Previous Chapter: Chapter 2: Things Are Looking Up
Next Chapter:  Chapter 4:  Blood, Fire, and Steel

The little infodump at the start of the chapter does two things. For me, it gives me an excuse for how a shuttle, limited to normal cruising speeds of warp 2 according to the various technical manuals, could reach the required location in the time allotted. It also gives a fanonical explanation for why a runabout was only gradually outrun by a Jem'Hadar attack ship on a few occasions in DS9 when the Danube-class were supposedly limited to warp 5 according to DS9: "Dax". My reference to Miles O'Brien as "then-Senior Chief" refers to my fanon decision that by 2409 he's the Master Chief Petty Officer of Starfleet.

The language in which Crewman Sherazi is swearing in the second section is transliterated Azerbaijani, one of several languages used in Iran (on the order of 12 million speakers there, according to the CIA World Factbook).

And, of course, "Case Zulu" is a shameless Honor Harrington reference and I borrowed the bit where Brokosh threatens to sew Norigom's mouth shut from the Firefly pilot.