Deep Space Nine is suffering from numerous glitches. The station's two systems, Federation and Cardassian, are not working well together and the only man who can fix the problems is Chief O'Brien, who is away on assignment. The Chief has gone undercover for Starfleet Intelligence in order to find a Starfleet mole working for the Orion Syndicate. He is able to infiltrate the group with his engineering skills. Now comes the hard part: Being accepted by the Syndicate.
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.