The Cost of Destiny
by Carol Sandford
~Chapters 1 to 5 ~Chapters 6 to 10 ~Chapters 11 to 15 ~Chapters 16 to 20 ~Chapters 26 to 30 ~Chapters 31 to 35 ~Chapters 36 to 40~ ~Chapters 41 to 45~ ~Chapters 46 to End~
Chapters 21 to 25 Chapter twenty one
"Sit down, Deanna, you're making me dizzy." Her mother grumbled, trying her hardest to avoid watching the pacing young woman and concentrate on the book in her hands. It was futile, and a moment later, unable to take the strain any longer, she dropped the delicate book into her lap, and put her full focus upon her daughter, the silence heavy as she struggled to find something to say that she would want to hear. "He's all right, you know," she said unnecessarily.
Coming to a full stop in front of her mother and studied her intently, looking for the lie but not finding it. Deanna sighed audibly before dropping, finally, into the armchair, making it groan with the sudden and rapid weight, "I know. It's just...."
Lwaxana Troi reached across and squeezed her fingers, forcing a half smile across her ageing features, instantly understanding what was racing around the younger version of herself, in more ways than one. "I know," she commiserated, "It's just wanting him back."
Deanna's eyes found hers, her surprise at the very honest, and very knowledgeable insight to her feelings such a relief that tears sprung to the dark orbs. Seeing her mother sitting beside her, seemingly waiting alongside her reminded Deanna of a similar scene many, many years ago. So long ago, she could barely remember it. But she did remember the look of anguish and pain upon her mothers face, and then, in a heartbeat, everything fell into place .
"You had to do this with daddy, didn't you?" she asked, already knowing what her answer would be.
But the older woman simply smiled, even though it took a monstrous effort to make the effort genuine and without the ache that pushed in between a very long past distant memory, "Yes, darling, I did," she squeezed her fingers tighter, making Deanna inwardly wince, but never dreamt of showing her how much it hurt, aware that she was revealing a very private moment that was rare to see.
Deanna spoke her apology, "I'm sorry to make you relive that again because of me."
Tugging at her fingers, suddenly needing the comfort of her daughter in her arms, Lwaxana moved over as Deanna seated herself beside her, her arms snaking around her mother's shoulders in a gesture that revealed a child's love for it's parent, despite everything. Despite re-stepping in their exact same footsteps.
Lwaxana drank in Deanna's affection, savouring the precious and rare moment, clinging onto it as though it were a lifeline. Even though Deanna had a heart full of love for every being in the universe, when it came to her - her own kin, it was very carefully reserved for situations, just like this one.
She knew why, and she understood why; Deanna didn't want to get hurt by those who loved her most, and Lwaxana took comfort in that. And pride. Her child had seen a lot of hurt in her short life, especially when she was small, and Lwaxana had made a supreme effort to get her through those dark times and bring her up to remember the past with affection rather than dwell on the wounds that would never heal, no matter how hard she tried.
Except her own.
The pang of this duplicated scene brought tears to her own eyes and taking a delicate sniff into the tiny lace hanky that she had tucked up her sleeve, Lwaxana pulled away, hiding her face, valiantly trying to hide the pain that she knew was etched upon her classic face. But she didn't quite manage to achieve her aim as Deanna spoke.
"I'll finish whatever I have with Will, if it hurts you that much, Mother." The revelation surprising Deanna as much as the woman opposite her.
Lwaxana Troi's head snapped around, her watery eyes blazing with shock as she stared closely into Deanna's face, unable to truly believe what she had just heard. Rapidly pushing herself to a stand, severing the closeness that only seconds ago promised much more than an intimate moment between a mother and her daughter, she rounded on her."Don't be absurd, Little One," She laughed, the sound leaving her mouth in a much higher pitch than normal, revealing it's falseness. "As much as I wish your relationship with William had never evolved to the level that it did, nothing can ever be finished between you."
And then sense and determination come to the fore just when she needed it most of all. Clenching her fists, she stared her down and Deanna recoiled back, reeling with the fury that poured from her heart. "You are going to sit here and wait for your Imzadi to come home, and when he does, you are going to be there, with your arms, and your heart wide open. Because many years ago, on a night like this, your father went on a mission against my wishes, and I was livid with him. I never saw him off, and I never saw him come back,"
Her voice broke, but she was determined to finish what she'd started. Determined to make Deanna see the importance of not only the fragile Imzadi union that had was so fresh, and so deliciously new. They still had so much to explore, so much to learn, and maybe not enough time.
There was never enough time.
And then there was Will.
He needed the strength of their Imzadi bond to get him through this and any other mission he would undoubtably involved in. He needed that lifeline. He needed to know that Deanna was there, waiting for him, willing him to come home. Come back to her.
Taking a deep breath, Lwaxana filled her words with power again, the fury turning to a threat, a threat that she intended to make her keep. "So don't you dare give up on Will now. Do you hear me, child?"
Her words echoed around the room, and around Deanna as she absorbed her mothers extraordinary demand, as as she timidly nodded her acquiescence, the sense and determination had vanished from Lwaxana's rigid body, and the tears that had only threatened minutes before, raced down her cheeks like a scalding torrent.
Deanna watched her mother exit the room as though the devil was on her tail, her own silent promise, trapped in the draft that her long gown had created, I will wait, Mother. I promise She vowed as her own tears began to fall.
Some were for herself. Some were for the man who was putting his life on the line for her. And some were for her mother who was reliving her own personal tragedy, a tragedy that she herself may have to suffer, if her own Imzadi didn't make it home.
God help him. God help them all.
Chapter twenty two
Spirits were high when the men arose at the crack of dawn the next morning, despite only having four hours sleep, in conditions that were as far removed as they could be from their warm, cozy beds back at base. But even the meagre breakfast couldn't dampen the men's eagerness to get the day started, the job done, and then home again for a sumptuous, well earned feast tonight, if everything went according to plan.
Walking back towards the shuttle after doing his own personal ablutions, Will whistled as he raked his hands through his dark hair, unsuccessfully trying to flatten the damp ends that perpetually stuck up on end when it got a half inch over long.
At first he ignored the feint buzz, thinking it to be bugs of some kind, especially as a couple of close by ones attempted to make a meal of his nape and he swiped them away, automatically raking his hand though his hair once more to flatten the re-raised area, cursing mildly as he did so, "Damn, pesky gnats. Go away and nibble on somebody else."
But the buzz didn't dissipate. It grew louder. Nearer. Ominous, and Will began to feel a wave of terror wash over him when it sank in that it wasn't pesky bugs he was hearing, but space ships.
Alien space ships.
Sindareen space ships.
His hands, feet and heart froze as the distinct whine of ships engines grew louder. Shielding his eyes with the same hand that only moments ago was raking though his hair, now damp with perspiration, as the dread began to claw at his gut, Will scanned the horizon, instinctively looking toward the Sindareens encampment.
Fear gushed into his soul when his eyes finally focused on the small dots that looked like an invading swarm of flies, an ebony wave of death that Will estimated would take less than five minutes to reach them. He began to run.
He had to get his men off the ground, it was their only chance. On the surface, they were nothing more than sitting ducks. Somehow the Sindareen knew that they were there. Somehow, someway, they had found their location and had planned their attack with military precision. Somehow their enemy knew when they would be at their most vulnerable. They had timed it just right, and caught them still pulling their boots on.
Will ran faster.
Even as he approached the camp, he could see his men scuttling around, thanking the stars that they had heard the invading ships too, and reacted with as much speed as the scum about to pound them. But they needed another few minutes more to become the soldiers that they were trained to be, and not the fumbling, chaotic bunch that their superior witnessed.
Will watched as some were desperately trying to pull boots on, their antics at any other time would have been comical as they hopped around in an effort to get the task done faster, when in reality it would have probably been quicker if they'd just sat down and done it. But that was what fear did to you.
Others were throwing things into the back of the shuttles, not caring where they landed. Will raced the last few meters, his lungs bursting with not only the effort of running, but the same fear that filled his soul, feeling it fill every pore, and every thought.
Forget the supplies!" he bellowed. "Get the ships in the air, we must get off the ground!" he roared, as he finally ploughed into the camp, grabbing the nearest man and physically dragging him into the ship. Making his way to the helm, he was gratified and relieved to find Tang already at the controls, preparing to lift off as soon as his C.O. commanded him.
It didn't take long.
"Get this bird moving, Tang, NOW! Those bastards thought they'd catch us with our pants down. Christ! ten minutes earlier and they would've." Horror lacing his words as images that were too painful to imagine flicked through his mind. Throwing himself into his seat, Will's hand flew over the controls, years of practice simplifying the tedious job.
The ship began to lift and along with it a smidgen of relief. "Made it...just. Good work, Tang." Will swung his gaze around the ship, checking if he had his complete complement on board. Four men, eyes wide with fear and excitement stared back at him. "Buckle up, it's gonna get bumpy." But nobody took any notice of their commanding officer. The job was already done. Now they just had to wait for the bumps.
The air was alive with frantic tension and War. This was what they'd come to Betazed for. This was what they'd joined the military to do; To defend those that couldn't defend themselves. To eradicate scum that preyed on the innocent. To give the Federation shooting practise occasionally.
Hell, they needed it.
And hell, they were going to get it, right now.
Will flew toward the oncoming enemy ships, silently balking when he saw how many were headed straight at them. Sometime during the night, more had arrived, because ahead of the Federations measly eight ships, were at least twenty Sindareen fighter craft.
Will was mortified. He'd gotten it wrong. He had underestimated his enemy. Believed that they were a second rate force that bared no resemblance to the might of the Federation. Thought that they would die as easily as stepping on a sleeping slug.
But he'd got them wrong. Terribly wrong.
Sergeant Tang marvelled at the man that sat beside him, even though he'd known that Will was beating himself up for under-estimating the Sindareen. Hell, if he'd have been in the same position, he'd have probably done the same thing. The only difference was, he didn't have a little lady waiting at home for him like the young lieutenant, and Tang wasn't sure if that was a blessing, or a curse.
When he intruded on Will's private time last night, it was as plain as day what Will was daydreaming about, and he warmed at the memory. The only thing that he had to think about was finding a seamstress to add another inch or so to the waistband of his struggling pants.
Tang envied him.
But that all was irrelevant now as they stared death in the face and wondered how it was going to happen. Would it be quick, or would they shoot them down and leave them to fry in the searing sun.
The mild expletive left Tang's mouth, "Shit."
Will swung a look at Tang, and Tang caught the gaze and met it with one of his own. Swallowing, Will muttered quietly, "Say a prayer for us, my friend."
And quieter still, Tang told him, "I already did, Sir, as soon as I woke up this morning and found that we were still alive."
Will swung another quick look at him, and Tang murmured, "But I guess it won't hurt to say another one."
And then all hell broke loose.
Chapter twenty three
"When am I going to get to meet this man, then, Deanna?" Chandra grinned mischievously, her eyes alight with mirth and tenderness as she swooped on the tranquil moment that popped up in between catching up with the news.
Deanna couldn't help her own bashful chuckles from erupting as she glanced at her friends smiling face, "What have you heard?" she asked, humorous exasperation packed her question as she prepared herself for the inquisition, that she quite frankly, thought would have been explored as soon as the two girls had gotten together.
Chandra laughed, the sound wonderful to hear against the threat of impending war and the loss of the military protection that allowed them to sleep safer in their beds. The dreams to remain their own instead of the nightmares that were sure to come. "Oh, come...on, Miss Troi. I sometimes wonder if you forget which planet you're on. Did you really think you could slip that little secret of yours by me?" She asked, the air of conspiracy written all over her features.
"If only," Deanna moaned. "Between my mother, who we all know has the biggest mouth and mind in town, and you, who'd like nothing more than to see me, and I quote, 'join the human race', and, 'get down and get with it', as you like to call it, I stand absolutely no chance." She grinned back at her, "Go on, admit it. You're all thrilled that I've finally burned my bridges and snagged a man."
"But not just any old man," Chandra admonished with a smile, "Not one of our own kind. Not even someone nice and ordinary, who would stick around until you're old and wrinkly." She ploughed on relentlessly, "Give you half a dozen babies to keep you amused, and love you until the end of time."
Deanna laughed loudly at her friends preposterous assumption of her future, but the slightly older woman hadn't finished yet. "Nope. Deanna Troi, daughter of the daughter of the Third House only goes and snags THE hottest, THE sexiest, piece of ass that ever landed on our soil."
Deanna blinked with stunned surprise, not quite sure whether to be out-raged, or flattered by, it seems, not only Chandra, but the vast majority of people who knew her, and knew Will. In the end, she decided to take the ribbing with the good humour that it required, "He is cute, isn't he?" she grinned shyly, her onyx eyes lighting up with the feelings that washed through her when the man in question filled her thoughts, standing there, tall and proud in his uniform. The smile upon his handsome face, for her. Only for her.
Deanna sighed with longing, the smile still firmly in place, until Chandra spoke again, but now the humour was gone, replaced by a burning need to know. Her footsteps slowed, and Deanna's feet automatically slowed along with her, until finally, coming to a full stop, they turned to face each other. Chandra's eyes searched Deanna's, wanting to see what lay beyond the cool exterior that everyone else saw. Only Chandra knew that beneath the stoic surface, there was a whole lot more; There had been a woman that was dying to be loved, and that who, a long last, had found that love, regardless of whether she was ready for it, or not.
Deanna had been trembling on the brink, fighting to hold on to her heart, and her soul with all her might. But Lieutenant William Riker had swept into her life like a force ten tornado and had tipped her over it's edge.
"What's it like?"
For a long, companionable moment, nothing was heard except distant voices in the background, rising in alarm as the weather began to change, and then Deanna spoke, but her words were barely above a whisper, but the whisper told more than if she had stood on a roof top and shouted it at the top of her voice. "It's wonderful, Chandra."
The small shrug that lifted her shoulders along with the watery smile that lit her face was as much as Deanna could convey, aware that anything else she said would not be even remotely as accurate as her simple heartfelt response.
But Chandra didn't need her friend to say anything else. She saw it all there, in her eyes, even her aura oozed what becoming Imzadi had meant to her. Smiling radiantly, telling her without words that she was ecstatic for her friends happiness, Chandra slipped her arm through Deanna's and they moved on, and with each step, the euphoria that surrounded the two finally dissipated as they finally began to take notice of what was happening around them.
Glancing up at the sky, the clouds began to thicken above their heads. The normal turquoise, clear skies soon became a blanket of water-laden puffs of angry rain clouds, almost ready to dump their heavy loads onto those below that weren't quick enough to find shelter.
Quickening their pace, aware that the infrequent showers that Betazed occasionally endured were heavy, saturating everything in seconds. Deanna and Chandra picked up their pace and hurried towards the campus for the afternoon session.
As the temperature dipped, Chandra rubbed her arms, shivering from the sudden chill that the dark clouds sent down as a prelude of what was to come. Still some ways from the college grounds, they soon realized that they were not going to make it back in time. Slipping her sweater off, Deanna passed it to her friend. "Here, take this."
"No, Dee, I'm fine, honest. There's no point in both of us getting cold." Chandra protested, trying to hand the soft lemon top back to her friend, grateful for the thought, but mortified that Deanna would then freeze while she would be all snug and warm beneath her sweater.
Deanna Troi forcibly shoved the top back into Chandra's arms, chuckling good-naturedly as they continued to trot along, relieved to see the campus in the near distance. "Take it, Chan. I'm more than warm enough. See, I have a long sleeved blouse on, and your arms are bare. You need it, I don't. Take it, and don't argue." she said, not giving her a chance to argue back.
Relenting after seeing the determined look upon the darker woman's face, Chandra smiled gratefully, slipping the garment over her head, pulling it down past her slender hips, folding up the cuffs out of the way. Deanna was a good four inches shorter than her taller frame, but right now, Chandra didn't care that she wasn't a fashion icon. She was just glad to be warm again.
A crack of thunder roared through the skies so unexpected that both girls leapt a foot in the air, their screeches echoing in the sudden quiet of the surrounding area. It was hard to believe that only an hour ago, they had been walking through the park. The sun had been high in the sky and Deanna was feeling better about Will's absence, more so since her talk with her mother.
She knew only too well that when a couple were bonded, their thoughts were never far away from one another. Having a permanent connection between their minds was soothing. Knowing that he was alive and okay helped. Knowing that he was thinking about her was even more precious than she dared to admit, and she had to keep positive, for her Imzadi's sake.
Will would have been able to feel her, sense her pain and worry, and eventually, Deanna realize, that she could be doing his own state of mind some harm. And so when her best friend, Chandra had called and asked her to spend some time with her, away from the house before classes, Deanna was more than keen to go.
The dark canopy above their heads rolled and rumbled, the noise becoming deafening as it began to rain. Deanna felt the first giant drop hit her shoulder just as they both did a mini sprint to the college entrance, relieved that they made it unscathed.
But then above the roar of the storm, they heard something else. Something far more ominous than the rain, and when they both swung around on the college steps, they watched in horror as a huge ship swept down, it's size creating a shadow that blacked the entire college grounds like a huge bird of prey, swooping down, searching for it's quarry.
And then it found what it was looking for, and slowed, finally coming to a halt, hovering before them like a vast, shadowy, evil praying mantis preparing itself to do its worst. The two girls, along with a score of others that had accumulated upon the college steps stood frozen, unable to move, unable to break their eyes away from the hypnotizing scene before them, until a whining sound broke their gaze away from the ships hull, their eyes dropping to the ships under-carriage, watching as two doors opened.
From then on, everything turned to slow motion; the whole universe slithered to a fractional crawl, letting everything evil savour on the chaos it had gathered up into its embrace. Someone screamed, and then they all began to scream, the men and the women as the evil began to spew forth its poison. Turning, everyone hurtled themselves toward the glass door behind them, desperately trying to squeeze their bodies through the too small gap, only designed to fit two people at a time instead of the mad crush that besieged it, seemingly growing smaller in protest, holding them back, keeping them out. Maybe it knew better than those poor souls. Maybe it realised that they were safer out than in. But no one listened.
Deanna, still transfixed and unable to move, could only watch in horror as two identical missiles left the alien ship and headed straight for her. Deserted by her friend as she had made a desperate run for her own life into the building that had stood proudly for the past seventy plus years, Deanna closed her eyes, never feeling more alone than she'd ever felt before, and then let her own screams join the others, her last thought was of never seeing her beloved ever again.
Chapter twenty four
Smoke and fire filled the air, blinding everything and everyone in the melee of battle. Battered craft swirled and danced as each and everyone tried desperately to evade the crisscross of missiles, laser fire, and perished ships, all almost invisible against the rising sun that was still climbing from its bed.
Will and Tang were hot on the tail of a wounded Sindareen ship that not only still managed to avoid the hit that would send them plunging to the scorched earth below, but was still capable of shooting a Federation ship down. Knowing it was doomed, it threw missiles non-stop from it's heart as it boldly ran from from its pursuer, its last piece of action before it died the death of a hero, to its own kind.
Deftly evading a hail of gunfire that approached them from the side, Will spun the ship in a death roll, dipping low to the planet, the bullets skeetering off their belly in a shower of sparks that momentarily blinded them.
But the two men weren't concerned about something so minor. Their eyes were focused solely on the crippled ship ahead, and kicking the ship into a lower gear, Will banked down further and faster, almost scraping the ground below, manoeuvring himself beneath the enemy craft, quickly, and surely, releasing their own missile straight into the ship's hull, the crew whooping with satisfaction as they watched it jerked upwards momentarily before turning on it's ass and spiralled out of control, exploding as it crashed into the small hill.
But their moment of euphoria soon evaporated when Pilot Jameson John's urgent voice came through the comm.{You've got one on your ass, Lieutenant. When I count to 3, swing right!" Will heard him swallow noisily before the numbers quickly followed. {One, two, three!}
On the three, Will swung his ship away, the ensuing nearby explosion rocked his craft with enough force to throw the rear passengers to the floor, Tang hung onto the consul with white knuckles whilst Will valiantly tried to stop the ship from spinning out of control, his stomach churning and rolling, protesting against the brutal treatment. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she finally righted herself and swinging away to steady not only the ship, but their nerves too before swerving back to join the melee once more.
Stabbing at the communication button before him, Will spoke, "Thanks for the heads up, Jameson. We owe you."
{Any time, Lieutenant. Now let's go and get another one.}
Both ships turned about and headed back, side by side, their sights already homed in on another two targets that were in pursuit of one of their own.
But just as he was lining up for the killing strike, Lieutenant William Riker gasped out loud as he felt something horrible ripple through his senses, knocking him off balance for a moment, making him veer away from his intended target that was hastily retreating away from his pursuing ship.
More than surprised at his leader sudden movement, Tang glanced at Will when he heard the gasp of invisible pain that left his mouth. He was more surprised at the unexpected retreat from a certain hit on the Sindareen ship ahead.
"Will?" the older man asked, puzzlement etched upon his weathered face, " What's wrong?" as he focused on the younger man's sudden pallor and the haunted gaze.
But Will was gone; lost to the torment of his mind, searching for it's source, reaching into his mind's deepest places, desperately grasping for a link to the woman he loved.
And then he found her, huddled in a pathetic heap on the ground, crying as though her heart had been ripped away from her soul as she tried to block out whatever was happening to her, or around her, her screams, high and hysterical. The pitiful sound ricocheted around Will's head, leaving him feeling helpless, hopeless.
"Deanna." He murmured, his eyes wide with shock, staring at nothing, seeing only her. Seeing her in her darkest moments.
And he wasn't there. He wasn't there to help her. Be with her. Comfort her. Hold her.
"Deanna." He moaned again, his own agonies and loss adding to his troubled thoughts.
Will blinked away the vision when the man beside him shouted. Tang was incensed, his anger sparking as quick as a flame to paper, "Damn it, Lieutenant! This is NOT the...." he barked, understandable ignorance causing him to react in a way that was rare to see.
"No! no, Tang, it's not that," he quickly reassured, struggling to keep a focus on his thoughts. On Deanna, frantically searching his mind for the lost contact. "Something's happened. Something's wrong," he fretted, fear tinging his voice. "I....I heard her scream, Tang," tapping his temple, "in here."
Tang stared at him as though he was mad, before forcibly moving his eyes away, looking out of the window to see if there was a Sindareen ship on their ass When he was briefly happy that they weren't about to be blown to pieces, he turned back to his partner. "How do you know?" he demanded. "You're not a Betazoid, Son. You're not supposed to be able to read minds."
Will glanced at him, then back at the controls, swallowing the bile that began to rise from deep in his gut, still queasy from the stunt a few moments before. He glanced back at Tang, wanting him to understand with his own eyes what he was telling him. "I can with Deanna."
After a long moment, as long as he could afford, Will watched Tang's face change, watched the comprehension finally dawn."You've become Imzadi," He stated, his voice holding a hint of envious awe. "That explains a whole heap of things."
But that was as far as the intimate conversation got - as intimate as it could be with two men sitting behind hanging onto every word, because even as Will's revelation sank into Tang's befuddled mind, and Will's distraction as he desperately tried to focus on Deanna's plight, neither one spotted the missile that was coming their way.
Lieutenant Jameson John could only stare in horror when seconds later, he witnessed his commanding officer's ship blow up like an erupting volcano before his very eyes, and then watch it spin to the ground, and explode once more, bursting into angry flames that clawed up to the skies above, obliterating everything within its reach.
Intent on getting his ship on the ground to check for survivors, Jameson was oblivious to what was happening around him until his helmsman spoke, "Sir, abort the landing! We can't go down, they're on our ass!"
Jameson tore his eyes away from the scene below, looked behind him and gasped in terror. The remainder of the Sindareen fleet; six ships out of all that met them in battle, were now in hot pursuit. Jameson had only one choice left to him and his scared crew. He had to run. He was the last surviving Federation ship, and he was in deep, deep, trouble.
Taking one final distressed glance at the burning wreckage beneath him, searching vainly for any sign of life, hoping beyond hope that someone - anyone, made it out before it hit the ground. Jameson swung his ship away. Wracked with guilt at failing his C.O., Lieutenant John and his crew ran for their lives, without looking back.
Chapter twenty five
One enormous muddy coloured boot stepped down from the ship, slowly followed by a matching one. Once on solid ground, both feet slowly turned around towards her and Deanna couldn't stop her eyes from rising higher, and then higher still.
He was tall, taller than Will by a good three or four inches. And despite his alarming pallor which Deanna assumed was natural, he had a mean, vicious aura about him. Judging by the way that other members of his team that had descended after him, stood much shorter than he, and much less fearsome, Deanna knew instinctively that he was the leader.
The Sindareen's gaze surveyed his handy work, his face impassive, uncaring as it slowly turned from left to right, finally settling back on the carnage that she was aware lay behind her. Where she knew that her friend, her dearest friend lay deathly still in a mangled heap. She could hear sounds; pitiful wails of dying people, distraught people, scared people all around her, but Deanna's own silence, she knew, was caused by shock, the deep shock of loss.
But when the giant Sindareen moved towards her, Deanna found that her quietness was an unconscious mistake and she soon realised that he was selecting her because she wasn't making a noise. Steely intent filled his being as he bent before her and wrenched her to her feet, roughly holding on tighter as her knees buckled from the pain of her many minor injuries and the terror that rendered her as useless as a babe in arms.
Deanna winced as he dragged her up from the floor. Her injuries, even though mostly minor, still managed to emit a hiss of searing pain, especially when he reached behind her to support her, causing her to flinch away from his touch. Of course he only held on tighter, thinking she was going to make a run for it.
Even though Deanna had no idea what her back looked like, she knew that she had sustained a number of sharp shards of glass that ripped right through her top and embedded themselves into her delicate skin. She'd felt tiny rivers of blood trickle down, but hadn't dared reach round to check if the blood loss was major. She had a feeling that she wouldn't have wanted to know.
Her hair she knew must be a mass of frizzy, matted and melted strands. She could smell the unmistakable stink of burnt tresses, even amongst the odour of burning corpses that lay behind her. It was a smell that would live in her memories forever.
When Deanna's feet refused to carry her weight, she found herself swung up into huge arms, the stench of his alien body assaulting her nostrils and she gasped before adapting her breathing to take in shallower breaths, reducing the intake to her sensitive nose.
His breathing was also an alarming noise, seeming to come from gill-like structures along his neck that moved much like a fish's, the rasp sounding hoarse and painful, even though he gave no indication of it being so.
It was then that Deanna suddenly realised what was going on, what was happening to her. He was taking her to his ship. He was going to kidnap her, or worse! As he reached the bottom of the ladder that he had only stepped down from - was it only minutes ago? - Deanna finally sparked into life, the Sindareen starting in surprise as she jerked in his grasp in her futile, pathetic attempt to free herself from the inevitable capture.
Deanna yelped as his massive fingers tightened their grip on her slim arms, and she was fully aware that if he chose, he could snap the thin bones in two. But at that moment, she didn't care. She had to get away from him because she knew, if she left this planet, her home, her family, she would die. Stories from long ago about the Sindareen still swam around her head. Stories of torture, and rape, and murder. Somewhere, sometime, long ago, when as children, they had spoken in dreaded awe about the 'bad people', she had even heard rumours of cannibalism.
She had to get away, she just had to. She had to try.
Deanna squirmed and twisted, boldly trying to turn enough out of his grip to jump away, her whimpered pleas, high pitched with the terror that oozed from her very soul as scenarios that had no right to belong in the mind of a young woman filled her thoughts. Intimate unions that she had shared with Will, with her Imzadi, were sullied, pushed aside by visions of brutal violations that she feared were in her imminent future.
Will. Oh, God, Will. Where was he? She needed him, but he wasn't here. He wasn't even in her thoughts any longer, severed eons ago when she had cried out to him as her world died around her. One minute he'd been there, reaching out for her, and the next, gone.
Gone.
Will was gone. Deanna struggled to remove him from her mind. Tried to imagine him lost to her forever, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't let him go. Wouldn't let him go. But the word still drenched her soul, pulling her deeper into the abyss.
Gone.
The fight left her body as the loss began to permeate her soul, bringing her out of the dazed-like state. Deanna began to wail as though her heart would break, drawing the Sindareen's attention to her face, He stared down at her, his strange mouth turning hard as the noise filled his head. He hated noise as much as he hated the pathetic humanoid race that were weak and stupid.
Even with soldiers from other worlds, what good had it done them? Where were they when the planet needed them in their darkest hour?
The Federation were off chasing his decoy group. The gullible fools had fallen for the trap.
The thought tickled the Sindareen and suddenly he began to roar with laughter, deliberately shutting out his captive's cries as climbed up the ladder and bundled her, non-too-gently inside. Following her in, he all but threw her into the vast empty cavernous hold towards several other captives that had already been loaded.
Instinctively, Deanna and her fellow prisoners huddled together, holding onto one another, the women whimpering quietly into the men's embraces, and the men watching the activities going on around them.
Soon, three more Betazoids joined them, none seriously injured, and Deanna realised it was purposeful. Minor injuries meant less hassle, and better bargaining chips. And maybe also, less injuries meant better torture sessions. And better games for the brutes that would undoubtably take advantage of the women. And if they were going to be eaten, fresh, live meat tasted a whole lot better than battered and bruised dead meat. Deanna briefly wondered if her childhood stories were true, or just the work of over-active imaginations. She hoped with all her heart that it was the latter.
The man Deanna clung to, a man that Deanna didn't recognise, felt her fears, her pain. Hugging her tighter, she heard him speak silently to her, I won't let them hurt you, Little One, not as long as I am breathing
Her own breath shuddered past trembling lips as she sighed with gratitude, uncaring about the fact that he had used her mother's pet name for her. Just knowing that there was someone there, with her, for her, was beyond relief. Will couldn't be there for her in her hour of need, but this man would be, she was sure. She didn't understand why she suddenly felt safe - as safe as she could be under the circumstances, but safe enough to let him step in and just be there, for whatever happened.
Thank you, whoever you are
But minutes later, the moments relief and comradeship that swept around the small group of terrified prisoners got swept away on a tide of terror as the ship's engines started up and the hold door slowly began to close, enclosing them into an inky black darkness that was as terrifying as what they knew lay ahead, the roar of the engines, so loud that they obliterated everything that ran through their minds. Everything except the terror.
And as the ship began to lift off the ground, behind Deanna, a woman began to scream. Seconds later, Deanna's scream joined hers.