Stardate not given: A visitor
to DS9 gives Quark the earring of a legendary Bajoran POW,
and Quark hands it over to Kira. Kira recognizes it as the one
belonging to Li Nalas, the greatest freedom fighter
in Bajoran history and legend. Kira convinces Sisko to loan her a Runabout - and Chief
O'Brien as pilot - to
travel to Cardassia IV. Recovering Li Nalas and a
handful of other Bajorans from a forced-labor camp,
Kira and O'Brien rush back to DS9. Though the Bajoran
provisional government officially condemns Kira's
cabalier rescue operation, the Bajorans on the
station and everywhere rejoice in Li's return. Sisko
hopes Li can reunite the gradually dissolving Bajoran
government, which is splitting into many factions,
including the extremist reactionary Circle,
isolationists who mean to evict all non-Bajorans from
Bajor or DS9. The Circle is, in fact, beginning to
make its presence known aboard the station, as is Li
Nalas, when he winds up replacing Kira as the Bajoran
liaison officer on DS9.
