For Whom the Bell Tolls

Posted on 02 Jul 2017 @ 9:57pm by Major S'arila Donovan
Edited on on 06 Jul 2017 @ 7:07pm

1,415 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Earth/Starfleet Academy
Timeline: Alternate reality timeline 11

[ON]

- Starfleet Academy - Earth Stardate: 239101.15 - 239102.31 -

A few hours after the Tomcat did her death dive into an enemy artillery battery the shock and awe faded quickly and the Dominion forces charged again, from her place in the line Donovan issued orders, as she did she noticed the blue tint of those matter/antimatter mushroom clouds, even went as far as to quickly glance at them. They had missed the blast waves those that expanded weakening the buildings and those same ones pulling back finishing toppling the buildings as they pulled back into the centre of the explosion before being sucked up high into the mushroom part of the cloud, only to fall quickly to the ground again.

"MEN TAKE AIM" she spoke loud enough for all to hear and all those survivors and the marines down her side of the defensive line took aim, while those on Somers side of the line did the same as they waited for optimum range, they did not have to wait long. "FIRE AT WILL" Donovan finished and joined the rest firing their weapons.

Where the Academy personnel got good from long combat hours, the SAS were crack shots, these were the last of the best of what Starfleet had to offer and it was a do or die situation, but they knew it was more deadly than doing. As the Jem'Hadar charged the defenders fired volley after volley, this went on for hours, the Academy survivors were getting their fourth wind, while the SAS troops were getting their first wind, the charging only stopped while the Dominion troops called in for more troops.

- Dominion Lines -

The Vorta looked at his god with worry "Founder, if I may ask, how good are these elite troops you spoke of?" he asked, in typical Vorta fashion he asked with a mix of curiosity, bravery and innocence and a lot of deference to the Founder.

"Have you not seen it for yourself?!" The Founder asked incredulously, "we are facing the best Starfleet has to offer, even though they are my enemy I still have respect for those solids and have given the order to stop the artillery bombardment. I will have the Jem'Hadar give them an honourable death" she said and looked at Mikle’tan "you understand Mikle’tan, you show them the same honour when killing them as you would when you fought your rebellious brethren. I believe the Klingon's refer to it as a good death" the Founder said both were surprised as it was not in their god's nature to show such respect to a solid let alone a group of them.

"They will surrender or die" Mikle’tan declared.

"From what we have seen so far Mikle’tan, they would prefer to die, so give them that honour, began," the Vorta said.

The Jem'Hadar First nodded once and left to prepare for the new troops beaming in, the Founders knew at the start of this war that earth would fight to the bitter end. It was the cradle of Federation democracy and earth had a long tradition of fighting when their backs were to the wall and the cause seemed all but lost. They showed this during their Earth/Romulan War and the weapons were not nearly as advanced as they are now. But earth would fall and it would fall hard of that the Dominion knew for certain and even now in the shadow of the cloud that began to spread across the planet slowly blocking out the sun they still fought on.

- Starfleet Defence Line - Starfleet Academy -

During the lull, the defenders took stock of their supplies and loaded up the last of their ammunition and grenades. A small unit was sent to take out a Dominion listening post, there were fully armed soldiers and a group of badly wounded troops with bombs strapped to them. The injured like the uninjured were already irradiated with the bomb's radiation and preferred a quick death to that of a slow painful one as their bodily processes stopped one by one and their hair fell out. The team had been sent at the start of the first assault and now the defenders saw multiple explosions as the guarding soldiers returned.

Then the battle was joined, again the initial waves of Dominion troops fell before the accurate fire of the defenders, but their ammunition was limited and before too long some had gone to side-arms. Suddenly the Jem’Hadar were on top of them and their side-arms expended their ammunition so they went to bladed weapons. Donovan looked over and saw Alex Somers kicking and getting one shot head kills with her pistols, but they too ran out and putting them back in their holsters. She pulled out her Wakizashi twin blades and the look on her face was one of grim knowledge, she was going to die, but she would take as many with her as possible before she took the ten count.

Donovan was also fighting away with her replica Spartan short swords, unlike Somers she did not throw away her guns. Like Somers Donovan fought like a woman possessed killing many unknown to all combatants the Founder and Vorta had returned to their flagship in orbit to watch the events. Despite being outnumbered those surviving Marines took care of the Jem’Hadar, First Mikle’tan fell by the hand of the one called Somers, by this time only two Marines remained, the tall one and the red headed one, who looked at the tall one who was on the floor picking herself up off the ground.

As she sat up Donovan saw a relieved look turn to surprise than pain as Somers looked down at her chest to see a Jem’Hadar blade sticking out of it. With her dying breath, Alex pulled out her combat knife and jammed it into First Mikle’tan’s neck killing him instantly. As she went down it was a slow motion to Donovan as she stood up and limped over to her friend who was atop a pile of dead and above Somers flew the Regimental colours all tattered and torn flapping in the light breeze.

“It is a good death I have won, ” Somers said blood coming out of her mouth, as she looked at Donovan “S’arila my struggle is over, I fear yours is not.” Somers knew that Donovan by nature was religious to some extent this was the reason for what she said: "God be between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk, my friend."

Somers said the ancient Egyptian blessing with determination, but it cost her what strength she had left and as she died a sigh escaped her lips. Donovan limped over and closed her friend's eyes.

“May you find your family and meet your husband in the afterlife, my friend, fare you well?” Donovan said and took her friends twin Desert Eagles and both her Wakizashi blades and hidden collapsible quarterstaff. These would be her memories of her dead friend, besides she did not want the enemy to get them, then she limped away unaware that she was being watched. She got a distance and looked back to see the tattered Regimental Colours standing tall and proud in the dimming light flapping in the breeze as the matter/antimatter cloud approached and ash began falling down like snow. She stood there and recited the "Ode of Remembrance" which was an ode taken from Laurence Binyon's poem, "For the Fallen" of 1914 and she used the second passage as she saluted, she activated her speaker.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.”

Then she intended for her suit to play the last post, but instead the Nancy Sinatra song “these boots were made for walkin’ “ began playing and she cursed a blue streak.

“Damn experimental suit, always the wrong tune at the wrong time” but it seemed that it was apt after all as a spatial anomaly opens up behind her and she is pulled into a random Spatial anomaly never to be seen again.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers [NPC: J Somers]
2nd SAS MACO Regiment
SFMC

Marine Captain S’arila D’Tana Donovan[PNPC: Somers]
2nd SAS MACO Regiment
SFMC

 

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