In the year 2375, the Buyout met with the Federation Starfleet starships USS Enterprise-E and USS Pathfinder in orbit of the planet Halka. Apparently, the Buyout had been ordered here by the Ferengi Alliance to negotiate a trade agreement with the Halkans, even though this whole mission was staged by the Preservers. In order to confirm this, the 3 ships attempted to uncover the truth by standing by while they contacted Starfleet for confirmation of the orders.