ULANI BELOR & GILORA REJAL

Two scientists employed by the Cardassia Science Ministry

It continues to feel unnerving, walking through the ruins of Cardassia Prime. Every morning is the beginning of an unrelenting assault on the senses of every member of my team.

We can at least comfort ourselves with the knowledge that this assignment is temporary. A privilege not granted to the millions who live here. The environment is so oppressive that many Starfleet officers have forgone the allocated dwellings in favour of sleeping in Shuttles and orbiting Starships.

It is with some guilt that I feel fortunate that my assignment today takes me out of the central city to Culat. A city long associated with Cardassia’s finest non-military teaching establishments, and the home of the Cardassian Science Ministry. An unexpected survivor of Cardassia’s recent years of political turmoil. While there is no part of Cardassia that feels untouched by Dominion occupation, as I step off the transport shuttle I note that the air feels fresh and crisp. The people walk around with a rugged determination, rather than a resigned shuffle. The buildings here are also intact, and some of Cardassia’s most intricate architecture.

But I’m not here to sightsee. In a surprise to those that worked with them in 2371 both Ulani Belor and Gilora Rejal not only survived the Dominion War, but continue to work at the Cardassia Science Ministry.

These two scientists previously worked with the Federation on the ‘wormhole Comm relay project’, and were commended by the staff of Deep Space Nine for their contributions to the project’s success.

Having made my way past the Science Ministry’s reception, a guide takes me further into the building. They press a chime, and a few moments later a door slides open.

Belor: Ah, you've arrived. Welcome. A good journey I hope?

No problems getting here. Smooth flying all the way from the capital.

She gestures inside, and I follow her into a room which seems to be part living quarters and part working research lab.

Rejal: You seem surprised by our lab? I can assure you that not all Cardassian's like to live in the harsh utilitarian decor favoured by the military. Cardassia used to be just as famous for its art works as its military reputation.

Was my reaction that obvious?

Rejal: We have always found humans easier to read than many other Federation species. Often to a confusing extent. It is both a credit and a disservice to your kind.

Thank you... I think. Shall we move on to business?

Rejal: The Wormhole Relay Project? I must say we were surprised to hear that somebody was requesting access to those records. It hardly seems like something that should be high on the Federation's priorities right now.

Ulani: Nonetheless, we're happy to share what we know.

My questions come in relation to the collaboration between Cardassian Central Command and Starfleet

Rejal: And no doubt the involvement of the Obsidian Order?

Ulani: I'm sure you'll understand that we won't be able to share much there beyond what you already know. While the Order is, officially at least, defunct. They have their loyalists throughout the Cardassian Empire.

If you'd allow me to touch on that point for a moment, after you had returned to Cardassia the Wormhole Relay team attempted to contact you but received nothing but radio silence. It was assumed that you had been imprisoned or killed.

Ulani: A misunderstanding, I think. About the difference between Cardassian and Federation values and how we treat failure.

Rejal: The Federation seems to believe that we Cardassians are brutal, biased and-unjust. Given the interactions between our peoples in recent decades I can't say that we blame you. But the widespread idea of Cardassian culture is one that's informed through your interactions with our military. Not our wider society.

Ulani: We are a proud people, but we're also fair. Neither I nor Gilora were involved in the Obsidian Orders plans. Our orders came directly from the science ministry, it was our duty to ensure that the Wormhole Relay succeeded, just as equally as it was Dejar's mission and duty to sabotage it.

When we returned to Cardassia, we were subject to an inquiry into the incident. The Central Command, Obsidian Order and Science Ministry all saw it as an embarrassment on the quadrant stage. But the findings of the inquiry were that we had acted in line with our orders. We would not be punished, but were also banned from attending conferences or otherwise engaging with research off world.

Rejal: As suspected, the inquiry was not so kind to Dejar. She not only failed in her primary mission but caused wider embarrassment to the Obsidian Order throughout the Union. We do not know of her exact fate, but in our society menial work is often seen as a punishment worse than death for an agent of her stature.

Ulani: So we did receive the communications from your team, but given the political climate we decided that it would be... Unwise to respond. We didn't wish to poke the Honge nest, so to speak.

Completely understandable.

Ulani: We have now been given permission by our current government to share this with you

She hands me a Cardassian PADD

Ulani: It was the document bundle provided to us when we were assigned to the collaboration with Bajor

The PADD contains numerous documents, some of them marked as only being available to clearance levels far above even my own

Forgive me but, how did you get all of this?

Ulani: The Wormhole Relay project came at a particularly interesting time for Cardassia. I'm sure that you're aware that all the Alpha Quadrant powers engage in some degree of what you would call 'spying' on each other? Maintaining a list of contacts, intercepting communications, doing sensor sweeps and setting up subspace telescopes along borders.

I am

Ulani: Cardassia prided itself on its intelligence apparatus before the war. Before the ill-fated alliance with the Romulans, the order was embedded in every institution. That's how Dejar came to be assigned to us when we left Cardassian space.

Rejal: But much like the Tal Shiar, the Order was blind to the fact that they were feared more by their own people than other species. They expended so many resources on maintaining secrecy between themselves that complete dysfunction set in across the organisation. The circle of trust was kept so small, that information from outside it never had serious consideration.

The end of the occupation of Bajor was initially only an embarrassment for the central command. But then the Federation moved in and within a matter of days discovered the first stable wormhole known to exist right on the doorstep. Intelligence reports of ships going missing in the area, reporting odd readings or covering study of Bajoran texts had been duly escalated to the Order. But were dismissed out of hand.

The Order forced the central command to scramble a force to go back and attempt to stake claim, but that just ended in further embarrassment.

Ulani: After that, every bit of information, every report, partially intercepted transmission was properly reviewed and documented. It's highly likely that a significant amount of what is in that packet is completely false. But it was the practice at the time to give anybody working outside Cardassian Borders any information that might be relevant. Regardless of its perceived authenticity.

Rejal: Many of the documents had the potential to do more harm than good. For example, the information on human social interactions was particularly misleading.

Ulani visibly suppresses a smile

Rejal: Whether that was a result of poor intelligence, or propaganda being intentionally included in an attempt to derail the project we cannot say.

Ulani: We did find that the high reputation of your Starfleet training is well deserved, across the board. The Bajoran training, less so. It is a shame that the leaders of Cardassia were so committed to hostilities. I hope that the Federation's help rebuilding our world will mean that we have opportunities to work with your scientists again.

A hope that we share

PROJECT PATHFINDER