========================================================================== CHAMELEON Sherry Loeffler ========================================================================== Timeline: After "SeaQuest 2032" (after 3rd season) Author's E-Mail: loeffler@istar.ca ========================================================================== AUTHOR'S NOTES: Now that I've been on the list for a while, I want to share my stories with everyone. I have quite a few which are already on my site and also on the TedTales site. Here is the first story. The first part got divided into three chapters originally. Someday I may get them altogether in one part, but right now they are in three chapters in my file. Disclaimer: - SeaQuest and the characters of the show are the property of Amblin Entertainment and Universal studios and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. The new crew member is, of course, out of my own imagination. Please remember these stories are how I perceive seaQuest is and how the characters are. This story belongs to Sherry Loeffler. Archiver's note: I reunited parts 1 (A,B,C) into one part again. --Andy =========================== PART 1 ===================================== CHAMELEON - PART ONE - A JUST OFF THE MACRONESIAN COASTLINE Tony was watching everything that had happened in the last few hours. He thought he had bought it a few times but that new fighter pilot was good, real good. She saved him a couple of times. Now was his chance to return the favour. There was a fighter on her back. Aim. That's it, he thought. Got you, right on the button. Fire! Got him! Tony was proud of himself. Whoops! There's another one. Kimura acknowledged Tony's hit with a turnabout. Tony thought she was aiming at him. He fired again and got the one on top of her, but then she fired. No, it was not him. He had one on his tail, and he had not noticed. Whew! That was close! It looked like all their fighters were down. He could not see anymore. Captain Hudson had ordered radio silence. He was not sure what to do now. He floated in close to Kimura. She signalled him to follow her. What now? Then he heard O'Neill's voice. "Tony, hey buddy, are you there? Come in Tony. Where are you?" "Hey, what happened to radio silence?" O'Neill assured him Captain Hudson had told him to call Tony and Kimura in. They had done enough here. Captain Hudson was hoping this would be the last battle, just as he had hoped doxens of times before. In the last four months they had fought seven different battles in seven different places. Now they were back at Macronesia. He thought it would never end. Apparently, though, Bourne was willing to negotiate. He hoped this would be the end. Time to quit fighting and get this planet back in order, if it ever really was in order. There were a lot of losses on both sides. It was past time of negotiating. Anyway let the big wigs look after it. His duty was to get SeaQuest back to port and get repairs underway. She needed some dry dock time. There was a lot to be done. "OK, people, listen up." It was two days after the last battle and people were frustrated and tired of everything. They needed a break. "I just got word that the repairs on SeaQuest are going to take at least two months, maybe three or more. We're going to be here a while. As of 1600 today, you are all on leave until further notice. This will be a leave without pay, however you will each be receiving a bonus in your pay to help tide you over. You are free to stay on SeaQuest or find somewhere in the city to stay. If you do say on here, you have to keep out of the repair areas. You are limited to crew areas only. If there is anyone who does not want to continue serving with SeaQuest on the next tour, report to the UEO office for further duties. There are always people waiting to take your place." "It has been a good tour this time round and it was a privilege to serve with everyone of you. The officers on this ship are the best people the UEO has. I hope to see everyone back again. That's it for now, but if any of you have any questions, see me in my office. I will be available on the ship anytime in the next couple of months or however long it takes for repairs. Thank you." "Whoa baby. That's giving it straight." Tony leaned toward Tim. "No room for negotiating I bet. Not with him for sure. You know, he must have really strong muscles in his face." Tim gave Tony a weird look as he continued. "They say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. I don't think he knows how to smile." Tim smiled at the thought. "No, Tony. It's not that he doesn't know how, he just doesn't want to show us that he knows how. What are you going to do?" "Me? I don't have any choice. I'm stuck on here for a while yet. I need a recommendation from Hudson to get me off here and he wants to see me improve myself. He ain't about to set me free. Guess I'll just keep bunked up here, cept when I'm out chasin'!" "Yeah, you're probably right. I signed up for another three years when we came back from space, so I'm not going anywhere either. Well, at least we have a couple of months of freedom. I think I'll see if I can do some teaching again. They always need substitute language teachers at the academy. I'll be able to bunk up there." After that they all went their separate ways until they were called back to duty. THREE MONTHS LATER: The UEO and other leaders managed to come to a settlement. The war was over. Everyone was rejoicing and celebrating. When Tim came back to SeaQuest, Tony got a hold of him right away. "I know this place, Tim. You would not believe..." Tim interrupted him. "You always know a place. And most times they do not turn out so hot. I think I'll pass on this one." "No, no, Tim. This is different. Really different. Come on now. Do you really want to spend your last free night here? On board this ship? This will do you a world of good." Tim knew Tony was right in that he did not want to spend any more nights on the ship than he had to. After all he might run into Hudson. He had enjoyed the last three months without listening to Hudson ordering him around. He finally buckled under and agreed to go. Tony had also talked Dagwood into going. He thought it would be good for him. After all, Dagwood just spent the last three months helping repair SeaQuest. It seems he was not included in the "you're free for three months" deal. Tony figured he needed a break. Dagwood was content to just follow along. Tim was a good friend to him since he came on SeaQuest and Dagwood would follow him anywhere. He also considered Tony a friend as well. They did not have to be back on duty until 0700. Tony figured he would enjoy his last night of freedom. "Here it is!" Tony stopped at a bar. Ben's Oldie Bar. That figured. Tony practically lived in the 1960's and 70's. "Now I hear the girls in here are something else. They, well you guys will find out for yourselves. But take my word for it. They are fantastic!" "Tony!" Tim was tired of him wanting to frequent bars and pick up girls. He just wanted to go back to the ship and get ready for duty in the morning. "Come on, Tony. Every time you take us somewhere, we end up in some kind of trouble. This is just another bar. It's not so special. Let's go back." "Dagwood wants to see what's inside here. Dagwood will go in with you Tony." Dagwood was always willing to follow anyone. He was curious about people too. Tim just shrugged his shoulders and they all went in. It took a few seconds to get used to the light. This bar was different. It was modelled after the 1960's or 70's or something like that. Tim was not sure. Tony knew all about that era. The place did not look too bad. It was better that most of the other places Tony dragged them into. They walked over to the bar and ordered non-alcoholic drinks. There was a lady singing a song from the era. She was walking among the people standing around. When she saw them, she started to head their way. Tim figured she was interested in Tony. She finished the song as she came up to them. She put the mike behind her back and said: "Well, what do we have here. Some men from SeaQuest. Nice to see you guys. Dagwood, Warrant officer Piccolo and Lt. Tim O'Neill." She turned to Tim. "Would you do me the honours of having this dance with me, Lt?" Tim was surprised. He was still trying to figure out how she knew who they were. None of them were wearing uniforms. Even Dagwood had got a plain jumpsuit for casual wear. "Well, um. I don't think ..." Tony cut in on him. "Hey, O'Neill, don't pass this up. Go ahead." Tim shrugged his shoulders and took her outstretched hand. They walked to the dance floor as she said into the mike: "This is a ladies choice. Come on, ladies get those men up on the dance floor. She gave the mike to someone in the band and he shouted into his mike to give a hand for Tiffany. She blushed and thanked him for the chance to renew some memories. Tim was a better dancer than she thought he would be. After all, anyone who delved into languages and communications the way he did, how did he have time to learn how to dance. After the dance she led him back to Tony and Dagwood. "Here he is gentlemen, safe and sound. I promise I didn't hurt him." She said that with a smile. "Sounds like you're well known around here." Tony said. "Dagwood wants to know how you know Dagwood's name. Are you, um, like Wendy? Are you like that?" "She smiled at them. Well, I used to hang out here quite a lot a few years ago. There's a lot of bad memories here though, and a few good ones." The bartender broke in: "Hang out? Tiffany practically lived here. She danced and sang her way into our hearts." "Yeah, right. Get real here." Tiffany was laughing. What about Unc? Does he come in here anymore?" "Naw, haven't seen him, oh, going on eight, maybe nine years. He had other interests. Tiffany was so popular here, we even have a drink named after her. Try it out. The Tiffany Special. Full of fruit juices, mineral water and a special ingredient which shall remain a secret, but it is non-alcoholic." He passed her a very colourful drink." "My stars! I don't believe it! You still make this thing? Ben you are one special person." He pointed up to the pictures on the wall. There were many of her, singing or dancing. "Oh no, not those things. How could you keep those things around?" "Tiffany was the Belle of Ben's Oldie Bar. We miss you around here. These pictures remind me of happier times. Hey! How's that kid of yours? I hear he's a real genius." "Literally he is. He's doing great. He is now at the UEO Academy for Specially Talented people. He knows more that I do at the age of eight. He is far more advanced than I ever was. He is eight going into High School next year and going on eighteen. I still haven't figured out where he got it all from." Ben gave a low whistle as he handed the others each a Tiffany Special, on the house. "Man, I don't believe he still has those pictures. I thought I would be long forgotten. He's right, though. They were good times. But back to Dagwood's question. I know a lot about SeaQuest, Dagwood. Anyone who works at UEO head office knows all about SeaQuest and the people on her. Captain Bridger is a regular in the science section where I work. Dagwood, you are a prototype of a GELF, and boy do I hate that word. The word Dagger is worse. Anyway, you have done well on SeaQuest and even adjusted to Navy life. You are a credit to your race. And Daggers are a race of their own, with the same rights we have. Keep it up." She smiled at him. "Tony, you came on as an ex-con who got the chance to better himself. You had agreed to being experimented on, with the results of having gills. You can now go underwater without air, as we know it anyway. But the way, try your officer's exam again. You can do it, Tony. I have faith in people and Captain Hudson has faith in you as well." She had her hand on his shoulder. Then she turned to Tim and put her hand on his arm. "And last, my dancing partner, Lt. Tim O'Neill, fluent in six languages or is it more now? Yo have about a dozen more languages under your belt. You're interested in anything ancient and even have a couple of ancient languages to your credit. I'm fluent in four languages and not so bad in about seven more." She stopped to see their reactions. They seemed impressed. She really did not thingk that she would meet anyone from SeaQuest on their last night on land. It was a nice surprise. The biggest surprise was yet to come for them, when she shipped out with them in the morning. "Tim, may I call you Tim?" Tim nodded yes. "Tim, I'd like to spend some time talking with you about some ancient languages and that. I have a book at home you'd like. It's a collector's item and very valuable. Would you mind sitting down and talking a while?" Tim was taken by surprise. Tony was the ladies' man in the group, not him. Tony was always chasing after women. From what Tim could tell though, he did not very often catch them. He seemed to be mostly talk. Once he got over his surprise, he nodded his head and they went over to a table. "Can you beat that?" Tony was not talking to anyone in particular, but Dagwood had a way of taking things literally. "What do you want me to beat, Tony? I can beat anyone." "No, Dagwood, I don't mean beat something. It's just that, well, what does she see in him? Sheesh, languages, that's what attracts women now? Gimme a break!" "Dagwood started to speak as he looked around: "Break? Tony, what...?" Tony cut him off. "Dagwood, give it up! Just watch people or something." Dagwood loved to watch people. He was still somewhat of an adolescent mentally, and he failed to understand a lot of things about life and people, so he watched people. Tiffany and Tim kept talking. Sometimes she laughed at something he said, other times they just talked. She told him about finding the book in a second hand store. The owner had no idea that it was valuable and would not believe her when she told him. She just wanted to be honest. Since he would not believe her, she ended up buying the book for ten dollars. It was worth much more. It was an unique one about rare ancient cultures and their writings, which few people have even seen or heard of. It started to get late and Tiffany decided to get back home. "I'll tell you what, Tim. It's kind of dangerous to be out this late at night on my own. I didn't mean to be so late, but if you'll walk me home, just a couple of blocks from here, then I'll let you see the book and maybe even borrow it. How about it?" Tim agreed and they left. Tony watched them go and raised his eyebrows when Tim and Tiffany walked by. He was thinking how lucky Tim was tonight. "Come on Dagwood, let's get out of this place. Time to head for the ship." "But what about Tim? We need to wait for him." "Naw, I don't think so. I don't think he needs us hanging around." They left and went back to the ship. Tony wasn't too happy, but at least Tim seemed to be pleased with the evening. * * * * * At the apartment Tiffany asked Tim if he wanted something to drink. "I'm afraid I don't have a lot. I've just about run out of everything. I, um, I'm going away for a while so I want to get rid of anything perishable. How's orange juice sound?" Tim said sure and he walked over to some pictures she had on the wall. There was a fireplace in the room and on the mantle were various pictures of a young boy, taken at different ages. "Is this your son?" Tiffany nodded. "Yes, that's Jeremy. Boy genius. But I guess you know what that's like to live with, I mean, having Lucas on board." "Yeah, he used to be quite a handful, but now he's matured and he's not so bad." Tim put the picture back and then realized there was a familiar face in the one next to it. He picked the picture up and turned to Tiffany. She was busy pouring juice and did not seem to notice what he was doing. "What is this?" He asked her. "How did you get a picture with our captain?" Tiffany looked up in surprise. "Oops! You found out my secret. He's my source. Well, actually, he's more than that." She came over and took the picture from him. "Oliver Hudson is my uncle." Whoa there! Tim certainly did not need to hear this. Captain Hudson's neice? No way. Hudson hated him as it was and now here he was in the apartment with his neice! Oh boy, if he found out. Tim would be in deep trouble. This kind of trouble he did not need. Tiffany sensed there was something wrong. She told him, "Come over and sit down. I'll tell you about it." They went over to the couch and sat down. Tim did not know how to take this. "My mother was Oliver's sister. Her and my dad were killed in an accident when I was four. My grandparents raised me, so I grew up with him. He was more like a big brother to me, not an uncle. He was always there for me at school, when the local bully tried to beat me up. He always protected me. He made sure I got home safe and sound. He looked out for me and made sure I grew up decently. We've always been close." Tim was taken aback. This was a different side of the Captain. No one knew about this part of him. She continued. "We used to go to Ben's alot. He's quite a dancer you know. We won trophies together. Then I met Brian there. I fell in love and Uncle Ollie didn't approve of my choice of husband. I was stubborn and married Brian anyway. I should have listened to Uncle Ollie. I only wanted to be a mother and a wife. I didn't care about a career. Brian didn't want children, but I thought that he would change once I got pregnant. He didn't. He had been jealous, but I had no idea he would be jealous of the baby growing inside me. I wasn't ready for that." "Anyway, I used to sing to Jeremy and talk to him. One day Brian came home and I was talking to my baby. He decided to get rid of the baby by beating me up and killing the baby. He left me unconscious and it was Unc who found me. There was no proof that Brian had done it and he said that it must have been a burglar. Unc had him arrested anyway. I was still in a coma and not expected to live, so they went ahead with the trial. He got off of course." "The time came when the doctors told my uncle that I would probably die and it would be better for them to take the baby and at least save the baby's life. I had been in a coma for six weeks. It was a hard decision for Unc to make, but he made it and they took Jeremy out. They didn't count for the "Hudson stubborn streak" that I have inherited. I'm sure you've seen it in the Captain." She smiled and Tim did too. Yeah, he sure had seen that stubborn streak. "I woke up a week later and found I had a week old son. He's been my life ever since." "Where's his father now?" "In jail. Doing 20 to life. For attempted murder on two accounts." Tim looked puzzled. "But he got off and he couldn't be tried a second time for the same crime." "Yep, you're right. Uncle Ollie got us set up in an apartment and him and JJ helped me get settled in before he went back to looking for your guys again. About three months later, Brian showed up at my door with a sob story of how sorry he was and that he wanted his son and everything would be different this time. Unc had told me to get a divorce, but I hadn't got around to it yet. I let him move in with us. A few days later I went out to do some shopping. I ran into Unc. He was furious with me. He was only in town for that night and was shipping out again the next day, so I invited him over to show him that we were a real family." Tim could see the pain in her eyes as she remembered what happened. "While I was away, Jeremy had woken up, I guess and started crying. Brian didn't know how to stop him so he did what he knew best. He beat him into stopping. I came in and tried to stop him and he turned on me again. He beat me to a pulp, but Unc interrupted him and they fought. Uncle Ollie called the police and he was arrested and convicted this time. I was in a coma again for three weeks. Jeremy was out of it too for a couple of weeks. Since then I have only lived for Jeremy, my career with UEO and my hobby, in that order." She got up and went over to the bookcase and got the book out for Tim. It was well worn and had been written in 1859. It was over a hundred and eighty years old. What a find. Tim was amazed at it. Tiffany could tell he wanted to read it what was inside it. "If you want you can take this with you and look at it at your leisure. I know it'll be in safe hands." "But, you mean, you trust me with it?" Tim could not believe he would be able to take this back to SeaQuest with him. "Sure, besides I know where it is and there's one other secret you don't know. I'm shipping out with you guys tomorrow." Tim looked up in surprise. "So, you see, it won't be far from me. I can keep an eye on it and make sure you treat it right." She was smiling again. "Wow, yeah, I'd love to take a look at it. Thanks. I'll take good care of it. I think I should go now. I have to be on duty at 0700 hours." He finished his orange juice and picked up the book gently. "I want you to know something Tim. My uncle may be hard to get along with and he works people hard, but he also respects you as an officer of SeaQuest. He thinks highly of you. Captain Bridger was the one who recommended me for this position and I really didn't want to go. But my uncle had some aces up his sleeve. One was Dagwood. He knows how much I have fought for Dagger's rights. He knows how I feel about them having the same privilages as we have. The chance to work along side of one is great." "The other ace is Lucas. Unc figures if I can get together with him and talk about Jeremy, he could give me some insights to the situation. Lucas can help me see things from Jeremy's point of view. He can even tell me what his parents did wrong and how to handle things differently." "The last ace was you. He knows we have a lot in common and he knows I don't have any friends who are interested in ancient things. He figured we would hit it off and we have. I'm glad I met you tonight. It makes going on the ship tomorrow a lot easier. Oliver Hudson does know people. He sees the potential in them and tries to help them see the same potential. People don't always realize he is trying to help them, but he wants to see everyone better themself. It's not just Piccolo he's interested in, it's the whole crew. And he did tell me you are an excellent officer. You may not get along with him, Tim, but he does have your best interests in mind. He still thinks highly of you, despite your problem with Kimura." That his a sour note with Tim. "Tim, I don't even know her, but I hate her intensly. I'm not usually like that. JJ was like a sister to me. She stayed behind while Unc was looking for SeaQuest and she helped me get back on my feet both times. I could come to her anytime with problems and she would help me work them out. She meant a lot to me. We had some really good times together. We laughed and cried together. We were really close and she died trying to help you save Kimura. I almost didn't take this position because of her. I still don't know how I am going to handle being there with her. But I will have to now. We all have our stuggles, Tim. Anyway I wanted you to know he's not as bad as you may think." Tim was nodding his head. He sure had a different picture of Hudson now. They got up and walked to the door. What a great evening it turned out to be. Tim was thrilled about the book and it looked like he had made a new friend. He was comfortable with her. "Unc told me to come about 0800 hours so I'll see you then." Tim smiled and nodded. He wanted to kiss her goodbye but did not know if he should, considering who she was. He felt awkward, but then she leaned forward to let him know it was alright. He kissed her gently on the lips. Then he stammered a goodbye and thanks for the book. Tim got back to the ship and was walking toward his quarters when he heard a voice behind him. "Lt. O'Neill!" It was Hudson. What a way to spoil a perfect evening. He stopped at attention. "At ease, you're not on duty right now. I wanted to let you know I'm glad you came back. I wasn't sure you would. You are a fine officer and I would miss you if you left. I, uh. Is that Tiffany's book?" He noticed the book under Tim's arm. "Yes, sir. I met her this evening and she loaned it to me." "Good. Good. I knew you two would get along. See you in the morning Tim." Hudson walked away and left Tim wondering about him. He had never used Tim's first name before. Maybe Tiffany was right. He isn't what he seems. End of Part One. The Adventure begins in Part Two. This was meant as an introduction to a new character and to some obvious conflicts there will be in the future. =========================== PART 2 ===================================== Part two coming up. The next morning SeaQuest was buzzing like a busy beehive. People were sorting out things, getting used to some new installations, and sometimes bumping into each other. Commander Ford was getting tired of it. He tried to clear a passage way for people to walk. They were expecting 43 new crew members and it was confusing enough coming on this ship without the added problems of equipment being loaded on. This should have been done yesterday so that they could have a smooth operation of settling the new crew members in. Lt. Henderson was trying to get each new person who came on and assigning them their quarters. She was directing them directly to their quarters and hopefully out of the way. She looked just as frazzled as he did. Her eyes were begging him to relieve her of this duty. "Hey, Commander. What is all this for anyway? We got enough junk on this ship without adding more." Piccolo was just as frustrated. "Who authorized this anyway?" "I don't know who she is. Some dork named Tiffany Rose." Tony jerked his head up and looked over at O'Neill who was lugging stuff with him. He was thinking it couldn't be the same Tiffany. She had not given her last name the evening before. Before Tim could say anything, they heard a voice and it was a familiar one to Tony. "The dork is on board Commander." Tiffany came around the corner and dropped her bag on the floor. As she went over to Ford she said, "And there is a title to go along with the name and it is not dork." She did not sound too happy at being called a name. Jonathan was not too happy about the whole situation. They did not need another person in command on this ship. He had senority and he hoped Captain Hudson would honour that. He had nothing against women being in command, but one Lt.-Commander on this ship was enough. He did not need another woman Lt.-Commander. Sorry, Lt.-Commander Tiffany Rose. Welcome on board." Jonathan's voice was harsh and firm. He did not like her sarcasm. Tony looked at Tim and mouthed the words, You knew this? Tim just nodded. He knew she was coming on board, but did not know her rank. He assumed she was just an ensign. "Come on Commander, we've just met. Let's not get off to a bad start. We're all on one team here." Tiffany hoped to ease the tension a bit. She turned to Tony. "Nice to see you again, Tony. And Dagwood." Then she turned and saw Tim. She smiled. "No room for dancing here Tim." He started to laugh and then noticed the look of disapproval on Jonathan's face. He decided not to show his feelings. Tony just shook his head. One never knew what surprises there would be on here. Tiffany turned around and saw Dagwood with a large box. "Whoops! Dagwood, I think that one belongs with me." She went over to see it. "Yep, just put it over there with my bag. There should be another one around." She started to look around. "Yep, there it is. Could you please put this one over there too, Dagwood" Thanks a lot." Jonathan was frowning. This was against the rules. What made this woman think she could just bring anything on board with her? "Wait a minute there, Commander Rose. Even officers have a limit as to what they can bring on board. You are over the limit. These boxes are not to be put in your personal quarters." "These boxes, Commander, are not for personal use. They are UEO issued, but I thought they would be better kept in my quarters. It'd make it easier for me since I will likely be using them when I'm off duty." "It doesn't matter when you use them. If they are UEO issued, they belong in the lab with the other equipment you have. Dagwood!" "Now just a minute. I think this may be better settled by the Captain." "Captain Hudson always follows the rules. He is very strict about it. You do not know him, but ..." Tiffany cut him off. "Oh, I do know him better than you think, Commander. As a matter of fact ..." Then they heard voices in the corridor. It was Captain Bridger and Captain Hudson. Tiffany smiled. "Well, we shall see what he thinks of it." Ford did not like her tone of voice. What did she think she could get away with? As soon as the captains rounded the corner, he yelled. "Captains on deck!" Everyone stood at attention except Tiffany. She was smiling. "Uncle Ollie!" She rushed over to him and hugged him. Captain Hudson told everyone to be at ease as he hugged his only neice. They had not seen each other since SeaQuest had been found, over a year ago. They had only talked on the Vid-phone. It was good to see each other. She kissed him on the cheek. It was an awkward situation for the rest of the crew though and for Captain Hudson. Captain Bridger leaned over to her. "Not exactly protocol, young lady!" He smiled. "Oops! Sorry Unc. I was so glad to see you." Tony moved over to Tim and whispered. "You knew all this last night didn't you?" Tim shrugged his shoulders and said, "Not everything." Captain Bridger started to laugh. It helped to relieve the tension just caused. "I didn't know you two were related when I recommended you for this post. Why didn't you tell me?" "Well, it's not exactly a great idea to let people know you are related to the infamous Captain Oliver Hudson, the most disliked captain around." She said it with a smile and Oliver could see a twinkle in her eye. "Hmm, I think he comes by the reputation honestly." He looked over at Oliver who was frowning then. Tiffany laughed. "I would not be the best liked person at UEO if they knew we were related. That's Ok. I can live it down. I don't much care about it anyway. It was kind of fun to hear people talk, knowing they didn't know the real Oliver Hudson." Hudson just shook his head. "Tiffany you look good." "Hey, what do you expect? You know if you would come around more you wouldn't have to say those nice things when you do see me and you would not be so surprised at what you do see." "I understand you've met some of the crew." "Yeah, I met Tony, Dagwood and Tim last evening. Commander Ford and I were just getting acquainted. There is one slight problem though. Um, Commander Ford doesn't like the idea of me taking UEO equipment into my quarters. Over there, Unc." They walked over and looked at the boxes, still beside Tiffany's bag. One was a sewing machine and the other was UEO material for uniforms. "Tiffany!" Captain Hudson knew what she wanted. He had been through this before when he was trying to talk her into coming on board with them. She did not like the uniforms and wanted to change them. "I promise, Unc. I just want to play around and see what I can come up with." "I don't want this ship turned into a fashion show with all kinds of weird looking uniforms." "You know darn well I'm not like that. I've been designing my own clothes since High School." Tiffany was offended. Captain Bridger smiled and said: "I'm not getting involved in any family squabbles. I think this is my cue to leave." The two captains shook hands. "You know Nathan, you're welcome on this ship anytime. You can even command it. It will always be your ship. No one else can take claim to it." "Thanks Oliver. I'll leave the commanding up to you and these fine officers you have now." With that he said goodbye to the rest of the crew and left. "As far as you go young lady," Hudson hesitated. "I'll let you keep these as long as you promise never to start a fashion show or start parading silly looking outfits on my ship. We all still wear UEO approved uniforms on here, when on duty." His voice was stern. "Aye, sir and thank you." "Dagwood, would you please show Tiffany to her quarters and take these boxes with you. I had to put you between Henderson and Kimura." Tiffany turned serious. "I don't want to be anywhere near ..." Her uncle cut her off by raising his hand. "You're going to have to live with it. We all do. I want to talk to you later about JJ." He turned to Tim. "O'Neill, would you give Tiffany a tour of the ship? Make sure she gets to feel her way around the labs. End up on the bridge. Then we can see how well you have done with your little toy you brought on board." This made Tiffany light up. Yes, she was finally going to try her experiment on SeaQuest. She was looking forward to it. "Tim, meet me at my quarters in 15 minutes. We'll start from there and that gives me time to get into uniform." She looked at Dagwood. "Lead on McDuff!" "My name is Dagwood, not McDuff. You know that." "That's OK. It's just an expression, Dagwood." "But you called me McDuff. My name is Dagwood. It says so here." He pointed to his name tag. Tiffany looked and saw the others were smiling at her small problem. They were used to Dagwood, but she was not. "OK, then, lead on Dagwood." He picked up the two boxes and her bag. "Oh, I can carry my bag." "Dagwood is strong. He can carry everything. See?" Yes she could see. She could also see that she wasn't getting far with him. She thought she should avoid another confrontation with him so she just nodded and pointed to the exit. They left but she could hear some snickering going on. It all stopped when the others saw the stern look on the captain's face. This was going to be an interesting trip. She hated Kimura but had to work with her. She and Ford did not get along. Dagwood, well, he was just being Dagwood. What a challenge this tour was going to be. Tiffany looked around the room. There was more room here than on any other sub she had been on. Maybe that was because she was a higher rank this time, although it never made a difference before. As she came up the ranks, no one ever gave her anything extra or different from the lower ranks. She even had her own washroom here and shower. Things were looking up, she decided as she got into her uniform. There was a knock. "Come on in." Tim entered the room. She seemed to be having a problem with her shirt. "This darn thing! It doesn't fit right! Oops!" A button flew off and hit Tim. He picked it up. "Now that's just great. Now I have to change." She looked flustered. "I have always hated uniforms. You would think that after all these years of women being in the forces, they would be able to make a shirt that fit them decently." Tim laughed. "Yeah, easy for you to laugh. Ahem. Tim?" He looked up from laughing. "Ah, you could be a gentleman and turn around." "Oh, yeah, sorry." He turned around so she could change her shirt. "Well, I think this one is OK. You can turn around." Tim was smiling at the thought of having problems with the shirt fitting. Men never had those problems. Then he turned serious. "By the way, why didn't you tell me about your rank?" "Why, is that a problem? Tim, as far as I'm concerned, I don't care about rank. I may be higher than you, but when push comes to shove, you are the superior officer as far as this ship is concerned. I haven't been on a sub for over a year. Besides, I don't intend being on the bridge much, so don't worry about it. I'm a behind the scenes person now, not an up front one. Commander Ford is welcome to the bridge. I want to stay out of his way anyway. He doesn't seem to like me." "I still would have like to know you are a higher rank." "Why? What difference would it make? Maybe then you wouldn't have kissed me? Is it so bad to think you kissed a higher officer?" "Well, no, but ..." "But nothing. Tim, don't let it get to you please. I'd just as soon not use ranks and be called Tiffany, than anything else, but I know Uncle Ollie is really big on ranks. Thats one of our many conflicts. This is going to be a very interesting tour with him and me together. We have a friendship growing here, Tim and I don't want anything to stunt that growth." She smiled and he smiled back. "Let's get out of here and on with the tour." Tiffany was impressed with the extra facilities for the crew. The exercise room was well equipped. The lounge looked really comfortable. Even the mess hall looked good. It sure was an impressive ship. She loved seeing the tubes Darwin was swimming in. Every time she saw him, she smiled and tapped on the glass. He kept putting his nose up to her. "I think he likes you." Tim said. "He's probably looking forward to someone new." "He is absolutely adorable. I don't know why Unc was so put off with him on board. He's so sweet." Tim explained about the relationship of Captain Bridger and Darwin and how Lucas made him talk. He told her about Captain Bridger's plans for the ship. He showed her the labs and talked about what it was like the first two tours he had on here and about the scientific team they used to have. "Sounds like you used to enjoy it here. Maybe some of that will come back now. I'm not sure if my uncle can handle peaceful, scientific missions though. He's too much of the military battle type of person." "The war may be over, but there's still a lot of skirmishes and smaller battles going on. The war really isn't over yet. We've still got a lot to do." "Well, that's part of why I'm here. I've had a lot of ideas and I'm finally going to put them to use. SeaQuest is to me, like a guinea pig, but what I came up with should help us keep peace." By then they reached the bridge. "Whoa! this is really something! I've never seen a bridge like this." Most subs didn't have enough room to move around. She was always bumping elbows with someone and most often people were tripping over each other's feet. This bridge had lots of room. There were different stations spaced out around the outside. Tim slid into his station with the comms board. He put on his headset. There had been some changes though. There was a station attached to his now that hadn't been there before. Tiffany slid into it. "Thanks for the tour, Tim." Hudson came over to them as Tiffany explained the set up of the addition he had on his station. "This is set up so that, if necessary, the communications officer can operate this lever here. You'll see what it does in a short while." She looked up at the captain. "Well, no more Unc, eh? It's captain from now on." She smiled. "Tony's out there now with Darwin. He should be set up. O'Neill see if you can get him on audio." "Aye, sir. Tony are you there?" "Loud and clear Lieutenant. We're all set up here. I don't understand what's going on though." Tiffany looked at the captain and he nodded. "The bridge is all yours Tiffany." Commander Ford looked surprised. He wondered what was going on here. No one had even told him what she was doing here anyway. Now she's been given control of the bridge, even with him and the captain still on it. Ford was ready to give up on this. Time he went elsewhere. Neice or not, she should not be given all this authority. He was going to have a talk with the captain about this. "Commander Ford!" Ford jumped. He hadn't heard the captain calling his name. "Yes sir." "Relax Commander. This is Tiffany's show now. She's waited a long time for this. Let's keep in the background for a while." Tiffany could see that Ford was concerned about what was going on. "Don't worry, Commander, this is only temporary. You'll get your bridge back in one piece, I promise. I'm just testing out a theory and then I'll be out of your way. I plan on spending a lot of time in the lab, not on the bridge." She was smiling, but Ford wasn't. She looked toward the screen. "Tony, can you put the camera on, please? And how far from the ship are you?" Suddenly they could see part of the ship on the screen. "We're about twenty metres away. Hey, what's with this camera anyway? You know that WSKRS could do a better job of this." "Oh, Tony, then I wouldn't be able to use your special skills." She laughed a bit. "Actually we need to be able to see the whole ship on the camera, so you have to move back a lot Tony. No, WSKRS wouldn't give me what I want. I need to be able to study this experiment frame by frame, with old fashioned film. Every second counts. I need to be able to analyse this with my own eyes and not through a computer base WSKRS. I don't want to depend on your fancy electronics. This is too important to me." Tony was perfect because of his gills. Darwin helped since he had the camera attached to him. Tony was getting further away from the ship and soon they could see the whole ship. "OK Tony, that's great. Keep Darwin still. And keep a hold on him. I don't want him rushing to the ship. He may get hurt. You never know what an animal will do when they don't understand something. That goes for you too, Tony." She said with a smile. "Yeah, right. OK we're all set here. Darwin and I are good buddies. We know what we're doing. Do you know what you're doing? What's gonna happen?" "Tony, friend. Tony swim with Darwin. Tony not always play." Darwin's voice came through loud and clear. Tiffany had spoken with him in the lab. "Well, Darwin, we'll just have to get you two out in the water more. You'll see soon enough what will happen." Tiffany took a deep breath and turned to look at her uncle. He smiled and nodded. They were the only two who knew what was supposed to happen. This way Tiffany could get the reactions of the crew. She looked at Tim. Everyone's eyes were on her, curious. She took another deep breath and started to pull on the lever. Her eyes did not leave the screen. She hoped it would work, but was not that confident. She had only practised on small boats. Nothing compared to SeaQuest. She did not know if she had taken into consideration enough about the size of SeaQuest. She finished pulling on the lever. Nothing happened. "OK lady, we're waiting. When's it gonna happen? Whatever it is that's supposed to happen." Tony sounded impatient. Tiffany looked disappointed. She shook her head and looked at her uncle. "I didn't take enough of a difference to adjust to size. Darn! I really wanted ..." Then they heard a gasp. Most of the crew had still been watching the screen. Tiffany turned around. It was blank. Or so it seemed. "Tony?" "Hey, what happened here. Where'd you guys go? How did you go? What's going on here? I kept the camera on the ship. I swear I did!" Tony was confused. Tiffany smiled and turned to her uncle. She shook her head in disbelief. "Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Chameleon." It did work after all. The ship was there but was invisible. "OK then a thirty-eight second delay. That's OK We can figure this out. I'll fix it." Captain Hudson came over and put his hand on her shoulder. He was proud of her, but didn't want to seem mushy in front of the crew. He wanted her to know he was proud. Now it was Commander Ford who smiled. "Do you know what we could have done with something like this during the war?" "Commander, if only the UEO had half the brains you have. They're a bunch of dumb, stupid, oops, present company excepted, of course." She looked at her uncle. He was very much the military man and he made the UEO his life, his only life almost. "Anyway, I tried to tell them. I gave them all kinds of ideas that could have shortened the war by at least five years. Everytime I approached them about something to help the cause, they just told me the labs were closed and would not be reopened until after the war. It was only the past year or so that they finally let us do some experiments. A little late, but you can't tell those idiots anything. They wouldn't even give me something decent to experiment on. That is, until Captain Bridger got into the act. If it wasn't for him I would still be in a lab, wondering if my idea really worked." She turned back to the screen again. "OK Tony, we're still here. We just have to try a few things. I need you to keep Darwin pointed toward the ship. Let me know if you sense or feel any movement of water at all. We want to know just what can be detected. Just cause you can't see the ship, doesn't mean it can't be detected." She nodded at her uncle. "Henderson," he said. "Get ready for some manoeuvres." She was still staring at the screen, trying to see if she could see the ship. "Um, yes, sir." She looked back at her board. Captain Hudson nodded at Tiffany. =========================== PART 3 ===================================== "OK Henderson. let's get started, slowly and move forward. Tony keep the camera with the ship if you can." She was scrutinizing the screen to see if there was water movement. It looked like the ship was gliding through the water with no motion. "Good, full stop. Now let's go up, very slowly." She could detect a slight movement of water, but not much. "Now let's try going down, very slowly again." She nodded at Henderson. There was lots of water movement there. That would have to be something to look into. She made some notes. "Great. Full stop now. Tony, I want you and Darwin to find the underneath part of the ship. Let's see what we can detect from there." "You gotta be kidding! How am I supposed to find the underneath of this thing? I can't even see it at all." "Hey Tony, I thought you could do anything. Come on, Darwin will show you where to go. Let him lead." She said with a laugh in her voice. The past few minutes had been tense on the bridge as they watched the manouevres of the invisible ship, but now the tension had been relieved. Lucas was keeping track of where he was. "OK Tony, now you're right under us." "Easy for you to say, kid. This is too weird." "Thanks Lucas." Tiffany was studying the screen. "Tony, move the camera so it points upward. Lucas is the moonpool open?" "Yes, it is." "Tony, you and Darwin move back and forth along the length of the ship. I want to see if any openings can be detected. Don't let Darwin come into the ship yet though." "Aye, aye sir, or ma'am, whatever it is. Here goes." They followed Tony along the ship. She could not detect any openings although there were some. That's good. It looked like there were only a few glitches to get out of the system. The main one being the delay in Chameleon taking over. "That's it Tony. You and Darwin can come in now. I need that tape so I can go over it frame by frame. Thanks for your help." "Any time for you lady. My pleasure." Tiffany looked at the captain. She pushed the lever back up so SeaQuest was visible now. "Think that'll help when we get back to Macronesia?" She asked. "It sure will. Henderson set our course for Macronesia. That's the first place we're going to test this out on." "Glad to be of service. Captain, permission to get back into the lab, sir. I may be able to correct that time delay before we get there." "Permission granted." "Um, may I borrow Lucas, sir?" Lucas looked up at the captain. He really wanted to see what went into this thing. "He'll be a big help with the computer system and that." "OK Lucas you're with Lt.-Commander Rose." "Yes sir!" Tiffany smiled and nodded. "Talk at you guys later!" They left the bridge to see what they could do about correcting some of those glitches. A few hours later, Tim went into the lab. Under a console he could see four legs protruding. He assumed they belonged to Lucas and Tiffany. He stood and watched them for a few moments. Then he heard Tiffany. "Lucas, it's not quite right yet, but let me try the computer. I think we've got part of the solution at least." She came out from under the console and saw Tim. "Hey, Tim. You on a break or something?" "Well, actually it's a lunch break." "Lunch? Isn't it a bit early for that? What time is it?' "13:43 hours. I, um. thought if you haven't eaten..." "What! My stars! Time does fly. I thought I had just left the bridge an hour or so ago. I think we had better take a break. Lucas! Up you get! Lunchtime." She smacked his leg and then turned to Tim. "And no, I have not eaten and I'd love to join you." "Lunchtime?" Lucas was too absorbed in what he was doing. "Who wants to eat now?" "Hey, I do. As a mother, I suggest you do too. Get up!" She smacked his leg again. She was smiling. It was nice of Tim to think of her. If he hadn't, she would be there all day, trying to right the problems of Chameleon. Just then they heard a splash in the moonpool. "Tim, play. Lucas, snob. Lucas, not play." Darwin seemed to be put out because Lucas had refused to play with him when he came down. Tim smiled at him. He and Tiffany went over to the pool. "Sorry Darwin. I'm going to get some food." "Tim, play." Darwin splashed the water again. "Eat later." Tim laughed. "No, I'm sorry Darwin. Time to eat is now. I have to be back on duty at 14:30 hours. Haven't got time to play." Lucas came over. Darwin dove down into the pool and then came up fast and squirted the three of them. He really was not happy with them. "Darwin, I promise, as the new person here, I'll play with you later. After I have Chameleon running properly. OK?" "Tiffany nice. Lucas snob. Tim not play." He splashed his tail at them as he swam away. "He really is not happy with you two. It's a wonder Tony doesn't get out and play with him. They'd have a great time together." She said laughingly. "Tony can't be bothered with him. He prefers to swim alone. I'll meet you guys there. I'm going to get the book I told you about, Tiffany." "Sounds good, Lucas. Let's go Tim. Time is running out." They left. "What book is Lucas getting?" "I told him about Jeremy and how I wish I had something at home that would interest him. Lucas has a book with some of the latest electronic wizardry in it. He thinks Jeremy might enjoy one of those gizmos." They reached the mess. "When we get back to port, Lucas is going to spend some time with Jeremy. That would help him a lot I think, you know, someone who has been through it." "That'll be good for him and Lucas too. I wouldn't mind spending time with him and you when we get back. Maybe we could do something together?" "That sounds great. Jeremy will love the attention. He loves having an uncle who is famous because he's the captain of SeaQuest, but Unc rarely sees him. I wish he would. Uncle Ollie is too military minded. He thinks of nothing but. That's why he's not so good on relationships of any kind." Tim nodded. They got their food and sat down. A woman came over to them. "Hi Tim. I haven't met your new friend yet." "Um, oh." Tim felt awkward. He knew how Tiffany felt about Kimura. "Tiffany, this is Lt.-Commander Kimura. Kimura, Lt.-Commander Tiffany Rose." Tiffany went stiff. She had forgotten about Kimura with trying to get Chameleon ready. She didn't know what to say. She just nodded her head. "Nice to meet the Captain's neice." There was sarcasm in her voice. "That's not why I'm here. It has nothing to do with my uncle. It was Captain Bridger who recommended me for the position." "Oh, I'm sure." Kimura turned and walked away. Tiffany just stared after her. She didn't move. Just then Lucas came in. He noticed Tiffany staring. "What happened?" "Kimura." Tim didn't have to explain. No one was too thrilled about her staying on the ship. Even the Captain. She may be a good fighter pilot, but she was not winning people over with her personality. She was very critical of everything. Just then they heard the battle signal. Then a voice came over the speaker. "All officers to the bridge! Man your battle stations!" This was repeated several times. The three looked at each other. "Does this happen often when you're about to eat?" Tiffany asked. "Yeah, battles don't take time to eat." Lucas said. The three of them put the trays on the cart for finished meals and walked quickly to the bridge. When they got there, people were rushing around from one station to the next. Some weren't sure what to do. Commander Ford tried to keep order. "Everyone, get into your places! We need to see what is going on first before decided what to do. Just stay at your stations. We have all been trained for this." "Thank you Commander." Hudson had just arrived himself. "What is the situation?" "Captain, it looks like a renegade sub. There have been skirmishes along the coastline but nothing serious. This sub," he turned to Tony. Tony put it on screen. "This sub has been lurking around and suddenly a few minutes ago, two subfighters came out of it and started shooting at the underwater colony." Tony changed the screen so they could see the colony. They had people outside trying to patch up the bubble which kept their air in. Water was seeping through cracks, but it didn't look too bad yet. This colony had been designed so that the colonists could study the ocean life throught the glass part. It was their only weakness though. The dome was gigantic. It was two miles high and ten miles in diameter. It had been made with ten percent of it being glass so the ocean life could be studied. They had a small village in there with colonists, who often welcomed scientists from all over the world to come and study. Each family had a job to do when there were visitors. The other ninety percent was a special metal which could withstand anything. "Have they seen us yet, Commander?" "No sir. They have all been too busy trying to fix the cracks. And the sub is too busy watching what they are doing." "Tiffany, how is Chameleon?" "Well, there's still about a seven second delay on it. Other than that, she's ready to go sir." "OK then let's get her on and we'll slowly move into the scene." Tiffany nodded and pulled the lever down. Lucas was at his console and watched for the signal that SeaQuest was invisible. "Okay, now sir!" Lucas looked at the captain. "Let's get in the middle of this then. Henderson get us very slowly into the middle of the situation. Near the bottom of the ocean. Keep WSKRS in for now. I don't want anyone to realize we are here yet. Don't get too near the bottom. We want to be able to release the subfighters fast if we have to." He looked at Tony, then Kimura. "Both of you get ready. I want you two out there on a moment's notice." "Aye, aye sir!" They both said and left the bridge. Tiffany automatically went ove to the weapons board to cover for Tony. As she passed Tim, she leaned over. "This is your baby now, Tim. Take good care of her." She pointed to the lever which controlled Chameleon. He nodded. Just then he heard something. "Sir! The sub is communicating with the colony." "Put it on audio, O'Neill." Tim punched a button and they heard the voice of the sub's captain. "This is Captain Stone of the Macronesian sub Macro10. We claim this colony for Macronesia and demand your surrender. You have five minutes to indicate surrender or we will split your bubble apart. Everyone will die. Out." They all looked at the Captain. There were 223 people in that colony. Macronesia did not have the right to claim it for her own. The treaty that was signed has specifically stated that Macronesia would stop claiming colonies and let them live in peace. This was a break of that treaty. Many did not agree with it and obviously Captain Stone was one of them. This was a renegade sub. Captain Hudson's facae was stern. He knew that they could not negotiate with these people, but he did not want to put 223 lives at risk. He looked around. "We will see how the colony reacts. Our fighters are ready to go and help them." By now SeaQuest was about twenty metres away from the renegade sub, but they were lower down. He did not want them to know they were there yet. They could wait. The tension was great. The tension increased as time went by. People turned to look at the Captain. He stared at the screen. Tiffany had never seen him so focused. She looked over at Tim, then Commander Ford. Then she looked up to where Henderson and Lucas were. Everyone was staring at the screen now. The time was close. There had been no word from the colony. O'Neill motioned to the Captain. He nodded. Then they heard over the speaker. "This is Captain Stone speaking." He was interupted by a colonist. "This is Dr. Grant. As a representative of the colony I have the authority to tell you we will not bow down to your terrorist tactics. This is a free colony. Macronesia has no right here. We will not surrender. I have to inform you that the authorities have been told about this and there is help on the way. If you do not want to die here, then you are free to leave." Captain Hudson raised his eyebrows. "Quite the bluffer he is." He said in a whisper as if the two talking would hear him. O'Neill had been monitoring all communications and none had gone out from the colony. "Sir!" It was Commander Ford. They saw on the screen that two subfighters had left the sub. "OK, show time for Piccolo and Kimura, O'Neill." Tim nodded and told them to go. No soon had the fighters from the Macro10 come out, then Piccolo and Kimura were out there too. They followed each other around. Kimura tried to lure them away from the colony. Piccolo knew what she was doing. At all costs they had to save the colony. He chased behind one of them, so he would float away from the dome. They had surprise on their side. Once the fighters got over their surprise though, they started to fight back. One aimed at Kimura, but she went down and he missed. She came up on his rear. He turned around and started to chase her. Any way to get him away from the dome. Tony, in the meantime had his hands full with the other fighter. They had been playing chicken with each other to try and scare each other away. Tony did not scare easily. He loved this sort of fighting. He was ready to do anything. Sometimes he thought he was going too low. SeaQuest was still invisible and he had to be sure he didn't go too low or he would run right into them. Captain Hudson began to ralize that when they are invisible, they may be a danger to their own fighters. "O'Neill, put us back in view. About time they saw where the power is." Tim took the lever and put it back up. SeaQuest could now be seen by the sub and by the colony. "Open communications, O'Neill." Tim nodded to him. "Captain Stone. This is Captain Hudson of the SeaQuest. Macronesia has no right here. Stand down and prepare to be boarded." They waited. Silence. Captain Stone was obviously weighing his options. More silence. The fighters had stopped to await orders. The enemy's fighters were closer to the dome, but they were facing Kimura and Piccolo. It looked almost like a stand off. Kimura and Piccolo could not fire in case they missed and hit the dome. Everyone tensed up, wondering who would make the first move. Finally the silence was broken. "Captain Hudson, we do not intend to stand down. We will fight to the death. We are fighting for Macronesia." "Captain Stone, you know Macronesia signed a treaty. These colonists are to be allowed to live in peace. You have no jurisdiction here. Stand down!" His voice was stern. His face showed that he was ready for anything. Tiffany felt some fear. She had never seen her uncle in this kind of situation. The other sub would not stand down. They held their ground. Suddenly the two fighters facing Piccolo and Kimura, turned around to fire on the dome. Kimura was quick and took one out easily. Tony had hesitiated and the other one got a shot off, but it went high. Tony grabbed the moment and shot. It was a hit. They heard him over the speaker. "Yeah! Ookay! Wooooo!" It brought a smile to most of them, except the Captain. He still looked stern. Then two more fighters came out of the Macro10. Tony had turned around and saw them coming. Kimura didn't see them. One aimed at her and shot. Tony took him out, but the shot had nicked the right wing of her fighter. She started to go down. She tried to keep steady, but flying with one wing was hard to do. Tony turned to see what the other one was up to. It had circled around SeaQuest and was ready to fire on the dome from the other side of her. Tony could see just the top of his fighter. He couldn't aim at him properly. He started to go over the top of SeaQuest when from underneath the ship Darwin swam out. He banged against the fighter causing it to lose balance and his shot when wild. "Way to go Darwin!" Lucas was proud of his friend. Captain Hudson could only give him a look which said he was not too thrilled with the dolphin, but at least he did help. By then Tony was on the other side and took that one out too. Kimura was trying to balance her fighter. "Henderson, the tow line. Attach it to Kimura. Tow her in." Captain Hudson ordered. "Aye sir." Henderson sent the tow line out and it attached to Kimura's fighter with a bang. She towed it in. The Macro10 turned to face SeaQuest. They were too close to fire any torpedoes. She started to back off. "Henderson, don't let her get away. Follow her. I don't want her getting any distance between us." Henderson started the ship going forward. Then Dr. Grant's voice came over the speaker. "Captain Hudson, you can't leave us. We need help. One of the cracks is widening. We can't control it." Hudson sighed. He did not want to let the sub go, but his obligation was to help the colony. He ordered Tony to come in and Henderson to stop. Tiffany gave a big sigh of relief. She did not want to follow the sub and maybe have to destroy it. The Macro10 went around the other side of the dome where SeaQuest could not fire on her and sped away. SeaQuest still had a job to do. Hudson ordered a repair team to go out and fix the crack. They had better supplies on the ship then what the colonists had. The glass dome took a few hours to fix, but they did it. The other side of the dome was metal and everything was OK there. Hudson reported what had happened and arranged for security to be sent out to watch out for any further intrusions. Hudson and his crew were welcomed to the colony, but he did not want to stay any longer than necessary. He had left the bridge with Tiffany in charge. Hudson and Ford went to greet Dr. Grant and discuss what to do to make the dome more secure. Hudson arranged for better supplies to be sent to the colony for fixing the dome. After that they came back on the ship and started underway. Tiffany, Tony, Kimura, Tim and Lucas got to go for a break. Tiffany was glad to sit down for a change and relax without any worries. "Well, we still got some work on Chameleon to do, but I'm glad it all worked out. This was a good test for it." Lucas agreed. "We can start now and see what we can do." "Lucas! Give me a break. This kid is getting some sleep. It is now 0800 hours and I'm not used to this type of life. The rest of you may be used to it, but this will take me a while. It may not bother you but I need some rest." Just then they heard the captain's voice. "I need you on the bridge in another three hours. Commander Ford needs some rest, so he is doing a three hour shift and then you take over." "Excuse me! I have been on this boat for 24 hours. In that time I have been yelled at, told off, called names, tried to memorize how to get around a very complicated ship, stuck under a console for hours with Lucas, seen a subfighter battle, and on top of that I haven't eaten for over 24 hours and you expect me to be bright and alert on the bridge in three hours? Good luck! You may be the captain of this boat, but right now I am completely bushed. For the past year I have been a nine to fiver and I am not used to this. The rest of you may be able to bounce back, but I can't right now. Remember me? The new kid on the ship. Please, I beg of you, let get some sleep before putting me on that bridge?" The others laughed. Tony came over to her and slapped her on the back. "Hey, new kid, that's life on SeaQuest. Welcome to the big time. Get used to it." He went over to get something to eat. The captain watched him. "Well, Mr. Piccolo, since you like this life so much, you, Kimura, Henderson and Ford will be the first crew on the bridge, starting in one hour. The rest of you can get some sleep, but be ready to relieve these ones at exactly 1400 hours." He smiled. "And if anyone wants me, I'll be resting in my quarters, but do not disturb me unless it is important." He walked away. Tiffany let out a sigh. "Well, at least he gave us a few hours. I don't think I'm hungry anymore. We have less than six hours. I'm making use of as much of it as I can. I'm hitting the sack. See you all around later." She left. Tim watched her leaving. He was glad they would be on the bridge togethere even if she would be the one in command. He felt good knowing they were friends. He hoped this would be a lasting friendship. THE END ========================================================================== The next story is Ancient Writings. Sherry Sherry Loeffler loeffler@istar.ca fanfic page: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7534/intro.html "Give whatever it takes, even if it takes more than you got." Tony Piccolo to Lucas on By Any Other Name - SeaQuest DSV.