Zejil Rebek

Gul Rebek (2375)

Gul Zejil Rebek (Ilojan transliteration: Zeçil Rebek), known to her family and absolute closest friends as "Zija" (Ziyça), commanded the Cardassian warship Romac during the Dominion War. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions)

Rebek is noted for her short stature and powerful soprano voice, as well as a creative interpretation of Cardassian Guard dress regulations for female officers: she wears her braids in something of a coronet around her head, held together in the back by a pin bearing the sigil of her Order.

She is also one of the only people in the entire Cardassian Guard known to have mastered the use of the hunter array, an experimental master device controller / heads-up display combination introduced and quickly discontinued in the year 2367. Though she was not able to make the device serve in all capacities for which it was originally intended, worn by her it becomes a potent soldier's tool nonetheless. (The Thirteenth Order)

Rebek is also an adherent of the Oralian Way--a fact she has had to hide well in order to avoid execution at the hands of the Obsidian Order. ("Those Who Remain")

Military career

At some point during her basic training, something occurred between her and future gul Malyn Ocett that set off a feud that would continue throughout their careers.

Following basic, Rebek began her service in the ground forces as a member of the Sniper Corps on the Federation front. Even after reassignment to the space fleet, Rebek maintained her skills in this area and used them to aid her work in salvaging the hunter array for her use. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order, "Immersion")

Rebek was reassigned to the engineering specialty in the early 2350s, and sent back to the Vigilance Inquisitorium in Keshat Akleen. During that time, she came to know another future gul, Tayben Berat while he was still deghilzin. Berat became aware of her religious beliefs, though he kept this knowledge to himself and cryptically communicated his decision to Rebek. Eventually, after enough time had passed, this would lead to an enduring friendship between the two. ("Immersion")

In 2375, Rebek was one of four guls, along with Akellen Macet, to conspire against the Dominion.

The Septimus Massacre

Before they could act, however, Rebek bore witness to the Septimus Massacre as gul of one of only three defending Cardassian vessels. Under the fierce Klingon assaults, the Romac lost shields. Rebek herself suffered severe burns down her back, and at the same time, the ship's Vorta was knocked into a coma. The leaderless Jem'Hadar went on a bloody rampage aboard her ship until engineer Serain Meray put a stop to it. The Romac itself only survived thanks to the sharp instincts of Rebek's counterpart aboard the Sherouk. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions: The Thirteenth Order)

Dominion War rebel

The Sherouk towed the Romac back to Lessek, and there she was one of the guls who issued the invitation to Starfleet lieutenant commander Makis Spirodopoulos to join their rebellion. Though she had misgivings about the extreme diversity of the Starfleet crew, with which her experience and training in the Cardassian Guard gave her little means to cope, she made an effort to suppress these misgivings.

Rebek was initially slated to remain with the Romac during the space portion of the battle. The effects of her experience at Septimus III, however, led her to conclude that her first officer, Glinn Va'Kust, would serve better in that capacity for the time. Instead, Rebek opted to take on her old role of sniper and join Macet, Speros, and Spirodopoulos in the ground battle. Much to Macet's surprise, she revealed her mastery of the hunter array and debuted her modified version of the array in battle. (The Thirteenth Order)

Memorable quote

"And what I am about to say—I have never dared say except in the sanctity what I’ve had to hope were the most sheltered, secure circumstances possible, but after what happened in orbit of that ravaged planet, the course we are about to set will condemn me for sure if we fail. This, therefore, becomes simply an aggravating circumstance on a crime that already means death. But what means death for a righteous cause to one whose soul…no mere figure of speech…can never be held back by the grave? Someone has to know this now, so listen. Like most Cardassians, I don’t believe in luck…at least, not the blind sort of fate we speak of so casually. No…Fate is not the cold, heartless arbiter of our lives—rather, it is guided by something far more than we will ever understand. That is what I believe. That is what I stand for. And that is why I am not afraid to lay down my life."

— From the permanent documentation file of Gul Zejil Rebek after the Septimus Massacre. Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--"Those Who Remain"