=/\= Kinsi, Deck 11=/\= Acheson sighed, as the group stood around. It was 3 against the ship of personnel. There was something to be said about those odds and it did have a certain appeal to the rebellious instincts inherent to the SSF and its people. As he looked around to Commander Summers and Ensign Idrani, he thought quickly and spoke: "What if we keep looking for Chimera crew? We are too small to split up and it's gonna be too hard to try to do everything by ourselves with just the three of us." Rangi nodded agreement. "I think it best we stay together," she said looking from one to the other "We'll give ourselves an hour at most. If we can't find them...well..." her words trailed away but she straightened up. "We best get moving..there isn't much time." Gaalen started shaking his head in disagreement. They had to get moving quickly, act even faster, maybe cause a few distractions for station security when... Suddenly, a distinct sound came from several meters down a corridor. It was that of an energy wave, but its sound was easily characterized by anyone who'd been in Starfleet. Acheson reached for his phaser and drew it out, motioning the team forward. "That's phaser fire. Let's check it out, carefully!" He started heading forward step by step, looking around suspiciously as he came closer to the source. Rangi became still at the unexpected sound, moving forward with Gaalen as Acheson made ready his phaser and signaled them on. A few moments later he stopped abruptly, raised the phaser and called Halt there!" aiming at a figure running towards them. "Yes, you. Stop now!" {I know her} flashed through Rangi's mind as she saw the Romulan woman heading straight for them, rifles in either hand. {Its Al..Al....Alsh...} "Don't fire!" she cried, grabbing Acheson's arm. "She's crew!" Nate looked at Rangi confused and lowered his phaser with hesitation. "I've never seen her before." He looked to Rangi for guidance in this case as his experience wasn't telling him what to do. He turned back to the woman running towards them: "Who the hell are you?" Xenai, arms raised, guns to the ceiling, stopped dead in her tracks. She willed herself to remain calm, "Ensign Alshain, serial number SC448255, assignment assistant engineer, USS Chimera." She took a deep breath, and slowly lowered her hands, praying that it was enough to keep her alive. 'Xenai!' Gaalen said, happy to meet his old friend from the academy in these circumstances. Initially he had found her intriguing, as Vulcans tend to do to other species, specially emotional and passionate ones, but he'd grown to like her and when she was revealed as Romulan, her emotions sliding through, he almost fell in love, but the memories of Ph'ell held him back, until he had not come to terms with her death, years ago, nobody would replace her. "Am I happy to see you!" Xenai smiled with an ease she didn't feel. Despite her relief in this reunion, with her friend and her comrades, the urgency of the situation was difficult to ignore. Looking vaguely nervous, she turned to the rest of the team, "There are two men back there, Station security," she glanced back to the corridor and continued, "both incapacitated, but not for long, by now they've called for back up "she swallowed loudly, feeling like a mouse in a glass jar. "I suggest we move" Acheson nodded, naturally, and looked around thoroughly to make sure that there was no one incoming. "Naturally Ensign, although the obligatory question is where. We still need to find more Chimera crew." He looked back and forth. "Wait here!" Acheson crept back along Xenai's path carefully, before noticing the two guards. He checked the guards over and noticed a tricorder holstered on one of the guard's holster pockets. "Excellent," he grinned at the convenience of the discovery. With his phaser ready to go, he approached the unconscious guards and confirmed that they were still incapacitated. He reached over and pulled the tricorder from the guard's belt. Suddenly, the guard jerked about and Acheson dropped the tricorder on the ground, in a panic. He fired his phaser, striking the guard down. The security officer had never regained consciousness. His motion was a reflex, but he was now stunned more than he had been. Nathan had to catch his breath and his adrenaline once again took over. That had scared the hell out of him. He looked around before grabbing the tricorder again and slowly meeting the team. Upon approaching the team, he tossed the instrument to Rangi. "Can you use this?" "Indeed..." Rangi replied, accepting the offered tricorder. She looked down at the 'priceless' piece of equipment. It was damaged. Athena awoke with a start and her breath caught in her throat. She could feel the presence of another. It felt like the dark figure that passed by earlier. It was hunting for something she could sense it. Breathing softly she cuddled further into her blanket and willed the figure to go away with her mind. As the figure got closer to them Athena felt as though she could hear their beating heart. When that beating became strong and the only noise she could hear she held her breath. The figured moved away and Athena began to feel the presence of others. It wasn't long before she could hear them. "Lydia, come lay with me over here," a male voice shouted. A female voice replied, "We can't lay under a sweet gum naked that could hurt. Let's look for another spot." Athena sensed that her solitude was over and quietly slipped from her hiding spot. With her blanket wrapped around her, she began wondering through the corridors again looking for a quiet place to be. Athena imagined that her blanket was a cloak that made her invisible to all as she walked on. Soon she heard firing a froze, she thought for a second or two and then looked around. She soon saw a cart sitting in a small darkened hallway. Athena climbed onto the bottom of the cart and hide in the dark. As Rangi took a look at the tricorder Gaalen turned to Xenai. "We where thinking of causing a diversion to allow a vessel to escape. We are trying to gather the ship's crew and get off, but seeing their lock down of the station, we could be the target of their phaser banks, so we thought we could set a shuttle to escape at the same time as us, for those few precious seconds." Xenai nodded attentively. He then turned to Rangi. "I would suggest commander that we move away from this part right now, split up, me and Xenai could take care of the shuttle and you two could gather up members of the crew, since you know most of them. Oh, by the way, where is that ship you spoke of earlier, which docking port?" Rangi peeled her attention away from the tricorder to Gaalen. "Yes.." she answered." Now we have two teams we can achieve more..the ship? ....its on the outer docking ring on section 3......docking port 5 ." She looked at Nathan. "Lieutenant?...you and I will begin the search. We'll meet in 'one hour'.." she said glancing at Xenai and Gaalen and stressing her words "...at that location." Acheson nodded and looked around before speaking. "Is there any way for us to stay in communication?" Rangi shook her head. "We dare not try communicators... and...Security is after us .. they'll have a good idea where we are by now," she replied looking slightly worried and glancing along the corridor in the direction of the fallen guards. "We must trust it to luck," she said looking quickly at each of her companions. "...and meet at the ship..docking port 5...the SS Pack Mule...agreed?" Athena could sense fear and adrenaline all around her. It almost felt as though it was entering into the pores of her body. She stuck her hands down off the cart and inched it into the corridor just a bit. With the cart sitting several centimeters into the corridor, Athena peeked down the corridor each way from a small hole created by the edges of her blanket. =/\+= End Part 2 =/\= Ens Gaalen Idrani Asst Eng Officer USS Chimera & Lt Nathan Acheson CTAC USS Chimera & Lt Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera & LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/2XO USS Chimera & Ens Xenai Alshain Assistant Engineer USS Chimera