Chapter 10

The five of us (the Jem'hadar had stopped fighting Tholme two days ago) spent most of the day glancing up at the sky, watching for rescue ships. When the sun began to set, it was Barbara who spotted them first.

"Here they come!" the history teacher shouted as she grabbed Ian's hand and pulled him behind a large boulder.

"Take cover!" Tholme, Jasta, and I yelled to the other prisoners.

They saw the incoming starfighters and rescue ships and scattered. Once the Skonian ships opened fire at the groups of Jem'hadar, the cluster of Romulans and Cardassians made their way over to us.

"What's going on?" asked one Cardassian.

I grinned. "The cavalry has finally arrived." Once the rescue ships touched down, I ordered all the prisoners to get aboard. The Jem'hadar were still in the process of figuring out wha was going on and how to fight back. But, the second the prisoners made a dash for the rescue ships, the soldiers decided on their next move.

I dodged and shoved a Skonian man away as a phaser shot went by. I witnessed a Skonian soldier shot down as he herded the prisoners into the ships.

"Tengu! Tholme!" I heard welcome voice call.

I glanced around and spotted Julian waving from the open ramp of a rescue ship. I nodded to him in acknowledgement and called back, "Once all the prisoners are aboard, take off."

"What about you?"

"We're going to hold off the Jem'hadar." I didn't wait to hear his response before launching myself at a soldier about to shoot Jasta. I joined the lieutenant and Tholme in battle against the oncoming Jem'hadar.

After ducking and impaling a Jem'hadar through the chest with her claws, Jasta asked me, "Is life with you always this exciting?"

"You could say that," I replied, blocking a blow from a soldier and stabbing him.

Tholme had picked up a slender steel pole and was efficiently using it as a staff. Only a couple of Jem'hadar had made it past the three of us and were being dealt with by the Skonian soldiers.

I didn't see the grenade fly over my head and was sent to the muddy ground from the resulting small explosion.

"Tengu!" Julian shouted.

"Doctor Bashir, take off!" Jasta commanded.

"I can't leave you!"

I shoved Jasta behind a mining machine before another grenade detonated. "Julian, you have a ob to do. Now go!"

My husband took my words to heart. I didn't hear what he said next over the sound of the ship's engine. The ramp closed, and we heard the ships lift off from the ground.

A Human male voice cried out in pain some distance away. "Don't tell me that was Ian," Jasta said, dodging a phaser shot. "I thought he and Barbara had made it to a ship."

"So did I," I responded, leaping to the top of a mining vehicle.

A seemingly long distance away, a Jem'hadar had Ian on the ground. The soldier straddled Ian's chest to keep him down as he rained fist after fist on the Human's head. Barbara elbowed the soldier restraining her in the temple and grabbed his war dagger. With no hesitation, she ran forward and plunged it into the back of the Jem'hadar on Ian.

I sprinted to save them, slashing at any Jem'hadar who got in my way. Barbara had helped Ian halfway up before they attracted more attention.

A soldier ran at them, dagger raised. Ian cried a warning. Barbara turned and raise her arm to protect her face. The blade sliced into her flesh. Barbara didn't even have a chance to cry out before the soldier seized her by the neck and threw her over his shouler. She landed hard on her back, the back of her head catching on a large stone.

With Barbara out of the way, the Jem'hadar turned his focus back to Ian. A backhand and punch to the stomach drove the man back to the rocky ground. Another soldier rushed to help.

I saw the flash of a dagger before I launched myself into a flying tackle from the top of a mining machine, claws extended in front of me. One set of claws caught a Jem'hadar through the side of his neck. The other set of claws impaled the other soldier through his chest.

I wasted no time in getting to my feet, grabbing a dagger from the ground, and throwing it. Barbara was too disoriented from her fall to be shocked as the blade settled itself in the throat of the Jem'hadar holding her up, only a millimeter from her ear. The soldier dropped. The woman swayed on her feet before Ian caught her.

"Get her back into focus," I told Ian, slashing open another soldier's neck. Jasta and Tholme followed my path and joined us.

Ian had brought Barbara around and both were armed with war daggers. Another wave of Jem'hadar charged towards us. No words were spoken during this fight. The five of us fought in tandem. I had been worried about Barbara. She wasn't the fighting type of person at all. But, the Human instinct to survive awakened a frenzy in her and Ian. Still, I couldn't help but wish they had gotten to a rescue ship. And where the hell was that anti-Force generator that prevented Tholme and me from using our powers?

Tholme gestured to two small devices attached to a nearby mining vehicle. "Get down!" I shouted, diving for the ground. I had barely hit the rocky ground when the devices exploded.

In the same instant, I felt the scalding wind and fire over my back, and heard a piercing scream. Once everything was silent, I lifted my head and glanced around. Tholme, Barbara, and Ian were recovering beside me. The Jem'hadar fighting us were dead. Where was Jasta? Had she screamed? The four of us got to our feet and looked around. "Jasta?" I called.

A sudden cry of pain turned to loud whimpering moans. We rushed to the sound and found a pile of rubble. We frantically cleared away the rocks and twisted metal.

"Jasta!" I gasped, dropping to her side. A bloody hole about the size of my fist went through her shoulder. A purple-tainted short pole that size lay a couple feet behind her. Violet blood poured out from the wound. Jasta's foot had been twisted to an awkward angle. Her face was a shade of ghostly white.

Ian took off his tattered jacket and pressed it against the gory wound in Jasta's shoulder. The lieutenant's breathing turned erratic and ragged, then she was suddenly silent and her head lolled to the side.

"Is she…?" Barbara began.

"No, not yet," I answered, checking Jasta's pulse. We glanced up at loud shouts. "Damn you, bastards!" I cursed at the oncoming soldiers. "We're going to run for it."

Tholme picked up the unconscious Jasta. Ian asked, "Where to?"

I started running to the force-field gate that had kept us prisoner. My friends followed without question.

We dodged grenades and small explosives in our race to freedom. The last thing I remembered was the ground swallowing me.