CHAPTER 3: HUNTERS
Jonathan Archer sat in the Captain's chair reviewing the course for the next day. It was his habit before taking his walk through the ship at night. Porthos had his paws on his lap and was wagging his tail. He was anxious for their walk to begin. The lights suddenly began to flicker.
Archer looked up as Porthos gave several sharp barks, but the power came back on. The Captain merely shrugged. You just couldn't trust technology. A few minutes later, it happened again, so Archer called Engineering.
"Trip, can you tell me what the problem is with the power to the bridge? We have flickering lights up here. Power is very inconsistent."
"Cap'n, I'm trying to trace the power glitch now," said Tucker. He, too, was seeing to his daily routine. The Chief Engineer turned the power on the bridge to the back-up system and asked, "How's it doing now?"
"Well, now it's consistent. I'm sitting in the dark up here," said Archer. Porthos was now howling.
Archer heard Tucker mumbling under his breath, but obviously he did something the ship liked. The lights on the bridge soon came on. At that moment, Bukah hailed Archer.
"Captain Archer, we have a problem. The tribbles are missing. It's possible they have escaped into your vessel."
Archer nodded in understanding. "I think we can help you find them, Bukah.
-----
"Here we are, Lieutenant. Just a little psychostimulant to counteract the effects of the antihistamine," said Phlox as he used the hypospray on the Armory Officer.
Reed opened his eyes, but he was still bleary-eyed. He heard voices, but at least they weren't coming from inside his head. That should be a good sign.
"I told you he was out of it," said Sato as she stood there with her hands on her hips. Mayweather had helped drag Reed to sickbay after the call came into his quarters, but had to take his position at helm for manual control of the ship.
"Antihistamines will do that, Ensign," said Phlox. "Lieutenant, it appears that the Enterprise is being invaded."
"What's the problem? Are the Klingons suddenly hostile?" asked Reed.
His brain was trying to generate logical thoughts, but he turned his head only to encounter a blue-jean clad bottom that should only exist in his dreams. Unfortunately his reflexes were too slow and Sato caught him staring. He felt the flush creeping up his neck. Still, he would later swear Hoshi did that little turn that gave her bottom a sassy wiggle on purpose as she moved away from him. Must be the drugs. Reed sat up.
"The Captain needs you to search for the tribbles. The Klingons seem to have lost their cargo," explained Dr. Phlox. "He and T'Pol are with them now."
Reed managed to stand up and lean against the biobed. Tucker entered on cue and dragged him toward a console.
"Do you see what I see?" asked the Engineer as he tapped some buttons on the console in medbay. "Do you see what these critters are doing to the power couplings?"
The officers gathered round the screen with Sato standing at Reed's shoulder. He kept moving his arm because he constantly felt himself rubbing against something soft and perky. He dare not give it a name. Reed blinked several times and tried to interpret the schematics Tucker had presented.
"It would appear that they've created a number of short circuits. It's similar to what happens when squirrels get into a transformer. The first peaks are short, probably produced by one animal at a time. I would say the point of ignition occurs here."
Reed was rather proud of his cognitive abilities as he pointed to the peaks on the chart. His arm bumped into the perkiness again, so he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Ignition?" asked Sato. Did he mean what she thought he meant?
"You know, POOF!" said Reed. That didn't sound very professional, but it was the best he could do with her leaning into him like that.
"What happened to produce that really tall peak?" asked Sato.
"I would say that represents two of the tribbles coupling on the couplings," said Phlox in his normal merry tone.
"What a way to go," offered Tucker.
"Well, finding them should be a simple matter. We can just trace the point of ignition through the systems. See?" Reed pointed to the schematics again. "They seem to like being near the power couplings."
Reed held back a sigh. All of his training was going toward exterminating furry pests. On the other hand, this was probably the only job he was capable of doing in his current state.
"It's gonna be a messy job," said Tucker.
"Stinky, too," agreed Reed.
"Actually, Lieutenant, the tribbles should be completely carbonized, nothing but ash," offered Phlox merrily.
"I suppose that's the good news," said Reed cautiously. "Come on, Trip, we'll brief the security teams and get any spare crewmember to help."
"You're not going to hurt them, are you?" asked Sato with a distressed note.
"The little buggers are already barbecuing themselves." Tucker was not looking forward to the clean-up job.
"We'll handle this expeditiously, Ensign. There is no need to be alarmed." Reed was finally getting into tactical mode now that Sato had quit bumping into him.
"I'm volunteering. What can I do to help?" asked Sato.
"We'll need someone to get into the maintenance tubes in some places," began Reed.
"Okay, but I'm going to change first." Sato had turned on her heel.
"You're dressed just fine, Ensign. We don't have time to waste." Reed was stern.
"I'm going to change into my uniform, SIR," insisted Sato. Reed was about to argue with her again when she rolled her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest and said with emphasis, "Remember?"
Reed finally got the message and Sato was satisfied to see the blush appear. "Of course, we'll wait until you change. Come along, Commander. Let's see to gathering the others."
-----
"I think there's at least thirty more here." Sato's disembodied voice could be heard emanating above Reed.
"Start tossing them down, live ones first," called Reed.
The Lieutenant carried the two sacks while the Ensign tossed down the furballs. One sack contained the tribbles that were squirming while the other contained the ones that had passed on to a merrier life.
Reed braced himself for the flurry. The tribbles would emit a Whee as they tumbled down, then a merry chirp as they landed on their comrades in the sack. The purring in there had reached an almost obscene level already! The other sack contained those tribbles who had not been incinerated, but still managed to expire after reproducing.
Reed and Sato were having the best luck tracking down the tribbles and weren't even relying on technology. Instead they relied on Reed's allergies to alert them to the vicinity where the next group of tribbles was carousing. Then Sato's sensitive hearing would lead them to the area. Still, Sato had to go up a lot of maintenance tubes.
"Ah! I found it!" Sato's squeal of delight surprised Reed.
"I know, you said that already. Keep tossing them down," Reed called up a bit impatiently. His eyeball was simply going to fall out of his face at any moment given how much it was watering.
"I'm not talking about the tribbles. I found my missing top!" Sato waved the item triumphantly through the opening.
"Put that away right now, Ensign. Someone could see you," said Reed.
"Here, you hold it for me. I need my hands free to get to the tribbles."
"And what am I supposed to do with this?" asked Reed as the sports bra fell onto his face.
"Do with what?" asked Tucker as he came around the corner.
Reed crumpled the garment in his hand and stuffed it quickly into a pocket before he turned around. "Hoshi just found more breasties--I mean, beasties, Commander."
"Well, that should be the last of them. Report to the Cap'n when you're done. My engineers are gonna be working all night fixing this mess."
-----
"How many dead?" asked Captain Archer as his officers gave their report.
"One hundred thirty-six, sir," said Reed with precision. One of his eyes was red and watering badly.
"Thirty-seven," insisted Sato. Her hair was a mess, she had smudges on her cheek, but her shirt was ON, damn it!
"I told you the last one wasn't a tribble; it was a rat," said Reed.
"I know a rat when I see one, Lieutenant," said Sato primly.
"Look, the body count don't matter. We recovered six hundred sixty-six of the little fellas alive and that's what's important," said Tucker with a firm nod.
Archer put his head in his hands. The original cargo had been thirteen.
-----
"...and of course we'll do whatever we can to provide adequate compartments for the tribbles on your vessel." Archer smiled reassuringly at Bukah. He crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped she wouldn't insist on only accepting thirteen.
"Thank you for your help, Captain. The children will be pleased to have so many tribbles as pets," said Bukah. "We'll adjust the parameters in the Light Bringer to accommodate the new tribbles. It will be a little uncomfortable, but we will manage."
Gurtag looked much less enthusiastic. All he could think about was the long voyage ahead where he would be surrounded by hissing tribbles.
As they walked to their ship, Bukah turned to Gurtag. "We'll only be able to maintain the comfort of one of our cabins. I suggest you get your things to my quarters so that we can release the last of the tribbles into yours."
Bukah walked away with an enticing sway of her hips. Gurtag smiled. Perhaps the journey home would offer some distractions.
-----
Hoshi stood in her shower enjoying the spray of clean water. How silly of her to think Malcolm had been flirting with her earlier. It was allergies, nothing but allergies that had put the gleam in his eye.
She toweled off, brushed out her hair and opened her drawers. Tonight she needed a sense of comfort. Tonight she needed one special shirt to sleep in. She found the blue t-shirt and reveled in the soft cotton that wrapped her body.
Hoshi looked in the mirror and smiled. If Malcolm Reed wanted his t-shirt back, he'd just have to come and claim it. She settled into her bed for a good night's sleep. Then her eyes opened wide. A fit of giggles suddenly overtook her. Now, what would Malcolm do when he woke up to find her sports bra in his pocket?
Malcolm was oblivious to her musings. He had succumbed to the antihistamines again just after he remembered the garment in his pocket. He absently tossed it over a hook in his bathroom as he drank some water to wash down the allergy medication. He'd maintain the hostage until he got his t-shirt back, he thought stubbornly. That night he dreamt of power couplings, furry creatures and blue jean clad temptresses.
*****
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary.
Jonathan Archer sat in the Captain's chair reviewing the course for the next day. It was his habit before taking his walk through the ship at night. Porthos had his paws on his lap and was wagging his tail. He was anxious for their walk to begin. The lights suddenly began to flicker.
Archer looked up as Porthos gave several sharp barks, but the power came back on. The Captain merely shrugged. You just couldn't trust technology. A few minutes later, it happened again, so Archer called Engineering.
"Trip, can you tell me what the problem is with the power to the bridge? We have flickering lights up here. Power is very inconsistent."
"Cap'n, I'm trying to trace the power glitch now," said Tucker. He, too, was seeing to his daily routine. The Chief Engineer turned the power on the bridge to the back-up system and asked, "How's it doing now?"
"Well, now it's consistent. I'm sitting in the dark up here," said Archer. Porthos was now howling.
Archer heard Tucker mumbling under his breath, but obviously he did something the ship liked. The lights on the bridge soon came on. At that moment, Bukah hailed Archer.
"Captain Archer, we have a problem. The tribbles are missing. It's possible they have escaped into your vessel."
Archer nodded in understanding. "I think we can help you find them, Bukah.
-----
"Here we are, Lieutenant. Just a little psychostimulant to counteract the effects of the antihistamine," said Phlox as he used the hypospray on the Armory Officer.
Reed opened his eyes, but he was still bleary-eyed. He heard voices, but at least they weren't coming from inside his head. That should be a good sign.
"I told you he was out of it," said Sato as she stood there with her hands on her hips. Mayweather had helped drag Reed to sickbay after the call came into his quarters, but had to take his position at helm for manual control of the ship.
"Antihistamines will do that, Ensign," said Phlox. "Lieutenant, it appears that the Enterprise is being invaded."
"What's the problem? Are the Klingons suddenly hostile?" asked Reed.
His brain was trying to generate logical thoughts, but he turned his head only to encounter a blue-jean clad bottom that should only exist in his dreams. Unfortunately his reflexes were too slow and Sato caught him staring. He felt the flush creeping up his neck. Still, he would later swear Hoshi did that little turn that gave her bottom a sassy wiggle on purpose as she moved away from him. Must be the drugs. Reed sat up.
"The Captain needs you to search for the tribbles. The Klingons seem to have lost their cargo," explained Dr. Phlox. "He and T'Pol are with them now."
Reed managed to stand up and lean against the biobed. Tucker entered on cue and dragged him toward a console.
"Do you see what I see?" asked the Engineer as he tapped some buttons on the console in medbay. "Do you see what these critters are doing to the power couplings?"
The officers gathered round the screen with Sato standing at Reed's shoulder. He kept moving his arm because he constantly felt himself rubbing against something soft and perky. He dare not give it a name. Reed blinked several times and tried to interpret the schematics Tucker had presented.
"It would appear that they've created a number of short circuits. It's similar to what happens when squirrels get into a transformer. The first peaks are short, probably produced by one animal at a time. I would say the point of ignition occurs here."
Reed was rather proud of his cognitive abilities as he pointed to the peaks on the chart. His arm bumped into the perkiness again, so he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Ignition?" asked Sato. Did he mean what she thought he meant?
"You know, POOF!" said Reed. That didn't sound very professional, but it was the best he could do with her leaning into him like that.
"What happened to produce that really tall peak?" asked Sato.
"I would say that represents two of the tribbles coupling on the couplings," said Phlox in his normal merry tone.
"What a way to go," offered Tucker.
"Well, finding them should be a simple matter. We can just trace the point of ignition through the systems. See?" Reed pointed to the schematics again. "They seem to like being near the power couplings."
Reed held back a sigh. All of his training was going toward exterminating furry pests. On the other hand, this was probably the only job he was capable of doing in his current state.
"It's gonna be a messy job," said Tucker.
"Stinky, too," agreed Reed.
"Actually, Lieutenant, the tribbles should be completely carbonized, nothing but ash," offered Phlox merrily.
"I suppose that's the good news," said Reed cautiously. "Come on, Trip, we'll brief the security teams and get any spare crewmember to help."
"You're not going to hurt them, are you?" asked Sato with a distressed note.
"The little buggers are already barbecuing themselves." Tucker was not looking forward to the clean-up job.
"We'll handle this expeditiously, Ensign. There is no need to be alarmed." Reed was finally getting into tactical mode now that Sato had quit bumping into him.
"I'm volunteering. What can I do to help?" asked Sato.
"We'll need someone to get into the maintenance tubes in some places," began Reed.
"Okay, but I'm going to change first." Sato had turned on her heel.
"You're dressed just fine, Ensign. We don't have time to waste." Reed was stern.
"I'm going to change into my uniform, SIR," insisted Sato. Reed was about to argue with her again when she rolled her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest and said with emphasis, "Remember?"
Reed finally got the message and Sato was satisfied to see the blush appear. "Of course, we'll wait until you change. Come along, Commander. Let's see to gathering the others."
-----
"I think there's at least thirty more here." Sato's disembodied voice could be heard emanating above Reed.
"Start tossing them down, live ones first," called Reed.
The Lieutenant carried the two sacks while the Ensign tossed down the furballs. One sack contained the tribbles that were squirming while the other contained the ones that had passed on to a merrier life.
Reed braced himself for the flurry. The tribbles would emit a Whee as they tumbled down, then a merry chirp as they landed on their comrades in the sack. The purring in there had reached an almost obscene level already! The other sack contained those tribbles who had not been incinerated, but still managed to expire after reproducing.
Reed and Sato were having the best luck tracking down the tribbles and weren't even relying on technology. Instead they relied on Reed's allergies to alert them to the vicinity where the next group of tribbles was carousing. Then Sato's sensitive hearing would lead them to the area. Still, Sato had to go up a lot of maintenance tubes.
"Ah! I found it!" Sato's squeal of delight surprised Reed.
"I know, you said that already. Keep tossing them down," Reed called up a bit impatiently. His eyeball was simply going to fall out of his face at any moment given how much it was watering.
"I'm not talking about the tribbles. I found my missing top!" Sato waved the item triumphantly through the opening.
"Put that away right now, Ensign. Someone could see you," said Reed.
"Here, you hold it for me. I need my hands free to get to the tribbles."
"And what am I supposed to do with this?" asked Reed as the sports bra fell onto his face.
"Do with what?" asked Tucker as he came around the corner.
Reed crumpled the garment in his hand and stuffed it quickly into a pocket before he turned around. "Hoshi just found more breasties--I mean, beasties, Commander."
"Well, that should be the last of them. Report to the Cap'n when you're done. My engineers are gonna be working all night fixing this mess."
-----
"How many dead?" asked Captain Archer as his officers gave their report.
"One hundred thirty-six, sir," said Reed with precision. One of his eyes was red and watering badly.
"Thirty-seven," insisted Sato. Her hair was a mess, she had smudges on her cheek, but her shirt was ON, damn it!
"I told you the last one wasn't a tribble; it was a rat," said Reed.
"I know a rat when I see one, Lieutenant," said Sato primly.
"Look, the body count don't matter. We recovered six hundred sixty-six of the little fellas alive and that's what's important," said Tucker with a firm nod.
Archer put his head in his hands. The original cargo had been thirteen.
-----
"...and of course we'll do whatever we can to provide adequate compartments for the tribbles on your vessel." Archer smiled reassuringly at Bukah. He crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped she wouldn't insist on only accepting thirteen.
"Thank you for your help, Captain. The children will be pleased to have so many tribbles as pets," said Bukah. "We'll adjust the parameters in the Light Bringer to accommodate the new tribbles. It will be a little uncomfortable, but we will manage."
Gurtag looked much less enthusiastic. All he could think about was the long voyage ahead where he would be surrounded by hissing tribbles.
As they walked to their ship, Bukah turned to Gurtag. "We'll only be able to maintain the comfort of one of our cabins. I suggest you get your things to my quarters so that we can release the last of the tribbles into yours."
Bukah walked away with an enticing sway of her hips. Gurtag smiled. Perhaps the journey home would offer some distractions.
-----
Hoshi stood in her shower enjoying the spray of clean water. How silly of her to think Malcolm had been flirting with her earlier. It was allergies, nothing but allergies that had put the gleam in his eye.
She toweled off, brushed out her hair and opened her drawers. Tonight she needed a sense of comfort. Tonight she needed one special shirt to sleep in. She found the blue t-shirt and reveled in the soft cotton that wrapped her body.
Hoshi looked in the mirror and smiled. If Malcolm Reed wanted his t-shirt back, he'd just have to come and claim it. She settled into her bed for a good night's sleep. Then her eyes opened wide. A fit of giggles suddenly overtook her. Now, what would Malcolm do when he woke up to find her sports bra in his pocket?
Malcolm was oblivious to her musings. He had succumbed to the antihistamines again just after he remembered the garment in his pocket. He absently tossed it over a hook in his bathroom as he drank some water to wash down the allergy medication. He'd maintain the hostage until he got his t-shirt back, he thought stubbornly. That night he dreamt of power couplings, furry creatures and blue jean clad temptresses.
*****
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary.