<<OOC a slight backlog, happens an hour before all the recent promos >> *** Commander Guzmans Quarters * USS Chimera *** The wardrobe was wide with shelves set to the left hand side and two long hanging rails. A modest array of clothes hung on three hangers. {Mmmmm.we'll have to do something about that...thats no where near enough!} Rangi thought and closed the doors. She went back to the main room and stood in the centre, hands on hips. "Look at all this space!" she said, a pleased smile on her face. She turned a full circle and beamed at Shane."You like your new home?" Pleased with the order he had now in the wardrobe Shane smiled at his beloved and XO in one person and replied: "A lot! Those rooms are quite bigger then the ones on the old Chimera and I am sure we will accomodate to that quickly" Looking around he saw how barren and unpersonal the room looked like ... with almost no personal belongings in it. "Its a shame we have lost our things " he said, "but at least there is a reason to get us some new ones" he said with a soft laughter thinking back on the shopping trip on SB 485. She flopped down onto a soft chair and leaned back smiling at him. "We need to get you a few more things" she remarked and turning her head looked across the room. "This is the same layout as mine." she said " though in reverse." For a moment Shane frowned a bit trying to recall where Rangi's quarters was located. It was on the same deck of course, deck two was meant to house the ship's senior staff but instead of section one where Shane's was located, her's was in section four ... that means some 30 meters from his away. He shook his head and said: "I wonder who assigned us the quarters and why is yours that FAR away ..." "Some one with a warped sense of humour?" she replied drily. "Nah" Shane replied, "It was surely Foster. The guy had always an odd sense of humour. Lets check if there isnt Walsh's quarters between ours" ===== Some laters ===== Shane sipped from his tea and asked: "So Rangi, do you have any idea for a replacement for you in the sickbay? You cant run a sickbay and be the XO for any longer ... your place is on the Bridge now." He handed her a PADD with personal informatons: "SSF send us some nice Bios ... but I would like to know your opinion first ..." Rangi took the padd and switched it on. "I had thought of someone already actually." she said skimming her way down the list of names.She read for a moment then raised her eyes to him. "What do you think about Ra'nar?" she asked. Shane put his cup back on the table: "Ra'nar? You mean the cardasian Medical specialist?" Shane wondered: "Why him? Havent we got enough regular doctors?" "Yeees...we have" she replied thoughtfully and switching the padd off, laid it back on the table beside Shanes teacup."He impressed me alot in the last mission..he is very skilled man....and to be honest I'd prefer the post be filled by someone the crew already knows." They exchanged glances and she saw he wasnt convinced."He's a marine" she added. "I think it would be a good move." Shane scratched his chin and remained silent for a minute before replying: "I do not know Ra'nar too good by person but I fully trust your judgemnt Rangi. I know how anxious you still are about the sickbay and I know that you would never propose someone you would not really know he's suitable for that job." He paused for a minute again and said: "True is that I have noone else in mind and there is no time to wait for someone being assigned from outside the crew ... so lets do it so ... I'll appoint him as CMO, even if I have first to find a way how to do it ... after all he's still an NCO." "You'll find the answer" she replied smiling at him fondly, then laughed at his expression "Well I suppose I'll search the databse for any precedenses here or ask the base JAG department. Those guys are good in chasing one for buying a bottle of something they this is HIGHLY illegal, so let them do some usefull work for a change ..." he said with a grin. Rangi remained in the chair for a few moments more then got to her feet.She began a slow tour of the room, glancing now and then at Shane whose concentration was now on the padds in front of him. Slowly approaching his desk, she came to the opposite chair to his and sat down, saying nothing and waiting until he looked at her.When he did she voiced something that had been in her mind for a while. "Shane...I want to ask you something. Its a personal thing but in a way related to ...all this." She waved her hand vaguely at the pile of padds and her attention fixed on them thoughtfully. When she raised her gaze to him again it was for a moment as if she searched for something.She did not smile or make any indication that the 'personal' thing was happy. "It's about you ...and us." Shane looked at her a bit surprised about her obvious reluctance to ask. "Sure my love" he said, "I am listening like an intel subspace array" Still there was no glimmer of anything that would lessen the serious tone in her voice."I know that with this command comes 'so' much responsibility..." she paused and gave the slightest of shrugs. "... pressures would be a better word perhaps. But whatever the right term is....I've seen it happen to people when they have so much to handle. It's as though they lose themselves in it.... everything they were is buried in the new position...the responsibility" This time she part smiled at using the word she had dismissed. "I'm not expressing it well am I?" she asked then looked down at her hands."It's just that I imagined things would be different." she said, " I didnt count on this happening. I knew a command would come ofcourse.." she remet his gaze as she finished "...but not yet." She saw his expression change and forestalled him. "Shane...Promise me that you wont lose yourself in this... not entirely. ...that I will always have the man I fell in love with?" Shane was now taken a bit by surprise. Since Bretam told him about his resigantion he was in one big rush. A new ship, a new mission, crew related things ... that filled almost all of his time and drained almost all of his energy. He was absolutely unaware that he might be getting different ... in any way. But quickly recalling the last few days, he realised that he was already a bit different. It was hard to explain and he was not sure by himself ... but deep in his heart he knew Rangi was right. You cant give a man a responsibility for a whole ship and over 300 crewmembers without changing him in one way or another. Shane reached for Rangi's hand and said: "I dont mean to my love, I really dont mean to. Now I see that maybe I wont be aware when such something should happen, but I beg you to tell me when it does, to stop me when I turn to somthing none of us want ... I need you as a anchor to the Shane I am now ..." Squeezing his hand she replied softly.." I will willingly be that.....and the crew will see another man than the one that is mine?" "To a certain level I suppose" he said quietly, "I cant be a good Ship's Commander in a ship full of SSF and marine guys without beeing a but like Bretam ..." his words trailed when he thought about how he could ever manage to fill up Bretam 'elephant size' shoes. ===== End of log ===== Cmdr. Rangi Summers XO USS Chimera-A & Cmdr. Shane Guzman CO USS Chimera-A