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Shelby had temporarily served on the EnterpriseD during a previous Borg incursion, and had also acted as Riker’s first officer after Picard had been taken by the Borg.

The other woman had sable hair and olive skin, in contrast to the pale blond Shelby. “I’m Captain Anna-Maria Amalfitano of the U.S.S. Sentinel, Captain. It’s an honor to meet you-I’ve heard a lot about you, particularly from our chief engineer, Commander Gomez.”

Picard smiled. As an ensign fresh out of the academy, serving in Geordi La Forge’s engine room, Gomez had introduced herself to Picard by spilling hot chocolate on him. She had blossomed into a fine officer, and a top-notch engineer. Amalfitano was lucky to have her.

Tugging on his uniform jacket, Picard asked, “Any word from the Cardassians?”

“Not yet,” Amalfitano said, “except to identify themselves. The commander of the ship is a gul named Lemec.”

A knot twisted in Picard’s gut. He’d only met Lemec once before-when his time as Gul Madred’s prisoner ended. It was not a time Picard was eager to remember. Quickly, he shoved those memories into the box where he kept unpleasant memories: both Borg attacks, the mind-meld with Sarek, his time as Locutus, the entire last six months…

The box was ready to burst.

He wasn’t encouraged by the fact that it was Lemec-a mere gul-whom Central Command had sent, rather than a proper ambassador, or even a legate.

Indicating the screen with a hand, Picard said to Krajensky, “Mister Ambassador, the floor is yours.”

Making a small bow, Krajensky walked to stand where Worf had been. “Thank you, Captain. Lieutenant Ro, please hail the Reklar.”

Ro said nothing in reply, but did open the hail.

“This is Ambassador Theodore Krajensky, representing the United Federation of Planets.”

The screen switched from the view of the two captains to that of a familiar Cardassian gul.

“I am Gul Lemec of the Fourth Order.”

“It’s good to meet you, Gul Lemec,” Krajensky said. “I’d like to arrange to meet with you-”

Lemec held up one gray hand. “That will not be necessary.”

“I beg your pardon? I wish to discuss terms of-”

“There are no terms.”

Picard’s blood froze. Lemec spoke the words in an almost deadly monotone-the exact words that Picard had, as Locutus, spoken to William Riker.

“Surely, Gul Lemec, we can-”

“Cardassia has no interest in negotiating with the Federation, now or in the future. The solar systems of Dorvan, Valo, and Salva now belong to us, and they will remain with us. We-” Suddenly, Lemec looked away. “Excuse me.”

The screen went blank.

Krajensky looked horrified as he turned to face Picard and Worf. “I don’t understand.”

“I think I do,” Ro said. “We’re picking up two distress signals. One is Cardassian, asking for assistance.” She looked up sharply. “The other is on a Bajoran frequency. And they’re using a resistance code phrase. The Cardassians wouldn’t recognize it, but it’s in the tactical database.”

Ro, of course, hadn’t had the chance to check the database, but as a Bajoran herself, Picard assumed she recognized the code phrase on sight.

Picard looked at Worf, who said, “A Bajoran defector would be a valuable asset.”

Without waiting for a prompt, Krajensky said, “I agree with Commander Worf-this is an ideal opportunity-especially since diplomatic channels have apparently been cut off.”

Looking over at Kadohata, Picard asked, “Do you have a fix on the distress signals?”

Staring down at her console, the raven-haired woman said, “Yes, sir. It’s coming from a Ferengi yacht.” Kadohata turned to face Picard with a grim expression. “They’re heading for the border.”

From behind Picard, Ro added, “So’re the Cardassians pursuing them.”

“Ensign Perim, set a course that puts us where that ship will cross the border. Send the navigational data to the Excalibur and the Sentinel.”

“Aye, Captain,” the Trill replied.

“Engage at warp nine.”

It took several minutes to arrive at the designated coordinates. “Tactical overview on screen,” Worf said as they approached.

Ro switched the forward viewer to