===Briefing room=== Keylor listened to everyone's report. Even though things had not seemed to be inthier favor, it could have been worse. He nodded as each officer reported the status of their recent activities. Once everyone was finished, he chimed in with his questions. First Keylor looked at 2lt Acheson. "Lieutenant, I have asked Mr. Kilpatrick to modify phaser rifles to match the protoplaser Dr. Summers used on the station. Once he has found the way to do this, I want every Oda member to have a modified rifle. Be prepared to head back to the station soon." Keylor watched Acheson nod in compliance. Keylor then noticed Shane wanting to talk. He looked over to Shane and nodded for him to speak. </snip> "I believe that with the help of the protophaser, the portable energy emitter, metahpasic field and antiproton flood we have no longer to fear an ambush by the aliens. If we can replicate enough of such equipment for the ODA members, I think we can consider ourselves safe from the aliens. I think we could even get rid of the aliens of the station but still we have know no way how to stop the transwarp tunnels from appearing." </snip> Keylor nodded and let Shane continue. </snip> "One possible way is to destroy the station. With no station here, the aliens will have no point of interest here." Not looking for responses he continued: "An another way is to try to find a way to communicate with the captured alien and maybe make them understand that we wont tolerate their attacks and that we now have the technology to repeal them. The third way I see is to send an third away team to the station, clear it and try to reverse whatever have the researchers done" Nick thought for a moment. "I don't think we can just destroy the station, true the aliens may have no reason to continue their attacks but there is no reason to assume that the portals will close." he shifted slightly in his seat. "I suggest we have the options of, destroying the station and quarantining this system so ships wont come into contact with the portals. The second option is to board the station and attempt to reverse what the research team were up to and if it fails destroy the station and quarantine any remaining portals. Third is trying to communicate with the alien but I think that should be done regardless of which option we take." Nick leaned back in his chair and waited for the responses. </snip> Keylor nodded, "Yes Lieutenant. I agree that destroying the station is not a good course of action, not yet at least." Keylor then looked over to Shane. "And if we did, the researchers data would be lost, and any hopes of figuring out how or why this happened along with it." He then looked back to Nick, "Not only would the federation be remiss about loosing the data, but we would then not be able to predict if this is local to this system or if the aliens can open portals elsewhere, remember this is subspace we are talking about. Just because their portals are here, does not mean they can't open them elsewhere. So quarantining this system is not necessarily an effective counter measure to this problem." He continued looking at all of the officers gathered. "Even though the aliens appear to be hostile with us, I would like to find a more peaceful solution rather then just blast them to hell. So destroying the station is a last ditch effort." Shane looked away for a second and chucked to himself. {Truly a Captain ... Even Jean Luc Picard wouldn't react otherwise.} It was quite funny that first Officers were often ready for using power and make the ship's security a priority ... and that Captains tried everything possible to maintain peace ... to make a friendly contact ... even if their own ship was put in danger. Shane nodded to Keylor and listened to him. Keylor then shuffled his weight in his chair and then continued. " Even though Ens Oriana is working on a way to close the portals, we don't know how this happened. That would require going to the station, retrieving the data and then brining it back for analysis. I dot think we have that time right now. With the aliens working on one of our torpedoes, we need to stop them, at least to the point of not using the torpedo." Keylor stood up form his chair, "I think our next course of action is two fold. First we need to go back to the station and stop them from modifying the torpedo. We need to know what it is they are doing with it. Secondly, and perhaps the most dangerous is shutting down the stations warp core. Since it appears they need our warp energy to open, or possibly maintain these portals, lets take away their ability." Shane shook his head slightly and thought to himself: {Why the heck haven't I thought about this ways?} And after a second he said to himself ... {Well Shane, that's why he is a Captain and you the XO ... and not otherwise ...} Keylor looked about the table." 2lt Acheson, two teams of oda will go back to the station. Your objectives are the torpedo room and main engineering. You will provide the security for the remaining team members. Have one team accompany engineers and me to main engineering. We will shut down their core. I would like to have that communications specialist along in case we have an opportunity to talk to the intruders." Keylor then looked over to the CEO. "LT Quayle, assign couple of engineers to accompany me." He then looked out the window of the briefing room. "The shuttle bay over there is accessible but there is not atmosphere in the shuttle bay. The engineers will need to establish the shuttle bay force fields so we can pressurize the bay and access the rest of the station. We will be in one shuttle." Keylor then looked at Shane. "Commander you will take the second team with Acheson to the torpedo room. The ODA weapons specialists should be capable of disarming the torpedoes and determine what modifications they are or have made. Once all torpedoes have been rendered useless, rendezvous with my team. You will take a second shuttle." Shane nodded once again to Keylor: "Aye, Colonel". This was the Bretam he knew ... enteric and an action-man. Keylor then looked a6t Ens. Oriana. "Ensign, please continue to find a way to close the portals. If we are unsuccessful we will need to use force." Keylor then looked at Rangi. "Dr., I would like you and your officers to continue treating the wounded." Keylor started to walk around the table slowly. "Everyone on the away teams will carry a modified phaser rifle for defensive measures and replicated device that seems to mask our presence to the aliens. I don't want any direct confrontations. Slip in, achieve our goals and then regroup." Shane looked up at Keylor and asked: "I guess we will meet resistance from the aliens. I believe that they are intelligent enough to foresee our actions and will wait for us on the station. Will we have the permission to use force against the aliens?" Keylor shook his head no. "I am not sure about that. While on the station they seemed preoccupied with finding us and attacking us. Perhaps with this device that appears to mask our presence, they will be caught unaware. Plus, with our presence in the shuttle bay, hopefully they will be distracted, allowing us to slip in." Shane took the answer as an gentle said 'no' . He was not happy about it, imaging a horde of blood-hunting aliens waiting for them somehow 'expecting' that Shane's away team doesn't have the permission to open fire ... Not wanting to present his objections in front of the other officers he only nodded towards his CO. Keylor finished circling the table and stopped next to Shane. "As soon as all of the rifle modifications and shielding devices are complete we will return to the station. Everyone get ready to go. Dismissed." Shane stood up from his chair and glanced over to Rangi to see if he could catch her before she will leave the station. Keylor watched as several of the officers stood up immediately and began leaving the room. He looked over to Shane and was about to speak when Kilpatrick called him. +taps+ LCpl Kilpatrick to Col Bretam. I need to speak with you as soon as possible. +taps+ Very well corporal. I will be there in a few minutes. Bretam Out. Keylor looked at Shane, "Why don't you walk with me." He said motioning to the door. Having one more glance in Rangi's direction he nodded to Keylor: "Of course Colonel." Shane knew that Keylor wanted to know his personal opinion about the whole 'business' ... the one that he haven't presented in front of other senior officers. That was a gentleman CO-XO agreement. In front of the crew the XO will support the CO and his decisions and in exchange ... the CO will listen to his XO's concerns and opinion in private. As the both man walked Shane started: "Sir, I know you wont like that, but i must ask you to stay on board and not lead an away team. If I am right with the alien suspecting us to return ... we can easily get an bloody bath ..." Keylor nodded, "I understand commander. But with so many of out crew going on the away team, I rather be there to help direct our effort..." he looked at Shane, "Some thing I cant do form the ship with out a way to communicate with everyone." Shane looked sideways at Keylor. If it wouldn't be such a serious issue , it would be almost funny how those two man always wrangled about Keylor leaving the ship or no. It was like an old earth game ... ping-pong ... one smashed the ball to the other player and he retaliated it back to the first player ... and so on and on. Here was just one difference ... Keylor being the CO had a BIGGER bat. Shane nodded: "I understand. I always knew that we wont find a common speech in this issue" he said with a light grin. "I know that you are used to field and combat duty and must feel like a fish on a pan on the bridge while the action is elsewhere ... but you know the fleet regulations, you are the Captain and even the decision is ultimately up to you, I am quite sure Admiral Hunter wont be too happy about you exposing yourself into unnecessary danger ..." Keylor stopped and looked at Shane again. "Well undue risk is one thing. but here we are, facing a potentially hostile alien race we hare unfamiliar with, and they have the ability to open a subspace portal focused on any warp core the federation has? No in this case I think the danger is mitigated in the respect that if we don't find a way to stop this, then the entire federation can be in danger." Shane looked at Keylor and asked: "Cant we make some cover action sir? I mean, sometime to draw the attention of the aliens to an another direction. Something to make them less focised on the station ... like I don't know ... well ... shooting broadband energy particles?" Keylor shrugged and continued to walk. "I don't know commander. May be we can have engineering create some sort of portable generator to simulate the emissions that a warp core emits. May be that would get their attention." "I think that Ens. Oriana mentioned something to me" he said tying to remember. "I think she mentioned the use of the ship's main deflector dish or something like that. Before we leave i could meet with her and with your permission prepare some sort of an emergency plan ..." Keylor nodded, "well if it distracts the aliens to another part of the station, then by all means, yes. The fewer things the away team has to do when over there the better." Shane noded like so many times before. "Aye, sir. I'll contact Oriana in 15 minutes, i just ... " he paused for a second like considering his words, "go to sickbay to look after our wounded" he added with a light smile on his lips. He knew that Keylor would guess him right and now was interested in his reaction. Keylor listened as Shane's words trailed off. Though they had been back on the ship for a few hours, he was pretty certain that Shane had not had a chance to talk to Rangi. And after believing that his beloved doctor might have been seriously hurt or lost, there was probably an urge on Shane's part to go behold the one he loved. He smiled and nodded, "That will do Commander I will not keep you from your duty. I am sure you have pressing things you need to attend to, like checking up on the status of the wounded in sickbay?" he added with a grin. Shane looked at his feet to hide his broad smile. {Da old Bretam its a bad fellow when he's in mood} he thought for a moment before mastering his facial expression once again. Looking up at Bretam, Shane's face was again (almost) expressing only duty interest in the sickbay. "Exact as you say Sir" he replied, "I will keep you update sir. Now if you could excuse me please?" ===End Log=== Col Bretam Keylor Captain USS Chimera & LtCmdr Shane Guzman Executive Officer USS Chimera