"Captain's Log: Stardate 59068.5. We've managed to find some friends in this hostile territory. It appears that we've found some friendly vessels in a small patch of space the Kirusans call the Taboo Sector. They appear to be disgusted by the presence of this kind species in the Kirusan Breadth. This species was the inhabitant of the planet the Kirusans rendered uninhabitable: the Jeorri. They can barely stay alive with the constant Kirusan attacks they face. Their ships also run with a graviton drive. Unfortunately, they are almost out of the radioactive material they need to power their engines, and every time the Jeorri attempt to mine outside the Taboo Sector, they are attacked by the Kirusan warships which we have prayed to avoid. Currently, the Jeorri vessels are escorting us to one of their planets: Denmar IV."
"Well, Captain, here it is," said the ambassador that had boarded the Virgo. "Our paradise planet."
Captain Maruu stood up at seeing the beauty of Denmar IV. "It's amazing. Even Riza doesn't compare." The Captain looked over and observed the ambassador. She was a young Jeorri: only 19 years old. She had dark, green, scaly skin. She reminded Maruu of a female Jem'Hadar. Of course the Dominion never produced females, but she did look like what a female Jem'Hadar would look like. Her eyes were a deep, hypnotic black. Her silhouette was that of a goddess. Unlike the Jem'Hadar, she did have hair. It was black and silky, and it ran to the bottom of her shoulder blades.
The Captain's daydreaming was abruptly stopped by the Operations Officer, Ensign Jonathan Valdago. "Captain, we're being hailed from the surface."
The viewscreen showed the face of a male Jem'Hadar that also had hair. He held it short and brushed back. "Welcome to Denmar IV, Captain Maruu. We have a welcome party set up at the surface. I am sure you will enjoy it here."
Captain Maruu bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, sir. What am I to call you?"
"I am Major General Pemon. You, however, are a guest and may call me by my first name: Etik. May I call you Stephen?"
"Of course."
"Thank you. You may have as many of your crew as you like come to our planet to enjoy themselves. You are our guests of the Jeorri. We know how you have been attacked by the Kirusans, and we wish to help. We wish to create an alliance." Pemon bowed his head.
Maruu approved. "You are very kind. Some of my crew, and I will transport to the surface at once." He closed the link and began to leave. "Commander, you have the Bridge. The rest of you, you have the day off."
Maruu began to leave the Bridge when he was stopped by Lt. Lataro. "Sir, those were Jem'Hadar!"
"No, Lieutenant. They were Jeorri. As far as we know, the Dominion never told us where they got the genetic code to make the Jem'Hadar. The Jeorri may be the missing link. We have to find out what we can." Both he and Lataro headed for the transporter room.
Location: Denmar IV
On the surface of Denmar IV, Maruu and Pemon were talking about the Dominion. "All, I can say, Stephen, is that there are stories of powerful beings that came to our home world of Jeor and kidnapped some of us. We don't know where they went or who they are, and there is no reference anywhere about a Dominion. Then again, we are not that much of an explorer species. The Kirusans keep us trapped in the Taboo Sector like fish in fish bowl."
Maruu thought about this. "Well, that's what I think. I think that the Founders came here and took people from your race and genetically encoded them to respond to a species called the Vorta. You may have some ancestors out there somewhere, Etik."
"That would be quite a thought. That some of us could have left the Taboo Sector and lived and a warrior race in a huge civilization. Too bad they do not have pure hearts." General Pemon paused. "Stephen? Stay here a week. I want to know about this Federation of yours. Then, we will share our knowledge of the Kirusans."
"Yeah, a week of R and R. Just what the doctor ordered." Maruu knew that this was a great planet to spend an entire week on. He agreed. The entire crew would stay and relax a week before returning to Kirusan space.