Laughing, Aren punched buttons on his comm panel. "Attention Shadows, this is Aren; return to base, and meet in the conference room for a debrief session ASAP." Walking back over to the bed, Aren leaned over, kissing Keira's cheek softly. "Thanks," he murmured, "I appreciate you talking to me." He turned, and walked out, smiling to himself. He arrived in the conference room, taking his usual seat at the head of the table. Spinning his chair, he moved to look out the window. The snow had stopped falling, and a heavy blanket of the white stuff had covered the field outside. "So beautiful," he said, smiling.