The Cardassian Empire's name was not given arbitrarily. Like all other nations with the word "Empire" in their name, they were a feudal monarchy where the Emperor served as head of state and commander in chief of the military. But there was more to it than just that. The Emperor also had absolute power over everything in the Empire. If a criminal was sentenced to a month in prison for stealing food, the Emperor could declare them to instead serve twenty years in prison with the stroke of a pen. If a poor person who earned barely enough to feed his family suddenly won millions in the lottery, the Emperor could clap his hands and a loyal advisor would be given those millions. If a person looked at the Emperor with even the slightest piece of doubt during a speech, then the Emperor could just snap his fingers and that person would be executed by the nearest soldier in front of everyone there. Effectively the Emperor had absolute power and now practiced that power from the Cardassian Imperial Star Ship Supernova. While the crew of the U.S.S Apollo and the rest of those serving in the Gamma Quadrant Fleet had known that the Emperor was likely to be a cruel and heartless individual, they had no idea who it would be. Now they knew and to their shock, denial and horror it was Emperor Madred the First.
Sitting on the Great Cardassian Throne was Emperor Madred. Whose life had somehow been extended far beyond the five thousand years it had been since he arrived in the Gamma Quadrant. Coming out of the throne and penetrating deep into his rotting half-dead corpse of a body were dozens of tubes and wires that were pumping in proteins, nutrients, carbohydrates and of course blood. Everything the oldest Cardassian alive needed to see his empire last forever. His skin hung droop over his skeleton and his eyes were a bulging and fear inducing grey. Attached to his face, covering his mouth and nose, was a breathing apparatus with two long tubes connected from them to the throne itself and oxygen was being pumped into him to keep him alive. Also sticking out of his throat, with a green light on it for speaking, was a voice box that would allow him to speak. Effective since his old one had long since rotted away due to his highly advanced age. Finally, on the top of his head was a crown, though it was more of a helmet. The crown was a dome shaped hat with wires from the throne connecting to it and feeding chemicals and electricity into his brain to keep him alive. All of this allowed Emperor Madred to live for over five thousand years, making him an immortal. But it was a cursed immortality. He could no longer move and he could never leave the throne without dying a horrible death. The tubes and wires had been inside of him for so long that he had almost forgotten the feeling of not having them inside of him. Although he believed that this was the immortality he had sought for millennia, it was a cursed one that had eroded him into a rotting skeleton that was far past his natural limit. That was far past the very thing that made him mortal and it had made him a monstrosity of a man. It had made him the Cardassian Emperor.
While the boarding parties looked at the Emperor with shock and appalment, the Cardassian Bridge Crew looked at him jovially and felt privileged to meet the man that they had been brainwashed into worshipping from birth. One of the Acadians in the command centre, had just been able to stop himself from vomiting at the shock of this all before saying "That is the Emperor!? What in the name of the sky god Eris has happened to him!?" What happened next made the entire boarding party freeze in both fear and shock. It made them feel cold shivers up their spines that felt like the ghosts of their ancestors coming to warn them of an impending doom. The Emperor spoke.
Through the artificial voice box that was sticking out of his throat like a bone in an open wound, the Emperor said "If you wish to learn then just ask." But his voice was distorted and sounded like multiple voices. It sounded like at least ten men talking all at once. It also sounded slightly computerised and had a sounded very hoarse as he spoke. It's tone was also unforgettable. Low and rough, like sandpaper across a person's face. The Emperor was looking right at Ethan as he said again in his artificial voice, this time extremely angry "I remember you. Five thousand years ago for me, yet just three years ago for you, your ship was the very last Federation ship I witnessed before coming here to resurrect the True Way of the Cardassian people and now you are here, destroying my perfect empire!" Ethan would've pointed out the flaws of the Cardassian Empire. He would've explained how it was merely his twisted vision of society and a remnant of a dying way of life that the Cardassian people had willingly rejected and now saw as disgusting and repugnant. But instead he asked with a horrified look on his face "How in the name of Zeferam Cochrane are you still alive?" Madred then let out a horrifying laugh through his voice box and said "In the Human year twenty four o seven we discovered the Iconian Wormhole Device inside of an ancient temple on a barren and lifeless planet. Inside we also found the Throne. Which has sustained me for five thousand years by pumping the processed remains of loyal citizens of New Cardassia into me and will sustain my heir to the throne for another five thousand years following my death!"
The boarding party were horrified and disgusted at what they were seeing. The remains of innocent citizens of New Cardassia were processed into the various carbohydrates, proteins and blood that Madred needed to survive and were pumped into him in order for him to rule the Cardassian Empire for as long as possible. It was finally then that they realised what the huge tanks behind Madred were. Behind the Throne were four tanks that were filled with a red liquid of some kind that was being constantly pumped into every possible part of Madred and now the boarding party knew what it was: people. They were the liquified remains of hundreds of innocent people whose bodies had been melted down into a thick sludge in order to keep one selfish old man alive. Horrified at what Madred had done and what was keeping him alive, a Human member of the boarding party from the Pathfinder felt his breakfast racing up his throat as he said "Oh God!" and vomited across the floor. As an Acadian soldier helped him to his feet, he said "You monster! How could you use the corpses of the dead to prolong your own life!?" Madred made a wide and terrifying grin from under his breathing apparatus that only made him seem even more terrifying as he said "Because the needs of the important, are more important than the needs of the pathetic." He was about to make an evil laugh, but then he heard T'Vrell say "No. That is illogical."
Madred's evil grin disappeared and was replaced with an angry frown as he looked over at T'Vrell and angrily said "What!?" T'Vrell then stood up straight with a courageous look beaming from her and said "Thousands of years ago, my people, the Vulcans, chose to control our emotions in favour of logic." Annoyed at T'Vrell, Madred asked "So?" T'Vrell then said calmly and courageously "Vulcans have been guided by the philosophy of logic gifted to us by Surak for thousands of years. We believe that logic is the path to peace. Not war and terror. We believe it is logical to seek peace and build bridges to connect the people of the galaxy and we believe it to be illogical to only want war and to build walls to divide the people of the galaxy. I believe that it is logical to say that the Federation will never stagnate and collapse. The reason is because we have great tolerance of other alien races' cultures and ways of life. The Federation has celebrated the diversity of the galaxy by exploring the galaxy and learning more of the cultures of other alien races. I believe that this is what has allowed the Federation to endure and thrive for over two hundred and fifty years and what will allow us to endure for another two hundred and fifty years. I submit to you that your empire is illogical because it's only want is to wage war against the rest of the galaxy. You have no tolerance of the cultures and beliefs of other alien races and that will inevitably lead to conflict with them. You are trying to subjugate and enslave the aliens of the galaxy under your rule and they will find it logical to fight against you for their freedoms and their cultures. Let's say you do conquer the galaxy and enslave every species in the galaxy. You would choose to illogically treat them no better than objects and eventually that would lead to slave rebellions and the end of the Cardassian Empire. Because you chose to put the needs of yourself above the needs of the people and that will lead to your inevitable downfall. However this has never happened to the Federation and it never will because we embrace the logic that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
Everyone in the command centre was completely silent after hearing T'Vrell's impromptu speech, T'Vrell herself having not realised that her husband had recorded the whole speech with a camera. But then two Acadian soldiers started to slowly applaud T'Vrell. Then a few Starfleet officers and Romulan Republic officers. Until the entire boarding parties had all begun to applause T'Vrell's speech in which she argued that the Federation would endure and thrive because it sought out new life and new civilisations in order to learn more about their culture and were tolerant of that culture. While the Cardassian Empire would inevitably collapse into ruin because it only waged war against the alien races of the galaxy and would one day fall apart completely due to slave rebellions and constant warfare. But most importantly because they lacked the one thing that had kept the Federation from falling apart for over two and a half centuries: tolerance. Something that the Cardassian people had almost completely lacked until they abandoned their ways of war and became allies with the United Federation of Planets. A nation destined to last for many millennia.
The Cardassian soldiers however looked at T'Vrell with both shock and confusion. All their lives they had been taught that the Federation was a loose assortment of barbarians who hated the Cardassians because they wanted to conquer them. But they had just heard something that contradicted that. They had just heard another side of the story. One in which the Federation was in fact a vast alliance of alien races that worked in harmony with one another. They had never once doubted what they had been told by the Cardassian Imperial Government, but now they were having doubts. But what made them really have doubts was the way T'Vrell spoke. In all of the speeches they had seen the person speaking had spoken very angrily and their voice had been so full of hatred. But this was different. It was more relaxed, more calm and more passionate. What T'Vrell had said was too different, too foreign to be made up by someone in the Empire. Mainly because in the five thousand years of their existence, the Cardassian Imperial citizens had never heard another point of view other than Cardassian Imperialism...until now.
T'Vrell looked over at the soldiers in the Command Centre and could tell that they were having serious doubts about the Empire because of her recent speech. Noticing this as well and knowing that he could not let the Empire he had worked so hard to build stagnate and fall into ruin, Madred said as loud as he could with his artificial voice box "Lies!" The soldiers all looked at him as he said "This Vulcan woman has spoken nothing but lies! You cannot believe any words she says! Only believe the words I say because I am the only truth!" Some soldiers seemed convinced and saluted Madred saying "Hail New Cardassia!" To these soldiers Emperor Madred was the only truth they knew. They had clearly not been convinced by T'Vrell's words. So Ethan decided to make them and everyone else on the Supernova be convinced by Madred's own words. Ethan walked next to T'Vrell with a Padd in hand and said "If you do not believe the words of my wife, then perhaps you will believe the words of your Emperor." The boarding parties all looked confused as a Romulan Lieutenant asked "What?" Even Madred seemed confused as he asked "What are you talking about you Human filth?" Ethan did not respond to the insult, instead he had a mischievous smile as he said "You'll see soon enough." Ethan then walked over to a console and pressed a few buttons on it to change every viewscreen in the Supernova to show him speaking through them.
Across the Supernova, soldiers of the Cardassian Imperial Guard were running about, managing the phaser arrays and torpedo launchers as they fought the Starfleet, Romulan and Acadian ships outside. Around them were viewscreens that constantly broadcasted brainwashing propaganda that was nothing more than lies and hate. As two Cardassian soldiers loaded a torpedo into it's launcher, the viewscreen next to the launcher suddenly changed to show the face of Rear Admiral Ethan Rivers. They both stopped what they were doing as one soldier yelled "It's a Starfleet officer! What do those savages want with us!?" The Cardassian soldiers all across the ship then started screaming insults and yelling profanities at Ethan that were so loud that they could be heard all the way from the Command Centre. Ethan, hearing the screaming that was coming from across the Supernova, knew what had to be done as he said "Listen up. I'm not going to tell you what you should do. That will be up to you. What I am going to do however, is show you the truth and the truth is that Emperor Madred does not care about a single one of you and I can prove it." Ethan then plugged his Padd into the console and the viewscreens changed to show something that at first overjoyed the soldiers. But later shocked them as they heard what was said.
The viewscreens all changed in an instant to show the face of Emperor Madred. But this was different. This was Emperor Madred in his prime. This was the Emperor before he came to the Gamma Quadrant and established the Cardassian Empire. This was the Emperor when he was still a man and not a rotting millennial old corpse being kept alive by the Throne. They expected their Emperor to make a rousing speech during his prime. But instead he made a different speech. One that they had never expected the Emperor to say.
It seemed as if Madred was talking to someone behind the hidden camera as he said "They're just stupid to see. The Cardassian Union is built on buying into nonsense. Those fools back in Cardassia really think that I care about them? Idiots!" The soldiers across the Supernova were immediately stunned at what the Emperor had said so many thousands of years ago. The Emperor had once said in a speech that he fought for all of them and countless centuries ago he said something that contradicted that!? The crew of the Supernova was also further shocked as Madred said "All I care about is power! Why should I care about those fools!? The people need to think that the old Cardassian dream of prosperity and unity is still alive, you know that we could rise. That we could do anything. What a joke. It's all just a front that we use. The reality is that the military is just what we use to retain our power and that those idiots called the citizenry buy into the nonsense we tell them so that they won't oppose us and we, the Guls, can do whatever we want." The crew were all appalled and disgusted by what they were seeing and hearing. It was clearly the Emperor back before his journey into the Gamma Quadrant. But this was not the Emperor they knew. At least the Emperor they thought they knew. This was the Emperor that really was: a selfish, heartless, manipulative and power hungry liar.
As the footage stopped and the viewscreens changed back to Ethan's face, the crew all looked shocked beyond belief. What they had just seen was far too real to be faked and the Emperor knew it. What had been thousands of years ago for him, was but seven years ago for the Cardassian Intelligence Order. Back then in twenty four o eight, a significant portion of the population was in support of the True Way. The Detapa Council knew this and had to stop it. So they sent Iliana Ghemor undercover into the True Way after her return from a temporal rift that sent her into the future. She disguised herself as a high ranking member of the True Way who was close to Madred and had secretly recorded a conversation with him in which he showed his true colours. This evidence had been shown to the Cardassian people, destroying what support the True Way had virtually overnight. Now the same had been done, in which Emperor Madred had been revealed as the dirty liar he really was.
One of the officers in the Command Centre looked over at Madred with shock in his eyes and asked "Did you really say all of this Emperor?" Madred did not respond. Instead he looked over at Ethan and said "You fiend! Thanks to you those scum down there in the rest of this asteroid of a ship will turn against me! I'll have your head for this!" It was then that Madred realised something that made him freeze in shock and it was that Ethan had set the viewscreen to broadcast whatever he was saying. On the main viewscreen at the front of the Command Centre, Madred was being broadcasted. He was also being broadcasted on literally every viewscreen in the entire Supernova! Ethan then stood in front of the viewscreen and said "Crew of the C.I.S.S Supernova, my name is Ethan Rivers and you have seen the truth. You now know that Emperor Madred does not fight for you, he only fights for himself. He has never once fought for anyone but himself. The Cardassian Empire is not some glorious nation that is destined to conquer the Universe. It is just a tool that Madred uses to retain his power. You yourselves are but tools in Madred's plans of personal gain and domination of the galaxy. But now you have seen the truth and now you shall hear what shall become of the Supernova."
The entire crew of the Supernova all listened intently as Ethan said "The Supernova is a weapon that no one should use. It is far too dangerous and could mean untold levels of death and destruction if it landed in the wrong hands. So we, the brave men and women of the Gamma Quadrant Fleet and the Acadian Resistance, have no choice but to destroy it." Ethan then activated a timer on the viewscreen and said "You have one hour to get off this ship. Please follow all evacuation protocols to the latter and proceed in an orderly fashion." The entire crew, all of them fully believing what they had seen and understanding the horrible truth about the Cardassian Empire, all started headed towards the escape shuttles as fast as they could. Not desiring to die on the Supernova when it was destroyed. Soldiers ran away from their consoles and phaser array stations to get to the escape shuttles. Knowing that each second they wasted was less time they had to escape a horrible death. A mere few minutes prior they would've gladly given their lives for the Cardassian Empire and for Emperor Madred. But now they had no intention of serving a rotten old carcass who had just insulted them and unwillingly revealed his true colours. Literally the entire crew was doing everything they could to escape and no one was left to man the weapons or engines. Causing the C.I.S.S Supernova to stop firing and become an immobile floating husk in the endless vacuum of space.
Outside the battle was continuing to rage on, the Gamma Quadrant Fleet were fighting the Cardassian Imperial Ships like there was no tomorrow and the battle was in a stalemate. That was until the Supernova suddenly deactivated almost completely, with not a single weapon firing from it and the engines turning off completely. From the Bridge of the Apollo, Commander Flores and the rest of the Bridge Crew noticed this. Alisha quickly pressed on his com badge and said "Commander Flores to Rear Admiral Ethan Rivers. Why has the Supernova stopped all of a sudden?" Ethan pressed on his com badge and said "We showed the crew Madred's true colours and now they're all turning tail and running for the shuttles to escape." Alisha sounded confused as she said "Forgive me Rear Admiral, but I believe I misheard you. I swear I just heard you say Madred." Ethan could tell that Alisha was confused and said "Commander, this is going to sound completely insane, but Gul Madred used ancient Iconian technology to extend his life far beyond it's natural limit. He's still alive." Alisha honestly thought that Ethan was joking. She was certain that Madred had died a horrible death after living a life as an evil terrorist who murdered innocents because he thought he could. Still not convinced, Alisha said "Rear Admiral. With all due respect, are you sure you are alright in the mental sense? It sounds as if your talking nonsense." Ethan, wanting everyone in the Fleet to see Madred, pressed a few buttons on the console and said "Maybe this will convince you."
What Alisha saw next shocked her beyond belief. In fact it shocked the entire crew beyond belief. They saw Emperor Madred on his throne, his body resembling a skeleton and his skin hanging droop over his skeleton. His eyes bulging and his voice coming out of a robotic machine as he sarcastically said "I see that you have decided to show your crew the man who you just destroyed the reputation of. How fitting." Ethan looked over at Madred and said "T'Vrell, would you be so kind for as to mind meld with Madred and find out how to destroy this damn asteroid?" T'Vrell slightly nodded and said "Of course Rear Admiral." T'Vrell then began walking over to Emperor Madred. Determined to find the deactivation codes for the force field around the star that powered the Supernova and end the Battle of Acadia with a victory for the Gamma Quadrant Fleet and the entire Milky Way Galaxy.