The newly appointed Prefect, Ross Tegril stood anxiously in the center of the council chambers staring at a small video screen on the desk in front of him. The Vorta, Gelnon, and two of his Jem'Hadar soldiers stood next to him watching the scene unfold. At the lowest level of the concentric room, a dozen other Cardassian officials sat and watched on screens of their own. An increasing crowd was gathering by the front door of their building. He had lost count when the number had grown to over a hundred. So far, the Cardassian military had been able to keep them a safe distance from the door, but they were getting increasingly hostile. Many were carrying signs reading "We didn't want them before, we don't want them now!", "No more Dominion rule!", "Kick them out", or others.

"Your predecessor was a fool," Gelnon said without taking his eyes off the screen. "If only he had heeded your advice to keep the Federation out, none of this would have happened."

Part of Ross' consciousness wanted to scream along with the protesters and tell Gelnon and his Jem'Hadar thugs to leave. But, as long as his family was being kept aboard their ships, what could he do? His mind wrestled with the conflict of leading his world and protecting his family. He knew the right thing to do was to force them out... call in the military and have them overrun the facility. It would mean sacrificing his life; he was prepared to do that. But, try as he might to force his mouth to say the right thing, Ross simply couldn't bear to see harm come to his daughter or his wife. In the end, all he could do was stand there, shaking, with his eyes closed as he was forced to hear a Vorta insult his mentor for having the right idea.

Gelnon seemed to sense the conflict within Ross and eyed him intently for several seconds considering what his broken puppet may do or say. Since there was no reaction, Gelnon figured the puppet was still safely in his control. "Someone needs to say something to these people, Prefect." He said in an almost mocking way.

Ross Tegril had been fooled. He realized that now. The promises of being a strong, independent force in the alpha quadrant were lies. The promises of help in exchange for safe harbor... lies. The promise to help him and his friends rise to power in exchange for a place where they could be left alone... lies. Now, Ross had discovered that, not only was he fooled by a pack of lies, but that he really wasn't leadership material after all. Perhaps that was why Gelnon had chosen him... he'd be easy to manipulate. Now, here he was being manipulated. Ross knew exactly what Gelnon meant by 'someone should'. It was an order... another order. It was like swallowing a vile poison. "What would you have me say?" Ross choked out.

Gelnon's expression became frustrated. Perhaps he picked someone with too little of a spine. "Calm them. Make them go home. It's too early for the Jem'Hadar to come out in force. The people must be made to know our presence was a voluntary decision by their leaders. It's in their best interests for us to help Cardassia be strong and independent of the Federations ways."

"Then perhaps you should tell them," Ross said sarcastically.

Gelnon almost seemed entertained by Ross' sudden burst of humor. "If I walked out there, I'd be dead before I took my third step. We certainly wouldn't want any harm to come to me, would we?" Ross considered that question for a moment, which quickly disappated Gelnon's good mood. "After all, without me, your liason to the Dominion, there would be no one here to keep them organized... under control. There's no telling what the Jem'Hadar would do without my leadership."

Prefect Tegril could only look at the floor. How could he have let himself get to this? How could he possibly get out? Despite his best efforts, he couldn't think of a way out that wouldn't put his family in jeapardy. But... perhaps someone across the street, being held hostage, might know. He'd have to find a way to talk to them. In the meantime, he'd need to stall and look cooperative. "I'll talk to them," he said reluctantly. "Maybe afterwards I could talk to the prisoners in the government building. If I could convince even a few to cooperate..."

"Yes, yes," Gelnon dismissed with a wave of his hand, turning back to the viewscreen. "Just make these people go away before they incite a full blown riot."

"I'll see what I can do," Tegril replied, hiding his smile. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was a beginning... and Gelnon was willing to go for it... for now, anyway.