Changes: Honor Among Thieves (episode)

Revision as of 20:30, 21 July 2006

Liam Bilby, member of the Orion Syndicate

O'Brien, working undercover for Starfleet Intelligence, befriends the man he will have to betray.

Summary

Teaser

In a run down bar on Farius Prime, there are several customers, including a Dopterian and a Farian that seems to be inhaling a drug product, playing Tongo with a Human. The Bolian bartender, Graife, refreshes their drinks. Miles O'Brien, in civilian clothing, sits at the bar and listens to some customers in the background. They are discussing how Raimus will be unhappy about the acquisition of faulty merchandise. They decide to order some food, Flith suggests Krellan food, but Liam Bilby says it always gives him heart burn. They joke about how his appetite will kill him some day, he says "don't get your hopes up".

The Dopterian is about to use a com booth on the wall, but Bilby yells at him that their about to use it, and sends Krole. He puts a small device on a mechanical implant on his neck, and a similar device on the com booth's screen, and interfaces with the computer. The continue listing what they want to order, and Krole asks who to bill for their dinner. They suggest the police department on Farius, but they billed them for yesterday's meal. So they decide on the municipal sanitation department. As he tries to access their account code, O'Brien covertly activates a small device in his hand, making the com booth begin to shock Krole.

O'Brien jumps up, and tells the others not to touch him, that he's being "spiked". He then goes to the panel, and begins entering commands. The electric shock stops, and they help him to a chair. They complain that they spiked him just for trying to use their account code. Krole pulls off the dataport, and finds that it is fused. They wonder what to do, since it would be too expensive to ask Raimus to pay for a replacement, but O'Brien offers to fix it for him... for a price. They ask O'Brien his name, and he replys "Connelly". They give him the datalink, and tell him to have it fixed and polished by tomorrow morning.

In a dark and steamy alley, O'Brien walks up to meet a man. O'Brien explains what happens, and the man says that no one's ever made contact with the Orion Syndicate so quickly. It turns out, O'Brien is working for Starfleet Intelligence to find out who their informant in Starfleet is, and then he can return to Deep Space 9. Bilby will find information on O'Brien's alias, that he's a "fix-it man down on his luck". Chadwick, O'Brien's handler, tells him to get as close as he can, and not to take any unnecessary risks, because if they find out who he really is, they will kill him.

Act One

Meanwhile on Deep Space 9, Quark and Odo enter Ops at the same time to report several technical problems, such as the Internal Security Sensors, and the fire-suppression system in Quark's Place. Dr. Bashir comes into Ops, and also complains about a malfunction in the infirmary. Dax and Worf are on a turbolift coming into Ops, when it stops short, forcing them to climb out. Major Kira explains that it happens every time Chief O'Brien goes on leave, since no one really knows how he keeps the Starfleet and Cardassian technology working together. Dr. Bashir goes to Captain Sisko about the problems, but the Captain believes he is just worried about his friend. The Captain explains that he cannot reveal the whereabouts of the Chief, but assures him he can take care of himself.

Back in Graife's bar, on Farius, Krole, Flith, and Bilby are playing Tongo when the Chief comes in. O'Brien hands the fixed neural interface to Krole, who tries it on to test for feedback. Bilby is impressed with O'Brien's work, and has looked into "Connelly"'s background, knowing that he lives on Jinami Street, and his work history. O'Brien asks how he knows so much about the identity he's taken, still undercover, and Bilby doesn't respond. Instead, he takes him for a walk. In Bilby's apartment, in a housing development, he unlocks a safe, and pulls out three Klingon type-3 disruptors. O'Brien sits up, suspicious, and Bilby says he didn't bring him here to kill him.

Apparently, the Orion Syndicate was looking for people who can fix things on Farius Prime, as Bilby shows him that the disrupters he needed to procure don't work, O'Brien diagnoses that the induction coils are burnt out, and says he can fix them. Bilby offers him some cake his wife made, and shows him a picture of his family, who live on New Sydney. Bilby inquires about the O'Brien's family, to which he says that he doesn't have any. Bilby, in not so many words, asks if he would like to work for him in the Syndicate.

Act Two

In the dark alley, Chadwick hands O'Brien the Klingon induction coils he asked for, courtesy of the Klingon Ambassador to Farius. Chadwick asks why Raimus, Bilby's boss, wants the disrupters. O'Brien says he doesn't know, neither does Bilby, and asks if he can contact his wife. Chadwick says they can't risk it, and O'Brien leaves to give the Disrupters to Bilby. Back in Graife's Bar, O'Brien gives them the disrupters, which they inspect. Flith asks where he got the replacement parts, which are hard to come by on Farius. O'Brien doesn't tell them, to the point they get angry, and he says he stole them from a warehouse on Degora Street, and he didn't want them to get implicated if he got caught. Bilby believes it, and decides to do something about Connelly's clothes. So, Bilby takes him to the same tailor he uses, to buy a new suit.

Later in Graife's Bar, Yint, who sold Bilby the malfunctioning disrupters, comes in asking what they want. Bilby says he wants his money back, but Yint refuses. Bilby decides to demonstrate by shooting Yint in the leg. O'Brien tries to stop him, but Bilby fires again and kills Yint.

Back in Bilby's apartment, Bilby confides in O'Brien, to the point of revealing that there's an Orion Syndicate operative in Starfleet. He asks Connelly to remind him to buy a birthday present for his daughter, and then if he'd like to go to New Sydney to meet his family. O'Brien agrees, and inquires more about the Starfleet officer. Bilby says Raimus met him on Risa a year prior, and that he worked at the weather control station. The Syndicate offered him a substantial amount of money, and he revealed the names of the undercover operatives in the Orion Syndicate. Bilby receives a message from Krole, saying Raimus wants to see him, so they go to Graife's Bar.

Raimus and his guards beam in, and shows him that their new client is a Vorta, Gelnon, and that they are working for the Dominion. Raimus asks who O'Brien is, and Bilby witnesses for him, saying he's trustworthy. Gelnon says he wants them to do something else for them, and that he'll contact him when it's time, and they transport out. Bilby explains to O'Brien that anything he does wrong, he's acountable for.

O'Brien meets with Chadwick in the dark alley, and tells him who the informer is. He also says that a Vorta was meeting with the Syndicate, which Chadwick immediately frowns upon, and leaves to tell his superiors.

Act Three

Chadwick extends O'Brien's assignment, as his superiors want to uncover why the Dominion is involving itself with the Syndicate.

Quickly becoming a valuable member of their team, O'Brien assists his new associates in an attempt to rob the Bank of Bolias. Using the dataport, Krole and Miles are quickly able to navigate around the banks three-tier security protocol, and the isolation matrix protecting the data.

Soon after this, having spent time with Bilby, O'Brien realizes that he is beginning to worry about him, and what will become of him after his assignment ends. O'Brien expresses this during his next meeting with Chadwick. His response is that Bilby will be safest in a Federation prison, as long as they can get to him before the Syndicate.

This does little to help O'Brien, still troubled by what may lay ahead for Bilby, but even more by the fact that he will have to betray a man he now considers his friend.

It soon becomes clear what the Dominion want from the Syndicate. Ramius and the Vorta instruct Bilby and his team to execute the Klingon ambassador to Farius using the disruptors that O'Brien repaired in order to imply that the ambassador was killed in a dispute with his fellow countrymen. It is the hope of the Dominion that this will lead to a diplomatic breakdown between Klingons and Federation, ending their alliance.

O'Brien passes the information on to his handler. Chadwick leaves to inform the ambassador, but as he does so, O'Brien realizes that he has committed Bilby and his men to death at the hands of the Klingons. He rushes off to Bilby's apartment to try and stop them.

File:FarianFemale.jpg

A Farian call girl

Act Four

Bilby greets O'Brien on his door step and lets him in. Trying to talk Bilby out of the mission, O'Brien reveals that he is working for Starfleet. At first Bilby refuses to believe this, but O'Brien reasserts himself, and Bilby realizes the truth. However, he is still going to carry out the mission, as he knows that it is the only way to protect his wife and children from the Syndicate's retribution.

Knowing that he will be killed, Bilby makes a final request of O'Brien – to care for Chester once he is gone, before leaving for his doomed mission.

O'Brien returns to Deep Space 9, troubled with the outcome of the mission and his part in the death of his friend.

Memorable Quotes

Background Information

Farius Prime was mentioned in DS9: "The Maquis, Part I" as simply a side note, then played a major part in this story and was mentioned again in DS9: "Prodigal Daughter."
Gelnon was the Vorta who commanded the Jem'Hadar team who commandeered the Defiant in the previous episode "One Little Ship".

Links and References

Guest Stars

Co-Starring

Brad Blaisdell as Yint

References

Bilby family; Bilby, Morica; Bank of Bolias (Bolarus IX); bar; Bolians; cake; Chester; com booth; Connelly; dataport; Dayos IV; Degora Street; disruptor; Dopterians; Earth; Farius; Gowron; Graife; Graife's Bar; induction coil; interfacing; Jinami Street; Kimiko; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Krellans; New Sydney; nozala sandwich; Orion Syndicate; Risa; spiked; Starfleet; Starfleet Intelligence; Tongo; vilm sauce; Vorta; Weather modification network; Yeager-type starship.

Previous episode:
One Little Ship

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Season 6

Next episode:
Change of Heart

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 [[Image:Raimus.jpg|thumb|Raimus, member of the Orion Syndicate]]
-Raimus and his guards [[beam]] in, and shows him that their new client is a [[Vorta]], [[Gelnon]], and that their working for the [[Dominion]]. Raimus asks who O'Brien is, and Bilby witnesses for him, saying he's trustworthy. Gelnon says he wants them to do something else for them, and that he'll contact him when it's time, and they transport out. Bilby explains to O'Brien that anything he does wrong, he's acountable for.
+Raimus and his guards [[beam]] in, and shows him that their new client is a [[Vorta]], [[Gelnon]], and that they are working for the [[Dominion]]. Raimus asks who O'Brien is, and Bilby witnesses for him, saying he's trustworthy. Gelnon says he wants them to do something else for them, and that he'll contact him when it's time, and they transport out. Bilby explains to O'Brien that anything he does wrong, he's acountable for.
 O'Brien meets with Chadwick in the dark alley, and tells him who the informer is. He also says that a Vorta was meeting with the Syndicate, which Chadwick immediately frowns upon, and leaves to tell his superiors.