*** Bridge * USS Chimera *** "Ma'am..........." Rangi looked sharply at the operations officer, her attention caught by what she recognised as fear in his voice. "............a shuttle just blasted its way out of the Warbird's shuttle bay." "Oh, god," Rangi whispered, but jumped from her chair, hurrying to Andersens position thinking.. { Thats what they say isn't it? make a plea to some power thats going to help us?} "Show me" she said glancing at his ghostly palor before looking down at the screen. "Where.." Foster need not have pointed to the screen, though he did so even as Rangi saw the shuttles signature. "Lock sensors on it" she said quietly but Andersen had already done so and in a moment he spoke what she could already see. "Romulan shuttle ..... eight human bio signs..." he tapped at his consol urgently, his lean fingers moving across the paneland spoke as the information appeared. "Travelling at...full impulse... Ma'am,the Warbird's firing on them...they've taken a direct hit." Rangis fingers dug into the top of Andersens chairback. Everything seemed to slow, the tiny point that was the shuttle with its precious crew, glowed left of centre on the screen. Rangi forced herself to swallow in a throat that was suddenly dry as dust. {They're free and we're not there!} she told herself and blinked rapidly,drawing in a long breath. "A second direct hit ma'am" Andersen said, his voice on edge but controlled.. "Status." she replied not moving her gaze from the screen. "Shields are....47%...and failing." he glanced up at her and back at the screen. She could imagine the shock they would have. {There's no Chimera...they've nowhere to go.They're on their own in a damaged shuttle under fire.....what have I done!} "Ma’am! I am detecting an energy burst from the asteroid." Dexters eager voice cut into her thoughts. "Are they firing on us?" Rangi asked. "No Ma’am. It appears to be an explosion of some kind. But the energy signature, I would guess federation explosives." he replied. Rangi didn't answer. Dexter then looked back at his controls. "The Warbird has just decloaked Ma’am. And they are raising shields!" he chirped. He waited for a reply. The Bridge was quiet as they waited for Lt Summers to give out the next order. "Ensign Dexter?" she asked. "Can you tell where the Kzenti weapons are targeted?" she asked. Dexter tapped on his console and started his calculations. After a few seconds he responded. "At us ma’am." he replied. Rangi gave a slow nod and meeting his gaze said: " Target their positions and if we are fired on...give them some quantum torpedoes to think about." Walking back the short distance to her chair, she thought. {There's no choice. The ODA must be left to fend for themselves. One has made it back...others will follow. With the Kzenti weapons trained on us, I can't risk the ship...and Shanes team is alone...abandoned...we have to get them first.} She pushed away the thought of Shane in an effort to remain calm and controlled in her decision making, but it was an impossible task. "Lt Foster." she said and watched him turn to face her."We are going back for Commander Guzman." She spoke clearly though quietly. " I want you to go to warp...but for a short jump only.I need you to get us as close as possible to the shuttle...into transporter range, but not so close that we plough into it or the Warbird....do you understand? It will confuse their sensors and give us time to beam the team to safety. Can you do it?" All eyes turned to Andersen. "Well?" she asked, willing him to give the answer she wanted. ***End Log *** LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/AXO USS Chimera