The Cerritos is supporting the Vancouver while Captain Gwen opens post-war trade negotiations with the Karemma from the Gamma Quadrant. The Cerritos will be providing Alpha Quadrant gifts as a sign of good will.

En route, Admiral Buenamigo contacts Freeman and informs her that she will be conducting the negotiations now as the Vancouver has been rerouted for an evacuation.

In order to buy her time to prepare, the Cerritos circles DS9 for awhile.

Tendi, Rutherford, and Boimler are excited to visit DS9. Mariner intends to stay on board the shift, so Jennifer invites her to hang out with her friends.

Mariner is worried about meeting the friends.

On the station, Colonel Kira Nerys receives Freeman, Ransom, and Shaxs. Kira and Shaxs served together in the Resistance and clash on who saved whom more often.

The Karemma delegation arrive, discussing their dislike of Alpha Quadrant inhabitants. They have come with an alternative plan ready which looks like a flashing grenade concealed under one delegate’s robes.

Kira brings Freeman’s group to Quark’s where Quark pitches a franchise for Starfleet Academy. He points out that his machine, the Quark 2000, replicates drinks better than standard replicators.

Boimler is excited about the Dabo table at Quark’s. He decides to play, leaving Tendi and Rutherford. An Orion male in a Starfleet uniform spots Tendi and comes over to talk. He introduces himself as Mesk. Tendi is uncomfortable with his proud references to traditional Orion stereotypes.

Mesk offers to give them a tour of the station.

Mariner arrives at Jennifer’s friends’ party/salon. She’s overdressed in her uniform as everyone else is in casual attire. They start with candle making. Jennifer’s friends call her “Jenny” and ask Mariner if Boimler’s single.

Kira brings the Starfleet party to meet Karemma Trade Minister Korzan and his team. Freeman talks him down from his initial ire. Meanwhile, Shaxs and Kira continue their one-up-manship.

While Rutherford is exploring the promenade, Tendi tells Mesk off about making assumptions about her just because she’s Orion.

When Freeman contacts her to transfer the gifts to the Karemma ship, Tendi takes the opportunity to ditch Mesk.

Boimler’s hit a winning streak at the Dabo table.

Tendi and Rutherford are transferring the pallets when Mesk arrives to announce he’s now doing security for them all day.

Mariner sits at the salon while the host begins telling a ghost story, trying to keep it together.

When she’s invited to speak, Mariner demurs and Castro accuses her of disrespecting the salon.

Kira leads the Karemma tour of the station but they aren’t impressed. Freeman suggests they visit Quark’s. Quark isn’t happy to see the Kareema enter his bar. He refuses to help with the trade negotiations and insults the Trade Minister who gets angry.

Mesk is singing Orion pirate songs and bragging about Orion abilities to steal things while Tendi and Rutherford work. Tendi tells him off and he accuses her of “human”ing up.

At the Dabo table, Boimler continues to win. The pit boss accuses him of cheating.

Freeman tries to placate Quark and Korzan, but pointing out the innovation of the Quark 2000. Quark looks distinctly uncomfortable as Korzan’s subordinate looks closely at the machine. When the Trade Minister looks closely at the machine, he becomes enraged and knocks the machine over.

He activates the contingency plan and the subordinate hurls the grenade at the panel. It knocks out the systems, station-wide, including aboard the Cerritos.

In the confusion, the Karemma’s grab Quark and transport away.

Mesk, Tendi, and Rutherford see Quark being dragged onto the Karemma ship while they work in the loading bay. The Karemma ship releases the docking and sets a course for the wormhole with Mesk, Tendi, and Rutherford still on board.

At the salon, Jennifer’s friends start to panic. Mariner realizes the candles are using up the oxygen. She tries to blow them out but Castro refuses. Mariner tries to gently get them to pay attention to her. Jennifer asks her why she’s being so polite. Mariner explains and Jennifer tells her to be herself.

In order to conserve oxygen, Mariner chases down and stuns all of Jennifer’s friends with her phaser.

Rutherford panics when he sees the wormhole open and realizes the Karemma will take them all to the Gamma Quadrant. He asks Mesk to save them by taking over the ship. Like a pirate would.

Mesk admits he’s never even been to Orion and has no idea how to pirate anything. He’s from Cincinnati. Tendi tells him he should just be himself.

Tendi puts her family-trained pirating skills to work, incapacitating the Karemma guards and pulling a metal tooth from one’s mouth.

Breaking into the engine room, Tendi uses the tooth to disrupt the system and decouple the propulsion controls, stopping the ship from entering the wormhole.

The station’s tractor beam locks on and brings the Karemma back for interrogation.

Jennifer points out being the only two not stunned unconscious might be a bad look. Mariner agrees, kisses her, and self-stuns them both. Just before the power comes back on.

The Karemma contingent is in the brig where they protest their imprisonment. When Freeman points out they kidnapped Quark, they reveal that he stole their tech to create the Quark 2000.

Freeman comes up with a compromise. In exchange for Quark’s freedom and a trade agreement, the Karemma will receive 76% of all the Quark’s franchise profits.

Jennifer’s friends are now afraid of Mariner which suits Jennifer and Mariner just fine. Quark sees Mariner and demands she pay her tab. She exchanges a copy of a contraband hologram he wants hidden from Kira instead.

Kira arrives and demands to see the chip Mariner’s just given Quark. He runs off screaming with Kira in pursuit.

The pit boss offers Boimler a Quark’s gift card worth twice the value of the latinum he’s won at the Dabo table. Boimler takes it, pointing out Starfleet doesn’t use money.

Rutherford tells Tendi her heritage is part of who she is and he likes learning about it.

Quark takes the tooth off Tendi.