’s insight into Dukat’s actions, and Dukat’s response, was well done and feels very true to their characters.
The resolution of the B-plot gives Kassidy some great moments. (“Oh, [Jake]’s a smart boy. Must take after his mother.”) Sisko apologizes and opens up to Kassidy about being nervous about being in a serious relationship.
