DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Reckoning" - REV. 3/9/98 - ACT ONE      14.

14   CONTINUED:

					SISKO 
			She contacted Starfleet and lodged 
			a formal protest.

					DAX
			Is that why Admiral Ross wanted to 
			talk to you?

	Sisko nods glumly --

					DAX 
			So how'd it go?

					SISKO
			He told me to stop meddling in 
			Bajoran affairs and return the 
			damn tablet.

					DAX
			You know how Starfleet feels about 
			"this Emissary thing." It makes 
			them very uncomfortable that 
			you've allowed the Bajorans to 
			view you as a religious icon.
				(testing the waters) 
			It used to make you uncomfortable, 
			too.

	Sisko considers, then decides to make his feelings
	known to his old friend.

					SISKO
			Not anymore.
				(smiling) 
			I guess the Prophets have spoken 
			to me too many times.

					DAX
				(looking up from her work) 
			I remember when you used to call 
			them "Wormhole Aliens."

					SISKO
			Wormhole Aliens or Prophets -- it 
			doesn't really matter. The fact 
			is, they exist outside of time, 
			and over the centuries, they've 
			given the Bajorans glimpses of the 
			future.
				(indicating the tablet) 
			Glimpses that the Bajorans wrote 
			down to help guide succeeding 
			generations.