[Sisko, having realised Garak has assassinated the Romulan Senator Vreenak to provoke the Romulan Star Empire to enter the Dominion War on the Federation's side, storms into Garak's shop and strikes him]
You killed him.
That's right.
That's what you planned to do all along, isn't it? You knew the data rod wouldn't hold up to scrutiny: you just wanted to get him on the station so you could plant a bomb on his shuttle!
It wasn't quite that simple. I did have hopes that the rod would somehow pass inspection, but I suspected that Tolar might not be up to the task.
And what about Tolar? Did you kill him too?
Think of them both as tragic victims of war. [a furious Sisko strikes Garak again] If you could allow your anger to subside for a moment, you'll see that they did not die in vain! The Romulans will enter the war!
There's no guarantee of that!
Oh, but I think that there is. You see, when the Tal Shiar finishes examining the wreckage of Vreenak's shuttle, they'll find the burnt remnants of a Cardassian optolithic data rod which somehow miraculously survived the explosion. After painstaking forensic examination, they'll discover that the rod contains a recording of a high level Dominion meeting at which the invasion of Romulus was being planned.
And then they'll discover that it is a fraud!
Oh, I don't think that they will! Because any imperfections in the forgery will appear to be a result of the explosion! So, with a seemingly legitimate rod in one hand, and a dead Senator in the other, I ask you, Captain—what conclusion would you draw?
[sighs] That Vreenak obtained the rod on Soukara, and that the Dominion killed him to prevent him from returning to Romulus with it.
Precisely! And the more the Dominion protests its innocence, the more the Romulans will believe that they're guilty because it is exactly what the Romulans would have done in their place. [pauses]That's why you came to me. Isn't it, Captain? Because you knew I could do those things that you weren't capable of doing. Well, it worked. And you'll get what you want—a war between the Romulans and the Dominion. And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant. And all it cost was the life of one Romulan Senator, one criminal, and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain.
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