While preparations for the USS Beyond were going on, a Cardassian transport ship was making its way dutifully to Deep Space Nine.

"Estimated two hours to arrival to Empok Nor, sir."

"Good, good." responded Gul Remok from the captain's seat. The officer who had given his estimation nodded and returned to his station. Beside the captain stood Gul Makar, stone-faced and hands locked together behind his back. The bridge of the transport ship had been quiet for most of the journey, with occasional remarks between officers and estimates of arrivals declared to the Guls. Makar had remained silent all throughout this time and had barely moved an inch from where he stood since boarding.

Remok looked over at the man and crossed a leg over the other. The captain seemed to be waiting for something from Makar. When Makar only stood there—watching the viewscreen with the same burning eyes he'd managed to keep going for most of the ride here and even before coming aboard— Remok decided to prod him.

"You seem positively glum Makar."

Makar glanced down at Remok, and then back at the viewscreen. His jaw was clenched. His silence only seemed to amuse Remok, who chuckled softly under his breath before addressing him again.

"Could it be you're not looking forward to your new command?"

Makar, once again, did not respond, but Remok noticed him clench his hands a little tighter.

"Ah wait, my mistake. It's not your command at all but rather, Starfleet's command-"

"Does this amuse you Remok?" Gul Makar snapped, losing the little patience he had maintained throughout the journey so far.

"It most certainly does!" Remok responded brightly, unfazed—in fact quite pleased— by the other's impatience with him.

"Oh pray tell, why is that?" Makar muttered, turning his head away in irritation. By chance he caught an officer apparently watching their conversation. His lips curled back into a snarl and the officer nervously looked down at his console, evidently pretending he had heard nothing.

"Well let's review facts shall we—"

"Remok." Makar interrupted, his hands gripping along the arms of the captain's seat, voice stiff, loud and regretting his choice of words. He was now very much aware the bridge officers, like most of his people, were eager for gossip.
Not that Remok particularly cared about his fellow Gul's pride.

"—first, you are 'transferred' from one warship to the next—"

"Remok—"

"—then you are 'transferred' from warship to cruiser vessel—"

"You are oversimplifying—"

"—then from cruiser vessel to patrol vessel—"

"That is not how—"

"—and now they are just entirely skipping any Cardassian vessels at all and shipping you off to Starfleet."

The two Guls regarded each other, Makar with fierce anger, lips pursed into a thin line and Remok cool and calm, a smile curving up on the edge of his lip.

"To serve as a first officer, no less," Remok added after a moment, as if he'd just remembered, "essentially stripping you of the rank of Gul. You cannot tell me any of this is not even mildly humourous."

There was a stony silence as the two watched each other. Eventually, Makar relented and his hands loosened and slipped off the captain's chair. He resumed proper posture and clasped his hands behind himself, facing forward once again.

"This is ridiculous." Makar muttered under his breath.

"That's what makes it funny."

"That's what make it infuriating," Makar retorted, then added in a mutter, "and humiliating."

There was a silence wherein Remok's smile slid away and he began to look sober, the mischievous glint in his eyes dulling away. He lowered his voice to a low mutter now, so he was certain only Makar could hear him.

"What are you going to do Damek, start a coup? We should be thankful there's even a ruling order to be angry with."

Makar looked down at Remok. It seemed the captain was no longer in the mood for games, instead regarding the view screen with a vague disinterest and a mulling look. He did not respond and let the hum of engines and machinery dominate the room, both Guls merely watching the progress of the transport ship as it sailed through the stars.

"...Hail the Beyond." Makar ordered.

"Yes sir. Hailing, sir." came the rapt response of a bridge officer.

Remok looked up inquisitively at Makar who responded with a vague head tilt.

"I should know who I'm dealing with."

This answer seemed to satisfy the captain and he sat up straighter in his chair, eyes on the view screen.

"No response, sir."

Both Gul's frowned at the communications officer, then shared a doubtful look with one another.

"Hail them again." Remok ordered, and looked once again at the view screen.

There was another pause.

"No response again sir, I am uncertain as to why… wait, it appears they are responding now, sir."

"On screen."

The bridge was immediately full of the sounds of officers barking orders and crew members submitting reports and weaving between each other. Dominating most of the view screen however was a young woman with a severe expression, one hand holding a data pad and the other typing impatiently onto a station on the bridge. The spotted markings along her face and racing down her neck identified her as a Trill. She hardly gave the view screen a passing glance.

"Yes, yes, this is the USS Beyond, who is this and what do you need?"

The woman glanced once again at the her view screen and seemed to realize something. She left her station, leaving the view screen blank save for the officers milling about in a rush behind her.

There was a flicker and the screen cut away from the personal station and over to cover the main bridge.

"Cardassians. I take it one of you's the ship's new first officer? What do you need? Is there a probl— hey you!"

She grabbed someone off-screen. The Guls looked at each other, wide-eyed at the scene before them. They could vaguely hear her growling orders to a person with a much meeker tone.

"Take this to engineering and tell them we need Ajano up on the bridge— Look I don't care if you're 'supposed to go down to medical' whatever it is, it can wait. Get Ajano. Now."

The woman— whose uniform identified her a science officer— looked back at the screen, shaking her head in apparent disbelief.

"It's impossible to get anyone to do anything around here. Look if it's not urgent I—" she began, raising her hands.

"To whom are we speaking?" Makar interrupted.
The woman blinked, frowned and then sighed drearily. She rubbed the bridge of her nose for a few moments before folding her arms.

"Commander Leda Nix, chief of science, and this really is not—"

"You speak to Gul Remok and Gul Makar. Where is your captain?"

"That's something all of us would like to know." Commander Nix gave them a big, exasperated smile and threw her hands up as she motioned to the chaos behind her.

"He must be somewhere on the ship. Hail him. We demand to speak to him."

"He's not responding to hails, sir."

"Then go find him. Now."

The Commander seemed taken aback by their tone and gave them a dismissive smile. Her words were slow and deliberate.

"With all due respect, sir? I don't have time for this."

The view screen blacked out. On the Cardassian ship, the entire bridge looked on silently. No one could quite believe their eyes.