CHAPTER 4: FAIR PLAY
"Volleyball." "Soccer." "Volleyball." "Soccer."
The heads of the Klingon children pivoted as they scanned between the two Starfleet Officers who were standing toe to toe. One of the triplets spoke up. "The way of the Seekers is to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts."
The children nodded immediately in agreement. Yes, it was indeed the Seeker way. These humans seemed to thrive on a certain tension between them. Dart blinked his eyes as he smiled up at Lieutenant Reed.
"Paper, rock, scissors?" The feminine voice held a taunt.
"Best out of three?" The masculine voice was firm.
The children watched as the humans shook their hands and pointed fist, flat hand or two fingers at each other. They were further impressed by the fact that with each turn, the two managed to produce exactly the same gesture.
Dart jumped up excitedly and said, "Good trick. How do you do that?"
Reed and Sato exchanged a puzzled glance. The Lieutenant cleared his throat and said, "How about volleyball first, then a game of soccer."
"That sounds fine. Since the girls are slightly older, why don't you let Dart be on our team while you field the boys and Brene."
The competition proceeded, but the score was soon lost as Reed and Sato resorted to helping their teams "cheat." Dart was so light that Sato could lift him up to hit the volleyball or swing him around and use his feet as a club to strike the soccer ball. Reed was doing similar maneuvers with Brene.
The t-shirts the officers wore were soon drenched as they tried to exhaust the children. As they sat panting by each other's side at the end of the last game while the children had a free for all with the balls, Reed noticed the tag had come up on the back of Sato's blue t-shirt. The name on the tag had been quite clear, however: REED.
"Is that my t-shirt?" hissed Reed in a low voice.
"Possession's nine tenths of the law, Lieutenant." Sato smiled sweetly at him and rubbed the soft cotton. No other shirt was as comfortable.
"I have my own hostage, Ensign." Reed smirked at her.
"You can't wear it, it's useless to you." Sato figured he'd be too embarrassed to keep her garment.
"It will make a good polishing cloth."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"I'm open to negotiations," said Reed.
"Negotiations? That is the way of the Light. What are you negotiating for?" asked Warb as he intruded into their conversation.
"Never mind. How about we get cleaned up and rest before dinner?"
~~~~~
As the two officers sat in the mess hall for dinner, Sato asked Reed, "Can you move?"
"I haven't had a workout like that in ages. Klingons are fast!"
Reed was devouring his food as quickly as he could. He was starving. He realized how rude he might appear, but then noticed that Sato was likewise stuffing her face. They reached for a drink in synchrony and stopped for a moment. This was getting ridiculous.
"Must you do that?" asked Reed.
"What?" asked Sato innocently. She wondered why it had taken Reed so long to notice that they often moved in synchrony.
"Never mind," said Reed.
"By the way, why did you insist on playing soccer? I thought you didn't keep up with 'football.'" Sato had wondered about this lack of interest on the part of the Englishman.
"I don't keep up with it. I PLAY it--and I coached youth soccer while I was at the academy; the twelve-year olds. I take it your volleyball skills are a holdover from your youth?"
"Coached youth league in college, too. Twelve-year olds." Sato nodded as she wondered what else they had in common.
"Any ideas what to do with them next?" Reed was certainly out of inspiration.
"As much as I hate to say this, I think we need Movie Night. My quarters or yours?" Sato had managed to avoid Movie Nights thus far. Not even Mayweather's constant cajoling had broken her resolve.
"My quarters, but you bring the popcorn." Reed looked at the children who were also eating with gusto. "LOTS of popcorn.
"Do you think the Wizard of Oz would be good?" asked Sato.
"No, those flying monkeys always gave me nightmares. How about Veggie Tales? Madeline always liked those."
"Fine. Have a backup, though."
~~~~~
The children piled into Reed's quarters and found comfortable positions. For Dart that meant sitting on Malcolm's lap and insisting that Hoshi be right next to them.
The children sat in rapt attention as the vegetables began bouncing across the screen. The two officers watched as their eyes grew wide, then suddenly Dart let out a howl of distress. "They can talk! They're alive!"
"What? But it's just a movie, vegetables really can't talk." Malcolm was rubbing Dart's shoulder soothingly.
"Change the movie!" Hoshi gave the command in an urgent whisper.
Malcolm deposited Dart onto Hoshi's lap and leaned toward the computer screen. He heard the Ohs the blank screen generated from the rest of the group, but said, "Just a glitch. We'll put the real movie on now."
Malcolm quickly looked through his alternatives list and shuddered when he came across Barney: The Movie. NO, not for anyone! The Adventures of Milo and Otis? Fine. He could use a nap. He started the movie and returned to his seat on the floor by Hoshi and Dart.
The movie worked its magic. The children were entertained and the two humans could soon be heard breathing in synchrony as they leaned into each other. When the movie ended, the children nudged the pair while Dart and Brene pulled up on their eyelids.
"What? Oh, movie's over. Out you go then." Reed sat up and wiped at his eyes.
"Meet us for breakfast, 0700," said Sato as she herded her girls out the door.
Reed stretched for a moment and the boys all mimicked his movements. The two officers eventually slumbered in their bunks surrounded by their troop of Klingon children. But in the middle of the night, Malcolm felt a little hand tapping his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Dart staring at him. Without a word, Malcolm moved back and let the child settle in next to him.
And in the Ensign's quarters, Brene settled against Hoshi with a smile, too. Some things were universal.
~~~~~
After another day with a similar routine, the Enterprise crew found itself bidding farewell to their guests early in the morning.
"The repairs should hold up while you get your replacement vessel, Gurtag. I'm just glad y'all made it this far."
Tucker held his hand out and Gurtag hesitantly shook it. He and Bukah had made good use of Tucker's cabin at night, although the bed had been far too small for either of the Klingons. It was obvious the human was no threat to his interests.
"My uncle salvaged an older scouter. He will meet us at the station, then we can proceed to the colony."
Bukah looked at her charges as they said farewell to the humans. She was surprised to see Dart push something into Reed's hand, but said nothing.
Reed and Sato stood by the others who had watched the Klingon children. Sato leaned into Reed's ear and said, "I'm almost sorry to see them go."
The Lieutenant spoke without thinking. "I thought I would be terrible with children."
"You're full of surprises sometimes, Lieutenant," said Sato as she threw a smile over her shoulder. Duty called.
Reed stood alone in the corridor for a few moments as the rest of the officers made their way to their station. He finally opened his hand to look at the object that Dart had thrust into it. It was a little ball of wax that had been shaped into a perfect sphere with markings resembling a soccer ball.
The children had been doing crafts yesterday morning and Dart had been very proud of his simple product. He had spent a lot of time rolling it within his hands. Reed tossed it gently in the air and caught it expertly. He stopped by his quarters to deposit the little treasure before he resumed his duties.
*****
Author Note:
If you like sweet endings, stop reading now and do not proceed to the next chapter. If you do proceed, TISSUE WARNING!
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary.
"Volleyball." "Soccer." "Volleyball." "Soccer."
The heads of the Klingon children pivoted as they scanned between the two Starfleet Officers who were standing toe to toe. One of the triplets spoke up. "The way of the Seekers is to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts."
The children nodded immediately in agreement. Yes, it was indeed the Seeker way. These humans seemed to thrive on a certain tension between them. Dart blinked his eyes as he smiled up at Lieutenant Reed.
"Paper, rock, scissors?" The feminine voice held a taunt.
"Best out of three?" The masculine voice was firm.
The children watched as the humans shook their hands and pointed fist, flat hand or two fingers at each other. They were further impressed by the fact that with each turn, the two managed to produce exactly the same gesture.
Dart jumped up excitedly and said, "Good trick. How do you do that?"
Reed and Sato exchanged a puzzled glance. The Lieutenant cleared his throat and said, "How about volleyball first, then a game of soccer."
"That sounds fine. Since the girls are slightly older, why don't you let Dart be on our team while you field the boys and Brene."
The competition proceeded, but the score was soon lost as Reed and Sato resorted to helping their teams "cheat." Dart was so light that Sato could lift him up to hit the volleyball or swing him around and use his feet as a club to strike the soccer ball. Reed was doing similar maneuvers with Brene.
The t-shirts the officers wore were soon drenched as they tried to exhaust the children. As they sat panting by each other's side at the end of the last game while the children had a free for all with the balls, Reed noticed the tag had come up on the back of Sato's blue t-shirt. The name on the tag had been quite clear, however: REED.
"Is that my t-shirt?" hissed Reed in a low voice.
"Possession's nine tenths of the law, Lieutenant." Sato smiled sweetly at him and rubbed the soft cotton. No other shirt was as comfortable.
"I have my own hostage, Ensign." Reed smirked at her.
"You can't wear it, it's useless to you." Sato figured he'd be too embarrassed to keep her garment.
"It will make a good polishing cloth."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"I'm open to negotiations," said Reed.
"Negotiations? That is the way of the Light. What are you negotiating for?" asked Warb as he intruded into their conversation.
"Never mind. How about we get cleaned up and rest before dinner?"
~~~~~
As the two officers sat in the mess hall for dinner, Sato asked Reed, "Can you move?"
"I haven't had a workout like that in ages. Klingons are fast!"
Reed was devouring his food as quickly as he could. He was starving. He realized how rude he might appear, but then noticed that Sato was likewise stuffing her face. They reached for a drink in synchrony and stopped for a moment. This was getting ridiculous.
"Must you do that?" asked Reed.
"What?" asked Sato innocently. She wondered why it had taken Reed so long to notice that they often moved in synchrony.
"Never mind," said Reed.
"By the way, why did you insist on playing soccer? I thought you didn't keep up with 'football.'" Sato had wondered about this lack of interest on the part of the Englishman.
"I don't keep up with it. I PLAY it--and I coached youth soccer while I was at the academy; the twelve-year olds. I take it your volleyball skills are a holdover from your youth?"
"Coached youth league in college, too. Twelve-year olds." Sato nodded as she wondered what else they had in common.
"Any ideas what to do with them next?" Reed was certainly out of inspiration.
"As much as I hate to say this, I think we need Movie Night. My quarters or yours?" Sato had managed to avoid Movie Nights thus far. Not even Mayweather's constant cajoling had broken her resolve.
"My quarters, but you bring the popcorn." Reed looked at the children who were also eating with gusto. "LOTS of popcorn.
"Do you think the Wizard of Oz would be good?" asked Sato.
"No, those flying monkeys always gave me nightmares. How about Veggie Tales? Madeline always liked those."
"Fine. Have a backup, though."
~~~~~
The children piled into Reed's quarters and found comfortable positions. For Dart that meant sitting on Malcolm's lap and insisting that Hoshi be right next to them.
The children sat in rapt attention as the vegetables began bouncing across the screen. The two officers watched as their eyes grew wide, then suddenly Dart let out a howl of distress. "They can talk! They're alive!"
"What? But it's just a movie, vegetables really can't talk." Malcolm was rubbing Dart's shoulder soothingly.
"Change the movie!" Hoshi gave the command in an urgent whisper.
Malcolm deposited Dart onto Hoshi's lap and leaned toward the computer screen. He heard the Ohs the blank screen generated from the rest of the group, but said, "Just a glitch. We'll put the real movie on now."
Malcolm quickly looked through his alternatives list and shuddered when he came across Barney: The Movie. NO, not for anyone! The Adventures of Milo and Otis? Fine. He could use a nap. He started the movie and returned to his seat on the floor by Hoshi and Dart.
The movie worked its magic. The children were entertained and the two humans could soon be heard breathing in synchrony as they leaned into each other. When the movie ended, the children nudged the pair while Dart and Brene pulled up on their eyelids.
"What? Oh, movie's over. Out you go then." Reed sat up and wiped at his eyes.
"Meet us for breakfast, 0700," said Sato as she herded her girls out the door.
Reed stretched for a moment and the boys all mimicked his movements. The two officers eventually slumbered in their bunks surrounded by their troop of Klingon children. But in the middle of the night, Malcolm felt a little hand tapping his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Dart staring at him. Without a word, Malcolm moved back and let the child settle in next to him.
And in the Ensign's quarters, Brene settled against Hoshi with a smile, too. Some things were universal.
~~~~~
After another day with a similar routine, the Enterprise crew found itself bidding farewell to their guests early in the morning.
"The repairs should hold up while you get your replacement vessel, Gurtag. I'm just glad y'all made it this far."
Tucker held his hand out and Gurtag hesitantly shook it. He and Bukah had made good use of Tucker's cabin at night, although the bed had been far too small for either of the Klingons. It was obvious the human was no threat to his interests.
"My uncle salvaged an older scouter. He will meet us at the station, then we can proceed to the colony."
Bukah looked at her charges as they said farewell to the humans. She was surprised to see Dart push something into Reed's hand, but said nothing.
Reed and Sato stood by the others who had watched the Klingon children. Sato leaned into Reed's ear and said, "I'm almost sorry to see them go."
The Lieutenant spoke without thinking. "I thought I would be terrible with children."
"You're full of surprises sometimes, Lieutenant," said Sato as she threw a smile over her shoulder. Duty called.
Reed stood alone in the corridor for a few moments as the rest of the officers made their way to their station. He finally opened his hand to look at the object that Dart had thrust into it. It was a little ball of wax that had been shaped into a perfect sphere with markings resembling a soccer ball.
The children had been doing crafts yesterday morning and Dart had been very proud of his simple product. He had spent a lot of time rolling it within his hands. Reed tossed it gently in the air and caught it expertly. He stopped by his quarters to deposit the little treasure before he resumed his duties.
*****
Author Note:
If you like sweet endings, stop reading now and do not proceed to the next chapter. If you do proceed, TISSUE WARNING!
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary.