Into the Wild Black Yonder
Chapter Thirteen - Planetary Defenses
On the Enterprise
Late August, 2258
Jim
"Lieutenant Uhura, please open a ship-wide channel."
"Yes sir, open now sir."
"Attention, this is the captain speaking. We are now in orbit around Hesperon IV, the new colony planet. We will maintain this orbit for the next month while assisting the colony in setting up their subspace communications center and their defense system. The other three Federation ships will be patrolling this area to be sure there are no more surprises like the one we ran into on the way here. As a side effect of this assignment, there will be adequate time for all personnel to go planetside for some time in the out-of-doors. All campers, line up now! There are many forests to walk through and no large predators. Lots of places for rock climbing, too. We'll set up a rotation. Those not assisting with the technical stuff will go first this time. Captain out."
Pleased with both the assignment and the opportunity for the time in the wilderness, he missed the look exchanged by the two officers sitting behind him.
Spock
Camping? In the woods? He remembered a fall day in the eastern United States - a day Captain Pike had 'arranged' - when they had hiked over hills and through woods. A day when he had been so desirous of touching - and yet so afraid to do so. He slid his eyes sideways to see Nyota looking at him, her face glowing. Yes, he thought some time alone in the woods with her would be just - fine.
Nyota
She could hardly wait. First she got to assist in setting up a new planetary communications system and then she got to go camping - out in the woods with Spock - just the two of them! What could be better than that? She glanced sideways at him - he looked smug. Hmm. She let her mind wander, just a bit, thinking about sunlight filtering through tree tops, tinkling brooks, hillsides bright with autumn sunlight, nights beside a campfire, soft light glimmering on bare skin, hmmmm, yes. She felt her cheeks warm, just a bit. Wonder what he's thinking?
Spock
He sat at his console, hands lightly on the instruments, mind far away. The images she was sending him were very interesting. Was she aware that he was receiving them? Very carefully, he took the last image she had put in his mind and tweaked it just a bit before sending it back to her. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, heard her tiny gasp, saw her eyes widen, then almost close, her hands freeze on her console. Ah, yes, she had definitely received that. His lips quirked up at the edges, reflecting the state of his mind. Very satisfactory. He could feel that bright spark now, much larger than it had been just a few weeks ago. Growing steadily larger, stronger. He was really going to have to find a way to talk to her about that. Soon.
On Hesperon IV
Jim
He left Scotty in command of the ship, Spock in command of the technical group assisting the colonists, and packed up and went camping. He climbed rock faces, swam in rivers, walked through the woods, slept by campfires. And Bones groused about the dangers the whole time. It was wonderful! He returned to the ship in fine fettle, ready to face more tedium.
Spock
He carefully assembled a team of technicians to assist in the installation of the planetary defense system. He let Nyota chose the people who would assist her in the communications system installation. After all, they were her team. They waited until the colonists had the buildings completed, using pre-fabricated panels they had brought with them in the holds of the colony ships. It was fascinating to watch the ships guide the large, heavy panels in place with tractor beams, holding them steady while the construction engineers fused the connectors. He did not recall ever seeing this type of construction before. Then the large crates of components were beamed down from the heavy cargo transporter pads, other, more delicate equipment coming down in shuttles.
Now it was time for the teams of technicians and engineers from the Enterprise to assist. Carrying their own tools, they lined up on the transporter deck, dividing themselves into the teams they would be working with, each with their assignment, ready to begin. He had coordinated with the colony leaders, knew there were people waiting on the ground to show each team where they would be working. He set the earpiece in place, touched it with one finger, had a brief discussion with the engineer in charge on the ground, gave Scotty the signal to begin, watched the first team take its place on the lit discs. He was ready. It would be an interesting time.
He stood beside Scotty and watched one team after another beam down, keeping in contact with the team leaders through the communications control unit in his ear. Soon all the teams except communications were down, and here was Nyota with her people, lining them up, giving last minute instructions. She came to stand beside him, inserting her own control unit in her ear, turning to him now, nodding. He gave Scotty the signal, more people beamed down. Now there were only the two of them left. He strode to the platform, took his place, saw her beside him. Yes, very satisfactory.
He felt the familiar tingle of the transporter beam, felt gravity, temperature, humidity, air pressure, all change in an instant. He did not think he would ever get over the wonder of that instantaneous change. He stepped off the transporter deck, turned to Nyota, offered her his hand to help her step down - this transporter deck was higher than they were used to. He brought her to his side, kept her hand within his for the moment, turned to face the colony director, ready to begin.
"Mr. Spock, glad to finally meet you in person. And this must be Lieutenant Uhura - welcome, welcome. We're so grateful to have the help of all the Enterprise personnel. We'll have everything set up and running in just a couple of weeks instead of months. It will mean so much to the progress of the colony. Since we arrived here in fall instead of spring, like we hoped, we really need to get everything set up before the weather turns cold. Well, I'm babbling on now, let me show you where you'll be working."
Director Lewis strode off down the corridor, showing them through the building that housed all the colony's facilities for contact with the outside world - transporter deck, defenses, communications. There was also a bank of offices, and attached warehouses for the storage of the large crates coming down to the transporter deck. He took them on a short tour of the remainder of the small settlement, showing them the housing under construction, the areas being partially cleared to be ready for planting in the spring, the trees that were felled being carefully stacked so that the lumber could be used later. There was a water mill under construction in the nearby river, to provide power. Nearby were large windmills also under construction, for air power generation. On the roofs of all the buildings were solar cells. They were not concentrating everything in one area, but using everything available. He approved. It was all very interesting.
Eventually, they arrived back at the large building where they had started. He found each of the teams and checked on their progress. All was going well. Nyota had her teams well in hand, also. He was pleased. There was only one thing which had not been established. Where were all these people going to stay? Where were they being fed? He went in search of Director Lewis again.
"Housing arrangements? We didn't go over that? Sorry, just so many things on my mind. Here, let me show you." He turned and led the way to one of the exits from the building. There, just a short walk away, was a large inflatable building, moored to the ground by many ropes. There was a framed door in this side, almost in the center of the long side of the building. Director Lewis opened the door and stepped through, Spock following. The inside was dimly lit by the sunlight filtering through the canvas of the building. Under their feet was compacted dirt. Off to his right was a large pallet containing standard issue cots, still packaged. There were also a few crates marked with the contents - pillows, blankets. One slanted eyebrow rose high. He turned to look to the left. There against the far wall were three - THREE - food synthesizers. There was also another pallet - this one contained portable tables and folding chairs. He looked back at the director, questioning, waiting for an explanation.
"I'm sorry, I know it's crude. The colonists don't have it any better right now, Mr. Spock. We're trying to get everything we can set up while you're here. We just don't have the personnel to do anything else for you." At least he had the decency to look embarrassed.
"I shall attend to it, Director. Think no more of it." Spock drew his communicator out of the utility belt around his waist and flipped it open. "Spock to Enterprise. Come in Enterprise."
"Enterprise, Scott here. Wha' can I do for ye, Spock?"
"We need a team from Housekeeping down here, Mr. Scott. Accommodations are somewhat - sparse. We need to get things set up. I really don't want to take the engineers and technicians away from their assigned chores to make up cots and set up tables. We are also going to need some portable lights and other things. I'll get back to you with a list shortly. Spock out."
He turned back to Director Lewis. "Are there refresher facilities?" After another short tour, he was back to Scotty again. "We need portable refresher facilities down here immediately. And the technicians to set them up. And food. And a rotating crew to cook and serve and clean up. Things they didn't bother to tell us about. Spock out." He suppressed a sigh. Kirk really should have taken care of some of this before he went off into the wilderness. With one more thought, he ordered stacks of ship jumpsuits and flexible shoes transported down. There was no reason to keep the crew in full uniform, these clothes would really be more suited to the tasks they were assigned. He headed back into the large building to convey what he had learned, what he had set in motion, to Nyota.
Nyota
This was all so exciting! She was just jumping with energy, ready to start work. She followed the colony director around, really only half listening, just too excited. And it was really nice, walking hand in hand with Spock. He didn't seem to want to let go, and it was just nice. She couldn't help grinning at everyone they saw. And then they were back at the colony center and she excused herself, giving Spock's hand a squeeze, and set off the check on her teams. Of course, if anyone had run into anything that needed her decision, they could have contacted her quickly. Still, she needed to be there, working beside them. She roamed from group to group, interfacing with everyone. And then found something that needed doing and settled in to work. It was a couple of hours later that Spock appeared beside her, requesting a brief conference.
She was startled, and somewhat appalled at what he had to say. But what had she really been expecting? Of course they didn't have any barracks ready for them. They walked back to the transporter deck, waiting for the service people to show up. When they came down, they took Sergeant Jones aside and explained everything. Then they walked to the inflatable where the Enterprise crew members would be staying and looked it over. Sergeant Jones made some suggestions and set his people to work immediately. The first thing they were going to do was spray something on the ground to seal it. She shook her head. They left the very capable group to take care of things and walked back the short distance to where their own teams were at work. Hopefully, now everything was organized.
***
She finally realized that her stomach was growling loudly. What time was it? Just about then, she saw Sergeant Jones coming in her direction. Hot food? Oh, yes. Gratefully, she thanked him and set about notifying her teams to shut down for the day. They all headed for the inflatable, ready to eat and relax. There were rows of cots now, made up with pillows and blankets, a small chest set at the end of each one. There was a table set up beside the door, stacks of jumpsuits laid out, ordered by size. Boxes of the flexible shoes used on the ship to work in cramped areas were set underneath. On the other side, there were tables, with chairs set around them, and a small serving line, with a steam table and covered pans, savory smells wafting through the air. There was a new door, just opposite them, that must lead to the refresher facilities. A hot shower would sure be nice, but food first. Now, where was Spock?
Spock
When Sergeant Jones appeared with the news that hot food awaited, he was unexpectedly grateful. This day had been long and full of tension, much more so than anticipated. It was time for rest. He went about, finding everyone, telling them to finish off for today and go and eat. He was the last out of the area, shutting off the lights, closing up the doors, glad to head out for today. Where was Nyota?
***
He was the last through the food line, glad to find there was still sufficient food waiting in the pans on the steam table. As he was about to leave the end of the line, Sergeant Jones was there, telling him that the team would clean up, and a new team would be down in morning with breakfast and box lunches, then again in the evening with a hot meal. He agreed, thanking him for taking charge. Now where was Nyota? His eyes scanned the tables. Ah, there she was. He crossed, sat down in the empty chair beside here, suddenly more tired than he had realized. He began to eat, and she reached over and laid her hand on his thigh, there under the table. Yes, he needed that. He began to relax, her presence just what he needed.
***
They sat at the table long after the cleanup crew had cleared away all the dishes, the steam table pans, and transported back up to the Enterprise. They compared notes, wrote their logs, talked about the work to be done tomorrow. Eventually, they looked about, at the rows of cots, sighing. And then they discovered, at the direction of one of Nyota's team members, at the far end of the inflatable, a small partition that had been set up, with two cots, side by side. Nyota smiled at him. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad after all, sleeping here in this large building. He went back to the stacks of jumpsuits, picked out two in the right sizes, rummaged through the shoe boxes, picking out two pair, brought them back to her.
"Would you like a shower?" Her eyes twinkled at him. "And then maybe a short walk before bedtime?"
"I think that would be very nice, very nice indeed."
He carried the clothing he had just collected, and they walked through the new door. They picked the very last shower cubicle and entered, sealing the door behind them. He laid the clean clothing on the small shelf on the front wall, what they had on going in the disposable bag hanging beneath. They stepped into the shower stall, barely both fitting in, sealed the door, turned on the water. Oh, nice. He leaned against the wall, letting the hot water beat down on him, holding her against his chest, just relishing being close to her after the long day. Against his chest she sighed, her muscles gradually relaxing, tension draining out. Unfortunately, the hot water would not last long. He found the soap dispenser set high in the corner of the stall and pumped out a small amount and began to massage it into her back. Her shoulder and back muscles were definitely still tense, but he would fix that soon enough. She reached up and pumped out some soap as well and began to rub it into his arms and chest. It was a close fit in here. Lots of rubbing against each other. Very nice.
Nyota
She moaned softly against him. There just wasn't enough room to do very much. And it wasn't very private at all. But his hands felt so good against her body. He was nibbling on her neck now. She stretched it sideways, giving him better access. She let her hands roam, touching him everywhere she could reach. Her arms went around him, her hands gliding up his back, down over his buttocks. He was trying to pull her up, but there wasn't much room. She would her arms around his neck, sliding one leg up, around his leg. His hands were under her bottom, lifting. Ah, there, he had her now. She wound her other leg around him, hooking her ankles together behind him, just barely room, they were touching the wall of the stall, her back against the other wall. He lifted her up a bit more and she could feel him now, hot, at her entrance.
"Nyota." His voice was husky, low. He was asking permission, she knew, wanting her to know that he knew they were going too fast, skipping to much, wanting to be sure she was ready.
"Yes, Spock, oh, yes." And he was sliding in, so hard, so hot, filling her up, holding her close, his face buried against her. So good, so good. He moved, not much, there was no room. But he moved, tensing his buttocks against her heels, pulling her against him, murmuring in her ear, telling her how she made him feel, she could feel his flame, burning bright, she could feel it burning her, driving her up, ah, ah, Spock! And his mouth was on hers, swallowing her cries as the ecstasy flowed between them, so bright, so wonderful.
***
The water turned cold, telling them they had used up their allotment. Spock raised one hand, waved it off. He kissed the side of her neck again, then slowly let her down until she stood on the floor again, still so close against him. He slid the stall door open, reached out, handed her a towel. She stepped out into the small space between the exit door and stall door, dried off, stepped into the jumpsuit he had brought her, the soft shoes. It took some gymnastics maneuvers for the both of them to dry and dress in that small space, but they didn't mind at all. She took the bag of worn clothing off the hook and they exited, heading back into the main building. She crossed to the small partitioned area, left the bag of clothing, went back to where he waited, took the offered hand. They exited the inflatable, walked out into the still night air, down near the trees, smelling the spicy scent, enjoying being together. They walked only a short time, knowing the morning would come soon. Then they were back inside, where people where already settling down. Spock set the lights to 5 percent and they walked quietly to their cots, pushing them together until they touched, settling in under the blankets, still hand in hand.