“Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” is episode sixteen of season seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Colonel Kira is leading a meeting and the final item is Romulan Warbird repair. At the meeting are Odo, Worf, O’Brien and the Romulan Senator Cretak. Cretak wants to know why the Romulan ships are usually lower on the priority list for repair, and Chief O’Brien says that’s because he assigns repairs according to the greatest need, and the Klingon ships tend to have a greater need.
Worf says this is because the Klingons always press home their attacks; Cretak says that sounds like simple recklessness. Kira decides to increase the priority of the Romulan ships, which means someone will have to tell General Martok that his flagship’s repairs are going to be bumped down. Odo also doesn’t want too many Romulans and Klingons on shore leave on the Promenade at the same time; Cretak says that her crews will stay on their ships – they are, after all, professionals. The alliance still has its rough spots. Senator Cretak is also leaving to go to a conference on Romulus.
Dr. Bashir is also going to that conference, and is talking to Garak about it. Garak had a mission on Romulus, posing as a gardener, and he remembers it well. Everything was grey. Julian is simply going to give a speech on medical matters; Garak says that he hopes that Starfleet Intelligence is making the most of the opportunity to gather information on the Romulans intentions and capabilities. Bashir says that the Romulans are allies, and that there is a new relationship; Garak finds this disappointing.
That night, Sloan – from Section 31 (the secretive organisation, complete with sinister looking black uniforms, that abducted and attempted to recruit Bashir in “Inquisition”) appears in Julian’s quarters. Sloan says that Julian passed his test and has been accepted into the organisation – apparently Julian’s opinion on the subject is irrelevant.
Section 31 is interested in the conference and wishes to gather information. The Tal Shiar is handling security, so they are going to have to depend on ‘organic’ assets. Such as Bashir. Sloan says that, even though Julian is insisting that he doesn’t work for Section 31, that he loves secrets of all types, and Sloan is the man with all of them.
Dr. Bashir reports the meeting to Captain Sisko. He, and Admiral Ross, have decided that Bashir should take the assignment. The investigation into Section 31 has been quietly pushed aside by Starfleet Command, suggesting that there is someone working inside the organisation keeping Section 31 protected. This is their chance to find out more. So Julian is working for Section 31. Sloan is also heading to Romulus, and the situation grows more twisted and complicated than Julian expected.
The episode’s title is a quote from Cicero; Latin, it is usually translated as ‘In times of war, the law falls silent.’