Sybok and Emelie entered a shady establishment, a cantina that was the home of scum and villainy from all corners of the galaxy. Korvat was a refuge for such creatures, and Paq's Tavern catered to their every needs. Music was loud, half-naked girls dancing in cages, alcohol served at expensive prices. Gambling conducted at almost every table of the establishment.

Making their way through the crowded tavern, the human and the vulcan eventually were stopped by two nausicaans guarding a booth in the corner. Sitting in the booth were two ferengi, a betazoid and a human; all of them grizzled with suspicion, the word charlatan, rogue or scoundrel could describe each of them.

One of the ferengi told the bodyguards to step aside and waved Emelie and Sybok to join the others by the booth.

"Come, sit" the ferengi said with a ferengi-heavy accent. "Have some romulan ale, on the house."

Sitting down, Emelie and Sybok were offered a glass each with the blue beverage. Sybok smelled the drink while Emelie never touched it. Instead, she handed over a palm-sized datapad.

"Access codes and ships manifest" the young human female said as the ferengi picked up the pad. "Shouldn't be a problem to pick out the crates you want."

Paq, the ferengi, eyed the datapad through a bionic lens that he held to his eye. Through it, he could tell that the data stored on the device was the real thing and not fake.

"Do you have what we need?" Emelie then asked.

Paq leaned back into the couch of the booth, placing the lens and pad on the table, smiling like a predator in response to the girls question.

"I have what you want" the ferengi eventually said. Pointing out into the tavern, Emelie and Sybok turned to spot the small group of cardassians Paq was indicating. "Cardassian crew, came here on a cargo-hauler four days ago. Unloaded their cargo, filled up their cargo-hold and have been spending latinum ever since."

"This is of interest because?" Sybok inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

Paq grinned. "They came here directly from Romulus."

Emelie and Sybok glanced at one another.

"I assume there is more to it?" Emelie asked as she turned her attention back at the ferengi.

Paq nodded, sipped some romulan ale, and then shared what he knew. "As the cardassians restocked their water-supply, I bribed a technician to copy the files from their life-support system. The cardassian ship has a crew of fifty, yet, during the trip from Romulus they had spent enough oxygen for sixty people. No passengers, no animals onboard."

"Interesting" Sybok had to admit, stroking his chin. "And no hull-leaks on the ship?"

Paq chuckled, smiling like the devious troll that he was. "Hull integrity intact, deflectors working at one hundred percent. No leaks."

Emelie glanced over her shoulder at the cardassians. "And there are no romulans on Korvat?"

"If they're here, I sure don't know about it" Paq pointed out. "My guess is, they don't want to be found."

XXX XXX

The cardassians left Paq's Tavern, drunk and with female company, advancing down the street like an unruly mob. Emelie and Sybok, standing in the shadows, studied the cardassians as they sang and laughed, walking down the street.

Sybok shared his thoughts to Emelie. "If the Tal Shiar is using a cardassian ship to move their agents around, there is a good chance that the cardassian Central Command is involved as well."

Emelie nodded. "The thought hit me as well. The cardassians would benefit as much as the romulans if the klingons attacked the Federation. It changes things if we are dealing with more than just romulan agents, but romulans backed up by cardassians."

"It changes nothing" Sybok countered, determined to see his plan through. "It merely gives credit to my theory, and, increases the chances of an hostile act to be carried out against the klingons and the Federation here in Korvat. Romulans and cardassians working together? Something is about to happen."

XXX XXX

"Sounds like we are on the right track" Curzon Dax said over the commlink, standing some ways away from everyone else at the party arranged by local Korvat officials.

"Yeah" Emelie replied over subspace. "I truly fear that things will get ugly. What ever the case, we need to find out what the cardassians are doing here and what they are up to."

Dax could not argue against the conclusion. "How do we achieve this?"

Emelies sigh was clearly heard over the commlink. "I will have to, somehow, sneak onboard the cardassian ship and look for clues."

Curzon was not sure he had heard her correctly, but the knew he had. "That's an awfully big risk."

"I know… But we have no other choice. Keep Sulu and the klingons at bay. When the romulans make their move, we need to be ready."

"Understood."

Emelie cut transmission and Dax sighed. Returning the commlink to his belt, he drank some saurian brandy before rejoining the party.

XXX XXX

Being back onboard the USS Excelsior, Hikaru Sulu tossed the lime-green dress-uniform to the side once in his quarters and sat himself down by a computer. He activated the transmissions-matrix and the subspace-frequency that linked him directly to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco on Earth. A dark-skinned woman, clearly having been a beauty in her youth, appeared on the screen, wearing the green of Starfleet Intelligence beneath the gray jacket.

"Hikaru!" the woman said with a wide smile.

"Major U'hura" Sulu smiled back at her. "How are things on Earth?"

"Boring" the major said with a smirk. "But, the coffee here is better than on the Enterprise."

"We had coffee?" Sulu joked and they both laughed.

Major U'hura shook her head. "What can I help you with?"

"As you know, I am currently on assignment in the Korvat system" Sulu said.

U'hura nodded. "Yes, delivering medical supplies to give us a reason to have a presence there, so the klingons and cardassians don't think they can bully every system they come across."

"What do you know of the other mission?" Sulu asked.

"Other mission?"

Sulu sighed and nodded. "Emelie is here" he then said. "On a mission together with Spocks brother."

"What?" it was clear that the news took U'hura by complete surprise.

"Apparently" Sulu continued, "they suspect a romulan plot taking place here. As it happens, I am not alone; Koloth is here, hovering in orbit over the colony."

U'hura turned grim at the mention of the renowned klingon captain. "Koloth is at Korvat? Hikaru, I have no idea why Emelie is there, and I sure as hell don't know what Koloth is up to. But be careful, Hikaru. If there are romulans and klingons at Korvat, you would be smart to keep your shields activated."

"The thought has crossed my mind" Sulu said. "Emelie is on the surface right now. I need to know everything you can give me on this mission of hers."

U'hura nodded. "I will see what I can do."

XXX XXX

It was the following morning, and Emelie Marcus-Kirk peered out from behind her cover behind some piping that ran vertically along the wall of the corridor. She studied the cardassian shuttle docked in the hangarbay, surrounded by crates containing supplies that were being prepared to be shipped to shuttles mothership in orbit over Korvat. Three cardassians oversaw the operation, and their conversation clearly told Emelie how disgruntled they were, having to work while the rest of the crew were out enjoying themselves with drink and women. This encouraged Emelie, it meant the cardassian cargoship would be essentially void of personnel, making her mission all the more easy.

The young human lieutenant of Starfleet Intelligence, disguised in civilian attire, carefully made her way closer to the shuttle, sneaking from one hiding-place to the other, closing with the shuttle with each dash into cover as she went. The cardassians were finishing loading the last crate onto the shuttle, and as the airlock was about to slid shut, Emelie hurried to crawl aboard the small vessel and found a hiding-place in its cargohold. The cardassians, unaware of their stowaway, activated the shuttles various systems and took flight, heading for orbit and their ship hovering in wait over the planet.

Sybok watched as the shuttle vanished in the cloud-covered skies, nodding as the tiny vessel disappeared. Pulling his hood over his head, he returned to the streets of Korvat colony.

XXX XXX

Sulu was going through the morning-report on a datapad, a young Command ensign standing in wait next to him. As Curzon Dax, showing clear signs of last nights adventures, entered the bridge, the captain simply shook his head.

"I hope you are not drunk, or hungover, on my bridge, ambassador" the captain commented.

"Not at all" Dax replied, somewhat unconvincingly. "Trills are just not equipped for early morning-routines."

"So last night was a success, then?" Sulu wondered, handing over the datapad to the ensign who walked away to log the reports.

Curzon did not reply at first, making his way across the bridge, casually glancing at a screen depicting the klingon cruiser, the IKS Gr'oth. "Diplomacy has never worked better" he eventually said. "I can safely say, that the Federation has a better reputation with the orions this morning than the night before."

Sulu shook his head and grunted. "Really? And the klingons?"

"That is still to be resolved, captain" Curzon admitted.

"Sir, a situation has arisen."

Sulu walked over to Gars station on the bridge and studied her main display.

"Two crates are unaccounted for" the commander of the USS Excelsior explained. "They were beamed down, received, but has vanished somewhere between the cargo-bay and the main storage-area."

"Which crates?" Sulu inquired.

"Both containing biobeds, eight per crate" Gars said. "Not something that just happens to disappear."

Dax couldn't help but overhear the conversation. "That is surely, by now, a concern for local authorities?" the trill said. "Federation jurisdiction is limited in neutral space, after all."

"True" Sulu agreed as he straightened his back, eyes locked on the commanders display with data on the lost shipment. "But the items lost are advanced technology provided by the Federation. We are obligated to ensure that they are used as intended, and by the people we provide them to."

Lieutenant Commander Gambon was next to speak. "Should I prepare an away-team, captain? Investigate the whereabouts of the crates?"

"Not without a request from the local government" Dax cut in. "We have no jurisdiction here, and the Prime Directive forbids us to interfere without an invitation to do so."

Sulu could not argue against the trill. "Inform the local government that we would gladly aid them in retrieving the lost items. Mister Gambon, assemble a team and have them ready to go."

"Yes, captain" the benzite said and immediately began carrying out his orders.

Gars sighed as she scrolled through the data to see if something else was missing or was out of place. "Could it be the klingons?" she then asked.

"Koloth is not interested in biobeds" Sulu remarked.

"Klingons value scars and wounds" Dax said. "They are as valuable to klingons as medals, if not more so. A biobed would be counterproductive, so to speak."

Sulu thought about the cybernetic eyes he had, having replaced his natural ones years ago while he still served on the Enterprise. As it were, it had been during a battle against Koloth and his cruiser that Sulu's console had exploded, sending shards of debris into his face and eyes. The implants were a constant reminder of the aggressive nature of the klingons, and how they could not be trusted at any time.

"I want those biobeds found" Sulu eventually said. "We are here on a public relations mission; by finding the beds we improve relations with Korvat. Make it happen."

Dax watched with some amazement as everyone went back to work and the captain returned to his chair. "Sir" the trill eventually said as he walked over to the captain, "Starfleet regulations prevents you from interfering at this point."

Sulu, not looking impressed by the diplomats assessment, gave the trill a defiant glance. "We are in neutral space, mister Dax, Out here, regulations seldom apply."

"A bold statement" Curzon said, somewhat impressed by the captains audacity.

Sulu replied as he picked up a datapad. "You can quote me in your report."

XXX XXX

Emelie opened the crate she had hid inside of, lying on top of packages of ready-to-eat meals. It had been silent for an hour or so, after her crate had been offloaded and secured in a cargohold aboard the cardassian vessel. A slight vibration went through the ship, the humming noise of the warp-core ever constant in the background. No sound of boots, no-one talking, no indication of a crewmember being close-by.

She dared to leave the crago-hold and carefully made her way out into the corridors of the ship. Armed with a tricorder, she slowly advanced down the corridors, scanning her surroundings as she went. Footsteps echoing through the ship forced her to press herself up against the bulkhead, and further down the ship a cardassian crewmember walked on by, moving on to perform his duties without ever knowing a spy was onboard. Emelie let out a sigh of relief as the cardassian vanished and she could continue her search.

Eventually, her tricorder detected something that caught her interest and she made her way to the compartment in question. A small docking-bay, empty and unused at the moment. The shuttle that it would hold off to the surface no doubt. Emelie continued her scans and the tricorder lit up as her search had payed off big time. Emelie Marcus-Kirk could not hold back the smile as she studied the readings.

XXX XXX

As Sulu entered his personal quarters, he unbuttoned his gray jacket and the yellow shirt as he sat down by the rooms main console. Activating the subspace-frequencies, he provided the computer with his security code. Within seconds, a transmission was received.

"Well?" Sulu asked as soon as the picture was stable.

U'hura was as serious as ever. "Lieutenant Emelie Marcus-Kirk has been AWOL for six days. And no-one can account for the whereabouts of diplomats Sybok and Curzon Dax. Emelie should be working behind a desk on space-station 294; what she is doing with you in the Korvat system, I don't know. I do know that her mission is not sanctioned by Starfleet Intelligence, or any other department."

"She's gone rogue?" Sulu sounded truly surprised.

"Considering who her father was" U'hura said, "I'm not exactly shocked."

"And the romulan agents they say they are after?"

U'hura shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows. I've asked around and Starfleet has no indication of any kind that the romulans are operating on Korvat. Colonel West had no intel at all, and the vulcans sure as hell haven't shared any information with us. Even so, Curzon is a maverick when it comes to diplomacy, yet he has had the most success with klingons than any other in decades. The klingons could have informed him of something."

"That would explain the presence of Koloth" Sulu nodded as he considered the situation.

U'hura agreed. "It would. There is one other possibility though."

Sulu was unable to grasp it. "And that would be?"

U'hura doublechecked her surroundings, even though she was transmitting from her own office in San Francisco. "Sybok worked closely for many years with Spock Prime" she said and leaned in closer to the camera. "There must be a reason why Sybok is involved in all of this. It is possible they are acting on something Spock told him."

"Information from the future?" Sulu quickly gathered. "Involving a romulan scheme here in the Korvat system. But how reliable could this information be? The timeline has changed, there is no reason to believe the romulans would be present here in our timeline."

U'hura leaned back into her chair. "You're right. But for some reason, those three went underground and has resurfaced on Korvat, intent on finding romulans. To them, this is important enough to betray Starfleet and the Federation."

Sulu sighed, a stern look on his face. "I will throw them in the brig and get some answers."

"If they are acting on information from the future" U'hura said, "then it is imperative that you find out what it is, and if we need to act on it."

XXX XXX

Curzon Dax was escorted by Commander Gars to captain Hikaru Sulus ready-room and forced to sit in a chair opposite the captain; Sulu himself sitting behind his desk with a not all to happy look on his face. A fact that did not escape the young trill.

"If this is about that lovely female ensign on deck twelve, I assure you, I was quite the gentleman" Curzon said.

"Shut up, mister Dax" Sulu said sharply. "You will speak only when you are required to answer my questions. Understood?"

The trill nodded, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"Your mission is not sanctioned by Starfleet" Sulu began. "First, I want to know if there are any romulans here at all."

"We believe so" Dax answered without playing games.

Sulu studied the trill with sharp eyes. "The information, where does it come from?"

"The vulcan" Dax explained.

Sulu sighed. "Where did he obtain the information?"

"I don't know" Curzon said. "He came to me a month ago or so, and presented me with an opportunity to gain klingon favor and increase our chances for peace."

"How?" Gars wondered, cutting into the conversation.

Dax smiled at the corner of his mouth. "He knew that Koloth would be here. And he knew about a romulan plot to increase tension between the klingons and the Federation. If we could expose the romulans, I would gain favor with Koloth, a living legend in the klingon empire, and close ally of chancellor Gorkon himself. I thought that if I could make friends with Koloth here on Korvat, it could improve relations with the klingons as a whole. I would be mad to ignore that chance."

Sulu nodded. "Good enough" he then said. "That explains you. But what about Sybok and Emelie? Why this secret mission, why not inform Starfleet?"

It was obvious that the trill thought about his options as he hesitated to answer. "According to Sybok, in the original timeline, Spock had found out, through his contacts in the Romulan Star Empire, about a mission here on Korvat, designed to escalate hostilities between the klingons and the Federation. The romulan mission would spark events that would be monumental, catastrophic even; change the course of history so to speak. Sybok believed, that due to the significant impact this mission had on the original timeline, it would still play a part in our time."

Gars sat down in a chair of her own. "So what is he trying to prevent?"

Dax turned serious, seemingly truly for the first time since arriving on the Excelsior. "He is trying to prevent the destruction of Vulcan."