The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [41]
Weapons fire flashed ahead of them. The crowd stifled a collective gasp, and the group’s horror and revulsion enveloped Deanna like a choking cloud.
“What happened?” Beverly asked.
Deanna couldn’t speak. She’d felt exactly what had transpired, and the horror of it threatened to overwhelm her.
Data, who had been studying the scene intently, reported, “They discovered a weapon on the farmer. The Jem’Hadar shot his entire family.”
“Deanna?” Vaughn said quietly. “Are you all right?”
Deanna fought back tears and nodded. “Just give me a second.” Breathe. Get past it. Now isn’t the time …
“Are they searching everyone?” Vaughn asked Data.
Data nodded. “It appears so.”
Vaughn turned back to Deanna. “Is there another way into the city?” Inside their coats, they each carried a phaser rifle. In addition, Data concealed a tricorder and Beverly her medical equipment.
Deanna swallowed and pointed to their left to a rough track winding uphill between tall bushes. “That footpath will take us to the director’s house. It circles the city to the prison on the other side.”
Vaughn nodded. “Then we’ll use the footpath. Lead the way, Commander.”
The team moved away from the crowd and started up the narrow track of hard-packed red clay that ran behind the extensive gardens of houses on the eastern edge of the city. They had traveled only a short distance when a familiar voice called out behind them.
“Halt!”
Deanna turned to see the Jem’Hadar patrol they had encountered earlier bearing down on them. Beside her, Vaughn shrank back into his old man guise. Beverly took Vaughn’s arm as if holding him upright, and Data set the bundle of cavat at his feet. Outwardly, her friends appeared both calm and puzzled at the Jem’Hadar approach, but Deanna sensed their coiled readiness to strike in an instant.
“Why are you avoiding the checkpoint?” the patrol leader demanded.
“We’re avoiding nothing,” Deanna said. “This path leads to Director Lanolan’s house and our home. Besides, my father’s mind is failing. The noises of the city frighten him, so we take this route instead of passing through all the hubbub and traffic.”
The Jem’Hadar leader motioned them onward. “We’ll follow you. When you reach the director’s house, we’ll determine if you are who you say.”
“Who else would we be?” Data, resuming his simpleton role with ease, asked in a puzzled and childish tone.
“Shut up, you idiot!” Deanna snapped. “Just pick up the cavat and get moving. We’re already late.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Data grabbed the bundle. Deanna shoved him ahead of her on the path, and Beverly, aiding Vaughn’s faltering steps, brought up the rear. The patrol followed, and Deanna could feel their eyes boring into her back, could read the suspicion in their thoughts. She hoped Lanolan or his wife would be at home to welcome them, or her team would end up battling the Jem’Hadar patrol.
She had forgotten how long, steep, and winding the footpath circling the city was, and their journey to Lanolan’s home seemed to take an eternity. Playing on his feigned infirmity, Vaughn stumbled several times, but not long enough to slow their progress. None of them wished to push the Jem’Hadar’s patience to the breaking point, because the narrow path offered no room for maneuvering if fighting broke out.
With relief, Deanna spotted the side track that split away from the main path and connected with the prison. She led the way down the steep slope toward the broad avenue and Lanolan’s house. Beverly and Vaughn tottered behind her, and Data placed himself at the rear of the group, a comforting shield between them and the Jem’Hadar.
A sweeping glance indicated the neighborhood and the prison on the hill behind the director’s house remained undamaged by Darona’s occupation force, but intact buildings didn’t guarantee their occupants had survived. For the first time, Deanna wondered whether the Jem’Hadar had killed the inmates and if Tevren was still alive. Executing the Betazoid prisoners would have freed the maximum security facility for any