====== Some noname bar, SB Bragg ===== Shane sat alone at a small table in a distant corner of the bar nursing a little cup of strong black tea and two large croissants. Since a short time Shane changed the brand of the black tea from the all famour Earl Gray to Royal Ceylon. Earl Gray is an universe know brand of high quality and preffered by famous figures like Admiral Picard or Admiral Grayhound, but Royal Ceylon was a more mild and aromatic brand of unique composition ... and Shane was glad to have a cup in front of him ... even when only a replicated one. Sice half an hour he was left alone cause Rangi met a fellow nurse from the Chimera on the promenade and she asked Rangi for an advice in some personal matters. "Its woman talk" Rangi said to him and excused herself for a 'little' while. Shane sighed but shrugged his shoulders, there was no way how to prevent two woman from "talking woman-ish" so he continued walking through the station alone. By some chance Shane found himself near the doccking sector where the Chimera was docked. Looking through the window he could admire the handsome and beautiful shapes of the small Interpid class ship. He had to admit to himself that at first he disliked the design of an Interpid ... comparing to the Galaxy class it seemed to be an 'ugly duckling' but now he learned to 'see' the beauty in the Chimera. It was indeed an duckling ... but no way an ugly one. Thinking about star ship's design, Shane almost didnt notice an bajoran cadet hurrieing towars the entry tunnel that connected the station to the Chimera. Clad in the greay cadet uniform he remainded Shane to his own young days save the blue strip on the cadet's uniform ... Shane's was yellow of tactical. The cadet was an young bajoran male some 170/175 cm tall, brown haired carrying a big holdall. Shane wondered about the cadet's race ... even if not rare at all ... it was still uncommon for bajorans to serve outside the Bajoran militia, not mention the SSF. {But well} Shane thought considering the little accident with the cardassian marine yesterday {when having a cardassian marine, why not a bajoran scientist?} with a chickle he continued {pray he and Bretam will create a cellar for the Sweet wine on board ...} Looking down on his plate, Shane took one croisant and started eating it. Quite the same ... replicated ... but a sort of food Shane got accustomed to since he left SB 742 nearly 3 years ago. Fresh food was quite comman on a station like 742, but quite rare on a SSF ship like the Chimera. There was something that was heavy on Shane's mind. It was quarelling him for some time by now but there was always a reason why to dismiss the thought for later. Untill now. The concern of Shane was the fact that somehow he found little time for Command stuff matters. During the last mission when he was ACO, he tried his best to cover with the heap of PADDs on his table but he was sure that there was at least one thired of them left to Bretam. Shane imagined the general reading all those reports and things send from SF and SSF COMM and cursing about his ill fate to have an no-paper stuff-like XO. Even these few days he was spending with Rangi on R&R on the base, there are PADDs and messages accumulating on his table/computer that waited for his comments/approval. Shane was by far no friend of beaurocratic work and the thought of tenths of PADDs waiting for him upon their return to the Chimera made him almost ill. Many officers desired to reach the XO/CO spot on a famous ship, but only few realised that beeing XO/CO meaned more then just beeing in charge. Now was not the speach of responsibility or stuff ... but on the facts that the crew depends on you, awaits your orders and decissions, looks up to you and expect you ALWAYS to be a shining example. Paperwork was an integral part of that job as well. You cant be XO/CO without having daily things to comment/approve. Sometime Shane felt that all the things he was responsible for were quite too much for him ... and even worse ... he feared that he could let the ship down ... dissapoint the General and in endeffect Rangi as well. Finishing the cup Shane stood up from his table and walked off the bar. He had to stretch his legs a bit and come to other thoughts. There was no point of doubting oneself ... cause there are always just two ways ... eighter you go on and fight or you give up and leave. Plain and easy ... and Shane's nature it was to fight. Therefore he went on ... ====== End of log ===== Cmdr. Shane Guzman XO USS Chimera