====== Outside, Sickbay ====== Ra’nar walked down the halls of Deck 5 with a purpose, not a battle or confrontation, no, this was something much more dangerous. He was on a mission to apologise, something that really did not came naturally to him. Ra’nar also knew when he had made a fool of himself and when he had angered people. Most times Ra’nar did not care if he angered someone, they would either get over it or approach him with a knife and as Ra’nar was still around, that did not scare him. But insulting the Chief Medical Officer and a possible future friend called for an apology. Ra’nar got to sickbay to see commander Summers in her office, "Can I come in?" Rangi looked around, saw the medical specialist standing part way inside the doorway and pushed the filing drawer closed. "Of course" she said, facing him fully. "Is there something wrong? " She asked the question basing it on his uneasy expression. Taking a step or two towards him, she pointed to a chair. "Please.." she said indicating that he might like to take a seat on it. "....whats happened?" As he moved into the room, Rangi circled her desk to her own green leather chair. Ra’nar walked in and sat down as offered. "No nothing is wrong. But I believe that I owe you an apology." Ra’nar took a small breath, "My behaviour in front of you was unacceptable and I am sure, confirmed everything many already believe about Cardassians." "Well..thankyou" Rangi replied sounding surprised. She hadnt been impressed by the incident involving Ra'nar and Blake but hadnt expected an apology. She asked herself why and thought his last statement might be the reason." I must say I wasn’t too happy to have sickbay turned into a sparring ground!...but I understand the events leading up to your visit were...well...shall we say 'unusual'?" She gave him a small smile. "How are you feeling? Any problems? Ra’nar smiled, "I am not feeling great. I did not join the Marines or the SSF to fight Marines, but I am doing fine. Thank you for accepting my apology Commander.." Ra’nar stopped for a moment to gather his words. "I do not wish to lose a future friend over this incident." Rangi smiled at this candid statement. "Think no more about it." she said, glad that the possibility of ill feeling was over with. "I've not long been back." she told him. " We've set up an emergency sickbay in cargo bay 3. You're welcome to look it over. " She sighed and stood up. "Its not ideal having to work in cargo bays" she said with feeling, flashed him a smile to show she wasnt really annoyed and asked " Can I get you a drink?" "A drink?" Ra’nar was now the one who was shocked, he had no idea that the Chief Medical Officer would be one to offer drinks. "A drink would be good. What did you have in mind?" ask Ra’nar now becoming more relaxed. Rangi paused. "Well I'm having an apple juice." she replied. "....from the replicator." she added, thinking now that ' he' might think she had a secret store of Blood Wine. Ra’nar laughed, "I see, I was under the impression that..." Ra’nar paused, "Well never mind what I thought. I will have an orange juice also." Ra’nar felt a lot better already, he had come to sickbay with dread but was know on the verge of enjoying himself. Rangi too gave a short laugh, knowing that her suspicion had been correct. She crossed the room to the replicator, ordered the juices and waited for the glasses to appear.As they did so she asked. "You've heard about the simuations?....they're trying to design a flame thrower it seems" The drinks materialised and lifting them carefully, Rangi retraced her steps. "I've been reading up on grasshoppers too, " she said, handing a glass to him. "...and I can imagine the damage they'ed cause...three meters tall." Ra’nar took the glass, "Yes, although such height means that they will be a bigger target." Ra’nar took a mouth full of the orange favoured drink and continued, "As for the flamethrower, I have doubts. We are not even sure if it will have any effect." Ra’nar again had another mouthful. "Although, something is always better than nothing. I personally prefer to use a blade. There are very few creatures that can withstand an impact of quality craftsmanship wielded by a Cardassian." Rangi sat down, her face serious now."That may be so.." she said and looked at him steadily." But have you looked at a grasshopper? I mean...how they're really built? ..and the X'chi are known to be really fast and predatory." She took a sip of her drink, watching him over the rim of the glass. " They have lateral movement of their mandibles." she said "An amazing ability to bite and then crush.Its almost too ghastly to think about." She placed her glass on the desk top, imagining the wounds from such an encounter. Ra’nar finished his drink and placed it on the table, "I am no fool, I may prefer a blade but I will be taking a MK3 phaser rifle with grenade launcher." Ra’nar thought for a moment before saying something which he was not sure that he should, "Due to their strength and size, I would not imagine that there will be many wounded. I predict that most contact with the X’chi will be fatal one way or another." Rangi nodded slowly."Yes" she said." Tell me...do you carry '2736' with you? She was interested to know what he chose to take on missions in which he himself was a combatant "...and would you use it?" she added. Ra’nar was a little taken back by the question. "I believe that a Doctor or anyone in the medical field is not just a life saver but does what is best for the patient. So yes, I have been known to carry it in the past."Ra’nar took a slow breath and thought back to his father, "I have never used the drug in question, but I have killed someone who was in a great deal of pain and I would do so again." A small frown appeared on Rangis face. "I've never had to use it." she said quietly. " I could..well...sitting here its easy to say...what were the circumstances that made you...." She raised her eyes to him as she spoke and caught an expression on his face that she hadn’t seen before. Ra’nar broke out in somewhat of a cold sweat just thinking about it, as he spoke his throat was completely dry. After a short pause he managed to push the words Out. “ I lived my teenage years fighting along side my father against the Dominion and the Cardassian government. My father had been though it before during the War but then my mother died he had no choice but to take me with him. This time we had no help from the federation." Ra’nar walked over to the replicator and ordered another drink. Drinking the juice in one he continued "With no help from the federation all we could do were guerrilla raids in installations hoping to disrupt them as much as possible. On one of these raid my father was badly injured and could not walk, I too was injured but I was able to get away." Ra’nar stopped for a moment to gather himself. "I watched from a distance, through a sniper scope. Wave after wave charged him, he was not able to take them all out and so was captured. So I fired a shot into my father as they carried him away." Silence filled the room.Rangi sat looking at the man opposite her. outside the room Lucy and Scott could be heard as they walked by. Lucy laughed at something. Rangi said. "I'm so sorry. I wouldnt have asked if I'd had any idea......Ra'nar..." She stopped, lost for words, and reached for her glass. "No that is perfectly fine Commander. I got over it along time ago. Anyway how were you to know?" said Ra’nar forcing a smile."I went through this whole lone warrior phase for about three months, refusing to go on any organised patrols and doing my own attacks, the only result from that was me getting badly wounded and having to be rescued." Laughed Ra’nar, reminiscing. Rangi sipped her drink and watched the almost convincing act that the Cardassian displayed. She placed the glass back on the desk top carefully. "I'm sorry to have caused you need to talk about it then." she said quietly and a few silent seconds passed."When I had the SSF selection thing, they asked me what I'd do in such and such circumstances...what would I do if faced with this or that scenario. I suppose I gave the right answers!" she said and flashed a smile at him."And I 'do' believe I could use the drug if necessary." she added. " I authorised release of it today." “Well, let us both hope that we are not put into a position were we have to do so.” Ra’nar thought for a moment, trying to think of something to change the subject to. In the end what he came up with was not very imaginative. “So am I the first Cardassian that you have served with?” enquired Ra’nar. "Yes you are." Rangi replied. "Tell me...it must have caused some difficulties. Blake for example. Have you had much of that?" "On occasion, but most of the time I deal with it better than that. I guess he just hit a nerve." Ra’nar remembered something that made him smile, "My drill instructor at boot camp always called me a ‘dirty cardie dog’...and that was just when he was being nice to me." Ra’nar could see the look of shock on the Commanders face. "It was nothing personal though, just teaching you what to expect and to grow and rise above it." "That's one way of doing it I suppose." she said and smiled to herself as she lifted the glass again. "I wouldnt be surprised if Major Walsh used such tactics" She took a drink and then returned to the former subject. " How much 2736 have you got?" she asked. "If you need more I can arrange a small amount to be sent to you. You realise it all has to be accounted for of course." "I have got enough, thank you commander. I don’t really want the lads to see carrying a crate of it around anyway, they might get the wrong idea, Cardassians being against the Federation and all." They both let out a small laugh. "As for the Major, I have only spoke to him briefly, but I am sure he will do whatever he needs to do to make me a better soldier. Which of course is why I am here, hey, if he does a good job maybe I will be a General some day." Said Ra’nar smiling Rangi, smiling too, nodded and sat back."Maybe" she said. ====== End Log ====== Lt. Commander Summers Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera & Private Ra’nar ODA Medical specialist USS Chimera _________________________________________________________________ It's fast, it's easy and it's free. Get MSN Messenger 7.0 today! http://messenger.msn.co.uk