<div align="center">(http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy103/TrashyMe/77298246.jpg)</div><br/>"Glad to see you two are on top of the situation, commander, alert me if there are any changes," the captain ordered, with an acknowledging nod in both the operation-officer's and Xander's direction. "And Lieutenant," she added with a frown at Ayaname's uncontrollable wriggling, "The bathroom's only a few feet away, no need to hold it in. Just be sure to hurry back so you can assist the commander." Having completely misunderstood the dilemma the petite officer was going through, she ordered First Officer Xander to take the helm before making a quick retreat. The sight of her emerald green Second in his form-fitting uniform causing a stir in her loins she'd rather avoid for the mean time.<br/><br/>"Chief P'Trell, Intelligence Officer Alessca, walk with me," she sternly commanded her two officers as the call from Astrometrics came in, "There's work to do." She didn't wait for the duo to respond before stepping into the turbo-lift, expecting them diligently by her side even as the door swished closed. She knew little of her officers unfortunately, having only been aboard the newly launched Ember for barely a few days, but the shapeshifter had stood out during her glimpse of the crew's files. Definitely a handy alien to have on as an intelligence operative. Kathryn had even less time to acquaint herself with Chief P'trell, knowing only that her file was filled with glowing remarks on her natural resistance and apparently commanding air.<br/><br/>"I'm loathe to-" the captain began, only to be cut off as both the med bay and their negotiator chimed in on the communication channel. "Blacklake to Counsellor Light and Doctor Rona Jane, I have a feeling your reports are related. Light, try keep this to yourself for the mean time and report to med bay. And no sedatives just yet, I want the crew thinking clearly. Doctor, I'd like for the two of you to confer and find a solution to this... mess. I'll be there within the hour." Kathryn couldn't help but sigh at the refreshing news, finally able to push thoughts of being some lone-freak from her mind.<br/><br/>After taking a moment to allow the sense of relief to wash over her, she turned back to her officers, handing P'trell a small datapad. The small pad contained shots of crumbling ruins of stone as well as a large, ringed, planet. "I'm sure you've already seen this Alessca but apparently we picked up some nearby life upon exiting the jump, located on the planet in that data pad. Unfortunately however, while we've picked up faint life forms as well as signs of sentient structures, we're unable to verify the state of the civilization, if any, on the ground. Sandstorms as well as unidentified electrical interference are hindering our scans."<br/><br/>As the turbo-lift opened up on engineering, the captain began a hurried march toward Astrometrics while continuing her briefing, "What I want you two to do is give me your professional opinions on what steps to take next, how many guns would be appropriate, the types of specialists that might work best as well as what precautions to take. Remember, in the event that there is life down there, I don't want our crew arriving like an invading army, all we need is to facilitate communications and hopefully convince the locals to help us find our bearings. And if you're looking for volunteers, I've already sent details to half the crew."<br/><br/>By the time the captain had finished they found themselves in Astrometrics, with the captain only pausing to give a small sniff as she caught a hint of a familiar smell in the air. She had little time to wonder why she recognized it however as she turned to the Bajoran, her face stern and posture official and unyielding as she remarked, "This better be good news Ensign, what have you found?"<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy103/TrashyMe/0146de0e.jpg)</div>