Zenka entered Ops for the third time that day, only this time she no longer had charge of the situation. Captain Sisko walked closely behind her, cautiously watching her every move. Dax, positioned at her station, turned to watch them moving toward her.

"Lieutenant," Sisko said, "transfer the call from Odo's personal channel to Ops."

"Aye, sir," the Trill replied, transferring the call.

To Sisko, Zenka said, "I'd like to request a private conversation with this woman." She spoke evenly as though not making an unreasonable request. "I know I have no right to ask, but quite frankly, I'm embarrassed and would like to avoid further humiliation."

"I see no reason to deny your request." The captain turned toward his science officer. "Dax?" Then he again turned toward Zenka. "We will be in my office where we will have a clear view of you."

"Understood," Zenka replied.

Dax stepped away from her console. "Permission to speak freely for one moment, Captain."

His officer's unexpected request intrigued Captain Sisko. "Granted."

Addressing Zenka, Dax said, "I wanted to let you know that I understand your cause. Being female can be tough. But having also been a male on more than one occasion, has instilled in me-Jadzia Dax-an ability to not pass judgment on the opposite sex too quickly. Sure, some men deserve to be persecuted, but most are fairly decent."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sisko said.

Zenka watched as the captain and science officer climbed the stairs to his office. Once they'd gone through the door, she turned to face the main viewer.

"Zenka," Graek said, "how good to see that you are all right."

"You obviously have no confidence in my abilities," Zenka replied coolly.

"Rightly so, given the fact that you were so quickly circumvented. You should have listened to me and given up this whole crazy scheme right from the start."

Zenka eyed the woman with contempt.

Inside his office, Sisko and Dax were peering out the glass wall at Zenka below.

"Lieutenant," the captain said, "I want you to lead an away team onto the Marauder. Let's find out who or what killed its crew."

Dax nodded. "No stones unturned?"

"Exactly." Sisko allowed himself only briefly to look away from the young Ferengi. "We don't know if we're dealing with a viral killer or if the crew was murdered. Until we find out, we won't know how to proceed."

"You don't think these girls killed the crew, do you?"

"No. My gut instinct tells me that they're putting on a show. They're no more capable of violence than a Mizarian."

"That is not possible!" Zenka said in a low, angry voice. "We can't blindly conform. Someone needs to stand up and demand a change!"

"Your not accomplishing anything," Graek replied. "You've spent too much time with Ishka. She's filled your mind with all sorts of nonsense." She was calmer, more rational-sounding than the younger Ferengi. "You may even make matters worse. If too many people become aware of your movement, it may insight riots here on the homeworld. You were lucky this time. Next time you may get yourself injured or even killed. Please Zenka, for your own sake, end this charade!"

"We're not going to sit idly by like your generation." With even more contempt, she added, "Mother!"

Dax, along with Bashir and O'Brien, beamed over to the Marauder, tricorders out and ready to scan. Other than the fact it was empty, the starship, on first glance, did not appear to be inoperable.

"No anomalous readings here," Dax informed the men, even though their tricorders were telling them the same. "O'Brien, you check main engineering. Bashir, sickbay. I'll take the bridge."

The two men nodded and each walked off in a different direction, scanning as they moved toward their destinations. Dax found a turbolift and instructed it to take her to the bridge. As Dax stepped off the lift several seconds later, she scanned the area with her tricorder, walking from console to console as she did so.

"All systems on the bridge are on line," she said, tapping her commbadge.

"Same here, down in engineering," O'Brien replied through his commbadge. "I'd say that rules out a battle. There's no way those girls know enough to repair a ship. Quite frankly, I'm amazed they even learned how to fly the thing."

"Then that makes a viral killer most likely. Bashir, what have you found?"

"Well, I've scanned the last few medical logs," came Bashir's voice. "They're quite routine. Their chief medical officer made no mention of any epidemic. At the time of the last log, he had only three patients, each suffering from a completely different illness."

That was not what Dax expected to hear. That left them with no clues as to what caused the death of a crew of hundreds. "Then what are we overlooking?"

"I would say that whatever killed this crew, caught them off-guard and killed them quickly, probably instantaneously."

"Lieutenant, Doctor," O'Brien said, urgency evident in his voice, "I think you better get down here."

After Dax and Bashir joined him, O'Brien knelt down to an open panel and gestured for them to peer inside. "I pulled out this panel," he said, "and what do you think I found?" He allowed his comrades just enough time to get a good look before answering his own question. "A dead Ferengi."

Bashir ran his tricorder across the entire body, scanning for any obvious causes of death. "It's a young male, approximately eighteen to twenty-years old. I'll need to take his body back to my lab, so I can conduct a full autopsy."

"But don't Ferengi death rituals forbid autopsies?" Dax asked.

"I cannot determine a cause of death without examining the body thoroughly. It's not like I have to actually cut the body open. That method is centuries outdated."

"I do agree with you doctor, but we better discuss this with Captain Sisko before you lift your scalpel, so to speak." She tapped her commbadge. "Dax to Deep Space Nine."

"Kira here," the major replied. "What have you found, Lieutenant?"

"Besides unanswered questions, a dead Ferengi."

"Beam it directly to the infirmary. I'll inform Captain Sisko. Kira out."

Less than an hour later, Dr. Bashir had finished examining the dead Ferengi. He exited his lab and approached Sisko, Kira, and Dax who had been waiting for him.

"Doctor?" Sisko said.

"I had thought that I wouldn't be able to determine the cause of death without an autopsy," Bashir said in his usual allusive manner.

"But your examination proved otherwise?" Kira asked.

"I found minute traces of cicliorium particles throughout his skin." Bashir's tone revealed not only pride over the discovery, but wonderment as well.

"But that's rare, isn't it?" Sisko asked.

"Cicliorium particles can only be found in certain natural-occurring energy fields," Dax provided.

"And when they enter a living creature?" Sisko prodded.

"Death occurs instantly," Bashir replied.

Kira took a step forward. "Then how did he crawl inside a panel if he was dead?"

Zenka sat in the corner of the holding cell, trying to ignore the pleas of her followers. They wanted to know how she planned to get them out of this mess. She didn't have the slightest idea.

The captain and security officer entered, and Zenka stood to greet them at the force-field barrier. She folded her arms. I will not let them see my humiliation!

"An away team discovered a body inside a panel in the Marauder's main engineering core," Odo informed her. "Perhaps now you'd like to talk. Or I could bring charges of murder against you."

"I didn't murder him!" Zenka nearly screamed. "He was already dead when we boarded the ship."

"Then you admit placing him inside the panel? Why? You obviously beamed the other crew members out into oblivion."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Either we receive some direct answers to our questions," Sisko said, "or you're in a whole lot more trouble than you ever bargained for."

"I didn't beam him out into space, because I knew him," Zenka said. Please don't let me cry, she thought, remembering the dead boy's face. "His name was Denya. I led my troop to that ship, because he offered to hide us on board until we reached an appropriate place to begin our Movement. Before that we had procured only a small ship. It was barely capable of warp speed. So when Denya's ship came within a few light years of the homeworld, we boarded our small ship and went to meet him. We found the ship adrift and the entire crew dead."

"Why was Denya so willing to help you?" Sisko asked.

"We had fallen in love." Overwhelmed, Zenka gave into the tears. She no longer cared how weak they made her look. "He was one of the few males who truly understood and believed in our cause."

"He was your boyfriend?" Odo asked. "Your lover?"

"Boyfriend, yes. We never became lovers. We were going to wait." She wiped at her eyes. "Sounds pretty stupid, huh?"

"No, it actually sounds rather intelligent. While I was talking with Graek earlier, she provided me with some interesting information."

Zenka gasped, imagining that her mother had revealed her most embarrassing secrets. "What lie is that woman spreading now?"

"She does not believe you have any reserved troops, since only a month ago you had a mere sixteen followers."

"What business is that of hers?" Zenka snapped. "I wish she would just stay out of my life."

"Why? Is Graek your mother?"

"Unfortunately." Zenka paused, bowing her head to show shame. "She doesn't understand why I feel the need to continue my Movement. Her generation had no problem conforming to the rules set up by male Ferengi. But the girls of my generation are tired of being exploited."

"We understand your cause," Sisko said. "We just don't agree with your method."

Zenka nodded, deciding she actually liked Captain Sisko. She had a hunch that he was a man who could accomplish great feats without causing an uproar in the process. "Perhaps it is time for a new method."

"You still haven't explained why you chose this station," the Constable pointed out.

"For personal reasons. I wanted to torment someone on this station."

"And that someone is?"

"Quark."

"Oh really? I'm beginning to like you."

Zenka studied the shapeshifters partially-formed face and wondered if he was sincere. She could usually sense when someone was toying with her, but Odo was difficult to read. She broke her stare and turned toward Sisko. "I know I have no right to ask this," she said, "but might I speak with Quark?"

"Give me one good reason why I should grant that request," Sisko said.

Zenka smiled broadly like a child who had just wheedled her parent into conceding to her demands.

After much labor, most of it delegated to Rom and the dabo girls, Quark nearly had his bar cleaned up. He was washing the bar when Odo arrived with Zenka.

"Haven't you caused enough problems already?" Quark asked, barely pausing to glance at the girl.

"Not if I had my way," Zenka replied. She glanced apprehensively at Odo. "But I don't, so I'll try to behave in a civilized manner." Turning toward the Constable, she added, "Promise, okay? Can we have a moment alone?"

"Odo," Quark said, "don't leave me with this female!"

Odo grunted. "Why? Are you afraid of her?" Turning toward Zenka, he warned, "Don't try anything. I will be watching." He turned and walked over to a nearby table.

Quark eyed the constable for a moment, for the first time finding comfort in Odo's presence. He nervously scratched his ear before slowly returning his attention to the girl. "Some of my patrons took the liberty of depleting my stock while I was away," he said. "It'll take me at least a month to recoup my losses." He waved his arm toward her face. "I have nothing more to say to you. Go before my Ferengi customers decide to take their business elsewhere."

Zenka drummed her fingers on the counter, unwilling to leave. "You were the reason."

"Excuse me?"

"On the Marauder, you asked if I enjoyed torturing all Ferengi males or just you. I chose this station, because you were here."

"Why? I must admit that I've conducted my share of underhanded deals, but by Ferengi standards. . .well, I'm sure you could have found far worse than myself."

"Of course, but none of them would have been my father."

"What!" Quark faltered, desperately trying to clear his thoughts. "You're not serious. There is no way I could be your father."

"Are you denying that you had a relationship with my mother seventeen years ago?"

Quark mentally tried to remember names and dates of relationships. It wasn't uncommon for a Ferengi to refuse to marry a woman who bore him a female child, but if Zenka was his daughter, then he hadn't even been given the opportunity to make that decision. Would he have married her mother? He wasn't sure.

"I've had many relationships over the years. I can't possibly remember them all."

"Then let me refresh your memory. You had a business deal with a man named Drok. He provided the funds, and you promised a tidy profit. But there was no profit. In fact, you sustained considerable losses."

"That was years ago. I'm more experienced now."

"I'm sure," Zenka replied. "Anyway, there was Graek, Drok's sister."

"Rule of Acquisition number 112: Never have sex with the boss' sister."

"Oh, but you did, and I'm proof of that. Ask Moogi. She'll back up my claim."

"My mother knows about this!" Quark realized he had no reason to disbelieve Zenka's claim. What did she have to gain from it? Ferengi males weren't legally or morally by Ferengi values to provide anything for female offspring born out of wedlock. In certain circumstances he might be expected to help out his nephew, Nog, but he could disown a daughter without muddying his reputation. "What do you want from me?"

Zenka leaned forward as though she was about to share something intimate with her father. "Not a damn thing!" She backed away, eyeing Quark coolly before turning and walking over to Odo.

Quark watched as she briefly spoke with the constable before leaving with him. If she's really my daughter, I can't just let her walk out of my life, he thought. I have to find a way to help her. He knew many other Ferengi profiteers who wouldn't even acknowledge that they'd sired female children. Perhaps living among Humans had softened Quark a bit.

"Rom," he said, waving his brother over to him.

"Yes, brother," Rom said.

"Get that decoding device that the Nagus wants out of the vault."

"I knew if you waited long enough he'd raise his offer."

"He hasn't, but I have something else to ask for in addition to the price."

Bashir ran his medical scanner over Szuut, who, having regained much of her strength, was impatient to leave the infirmary.

"I'm well now," she said, "so why don't you stop scanning me with that stupid contraption and release me?"

"As soon as I release you, I have orders to send you to the holding cell."

"This place is no better!"

With a straight face, Bashir rhetorically asked, "Who's responsible for putting you in here?"

"I wanted to be a martyr." Szuut folded her arms and looked away from the doctor. Now she would surely be branded a coward. "I thought I'd die instantly. Damn 24th-century technology."

"You're not going to become a martyr on this station, not while I'm its chief medical officer. You may find this hard to believe, but I care about your welfare, and I care about your cause."

Szuut eyed him dubiously. Having spent time with Bashir, she had reached the conclusion that he did care for women, but not the way she wanted. He saw women as beautiful, fragile creatures that needed pampering. Was that any better than the Ferengi way of ostracizing their females? She wanted to be recognized, appreciated, but not handled like a dainty flower.

"I know from history that change generally happens slowly," Julian continued. "You're young. Don't give up. It may still happen in your lifetime." Bashir set his scanner down on a counter. "Now, once I have your promise that you won't try to become a martyr again-at least not while you're on my station-I'll place you into Odo's custody."

Slowly, Szuut nodded, resigned to the fact that she could gain nothing from this fiasco.

Sisko and Odo entered the brig, walking toward the holding cell. Odo released the force field.

"DaiMon Drok has arrived to return you to the homeworld," Sisko informed their prisoners.

Zenka and Szuut exchanged surprised looks.

"Drok is your uncle, is he not?" Odo asked Zenka.

"That is true," Zenka replied. "Of course, they would send him!" He's here to make sure we behave like obedient little girls. But mark my words, we won't be little forever. We will learn from our mistakes."

"We won't be the only ones to learn," Szuut said snidely, a far-off look in her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that," Sisko said. "Hopefully with wisdom, you will find a better way to seek change among your people."

"One that others will support more readily?" Zenka had found an ally in the captain. Maybe the Movement wasn't a total failure after all.

"You should begin by accepting your weaknesses, so you can discover your strengths."

"Yes," Odo agreed, "but for now, your chariot awaits you." He extended his arm, indicating that they could step out of the holding cell.

Zenka stepped out first, Szuut allowed the other girls to follow before she exited the holding cell. She eyed the captain and constable with a look mixed with both gratitude and determination. Sisko not only wondered what her next move would be, but also wished her luck in the endeavor.

A male Ferengi stood outside the docking door, waiting for the girls.

"I am Drok, uncle to Zenka," he told Odo. "I want to personally assure you that neither Zenka, nor any one of her followers will ever bother you again." He turned toward Zenka. "You will board the Marauder and immediately remove all clothing."

Zenka ushered for the other girls to board ahead of her. Szuut approached the docking door last, reluctant to leave without her leader. With a firm gesture, Zenka waved her off the bay.

"Drok," Odo said, "I hope I am not being too forward in saying that letting them wear clothing would be such a minor compromise. Perhaps if you allowed it, they might back down on other demands."

"To you it must seem minor," Drok replied. "But on our homeworld, it is ingrained into our culture. Even if I did agree with you, which I don't, I am not a man of great power." Dismissing the constable, he told Zenka, "You will board, now!"

"Thanks for trying," Zenka said to Odo. She nearly stepped through the docking door when Quark rushed into the bay.

"Wait!" her father said, making his way up to her.

"I have nothing further to say to you," Zenka said, barely allowing him a glance.

"Hello Quark," Drok said sardonically. "It's been a long time." He laughed, a grating, unpleasurable sound. "But not long enough!"

Quark eyed Drok wearily, but quickly returned his attention to Zenka. "Then just listen. I spoke with the Grand Nagus again. It seems that I may have persuaded him to change his mind-on some things."

"You did that?" This was the last thing she had expected her father to do voluntarily. "You mean we can wear clothes?"

"Well. . .that may take a little time. But he will be making some compromises with education and custody rights."

"Then we can raise our sons." Zenka could wait a while for full equality as long as she knew they were making strides in that direction. "Why did you do this?"

"Maybe I didn't want you to think all Ferengi males were pigs."

"Now, I know you didn't just use your charm." She halfway meant the statement as a joke and could hardly believe she could become glib with the man that, before arriving at this station, she thought she hated more than anyone.

Quark waved his hand. "Don't worry about that. It's not important."

"Of course, it's important!" Zenka eyed Quark suspiciously. "I've never known a Ferengi male to do something where no profit was involved."

"Who says I wasn't hoping to make a little profit." He paused, smiling feebly. "Have I made any-with you?"

Zenka smiled. "Maybe you're not as bad as I thought."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Count on it." Suddenly, Zenka wanted to stay, to get to know her father. What was he really like? Ferengi law did not permit minor female children to live with their fathers, though, unless their father was married to their mother. Maybe someday that would change.

Hesitatingly, Quark brought his hand up to Zenka's cheek. "Say hello to Moogi for me."

"I will. I need to apologize to her. I told her that she gave in too easily when she confessed to having earned profit, but now I can see that it's going to take more than one battle to ever win the war."

"Take care of yourself."

She nodded and after a moment, turned and stepped through the docking door. Drok followed her. Quark could not look away from the door even after it had closed.

"I must admit, Quark, you've amazed me," Odo said.

"Really?" Quark looked toward the constable, slowly coming out of his daze. "I never thought I'd hear you say that." He and the Constable began walking out of the docking bay. "While I have you so amazed, it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of the situation." After all, father or not, he would always be a profiteer.

Odo grunted. "Oh really?"