Hostage Situation

"Hostage Situation" — When a Klingon bird-of-prey visits Deep Space 9, a prisoner seeking medical attention takes Bashir hostage.

Summary[]

Station log, stardate 43256.9: Captain K'Leht of the Klingon bird of prey, Khitomer's Revenge has docked at DS9 with a medical emergency concerning a prisoner they are returning to Klingon homeworld Qo'noS, for trial.

The Klingon bird-of-prey Khitomer's Revenge has docked at Deep Space 9. Captain K'Leht has asked for a prisoner called Mard, who has attempted the suicide ritual hoh'egh, for medical treatment. Mard is being taken to Kronos where he is to be executed.

Mard slips out of his manacles and takes a disruptor from one of the Klingon guard's weapons. Odo shapeshifts into a Vulcan sehlat, which has a thick skin, and against which Mard's weapon fire is ineffective, allowing Odo's sehlat form to knock Mard to the floor. Bashir thinks Mard unconscious, but Mard takes Bashir hostage in the Infirmary and sets up a stasis field. K'Leht wonders why Sisko does not execute Mard, as well as Bashir, but Sisko tells him that he will not be following Klingon hostage techniques.

Mard has set up a stasis field in the Infirmary, preventing the beamout of Bashir. The crew attempt to use a gas to knockout Mard, but the field purifies it before Mard can be incapacitated by it. Chief O'Brien meanwhile is working to deactivate the field. Sisko has Major Kira break into K'Leht's computer systems. Sisko learns that K'Leht engineered Mard's escape. His manacles were not locked when he was brought onto the station, and Mard had crewmembers supposedly helping to free Mard instruct him on how to use Bashir's medical terminals. K'Leht wanted Mard killed before his trial on Kronos, as Mard killed K'Leht's sister and her husband. Mard incapacitates himself when he runs against the field at K'Leht, allowing Bashir to deactivate it. Sisko lets K'Leht go, but warns him that Mard had better reach Kronos without incident, or he will inform the Klingon High Command of what has happened.