"The Search" Line-by-Line!

SISKO: I've brought back a little surprise for the Dominion.

[Wardroom]

(DS9's observation lounge, sort of)
SISKO: Officially, it's classified as an escort vessel. Unofficially, the Defiant's a warship. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

KIRA: I thought Starfleet didn't believe in warships.

 

SISKO: Desperate times breed desperate measures, Major. Five years ago, Starfleet began exploring the possibility of building a new class of starship. This ship would have no families, no science labs, no luxuries of any kind. It was designed for one purpose only, to fight and defeat the Borg. The Defiant was the prototype, the first ship in what would have been a new Federation battle fleet.

 

DAX: So what happened?

 

SISKO: The Borg threat became less urgent. Also, some design flaws cropped up during the ship's shakedown cruise, so Starfleet decided to abandon the project.

 

O'BRIEN: What sort of "design flaws"?

 

SISKO: You'll have complete access to the ship evaluation reports but to put it simply, it's overgunned and overpowered for a ship its size. During battle drills, it nearly tore itself apart when the engines were tested at full capacity.

 

KIRA: And this is the ship that Starfleet sends us to fight off an attack by the Dominion?

 

SISKO: We're not going to fight the Dominion, Major. At least, not yet anyway. Our mission is to take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant and try to find the leaders of the Dominion; the Founders. We have to convince them that the Federation does not represent a threat to them.

 

BASHIR: What if they don't believe us?

 

SISKO: That's why I asked for the Defiant. She may have flaws, but she has teeth; and I want the Dominion to know that we can and will defend ourselves, if necessary.

 

(A Romulan woman and a Starfleet man enter)
EDDINGTON: I've posted two security officers at the Defiant's docking port, sir. No one'll get near the cloaking device without us knowing about it.

 

ODO: I wasn't informed about any special security needs.

 

T'RUL: The security arrangements were by my request to protect the cloaking device.

 

SISKO: A few introductions are in order. This is Subcommander Seska- uh, I mean T'Rul- from the Romulan Empire. She's here to operate the cloaking device which her government so kindly loaned us for this mission.

 

T'RUL: Romulan interests will be served through cooperation, and my role is to keep unauthorized personnel away from the cloaking device.

 

SISKO: May I present my officers. This is Major-

 

T'RUL: Thank you, but I know their names, and I'm not here to make friends. (T'Rul leaves)

 

KIRA: Charming.

 

EDDINGTON: Well, I am here to make friends. I'm Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington, Starfleet Security.