Warbird's Last StandDark eyes narrowed as the commander of the warbird surveyed the scene on his viewer. Five Dominion battleships surrounded the D'deridex with no other support. They were huge, each individual a match for the aging bird, but five... The commander grunted then nodded to himself. Didn't Klingons have a saying for such odds as these? Without another thought, he surged to his feet. "Target disruptors on the first ship," he bellowed. "Yes, Commander!" In satisfaction, he watched his crew follow his orders exactly. Lifting his right arm up, he held his breath for just a second and closed his eyes. A moment like this should be savoured, tasted and appreciated. There were rare times when death could be faced with honour and dignity. Everyone on the Bridge knew they were going to die, they had no hesitation in following his demands though. Many years they had all served with the commander and they each respected and loved him in their way. They all exchanged looks when the order to fire wasn't as quickly forthcoming as they'd expected but they waited. Letting out his breath slowly, he opened his eyes and faced the ships on the viewer. "Fire at will," he said calmly, his voice barely loud enough to carry across the Bridge and yet everyone heard him. Green light pierced the darkness of space. It scorched through the nacelles of the nearest ship, severing part of it. Suddenly, all five battleships started firing on the warbird. The commander was thrown from his chair but he dragged himself up. "Keep firing! By Romulus, we'll take them with us!" A console exploded in a shower of sparks, sending the operator flying across the Bridge. He landed with a crack, his neck broken. Green blood began to pool around him but the commander didn't have time to mourn the loss of his crewman and his friend. "Fire!" he screamed as he fled to one of the spare stations and started an analysis of the damage. By the Elements, it was extreme. No warp drive, no cloaking device, half his disruptors gone. Drawing himself up, he fixed his eyes on the ships just in time to see one explode with the torrent of fire they were laying onto it. Within minutes another was gone, but it left them three to one with the warbird's ammunition failing. "Keep going," he yelled. Glancing around, he saw his tactical officer was down so he bounded over to that console and began firing the disruptors himself, targeting the most sensitive areas of the battleships. The battle was fierce but the warbird was crippled beyond repair. Most of the crew were dead or dying, the Bridge soaked in their blood. The commander stood tall, his dark eyes on the last remaining battleship. His course was laid in, his fate and those of his crew set. "Computer," he said in an even voice, "ramming velocity. Arm the autodestruct, authorization Tomalak seiyya theah, to detonate on contact." Even the computer sounded determined as it confirmed the destruction sequence. No count down. No final words. No last goodbyes. The explosion lit up the sector in a ball of fireworks. But there was no great bang or round of applause once it was over. Tomalak and his crew simply scattered into dust and were gone. In memory of Andreas Katsulas who sadly died 13th February 2006Note: I was unable to find any canon reference as to the actual demise of Tomalak. But, if there is, then I would ask you to take this piece as it was meant, a tribute to the greatest science fiction actor ever seen, and not as canon truth. To a man who always wanted to play Peter Pan, I hope you finally learned to fly. ~~ Liz |
