Obsidian Order

The Obsidian Order was the secret intelligence arm of the Cardassian Union. They were destroyed before the Dominion War by a decoy plot of the Founders to draw in a good portion of Cardassian and Romulan fleets. They were a ruthless organization who would stoop to bribery, extortion, and assasination to fulfill their mission. The organization was founded at the outset of the Union. It was meant to be under the control of the Detapa Council along with the Central Command, but in practice those organizations were autonomous. The only restriction placed was the order was forbidden to have access to military equipment. The order also acted as secret police and were very effective in elimating "traitors." The order was organized in semi-autonomous cells. Agents received cranial implants to resist torture. Upon capture, agents are supposed to take a compound called Prozamine which not only kills them, but quickly turns the body into dust to avoid identification. During the Dominion War the Obsidian Order's duties were taken over by the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau. Its been surmised that the destruction of the order precipitated the civilian uprising in 2372 which reestablished the power of the Detapa Council.