"Damage report!"

Chief of Operations Miles O'Brien quickly scanned the readouts in front of him as he wiped blood from his forehead.

"Upper pylon three has been blown off the station." O'Brien announced, trying to sound calm. "It doesn't look like any of the debris is going to hit us.

"Long range sensors are out, computer targeting is down, torpedo control is iffy, and main power is fluxuating."

"So what's the bad news?" Kira replied as she fired at another Jem'Hadar fighter as it streaked dangerously close to the station, firing as it passed. As her first phaser beams struck the fighter, it darted off in the opposite direction, leaving Kira firing at empty space.

"Damn!" Kira shouted angrily.

"Major, the starboard shields are down to fifteen percent. Another concentrated attack and we're done for."

"Don't you have any faith in my abilities, chief?"

Kira fired again as the fighter turned for another pass. This time, her aim was true and the enemy craft exploded in a ball of fire.

"Good shooting, major!" O'Brien said as he checked the short range sensors. "A new wave of fighters are moving it intercept us at two-one-eight, mark fourteen!"

Instantly, Kira redirected her targeting computers to the new threat.

"Where the hell is the Defiant!" she shouted, firing wildly into the onrushing fighters, destroying two before the others broke formation.

Chief O'Brien checked his sensor readings, wiped his forehead again and frowned. "Bearing one-seven-two, mark eight. Range, two-hundred fifty kilometers."

"The Cardassian ships have cut them off so they cannot help us." Kira announced. "What about the Klingons?"

"They've been isolated too."

"I'm not getting a response from the torpedo launcher in lower pylon two." Kira said.

O'Brien's hands raced over his controls. "Torpedo control is down, again. Rerouting to backups. Just a minute."

"We don't have a minute, chief!"

Another blast shook the station, sending everyone crashing to the floor. 

Smoke stung Kira's eyes as she struggled back to her post. She didn't see O'Brien but could hear him coughing. With half the Ops crew laying dead at her feet, she thanked the Prophets that he was alright. 

"Chief!"

"Rerouting torpedo control directly to your console." was the chief's reply as his hand appeared from below his station and rapidly keyed several commands.

Kira stabbed the controls, firing at another wave of Dominion ships. Photon torpedoes struck the attackers, blasting three of them into oblivion and sending the other two spinning out of control.

A Sovereign class starship flew into view in the main view screen, firing it's phasers at the last two fighters and finishing them off.

"It's the Cairo!" O'Brien announced.

"The new one? Where did it come from?"

"Unknown. Long range sensors are offline." the chief replied as he once again regained full control of his station. "She's hailing us."

"On screen."

Admiral Edward Jellico appeared on the viewer, standing in the center of the smoke filled bridge of the Cairo. Crew members struggled behind him to put out numerous small fires and render aid to several of their ship mates that lay on the deck, unconscious or worse.

"Hang on a little longer Deep Space Nine. The calvary has just arrived." Jellico announced. "Cairo out."

The image of the admiral disappeared, leaving Kira staring at the blank screen.

"Why that arrogant son of a..." Kira spat.

O'Brien smirked, knowing how she enjoyed getting the last word. He switched the main viewer back the tactical display as the starship maneuvered between the station and its attackers.

"Jem'Hadar ships are moving away from us. It looks like they're regrouping outside our weapons range." the chief announced. 

"Either that or the Cairo scared them off." Kira replied sarcastically. "What about the Cardassians?"

Almost instantly the map changed, showing the separate battle with the Cardassians, Klingons and the Defiant.

"The Cardies are breaking away and joining back with the Jem'Hadar fighters. It looks like they still have over twenty Galor and Keldon class ships."

"What about our side?" Kira asked hopefully, already seeing the remainder of the Klingon battle group moving closer to the Defiant as it moved back towards the station.

"Three K'Vort class cruisers, one Vor'cha and the Negh'Var." O'Brien said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"There were over forty Klingon ships in the battle group." Kira said softly, the realization of their predicament slowly becoming apparent to her. Seven ships, she thought, against an attacking force of over eighty Dominion ships.

"The Defiant is hailing us, major."

"On screen." she replied quickly.

"Are you all still in one piece over there, major?" Captain Sisko asked as his image appeared on the viewer. Kira noted that Sisko was manning the Defiant's weapons console instead of the Captain's chair.

"Barely, captain. And you?"

"The Defiant's a tough ship. We've blackened more than a few eyes today." Sisko's expression became serious.

"How bad is it?"

"Bad. Upper pylon three is gone. All internal communications have been cut off since the last Jem'Hadar boarding party beamed aboard. Chief O'Brien managed to get our shields back up in time to prevent the main assault force from entering the station, but since we don't know how much damage they did."

"Internal sensors are also offline, sir." O'Brien added. "Only our short range sensors are working.

"The reactor's just about shot, too. If we make it through this sir, auxiliary power will last just long enough to heat up the emergency rations."

"Where did the Cairo come from?" Kira asked, changing the subject. She did not want to think about how bad their situation really was. 

"I don't know,' Sisko replied. "The last I heard Admiral Jellico had been given command of the seventh fleet and he's not answering our hails."

"Maybe the seventh's been reassigned here." O'Brien added hopefully.

Before Sisko could comment, Dax spoke up from the Defiant's tactical station.

"Here they come! Two-one-seven, mark eight."

"No rest for the wicked." Sisko replied. He nodded to the view screen. "Good luck, people."

"And to you." Kira replied quickly.

The view screen image changed, displaying the columns of attackers quickly advancing.

"Only the fighters are attacking. The Cardassian ships are holding back." O'Brien announced as Kira switched her attention back to the enemy.

The Jem'Hadar fighters swept towards the defenders like lethal birds of prey. Before the first waves of enemy fighters could fire, the Cairo flew in front of the station, cutting off the attackers from their target and preventing Kira from getting a clear shot.

"That arrogant son of a..."

Kira's curse choked in her throat as a massive volley of quantum torpedoes streaked from the Cairo and struck the first wave of fighters, immediately destroying fifteen of the small Jem'Hadar ships before they could react. The remaining fighters scattered in all directions as the starship turned for another pass.

The Defiant moved into the battle, firing it's phaser cannons at the enemy fighters as they attempted to regroup. Three more of them were destroyed before the Defiant broke off it's attack to avoid getting hit by the polaron beam weapons of the second wave of Jem'Hadar fighters.

The second attacking wave of Dominion fighters was met by the remaining Klingon task force. The K'Vort class cruisers flew straight into the oncoming enemy ships as the Vor'cha and the Klingon flagship attempted to outflank their foe. 

A Jem'Hadar fighter broke formation and slammed into one of the K'Vorts, causing both to explode a flash of fire and metal. Quickly, the second wave of Dominion ships shifted their attention from attacking the station to finishing off the Klingon ships. 

The fighters swarmed the Klingons as they attempted to repel their attackers. Sensing the enemy's new tactic, the Defiant and Cairo moved assist the Klingon ships.

Kira fired phasers and photon torpedoes in a vain attempt to stop the Dominion fighters as the entire wing sacrificed themselves by ramming the few ships left from the Klingon task force. Kira's monitor flashed white as the explosions momentarily overloaded its receptors. When the display returned, only the Negh'Var remained, badly damaged and spinning out of control. 

A single Jem'Hadar fighter moved into an attack vector with the damaged Klingon ship. It darted between the debris of the other ships, making it impossible for Kira to get a clear shot.

"I need weapons lock, now!" Kira shouted, knowing that O-Brien was doing his best, knowing that this time his best may not be good enough.
 

Aboard the Defiant, captain Sisko watched helplessly as the Jem'Hadar ship bored down on the helpless Klingon flagship.

"The third wave of fighters is moving into attack position." Jadzia Dax said, angrily holding back tears as her thoughts shifted between her duty as a starfleet officer and to Worf aboard the Negh'Var.

Sisko paused a second, staring at the Klingon ship, calculating it's chances.

"Change course to intercept the fighters." Sisko said, without enthusiasm. Quietly, he added, "I'm sorry, old man."

"Changing course to three-one-four, mark one-four-four." Dax replied without hesitation as tears flowed down her cheeks.

As the Defiant turned, the Jem'Hadar fighter, with no opposition, made it's final approach to the Klingon flagship.

Seconds before impact, a single Klingon disruptor beam fired from the Negh'Var and struck the enemy fighter, sending it spinning out of control seconds before it finally exploded into a million glowing splinters.

Another Jem'Hadar fighter moving past the Klingon flagship joined its wingman in death as another disruptor blast from the drifting ship blew it into dust.

"Don't count Worf out, yet." Dax said defiantly, wiping the tears from her eyes as she sent the ship directly into the onrushing wave of Dominion fighters, firing phaser cannons as she dodged the deadly polaron beams from the enemy.

"I never did." Sisko replied, firing quantum torpedoes at the attackers, destroying three more before Dax's evasive maneuvers prevented him from getting an accurate targeting solution.

"Benjamin, look." Dax said, altering the Defiant's course.

Sisko stared at the view screen in disbelief as the Cairo fought off wave after wave of Jem'Hadar fighters.

Over a dozen enemy ships swarmed the starship, firing at it from all directions. As the Dominion ships attacked the Cairo', the few that were not destroyed by the powerful weapons of the defending ship sacrificed themselves by crashing into it's shields.

After the brief battle, the great Sovereign class starship remained, seemingly undamaged by the exchange.
 

Aboard Deep Space Nine Kira and O'Brien stared in disbelief.

"My God." the chief said quietly.

"If they had been here an hour ago, they wouldn't be so cocky." Kira said in disgust. 

Before O-Brien could reply, his attention was drawn back to the external sensors.

"Major, the Cardassian ships are coming back. They've let the Jem'Hadar fighters draw our other ships away so it's just us against them."

Kira looked at the chief and nodded, knowing what she had to do.

Kira fired phasers and photon torpedoes at the Cardassian warships as they charged towards the weakened station, firing their own weapons.

The station was rocked by several powerful blasts as the enemy ships passed,. sending O'Brien and the few other remaining operations crew members crashing to the floor, save Kira. Throughout the exchange, she managed to remain standing at her post, firing at the enemy.

One of the Cardassian ships had lost main power and had begun to pitch forward helplessly as the others continued passed the station.

Through gritted teeth, Kira fired photon torpedoes at the crippled ship. The volley struck the cruiser, sending spinning end over end. She fired the stations few remaining phaser batteries and blew the attacker from the stars.

The Cardassian ships came about and fired again. Lights flickered on and off as each blast struck the station, pounding through the weakened shields.

The Cardassian ships slowed to a crawl as they continued to fire, sensing their prey would soon be defeated.

Kira cursed and returned fire, her shots absorbed by the shields of the attackers.

She could hear explosions rocking the station, knowing that the hull had been breached somewhere below her and she fired at the Cardassian ships.

She could feel the heat from the flames coming from the console behind her and she fired at the Cardassian ships.

She knew that the Defiant and the others were too far away to help them now and she fired at the Cardassian ships.

Sparks flew from her console, burning her hands and she fired at the Cardassian ships.

The console darkened, preventing her from performing her duty any longer. Tears of anger and pain filled her eyes as the Cardassian ships stopped firing and backed slowly away from the station.

"Damn, you!" Kira shouted, knowing the end was near.

Her console exploded, sending Kira into the air and crashing into the doors to the captain's office. 

Kira landed hard. She felt bones breaking throughout her body. Pain stabbed through her. She could not feel her legs.

Blood flowed over her eyes, stinging them. She wiped her eyes and realized only her left arm was responding.

Kira struggled to see the enemy ships. If I can make it to the chief's console, thought, maybe I can...

Suddenly, four of the Galor class Cardassian ships were struck by multiple quantum torpedoes. The first impacted on their shields but the others seemed to pass through, striking the ships and destroying them. 

Before the crews of the remaining Cardassian ships could react, five more were destroyed by a flood of quantum torpedoes as a new ship appeared between the station and the Cardassian ships. Like the others, some of the torpedoes hit the shields of the attackers while the rest seemed to ignore the shields and instantly destroying what they hit.

The Cardassian ships began to scatter in all directions, forgetting the station as they attempt to flee the new threat.

Through gritted teeth, Kira crawled towards the railing surrounding chief O'Brien's console. New pain shot through her chest as she felt a rib cutting into one of her lungs.

Kira struggled on, never taking her eyes off the main view screen. 

The Defiant appeared, appeared, joining the new arrival and firing at the Cardassian ships. 

No, that's no the Defiant, Kira thought. Different markings. She wiped the blood away from her eyes again. Just a little farther, she thought.

Three more ships flew into view, surrounding the Cardassians and firing as they came.

Federation starships, Kira thought. About damned time.

Kira felt her the rib puncture her lung. She fought to breath as the last of the Cardassian ships were destroyed.

Kira's head sank slowly to the deck as her breathing became labored. She strained to see the ships moving outside the station, hoping to see the Defiant.

A Sovereign class starship she recognized as the Enterprise moved lazily towards the station.

Blood covered her left eye.

An Ambassador class she had never seen before moved out of view. 

She recognized the Crazy Horse instantly. It had visited the station too. Some female starfleet admiral, Kira thought wearily. 

A Nebula class starship moved close to the station. She strained to read the registry: U.S.S. Bozeman. 

The Defiant class ship moved beneath a starship Kira had never seen before and disappeared from view. 

Kira looked at the first ship that had arrived. Big, she thought. Three nacelles.

She coughed once and tasted blood, feeling it filled her lung.

Pain shot through Kira as she tried to move. She felt cold, her vision blurring.

Kira heard voices. 

Singing?

Kira heard the Prophets singing.

Singing to her.

A sudden calmness came over her.

The pain was gone.

Darkness.