Five minutes later, Benjamin Sisko walked into Quark's. He gave the outward appearance of being calm, but he was not. He'd left specific instructions to leave the Borg alone until they had a plan. And these civilians had decided to take them on.

"Gentlemen. I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko." He looked at them each in turn. "I understand you killed some of the Borg."

They nodded. The groups swayed as the station was grasped by a tractor beam.

"Sisko to Bridge. Execute program Dax Omega 39."

"Acknowledged."

The station rocked slightly again as the tractor beam was released.

"What was that?" Chris asked.

"That was the Borg. Your little stunt alerted them to our presence."

"Considering that these nefarious creatures have already abducted one of our associates, and if this gentleman is to be believed," Ezra said as he indicated Quark, "made him one of them, I would say that they were already aware of our presence."

"Mr. Standish, is it?"

Ezra nodded.

"What you do not understand about the Borg is that they assess. They do not attack until they are ready, unless forced."

Buck laughed. "Ain't smart to give the enemy time to prepare fer ya."

JD smiled. "Less you're not ready neither."

Sisko just shook his head. "I do not like the Borg. You can kill them, but more will come. Life means nothing to them. We are irrelevant to them."

"I think it is time we made them see how relevant we are," Chris replied.

Sisko nodded. They had to keep the fight here, as long as the Borg were concentrated on DS9, they weren't concentrating on Bajor.

"You have a plan?" Sisko asked.

"Tell us more about these Borgs."

Sisko didn't really have time for this. But, there wasn't much else that they could do anyway. So he sat down and told the six men about the Borg.

After Sisko had finished with his explanation, he looked at the men again.

"So, you think that because we've already killed some, we won't be able to kill any more, and our weapons are useless?" Josiah asked.

"Basically."

"Only one way to find out, right boys?"

As if on cue, more Borg materialized. Sisko drew his phaser and fired. One fell. But when he fired again, a shield appeared in front of the being and it continued to advance.

Josiah fired and the Borg fell. But more arrived. However, each bullet took the life of a Borg. No shield appeared. In a matter of minutes, all the Borg were lying dead on the deck, and Sisko was shocked.

"I think we need to distribute more of those kind of weapons to Security," Sisko said, smiling. Things were beginning to look a little less bleak. "Sisko to Odo."

"Odo here."

"Constable. I think we have a partial solution to our Borg problem."

"I'll be right there, Captain."

The group stood in front of one of the view ports and looked at the Borg vessel. "And Mr. Tanner is over there?" Ezra asked.

Sisko nodded.

"It looks impenetrable."

"Borg don't have shields that prevent us from transporting over there. In their mind, we're irrelevant." "Do you believe that too, Captain Sisko?" Josiah asked.

"What I believe is not important."

Josiah shook his head. "You're wrong, Captain."

"If we could disable their ship, it would buy us time until reinforcements can arrive." Sisko stared at the cube.

"Countin' on reinforcements will get you killed," Buck said. "Let them clean up." He grinned.

Ezra was staring thoughtfully out the window. "Perhaps a few well-placed charges," he muttered softly.

"Ezra, you ain't thinkin' what I think you are, are ya?" Buck asked.

"If you believe that I am contemplating what the effect of dynamite would be on that unattractive square, then indeed I am."

Sisko nodded.

"This instant transportation-could it send lit dynamite?"

"Only one way to find out. I'd normally ask Chief O'Brien, but the holosuite can't be reached." Sisko turned and started to walk. As he walked, the others followed. "First, we'll need to get some of this dynamite of yours."

Three attempted transports later, the results were conclusive. Fire could not be sent via matter transport. Someone was going to have to go over and physically light the dynamite.

"I'll go," Ezra volunteered.

The others had obviously all been thinking the same thing.

"It's gonna take more than one placement to blow up that box," JD argued. "I'm going too."

"No, you're not. It's too danger-"

"Buck, don't give me that. I can take care of myself. And if it is too dangerous for me, it's too dangerous for Ezra." JD looked to Ezra. "Right?"

Ezra smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow. "I believe the timing will be essential, Mr. Dunne."

Sisko looked to Odo, who said, "If you're going to be helping us, you will need these." He handed them each a combadge. "These allow us to communicate with one another." Odo looked specifically at JD and Ezra. "I and one of my security officers will join you as part of the Away Team. Do not attempt to engage the Borg. They will ignore you. Once the charges are placed, let the rest of the Away Team know. When all are ready, I will give the signal and then we'll set the fuse. We should be back here in less than 10 minutes."

JD stood, paying rapt attention. Ezra seemingly ignored the Changeling.

"Are you listening, Mr. Standish? Or am I boring you?"

"Not at all, Mr. Odo. Not at all," Ezra said quietly. "Are we ready?"

Odo nodded curtly and the four men stepped into the corridor and walked towards the Defiant. Odo explained the need to get closer to the Borg vessel. Ezra wondered briefly how the Borg could do it, but did not voice his concern.

Ezra and JD didn't expect that anything could surprise them anymore. They were already in a space station far from home. They could had met different species of intelligent life and learned that they weren't alone in the universe. And yet, neither were prepared for the sight that greeted them as they looked out a viewport. The Defiant.

It was unlike anything either had ever seen. Its sleek lines entranced them. There was something about the ship. It looked powerful, and dangerous.

The men walked onto the ship and settled in their seats as the pilot ferried the craft away from the station. Ezra's jaw dropped. JD stared openly. Ezra recovered first and watched out the window. Odo rolled his eyes.

"Gentlemen, I do hope you're not going to react this way when we reach the Borg ship. We do need to remain focused," Odo said.

"Mr. Odo," Ezra started, fixing him with a penetrating stare. "I assure you that both Mr. Dunne and myself are quite capable of ignoring distractions when the situation requires it."

JD nodded. "We're ready. Just enjoying the view."

Ezra nodded and tipped a finger to the rim of his hat while winking at JD.

"Sir, we're within range of transport," the pilot said.

"Monitor our transmissions, Ensign Carter. And be ready."

"Aye, sir."

The men took their positions. Odo took a few seconds to make certain that Ezra and JD could operate their remote transport bands. Once he was certain, he stated, "Begin transport."

The last thing Ezra heard before his world disappeared was JD uttering a squawk of shock, then he saw darkness as he found himself alone in a place the likes of which he had never imagined. Ezra was finding that there was a lot he had never imagined lately.

Josiah watched as Nathan walked in amazement into the sick bay, as it was called. He almost chuckled as Nathan's eyes lit up. The dark healer touched consoles reverently and had a lost smile on his face.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Nathan asked the man who was bending over a patient, checking her vitals.

Dr. Ra turned and looked at Nathan with a raised eyebrow. "Be my guest."

"What are her symptoms?"

Josiah stepped back as Nathan and the doctor started to talk shop. They moved away from the patient, so Josiah walked over to her.

He smiled down to the woman and took her hand, noticing she was awake.

"I don't know you," she said unsurely.

"No, ma'am. You don't. I've come from a far off place," Josiah responded with a smile as he pulled a chair up beside her. "Thought maybe you could use some company who wasn't gonna poke you with a needle."

"Thank you, my child."

Josiah smiled broadly. "Sister, it has been a long time since someone has called me a child."

"You said you come from a place far away. Tell me about it."

Josiah laughed. "So far away, ma'am, it is perhaps another time."

"Then you must have been sent by the Prophets." She looked over towards Dr. Ra and Nathan. "I am certain the Prophets still have plans for me."

"Tell me about your Prophets."

Kai Winn smiled serenely at Josiah and began to speak.

JD placed the sticks around several of the panels. He pushed a couple of the storage crates under the strange lighted box that the odd looking man had told him about and fixed some dynamite to the 'junction.' After he'd gotten the charges placed, he connected all the fuses together.

"My charges are set."

"Acknowledged. Wait for my signal."

"Right."

JD moved the storage boxes back to where he found them and watched as several of the Borg came near him. He held his breath, worried. But they didn't pay any attention to him.

He smiled when he heard Ezra's voice over the small communication device. Two down, two to go. The remaining charges were soon ready.

Odo's voice sounded. "Now, gentlemen."

JD pointed the firing device at the end of the fuse and fired. He waited for just a moment, then activated the transporting signal.

Chris and Buck stared at the figure that walked towards them. It was unmistakably Vin. Even with his hair shorn from his head and an eyepiece covering one of his formerly blue eyes, the stance was difficult to mistake. They took in the pallid complexion in an instant. Shock warred with anger and concern. Vin Tanner, the man who was most in touch with the elements, stood before them as a bastardization of nature. Mechanical parts and wires exited his body.

The grotesque parody of their former associate raised an arm, and Chris could see that it too had one of those light-firing weapons instead of a hand.

Without another moment's hesitation, Chris Larabee raised his gun and fired at the man he considered to be his best friend.

Vin fell backwards and hit the paned glass window before landing on the floor. Chris turned and walked away from the scene, never turning back.

"Captain, I've lost contact with the Defiant!" Ensign Stephens panicked voice called out as Sisko walked out of the Ready Room.

"On screen. I want you to reestablish contact. I want to know when those charges are set-" His voice trailed off as his attention was captured by the sudden bright, blinding light that filled the room. The view screen dimmed back to normal, and the cube was gone. In its place were fragments, pieces.

"Ensign, I want you to find the Defiant. Expand sensor power if you have to, but find me our ship!" Sisko spun on his heel and walked off the bridge. In his Ready Room, he looked out the window to the remains of the Borg vessel.

He had never seen anything like it. It might have cost the lives of five men, but it had saved billions. Bajor was safe; the station was safe; the wormhole was safe. He hated losing anyone under his command. Anyone. But five men to save billions? How could he say that the rewards weren't worth the sacrifice? The loss of even one life was too much, but this day, the Borg had been defeated. And only five had died.

Whoever would have thought that the Borg could be beat by low-tech solutions?

Sisko tapped his combadge. "Stephens, any word on the Defiant?"

"No sir."

"Keep looking."

Sisko sat down. How was he going to tell those civilians that they had lost two men? And why had he allowed them to talk him into this hare-brained scheme? This hare-brained scheme that had worked.