Jake and Bashir find themselves caught in a war zone.
Jake Sisko is travelling back from a medical conference with Dr. Bashir, hoping to write a profile of him, when they answer a distress call from a Federation colony attacked by Klingons in breach of a ceasefire. Jake insists on going along in search of a story and finds himself in a field hospital overwhelmed by casualties.
Under fire, Jake panics and abandons Bashir, then hides the truth out of shame. When the Klingons storm the hospital, he grabs a phaser and fires wildly, bringing down a cave-in that holds the attackers back long enough for the patients to escape. Hailed as a hero, Jake instead writes an honest account of his fear, concluding that courage and cowardice are separated by a very thin line.