Stardate 47229.1: An Elaysian named Melora will be coming aboard Deep Space Nine in order to map more of the Gamma Quadrant. Since Elaysians can only function normally in gravity far less than other humanoid species, special modifications have been made to accomodate Melora. As she becomes used to life on the space station, another visitor has made it be known to Quark that the Ferengi is a dead man walking.
When the Cardassian occupation of Bajor ended in 2369, the mining space station Terok Nor was left abandoned, its systems ripped out. By invitation of the Bajoran provisional government, Starfleet stepped in to oversee the rebuilding and day-to-day operations of the newly christened Deep Space Nine.
The years of Starfleet's nonintervention into Cardassian matters, however, had taken its toll on relations with the Bajorans. Consequently, Starfleet's position was a tenuous one; many Bajorans, suspicious and hostile as a result of decades of Cardassian oppression and brutality, did not greet the Federation's presence with open arms. The Federation's assistance is put to the test as DS9 becomes a center of travel and commerce that stretches into the Gamma Quadrant.