Heading for the Transporter Room on deck 3, Lt. Janson hit his comm-badge and said, "Janson to Ensign Ravish Blackbear."

"Ravish here," his friend replied. "Is it time?"

"Yeah, it's time. I'll be beaming out soon. Meet me there."

Derit Janson was not looking forward to this parting. He was excited to be going to his new post, but saying goodbye to his best friend was going to be hard. Furthermore, he also had to make arrangements to move his personal arsenal. Not a small task.

Ravish was also not looking forward to this moment. He had been happy for Janson when the transfer was approved, but also a bit jealous. After all, Ravish shared the heritage of many of the new ship's crew, an Abodean elf, and he also wished to be assigned to the Ghidorah, but his skills were not needed aboard that ship.

Derit's abilities were thought by the Empire to be of value on the one of the sleekest warships in the Fleet. He would be needed on the crucial missions of the Galaxy class vessel.

"Now to get my trunks loaded on the transporter pad," thought the talented Lieutenant. "I just know some vital parts will get jarred in this move. Those trasporter chiefs just don't appreciate how delicate an ancient TOW Missile Launcher can be!"

Using his worry over the machine parts to keep a gruff exterior, Lt. Janson scowled as Ensign Ravish Blackbear came through the portal into the transporter room. It was his customary expression anyway.

Not surprised by the appearance of his human friend, Ravish said with a grin, "I see your precious toys are all here."

Grumbling more, Janson clasped his companion's forearm in a hearty, jocular way. "Don't forget I'll only be a sub-space communication away! So, if you need me to shoot someone for you, just give a yell."

The two looked at each other in silence a moment, and then shaking his head, Derit moved to stand beside a large crate on the center pad.

"Like I'd need your help to kill someone! Don't forget that we elves have methods beyond your fragile human capacities!" Ravish laughed as he also reminded his former shipmate to be wary.

Janson broke into a rare smile. "Like that time you tried to stun that snake on the Holodeck? If that's what you've got for mental powers, I'm sure that I could take the lot of you! Take care of yourself, and don't worry about me, Ensign!"

Giving one final look at his erstwhile comrade, Janson gave a signal to the man at the console, and saw the image of his old ship fade.

The brightness of transporting dimmed, and Janson found himself in a larger room. He was looking at two new and decidedly unfriendly faces. The transporter operator and a security woman, with phaser (type II, he noted cooly) leveled at his heart.

"A copy of your orders, sir." she demanded, giving a nasty twist to the word sir.

Damn. I knew I'd forget something, he thought to himself. "I seem to have left it on the ISS Renegade. Would you put that phaser down, and give me a hand with this please?" he asked her politely, indicating his trunks.

"Stand where you are!" she barked. "No one comes aboard this vessel without proper authorization."

"You knew to beam me over, didn't you? I'd say you were expecting me, and that should suffice, Crewman. Now, about my quarters, they were told to make space for these, right?" Janson turned his back on the woman, and began to count his containers.

"I said to stand still!" the now infuriated guard shouted. She was new to this post, and determined not to break any rules. This intruder could be an imposter. Without his orders, he should not even be allowed to beam over! Hardly daring to glance away from the man, she gave a sharp look at the transporter operator, as if to say, well, now what do I do? Seeing the man on the pad reach into a trunk and bring forth a large metallic object, she panicked.

A beam of phaser fire whizzed by his head, just missing his left ear and creating the smell of singed hair. Reacting with blinding swiftness, Janson was down in a crouch before the woman's phaser hit the ground. Reholstering his 9mm Earth pistol, he gave the startled woman and man a rather thin smile. "It's a good thing for you that I didn't decide to kill you for that. I hardly wish to start my duties here by explaining your death, so I'd leave that damadged weapon where it lies for now!" I'll have to clean this weapon right away, he was thinking to himself. Damn powder residue will be a pain to wipe off.

"Do you think I could request that the Renegade send over that datapad, now, Sir?" came the transporter operator's nervous and hesitant voice.

Still looking astonished at her empty and whiplashed hand, the female security guard could only mouth a weak "Oh!"

"Yes, that should be fine." Janson gestured for the man to move again. "And send for someone to show me the way to my quarters, if you would, I'll need to stow this gear right away."

It was already quite a change from his last post. Seems they do things by the book around here, he surmised. That'll take some adjustment, mine or their's, either way, he chuckled in his mind. He hefted the smallest of the trunks and headed for the portal, just as a hurried looking underling came rushing in. Pointing with his head at the remaining boxes, Janson gave a backwards smile to the mortified security woman. "I can teach you how to shoot like that, later, if you like!" he said, his dark laughter echoing in the hallway even after the doors swished shut.