Gul Putok slowly upholstered his blaster and just as slowly, pointed
it at
Captain Picard's head. An evil smile etched across the Cardassian's face.
His
mind was made up.
"Good Bye Picard." he laughed.
Jean-Luc Picard did not flinch. He knew Putok was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. However, Picard refused to give Putok the benefit of seeing him act like a coward. He would face death head on and feel good on the fact he acted bravely at the moment of death. Picard stared directly at Putok with utter defiance. If only my hands weren't bonded together, he thought, I would ram my fist down this vile Cardassian's throat. Picard was completely vulnerable to the unjustified attack. This angered Picard more than the fact his ship had been taken captive. How had it come to this? Picard had faced many advisories much more formidable than Putok. He had gone head to head with the Borg, saved worlds from being destroyed, and even matched wits with an omnipotent being. It seemed wrong that his life would end like this. The barrel of the blaster was cold up against Picard's forehead. He could see Putok's index finger slowly squeezing back on the trigger.
"Good Bye Picard." echoed in the Captain's mind.
Suddenly, the Cardassian Ambassador's communications device beeped and a voice sounded through it.
"Sir, Deck eight is under attack! We being fired upon by rebellious Starfleet Officers. They have us pinned down. We need immediate reinforcements!"
Putok sneered at Picard. He desperately wanted to finished off the Enterprise's valued captain but he had other matters to attend to. Putok suddenly kicked Picard in the head, causing the captain to collapse into unconsciousness. I'll deal with you later, Putok thought angrily. The Cardassian cursed to himself, then pulled his communicator close to his mouth.
"I want a squad of troops on Deck Eight immediately! I don't care how many it takes, get the job done. I don't want renegade Starfleet Officers roaming the ship. Dispose of them quickly!"
Lieutenant Commander Data had been sitting up against the wall of the bridge for One hour, fifty-one minutes, and thirty-six seconds. Exactly four Jem'Hadar troops surrounded him with their weapons drawn. Their eyes never moved off the dangerous android. Even while Putok fought with Picard and Troi, the troops remained focused on him. Data had kept his emotion chip deactivated because he was not sure how he would react to being held prisoner. He had reacted rather cowardly with Dr. Tolian Soran on the Amargosa Observatory and with the Borg Queen during the mission of First Contact. He refused to allow his nervousness to get in the way this time. His emotion chip would remain deactivated until this fiasco was over. However, Data had switched on his internal recorder during the time of attack. He had been recording every event since then. That included Ambassador Putok's unorthodox methods on dealing with prisoners of war. Data continued to record Putok as he conversed with one of his Jem'Hadar troops.
"Make sure your troops use their vile of Ketracel-white. We don't plan on staying on the Enterprise longer than we have to but I want the troops to stay focused." stated Putok.
"Yes, sir." replied the Jem'Hadar officer.
"Get down to Deck 8 and take care of our little revolt problem and be sure to have your men stay off the decks with Hull Breeches. I hate filing Death Reports."
Data continued to record the conversation. Both men talked for a few minutes than the Jem'Hadar troop nodded to Putok and exited the bridge. Putok stood silent for a moment than took up his communicator.
"What's happening on Deck 8?"
Putok's question sounded out of a Jem'Hadar troop's communicator as he was struck by phaser fire in the skull. The troop wavered and fell to the ground dead.
"Nice shot, Lieutenant," said Riker as he continued his advance down the hall.
Lt. Knight nodded to his commander and returned to business. He could see more Jem'Hadar down the hall so he commenced on firing his phaser rifle. William Riker and Jerald Knight were no longer the only two fighting against the Jem'Hadar. They had managed to catch some Jem'Hadar troops transporting Starfleet Officers by surprise. The two officers incapacitated the troops quickly and set their fellow colleges free. In the group of men was Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge. A wave of relief passed over the chief engineer.
"Boy am I glad to see you, Commander."
"No problem, Geordi. But with that put aside, I need you and the rest of your engineering crew to find a weapon and wreak havoc on any Jem'Hadar you see, replied Riker, We need to buy the Enterprise some time while help arrives."
Riker issued certain commands to each officer. His plan was to take back engineering and then the bridge, but first they had to free more of the officers. The men split up in search of a phaser or some kind of weapon until they could find a phaser. Geordi took up a Jem'Hadar blaster and ordered some men to follow him. He planned on returning to engineering. Riker gave Geordi the go ahead but warned him not to strike something that would cause the ship to explode. Geordi heeded the warning then he and his men headed for the deck elevator. The rest of theofficers went with Commander Riker. Now Deck 8 was filled with phaser fire. As Riker and his men continued their assault many of the Jem'Hadar troops began to fall. The deck was filled with death and chaos.
Gul Putok cursed then threw his communicator across the bridge. It glided through the air and smashed into wall, sending shards of the device everywhere.
"What the hell is going on down there? Why are the troops not answering me? Dammit, someone get me another communicator!"
Putok shouted profanities and quickly picked Captain Picard up from the floor. Jean-Luc was still unconscious and gave no signs that he would be waking any time soon. Putok cursed once more and allowed Picard to drop back to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Putok's eyes searched the bridge frantically then stopped to Commander Data.
"You, Android, tell me what's happening on Deck 8 or I'll have one my troops blow a hole through you head. That would really put a damper on your evening wouldn't it?"
"I am afraid I do not know what is happening on Deck eight."
"You're lying! I know you have some idea of what's taking place down there! Who's leading the revolt?"
"You are mistaken. I am as oblivious to the attacks as you are."
Putok roared with fury. He took out his blaster and fired it at the unconscious Picard. The blast connected with Picard's shoulder causing the lifeless man to jerk from the impact. The bridge crew shuddered from Putok's unquestionable anger. The Cardassian smiled then turned back to Data. A fire burned in Putok's eyes. He was a mixture of anger and madness.
"Tell me who's leading the attack or my next shot will be right between Picard's eyes. I'm not joking! No games. Tell me or he dies."
Lieutenant Commander Data felt nothing. He did not react like the other Starfleet Officers had. He did not feel fear, anxiousness, or even guilt. Emotions were not a factor with him. However, Data knew that he could not allow the Captain of the Enterprise to die. Something had to be done. He decided to tell Putok who was leading the attacks. Keeping Commander Riker's identity a secret was trivial compared to retaining the life of Captain Picard.
"Commander Riker is in charge of the attacks. Captain Picard ordered him to wage a revolt against the Jem'Hadar that boarded the Enterprise."
Putok stood silent for a moment, than suddenly fear and anger consumed him. It was obvious that Riker was stalling for time. That meant that the Enterprise had sent out a distress call and was waiting for a response. He had to get off this ship and get the hell out of here. Picard would not have surrendered if he had not thought help was coming. He must have known there were other Starfleet Vessels in this sector. Suddenly fear really began to engulf Putok. He took a communicator from a Jem'Hadar troop and began to contact the Jem'Hadar Ships.
"This is Ambassador Gul Putok. I have reason to believe that there are Federation Ships in this sector. We have to abort our mission. Beam what prisoners you can aboard your ships but we need to get out of here as soon as possible. That is an order! I want you to beam me and my men back to the ship immediately!"
Suddenly Putok's fears had been confirmed. Three Federation Starships quickly came out of warp speed and began to fire their weapons upon the Jem'Hadar ships. The death cries could be heard over Putok's communicator. It filled the Cardassian with a vile sickness from within. This can't be happening, Putok thought in anger. However, the Federation counter attack had begun. Explosions and screams continued to sound from the communicator.
To Be Continued..
"Good Bye Picard." he laughed.
Jean-Luc Picard did not flinch. He knew Putok was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. However, Picard refused to give Putok the benefit of seeing him act like a coward. He would face death head on and feel good on the fact he acted bravely at the moment of death. Picard stared directly at Putok with utter defiance. If only my hands weren't bonded together, he thought, I would ram my fist down this vile Cardassian's throat. Picard was completely vulnerable to the unjustified attack. This angered Picard more than the fact his ship had been taken captive. How had it come to this? Picard had faced many advisories much more formidable than Putok. He had gone head to head with the Borg, saved worlds from being destroyed, and even matched wits with an omnipotent being. It seemed wrong that his life would end like this. The barrel of the blaster was cold up against Picard's forehead. He could see Putok's index finger slowly squeezing back on the trigger.
"Good Bye Picard." echoed in the Captain's mind.
Suddenly, the Cardassian Ambassador's communications device beeped and a voice sounded through it.
"Sir, Deck eight is under attack! We being fired upon by rebellious Starfleet Officers. They have us pinned down. We need immediate reinforcements!"
Putok sneered at Picard. He desperately wanted to finished off the Enterprise's valued captain but he had other matters to attend to. Putok suddenly kicked Picard in the head, causing the captain to collapse into unconsciousness. I'll deal with you later, Putok thought angrily. The Cardassian cursed to himself, then pulled his communicator close to his mouth.
"I want a squad of troops on Deck Eight immediately! I don't care how many it takes, get the job done. I don't want renegade Starfleet Officers roaming the ship. Dispose of them quickly!"
Lieutenant Commander Data had been sitting up against the wall of the bridge for One hour, fifty-one minutes, and thirty-six seconds. Exactly four Jem'Hadar troops surrounded him with their weapons drawn. Their eyes never moved off the dangerous android. Even while Putok fought with Picard and Troi, the troops remained focused on him. Data had kept his emotion chip deactivated because he was not sure how he would react to being held prisoner. He had reacted rather cowardly with Dr. Tolian Soran on the Amargosa Observatory and with the Borg Queen during the mission of First Contact. He refused to allow his nervousness to get in the way this time. His emotion chip would remain deactivated until this fiasco was over. However, Data had switched on his internal recorder during the time of attack. He had been recording every event since then. That included Ambassador Putok's unorthodox methods on dealing with prisoners of war. Data continued to record Putok as he conversed with one of his Jem'Hadar troops.
"Make sure your troops use their vile of Ketracel-white. We don't plan on staying on the Enterprise longer than we have to but I want the troops to stay focused." stated Putok.
"Yes, sir." replied the Jem'Hadar officer.
"Get down to Deck 8 and take care of our little revolt problem and be sure to have your men stay off the decks with Hull Breeches. I hate filing Death Reports."
Data continued to record the conversation. Both men talked for a few minutes than the Jem'Hadar troop nodded to Putok and exited the bridge. Putok stood silent for a moment than took up his communicator.
"What's happening on Deck 8?"
Putok's question sounded out of a Jem'Hadar troop's communicator as he was struck by phaser fire in the skull. The troop wavered and fell to the ground dead.
"Nice shot, Lieutenant," said Riker as he continued his advance down the hall.
Lt. Knight nodded to his commander and returned to business. He could see more Jem'Hadar down the hall so he commenced on firing his phaser rifle. William Riker and Jerald Knight were no longer the only two fighting against the Jem'Hadar. They had managed to catch some Jem'Hadar troops transporting Starfleet Officers by surprise. The two officers incapacitated the troops quickly and set their fellow colleges free. In the group of men was Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge. A wave of relief passed over the chief engineer.
"Boy am I glad to see you, Commander."
"No problem, Geordi. But with that put aside, I need you and the rest of your engineering crew to find a weapon and wreak havoc on any Jem'Hadar you see, replied Riker, We need to buy the Enterprise some time while help arrives."
Riker issued certain commands to each officer. His plan was to take back engineering and then the bridge, but first they had to free more of the officers. The men split up in search of a phaser or some kind of weapon until they could find a phaser. Geordi took up a Jem'Hadar blaster and ordered some men to follow him. He planned on returning to engineering. Riker gave Geordi the go ahead but warned him not to strike something that would cause the ship to explode. Geordi heeded the warning then he and his men headed for the deck elevator. The rest of theofficers went with Commander Riker. Now Deck 8 was filled with phaser fire. As Riker and his men continued their assault many of the Jem'Hadar troops began to fall. The deck was filled with death and chaos.
Gul Putok cursed then threw his communicator across the bridge. It glided through the air and smashed into wall, sending shards of the device everywhere.
"What the hell is going on down there? Why are the troops not answering me? Dammit, someone get me another communicator!"
Putok shouted profanities and quickly picked Captain Picard up from the floor. Jean-Luc was still unconscious and gave no signs that he would be waking any time soon. Putok cursed once more and allowed Picard to drop back to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Putok's eyes searched the bridge frantically then stopped to Commander Data.
"You, Android, tell me what's happening on Deck 8 or I'll have one my troops blow a hole through you head. That would really put a damper on your evening wouldn't it?"
"I am afraid I do not know what is happening on Deck eight."
"You're lying! I know you have some idea of what's taking place down there! Who's leading the revolt?"
"You are mistaken. I am as oblivious to the attacks as you are."
Putok roared with fury. He took out his blaster and fired it at the unconscious Picard. The blast connected with Picard's shoulder causing the lifeless man to jerk from the impact. The bridge crew shuddered from Putok's unquestionable anger. The Cardassian smiled then turned back to Data. A fire burned in Putok's eyes. He was a mixture of anger and madness.
"Tell me who's leading the attack or my next shot will be right between Picard's eyes. I'm not joking! No games. Tell me or he dies."
Lieutenant Commander Data felt nothing. He did not react like the other Starfleet Officers had. He did not feel fear, anxiousness, or even guilt. Emotions were not a factor with him. However, Data knew that he could not allow the Captain of the Enterprise to die. Something had to be done. He decided to tell Putok who was leading the attacks. Keeping Commander Riker's identity a secret was trivial compared to retaining the life of Captain Picard.
"Commander Riker is in charge of the attacks. Captain Picard ordered him to wage a revolt against the Jem'Hadar that boarded the Enterprise."
Putok stood silent for a moment, than suddenly fear and anger consumed him. It was obvious that Riker was stalling for time. That meant that the Enterprise had sent out a distress call and was waiting for a response. He had to get off this ship and get the hell out of here. Picard would not have surrendered if he had not thought help was coming. He must have known there were other Starfleet Vessels in this sector. Suddenly fear really began to engulf Putok. He took a communicator from a Jem'Hadar troop and began to contact the Jem'Hadar Ships.
"This is Ambassador Gul Putok. I have reason to believe that there are Federation Ships in this sector. We have to abort our mission. Beam what prisoners you can aboard your ships but we need to get out of here as soon as possible. That is an order! I want you to beam me and my men back to the ship immediately!"
Suddenly Putok's fears had been confirmed. Three Federation Starships quickly came out of warp speed and began to fire their weapons upon the Jem'Hadar ships. The death cries could be heard over Putok's communicator. It filled the Cardassian with a vile sickness from within. This can't be happening, Putok thought in anger. However, the Federation counter attack had begun. Explosions and screams continued to sound from the communicator.
To Be Continued..