A Cry for Betazed
By
John L. Moynihan
1.
Captain Lansing sat wearily in his chair. He allowed himself a moment to stare out at the beautiful planet on the view screen. His ship had just crossed the planet's terminator and the lights from two dozen cities speckled the surface of the continent as it slowly rotated beneath them. He loved Betazed. Ever since he was first stationed here straight out of the Academy. He loved the people, he loved the cities, and he made it a point to visit as often as he could.
Unfortunately, although they had been in orbit for almost six days, he hadn't set foot on the planet's surface. He had been overseeing the repair of his ship, the Akagi, and had not been able to spare the time for shore leave. He did try to rotate as many of his crew down to the surface as he could though, even if it was only for a few hours. He knew there was no telling when any of them would get a chance to relax on a real planet again, if ever.
Captain Lansing leaned back in his command chair and began rubbing his temples. A concerned look from his first officer immediately caused him to stop and try to affect a more alert appearance. He must keep up appearances. You can't let the crew see an exhausted and depressed captain. It was getting harder and harder to do. The war with the Dominion was not going well at all. The front lines, if there was such a thing in the vastness of space, seem to have stabilized , but the fleet had an alarmingly high attrition rate. The Federation was building starships as fast as possible, but even with the new ships you still had to find the crews to fill them. Starfleet casualties were high and it took time to train new crews. Lansing sighed, how do you compete against an enemy that can grow a new soldier in a couple weeks and have him trained to crew a starship within a few months. He thought about his own ship which had lost 48 crewmen in their last engagement with the Jem'Hadar, with another 64 wounded. Half of which had to be beamed down to Betan base, Starfleet's main base of operations on Betazed. In return, they had sent him 39 replacements, all of them appearing incredibly young when he had greeted them yesterday. His crew complement was depleted to a little over two thirds of what an Excelsior II Class starship should be carrying. Luckily, his ship had undergone a major refitting just before the outbreak of the war. The Akagi was state of the art despite approaching her 20th year of service.
Now, he was just finishing repairs on the Akagi so that she could rejoin the 6th Fleet currently on maneuvers. Betazed didn't have the facilities of a large orbital starbase, but since the start of the war smaller orbital shipyards had been constructed to accommodate ships with minor to moderate damage. This helped to free up space at the larger starbases for more severely damaged ships. Right now there were eleven starships in orbit undergoing repairs. Three, including the Akagi, were from the 6th Fleet and were preparing to leave. The other eight ships were from the 2nd Fleet and had only recently arrived. Five of these were already nestled within the scaffolding of the orbital facilities while the other three waited to take the places of the soon to be departing 6th Fleet ships.
Lansing turned to find his first officer scanning the damage control board at the tactical station. "How long before we can leave, Lis?" He was anxious to get back to the 6th Fleet. They had only recently received a message from admiral Chou saying that there had been increased skirmishes along there assigned patrol zone and that he needed every ship available. It was his opinion that the Dominion had something big planned.
The andoran female's antennae turned to focus on him even as she continued to read the monitor. "All boards show green captain. We are back up to 93% efficiency and are scheduled to depart the repair yard in half a standard hour." She finished by straightening and giving him a weary smile. Lansing returned it in kind, knowing that she hadn't had time for shore leave either.
"Good, Lis. Contact the T'Len and the Forrester and have them form up on us when we lea..."
"Sir!"
Lansing turned expectantly to the communication officer that had just interrupted him.
"Sir!" he repeated, "I'm picking up an emergency distress call from a mining facility on the systems innermost planet, Chern." He paused briefly before continuing, "They say they're under attack by Dominion forces."
Lansing stood up from his chair, "The innermost planet?" He went over to the communication center. "Let's hear it lieutenant."
The communication officer turned to look at him with a wide eyed expression, "I've lost them sir, they're no longer transmitting."
Lansing went back to the center seat and sat down. "Red alert! Lis, get us out of here. We're a sitting duck surrounded by all of this." He gestured to the red scaffolding of the temporary space dock that still surrounded his ship.
"Sir, we're getting a message from the Sydney. They've picked up over 40 contacts approaching at full impulse speed from the inner system. Estimate that they will be here in less than ten minutes." The lieutenant then transferred the incoming data from the Sydney to the main screen.
Lansing looked at the screen. The Sydney was on the other side of the planet facing towards the inner system. Lansing frowned as the data began to firm up. He could see three contacts leaving the orbit of Chern. The other 39 ships were approaching from well below the systems elliptical plane. They had approached from the other side of the system's sun from Betazed. He didn't have time to wonder how they managed to get this close to the system in the first place.
Lansing took this in at a glance and started barking orders. "Lis, let's go, this isn't happening fast enough. Override orbital controls and disengage all umbilicals. Give us room to maneuver." He turned to the communications officer, "Gonzalves, contact Starfleet command and appraise them of the situation, then call the 6th Fleet and have them get here as soon as possible." He knew it was already too late for that but perhaps if they could weaken the attacking force enough the 6th fleet could drive them out of the system when they got here.
Lansing studied the screen in front of him, now focused on the area around his ship. He watched as the Akagi slipped gracefully from her imprisonment, several of the umbilicals still spilling atmosphere. He hoped there weren't any people still in them when they blew. Elsewhere, other ships were uncoupling from orbitals and moving into position. The T'Len and Forrester moving quickly to join the Akagi, the more damaged 2nd Fleet ships moving more slowly.
"Sir, Captain Savin from the Sydney is calling."
"On screen."
Lansing looked out at the Sydney's captain. The Vulcan officer looked as calm as only a Vulcan could under the circumstances.
"Captain Lansing," Savin began, "I suggest that our ships form up on the Sydney and engage the enemy as far away from the planet as possible." This made sense to Lansing, as the Nebula Class Sydney was the largest ship they had with them. Savin continued, "I have already spoken to the head of security for the planet and they are scrambling as many ships as they can to help us, though I estimate that we will still be extremely outgunned."
"Agreed. Do you have a game plan?"
Savin raised an eyebrow before answering, "I suggest we concentrate our fire on the eight ships at the rear of the enemy formation."
By this time the Akagi had rounded the planet and her own sensors could pick up the incoming ships. Lansing saw that they were mostly Jem'Hadar warships with another four Galor class Cardassian cruisers. He didn't recognize the eight large ships trailing the invasion fleet at first until the name appeared beside the sensor information, Lavak class Cardassian cargo carrier. Lansing felt himself go pale. He looked up at the other Captain. "Agreed, Lansing out."
"Ops, see if you can get life sign readings on one of those trailing ships." He watched as the young officer focused the Akagi's sensors on one of the huge blocky ships. The officer played with the sensor controls for a few more moments before replying.
"Sir, the ships seem to be putting out some interference so I can't get a wholly accurate number, but there seems to be between twelve and fifteen thousand individual life signs on that ship." The officer swallowed hard before continuing. "I can't make out who they are though." Lis, standing behind the tactical station, added, "Sir. Those ships are just big cargo carriers. They have minimal shielding and weapons."
"All right people. Those are our targets." Lansing swore softly to himself. It wasn't hard to figure out who was on those ships. Jem'Hadar soldiers, most of whom were probably less than a year old, packed in like sardines on those ships preparing to wreak havoc on his beloved Betazed. Eight ships, that meant an army of approximately 100,000. Betazed has been at peace for so long that they only have a minimal security force on the planet. There was no way they were going to be able to deal with this. They had to take those ships out.
He checked the status of the ships now going out to meet thirty plus enemy warships. The Akagi, T'Len and Forrester were completely repaired. However, Lansing saw that five of the 2nd Fleet's eight ships were remaining in orbit around Betazed. Their captains having decided that their ships were too badly damaged and that their firepower would be better served by bolstering the planet's defenses. That left the Sydney, which Lansing saw was operating at 80% capacity, and two smaller lightly damaged vessels. The Katana, a Sabre Class starship, and the Shawmut, a Miranda Class vessel.
"Sir!" The ops officer's voice was strained. "One minute to contact!"
"Full impulse!" Lansing saw the wall of approaching ships and grit his teeth. "Conn, plot us an evasive course through those ships. Blow a hole through them if you have to, but our main targets are the troop carriers behind them. Open fire!"
It was over almost before it began. Each starship was set upon by at least three enemy ships. Several ships just swept past them and ran for the planet. The Sydney only managed a couple of volleys before she was hit by two of the Galor class cruisers and three Jem'Hadar warships. Their combined fire overloaded her shields and literally split her down the middle. The shattered starship was now burning in space. The Shawmut met a similar quick ending exploding spectacularly when she was hit by multiple photon torpedoes. The three 6th Fleet ships faired a little better as they managed to destroy a Galor class cruiser and two Jem'Hadar warships on that first pass. In the end, only the Akagi and, surprisingly, the Katana made it through the screen. The T'Len was dead in space and the burning Forrester was trying to limp away as several Jem'Hadar warships swept in for the kill.
In a matter of some thirty seconds, the bridge of the Akagi was transformed completely. Smoke billowed out of the aft control stations and the cries of the wounded filled Lansing's ears. He could hear damage reports coming in from all over the ship. He knew that his ship was badly hurt but they had made it through the enemy screen. "Now!" He yelled. "Take out those troop carriers!" He watched in joy as ahead of him, the Katana fired several photon torpedoes into one of the big cargo ships, blowing it to pieces, just before one of her warp nacelles was sheared off by phaser fire. His own ship began firing phasers at a second cargo ship. The beams of enormous energy burning through the ship's shields, piercing first one and then another of the ship's four boxlike cargo containers. The entire ship then began to break apart.
Lansing could almost sense the enemy warships closing in on him but he was determined to cause as much damage as possible before the end. "Target another one. Fire!" As the words came out of his mouth the entire bridge of the Akagi lurched and he was sent flying into a bulkhead. Stunned he tried to regain his feet when they were hit again and he saw a piece of console come flying at him and he was swallowed by darkness.
He awoke to see a battered blue face above him. "Lis?"
"Aye, captain"
Lansing noticed that she was missing several teeth and one of her antennae was twisted at an unnatural angle. He tried to move but found he was having difficulty. "Lis. What's our status?"
Lis put her hands on his shoulders and restrained him from attempting to rise again. "Do not try to rise, captain. You're back is broken."
He put his head back on the deck plating and slowly took in his surroundings. The bridge was almost completely destroyed with only the red emergency lights illuminating it. The main view screen was dark. He could make out a few more people moving, either tending to the wounded or working on the ship.
Lis ran a tricorder over him while she spoke. "You have been out for approximately ten minutes. We are completely dead in space. Engines and weapons are completely destroyed. We are trying to get the sensor's back on line. They should be up in another minute."
Just then, as if answering his first officer, the main screen sputtered and came to life. Lansing turned his head sideways to look at the screen. "Show me Betazed." The image sputtered again and changed views. Lansing inhaled sharply as he took in the image. There was no evidence of any Starfleet vessels in orbit around Betazed and all of the orbital facilities seemed to be either burning or completely gone. Dominion ships were everywhere. Worst of all, the screen showed that five of the enormous troop carriers were in orbit. The other starships and planetary defenses had only managed to destroy one more of those troop ships before being destroyed.
A young female ensign spoke up from where she was manning the sensor controls. "Commander, I'm reading massive transporter activity. They're definitely beaming down troops."
"We must stop them!" Lansing gasped.
Lis restrained him, "Forget it, captain. There is nothing we can do. We must get you to an escape pod. I already gave the order to abandon ship." Lis began trying to lift her captain when the women at the sensor station shouted out.
"Commander! There are two Jem'Hadar warships heading this way!"
Lis turned and looked at the main view screen. She saw the two ships fire at the T'Len, completely destroying the helpless starship. They were probably sent to mop up after the battle. She saw the ensigns face go white and felt her captain struggle up onto his elbow.
Lansing could see the approaching warships fire the photon torpedoes that would end his life. He reached for his first officer's hand and squeezed. His head roared with impotent rage at his failure to protect his beloved Betazed. His last thought was one of despair.
2.
Deanna Troi stood staring up at the Enterprise E from the upper level of the promenade. The Sovereign Class vessel was docked at one of Deep Space Nine's three upper pylons. The massive starship dwarfed all the other Federation and Klingon ships out there, yet still gave the appearance of being a much smaller and sleeker ship.
Troi had come here to be alone. Ever since the news of Betazed's falling several weeks ago she had been surrounded by well intentioned friends and crewmates. Each in their own way trying to allay her fears of what was happening on her home and what might be happening to her mother. Deanna felt her chest tighten as she thought of her mother. Lwaxana had been caught on Betazed when the invasion happened and she had not heard any news from her since. Not that news was easy to come by from Betazed. Most of the news that had gotten out was bad. Starfleet's Betan Base had been totally obliterated from orbit, along with the entire city of six million people that surrounded it. Rumor's of the vicious nature of the takeover had also leaked out. In a matter of days worldwide martial law had taken effect. Any localized areas of resistance were dealt with swiftly and severely with Jem'Hadar troops. Deanna could feel the tears begin to well up as her imagination began to take over. She realized it was a mistake to be alone.
Thankfully, as her grief threatened to consume her, she felt the presence of one of her friends as he approached her from behind. It was one of her truly close friends even though she had not seen him in a while. She could feel his concern for her, along with that rough jagged aspect of his feelings that she had come to love about him.
"Deanna?"
Deanna turned and threw herself into Worf's arms. Collapsing into his chest as all the fear and anger of the past several weeks came gushing out. A surprised Worf just held her gently and let her hold him. They stood like that for several minutes as people passing by stared at the curious site of a small, fragile looking woman being comforted by a large Klingon as she wept.
Deanna slowly withdrew from Worf's arms and smiled up at him. "Thank you, Worf. I needed that."
Worf looked down into her dark eyes. "Deanna, are you sure you're all right?"
She stepped back and wiped her eyes, managing another smile. "Yes, Worf. I'm fine." She paused for a second as she regained her composure. "My, it's good to see you. I'm so sorry we couldn't make it to your wedding. I can't wait to meet your wife."
"Jadzia is also anxious to meet you." Worf said. "In fact, she insists that you have dinner with us tonight."
"That would be wonderful."
"We were also disappointed that the Enterprise crew couldn't make it to the wedding, but we decided to move the date up before Alexander shipped out."
"I know, Worf. Alexander contacted me from his new ship and told me all about it." Deanna smiled. "He even sent a holo of you and Jadzia being attacked by him at the end of the ceremony."
Worf smiled at this, pleased that Alexander was still keeping in touch with Deanna. He changed the subject. "Come, Deanna. Captain Picard and captain Sisko would like to see you."
Worf led her through the station to a large briefing room. The door opened and inside she saw captain Picard and captain Sisko, along with Will Riker and captain Sisko's second in command Kira Narise. Also inside was a one eyed klingon she did not recognize. After being formally introduced to general Martok, she took a seat next to captain Picard. Deanna noticed that everyone seemed to be looking at her in a strange way and looked inquisitively at her captain.
Captain Picard's eyes softened as he leaned towards her. "Deanna," he began, "I know you've been wondering why we were diverted to DS9." The captain paused before continuing. "I didn't want to tell you until we received the final go ahead from Starfleet Command."
Deanna was more puzzled now than ever. Captain Picard almost always consulted her concerning changes in orders. "What is it captain?"
"It seems that Starfleet has ordered us to rescue your mother."
Deanna was taken back. "What?" This was the last thing that she had expected to hear. "My mother? Why?"
Captain Picard stood up and began slowly pacing. "It seems that your mother had just finished helping with some rather sensitive negotiations for the Federation when she was caught on Betazed. She was scheduled to resume those talks this week and it is vital to the Federation that she be there to help conclude them."
Deanna was shocked. "My Mother? Talks? Talks with whom?"
"The Tholians."
"Tholians!" Deanna knew very little about the Tholians. Only that this extremely xenophobic, non-humanoid race had only minimal dealings with the Federation since first contact with them over a century ago. They were also in a unique position in that their empire of some eleven systems was actually within the Federation, which had grown to surround it over the years. It seems that the Tholians were content with their empire and only wanted to be left alone, which the Federation respectfully obliged. "Why was my mother negotiating with the Tholians?"
Captain Sisko took over from captain Picard. "It seems that a telepath was needed to help bridge the gap between the Tholian's extremely alien mind set and Federation negotiators. This has been tried before with little success but it seems that your mother was able to establish a rapport with them."
"What was the purpose of the talks?"
Captain Sisko steepled his fingers in front of him. "We are trying to bring the Tholian's into the war. Even though they have isolated themselves we know that they have a very technologically advanced society, as any ship unlucky enough to cross their borders can attest to." Sisko frowned before continuing, looking as if he swallowed something distasteful. "Even with the Romulan's now joining the fight, this war is far from over." Deanna sensed shame and guilt from captain Sisko when he mentioned the Romulans. His anger soon forced those feelings to the background. "If the Tholian's can be brought into the fight they could become a particularly sharp thorn in the Dominion's side. And, as the saying goes, every little bit helps."
"And my mother was involved with all this?" Deanna made a note to catch up with her mother's goings on when next she saw her. If she saw her, her mind suddenly thought.
Captain Picard spoke from behind his chair. "It seems that Lwaxana was crucial in helping to convince the Tholian's that while the Federation would respect their privacy, the Dominion would not."
"But captain. How are we going to rescue her? Starfleet has already been repelled three times in trying to retake Betazed. We don't even know where she is."
Captain Picard sat back down and placed a hand on Deanna's arm. "Starfleet has been in sporadic contact with resistance forces on Betazed. They have just learned that Lwaxana is in hiding at a man named Gan Barnam's house."
Tears began to stream down Deanna's face as her heart filled with joy. Thank God, she thought. Her mother was still alive, and with Gan. Gan had been a friend of the family for as long as she could remember. Her face clouded again and she looked at Picard. "But captain, how are we going to get her off planet?"
General Martok spoke up from where he was standing next to Worf. "I believe that we can help in that respect. We were going there anyway."
Captain Picard explained. "Yes, you see counselor, we were diverted to DS9 to link up with some components for a mission to Betazed. Your mother's rescue is not our primary objective. In fact, Starfleet just learned of her location. However, we can piggyback her rescue on top of our main mission."
"Which is what, captain?"
"We may not be able to remove the Dominion from your planet, but we think we may be able to get some help down to her people." Picard looked up at Martok.
"Correct, captain." Martok said. "Just as soon as we pick up some packages at our base on Pritoma."
3.
Deanna sat with her eyes shut wondering to herself how she, along with Worf, found herself four days later jammed into a Klingon surface assault vessel with some 5,000 mixed Klingon and Federation troops. The vessel, one of the packages Martok spoke of, couldn't maneuver on its own and was designed to be expendable. It was essentially a giant transporter facility which was towed to its destination under the protection of a starship's shields. The vessel was then thrown into an aerobraking orbit around a planet where it descended into the atmosphere. Once free from the starship's shields it continually beams down personnel and equipment until it's destroyed. Its only protection from enemy fire being its overpowered structural integrity field and the super dense molecular composite that made up its hull. The two that were currently being towed behind the Enterprise were originally going to be used at Cardassia Prime, but the recent Klingon invasion of Cardassian space never reached that far.
The bays were extremely cramped, and even by klingon standards the accommodations were dismal. The ceilings were so low that some of the taller klingons had to walk hunched over. Each soldier had his or her own individual slot recessed into the bulkhead at 45 degree angles that served as both a transporter pad and sleeping alcove. There were no replicators, except in the equipment to be beamed down, so the only food to be had was what you brought with you in the form of rations. The only drinking water available was recycled from the vessels waste disposal facilities. Thankfully she had only had to be here for the last few hours of their voyage to Betazed.
She had spent the last several days giving lessons to the mixed Klingon and Federation troops, who were rotated off the assault vessels in shifts, on what Betazed would be like. The Klingon and Federation troops were mostly elite special forces with some additional volunteers. They weren't being sent to attack Dominion forces directly, but rather, small groups of soldiers would be transported all over the main continent and either form or help bolster resistance cells in Dominion occupied territory. They were the equivalent of 20th century paratroopers, being dropped behind enemy lines. This sort of guerrilla style warfare was not something that klingons practiced often, preferring instead a frontal, head on approach. Klingons, however, are not stupid and they realize the need for this kind of warfare against a stronger enemy. Deanna thought that the Klingon and Federation troops were meshing together remarkably well, considering that some of these soldiers had probably fought against each other in the recent Klingon, Federation altercation. Deanna had also noticed that many of the Starfleet volunteers were betazoid, who were not often in the security forces. She was also glad to see that there were some bajoran volunteers as well, each with a lifetime of resistance fighting under their belts.
Now they were only minutes away from being released by the Enterprise into Betazed's atmosphere. Each man and woman waiting to be flung across space to the planet below. Deanna could feel the tension from those around her. She glanced at Worf who gave her a reassuring nod. At least he would be with her the entire time. Will had also wanted to come but his place was on the Enterprise during what was going to be a difficult mission. Several hours ago the 2nd and 6th fleets had attacked the Dominion forces in order to draw them away from Betazed so that the Enterprise could approach from another direction. Deanna also knew that the Defiant flew beside the Enterprise ready to provide additional cover fire for the assault vessels. General Martok trailed behind them cloaked as their pickup ship.
Suddenly the lighting in the cramped quarters grew dim and was replaced by flashing red lights. Their transition from warp speed was imminent. Deanna felt a surge of adrenaline as she realized there was less than five minutes till the drop. She watched as figures rushed to reach their assigned slots. Deanna knew that row upon row of slots made up the enormous bay but she felt claustrophobic as a klingon soldier in light grey combat armor, crammed himself into his slot less than a meter and a half directly across from her. His own fears of being trapped, helpless in this shell, unable to defend himself, washed over her like a wave. Deanna closed her eyes and chanted to herself to help calm her.
The first jolt alerted everyone that the Enterprise was taking fire. Worf felt his respirations begin to increase and he fought to control it. The slot he was in began to shake violently under him. Inertia slammed him into various sides of the slot as the number of hits on the Enterprise increased. He only hoped that she was giving as good as she was getting. He sent a silent prayer out to his Parmaki, Jadzia, who was battling the enemy on the Defiant. The warrior in him wished her success, while a deeper part of himself wished her safe as well. He glanced to his left and saw that Deanna was silently mouthing her own prayer and keeping her eyes tightly shut.
The beating the vessel was taking suddenly stopped. Worf realized that they must have been released by the Enterprise and had left the protective shroud of her shields. It would take a moment for the enemy to reacquire them from their sudden change in direction. All power being produced by the vessel's reactors was now shunted into the transporter systems and the structural integrity field. Everything else, including life support and the inertial dampening system, was no longer needed. From this point on they would either get beamed down to the surface or they would die.
With the inertial dampening system offline, Worf could begin to feel the vibration of the ship as it began its decent into the atmosphere. All the forewarning in the world could not have prepared him for the shock that he felt next. It was as if a great hand had picked him up and shook him till his head rattled. The noise that accompanied it was like a hundred hurricanes storming through the cramped quarters as enormous amounts of energy impacted on the ship's naked hull. It was all Worf could do to keep his jaw clenched so as not to bite his own tongue off. The shaking and lurching increased as shot after shot slammed into the hull. He felt his eyes going unfocussed as the quaking of the ship threatened to knock them out of their sockets.
Underneath the earsplitting howl of the abused vessel, Worf began to hear the familiar sound of transporters being activated. He hoped that the sound would reach him soon, for he doubted that either the ship or his body could withstand much more abuse. Just as he felt that his teeth were being shaken out of his skull, his slot activated and the blissful paralysis of the transporter effect overtook him. He watched as the warrior across from him slowly faded away.
The warrior was replaced with a nicely furnished room. As the transporter effect lost its grip on him he staggered forward and dropped to one knee, shaking his head to try and clear it. Looking around the room he saw other members of his team trying to shake off the effects of the jarring they just went through. Several of them were unconscious. He managed to get to his feet when he saw Deanna materialize and collapse to the floor.
He was about to go to her when he heard a familiar voice enter from a door to his left. "Nobody move!"
He turned to see Lwaxana Troi pointing a phaser at him. As soon as she saw him a look of shocked recognition came to her face and she lowered the phaser. "Mister Woof?"
Before Worf had a chance to correct her annoying mispronunciation of his name her eyes drifted past him and saw her daughter. "Deanna!" She ran past him to Deanna's side where she was struggling to rise.
Lwaxana turned an accusing eye towards Worf. "What are you doing here? Why have you brought her?" She turned and cradled Deanna's head. "Oh, my darling Little One. I don't want you here."
"Its okay, mother. I'm just a little stunned."
"No, it's not okay!" She replied, " I don't want my daughter in the middle of this war."
By this time Deanna had regained most of her faculties. "Mother, please. Our information on your location was almost a week old. I had to come in case you weren't here. I was the best suited to find you." She smiled up at her mother. "Now stop embarrassing me in front of the other soldiers and help me up."
Lwaxana looked up and saw a room full of unfamiliar faces watching her. "Where did you all come from?"
Deanna explained as she let her mother help her to her feet. Worf helped them both sit down and went to check with the team's leader, Intak. Intak was a rather short and slender klingon.
Intak saw him approach and handed him a data padd. Worf was pleased to see that all fifteen members of their team had made it down in relatively one piece. Plus, all their equipment had made it as well. He then had Intak check on each persons bioemitter. Each non betazoid that had beamed down to the surface had a bioemitter that was designed to give off betazoid life signs and mask their own. This allowed the diverse team to hunker down among the populace and stay hidden.
When he saw that Intak was finished Worf motioned him to follow him to where Deanna sat talking with Mrs. Troi. He took the time to examine Mrs. Troi closely. He was surprised by her appearance. Gone were the elaborate wigs and fancy dresses. Worf saw that she had rather short brunette hair and was now wearing a simple earth green dress that looked as if it was designed for comfort and ease of movement.
As he approached the group several betazoid men came through the door and stopped short at the sight of all the people. They saw Lwaxana and ran to her. "Lwaxana! Reports of Federation and Klingon troops beaming in are coming in from all over the city. But the Jem'Hadar are on the move. We think they may have been able to track the beam in sites. Some of them are heading this way. We have to get you out of here!"
Intak looked up in surprise. "How did you attain all this information so quickly?"
Lwaxana replied with bitterness in her voice. "The Dominion didn't quite understand what they were getting into when they took over a planet populated with telepaths." She laughed. "They took over most of our communication systems, but we don't need them. Messages are passed along the same way they were 2,000 years ago. From person to person and mind to mind. Messages are being sent across this city, even this whole continent in waves even as we speak. It's not instantaneous, but its close enough to make no difference."
A sad smile played across her lips as she looked at Intak. "You must understand. My people are peaceful by nature. We were caught totally by surprise when the Dominion invaded. They met almost no resistance. So many people died those first days." She looked away for a moment as her eyes filled with tears. She angrily brushed them away. "But we are not sheep. We began resisting quietly in small ways. They could not stop us because they never knew what we were doing. All our plans were kept in our heads, passed from one person to another." She suddenly gripped Deanna tightly, fear splashed across her features. "They realized their mistake soon enough. Oh, Little One! They've started drugging people. The drugs are suppressing peoples telepathic abilities. We must stop them! Those poor people. We have to help them. They're crippling them!"
"We will mother." Deanna said. "First we have to get out of here. Is there a place we can go?"
An older betazoid male Deanna recognized as Gan spoke up. "Yes! Follow me." He went out the door into a corridor.
Intak had the team collect their equipment and follow, assigning two soldiers to cover their rear. They were led outside into the night and then deeper into the narrow streets of what Intak knew from intelligence to be the older section of the city. He caught up to Gan. "Where are you taking us?"
Gan continued scanning the buildings on either side of them as he replied. "Since our contact with Starfleet the word was sent across the city to expect you. We weren't sure how or when you would be coming but we've prepared staging areas under the city in which to hide you. They should be shielded from sensors. Right now, all of your teams are being led to one of these."
He suddenly stopped short and looked behind them. He glanced at Lwaxana. She had stopped and turned as well. She turned to him with fear in her eyes. "Yes, Gan. I feel it too."
Intak turned back in the direction she was looking. "What is it?"
By now all the betazoids in the group were looking behind them. "Jem'Hadar!" She whispered. "They're coming fast!"
Intak and Worf reacted instantly. With hand signals they dispersed their team along either side of the street. The soldiers scurried to find whatever cover they could as phaser and disruptor rifles were unslung from their backs.
Worf was peering down the street from a recessed doorway. Crouched behind him were Deanna and her mother. Deanna was closing her eyes in concentration.
"I can feel them now too, Worf." Aggression, hostility, and grim confidence loomed at the edge of her mind. "They're close," she whispered.
Suddenly a scream erupted from around the corner and then another as their rear guard was dispatched. Worf felt a tug on his arm and turned. Lwaxana had her eyes closed in concentration.
"Worf." She began through gritted teeth. "They're camouflaged. You can't see them. Aim down the street and fire when I tell you."
Worf glanced across the street to see Intak, with Gan behind him, already giving signals to the team to fire when he fired. He looked across at Worf and nodded. Worf pointed his rifle down the street. He could make out no movement. All he saw were dark shadows from the buildings closing them in from above.
"Now!"
Worf fired even before Lwaxana had finished the word. He watched as bursts of energy leapt out from both sides of the street. The air blossomed into humanoid forms as Jem'Hadar were struck and flew backwards from the impacts. Half a dozen fell in the first volley. The team continued to fire into empty space as more and more Jem'Hadar fell. The team kept firing, but the element of surprise was gone and the Jem'Hadar who were getting hit were appearing closer and closer. Worf knew they were running at them full tilt, firing from the hip. He tried to aim at where bursts of energy would suddenly appear in the air. He saw a young klingon crouching behind a set of steps take a glancing blow off of his exposed shoulder. He heard him grunt in pain and then swear in klingon. His disruptor had flown out of his hands so he pulled out a short, inwardly curved sword of the type that Worf himself carried. The warrior held it in his good hand and awaited the onslaught
Suddenly they were among them. A dozen Jem'Hadar soldiers erupted around them. Energy blasts were exchanged from point blank range. The klingons immediately rushed to close the distance between them, their federation counterparts right beside them. The fighting quickly broke down to hand to hand.
Worf rushed forward to meet the enemy. He shot one of the Jem'Hadar and was aiming at another when several more appeared from nowhere. One of them stuck him and he felt something crack in his right shoulder. His phaser rifle dropped as his arm went numb. He spun away from a vicious looking knife as the Jem'Hadar lunged at him. In the same motion he used his left hand to pull his sword from behind his back and bring it down on the Jem'Hadar where the man's neck met his shoulder.
He turned to find a new target and saw that the melee was all around him. A human female was kneeling on the street several meters away, her eyes wide as she tried to staunch the flow of blood from her throat. The Jem'Hadar who had delivered the fatal blow already turning to find a new enemy. He was met with the butt of a rifle as Gan, with tears streaming down his face, smashed the man's face and dropped him to the street.
Intak was fending off two Jem'Hadar with a bat'leth. Worf started towards him when he saw three Jem'Hadar overwhelm two klingons and head towards him with feral grins on their faces. He braced himself but he knew that he couldn't last against three Jem'Hadar with only one arm. He caught a blur of motion in the corner of his eye as a giant humanoid suddenly smashed into two of them. He used the distraction to get under the third Jem'Hadar's guard and run him through. Two dozen betazoids appeared around him brandishing phasers. They quickly dispatched the remaining Jem'Hadar. Worf realized that the betazoids must have called for help telepathically.
Worf turned to find the person who saved him and was surprised to see Mr. Homme, Lwaxana's valet, standing over two dead Jem'Hadar with that same half smile that Worf remembered from the Enterprise. Worf nodded his thanks to the giant humanoid who returned it in kind.
Deanna and her mother went to help with the wounded. Deanna's mind was still reeling from the emotional onslaught of the battle. As she surveyed the seen she noticed that most of the betazoids who had participated were visibly shaken. Some were openly weeping. Her counselors instincts leapt out to them for she knew that her people were not well suited to deal with this level of violence. Their telepathic and empathic abilities left them vulnerable to the intense thoughts and emotions of battle from the people around them, both enemies and allies. An overwhelming sadness filled her. Her people were being forced to fight for their freedom but, win or lose, they would never be the same.
Intak surveyed the scene. They had lost over half their number to the Jem'Hadar attack, and most of those left were wounded in some way. He watched in approval as the rescuing betazoids quickly stripped the bodies of the Jem'Hadar and then picked up the bodies of their own fallen. Gan began giving instructions.
"We have to move now. There will be more Jem'Hadar coming any minute."
Mrs. Troi stood up and ran towards the older betazoid. "It's too late! They're almost here!" She paused for a moment. "By the Fifth House! They're behind us as well." She looked directly at Worf, and in a calm voice belying the fear on her face said simply, "we're surrounded."
Worf quickly approached Intak, his right arm hanging uselessly. "General Martok should be in position by now. I can send Deanna up with her mother. I will stay with you. Perhaps the general can beam down some additional troops."
Intak interrupted him. "No Worf. As much as I would like you here that is not your mission. And as for additional troops, there won't be any. Even in the confusion of battle it's not going to take long for the Dominion to detect a cloaked ship." As he talked he led Worf over to where Deanna and Mrs. Troi were talking with Gan. "Martok will only have time to beam one group out before he will have to flee or be destroyed. You must get Mrs. Troi out of here."
As if to emphasize Intak's statement, Worf's communicator suddenly chirped. Worf looked quickly at the two Troi's and then back at Intak. He was torn between his duty and his desire to stay and fight. Intak motioned to the two women. Worf decided. "Come." He said, "we must go. That was a signal from Martok's ship."
Mrs. Troi turned and embraced Gan. Her thoughts reaching out to him. 'I don't want to go. I'm needed here. This is my home.'
Gan held her tightly for a moment and then gently disengaged himself from her. 'Lwaxana.' He thought, 'we have already had this discussion. You must go. It's what's best for Betazed.' He slowly backed away, mentally embraced her and sent one last thought. 'I will miss you.'
Deanna placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Come, mother."
Lwaxana watched as Gan and Intak started dispersing their people when one of the betazoids yelled out.
"Here they come!"
Weapon's fire began flashing down the street as everyone scrambled for cover. Worf and Deanna grabbed Lwaxana and pressed themselves back in a recessed doorway. A shadow passed in front of them as Mr. Homme appeared from nowhere and placed himself in front of them. A split second later a shot that would have hit one of them slammed into the back of his leg. He dropped to his knees without a sound, a look of immense pain on his face.
More disruptor blasts started raining down on them from above. The enemy had gotten onto the roofs of the surrounding building and had them completely pinned down. Lwaxana could only watch in horror as the people in front of her were cut down. She felt, more than heard, their screams of pain. As if from a great distance she heard Worf shout something in klingon. A second later she felt a transporter beam latch on to her. The last thing she saw before her world disappeared was a disruptor blast crashing straight through Gan's chest as if it wasn't there. Her friend's lifeless body crumpled to the ground like some grotesque marionette with its strings cut. She tried to close her eyes but found that she could not move.
Lwaxana barely even noticed the klingon transporter room that now surrounded her, barely felt a limping Mr. Homme help her sit down on the edge of the transporter pad. Lwaxana put her head in her hands and felt them moisten with her tears. Her rage and grief grew until it was filling her completely. She quickly threw up blocks to keep her concerned daughter out of her mind so that she could be alone with her grief. The pain of her loss enveloped her like a blanket. Lwaxana wept for her home.