- Chapter 7 -

"I can get you down to as spot within one mile around Northport. I'm afraid the computer won't get a lock anywhere closer to the city because of the transporter scramblers they're using down there, Captain." The young Ensign operating the transporter console in the cramped transporter room of the Defiant nodded curtly toward both captains, obviously unsure whom to address first.

"Very well. Just try to get a lock on the nearest spot, we'll find our way from there."

The dark-haired Ensign nodded in acknowledgment, his slender fingers dancing immediately over the smooth surface of the black transporter panel. With a last checking look at the readouts, he finally lifted his gaze. "There's some kind of clearing in the woods, not far south to the city. According to the computer readouts, you should have no difficulties to get from there to the southern entrance of the city."

With his hands clasped behind his back, Sisko turned to face his crew. They'd kept the seize of the away teams to a minimum, no more than four or five crew members per unit. "As soon as you reach the surface, keep to the shelter of the woods and wait until the rest of us arrives. We'll head together for the city. Each team has its own instructions. Major, Commander Worf…". Waiting for his two senior staff officers to take the lead and proceed onto the transporter platform, he took a short step back.

Kira lifted her phaser rifle closer to her chest, absently readjusting the strap over her slender shoulder. Her lips were pressed tightly as if she was ready to face whatever would be waiting for them on the surface of the unknown planet. "Aye, Sir."

Seeing each of his teams off, Sisko waited for the last of his officers to be sent down until it was finally only him and Evans remaining in the small transporter room. Drawing a short but deep breath, he shot a quick glance at the older captain and arched one brow with a humorless smile. "Let's hope everything goes well. I'd rather be back sooner than later."

Evans nodded tersely in rather grim determination. It was hard to tell what the older captain was really feeling behind the mask of authority he had learned to put before his own needs over all these years. Whatever Evans' feelings about their impending mission were, he had stowed them away, allowing only professionalism to guide him on what was laying ahead. "As do I, Benjamin, believe me."

After they'd stepped onto the transporter platform and Evans had signaled to the young Ensign to energize, Sisko's vision was all at once drowned in a rain of glittering stars, his whole body tingling with the sensation of his very atoms dispersing in the fraction of a second until the world returned within the blink of an eye and he found himself standing on a sunlit forest glade under a cloudless blue sky. The unexpected brightness made him instinctively squint against the dazzling morning light. It was only after a few more seconds of perplexed awe that he finally came around, shielding his face with one hand and scanning their surroundings for the rest of his crew. The other teams seemed to have already taken shelter in the surrounding woods which only left himself and Evans still standing on open ground. When he turned toward the older captain, Evans had his eyes closed against the warm, gentle breeze carrying with it the sweet scent of clover and pine. A faint smile played around the corner of the elder man's lips when he slowly opened his eyes at length and let his glance wander longingly about the small clearing. Sisko couldn't blame him. After all these years he was finally back home…

"Good memories?" Sisko offered sympathetically.

Evans nodded. "This they are indeed, Benjamin." With a melancholic smile he willed himself back from the depths of his memory and pointed toward the stand of trees ahead. "Let's get going."

When he finally turned his back on the landing coordinates and headed for the shelter of the towering trees with their broad leaves fanning out high above the earthen ground, Sisko felt the tension of the last few minutes gradually fade. He hadn't noticed how much on edge his nerves had been. Following Evans' example, he took a deep breath of the clear and sweet air and headed toward the rest of the away team. Most of them were already waiting in the shadow of the trees, gazing at the sight around them in sheer amazement. Not that he couldn't understand them. The little of the planet he had seen so far made him wistfully aware of how much he missed his own home. How long had it been since he'd last been back to Earth? The beauty of the scenery around made his heart ache in longing. He lifted his gaze to the rustling sound of the soft, speckled leaves above his head, swaying peacefully to and fro in the faint breeze. From somewhere above, the chattering and croaking of birds filled the air, making Sisko wonder if there might be other animals in their near vicinity.

Evans hadn't exaggerated. Atholes III was a beautiful word, so peaceful and quite. Nothing about this place would suggest the ugliness they were soon going to unveil. At the thought he felt a tinge of regret about never being able to see what Atholes III had once been like. All the things Evans had told him, all the former reports he had read in the Defiant's database. A life on Atholes III now lay no less beyond their reach than the peace in the alpha quadrant they had so long been striving for. Putting these dark thoughts out of his mind, though, he tried to focus on what lay ahead. They had a mission after all. This was why they were here.

"I think I'll take my next leave here," O'Brien remarked with a humorous chuckle as he settled himself on the gnarled bole of a fallen tree.

"Just ask the Lennarean and Morani," Dax offered. "They'll be thrilled about the new tourism."

Sisko shot her a quick look of mock indignation before he finally addressed his assembled crewmen: "Until we reach Northport, we'll stay together. As soon as we get to the designated areas in the city, we'll split up. Each team has its own mission. Please keep one thing in mind: no communication if not absolutely necessary. Use your tricorders to send coded impulses for the other teams to know what you're doing and don't forget to activate your position scramblers. If there are any problems, use the emergency signal and we'll break off the mission. And…" Sisko's expression grew even more concerned. "… no heroic deeds! If you get into trouble, keep one thing in mind: sometimes retreat can be the better alternative."

O'Brien snorted under his breath. "One thing we've learned since the beginning of the war."

"Furthermore…" Sisko started, but hesitated then. "If any team comes across Jem'Hadar: we'll take no prisoners. Our mission is too important to be careless. If there are any questions left, now is the right time to ask."

When there was no reaction, Sisko nodded. "Well then, let's go. And good luck."


Trudging silently through the sea of undergrowth that was covering the ground to their feet, it didn't take them long to reach the outskirts of the former colony. Even in the near vicinity of what once had been a prospering Starfleet settlement, the whole area was now overgrown with moss and fern, nature gradually taking back what once had been taken from her. Determined and without hesitation, Evans found his way all the same, leading them ever farther toward the entrance of the city. When they finally reached what once must have been the southern gate of Northport, Sisko felt a cold shiver run down his spine at the sight that lay in front of them.

An old-fashioned stone arch was marking the beginning of the former settlement, a low stone wall running off into the distance to both sides, separating the city from whatever lay in the shadow beyond the wall's crumbling stone. Even here time had left its traces. Parts of the stone wall had tumbled in, the gate's top was missing completely. A broad cobblestone path was leading off into the city beyond the old gate, like an unspoken invitation to enter.

"Here we are, Benjamin," Evans said in a soft whisper.

Sisko had seen the city map back at the briefing on the Defiant. The city wasn't very large. It weren't more than two or three kilometers from one end of Northport to the other. He wasn't sure if it even qualified being called a city, regardless of the fact that it doubtless would have become exactly this and more had the colonization program not come to the abrupt halt shorty after the settlement's foundation...

Without further comment, Evans was the first to pass through the gates. His footsteps echoed softly in the deserted street that led them farther into the city. With his slightly hunched shoulders and bowed head, Sisko involuntarily felt a short twinge of fear that Evans might disappear right before their eyes. He couldn't explain the feeling. It was just that the older captain fit right into the scenery around, as if he was walking away from them right into the past. Shaking his head, Sisko cast that absurd thought away.

After they had made it into the city, they finally split up. Kira, Worf, Dax and Bashir headed northward with their teams while the rest followed Evans along the old city wall in the south.

Moving along the rim of the settlement, they kept to the shadows of the deserted and hollow buildings that were lining most of the streets in eerie silence. Open windows with their glass shattered a long time ago, stared back at them like silent witnesses to their intruding into the enemy's heart. Even though a quick scan of their surroundings revealed no sign of suspicious activity around them, Sisko wasn't willing to take any risks. With an eye on every movement around and a tight grip around his phaser rifle, the captain kept behind his crewmen, ready to give them cover should luck decide to turn against them.

Only when Evans, who had taken the lead, suddenly lowered the tempo came the group to an unexpected halt.

"Which way, Sir?" Nog urged slightly nervous as his gaze darted anxiously from one end of the street to the other. He had lifted his weapon closer to his chest, his knuckles white around the shaft as if he expected a Jem'Hadar ambush every second now.

"Steady, Ensign," Evans admonished gently, placing a warm hand on the Ferengi's small, childlike shoulder. His gaze was directed far away when he finally spoke. "No reason to worry. It's been 25 years since I took my last walk through the city. It's just memories…"

Nog let his gaze drop in slight embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Sir. It wasn't my intention to urge you," he replied through gritted teeth.

Evans dismissively shook his head. Taking a checking look at the rest of his team, he noticed that most of them were obviously sharing the Ferengi's anxiety. O'Brien was right behind him, Sekiyama standing in some distance and playing with the strap of his rifle. Peters was sweeping a streak of her blond hair back behind her ear, nervously balancing from one foot to the other. And Meran just stood, ramrod-stiff without making any other move. He didn't even blink – as far as Evans could see – his pastel-colored horn sheet glinting with sweat in the warm morning light. Evans had to recall that he was Edorian and thus belonging to a species whose normal temperature lay some few degree above what one would call zero back on Earth. No wonder that he wasn't used to a warm environment like this. No matter how uncomfortable he was, to his credit he didn't let it show though.

"What if the Jem'Hadar already know that we're here?" Nog suddenly put in.

"Don't worry, Ensign, the whole point was to come here undetected. If the Jem'Hadar were aware of our being here, we wouldn't have this conversation now, believe me, Ensign." Evans arched one brow.

"Yeah, you're right but what if they want to rule out that someone tries to sneak into the city like us? They could still be patrolling the area. I mean, just in case?"

"This is exactly why we have security with us. They'll keep your back free," Sisko added casually, stepping next to the older captain.

"We're almost there." Evans remarked with a slight frown. "It's just behind that bridge that's crossing the river – on the other side of the riverbank." Just when he was about to head off once again toward their destination, he noticed that Sisko was still staring absently in front of himself, obviously deep in thought.

"What is it, Benjamin?" Evans asked in alarm though Sisko just shook his head, a sad smile crossing his dark features.

"I… just imagined what it must have been like when all of this was still full of life…"

Evans took a deep and slow breath. "Beautiful, Captain. Just beautiful," he whispered under his breath more to himself than to Sisko.

Sisko had to admit that walking through the lifeless, dusty streets was a strange and disturbing feeling. Like he was standing on a long lost graveyard, completely forgotten to the rest of the world. The way the settlement was built left no doubt to its Starfleet origin. He didn't even have to know pictures of the city to imagine what Northport must have been like in the early days of its foundation. To see civilians and Starfleet personal walk chattering along the streets, to picture how everyone worked to make Northport the prospering settlement that once had been mentioned in the Starfleet colonization reports. Now, the only thing that reminded of any Starfleet presence at all were the dusty and grime-covered remains of standardized metal plates at the entrance of each building, indicating whatever the location had once been used for. Northport in its present state was a city of decay. A city of lost hope. The things that had happened here had long since become a part of history. The Northport lying now in front of them was one thing above all: a home to their worst enemy.

The sun stood still clear in the blue and cloudless sky, bathing the cobblestone streets of Northport in a warm and gentle glow. Some of the buildings around them cast long square shadows down on the streets and small alleys, the vast squares and the town walls that kept existing even though life had died here many years ago. Some of the higher buildings had tumbled in, parts of them missing at some sides, vegetation slowly forcing its way back into places it had once been banished from.

"If you enter one of the houses… you'll find everything the way they had to leave it… The outbreak of the war didn't leave them with much time. It all happened so suddenly..."

Sisko turned, taking in Evans shadowy features. Was there a hint of bitterness in the captain's voice? The older captain still wasn't willing to turn his back on the scenery, still staring at one of the buildings right in front of him. His voice was barely audible when he finally sighed.

"I've been dreaming of this for a long time. This is where I belong, Benjamin. This is my home."

Sympathetically squeezing Evans' shoulder, Sisko followed the elder man's gaze to the ocher colored building in front of them with its hollow doorway and moss covered window sills. "Is this where you lived?"

Willing himself to tear his gaze away, Evans suddenly looked perplexed, shaking his head as if to free himself of the shadows of the past. "No, we lived a little bit farther to the north, but…this is our former school building."

"I see."

Evans drew a long breath and eventually pointed his phaser rifle in the direction of the street ahead of them. Sisko could only imagine how much strength it took the older captain to turn his back on memories that lay so close in reach. "We'll be there soon. We shouldn't waste more time than necessary. Let's get to that ventilation shaft and get it all done with."

He cast a last glance behind himself, his lips pressed into a tight line, then he strode off to once again take the lead. O'Brien, Meran, Peters, Nog and Sekiyama followed without comment, Sisko the last one to take the cue. He wasn't sure what it must feel like for Evans to come back to this place after all these years, knowing that again he could do nothing but let go of what he had never wanted to give up in the first place. Atholes III was still restricted area for any further colonization programs, left alone the fact that the whole system was now under enemy control. No matter how close Evans physically came to his former life, he would never be able to return to those days...

For the rest of their little journey they remained rather silent. While Evans led them through the maze of small alleys and Sisko kept a watchful eye on their backs, the buildings around them soon became smaller in their height, the distance between them larger until they finally hit the old town wall again, marking the end of the settlement. Regardless of the many years that had gone by since then, it still stood solid and stable, covered with sprawling, thick twines of a strange species of plant Sisko had never seen before.

"And now?" Sisko suspiciously eyed what lay in front of them.

Gesturing to the far end of the cobblestone street, Evans shook his head. "This way. There's a gate a few meters up that path which will lead us into the woods beyond the city wall. The vent is situated farther off the camp." Without another word, the elder captain beckoned the rest of the group to follow. After only a few meters they found the small gate, a barely visible path leading off into the fresh and cool air of the shadows beyond it.

The narrow pathway must have been hardly in use even some twenty years ago. Now it was completely covered with meter-thick brushwood, though Evans didn't seem to have any trouble finding his way through the soft sea of green. Determined, he lead them deeper and deeper into the unknown territory. It was the moment when the last rays of sunlight were caught by the thick, fanning branches of year-old trees far above their heads that Sisko suddenly felt restless. Quickly, he caught up with Evans.

"You sure that this is the right way? How far?" He tried not to sound as impatient as he felt though he couldn't keep his thoughts from spinning back to the other teams heading for some distant places in the northern part of the town right now. He couldn't but hope for the other teams to be safe. He took a deep, slow breath, trying to concentrate.

"Here we are, Benjamin."

Evans abruptly came to a halt. With his eyes still focused on the barley visible path, Sisko could stop in time not to inadvertently bump into the older man in front of him.

Evans quickly handed him his weapon and made his way toward some kind of rock about ten meters ahead. They must have finally made it to the mountain's foot which was surrounding the ore processing facility for the ground had become rockier until they were now facing an almost insurmountable rock face to their left, its top losing itself somewhere beyond the impenetrable mass of green above their heads. It was not until he took a closer look that he gradually realized what Evans was up to.

"Can you lend me a hand? It doesn't move." The older captain was down on his haunches, rattling at something that looked like an old-fashioned kind of metal grid.

With Sisko's help they finally managed to pry it loose and the rusty metal come off with a loud and sickening squeal. Evans threw the twisted piece of metal aside, inspecting the black hole in front of them just big enough to allow a grown-up person to crawl in.

"I figure there won't be any lights down there?" O'Brien pointed out skeptically, sighing under his breath when neither Sisko nor Evans responded. "Thought so. Why's it always me who gets these thrilling tasks?" he grumbled under his breath, inspecting the opening of the vent more closely.

"This is where we'll part, Chief. From now on you'll be in command. You and you're team will be on your own," Evans said solemnly. "Follow the vent until you get to the security chamber. And don't worry, you won't be able to get lost in there, at least not until you reach the control chamber. In this part of the facility the vent runs strictly linear. If you venture deeper into the complex, things will get a little trickier but as long as you stick to the plan there's no need to worry. When you get to the security chamber, take out the security system, bring it back online and then retreat back to the landing coordinates. If there are no further questions, let's go."

O'Brien nodded in acknowledgment before he turned to Nog, arching one brow with a humorless smile. "Ensigns first." And addressing Sisko and Evans he added: "Good luck, Captain." Then he swiftly turned, following Nog into the darkness of the small tunnel while Sekiyama, Peters and Meran took guard at each side of the opening.

With a last encouraging nod, Sisko turned to follow Evans back toward the settlement. From now on they were on their own.


Commander Worf melted back into the shadow of the deserted hallway next to him. They hadn't encountered any enemy so far. Nothing that would suggest that there actually was any living person out there at all. But still, there was this indefinite nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach, reminding him of the Klingon saying that carelessness was the mother of all trouble. Beckoning with his free arm, he signaled to Kira and the rest of the team that the way was clear. Only a few seconds later, a huddled group of figures scurried along the shadows of the buildings around the open square in the center of the abandoned settlement.

"What do you think?" Kira panted slightly for breath next to the Klingon.

Worf shook his head, still not willing to tear his gaze away from the quiet and deserted open space in front of them. His expression drew into a dark glare as he was obviously already running the situation through in his mind. "It's too calm."

"If that's all," Kira shrugged. "Better than being caught right away. At least we still have the element of surprise on our side."

She quickly moved past the Commander and cautiously peered around the street corner. As expected, there was nothing that seemed out of place. Sighing, she tried to ignore the cold shiver running down her spine and the fine hairs on her arms bristling up despite the warm morning sun. It was as if they were walking through a city of ghosts. And Kira was sure that she didn't like that feeling. No matter if there were Jem'Hadar soldiers around or not – something about this place gave her the jitters.

"How far?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Worf checked his tricorder. "About five hundred meters. The entrance to the ore stock and the open-air grounds is on top of that plateau there." He pointed out toward the north. "But we can't use the main entrance. We don't know how many guards are stationed to oversee the prisoners."

The Major threw a quick look back at their team. The other five team members were still waiting, leaning against the old house wall behind them. She didn't need to be a Betazoid to know that they were as restless and nervous as she was. Focusing her attention back on Worf, she cleared her forehead of sweat.

"We should hurry, the chief must be in position every minute now." Beckoning swiftly to follow her, Kira took over the lead.

It didn't take them long to reach the top of the plateau. With the map Evans had given them back on the Defiant, they had found the opening in the town wall, leading them to an overgrown hardly noticeable path in the woods which wound its way up to the hills. After only a few hundred meters the forest had thinned out, leading to a small plateau from which one could oversee the vast expanse of the ore processing facility below. Kira instinctively tightened the grip around her phaser rifle, staring blankly down at the valley.

They had finally found them.

She couldn't tell how many they were, squatting in groups against the ocher and dusty ground but their number was remarkably larger than she had expected. Black, scuttling spots, reminding her of tiny ants, meandering over the dry and cracked ground. Like in those days, back in another world, in another lifetime.

Kira felt a twinge of pain at seeing all those people now in the very same miserable situation she had known only too well. She had sworn to herself to never let such injustice happen again. That's why she was here.

"Mr. Worf, how many?" she managed in a dry voice.

The commander hesitated and slightly tilted his head, his stare directed absently at the valley beneath. "About fifty, I guess."

Fifty. That was more than they had expected. T'Hekal had been a small research vessel with a minimum of crew. Kira willed herself to focus her attention back on the adjacent ore processing facility, scanning the area for any signs of surveillance.

"I can see at least a dozen Jem'Hadar soldiers patrolling the area. Most of them concentrated in the northern part of the areal," Worf offered.

"Well, that makes a dozen against seven." She absently passed a hand through her hair. "As soon as Chief O'Brien takes out the security system, we'll be able to get through the security shields. Send the signal to the chief. Now the only thing we can do is wait."


"Julian!"

Dax' urgent whisper cut like a knife through the heavy silence that had fallen over them ever since the beginning of their mission. It had been almost half an hour since they had separated from Captain Sisko and Chief O'Brien's teams in the south of Northport and about another twenty minutes since Commander Worf and Major Kira had gone off in the direction of the ore stock. They hadn't exchanged any words since then and even the other team members seemed to refrain from engaging in conversation. Julian couldn't tell if it was pure anxiousness that kept them silent and their nerves on edge or just the simple fact that their team leaders weren't very keen on conversing either. Even if it would have bothered him under normal circumstances, walking now silently next to each other was a total different thing. And Julian was grateful for it. The last thing he needed now was discussing things he preferred to put out of his mind. All the more he was now startled to hear Dax' hushed but urgent voice call his name.

"What is it?" he gave back in a pressed tone, casting a dark and slightly confused look back at the young Trill. He involuntarily flinched, when he felt her hand on his arm. Following her gaze, he drew in a sharp breath.

Jem'Hadar.

"Damn!" The young doctor suppressed another blunt curse and hastily pushed his back flat against the wall behind him. If they were lucky, none of the Jem'Hadar at the far end of the street had seen them so far.

"How many?" Julian asked curtly.

Dax grimaced, trying to get some proper information out of her tricorder. The interferences here were heavier than earlier at the rim of the settlement, making it almost impossible to get any reliable data. "About four or five. They don't seem to have noticed us."

"Okay, let's try another way." Casting a checking look around, Julian took in their situation and beckoned the rest of the team to draw back. It was far too early for an open combat. Even though they stood a good chance of overcoming the enemy, they couldn't risk being discovered this early in their mission. Dax, too, nodded in agreement. "We can go back and take another turn to bypass them. It'll take a little bit longer but it's the only chance we have."

Even when they started to retreat, Julian shoved himself silently in front of Dax. For a short moment the young Trill mused on whether she should directly voice the fact that he hadn't spoken to her in hours. Or that he was treating her with a coldness that under normal circumstances would have hurt even her feelings. Staring at his back, she discarded that thought with a short sigh of resignation. This wasn't exactly the best time to discuss petty things about friendship. No matter how much she was worried about him, no matter how much she wanted to find out what exactly was wrong with him, she also knew that it would have to come second to what was now lying ahead of them.

She followed Bashir and the rest of the away team through the maze-like streets of Northport, hoping that the detour they were forced to take wouldn't cost them too much time. She didn't have any doubt that the chief had already reached his destination and was only waiting for their signal to get down to work. Even Kira and Worf should have made it to the ore stock by now. That only left their little group. Silently cursing their luck, she hurried to keep up with Julian's determined stride. As if the Jem'Hadar are not the only thing he is running away from.

About to catch up with Bashir, the last of all things she had been prepared for was Ensign Fernandez' startled cry that all of a sudden pulled her thoughts back to the here-and-now.

Whirling round at the sudden commotion, she somehow managed to duck her head in time for an disruptor bolt to streak by only inches to the left side of her face. Churned plaster trickled down on her, Dax already diving to the ground and rolling to the side, not willing to give the attacker a moveless target to aim at. When she hastily staggered to her feet, she saw them. It weren't but three Jem'Hadar soldiers, standing at the far end of the street with the lethal barrel of their rifles directly pointing in her direction. The next thing she saw was a phaser bolt that made one of the attackers stumble back in utter surprise and almost immediately fall in a heap to the ground. In the split of a second she had picked up her own weapon, sending a deadly volley toward the three attackers.

"We have to get out of here! Find cover!"

She recognized Julian's voice over the din and sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her toward on of the hollow house entrances next to her. No sooner had she reached and ducked into its door frame than an energy bolt hit the upper strut of the framework, sending tens of thousands of small metal debris raining down in a shower of golden sparks.

Hastily she scanned the street for the rest of the away team, noticing with dismay that Williams lay motionless on the narrow street's pavement, his arms twisted in an unnatural fashion underneath his unmoving body. The crimson puddle of blood around the man's head made her painfully aware that there was nothing she could do for him any more. Another impact tore her back from her thoughts and with a cry of rage she took out the Jem'Hadar that came rushing toward them. She didn't even need to have a closer look at the scaly alien to know for sure that he was now no more living than Williams lying in the street next to her.

"Julian?"

She stumbled to her feet, loose strands of her black hair tumbling about her face. She once again peered around the corner of the door and immediately drew back before another bolt hit the door frame behind to her.

"Commander?"

Lieutenant Jeffrey came frantically slithering to a halt, crouching down next to her. His long black hair was rumpled and dusty but he didn't seem to be hurt beside a small gush on his left cheek.

"They've surrounded us, Sir," he burst out even before Dax could speak up.

"Where are the others?" Trying to keep her voice as calm as possible she didn't cease to give the enemy a hard time, firing without pause upon the still living Jem'Hadar. Jeffrey scuttled toward the threshold – and did the same.

"On the other side of the street. They got Williams but as far as I can tell everyone else is okay."

Dax nodded. "Let's try to get to them. Otherwise we're trapped in here."

She dashed out of the door, landed and rolled on the dusty ground at the same time, scrambling up in a haste. Her phaser rifle still pointed into the direction of the enemy, she ran under constant fire to where Jeffrey was presuming the other crew members. Ensign Robinson was leaning pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the street, giving her rear cover, shooting at enemies beyond her sight. When only some seconds later Jeffrey arrived next to her, Dax gave him a quick sign to aim for the still living Jem'Hadar that had come sneaking up their backs when they hadn't noticed.

After some more minutes the phaser volley finally died off, leaving back only the heavy smell of churned plaster and scorched wood. Waiting another few moments, Dax dared cautiously peek around the corner. Three dead Jem'Hadar lay sprawled across the dusty street. When she turned around she realized that even on the other far end of the street another gray heap lay lifeless on the ground. The moment of relief lasted only a few seconds, though.

"Where are Dr. Bashir and Ensign Fernandez?" she pressed in alarm.

The young woman next to her just shook her head. "I don't know. Fernandez was panicking and sprinting off in the other direction. I think Dr. Bashir shouted for her to stay but she didn't react and he set off after her. But that's all I could make out in the chaos."

Dax cast an anxious glance around, scanning their surroundings for a sign of the two missing crew members, though there was no trace of either Fernandez or Bashir. Northport's streets were as dead and quiet as before.

"What about Williams?" Robinson didn't dare look into the direction where the Ensigns' corps lay still sprawled on the ground. They obviously had known each other.

Shaking her head, Dax lay a warm hand on the young woman's slightly trembling shoulders. "There's nothing we can do for Williams anymore. We have to go."

"But what about Dr. Bashir and Ensign Fernandez?" Jeffrey's pale features were drawn into an anxious grimace. "The tricorders are barely of use here. How can we find them?"

"Dr. Bashir knows our mission, as does Ensign Fernandez. It's not far to the control room. We can wait for them there. They'll be okay," she tried to put as much confidence into her words as possible. "Let's get going. I'm sure we'll meet the others there." With a last checking look, she urged her remaining team members to follow her once again out into the deserted streets of Northport. She couldn't but hope for her words to prove out true.