*** Deck Two * USS Gott *** Rangi stepped out of the turbolift and turned to wait momentarily for Shane. They were on deck two and walking at last towards the quarters allocated to each of them. Seventy five percent of the crew were on stand down and the deck was busy with people trying to find their rooms. Rangi glanced at Shane and reached suddenly for his hand, not caring that they might be seen or that it wasnt fitting behaviour from two senior officers. She wanted the reassurance such a gesture gave. Shane looked back at Rangi a bit surprised about the gentle touch but without hesistation he took her hand and squeezed it slightly while smiling at his beloved. Aye, it wasnt text-book behaviour from the XO and CMO, but Shane knew that the crew knew about Rangi and him. At first, a long time ago, both Rangi and he were reluctant to give away that secret but after all the time passed .... their reluctance passed away as well They walked along the narrow corridor which was unusually quiet. Many of the crew were resting in their rooms or in the little mess hall and there was very little traffic on the decks. Arriving at their allocated rooms which were adjacent to each other, she stood looking at the access panel and for a moment her mind was numb, the code forgotten. "Is it three four eight or four eight three?"she asked him hopefully Shane shrugged first but then spoke out of memory: "Four eight three ..." It wasnt the first time he used Rangi's codes to get into her quarters. They entered the room and the door hissed shut. It was smaller than her quarters on Chimera and more sparsley furnished. After all the Gott was a Nova class ship not an Interpid and it even made the light impression that it was only shortly in use. {Perhaps only for the one mission} Shane thought while looking around the little room. Shane smiled a bit and said: "Lets hope SSF wont assign us this ship reasoning that we destroyed our old one ..." Rangi looked at him and reflected the smile. She took a few steps further and ran her eyes across her new temporary home. Turning back to Shane, she held out her hands to him "I need a hug" she said simply "..and so do you". Shane hugged his beloved and whispered: "Its long ago I had you this closely my love ... too long" There was a sad tone in his voice. "I know" she whispered and closed her eyes feeling the warmth of his body and his strong yet gentle arms around her. After a few seconds, she moved in his embrace, reached up to plant a kiss on his cheek and freed herself. Taking his hand she led the way to the small sofa which proved to be less comfortable than it looked.They sat down and leaned back, Rangi closed her eyes and exhaled a long sigh."I'm so tired" she said and, opening her eyes, turned her head towards Shane."...and look at you." she added after a moment. She sat up and moved to face him.With gentle fingers she touched his face, feeling the roughness of the unshaven skin. Shane nodded slightly. Here … in this room … he wasnt the Executive officer, but just a man like any other. "You are right my love, I am tired as I wasnt long time ago. These were very long hours and I feel that rest is needed badly." A minute passed there in sweet silence. Shane bent to Rangi, kissed her softly and asked: "Everything all right at sickbay? The crew and the General?" "Yes..he came down to sickbay." she replied. " That surprised me! He seems ok considering the cocktail of drugs in his system and the antivirus serum worked fine.. Private Ra'nar gave cause for concern..but he's responding to the treatment too." Shane sighed slightly again. Even when they have succeded to destroy the X!Chi threat and returned the Gott to their own timeline the cost of lives during this mission was just too high. Many brave man and woman lost their lives during the mission, some during the horrible trip of the Chimera during the anomaly, some in fight with the X!Chi, other cause the time anomalies. Looking sadly at Rangi he asked: "Any changes in sickbay since your last report?" Rangi looked at her fingers, entwined with Shanes . "We lost two more. Velasquez and Tibbolt." She paused then explained "I'm not surprised. Altering time twice was just too much..I dont think any of them will live long except Bruce....and he's going home a ten year old boy.....I suppose the SSF will contact his parents...what a shock for them.." Shane thought for a moment about the event and about the effects it might have on SSF, Starfleet and the whole federation. "I dont think he will make it home an soon" he said quietly, "SSF cant just let him go, nor can they allow US to speak about what we have just seen. I think Bruce will have to stay in SSF Custody for some time and our mission will be classified as top secret, so unless anyone want to spend 10 years in the Stellarton penal colony ... noone will ever speak about this." he added almost in a whisper. Rangi knew his words were true. They could never speak of it and bruce would not be returned to his parents. It was more likely that they would be told their son had 'died in the course of duty' perhaps with the addition of the term 'hero'. It was a chilling thought and Rangi lay for some time against Shane. She began to feel sleepy. Her head, resting on Shanes upper chest rose and fell slightly each time he breathed in and out and his fingers, which slowly stopped stroking her hair and came to rest on her neck, told her that he was drifting to sleep too. She opened her eyes and lost in thought, took little notice of what they looked at...Shanes uniform...the low table with an ugly ornament..the carpet...the wall and the pattern of shadows on it. Her thoughts drifted. Sickbay..Ra'nar..the General walking up to her with a smile on his face."I would not want you to think I cant keep an appointment. Had to show up in sick bay once, just to surprise you!" A smile flickered across her face as she recalled his words. The X'Chi..Nicholas Harker and Samanthas blonde loveliness.The aged crew and the young boy Bruce Walker who would thirty two years old next birthday but was now a child of ten. {Whats causing the shadows?} Rangi raised her head, focusing on the pattern on the wall. {There shouldnt BE any shadows} she told herself aware that the small room was well lit by overhead light and in a moment knew what she looked at. The pattern began near the door and ran in thin lines and thicker shapes across the wall to the sliding door of a full height cupboard. Rangi sat up carefully, glancing at Shane who stirred slightly at her movement. She looked back at the wall and stood up taking a hesitant step or two towards it. "They're hand prints" she murmured aloud and walked across the room to the cupboard. The prints ended at the edge of the door and Rangi reached out to slide it open. Inside were clothes. Two uniforms hung side by side. There were a few shirts and some trousers all crisp and tidy. Stacked neatly on a shelf to one side was a pile of sweaters and above them a collection of shoes, in pairs,one set of which was highly polished. Her eyes travelled across the contents and then slowly, inevitably, dropped lower. Still part hidden behind the half open door, the lifless eyes of a man stared into hers.Even in death there was fear and pain on his face. She knew that he had stumbled back to these quarters, seeking a place to hide from a X'Chi that had already struck him and gaining entrance to his little room, had with his last strength pulled open the sliding door and crept inside like a wounded animal seeking a place to die. All these thoughts ran through her mind and seeing him there curled away in a last effort to escape was the final straw. Her hand raised to her lips as a sob escaped them and then she was crying, for everything that had gone before, for the dead marines, for McTaggert, for the aged crew, for Chimera, for the possibilty of losing Shane and for the man who had highly polished shoes in his cupboard. Being awakened from an uneasy dream ... Shane was for a moment disoriented. A feeling of danger awoke in his mind and his survival training kicked in ... without any sound he slid from the sofa, covering himself behind it and his right arm tried to grasp the phaser he *thought* was fastened on his belt. Of course there was none and after another moment of confusion Shane remembered where he was. Only now he noticed Rangi standing in front of an opened cupboard crying. Jumping from his cover-position he swiftly walked over to his beloved and asked softly: "What is Rangi? What's happened?" Startled by the voice beside her, she turned her head quickly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Its him.." she said brokenly stepping back half a pace to reveal her discovery. She dashed the tears away with her fingers and looked at Shanes face. "I'm sorry." she said, trying to sound her normal self. "It was just the shock.....coming on top of everything else." She swallowed and wiped a stray tear glancing back at the crewmans body. Shane hughed his beloved and held her tight for a while longer. "Its all right darling, all will be good" he said to her in a soothing voice. "This was a terrible mission ... one like nooone should take part on, but its now all behind us" he added. Stroking her head slightly he said: "Let's go over to my place Rangi and let the dead be at peace". ===== End of log ===== LtCmdr. Rangi Summers CMO USS Chimera & Cmdr. Shane Guzman XO USS Chimera