Chapter 4: The Cardassian Union

The Cardassian Union is an interstellar nation that has gone from a peaceful enterprise to a ruthless totalitarian state run by the military to an "ally" and puppet of the Dominion. Now, following the Dominion War, the future of the Cardassian Union hangs in the balance. Its leaders and its people will determine the sort of nation the Union becomes.

The Cardassian Union

Technically speaking, the Cardassian Union isn't a "Union" at all. It was once, an alliance of colonies and newly discovered worlds centered around Cardassia Prime, united primarily by trade. For the past several centuries it has been more of an Empire, ruled by the Cardassians. Cardassians make up the majority of citizens in the Union, although other species are members or allies of the Union. The Union was originally governed by the Detapa Council, which oversaw the Central Command, the Cardassian military, and the Obsidian Order.

In truth, the Central Command held the lion's share of the power in the Union. The Detapa Council merely served to rubber-stamp Central Command's edicts. The Union continued to expand in order to acquire resources for the core worlds, and fought to protect its territories against potential invaders, such as the United Federation of Planets.

In recent years, the Cardassian Union suffered one upheval after another: the toppling of Central Command's governmental power, followed by the Klingon invasion, the toppling of the Detapa Council, the alliance with the Dominion, war with the rest of the Alpha Quadrant, rebellion against the Dominion, and the slaughter of millions of Cardassians. The Union struggles to rebuild following these hardships, but if Cardassians are good at anything, it's recovering from harship. The Federation and the other powers of the Alpha Quadrant merely hope these trials do not harden the Cardassians even further.

Member Worlds

The Cardassian Union emcompasses several dozens star systems in the Alpha Quadrant, located on the spinward border of the Federation, roughly opposite the Romulan Empire. Although it holds dozens of inhabited and inhabitable planets, and trillions of beings, the Union is still smaller than the Federation or the Klingon and Romulan Empires. Cardassians often consider themselves the "underdogs" in the Alpha Quadrant because of this; they feel other interstellar powers look down on them, and wish to prove themselves in the interstellar political arena. Federation analyists often attribute Cardassian aggression and feelings of persecution to this cause.

Cardassian worlds are notoriously resource-poor, particularly in rare and valuable minerals like dilithium, pergium, uridium, and others. Richer worlds found along the Cardassian-Federation border, and in regions like Bajor Sector, are centers of conflict, since the Cardassians sought to claim their resources for themselves. Many resource-poor planets joined the Cardassian Union to gain access to resources from other worlds, while many other worlds were annexed to secure the resources to satisfy these needs.

Becoming a Member

It is widely believed outside the Cardassian Union that worlds become members of the Union solely through conquest. This is not the case. Conquered worlds are not members at all, but "clients" of the Union (see below). True member worlds join the Cardassian Union in much the same way worlds join the United Federation of Planets, they apply to the Cardassian government for membership, and undergo a process of examination to determine if they are a fit addition to the Union.

Originally, the Cardassian Union gladly accepted any world willing to submit to its laws and requirements. These generally involved restrictions on things like weapons, warships, and standing armies. The Cardassian military accepted responsibility for the protection of member worlds, obstensively so they could devote their own resources to other matters, but also to ensure a military monopoly, and to protect themselves from internal threats and rebellions.

Unlike the Federation, the Cardassians have no non-interference directive, so many of the worlds contacted by early Cardassian explorers were primitive in comparison to Cardassia Prime. They gladly joined the Union to gain access to advanced technology, although the Cardassians always restricted this to non-military technology. There was also the unspoken threat of powerful Cardassian warships in orbit above a pre-warp civilization. Did they dare risk saying "no"? Most worlds chose not to find out.

The Union evaluated potential member worlds based mostly on their resources and potential trade. Things like cultural exchange (except in the case of trade items like art or entertainment) were considered largely irrelevant. If a world could contribute to the economic health of the Union, it was generally accepted. If it could not, it was ignored, or possibly conquered in order to make it "useful" through colonization or strip-mining of the world's resources. Candidates for membership in the Union in the last century often scrambled to find things of economic value they could offer, since winning membership was preferable to being conquered.

The more the Cardassian Union expanded, the more Central Command relied on military power and conquest, rather than negotiation, to expand the empire. Many of the outermost worlds of the Union were conquered rather than becoming formal members. This has led border worlds to throw off the yoke of their Cardassian oppressors following the Dominion War. Whether or not the Cardassians will attempt to re-take these worlds (or negotiate some other arrangement with them) remains to be seen.

Currently, the Union's massive internal problems have brought the incorporation of new worlds down to nothing. The member worlds are focused entirely on re-construction, establishing a new government, and repairing damage done by the war. The Union may adopt a more egalitarian membership policy in the future, but for now, no other worlds are interested in joining.

Privileges of Membership

Compared to membership in the Federation, or even in the Romulan Empire, membership in the Cardassian Union originally meant little more than the opportunity to avoid outright military conquest by the Cardassians. Member worlds were extremely limited in their individual rights within the Union. They were particularly restricted from having their own military or security forces, or military vessels of any kind. The Cardassian Central Command maintained order throughout the Union. Member worlds were also restricted in their trading relationships with other worlds. The Cardassian Union sought to keep valuable trade and resources inside its borders, rather than trading heavily with outside civilizations.

Still, member worlds did receive certain benefits. The first and foremost was the protection of the Central Command. Piracy and other forms of aggression were not tolerated and the Cardassian military ruthlessly rooted out any threats to the public order. Member worlds contributed to support the Central Command, but they were able to turn some resources towards civilian concerns as well. This was particularly important to worlds along the Klingon border, which valued the protection the Union offered them against Klingon warriors and renegades.

Member worlds also received preferential trade status within the Cardassian Union, based on their seniority. Generally, this meant Cardassian worlds received the best goods, but many other member worlds reaped the benefits of client worlds like Bajor, which were stripped of their resources. At its height, citizens of the Cardassian Union enjoyed a reasonably high standard of living, comparable to the Romulan and Klingon Empires, although still inferior to the core worlds of the Federation.

Lastly, member worlds shared the fruit of Cardassia's advanced technology. Although the Central Command restricted access to certain technologies (mainly military-grade weapons and shields) considerable technology, from warp-drive to replicators, found its way into the hands of member worlds. Since they had no equivalent of the Federation's Prime Directive, the Cardassians often gave technology to species barely out of the Bronze Age, although they always made sure their technology would not be used against them. To these member races, the Federation appears a stingy civilization, protecting its technological monopoly in order to dominate less-developed species.

In the wake of the Dominion War, all these benefits are in doubt. The Cardassian military is weakened, their economy in shambles, and their technology generally inferior (although some surviving examples of Dominion technology offer some interesting possibilities). It is possible some member worlds of the Union will look to secede, petitioning to join the Federation or the Klingon Empire, or striking out on their own. The first challenge of the new Cardassian government is keeping the Union together. Fortunately, for the time being, the member worlds are best served by remaining in the Union and helping to rebuild, rather than going it alone.

Affiliates

A number of planets in and near Cardassian space hold "affiliate" status with the Union. This is intermediate status between indepedence and membership. The world signs a mutual treaty of alliance with the Cardassian Union and gains certain rights and priviledges, in exchange for trade concessions and agreements to respect Cardassian space and right of passage. The inhabitants of Klaestron IV are one example. After a Federation representative failed to mediate their civil war some years ago, the victorious Klaestron government signed a treaty with the Cardassian Union to trade for the materials and technology to rebuild.

Generally speaking, affiliates are worlds the Cardassians desire relations with, but choose not to become members of the Union for various reasons, and are too difficult or costly to conquer outright. Klaestron IV, for example, is actually a member of the Federation. Since it could not join the Union, and the Cardassians could not annex the planet without provoking reprisals from the Federation, affiliate status provided the most mutually beneficial relationship.

Affiliates of the Cardassian Union receive favorable trading status, but not the military protection of the Central Command. By the same token, affiliates are entitled to maintain their own planetary defense forces, although the operation of these forces is severely restricted within Cardassian space. They are generally limited only to the affiliate's own system or space.

Affiliate status sometimes leads to a world becoming a full member of the Union at a later time. Unofficially, the Cardassian Union also used affilated worlds to create "buffer zones" between the Union and other interstellar powers, like the Klingon Empire. The Dominion showed not compunction about turning these buffer zones into battlefields during the war, souring the Union's relations with many of its affiliates.

Some affiliates are found along the Federation/Cardassian border, mostly Federation worlds willing to trade with the Cardassians. These relationships were suspended during the Dominion War, when many affiliates sided with the Federation or did their best to remain neutral. More affiliates are found along the Klingon/Cardassian border, usually worlds that prefer to trade with the Union rather than the Empire. The remainder are found along the spinward border of the Union.

Client Worlds

A large number of "Cardassian worlds" in the Union are actually client worlds, which are not members of the Union at all, and enjoy none of the benefits, but provide the vital resources the Union needs. Client worlds are nearly always resource-rich, although that term is relative from the point of view of resource-poor Cardassia. They are also weakly defended, making them easy prey for the Cardassian military machine.

The standard Cardassian approach to annexing a client world was similar to acquiring member planets; a gul or other commanding officer approached the planetary government (or the largest and most powerful government on the planet) and offered membership in the Union, including "assistance" from the Cardassians in matters of technology and "resource development." The standard agreement included trade with other worlds in the Union. Planetary officials were clearly informed that refusing the honor of membership could cause them problems with their Cardassian neighbors. This alone was enough to cause many worlds to capitulate.

Those worlds that did not accept this reasonable proposal were invaded and conquered outright. Other worlds were conquered more slowly, as Cardassian "advisors" gathered up the reins of power until they were ready to abolish the local government and place power in the hands of a Cardassian Prefect. Conquests were carried out with ruthless efficiency; Cardassian commanders did not hesitate to execute civilians in order to force compliance with their directives.

Once a client world was taken, the Cardassians methodically began looting its resources, treating the client as nothing more than a source of raw material for the rest of the Union. The Cardassians used slave labor, strip mining, looting, and other immoral or dangerous practices to extract everything of value from the client world, which was abandoned once its resources were exhausted. The fate of the Union's client worlds often encouraged other planets into becoming member or affilate worlds, if only to avoid a similar fate.

The most famous example of Cardassian client world policy is Bajor, which the Cardassians annexed in 2328, under the guise of "assisting" the peaceful Bajorans in "utilizing their world's resources." Bajorans were forced into labor camps, or allowed some degree of freedom if they cooperated with their Cardassian overlords. The Bajoran religion (a source of rebellion) was banned, and religious leaders were arrested. Over the next several decades, the Cardassians systematically stripped Bajor of its resources, which were shipped to other worlds in the Union. One of the prime reasons for the Cardassian withdrawl from Bajor in 2369 was the exhaustion of many of the planet's resources.

The disposition of Cardassian client worlds has long been a touchy subject for the Federation. Before a client world is annexed, the Federation is forbidden to interfere in its society or government. After a client world is annexed, it is a part of the Cardassian Union, therefore the Federation remains forbidden to interfere in what is, technically, the affairs of a foreign power. In practice, of course, the Federation does what it can to assist worlds annexed by the Cardassians. Federation assistance proved vital in Bajor's recovery from the occupation, and in preventing the Cardassians from re-taking control of the planet later on.

The Dominion War placed greater demands on Cardassia's resources than ever before. Cut off from the Gamma Quadrant, the Dominion needed new cloning facilities, shipyards, weapons plants, and ketracel white facilities, and the materials to build them came from the Cardassian Union. This led to increased production quotas for client worlds, and the need to take additional worlds to mine for resources. With the aid of the Jem'Hadar, the Cardassians were easily able to annex additional worlds along the former DMZ and their spinward border, stripping them clean like a school of hungry pirhana.

Since the end of the war, the fate of the remaining Cardassian client worlds is undecided. The Cardassians abandoned many such worlds near the war's end, focused on protecting and rebuilding the core of the Union. Many former client worlds are little more than dead husks, stripped bare of every useful resource. Others are doing their best to rebuild. The Federation has offered humanitarian aid, but their resources are also stretched thin, leaving many worlds on their own, and at the mercy of pirates, raiders, and other predators.

Sample Members

Some of the areas belonging to the Union include: the Algira sector; the Almatha sector; the Altenek Nor Shipyards; Amleth Prime (a planet located within an emission nebula; the Central Command maintains a station there); Arawath Colony; the Argaya system (near the DMZ border); the Aschelan system (a fuel depot exists on Aschelan V); the Celtris system; the Chin'toka system (once a key component of the Cardassian defense structure); the Cuellar system; the Dopa system; the Kelrabi system; the Kora system (Kora II is the location of a Cardassian military academy); the Lamenda system; the Lazon system (Thomas Riker is imprisoned at the labor camp on Lazon II); Loval (the site of a weapons research facility); the McAllister C-5 Nebula; the Monak system (former site of the Monak IV shipyards); the Omekla system (Omekla III is the site of a major Cardassian shipyard); the Orias system (controlled by the Obsidian Order, which has a base and illegal shipyard on Orias III); the Penthath system (near the Cardassian-Klingon border); the Pullock system; the Rakal system (a subterranean base exists on the fourth moon of Rakal III); the Valo system (located between Bajoran and Cardassian territory); and the Volnar system (home of the Volnar III mining colony).

System Name: The Arawath System
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
System Type: Arawath, orange, bright, main-sequence star (K3 V)
Inhabited Planets: Arawath II (Class M)
Other Planets: Arawath I (Class F), Arawath III (Class H), Arawath IV (Class K), Arawath V (Class F)
Other Stellar Objects: Cometary oort could outside the orbit of Arawath V
Artificial Objects: Cardassian satellites in orbit of Arawath II
SIS: Cardassian colony world and home to a secret Obsidian Order base.

Planet Name: Arawath II
Class: M
System Data: Two small moons
Gravity: 1.2 G
Year and Day: 324/29
Atmosphere: Oxygen-nitrogen at slightly lower than Earth-normal pressure
Hydrosphere: 40% surface water, concentrated in small lakes and tarns
Climate: Hot and dry
Sapient Species: Cardassians
Tech Level: Level Six
Government: Military oligarchy secretly controlled by the Obsidian Order
Culture: Relaxed (for Cardassians), but guarded against outsiders.
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
Resources: Limited metallic resources
Places of Note: The Jan'darin Mountain Range, known for its high peaks and spectacular crystal formations. Gosh'ent City, the planet's primary colony.
Ship Facilities: Limited ground-based spaceport
Other Details: Arawath has a far larger number of influencial Cardassians than its population would suggest.

Located well within the Cardassian border, Arawath II is an active and thriving colony. Although most humanoids find Arawath II's hot, dry climate uncomfortable, it is ideally suited for Cardassians, who find the planet's weather quite pleasant. Over the past twenty years, Arawath developed a reputation as a fine place for older Cardassians who prefer a warmer climate to retire, and a place for younger Cardassians and famility to carve out a niche for themselves. The colony has an older than average population because of this, and a number of Cardassian legates and other influencial people retired to Arawath.

Because of the concentration of important people in the colony, the Obsidian Order maintains a secret base on Arawath, keeping a close eye on the population for any signs of trouble. There have never been any, but things on Arawath changed recently. The events of the Dominion War largely bypassed Arawath, it is too remote and has no military or strategic value. Now, with the loss of so many Cardassian leaders and officials during the war, many of the retirees on Arawath are finding their talents in demand once again. While some prefer to remain retired, or want nothing to do with talk of a "new Cardassia," many others are returning to serve the Union once again. Arawath II is fast becoming a center for political action in the Union.

System Name: The Cuellar System
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
System Type: dwarf blue-white star (B1 V)
Inhabited Planets: Cuellar II (Class L)
Other Planets: Cuellar I (Class F), Cuellar III (Class F), Cuellar IV (Class J), Cuellar V (Class J), Cuellar VI (Class F)
Other Stellar Objects: None
Artificial Objects: Cuellar Science Station
SIS: Cardassian scientific and military colony, battered by the events of the war.

Planet Name: Cuellar II
Class: L
System Data: One moon
Gravity: 0.9 G
Year and Day: 289/21
Atmosphere: Oxygen-argon at slightly greater than Earth-normal pressure
Hydrosphere: 0& surface water
Climate: Cold and dry
Sapient Species: Cardassians
Tech Level: Level Six
Government: Military oligarchy
Culture: Regimented and rustic, somewhat paranoid
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
Resources: None. Items of archeological interest only.
Places of Note: Cuellar Nor, in orbit above the planet's surface
Ship Facilities: Docking and repair facilities at Cuellar Station
Other Details: A long-standing military base with access to several Federation sectors.

The Cuellar System is located along the Federation/Cardassian border, near several Federation sectors. In 2365, the Cardassian Union established a small scientific colony on Cuellar II, along with Cuellar Nor, a large science station in orbit, obstensively to study ancient ruins on the planet's surface. Cuellar II shows signs of terraforming by an as yet unknown species, which left few signs of its presence.

In truth, Cuellar Nor was established as a military supply depot and launching point into Federation space, in the event of renewed hostilities between the Union and the Federation. Cardassian supply ships, running with high-energy sub-space fields to shield them from sensor scans, made regular visits to Cuellar Nor carrying weapons and other military supplies.

In 2367, the Federation starship U.S.S. Phoenix attacked and destroyed Cuellar Nor without warning. Tensions soared along the border as both sides prepared for war, but the Federation starship Enterprise, with the aid of Cardassian Gul Mocet, were able to defuse the situation, and return the Phoenix to Federation space.

The Cardassian Central Command rebuilt Cuellar Nor and continued to use the station as a secret military depot, despite warnings from the Detapa Council and those concerned about possible Federation reprisals. The attention given to the Bajor sector allowed Cuellar Nor to operate without any further interference from the Federation. The station served as a valuable site in the Dominion War, reinforced by Jem'Hadar troops and ships. It survived several attacks from Federation and Klingon forces.

Presently, Cuellar Nor is still operating, but at significantly reduced capacity. Its systems are in an almost constant state of repair, and it is severely understaffed. There is talk of making the station into a diplomatic as well as a military facility, should relations with the Federation improve.

System Name: The Kora System
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
System Type: Bright yellow-white main sequence star (F1 V)
Inhabited Planets: Kora II (Class M)
Other Planets: Kora I (Class F), Kora III (Class H), Kora IV (Class H), Kora V (Class G)
Other Stellar Objects: None
Artificial Objects: Satellites and spacedock facilities orbiting Kora II
SIS: Prosperous Cardassian colony world, home to a prominent military academy.

Planet Name: Kora II
Class: M
System Data: Two moons
Gravity: 1.1 G
Year and Day: 486/26
Atmosphere: Oxygen-nitrogen at Earth normal pressure
Hydrosphere: 60% surface water
Climate: Warm and temperate
Sapient Species: Cardassians
Tech Level: Level Six
Government: Military oligarchy
Culture: Strongly militaristic and conservative.
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
Resources: Limited, primarily water extraction technology and ship facilities.
Places of Note: Kora Military Academy, located on the southern continent.
Ship Facilities: Orbital spacedock facilities.
Other Details: None

A mature Cardassian colony well over a hundred years old, Kora II is home to the prestigious Kora Military Academy. Graduation from the Kora Academy once put an officer on a fast-track to promotion and advancement, and the Academy is well known for its training in logistics and tactics. During the war, the Academy's programs were accelerated to turn out officers to replenish the depleted ranks of the military. This led to a lowering of standards. Any objections were overcome by the desperate need for new personnel. Otherwise, Kora II was only peripherally affected by the war, not lying on any strategic routes.

Since the end of the war, the Academy and military personnel of Kora II looked forward to a return to traditional Cardassian order, but this does not appear forthcoming. There is considerable debate about Cardassia's future in the Alpha Quadrant, and the most prominent men and women of Kora II favor a return to "traditional values," which is to say rule by the military and the enforcement of public order. Certainly, the planet stands to lose considerable prestiege if the Central Command and the military are eclipsed. While the Academy continues to train new officers to serve and honor the Cardassian Union, there have been protests, both pro- and anti-military, on the planet.

System Name: The Lazon System
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
System Type: Dim red supergiant star (M7 Ib)
Inhabited Planets: Lazon II (Class H)
Other Planets: Lazon I (Class F), Lazon III (Class F), Lazon IV (Class H), Lazon V (Class J), Lazon VI (Class J), Lazon VII (Class F)
Other Stellar Objects: Cometary oort cloud beyond the orbit of Lazon VII
Artificial Objects: Ore-processing facility in orbit of Lazon II
SIS: Cardassian prison colony and mining station.

Planet Name: Lazon II
Class: H
System Data: One small moon
Gravity: 0.87 G
Year and Day: 344/32
Atmosphere: Carbon dioxide-nitrogen
Hydrosphere: 0% surface water
Climate: Cold and dry
Sapient Species: Cardassians, plus various prisoners
Tech Level: Level Six
Government: Military oligarchy
Culture: None
Affiliation: Cardassian Union
Resources: Mineral deposits including borite and uridium
Places of Note: Underground mining facilities
Ship Facilities: Limited spacedock and repair facilities on board Gevik Nor
Other Details: Regularly patrolled by Cardassian ships, access to the system restricted

A cold, rocky planet orbiting a dim red star, Lazon II is one of many Cardassian prison facilities scattered throughout the Union. It is essentially a vast slave-labor camp where prisoners mine and refine ores like borite and uridium for shipment throughout the Union. Most of the prisoners on Lazon II are here for political reasons, they include Cardassian dissidents, smugglers, pirates, political prisoners, and prisoners of war. This includes no few Federation and Romulan prisoners, and even a few dishonored Klingons (although they are usually more trouble than they are worth as laborers).

The commanding officer and warden of the prison, Gul Remoth, runs the place like his personal fiefdom, ruling with an iron hand. Central Command has little interest in what goes on at Lazon II, so long as production quotas are met. Remoth's men use stun sticks and beatings to keep prisoners in line, and conditions in the mines are brutal. The prisoners tend to organize themselves into gangs for mutual protection.

One prominent prison gang is led by a former Starfleet officer named Thomas Riker, sent to Lazon II for acts of terrorism against the Cardassians while he was a member of the Maquis. Riker is a wily and charming man, and he plans to escape from Lazon eventually. Now that the Dominion War is over, there is some question about the fate of prisoners in facilities like Lazon II. While some prisoners of war will not doubt be repatriated to their homes, there is talk of a general amnesty. Gul Remoth would see all the prisoners on Lazon dead rather than allow them to leave. He secretly plans a massacre, under the guise of "quelling riots," should orders of amnesty come from Cardassia Prime.

System Name: The Valo System
Affiliation: Unaffiliated
System Type: Main-sequence yellow star (G3 V)
Inhabited Planets: Valo II (Class M), Valo III (Class M)
Other Planets: Valo I (Class F), Valo IV (Class J), Valo V (Class F)
Other Stellar Objects: None
Artificial Objects: None
SIS: Former Bajoran settlement area, now a haven to rogues and criminals.

Planet Name: Valo II
Class: M
System Data: No moons
Gravity: 1.04 G
Year and Day: 314/22
Atmosphere: Oxygen-nitrogen at Earth-normal pressure
Hydrosphere: 45% surface water
Climate: Dry and temperate
Sapient Species: No native species
Tech Level: Level Five-Six
Government: None
Culture: Rough and tumble frontier society
Affiliation: None
Resources: None
Places of Note: None
Ship Facilities: None
Other Details: None

The Valo system, located in the Bajor sector near Cardassian space, is one of several systems settled by Bajoran refugees during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. Both Valo II and Valo III are Class M, although characterised by dry climate and limited natural resources. The Bajoran refugees lived in encampments and settlements on the surface of both planets. They lacked even basic necessities like food and blankets, gathering whatever they could from the local environment, and trading for or stealing the rest.

After the Cardassian withdrawl from Bajor, most of the refugees in the Valo system returned to their home world, although some chose to continue the fight against the Cardassians. A group of terrorists known as the Bajora operate from the moon of Valo I, which contains metallic deposits that foil sensor scans. They are led by a Bajoran man named Orta, who was tortured and multilated at the hands of Cardassian interrogators. Orta covers his scarred face with a veil and uses a speech synthesizer to comprensate for his severed vocal cords, giving him an eerie presence. By his own admission, he has no interest in the freedom of Bajor or peace with Cardassia, he wants only revenge against all Cardassians. Most of Orta's followers fit the same frame of mind. They use their small, fast ships to attack Cardassian vessels, plant bombs on Cardassian stations, and generally harass any available Cardassian targets.

The abandoned camps and settlements in the Valo system have become a haven for pirates, smugglers, rogues, and other unsavory types operating along the Cardassian border near Bajor. There is a thriving black market on Valo II, where customers can find nearly any item or service available in Bajor Sector.

The Detapa Council

The Detapa Council is the governing body of the Cardassian Union, at least in theory. In practice, the Council held power for scant few of the 500 years of its existence. Until recently, it served primarily as a puppet of other factions on Cardassia. Now the Detapa Council has an opportunity to govern the Cardassian Union. It only remains to be seen whether or not a new generation of Cardassian leadership can seize the opportunity and make it happen.

History

The Detapa Council was founded some five centuries years ago on Cardassia Prime, before the development of warp-travel and the Union as it exists today. The original Council formed from a loose alliance of nobles, military leaders, and aristocrats following the end of the Second Hebitian period.

The Cardassia of the time was a chaotic collection of city-states and warring nations that only recently began to settle their differences with diplomacy rather than weapons. The Council was Cardassia's first true world government. In order to satisfy the different factions involved, representatives on the council were chosen from a broad section of the population, both civilian and military, to represent the greatest possible range of interests. Membership on the Council was awarded according to merit and ability, although local and regional politics influenced the choice of candidate. It was a compromise organization, but it worked, at least at first.

The Detapa Council managed to unify the disparate nations of Cardassia by holding out a dream of a stronger, more prosperous world for all Cardassians. Their newfound prosperity would come from the stars, the Council said, all Cardassians had to do was to reach out and seize their rightful destiny. So it was with great fervor that Cardassian society devoted itself to the development and perfection of spaceflight, first using lightships and chemical rockets, followed by ion drives, impulse drive and, finally, warp-drive technology.

The development of these new technologies was overseen by the Cardassian military, the self-appointed guardians of public order. The Central Command allocated resources, directed research, maintained law and order, and protected Cardassia from any outside threat. It wasn't long before the Central Command dominated all major areas of Cardassian life. At first, the Detapa Council was content to allow Central Command free rein, since it functioned so efficiently. By the time the Council realized they were merely approving decisions Central Command already made, it was too late. Central Command held the power, and they weren't about to let it go. Their continued success allowed the Cardassian military to maintain a strangehold on the government for centuries.

For years the Detapa Council was made up of popular figureheads able to play to the people in public ceremonies and broadcasts. The members of the Council had prestiege, but little or no political power, and they knew it. Occasionally, a young idealist would make it onto the Council, only to be rendered impotent by the Council's restrictions and the influence of the Central Command. Many in Central Command actually considered the Council a good place to keep an eye on political agitators and opponents where they could do no harm. The military members of the Council held all the power.

That changed when a civilian uprising on Cardassia Prime overthrew Central Command, following the devestation of the Obsidian Order in the Omarion Nebula Incident. Suddenly, the Detapa Council found themselves holding the reins of power, and facing the possibility of a Klingon invasion. At a loss for what to do, the Council accepted the assistance of Gul Dukat in escaping Cardassia Prime before the Klingons could arrive to execute them, suspecting they were Founders in diguise.

The invasion was halted and the Council returned to power just in time for Gul Dukat to negotiate an alliance between Cardassia and the Dominion. The influence of the Council waned again as Dukat became supreme ruler of Cardassia in the Dominion's name. When Dukat went mad and disappeared from public view his aide, Gul Demar, assumed his position. Demar turned against the Dominion and was killed fighting to overthrow them.

After the Dominion War was over, a new Detapa Council was formed from the surviving members, plus capable Cardassian citizens. Some retired Cardassian legates returned to the homeworld to offer their wisdom and assistance in the rebuilding process. The Council now seeks to build a newer, stronger Cardassia and to put aside the mistakes of the past.

Composition

The Detapa Council traditionally has fifteen members, although the Council has allowed some seats to remain vacant at times in the past. Members of the Council have all achieved the position of legate in Cardassian society, allowing them to be entrusted with the public welfare. The law restricts the number of Central Command officials on the Council to no more than five. Despite this, Central Command was able to exercise near complete control over the Council through their influence in nearly every other aspect of Cardassian life, particularly with the aid and cooperation of the Obsidian Order. Now, with the overthrow of Central Command and the end of the Dominion War, many of the civilian members of the Council are reasserting their authority.

Election

By Cardassian law, members of the Detapa Council are elected to their positions by a vote of the general populace. Five seats on the Council are up for election every two years, theoretically resulting in a complete change in council membership every six years. In practice, however, there is no limit to the number of terms a legate may serve on the Council, and many members serve ten, fifteen, or even twenty terms before they choose to retire.

Although Council elections are conducted by popular vote, the voting is heavily influenced by the candidates' vasala, particularly their connections with important organizations like Central Command and the Obsidian Order. In the past, Central Command (working through the Council) nominated candidates, which the people then voted on. So long as Central Command controlled nominations, they were ensured of Council members who would maintain the status quo.

The concept of "political parties" as they existed on Earth and other planets is foreign to the Cardassians. Each candidate's vasala forms his or her own "party" to offer support and secure votes, but vasala is considerably more personal and interconnected than a political party. Cardassian politics, like most of Cardassian society, is replete with trading favors and secret alliances. As is often the case with democratic politics, Cardassian elections were often more of a popularity contest than any true measure of the candidates' ability to do the job.

With the weakening of the Central Command and the Obsidian Order, free elections on Cardassia promise to be quite interesting in the future. Potential councilors are already gathering support through their vasalas, while current members of the council work to protect their positions. Some political analyists are already citing concerns that Cardassian politicians are more interested in protecting their jobs than working together to rebuild Cardassia and the Union.

The Prefect

The Detapa Council selects one of its members to act as the head of the Council and Supreme Prefect of the Cardassian Union. The Prefect runs Council meetings and serves as a tie-breaking vote. He is also the Supreme Commander of the Cardassian military. For generations, the Prefect of the Union was always a member of Central Command and a military officer. The military would not follow a civilian Prefect and it was well known among the Council that such an election would lead to an outright military coup. In order to keep their power and position, the Council always elected one of its military members as Prefect.

After the Omarion Nebula incident, popular support swung away from Central Command, and the civilian members of the Detapa Council seized the opportunity to further weaken the military's grip on the government. Unfortunately, the Klingon Empire took their uncharacteristic act of defiance as proof the civilian members of the Council were actually disguised changeling infiltrators. This provoked the Klingon invasion of Cardassian space, and forced the Detapa Council to flee Cardassia Prime to avoid capture and execution.

Since the end of the Dominion War, the Detapa Council proceeded more carefully. Ironically, Legate Demar would have been assured the position of Prefect, despite his military background, had he survived the rebellion against the Dominion. As it stands now, the Council's acting-Prefect is Legate Turrell, an elder-statesman on the Council with strong civilian support. Turrell's influence and vesala will likely see him confirmed as Prefect in the near future when free elections begin on Cardassian.

Powers

The Detapa Council controls the legislative and executive power of the Cardassian government. The Council drafts and passes legislation, sees to the enforcement of laws, raises and distributes money for the operation of the government, controls the Cardassian economy, and sees to the defense of the Union. Although the Council has considerable power according to the letter of the law, it has been largely impotent for centuries. Most of the Council's edicts were dictated entirely by Central Command.

Councilors can draft and propose legislation before the Council. Any new legislation is debated and considered among the members, with the sponsoring Councilor speaking first. In the case of legislation already approved or denied by Central Command, this process was largely for show; the decision was already made. Currently, debate is a vital part of the Council's operation, and some of the issues surrounding the reconstruction of Cardassia are hotly debated.

By law, the Council and the Supreme Prefect exercise control over Central Command and the Obsidian Order. Again, in practice things were quite different. Central Command and the Obsidian Order split most governmental power between them, leaving the Detapa Council as puppets to carry out their wishes. The Order left day-to-day matters in the hands of Central Command, but got whatever it wanted when it did choose to exercise its influence. After the Omarion Nebula incident, the power of the Order weakened considerably. Central Command tried to tighten its control over the populace, leading to a backlash against the military.

Presently, the Detapa Council retains its power over the military and the Obsidian Order in theory, but the matter is considerably more complex in reality. Vesala is more important than ever, with the most powerful factions and individuals in Cardassian society working to gather support for their personal agendas. While the Council is no longer a puppet of other factions, its power is by no means unchallenged. Forces within the military and the espionage community look toward returning things to the way they were before the Omarion Nebula incident, while forward-thinkers and reformers try to concentrate power in civilian hands.

Procedures

For most matters, the Detapa Council requires only a simple majority vote. However, in Cardassian politics, a "simple majority" is almost a contradiction in terms. Technically, all members of the Council are equal in rank. In practice, however, the voting power of each Councilor is determined by his or her vesala. In effect, the Councilor holds the "proxy votes" of a number of other, lower-ranked, officials and citizens. These citizens in turn hold proxies, and so on down the line to the lowest level of Cardassian government, the people themselves.

This means voting is often a complex proceedure, where the individual Councilors each hold a number of "votes" based on their vesala. This is one of the reasons the Central Command was able to dominate the Council for so many years, the military's vesala was the most influential by far, giving a minority of the Council the lion's share of voting power, which they exercised to maintain their hegemony.

Councilors are not required to cast all their votes for the same outcome. A number of political maneuvers involve splitting votes among different possibilities, either to balance other influences on the Council, to satisfy certain factions in the Councilor's own vesala, or to insulate the Councilor against later criticism, such as "partially abstaining" from a vote while actually providing it support. Vesala often demands a Councilor try to be all things to all sides, which can result in bizarre distributions of votes.

In day-to-day matters, the Council Prefect holds executive power, including command over the military. The majority of the Prefect's decisions are later ratified by the Council. When the Central Command dominated the Council, nearly all its votes were rubber stamps on the decisions of the military Prefect. Now many Councilors prefer to limit the Prefect's powers out of fear of abuse, although most agree the Prefect must remain able to make decisions for the good of the Cardassian people. Overturning a decision of the Prefect requires a two-thirds majority of the Council, and the Prefect gets to vote, so such vetoes are rare.

Titles

The Cardassian government has its own titles for officials. A prefect governs a colony or client world. A legate is a high-ranked official in the Cardassian government, while the higher ranks require membership in the Central Command or a position on the Detapa Council. Using the Governmental Rank advantage from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine RPG, we get the following costs for government positions in the Cardassian Union.

Cost	Position
2	Prefect
3	Legate
4	Member of the Central Command
5	Member of the Detapa Council
6	Head of the Detapa Council/Prefect of the Cardassian Union

Ministries of the Council

The Detapa Council and the Prefect delegate much of the daily operation of the Cardassian government to a variety of ministries, each headed by a minister. Ministers are appointed by the Council, and may be dismissed at their pleasure. Like most of Cardassian politics, their appointments and dismissals are largely decided by vesala. The Ministers generally report directly to the Prefect, who in turn presents their reports to the Detapa Council. Ministers advise the Prefect on matters concerning the Cardassian Union, and often have considerable influence because of this. There are dozens of ministries, some acting under the guidance of others. The most important ministries are detailed here.

Defense

The Ministry of Defense is nominally in charge of the Cardassian military, at least from a budgetary and oversight standpoint. Of course, this has not actually been the case for centuries. Central Command assigned a senior or retired officer the position of Defense Minister as a reward for years of loyal service, and the job was widely known as a "confortable retirement position" requiring almost no work. In the past century or so, the Central Command dispensed with even the pretense of reporting its actions to the Ministry of Defense, the entire office was little more than a sham.

Since the end of the Dominion War, the positon of Defense Minister is a hotly contested one. The current Minister, Legate Joban, is an "old guard" Cardassian officer. There is considerable call to replace him with a civilian minister, to ensure the military does not get out of hand. However, there is concern that a civilian will not have the respect of the military, and fear of a military coup if the Central Command is marginalized too much. Joban, suddenly finding himself holding real power, is doing his best to walk the line between the two camps.

Economy

The Ministry of the Economy values currency, oversees trade negotiations and treaties, sets interest rates and currency exchange, and performs economic forecasts and analyses for the Detapa Council.

The ministry serves as a scapegoat for many of Cardassia's ills in the wake of the Dominion War. Damage to the Union's economy is laid across the ministry's doorstep, despite the fact it had little or no say in the policies of Central Command, or the Dominion. The Council is conducting a purge of personnel in the ministry, and only those with the strongest vesala will weather the storm unscathed. They will form the core of a new Economic Ministry, charged with the herculean task of rebuilding the Cardassian Union's shattered economy and establishing trade relations with other powers in the Alpha Quadrant, which remain suspicious of Cardassia.

Internal Security

The Ministry of Internal Security, or simply the Security Ministry, has long been a puppet of the Obsidian Order. The ministry's duties involve enforcing the law and maintaining public order. In practice, they served as a public arm of the Order, conducting searches and interrogations, surveillance of suspected troublemakers, arrests of known or suspected criminals, and so forth. Members of Internal Security often played the role of honest and harried public officials, encouraging criminal suspects to cooperate with them, rather than being turned over to the "tender mercies" of the Obsidian Order. The ministry is riddled with undercover agents of the Order, keeping watch over the watchers themselves.

When the Omarion Nebula incident weakened the Obsidian Order, Internal Security gained in power. Under the Dominion, they cooperated with the Jem'Hadar to enforce the Dominion's laws, but by end of the war Internal Security officers turned against the Dominion en masse rather than turn their weapons on their own people. Their assistance greatly aided the rebellion in ousting the Dominion from Cardassia Prime.

Currently, Internal Security and the Obsidian Order exist in an uneasy symbiotic relationship. The ministry still fears the Order's influence, but it has considerably more power of its own. For its part, the Obsidian Order needs Internal Security to serve as a front-organizations, and is doing what it can to re-establish its control over the ministry.

Justice

The Ministry of Justice oversees the interpretation of Cardassian law, and the application of those laws in civil and criminal proceedings. Cardassian jurists are referred to as archons, and the Supreme Archon is also Minister of Justice.

For generations, the Ministry of Justice operated largely as another arm of Central Command. Trials were little more than a formality, since Central Command handed down verdicts, and sentences, in advance. A trial only served to publicly confirm them.

Currently, the Ministry of Justice is a strong influence for reform on Cardassia Prime. Many archons are actually exercising their judicial power to help ensure only the guilty are punished, and that the laws of the Union are upheld. Legal journals and forums are publishing new interpretations of Cardassian laws, and new precedents are being set by agents of the ministry to support the power of the Detapa Council and reassert the true intentions of the Union's founders.

Public Health & Culture

The Ministry of Public Health & Culture oversees the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the Cardassian people. De-emphasized almost to the point of nonexistence under Central Command, this ministry is being revived and given greater priority by the new government.

Under the Central Command, the ministry had little or no funding, and was primarily concerned with maintaining public health, and distributing propaganda approved by Central Command. The ministry made do with whatever resources it could pull together. Its physicians and councilors worked long hours for little pay, leading to considerable apathy and mistreatment of those under their care. Members of the Ministry of Health often harbor sympathies for the Underground movement, while many others are outright members of it. They seek social and health care reforms as part of their goals.

Associate ministers working in the Culture department of the ministry are some of the best-educated, and least-heeded, members of Cardassian society. They continue to study fragments of Cardassia's ancient culture, literature, art, and music, both to learn more about the history of their society and in hopes of reviving some of the Cardassian's cultural achievements.

Science

The Ministry of Science is concerned with scientific research and the development of new technologies. Like the other ministries, it functioned as little more than an arm of Central Command during the military rule of Cardassia. The ministry's prime tasks involved the development of new military technology like weapons and shields, as well as research with potential military applications, such as the study of the Bajoran orbs.

It might be the influence of the orbs, or simply the high level of education among the scientists, but the Ministry of Science has long been a bastion of the underground reform movement. Scientists in the ministry chaffed under the rule of Central Command, and longed for opportunities to collaborate with their Federation and Romulan counterparts, working on pure research rather than military applications. Some sought to further the position of science in Cardassian culture, while others merely wanted to end the military domination of the Union.

Since the end of the Dominion War, the Ministry of Science is little better off than before. The Detapa Council cannot afford to devote resources to scientific research when the Union has more pressing economic and social needs. Ironically, this has split the ministry between support for a civilian government and those who fondly recall the military government where they were, if not appreciated, at least well-funded.

Allocation

Originally, a sub-ministry of Economy, Allocation was elevated to full Ministry status after the Gharva Riots of 2348 on Cardassia Prime. In an empire where resources are scarce, their careful allocation is a matter of some priority. Officials called lexors handle resource allocation on the regional or planetary level, working closely with the military. Allocation was so closely overseen by Central Command that many officers joked it was the civilian branch of the military. Allocation's vast influence and close ties with Central Command encouraged corruption and influence-peddling among lexors seeking to increase their vesala. It also created a vast black market for goods throughout the Union.

With the fall of Central Command and the Dominion withdrawl, Allocation is coming under considerable scrutiny from the Detapa Council. The Union's resources are stretched extremely thin, and its survival may depend on their proper allocation and distribution. Many lexors are trying to cover up misappropriation of resources and secure their positions in the new regime.

Local Government

The Cardassian concept of vesala extends to the local government as well. Local government authorities, such as plantary and colonial governors, are known as prefects. A prefect is supported by an extensive bureaucracy that handles the day-to-day matters of governing, including representatives from the major ministries of the Cardassian government.

Most of the ministries are notorious for their lack of cooperation with each other, so prefects often spend considerable time building relationships (vesala again) with ministers and bureaucrats in order to get things done. Of course, the majority of prefects in the Cardassian Union are also military officers, so they had the authority of Central Command backing them up. With the Detapa Council currently in power, it is likely they will appoint more civilian prefects to administer the reconstruction effort throughout the Union.

The Cardassian Underground

Not all Cardassians were happy under the rule of Central Command. Indeed, they aruge that no one except the military was happy under the rule of Central Command, but few were willing to say so. The constant oppression, the poor economic conditions (which they felt could be eliminated by reducing military expenditures), and the general conduct of foreign affairs, were all bones of contention.

Some of these disgruntled citizens formed an underground movement with the express goal of turning the Cardassian Union into a non-militaristic democracy. The movement's members include not only civilians (such as well-known leaders Rekelen, Hogue, and Natima Lang) but some legates and even members of the Detapa Council. One such member, Legate Ghemor, was uncovered by the Obsidian Order in 2371 and forced to flee Cardassia. He has since returned in the wake of the Dominion War to lend his efforts to the reconstruction. Although the increased vigilance brought on by alliance with the Dominion curtailed their operations, the underground continued to work for change behind the scenes. With the end of the war, many of them are coming out into the open, calling for a new Cardassia. Some Federation observers argue in favor of supporting to the movement; others believe it must succeed on its own if it is to have any lasting effect on Cardassian culture.

Technically, the Underground movement remains underground, since it is still illegal on Cardassia. Its leaders are primarily intellectuals, artists, scientists, historians, and other learned people, although it is gaining popular support in many areas, particularly in the wake of the war. Even some military figures support the Underground, although not openly. Members of the Underground meet in secret to discuss alternatives to the rule of Central Command and restoring power to the Detapa Council, democratic reforms, and other ideas. They publish and distribute subversive literature, and generally keep the idea of a free and open Cardassian Union alive.

Not all members of the Underground work through ideas, some also advocate action. This includes a splinter group called Free Cardassia, which advocates violence and terrorism to overthrow the Central Command to place a wholly civilian leadership in charge of the Union. This include outsing all military prefects and military members of the Detapa Council. Free Cardassia terrorists made several attacks against prominent military officials. Unfortunately, their activities only strengthen the Central Command's remaining power, as they fight to maintain order.

Other Dissident Groups

The True Way is a radical Cardassian terrorist group opposed to normalization of relations with the Federation and other foreign powers (particlarly Bajor). True Way members uphold Cardassian values of militarism, strength, and conquest. They conduct terrorist attacks against Federation and Bajoran targets, including the assassination of two Bajoran officials, and the attempted assassination of Bajoran First Minister Shakaar. In the wake of the Dominion War, the True Way is finding no lack of recruits among disgruntled soldiers.

The virtual opposite of the True Way is the Diamond Path, a dissident group advocating extreme non-violence and a return to the cultural richness and spiritual glories of Cardassian history. Many in this group feel an alliance with the Federatopm and/or the Klingon Empire is necessary for the Union to survive and rebuild. They have begun making secret overtures to both these powers.

Foreign Relations

Cardassian relations with foreign powers have never been cordial. At best, the Cardassian Union regarded the Federation and the Klingon Empire with cold disdain, at worst with open warfare. Independent worlds like Bajor fared even worst, conquered and occupied by the Cardassians for fifty years. The Cardassian alliance with the Dominion turn into a disaster for the Union. Now many believe the Cardassian Union must learn to forge alliances with its neighbors or perish.

Bajor

In many ways, Cardassia's fate is tied to that of Bajor, the planet the Cardassians occupied for some fifty years. Cardassian soldiers committed terrible acts of brutality against the Bajorans, and occupation forces stripped Bajor of its resources, its cultural treasures, and, most of all, it's pride. Many Bajorans still hate the Cardassians for what they did to their home world. Ironically, the Cardassian have now suffered at the hands of a foreign power, the Dominion, which used them as pawns in the war against the rest of the Alpha Quadrant.

Bajor and Cardassia signed a formal peace treaty in 2371. The treaty was suspended when the Union allied with the Dominion to wage war against the rest of the Alpha Quadrant, but it is again in force and both side are honoring it, for now.

The Dominion

The Cardassian Union turned out to be a bitter disappointment for their erstwhile allies, the Dominion. When the Cardassians reblled against them, the Dominion responded with brutal retaliations, resulting in some 800 million Cardassian deaths and the devestation of Cardassia Prime. The Cardassians consider the Dominion an enemy, but the Dominion has little or no interest in the Cardassian Union, it is little more than a broken tool. There is not likely to be any cooperation between the two in the future.

The United Federation of Planets

For many years the Cardassian Union and the United Federation of Planets were at war, first with each other and more recently involving nearly every other power of the Alpha Quadrant. To the Cardassian view, the Federation was weak and wealthy, using its influence to cut off the Union from valuable resources and technologies. To the Federation, the Cardassians were aggressive and adversarial. This smoldering dislike fanned into hatred for many during the Dominion War.

Now, the Federation waits and hopes for a new, more egalitarian Cardassia to emerge from the ashes of the old. The Federation is willing to offer its assistance to the Union, even though its own resources are taxed almost to the limit. It remains to be seen if the Cardassians can overcome the years of mistrust towards the Federation and accept it.

The Ferengi Alliance

The Cardassians don't overly care for the Ferengi, but they understand they are useful. Ferengi traders have visited the Union for decades, although they found few lucrative business opportunities among the resource poor worlds of Cardassian space. No formal relationship exists between the two powers.

The Klingon Empire

The Cardassians and the Klingon Empire have long been rivals. On the one hand, the Cardassians admire the Klingon devotion to the military ideal. On the other, the Cardassians consider the Klingons savage, brutal, and too bound up in their antique concepts of honor. The two powers fought numerous skirmishes and border wars, but the largest by far was the Klingon invasion of Cardassia following the overthrow of the Central Command. Klingon warriors seized several Cardassian worlds along the Klingon border. Further fighting during the Dominion War did nothing to endear the Klingons to Cardassia. The Cardassians remain extremely distrustful and wary towards their Klingon neighbors.

The Romulans

Although they admire Romulan efficiency and loyalty, Cardassians consider Romulans untrustworthy and sneaky. There has been little in the way of formal relations between the two powers, seperated as they are by Federation space. A rivalry of sorts existed between the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order until the two agreed to cooperate against the Dominion. The disasterous outcome of that first collaboration soured the Cardassians on trusting the Romulans in the future.

The Breen

Many Cardassians blame the Breen, the Dominion's other allies in the war, for eclipsing Cardassia and turning the Dominion against them. For their part, the Breen remain coldly hostile towards the Cardassians, and many are concerned about possible Breen attacks against outlying areas of the Union. For the time being, the Breen have remained quiet, but the Cardassians would very much like to know what they are planning.