CHILDHOOD
By Heather Romberg

This story takes place during the Occupation on Bajor.  It completes the story Major Kira told 
to Odo in the DS9 episode "The Darkness and the Light" about her first battle with the Shakaar.  
I'm unsure how much older Lupaza and Furel are supposed to be at this time in the series, but I 
assume they have to be at least in their twenties.  I made them in their late twenties, because 
it fits the story better.  And as stated in the aforementioned episode, Kira is thirteen.  Much 
of the story is not from Kira's point of view, as I wanted to portray her understanding of the 
event as incomplete.  

Paramount owns the entire Star Trek universe.  No copyright infringement is intended.  This 
specific story, however, is mine.  So there. 


"I can do that."  The rail-thin adolescent tried to take the phaser rifle from him. 
Furel looked up into the earnest eyes of their newest camp groupie.  He was too tired to fight 
her, and in reality, she had seen enough phaser rifles taken apart that she probably could do it 
by herself.  At this point he didn't really care.  He hadn't slept in thirty-seven hours, or 
eaten in two days. 

He released his hold on the rifle, allowing the girl to clean it for him.  Her 
expression betrayed excitement at being allowed to complete the task without assistance.  He 
chuckled slightly.  Had he ever been that enthusiastic?

Lupaza walked up to him and handed him a bowl of…something.  They ate odd things these 
days, and he found it best not to try and identify food anymore.  She was as tired as he was.  
Her eyes had deep hallows under them and her long reddish-brown hair had taken on a limp, 
lackluster appearance of late.  

Furel absently remembered the first time he had met her, so long ago.  The first thing 
he had noticed about her had been her lush, full hair.  Well, time had changed that.  The 
Cardassians kept getting closer, and their time to recoup was growing shorter.  Every one looked 
ragged these days.

Lupaza nodded towards the girl cleaning his rife.  "Do you think she can remove the 
power cells without hurting herself?  She's still pretty new at this."  

Furel shrugged.  "I don't see why not.  She's been watching me do it for a week, it 
isn't that hard."

He sat down heavily on a crate deep in the cave they currently used as their base camp.  
The damp walls increased the nighttime chill.  Lupaza continued to observe the girl's actions.  

"Well, just keep an eye on her in case she runs into trouble."  

Furel smirked at her.  "Yes, mother."  Lupaza tossed her torn-up jacket at him and 
walked away to get her own dinner.  

Furel smiled as she left.  He liked teasing her about her unusual interest in this 
particular child.  There were plenty of orphaned adolescents that followed them around from time 
to time.  Most of them didn't stay too long before moving on to an easier life.  Conditions were 
harsh in the Shakaar these days, since they had made a name for themselves.  In general, no one 
paid a lot of attention to these strays.  They had all learned early on that it didn't pay to 
get attached.  Under the Occupation, children died like flies for countless reasons.  But, this 
little redhead was different.  She had a way of making you pay attention to her.  All of them 
had noticed it, but Lupaza seemed to be the most affected.  Perhaps it was her fierce tenacity, 
or her genuine eagerness to perform any task, no matter how small or unpleasant.  She wanted to 
be in the Resistance more than anyone he had ever known.  Well, whatever it was, she'd made an 
impression on the group, and that was no small feat.  He glanced back over to where she was 
putting the cleaned rifle back together, so intent in her concentration, that a whole company of 
Cardassians could have strolled into the cave, and she wouldn't even have noticed.  He smiled 
again before stretching out on the ground to sleep.  Maybe this one was worth keeping around.

Shakaar Edon watched the sun rise from his guard post at the edge of the cave opening.  He 
always tried to take the dawn shift.  It was a good time to think.  He glanced briefly back into 
the cave where his Resistance cell slept, exhausted from last night's raid.  At twenty-two, he 
was strong and active.  Yet he still had a hard time believing he was the cell leader.  

There were times that he would have given anything to let someone else have the responsibility; 
and then other times, such as after a successful mission, when he wouldn't have had it any other 
way.  They were an experienced team though, and didn't need much direction once the plan was in 
place, for which he was eternally grateful.

Movement in the cave startled him.  

"Sorry sir, I have to…um…."  He relaxed as he saw the disheveled, red-hared girl looking at the 
bushes beyond.

"It's okay, Kira.  Go ahead."  He leaned towards her, amusement in his eyes. "I'll cover you."

She looked at him warily, uncertain if he was teasing her or not.  She didn't like to be teased.
Afraid of angering him though, she left quickly, completed her business and returned to the cave.
  
He stopped her as she moved past him.  "Have a seat for a moment, Kira.  We haven't had the time 
to talk before, and I like to know the people in my cell.  Tell me about yourself."

He had noticed the way the rest of the cell reacted to this girl.  They liked her.  She was a 
hard worker, and was willing to do almost anything for them.  He had a feeling she would stick 
around for a while.

Kira sat down a couple of  feet away, nervous.  She didn't want to say anything that would make 
him force her to leave.  There was no way she was going back to the refugee camp.  "What so you 
want to know, sir?"  She asked, hoping her voice sounded stronger than she felt.  The Resistance 
didn't like weak people, of that she was certain.

Shakaar chuckled.  "You don't have to keep calling me 'sir.'  My name is Edon, and you should 
know by now that we're pretty informal around here."  

He looked at her closely for the first time.  She was small, and obviously undernourished.  Her 
short hair was limp and unruly despite its bright color.  Dirt covered her pale face, making her 
dark brown eyes appear even larger.  Her clothing was too baggy for him to tell if she had 
developed a figure yet;  it also made it hard to judge her age. She was about eleven, he 
suspected.  Smiling, he recognized the jacket she wore.  It had been Lupaza's.  "Well, how about 
starting with your age and given name."

She swallowed, and answered him honestly.  "My name is Nerys, and I'm thirteen."

He looked at her, surprised.  She didn't seem that old.  Hmm, It must be the malnutrition.  
"Well, Nerys, were are you from?  Tell me about your family."

She sat back and leaned against a rock.  "My family has lived in Dahkur Province for hundreds of 
years.  They were artists up in the hill country."  She paused, looking away.  "My mother was an 
icon painter and my father a poet.  She died in the camps when I was little, he was taken 
prisoner in the Leval uprising.  He's probably in a labor camp, if he's still alive."  She 
swallowed again, obviously uncomfortable with the topic.  "I have two older brothers, but when 
our father was taken two years ago, they split us up and sent us to different orphan refugee 
camps.  I haven't seen them since."  She shrugged again.  "I ran away.  People who stay there 
die."

He nodded in sympathy.  It was a common tale.  Too common of late.  He decided to change the 
topic.  "So, why do you want to be in the Resistance?"

She looked up at him, surprised that he had to ask.  "I want to kill Cardassians, as many as I 
can. For what they did to my family, to Bajor and to me.  I will not just let them kill me 
because I was too cowardly to fight back."  She finished her tirade and sat back again 
nervously.

He watched her silently for a moment, judging how serious she was.  She periodically glanced at 
him to see what he was thinking, but refused to make solid eye contact.  The longer he was 
silent, the more afraid she was that she had said too much.  

Finally, he spoke.  "Why my cell?  There are many others that would be easier and less 
dangerous."

Her pride shoved away her nervousness.  "I don't want it to be less dangerous.  I want to fight. 
The Shakaar's one of the best cells in the Resistance.   Everyone knows that, including the 
Cardassians."

He chuckled a little.  "We could do with a little less respect from the Cardassians.  Maybe then 
they'd give us some breathing room."

She was spared having to answer that when Furel and Hamon walked up.  Hamon ruffled her hair.  
"Hey kid, why don't you start some water to boil."  She nodded gratefully and scrambled back 
into the cave.

Furel flopped down next to Shakaar and yawned while Hamon used the bushes.  "Any sign of the 
spoonheads?"

Shakaar shook his head.  "Nope.  I guess we lost them again."

Hamon returned.  "That was too close last night.  Is it my imagination, or are they getting 
better at tracking us?"

Shakaar looked at the two older men thoughtfully.  "I've been wondering that myself.  It was 
almost like they had a homing signal or something.  But, if they did, why didn't they catch us?"
He shook his head in dismay.  "Maybe we're getting more predictable."  

Hamon kicked Furel in the leg.  The big man had started to snore.  "Wha…What?  I was just 
relaxing my eyes that's all."  

The other two laughed at him.  "I swear, Furel you must have the most relaxed eyes on Bajor."
Hamon continued to chuckle at them as Shakaar and Furel returned to the cave, leaving him on 
watch.

Terris was the camp cook, and he was cursing his way through breakfast as usual.  Lupaza watched 
in amusement as the younger members of the cell scrambled to do his bidding.  His cooking left 
much to be desired, but as hungry as they were most of the time they didn't care.  

Terris was the oldest member of the cell.  He was only fifty-two, but his grizzled, weathered 
appearance and mangled leg made most people assume he was much older.  He had spent six years in 
the Gallitep labor camp before escaping.  No one survived that long at Gallitep, and he refused 
to talk about his time there.

Lupaza smiled as she saw Terris slip Kira an extra piece of fruit.  The old man had taken a real 
shine to the girl.  He could be one of the most intimidating people she had ever known, but he 
could also be one of the most gentle…when he thought no one was watching.  Kira seemed to bring 
out the best in him, even though she spent most of her time giving him a piece of her mind.

Terris seemed to enjoy irritating the girl.  He would wait until she was within earshot and then 
loudly announce something that was certain to set her off. His methods never failed, and their 
verbal sparring had become a humorous source of distraction for the weary freedom fighters.

The only person Kira seemed uncomfortable around was Shakaar.  In fact, she seemed a little in 
awe of him.  Lupaza chuckled at that thought.  Edon had a natural leadership style and was a 
tactical genius sometimes, but he wasn't that much older than Kira was.  

When Lupaza had first met him, he had been an eighteen-year-old boy.  His father was the cell 
leader then.  Edon spent most of her first year in the cell trying to outdo his father's 
accomplishments.  It was a miracle he'd survived, but the experience and the reputation he had 
earned, made him the logical choice to replace his father, when he died.  No one regretted that 
decision, either.  Most of the older cell members were good soldiers and technicians, but a true 
leader was something special.

Lupaza still had difficulty thinking of him as an awe-inspiring man though.  She supposed she'd 
always see him as he was back in the beginning.  Skinny and brash.  Kira, however, had no such 
preconceived notions, and it was obvious in her reactions to him.  He was the leader, and he 
would make the decision whether or not she could join the cell permanently.

Secretly, Lupaza almost hoped he would say no.  She had seen so many of her fellow Resistance 
fighters die that she was almost numb to it.  But something about Kira made her feel unusually 
protective.  

She really wasn't certain why.  She was twenty-eight years old, and steadfastly avoided close 
relationships.   The closest thing she had to family was Furel, and even that annoyed her 
sometimes.   Most of the rest of the cell members considered her somewhat cold and standoffish.  
But, she had known Furel since before the Resistance, and it was useless to be distant with him.  He simply wouldn't allow it.
Furel liked to tease her and say that her latent maternal instincts were showing.  But the last 
thing she wanted was a child, someone whose life meant more to her than her own.  And she didn't 
really feel motherly towards Kira, just protective.  Sort of like a big sister, or so she told 
herself.  

Well, Furel could tease her all he wanted.  It was the pot calling the kettle black.  He was as 
fond of the girl as she was.  Her face took on a devious smile.  There were ways to get him back 
for teasing her…in private.

BANG! "Wow, that was louder than the last one!"  Kira moved to hide more securely behind the 
seat of the truck, as she had been told to.  She had never heard noises so loud.  Incoherent 
shouting surrounded her as the cell gathered up as much gear as possible before escaping.  

Half the unit was defending along the ridge line and the other half was packing.  They couldn't 
afford to lose anymore equipment in they hurry and chaos of their departure.  The artillery 
barrage was getting closer.

People threw things on top of her in their haste, and she was somewhat grateful.  At this moment 
she had the immense desire to dig herself into the ground.  She was mortified at her own fear, 
but unable to control it.  

The truck started moving and people piled on from all different directions, bumping and 
squashing her in various places.  Finally, the photon shell explosions started to fade into the 
distance and she managed to lift herself to a position where she could see.

Lupaza was in the back of the same truck when Kira's head appeared from under a case of Tataren 
fruit. Her eyes were incredibly wide on her pale face, and she looked terrified.  She looked 
around quickly, trying to judge if the danger was over or not.  Another loud explosion sent her 
back under the crates.  

Lupaza climbed over three other people and removed the crate covering Kira's head.  "It's almost 
over.  That was just a lucky shot, they've shooting randomly now."  

Frightened eyes blinked back at her, though the girl nodded.  "Is…is it always that loud?"

Lupaza smiled at her innocent question.  "Actually, that was pretty tame.  Sometimes it gets a 
lot worse."  She hadn't thought it possible, but Kira's eyes became even wider at the thought.  
She tried to be reassuring as she helped the girl into a sitting position.  "Don't worry, you'll 
get used to it.  I spent my first two assaults hiding in a ditch.  You were right to stay where 
Terris put you.  Remember that.  If you want to be a member of the team, you have to follow 
orders, not be a hero.  At this stage, you are too inexperienced to be much help in combat."  
She smiled, reassuringly.  "Don't worry, that'll come in time."  

Kira nodded.  She was beginning to calm down now that the explosions had stopped.  Her first 
battle!  She was still disappointed in herself, but didn't feel so bad.  If Lupaza said she did 
the right thing, then the others would think so too.  She didn't care what happened as long as 
she didn't disgrace herself.

The two trucks pulled into a small cavern.  People began offloading immediately.  They had much 
to set up, sensor nets, dampening fields, weapon posts, and the basic camp necessities.  Kira 
awoke abruptly as the trucks came to a stop.  She had been too exhausted and overwhelmed to stay 
awake on the long ride. 

She had just moved to help unpack, eager to be useful again, when she noticed that one of the 
trucks was missing.  There had been three.  She asked Terris.  "Where is Hamon's truck?"  

Terris glanced at her regretfully.  "They didn't make it.  Took a direct hit on the way out."  
At her horrified look, he added, "I know it's sad girl, but if you want to be in the Resistance, 
you'd better get used to it.  Happens all the time."  

Kira quickly got over her surprise.  "Cardassians murdering my friends and family is the one 
thing I understand best, old man."  She shrugged.  "I was just surprised, that's all."

He nodded at her, his eyes softening for a moment.  "Well, then, girl, take this crate over with 
the others.  And be quick about it."  

Kira nodded and ran to do his bidding.  If she moved really fast, it was easier not to think 
about the missing truck.  It was the first of many times she would use that trick.


A month later they were back in original  cave.  For some reason, the Cardassians never seemed 
to suspect that they might double back on themselves.  Perhaps because it seemed foolish. The 
Shakaar, however, made good use of all the foolish tactics they could.  It kept the Cardassians 
confused.

Kira had entrenched herself into the cell quite solidly by then.  She was capable of performing 
most of the basic camp functions and itching to learn more about tactics and fighting. In fact, 
her eagerness was a great source of amusement to the older cell members.  They often teased her 
about it, causing her to display some of the fierce temper she had already developed a 
reputation for.

Lupaza watched Kira arguing with Terris on the other side of the cave.  She couldn't hear what 
they were saying, but judging from the angry gestures, it was pretty rough.  Kira's profane 
vocabulary was expanding as rapidly as her other skills.  It bothered her sometimes to hear such 
language coming from someone so young, but there wasn't much she could say, as her own 
vocabulary often left much to be desired.  

When had that happened she wondered suddenly.  At Kira's age, she hadn't even known such words 
existed.  She sighed to herself.  It was a moot point now.  When the whole world's gone mad, a 
few dirty words were the least of their worries…still on an instinctive level, it bothered her.

She moved over to Furel and sat down next to him as he wrapped explosive charges.  He looked at 
her briefly, a small smile on his face, before returning to his work.  They had known each other 
so long that words were no longer necessary.  They simply found strength in each other's 
company.

Kira finally finished her argument with Terris and stomped over to them, noisily flopping 
herself to a sitting position on the ground. She had lost the argument again. Lupaza held back a 
smile and waited for the onslaught to begin.  

"Do you know what that old fool said this time?"  Kira asked incredulously.  

Furel chuckled, and Lupaza covertly elbowed him in the ribs before responding.  "No, what heresy 
is he spouting now?"

Warming to the receptive audience, Kira stood, gesturing forcefully. "He said that the Prophets 
are just figments of overactive imaginations, and that the politicians have been using their 
lies for years to get the people to do things."  She stopped, obviously waiting for a response 
of equal outrage.  All she got was a yawn as Lupaza leaned into Furel's side, rested her head on 
his shoulder, and closed her eyes.  Kira's eyes widened in surprise.  "You don't AGREE with him 
do you?"

Furel chuckled again.  "Naw, we don't agree with him."  He paused his work and looked at Kira 
fully.  "Can't you tell that he's just trying to get under your skin?"  He smirked a little at 
her. "If you really want to annoy him, next time he makes some outrageous statement, agree with 
him."

Kira muttered to herself as she flopped down on the ground again.  Finally she turned back and 
looked at the couple earnestly.  "Why does he want to bug me so much?"

Lupaza sat up again, regarding the girl thoughtfully.  "He enjoys the argument.  She added 
pointedly.  "Remember, he was at Gallitep for years.  Who knows what happened to him there.  If 
getting you all riled up makes him happy, then play along.  It can't hurt anything."  She 
smirked and returned her head to Furel's shoulder, closing her eyes again.  "Or perhaps, he just 
likes you."

Kira sat still for a few moments, her chin resting on her hands in thought.  Finally, she stood 
and moved to sit on Furel's other side.  "Can I help you with that?"

Furel suppressed a small sigh.  She was always 'helping.'  "Not this time Nerys.  getting the 
charges just right is extremely dangerous."

She frowned stubbornly.  "Well, how am I going to learn if you don't teach me?"

Furel cut off a frustrated response as he looked into her young eyes.  She was right.  It was 
just easier to do it himself.  With a sigh, he nodded.  "Okay, you can watch, and I'll explain 
what I'm doing, but that's all for now."  Kira nodded acceptance eagerly and they went to work.  

"What happens if you turn it the other way?"  Kira asked, raptly watching everything Furel did.  

Furel almost shuddered at the thought.  "Don't EVER turn it that way.  It'll blow up in your 
face."  Kira paled a little.

Terris walked over and tossed Furel another spool of wire.  "You heed what he says girl.  Why an 
old friend of mine turned the fuse the wrong way once and it blew his head off."  He sat down 
heavily opposite them, favoring his damaged leg.  His grizzled features taking on a practiced 
thoughtful expression as he settled in for a good whopper.   "Yeah, poor old Dracal.  Had to 
attach his head to a computer to keep him alive."  

Kira snorted skeptically.  "Nice try old man, you can't attach someone's head to a computer."  

Terris's eyes began to shine as he spun the tale further.  "Of course you can! But you have to 
be really precise.  One little mistake and you could accidentally connect, say…eye blinking 
ability to the wrong part of the computer.  That's what happened to poor Dracal.  They connected 
his eyes to the musical history database, and he could only blink in time to music."  

They all laughed as Terris did an animated representation, while humming an old tune, off key.  
Lupaza sat up and stretched, unable to doze any longer.  "That was TERRIBLE, Terris."

Terris chucked as he slowly rose to return to his other duties, but not before ruffling Kira's 
hair (another thing she hated).

Furel was almost finished when Shakaar burst into the cave with two other reconnaissance scouts. 
He immediately gathered the rest of the cell together for a meeting.  "Listen up folks.  I just 
came from a meeting with the Janara Cell.  We are going to do a joint attack on a supply convoy 
tonight.  I know the timing is bad with half our people out on other missions, but we'll just 
have to make do.  We won't get another chance at this.  Furel, I have the sensor logs and maps 
of Janara's reconnaissance in the area.  I need an enemy avenue of approach and time line, and I 
need it yesterday.  Use Karo, Restal and Odel to help you.  Lupaza, you and team B take care of 
weapons detail and issue.  Fire power and surprise are our only hope with this one.  Marrat and 
I will make the tactical plan, Terris you supervise camp load up.  Be back here in twenty 
minutes for the final briefing."

Without a word the cell members rushed to fulfill their responsibilities.  Time was short, but 
that was something they were used to.  Kira moved quickly to help Terris load all the gear onto 
the remaining trucks, her heart pounding in anticipation.  

Fifteen minutes later they were almost ready. Off to one corner, Furel tossed maps down on the 
crate they were using as a table.  "I'm telling you, we have to have someone cover the mine 
field.  Without fire power, an obstacle is useless Shakaar, you KNOW that." 

Shakaar stood up angrily.  "Of course, I  know that!  But, we simply don't have enough people.  
It takes six phasers, all shooting at the same spot to penetrate a skimmer's hull, and we have 
to attack from multiple sides to have any hope of success.  We are short one man as it is, I'll 
be damned if I'm going to waste another just to cover the mine field."  

Both mens' voices carried in the damp cave, causing all other cell members to stop for a moment. 

Swallowing hard, Kira moved over to them.  "Um, I could cover the mine field."  She offered, 
hopefully.

Furel and Shakaar both turned to stare at her for a long moment.  There was a standing tradition 
in the cell that no one under fifteen carried a rife.  It was a small concession to more 
civilized times.  The Cardassians could only push them so far.  All younger members were 
relegated to non-combatant duties and trained for later. 

After a moment, Shakaar shook his head sharply.  "No, I understand why you want to Kira, but you 
are too young."

Kira wanted to shout and stomp her foot in frustration.  She was sick of hearing how young she 
was.  She could handle a rifle just as well as some of the other members.  Why wouldn't they let 
her prove it???  She forced herself to reply calmly though.  She had been there long enough to 
know Shakaar wouldn't respond well to a temper tantrum.  "I know I'm young, but it's not that 
hard to shoot a phaser rifle.  I can do it.  I KNOW I can."

Shakaar looked around at Furel, expecting the older man to step in and set the girl straight, as 
he usually did.  To his surprise, however, Furel seemed to actually be considering her request.  
"Furel?"

Furel shrugged.  "It's not such a bad idea.  In fact, she'd probably be safer there than at the 
base camp.  She'll be up high behind a rock formation.  There's no way they could get to her 
except through the mine field, and they won't do that.  All she'd have to do is make them keep 
their heads down on that side and she's succeeded.  She doesn't even have to aim really.  If 
anything goes wrong, she'll have ample time to get away and I doubt they'd bother following 
her.  They'll track down the base camp instead."

Kira's heart began to beat faster.  Furel was the last person she expected to support her in 
this.  He was always holding her back from the fighting.  

Shakaar turned to Lupaza for support, but surprisingly didn't find any there either.  "Furel has 
a point, Edon.  We really don't have a choice.  If the Cardassians get a chance to clear the 
mine field, they'll have an escape route.  All our fire power on the other sides will be moot.  
I've seen that valley.  She'll be safe."  She paused and smiled in Kira's direction.  "Besides, 
she has the heart of a Cynorapter.  She'll do just fine."

Kira's heart swelled with pride. And she rapidly turned back to face Shakaar, an expectant look 
on her face.  Shakaar raised his hands in a show of defeat.  "All right, you can cover the mine 
field."  He stared at the young girl sternly.  "But, at the first sign of trouble, you get out 
of there, okay?  There are no thirteen year old heroes in my cell." Kira nodded enthusiastically.

Furel gave a short laughed.  "She can be our secret weapon.  If things go bad, we can make her 
angry and let her talk them to death."  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment.  "No on 
second thought, that'd be too cruel even to do to Cardassians."  Lupaza swatted him on the 
shoulder and the others chuckled, a brief moment of levity in their otherwise grim situation.

Too happy to be offended, Kira and ran off to be issued her rifle.  The day was finally here.  
Today she would fight back.

Terris waited until Kira was out of sight and then grabbed Shakaar by the arm, dragging him 
outside.  "Are you crazy?  You can't put that child on the firing line.  I don't give a damn how 
desperate you are, or how safe it is."  

Shakaar pulled away from the older man, surprised.  Terris had never shown this much interest in 
anyone.  Youthful insecurity made him respond more harshly than he should have.  "You've never 
complained about the other children who fought with us.  Look at Baral over there. He's just 
fifteen, and to be perfectly honest, I trust Kira's aim  more."

Terris moved closer, causing Shakaar to unconsciously lean away.  "I don't care how good a shot 
she is compared to the other members.  She's just a baby. She doesn't know what she's getting 
into.  We have a responsibility to protect our young from the Cardassians, not to get them 
killed deliberately!"   His voice rose as he spoke, and his face took on an almost panicked 
expression.  Shakaar was looking for a way to escape when Furel came to his rescue.

"She'll be all right, Terris."  Furel said softly, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

Terris turned on him.  "You don't know that!  There's no way to guarantee anything once the 
shooting starts. I would've thought that you and Lupaza of all people would object to this.  
Hell, you've practically adopted her!"  Furel stepped back at the sudden verbal assault, 
unwilling to acknowledge the truth in those words.  

Terris threw his hands up in consternation.  "Is this what we've become?  Animals?  None of you 
remember what Bajor was like before the Occupation, but I do.  The very thought of allowing a 
child to carry a gun was unthinkable, much less letting her shoot it at someone else.  Even when 
it became apparent that the Cardassians were here to stay, we still protected our children.  
None of my children fought anyone!  It was my responsibility to protect them, just as it's your 
responsibility to protect Kira!  My respon…"  He voice trailed off and he staggered a little, 
grasping his chest.

Furel and Shakaar instantly reached out and supported the man, propping him up against a large 
rock.  Shakaar called for a medic as Terris assured them he would be all right in a moment, as 
soon as he got his breath back.  

The medic confirmed, that it was mild cardiac distress.  Terris needed immediate rest and 
medication.  Shakaar nodded, grimly.  Now they were two men short.  

Terris was moved to the back of a truck, given a rifle and instructed to guard the equipment 
during the battle.  It was a platitude.  The equipment was in no danger.  

As they waited the final moments before moving out, Lupaza moved to sit by Terris.  "What was 
your daughter's name?"

Terris glanced at her sharply.  "What are you talking about?"

Lupaza shrugged.  "The one you obviously lost to the Cardassians."

Terris snorted and looked away.  "You are entirely too nosy, woman. Don't you have something 
better to do?"

Lupaza nodded absently.  "Sure.  I just wanted you to know that I'm not going to let anything 
happen to Nerys."  Getting no response, she walked away.

Three hours later Kira wasn't quite so enthusiastic anymore.  Her hands and face were numb with 
cold and just holding the rifle steady was becoming a chore.  What was taking those damn 
Cardassians so long?  They should've been here an hour ago.  

Her eyes surveyed the mine field.  It had to be the quickest mine emplacement job the Shakaar 
had ever done, or so Furel said.  

Her mission was simple.  She was to hold her fire until the first Cardassian showed his face, 
and then just keep shooting until she ran out of power, or all the Cardassians were dead.  As 
long as she was shooting, the Cardassians would be unable to clear the mine field and would have 
no escape. If she ran out of power too early, or anything else went wrong, she was to climb back 
over the ledge behind her and run as far away as she could.

The plan sounded infallible to her inexperienced mind, but she had no intention of running away, 
no matter what happened.  At that moment though, her resolve was weakening with the cold 
temperature.   she would have given anything for a pair of gloves.

Lupaza was fifty meters away in team A.  She nervously looked in the direction of Kira's 
position.  The more she thought about it, the more she hated it.  Terris was right, they were 
playing a dangerous game with her life, no matter how safe it was supposed to be.  But it was 
too late now, and they had no choice.  If this convoy got through, the Janara Cell and two 
others on the other side of the province would be slowly wiped out.  They could barely defend 
against the Cardassians with their current weapons.

She glanced across the gorge to where Furel was waiting with team B.  She knew he was as nervous 
about this as she was.  If only the Cardassians would show up!  Prophets, she hated waiting.

They didn't have to wait much longer.   Within ten minutes, two skimmers lazily strolled into 
the kill zone.  Their passage triggered the mine arming devices and about ten of them went off 
immediately, forcing the damaged ships to drop to the ground exactly were Furel planned.  

The explosions were deafening, and the cloud of debris blinding, but the freedom fighters didn't 
wait for it to clear.  They began firing with practiced accuracy at critical  points.  

Kira started shooting at the first sign of a Cardassian but couldn't tell if she was hitting 
anything or not.  She simply held the trigger down and pointed it in the direction of the 
Cardassian ship.  She vaguely saw some Cardassians trying to bring mine clearing equipment out, 
but they immediately hid again as she shot at them.  

Her heart was pounding and her head spinning.  The noise, explosions, fire, and shouting created 
a jumbled nightmare all around her.  To top it all of, smoke continued to obscure her vision and 
she was unable to see the other cell members.  She took comfort, though in being able to hear 
their phaser fire.  She did her best to ignore all that, and focus on shooting at the 
Cardassians.  

Eventually, the phaser fire began to slow down.  Most of the Cardassians were dead and Shakaar 
was leading team B on a final sweep to ensure there weren't any survivors.  With team A 
relegated to a covering force now, Lupaza moved to check on Kira.  She could still hear shooting 
from the girl's position.  

Suddenly, the shooting stopped.  Lupaza moved faster, worried about what she might find.  But as 
she approached the position, all she saw was one, soot-covered, wide-eyed girl with a spent 
phaser rifle.

Kira hurried over to her.  "Is it over?"

Lupaza smiled in relief.  "Yep, it's over.  You did real good, Nerys."

The smile that broke out on Kira's face was so wide, Lupaza almost laughed.  She affectionately 
tugged on the girl's arm.  "Let's get back to the others."  Success giving her a boost of 
energy, Kira ran towards the rest of the cell, while Lupaza paused for a moment, simply glad it 
was over.  

She was about to follow Kira's path when the glint of metal around the edge of an outcropping 
caught her eye .  Suddenly nervous, she held her hand phaser tighter and went to investigate.  

Her blood chilled when she found the dead Cardassian, not ten meters from where Kira had been.  
She quickly disarmed him and made absolutely sure he was dead. He had obviously been killed by 
phaser fire. She frowned in thought.  There was no way Kira would have seen him from where she'd 
been.

She glanced around with increasing fear.  The Cardassian's phaser had been fired.  But who…  Her 
eyes stopped abruptly on the still figure fifteen meters further up the ledge.  She ran to him, 
but could tell who it was already.

Lupaza knelt down beside Terris and checked for any life signs.  To her surprise, he lifted his 
hand to weakly grasp her's.  She tried to stop the flow of blood from the gaping abdominal 
wound, but knew from bitter experience that she'd fail.  Terris stopped her gently, and actually 
managed to smile a little.

"It's no use, Lupaza."  Cough.  "Do something for me."  Lupaza nodded.  She'd been in this 
position to many times to count.  "Tell Nerys I died somewhere else.  Don't…want her to feel…
guilty."  Lupaza nodded in understanding.  He began to slip away, his eyes focusing on something 
only he could see.  "Tell her I went to see those…pesky prophets for myself…to give them a piece 
of my mind."

He came back to coherence for one moment, making eye contact with her and his voice almost to 
soft to hear.  "Her name was Julora."  With that his eyes unfocused for eternity, leaving Lupaza 
to lean back against the rock face, alone.

After a moment, Furel walked over, sat next to her heavily, draping a comforting arm around her 
shoulders.  When Lupaza hadn't returned with Kira, he'd come to find her.  It didn't take a 
genius to figure out what happened.  He glanced over at the dead Cardassian.  "Where'd he come 
from?"

Lupaza shook her head.  "I don't know.  He must have escaped the skimmer somehow and doubled 
around the back of the ledge.  I'd never have suspected it could be done."  

Furel shuddered, his face pale.  "Me either."

Having allowed herself one moment of grief, Lupaza rose, all business again.  "We have to move 
him.  He doesn't want Nerys to know he died protecting her, she'd feel guilty."  She snorted 
sarcastically.  "I'm sure she'll have plenty of other situations to feel guilty about as she 
grows up.  No need to add one more."  

Furel nodded again, and moved to gently lift Terris's body.  "I'll put him back at the equipment 
site.  It'll look like he was defending that.  We'll tell Shakaar, but no one else."  Lupaza 
nodded in agreement and headed off to join the others.  As she approached her comrades, she 
stopped and picked up a shattered piece of the skimmer's hull.  Perhaps Nerys'd like a souvenir 
of her first battle.

Kira was reeling with adrenaline.  All the other cell members had been appropriately 
congratulatory, slapping her on the back and such.  When she had first returned after the 
battle, Furel had laughed at her and said that her uncontrollable smile made her look like a ten 
year old.  

Well she didn't care.  She was finally a real member of the Resistance.  They wouldn't make her 
leave now.  On top of that, she'd finally given that Cardassians a small taste of what they had 
coming.  She couldn't have been happier.

They gathered all the gear and what ever surviving supplies they could from destroyed skimmers, 
and headed back to the equipment vehicles.  When they got there, they were greeted by the sight 
of Furel packing down the dirt on a freshly dug grave.

Kira ran over to him, worried.  She hadn't known anyone was hurt.  Lupaza watched from the 
distance.  Kira's demeanor immediately stiffened as she vainly tried to appear unmoved by her 
friend's death.  After a moment she leaned over and picked a wild flower, placing it on the 
freshly dug dirt.  Then she walked away, joining the others loading the trucks.  

Shakaar watched the entire scene, with guilt plain on his face.  Lupaza had told him the truth 
about Terris, and he felt the responsibility keenly.  But eventually, he too returned to the 
trucks.  There wasn't anything else he could do, and there were others who needed his 
leadership. 


Two days later Kira was still cleaning equipment from the ambush.  Why in the world had she ever 
been eager to do this?  The rush  of success from the battle died off quickly, leaving her with 
a raw ache when ever she thought of Terris.   She pushed the thoughts away, and forced herself 
to focus on the task at hand.

Lupaza walked up to Kira, observing her carefully.  The girl was still clearly pleased with her 
performance, but there was sorrow there too.  "Hey, Nerys."  Kira looked up, surprised, but 
happy to have company.  Lupaza sat next to her on the cave floor.  "I made something for you."

Kira's eyes brightened in anticipation, and Lupaza held back a chuckle.  Kira's emotions were 
always plainly visible on her face.  She really had to work on that if she was ever to go 
undercover.  

"What is it."  She asked with youthful eagerness. It wasn't often she got a present of any 
kind.

Lupaza held out a small piece of shiny metal.  Kira took the religious earring gently, 
reverently.  It had her clan symbol on it.  She looked at Lupaza, for an explanation.

"I made it from that skimmer, as a souvenir of your first battle against the Cardassians, and of 
your official initiation into the Shakaar.

Kira smiled brightly again, clearly touched by the gift, as she deftly attached the earring.  
"Thanks, Lupaza.  This is great!  I lost my old one last year and I didn't know how to get 
another one."

Lupaza helped her adjust the earring appropriately, and gently pushed the unruly hair out of the 
way to get a good view.  "Well, don't lose this one, Nerys.  Every Bajoran needs their earring.  
It's what makes us Bajoran."

Nerys nodded, her face very serious.  To lighten the mood, Lupaza ruffled her hair playfully, 
and was rewarded with the usual "quit it."  she smiled as she walked away.  "I think there're 
some more rifles over there if you're done."  Kira groaned, scrunching her face up in distaste, 
and making Lupaza smile even more.  Things were back to normal.
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