"Resistance" by Amylynn Bellingrath

Disclaimers: 
Yes we know, all characters are owned by Paramount (except the ones I made
up!) and I think we all know that they have more fun when WE have them!


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Kira Nerys had been running around performing various chores in the mountain
camp all day, but she was happy.  She figured that they were testing her, to
see if she had what it took to be a Resistance fighter.  In the past 14 hours,
she'd cleaned twelve phaser rifles, fetched water, helped Lupaza gather wood
from a nearby fall of trees, and at least a dozen other simple tasks.  By
nightfall, she was exhausted, dirty, and hungry.  She sat down next to a young
woman named Nadena Fel, and struck up a conversation.
	"Hey, Nadena, I'm Nerys," she extended her hand, palm down, in the formal
Bajoran greeting. She desperately needed a friend, and although she liked
Lupaza, she wanted to know someone closer to her own age of twelve.  Nadena
was fifteen, but she was the youngest member of the Shakaar cell.
	"Hey, Nerys, call me Fel," she took Nerys' handshake, and followed it up with
a radiant smile, "You're the one Shakaar and Furel have been ‘training'," her
eyes twinkled as she remembered her own "initiation" was like.  "Have they
been working you hard?"
	"No, not too bad.  I'm doing okay, I think." she thought she was making an
impression on the leader, Shakaar Edon, but she didn't really know.
	"That's great.  I know how badly you want to be in the cell." Fel took a deep
breath before continuing, "but aren't you a little young to be fighting?"  Her
tone became almost protective; she had lost a sister to Cardassian gunfire,
one who would have been about Nerys' age.  It saddened her to think of her
baby sister holding a phaser rifle and firing at soldiers who were much larger
than herself.
	"My mother died when I was little, and I have no idea where my father and two
brothers are, or if they're even still alive." Her story was all too familiar
to those who heard; most of the members of the Resistance had watched family
and friend die at the hands of the occupying forces of Bajor.  Most of them
felt that after witnessing the atrocities firsthand, they had a duty to fight
back.	
	"Just keep their memories alive, Nerys.  It's the only way to survive around
here, sometimes."  It was all the advice she could give the young girl, and it
had worked for her for three years.
	In the days that ensued, Nerys and Fel spent a lot of time together.  Shakaar
had noticed the friendship that was blossoming between the two, and he had a
hand in making sure they were paired together as much as possible.  They took
meals together, and most of the base tasks that Nerys did were for Fel and her
team.
	One evening, after a particularly horrific attack on a Cardassian weapons
depot, Nerys watched as the team came back, bloody and injured.  She looked
frantically for Fel, knowing that she had participated in the raid, and could
have been killed in the fight.  Finally, breathing a sigh of relief, she found
her in a corner, dirty and bruised, but alive.  She ran over to give her a
friendly greeting when she noticed that Fel was crying as if her heart were
broken, so she stopped and crouched down to comfort her.
	‘What's wrong? Are you hurt?" her voice bordered on panic; she had grown fond
of Fel, and couldn't bear to see her wounded in any way.
	"No, it's....nothing.  I'll be all right." although her words were strong,
she just couldn't keep up her rock steady facade.  To avoid further questions,
she turned towards the wall, still sobbing.
	Kira decided that she wasn't content with Fel's brush off, and did what she
always did in these situations; she grew persistent.  She sat next to her
friend, trying to protect her from whatever it was that caused her to cry.
	"Come on, Fel, what is it?  You know that I'm a good listener and whatever it
is, it can't be bad enough to keep bottled up inside."  She put an arm around
Fel's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.	
	~Wow, she's incredibly mature for her age~ thought Fel.  Many of the young
adults all over Bajor had to assume adulthood early, taking over families
ravaged by war, joining resistance cells to save loved ones.  Fel remembered
her own short childhood and the hardships she'd gone through, and decided to
confide in her new friend.  Maybe it was the faint resemblance to her dead
sister that drew her to Nerys', but at any rate, it was good to have a friend.
Sniffling and wiping her eyes, she began the story that pained her so.
	"Well, as we came up on the building that housed the weapons depot, four
Cardassians surrounded a  few of us.  We'd  gotten separated from the larger
group, because Shakaar wanted some of us to take hunter probes to the civilian
level of the depot.  He had said that we should not just target the soldiers
patrolling the building, but those manufacturing the weapons."  At this, Nerys
smiled; Shakaar was an intelligent and crafty leader, never missing the chance
to get the Cardassians the way they themselves were targeted
	Fel continued, "We must have tripped an alarm, because those troops came as
soon as we left the outer perimeter of the building. They leveled their rifles
at us, but weren't going to shoot, not right away anyway.  They wanted
information from us, information on the number of terrorists involved there,
and the location of our camp.  I couldn't believe how terrified I was; my
whole body seemed to freeze."  With a deep breath, she sat up straighter,
calming herself.  She continued, "They took us inside and brought us to a
cell, next to an interrogation room.  Their plan was to take us in, one by
one, and torture us until we talked.  They figured they needed more than one,
as some of us would most assuredly stay silent until death."
	"Torel was the first to go," her face paled slightly at the memory.  "I'll
never forget the look on her face as they dragged her out of the cell–defiant
and proud.  I was able to squeeze her hand as she passed me.  I knew I'd never
see her again, because I had a feeling that she would rather die than sell us
out!"
	Nerys sensed her friend's near panicky state, and tried to comfort her.  She
moved closer, and surrounded Fel with a warm embrace.  She knew that holding
her wouldn't take away the insufferable memory, but it was all she had.
	The gesture calmed the young woman, and she felt she could finish painting
the gruesome picture of the events that had transpired.
	She shook with rage and sadness as she told Nerys of their rescue by fellow
soldiers.  "They broke in and got us, but not before Torel and Razka were
killed.  Those of us remaining took our hunter probes and sent them to their
targets."  Now Fel's spirit rose a bit as she explained how the probes
destroyed half of the depot and killed at least a dozen Cardassian soldiers
and civilians. "At least we got them.  It was the only way we could avenge the
deaths of our own."
	Fel went on to express her sadness, as Torel was one of her closest friends.
"I'll never forget the screams and cries we heard from Torel and the Razka as
they were "interrogated".  Well, you've heard what they do to those they need
to extract information out of..." her voice cracked, and Kira found herself
wondering what she would have done if she was in a similar situation.  She
wasn't sure if she'd have been able to survive the killing of her friends, now
that most of her family was gone.  Sure, Pohl, Reon, and her father might
still be alive, but she didn't know, and that was almost as bad as thinking of
them as dead.	
	Fel's silence brought Kira out of her thoughts.  She'd stopped crying and sat
staring into space, an almost serene look on her face.
	"Fel? Are you okay?" Nerys said urgently.
	"Yes, I'm just trying to remember Torel as she was when she was alive.....how
she always had a smile for everyone, no matter what was going on outside.  She
had a great spirit that I always looked up to.  I'm going to miss her."  With
that statement, Fel stood up and brushed the dirt off of her trousers.  "I
think I need something to drink, how about you?"  She helped Kira to her feet
and the two friends walked off to find something to dull the pain of loss.
	A few days later, Nerys was wandering around, looking for something to do.
Shakaar had been hinting at letting her become a full fledged member of the
cell, but a few members had commented on Nerys' size.  Some thought her too
small, too young, or too inexperienced to fight in a real battle, but Shakaar
was positive that she'd learn soon.  She came upon Furel, talking to some of
the more skilled members.  She found Fel in their midst and sat down next to
her.
	"Hey, what's going on?"  She asked in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the
meeting.
	Fel replied in a quiet voice, "They received some information on a Cardassian
supply dropoff at another base about 15 miles into Dakhur province.  They're
planning an ambush, but we're one person short."  With that statement, Fel
turned her attention back to Furel.  
	Kira suddenly had an idea.  She stood up, cleared her throat, and asked
permission to speak. "Furel, I've had a lot of training in the past few weeks.
Fel has taught me much of what I need to know to be a full member of the cell.
I know that I can help, if you'll let me join the ambush tonight."  Several
others turned to look at her, and suddenly she felt very small and
insignificant, but she stood her ground as she waited for Furel's answer.
	Another soldier stood defiantly, "She's too small, Furel.  What use could she
be to us?  She couldn't be as strong and quick as someone with more training,
who has done this before."  A few others murmured agreement, their comments
growing louder as they discussed the subject.  Furel attempted to silence the
group, to no avail.  Finally, he called Shakaar over to offer his opinion; as
the leader he had the ultimate vote.  
	Shakaar quieted the crowd with a whistle.  Nerys was still standing at the
edge of the group, trying not to shake with embarrassment.  Shakaar asked
Furel and Fel for their opinions, and then scrutinized Kira.  He stared at
her, and finally decided that she was big enough to join the ambush.  He
walked away, secure in his decision to make Kira a full fledged member of the
Shakaar Resistance cell.
	Nerys was ecstatic.  She'd been waiting weeks for some sort of acknowledgment
from Shakaar.  Others, including Fel and Lupaza, had commented on her small
accomplishments, but Shakaar had barely even spoken to her, other than to give
her a job of some sort.  She almost didn't hear Shakaar returning to the
meeting.  She turned when her name was mentioned.
	"Nadema, I'm putting you in charge of Kira."  He said with a nod, "Since
she's new, I'd like someone to keep an eye on her.  I know that you have spent
a lot of time together, and you seem to get along great." Then he turned to
Kira and said, "What do you think, Kira Nerys? Ready to fight for Bajor?"
	"Yes sir!" she nearly shouted, "I won't let you down, Shakaar."
	That evening became one of the most significant events that Kira would
remember.  They lined the ambush up on a ridge near where the Cardassian
supply ship was going to land, and waited.  Fel and Nerys crouched together
behind a large cluster of boulders, rifles at the ready, for what seemed like
days.  As the hours crept by, they whispered to each other, telling stories
and sharing memories of their pasts.  If they hadn't been preparing for a
deadly fight that was surely to be a suicide mission, it would have been a
pleasant way to spend an evening.  Kira stifled a giggle about that; imagining
an evening spent this way was too good to be true.
	Finally, when it seemed that the information given them was false, a ship
entered the atmosphere.  Mabok Pren had the tricorder at the ready, and
located the incoming ship before it landed.  He gave the signal, and the
soldiers prepared themselves for the battle.
	As the hatch of the skimmer opened, they got a glimpse of the first
Cardassian before all hell broke loose.  They opened fire on the skimmer,
killing anyone who exited. Kira felt powerful, as if she could take out all
her grief on the officers coming out of that ship.  They had fired steadily at
the Cardassians without their positions being discovered, but it seemed as
though there were more Cardassians coming out of that ship than could ever
have fit in it.
	 Then a terrible thing happened.  At the sight of a Cardassian soldier who
seemed larger and more obscene than the others, Fel suddenly let out a cry and
rushed out of her hiding place, firing wildly. She managed to kill the
soldier, nearly decapitating him, before falling to the ground dead from
Cardassian fire. She had been screaming as she ran toward the skimmer at that
hulking Cardi.  ~ they were Bajoran names~, Kira thought. It occured to Nerys
as she watched the horror in front of her that the names she heard were names
of Fel's family that had died in the massacre of her hometown. Kira slumped on
the ground, stunned by the awful murder of her friend she had witnessed. It
was too much for her to take, and she thought she would just die here as well.
	"NO!!!" she screamed and got up, meaning to follow her friend to her death.
She got as far as the edge of the wall of rocks, still waving her rifle and
screaming, when Lupaza grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.  She had
been stationed next to the place where Nerys and Fel were, and had watched
Kira's breakdown from her place before realizing that they just might lose two
soldiers tonight, instead of one.  
	"Nerys, Nerys!!" Lupaza yelled at Kira, shaking her, trying to snap her out
of her tirade. "She's gone! You can't save her, and you can't bring her back!!
If you don't calm down, you'll get us all killed!! We've got to finish what
we've started!"  She took Kira's hand and sat her down.  Kira allowed herself
to be pushed down on the ground and sat there, staring into space slackjawed.
Lupaza stood up and peeked through a crack in the boulders, getting a look at
what was going on.  She fired her rifle a few more times, and finally all was
quiet.  By the time they had finished their ambush, fourteen Cardassian
soldiers were dead, and two Resistance fighters.  Their were a few wounded
cell members, but none seriously. They had won this particular battle.
	The rest of the night was a blur in Kira's memory.  She remembered going to
the place where they had laid Fel's body, on a platform inside the cave near
their camp.  She sat there, numb.  Inside her mind, she had retreated to a
safe place, where her and Fel sat in a field of flowers, talking and laughing.
Every so often, a cell member would come to where Kira sat, offering food,
drink, or advice; but she ignored them until they left, shaking their heads.
	She finally fell asleep, seated near the platform, holding Fel's cold hand in
her own warm one. The last thought that entered her mind as she fell into
unconsciousness was that at least Fel had joined her family and friends, in
the place of the Prophets.  That thought was oddly comforting to the young
girl.
	A few days later, after Fel had been laid to rest in a grassy area near camp,
Shakaar asked to speak with Nerys.  They sat on large rocks right outside of
the cave.  
	"Nerys, I know that you and Fel were close, and I know that you're taking her
death pretty hard," he started, not knowing how to get through her grief and
actually speak with her.
"I just wanted to talk to you and give you a little information as to why Fel
did what she did."  He took a breath and paused to study Kira's face.  She
looked up at him and smiled, in a vain attempt to hide her feelings.  By
holding back her grief, she'd managed to make it through the last few days.
She hadn't yet cried, knowing somehow that if she did cry, she might never
stop.  She'd put on a strained facade for anyone who asked her how she was
coping.
	It didn't fool Shakaar Edon, who'd actually witnessed his entire family's
massacre when he was only six years old.  He leaned over and took her hand
gently  in a brotherly gesture.
	"Look, Kira.  I know it's a hard thing to think about.  We have all lost
loved ones–brothers, mothers, spouses, even children–to this Occupation.
You're going to have to let the grief out, or it'll just consume your soul."
He patted her hand before letting go and sitting up straighter.  She offered a
sincere smile at his gesture, and he returned it before continuing.
	"The reason I asked to speak with you is this: I wanted to let you know that
none of us blame you for your behavior upon Fel's death.  It's perfectly
acceptable to react in a violent way when faced with such horror; so don't
give it another thought."
	That seemed to spark the fire in Kira's eyes a bit, as she was afraid that
she'd let them down by almost giving away their position.  She nodded at him,
and waited for him to speak.
	I also wanted you to know about the Cardassian that Fel was able to
assassinate before being shot.  His name was Gul Creblar of the Fourth Order."
Kira gasped at the mention of his name, causing Shakaar to stop speaking.  He
realized that she knew of the actions of this particular Gul, and why it had
provoked Fel to commit suicide.
	"I guess she told you of the ritualistic killing of her sister and parents a
few years ago.  It was members of his Order that did it, so I guess the sight
of him just broke her."  He shook his head, "It's a shame.  She was a great
soldier, and a damn fine person as well."  His voice broke slightly on the
last part of the sentence, and Kira realized that he cared for Nadema more
than he let on.  She stood up and brushed the dirt off her trousers,
	"Well, sir.  I guess we know now what this crazy war can do to a person.
It's up to us," she swept the camp with a gesture of her arm, "to continue
fighting the oppressors, so that no   other innocent families need to die."
She nodded at him and went inside.  She tried to remember her brothers, small
and too young to understand the suffering that was happening all around them.
The thought of Reon and Pohl, playing together, and the hope that one day they
might be reunited,  gave her purpose.  To fight to save her homeworld, even
unto death.

The end