SIX GEESE A-LAYING
December 31
Lieutenant Reed was not amused. It was midmorning and already all sorts of bizarre events had occurred.
"You don't look very happy, Lieutenant," observed Sato when Reed stood up to stretch his legs. The Captain was in his ready room conferring with T'Pol. To Sato's surprise, Reed walked to her station and leaned against the console.
"I think I'm losing my mind. I mean, Mother Goose comes on board and the next thing I know I'm living out my own version of nursery rhymes."
"I thought I was bad with the Twelve Days of Christmas," said Sato, but gave her full attention to Reed. "Why don't you tell me why you think you've stepped into lala-land?"
"First there was the problem with the pancakes at breakfast. Even a centimeter of peanut butter couldn't hide the bad flavor."
Sato was aghast. "Chef never cooks anything bad!"
"I know. Chef blamed it on the bitter butter that Ensign Botter put in the batter."
"I see." Sato's eyes had dilated a bit. A man who could peel off a tongue twister like that had linguistic talent that needed further exploration. She shook off her thoughts and tried to be reassuring, "Just coincidence, remember?"
"How about this one. While I was pointing out the bad pancakes to Chef, he was complaining to me about that contrary Mary Little from hydroponics who wasn't growing the herbs he wanted but instead was growing pretty little flowers."
"I know Mary. So she's being contrary?"
"Quite, according to Chef. Finally, there were the hysterics of Ensign Moffet. She had been eating cottage cheese for breakfast because the pancakes were so bad when she got scared by a spider. Really, I'm an Armory Officer, not a pest control man! Besides, I don't like getting near spiders. Anyway, it was one of Phlox's arachnids that had gotten loose."
"But her name is Moffet, not Muffet. The girl in the nursery rhyme sat on her tuffet, remember?" reminded Sato. Reed nodded. Yes, she did have a point. Sato continued, "Listen, I'll talk to Mary about the herbs Chef wants. I need to visit hydroponics anyway."
"You do that. I think I'll spend the day in the armory; at least it's quiet down there. Will you let me know how the Ansers are doing?"
"Dr. Phlox just let me know that all six eggs have been laid."
Reed nodded and turned to walk to the Captain's ready room to tell him where he would be. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
Reed escaped to the armory and almost caressed the torpedoes as they sat in the bay. They were nice, inert, powerful weapons that could neither ruin your pancakes nor burst your eardrum with hysterical shrieks. He tapped his chest pocket and felt the weight of the gold chain. If he wanted to finish his gift to Hoshi by Epiphany, he needed to get to work.
-----
Reed's quiet day in the armory was soon lost when Commander Tucker's voice came over the comm. "Malcolm, we need some help in engineering. On the double."
Reed met Tucker at the entrance to engineering. "What's the problem?"
"Ensign Nimble had another fool idea 'bout re-routin' the relay that feeds the phase cannons."
Tucker stopped to call into a service passageway, "Hey, Buford, Lieutenant Reed's here. Now don't be too quick to do anything in there until he gets a chance to review it," yelled Tucker.
Then he turned to Reed and said, "I don't care if ya have to stun him, get him out of there. Nimble's already had to high-step it over some sparking wires he messed with."
Reed crawled in after Nimble and greeted him with, "Hello, Ensign. Mind if I take a look?"
"Here you are, sir. But please call me Jack; I hate my middle name of Buford," said the Ensign Nimble.
Reed thought for a moment that Partridge had cloned himself, but shook off the thought. Really, he just needed to get more sleep! "Tell you what. I'm having some trouble reading these in this lighting. Let's go back out to have a look."
With Jack B. Nimble extricated, Tucker was able to take the enthusiastic young man in hand. Reed waved slightly as he left. What could possibly happen next?
He immediately heard Ensign Sato's voice calling, "Lieutenant Reed to hydroponics. We need you immediately."
-----
Reed was astonished to find Sato holding a weeping Ensign Mary Little when he entered hydroponics. "Ensign, you sent for me?"
Sato saw Reed visibly cringe as Ensign Little wailed. She couldn't blame him; personally she wanted to smack the woman, but friendship got the better of her. Sato explained, "Roger Lamb is caught in the fertilizer tub. We need you to get him out."
"What's Lamb doing in hydroponics? I thought his assignment was the galley?" Reed asked as he rolled up his sleeves. He could now hear the muffled sounds of a male voice calling from inside the two-meter tall drum.
"Let's just say he's very attached to Mary, but they had a little disagreement and leave it at that, okay," said Sato. Really, how a lover's spat had resulted in the man neck deep in chicken litter was beyond even her imagination. She watched Reed climb the ladder and stand on the platform.
Reed looked down to see Lamb with an awful grimace on his face. "Grab my hand and I'll pull you out."
Luckily, Roger Lamb as no bigger than Reed. The Lieutenant pulled him out and Lamb was immediately tackled by the very woman who had shoved him into the vat. Reed and Sato both rolled their eyes as Mary Little hugged her Lamb and asked him to forgive her. They were cooing to each other when Reed ordered Lamb to sickbay.
Sato and Reed walked out together. "I think I'll forego lunch to have some time to shower and change. My nose is so filled with the odor I don't think I could eat anyway. Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
Reed and Sato continued walking toward his quarters. Sato tried to explain her understanding of the misunderstanding. "Apparently Mary Little and Roger Lamb have a thing going, but Lamb was becoming too possessive her."
"So she tries to smother him in bird poop? That's rather extreme, wouldn't you say?"
"She didn't mean to dump him in. He followed her everywhere she walked in hydroponics and fell in when she turned with a tray. It was an accident."
"Uh huh, and just what were they arguing about? Suffocating each other?"
"No, Lamb was jealous of some guy named Peter that he'd been seeing hanging around hydroponics."
"Ah, the old love triangle can always land you in deep--never mind. So was Mary literally trying to dump Lamb?"
"Oh, no. Not at all. It turns out that Peter was just interested in when the pumpkins would be ready. He's very fond of pumpkins."
Reed and Sato stopped suddenly and looked at each other. They simultaneously shook their heads and said, "NO."
"By the way, how are the Ansers doing? Is Indicus a proud father yet?" asked Reed.
"Not yet, but three of the Ansers have hatched. He's a very proud uncle at least." Sato smiled then realized they had reached his quarters. "I'll see you later, Lieutenant."
-----
"Lieutenant Reed, have you seen Johnson and Ballew? They were supposed to report to their station an hour ago."
Sato's voice came over the comm link. Wonderful. He was never going to get his present for her started. He set aside his project. At least the interruption had come at a good breaking point.
Reed soon reported the whereabouts of Johnson and Ballew. "This is Reed to the Bridge. I have located Johnson and Ballew in stellar cartography with an empty bottle of tequila lying between them. I'll have Phlox send a medical team to take care of them."
Reed looked down at Johnson. He had one shoe off and one shoe on. Ballew had his face hidden by a stack of girlie magazines titled Hot, Available & Young. The man was obviously breathing, so Reed left the magazines untouched. Besides, the woman on the cover couldn't hold a candle to Hoshi Sato. He heard her voice on his communicator again.
"By the way, Lieutenant, two more Ansers have hatched. The only one left is Matha."
"Thanks, Hoshi. I'll try to drop by later to see Indicus." Reed began to worry about the Christmas Goose, as he referred to Indicus in his own mind. The avian had saved their lives and Reed fervently hoped he'd get the chance to see him become a father.
-----
Dinner? Who has time for dinner when you're caught in an unending series of nursery rhymes?
"Lieutenant Reed, you're needed in Water Treatment immediately," came the voice of Hoshi Sato. The only pleasant thing about the summons was that Reed got to hear her voice. He sighed wearily before indicating he was on his way. What could possibly happen now?
Reed met Tucker at the Wetlands, as they called them. "What's the problem, Trip?"
"Aw, it's gonna sound stupid, but we had two Ensigns working on the pipe at that arch up there. You know the twins, Jack and Jill Hill? Jack Hill fell and pulled his sister Jill down with him."
"Jack and Jill Hill?" asked Reed, expressing the words rather slowly. He was losing his mind; it was as simple as that.
"Yeah, like I said, they're twins. Anyway, Doc's taking care of 'em. Jack's got a mean cut on his head, but he cushioned Jill's fall, so she's okay."
"So, why do you need me?" asked Reed.
"Well, when the Hills took their tumble, they unplugged the seal and the lower level is beginning to flood. Luckily the three men down there are on top of a vat that's keeping them fairly dry, but we need to pull 'em out. We don't have good audio, so Hoshi's trying to get a communicator we can toss down to 'em."
Reed nodded. "Uh huh. And who are these gentlemen we have trapped down there?"
Sato entered in time to hear Reed's question. She read off the list on her data PADD. "I've got the names. It's Candles, Butcher and--"
"Don't tell me. Baker." Reed expelled a heavy sigh.
Sato merely raised her eyebrow. But, really, the Lieutenant looked so cute when he was harassed with his hair slightly mussed, his sleeves rolled up and the buttons of the henley undone. "How did you guess?"
"Just dumb luck. Very well, Commander, what would you like for me to do?" asked Reed. He was now looking down the grating. The water wasn't horribly deep, but he had to force himself to breathe as the old fear crept through.
"I think we need some sorta winch where we can just send down a rope to bring 'em up."
Reed nodded. The first order of business was to get the communicator down to the men. Reed did an expert toss and soon they had communication with Butcher, Baker and Candles. The ability to communicate made the job of retrieving the men easy since they could help verify the coordinates for the rope that was sent down. Soon the men were rescued and on their way to a late meal.
Sato stood by Reed as they watched the men leave. "Nursery rhymes, hm?"
"As the Commander would say, 'Yup.'"
"Come on, let's get a bite to eat. Chef has set up a New Year's Eve buffet in the mess hall. Then you deserve a back rub for the day you've had," said Sato.
Reed nodded his agreement, and then realized what she had said. Before he could dissect her statements further, Reed and Sato were called.
"Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato. You are wanted in the launch bay immediately." T'Pol's voice had carried no urgency, but Reed and Sato immediately took off at the brisk pace. A call to the launch bay could only mean that Mother Goose was having trouble.
-----
Indicus was wringing his hands--wings, rather, in distress. He stood outside his vessel with Doctor Phlox. "Oh, I hate to ask thith of you, but she needs help. My poor little Matha needs help!"
"What's wrong, Doctor?" asked Sato while Reed patted Indicus on the back and told him to breathe. Several honks could be heard in the background as Sato listened to the Doctor's explanation.
"Matha is not doing well. Apparently this was a high-risk pregnancy for her and as soon as the egg was laid, her body temperature began to fall. I need to remove her from the nest so that she can be near Indicus who can help her regulate her body temperature. However, that would leave their egg exposed and it must be kept warm."
"So, you just need to rig up some sort of incubator," said Reed.
"It's not that simple, Lieutenant. The Ansers are very sensitive to biorhythms. I need to provide more than just temperature. Indicus had an idea of how to save his offspring, but it involves both of you cooperating."
Phlox smiled widely now. Reed thought it might be meant to be reassuring, but it wasn't.
Indicus added, "We trutht the two of you. Please help uth?"
"What do we do?" asked Sato.
Wonderful, thought Reed. Now it's WE, is it? Actually, that didn't sound so bad if Hoshi was involved. Reed tried to rein in his muddled thoughts to pay attention.
"...So as soon as we remove Matha, you two can replace her."
"I'm supposed to sit on an egg until it hatches?" asked Reed with a tone of disbelief. He was an Armory Officer! Why didn't anyone remember that?
"Really, Lieutenant, you'd be lying on one side of the egg while Ensign Sato is on the other side. Indicus and Matha will be watching the entire time to make sure their offspring imprints on the proper set of parents." Phlox found the whole situation quite a challenge. He never considered he'd have to order the officers to cooperate.
"Just look at him, Malcolm," said Sato as she pointed to Indicus. "I think he's actually losing feathers. We can't refuse."
Reed looked at Indicus, but more importantly, he looked at Sato's pleading expression. Indicus was right; she did have very beautiful eyes. He merely nodded his consent.
"Lieutenant, why don't you lie over here? Ensign, right here. Comfortable? I also recommend that both of you put one arm around the egg. That's perfect." Phlox looked at the two humans who now surrounded the egg. Reed and Sato could look into each other's eyes quite easily if they wanted, but both were avoiding looking at the other for the time being.
"You don't know how much I appreciate thith," said Indicus as he covered Matha with his greater wingspan. Her appearance improved as soon as she had contact with her mate.
Reed smiled slightly before saying, "It's my job to see to the safety of the Enterprise crew and her passengers. Although I must admit, hatching eggs was not in the job description."
Reed caught Sato's smile. They had found they were most comfortable if they held to each other's arm around the egg. They settled in and were soon lulled to drowsiness by the soft humming Indicus used to soothe his mate.
The day was almost over when the first peeping was heard from the egg. Reed and Sato watched in delight as the beak began to saw through the shell. Indicus had a bright smile on his face as he said, "You can move away from the egg now."
Reed and Sato sat back as they watched the hatching continue with the parents tapping their beaks lightly against the shell while the hatchling continued his efforts. Soon the shell was broken through and the cap was pushed aside as a little Anser peeped for his parents.
Sato and Reed watched the new family for a few moments. Hoshi felt Malcolm's hand on her shoulder and lightly patted it with her own hand. The sense of accomplishment was almost overwhelming.
One hour later, they were saying good-bye to Indicus. "I must start back. The young ones are all safe now that they're out of the egg. Thank you for all of your help. I'd like to leave you with a blething."
Reed hesitated a moment, "You don't expect us to do that ritual the Klingons did, do you?"
Sato was already grinning at the image of the staid Tactical Officer doing the Chicken Dance. She saw his relief as Indicus said, "No, no. That's something the Klingonth developed on their own. Now, just stand right there together."
Indicus then brought his wings and fanned them around Reed and Sato. He said something that even the UT couldn't translate, then nodded to indicate he was done. They watched him enter his vessel and the merry honking of the six geese who had laid their eggs today. The launch bay door opened and the vessel was released. The Ansers were finally going home.
Malcolm and Hoshi walked away quietly. It was late, very late. Malcolm had not registered that he had been walking Hoshi to her cabin until he found them in front of her door. He finally turned to say good night when they heard the Captain's voice on the intercom.
"Happy New Year's, everyone. It's now midnight!"
Hoshi turned to Malcolm with a smile. "Traditions, Lieutenant. We have to uphold traditions."
She brought one hand behind his neck to draw him toward her and felt his arms go around her waist. She leaned in expecting him to hold her stiffly, but as soon as her lips touched his, he brought her closer for an intimate embrace. He deepened the kiss, but then began pulling away.
"I--I'm sorry, Hoshi. That was inappropriate. It won't happen again," stuttered Malcolm. He didn't look at her face; he'd probably see embarrassment there, or worse, revulsion.
Hoshi grabbed his arm and gently said, "It's just a New Year's kiss, Malcolm. It's no more than we want to make of it."
Malcolm nodded before he turned away. The walk to his quarters seemed extraordinarily long tonight. In her cabin, Hoshi pulled out one of Malcolm's t-shirts and smiled. She knew what she wanted to make of that kiss: a beginning.
-----
That night Malcolm dreamed he was caught in a nursery rhyme. Trip was playing a fiddle and looked like a golden tabby cat. In the meantime, Porthos was laughing as T'Pol, with several additional udders and a black and white hide, jumped over the prone figure of Captain Archer who was reclining comfortably in the sky. It was so ridiculous that Malcolm grabbed Hoshi's hand to make a getaway--and then realized he was a spoon while Hoshi was a very beautiful dish of the Blue Willow pattern. Reed woke up wishing nursery rhymes had never been invented!
*****
Author Notes:
All puns are intended. Anser indicus is the genus and species of the goose described. 20 pages. Written December 16, 2002, and posted at LD.
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary. Episode 3 will be posted in a few days.
December 31
Lieutenant Reed was not amused. It was midmorning and already all sorts of bizarre events had occurred.
"You don't look very happy, Lieutenant," observed Sato when Reed stood up to stretch his legs. The Captain was in his ready room conferring with T'Pol. To Sato's surprise, Reed walked to her station and leaned against the console.
"I think I'm losing my mind. I mean, Mother Goose comes on board and the next thing I know I'm living out my own version of nursery rhymes."
"I thought I was bad with the Twelve Days of Christmas," said Sato, but gave her full attention to Reed. "Why don't you tell me why you think you've stepped into lala-land?"
"First there was the problem with the pancakes at breakfast. Even a centimeter of peanut butter couldn't hide the bad flavor."
Sato was aghast. "Chef never cooks anything bad!"
"I know. Chef blamed it on the bitter butter that Ensign Botter put in the batter."
"I see." Sato's eyes had dilated a bit. A man who could peel off a tongue twister like that had linguistic talent that needed further exploration. She shook off her thoughts and tried to be reassuring, "Just coincidence, remember?"
"How about this one. While I was pointing out the bad pancakes to Chef, he was complaining to me about that contrary Mary Little from hydroponics who wasn't growing the herbs he wanted but instead was growing pretty little flowers."
"I know Mary. So she's being contrary?"
"Quite, according to Chef. Finally, there were the hysterics of Ensign Moffet. She had been eating cottage cheese for breakfast because the pancakes were so bad when she got scared by a spider. Really, I'm an Armory Officer, not a pest control man! Besides, I don't like getting near spiders. Anyway, it was one of Phlox's arachnids that had gotten loose."
"But her name is Moffet, not Muffet. The girl in the nursery rhyme sat on her tuffet, remember?" reminded Sato. Reed nodded. Yes, she did have a point. Sato continued, "Listen, I'll talk to Mary about the herbs Chef wants. I need to visit hydroponics anyway."
"You do that. I think I'll spend the day in the armory; at least it's quiet down there. Will you let me know how the Ansers are doing?"
"Dr. Phlox just let me know that all six eggs have been laid."
Reed nodded and turned to walk to the Captain's ready room to tell him where he would be. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
Reed escaped to the armory and almost caressed the torpedoes as they sat in the bay. They were nice, inert, powerful weapons that could neither ruin your pancakes nor burst your eardrum with hysterical shrieks. He tapped his chest pocket and felt the weight of the gold chain. If he wanted to finish his gift to Hoshi by Epiphany, he needed to get to work.
-----
Reed's quiet day in the armory was soon lost when Commander Tucker's voice came over the comm. "Malcolm, we need some help in engineering. On the double."
Reed met Tucker at the entrance to engineering. "What's the problem?"
"Ensign Nimble had another fool idea 'bout re-routin' the relay that feeds the phase cannons."
Tucker stopped to call into a service passageway, "Hey, Buford, Lieutenant Reed's here. Now don't be too quick to do anything in there until he gets a chance to review it," yelled Tucker.
Then he turned to Reed and said, "I don't care if ya have to stun him, get him out of there. Nimble's already had to high-step it over some sparking wires he messed with."
Reed crawled in after Nimble and greeted him with, "Hello, Ensign. Mind if I take a look?"
"Here you are, sir. But please call me Jack; I hate my middle name of Buford," said the Ensign Nimble.
Reed thought for a moment that Partridge had cloned himself, but shook off the thought. Really, he just needed to get more sleep! "Tell you what. I'm having some trouble reading these in this lighting. Let's go back out to have a look."
With Jack B. Nimble extricated, Tucker was able to take the enthusiastic young man in hand. Reed waved slightly as he left. What could possibly happen next?
He immediately heard Ensign Sato's voice calling, "Lieutenant Reed to hydroponics. We need you immediately."
-----
Reed was astonished to find Sato holding a weeping Ensign Mary Little when he entered hydroponics. "Ensign, you sent for me?"
Sato saw Reed visibly cringe as Ensign Little wailed. She couldn't blame him; personally she wanted to smack the woman, but friendship got the better of her. Sato explained, "Roger Lamb is caught in the fertilizer tub. We need you to get him out."
"What's Lamb doing in hydroponics? I thought his assignment was the galley?" Reed asked as he rolled up his sleeves. He could now hear the muffled sounds of a male voice calling from inside the two-meter tall drum.
"Let's just say he's very attached to Mary, but they had a little disagreement and leave it at that, okay," said Sato. Really, how a lover's spat had resulted in the man neck deep in chicken litter was beyond even her imagination. She watched Reed climb the ladder and stand on the platform.
Reed looked down to see Lamb with an awful grimace on his face. "Grab my hand and I'll pull you out."
Luckily, Roger Lamb as no bigger than Reed. The Lieutenant pulled him out and Lamb was immediately tackled by the very woman who had shoved him into the vat. Reed and Sato both rolled their eyes as Mary Little hugged her Lamb and asked him to forgive her. They were cooing to each other when Reed ordered Lamb to sickbay.
Sato and Reed walked out together. "I think I'll forego lunch to have some time to shower and change. My nose is so filled with the odor I don't think I could eat anyway. Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
Reed and Sato continued walking toward his quarters. Sato tried to explain her understanding of the misunderstanding. "Apparently Mary Little and Roger Lamb have a thing going, but Lamb was becoming too possessive her."
"So she tries to smother him in bird poop? That's rather extreme, wouldn't you say?"
"She didn't mean to dump him in. He followed her everywhere she walked in hydroponics and fell in when she turned with a tray. It was an accident."
"Uh huh, and just what were they arguing about? Suffocating each other?"
"No, Lamb was jealous of some guy named Peter that he'd been seeing hanging around hydroponics."
"Ah, the old love triangle can always land you in deep--never mind. So was Mary literally trying to dump Lamb?"
"Oh, no. Not at all. It turns out that Peter was just interested in when the pumpkins would be ready. He's very fond of pumpkins."
Reed and Sato stopped suddenly and looked at each other. They simultaneously shook their heads and said, "NO."
"By the way, how are the Ansers doing? Is Indicus a proud father yet?" asked Reed.
"Not yet, but three of the Ansers have hatched. He's a very proud uncle at least." Sato smiled then realized they had reached his quarters. "I'll see you later, Lieutenant."
-----
"Lieutenant Reed, have you seen Johnson and Ballew? They were supposed to report to their station an hour ago."
Sato's voice came over the comm link. Wonderful. He was never going to get his present for her started. He set aside his project. At least the interruption had come at a good breaking point.
Reed soon reported the whereabouts of Johnson and Ballew. "This is Reed to the Bridge. I have located Johnson and Ballew in stellar cartography with an empty bottle of tequila lying between them. I'll have Phlox send a medical team to take care of them."
Reed looked down at Johnson. He had one shoe off and one shoe on. Ballew had his face hidden by a stack of girlie magazines titled Hot, Available & Young. The man was obviously breathing, so Reed left the magazines untouched. Besides, the woman on the cover couldn't hold a candle to Hoshi Sato. He heard her voice on his communicator again.
"By the way, Lieutenant, two more Ansers have hatched. The only one left is Matha."
"Thanks, Hoshi. I'll try to drop by later to see Indicus." Reed began to worry about the Christmas Goose, as he referred to Indicus in his own mind. The avian had saved their lives and Reed fervently hoped he'd get the chance to see him become a father.
-----
Dinner? Who has time for dinner when you're caught in an unending series of nursery rhymes?
"Lieutenant Reed, you're needed in Water Treatment immediately," came the voice of Hoshi Sato. The only pleasant thing about the summons was that Reed got to hear her voice. He sighed wearily before indicating he was on his way. What could possibly happen now?
Reed met Tucker at the Wetlands, as they called them. "What's the problem, Trip?"
"Aw, it's gonna sound stupid, but we had two Ensigns working on the pipe at that arch up there. You know the twins, Jack and Jill Hill? Jack Hill fell and pulled his sister Jill down with him."
"Jack and Jill Hill?" asked Reed, expressing the words rather slowly. He was losing his mind; it was as simple as that.
"Yeah, like I said, they're twins. Anyway, Doc's taking care of 'em. Jack's got a mean cut on his head, but he cushioned Jill's fall, so she's okay."
"So, why do you need me?" asked Reed.
"Well, when the Hills took their tumble, they unplugged the seal and the lower level is beginning to flood. Luckily the three men down there are on top of a vat that's keeping them fairly dry, but we need to pull 'em out. We don't have good audio, so Hoshi's trying to get a communicator we can toss down to 'em."
Reed nodded. "Uh huh. And who are these gentlemen we have trapped down there?"
Sato entered in time to hear Reed's question. She read off the list on her data PADD. "I've got the names. It's Candles, Butcher and--"
"Don't tell me. Baker." Reed expelled a heavy sigh.
Sato merely raised her eyebrow. But, really, the Lieutenant looked so cute when he was harassed with his hair slightly mussed, his sleeves rolled up and the buttons of the henley undone. "How did you guess?"
"Just dumb luck. Very well, Commander, what would you like for me to do?" asked Reed. He was now looking down the grating. The water wasn't horribly deep, but he had to force himself to breathe as the old fear crept through.
"I think we need some sorta winch where we can just send down a rope to bring 'em up."
Reed nodded. The first order of business was to get the communicator down to the men. Reed did an expert toss and soon they had communication with Butcher, Baker and Candles. The ability to communicate made the job of retrieving the men easy since they could help verify the coordinates for the rope that was sent down. Soon the men were rescued and on their way to a late meal.
Sato stood by Reed as they watched the men leave. "Nursery rhymes, hm?"
"As the Commander would say, 'Yup.'"
"Come on, let's get a bite to eat. Chef has set up a New Year's Eve buffet in the mess hall. Then you deserve a back rub for the day you've had," said Sato.
Reed nodded his agreement, and then realized what she had said. Before he could dissect her statements further, Reed and Sato were called.
"Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato. You are wanted in the launch bay immediately." T'Pol's voice had carried no urgency, but Reed and Sato immediately took off at the brisk pace. A call to the launch bay could only mean that Mother Goose was having trouble.
-----
Indicus was wringing his hands--wings, rather, in distress. He stood outside his vessel with Doctor Phlox. "Oh, I hate to ask thith of you, but she needs help. My poor little Matha needs help!"
"What's wrong, Doctor?" asked Sato while Reed patted Indicus on the back and told him to breathe. Several honks could be heard in the background as Sato listened to the Doctor's explanation.
"Matha is not doing well. Apparently this was a high-risk pregnancy for her and as soon as the egg was laid, her body temperature began to fall. I need to remove her from the nest so that she can be near Indicus who can help her regulate her body temperature. However, that would leave their egg exposed and it must be kept warm."
"So, you just need to rig up some sort of incubator," said Reed.
"It's not that simple, Lieutenant. The Ansers are very sensitive to biorhythms. I need to provide more than just temperature. Indicus had an idea of how to save his offspring, but it involves both of you cooperating."
Phlox smiled widely now. Reed thought it might be meant to be reassuring, but it wasn't.
Indicus added, "We trutht the two of you. Please help uth?"
"What do we do?" asked Sato.
Wonderful, thought Reed. Now it's WE, is it? Actually, that didn't sound so bad if Hoshi was involved. Reed tried to rein in his muddled thoughts to pay attention.
"...So as soon as we remove Matha, you two can replace her."
"I'm supposed to sit on an egg until it hatches?" asked Reed with a tone of disbelief. He was an Armory Officer! Why didn't anyone remember that?
"Really, Lieutenant, you'd be lying on one side of the egg while Ensign Sato is on the other side. Indicus and Matha will be watching the entire time to make sure their offspring imprints on the proper set of parents." Phlox found the whole situation quite a challenge. He never considered he'd have to order the officers to cooperate.
"Just look at him, Malcolm," said Sato as she pointed to Indicus. "I think he's actually losing feathers. We can't refuse."
Reed looked at Indicus, but more importantly, he looked at Sato's pleading expression. Indicus was right; she did have very beautiful eyes. He merely nodded his consent.
"Lieutenant, why don't you lie over here? Ensign, right here. Comfortable? I also recommend that both of you put one arm around the egg. That's perfect." Phlox looked at the two humans who now surrounded the egg. Reed and Sato could look into each other's eyes quite easily if they wanted, but both were avoiding looking at the other for the time being.
"You don't know how much I appreciate thith," said Indicus as he covered Matha with his greater wingspan. Her appearance improved as soon as she had contact with her mate.
Reed smiled slightly before saying, "It's my job to see to the safety of the Enterprise crew and her passengers. Although I must admit, hatching eggs was not in the job description."
Reed caught Sato's smile. They had found they were most comfortable if they held to each other's arm around the egg. They settled in and were soon lulled to drowsiness by the soft humming Indicus used to soothe his mate.
The day was almost over when the first peeping was heard from the egg. Reed and Sato watched in delight as the beak began to saw through the shell. Indicus had a bright smile on his face as he said, "You can move away from the egg now."
Reed and Sato sat back as they watched the hatching continue with the parents tapping their beaks lightly against the shell while the hatchling continued his efforts. Soon the shell was broken through and the cap was pushed aside as a little Anser peeped for his parents.
Sato and Reed watched the new family for a few moments. Hoshi felt Malcolm's hand on her shoulder and lightly patted it with her own hand. The sense of accomplishment was almost overwhelming.
One hour later, they were saying good-bye to Indicus. "I must start back. The young ones are all safe now that they're out of the egg. Thank you for all of your help. I'd like to leave you with a blething."
Reed hesitated a moment, "You don't expect us to do that ritual the Klingons did, do you?"
Sato was already grinning at the image of the staid Tactical Officer doing the Chicken Dance. She saw his relief as Indicus said, "No, no. That's something the Klingonth developed on their own. Now, just stand right there together."
Indicus then brought his wings and fanned them around Reed and Sato. He said something that even the UT couldn't translate, then nodded to indicate he was done. They watched him enter his vessel and the merry honking of the six geese who had laid their eggs today. The launch bay door opened and the vessel was released. The Ansers were finally going home.
Malcolm and Hoshi walked away quietly. It was late, very late. Malcolm had not registered that he had been walking Hoshi to her cabin until he found them in front of her door. He finally turned to say good night when they heard the Captain's voice on the intercom.
"Happy New Year's, everyone. It's now midnight!"
Hoshi turned to Malcolm with a smile. "Traditions, Lieutenant. We have to uphold traditions."
She brought one hand behind his neck to draw him toward her and felt his arms go around her waist. She leaned in expecting him to hold her stiffly, but as soon as her lips touched his, he brought her closer for an intimate embrace. He deepened the kiss, but then began pulling away.
"I--I'm sorry, Hoshi. That was inappropriate. It won't happen again," stuttered Malcolm. He didn't look at her face; he'd probably see embarrassment there, or worse, revulsion.
Hoshi grabbed his arm and gently said, "It's just a New Year's kiss, Malcolm. It's no more than we want to make of it."
Malcolm nodded before he turned away. The walk to his quarters seemed extraordinarily long tonight. In her cabin, Hoshi pulled out one of Malcolm's t-shirts and smiled. She knew what she wanted to make of that kiss: a beginning.
-----
That night Malcolm dreamed he was caught in a nursery rhyme. Trip was playing a fiddle and looked like a golden tabby cat. In the meantime, Porthos was laughing as T'Pol, with several additional udders and a black and white hide, jumped over the prone figure of Captain Archer who was reclining comfortably in the sky. It was so ridiculous that Malcolm grabbed Hoshi's hand to make a getaway--and then realized he was a spoon while Hoshi was a very beautiful dish of the Blue Willow pattern. Reed woke up wishing nursery rhymes had never been invented!
*****
Author Notes:
All puns are intended. Anser indicus is the genus and species of the goose described. 20 pages. Written December 16, 2002, and posted at LD.
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary. Episode 3 will be posted in a few days.