Date: 2371

Enabran Tain of the Obsidian Order secretly organized a joint Cardassian Romulan task force and led it into the Omarion Nebula, convinced the Founders’ homeworld lay hidden there. The fleet bombarded the planet’s surface with massive weapons fire, but detected no signs of life, reinforcing the belief that the Changelings had been eradicated. In truth, the operation had been compromised from the start. A Changeling had infiltrated the planning stages, and the Founders had already abandoned the world, allowing the attack to proceed as a deception. The bombardment achieved nothing except to draw the fleet deeper into the trap. Jem’Hadar forces then emerged from concealment and annihilated the task force. Only a handful of ships escaped. The aftermath was catastrophic. The Tal Shiar survived the disaster but was left badly weakened, its power and reach permanently diminished. The Obsidian Order, however, was effectively wiped out, losing its leadership, infrastructure, and operational capability in a single blow. With the Obsidian Order destroyed, the Cardassian military government collapsed from within. The Cardassian Underground moved quickly to seize the moment, restoring political authority to the civilian Detapa Council. The balance of power on Cardassia shifted overnight, leaving the Union vulnerable and setting the stage for its later alliance with the Dominion.