Emblem of the Cardassian Union
The Bamarren Institute for State Intelligence was an institute of higher education dedicated to the training of Cardassian State Intelligence operatives. (DS9 novel: A Stitch in Time, TLE novel: The Art of the Impossible)
The Institute is situated in Cardassia's highlands adjacent to the Mekar Wilderness which the institute used for physical endurance exercises.
The Institute is headed by the 'First Prefect', though for the first three-year period students would rarely see any adults; instead, new recruits were taught by older students.
On arrival, students are separated by gender and stripped of personal possession, then given a uniform of scratchy swamp green and black. Students are then split into living quarter groups of ten each, and assigned a number and name based on their group (for example, Ten Lubak = the tenth member of Lubak group).
Levels
The education is split into three, three year blocks:
- First Level
- Much of the first level education is dedicated to physical training. First level groups are led by second year students.
- Second Level
- Third Level
- At the third level students are called Interns.
Teaching
The Pit
The Pit was the most feared training area in the institute where Strategems were taught by the martial docent Calyx. The education took the form of eye, hand and foot sessions where each part of the body was taught to function independently to allow complex combinations of movements - Strategems.
The Wilderness
Sometimes the students were taken into the Mekar Wilderness where they would take part in hunts, individuals would be deposited into the wilderness and instructed to return to the institute before they were caught by the groups. Students were left with nothing but their uniforms and basic rations to encourage survival instincts.
The Archival Centre
The Archival Centre is a library like facility for student research. First Levels are only permitted to enter use the facilities of the centre with the special dispensation of a member of staff.
Students and Groups
In Elim Garaks tenure as a first level the groups included:
- Charaban group
- The dominant level two group
- One Charaban - Barkan Lokar
- Two Charaban
- Drabar Group
- Furtan Group
- Kentay Group
- Elite female level two group
- One Kentay - Palandine
- Lubak Group
- Lubak Groups section leader was a third year, One Tarnel. The groups members were:
- One Lubak
- Two Lubak
- Three Lubak
- Four Lubak
- Five Lubak
- Six Lubak
- Seven Lubak
- Eight Lubak - Pythas Lok
- Nine Lubak
- Ten Lubak - Elim Garak
- Ramaklan Group
- Third level group
- Tarnel Group