CHAPTER 8: A GOOD DAY TO DIE
"You will fail!" Akiran cried, desperation in his voice.
"Somebody sedate him!" Najen ordered. James grabbed a hypospray [a medical instrument] and prepared to do just that.
"How far away?" Najen asked, referring to the Imperial warship.
"Ten minutes," T'Lor reported, the tiniest trace of excitement in her voice.
"And the weapons upgrades?" Najen continued.
"Up and running," Levek replied, confidently taking a place at the weapons console.
"James, is he tranquilized yet?"
Akiran's yells of protest told Najen otherwise.
"I'm workin' on it!" James shouted, wrestling with the Imperial.
K'Bhena grabbed a phaser and took aim, yelling a quick, "Get out of the way!" to James before firing at the Imperial. Akiran crumpled onto the floor.
James whirled around, startled. "Did you...?"
"No," K'Bhena replied. "He is only stunned. He is just lucky he is not on a Klingon ship."
Najen opened a channel to the Riata Ky Hwi. "Are the explosives in position?" she asked.
"Yes," Koby reported.
"Are you ready to beam out?"
"Just a minute," Cale interrupted.
"A minute's about all you have," Najen muttered, nervously watching the scans. She resisted the urge to bite her nails, and instead drummed her fingers on the console impatiently. "Any time now, guys."
"Okay," Cale reported, coming back on the intercom. "We're ready to go."
James activated the transporter, beaming the Human boy and the Wookie back.
"The Imperials are five minutes away," T'Lor reported from the pilot's console.
"I have a transporter lock on Talela," James informed them. "I'll be ready to beam her back as soon as her work is done."
Najen flipped on the intercom. "Did you hear that, Talela?"
"Yes," Talela replied calmly from the cockpit of the Riata, sounding almost as composed as T'Lor. "I'll be fine. May the Force be with you."
"Qapla, Jedi Talela," K'Bhena replied, beating her chest in a salute that Talela could not see. "It is a good day to die."
"That is true," Levek agreed. Then he added, rather ominously, "Prepare to meet the gods of war."
"Enough Romulan theatrics," James interrupted. "The Imperials are two minutes away from firing range."
Najen tugged on her earring. She, like most Bajorans, was very religious, and her earring was a symbol of her religion. Najen said a quick prayer to the Prophets [the Bajoran deities] and prepared to fight for her life.
Then, in a storm of red and yellow laser beams, the Imperials arrived.
"Return fire!" Najen ordered.
"Okay," James replied, getting right to work. Levek, from the other weapons console, began firing as well.
"Direct hit to the engines!" Levek crowed, raising his fist in a Romulan gesture of defiance. "Hei-ya-hai!"
Then, a moment later, Levek added, his voice incredulous, "What?! How could we have caused NO damage! That was a direct hit!"
Just after the words left his lips, the shuttle rocked violently, courtesy of the Imperials. Najen was thrown out of her chair and onto the cold hard floor.
"Shields down to fifty percent!" T'Lor reported, having miraculously managed to stay in her chair.
Koby helped Najen rise to her feet and return to her console.
Then the intercom beeped. "I'm going on my attack run now!" Talela reported from the Riata. The clunky little cargo ship began to move toward the Imperial ship, slowly, but surely.
Another volley rocked the side of the Ticonderoga. "Shields down to twelve percent!"
Twelve percent! That was BAD. Just one more hit, and the shields would be gone. Najen didn't think the Ticonderoga could SURVIVE a hit without shields.
Clearly, the Starfleeters had underestimated these Imperials. And now they would pay the price.
Then the intercom sounded again. "This is the Imperial ship Gladius. We are prepared to accept your surrender, Rebels."
K'Bhena punched the intercom and shouted, with all the defiance of her Klingon heritage, "We shall NEVER surrender! Prepare to journey on the Barge of the Dead!"
"Very well then, Rebels," the Imperials responded. "Prepare to die."
Then, to Najen's horror, the Imperials sent fired upon the Riata. The petite little cargo ship didn't stand a chance. Najen watched, helpless, as it exploded into nothingness.
"NOOOO!" Cale howled. "TAAALLEEELLAAAA!"
The next one to speak was James. "I couldn't transport her off in time! I'm sorry."
Tears sprang to Najen's eyes. She wiped them away forcefully and tried to collect her thoughts. Talela was dead, and there was no saving her. But the rest of them could still be saved. And where there was life, there was hope. Najen had to think of the crew now.
"Contact the Imperial ship," Najen whispered hoarsely. "Tell them: we surrender."
"NO!" Akiran shouted from the back, having somehow woken up after being sedated. His eyes were focused on the wreckage that used to be the Riata Ky Hwi, disbelief written all over his face. He had just witnessed cold-blooded murder. And of who? A Rebel, certainly, but a harmless adolescent girl! Akiran felt sick.
Akiran took a deep breath, and hesitated. Yes, it was treason, but it had to be done. Then he said the most difficult words of his life:
"Target the propulsion module at the back of the ship. That's its weak spot."
James complied quickly, not even stopping to humor his suspicion.
But neither Akiran nor James quick enough to save them.
The Imperials sent off a shot of their own.
The Ticonderoga was too damaged, Najen knew. It could not evade the shot-- and neither could it survive it.
Najen closed her eyes and prepared to join the Prophets.
But all she heard was the sound of someone clapping. And LAUGHING at them all...
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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This is not the end of the story. I apologize for the cliffhanger (It seems as if a certain Starhamster42's bad habits are rubbing off on me...) There are only two chapters to go! (I will have the next one up within two days, I promise! I'm not the type of writer who tortures readers with a cliffhanger ending for months on end!)
May the Force be with you! Qapla!
"You will fail!" Akiran cried, desperation in his voice.
"Somebody sedate him!" Najen ordered. James grabbed a hypospray [a medical instrument] and prepared to do just that.
"How far away?" Najen asked, referring to the Imperial warship.
"Ten minutes," T'Lor reported, the tiniest trace of excitement in her voice.
"And the weapons upgrades?" Najen continued.
"Up and running," Levek replied, confidently taking a place at the weapons console.
"James, is he tranquilized yet?"
Akiran's yells of protest told Najen otherwise.
"I'm workin' on it!" James shouted, wrestling with the Imperial.
K'Bhena grabbed a phaser and took aim, yelling a quick, "Get out of the way!" to James before firing at the Imperial. Akiran crumpled onto the floor.
James whirled around, startled. "Did you...?"
"No," K'Bhena replied. "He is only stunned. He is just lucky he is not on a Klingon ship."
Najen opened a channel to the Riata Ky Hwi. "Are the explosives in position?" she asked.
"Yes," Koby reported.
"Are you ready to beam out?"
"Just a minute," Cale interrupted.
"A minute's about all you have," Najen muttered, nervously watching the scans. She resisted the urge to bite her nails, and instead drummed her fingers on the console impatiently. "Any time now, guys."
"Okay," Cale reported, coming back on the intercom. "We're ready to go."
James activated the transporter, beaming the Human boy and the Wookie back.
"The Imperials are five minutes away," T'Lor reported from the pilot's console.
"I have a transporter lock on Talela," James informed them. "I'll be ready to beam her back as soon as her work is done."
Najen flipped on the intercom. "Did you hear that, Talela?"
"Yes," Talela replied calmly from the cockpit of the Riata, sounding almost as composed as T'Lor. "I'll be fine. May the Force be with you."
"Qapla, Jedi Talela," K'Bhena replied, beating her chest in a salute that Talela could not see. "It is a good day to die."
"That is true," Levek agreed. Then he added, rather ominously, "Prepare to meet the gods of war."
"Enough Romulan theatrics," James interrupted. "The Imperials are two minutes away from firing range."
Najen tugged on her earring. She, like most Bajorans, was very religious, and her earring was a symbol of her religion. Najen said a quick prayer to the Prophets [the Bajoran deities] and prepared to fight for her life.
Then, in a storm of red and yellow laser beams, the Imperials arrived.
"Return fire!" Najen ordered.
"Okay," James replied, getting right to work. Levek, from the other weapons console, began firing as well.
"Direct hit to the engines!" Levek crowed, raising his fist in a Romulan gesture of defiance. "Hei-ya-hai!"
Then, a moment later, Levek added, his voice incredulous, "What?! How could we have caused NO damage! That was a direct hit!"
Just after the words left his lips, the shuttle rocked violently, courtesy of the Imperials. Najen was thrown out of her chair and onto the cold hard floor.
"Shields down to fifty percent!" T'Lor reported, having miraculously managed to stay in her chair.
Koby helped Najen rise to her feet and return to her console.
Then the intercom beeped. "I'm going on my attack run now!" Talela reported from the Riata. The clunky little cargo ship began to move toward the Imperial ship, slowly, but surely.
Another volley rocked the side of the Ticonderoga. "Shields down to twelve percent!"
Twelve percent! That was BAD. Just one more hit, and the shields would be gone. Najen didn't think the Ticonderoga could SURVIVE a hit without shields.
Clearly, the Starfleeters had underestimated these Imperials. And now they would pay the price.
Then the intercom sounded again. "This is the Imperial ship Gladius. We are prepared to accept your surrender, Rebels."
K'Bhena punched the intercom and shouted, with all the defiance of her Klingon heritage, "We shall NEVER surrender! Prepare to journey on the Barge of the Dead!"
"Very well then, Rebels," the Imperials responded. "Prepare to die."
Then, to Najen's horror, the Imperials sent fired upon the Riata. The petite little cargo ship didn't stand a chance. Najen watched, helpless, as it exploded into nothingness.
"NOOOO!" Cale howled. "TAAALLEEELLAAAA!"
The next one to speak was James. "I couldn't transport her off in time! I'm sorry."
Tears sprang to Najen's eyes. She wiped them away forcefully and tried to collect her thoughts. Talela was dead, and there was no saving her. But the rest of them could still be saved. And where there was life, there was hope. Najen had to think of the crew now.
"Contact the Imperial ship," Najen whispered hoarsely. "Tell them: we surrender."
"NO!" Akiran shouted from the back, having somehow woken up after being sedated. His eyes were focused on the wreckage that used to be the Riata Ky Hwi, disbelief written all over his face. He had just witnessed cold-blooded murder. And of who? A Rebel, certainly, but a harmless adolescent girl! Akiran felt sick.
Akiran took a deep breath, and hesitated. Yes, it was treason, but it had to be done. Then he said the most difficult words of his life:
"Target the propulsion module at the back of the ship. That's its weak spot."
James complied quickly, not even stopping to humor his suspicion.
But neither Akiran nor James quick enough to save them.
The Imperials sent off a shot of their own.
The Ticonderoga was too damaged, Najen knew. It could not evade the shot-- and neither could it survive it.
Najen closed her eyes and prepared to join the Prophets.
But all she heard was the sound of someone clapping. And LAUGHING at them all...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This is not the end of the story. I apologize for the cliffhanger (It seems as if a certain Starhamster42's bad habits are rubbing off on me...) There are only two chapters to go! (I will have the next one up within two days, I promise! I'm not the type of writer who tortures readers with a cliffhanger ending for months on end!)
May the Force be with you! Qapla!