Shadows of the Dark Past - Benson

[Benson]

ON:
<<USS Dragoon, Bridge, 2374>>

The Dragoon slid through the ranks of the Fifth Fleet under Admiral Ross' command through his adjutant Captain Sisko. The Intrepid class light cruiser made its way to the forefront and when Sisko had ordered the engagement to begin, it was one of the first ships to the Cardassian line. That was one of Captain Rogers' signature moves. Close the distance and unload a barrage.

Benson's fingers tapped the console. Dorsal and ventral phaser flared to life and slammed into the forward shields of the Cardassian Gul Vystan cruiser. Now for the coup de grace. The Dragoon skimmed over the dorsal side of the Cardassian ship which stayed in formation and Benson switched targeting to the rear torpedo launches.

Two orbs of blue light shot out from behind as he fired off a round of quantum torpedoes. Flashes of light appeared on the tactical display as the rear shields of the Cardassian ship collapsed in the first blast and the second torpedo slammed home right into her engines. The light Cardassian cruiser listed and began to move out of formation. Two other ships moved out of formation to avoid the cruiser. No. Not to avoid the cruiser, but to pursue the Dragoon!

Jem'Hadar attack cruisers closed in and slammed their polaron beams into the rear shields of the fleeing Dragoon who was trying to move back to the safety of the fleet lines where larger ships like the Magellan or the Galaxy could pick them off like the annoying gnats they were to the larger capitol ships.

"MAIN ENGINES OUT!" Cried a voice. Tom Denton from Engineering was on the bridge, soot covering his face after a blast had knocked out the main engineering console right in front of him.

"REAR SHIELDS FAILING!" Came a voice from operations. Lia Neska, the Bajoran Chief of Operations called out just before another polaron blast came slamming into the rear and caused a power surge. Benson watched in almost slow motion as her console exploded into her throat and slashed through her torso, flinging the slight Bajoran woman back to the deck, dead before she collided with the bulkhead.

"Transferring Operations Controls!" Denton called over the din of the battle.

"AUXILIARY POWER TO SHIELDS! KEEP THEM OUT!" Barked Rogers. He stood and the ship rocked again as the ships nearby parted and the Federation lines were coming into view. They were that is, until the Dominion Dreadnaught to their port shifted directly into their path, intent on cutting the Dragoon off from escape. Helm control died when the Helmsman did after the starboard battery of the Dominion ship opened fire directly to their bow. The Dragoon's bulkheads moaned and groaned in a sickening cacophony of noise as the ship shuddered and began to fall away from her original course. Benson felt like a shuttle slammed into his chest when the inertial dampeners failed and he flew forward against his tactical console.

"Main power.... offline." Said Denton's raspy voice. Benson grunted and turned, looking to Denton to see what could be done, but the man had croaked it out with his last breath. A jagged chunk of what had once been the secondary engineering console stuck out of his throat. Benson narrowed his eyes, but didn't have much time to assess the situation.

"Abandon ship..." Ordered Rogers, the Captain getting up and helping the injured Science Chief away from her post.

=/\= Benson to Security teams, all security personnel prepare for evacuation procedures. =/\= Benson ordered as he went around and checked the remaining officers on the bridge for life signs. He moved to one of the wall armouries and grabbed two phaser rifles, tossing one to a security guard that arrived shortly on the bridge. No sooner had the security guard caught it than the first of the Jem'Hadar materialized, intent on taking out the bridge crew if they still lived. Benson's eyes widened, but he snapped the rifle up, pumping the trigger twice in the direction of the lead Jem'Hadar, catching the surprised alien straight in the back.

"PULL BACK!" He barked to the security guards as the Jem'Hadar quickly pivoted and took cover behind consoles, firing over and around them at the retreating security guards and Benson. One of the guards fell when a blast from a Jem'Hadar weapon caught him in the chest and Benson dove forward with the remaining guards that had arrived onto the bridge into the turbolift.

Benson fought to catch his breath as the lift slipped down to deck 13. Deck one's escape pods had been blown out by most of the remaining bridge crew and the senior staff in the moments before and the Jem'Hadar would doubtlessly want to destroy the bulk of the remaining crew in the lower bowels of the ship.

When the lift opened again, Benson saw the chaos erupting before him as screams of terror with running officers and crew moved around them.

"Come on!" Benson said. He needed to restore order. He moved forward and did his best to coordinate the evacuation of the Intrepid class vessel. Crew parted around Benson and his men like water around a stone and people washed over them in a flood of panic as they jogged and ran towards the evacuation pods. The heavy clomping of boots echoed in Benson's ears as three more security officers trotted towards Benson.

"All right gentlemen, we need to move back to the rear of the ship. I don't think the Jem'Hadar will...." Started Benson as the whirr of Dominion Transporters was heard and three Jem'Hadar soldiers appeared behind Benson, firing off as they materialized. A poorly aimed blast whizzed by Benson and he and the security officers moved to return fire, one of the security officers falling back.

"FALL BACK!" Benson ordered again. It wasn't a retreat, it was a tactical maneuver, but the single minded nature of the Jem'Hadar didn't know that and quickly charged down the corridor. When two other security guards jogged towards Benson and his running men, Benson stopped and turned around. The Jem'Hadar were hot on their heels.

"Seral! Callahan! Take a knee!" He barked at two officers who promptly followed his orders and knelt, bringing their phasers up to bear.

"Steady..." Benson said as the clomping of Jem'Hadar boots got louder. The three Jem'Hadar, joined by four more reinforcements that had beamed in later rounded the corner.

"FIRE! SEND THE BASTARDS BACK TO HELL!" Barked Benson as his security team opened fire in a barrage of phaser blasts, dropping the front three and sending the other four scattering to find cover.

"MOVE!" Benson shouted after the first volley was blasted off and the Jem'Hadar, from around the corner, started returning fire. The security officers fell back to a more defensible position around another corridor junction, taking cover around the walls. Fire echoed back and forth, taking the form of a few stray shots. Not many people were left to be evacuated.

"Seral! Callahan! Get out of here." Said Benson, dismissing two of his guards. He and two others remained now to hold the Jem'Hadar at bay. Benson reached around the corner and popped off a few shots. Smoke was filling the corridors as fires spread and the damage to the ship was escalating since the Engineers had long since abandoned the Dragoon.

"Let's go! That's our cue gentlemen, evacuate!" Benson ordered his security officers to escape from the ship as an explosion ripped through the ship and caused the bulkheads to groan. Probably a main plasma line. Benson fired off a few shots, but only one or two came in return and he couldn't be sure that they were even from different rifles.

The Texan turned, last man off the battlefield, and began running forwards to one of the remaining escape pods, but something made him stop.

"Mommy?! Mommy!" Cried a small child's voice and Benson's heart cracked as he turned around and saw a small blonde girl, her hair a mess and her face covered in soot clinging to a stuffed bear.

"Where's my mommy?" She cried. She could have been more than 8 or 9. Tears made small tracks down her face. Benson dropped his rifle and raced back to get her, picking her up in his arms.

"I want my mommy." The little girl sobbed, her small fragile frame wracked with her tears.

"Come on kiddo, I got you now." Said Benson, cradling the little one as she dropped her bear and wrapped her arms around his neck. The clomping of heavy Jem'Hadar footsteps at a run echoed around him.

"Jesus Christ..." He cursed as he stood up and carried the small child with him. One hundred meters to safety. He saw the door ahead.

"Come on little one." Said Benson, sprinting forward. Blasts of weapons fire echoed and ricocheted off of the corridor walls around them. Fifty meters left. They were going to make it. They were going to make it. A blast made the ship rock and Benson lost his footing, nearly dropping and collapsing on top of the child he carried.

"Mommy!" She squealed in fright.

"It's ok! I've got you! I've got you!" Benson said encouragingly as he set her down and tried to drag her along behind him, her little bare feet making barely any noise on the carpeted corridor floor.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed as a blast went off nearby and slammed into the wall, only a foot from her head. Ten meters. Safety. Freedom from this hellish nightmare.

"Come on little one!" He said as he heard a blast then a shriek of fright and he picked her up and dragged her into the escape pod, turning only to slam his hand into the control panel to blast the escape pod off. They were free. They were safe. He smiled and took a sigh of relief as he looked over to the little girl who's hand he held. He drew her close and noticed very little noise and sluggish sort of response to his touch.

"Hey there... it's ok. We made it." He said and she opened her eyes and looked in his. The color was gone from her face and Benson picked her up, running a hand over her back. That's when he felt the charred remains of her nightgown in the back and the blood from the wound the Jem'Hadar blast had produced. He looked down at the floor of the escape pod and at his hand and his uniform. Covered in the sticky maroon blood.

"NO! No no no no no!" He started yelling and she whimpered in fear at his harsh tone.

"Momma..." She whimpered plaintively.

"Dear God no..." Benson said, his breath coming raggedly as he ripped away at his uniform and did his best to make a bandage, but it was too little too late. Jem'Hadar weapons had an anti-coagulatory property that Starfleet Medical had yet to counteract. She fell limp in his arms, little tears of pain still dripping from her soft baby blue eyes.

"No! NOOOOOO!" Benson cried and landed with a thud.

<<Starbase 259, Deck 13, Section D, Room 21, Present Day, 0420>>

"NOOOOOO!" He cried and thrashed about, standing and thrashing around wildly before he got his bearings and he breathed quickly and shallowly.

"Oh dear God..." James said softly as he slumped back and sat back on the couch, burying his face in his hands as hot tears came to his eyes, the memory fading into the darkness.

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