Here are two more chapters. Until I got so inspired on Veterans' Day, I didn't think I would ever publish this story, and last year I turned Chapter 9 into a short story which I did put up. I tried to take it out, but it is entertaining, and does move the action along, and at this point the two are pretty different. And how sad is it that even in the 23rd century competent young beings often let their fears limit them? But that is the way it is, even in Starfleet.
Chapter 8
Morning, the Second Day
The mission plan called for the maintenance of regular shifts. So Ziem set her PADD to wake her at six, about half an hour before she assumed anyone else would want to get up. In her evaluations Chief Giotto was always complimentary of her punctuality and organization. In reality, she did not want any of her tent mates to observe her awkwardly wrestling with the opening to the shelters. It was irrational, but she was always afraid she would get stuck, and be caught half in, half out, needing to be cut free. It tormented her to consider trapping one of her tiny, flower like, fellow officers in the tent behind her. She always got up before she needed to.
She cleaned up, and then started another fire. It wasn't necessary, the air was warm already, and the rations were self-heating, but a fire looked comfortable. As she had hoped, the crew members were drawn to it, and sat or stood next to it as they ate.
Ziem ate her breakfast and surreptitiously watched Chekov. He was sitting on one of the rocks tinkering with one of the tricorders. Apparently there were some concerns with some of its readings, and Mr. Spock wanted it checked. Ziem remembered the young man was engineering on this mission. His face was clean but his uniform looked like he had slept in it, which, she supposed he probably had. Periodically when he stopped to think he would unconsciously twist the hair by his right ear around a finger. Ziem watched the soft curls stretch, slip free and recoil. She wondered what they felt like.
Hendorff came from the tents to join them. He took a few trays from the rations pile. He threw breakfast packs to Ziem and his friend. Ziem caught hers, considered mentioning that she had eaten earlier, but as there seemed to be plenty, did not. Chekov's bounced off the tricorder and landed in the dirt at his feet. He kept at his work, ignoring the sealed packet. Hendorff sat down by Ziem and tore into his own food.
Mr. Spock stopped to talk to the ensign before giving the work assignments. As the two discussed the problems with the tricorder, the medical officer, Lieutenant Sascheja, stood and addressed the group, using many words to remind everyone to drink plenty of fluids. There really didn't seem to be much else for her to do on this trip but dispense health advice in a voice that sounded like she was lecturing kindergarteners. Mr. Spock took the tricorder from the ensign and walked off with it, perhaps to exchange it for one from the sleds. The ensign watched him go pensively.
The captain arrived, grabbed a rations pack and took a seat on the other side of Hendorff. He called out, "Chekov, how do you not notice when you drop your breakfast? You have got to be more careful. Eat. It's going to be a long day."
Chekov opened his mouth to explain, but seemed to think better of it and sighing, reached down, and picked up the packet. He opened it, and looked at the contents unenthusiastically. He picked up the enclosed breakfast roll and took a little bite. He chewed a bit, swallowed, grimaced, and then said quietly, "Mr. Hendorff?"
"Yeah?" said Geoff.
"You know how when you are in the shuttle bay, and a ship comes in, and maybe it's a little ship, and it's been sealed a long time, and then they open the doors, all that old recycled air comes out?"
"Sure, I've been there for that before. So?" said Hendorff. He didn't stop eating to talk, but chewed and chatted with equal enthusiasm. The captain stopped eating to listen. He stared expectantly at the navigator. Around him the other crew members noticed and began pausing in their own conversations to see what was so interesting.
Oblivious, Chekov continued in the same quiet, hopeless tone, "You know how that air smells, so plastic, and horrible, that it is hard not to turn your head away, but you know that would be rude to whoever is coming out of the ship? So you just stand there and try not to breathe?"
Hendorff nodded, "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. What about it?"
Chekov looked up at his friend and asked, "So, don't you think this bread tastes just like that smell?"
Ziem smiled, because the ensign looked so serious. The captain snickered, Geoff laughed so hard he snorted. Ziem didn't think it was that funny,
Chekov dropped the roll back on to the plate and shook his head at it. "I am not eating this. Do you want it?"
"Sure, give it," Hendorff said and Chekov tossed him the roll. Geoff ripped a huge bite off. He chewed noisily, looking very pleased with his luck.
"You will need to eat Ensign." said Sascheja, probably happy to finally have something actual to instruct someone on.
"I am going to eat this thing right here." said Chekov, poking unenthusiastically at a purple gelatinous mound in the ration pack. Sighing, he stabbed at it with a fork. He dug out a small piece and frowned at it. He turned it over and looked at it closely. Eventually he put it into his mouth. Obviously trying not to taste it, he swallowed without chewing. He got it down but then gagged, and coughed. He shook his head.
"What is this thing?" he asked Hendorff.
Hendorff shrugged, "Some kind of fruit? I don't know, but I kind of liked it. I thought it tasted like gummies."
"It does not taste like gummies," said Chekov. He added, "It has specks in it."
Uhura said, "Don't be ridiculous, you sound like a four year old. It is thickened juice with pieces of fruit in it, and it is not that bad." Chekov shook his head at her and set his spoon down decisively. She sighed and added, "You are the pickiest eater I have ever known."
"Dr. McCoy mentioned that this is the case, and as such is a potential problem on missions." It was difficult to read Major Sascheja's expression, as her round eyes made her seem perpetually surprised, but Ziem thought she sounded genuinely concerned.
"Ah, the fruit compote," said the captain, who did not seem even a little worried. "Everyone wonders what is actually in it, but no one really knows. It's a state secret. Of course, debate rages across the galaxy."
"I think it is congealed snot!" said Martin, who hadn't eaten his either.
"I heard fish cum." laughed Rudolph.
"Oh, Rudolph, you are always such a sophisticated charmer," snapped Uhura, who was seated at Ziem's left side.
Chekov sighed, "Is better not to guess while I am trying not to throw up." he said sadly, and walked over to drop his tray onto Geoff's lap. Yeoman Tremaine cooed encouragement, and Sascheja tut tutted, but everyone else laughed. Even with his mouth was full of compote; Hendorff laughed the loudest of all.
Mr. Spock reappeared with the new tricorder. He gave the work assignments. This time Ziem was assigned to protect Mr. Spock and Lieutenant Uhura. They were working the grid farthest from the camp. As soon as he had finished dividing up the work, Mr. Spock turned and began to walk towards the area. Lieutenant Uhura seemed to have been expecting his exit; she was up and after him immediately. Ziem followed as quickly as she could.
By the time she reached their assigned starting point, Ziem was red faced and sweaty. It was warm already, although the sun was still low in the sky. Mr. Spock had gone to work immediately, walking with the tricorder before him, eyes fixed intently on the screen. Lieutenant Uhura was at work too, but she smiled a welcome to Ziem. Like most humans, she kept her tricorder on her hip, and used the attached cord to distribute its weight across her shoulders.
On the previous day, Lieutenant Uhura and Ensign Chekov had called to each other and talked to Ziem as they worked. Mr. Spock was all business, not even looking up when he refused Ziem's offers to relieve him for breaks. Today the lieutenant had on her personal pack, and Ziem thought she was listening to music on her PADD inside it. She had an earpiece in, and sometimes she sang softly. She had a beautiful voice; Ziem enjoyed listening, and tried not to disturb her.
There were a few other changes. It was much warmer than it had been until late on the previous day. And there were birds all around them. Ziem had seen them at a distance before, but they had flown away when they had transported in, and not come close all day. They seemed to be getting comfortable with the presence of the crew; they didn't fly away until the workers got quite close.
They were large birds, the size of a grouse on Ziem's home world. They had brown ragged feathers, and long bronze colored beaks, which they would thrust deep into the sand, to pull out wiggling creatures that they swallowed whole. They seemed to prefer the ground, but could fly short distances. Randomly, one would decide the work group was too close and squawk loudly before jumping into the air to fly seven or eight meters. When they landed they would stare at the crew members, waving their wings, honking and squawking until their bird brain decided they had made their point and they went back to eating.
The noise of the birds was annoying, but worse was their tendency to defecate as they took flight. It got messy with repeated flyovers. Ziem was standing by Lieutenant Uhura when Mr. Spock got hit. He said nothing, but Ziem felt like his back got even straighter, and the arm holding out his tricorder more rigid. She looked at the lieutenant, who was staring at her with a look both horrified and delighted.
"I can't believe that just happened!" whispered Uhura.
"That is one brave, dumb bird." replied Ziem. The two women separated immediately, to avoid laughing. But by noon, when they finally stopped for a break, it had happened to all of them so many times that they did not find it amusing any more.
Ziem was hungry and hot when Lieutenant Uhura reminded Mr. Spock that they were scheduled for a break. He said that he would continue working, as he did not need to eat or rest, but that she should do as she required and rejoin him when she could.
"Spock," Uhura said. "Neither Sabide nor I absolutely need a break, but we will both benefit from eating, drinking and a chance to do something besides stare at a tricorder. Your decision to continue working places the lieutenant in a difficult position. She is under orders to stay with both of us, which she cannot do if you do not sit down with me." She paused then pointed a short way off her assigned path. "As there is a tree right there, and it offers some shade, I think that for the good of the mission you should eat lunch with me."
Mr. Spock listened to the lieutenant with one raised eyebrow. He nodded and said, "Very well. I neglected to consider the lieutenant's orders. I will follow you." And Lieutenant Uhura led the way to the scant shade of the little tree.
Ziem marveled that the lieutenant could be so bold when addressing the first officer. Most of the crew was intimidated by him, for several reasons. He was powerful, second only to the captain on the ship, which meant he outranked everyone. Then, he was considered to be brilliant even by Vulcan standards, and Ziem thought most people felt stupid talking to him. She knew she always did, on those rare occasions when she had to. Finally, he was Vulcan, and so, inscrutable. Most species were uncomfortable when they could not evaluate another's emotional state. Some responded antagonistically to Mr. Spock's precision and reserve, as Mr. Lapinski had yesterday, but most were just uncomfortable around him. Lieutenant Uhura was more at ease talking to him than anyone else Ziem had ever seen. They worked together, she knew, on the alpha shift of the bridge, maybe all that time spent together made her less nervous around him than Ziem could imagine ever being.
The tree offered little shade, but it was better than nothing, and there was a bit of the dry Phadruan grass growing under it. They settled down. Lieutenant Uhura leaned against the trunk, and sipped a bottle of water, eyes closed peacefully. Mr. Spock began to review the information on his tricorder. Ziem dug in her pack for the lunch supplies. She found the ration packs, and next to them, tied together with a bit of braided grass rope, were a small container of nuts and a large square box of chocolate milk. Someone had written, 'Enjoy Ziem! From: G & P,' across it.
Ziem held the box in both her hands and smiled. She felt thrilled, far happier than the little gift merited, because it was so nice to be thought of. She couldn't remember the last time someone had surprised her.
"What's that? Lieutenant Uhura asked.
"Oh, um, nothing, just..." Ziem realized she was grinning stupidly at a couple of food items and tried to calm herself. She held the gift out for the lieutenant to see. To Ziem's surprise, Uhura also looked delighted.
"How nice! Where did that come from?" Uhura asked.
"Geoff, that is, Mr. Hendorff," Ziem corrected herself. "He told me last night that he and Mr. Chekov stuffed their entire packs with snacks. I guess they decided to share."
"Oh sure, I see, G. and P. means Geoff and Pavel. That's sweet." After a pause, the lieutenant added, "Really? They filled their whole packs with food?"
"I guess, Geoff said Ensign Chekov didn't even bring a change of clothes, and from how he talked I am not sure that Geoff even has a toothbrush for himself." Ziem said. The lieutenant laughed, and Ziem wondered if she had betrayed a confidence. Nervously she continued to rummage in her pack. At the bottom she found another box of milk. In the same ink, but different penmanship, it said, "Give this one to Lt. U."
"Look lieutenant! There's one here for you too!" Ziem said excitedly.
"Good!" Uhura said, she took the box and added, "That is Pasha's writing. He is really very kind." She looked at the box and said, "Chocolate milk? Really? This is what a grown man and Starfleet officer takes in his pack for an away mission? He hates it when people treat him like a child, but I wonder if he ever considers why it might be that they do." She inspected the container and added, "Well, at least it's the good stuff, full fat and real chocolate. He may have the eating habits of a five year old, but he is a five year old with good taste."
"I feel bad," said Ziem. "There isn't one for the commander."
"Oh don't worry. Mr. Spock is a vegan. Most Vulcans are. And he doesn't really enjoy sweets, especially chocolate. I'll offer him some of mine, but I will be surprised if he wants any." The lieutenant moved over to where the science officer continued to analyze his data. She sat down again and began to speak with him. Ziem was surprised when he stopped his work and appeared to give the lieutenant his full attention. They spoke very quietly, Ziem felt like they deserved some privacy, so she shifted into Uhura's vacated seat against the tree, turned her face away, and opened her lunch.
Ziem ate her rations, turkey and stuffing, peas and carrots. It tasted exactly the same as the previous day's chicken and noodle casserole. The rations were all made to appeal to as many, or perhaps to offend as few, Federation members as possible. They were all plant proteins and fiber, shaped and flavored to resemble common meals. Ziem found the taste of most of them dull, but not horrible. The consistency of the food was always off though. Except for those beings with specific animal protein needs, the food on the ship was made the same way, but it did tend to taste fresher, and it was easier to individualize the seasonings. The rations were oddly chewy, and blandly flavored, but Ziem always finished hers.
She tried to eat slowly, but it seemed to take almost no time till the food was gone. After she ate the cookie from the dessert packet in the rations, and then ate the cup of nuts and berries from Geoff, she drank the remainder of her morning allotment of water. Finally, still hungry, she pried the lid off the milk container. It popped loudly, and there was a whoosh of air as whatever chemical process opening the container triggered made the contents of the box cool to just above freezing. Ziem took a sip, savoring the cold and the sweet taste. She settled back to enjoy the treat.
She glanced over at Uhura and Spock talking, and wondered what in the day's work could possibly be so interesting. Perhaps the lieutenant was explaining the milk, because she was smiling, and looked very relaxed. Mr. Spock was watching her intently. He was, of course, not smiling, but Ziem got the impression he was enjoying the conversation. Something in the tilt of his head, or maybe in the way he leaned toward the woman made him seem happy. But Vulcans, Ziem had always heard, didn't have emotions. She reminded herself that the chief believed security guards should pay attention to facts and not spend their time in speculation. She looked away again.
Leaning against the tree and full for the first time in days, Ziem closed her eyes. She meant only to relax, but somehow she dozed off. She was mortified when the lieutenant awakened her by softly called her name. She stumbled to her feet, still clutching her half full box of milk.
"I am sorry sir! I was derelict in my duties! I don't..." Ziem couldn't think what to say next, could only think of Chief Giotto's anger when he heard about her sleeping on the job.
"Relax; you were out a very short time, minutes. It could happen to anyone, and we weren't in any danger. I don't think we have to mention this to anyone at all. Everything is fine! Commander Spock is just very eager to get back to work." Lieutenant Uhura said with a smile.
Mr. Spock was in fact already out in the field, tricorder before him, standing ramrod straight awaiting the machine's signal to walk forward. Ziem started to trot to her position, between the two officers. She stopped when she got there, and stared at the milk, thinking she should throw it out.
The lieutenant must have guessed her thoughts, because she called, "Don't dump it. Put it in your pack and finish it later. It is getting so hot I know you'll be glad if you do!"
Ziem did as suggested, and then spent the rest of the day in careful attention to duty. She followed the chief's plans precisely, walking between the workers, and then walking the perimeter of the work area. She tried very hard to be the perfect, alert security officer, but she couldn't stop feeling ashamed of her failure.
She was glad of the milk though. She had almost finished all her afternoon water allotment in a few hours. She switched to the milk at about 1500. She knew the sugar content would eventually make her thirstier, but she felt so parched she decided she didn't care. In the short term the milk was delicious, and the cold box in her pack made her feel cooler. After she finished it she switched back to her water, and managed to make it through the afternoon. At 1800, hot, thirsty, and splattered with bird poop, the team returned to camp.
Chapter 9
Evening, the Second Day
Apparently the other work crews had knocked off earlier than Mr. Spock's had. While walking into camp Ziem saw Yeoman Tremaine, Ensign Chekov, and Geoff coming out. They were each carrying what looked like a small bundle of clothes. The two men had their packs on. Mr. Spock continued into camp, but the lieutenant and Ziem stopped to chat with the crewmen.
"Where are you off to?" asked Lieutenant Uhura.
The yeoman said, "Today when I was exploring with the captain we found a little dammed off a section on the creek. Some of the previous work crew must have left it. It's probably supposed to be for bathing, but our uniforms got so dirty from those gross birds, I am going to rinse them off. We don't have soap or anything, but they can't possibly be worse than they are right now. If you bring yours down and I'll do them too."
"I can do my own laundry. Tell the captain it is not your job to do his." the lieutenant said testily.
"Oh he didn't tell me to do it. I offered. And Pav said he'd be happy to help." said Tremaine. Chekov nodded.
"And I am providing security." Hendorff said with a grin.
"Because there could be turtles." said Chekov.
"And you never know what a turtle might try." Hendorff added, patting his phaser.
As the young people walked away, Ziem heard the yeoman ask, "Do you really think there will be turtles?"
"I'd be surprised if there aren't. They're all probably pretty big ones too." Hendorff said.
"What if they bite? I don't think I can get in the water if there are turtles in it." Tremaine sounded worried.
Geoff teased, "Don't worry. I doubt they could actually kill you. And Lieutenant Sascheja can regenerate something small like a finger."
The last of their conversation Ziem heard was the ensign saying soothingly, "Don't worry Beth. I will check with the tricorder. We will know everything in the water before we get in it."
Ziem found the chief and reported that her shift had been uneventful. She got a PADD and did some paperwork, and then went to start a fire. From the pits she could see a rope had been slung between two of the stunted trees. There were uniforms hanging haphazardly from it. It wasn't very high, most of the pants dragged on the ground, but the tiny little dresses didn't. Lieutenant Uhura must have joined the laundry party after all; because as Ziem watched the lieutenant and Ensign Chekov hung a last few, wet uniforms. It took them longer than it should have, because they didn't do it in a very systematic way. They would approach the line from opposite sides, and then quickly snap a wet garment over it and dash back the direction they came. Eventually Ziem realized they were trying to spray each other with water. It was a very inefficient way to hang clothes. They kept dropping other people's uniforms in the dust, and would have to run back down to the river and rinse them off. Sometimes they grabbed a few outfits off the line before they went, seemingly for more ammunition.
They seemed to enjoy the game. They laughed and called encouragement to each other. Chekov snapping a dress over the line Lieutenant Uhura, who was always so regal, shocked Ziem by actually squealing when she got a face full of water. It must have surprised Chekov too, he ducked under the line to see if the lieutenant was alright. Immediately Uhura swung a pair of sopping trousers straight into his chest. He gasped and grabbed for them. Uhura hung on and they had a tug of war. Ziem thought about joining them, but decided to leave them to their play.
She went down to the pit farthest from the tents and started a fire. It was still unpleasantly warm, but fires kept animals away at night, and they gave the crew a place to gather for meals and conversations. The chief, she knew, was always in favor of anything that kept the crew close together in manageable, easily guarded groups. And it worked, because very soon Lieutenant Uhura and Ensign Chekov came and joined her. They were both red faced from their game, and still laughing periodically when they looked at each other.
The lieutenant sat gracefully on one of the rock stools. As was typical, the young man crouched on the ground, just a bit farther away from the fire. He looked different to Ziem; she stared at him, trying to figure out why. He sensed her scrutiny, and glanced up at her, smiling a little nervously. She realized his curls were very wet, hanging long and low, framing his face more than the regulations allowed. It made his eyes seem even bigger, and Ziem liked the way he looked. That flustered her and made her feel a little nervous. To distract herself, she said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Are you wet?" Ziem asked the ensign.
"I went for a swim." he answered.
"Why don't you just go change?" said Lieutenant Uhura.
"I am almost dry already." Chekov assured her. Ziem remembered Geoff saying he hadn't brought extra clothes.
"You don't look very dry." Uhura said doubtfully.
"I feel cooler than I have all day." He said firmly.
"Hello Crew!" called a loud voice. Ziem was surprised to see the captain. He strolled up to the fire and sat down next to Uhura. He took a huge bite of an apple that he carried. Ziem wondered if she was the only being on the entire crew that hadn't provided herself with extra food.
"How was it today? Could you believe those damn birds? I actually think I prefer armed insurgence! You couldn't escape them. My uniform was covered in shit." The captain talked around his snack. He sounded friendly and interested in a way that Ziem could not imagine Chief Giotto being.
"Hey," the captain directed his attention at the ensign. "Are you wet? What happened? Let me guess. You fell in the creek didn't you? Chekov, you have got to start looking where you are going, someday you are going to walk right over the side of a cliff." The captain didn't sound angry, more teasing Ziem thought.
Chekov looked offended and opened his mouth, but stopped before he spoke. His expression got sly and then he said, "If I fell in I couldn't really get in trouble for that? Is accident right?"
"You mean like, as opposed to jumping into the water fully clothed for fun while technically on duty without checking with any of your superior officers?" The captain chewed his apple and tried to looks thoughtful, but only succeeded in looking slightly less teasing. The ensign didn't answer, but watched Captain Kirk speculatively. Ziem felt much more nervous than he looked.
"Tough one, but since you didn't need rescuing I don't actually care one way or the other. However, I sincerely doubt Chief Giotto is going to be pleased with either option, so if I were you, I would stay far away from him until I was dry." The captain chewed some more on his apple, and then added, "And by the way, your boots are dry, which means you took them off to go in. Although," and the captain began to laugh as he spoke, "it is you, and we all know how graceful you're not, so it's possible you just accidently fell in while cleaning them or something." The captain looked at the younger man some more and then asked, "Why don't you just go change?"
The ensign shrugged and stared into the fire.
"I think it's possible he didn't bring any spare clothing." Uhura said disapprovingly. The ensign frowned at the fire, ignoring them both.
"Really Chekov? You didn't? Then what's in your pack?" Kirk asked. Chekov continued to frown at the fire; the captain said again, "Chekov, what's in your pack?"
The ensign sighed and answered, "A blanket, spare batteries for my PADD."
"You brought batteries for your PADD?" The captain laughed.
"Sometimes I have ideas I need to write down. Recharging my PADD is not a priority on away missions" the ensign sounded defensive, which made the captain laugh harder.
"Yeah, real important ideas, it would be a loss to the universe if you don't record them. Or maybe you can't sleep knowing someone out there might have beaten one of your best scores."
"Maybe that too." agreed the younger man, looking embarrassed.
The captain laughed harder, and then said, "You could have packed ten batteries and still have wedged some clothes in there."
"I brought food too. I knew I would hate all the rations. Dr. McCoy is always telling me to eat more. I try to do what I am told and everyone tells me I am wrong." The ensign said, sounding careworn. Ziem looked at him worriedly. His looked very sad, but when he saw Ziem's expression he smiled and raised his eyebrows at her. She realized with a start that he was teasing the captain. She felt nervous and wondered how he dared.
"Here's an idea, you could just force yourself to try new things." Lieutenant Uhura interjected.
"I try new things often." Chekov said. "I just seldom like them."
Uhura said skeptically, "No you don't. When was the last time you tried something new?"
"I tried that stew they replicated the day we left."
"You did?" Uhura sounded like she doubted it.
"I tried it," said Chekov. "I didn't say I liked it. It tasted like a bowl of aluminum and so I recycled it."
Uhura and the captain both laughed at him, and Ziem smiled too, because he sounded so disgusted.
Uhura said, "That was awful, anything with replicated peppers always is. I don't actually blame you for that one. But seriously, do you eat anything you didn't eat when you were a tiny child?"
"A tinier child than now she means." added the captain, in a mocking voice. That earned him a cold stare from the lieutenant, but Chekov actually smiled at him, like he got the joke.
What was the last new thing you liked?" Uhura asked, trying again.
The ensign thought and then said, "I never ate lasagna before I was on the Enterprise. Now I eat it whenever they have it." He seemed proud of his accomplishment.
"Anything else?" asked the captain.
The ensign looked thoughtful, and then added, "It's not brand new, but I never ate birthday cake before I was at the academy. I had cake of course, but not fancy ones like on the ship. Now I will eat as much as I can get. I ate one half of the cake at Yeoman Rand's party last week." he paused and then added, "It was chocolate and everyone else said they had enough."
The captain turned to Uhura. "He eats lasagna and cake. And you think he lacks an adventurous spirit."
The lieutenant rolled her eyes, "Don't they have birthday cake in Russia?"
"Yes," said the ensign. "But it tends to be pie. And my birthday is in September, so I was always at school." He looked serious and added, "You would be surprised at how little celebration there is of the quietest member of the chess team."
The captain laughed again, he looked like he had more to say, but his communicator sounded. He pulled it out, glanced at it, sighed, and began to stand up. As he did so he reached over and ruffled the ensign's hair, or tried to, but he only succeeded in shaking the younger man's head which sprayed water onto his own pants.
"Now you got me wet." He said. "Only you could manage to do that out without even standing up." Still laughing, the captain ambled off in the direction he had come from. Ensign Chekov sighed very loudly and gazed at the fire. After a minute he reached up and started squeezing water out of his hair. They sat quietly for a while, and watched the fire burn. Eventually, the lieutenant broke the silence.
"Alright," she said, "now we talk. What's up with him and the clumsy?" Uhura sounded a little angry. The ensign looked at her uncertainly and she started again a little more gently. "Why does he keep implying you are clumsy?"
"I am clumsy." said the ensign, sounding surprised.
"No. You aren't." Uhura paused, frowned, and then said, "Well, yes you are, but that's because you write in your PADD while you're walking. And you go too fast all the time. Or you start walking sideways and chattering to whomever is next to you instead of looking where you are going and run into walls. Or people." She shrugged and added, "occasionally robots."
"I actually went more over that robot than into it." Chekov said reflectively, gazing into the fire. "It still hurt an unbelievable amount though."
The corner of Uhura's mouth twitched, but she said firmly, "We are getting away from the subject. The point is those things have always been true, which means you are no more clumsy now than you were last month and he managed to have conversations with you then without bringing it up. So I want to know what changed." The lieutenant stared penetrating at the ensign. He ignored her and continued to look at the fire.
After he hadn't responded for several seconds, the lieutenant spoke again, more gently this time. "Pasha, no one who has seen you run or play the piano would ever say you are clumsy. I know something happened. I want to know what."
There was a long pause and then Chekov said very quietly, "I will tell you later."
"No. That's what you said when I asked you yesterday. You are just trying to avoid answering me. For you, it is later. Start talking now." The lieutenant was looking fierce again; the ensign sighed and turned toward the two women.
It occurred to Ziem that he might want privacy to talk to his friend. She said, "I can leave, I'm sorry," and started to stand.
"Oh no Ziem!" the ensign smiled kindly. "Geoff tells me you know all our secrets, so you are my new friend. I don't mind if you hear. It's just that I know it is unwise of me to say anything to anyone."
"Well you don't have any choice." Uhura said firmly.
"Okay! Alright, I understand! I will tell." He paused and then said, "But you must promise not to say anything about this? It could be bad for me if you do." He looked pleadingly first at Uhura, and then at Ziem, who gave a determined nod, and couldn't help thinking what beautiful eyes the young man had.
"Sure, sure, whatever, start talking." Uhura said briskly. It didn't surprise Ziem that the lieutenant was so little affected by the ensign's entreaty. She felt certain the beautiful Lieutenant Uhura had far more experience with young men begging her for things than she herself did.
The ensign turned back to the fire, sighed heavily and began. "The captain heard that I beat Mr. Spock during our last chess game." The ensign sighed again and then continued, "When that happens, he always says he wants to play me. And we have played several times in the past." The ensign picked up a stick and poked at the fire.
"Pasha, don't take this the wrong way," Lieutenant Uhura surprised Ziem by sounding very tentative as she spoke. She paused like she was considering what to say and then added, "I think you should consider carefully if you really want to play competitive games with the captain. I don't want to insult you, but I am not sure it is a great idea for you to beat him at chess. Well, actually at anything. He just doesn't lose very well."
Chekov gave her a sad look, "Why does everyone think I am an idiot? I know that. I have watched the captain spar with Hikaru. I know he hates to lose. I know he cannot stop trying for a rematch. Mr. Sulu is much tougher than me. I could never stand the...intensity. I know the captain would just make me play over and over until he wins anyway, so…I just see that he always wins. It is easier, and better for me."
"I don't see," began Uhura, but the younger man continued.
"Of course, sometimes he just beats me. Captain Kirk is amazing, as we know. He is good at everything. He is a very good chess player." The young man took a breath, looked up at the women and, sounding apologetic, continued, "But I am also very good, maybe, an excellent chess player, and I have played mostly against humans, so he does not surprise me as he so often does Mr. Spock. I think I would beat him more often than Mr. Spock does if I wanted to. Which as I say, I do not. So...if he is not beating me, I make him win. Sometimes he just needs me to make a few mistakes. Sometimes though, he is not paying attention, and I have to work hard to lose without seeming to try to do so. Two weeks ago was time like that. He said he wanted to play. I put him off, but he insisted. He found me in the rec room watching vids with my friends, and he had brought a board, and I could not make him wait. But then we began to play and he would not pay attention! He talked to everyone. He kept saying to everyone that they should come to watch and learn. Learn what? That I cheat at chess? How could that help? He would be very angry to learn I do not always do my best against him. I told him an audience makes me uncomfortable, he said toughen up, and then turned to watch the vid. He flirted with a yeoman, with everyone really. He would not play chess! I did not know what to do. I could not tell him to pay attention. I could not play bad enough for him to win without raising the suspicions of everyone who watched... And then the very worst thing that could happen did." The ensign sighed again, and returned his gaze to the fire. Frowning, he shoved his stick deep into it. For several seconds he didn't speak.
Uhura leaned in and said eagerly, "What very worst thing? What happened?" Ziem dipped her head closer too. She couldn't help it. She tried to imagine what could possibly been so bad.
The ensign looked sadly at the two women. He started to speak several times before he finally said, very quietly, "You know Yeoman Perkins?"
Uhura looked at Ziem with confusion, then back at the ensign. "Yes. Sure, I know her, so what?"
"She is beautiful." said the ensign softly, "She is one of those I can't even talk when she is in the room." He sighed.
"Get on with the story." ordered Uhura, sounding unimpressed.
"Well, Yeoman Perkins, she must have been in charge of some department meeting, because she walked backwards out of the conference room off the rec area. And part of her uniform was stuck in those, um, those little pants part of the uniform. You know what I mean?" He curved his hand into an open semicircle and somehow Ziem had a vision of a uniform skirt tucked into the matching spanx.
"You could see part of her backside. So perfect." he said, sounding a little awestruck.
The ensign paused again, seemed lost in the memory, then remembered himself and added, "I was staring, I know, but the captain, he was really staring. And then it got worse, because when she turned around, she was carrying a platter. And guess what is on this platter? The leftover food from the meeting, donuts, and cookies, sandwiches maybe? I don't know, because I was not interested. But the captain was. She walked across the room with it, right past us, over to where her friends were. Then she bent over to share with them the food."
Lieutenant Uhura started to laugh. The ensign looked at her sadly. Finally she said, "I'm sorry, it's just so perfect, A Kirk trifecta! A good looking woman, partially naked, carrying carbohydrates! Oh my God! Did he get up and follow her?"
"No" said Chekov. "But he should have! He wouldn't even try any more. He didn't even pretend to be interested. I did not know what to do. I just wanted it all to be over. I could only think of one way to get away. It was not a good idea, but I had no others. I waited until the captain had all his attention on Yeoman Perkins, and then I reached my hand out and I flipped the board over. It was easy."
"There's a crowd of people standing around you and no one notices you do that? That's hard to believe," Uhura said.
He shrugged and said, "Captain Kirk was not looking; and so no one was. He is such a strong personality that everyone even watches where he looks."
"You know," murmured Uhura, "I hate to admit it, but that's actually a good insight."
"I have noticed it before." Chekov said matter of factly.
"What happened then?" Uhura asked.
He gestured emptily and then continued, "He prefers three dimensional chess. Do you have any idea how loud it is when one of those layered chess boards hits a metal deck? It shattered, and the noise startled Yeoman Perkins. She dropped the platter right on to her friends. Then they were upset, and they became noisy too. The captain yelled at me in front of everyone."
Uhura grimaced and patted his arm. He said, "I did not bother me. In my heart, I was happy, because I could just concede and I did not have to beat him at chess."
They sat quietly for a few seconds, and then Lieutenant Uhura began to snicker. Chekov looked at her with surprise. "It is not funny, it was horrible," he said. But in another second he started to smile, and then to laugh a little bit. And although she didn't want to, Ziem found herself chuckling too.
"So now you're the guy who broke the chess board." said the lieutenant.
The ensign nodded, but then he gave the women a sly, sideways look and said, "I have an idea though, that the captain is suspicious. He keeps trying to provoke me, mentioning my clumsiness so many times. I think he wants me to defend myself and confess everything. But I never will. He thinks he can shame me into speaking, but I consider this a victory"
As he spoke his communicator sounded. He opened it, identified himself, and listened. He said, "I am going to do that right now sir, and I will let you know what I find." He jumped up and said, "Mr. Spock wishes me to calibrate all the tricorders and clean them well. Apparently, like us, they object to being covered for hours in chicken shit." He started to hurry off towards the camp, but stopped after a few steps to turn back and put his finger to his lips, reminding them to be careful with his secret. When Ziem nodded he grinned and then turned and ran off, towards Mr. Spock and his responsibilities.
Lieutenant Uhura continued to laugh. Eventually she said, "Only him." and laughed again.
"He's very entertaining." agreed Ziem a little uncertainly.
"Yes, he really is." Uhura said. "I work around a lot of the command track ensigns. They are usually annoying, attention seeking little jerks, but he really is different. He's very competent, but a bit shy, and definitely not a show off. We both work alpha shifts on the bridge, so I get to spend a fair amount of time around him. When he's relaxed and doesn't feel observed, he's enthusiastic, about everything. And that always kind of reminds me how amazing it is that I get to work there too. It reminds me to love my job."
Uhura continued, "I admit, I find him...oddly endearing, which is not at all like me. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he brings it out in me. The only thing is, I hate the way that he completely hero worships the captain. I mean, did you notice today, even as he is describing the captain bullying him into doing something he doesn't like, he doesn't blame him? It is like he just accepts Jim Kirk can't be held to the same standards as a normal person. It's annoying."
Ziem said, "I didn't notice that," in a weak voice.
Lieutenant Uhura continued, "I can kind of understand it after the last couple years. But still, he takes it to ridiculous lengths." Uhura shook her head. Then she added, "Mark my words, if the captain acts even a little bit sad, or disappointed in him over this chess thing, he will confess everything, apologize over and over, and feel guilty for denying our hero another victory. It's ridiculous."
"The captain really is amazing though." Ziem was a little shocked by the lieutenant's attitude toward their commanding officer. Captain Kirk was admired throughout the galaxy. Ziem considered herself extremely lucky to be assigned to the Enterprise. She admired the senior officers wholeheartedly and was honored to serve under them.
"I didn't say he wasn't amazing." Lieutenant Uhura said tartly. "He is. We all owe him our lives. I get that. But I have known him a long time, and I am telling you, he admires himself plenty, and he doesn't need worship from any of us."
Ziem disagreed, but the thought of contradicting the communications officer made her uncomfortable. They were of equal rank, but the other lieutenant had more experience. And Ziem didn't want to risk looking stupid or uninformed in front of her. She never had trouble insisting people listen to her in work situations, but she often felt awkward in day to day discussions. Disagreements with beings she like were very hard. She knew she was unsophisticated. She knew she stood out in the hallways and the mess halls. She didn't want to give people another reason to laugh at her.
"I am sure you're right Ma'am." Ziem said quietly.
Uhura seemed a little taken back by Ziem's withdrawal. She studied Ziem thoughtfully, which made Ziem feel ungainly. Communication specialists, Ziem knew, were trained to interpret even nonverbal communications. She tried to look at ease and uninterested.
"I am sorry Sabide." said the Lieutenant. "This is one of my causes. Sometimes I overstate my case. You can hero worship the captain and I will respect your right to do so." She sounded friendly and kind, Ziem found herself relaxing a little.
"I don't know any of the senior officers except by reputation Lieutenant. You really would know more about this than I do." said Ziem. "I probably can't stop having him for a hero though."
"I will try to remember to respect your perspective. I tolerate it from Chekov, I can tolerate it from you too." laughed Uhura.
"Thank you Lieutenant." Ziem answered. She tried to match the other woman's relaxed tone, but knew she sounded stiff. She suddenly longed to return to the ship, and the security department, where she knew what she should say and what was expected of her all the time.
Ziem turned back to her work, preparing a stack of the firewood for the night. She tried to put her whole mind to it, but she found herself wondering if the ensign had managed to avoid the chief until he was entirely dry. She hoped so.
Almost as if the chief knew she was thinking of him, her communicator buzzed.
"This is Sabide." she said.
The chief's voice sounded tinny through the speaker, "Giotto here. Get on back. We've got company coming."
Facing a problem, Ziem immediately felt competent again. In a businesslike tone she said, "Lieutenant, we need to rejoin the others." Jumping up, Uhura followed her back to the main camp.