-= The hotel =- There was something that bothered Okrin as he walked around the hotel. He did not want to relax, did not want to eat. Something was not right, and his sixth sense, which he had learned to trust at all time, alerted him. But as usual, it was as vague as space to pin-point the problem itself. The Bajoran soldier turned doctor knew what it was. It was very odd that the hotel staff knew everything they needed to please their guests. For his case, he had been welcomed by the two most beutifull women on this side of the quadrant, one that strangely looked like Thalia. He had dismissed the thought initially, but after a night of passion, with both, and getting all that he required and wanted at every turn he started to wonder what was at play here. He passed by a restaurant and saw a lonely Starfleet officer having lunch. He decided to investigate further, specially that she was not of the current crew that he knew. He walked in, past the waiter and move to the bar. He ordered a drink and also a second round of what ever the lady, his target, drank. He asked the waiter to deliver the drink for him and he waited, keeping an eye on the lonely woman. She looked his way and he gave her a welcoming and genuine smile. Those spooks at SFI really had taught him well how to lie convincingly. He returned the smile and beckoned him to join her. He walked over and introduced himself, extending his right hand. "I'm Nejor Okrin." "Ensign Sarah Walker." He replied, taking his hand. Okrin held his facial expression from showing. She appeared to be in her thirty's. For an ensign, it was very unlikely. Maybe she had re-enlisted like he did, or have no desires to move up the chain of command, which to him appeared unlikely. Nobody wanted to be an Ensign for life. "May I join you?" He asked, hoping she would say yes. He somehow felt like time was of the essence. "Of course. receiving a drink to a stranger in this place is hardly intimidating, specially one serving with Starfleet." That answer scared him for a second. Either he was pretty close to one of her fantasies or she was desperate. Okrin sat down and placed his drink in front of him. "I was wondering what delightful things where to experience in this space hotel." He said, wanting to see what she would reply. "A guest here can do what ever he/she wants, as long as they are within the realm of 'reality'." She replied, which basically meant just about everything. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I have re-enlisted, served a total of about fifteen years, that's why i'm Ltjg still, how about you, did you just ship out late or the same?" He asked her, before taking a sip of his drink. "That's odd for initial question, Lieutenant." She said. "But anyway, this is my first tour of duty." She said. Her answer was even stranger than his question. First tour of duty and look like a middle aged person and still ensign. Did she even realized the inconsistencies. "Oh, that's great." He replied. "What ship are you on? I saw a few docked to the hotel." He asked, looking genuinely interested in what she had to say. "USS Falkland, the Oberth class docked in the access hatch number four." She said, picking at the food on her plate. Oberth? wasn't that class retired from service a while ago? Like years? He questioned his mind. He wasn't a ships specialist with up-to-date info, he would need to find a tactical officer from the chimera to confirm this. "I've been meaning to ask you, Lieutenant." She began. "Please call me Okrin." He interrupted her. "Alright, Okrin. Why is your uniform different than mine, I haven't heard of new uniforms being issued to personel." "Yeah, we get that question often. R&D have given us the chance to field test the next generation in uniforms. So we do and get that question all the time." He replied, smilling. He felt like he was in a way preserving the temporal prime directive which felt soo alien to him, right now. They talked like this for about an hour. OKrin actually found out that her ship was on their way back to SB 235, which was way off this course, like forty light-years from here. She seemed happy to share information and they both exchanged on bits and pieces and he share his combat experiences holding back on the dates. "I must get going. I have to meet with fellow shipmates for a ball game, the humans call it cricket." He said. She laughed, knowing what he was getting into. As he walked away, he turned, having one last question, before panicking. "i'm totally time challenged today, what's the Stardate?" "240212.08" She replied. That answer froze his blood in his veins, sending a shudder the length of his spinal colum. "Thanks." He replied with a genuinely fake smile. "I'll be seeing you around." With those words he left the restaurant as she replied to him, but he did not turn around, he just walked away. He tapped his combadge. "Okrin to Rangi.. We need to talk right now." ... Ltjg Nejor Okrin Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera-A _________________________________________________________________ Take advantage of powerful junk e-mail filters built on patented Microsoft® SmartScreen Technology. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN® Premium right now and get the first two months FREE*.