The natural vegetation of Dorvan V was a mine of information, thought Sub-commander Sedeka as she hiked up a rough trail situated in the heart of a canyon in the northern hemisphere. The dry river bed was overgrown with shrubs and short scrub. Near the entrance of the canyon there was a slow trickling of water, but as she moved in further, the dry heat persisted; it suited her - the heat and untamed feel of the area. The chaparral, as the inhabitants of Dorvan V called the succulent shrubs and scrub of the planet, grew in abundance here. She had not seen much of what she needed, but certain that she'd get it soon, she trudged along the paths and rough stones. She had veered away from the river bed and kept to the paths along the lower gradients of the sloping canyon walls. They were not really paths, just openings or gaps between bushes that allowed her to pause, use the Cardassian tricorder to take readings of the various indigenous plant species and move on to the next group of plants.

It was relatively easy to get the combination that she needed, ironically, something that could not be manufactured back on Cardassia. Without a replicator - something the Federation boasted with - she had to rely on her own abilities as a scientist to analyse the plants she was looking for, or to be more precise, to find the correct combination of chemicals in the plant DNA for the purpose of her task.

The heat of the sun was fierce, although it was still time before the sun was directly overhead. She was hot under the collar, and swore softly in Cardassian. They had to wear their armour at all times, even while they were in a situation of pending war. While the heat didn't bother her - all Cardassians were accustomed to temperatures of 50°C+ - it was the discomfort of moving about on foot in the severe, though cumbersome armour.

Finally, she bent down to study a very small plant carefully. It had a tiny dull yellow flower, with only one decumbent leaf, its tip curling upwards. Sedeka had little time to find the appearance of the plant attractive, even as its aroma tickled her nostrils.

"Ah... something at last for Sedeka to look at," she murmured softly as she pulled the plant out by its root. Breaking the succulent leaf, she held it so that she could take a reading. Little lights flashed and figures appeared on the screen of the tricorder. It seemed that the information was to her satisfaction, based on the information she had studied in the database from data she had hijacked from the Federation. She had not shown this to Gul Evek; he had no idea what she was going to do. He was satisfied she'd do it, whatever her method.

"Good, this should do it, " she said as she nodded, satisfied with her finding so far. The plant leaf had a curious smell, like a beverage, she thought. It was not unlike some of the beverages she had seen or tasted in Quark's bar the last time she had been there.

Several hours later she had collected a haul of plants, pleased that her search had gone better than she had anticipated. She hadn't thought to look on other worlds; besides, she doubted whether she would have gotten exactly what she needed in other places. She had heard - the locals were effusive and word had spread - that certain plants grew on Dorvan V that was endemic only to the northern hemisphere of the planet.

The people had eyed her with a wariness which she supposed was natural, given her strangeness, but also the fact that her own people were already on Dorvan V to prepare the way for discussions with their leaders. Sedeka gave a snort. Afraid they should be. Very soon this would be their territory, but it would help if the people of Dorvan V left quietly.

Sedeka surveyed the area and realised with a start how far into the canyon she had hiked. Knowing it would take her several hours to get back to the shelter and her shuttle, she started off briskly, the bag slung over her shoulder. She had not brought along much to eat, but there was a little stream further down near the entrance of the canyon. There she could have her fill of water. It was enough. She could go without solid sustenance for several more hours. It was almost dark, but her vision was good. When she got back to her camp site, she would rest only as long as it took her to shake off the tiredness - a short open eyed sleep of a few hours would be enough - and then start working on the plant extraction and analysis. Her shuttle was equipped with a small laboratory where she could work as soon as she was ready..

Gul Evek would be proud of her. She wondered how far he got with the talks. No doubt he didn't get very far. She knew he wanted to avoid open confrontation with the inhabitants, although he was ruthless enough to massacre the entire population. That would not be his style. He was far more underhand. The way of the Cardassians was to plunder, to destroy and subjugate by force to ensure loyalty and unity. Gul Evek was different. He would employ other methods far more devious, but less stressful on the phaser banks of their war ships.

On that, she agreed grudgingly, she was in one mind with Gul Evek. Not that that little fact put him in any position to make the kind of claims on her to possess her mind. He already possessed her body; she was giving him nothing more. With her body she could, as she had done before, control Gul Evek, manipulate him in a way that filled him with fury, but at the same time he would be unable to mask his lust.

Gul Evek wanted her.

Gul Evek always wanted her.

Sedeka smiled in the darkness as she made her way back to her shuttle.

***

Captain Jean-Luc Picard's mission on Dorvan V was clear: his directive from Starfleet Command was to remove the inhabitants from Dorvan V by any means necessary. This machiavellian departure from humanistic ideals of the United Federation of Planets filled him with mild alarm, but given the aggression with which the Cardassian Union had extended its empire, Dorvan V was in trouble. If the Federation could not get its own people - Dorvan V was a member planet of the Federation and its people therefore Federation citizens - off the planet the Cardassians would massacre them.

As it was, Dorvan V proved to be more than a handful in concluding the Treaty successfully. Their stubborn unwillingness to leave made it the only world still to be secured one way or the other to made the signing of the Treaty complete. The talks had developed to a point during the conference where it had been decided to establish a Demilitarised Zone, and Dorvan V fell just outside it, on the Cardassian Union's side. The Zone was to protect the Federation and Cardassians on either side, and while it was prudent that such an imaginary line drawn between the two warring factions of Cardassia and the Federation could be so described, it also ensured that no military activities should take place there, or no military bases established there.

Unfortunately for the Federation, Dorvan V was the last obstacle in concluding the talks peacefully. The Federation could not secure Dorvan V during the talks and its citizens would have to be removed and settled elsewhere. He was all for removing them peacefully, and Commander Chakotay of the USS Ormskirk was to be instrumental in persuading their people to move and colonise elsewhere. Picard had sent out a team to scout other uninhabited worlds that closely resembled Dorvan V in its geographical, geomorphological and climatological features. He had found the Native American tribes uncooperative, since they were unwilling to leave what they called "our spiritual connection". He had no problem with that, but they needed to look at their precarious situation rationally. The Cardassians were never to be trifled with. Their methods of persuasion were notoriously horrific. Commander Chakotay could be instrumental changing the direction in these in these talks, perhaps even redirecting the borders of the Demilitarised Zone and without him, the tribe would be canon fodder for the opposition.

The Council of Dorvan V had been implacable. To the Cardassians it made no difference one way or the other, but to the Federation it mattered. The tribes of Dorvan V were citizens and therefore under Federation protection. Picard had learned from history that some nations who pledged to guarantee the safety of prisoners of war and refugees under the signings of failsafe Conventions, were flagrantly disregarded. The Cardassians would sign the Treaty; the Federation had no guarantee that they would honour the terms of it.

The USS Enterprise remained in orbit around the planet. They were wary of the Cardassian warship, the Vetar, under the command of Gul Evek. The Vetar remained an ominous, though not unbeatable presence. Shuttles had left and returned on a more or less regular basis from both the Enterprise and the Vetar. The only anomaly they had spotted so far was the presence of a shuttle of the Vetar in a remote canyon on the planet's northern hemisphere. Worf had informed him that the presence of the Cardassian vessel there posed no threat either to the inhabitants or Starfleet.

"It's a research vessel, Captain," Lieutenant Worf informed him.

"What type of research, Mr Worf?"

"It's difficult to determine, but I suspect it’s a study of the ecology of the hemisphere, Captain."

"Good. We'll keep a close watch on that shuttle then."

"The planet has a high yield of medicinal plants, Sir," Commander Riker said.

"Ah. I understand, Number One."

"The Cardassians are already marking the territory as theirs. It's a shame."

"We hope Commander Chakotay can convince his people to relocate before they're all killed, Mr Riker."

Riker sighed. He liked Chakotay, had heard the Native American had married someone he had himself been unable to date while at the Academy. Kathryn Janeway had been wary of him, and he had been a rather lustful Senior cadet who wanted to bed Kathryn Janeway. But, she successfully escaped his clutches and he was left to be the butt of some serious teasing by his fellow cadets for being turned down by the most beautiful young woman of the Academy that year. Yeah, he hoped Chakotay could get through to his people. They needed his presence and his rationale. He had his roots there, but he had also common sense and prudence.

"Yes, Sir. Let's hope so," Riker said finally.

Picard sat back in his chair. In less than two days they would beam down to the planet to sit in on the talks with the Dorvan High Council, and he had prepared his argument as thoroughly as he could, pointing out the folly of remaining, and presenting them with sound alternatives which could not be overlooked. It was not one of his most pleasant tasks. He had always been a moderate man, not given to sudden acts of impulse, or to employ needless aggression. He believed that diplomacy should rule the universe and diplomacy was what he used in almost every single incident or mission he had been on during the last ten years. Most of his missions had been successful, most had led to peaceful talks and signings, and most had ended amicably. He thrived on the power of the word and the power of solid arguments, pitting his wits against the best the universe had to offer.

He could not imagine that the Dorvans would not sway before his charm and ability to show them the error of their ways. Certainly, they could pull the rug from under the feet of the Cardassians by removing the tribe - peacefully - and find them a new colony. While he grudgingly had to admit that Gul Evek was prepared to sit down and talk and not let the Vetar's phaser banks speak for him, whatever his personal motivations were for talking, Picard was not fooled by them.

***

Sub-commander Sedeka was impressed by Commander Chakotay. Through Gul Evek she had been introduced to the Native American who, though he was born on Dorvan V, seemed too modern to belong there. Still, he too, had the sense of belonging and spiritual connection with the planet the people of this world boasted of.

Chakotay had a deep tan, like those of his fellow tribesmen and women, and by human standards was deemed to be handsome. They had been walking just outside the village along a dusty path that led to the shuttle launching pads. Although he was friendly, he had a slight air of mistrust about him as he walked next to her. His replies to her, especially questions pertaining to the talks were evasive if not downright negative. He was not giving her anything. Sedeka didn't need anything; she used what she was given, and even the smallest, seemingly unimportant little details relating to his personal life was information she stored and analysed to be used for later reference. Chakotay didn't know just how much he was telling her by telling her so little.

He walked hands behind his back, like a prefect. The sun was behind them, and the man's hair gleamed. He didn't smile but she imagined if he did, there'd be a dimple in his left cheek. He turned to look at her as they walked.

"So, you're the Executive Officer of the Vetar," Chakotay said conversationally.

"If that means one rank below the commander of my vessel, then it's yes."

He looked away again, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. He was clearly not interested in making more conversation than was necessary; he was not...interested.

She bristled only mildly inside. Normally she would turn a man's head the moment he laid eyes on her, but Chakotay had been different. The first man who didn't give her a second look. To be honest, she admitted to herself, he didn't give her really a good first look. It was more that of making an acquaintance, meeting someone whose Commander or Gul was going to be in conference the next day, and killing time by showing her the sights of Dorvan V. She grinned inwardly. She had already seen the sights, but she was not going to tell him that. He had arrived five days ago, and he had been a little impatient with his people for not being far-sighted enough to know that they would lose their world to the Cardassians. To her it meant little, except that she could keep him company while he pined for his wife. He had told her about Kathryn Janeway and that it had been her birthday. He actually looked sorry that he could not be with her for such a joyous occasion. It didn't mean anything to her. One aged a year, and that was it. No celebrations were in order. To humans who were stupid enough to value it, so be it.

"You mean to persuade your people to leave, Commander Chakotay?" she asked.

"Much as I have come to love this place, a mere shift in the dividing lines between Cardassia and the Federation could alter the position of my people. It would perhaps be necessary for them to relinquish their citizenship should it come to that," he replied.

Sedeka knew he was telling her details that were open, so there was no secrecy or unwillingness to enter into discussions with her. But Sedeka sensed that he was going to persuade the Delegations to redefine the borders of the Demilitarised Zone; it would put Dorvan V outside the control of Cardassia, even place Dorvan V on the Federation side of the proposed Demilitarised Zone. Her people were on it, fighting for control...

But, it was something else about him that attracted Sub-commander Sedeka.

For the first time, Gul Evek was not so prominent on her mind as the man who was walking next to her. Chakotay was handsome. She felt attracted to him, for some reason. She had to keep her head about her and not fail in her mission. While Chakotay could turn heads most likely, he was also married, and by the sound of it, very much in love with his wife. How quaint the idea of love and marriage had been to her before, when she thought physical and emotional unions could be separated, that there was a distinct difference between the two and that one did not rely on the other to effect a workable relationship. It never mattered to her. If a man wanted her, she'd make certain that he threw caution to the wind.

Amongst the Cardassians she could take a man on any terms.

Gul Evek was a man she could lust for and bed without second thoughts. She was abhail, was she not? She was not considered marriage material, even by Cardassian standards. Cardassian men were never above taking for themselves Bajoran slaves whores and mistresses, and spawning hybrid offspring with them, but even they expected their own women to maintain a certain level of decorum and aloofness when it came to the marriage bed. Sedeka had never had such noble considerations or aspirations. Men were men. They were usable and expendable. She was a highly sexual creature, used her assets to gain power over them and she never had to look far to satisfy her craving.

"I've managed to procure some provisions for us, Commander," she said as they neared the dusty street where his home was situated. She had been exemplary in her behaviour towards Chakotay and other members of his tribe. Smiling, greeting, asking around and being offered help to her little queries about the place. On a certain level she managed to whittle down the mistrust of the people, but she had been clever enough when she though it prudent to get permission first for her field trips to the northern hemisphere to research the plant life and gather her own information about the medicinal properties of the herbs that grew in abundance there. Even Chakotay had been impressed.

So, when he invited her to lunch in his abode, she readily accepted his offer.

"Please, Commander, may I bring along something too, to share with you? There are some Cardassian delicacies I like."

"I couldn't expect you to like roasted corn on the cob, Sub-commander," he said and he smiled for the first time. She had been correct. There was indeed a dimple in his left cheek and a smaller indentation in his right cheek.

"Roasted corn?"

"You might want to try it," he suggested. "Kathryn liked it - "

"Your wife."

"Yes. She is the Captain of the USS Crimond."

Sedeka nodded. She didn't want to tell him that she already knew what he was telling her.

"Didn't she like roasted corn?"

"Not the unreplicated kind."

"I...see..." she said reflectively.

"Oh, we're here," Chakotay said, and he held his hand in a flourish as he indicated she enter. She had not seen many people around. Indeed, when she thought about it, she had not seen anyone around. Did they all suddenly take a nap in the afternoon? she wondered as she stepped into the cool lounge of Chakotay's home.

"Thank you," she said demurely as she put her bag on the low table.

"You're welcome, Sub-commander - "

"Please, call me Sedeka."

He stared at her for a second, then nodded.

"Fine, Sedeka." A second later he left the room and she supposed he must have gone to the kitchen. She heard the noise of plates and utensils. Smiling, she took out her own fare for their dinner. She loved some of her own race's dishes, and the covered container was put down carefully on the table.

She had also brought along two bottles of Cardassian wine, though she wasn't certain if Chakotay would like it. One was a very low in alcohol, used mostly when they sat down to meals to wash down their food. Humans, she had learned, did that with a beverage called beer. Sedeka shook her head.

Humans.

They all looked so pale, so uninteresting. Except Chakotay. There was something there that had drawn him to her. He seemed oblivious to his attraction. Most likely he was very comfortable and secure in the knowledge that he now had a wife who gave him everything and with whom he shared everything. His wife was beautiful, why should he look elsewhere?

She smiled inwardly. Gul Evek would strip her naked in the middle of the road and have sex with her right there to drive home a point. He had that power; he could use it if she didn't succeed in her mission. She rose and walked to the window that overlooked the street. It was still deserted and quiet. Chakotay's abode was a little spartan, and only a medicine wheel adorned one wall. He had worn the clothing that she had seen the tribes people wear. He appeared relaxed, but she knew he wanted to get home to prepare for the talks and final agreements that would be signed the next day.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable," Chakotay said as he entered the lounge again with a tray of food and drink.

"Well, as I said, Commander, there are some things I do like to eat and I thought I'd bring some of it along."

He gestured for her to sit down again.

"Here, I think you could try this," he said as he held a plate to her.

"Thank you," she said and took one roasted corn that had tiny skewers on each side. "Interesting," she said.

"Yes, Kathryn was as surprised..."

Kathryn. Wasn't the man ever going to stop talking about his wife?

Sedeka took a bite of the corn and started chewing, almost experimentally rolling it in her mouth. When she swallowed, he looked at her as if he expected her to offer a commentary. She was no gourmet specialist, but it did taste...good, she supposed.

"Interesting," she said. "Was this cooked or replicated?"

"Replicator. My mother is the cook. Replicated food and drink is something I've become too accustomed to from my fifteenth year," he stated.

"I see." She could see. It was just the touch of a button, a voice command and the item appeared. The Union could use replicators for the manufacture of certain arms and other equipment. Perhaps it was something that could be thrown on the bargaining table.

They ate in silence. He poured for them drinks.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Cider. My favourite."

She took a sip and nodded appreciatively.

"I see you've brought some Cardassian wine, too."

"I thought you might not like it, Commander, but this," and she held up one bottle, "is almost as light as your cider." Sedeka smiled as she took another sip of the cider.

Chakotay had finished one corn and was biting into another. Sedeka poured for him some of her own wine and offered him the glass. "Taste..."

When he took several sips, he responded with, "Hmmm, this is good. You were right, Sub-commander, it's very close to mine." He rolled his eyes as he enjoyed the bouquet of the wine. When he looked at her again, he smiled and said. "Very good. I'll certainly not try that," he continued as he pointed to her other bottle. "I can see it looks…aggressive."

"And you shouldn't, Commander. It's the equivalent of Romulan Ale, but just about ten time more potent. We Cardassians are used to it. It will burn your gullet right down to your stomach lining. It's corrosive and definitely not for human consumption." Sedeka smiled at her own turn of phrase. "I mean it, Commander."

"Thanks then for the warning," he said.

"You're welcome." She gave him her sweetest smile. Her hair hung loose and fanned about her shoulders. She knew she looked good, she was supremely confident, but what she showed to Chakotay was a certain modesty, a demure presence she knew he respected. She congratulated herself on gaining Chakotay's trust.

Chakotay raised his glass and Sedeka frowned momentarily before realisation dawned. She raised her glass too.

"Well then, Sub-commander Sedeka, here's to successful talks tomorrow."

"Indeed, Commander Chakotay," she agreed. "Indeed..."

*******