<< OOC: Obviously this takes places after the SSFCOM Staff Meeting. Just wanted to nudge it out early, and get Chimera going. -RH >> ===== Shane's temporary quarters, Starbase 485 ===== Shane took the cup of green tea he's just replicated and slowly went over to the small table in the room. After some stretching in the morning and spending half an hour in the station's holo-gym Shane returned to his quarters to have a shower and change his clothes. The lately shopping hunt with Rangi had at last one positive point ... Shane bought this grey cotton trousers and blue loose shirt ... two pieces of clothing he fastly learned to appreciate. Shane rarely felt confortable in civilian clothing and therefore spend the vast majority of his time in an uniform, but this two pieces of clothes learned him a new way. Sitting behind the desk and sipping from his tea, Shane read the content of a worn PADD. It was the latest crew morale evaluation report from the hands of the counselor ¬ LT. Wellington. She was quite sure that the crew was recovering from the effects of the latest mission quite quickly and that the 2 weeks stay on the station boosted morale sky high. Shane scratched his chin and thought if he was the only one that was getting uneasy. Sure ... 2 weeks of R&R on a quiet station was a nice thing, but Shane had always been a bit paranoic concerning SSF COMM and Intel. He was quite sure that the {Intel guys on Bragg} were brewing something unpleasant ... the event of grounding the General for some desk job cause their last mission was just ridiculous. {Who knows what will be next} he thougth with a bit sour feeling in his mind. His thoughts were interrupted by the female voice of one of the station OPS officers: "Commander Guzman, there is a transmission from SSF COMM going in, adressed for you." "For me?" Shane wondered. Usualy it was the General who usually had the pleasantry to speak with the 'high ups' from SSF. It seemed that those times were past by now ... "Yes Commander, for you and encrypted like hell". Shane grinned to himself. {Encrypted rarely means good news} he thought and replied: "All right, patch it please through". Shane stood up from his chair and went over to the wall computer pannel and tapped a flashing button. [Authorisation of Commander Shane Guzman required] announced the feminine voice of the station's computer. "Guzman Omega Pakos 7" said Shane and watched the black screen changing into the all too familiar SSF logo. After a little moment the screen flashed again. Jeni shifted slightly in her seat, back on Starbase Bragg, before the face of Cmdr. Guzman flashed into view. The Commander wasn't quite what she expected, his face a bit more clean cut and determined than what she saw in her head, but that served her right for not check his image in his file. "Commander, hope I'm not interrupting," Jeni opened, not wanting to be overly forceful or formal. Cmdr. Guzman had just lost his ship, along with whatever personal possessions he had on board. Not to mention the fact that he and BGen. Keylor had just fought against the X!Chi for the timeline.. it was a lot of stress to put on any officer. Shane was surprised to see the Special Forces Commander on the other end of the screen. Though Jeniffer Cole was just a Colonel she was in charge of the whole SSF and the biggest ace there. "Erm ..." Shane started a bit surprised, "not at all Sir. Was just reviewing some crw reports but thats nothing pressing for the moment and since we are here for R&R there is time plenty" Jeni nodded, before continuing on, "I know I'm not giving you a lot of downtime, but I need you and your crew back up to speed. I've arranged for you to keep whatever crew you wish from the Chimera, should you choose, but I need your people back at Bragg to pick up your new ship. We've got a mission for you." Shane was catched by surprise for the second time. He was expecting some news from SSF Command but effectively ending their R&R and assigning them a new mission was still quite surprising. His fleet trainign kicked in s he replied: "I think we can leave the station within 24 hours from now. Since there are not many man in the current Chimera crew I think we can find a way how to get to Omega system having an official order for the Omega border guards to let us pass. The trouble is that we have hardly more then two third of the original crew and I am ot sure if we can handle anything bigger then an Interpid class." "Then you'll have to pick up some people quickly, because you're getting a bit of an upgrade," Jeni stated matter-a-factly, "Arrangements have been made to transport you through to Bragg. Your ship has just arrived, and we'll be pouring over it to make sure she's ship-shape by the time you and your crew arrive." Shane noded. "Yes sir, thank you sir" he replied. "May I ask you about the mission? Anything we should know of and be prepared for? "I'm sending you an information package right now with mission details, along with data on your new ship and transfer to Bragg," Jeni answered, before giving a bit of a rundown about what they were going to be tasked to do, "a research facility has gone silent, and given what they were doing, it's not hard to understand why. Your orders are to go there, re-secure the facility, and investigate." It was a sensitive mission, but after Cmdr. Guzman read the details, he would understand why. It wasn't exactly a milk run, but Chimera was a tried and tested crew, one that Jeni felt in her gut needed to get back out there. A shorter than average rest, she knew, but they had taken quite a beating in the past, not to mention losing a ship and now a long time Commanding Officer. They needed to get back to their jobs, some sense of normalcy.. and in Starfleet, Special Forces or not, that meant going out and doing what they were trained to do. Not sit on their butts in a two bit starbase. Shane considered his next question. One thing was the dislike of orders, other was an open disagreement with the SSF Commander. Shane do WANT to do a career in the fleet, but not going blind through other's graves. "May I ask you sir?" he started, "I would like to know why is the General supposed to accept a desk job? He's an excellent ship's Captain and his authority on the Chimera was always unquestioned. He's an veteran marine soldier and a desk job is the last thing I can imagine the General doing. If it is cause our last mission ... why just him alone? It was me who commanded the Chimera when he was on the Gott ... shouldnt I be 'offered' a desk job as well?" Jeni huffed a heavy sigh, before looking the Commander straight in the eye as she answered him. It was a fair question, and deserved a fair and honest answer, "The General is all of those things, but he was also the Commanding Officer. It doesn't matter if the ship ran into a star by accident while he was sleeping, he is still the Commanding Officer, and at the end of the day, held accountable for his ship, his crew, and their actions. He knew that when he took the job, it comes with the territory. "It took Capt. Picard half a year to get assigned to a new ship after the loss of the Enterprise-D, and he's damn near the best Captain in the Fleet since Kirk. If it helps any, you can think of this as standard procedure and cooling off time. The General will return to the field in due time, but that time isn't now. I'd daresay that it's your time. He has every faith in you, and it's due in no small part to his recommendation that you were allowed to remain on Chimera, with the same crew. That's a rather large vote of confidence, and I don't think the General has placed it carelessly. "It's your ship now, Commander, and your crew. The General left you with big shoes to fill, but fill them your own way. He couldn't be a CO forever, and neither can you.. but you're the Captain now." Shane blinked twice before coming up with an answer. For the third time in a very short time he was surprised. As said before, Shane didnt had much dealing with SF or SSF high ups but those few he ever met or spoke were mostly very confident about their own wits ... almost arrogant when dealing with lower ranking officer. Unlike the woman he was just speaking to. A plain answer to a plain question ... something that was not usual among high ups and intel guys. "I understand Sir." He said at last, "thank you for the confidence in me and our crew, we will do our best not to let you down." Still ... there was an sour taste about all this. As every Executive officer ... Shane sometimes dreamed about becoming CO but when it just happend now ... Shane just couldnt feel the joy and excitement ... Anyway, the colonel seemed to be a right person on a right place. "Thank you for the answer Sir" Shane said " "Just get your people to Bragg. If you have any questions, you can ask me there," Jeni replied. It was a tough situation for the Commander, but no one said the Special Forces was easy. Besides, this wasn't the end of Chimera's story.. just another chapter in it. Shane noded: "There will be sure some, but untill I've read the mission informations and know about the new ship and our crew there are none sir. I'll report to you once we are on Bragg". This all was so rushed ... one day Shane learns that he's CO of the new Chimera and on the very tomorrow he's summoned on a new mission, with a beaten and not fully rested crew on a shiney new ­ but not real space checked ship ... but werent so half of all their missions? One thing bothered Shane ... how will the crew get the news of Shane becoming their Commanding officer. From the very commisioning of the Chimera and the creation of the crew it was Bretam who was the leading force, the ultimative authority on board ... and after three years in space ... it should change now. "Very well, Cole out," Jeni finished, terminating the transmission. It was a challenge, no doubt, but challenges like this were often what made the true heart of any military unit. She would follow this mission and this crew with great interest, not just because of the gravity of the situation and possible implications, but also to follow the development of this new Captain and his crew.