Captain Tonok was still commanding the communications device near the center of the room. He turned to look at his commander with a typical, vulcan, raised eyebrow. "Sir?" he questioned.
Prichard smiled. "Never mind." He pointed to the two crates that had beamed down with them. "How many more grenades do we have left?"
Tonok made a quick count. "Four, Colonel," he replied calmly.
"That'll do. Move our relay into one of the trenches." He raised his eyebrows several times. "I have an idea that just might buy us a few more minutes." Tonok picked up the heavy device and moved it away from the center of the room, carefully avoiding the torn up floor areas meant to provide obstacles for the Jem'Hadar above them. Prichard motioned to Captain Connor. "Ironhide, get your butt over here. Lucky, you, too." Quickly, they sidestepped their way to the center of the room. "Ironhide, how good's that throwing arm of yours?"
Trace nodded. "Pretty good. Baseball season's been over for a couple of months..."
Prichard interrupted him. "Good. Grab one of those grenades out of the crate."
Captain Connor nodded. "Yes, Sir."
Prichard turned to his red-headed, female platoon leader. "Lucky, we're gonna make the room above us collapse. Have your people cut me a hole in the middle of the ceiling about five meters in diameter. Have them start when I give you the signal."
"Isn't that what the Dominion are trying to do?" Lieutenant Thackery asked.
Prichard nodded. "Yep, but their weapons are anti-personnel. Phasers are a little more flexible than that. They won't be expecting us to cut the whole floor out from under 'em... especially after what we're gonna do to 'em. Go."
"Yes, Sir," she replied, then headed out to the various trenches in the room.
"Got the grenade, Sir. What's up?" Connor asked, tossing the grenade in his hand as flakes of ceiling tile gently floated to the floor.
Prichard raised his phaser rifle and changed some settings. "I'm gonna carve me a hole in the ceiling... ten centimeters wide or so. Think you can toss a grenade up a hole like that?"
Connor thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll need to get under it."
Prichard finished his setting changed and raised up the rifle. "Then let's knock out some uglies." He pointed to the ceiling, then opened fire. A steady stream of orange and red energy fired from the rifle and impacted the ceiling, causing sparks and debris to fly everywhere. Connor raced under the hole and pulled the pin on the grenade, holding the safety button in until he was ready to throw. The sparks and debris grew less and less. "Get ready!" Connor cocked his arm. At last, the beam shot straight through the ceiling and the debris stopped falling. Prichard quickly ceased firing. "Go!" Connor let go of the safety button, then tossed it straight up.
The two watched as the grenade flew up through the hole. Apparently, someone above them had guessed the colonel's plan a moment too late. As the grenade went out the other side of the hole, an object resembling a table was tossed onto the hole. There was a muffled popping sound. Prichard looked at Connor. "Let's hope that worked. Everyone, clear out of the center of the room! Dive for the ditches!" People ran for the trenches at the corners of the room.
As Prichard headed for the trench where Tonok was located, he could see the vulcan had finished a conversation. "Colonel, you may be interested to know that Warlord says reinforcements are coming."
"Huh? We ARE the reinforcements." Prichard countered. Shouts of joy suddenly came from the left hallway, followed quickly by the right. Prichard shrugged. "I guess the reinforcements are here." The two got up and headed down the left hall. What they saw caused Prichard to shake Tonok's hand. Dozens of cardassians, some in military uniforms, others in civilian clothes came flooding down the stairs carrying a large array of weapons from disruptor rifles to clubs. The thirty Jem'Hadar that had taken position between the stairs and the hallways were very quickly overwhelmed by the numbers and were dispatched within seconds.
As Prichard smiled, a loud crash came from the holding room. White smoke and debris poured from the room, spilling into the hall. Prichard ran into the room coughing from the dust. Squinting through the debris, several cardassians were piled on the floor, laying over dozens of unconscious Jem'Hadar and floor chunks. The few cardassians who were conscious were laughing. Tonok came in behind Prichard.
"I guess they exceeded the new floor tolerance," Prichard offered, still coughing.