==Deck 2 , USS Chimera== From the briefing room all the way back to his quarters on the USS Chimera, Keylor brooded over the briefing he had just received. He still had a feeling he could not shake, the feeling he was not being told everything. Yes it was prudent for someone versed in temporal mechanics to accompany the chimera on the voyage. BUT why not tell Keylor of any possible problem they might encounter so he could prepare for it. Keylor remembered the warnings given to him and he platoon of marines when they were deployed from SB aurora to a little planet in the midst of a civil war in the Spinward marsh. He remembered the briefings where the pilots of the mission were warned not to stray form the proposed flight path because of the anomalies. Back then they said the anomalies could have just about any effect, form catching the unsuspecting vessel in a temporal loop to rapidly ageing the vessel and all of its occupants. But that was years ago, and to him should be 'old hat' to the federation. And to top it off, the part of the marsh they were heading to was on the perimeter of the marsh , where anomalies were less likely to just 'Appear' and were motionless, stable and predictable, So why the temporal baby sitter? Truly SSF command had some thing in mind, but what he could not figure out; temporal mechanics always gave him a head ache. After stowing away his modest assortment of cloths and toiletries he had take with him on his journey to Bajor and beyond, he headed to the bridge. Though he knew ops had been notified of his arrival as soon as he walked up the gantry to the ship on the deck 8 docking portal, he still felt it necessary to make the obligatory 'appearance' to whom ever was standing the boring watch while the ship was docked. As he steppe don the bridge few heads turned. Looking around he saw an ensign behind the ops console and Lt York sitting on the command chair. {Hrm, light compliment. Usually there are three people her.} he thought to himself. As York looked back to see whom had arrived on the bridge, he almost stumbled out of the chair, willing to yield it to Keylor in hopes of being relieved. Keylor waived a hand, motioning him to sit down. "At ease lieutenant, I am only passing through.} he said in a nonchalant voice. York almost replied with a sour face of disappointment. "Well it is good to have you back sir." He said forcing a smile on his bored face. "so did you have a good time on your leave?" he asked trying to start a little chit chat. The question struck Keylor funny in a way. {Enjoy? ENJOY!} he thought. {My sister died and I murdered a man in the name of revenge, how is that enjoyable!} His brow started to wrinkle at the mere thought when he realized that he had told very few people why he had left, and definatley not told any one what had transpired during his absence. Looking to the ready room he simply replied, "It served its' purpose lieutenant." Is a short and sour tone." Keylor walked to his office, the picture of the devilish death grin Bertold wore in his mind. As the door to the ready room opened, Keylro stopped. With out looki9ng back he called out. "Lieutenant. The base is sending over several tams of technicians to fit the chimera with some upgrades. Please inform the Ceo of their arrival and to assist them as needed." He said in a cold professional voice. "Aye sir, will get right on it." Keylor stood motionless for a moment. The thought of the up and coming mission now pushed to the forefront of his mind. The briefing flashed before his eyes and the details scrolled through his brain. {Right a Nova class vessel.} Now in control of his expressions he turned and looked across the room to the junior officer sitting at the operations console. Staring back at Keylor was a nervous Ensign male in command red. The face was not familiar to Keylor but then again he had been a way long enough for new faces to be assigned to the ship. Squinting his eyes he noticed the rank. "Ensign. Search the personnel files and see if any one assigned to the ship has ever been on a Nova class vessel." A some what nervous ensign replied, "Ya-Ya-yes sir." And quickly looked down at the console. Keylor watched and listened as the ensign worked. Focused on waiting for the results of his query, Keylor neglected to notice York looking him over, wondering what was different about the old man ( Keylor). After some frantic tapping, and a few bleeps of refusal from the console the Ensign looked back up at Keylor. He wore a small nervous smile as if some child who was proud they could fulfill the request of their parent. "One sir. A Lt Andersen Foster." Keylor nodded, "Is he on the ship at the moment?" he asked. The ensign shook their head no, now confident of the answer and smiling bigger. "No sir, he is on the base on the moment. Keylor nodded and turned replying, "Please have him report to me as soon as he is back on board." He walked in to the ready room, hearing only a "Aye S.." form the ensign as the door closed. Walking up to his desk he looked it over. Everything was just where it was when he left, nothing out of place, save one figuring, which was 1 inch out of place. Keylor inched the figuring back in to the proper place and then reached to his back. Sticking one hand in his shirt, he pulled out the 18 inch blade he had carried since he left the chimera. Sheath and all magically appeared and he held it in front of him looking at it closely. Slowly he pulled the blade out , just far enough to examine the blade for any traces of blood from Bertold. He inspected the first side with great care, looking over every grove and etching in the blade surface, this took 5 minutes. He then flipped the blade over and repeated the process. Confident he left no visible traces of his adventure on the blade, he slipped it back in to the sheath and placed the blade in the little display cradle he had in the center of his desk. HE stood there, looking at the bald, sheath and cradle for several minutes. Though he truly felt Bertold was a nasty creature and long in need of dispatching, the thought of the mo'tok still operating was still a puzzler. Bertold bought and sold many things, the least of which was information. And after he poisoned his sister, it would have been no trouble for some one like him to get information on Keylor. That being said, Bertold could have known about Keylor previous encounter with the mo'tok and their disbanding from the federation, and have been trying to by his life with false information. "But then again, he could have been telling the truth. Keylor was unaware how long he had been standing there when the door chime sounded. Keylor snapped back to the present and turned around, "COME!" he commanded. The door slid open and York stepped in one pace. "Sir the Base engineering teams have arrived and are requesting to board and start the upgrade." Your said with a wanting tone. "And?" Keylor replied in return. "Well sir I have not been able to contact the CEO. He is currently off ship." Keylor nodded. "Very well, just make sure he is informed once he returns. GO ahead and let the teams from the base start their work, it will take them some time for them to complete their work." York nodded, "Aye sir. " and returned to the bridge. With the news of the base engineering teas boarding the ship, Keylor could not afford to linger on the thoughts of a dying man, he had a ship to re-acquaint himself with and a mission to prepare for. He turned and walked around his desk and set his mind on reading all of the reports that had been filed since his departure. ===End Log=== Bgen Bretam Keylor Captain USS Chimera