===== CMO's Office, USS Chimera ===== Rangis idea of catching up with her own department didnt last long. She was reading only the second report when Lt Fosters voice broke her concentration. He informed her that 'Commander Guzman requested she join him in the Ready Room' Rangi responded that she was on her way and switched off the padd she was reading, hesitating as where to lay it on the ever decreasing free area of her desk. Satisfied at least that sickbay had nothing demanding her immediate attention, she made her way back to the Bridge and on arriving there went straight to the ready Room, pausing outside until Shanes voice from within asked her to enter. ===== Captain's ready room ====== Shane was reviewing the little of data Engineering and Science were able to analyze in the short time. There were not much of data there ... just the sensor readings from the two Kzenti ships before, scans Walsh did on the planet and the analysis from the debrises from the 'unreal' Warbird. At least there was one things that improved his mood in the last 5 Minutes. OPS just told him that LtJg. Oriana left the ship with Walsh's away team. He found it a bit odd that the somewhat 'unconventional' ODA Commander asked an Navy officer to come with him and even more when the navy officer was a scientist ... but maybe even this combat oriented marine finally realised that muscles are not always everything in a battle. He was a bit on odds with the away team MCpt Walsh was leading to an asteroid. For him it was not very clever to shuffle around in the Kzenti system right now, but he knew not all the necessary facts to build himself an opinion and after all ... Rangi was in Command till now and it was her decission. Hearing the door chime he asked the guest to come in and seing Rangi he stood up from his chair and with a bright smile he went towards her: "Rangi, thank you for comming" he said softly. Rangi crossed the room towards him, returning the smile and stopping in arms reach. "How are you?" she asked, though it had been only a short time since he left sickbay. Shane rolled his eyes and said: "I really think I have to spend more time on the holodeck with martial arts training. That dammed Romulan wasnt my lucky encounter today, but when I dont move too fast its ok. How is Martin?" Rangi reached out and squeezed his arm in sympathy. "He'll be ok...suffering a cracking headache at the moment but no serious damage done..thankfully." She smiled reassurance then asked. "Why was there a Romulan in my sickbay?" A sign of worries appeared on Shane's face. "Athena is missing. I could not contact her and when we locked her transponder signal ... we've got the Romulan you've seen. I think the Romulans kidnapped her, but I have no proof. I even had to release the Romulan and send him back to his ship". Shane's face showed a clear disagreement. It was obvious that he would love to keep that Romulan for the time being. "I dont understand." she said watching his face "Why would they do that?...they're trying to start a conflict?" Shane shrugged: "Honestly I dont know. I see not a great profit for the Tal Shiar with kidnapping her. Besides the fact that we would do some rushed decission what could prove itself as a wrong one later." Rangi sighed and steered Shane back towards his seat at the desk. "But surely...to kidnap her from the Royal Palace?...are they mad? If we're both here to impress the Kzenti...well...kidnapping one of the others diplomatic staff isnt really going to do that is it? Do the Kzenti officials know she's missing?" Shane shook his head: "Thats the point ... we have no proof and we cant blame them officialy. We would stand there like fools blaming the Romulans in front of the Kzenti queen with no proof. Maybe thats the reason to kidnap her." Shane's face turned to a stern one: "But once we have found her, I intend to get her back and I wont be gentle on that mission" Rangi saw the steel look in his eyes and heard the determination in his voice. She tilted her head, the better to see his face full on. "They wont harm her." she said quietly."They wouldnt dare do that." If she searched for evidence that he had a personal interest she could not find it. "You need to sit down" she added after a moment. Shane nodded: "All right, you want anything to drink Rangi?" he asked. Getting a shake from her he sat in the chair and beckoned Rangi to sit down as well. Scratching his chin he asked: "Rangi, I wanted to ask you about the away team Captain Walsh is leading. I've read the report and agree with the reasons to send out a team. But do you think its clever to send out a team that openly, I mean we havent got a permission to do 'trips' in their system" " Probably not" Rangi replied and gave a sigh. " Bad decision..." she looked at the edge of the desk for a long moment then raised her eyes to Shane. "Well Lt Oriana discovered strange energy emittions and...well...I decided that it needed investigating. If the Kzenti are scanning our ship I thought we should know what we're up against." She paused and waited for his comment. "You want to recall them?" she asked when it wasnt forthcoming. Shane was silent for a moment. Being honest to himself, he already thought about calling off the mission, but after reading the reports he was not sure anymore. It was like Rangi said, the Kzenti WERE doing something quite suspicious and to find out more a team had to be sent. Shane shook his head finnaly: "No Rangi, I dont. And I would not call it a bad decision. You have learned it right, such high suspicious things needs to be explored" After a small pause he added: "My concern is the way they have left the ship. Both the Kzenti and the Romulans now KNOW that we have send out a shuttle and can surely soon guess the exact course of it. I would be very surprised it there wouldnt be some nasty surprise waiting for them." "So it IS a bad decision." She stood up suddenly and walked five or six steps away from the desk.When she turned around she saw him watching her. "So what do we do?" she asked. "We have a cloak...the shuttle doesnt. I could hardly have us suddenly disappear. The shuttle was the only way to get them there." she paused now doubting her own words."Wasnt it?" she asked and walked slowly back to the desk. Shane smiled at his beloved and shrugged: "I dont know Rangi. The point is that you cannot know everything or be best in everything. I dont as well. You have to learn to trust your senior officers. Each of them is a highly experienced specialist in his own area.It would have delayed the mission for sure, but maybe some meeting could bring an idea how to hide the shuttle from foreign scans. But as I said ... it wasnt a BAD decision and you are not General Bretam. I think you did here quite well, not perfect, but quite well" "But its not good enough" Rangis expression showed the dissatisfaction she felt. She sat down in the chair head bowed and ran over all that had led to this point and in a few seconds shook her head slowly. " I wish Bretam WAS here " she said and looked up at Shane. Shane shook his head again: "Not good enough would be ignoring everything and just waiting what the future will bring. You've acted the best you knew and all you lack is experience. But you can trust me, even the General wasnt much more experienced on his fist Command Mission." Shane shrugged: "Concerning Walsh's team ... I think we can do now little to help them and we can just trust the wits of the crew there ..." "So...what happens now?" she asked quietly.You need a team too.Walsh took Mcknight and Williams with him." Shane scratched his chin again, like always when he was nervous or powerless to change things. "We can only wait for Walsh's report. He took Lt Oriana as well, so he has scientific support. We here on the ship need to concentrate on finding the counselor and Martin and me have to go back to the planet in 23 hours. What is your opinion Rangi?" She shrugged. "Medically there is no reason to stop you. Martin will be fit enough...you too in a few hours. Do you think it would be an idea to explain to the Kzenti whats happened?...I mean...they are hosting a diplomatic conference of a sort.If people go missing on their territory then they should be told...we have to be honest with them." Shane looked a bit uncertain for a moment. Yeah, he tried to look determined and strong at all times being the ACO, but Rangi knew him surely good enough to look past that mask. He shrugged slighty: "Well, I had the feeling that the Kzenti regard the humans as a bit less beings and complaining surely wont help us to improve that opinion" "Not complaining." she said, frowning as she chose the words. " More...explaining....sort of...putting the ball into their court. After all...if they can scan us with these sophisticated 'waves'...then they must surely be able to shed light on Athenas whereabouts...wouldnt you say?" Shane nodded this time:"Aye, you are right here. But under one condition ... that they are not involved in any of these things and the 'waves' are not meant to harm us in any way. But if there IS something wrong with the Kzenti, revealing that we know about them would lessen our advantage here" ===== End Log ====== Commander Shane Guzman ACO USS Chimera & LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/AXO USS Chimera