-= Hotel Casino =- Okrin entered the hotel casino and walked over to the location that Rangi had given him. He still wore his SF uniform, clashing with all the nicely dressed players, who seemed to win everytime he passed a machine, but he knew that was the illusion slot machine did. Once you started you where likely to lose your earnings. He walked over to Rangi, after spotting her and next to her Shane. Some attendees gave him looks of discussed in his fashion statement, he simply ignored them. He gently tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention discreetly. "Rangi, Shane, we need to talk." He whispered between the two. Rangi clenched her fists in frustration. " I thought that WAS a double fluffer. " she said. "Isn't it three sevens in a row then a three than seven?" she looked at shane hopefully and with an exagerated sigh he began to explain again but was saved by Okrins appearance. Seeing his expression rangi replied. "Ofcourse...whats the matter?" She turned from the table and followed Okrin through the small crowd towards the exit. Shane did his best to hide the little grin on his face. Rangi was a skilled doctor and a great XO but she was QUITE a bad hazard player and she still mixed up the various rules for hazard games. The last time she tried to persuade the game-master that a hand full of 7,8,9,10 was a win. Unfortunatelly all the cards were of different colors. GLad that he was saved from an explanation (again) he followed the newly appointed CMO and his beloved. Once they where outsidethe doors of the life ruining establishement of the hotel, Okrin spoke up, needing to pass on what he had heard and felt. “When we docked at the Hotel, I thought it was great. But I was welcomed by two amazingly good looking hostesses.” He said. “One of them looked like a copy of Thalia. I had dismissed the thought at the moment, but again yesterday I found I had my every desires fulfilled. There is something very wrong with this place. Did any of you experience the same thing?” Rangi shook her head."No...I havent noticed anything. " she looked from him to Shane and back. "I mean...the hotel is lovely and they take great care of their guests..but...no i havent noticed anything unusual." Shane noded at Rangi and shrugged: "To be honest I think that this hotel is great. Well, I think we can hardly complain that the personell tries to fullfill or our needs. Thats what they are here for, arent they?" He looked at Okrin like not really sure what bothrered him. "I know this would be difficult. That's why I kept the best part for last." He said. "My instincts are rarely wrong, but I walked around the hotel. They have holoprograms that I enjoy, from sports to relaxing activities to reenactment of conflicts that I have, in my own programs, on the ship." He tried to convince them both. "I also met a fellow starfleet officer from the USS Falkland, an ensign Sarah Walker. Nice lady but the problem is the ship, it's an Oberth class which is no longer in service within Starfleet." "Its strange that you should mention that." Rangi said thoughtfully "...the holoprogrammes. In our room there are two discs with Shane and my holoprogrammes on. I wondered about it when i saw them. I meant to tell you." she added looking at Shane. Shane looked at the two with a puzzled expression and shrugged again: "Well, i suppose none of our holoprogrames are unique, but generics stock what you can buy at every station or they are just very similar to your own programs. I am sure those guys didnt go to the Chimera and stole it from us. COnsidering the Oberth class ..." he paused for a moment, "wasnt the Ensign just drunk?" looking around himself he smiled: "I wouldnt wonder much". "She sure wasn't, Shane. She was haing lunch, I got close enough to smell her perfume and she asked me about the new uniform I was wearing. I had to tell her we where testing it for R&D." He said, trying to cinvince the CO. "I thougth it was strange. HWne I left her, I asked her for the Stardate. She gave me a four year old SD. I'm sure her ship is in the list of MIA ships, she was on her way to some Starbase, I don't recall, like lights years away from here. I think they have been here longer than they think. and I need to find out about this, i'm no expert, can I return to the ship? The fact that he was obviously convinced that something was seriously wrong caused rangi to flash through her time in the hotel. She and Shane had spent most of their time together so she hadnt really taken much interest in other guests. Nor for that matter in other ships at dock. But now okrin mentioned it, it seemed to her it had been quite a while since anyone in engineering had reported on the repairs. {I want to leave} she thought and immediately 'saw' Z abas face when she had said just that. " Yes. " she answered okrin. "Ofcourse you can...thats ok isnt it?" she asked Shane. It was not hard to see on Shane's face that he was not far from thinking that not only the Oberth class ensign was drunk but some others as well. Those suspicions of Okrin seemed to be quite out of place for him. Those alien guys were THAT hospitable and kind ... The hotel offered that much for enjoyment but some could not obvoiously just enjoy it. He took a deep breath and noded: "Sure thing Okrin. If you want to rerutn to teh ship and spend your time behind a console e my guest. Afterall its your R&R time ..." "Why do I have the feeling you don't trust my judgement right now, Shane?" He asked him, crossing his arms and looking the man straight in the eyes. He hated it when people did not believe him, he was no man to play pranks on others of that magnitude. "Listen, it all looks pretty strange to me. What else do you need for me to prove it to you? talk to the other ship's crew, anyone not on the hotel staff or Chimera." Surprised by shanes reply she glanced at him and then at okrins inplacable stance. " Lets not get too carried away." she said. "Shane...have you had any word from engineering about the repairs? I havent. perhaps Okrins right." She felt the faintest twinges of suspicion. Perhaps it 'was' all too perfect and perhaps.. The thought pushed its way forward. "Last night." she said quietly." When Z aba brought the padd to us...he said they monitored messages to the docked ships...that is true isnt it?" She felt suddenly sick. Shane shook his head: "Thats all fiction Rangi. They try to do their best to entertain and please us." He looked at Okrin and said: "Its not that I dont trust you, but I think you are chasing ghosts". He shrugged what wasnt his usual gesture: “If you want to play detective, by all means do that. But please come with a proof the next time you'll say that the Hotel personel is abducting us" Looking from Rangi to Okrin he added: "I do not wish that you will interrupt the crew's R&R cause wild suspicions. Come back with solid proofs and then we'll talk again." Shane had taken a step away and rangi looked quickly from one to the other torn on what to do. She couldnt countermand what shane said but at the same time he hadnt really denied okrins request. "Please go to the ship." she said meeting his eye. "See whats going on." "You bet I will." He replied, looking at her. "I'll find the proof you want, you'll have no choice but to believe me." He held what he wanted to say about the CO, who in his own opinion was not openminded enough at this time. WHen A commanding officer was suppose to be open to any and all sugestions, specially in spacefaring business like they did. He sighed instead. "I'll get back to you both when I have my required info." He said. "But remain vigilant please." He said that mostly to Rangi but somewhat included Shane in it too. Rangi nodded and turned to Shane looking at him with an appeal. "You do think that padd was real dont you?" she asked willing him to say 'ofcorse it was' but knowing she would doubt it now. Shane noded: "Of course it was my love" he said, "I am not sure what's in Nejor's mind but i am sure that none of the wild theories we've just heard are truth". He smiled at Rangi and added: "Lets get back to play?" She forced a smile. "In a moment...Okrin.." she said quietly. "last night i had news from professor maddock ..and from dad..that said he was getting better....that theyve hit on a treatment thats working. Please check it...look in the med files...see if you can find it." "I will, what did you father suffer from exactly?" He asked, wanting to narrow the immense search range. "Iverson's ... Sorry Rangi. I just came out of Starfleet medical for my requalification course, in a way. There is no known cure for that disease, experimental or not. I will check anyway, just in case they came up with something from these past weeks, but I doubt it." He stepped back. "You both get back to your fun. I'll try to find out what is wrong and get back here ASAP." He turned and walked away hoping they would not gamble their life away, litterally. Rangi took shane’s arm as the reentered the casino. "So...i need three RED sevens then?" she asked but her heart wasnt in it anymore... Ltjg Nejor Okrin Chief Medical Officer & Cmdr Rangi Summers Executive Officer & Cmdr Shane Guzman Commanding Officer USS Chimera-A _________________________________________________________________ Don't just Search. Find! http://search.sympatico.msn.ca/default.aspx The new MSN Search! Check it out!