Kate looked around the shuttle bay where the teams were assembling. The panic was subsiding and the personal were settling into the wait and see mode.

My Dearest Peter-

We are answering a distress call from the Science Station. From all the intell passed on to us, the situation seems bleak. Ambiguous at best. There are many unknowns about what happened and what we might find. It does not seem hopeful, since we off loaded the civilians and the children. Cam has confided in me that the situation is not good at all.

It would be a lie if I said I am not affected by this. I have been in similar situations and it never seems good or hopeful. I know that there are going to be losses, whether it be in our own personal or whomever was unfortunate enough to be attacked.

I have a team that will be going with me to find survivors. Ofra Sofel' Tal is the lanky Suarian I've dubbed Brandy in the lab. She is quick and attentive to detail, with a vast and amusing sense of humor. Alexander Markovich is a rather non-descript average human hailing from one of the Dakotas. He is soft spoken and just out of the Academy. The med tech with me is Mike Thomas, blonde, slight build, from Alpha Centauri. we have worked together in Sickbay and I'm quite comfortable with their style....

Kate glanced up from her letter and looked at Brandy and Mike joshing around. Alex was the one who seemed the more tense, of the group. But that was understandable. he was the youngest and right out of school. Wet behind the old ears, she thought sourly. What did that make her? The old seasoned vet. That was spooky. It was also the kind of excitement she had originally signed on for. Help where she could in any situation.

"Security has given the all clear," Mira's voice rang out from where she stood with Simon and a few others.

"This is it," Mike whispered.

"Of course this is it. What did you expect? The whole show to be cancelled and the Captain laugh and say, "Just a drill!"" Brandy quipped.

Mike looked chastised.

"Its alright Mike. You just hang in there. You'll do fine. You've trained for this."

"Lou, are you scared?" he wondered.

"I'm scared. And yet, I know that there are people out there that need my help. That keeps me going." Kate sighed philosophically.

Mike nodded and turned to his own inner thoughts as they prepared to beam over.

"Scatter my Molecules!" Kate smiled as the transporter engaged.

****************************************************

I never in my born days have encountered anything quite like this. Peter, I can honestly say I have seen battles with Klingons that were cleaner. The carnage on this station was, is horrific. The Khynah are brutal brutal barbarians. I feel for Alex. He has never faced death in this ugly manner and he is in a rather numb state of shock.

Kate glanced at Alex as she stepped over what was once a Starfleet Researcher...a Science officer.

"I'm reading no life forms in this area. No one's left." Kate sighed closing her tricorder.

Brandy glanced up, "They should be given a decant burial. They deserve that much, we owe them."

"It will be seen to, Brandy." Kate said softly. She softly tapped her commbadge, "Endeavour, confirming no survivors in section 2345. Moving on to sec..."

"Endeavour the Khynah....are still here!"

Brandy's head shot up and looked at Kate,"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, it sounds as if the Endeavour has come under attack!"

"Under attack?" questioned the suddenly alert Marcovich. "What does that mean?"

Kate sighed praying silently for patience, "It means that if shields are up there will be no transporting of survivors and we are on our own. Dr. M warned us that we may have to resort to force. Alex, we will survive. Just keep calm and be alert. Lets see if we can find any survivors. We do have a mission to complete."

Peter, I have never had to prey like I am having to today. I don't want it to end here on this station. There's too much to look forward to. Thomas is dead. he was taken out when we were ambushed. We found a lone Vulcan survivor --Brandy was attending to him when a warrior came out of a storage room. Thomas was hit in the first volley He stood up in surprise and it cost him. I was standing to one side of a bank of interments. It gave me some cover. Brandy her head low managed to escape. I dislike killing, but I am forced to do so to save this one we found. A life for a life. It is a nauseating way to look at it. I felt for Mike; I burn with anger for the inhabitants of this station. This was not supposed to happen. I understand now, why Cam was in a perfectly nasty mood when we left.

Now as things go, I don't even know if we are returning. I hope that whomever is on the bridge can pull this out without loss of life, but I know that there is little hope. Peace has a steep price...right now it is time to ante up.

"I don't think we should attempt to move him," Brandy sighed, "He's lost a lot of blood and has slipped into the healing trance."

"If we can secure a spot here, we could wait out the storm. Its been quiet since our visitor." Alex suggested.

Kate looked over the room looking for ways to secure the entrances.

Kate stepped over to Alex, passing by Thomas whom she had laid quietly near the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed. "Sorry Michael, I didn't know." she whispered with a shake of her head.

With some carts of probes and some grunting and an odd oath from Brandy, they managed to make a barricade in the doorway that lead to the main corridor. The storage room door received a blast to the control panel in hopes of jamming it closed.

Brandy started humming as Kate checked their patient and settled in for the wait.

****************************************************

It has been hours. Nothing moves. All of us are jumpy. Alex has ventured out and found some water in a neighboring lab. Apparently the plumbing is still functional. Occasionally the lights flicker. I figure that they must be rerouting power or there is an intermittent failure that keeps us jumpy. The darkness when it descends is frightening. I don't know if they can see us or not, if they are moving out there. I don't know if they see into the infrared. Brandy and I stick close. We are usually in a spot where we can reach out and touch Stal. It is like he's dead, but I know that this trance is actually working to our benefit. His body is doing what we can't. Though we cant' move him. Not that I want to. So far we have been lucky. There has been fighting in other sections. Occasionally we hear comm noise. A few voices I can pick out, others are a blur. Jesse's voice always cuts through. He's here, apparently, somewhere. I try not to listen, it hurts to know he's fighting, even though he's trained for it. I'm afraid for my friends..I'm afraid for my ship. There's no telling how long this will be, or take.

Brandy has been teaching us Suarian drinking songs to pass the time, and try and ease the worry. She says you must try and laugh through things...laughter heals.

********************************************************

Kate stood at the bedside and tried to smile. It had been hours since they were pulled off the station. The situation was a grim tableau. But, Kate felt decisively better to be back on the ship, even if there was a lot of work left to do.

Brandy looked up from where she lay on a gurney. She was in the process of being transferred, her injuries such that she may not return to duty on the Endeavour.

Her eyes caught Kate's and she spoke haltingly, "You'll come to..."

"Ill try, Brandy. We..I'm going to miss you. Stal is..."

Brandy had shut her eyes, but she was merely asleep. Kate watched her being transferred and shivered. She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered again.

That night was long when the light went out. Brandy had stayed with Stal when Kate tried to reach the deck above to find out if it was over. The lights had gone out and a Khynah that had been patrolling found her. Brandy put up a damn good fight. When Kate had returned to their hidey-hole , the Khynah had been beaten back viciously. Kate hadn't thought Brandy would be so vicious, but the tech was protecting her patient, who was utterly helpless.

Alex crossed her path, "Hey Lou, you look cold."

"I feel cold. I haven't been able to get warm since we got back. I feel..I don't know what I feel."

Alex sighed, "I hafta agree."

"I'm going to go to my quarters, if they aren't damaged and draw a bath. I'm going to finish this letter to Peter."

"Sounds wonderful." he said with little emotion. They all were tried to the limit, and just doing something normal, seemed extraordinary,

"Alex, you did well, you and Brandy. We got him out, alive." Kate said softly turning to Alex. She looked him steadily in the eye, her jaw set strongly.

"Thanks," Alex smiled for the first time, in what seemed days. They looked at each other in silence for a long moment, and then each turned to their own lives.

We did it Peter, we beat them back. All that's left is the task of assessing the damage to the ship and to the station. I feel an odd sense of satisfaction in the job that Alex and Brandy accomplished. Simply, it was a job well done.

I will write again soon, when I know better what is going on. Until then take care....