“It was…unending.”  The woman kicked the power generator unit, “They didn’t stop.  Even after they came down here.  The phaser blasts…the torpedoes…it was like a spiteful god was ripping the planet apart.”  Huna Plos gestured to the four main power generator units that had been torn asunder.  “Lanea was a beautiful place…and now we can’t even power our homes.”  She kicked the unit harder, “Goddamn Dominion…Goddamn Borg…Goddamn Changelings.  We can’t catch a break.”

Okada listened to the older woman as she used her eyes to understand as she spoke.  It was worse than the reports from the Task Group had suggested.  The next largest city on the planet was devoid of basic infrastructure.  The power grid and supply were just one piece of the ongoing puzzle they were discovering.  Fresh water and sewer had been smashed into the ground.  She caught Carolyn Crawford’s worried glance.  The ensign had come to them from Starbase Bravo by way of the Mercy, and she was slowly making her home onboard the Mackenzie.  The Chief Engineer turned to the woman, “I know it looks and feels hopeless, Huna.  I wish I had better immediate news.  We will start on the power and get everyone else working on digging out the pipes.”  Plos gave them a thankful nod and wandered off to sit down.  She’d been working without much sleep.

Crawford crawled up and on top of the generators, “These are pretty old models, Chief.  I can work on manufacturing upgrades.  Increase the armor on them.”  She watched as Huna sat, hunched over her first hot meal in days.  “How do you do it, Chief?” She turned her eyes to Katsumi, “We saw things on the Mercy….but never such devastation like this.”

Okada leaned against the generators and thought.  She’d become a commander by accident after Harris had plucked her from Starbase Bravo.  She’d just kept succeeding at what they threw at her. Reflecting on her journey, she felt some solace that pride had not filled her boots as she walked the various paths.  “What choice do we have?  We can let the situation overwhelm us, surround us, and smother us…or stand tall with those around us.”

Carolyn had heard her father talk about the first Dominion war.  And how close victory and surrender danced with each other on the battlefield.  “What happens if we don’t win?”

Katsumi smiled faintly, “We fight like hell until the last gasp of breath from our lungs.  My great-grandfather was a general who came up the ranks.  He always had advice for us kids when we were moaning about the latest drama at school.  Much of it makes more sense now as an adult, to be fair.”  She chuckled, “Gramps Katsumi was nothing if not a sage and wise man.”

Crawford swallowed the fear that had crept up from her heart, “I wish I was there, Chief.  I’ve got some things to learn, I think.”

The Chief Engineer knowingly nodded, “We all come into it differently…but you’ll get there.”