They prepare to leave when the explosion hits early! The crew is able to ride the 'wave' to safety, and the facility is successfully destroyed. Sisko realizes that the explosion will disable net before it hits them, meaning they have a chance to outrun the blast. Just as they prepare to leave, the facility raises its safety net, trapping the ship. O'Brien sends down empty canisters to be 'filled,' with a bomb hidden inside one of them. Sisko discovers from where the ships came - the asteroid where the ketracel-white is stored. Luckily, the enemy passes them without incident. The Centaur turns back toward Federation space, and the crew soon realizes why - three Jem'Hadar warships are approaching. When the Federation captain doesn't give up, Sisko orders O'Brien to fire at his weapons array. Unable to identify themselves, Sisko suggests heading into Cardassian space in hopes that the Centaur will not follow. Meanwhile, Nog delivers some bad news - a Federation ship, the Centaur, is firing on them. Suggesting Cardassian physiology may be more compatible, Garak volunteers to wear the headset, further proving his loyalty to Sisko. Unfortunately, the headsets used for piloting are painful for humans, and Sisko struggles with intense headaches.

The crew soon embarks in the alien vessel. Ross reveals that he has a secret weapon to help them infiltrate Cardassian territory - a Jem'Hadar attack ship Sisko captured the year before. Ross soon reveals that the crew's new mission is to destroy the main Alpha Quadrant storage facility of ketracel-white, the drug to which the Jem'Hadar are genetically addicted. Reacting to the heavy losses, Federation Admiral Ross informs Sisko that he is no longer in command of the Defiant. But they grow more and more demoralized as fleets of promised reinforcements are demolished. Having long ago abandoned Deep Space Nine, Sisko and his crew have been taking on the enemy from the U.S.S. Synopsis Several months into their war against the Dominion/Cardassian alliance, the Federation is fighting a losing battle. Writer(s): Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler A Time to Stand Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - (1993-1999)

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