When Deep Space Nine picks up a mysterious coded message from inside the Gamma Quadrant that appears to be Cardassian, exiled Cardassian spy
Garak is asked to analyze it. He tells everyone that the message was a harmless report from years ago, but Dr. Bashir sees through his lie and catches him trying to sneak away on a ship. He reveals that the message is a distress call from his mentor
Enabran Tain, who was believed to have been killed in
an ill-fated Cardassian attack on the Dominion two years prior. Garak convinces Captain
Sisko to allow him to travel to the Gamma Quadrant, accompanied by Lt. Cmdr.
Worf, to search for Tain and other possible survivors from Dominion attacks. Soon after entering Dominion space, their efforts to evade detection by passing through a nebula lead Garak and Worf to encounter a Dominion fleet hiding within the nebula; Worf realizes that the fleet must be assembled to invade the Alpha Quadrant. He sends a warning message to DS9 just before
Jem'Hadar soldiers take him and Garak prisoner. Back on DS9, the crew receives Worf's message and realize the Dominion is coming. With reinforcements at least two days away and only disgraced Cardassian officer
Dukat (on the station due to a confrontation with a Klingon battle cruiser) on hand to help out, Sisko sees only one choice—sealing the wormhole, trapping Worf and Garak on the other side if they cannot return before the operation is completed. Worf and Garak are taken to a Dominion detention center. Tain is there, on his deathbed; instead of being thankful to Garak for coming, Tain chastises him for allowing himself to be taken prisoner. Also, among the fellow prisoners are the
Klingon general
Martok, and, to Garak and Worf's surprise, Dr.
Julian Bashir—meaning that the Bashir back at DS9 is a Changeling impostor. As his last request, Tain makes Garak promise to escape. Desperate for a kind word from his mentor before the old man passes on, Garak makes a request in return: that Tain acknowledge him as his son. Tain does so, and father and son share a memory before Tain dies peacefully. His mission complete, Garak is ready to find a way out. On Deep Space Nine, the crew shoots a particle beam at the wormhole, intending to close it. However, the beam fails due to the emitter array having been sabotaged and the wormhole remains open, allowing a fleet of Dominion warships to begin pouring through. == Reception ==