Chapter 10: Round Comes the Gambit
Mission
With the Narendra Conference quickly approaching many preparations are underway. Having had his associate Daimon Tierzak complete one part of their plan Gul Duren travels to a dead world to pick up his part of the plan to overthrow their Terran foe, Overseer Seven.
Mission Date:
107th day in the 2369th of Molar
After taking another sip of his Kanar he finally set his glass down on a weathered table. For a moment he let his gaze drift to the lovely woman who shyly sat in the corner. Quickly though he took his attention off her so as not to upset his other guest, her father.
The young woman's father took a long drink from his glass before speaking. "You make a good soldier Damar, and you have good taste in drinks as well."
"Thank you Dukat," Damar replied with a slight smile at praise from such a person. "But who doesn't like a good glass of Kanar?" he quickly added, hoping to gain any composure he had just lost.
"Very true Damar, very true indeed," Dukat said with a laugh.
Damar noticed that at her father's laugh Ziyal gave a fleeting, but noticeable smile. Being happy was no doubt something they had both been devoid of these past few years. Ever since Ziyal's heritage had been revealed and Dukat's censure from the Detapa Council nearly three years previous they had been forced to go into hiding and live off the charity of others. It had been so bad for them that at one point they were forced to stay on Tesslak Prime, which was little more than an unsupervised prison planet. They probably would have been better off on Rura Penthe, were it not for the inhospitable cold.
With a slight shake of his head he forced himself back into the present. A small time readout set alongside his glass showed him that it was almost time for Gul Duren's arrival. After Duren's Ferengi associate, a Daimon Tierzak if Damar recalled correctly, had given this pair to the gul then there had been a brief period of trying to figure out what to do with them until the time was right. They couldn't easily accommodate them aboard the Alvex. Besides the fact that they were too valuable to be left aboard a Galor class vessel during a time of war. And obviously there was no place for them back on Cardassia Prime. That was when they had devised of the perfect place for them.
At that moment a young Cardassian officer ran into the room to inform them that the Alvex would be in orbit in less than an hour. Dukat thanked the officer before waving him off to perform some other duty. He then looked at Damar and raised his glass of Kanar. "The future is nearly here my friend."
In response Damar lifted his glass next to Dukat's before downing the last liquid remnants. As he sat his now empty glass back down he looked at the Cardassian before him. He knew vaguely what Dukat and Duren were planning, and yet he didn't know enough to make him feel at ease about the situation. Part of him wanted, no needed, to know more of what was about to come. "I'm curious as to how exactly you are going to bring about this future."
Once the question had been asked Dukat's mood changed as he thought for a moment. Then he looked across the room at Damar with a serious look. "Honestly Damar, I don't know. Most of the planning of this has been left to Gul Duren and his Ferengi lackey, and I'm not sure that they even know everything about it. What I do know is that something must be done to preserve our civilization and to make sure that these outsiders don't tarnish our glorious heritage. Don't you agree Damar?"
"Of course I do Dukat," Damar said a bit taken back by the question. "I was just curious as to the how. As to the why, I fully understand and support."
"That's good to hear Damar. It will not be easy to take what we deserve with so many allied enemies surrounding us."
Leaning back a bit in his chair Damar went over Dukat's words in his mind. Valid as they were he wasn't sure if these were points to be mentioned aloud. While he too distasted their Klingon and Bajoran allies he was not about to forget their help in defeating the Terrans, nor would he forget all they had fought and died for against the Romulans. And yet to remain their ally would only bring about more deterioration of the Cardassian society. There had to be a way for him to have his Jibalian fudge cake and eat it too.
The remaining time became an almost silence. Both soldiers knew that Duren was soon to arrive and there was little left to be spoken between them. While Damar was still thoroughly confused about the whole matter it had become apparent to him that Dukat knew little more of Duren's plans than him. It was simply something that had to wait until Duren himself arrived on the ruined rock of a world where they were waiting from.
More Kanar was brought to them by a barely of age officer. Ziyal kindly refused but both Dukat and Damar gladly accepted it. Slowly they sipped the greenish liquid, enjoying it as though it was the greatest thing life had to offer. A funny thing that war did other then to kill and bring about destruction was to remind those who continued to fight, continued to survive, how each moment of life was not to be wasted. It heightened the senses in a way that in the pause between the death and destruction life became so precious that one felt shamed if they didn't enjoy it to the fullest.
It wasn't much longer before the officer returned to inform them that the Alvex would soon be in orbit and that Duren would beam down shortly after. "About time." Dukat said with an impatient tone before smiling. "Don't think that I'm ungrateful for your company Damar but I would just like to get this whole thing sorted out and finished with."
Damar returned the smile. "Of course Dukat. We all do." he said before taking the last sip of his drink.
The young officer soon returned, this time with Gul Duren in tow. After giving a nod of respect to the three officers he quickly departed. Once he had left Duren took a step forward and was the first of them to speak.
"Ah gentlemen, so good to see you again," he said with a creasing smile.
"You to Duren," Damar replied with a nod.
"I hope these accommodations weren't too horrible for you Dukat. They were, after all, the best place to hide you until the meeting."
"Horrible?" The once honored gul looked at Duren, trying to figure out if the statement was meant as a joke or an insult. Seeing nothing but good intentions on the younger gul's face he decided to respond. "Good company, good drink, no not horrible at all Duren. After spending two years living on Tesslak Prime this place practically seems like the Terran world of Risa, before it was destroyed of course."
"Of course Dukat. Well well Legate Damar, it looks like you can add host to your decorated resume. And with the approval of Dukat I'm sure you would be hired at any number of establishments back on Cardassia."
"Just what I've always dreamed of Duren," Damar replied with a sarcastic grin. "But while the war continues I am a soldier, a fighter for the Cardassian people."
"As you can see, Dukat, Damar is an excellent soldier and a shining example of what the Cardassian people once were, and should be again."
"Yes, about that. We were hoping you could fill the both of us in on this grand scheme you cooked up with that Ferengi," the legate said leaning forward in his chair.
"In good time Damar, in good time. First though if you would be so kind, my throat is a bit parched from the journey here. Might you still have some Kanar that I could drink?"
"For you, always." Damar quickly tapped a comm panel on the table beside him and told one of the officers to bring them three glasses of Kanar. Seconds later one of the few officers stationed there rushed in with the three glasses and handed each of the men a glass before departing just as quickly as he had entered.
Slowly Duren took a long sip of the liquid before letting out a satisfied exhale. Damar offered the gul a seat, which he gladly accepted. Once he had made himself comfortable Duren took one more sip of his drink before continuing. "Alright gentlemen, what part of the plan are you confused about?"
"Just do both me and Dukat a favor and tell us the whole thing, in case we understood something else differently then what's to happen."
"Okay, from the beginning then." Leaning back in his chair Duren paused for a moment as if he were lost in thought. Almost completely still, he stayed like that for quite a number of seconds before suddenly springing back to life. "Over the course of Cardassian history we have always been a proud and noble people. Virtually untainted until the day that our noble world ran low of resources, and we were forced into the stars in search of a solution to our problem. In our search for that solution we ran into other species, and so began our tumble from that high peak that we had enjoyed for so long..."
At this point Damar felt as though he were sitting through a history lecture at his old academy. When he had asked Duren to fill them in on the situation he didn't expect such a long-winded response. He only hoped that the gul would soon reach the point and tell them what they actually wanted to know.
"Our conflicts with some of these races became nothing more then a drain. After fighting countless battles our resources were lower then before and our troop morale even lower. Then came the war with the Terrans, a war that changed us irrevocably. That enemy, that war, forced us to look at our military objectively and to ultimately seek an alliance with the Terran Empire's greatest foe, the Klingons. It is my belief that the alliance with the Klingons was perhaps the greatest mistake we made since launching ourselves into space. Ever since that day our people have been tarnished and ultimately set aside by our ally to make room for none other then that enemy which we fought so hard to wipe out."
"I assume you speak of the Overseer," Damar said, hoping that the gul had finally reached what he had wanted to know.
"Yes, the Overseer. The traitorous Terran that was placed in such a high power that she be second only to the Regent himself." As he spoke Duren gritted his teeth just enough to be noticeable.
"Traitorous Terran? Do you have a personal vendetta against her, Duren? Because if that is the cause of this whole charade then I for one am ashamed to have taken part in it."
"What a bold statement Damar." Quickly Duren's demeanor changed and his features smoothened back to their original form. "Have no fear my loyal comrade. I am simply looking out for the best interests of the Cardassian people. And how could getting rid of Seven not be beneficial?"
Easing back into his chair Damar took a sip of his drink. "Depends on if you get caught," he mumbled.
"Caught?" A grin made it's way across the gul's face and for a moment Damar thought he might break out into laughter. "You're assuming that what we are doing here is illegal."
"You mean it's not?" Damar responded in a shocked, yet slightly sarcastic tone.
"Of course not my dear Damar. It's not like we are planning a coupe against one of OUR leaders." He made a quick gesture with his hands making it apparent that he meant Cardassian leaders. "No, I'm simply going to bring light to the questionable actions that our dear Overseer has committed over the years."
"Actions? Such as?" the legate asked, his curiosity suddenly peaked.
"For that we have our dear friend Dukat, and of course his daughter Ziyal."
At the mentioning of the young woman's name Damar turned in his chair to look at her. Since they had awoken that morning Ziyal had quietly sat in the corner tending to things only known by her. As he gazed at the frail, statuesque figure Damar could only wonder what part in this she would soon play.
"You see Damar," Duren suddenly spoke again, breaking the legate's thoughts, "Ziyal there was present the day that the Bajoran Kai Winn was assassinated."
Damar swiveled back around in his chair; feeling as though all hope in Duren's plan was about to be lost. "Of course she was Duren, she was Winn's most trusted assistant. That is common knowledge."
"Yes but what is not common knowledge is that it is was Seven, not our dear Ziyal here that was the Bajoran leader's killer."
Complete shock hit Damar as he let the words just dealt him soak in. A smirk suddenly made it's way across his face as he came to realize how impossible Duren's words were. To Damar they at that moment became nothing more then an elaborate fiction created in order to get rid of the Terran Overseer. "Nice try Duren," Damar said back to the gul. "You almost had me there for a moment."
"Ah my dear Damar, believe what you wish. The story is true, and my associate Tierzak got proof of it only days ago."
Remaining silent throughout the conversation Dukat finally chose a moment to speak. "You mean you found a way to prove to others that my daughter isn't a traitor?"
Gul Duren polished off his glass of Kanar before displaying his biggest smile yet. "Of course I did Dukat. I told you to have faith in me."
"How?" was all that Damar could say.
"Well let's just say that Tierzak has found a witness to the murder. The security tapes from Kai Winn's office to be precisely."
With that a sudden noise startled the three Cardassian soldiers and Ziyal finally made her presence known. She made her way across the room to where they were sitting and stood next to Dukat, but kept her sight on Duren. "How is that possible?" she asked in a soft voice. "All of those tapes were reviewed by Bajoran security before being destroyed because of religious customs. From what I gathered from the media on Bajor those tapes revealed nothing."
"Apparently someone off planet had tapped into the security feed for the kai's office. Some way or another a copy from that feed made it's way into the hands of a Yridian trader, who Tierzak was supposed to meet with three days ago."
"And the proof that Seven is Winn's killer is on those tapes?"
"Unfortunately Dukat I haven't been able to get in touch with Tierzak since before his meeting with the Yridian. So I can't tell you what's on those tapes for definite, but I'm confident that they contain exactly what we need to expose Seven as a traitor to the Alliance."
"Oh well if you're confident then we have nothing to worry about," Damar said sarcastically. "Besides, even if she did, and we can prove it, then how is that going to help us? Kai Winn has been dead for three years. Do you really think that the Regent or any of the Intendants will care?"
"Perhaps and perhaps not. But it will bring question to her loyalty, and be cause to open an investigation."
"An investigation?" Damar scoffed. "Who would order such an investigation on such a high player over a three year old murder of a low religious leader."
Duren took a sip from his recently refilled glass of Kanar before simply and matter-of-factly stating, "The Bajoran Intendant."
This caught the attention of both Dukat and Damar. Neither of them could hardly believe what Duren had just suggested to them. Having the same question they both looked at each other before Dukat finally took the initiative and spoke.
"Why would she of all people want to investigate this matter? Kai Winn was her biggest political rival. Not to mention the fact that it was Seven who was Kira's assistant while she held the office of Overseer."
"And she was also the one who nominated Seven to succeed her after she stepped down." Damar quickly added.
"All of this I know full and well gentlemen. I have been assured though by Kira's closest aides that she will support any move we make against Seven."
"You spoke to her aides?" With this little touch of information Damar could hide his disgust no further. "Duren, I am surprised you are so confident. You come here, days before our plan is to be put into action, with only promises and half worked ideas. How in the world do you expect to pull this off with what little you've got?"
For a moment Duren looked as though the legate had just personally attacked him, offended far beyond his tasting. Then he softened himself though and appeared as calm as one could be during a war. "My dear Damar, you just don't get it do you? While not all of my ideas are worked out to your liking they are in fact worked out enough for the council's liking. We need only to present enough evidence, no matter how strong that evidence is, before all the Alliance leaders to make them suspicious of our dear Terran Overseer. Once we do that then we will be able to remove her from power with little opposition."
Unconvinced, Damar got up from his seat and walked to the other side of the room in thought. Dukat looked over both of them, not really knowing whose point was more valid. If Kai Winn's murder took place as suggested then he wanted nothing more then to see Seven put before a firing squad. But it would not be easy to convince so many with so little evidence.
"Were you able to find Leeta?" Ziyal spoke so suddenly that she almost made Duren jump in his seat. "She would be a great help to us if you did Gul Duren."
"Unfortunately I did not, my dear. I checked every source I could think of and used every favor I had standing. All I was able to get though is that she was reported missing by her girlfriend not long after you disappeared from Bajor."
The young woman sank back into her corner chair, looking almost as if she had just lost. Duren looked at her, almost pitying her. The life she had lived, being half Bajoran and half Cardassian, must had been a struggle. To make it worse this whole elaborate plot involving Seven and the Bajoran Intendant, to which she had undoubtedly gotten the short end of. He imagined it had been quite rough indeed, but she had remained strong throughout it all and that was a trait Duren respected and admired. For her and the others like her on Cardassia Duren had to make this plan work. Nothing would stand in his way, he was certain of it.
With a pause in the conversation Duren took a look around the ruined room where they currently were. The area was little more then a pile of rock and twisted metal. In fact, the whole planet had become that. Ever since that day when its destruction was ordered by the Regent those years ago. That day, so many died for the mistakes of a few of their kind. A fate that Duren hoped the Cardassian people would not one day share.
It had made the perfect place to hide his small soldier contingent during this operation. A ruined world deep into Alliance territory, right under his opponent's noses. Clearly away from any threat the small group of soldiers left here had been relatively safe, if not comfortable. And who in the Alliance would think to look here for anything, let alone anyone who might be trying to remove someone from power? Yes this world had been perfect in Duren's plan, this ruined world of a once ally. Andor was what it had been called, but since the Great Andorian Massacre none had been allowed to speak its name.
Sitting back down Damar looked across the room at Duren. He was still unconvinced that Duren's plan had any merit, but it was all they had to go on. After all the conference was scheduled to take place in almost a week. And the trip to Narendra III would take up most of that time alone, not to mention the sure to ensue chaos once they had arrived. Frankly, they were out of time. And if they wanted to remove Seven from her seat of power then they had no better chance to. Damar had no choice but to simply accept the gul's plan. "Very well Gul Duren, we'll go ahead as you suggested. We don't have much of a choice to do otherwise do we?"
Duren could tell by the look on the young legate's face that he wasn't happy to concede on this point. He reveled in Damar's reluctant, yet still complete acceptance. Whether or not he enjoyed the situation Duren could simply not let it show. After all Damar was a trusted ally, not a despised foe. This was not a time to pick apart loyalties, but to hold them tightly. His loyalty, his wonderful sense of duty and loyalty to the Cardassian people were the reasons that Damar had been let in on this little plot. While still a young officer he had gained the respect of many of the higher-ups. Not only that but besides for Dukat there was no other Cardassian that Duren liked or trusted more than Damar.
"Do not sound as though we have lost Damar," Dukat said, placing a hand on the legate's shoulder. "While the plan may not be without faults, it is still a good plan to go on. Besides, how many of those Intendants do you think won't jump at the chance to remove a Terran from such a high seat of power? We aren't the only ones that she has become a nuisance to."
"Of course you are right Dukat, I just don't want to face the consequences if we fail."
"We are all very aware of the consequences Damar," spoke Duren with a serious, but still friendly tone. "Do not worry though. Even if we fail to prove Seven's loyalties before the council little of the backlash will fall on us. My supporters in the Detapa Council will make sure of it."
"Very well then Duren, you have my full support." Damar then gave an almost reluctant sigh as he sank back into his chair. "When exactly are you departing?" he asked, knowing that their time was very limited.
Putting down an empty glass for the last time the gul looked at a time readout, which had been loosely hung on the far wall. "We should depart real soon. Are you ready to go?" he asked as his glance rested on the former gul and his daughter.
"Almost," Dukat responded as he laid a hand on Ziyal's shoulder. "We just need to go get a few things."
"Alright. Go and get them, then we'll beam off of this dead hunk of rock." Almost immediately they headed out of the room, leaving the gul alone with Damar.
For a while the two officers just sat there and looked at each other across the room. It was one of those odd instances of waiting where the ones left standing there had little to say. While there had not been a set plan for Damar and the rest of the small soldier contingent to do once their two guests had left for the conference they were planning on finding passage to it. There wasn't much extra space onboard the Alvex, or otherwise they would have just left with Dukat and his daughter. Damar though was confident that they could arrange some sort of transport aboard another cruiser, or possibly smaller vessel, en route to the Narendra Conference.
Finally the two passengers returned, each with a large metal travel case slung by strap over their arm. Duren looked at each of them as a silent confirmation that they were ready before sending a message to their waiting transport. "Gul Duren to Alvex, we are ready to be beamed up."
"Yes sir. Prepare for immediate..." Suddenly the transmission cutoff in mid-sentence and turned to static.
The four Cardassians looked at each other confused and slightly worried. "Duren to Alvex, what's you status?" the gul asked hoping to clear up the haze of confusion.
There was an almost panic filled moment as nothing but static continued to come through the communicator. Luckily though that moment didn't stretch out too long or otherwise real panic might have gripped the small group. "This is the Alvex reporting, sir. We temporarily lost communications."
"Cause?" Duren crisply asked.
"We came under fire from a Romulan vessel."
"Romulan? This deep in Alliance territory? Was it a warbird?" Each question had been asked so quickly asked that it had left little time for the officer on the other end of the communicator to respond.
"No sir. It was merely a scoutship," the officer responded a bit flustered.
"A scoutship?" Quickly Duren ran through all the possible explanations in his mind. One thing did stick out in his mind though, one possible explanation that he hoped would not become a reality. Both Damar and Dukat must have thought of the same thing because a look of worry soon graced their faces as well.
"Tell them to assume orbit over the planet's northern pole." Dukat quickly suggested. "The magnetic disturbance should hide them from Romulan sensors. Do it quickly though, just in case more ships aren't far behind that scout."
Duren relayed the order directly to the Alvex's bridge and it was executed without any hesitation. Once that had been achieved Damar rushed off to gather the few troops stationed there, in case they had to leave in a hurry. When he came back only two soldiers out of the stationed ten were with him.
"The rest are dismantling our equipment, in case ground forces show up." he quickly explained.
The small group could do nothing but sit there and nervously wait until the Alvex's next report. It took nearly twenty minutes before that moment came. "Alvex to Gul Duren, please respond," an officer said. Although the officer's voice sounded calm the experienced officers on the surface could tell that the trained coolness covered up a rising sense of tension.
"Gul Duren here. What's going on up there?"
"Sir, we've detected five D'Deridex class Romulan warbirds decloaking at our previous location. What are our orders?"
Thinking for but a moment Duren quickly responded only with the word 'standby'. Looking at the faces of those around them he was hoping one of them could provide him with a suggestion on what to do next. A heartbeat later the building they were in shook with a terrible force.
"They wouldn't come all this way just to flatten a few ruins would they?" Damar asked.
"Who knows what possesses the mind of a Romulan?" replied Dukat. "But it is odd that they would send five warships so deep in our territory to attack a ruined and abandoned world."
Unless they had a reason to. Whether or not they had a reason didn't matter to Duren at the moment though. All that mattered was their safety from the death raining down on them from orbit.
"Shouldn't we leave now?" a terrified Ziyal asked as the building continued to shake around them.
"Yes of course. Alvex, six to beam up."
"Duren, what about the rest of my men?" asked a panicked and concerned Damar.
"We don't have time for them. The survival of Dukat and Ziyal are paramount if we are to succeed Damar. No other life is worth more than theirs at the moment."
For a moment the legate hesitated. Finally though he conceded his position and nodded to Duren to give the beam up order.
A few moments later they were safely aboard the Alvex, which had thus far eluded being detected by the Romulan threat. Dukat had a comforting arm around his daughter, and Damar was visibly upset about just losing seven officers all for basically nothing. Aside from this though the small group was fine.
"Set course for Narendra III, maximum warp. Let me know if you detect any more Romulan ships." With the orders sent they could now get underway and finally get to the most vital part of this long planned mission. As the small group left the transporter room Duren paused for a moment to wonder just why exactly the Romulans had attacked the lifeless planet of Andor. Their reasons still bore no importance on him however. The only thing that was important to him was the task he would soon have to accomplish.
Mission
With the Narendra Conference quickly approaching many preparations are underway. Having had his associate Daimon Tierzak complete one part of their plan Gul Duren travels to a dead world to pick up his part of the plan to overthrow their Terran foe, Overseer Seven.
Mission Date:
107th day in the 2369th of Molar
After taking another sip of his Kanar he finally set his glass down on a weathered table. For a moment he let his gaze drift to the lovely woman who shyly sat in the corner. Quickly though he took his attention off her so as not to upset his other guest, her father.
The young woman's father took a long drink from his glass before speaking. "You make a good soldier Damar, and you have good taste in drinks as well."
"Thank you Dukat," Damar replied with a slight smile at praise from such a person. "But who doesn't like a good glass of Kanar?" he quickly added, hoping to gain any composure he had just lost.
"Very true Damar, very true indeed," Dukat said with a laugh.
Damar noticed that at her father's laugh Ziyal gave a fleeting, but noticeable smile. Being happy was no doubt something they had both been devoid of these past few years. Ever since Ziyal's heritage had been revealed and Dukat's censure from the Detapa Council nearly three years previous they had been forced to go into hiding and live off the charity of others. It had been so bad for them that at one point they were forced to stay on Tesslak Prime, which was little more than an unsupervised prison planet. They probably would have been better off on Rura Penthe, were it not for the inhospitable cold.
With a slight shake of his head he forced himself back into the present. A small time readout set alongside his glass showed him that it was almost time for Gul Duren's arrival. After Duren's Ferengi associate, a Daimon Tierzak if Damar recalled correctly, had given this pair to the gul then there had been a brief period of trying to figure out what to do with them until the time was right. They couldn't easily accommodate them aboard the Alvex. Besides the fact that they were too valuable to be left aboard a Galor class vessel during a time of war. And obviously there was no place for them back on Cardassia Prime. That was when they had devised of the perfect place for them.
At that moment a young Cardassian officer ran into the room to inform them that the Alvex would be in orbit in less than an hour. Dukat thanked the officer before waving him off to perform some other duty. He then looked at Damar and raised his glass of Kanar. "The future is nearly here my friend."
In response Damar lifted his glass next to Dukat's before downing the last liquid remnants. As he sat his now empty glass back down he looked at the Cardassian before him. He knew vaguely what Dukat and Duren were planning, and yet he didn't know enough to make him feel at ease about the situation. Part of him wanted, no needed, to know more of what was about to come. "I'm curious as to how exactly you are going to bring about this future."
Once the question had been asked Dukat's mood changed as he thought for a moment. Then he looked across the room at Damar with a serious look. "Honestly Damar, I don't know. Most of the planning of this has been left to Gul Duren and his Ferengi lackey, and I'm not sure that they even know everything about it. What I do know is that something must be done to preserve our civilization and to make sure that these outsiders don't tarnish our glorious heritage. Don't you agree Damar?"
"Of course I do Dukat," Damar said a bit taken back by the question. "I was just curious as to the how. As to the why, I fully understand and support."
"That's good to hear Damar. It will not be easy to take what we deserve with so many allied enemies surrounding us."
Leaning back a bit in his chair Damar went over Dukat's words in his mind. Valid as they were he wasn't sure if these were points to be mentioned aloud. While he too distasted their Klingon and Bajoran allies he was not about to forget their help in defeating the Terrans, nor would he forget all they had fought and died for against the Romulans. And yet to remain their ally would only bring about more deterioration of the Cardassian society. There had to be a way for him to have his Jibalian fudge cake and eat it too.
The remaining time became an almost silence. Both soldiers knew that Duren was soon to arrive and there was little left to be spoken between them. While Damar was still thoroughly confused about the whole matter it had become apparent to him that Dukat knew little more of Duren's plans than him. It was simply something that had to wait until Duren himself arrived on the ruined rock of a world where they were waiting from.
More Kanar was brought to them by a barely of age officer. Ziyal kindly refused but both Dukat and Damar gladly accepted it. Slowly they sipped the greenish liquid, enjoying it as though it was the greatest thing life had to offer. A funny thing that war did other then to kill and bring about destruction was to remind those who continued to fight, continued to survive, how each moment of life was not to be wasted. It heightened the senses in a way that in the pause between the death and destruction life became so precious that one felt shamed if they didn't enjoy it to the fullest.
It wasn't much longer before the officer returned to inform them that the Alvex would soon be in orbit and that Duren would beam down shortly after. "About time." Dukat said with an impatient tone before smiling. "Don't think that I'm ungrateful for your company Damar but I would just like to get this whole thing sorted out and finished with."
Damar returned the smile. "Of course Dukat. We all do." he said before taking the last sip of his drink.
The young officer soon returned, this time with Gul Duren in tow. After giving a nod of respect to the three officers he quickly departed. Once he had left Duren took a step forward and was the first of them to speak.
"Ah gentlemen, so good to see you again," he said with a creasing smile.
"You to Duren," Damar replied with a nod.
"I hope these accommodations weren't too horrible for you Dukat. They were, after all, the best place to hide you until the meeting."
"Horrible?" The once honored gul looked at Duren, trying to figure out if the statement was meant as a joke or an insult. Seeing nothing but good intentions on the younger gul's face he decided to respond. "Good company, good drink, no not horrible at all Duren. After spending two years living on Tesslak Prime this place practically seems like the Terran world of Risa, before it was destroyed of course."
"Of course Dukat. Well well Legate Damar, it looks like you can add host to your decorated resume. And with the approval of Dukat I'm sure you would be hired at any number of establishments back on Cardassia."
"Just what I've always dreamed of Duren," Damar replied with a sarcastic grin. "But while the war continues I am a soldier, a fighter for the Cardassian people."
"As you can see, Dukat, Damar is an excellent soldier and a shining example of what the Cardassian people once were, and should be again."
"Yes, about that. We were hoping you could fill the both of us in on this grand scheme you cooked up with that Ferengi," the legate said leaning forward in his chair.
"In good time Damar, in good time. First though if you would be so kind, my throat is a bit parched from the journey here. Might you still have some Kanar that I could drink?"
"For you, always." Damar quickly tapped a comm panel on the table beside him and told one of the officers to bring them three glasses of Kanar. Seconds later one of the few officers stationed there rushed in with the three glasses and handed each of the men a glass before departing just as quickly as he had entered.
Slowly Duren took a long sip of the liquid before letting out a satisfied exhale. Damar offered the gul a seat, which he gladly accepted. Once he had made himself comfortable Duren took one more sip of his drink before continuing. "Alright gentlemen, what part of the plan are you confused about?"
"Just do both me and Dukat a favor and tell us the whole thing, in case we understood something else differently then what's to happen."
"Okay, from the beginning then." Leaning back in his chair Duren paused for a moment as if he were lost in thought. Almost completely still, he stayed like that for quite a number of seconds before suddenly springing back to life. "Over the course of Cardassian history we have always been a proud and noble people. Virtually untainted until the day that our noble world ran low of resources, and we were forced into the stars in search of a solution to our problem. In our search for that solution we ran into other species, and so began our tumble from that high peak that we had enjoyed for so long..."
At this point Damar felt as though he were sitting through a history lecture at his old academy. When he had asked Duren to fill them in on the situation he didn't expect such a long-winded response. He only hoped that the gul would soon reach the point and tell them what they actually wanted to know.
"Our conflicts with some of these races became nothing more then a drain. After fighting countless battles our resources were lower then before and our troop morale even lower. Then came the war with the Terrans, a war that changed us irrevocably. That enemy, that war, forced us to look at our military objectively and to ultimately seek an alliance with the Terran Empire's greatest foe, the Klingons. It is my belief that the alliance with the Klingons was perhaps the greatest mistake we made since launching ourselves into space. Ever since that day our people have been tarnished and ultimately set aside by our ally to make room for none other then that enemy which we fought so hard to wipe out."
"I assume you speak of the Overseer," Damar said, hoping that the gul had finally reached what he had wanted to know.
"Yes, the Overseer. The traitorous Terran that was placed in such a high power that she be second only to the Regent himself." As he spoke Duren gritted his teeth just enough to be noticeable.
"Traitorous Terran? Do you have a personal vendetta against her, Duren? Because if that is the cause of this whole charade then I for one am ashamed to have taken part in it."
"What a bold statement Damar." Quickly Duren's demeanor changed and his features smoothened back to their original form. "Have no fear my loyal comrade. I am simply looking out for the best interests of the Cardassian people. And how could getting rid of Seven not be beneficial?"
Easing back into his chair Damar took a sip of his drink. "Depends on if you get caught," he mumbled.
"Caught?" A grin made it's way across the gul's face and for a moment Damar thought he might break out into laughter. "You're assuming that what we are doing here is illegal."
"You mean it's not?" Damar responded in a shocked, yet slightly sarcastic tone.
"Of course not my dear Damar. It's not like we are planning a coupe against one of OUR leaders." He made a quick gesture with his hands making it apparent that he meant Cardassian leaders. "No, I'm simply going to bring light to the questionable actions that our dear Overseer has committed over the years."
"Actions? Such as?" the legate asked, his curiosity suddenly peaked.
"For that we have our dear friend Dukat, and of course his daughter Ziyal."
At the mentioning of the young woman's name Damar turned in his chair to look at her. Since they had awoken that morning Ziyal had quietly sat in the corner tending to things only known by her. As he gazed at the frail, statuesque figure Damar could only wonder what part in this she would soon play.
"You see Damar," Duren suddenly spoke again, breaking the legate's thoughts, "Ziyal there was present the day that the Bajoran Kai Winn was assassinated."
Damar swiveled back around in his chair; feeling as though all hope in Duren's plan was about to be lost. "Of course she was Duren, she was Winn's most trusted assistant. That is common knowledge."
"Yes but what is not common knowledge is that it is was Seven, not our dear Ziyal here that was the Bajoran leader's killer."
Complete shock hit Damar as he let the words just dealt him soak in. A smirk suddenly made it's way across his face as he came to realize how impossible Duren's words were. To Damar they at that moment became nothing more then an elaborate fiction created in order to get rid of the Terran Overseer. "Nice try Duren," Damar said back to the gul. "You almost had me there for a moment."
"Ah my dear Damar, believe what you wish. The story is true, and my associate Tierzak got proof of it only days ago."
Remaining silent throughout the conversation Dukat finally chose a moment to speak. "You mean you found a way to prove to others that my daughter isn't a traitor?"
Gul Duren polished off his glass of Kanar before displaying his biggest smile yet. "Of course I did Dukat. I told you to have faith in me."
"How?" was all that Damar could say.
"Well let's just say that Tierzak has found a witness to the murder. The security tapes from Kai Winn's office to be precisely."
With that a sudden noise startled the three Cardassian soldiers and Ziyal finally made her presence known. She made her way across the room to where they were sitting and stood next to Dukat, but kept her sight on Duren. "How is that possible?" she asked in a soft voice. "All of those tapes were reviewed by Bajoran security before being destroyed because of religious customs. From what I gathered from the media on Bajor those tapes revealed nothing."
"Apparently someone off planet had tapped into the security feed for the kai's office. Some way or another a copy from that feed made it's way into the hands of a Yridian trader, who Tierzak was supposed to meet with three days ago."
"And the proof that Seven is Winn's killer is on those tapes?"
"Unfortunately Dukat I haven't been able to get in touch with Tierzak since before his meeting with the Yridian. So I can't tell you what's on those tapes for definite, but I'm confident that they contain exactly what we need to expose Seven as a traitor to the Alliance."
"Oh well if you're confident then we have nothing to worry about," Damar said sarcastically. "Besides, even if she did, and we can prove it, then how is that going to help us? Kai Winn has been dead for three years. Do you really think that the Regent or any of the Intendants will care?"
"Perhaps and perhaps not. But it will bring question to her loyalty, and be cause to open an investigation."
"An investigation?" Damar scoffed. "Who would order such an investigation on such a high player over a three year old murder of a low religious leader."
Duren took a sip from his recently refilled glass of Kanar before simply and matter-of-factly stating, "The Bajoran Intendant."
This caught the attention of both Dukat and Damar. Neither of them could hardly believe what Duren had just suggested to them. Having the same question they both looked at each other before Dukat finally took the initiative and spoke.
"Why would she of all people want to investigate this matter? Kai Winn was her biggest political rival. Not to mention the fact that it was Seven who was Kira's assistant while she held the office of Overseer."
"And she was also the one who nominated Seven to succeed her after she stepped down." Damar quickly added.
"All of this I know full and well gentlemen. I have been assured though by Kira's closest aides that she will support any move we make against Seven."
"You spoke to her aides?" With this little touch of information Damar could hide his disgust no further. "Duren, I am surprised you are so confident. You come here, days before our plan is to be put into action, with only promises and half worked ideas. How in the world do you expect to pull this off with what little you've got?"
For a moment Duren looked as though the legate had just personally attacked him, offended far beyond his tasting. Then he softened himself though and appeared as calm as one could be during a war. "My dear Damar, you just don't get it do you? While not all of my ideas are worked out to your liking they are in fact worked out enough for the council's liking. We need only to present enough evidence, no matter how strong that evidence is, before all the Alliance leaders to make them suspicious of our dear Terran Overseer. Once we do that then we will be able to remove her from power with little opposition."
Unconvinced, Damar got up from his seat and walked to the other side of the room in thought. Dukat looked over both of them, not really knowing whose point was more valid. If Kai Winn's murder took place as suggested then he wanted nothing more then to see Seven put before a firing squad. But it would not be easy to convince so many with so little evidence.
"Were you able to find Leeta?" Ziyal spoke so suddenly that she almost made Duren jump in his seat. "She would be a great help to us if you did Gul Duren."
"Unfortunately I did not, my dear. I checked every source I could think of and used every favor I had standing. All I was able to get though is that she was reported missing by her girlfriend not long after you disappeared from Bajor."
The young woman sank back into her corner chair, looking almost as if she had just lost. Duren looked at her, almost pitying her. The life she had lived, being half Bajoran and half Cardassian, must had been a struggle. To make it worse this whole elaborate plot involving Seven and the Bajoran Intendant, to which she had undoubtedly gotten the short end of. He imagined it had been quite rough indeed, but she had remained strong throughout it all and that was a trait Duren respected and admired. For her and the others like her on Cardassia Duren had to make this plan work. Nothing would stand in his way, he was certain of it.
With a pause in the conversation Duren took a look around the ruined room where they currently were. The area was little more then a pile of rock and twisted metal. In fact, the whole planet had become that. Ever since that day when its destruction was ordered by the Regent those years ago. That day, so many died for the mistakes of a few of their kind. A fate that Duren hoped the Cardassian people would not one day share.
It had made the perfect place to hide his small soldier contingent during this operation. A ruined world deep into Alliance territory, right under his opponent's noses. Clearly away from any threat the small group of soldiers left here had been relatively safe, if not comfortable. And who in the Alliance would think to look here for anything, let alone anyone who might be trying to remove someone from power? Yes this world had been perfect in Duren's plan, this ruined world of a once ally. Andor was what it had been called, but since the Great Andorian Massacre none had been allowed to speak its name.
Sitting back down Damar looked across the room at Duren. He was still unconvinced that Duren's plan had any merit, but it was all they had to go on. After all the conference was scheduled to take place in almost a week. And the trip to Narendra III would take up most of that time alone, not to mention the sure to ensue chaos once they had arrived. Frankly, they were out of time. And if they wanted to remove Seven from her seat of power then they had no better chance to. Damar had no choice but to simply accept the gul's plan. "Very well Gul Duren, we'll go ahead as you suggested. We don't have much of a choice to do otherwise do we?"
Duren could tell by the look on the young legate's face that he wasn't happy to concede on this point. He reveled in Damar's reluctant, yet still complete acceptance. Whether or not he enjoyed the situation Duren could simply not let it show. After all Damar was a trusted ally, not a despised foe. This was not a time to pick apart loyalties, but to hold them tightly. His loyalty, his wonderful sense of duty and loyalty to the Cardassian people were the reasons that Damar had been let in on this little plot. While still a young officer he had gained the respect of many of the higher-ups. Not only that but besides for Dukat there was no other Cardassian that Duren liked or trusted more than Damar.
"Do not sound as though we have lost Damar," Dukat said, placing a hand on the legate's shoulder. "While the plan may not be without faults, it is still a good plan to go on. Besides, how many of those Intendants do you think won't jump at the chance to remove a Terran from such a high seat of power? We aren't the only ones that she has become a nuisance to."
"Of course you are right Dukat, I just don't want to face the consequences if we fail."
"We are all very aware of the consequences Damar," spoke Duren with a serious, but still friendly tone. "Do not worry though. Even if we fail to prove Seven's loyalties before the council little of the backlash will fall on us. My supporters in the Detapa Council will make sure of it."
"Very well then Duren, you have my full support." Damar then gave an almost reluctant sigh as he sank back into his chair. "When exactly are you departing?" he asked, knowing that their time was very limited.
Putting down an empty glass for the last time the gul looked at a time readout, which had been loosely hung on the far wall. "We should depart real soon. Are you ready to go?" he asked as his glance rested on the former gul and his daughter.
"Almost," Dukat responded as he laid a hand on Ziyal's shoulder. "We just need to go get a few things."
"Alright. Go and get them, then we'll beam off of this dead hunk of rock." Almost immediately they headed out of the room, leaving the gul alone with Damar.
For a while the two officers just sat there and looked at each other across the room. It was one of those odd instances of waiting where the ones left standing there had little to say. While there had not been a set plan for Damar and the rest of the small soldier contingent to do once their two guests had left for the conference they were planning on finding passage to it. There wasn't much extra space onboard the Alvex, or otherwise they would have just left with Dukat and his daughter. Damar though was confident that they could arrange some sort of transport aboard another cruiser, or possibly smaller vessel, en route to the Narendra Conference.
Finally the two passengers returned, each with a large metal travel case slung by strap over their arm. Duren looked at each of them as a silent confirmation that they were ready before sending a message to their waiting transport. "Gul Duren to Alvex, we are ready to be beamed up."
"Yes sir. Prepare for immediate..." Suddenly the transmission cutoff in mid-sentence and turned to static.
The four Cardassians looked at each other confused and slightly worried. "Duren to Alvex, what's you status?" the gul asked hoping to clear up the haze of confusion.
There was an almost panic filled moment as nothing but static continued to come through the communicator. Luckily though that moment didn't stretch out too long or otherwise real panic might have gripped the small group. "This is the Alvex reporting, sir. We temporarily lost communications."
"Cause?" Duren crisply asked.
"We came under fire from a Romulan vessel."
"Romulan? This deep in Alliance territory? Was it a warbird?" Each question had been asked so quickly asked that it had left little time for the officer on the other end of the communicator to respond.
"No sir. It was merely a scoutship," the officer responded a bit flustered.
"A scoutship?" Quickly Duren ran through all the possible explanations in his mind. One thing did stick out in his mind though, one possible explanation that he hoped would not become a reality. Both Damar and Dukat must have thought of the same thing because a look of worry soon graced their faces as well.
"Tell them to assume orbit over the planet's northern pole." Dukat quickly suggested. "The magnetic disturbance should hide them from Romulan sensors. Do it quickly though, just in case more ships aren't far behind that scout."
Duren relayed the order directly to the Alvex's bridge and it was executed without any hesitation. Once that had been achieved Damar rushed off to gather the few troops stationed there, in case they had to leave in a hurry. When he came back only two soldiers out of the stationed ten were with him.
"The rest are dismantling our equipment, in case ground forces show up." he quickly explained.
The small group could do nothing but sit there and nervously wait until the Alvex's next report. It took nearly twenty minutes before that moment came. "Alvex to Gul Duren, please respond," an officer said. Although the officer's voice sounded calm the experienced officers on the surface could tell that the trained coolness covered up a rising sense of tension.
"Gul Duren here. What's going on up there?"
"Sir, we've detected five D'Deridex class Romulan warbirds decloaking at our previous location. What are our orders?"
Thinking for but a moment Duren quickly responded only with the word 'standby'. Looking at the faces of those around them he was hoping one of them could provide him with a suggestion on what to do next. A heartbeat later the building they were in shook with a terrible force.
"They wouldn't come all this way just to flatten a few ruins would they?" Damar asked.
"Who knows what possesses the mind of a Romulan?" replied Dukat. "But it is odd that they would send five warships so deep in our territory to attack a ruined and abandoned world."
Unless they had a reason to. Whether or not they had a reason didn't matter to Duren at the moment though. All that mattered was their safety from the death raining down on them from orbit.
"Shouldn't we leave now?" a terrified Ziyal asked as the building continued to shake around them.
"Yes of course. Alvex, six to beam up."
"Duren, what about the rest of my men?" asked a panicked and concerned Damar.
"We don't have time for them. The survival of Dukat and Ziyal are paramount if we are to succeed Damar. No other life is worth more than theirs at the moment."
For a moment the legate hesitated. Finally though he conceded his position and nodded to Duren to give the beam up order.
A few moments later they were safely aboard the Alvex, which had thus far eluded being detected by the Romulan threat. Dukat had a comforting arm around his daughter, and Damar was visibly upset about just losing seven officers all for basically nothing. Aside from this though the small group was fine.
"Set course for Narendra III, maximum warp. Let me know if you detect any more Romulan ships." With the orders sent they could now get underway and finally get to the most vital part of this long planned mission. As the small group left the transporter room Duren paused for a moment to wonder just why exactly the Romulans had attacked the lifeless planet of Andor. Their reasons still bore no importance on him however. The only thing that was important to him was the task he would soon have to accomplish.