The Venette Convention has always remained independent but it is about to become the flashpoint for a tense military standoff between the two power blocs now dominating interstellar space-the United Federation of Planets & the recently formed Typhon Pact. The Venetan government turns to the Typhon Pacts Tzenkethi Coalition for protection in the new order & has agreed to allow three of their supply bases for Tzenkethi use. But these bases-if militarized-would put Tzenkethi weapons unacceptably close to Federation Cardassian & Ferengi space. While Captain Ezri Dax & the crew of the U.S.S. Aventine are sent to investigate exactly what is happening at one of the Venette bases Captain Jean-Luc Picard & the U.S.S. Enterprise are assigned to a diplomatic mission sent to the Venette homeworld in order to broker a mutually acceptable resolution. But the Cardassian delegates dont seem particularly keen on using diplomacy to resolve the situation which soon spirals out of control toward all-out war...