The Science Lecture Hall fell into silence as Cam MacLaughlin glanced up from the padd on the podium. She straightened her uniform slightly and looked up at the faces.

"And that's the jist of it people. We are going into an unknown volatile situation. Starfleet is treating this distress call with the utmost caution and sincerity. The civilians are being dropped at the nearest base to ensure their safety. You have, at this point, one of two options: Stay here with the Endeavour or remain with the civilians. I realize that many of you are scientists and adhore violence. It is unfortunate that violence may be rearing its ugly head. For those of you who are career officers, I think you understand the gravity of the situation. We are being called upon to fill our duty. I will need your decision within the next six hours, time is of the essence."

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Cam walked into her office and settled in her chair. As she told Jesse, they were given a choice, a clear cut choice. It didn't matter if there was a matter of principle. You could be a pacifist or you could be a warmonger. It didn't matter. The Endeavour was being called into a military situation and that was it. This department alone had a unique situation. They had a choice to fight, if there was indeed a battle to be fought. It chilled her stomach into a leaden ball.

"Commander?" A soft voice asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Simon," Cam smiled up at the chief geologist. "I'm sorry for in the informality, I'm just feeling a bit put off with this situation with the Science station."

"I want to stay with the ship." He said firmly.

"Good, I'm pleased you'll be here. Ill need people. I'm being asked to find out where you've been cross trained and make the appropriate assignment. Would like to assist Medical, Engineering or Security? It seems that those are the areas that are going to need warm bodies, depending on what we find when we get there."

"Medical," He nodded.

"I kinda figured you'd want to help Doc." She sighed settling back in her chair with a creek, " That's fine. Everything will be finalized soon, Ill keep you informed I'm sorry I should have remembered you were cross-trained Med."

"Thank you, " he nodded as he headed for his office.

Cam sighed, reflecting upon dedication. She turned the distress call over in her mind, it burned her and bothered her. On that Science Station were colleagues. On that station were people like her own staff. Researchers, civilians, cadets- in -training...families. Students she might have taught, professors she may have studied under. They were not military, they were intellectuals. Their strength in their minds.

Later, getting a cup of coffee she ran into Hiakowa Sazuki who respectfully asked to be assigned to Security. Cam sighed thinking about friends going into this shoulder to shoulder. She had no reason to refuse the botanist's request.

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"T'Laren," Cam paused, looking over a padd at Science One, as she reviewed the incoming data from the station. "I'm going to need a team to recover the data on that station. Our downloading override codes are inoperative. I think that some of the comm relays are gone. "

"That is a logical assumption," T'Laren voice came back over the comm link, "if indeed the preliminary reports are accurate."

"I'm afraid that they are. You carry on ."

Cam glanced at Jesse as he leaned his head over the tactical station speaking softly with Lt. Cmdr.. Remington. His green eyes caught hers in a momentary flash. He looked cold and tight. The game face was on and his eyes hard. His expression was echoed by the cold mask on Remington's face. Hers was becoming more cold and calculating. Her eyes and hair had become an encircling vapor of ice, her face set like flint.

Cam glanced at the back of Max Taggert's head at the Engineering station. The thought burned at her, Max was sitting there in a bird sanctuary...or so it seemed. She was able to detach from the situation. It was a strange perception.

She looked at Colton and Matsushita. Then at Forrester and Sinclair.

She bit her lip at the tension on the bridge, it was thick enough to cut with a knife. Tension was evident on all the faces, young as well as seasoned.

She thought about Hiakowa and Fletcher preparing to depart in Bay 3. She thought about Simon and Mira. She thought about Kate.

She turned back to the board at the station and studied the deck by deck readout and wondered, what the hell was happening?