/-/-/-/
/- At The Same Time
Reggie yawned, rubbing her eyes as she wandered down the corridor.
They had been hiding in Pluto's orbit, avoiding Earth Patrol transports searching for them. Andy was sending what he found on Earth to the Alliance. He explained it all to her but she would admit she had no idea what he said past. "All I have to do is…"
Reggie turned the corner, only her feet knowing where they were going.
Andy promised he would only be ten more hours. Manick was only giving him eight.
She yawned, eyes half opened as she turned the corner. She forced a small smile, "Hey, Kev." The Mars-native nodded at her, but Reggie noticed he was distracted, as were they all.
Continuing down the hall, Reggie's thoughts returned to her friends. Most fresh from college. A bunch were Academy drop outs. All around her age.
Suddenly the thought struck her that, other than those things, all she knew about these people was a skill that made them valuable and their first name. That was it. Hell, she didn't even know everyone's name. She didn't even know everyone. Manick was the only one who did She spent most of her time with Manick. She knew it was mostly because he liked looking at her but she had only gotten his attention because f her short military background and medical experience.
Andy had been there since the beginning. He was up in the ranks of his experience and Manick's trust. His computer genius didn't hurt him either.
Andy was an enigma. She liked him most of the time. He was fun, good-looking, and laid back. That was as long as Manick wasn't around or work was needed to be done. Manick made him quiet and shy, masking the sturdy confidence she saw from him so often. He was an adrenaline junky who got off on stupid stunts and had a tendency of drinking too much real alcohol some nights. There were days she hated him and days she found herself wishing circumstances were different and something might happen.
Reggie sighed. She wasn't really all that sure how she endedup on that ship orbiting Pluto and running from the authorities. Manick hunted down Academy drop-outs- or at least he did before he had people to do it for him- just like he found her one bad night and convinced her to join him. She was worn out, upset, and out of credit, she needed a break and he seemed to have given her one.
She turned again, eyes glazed over as she looked down at the floor. It had been a long day. There were two more hours before Manick would demand they move. Andy would squirm under Manick's cocky bastard-ness and either say it's done or say that he needed more time.
Reggie could have cared less. She wanted sleep and she wanted to be home, but for that moment her mind was so far past thought, she couldn't give a damn about anything. Not Manick. Not the war. Not even Amen.
She stopped, looking u to see that her feet had taken her back to her room. Reggie sighed, stepped inside and let the door close behind her.
/-/-/-/
"The Sklig N'Tar haven't been much direct help for us. They still exist months later. And that's enough for now.
"They gave us some information in exchange for some supplies. We don't have much, but obviously more than them. Reports say they're young. We don't know names- obviously- so we don't know much about them, but they've been good on their word so far.
"Amen's ships are re-building. That's why the attacks have lessened. Rumors say- at least those that reached out ears- that their fleet will soon be one to match that of the Alliance…"
/-/-/-/
/- Unknown Time
Quiet.
He was surrounded by it. An empty void, soundless all but for his labored breath and the echoing of footsteps. His eyes saw little. It was dark. He stared at the dark floor, one eye nearly swollen shut.
"Umph!"
The slapping of flesh on flesh and the sudden cry of pain sounded throughout the room, shattering the stillness with the horrid soundsof torture.
"Anything else you wish to share?"
He forced in air through bloodied lips. Slowly he worked soar muscles, his one good eye finding his tormenter's face. He had first seen the face, confident that nothing could happen to him. The face was hard, but not seemingly cruel, simply tired and humorless. He soon found how wrong he was with his assumption.
His tongue rolled over his cracked, dried lips, the sting of iron beratinghis senses. "No," he forced past a parchedthroat. It hurt to speak. Physically, true, but more emotionally. He had spoken. He couldn't stop himself. He had said far too much.
The tormenter gave a harsh glower, turned on his heels and left. The door opened wide, light flooded in before suddenly disappearing. The battered man went limp, puffing out a last few breaths before passing out.
In the hall, the tormentor shook his hand, then rubbed at the raw flash on his fist.
He looked up as soon as he entered the next room. The tormentor gave a stiff nod up at the looming figure.
"He told me everything, sir."
"Good. Very good. Get to work then."
The tormentor took a deep breath. "Yes, sir!"
"Dismissed."
He nodded again, looking up at the man as he said, "Thank-you, Mr. President." The tormentor turned and marched away, leaning President Amen standing on the ledge above the workstation.
Amen ran a hand through thick layers of tan gray hair, saying softly, "War does horrible things to these young lads. Terrible. Absolutely terrible." Making a clicking noise with his tongue, he shook his head remorsefully and paced the length of the ledge and out the door, merging from the bright whiteness of the workroom into the fine wooden halls of the Federation Consulate.
/-/-/-/
/- August, Three Months Later
The day was early, or at least it was for the planet below them.
Admiral Hill stood on the torn apart bridge of the ship Aristotle. She was the flagship of the delta fleet- a small taskforce of some of the best men and women they had. Their jobs- infiltration and surprise attacks- made the delta fleet the first of many to receive upgraded weapons and shields.
Hill didn't need to be there for he trusted the officers and engineers working on the Martian space dock, but he wanted to see it. He wanted to be there, to put a physical image to the monotonous reports he had been reading.
The bridge was a mess. He didn't quite understand how considering no real work was being done in there. Hill just sighed, scanning the area. When his eyes reached the viewscreen they were met, not with the image of the Martian shipyard, but with a schematic of the Aristotle. Sections glowing in red were damaged from battle that needed repair- these areas were few and currently being worked on. Yellow areas were what needed to be rebuilt and upgraded.
"Now how long have you been Captain of the Aristotle?"
"Oh, ten years now, sir."
Hill glanced over his shoulder to see Amen walking with the Captain, the President nodding slowly. Hill shook his head, the gesture privately meant for himself. His President appeared everywhere around him; he felt like he was being followed.
His visit had originally been intended as an unofficial excursion, well that was before Amen found out and decided to come with him. He did that a lot. Hill had once spoken with Ken Smith about that. Ken hadn't complained- Hill hadn't known him to do that for years- but he said that he wasn't allowed to do much or sign off on much without Amen's approval.
Amen had a plan, a plan to win. Win the war, yes, but many other things. And that plan made him obsessed. He told no one what it was, Hill's knowledge, and therefore felt the need to be in control of everything around.
Hill sighed as he looked back at Amen and the Captain. He supposed he should go and talk with them, but he didn't want to. Men glanced up and caught his eyes. The President smirked and beckoned him over.
/-/-/-/
/- Around The Same Time
Byron tapped his stylus on the conference table. His other hand reached up to scratch his nose as he stared down at the PADD in front of him.
The conference room door slid open, immediately drawing his attention to the three entering. Commander LaForge and Commander Data were at the head, leading Dr. Crusher into the room. Dr. Crusher greeted him with a smile as she sat down beside him while the other two ignored him, absorbed in their own conversation as they walked over to the other side of the table.
Byron smiled back at the doctor before turning his attention back to the words on the PADD before him. His tapping became more random as his eyes became more and more glazed. He sighed and looked away, dropping his stylus onto the table as he did so.
"I hate giving briefings too."
He looked quickly at Crusher before processing what she said. He huffed out a short laugh as he nodded. "Yeah…" he left his thought handing in the air, deciding not to approach the territory his mind had started to wander into. Instead he looked back again, glancing at the far door and then to the other, as he waited for the Admiral to return.
Silence eventually fell over Geordie and Data. Byron glanced up at them before returning his gaze to the PADD before him. He picked up his stylus, the awkward beats filling the void. Crusher shifted in her seat, resisting the urge to put her hand out to halt the beats. Data sat stoically, ignoring the tuneless noise easily. Geordie just sighed and leaned back into his chair.
"Sorry I'm late," filtered into the room just after the sound of the doors swooshing open. Everyone rose immediately, Riker walking around the table and taking his usual seat, gesturing for the rest to sit as well. "What have we got?"
Byron cleared his throat. "Intelligence has gotten back to us that the Federation has some… new advancements to the shields and weapons."
"New advancements?" the admiral question, cocking an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yes, sir." Licking his lips, he sucked in a deep breath and continued, "The Sklig Ntsar sent us this schematic for improved shields." He slid the PADD towards LaForge. He looked down, eyes scanning the image, eyebrow raising.
"These are nearly identical to our own."
"You sure?" Riker questioned, reaching out to see it himself. Data glanced at it and handed it over to the admiral.
"Yes, sir. Definitely."
Byron gave Riker a moment before continuing, "If you look to the next part, they also sent us the Federation's schematics for new weaponry. They're our transphasic torpedoes and new phaser designs."
Riker toyed with the PADD, eyes scanning over the image before passing it over to Data who then handed it to Geordie. "Definitely ours, sir."
Riker nodded and turned his sight back onto Byron. "How did they get this?"
Byron shook his head. "I don't know. My only guess: someone told them. A traitor."
"Who would have been able to give such details."
"A good engineer that worked on the advancements to his own ship," Geordie offered up. "They're similar enough to the original design to remember but complex enough not to be thought of easily."
Byron nodded. "Any good tactical officer with enough engineering knowledge could potentially offer up this information."
Riker nodded somberly, sighing. "Are we sure about all this? Can we trust the source?"
"It's definitely from the Sklig Ntsar. The only way they could have gotten this was from something they dug up and that wouldn't have been from our computers, sir. They got it from a Federation source." Byron paused and then said, "Sketchy reporters confirm that there have been several shipyards working on repairing relatively undamaged ships. Those could be the ones receiving the advancements."
Again, Riker was somberas he looked down at his hands. He rubbed his eye, his hand continuing over his face before flattening down his beard. "Does everyone know this already?"
"Yes, sir. All the Captains of the fleet should be being briefed right now."
"Good. Anything else?"
"No, sir."
Riker glanced over at the rest of his senior staff, still feeling as if so many others were missing, before he pushed his body from the chair. "Dismissed then."
/-/-/-/
"There were seventeen attacks in the Betazed region in two months. Most of them pushed back the border or drove small hole in the defenses. Some seemed to accomplish nothing. In war, that's common.
"Over the next four months, twenty-three attacks on seemingly random outposts and patrol ships occurred. We knew it was these holes in our defenses that allowed them to break through. We never put together until it was too late just what their strategy was.
"War is war. The object of war is to over power and crush your enemy. How to accomplish that: strategically hit the correct areas- outposts, planets, shipyards, supply lines- to push through their lines and conquer. The Federation wasn't playing by those rules- or at least we thought they weren't. They played us, not the game or war… They broke through our lines and hit just the right areas to leave us scurrying away from their real target.
"See, we were so absorbed in the object of war that we forgot that there are good ways of sucker punching and discouraging the opponent. It was something we were not expecting. Something that truly caught us by surprise. Something that terrified all of us…"
/-/-/-/
/- A Week Later
He blinked slowly, trying to keep his eyes opened. He was beyond tired. Sleep was a near impossibility. He got an hour or two every time he walked in his room. Usually he was woken by a communiqué of some kind.
Riker shifted uncomfortably in his chair, growing restless in the awkward seat. He looked to his right, watching as a couple of Ensigns walked down the hall towards him. He straightened, hoping they didn't noticed his haggard face. They nodded at him and he nodded back, but other than that they ignored him.
The computer beeped and sputtered, drawing Riker's attention. The officer behind the desk continued to work indifferently. Riker sighed and glued his eyes back on the floor. He looked back up at the officer- the man's face was buried in his work. Riker cleared his throat- the man turned his head to glance at the far computer. Riker coughed louder- the man still ignored him.
"Excuse me?"
The officer continued to work on something. Just as Riker opened his mouth to speak, the officer looked at him for the first time since he walked in. "Yes, Sir?"
"How much longer?"
The officer half-shrugged. "He should be back soon."
"Should?"
"That's all I know, sir." Riker looked away and the officer gave a sigh before going back to work.
He listened to the clicking of his tongue as he waited. His eyes drooped further. "Will!" Riker snapped his eyes opened, looking over at the source of the voice. Standing, Riker forced a smile as he extended his hand to Admiral Jackson.
"Admiral."
"Call me Tom, Will, please. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."
"No, sir. Not long."
"Good. Come in."
Riker stepped over the threshold, ignoring the sudden feeling of being immersed into the dull monotony of a military office. It was rather bare and impersonal, greys and other bland colors assaulting the senses.
"You still haven't said why you asked me here, Admiral."
"I haven't?" Jackson gestured to a seat as he walked around his desk; Riker shook his head. "No secret really. You know as well as anyone about the recent attacks in this region."
"Yes, sir," Riker responded with a nod, shifting his feet. "They're random and unpredictable."
"Almost unpredictable. Honestly, the only thing we know is they're quick, unexpected attacks that mostly accomplish nothing. I want to reassign about a forth of the Alpha Fleet and reposition them in the area."
"Sounds like a good idea. May even discourage them."
"That is part of the plan."
Riker nodded. "I'll take a look and see who to move. Anyone in particular, sir? Any number?"
"Yes- you."
"Enterprise?"
"Yes, along with about fifty others."
"Very good, sir."
"That won't harm your border patrols too badly, will it?"
"I don't think so, sir."
"Good. That's all, Will."
Riker nodded. "Thank-you, sir."
/-/-/-/
/- A Few Days Later
"Why does Daddy have to leave all the time?"
Deanna sighed, taking her daughter by the hand as she led her down the street. "Because, honey, he has a job to do."
"To protect us?"
"Yes," Deanna said slowly, gaze slowly falling on the first moon slowly rising over the horizon. "He has to keep the Alliance safe."
Liz nodded, seemingly satisfied that her question had been answered. She looked away, observing silently the passersby, hand rocking slowly to the soft music in the background. Deanna looked off in the distance to where the art museum and history center meet in the center square. She turned, leading Liz down the sidewalk, passing the large fountain Liz enjoyed when she was little. Deanna blinked, forcing her mind away from memories of Liz's childhood.
"Mommy?" the ten-year-old said suddenly. Deanna looked down to see her brow wrinkle in confusion. "Why does the Federation want to hurt us?"
Deanna sighed, clearing her throat as she glanced away. Liz had hit the age where she understood what was going on a while ago, but had never really directed questions to her. Lwaxana often got the difficult ones, sometimes Will. She answered other things. "Well… they… some people in charge think differently than Gamma and the people she works with. They got mad at us when we stopped being a part of the Federation-"
"And started the Alliance?" Liz jumped in. Deanna smiled despite herself and nodded.
"Yes, when we started the Alliance."
"But you shouldn't hurt people just 'cause you're mad at them." Deanna looked down to see Liz making a face, shaking her head as if she were the supreme authority on the topic.
"No," Deanna said, trying her best not to smirk, "that's very true."
"Then why do they?"
Deanna let out a long breath, finding herself shaking her head once again. "Sometimes it just happens."
"Gamma says that violence isn't the Betazoid way."
"And she's very right about that."
Liz cocked her head to the side, looking up at her mother. "Then why does Daddy and other Betazoids fight the Federation?"
Deanna looked down quickly at her daughter. Brown eyes caught blue and Deanna was surprised to see the intense bewilderment in her large orbs. "Because… because sometimes we have to fight to protect ourselves and what we believe. Sometimes… sometimes it's unavoidable."
Liz paused for a fraction of a second before asking, "What does 'unavoidable' mean?"
"It means that we can't stop it from happening."
"Oh…" Liz went quiet. She looked away for a long while. Deanna sighed gratefully and looked back at the street, casually watching the others walking about. She noticed the painter on the corner, the man horribly focused on his object of choice. "Mommy?" Deanna forced her eyes away and down at the little girl still clutching her hand.
"Yes?"
"What if the Federation hurts Daddy? What if they're mad at him a lot more and they hurt him?"
Deanna paused, even her feet halted with shock from the question. Liz stopped as well, turning to look back at her mother. Deanna opened her mouth, her mind grasping for words. "I," she started, but then sighed and shook her head. "I don't know, baby… I just don't know…"
/-/-/-/
/- A Few Days Later
Will scratched just under his eyes, moving the hand to run over his beard. His nose twitched; he looked back up, then back down, then proceeded to run a hand over his beard once again.
"I call."
Beverly forced back a smirk, running her tongue over her lip instead as she glanced back down at her cards. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "I think you're bluffing."
"Put your chips down and we'll find out, won't we?"
Data's eyes darted between the two as they bantered back and forth. Having folded early in the game, he had watched as the admiral and doctor raised the pot to a significantly high number before both Commander LaForge and Commander Byron folded as well.
Will cocked an eyebrow at Beverly, his lips pulling back into a smirk. Beverly smiled, satisfied, as she spilled her chips onto the pill.
"What d'ya got?"
Beverly flipped her cards over. "Straight, jack high."
Will's smile grew as Data turned his eyes back onto the admiral. "That all?"
"What do you have, Will?" He smiled broadly and tossed his cards over to her. Beverly picked them up, looked at them, and laughed, tossing them back at him.
"King high, read it and weep, doctor." Beverly was still laughing as Will said that in jest. Geordie and Commander Byron joined in the laughter, Will as well. Data smiled but the humor was lost on him.
"Okay, okay, kids, who wants a food break?"
"I'll help you, Will."
"Thanks."
Will and Beverly stood from the table, Geordie turning in his chair to see the walking over to the replicator. It glowed momentarily before Beverly removed a bowl from it; it glowed again and Will removed a tray of drinks. He sauntered back over to the table, jokingly teasing the group as he gave them each a drink. Beverly shook her head and set the bowl where her pot of money had been a moment ago.
"What is that?"
Will looked up at the tactical office, laughing at the human as he looked inside the bowl with a mixture of trepidation and intrigue. "Old human snack. They're called pretzels."
"Are they any good?" Will just shrugged before grabbing a handful and popping one into his mouth. Byron glanced inside the bowl once more, carefully picking out a single pretzel and examining it closely before he dared taste it. Will smiled and shook his head, catching a similar look in Beverly's eyes.
"How's Captain Ivinch doing? I hear the Warbird got shaken up pretty well the other day."
Will nodded, swallowing and looking up at her. "Yeah. I spoke with her the other day when she was reporting in. Um, the Warbird'll be fine. She lost two men though."
"How many does that make this week? Five, six?"
"Seven," Data responded easy, looking over at Byron. "Eight if you were to include the attack on Outpost-773."
Will nodded as Beverly shook her head. "It makes no sense."
"You're telling me," Byron said softly. Will cocked an eyebrow at him and he flushed. "I just mean, I've been working on this… strategy for three months now, ever since it became an issues and… I can't see anything."
Will shrugged. "That's what all you tactical geniuses are telling me."
"I must agree with their assessment, though, Admiral. There is no logic."
"Will, Data. Come on, we're here to play some poker, not discuss the war. Whose in for another round?"
"I'm in," Geordie replied, straightening in his chair.
Byron shrugged and nodded. Will looked to Beverly. She smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I'm in, but you look like you might need a loan, Will." He scowled at her, making her smile widen.
Data ignored all this, as he often did if he wasn't intently observing it, and chose to instead deal the cards.
/-/-/-/
/- Around The Same Time
"You got any plans for tonight?"
Deanna glanced up at Sal, the Vigolain's attention focused intently on the work before her. Deanna nodded as she looked back down at the PADD in hand. "My mother and I are taking the kids to the theatre."
Sal glanced up from the screen at Deanna. The Betazoid looked up as well, but Sal's eyes had already returned to her work. "They have that new band playing tonight, right? The Z'di or something?"
"The Zin'do. And yes. Liz likes their music and my mother seems to be intrigued by it." Sal nodded, still working. It was something of a habit between them. Sal had never been one for small talk as she worked just months before. She had been serious and intent on working. But Deanna liked to talk- she said it helped her focus- and Sal had grown accustom over the years to talking with her as they worked. She rarely stopped working but always knew what they were talking about. "And you? Got anything planned?"
Sal shook her head, brushing a stand of dark hair behind her ear. "Just another long night of research and work."
"You really need to take a break, Sal. Staring at this forever won't solve it." For the first time since they had sat down five hours earlier, Sal's hands stilled over the keys as she dragged her eyes off the words. Deanna smirked when she saw Sal's face of mockindignation. "Take a break. Relax. Go have some fun." Sal smiled, but said nothing, instead returning her attention to the data. "Maybe you should come to the concert with us."
"I wouldn't want to impose."
"Nonsense." Deanna looked up at Sal, wondering as she sometimes did if Sal was actually paying her any attention, "You need to get out of the office."
Sal sighed and, knowing the conversation would not likely end soon, she relented. "I'll think about it."
Deanna smiled, tossing long curls over her shoulder as she returned her attention to the words on the PADD. "So what do you think-"
Sal looked up when Deanna cut her words off. She tilted her head in confusion, noticing with concern Deanna's look of horror. "Deanna?" Just as the word passed her lips, the lights flickered, being replaced with red and sirens erupted in the halls. "What the hell-?"
/-/-/-/
/- A Few Days Later
Riker rushed from the turbolift, twisting his body to escape the room before the doors had a chance to open fully. Red lights flashed on the walls, forgotten in the rush and madness. Riker ignored the sirens whining in his ears as he shouted, "Data!"
Standing in the center of the bridge, the android turned and looked at the Admiral. "There are a reported fifty-seven Federation ships attacking the Betazed systems," he said without having to hear the question, "We have set course and will arrive within the next three minutes."
"Fifty-seven?" Riker nearly choked on the word. It wasn't the one he wanted to say. His mind was still focused on the word Betazed. "How did they get here? Better question, how many Alliance ships are coming?"
Riker had been taking several long strides, quickly approaching Data as he spoke. He stopped before his chair, deciding better than to sit down. Looking to Data, the android responded, "Twenty-one were on immediate patrol around the planet and have already responded. Another eighteen are in the immediate vicinity with us and will arrive now. Thirty-four more have been ordered to come. Twenty-two more are on standby if reinforcements are needed."
Riker nodded, forcing his attention to turn to the viewscreen rather than continuing to stare blankly at his first officer. Moments later, the stars returned to the their normal appearance and there, before his ship, was the beauty called Betazed. He watched it, seemingly still against the starry background. Deanna was down there, in danger. His children. He had asked them to stay there to protect them, now…
The ship veered and with it the image moved. Riker's eyes never left the point on the screen he had found earlier, only now they saw the devastation that had already taken place. "Mr. Byron… charge phasers…"
/-/-/
/- The Same Time
She shut her eyes tight, scrunching her face hard in response to the noise. Never before had she sat, huddled around others, as she listened to the sounds of destruction above her. Never before had she felt the fear and anger and confusion that she sensed coursing through the minds and hearts of everyone around her.
Lwaxana opened her eyes cautiously to look around at her colleges. She noticed Pell sitting with her back against the far wall, her knees up against her chest. She held a calm demeanor, her face not appearing too frantic, but Lwaxana could feel far beneath that barrier. The Trill caught her eye and gave a quick smile. Lwaxana knew it was forced.
Her eyes eventually trailed away, scanning over the many heads. T'Pel, Ganit, and Moricz were standing in the opposite corner. She ignored the other two, resting her focus on Moricz. The Vigolian had grown much in the past years. She had had her doubts about both he and his planet but, in the end, they had proven themselves worthy. She was proud of him, she had even come to like the zealous young man. He turned and caught her gaze. He didn't try to hid his fear nor cover it by flashing a smile. He stared her dead on and let her see his soul, raw and terrified. She had nothing to offer him but the smallest of nods.
Her eyes turned away, glancing over the others once again. The room shook and she shut her eyes. It was something she had done since she was little. It didn't really work but, sometimes, when emotions were loud and painful, if she closed her eyes, they might be dulled ever so slightly. Very slightly.
She opened her eyes, not having to look to know who was sitting in the corner meters beside her. She could feel his emotions, crashing on her wave after wave. She stood and took a few careful steps towards him before sitting down and drawing her legs to her chest.
Tayd let out a shaky breath as he looked over at her. She just took his hand and waited.
/-/-/-/
/- Hours Later
Cities on fire. Burning. Flames erupting all around. Ash and shoot covering the ground. The smell of carnage and charred building in the air.
He could feel it. Taste it. Smell it. And he could almost see it. Standing in the center, Riker stared out at Betazed, ears still ringing with the red alert sirens even as they now watched over the viewscreen as the Federation ships retreated.
"Captain?"
"Hmm?" Riker pulled his eyes from the screen, scanning over the area to find the owner of the voice.
"I said, should we return to our original position?"
Riker's eyes returned to the screen. He stared for a while, Data's words slowed losing meaning to him.
Somewhere in his mind, Will understood that he had nodded. He felt his head move, but the feeling was vague as his body felt numb. He didn't register the movement of those around him, nor the movement of the ship. All he was able to perceive was the planet fading before his eyes, the stars warping and stretching around his ship. Riker closed his eyes and sighed, trying to block out the images bombarding his sense.
/-/-/-/
"That day at Betazed our worst fears were confirmed… Amen's fleet had advanced itself. No longer were they weak and inferior to our own ships, but powerful and equally matched. We decimated each other that night in Betazoid space. Slaughter… The Klingons don't stand a chance against either fleet- Mikolian nor Federation…
"Betazed… the fight, was a hard blow to the Alliance. They didn't take her, only the gods know what would have happened if they had, but they had crushed us nevertheless. But only a week later we suffered another jarring blow…
"As I said before, the Changelings were the beginning of a domino effect. Maybe they had nothing to do with anything. Really they didn't. But they were the first thing to happen… and then the last…
"The attack on Betazed was swift and unexpected. Minimal defenses were around her- we had placed everything we had protecting the border and the places where the Federation wanted us. We didn't think and we got burned badly…
"But we recovered, remarkably so. We stopped then, fought them back. They never even held Betazed for any length of time. It was a shock, yes, and I think that's why we never felt the next blow…"
/-/-/-/
/- Late November, Two Months Later
It was a slow day, as many were for him. Ensign Mz'rah scratched his nose as he strolled down the hall. He was far from early. In fact, he was nearly twenty minutes early, but he didn't think the others would mind.
Mechanical grey eyes adjusted on command to the dimmed lights. It was early in the morning and the lights hadn't yet been undimmed. That didn't bother him though for, as a Vigolian, he could control how much light he saw.
Mz'rah past by a row of windows, the dim light shinning against his blue scales, giving them an eerie glow. He glanced at his reflection, frowningat the piece of hair sticking up in the back. Most Vigolians grew theirs out, as he normally did, but recently he had it cut short, his black and blue locks now shinning almost completely blue. He ran his hand over the spot, trying to smooth it down. After a moment, he gave up and purposely messed it up.
Continuing on his way, Mz'rah yawned. Early morning shifts weren't bad, but they sure were boring as hell. Nothing ever seemed to happen between four and ten. Not much more happened from one to four either. Well, all but the attack on Betazed, but that was more that two weeks before and already things had returned to a boring lull.
He didn't hate his job- well, he did but he understood he was new to security and a little young to be placed directly on a starship. But there was a war on and nothing happening on Betazed in a high security detention level. Not much at all.
Changeling- that was the only interesting thing about this job. Half of them remained in one cell while the rest were across form it. They didn't need to eat, so he didn't worry about that. No visitors. They didn't say nor do much. Usually they just stayed like a large puddle of goo. At least that's what his co-worker said.
Lieutenant Dixon always worked from one to ten; he was there before Mz'rah got there. Vigolians- at least that's what Mz'rah had figured out- could not see completely through forceshields. He'd asked others before- Dixon was one- if they could see it. Dixon had said he could only if someone touched it. Mz'rah, however, could always see it. It just made the job harder because he had trouble seeing what was going on inside the cells. But, it he adjusted his eyes to block out most of the light, he could just see inside, but it bothered his eyes so he didn't do it too often.
Mz'rah turned the corner, the right door just on his left. He was ten minutes early but Dixon wouldn't mind. Entering his code, the door slid open. On instinct, his eyes flew over to examine the right cell. He could see the forceshield active and glimmering. He looked to the left. It too was on.
"Lieutenant, I know I'm-" Mz'rah paused after taking a few steps in. Dixon wasn't seated, half-asleep in his chair and the other Ensign wasn't in sight either. Panicked, he looked desperately around, searching for any sign of Dixon or the other man.
Then he found it. Half a leg shown behind the console. He stepped forward slowly. Then he froze. Dixon's lean body was tangled, his head laying at an odd angle. Just meters away he noticed another man on the ground.
Sucking in a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves and steady his mind, Mz'rah walked over to the cell. He adjusted his eyes again, only this time to take in less light. He looked into the cell, just barely seeing past the forceshield.
There was nothing in there.
Mz'rah twisted quickly, frantically searching for what he knew was longgone.
It would not be long before Head Quarters was appraised of the situation. It would however be hours before someone knew what had happened. Neither guard would survive. None of the Changelings would ever be found…
/-/-/-/
/- Two Days Before Christmas
Will didn't want to believe that Picard was dead. He couldn't. Somewhere, hidden deep in his subconscious, he still had hope that Picard had managed to escape, hopefully evading capture and surviving somewhere. He couldn't imagine how he could still be alive. He didn't think Picard would be in Amen's hands- why would he pronounce him dead?- so that left a single possibility remaining…
And yet, despite that fact, Will still stood before the granite marker holding out hopes that his Captain would return. But, in an even darker creviceof his mind, he knew that would never happen. That Jean-Luc Picard was a golden piece of history. His death was one of the many pebbles that had started the avalanche that crushed what once was the peaceful Federation.
Sometimes Will let himself think about the 'what ifs?'. Only sometimes. He didn't ponder long, but in the time he allowed himself, he wondered if Picard hadn't been imprisoned that day, would they have gone to war? Would the Federation have been split? Where would Amen be now?
He always drew himself back to reality when he came to that thought. Had the split not happened, he would reason with himself, and the war not taken place, Amen would be in charge of so many resources and a whole Federation. Will often wondered if they would have realized what he was in time.
Will's thoughts ceased long after he had left the marker. He looked up suddenly, dazed and slightly lost. Once again, he looked about himself. He was there, not to mourn Picard, but to honor all those who died on Betazed last month. All the Betazoids and other Alliance citizens and officers who died.
Riker had scoffed at the monument- he couldn't understand why in the mists of war. He hadn't said anything aloud, but people knew his opinion. Lwaxana had scolded him. Betazoids accepted death, however they didn't know how to deal with death in battle.
Riker looked up at the top of the hill where several people had begun to congregate. He breathed in, then exhaled, rubbing his nose as he watched the glowing lights hovering against the darkening sky. It was beautiful in a peculiar way. He stood mesmerized for a short while longer before he turned and walked towards the lights.
/-/-
All right, you're lucky that my friend's letting borrow their computer because I'm heading off to Gettyburg without a computer for another week. I promise I'll give you extra when I return.
Hugs, JD