CHAPTER 3: CHILDREN AT PLAY
Mayweather, Cutler and Moriarty soon collected the older children to settle into their quarters. They carried the bedrolls with ease and looked like an Eagle Scout Troop ready for a two-day adventure. Wonderful, thought Reed. And why did HE have to see to the youngest ones? He felt the little hand clutching his and had his answer.
Sato turned to her charges and said, "Let's have some fun. Put your pallet around you like a stole. Here, let me show you."
With dramatic flair, she took the pallet and swung it over her shoulder, effectively swatting the Lieutenant in the face as he approached her.
"Pfft. Ensign, I was going to say that since our children are of similar ages, perhaps we should rendezvous in the mess hall at 1200 hours."
Reed was hoping Sato would offer to supervise all the children, but she merely smiled her agreement. Her girls were six years old and consisted of the twins, Ela and Ena, the curly-headed Rakel, and the quiet little one, Brene.
"We'll see you there, Lieutenant. Here girls, let me adjust those so that the edges won't trip you," said Sato as she doubled some of the pallets. Her attention was soon drawn to Reed and his troop.
"Very well, boys, the first thing we need to do is set up your pallets in my quarters. Stand up, form a straight line."
The Lieutenant surveyed the formation. The three five-year olds were triplets. Warb, Warp, and Ward. The littlest one, Dart, had just turned four. He handed a bundle to each boy, turned and said, "Walk this way,"
The boys fell in behind the Lieutenant to make their exit from sickbay. Dart didn't make it very far. He was also small for his age and seemed to be overwhelmed by the pallet he was carrying. Still, he was determined to follow his peers.
Sato stifled a laugh as she saw Reed leading four boys who were all mimicking his brisk step--until the little one tumbled. She called out, "Lieutenant! Halt!"
Reed stopped abruptly, did a sharp turn with military precision, which was also copied by the triplets, and found Dart desperately fighting off his pallet. He quickly lifted the boy to his feet, straightened his tunic, and folded the pallet into a tighter bundle.
Reed tucked it under the boy's arm and asked, "Can you carry this now?"
The boy nodded gravely, then clutched Reed's hand. Reed controlled his sigh and merely said, "Okay, fall in behind us."
~~~~~
In Reed's quarters, the Lieutenant continued his instructions. "The schedule we will follow will be precise. Gurtag insisted that all of you get some exercise, so now that we have your sleeping areas assigned, we--"
"I have to go! I have to go!" Dart began jumping and appeared to be in real distress.
"Yes, we'll go soon. Let me finish my instructions--"
"But I have to go real bad! Where do I go?"
Reed stood dumbfounded for a moment until one of the triplets, being the wise age of five, said, "He's going to wet himself!"
Wet? Wait! How did Klingons? Reed ran to the comm link, rapped it sharply and said, "Doctor Phlox, I have an emergency! Come quickly!"
-----
What could the Lieutenant possibly have done to the boys to require medical assistance so soon? Phlox hurried to Reed's quarters, putting in a burst of speed as he considered all the weapons that the Armory Officer probably had in his quarters. He just hoped he wasn't too late.
The door opened as Phlox rounded the corner. Reed stuck his head out and waved the physician in with great urgency. "Doctor! Quickly now!"
Gasping for breath, Phlox entered the cabin to find three boys chuckling and the littlest one hopping from foot to foot. Had the poor child stepped on some knife or other weapon?
Before the Denobulan could approach the Klingon child, Reed explained, "He needs to eliminate body water. How do Klingons--"
Phlox stopped abruptly. His look of disbelief registered fully on the abashed Lieutenant. Reed cleared his throat and said, "Ah, I see. Just like little human boys?"
"An excellent observation, Lieutenant," said Phlox dryly. He waved his hand to have Reed scoot the boy to his bathroom.
Reed prodded Dart forward, opened the bathroom door and said, "You go in here."
Reed turned his back while the boy stood still as he considered three areas that appeared capable of carrying water away. "Which one do I use?"
Reed merely pointed at the toilet bowl. He tapped his foot lightly, expecting to soon hear the long stream as the contents of the young male bladder emptied. Instead he merely heard: Piddle, piddle.
"All done!" The little one was quite cheery now.
Reed threw a skeptical glance at the Doctor, then turned to ask Dart, "That's it? That's what you were holding in?"
Dart merely nodded. Phlox called, "He's probably new to toilet training, Lieutenant. He will soon understand to read the signals accurately. Goodbye."
Reed sighed, and then said, "Let's get those hands washed. Now, boys, let me introduce you to human bathrooms."
"This is a funny towel," said Ward as he grabbed Sato's sports bra from its hook in Reed's bathroom. The boy was holding it high and stretching it out.
Reed turned beet red, snatched the garment out of Ward's hands and said, "It's not a towel, it's a, uh, a cloth for polishing weapons."
The boys all nodded in understanding, but wondered why Reed had suddenly closed his eyes and was turning even redder. The polishing cloth was not seen again.
~~~~~
Sato had been confident she could handle four little girls. How much different could it be than riding herd over a class of college students? Or working with adolescents? Or dealing with the male contingent of the bridge crew?
She had settled the girls into their sleeping areas without the military rigidity that Reed was trying to impose on his poor little boys. She had even had the foresight to demonstrate the fixtures of the bathroom to the children.
The Ensign was feeling quite satisfied with the situation as she straightened her bunk after shooing the twins off. They had wanted to jump on it. It was also comforting to know that gossiping was a phenomenon that was universal.
"...and I heard Gurtag tell Bukah that he had learned a new poem."
"Oh, it's so romantic! When I get a husband, I'll make him read poetry to me every night."
"And I'll sing him opera. Listen..."
The sound was unbearable to her sensitive hearing. Sato tried not to wince, but had to shout to be overheard as the girls all joined in.
"Girls! We need to finish settling in. Now that we have the pallets arranged and everyone has used the bathroom, we need to talk about your schedules. We'll be--"
"HOSHI!"
The little squeal came from the bathroom where the littlest one had been finishing her turn. Sato quickly ran to her bathroom to see the sink overflowing as Brene tried to stop the trickle that was running down the side of the sink by pressing her finger on the flow.
"It's not stopping it, Hoshi."
"Oh, we just need to turn off the faucet, see? Now we unstop the sink and the water will all flow down to our water treatment processor."
Sato spoke with confidence as she unstoppered the sink, but her heart lurched when she heard a sucking noise erupt from the pipes and the water cease its outflow.
"Um, did you put something down the sink, Brene?"
The little head nodded gravely. Klingon honor was at stake. She would not tell a lie.
I am a Starfleet Officer. I have a doctorate in linguistics. I bested my four brothers in any prank. I have survived the attention, or lack thereof, of Lieutenant Malcolm Reed! I am competent, damn it! Sato kept reassuring herself as she tried to unclog her drain. She wasn't about to admit defeat!
Meanwhile, in the bedroom the remaining girls had discovered make-up. Human make-up. As females have been doing throughout the ages, they experimented.
Once the sink was unclogged and completely drained, Sato stepped out with Brene holding her hand. The sight that greeted her was--peculiar.
"How do we look, Hoshi?" asked Ena.
"I like the way the red looks over my eyes, but Ena had to use the pink," explained Ela who sounded a bit sulky. Well, at least now Sato could tell the twins apart.
"Why do you paint your lips black? I'm not sure I like it." That's when Sato noticed all the black kissing lips that covered her mirror. The imprints were perfect.
"This powder really sticks to your hair. How does mine look now?" asked the curly-headed Rakel. She flounced her hair a few times, sending puffs of white powder around the room.
"Well, girls, it's now time to play Make-up Removal. If we finish, we can meet Lieutenant Reed for lunch early."
After sending the girls to the bathroom, Sato turned her ear away from the water fight she knew was ensuing. She lightly banged her head against the wall. Hopefully, the boys were even more difficult for Malcolm. She pressed the comm to call Reed.
"Lieutenant, I was wondering if you'd be ready for an earlier lunch."
In his quarters, Reed was listening to the telltale signs of a water fight when the comm link alerted him. He held back his sigh as he considered that the Ensign was probably having an absolute ball in dealing with the little girls.
"Very well, Ensign. Then we could take them to the gym to work out their restlessness."
Each officer heard similar sounds coming from the other's bathroom over the comm line. The synchronous smiles on Reed and Sato were lost to the other, but an appreciation for misery loves company was at the forefront of their thoughts.
Reed added, "We'll be there as soon as the boys clean up their mess."
"I'll echo that. See you there in about five--" giggles "--make that ten minutes."
~~~~~
"Remember, the children are vegetarian," murmured Sato into Reed's ear as they stood back to watch the children make their selections.
Her voice sent a wonderful shiver up his spine, but the Lieutenant held his stoic posture and didn't even turn his head her direction. No, best not give in to the temptation. He merely nodded, reached onto Dart's tray and said, "Less desserts and more fruits, young man."
Dart put back one of his chocolate cupcakes and followed the other boys to the table where the girls were sitting. The youngsters began exchanging tales of their adventures, but kept their voices subdued.
Reed picked up his tray and was about to reach for the latest variation of chicken on the menu when Sato lightly touched his hand. This gesture he did not ignore and was soon staring into her warm, brown eyes. He immediately forgot whatever it was he was doing and managed to bump her with his elbow as he turned his body.
"Avoid the breast."
Reed began to blush as he realized how he had bumped into her. Then he thought of her sports bra hidden in his drawers which led to thoughts of Hoshi topless. He began stuttering, "I--I beg your pardon, Ensign. I--"
Sato bit her lip considering she had set up the point of contact and continued, "The chicken, Lieutenant. We should eat vegetarian to be a good example to the children."
"Oh! Quite right," said Reed as he cleared his throat. He made his selection and thought to change the topic. "I suppose Trip is having a grand time with the repair on the Light Bringer."
"He's probably talking Gurtag's ear off right now." Sato and Reed sat down to their meal and envied their friend his assignment.
~~~~~
On the Light Bringer, Commander Tucker was keeping his mouth shut. Anything he said to Bukah resulted in a low growl emitted from Gurtag. It seemed the more he talked, the more agitated the male Klingon became. The past two hours had been spent following the two Klingons through the ship as they marked the places where critical systems were placed. Tucker's EV suit was beginning to chafe and the two Klingons barely fit into the suits of the two largest Engineers. The repairs would require teams to put in a late night.
"I must check the hydroponics bay. Your Vulcan told me that it was intact, but I want to see for myself. Gurtag, show Tucker where the last relays are located."
Bukah left the two men to each other's enchanting company. She expected Gurtag would be quite possessive tonight.
"How many--"
"Here."
"You know, if you'd just tell me the relays show up every two meters--"
"They change," Gurtag growled at Tucker.
"Okay, okay, then." Tucker marked the next spot, then grunted as he tried to open the hatch to the next section of the ship. It remained stubborn. In his frustration, he began to vent his frustrations at Gurtag.
"Ya know, I'm not after your woman, so you can quit acting like I'm moving in on your territory. Not that she's not a good looking woman--"
Tucker ducked just as Gurtag swung a steel rod he had picked up. Bang! The Klingon struck again. BANG! The hatch fell to the floor with a clang. Gurtag had been aiming at the bolt that held the door, but the force of his blow sheered it. Tucker looked up at Gurtag who still held the steel rod.
"Violence is not the Seeker way," said Gurtag.
"That stubborn bolt WAS in the way," responded Tucker.
"Precisely," smiled Gurtag. Tucker wasn't sure if the smile was any better than the growl.
The Klingon threw down the club and offered his hand to Tucker. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we'll be on our way."
"Thanks," said Tucker tentatively.
At the moment the engineer thought he'd rather face all twenty of the children at once rather than spend another minute with Gurtag. Still, it appeared that taking his ill humor out on the latch had lightened Gurtag's mood. The two men continued their survey. Both were anxious for the Light Bringer to be repaired.
*****
Mayweather, Cutler and Moriarty soon collected the older children to settle into their quarters. They carried the bedrolls with ease and looked like an Eagle Scout Troop ready for a two-day adventure. Wonderful, thought Reed. And why did HE have to see to the youngest ones? He felt the little hand clutching his and had his answer.
Sato turned to her charges and said, "Let's have some fun. Put your pallet around you like a stole. Here, let me show you."
With dramatic flair, she took the pallet and swung it over her shoulder, effectively swatting the Lieutenant in the face as he approached her.
"Pfft. Ensign, I was going to say that since our children are of similar ages, perhaps we should rendezvous in the mess hall at 1200 hours."
Reed was hoping Sato would offer to supervise all the children, but she merely smiled her agreement. Her girls were six years old and consisted of the twins, Ela and Ena, the curly-headed Rakel, and the quiet little one, Brene.
"We'll see you there, Lieutenant. Here girls, let me adjust those so that the edges won't trip you," said Sato as she doubled some of the pallets. Her attention was soon drawn to Reed and his troop.
"Very well, boys, the first thing we need to do is set up your pallets in my quarters. Stand up, form a straight line."
The Lieutenant surveyed the formation. The three five-year olds were triplets. Warb, Warp, and Ward. The littlest one, Dart, had just turned four. He handed a bundle to each boy, turned and said, "Walk this way,"
The boys fell in behind the Lieutenant to make their exit from sickbay. Dart didn't make it very far. He was also small for his age and seemed to be overwhelmed by the pallet he was carrying. Still, he was determined to follow his peers.
Sato stifled a laugh as she saw Reed leading four boys who were all mimicking his brisk step--until the little one tumbled. She called out, "Lieutenant! Halt!"
Reed stopped abruptly, did a sharp turn with military precision, which was also copied by the triplets, and found Dart desperately fighting off his pallet. He quickly lifted the boy to his feet, straightened his tunic, and folded the pallet into a tighter bundle.
Reed tucked it under the boy's arm and asked, "Can you carry this now?"
The boy nodded gravely, then clutched Reed's hand. Reed controlled his sigh and merely said, "Okay, fall in behind us."
~~~~~
In Reed's quarters, the Lieutenant continued his instructions. "The schedule we will follow will be precise. Gurtag insisted that all of you get some exercise, so now that we have your sleeping areas assigned, we--"
"I have to go! I have to go!" Dart began jumping and appeared to be in real distress.
"Yes, we'll go soon. Let me finish my instructions--"
"But I have to go real bad! Where do I go?"
Reed stood dumbfounded for a moment until one of the triplets, being the wise age of five, said, "He's going to wet himself!"
Wet? Wait! How did Klingons? Reed ran to the comm link, rapped it sharply and said, "Doctor Phlox, I have an emergency! Come quickly!"
-----
What could the Lieutenant possibly have done to the boys to require medical assistance so soon? Phlox hurried to Reed's quarters, putting in a burst of speed as he considered all the weapons that the Armory Officer probably had in his quarters. He just hoped he wasn't too late.
The door opened as Phlox rounded the corner. Reed stuck his head out and waved the physician in with great urgency. "Doctor! Quickly now!"
Gasping for breath, Phlox entered the cabin to find three boys chuckling and the littlest one hopping from foot to foot. Had the poor child stepped on some knife or other weapon?
Before the Denobulan could approach the Klingon child, Reed explained, "He needs to eliminate body water. How do Klingons--"
Phlox stopped abruptly. His look of disbelief registered fully on the abashed Lieutenant. Reed cleared his throat and said, "Ah, I see. Just like little human boys?"
"An excellent observation, Lieutenant," said Phlox dryly. He waved his hand to have Reed scoot the boy to his bathroom.
Reed prodded Dart forward, opened the bathroom door and said, "You go in here."
Reed turned his back while the boy stood still as he considered three areas that appeared capable of carrying water away. "Which one do I use?"
Reed merely pointed at the toilet bowl. He tapped his foot lightly, expecting to soon hear the long stream as the contents of the young male bladder emptied. Instead he merely heard: Piddle, piddle.
"All done!" The little one was quite cheery now.
Reed threw a skeptical glance at the Doctor, then turned to ask Dart, "That's it? That's what you were holding in?"
Dart merely nodded. Phlox called, "He's probably new to toilet training, Lieutenant. He will soon understand to read the signals accurately. Goodbye."
Reed sighed, and then said, "Let's get those hands washed. Now, boys, let me introduce you to human bathrooms."
"This is a funny towel," said Ward as he grabbed Sato's sports bra from its hook in Reed's bathroom. The boy was holding it high and stretching it out.
Reed turned beet red, snatched the garment out of Ward's hands and said, "It's not a towel, it's a, uh, a cloth for polishing weapons."
The boys all nodded in understanding, but wondered why Reed had suddenly closed his eyes and was turning even redder. The polishing cloth was not seen again.
~~~~~
Sato had been confident she could handle four little girls. How much different could it be than riding herd over a class of college students? Or working with adolescents? Or dealing with the male contingent of the bridge crew?
She had settled the girls into their sleeping areas without the military rigidity that Reed was trying to impose on his poor little boys. She had even had the foresight to demonstrate the fixtures of the bathroom to the children.
The Ensign was feeling quite satisfied with the situation as she straightened her bunk after shooing the twins off. They had wanted to jump on it. It was also comforting to know that gossiping was a phenomenon that was universal.
"...and I heard Gurtag tell Bukah that he had learned a new poem."
"Oh, it's so romantic! When I get a husband, I'll make him read poetry to me every night."
"And I'll sing him opera. Listen..."
The sound was unbearable to her sensitive hearing. Sato tried not to wince, but had to shout to be overheard as the girls all joined in.
"Girls! We need to finish settling in. Now that we have the pallets arranged and everyone has used the bathroom, we need to talk about your schedules. We'll be--"
"HOSHI!"
The little squeal came from the bathroom where the littlest one had been finishing her turn. Sato quickly ran to her bathroom to see the sink overflowing as Brene tried to stop the trickle that was running down the side of the sink by pressing her finger on the flow.
"It's not stopping it, Hoshi."
"Oh, we just need to turn off the faucet, see? Now we unstop the sink and the water will all flow down to our water treatment processor."
Sato spoke with confidence as she unstoppered the sink, but her heart lurched when she heard a sucking noise erupt from the pipes and the water cease its outflow.
"Um, did you put something down the sink, Brene?"
The little head nodded gravely. Klingon honor was at stake. She would not tell a lie.
I am a Starfleet Officer. I have a doctorate in linguistics. I bested my four brothers in any prank. I have survived the attention, or lack thereof, of Lieutenant Malcolm Reed! I am competent, damn it! Sato kept reassuring herself as she tried to unclog her drain. She wasn't about to admit defeat!
Meanwhile, in the bedroom the remaining girls had discovered make-up. Human make-up. As females have been doing throughout the ages, they experimented.
Once the sink was unclogged and completely drained, Sato stepped out with Brene holding her hand. The sight that greeted her was--peculiar.
"How do we look, Hoshi?" asked Ena.
"I like the way the red looks over my eyes, but Ena had to use the pink," explained Ela who sounded a bit sulky. Well, at least now Sato could tell the twins apart.
"Why do you paint your lips black? I'm not sure I like it." That's when Sato noticed all the black kissing lips that covered her mirror. The imprints were perfect.
"This powder really sticks to your hair. How does mine look now?" asked the curly-headed Rakel. She flounced her hair a few times, sending puffs of white powder around the room.
"Well, girls, it's now time to play Make-up Removal. If we finish, we can meet Lieutenant Reed for lunch early."
After sending the girls to the bathroom, Sato turned her ear away from the water fight she knew was ensuing. She lightly banged her head against the wall. Hopefully, the boys were even more difficult for Malcolm. She pressed the comm to call Reed.
"Lieutenant, I was wondering if you'd be ready for an earlier lunch."
In his quarters, Reed was listening to the telltale signs of a water fight when the comm link alerted him. He held back his sigh as he considered that the Ensign was probably having an absolute ball in dealing with the little girls.
"Very well, Ensign. Then we could take them to the gym to work out their restlessness."
Each officer heard similar sounds coming from the other's bathroom over the comm line. The synchronous smiles on Reed and Sato were lost to the other, but an appreciation for misery loves company was at the forefront of their thoughts.
Reed added, "We'll be there as soon as the boys clean up their mess."
"I'll echo that. See you there in about five--" giggles "--make that ten minutes."
~~~~~
"Remember, the children are vegetarian," murmured Sato into Reed's ear as they stood back to watch the children make their selections.
Her voice sent a wonderful shiver up his spine, but the Lieutenant held his stoic posture and didn't even turn his head her direction. No, best not give in to the temptation. He merely nodded, reached onto Dart's tray and said, "Less desserts and more fruits, young man."
Dart put back one of his chocolate cupcakes and followed the other boys to the table where the girls were sitting. The youngsters began exchanging tales of their adventures, but kept their voices subdued.
Reed picked up his tray and was about to reach for the latest variation of chicken on the menu when Sato lightly touched his hand. This gesture he did not ignore and was soon staring into her warm, brown eyes. He immediately forgot whatever it was he was doing and managed to bump her with his elbow as he turned his body.
"Avoid the breast."
Reed began to blush as he realized how he had bumped into her. Then he thought of her sports bra hidden in his drawers which led to thoughts of Hoshi topless. He began stuttering, "I--I beg your pardon, Ensign. I--"
Sato bit her lip considering she had set up the point of contact and continued, "The chicken, Lieutenant. We should eat vegetarian to be a good example to the children."
"Oh! Quite right," said Reed as he cleared his throat. He made his selection and thought to change the topic. "I suppose Trip is having a grand time with the repair on the Light Bringer."
"He's probably talking Gurtag's ear off right now." Sato and Reed sat down to their meal and envied their friend his assignment.
~~~~~
On the Light Bringer, Commander Tucker was keeping his mouth shut. Anything he said to Bukah resulted in a low growl emitted from Gurtag. It seemed the more he talked, the more agitated the male Klingon became. The past two hours had been spent following the two Klingons through the ship as they marked the places where critical systems were placed. Tucker's EV suit was beginning to chafe and the two Klingons barely fit into the suits of the two largest Engineers. The repairs would require teams to put in a late night.
"I must check the hydroponics bay. Your Vulcan told me that it was intact, but I want to see for myself. Gurtag, show Tucker where the last relays are located."
Bukah left the two men to each other's enchanting company. She expected Gurtag would be quite possessive tonight.
"How many--"
"Here."
"You know, if you'd just tell me the relays show up every two meters--"
"They change," Gurtag growled at Tucker.
"Okay, okay, then." Tucker marked the next spot, then grunted as he tried to open the hatch to the next section of the ship. It remained stubborn. In his frustration, he began to vent his frustrations at Gurtag.
"Ya know, I'm not after your woman, so you can quit acting like I'm moving in on your territory. Not that she's not a good looking woman--"
Tucker ducked just as Gurtag swung a steel rod he had picked up. Bang! The Klingon struck again. BANG! The hatch fell to the floor with a clang. Gurtag had been aiming at the bolt that held the door, but the force of his blow sheered it. Tucker looked up at Gurtag who still held the steel rod.
"Violence is not the Seeker way," said Gurtag.
"That stubborn bolt WAS in the way," responded Tucker.
"Precisely," smiled Gurtag. Tucker wasn't sure if the smile was any better than the growl.
The Klingon threw down the club and offered his hand to Tucker. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we'll be on our way."
"Thanks," said Tucker tentatively.
At the moment the engineer thought he'd rather face all twenty of the children at once rather than spend another minute with Gurtag. Still, it appeared that taking his ill humor out on the latch had lightened Gurtag's mood. The two men continued their survey. Both were anxious for the Light Bringer to be repaired.
*****