ACT THREE
FADE IN:
29 INT. DS9 - QUARK’S BAR
TREIR calls the results at the dabo table...
TREIR
Dabo!
...and the crowd CHEERS loudly and enthusiastically. The bar is packed full with Starfleet officers on their breaks, Bajoran civilians, and guest aliens, and all CELEBRATING.
Among them is TENMEI, raising her glass and cheering along with the dabo winners - strangers, but she is in a good mood. Sat opposite her is NOG, who is less celebratory.
NOG
The bar hasn’t been this busy
in weeks.
TENMEI
Your uncle must be happy.
Nog looks across to the bar, where QUARK is running his empire with pride and passion, in his element.
NOG
Guess so. Oh by the way, the Da
Vinci came back through. They’re
on their way to Earth now.
TENMEI
Wish I could have got a chance
to check it out before they left.
NOG
Me too. But they’re on a clock.
A SIP of their drinks, another SHOUT of “Dabo!” from the table, and then Quark is there, cheering along with them. As the winners move off into the crowd and back to the bar to spend their winnings, Quark turns to Nog and Tenmei.
NOG
You’re in an unusually generous
mood, uncle.
QUARK
Fifty-fifth Rule, Nog.
And then he’s on his way. Nog is less than convinced.
TENMEI
Which one’s fifty-fifth again?
NOG
“Take joy from profit, and profit
from joy.” But I think he’s really
back on the thirty-ninth again.
TENMEI
And which one’s that?
NOG
“Never tell your customers more
than they need to know.”
TENMEI
What do you mean?
NOG
That list of destroyed ships...
the Nagus’s personal shuttle
wasn’t on it.
TENMEI
That’s a good thing, isn’t it?
NOG
No... because at least that would
have let us know for sure. As it
is, my uncle has no idea if his
moogie is alive or dead. And I
don’t know if mine is either.
Tenmei turns again to look at Quark, who is heading towards the bar’s store-room...
30 INT. DS9 - QUARK’S BAR - STORE ROOM
Quark enters the store room, heading straight for a crate of bottles. He grabs one in each hand... but then stops.
And for a moment, the mask slips. All the joy and happiness was an act. In fact he’s deathly worried for his family.
Then he raises the mask again, turns and heads back out into the bar. As he passes through the door, he raises the bottles in his hands and BRANDISHES them victoriously, to the cheers of the nearby crowd. The door closes behind him.
31 INT. DS9 - QUARK’S BAR
Tenmei watches Quark emerge with the bottles held high.
TENMEI
I guess it’s like John said.
Everything’s a performance.
Deep down, it’s all fake.
NOG
Where is John anyway?
32 INT. DS9 - CANDLEWOOD’S QUARTERS
CANDLEWOOD lifts a box off an anti-grav, carries it over to the coffee table, and places it down. Then he stands and stretches his back out - it’s hard work, this lifting lark.
HETIK comes over and takes John by the waist, massaging his boyfriend’s sore back muscles and leaning in to place a kiss on the back of his neck. John relaxes into it.
Then Hetik goes to pick up another box, lifts it over his head effortlessly, and takes it into the bedroom. John watches with an annoyed pout at how easy he makes it look.
When Hetik emerges from the bedroom, he heads to a space they have made on one side of the living room, which features Hetik’s Bajoran PRAYER MANDALA.
Hetik stops for a moment before it, not praying exactly but just appreciating. John joins him, and they stand with arms around each other, gazing into the swirling patterns. The two men KISS comfortably - the plague passed them over.
Hetik moves to grab another box from the anti-grav, and lugs it into the bedroom. Checking that his boyfriend is out of sight, John quickly steps to the front door...
...and touches the
mezuzah set up on the doorpost. Better safe than sorry.
33 INT. TITAN - KERU’S QUARTERS
A PHOTO of
Lt Sean Hawk (TNG “First Contact”) rests on a shelf. A hand reaches in to pick it up - KERU’s. The burly Trill security chief gazes wistfully at the image of his boyfriend, lost in battle against the Borg years before.
There is no anger anymore, no accusation. With the end of the Borg, Keru can let go of all that, and just enjoy the happy memories. He places the photo back on the shelf, and turns to TORVIG, who watches with quizzically cocked head.
Months ago, the mechanical arms and electronic eyepieces enhancing the diminutive cybernetic kanger-ostrich Choblik engineering cadet reminded Keru too much of the Borg. Now they have worked through their differences and are friends.
Keru pats Torvig affectionately on his furry back, and the two EXIT his quarters into the corridor.
34 INT. TITAN - CREW LOUNGE
The door of the
Titan’s crew lounge opens, and Keru and Torvig ENTER together - to find the room packed with other people. Here mill dozens of
Titan’s crew, of all shapes and sizes and colours and species and genders.
Keru and Torvig move into the crowd, who are to a body craning to get a glimpse out of the large picture window at the front of the lounge. The view reveals the Earth below, with
Enterprise,
Aventine and
Voyager in view, as well as the throng of smaller ships moving in and out of orbit.
XIN RA-HAVREII stands looking out at this view, stroking his long white moustache. At the sense of someone new, Ra-Havreii turns... to see MELORA PAZLAR pushing carefully through the crowd in her armature suit.
RA-HAVREII
Good morning, Melora.
PAZLAR
Good morning, Xin. Room for one
more up front?
Ra-Havreii glares at the young CATULLAN man next to him... the man moves, allowing Pazlar to step up to the window. The crowd forces the pair in close and intimate.
RA-HAVREII
I thought you hated crowds.
PAZLAR
I do. But I hate missing out even
more. And they had to shut down
my holo-presence network for repairs.
RA-HAVREII
Oh, really? ...That’s a shame.
PAZLAR
I have a theory about the holo-
presence system, you know.
RA-HAVREII
Really? Do tell.
PAZLAR
I think it’s proof that you’re in
love with me.
RA-HAVREII
(choke, splutter)
Ridiculous! I mean... well, love
is, um, such a strong word,
and we’ve hardly - that is -
PAZLAR
Simmer down, Commander. It’s not
the least enticing idea I’ve heard
lately. And some of your past
conquests have assured me that
you know how to be gentle. Which
is important to a girl like me.
Ra-Havreii smiles almost shyly - she has been talking about him with others. About sex. He’s quite flustered.
RA-HAVREII
I confess I find your invitation
almost irresistible, Melora...
PAZLAR
Almost?
RA-HAVREII
But... before I surrender to my
passions, and to yours... it’s
vital that I be honest with you.
PAZLAR
About what?
RA-HAVREII
Well, about me. I am... deeply
attracted to you, Melora, and in
ways I haven’t felt about someone
for a long time. But I’m afraid
it’s simply not in my nature
to be, well... monogamous.
PAZLAR
(soft chuckle)
Who’s asking? Let’s just see how
our first date goes, okay?
RA-HAVREII
Okay. Sounds like a plan.
CHRISTINE VALE’s voice comes over the comm system...
VALE (comm)
Attention Titan personnel. Muster
starboard for passing honours.
The gathered crowd pushes even closer to the window, trying with all their might to see around corners to the right.
VOICE (o.s.)
Here they come!
Finally into view emerges the
Da Vinci. And behind it, the Sabre-class vessel is dragging by means of tractor beam...
...the NX-02
Columbia, excavated from the desert planet in the Gamma Quadrant and brought home at last to Earth.
Da Vinci angles itself to present the battered and beaten, but still holding together, centuries-old ship to the many eyes they know are watching this momentous occasion.
PAZLAR
Wow... look at that. Sometimes
videos don’t do history justice.
RA-HAVREII
(sniffle)
Welcome home, old girl.
As the gathered crowd continues to gaze in awe...
35 EXT. SPACE - EARTH ORBIT
Da Vinci and
Columbia move slowly into orbit, the two smaller ships joining their larger sisters...
36 EXT. DENEVA - PLANET SURFACE
CHOUDHURY crouches down to the dusty, oily, grimy surface, scanning what remains of the ground with a tricorder.
CHOUDHURY
Close enough.
She stands back up, and turns to WORF.
WORF
Are you sure?
CHOUDHURY
All of Deneva’s a cinder. One patch
of dirt serves as well as any other.
We should get started.
She turns back to the tools she brought with her, and grabs a SHOVEL, handing another to Worf with a smile.
CHOUDHURY
Thank you for doing this with me.
For coming back from Qo’noS.
WORF
Once I had checked on my family,
I could not leave you to face
yours alone. I am honoured that
you would allow me to be here.
CHOUDHURY
Ready?
Worf smiles, and they begin to DIG into the ground. After a few minutes of hard labour, they have excavated a pit. They set down the shovels and grab more supplies - she a PACKAGE of chemicals and he a DRUM of water. Both go into the pit.
Finally Choudhury reaches for the final ingredient - a tiny SAPLING of a tree. Worf holds it upright while Choudhury shovels the soil back around it. Then they stand back to observe their work. Choudhury has tears in her eyes.
CHOUDHURY
It’s so... it’s so tiny.
WORF
It is a beginning.
Worf holds Choudhury to him, and they gaze upon the tree...
37 EXT. EARTH - MOGADISHU
GEORDI LaFORGE angrily pushes his way through a crowd. We hear the sounds of a SOCCER GAME - but one for school kids. These people are the kids’ parents, cheering eagerly. But Geordi is not - he is trying to escape.
His sister, ARIANA, follows urgently through the path he created, carrying a pair of drinks from the concessions.
ARIANA
Geordi! If that was my kid scoring
a goal and you made me miss it...
He ignores her and forges ahead, until he reaches the top of a hill which looks out over the city of MOGADISHU. There he stops, and Ariana finally catches up to him, handing him his drink then using her spare hand to fix her headdress.
ARIANA
Hey - I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.
LaFORGE
Yes you did. You’ve always hated
Starfleet, you never hid it.
ARIANA
Not Starfleet itself. Just the
fact that both parents and my
brother joined it - and I never
got to see any of them.
LaFORGE
It looks the same as always,
doesn’t it? So normal, like
nothing happened. You would
have no idea, seeing this, how
close we came to losing it all.
ARIANA
Well that’s not fair. You weren’t
here when things were at their
worst. Wasn’t much normality then.
LaFORGE
Didn’t take you long to go back to
soccer games and picnics, did it?
ARIANA
What are we supposed to do? Cover
ourselves in sackcloth and ashes
and beg the universe for mercy?
Life goes on, Geordi.
LaFORGE
For you. Never mind the billions
of people who weren’t so lucky.
(beat)
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.
ARIANA
(sigh)
You need to stop beating yourself
up, Geordi. And you need to stop
feeling guilty.
LaFORGE
I... what? That’s ridiculous.
I don’t feel guilty...
ARIANA
I know you better than that,
Geordi. You survived the
Borg when billions died. You
survived the Dominion, Tezwa,
the Remans. You outlived
mom. You outlived Data...
LaFORGE
That’s stupid... I shouldn’t
feel guilty for living...
ARIANA
No... you shouldn’t.
The tears are coming to Geordi’s artificial eyes. Ariana gathers her big brother into her arms and holds him.
ARIANA
I’m proud of you, big brother, for
putting on that uniform and going
out there so that we can all live
here safely and have picnics and
play soccer. But I’m also very,
very grateful that you get to
come back every once in a
while and share it with us.
FADE OUT
END OF ACT THREE
