===== Mess Hall - USS Chimera ===== After his shift in the Astrometrics, where they unsuccesfuly attempted to find the Gott, Terek entered a mess hall. As it was a lunch time, it was a little overcrowded, but after a minute or so, he managed to get to the bar and make his order. He ordered as usually strong Hasperat, Kava juice and this time also a salad, as he hadn't taste for a dessert. Chef told him that 'It'll be ready in a minute', so he looked around to search for a free table. He saw one very close to the exit from the mess hall. It didn't please him, but as all others were full, he hadn't much choice, but to sit there. After about five minutes chef brought him his order, so Terek started to eat, trying to get his mind for some time out of the thought about sensor sweeps and data analysis. As his mind roamed upon threads of thoughts, it grazed on the fresh one.... The X'chi. {Another unsolved mystery...}he thought and tried to focus his mind to something else, but he wasn't able to, so he gave up and began to think more deeply about it. {It would be good to know more about their anatomy and behavior... unfortunately there is not much about this in the databank.... What should we possibly do?.... } He was almost angry with himself, because any moment now they were about to find the Gott and they'll need to know as much as possible about those bugs. But what do they know as far as now? Almost nothing... only some external characteristics and that they are afraid of heat and bright light... even that theory about their group intelligence hasn't been proven yet... {May the Prophets be with us if we are not about to find anything important soon...} he thought and it looked as his prayers were answered, he saw a woman walking into the mess hall. It was Doctor Summers, one of the few persons on this ship who could help him with the X'Chi bilology questions. He waited for her to pass by his table and then he said: "Doctor Summers, madam. I'm sorry to bother you, but if you have a few minutes, I'd like to discuss something with you..." He smiled slightly to the doctor, but then he realised, that she'll probably went here to take some rest and not to think about the work so he added... "But of course, probably you wouldn't want to speak about work, so perhaps another time if you want." Rangi looked to her right and recognised Tereks hopeful face. "Ensign." she said returning the smile. " Ofcourse...ummm..." She glanced towards the bar and back to him. " Give me a minute?..I'd like something to eat." He nodded agreement and Rangi made her way across the room. She waited her turn debating whether pasta or fish would be the best choice and eventually asked for a tuna and pasta bake so solving the problem. She collected a drink and carried her tray back to Tereks table, setting it down carefully and pulling out a chair. She sat down. "There!" she said. "So...what did you want to discuss?...have you found something?" Terek waited for Rangi to bring her food to the table... "Well thats what I want to discuss with you. I was thinking about X'Chis anatomy. I know that there is nothing at all in the database, but could we allow ourself a little estimation of how would the intestines of this species look like?" He paused and took a sip from the glass of Kava juice... "Also I would like to somehow verify that theory we've thought up with Commander Guzman. I was wondering if you had any idea about how we could try it... perhaps some holosimulations of the programmed behavior, considering grasshoppers from the Earth?" "I've been reading up on that." she said eagerly. " I got alot of information...it was useful. Gave me a few bad moments though when I read about the..." Her words cut off as the Green lights of alert began flashing and a moment later Shanes voice came over the ship wide comm. "Commander Guzman speaking. In a minute we will enter the Spinward marsh. Our mission is to find the missing Gott and rescue what is to rescue from her or her crew. The marsh is a dangerous place and I expect everyone to act with professionalism and confidence. Prepare for flight turbulences and possible shakes. Guzman out" Rangi looked at Terek, her eyes grown wide and apprehensive. "We're here then." she said ".....already." Terek sighed as he heard the report of the commander... it reminded him their unsuccesful search for Gott which hung upon the whole department as a phantom menace. "Yes, we're here, and we still don't have a slightest idea of where that damned ship is..." complained Terek in a tired voice "No matter how we are trying... anything seems to work... we've managed to enhance sensors to detect incipient anomalies, even as I looked into the report, the way how to partialy penetrate the anomalies for clearer scans, but none of this shows us the location of the USS Gott." He looked at the doctor and shruged his shoulders... "But never mind... If it'll be the will of the Prophets, we'll find it...So what about those bugs? Is there any way how to verify that intelligence theory?" Rangi gave a long sigh and shook her head. " Not until we meet one face to face I think." she said. "Grasshoppers dont have the 'hive' intelligence of a bee...but we cant know what these are like....even how they communicate." Silence descended on the pair even though the sounds of a busy messhall surrounded them. Rangi frowned at her pasta, poking it with a fork and looked up at her companion. "Ensign..." she said thoughtfully. "We're assuming that they're like the grasshoppers we know..earth grasshoppers....but what if they're not? What if their anatomy 'isnt' as we expect. Do you know if anyone ever did an autopsy of one?" "That is an intriguing question" said Terek looking form his half eaten Hasperat to the doctor sparks appearing in his eyes, as he began to see a possible way out of the hopeless darkness of the speculations. "I don't know if there will be a regular autopsy of them, BUT there could be at least some detail scan of the body from one of the previous encounters. It should be dug deep in the database so the surface searches wouldn't find it. Certainly it is worth of trying." He said with a grin and added: "Doctor, you are a genius..." Then he began with finishing his meal eager to go to the lab and verify what could be the most important information since they entered this cursed area... Rangi watched him take another mouthful of his lunch and chew with what she could only think was a happy expression. She smiled to herself and tasted a forkful of her own lunch. Looking up she met his gaze. "I'm not really hungry." she said pushing her plate away." What say we go and find out?" "Oh no, please, finish your meal. I didn't mean to put you in a rush..." he said appologeticaly as he saw that she was putting away her plate.... "I'll have my own slowly as well..." he added with smile. So the doctor put the plate back and they finnished eating in quiet, not even ten minutes. Terek waited for the doctor to put her empty plate away and then stood up and they both set out for the lab. "We should have thought of this before." she said glancing at him and trying to keep up with his long strides. "There must be 'something' about them. Wouldnt it be ...ooh" A sudden tilt of the corridor caused her to stumble. She reached for the wall to steady herself but a second opposing tilt sent her to the floor.. A moment later the deck righted itself. "Whats going on?" she asked,concern clouding her expression. As they walked down the corridor, sudden tilt made Terek to fall on the ground as he wasn't able to grab anything. When inertial dampers made corridor stable again, he stood up and helped doctor back to her feet. "I don't know.... we had to hit some anomaly. We'll find out in the lab, come on..." He said in a concerned voice and they both continued their way... Rangi followed the ensign, half running now to keep up with the hurrying figure.{Shane..} she thought {Whats happening?} but the green alert didnt change and no other disturbance occurred. They reached astrometrics, the door sliding open as they neared it. They almost ran into the lab. When Terek saw that no one was sitting at the main holo screen he made his way there. He sat down and before he began to call up the scan results of what happened he looked at Rangi: "Sorry about that run madam..." and then his fingers began to tap the display in enormous speed. Emitor on the platform in front of them displayed surroundings of the Chimera as a 3D model. Terek entered a few more commands and there appeared a blue bubbles fluctuating around the ship. Then he invoked another view. An earlier scan of the area and placed it next to the new one. After a few more taps on the console it was obvious that a new rift created on the starboard as they flown around. "It was a luck that we are all alive. A few more seconds and it would be late..." He said to the doctor as he stared to the model. "But, with these new data I can modify the sensors to detect emergent anomalies a few more second earlier than tha las modiffications did..." He run his fingers on the console again and after a few moments he saw tha results. "Well that should do that... Computer. What is the time in which sensors can detect emerging temporal anomalies? [1.579 seconds] responded voice... {at least something than nothing} thought Terek and sent a new data on the Bridge along with tapping his badge. +taps+ "Astrometrics to the Bridge. I'm transmitting new corrections of the sensors. We have another 1 and half second to avoid emerging anomaly." When he finished the report, he turned his attention back to the doctor who was meanwhile busy about searching the database. "Sorry for the delay madam, Have you found anything?" "Yes...this..." She stood aside to allow him to move closer. "There are four tricorder scans here...taken in combat situations. the first two arent very good..they dont tell us much." Rangi tapped the consol " But this one...and 'this'.." she tapped again and brought up a new image "...are really interesting. Look." She glanced at him and back to the screen."That is where a grasshopper digestive tract should be...but...what do you think 'that' is?" she asked pointing to the shape and waited for him to consider it. Terek took a look onto the results the doctor showed to him. It was a start, but still those scans were only surface. "Frankly doctor, I have no idea. We can only assume what it could be, but until the autopsy is done, we can't be sure. Still this is more than nothing. Do you think you can sum it up into some useable info for the assault teams or is that still too few information?" asked Terek. Rangi raised her right hand and pushing back her hair, stared at the image. She shrugged and shook her head."I dont think its useful for the assualt teams...we cant tell what it is.But we should inform the bridge. The general would want to know any progress we make..however small and seeming insignificant." She looked at him and back at the screen."We need a dead X'chi!" she said and frowned. She drummed her fingers on the consol edge. "Right.." she said turning to him. "I'll make the report... inform the General we've discovered the X'Chi have unrecognised organs." She paused. "Thats not telling him much is it?" she said with an exasperated air. "No, it isn't, but now, there isn't probably much more we can do. We have to concentrate on finding the Gott and then we can perhaps think further..." he said, then added: "Thanks for your time doctor, at least we've done something..." said Terek with a smile and watched as Rangi stood up and walked from the lab... ===== End of Log ===== LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/2XO USS Chimera & Ensign Terek Weranis ASCiO USS Chimera