"Gods of War" — Sisko takes the Defiant into combat with the Aresians, aided by Gul Dukat.
Summary
Kira returns to Deep Space 9 from Ares to find numerous Cardassian Galor-class warships at the station. With only the Defiant able to protect DS9 and Bajor, Sisko has made an alliance with Gul Dukat for military assistance. Kira is worried but her experiences on Ares have shaken her belief in the Prophets, perhaps they might not be as benevolent as Bajoran tradition considers them.
since returning to DS9 with Kira, Crockett has been detained in Odo's holding cells. Crockett has committed crimes against Cardassia but Gul Dukat has agreed to commute his sentence if Crockett aids them in the fight against the Aresians. Sisko finds that he trusts Dukat more than Crockett.
The Defiant and Dukat's ship enter the Gamma Quadrant and detect three Aresian warships heading their way. Sisko hopes that the Aresians will think twice about engaging their two vessels but Crockett warns that the Aresians will simply keep sending ship after ship against them. The battle soon begins, and the Aresians are able to destroy one of Dukat's ships before withdrawing.
On DS9, Kira is wrestling with the implications of the warlike Aresians worshipping the Prophets, wondering if her violent actions in the Bajoran underground were a twisted take on the Prophets message. Quark suggests that Kira consult the orb that she brought back from the Gamma Quadrant.
On the Defiant, Chief O'Brien has been studying the Aresian attack on Dukat's lost ship. It transpires that Crockett provided the details of a vulnerability in Cardassian shielding technology to the Aresians. Enraged, Dukat kills Crockett with a phaser, disintegrating him.
On DS9, Kira opens the orb ark and finds herself wielding a sword and shield and fighting against both Cardassians and Aresians. She meets Opaka, but her orb experience ends when Kai Winn closes the orb ark.
The Defiant returns to the Alpha Quadrant with Aresian ships in pursuit, but Cardassian reinforcements soon arrive to assist. The Aresian flagship comes through the wormhole, engaging the Defiant in battle. Kira decides the best course of action is to give the Aresians back the orb and trust in the Prophets. To that end, she transports aboard the Aresians flagship with the orb, accompanied by Commander Sisko and Kai Winn. The Aresian leader is convinced by Kira and agrees to withdraw his forces.
Sisko and Kira find hope in the way they worked with Dukat, but Dukat claims to only have been working for self preservation.
References
Characters
- Lane Crockett • Jadzia Dax • Dukat • Kira Nerys • Morn • Miles O'Brien • Odo • Opaka Sulan • Param • Quark • Rom • Benjamin Sisko • Winn Adami • unnamed Aresians
Locations
- Alpha Quadrant • Bajoran wormhole • Deep Space 9 • Gamma Quadrant • Operations center • Station commander's office
- Referenced only
- Ares • Bajor • Cardassia
Starships and vehicles
Races and cultures
- Aresian • Bajoran • Cardassian • Changeling • Ferengi • Human • Lurian • Trill
- Referenced only
- Prophet
States and organizations
- Bajoran Militia • Cardassian Central Command • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Maquis
Other references
- Bajoran religion • cloaking device • field inversion • gul • kai • legate • orb • warp eleven
Appendices
Background
- "Acceptable Losses" is the final part of The Secret of the Lost Orb trilogy that began in "The Search" and "Acceptable Losses". It was a larger issue.
Related stories
- Kira recalls the events of "Battle Lines".
Connections
| Chronological Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous adventure: not yet placed |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: not yet placed |
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: Acceptable Losses |
DS9 comics Stories in Malibu Comics' monthly series |
Next comic: Genesis Denied, Part I |
External link
- Gods of War article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
