"You may get your chance very soon," O'Brien told him. "The Alliance Fleet's already on its way here and our sources say the Regent himself is commanding it."
"Then we should give them the proper welcome," Kruge acknowledged.
A Terran female in her mid-thirties approached them. "The Defiant's still showing…" she paused at the sight of the Klingon—"the same problem."
"Tuvok, could you take our guest away for a second?" O'Brien asked. Tuvok agreed, and took Kruge into an adjoining room.
"You people aren't quite convinced, are you?" Kruge asked the Vulcan.
"You must admit your visit is unexpected," Tuvok responded. "Unlike Dax and myself, the humans are not old enough to remember Dr. Marcus. The only image they have of him is that of someone who betrayed his own people to yours. Logic dictates caution in such circumstances."
"Then let me prove it to you," Kruge said. "I believe your people can do that."
Tuvok raised his hands to the Klingon's face and made contact. "Our minds are merging, Kruge. Our minds are one. I feel what you feel. I know what you know."
The mind-meld was a success. Tuvok and Kruge returned to the promenade to hear the others still discussing the Defiant's problems with stability.
"Defiant, is that that strange-looking ship I saw when I first docked here?" Kruge asked.
"His story is truthful," Tuvok told the two humans, and left no doubt as to how he knew.
"Yes, that's the Defiant," Smiley answered. "We've brought someone here who might be able to fix its problems with stability."
A tall male Terran joined them. Though he was bald and had a goatee Kruge recognized him as Benjamin Sisko, the Terran resistance leader who was killed a year earlier. "I thought…" he started to say.
"This is the other side's Captain Sisko," O'Brien answered. He'd already explained the Klingon's presence to Jennifer Sisko, and now did the same for the captain.