Chapter 73

Raise the Rebellion!

Government Palace

Cardassia Prime

February 14, 2278

Gul Dukat knew the Earth date as well as its special meaning to them. This was St. Valentine's Day, a day for lovers and romance. He had no idea of who this St. Valentine was, nor did he care, for this day was also Union Day for those in the Cardassian Union. It was the big holiday for Cardassians, and he had prepared a speech just for the occasion. It would detail his vision for Cardassia, as well as the rest of the galaxy, for the future. With the help of the Jem'Hadar and the Ragendora, he would see his vision fulfilled.

He walked his way to the balcony to address the masses, flanked by Jem'Hadar warriors and his hand selected councilors. He though about Packna and wondered why she didn't choose to come, but she had a busy job and never was much for pomp and circumstance. He paid it no mind, as she'd been far more useful in suppressing what little resistance there was. He smiled as the crowd roared its approval upon his entrance onto the balcony. In his vision must have been half a million Cardassians,
and he seemed to be on top of the world.

He began to speak, "My friends..."

And like another tyrant, he got no further as a holographic representation of Packna came to life in front of him. He looked down and the crowd broke out signs and banners, which read: "Restore the civilian government!", "Down with Dukat!", "Freedom for Cardassia!", and so on. Dukat was gobsmacked as he could not believe what he was seeing.

His once-loyal assistant plunged the figurative knife even further into his back. "Greetings, people of Cardassia! I have come to you in this hour because a cancer is growing upon our world, and that cancer is named Gul Dukat!"

The crowd let out boos and hisses and chants for the downfall of Dukat and the restoration of the civilian government, and Dukat was astonished.

Packna continued, "Our glorious destiny is not of our design, but that of a race known as the Ragendora, who seek to use us like the Dominion used us! And who led us during the Dominion war? None other than Dukat himself!"

The crowd's cheers got even louder as she continued, "We, the resistance, have been gathering for some time! We've kept Dukat and his cronies blinded to the reality of what was building, and now he shall see that what he has done has not gone unnoticed by the masses!

"We DEMAND that Dukat step down and face a tribunal for crimes against Cardassia! We DEMAND that the Ragendora and the Jem'Hadar leave our system, or they shall face the wrath of not only us, but of the Federation and its allies!

"The Ragendora seek to be the ultimate rulers of this galaxy, and Dukat would serve as their lackey here on Cardassia! I ask you, the Cardassian people, is this a fate you wish of your homeworld?"

The crowd began to storm the gates of the palace, and the guards were thunderstruck by the massive disobedience of law and order, something that was drilled into every Cardassian at a young age. Dukat was pulled from the balcony as various items began to land around and on the balcony.

Vorek, the Ragendoran liaison to Cardassia, was apoplectic. "You said these people would be tamed to do as they were told, Dukat! You said that you would pacify them! What has gone wrong?"

Dukat was searching for the right words when the gunfire broke out inside the palace grounds. "We must get out of here! We'll show these people that they have been wrongly led!"

"So right you are, Dukat," Vorek said, and he plunged a dagger into the heart of him. Dukat looked stunned as he fell off the blade and onto the floor. Blood poured out of him as his life slipped away rapidly.

"We should not have brought you back. Our mistake. But we shall more than make up for it!" Vorek motioned to a Jem'Hadar soldier and said, "Take the troops to the mother ship! We'll fall back for now, but soon, we'll enslave this pathetic race and wipe out those who won't serve!"The Jem'Hadar nodded and was about to leave when his communication link chimed in. "Yes," he said irritably.

"Sir, we've just received word from the Gornal system. They're under attack from allied forces! They say, it's the Yamato," said the voice on the communicator.

Vorek looked like he was about to blow a gasket. "Damn! I was afraid of this. Consolidate our forces around this homeworld! If they want us, they'll have to destroy this world to get us! We may fall here, but our other forces shall prevail in the end!"

They were beamed out of the palace as the first resistance fighters made their way into the hall. Packna raced to see her former mentor dying at her feet. Dukat, still barely alive, said, "Why did you betray me?"

She asked in return, "Why did you betray us?", and promptly kicked him in the stomach. He died shortly thereafter, to the raucous cheers of those in the hall.