2409
Today
2392
In Cardassia Prime, the ruling Detapa Council enacts a series of reform measures designed to promote population growth and economic stability. Benefits are offered to families with more than one child. Also the thousands of soldiers who are displaced when the Cardassian military was reduced are provided with retraining and placement into Cardassia's civilian industries. Conservative cardassians, especially Gul Madred, are successful in rallying former military officers in their service. Many of these officers are officially employed by Gul Madred in his mining interests on Septimus. By doing so Gul Madred ensures
the loyality of many of the finest officers of the Cardassian military.
Madred's mines are operating at such a high capacity that he begins exporting kelindide and uridium through Ferengi brokers. His first major buyer is the Romulans, who are desperate to rebuild ships and expand colonies and need additional resources.
2391
Raids by Nausicaan pirates continue to disrupt shipping lines on the edges of Federation space. Angry at what they perceive as a lack of response by Starfleet and the Federation government, the Federation Transport Union recommends that its members refuse any official cargos without adequate protection.
This causes a crisis for the Federation government. With so many Starfleet vessels assigned to Romulan and Cardassian relief efforts, the government has been relying heavily on civilian ships for routine deliveries to Federation worlds and protectorates.
2390
On Cardassia, the Detapa Council spends most of the year mustering support for a slate of reform measures designed to expand what they call personal freedoms and promote business development. Parts of the the population, especially those of the lower castes, enjoy the newfound liberty. Also the Oralian spiritual sect flourishes. Many loyal Cardassians are uncertain about this new direction for their world. Gul Madred, a highly respected war hero try to stop the treacherous policy of the Detapa Council by organizing rallies promoting the return to the true ways of the Cardassian Union.
A task force made up of scientists assigned to the U.S.S. Pasteur, commanded by Captain Beverly Crusher, and the Cardassian Ministry of Science announces that it has found a possible cure for Yarmin Fel Syndrome. The compound, synthesized from a rare flower that grows in the most remote areas of Cardassia Prime, cannot be replicated. Because of the limited supply of the drug, it may be several years before the treatment has been fully tested and is ready for public use.
2389
The Cardassians vote to replace the Reconstruction Committee with democratically-elected leaders. In the weeks leading up to the election, two groups dominate the debate: a civilian coalition with the former Obsidian Order agent Elim Garak and a conservative patriot group calling for the Cardassians to withdraw from the Federation-Cardassian Treaty of 2386 and reestablish the military.
By manipulating the election Garak's coalition of traitors wins a narrow victory, and in its first act reforms the Detapa Council as a "representative" body.
The council faces its first controversy when it votes to send six ships as a token force to assist the Federation's recovery efforts in Romulan space.
Popular opinion is against the decision, and polls show that most Cardassians feel that they should reserve their resources. The Federation Council's decision to cut funding for Cardassian reconstruction by 30 percent makes aid to the Romulans even less popular, and support for the council plummets.
Again the hideous Garak is manipulating the people: Speaking to reporters from the shattered remains of the University of Culat, Elim Garak defended the Detapa Council's actions.
One of the first industries to be restarted in Cardassian space is mining. A former member of the military, Gul Madred, acquires the rights to several-mineral rich planetoids and begins building a large mining operation in the Septimus system.
2388
Fallout from the destruction of the Romulan system dominates interstellar events in 2388.
Cardassia, despite its own economic problems, sends ships and supplies to supplement the Romulan relief effort.
2387
Called by the Detapa-Council, Starfleet sends a fleet to Cardassia Prime to "assist" the Cardassians with the dismantling of their military, a process which is expected to take several years. Officially the Cardassians plan to use a much smaller self defense force to patrol their space, and coordinate with Starfleet for issues outside of their borders.
This arrangement is soon tested when Alpha Jem'Hadar take control of Devos II, which has been mostly unpopulated since the Dominion War. The Jem'Hadar establish a base of operations near a former Dominion ketracel-white storage facility, and then expand the facility so they can manufacture their own supplies of the substance. Starfleet sends the USS Stargazer-A to the Devos system as a precautionary measure, but chooses to take no additional action as long as the Alpha Jem'Hadar make no further aggressive moves.
2386
On behalf of the Founders, Odo meets with Lamat’Ukan, First of the Jem’Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant. Odo asks the Jem’Hadar to return to the Gamma Quadrant with him, but Lamat’Ukan rejects Odo as a false god. “You wear the shape of our gods, but you do not have their spirit,” Lamat’Ukan is reported to have said.
“You are corrupted by your … taste for the life of a solid. To follow you would be to sacrifice our souls. There would be no victory under your banner. Without victory, there is no life.”
2385
In diplomatic news, Bajoran hardliners still calling for the prosecution of Cardassians for war crimes have expanded their demands to include the surrender of colony worlds granted to the Cardassians in the Federation-Cardassian Treaty of 2370. Both the Cardassians and the Federation Council support leaving the
boundaries as drawn, however, and the movement is expected to have little effect.
2384
2383
The Cardassians make some gains in their efforts to rebuild their war-ravaged planet, signing a new agreement for aid from the Federation and beginning reconstruction of Lakarian City. Excavation of several sites on the planet reveals Hebitian relics, and the publication of these finds sparks a resurgence of
interest among Cardassians in ancient religious and cultural practices.
The Oralians, a religious group dating back to the Hebitian civilization that was outlawed by the Cardassian Union, begin openly holding services and seeking adherents among the Cardassian population, acts that were outlawed by the Cardassian Uniion. The rise of this spiritual movement is opposed by the followers
of the True Way, which continues to call for a return to the totalitarian practices of the Union.
2382
The Bajorans and their allies continue to press for the Cardassians to surrender members of its government and military to stand trial for war crimes. But over the course of four months, 472 Cardassians wanted by the Bajorans disappear from Cardassia Prime.
The Cardassian government reports it is attempting to determine the whereabouts of its citizens. The Bajorans respond by accusing the Cardassian government of willingly assisting fugitives.
2381
A coalition of planets led by Bajor demand that members of the Cardassian government and military stand trial for crimes against sentient beings for actions taken during the Occupation of Bajor and the Dominion War. The Cardassian government refuses any request to surrender its citizens for prosecution, so the coalition appeals to the Federation Council and the Klingon High Council to join them in seeking justice for past crimes.
2380
Federation analysts continue to monitor the deepening economic crisis on Cardassia Prime. The Cardassians were devastated by Dominion bombardment in the final days of the Dominion War, suffering more than 800 million casualties. Large portions of Cardassia Prime remain in ruins and the Cardassian government does not appear to have the resources to recover, although it has rejected most Federation aid.
A notable exception to this stance is the Andak project, a Federation-funded program intended to restore Cardassia Prime's agricultural base. Led by Keiko O'Brien, the Andak project initially faced stiff resistance from xenophobic groups such as the True Way and Gul Macet's conservative bloc of the government.
Only the influence of Cardassian governmental adviser Elim Garak, a supporter of the fledgling democracy movement, allowed the Andak project to proceed, and work is now in progress to make the barren desert climate of Cardassia Prime support sufficient crops to feed its population. Experts at the Daystrom Institute predict that without more successful projects like the Andak initiative, the Cardassian Union could fall in as little as three years.
2372
In 2372, the Cardassian Central Command was overthrown by civilian dissidents, placing the Detapa Council in control. Paranoia ran high in the Alpha Quadrant following the exposure of several Changeling imposters at the highest political offices in the Quadrant. Fear of the Founders gripped the Klingon Empire, the High Council believing the coup to be a ploy by the Dominion to replace the Council with Founders. In response, Klingon warships led by General Martok attacked Cardassia Prime, nearly eliminating the Council, which were rescued by Gul Dukat, who transported them to the safety of Federation space. After proving the Council members were not shape-shifters, the Klingon attack was forced to cease.
Though unsuccessful in its mission, the Klingon invasion inflicted heavy damage on Cardassia's industrial production base. For the first time in decades, Cardassia had problems to provide for itself. Several of the outer colonies had been captured by the Klingons, and many warships were destroyed or damaged
during the battle of Cardassia where the Klingons finally were pushed out of the system.
Many nations agreed to help the Cardassian Union. Even the Federation Council provided twelve industrial replicators. Some of these replicators were stolen in transit by the Maquis-terrorists.
Cardassia started rebuilding.
The Klingons meanwhile start attacks on Deep Space Nine but suffer a devestating defeat, loosing many ships in the battle. When it was revealed that General Martok was a Changeling, and that he was the one behind the paranoid violence exhibited by the Klingon Empire, the war ceased. But Klingons still occupied
some of Cardassian space.
Angry about the weak state of the Cardassian Union and the incompetence of the civilian government Gul Dukat began secret negoitations to form an alliance with the Dominion.
Shortly after Stardate 50560.1, Gul Dukat announced Cardassia's alliance with the Dominion, and his new position as head of state.
"You might ask, should we fear joining the Dominion? And I answer you: Not in the least. We should embrace the opportunity. The Dominion recognizes us for what we are, the true leaders of the Alpha Quadrant. And now that we are joined together, equal partners in all endeavours, the only people with anything to fear would be our enemies. My oldest son's birthday is in five days. To him, and to Cardassians everywhere, I make the following pledge: By the time his birthday dawns, there will not be a single Klingon alive inside Cardassian territory. Or a single Maquis colony left within our borders. Cardassia will be made whole, all that we have lost will be ours again. And anyone who stands in our way will be destroyed. This I vow with my life's blood, for my son, for all our sons."
Speach of Gul Dukat after the alliance with the Dominion
5 days after, the Maquis-terrorists were summarily slaughtered and the Klingons removed from Cardassian space by the joint Cardassian-Jem'Hadar-forces.
On Stardate 50975.2, the Federation began mining the wormhole entrance with self-replicating cloaked mines. In response of this aggressive act the Vorta Weyoun was sent to dissuade Captain Sisko to disarm the mines and clear out the wormhole entrance, but the Federation refused to stop the mining of the wormhole.
Gul Dukat in command of a fleet of Dominion/Cardassian vessels, started an attack on Deep Space Nine. Again the cardassian war-hero was victorious: The Federation was driving out of the system. Nevertheless the mines were activated, so no Jem'Hadar reinforcements could pass the wormhole.
Despite this fact the Cardassian/Dominion forces won victory after victory for the next three months, and the subjugation of the entire Alpha Quadrant was within sight, especially when Gul Dukat's aide, Gul Damar, finally figured out a way to disarm the mines.
Starfleet assembled three fleets in a last-ditch effort to stop the Dominion from penetrating the minefield. 2,800 Jem'Hadar ships were waiting on the other side of the wormhole, and when the minefield is successfully deactivated, the Alpha Quadrant would be lost.
The minefield eventually was deactivated and the Jem'Hadar armada began pouring into the wormhole. Gul Dukat, believing that he has won the battle, allows the USS.Defiant to brak through the cardassian/daminion lines, knowing that this ship was no match for the overwhelming numbers of Jem'Hadar vessels.
On the verge of the ship's destruction, Sisko manages to contact the alien creatures living in the wormhole. The aliens agreed to help Siskoand all 2,800 ships vanished without a trace from sensors. Only the Defiant exited the Wormhole.
Gul Dukat could not believe what had happened. With a complete victory almost within reach, he would only suddenly lose everything.
Worse still he was betrayed by his daughter Ziyal. The half-bajoran was ecexuted by Gul Damar. The impact of all these events resulted in the mental breakdown of Gul Dukat.
Gul Damar, Weyoun, and the rest of the Dominion presence retreated from Deep Space Nine, leaving the station for the Federation to reclaim. Soon afterwards Damar was proclaimed the new leader of Cardassia.
The Romulans, who had distanced themselves from the war by signing a non-agression pact with the Dominion, would again be drawn into the war when they suspected the Cardassians assassinated Senator Vreenak. Vreenak, who had signed the pact, died aboard his warbird from what appeared to be Cardassian
sabotage, and this act of treason could not be ignored by the Romulan Empire. This murder of the romulan politician was organized by Sisko. Not knowing this fact the Romulan Empire formally joined the Klingon/Federation forces later on.
Among the first joint campaigns of the Klingon/Federation/Romulan forces was the taking of the Chin'Toka System. Targeted for its thin defenses, the fleet led by Sisko encountered resistance only in the orbital weapons platform deployed there. After destroying the main power source, the system came under
Federation control.
Gul Dukat, who escaped from a Federation prison escort ship when it crashed in a remote planet, returned to Deep Space Nine to destroy the Orb of Prophesy
and in the process uhe also killed Jadzia Dax, who was praying to the wormhole-creatures in the Bajoran Temple at that time. The wormhole inverted and collapsed, sending the Bajorans into panic about the disappearance of their Celestial Temple.
Three months later, Captain Sisko restored the wormhole by rediscovering the Orb of the Emissary on Bajor.
Meanwhile the Breen under general Thot Gor joined the Cardassian/Dominion alliance, much to the chagrin of Damar.
A few years ago, Cardassia had joined the Dominion to elevate their status and become true masters of the Alpha Quadrant, but when the Breen entered into the Dominion, the Cardassians suffered a major insult, and the subsequent massive sacrifice of Cardassian troops for Dominion causes showed the Dominion's lack
of regard for Cardassia. Legate Damar, angered by the dismissal of Cardassia and realizing that though he was on Cardassia Prime, he and the rest of the Cardassians were now second-class citizens within the Dominion, wanted to pull Cardassia out of the alliance altogether.
However, the Dominion already had complete control over the Cardassian military, and Damar resorted to plotting a resistance movement.
The Breen attacked Starfleet headquarters shortly afterwards, causing severe damage to San Francisco and to the psyche of the Federation. An energy dissipater weapon the Breen utilized on their ship proved especially effective against power-hungry attack vessels the Federation, Klingon, and Romulans deployed. After San Francisco, the Breen turned their attention to the Chin'Toka System. Taken forcibly by the Federation, Klingon and Romulan last year, the Dominion were eager to reclaim it. The Federation and allied forces suffered devastating losses of ships and personnel, and the Chin'Toka System once again fell under Dominion control.
The Breen had usurped the Cardassians as partners of the Dominion. Instead relegated to cannon fodder and put aside for the new favorite, Damar felt the line had been crossed and organized a resistance to drive the Dominion from Cardassian space. He gave a speech calling on Cardassians everywhere to resist the
Dominion and began his campaign with an attack on a Vorta cloning facility, an action confirmed by intelligence reports.
Cardassians have never been afraid of war, a fact we've proven time and again over these past two years. 7 million of our brave soldiers have given their lives to fulfill our part of the agreement, and what has the Dominion done in return? Nothing. We've gained no new territories. In fact, our influence throughout the Quadrant has diminished. And to make matters worse, we're not even masters in our own home. Travel anywhere in Cardassia and what do you find? Jem'Hadar, Vorta, and now Breen. Instead of the invaders, we have become the invaded. Our allies have conquered us without firing a single shot. Well, no longer. This morning, detachments of the Cardassian First, Third, and Ninth Orders attacked Dominion outposts on Rondack 3. This assault marks the first step towards the liberation of our homeland from the true oppressors of the Alpha Quadrant. I call upon Cardassians everywhere - Resist. Resist today. Resist tomorrow. Resist till the last Dominion soldier has been driven from our soil."
Speach of Legate Damar - initiating the rebellion against the Dominion
The traitor Legate Corat Damar has betrayed the Dominion and the Cardassian Alliance by defection from the Dominion Council. The Council believes that his intention is to start a rebellion. In his place, our loyal servant Gul Manzel Broca of the Third Order has been appointed Commander in Chief of the Cardassian armed forces and Senior Legate of the Cardassian Union. The traitor Corat Damar is hereby stripped of all rank, rights and privileges according to his status as a former Legate and Gul of the Cardassian Military. It is the duty of every loyal officer of all Orders to seek out Damar and his followers and bring him to justice. Any information leading to Damar's capture will be appropriately rewarded. Aiding the traitor Corat Damar, failure to provide information leading to Damar's capture, sympathising with Damar's aims, or concealing information as to his whereabouts will be considered like and equal treason and punishable by the highest sanctions of the Cardassian Courts. It is my dearest wish that the Union of the Cardassian and Dominion peoples can
move on past this unfortunate event to the ultimate conclusion of our mutually beneficial alliance: the conquest of the Alpha Quadrant.
Official speach of the Vorta Weyoun as reaction to Damars speach
Starfleet sent his rebellion runabouts, supplies, and the expertise of Colonel Kira, Odo, and Garak to help him in his efforts.
Damar's resistance movement was never large enough to launch an all-out campaign against the Dominion, so he used the guerrilla tactics employed by the Bajorans in the Occupation, running sabotage missions and other campaigns to derail the Dominion's war efforts. Damar's organized resistance was crushed by Weyoun after Gul Rovok betrayed Damar and compromised his movement. All eighteen cells were destroyed, and Weyoun declared a complete victory.
He instead ignited an even more powerful popular movement against the Dominion. Rallying the citizens of Cardassia, Damar asked for the help of all civilians, and took out power for the duration of the Federation/Klingon/Romulan attack on Dominion forces which had pulled back to establish a tight
defensive perimeter around Cardassia Prime. With communication cut, Weyoun and the Female Founder could not contact their fleet, and the Founder was so incensed she ordered Lakarion City, 2 million in population, destroyed. She also ordered every house levelled in Cardassia if necessary until Damar and his
rebels were found. The Jem'Hadar eventually knocked found them, and were about to kill the trio when the Cardassian soldiers that had come along with the Jem'Hadar killed the Dominion soldiers and pledged their loyalty to Damar.
Sisko, Martok, and Ross lead the attack, and they clearly were losing ground when the Cardassian ships suddenly turned to fire on the Dominion. Soon, the Dominion was losing ground fast, and it was only then that long-range communications returned to Weyoun and Founder.
Knowledge that the entire Cardassian fleet had turned against the Dominion angered the Founder into declaring that all Cardassians untrustworthy. She immediately ordered the extermination of the entire population on Cardassia Prime and sent Jem'Hadar ships to level every inch of Cardassia Prime.
The Breen general volunteered to fight in the front lines, leaving Weyoun and the Founder almost entirely alone on the planet surface.
Damar and the rest of his resistance group stormed the serpents lair, which they eventually penetrated. Damar died in the crossfire, but the survivors pressed on to find the Founder and Weyoun virtually alone. The Founder refused to call off the attack force and was content to let all of her forces die, taking as many of the enemy as they could with them. Only when Odo linked with her and healed her disease did she change her mind, agreeing to sign a peace treaty and stand trial as a war criminal.
The war was over! Every side paid dearly, but none more than Cardassia. With 800 million dead, and large parts of Cardassia Prime in ruins, so much of its rich history and culture was irretrievably lost.
2370
The Cardassians didn't let the Federation claim the wormhole entry without contest. In 2370 they were successful in driving out Starfleet presence on the station by helping the Bajoran extremist group "the Circle" stage a coup to overthrow the Bajoran Provisional Government. The intervention of the Vedek Council stopped this development and reinstated the Federation presence.
A few months later, the Cardassia Union and the Federation agreed to redraw their borders, relocating citizens who were on the wrong side of the line. The agreement also included a buffer zone between the two powers, called the Demilitarized Zone.
Federation colonists ran rampant when the agreement was signed. Soon, they started unprovoked attacks and sabatoge operations against the Cardassians on the colonies of the Demilitarized Zone, hoping to reclaim land lost in the deal. The Federation colonists, already furious over what they saw as the betrayal of
the government soon organized themself in a terroristic organisation, called the the Maquis, and began hard-hitting terrorist attacks on Cardassia itself.
2369 According to the treaty with the Federation the Cardassians retreated from Bajor in 2369. The Cardassian also abandoned Terok Nor. The Bajoran Provisional Government requested the assistance of Starfleet to administer to the orbiting station.
In the same year a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant was discovered nearby. The worthless planet Bajor was suddently one of the most strategic important places in the Galaxy.Terok Nor, renamed starbase Deep Space Nine by Starfleet, became a strategic location for commercial and scientific expeditions to the
Gamma Quadrant, and later became a key defensive front against the Dominion.
2367
Only one year later, on Stardate 44429.6, the federation Captain Maxwell violated the treaty when he entered Cardassian space with his vessel, the starship U.S.S. Phoenix. During this illegal action he destroyed an unarmed cardassian space station, a harmless frighter and a cardassian cruiser which tried to stop
him.
The Cardassian Central Command allowed Captain Picard with the U.S.S. Enterprise to enter cardassian space and to arrest Maxwell. During this mission the cardassian Gul Macet, commander of the Galor-class-cruiser CWS Trager, came abord the Enterprise as an observer during the mission to hunt down the U.S. S.
Phoenix.
A new treaty was signed in 2367 between the Federation and the Cardassian Union, which agreed upon a neutral party overseeing incarcerations of either country's captives.
2346
Cardassian relations with the Federation had been hostile ever since 2346, when the Cardassians were forced to attack Setlik III, because they had proof that the Federation was building up a military base in order to use the installation for an invasion of Cardassian territory. A prolonged period of tension punctuated by hostilities resulted. Finally an oper war broke out, lasting for 20 years. An uneasy truce was reached when an armistice was signed in 2366.
2336
During the expansion of the Cardassian Union the Cardassians are asked by the Bajorans to help them. The Bajorans were a primitive people worshipping alien creatures as gods and living under the pressure of a caste systems. The Cardassian Union accepts to help the Bajorans to become a civilized nation.
The constant actions of bajoran terrorists forces the Cardassian Union to occupy Bajor in 2336. For the 30 years the Cardassian Union tries to help the Bajorans to find a way to civilization.
In order to raise the effectiveness of the mining operations Cardassia built a mining station, Terok Nor, in Bajor's orbit for the purpose of ore mining and processing.
The Cardassian Union also established a presence upon the planet and instigated a government with Cardassian Prefects at its head.
Many Bajorans terrorists who refuse to embrace civilization resettle on other worlds and continue to worship the alien creatures. Still other Bajoran terrorists remain on the planet and perform terroristic operations.
They utilized guerrilla tactics, running through rough terrain, then shooting as the Cardassian soldiers caught up. Although the terroristic operations of the bajoran guerilla fighters was getting more and more organized they were not able to win against the highly professional Cardassian occupation forces. It was finally the treaty between the Federation and Cardassia which caused the retreat of the Cardassians from Bajor.
