Ashok Quayn, still trying to escape from Terok Nor (All the Men and Women Merely Players) tries to hack his way through the station's computer and triggers an alarm. He returns to Quark, who is concerned that the whole of station security probably knows about the failed hack. Quark reveals that he has obtained permission to send a cargo ship to Ferenginar and back, and is willing to send Ashok on it .. but he will have to disguise himself as a Ferengi, and substitute his identity details for the official Ferengi pilot. He blackmails Rom into helping him by implying he could be caught, interrogated, and mention Rom's role in the minefield if Ashok has to do the hacking himself. Rom reprogrammes the system from the holodeck and identifies the alarm Ashok triggered as part of security programming done by a Cardassian scientist who (in the holodeck at least) is wearing a Starfleet uniform, during a visit to DS9. Her code had protected itself from both Sisko's destruction of station systems and Dominion reprogramming, and could be used as a back door for Rom to enter the system.
Quayn passes Jem Had'ar security checks and sends messages to Stadi and Muigheal. Muigheal, who he left in charge of his restaurant, is in the process of taking over his license and changing the restaurant into a Pie and Ale house. Stadi tells him this, takes the matter up with Governor O'Reilley, and tells Scarlett (Onida, Words and Deeds, USS Darwin) that Ashok might trade information on the Dominion prescence for a faster ride home. O'Reilley, who dislikes Ashok for flirting with Jo Hillback, refers her to his aide, Bernard.
On Ferenginar, Ashok runs into, and ignores, a slave of his aquaintance from Orion space - even when the slave calls out Ashok's real name. He is met by Starfleet Intelligence, who offer him a lift-home-for-information trade. The personnel quickly grow weary of Ashok's company.
Meanwhile, on New Lhasa, a small terrorist campaign is being waged against the Colony's healthcare centres. Stadi, M'Kress, Petersen, Reinhardt, and some security personnel surround a healthcare where two perps have subdued the building's occupants. Petersen is about to enter the building when one of them burns him severely with a psi-electrical ability, confirming Stadi's theory that the terrorists are linked to the New Lhasa syndrome cult. They are beamed out into holding cells.
There really was a USS Darwin story where Kartal - well versed in Cardassian Computer Security - added her own modifications to DS9's security. Stadi knows Scarlett from the USS Darwin as well.

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