Chapter Text
Marius could feel the sweat on his palms when he laid his hands flat against the console as he stood at the Ops position. He'd expected the deck of the Intrepid to feel more substantial, but as the warp nacelles moved into their new position just before she jumped to warp - and now as Intrepid dropped to impulse - the starship's decks seemed to stablize. He looked up from his console to the viewscreen. Hundreds of other starships - Romulan, Klingon and Starfleet - dotted the screen.
"Admiral Ross's projections can't be right, can they?" the helmsman asked as the imposing sphere of Cardassia Prime filled the screen. Hundreds, thousands of Jem'Hadar and Breen battleships stood between the Alliance fleet and the planet. "Forty percent losses before we even start landing troops?"
"It's no good worrying about what we can't change," Captain Emlan chastised. "If we get too consumed with 'what ifs' and hypotheticals we're gonna get distracted. I need all of you to focus on the battle at hand."
From the Ops position, behind the Captain, Marius watched on the viewscreen as the USS Defiant and USS Farragut took the lead, opening fire on the combined Breen/Jem'Hadar fleet.
"Well, helm, what are we waiting for. Let's get in there. Follow our battlegroup flagship, follow the Honshu," Emlan ordered.
In seconds, Intrepid's impulse engines started pushing the starship forward, into the fray of the battle. Lines of phaser fire streaked across the viewscreen, photon and quantum torpedoes twisting and turning. The deck of Intrepid shuttered as a beam from a Jem'Hadar ship was absorbed by the starship's shields.
"Shield's holding at eight-five percent," Marius said looking down at his console.
Torpedoes flew from Intrepid's tubes, as they targeted a Breen warship. Intrepid heeled far toward the right as the vessel arced away, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Ahead, Marius could see the large Nebula-class USS Honshu as she forced her way into the Dominion lines. Honshu's saucer was lit up like a Christmas tree as rays of phaser fire shot off in all different directions.
Intrepid shook violently, pulling Marius's attention back to his own ship. "Forward shields down to sixty percent," he called out as another blast shook the starship.
From the center chair, Captain Emlan continued calling out navigation orders as Intrepid rolled to the left, trying to avoid a Breen torpedo. The starship jarred hard to the right and Commander T'Varek went flying and sending Marius to the floor.
Marius rose back to his feet and stood at his station, the lights of the bridge had dimmed dramatically. "I am rerouting emergency power to the mains," he said, the lights brightening incrementally. It was then that Marius was able to take account of the scene of the bridge.
The First Officer lay where he'd fallen, his head bleeding from where it had smashed into the railing.
"Medical teams to the bridge," Captain Emlan called into the address system on his chair.
On the viewscreen, Marius could see the Defiant as she twisted and turned, faster than any other ship in the fleet. She was drawing much of the fire from the Breen, but the Jem'Hadar's focus wasn't so easily distracted.
An alarm on his console sounded and he looked at the monitor. "Captain, the Grissom's warp core is going critical."
"On screen."
The focus of the viewscreen flashed to the Ambassador-class starship as small pods burst from the saucer, the crew evacuating. In a blinding flash, Grissom's warp core failed and the ship's powerhouse ripped the vessel apart. A sphere of energy emanated out from where the starship had been as the shockwave tore through an escape pod that failed to reach minimum safe distance.
"There's nothing we can do for them right now," the Captain said, "viewer forward."
Again the screen's focus changed and the battle around them raged on. Another shudder tore through Intrepid's spaceframe as Breen disruptors collided with the ship.
"Ventral shields down to twenty percent," Marius called out.
"Rhodes," the Captain called back to Marius, "I want to know the second they fall below fifteen."
Marius nodded as he followed the monitor closely. It took him a moment to realize he hadn't audibly replied. "Yes, sir," he finally said as the ship shook again, even more violently than before.
The Tactical station erupted in sparks and fire and a support beam came crashing down with a heavy thud.
Marius glanced up and found Captain Emlan laying on the ground, the heavy, duranium strut laying on his bleeding head. The turbolift doors opened and medical teams stepped out. Marius looked over and found the Lieutenant from Tactical slumped over his station. One of the med techs scanned the Lieutenant with his tricorder and shook his head at the doctor. The officer was dead.
Doctor Riley was busy scanning Captain Emlan but Marius could see that Emlan had been killed by the falling beam. The same was true for Commander T'Varek.
The CMO's eyes scanned the bridge, taking into account who was left, while the medical teams began clearing the bodies from the deck, making space for the continuing battle.
"Lieutenant Rhodes," the Doctor said with a shaken voice, "you're the senior most surviving bridge officer."
Marius heart stopped beating. He was in a panic. This is not how he wanted to get the center chair.
Riley continued. "The Intrepid is yours." He paused. "Computer, transfer command codes to Lieutenant Marius Rhodes. Authorization: Chief Medical Officer, Riley, Patrick, Alpha Tango nine zero five."
The automated voice called back. "Confirmed. USS Intrepid now under command of Lieutenant Marius Rhodes."
There was no time to ponder what that meant, the Battle of Cardassia was still raging beyond the bridge. Marius stepped forward, an ensign taking his position at Ops.
"Ops, you have tactical," he said. He'd already reconfigured his console to take both positions, just in case.
The ship shuddered again as he sat down in the Captain's seat. He didn't have the opportunity to address the crew like he would if he'd have been given the ship properly, so he just... became the captain.
Intrepid twisted and turned at his order, and her phasers and torpedoes arced across the Cardassian sky.
"Keep us moving at three quarter impulse and keep us in a consistent roll - six revolutions a minute. Fire on each target as it bares," he ordered.
Intrepid screamed across the battlefield, twisting constantly as she went.
"Hull breech on deck seven, sections twenty three, twenty four and twenty five," the ensign behind him called out. "Emergency forcefields are holding."
Marius nodded. "Evacuate those sections and seal off with emergency bulkheads, we can't spare the power for the forcefields."
Intrepid came about as the battle raged. Again, the Honshu came on the viewer and Marius's attention was drawn as the large, capital ship lumbered slowly through the combat area. With each strike against the ships shields, the glow of her defenses grew dimmer and dimmer.
Marius pulled his attention back to his own ship as she shook again. "Report," he ordered.
"Aft shields down to fifteen percent."
"Divert all power and compensate," he paused coming to a decision. "Actually, evacuate decks six through ten and divert power and life support from those decks to the defensive systems."
The Ops ensign did what Marius ordered as the starship rolled its way toward the heart of the battle.
The larger capital ships had positioned themselves like an ever advancing net while the smaller ship, ships like Defiant and Intrepid, dove into the thick of it. It was something incredible to be sure. Ships like the Nebula-class, Galaxy-class, and new Sovereign-class, advancing forward in lockstep with Romulan D'deridex-class Warbirds and Klingon Vor'cha-class Cruisers, even the ever present Cardassian Galor-class warships; all together a threatening wall of ships pressing in on the Dominion forces.
"Sir, we're getting reports of Jem'Hadar forces starting to systematically attack their Cardassian allies. They're trying to wipe out the population."
An even heavier cloud fell on the bridge. "We can't help the Cardassians if we don't hold together here."
A new resolve settled into Intrepid's bridge.
"All hands, this is Acting Captain Rhodes," the ship shook with another shield impact. "The Cardassian people have rebelled against their Dominion allies. The Dominion is retaliating by trying to exterminate the Cardassian people. Civilians and military alike. We can't let that kind of atrocity stand. I need everyone to continue to push through." He wanted to say something inspirational, but he couldn't find the words. "That's all. Rhodes out."
A concussive blow sent Marius to the ground and he caught himself on the fallen beam that bisected the bridge.
"Engineering to bridge," the comm rang out as Marius returned to the center seat. "I hope you weren't planning on trying to warp out of here," the engineer said. "We've just lost the port nacelle."
The remaining bridge crew glanced anxiously at each other as they continued the battle.
"How long," Marius replied, "before you've got it back online."
There was a pause as the starship swung about again, the line of capital ships again coming into view. "Sir, you misunderstand. The systems aren't down. The actual nacelle has been torn from the hull. We're venting warp plasma."
He didn't think he could be any more tense. "Are we in danger of losing the warp core?"
"No, sir."
Intrepid moved into the shadow of the huge saucer section of the Honshu and came to a stop.
Marius relaxed incrementally. "Okay, stem the bleeding and focus on power and damage control." He clicked the channel closed.
A whistle sounded from behind him. "The fleet is being hailed by the Farragut. It's Admiral Ross."
"Partial screen."
The upper right corner of the viewscreen shifted and the Admiral appeared. "Dominion lines are starting to fracture. We push through and start landing troops." The window of the Admiral blinked closed, leaving just the view of the battle.
On the viewscreen, Marius could see the larger ships starting to push through, getting into position to start beaming down the Alliance invasion forces.
"Captain, I'm reading an huge energy build up coming from the Honshu."
Marius wheeled around quickly, rising to his feet. "What's happening over there?"
The Ops ensign looked up from his console. "They're losing antimatter containment." There was a pause. ""Looks like they're getting ready to separate the saucer."
Marius nodded, his mouth and throat suddenly very dry. "Good, that'll get the crew to a minimum safe distance. Helm," he called turning forward again. "Get us clear."
The helm console beeped as the lieutenant punched in a new heading and the ship slid forward.
Admiral Ross suddenly appeared on the screen again as suddenly the Jem'Hadar and Breen forces stopped firing. "All ships, this is Admiral Ross. The Founder has surrendered."
A cheer went up around Marius.
"The Dominion has agreed to an unconditional surrender," Ross continued.
Marius couldn't help a small smile and sigh of relief. He couldn't wait to talk to Azaiah, get his side of the battle and tell him about his command, however short it was going to be.
"Captain... the Honshu."
The screen's focus changed to the large Nebula-class ship that was now several hundred kilometers behind them.
"Their docking latches won't retract."
No sooner had the ensign's words come out of her lips did the screen light up with the horrible flash of the ship's warp core breeching.
"All hands! Brace for-" He was cut off by the violent impact of the ion shockwave from the exploding starship.
When the brilliant light faded, there was nothing left of the Honshu, nothing but a curved edge of her saucer that was spinning through space, tumbling toward the planet below.
"My god," the helmsman said.
Marius turned about to give the order to begin rescue operations.
"No lifeboat launched, sir. Honshu went with all hands."
He felt sick and with a nauseous, drowning feeling, Marius collapsed into the command seat, his chest constricting tightly. Honshu went with all hands.