2

My Own Battle for Betazed

Part I

Deanna's POV

Home. It's not the same as it was when I last saw it. The Dominion have killed several people I have known for years with deadly experiments and ravished our planet. Now I must fight a battle I fear most in order to save our culture and way of life and in order to do that, we must go back to our ancestral past.

I miss Will and wish for him to be by my side, but this battle I must fight without him. If I don't there will be no future for Betazed. There will be no future for my Imzadi and me. I have no idea if I will live or die. I don't even know if I will see my Imzadi again, but what I do know is I must work with the most dangerous Betazoid on Betazed, Hent Tavren. He's man who killed many people, including his parents, with his mind.

I found Tavren and he taught me a lot before he died. Thing is, I don't know if I can do what he proposed. It scares me to think about using my empathic skills for violence, but I know it is something I must do if we are to defeat the Jem'Hadar.

Of course, I will need help from every Betazoid still alive, but they are underground, hiding. All of them are angry because of what the Dominion has done to their family and friends. Many are dead due to the experiments done on them to find a way to make the Jem'Hadar telepathic. Their minds cut opened and dissected, some so butchered that death was preferable to them.

Some were even tortured for information to the point they wanted to die. My mother's dearest friend, Okalan, was one of them. He begged my mother to kill him, but another friend who was with her chose to do the deed in place of my mother. My mother felt Okalan's gratitude, yet her heart was torn by his loss.

I don't know if Betazed will ever be what it was before the Dominion invasion. How could it be the same after all the tragedy that has befallen us? I have no choice but to explain to my people how Tavern killed with his mind, a technique long since forgotten. It is so grotesque that I do not want to tell them, but I know no other way to break free of our oppressors. In order to carry out the plan, I will need the strongest Betazoids that are still alive most of all and one of them is my mother. I could lose her if we do not succeed, but we will do this for my little brother and the future of Betazed.

Can I do this? Can the people of Betazed do this? We all detest violence, especially violence of the mind. What choice do we have, but to return briefly to our primitive past in order to defeat our enemy? Yes, we too had a violent past, just as Vulcans did. Like Tavren, the strongest telepath could kill with just a thought. Eventually we learned to control our impulses and became peace loving people.

I worry more for my mother, a powerful telepath. She will have to help liberate Betazed. I can't because I am only half Betazoid and therefore I am not strong enough telepathically. Several Betazoids will die trying. I just hope it's not my mother.

Regardless of not being a true telepath, I want to help. I have to help and I will do the best I can. If we succeed I hope we can go back to being peaceful people again. In order to help, I have to do one of the things I dread most. My job is to shoot and kill any Jem'Hadar still moving.

Can I do it? Can I actually bear the feeling of death all around me? I'll be sensing not only the emotions the stronger Betazoids throw at the Jem'Hadar, but also feeling of death all around me. Those of us who survive, will hopefully be able reject our primitive tendencies after having a taste of it again. I pray to the gods for my brother's sake that we can.