To say that Keziah had worn a hole in the carpet behind the tactical station with her pacing was perhaps an overstatement, but not by much. She'd been pacing ever since contact had been lost with the shuttle almost a quarter of an hour ago, and with sensors unable to penetrate whatever was down there, the Captain had every right to be concerned.

That level of concern was about to grow. You see, time was often a luxury in Starfleet, especially where away missions were concerned, and today was no exception. It was almost at the exact moment that contact had been lost with the shuttle that Commander Peri's sensors had alerted them to a new danger. They knew the Cardassian ship shadowing them across the border wasn't out of the ordinary, it happened all the time due to the xenophobic nature of the Cardassians and their extreme territorialism. Aboard this particular ship, however, the Gul in command was clearly feeling lucky on this occasion. Peri's sensors had detected the Galor-class cruiser change course several minutes ago, clearly intent on intercepting Lakota. While the ship hadn't crossed into Federation space yet, it was only a matter of moments. Peri had tried, several times unsuccessfully, to raise the ship, but to no avail. That was what worried Nazir the most. After all, it was never a good idea to stay too long on the Cardassian border without making one's intentions known. For ships on either side of lines.

Once again, Peri dispatched yet another attempt at communication while slouched at her station, thoroughly expecting the silence to continue. To her surprise, she finally received a response. “Captain. I have the Cardassian commander for you,” the Bajoran looked across at the Captain who finally stopped her pacing.

Tugging on the hem of her uniform jacket, the Captain took a deep breath and began strolling around the rail towards her command chair. As she walked, the console behind her chimed for a second time. And a third. Only when she was ready did she finally slide into her command chair. “On screen,” she instructed at last.

The face of a middle aged Cardassian Gul appeared on the screen, his immaculately slicked hair reflecting the low level lighting, a hazy amber halo forming around his crown. “Federation vessel. This is Gul Natel of the Cardassian cruiser Tykana. I presume you have an excellent reason for bringing a Starfleet Task Force so close to Cardassian Space? Perhaps some Maquis that need saving?” A sneer spread across his face, tweaking the corners of his lips revealing a wicked toothy smile.

“Gul Natel,” Nazir gave a single nod to the Cardassian in greeting. “Fleet Captain Nazir of the USS Lakota," she told him, inching slightly forward in her seat. “The presence of my squadron in this region is of no concern to you, sir. We are, after all, in Federation space. You, however, are not,” she reminded him. 

His smile still lingering on his lips Natel relaxed back into his chair, his fingers rolling a small metal vial back and forth on the armrest. “Both of our governments have agreed to maintain security of the former demilitarized zone, I presume you received that memo.” He paused the rocking of the vial. “Particularly in matters involving a distress call, I believe that is galactic goodwill 101. Fleet Captain.” His eyes traced back to Nazir slowly, the thin lipped grin still hovering on his face. “Though perhaps I should report to Central Command that we may need reinforcement. To send such an impressive host Starfleet must be concerned.”

“According to said memo,” the Trill began, a strange smile pursing her lips, “you are permitted to cross into our territory only upon specific invitation, which has yet to be sent.” It was then that the smile evaporated and she slowly, purposefully, rose from her seat. “As for the distress call to which you refer, goodwill or not, the only way you would know about such a transmission is if you had surreptitiously intercepted a coded Federation signal for some nefarious reason,” standing at the heart of the bridge, hands clasped together behind her back, she oozed confidence and bravado. “Perhaps it is I who should contact Starfleet and insist on further support for my squadron?” she suggested, reminding him further of the fact that he was, for now, outnumbered three to one.

Natel's eyes narrowed as the smile that hovered on his lips drooped slightly. “Regardless of the means by which we recieved the message it indicates a concerning situation. Your laboratory is in distress and the Cardassian Union will not stand idly by whilst the Federation allows another horror to be unleashed upon the quadrant.” The man's smile faded almost completely as his tone turned chilly. “You will forgive us if the Union is not filled with confidence in Starfleet's ability to manage things following your recent…” he chewed on the word, rolling it around in his mouth, savouring the taste, “…misstep.”

Nazir bristled at the words he spat across the communications array. “That misstep to which you refer originated from the Changeling infiltration your people unleashed upon the quadrant in the seventies,” the Trill responded sternly. “You may not have been here then, sir, but I was. I saw the horrors of your alliance. And I was there when Starfleet, not the Cardassian Union, brought that horror to an end.” She could feel herself getting somewhat rattled by the man, but she'd be damned if she would let him see it. “I thank you for your offer of assistance, Gul Natel, but graciously decline. Should the situation change, you'll be the first person I'll call,” the fake smile of before returned to her lips as her stance softened.

The Gul’s icy smile melted away, “I do not think the memorials that still burn in every Cardassian home agree with your assessment Fleet Captain.“ His brow twitched with a barely repressed frustration, turned inward as much as towards the Starfleet Captain. “We are not one man’s mistake, something I thought such an experienced Trill would appreciate.” His eye twitched as something off-screen caught his attention. Abruptly his smile returned. “Very well Lakota. We will leave you to your ’rescue operation’, we will be standing by to render assistance when you realise you require it. Tykana out.”

“He hung up…”

At the CONN, Henry's eyes widened as he realised what had just transpired, while several feet back, Teyahna and Peri shared almost instantaneous grimaces. Nazir was rooted to the spot, arms by her sides and her fists turning almost paper white as she clenched them tight. “The son of a bitch hung up on me,” Nazir fumed, repeating the words again but in a lower, more sinister manner. Swivelling on her heels, she caught sight of the two Lieutenant Commanders, who quickly spun back to their stations.

“Get me the away team,” she barked, returning to her seat. After a few moments, and several beeps, she sat forward in her chair and turned towards Peri's station. “Problem?”

Peri was tapping away furiously at her station, then looked across at Teyahna again. “I've lost the away team,” she told, regretting her words the second they left her lips as they caused the Captain to dart out of her seat with the force of a warhead being launched from the torpedo bay.

Nazir was around the tactical rail and beside the Commander before she could blink twice. “Teyahna?” she asked, looking across at the Orion who had her back to the tactical rail and was busying herself.

“The radiation levels are not high enough to interfere with comms,” the green-skinned beauty mused while her fingers danced across the console. “Whatever has happened, has happened down there,” she finally concluded, spinning on her stool and making eye contact with the Captain.

Letting out a sigh, the Captain nodded in response, her whole demeanour changing as she relaxed a little more. “Keep trying to cut through,” she instructed her team, "and monitor that asshole out there…

…I want to know if he so much as sneezes in the direction of that planet."