Chapter 14
Late Afternoon, the Third Day
When she was on duty and got bored, Ziem occasionally played a little game in which she pretended to be an unfriendly trying to sneak up on herself. She would come up with as many possibilities as she could and then consider the ways she could defend against them. It never failed to make her more alert. Hours after lunch, bored, hot and uncomfortable, she tried to play it. She paused and looked around. There was no significant cover, almost no way to avoid being seen on the Phadruan thought, if I were a Phadruan terrorist, and wanted to sneak up on a Federation force, I would come in camouflage. I would dress in sand colored clothes and stick feathers in them. I woul just crawl along in the dirt. The good guys would never see me, because these stupid birds are everywhere. but it really doesn't matter because the heat makes it almost impossible to care about anything anyway. Sighing, she walked on.
Ziem trudged through another march of the perimeter. Evening was approaching, and she knew as the sun started down the air had to be cooling off, but she couldn't feel it yet. Her feet ached. Her chafed skin burned where sweat stuck her uniform to her neck. She used her viewers to check the horizon. She saw nothing to indicate any trouble; just more of the grouse like birds.
There were more here than there had ever been anywhere else. They waddled across the wilted landscape, clucking to themselves and plunging their heads into the soil. They were noisy; it was impossible to predict when one would take offense with some member of its flock. The two would shriek and lunge at each other, pecking and squawking before one, or both, gave up and jumped into flight. Inevitably one would fly right over head. Her uniform was striped white with their droppings. She had stopped even trying to wipe it off hours ago. She turned and began to plod back to Chekov.
He stood on a slight ridge. The river, which was just off the grid on this pass was below and in front of him. He had his PADD in front of him, and his tricorder balanced on one hip. He wasn't looking at them, but instead stared intently over his left shoulder, toward the river. Coming from behind him on his right, she called out to him, so that he wouldn't be startled by her approach.
He looked up and smiled vaguely then returned his focus to the river. She wondered if she could possibly look as bad as he did. He was flushed, his hair was plastered to the sides of his face, and he was filthy.
She said, "You really, really need to wash that uniform. Actually maybe burn it would be better."
He grinned at that, and looked down at himself. "Yes, failing to bring an extra was not my best idea. I will wash it when we get back. I am going to hang it up and just sit in the water until it is dry."
"That won't take long in this heat." She paused and then, trying to keep her voice neutral, so she didn't sound like she was complaining, added, "We could probably head on back then, since you are going to have to take a while to clean up."
He nodded, and said, "Yes, and the tricorder is going to have to be scrubbed too. I gave up trying to protect it and concentrated on my PADD. If those chickens etched my screen with their shit I am coming back out here with a phaser."
He turned to her. "Ziem, before we go back, there's something I really want to do." He waited expectantly, and when she didn't respond he continued, "Look over there." He gestured toward the water.
"The river?" She asked uncertainly.
"No," he said, "not the river, look on the rocks where the ground starts to turn down. What do you see?"
Ziem looked over at the edge of the gully. She saw nothing, but birds. "Rocks?" she asked doubtfully.
"Beside the rocks, what do you see?" He repeated, pointing toward the ground.
"I don't see anything. There are some rocks and a lot of birds."
"Look around the rocks, see how all of them have piles of straw and twigs? Those are nests. And they weren't here in the last survey. That means they are new, which means it is stupid Phadrun chicken breeding season. And that means those eggs are fresh." He smiled slyly in the direction of the nests.
"Ziem," he continued, "last night while we were cleaning up after the dinner guests, I noticed that most of the dinner ration packs that are left are the salmon ones. I hate fish. I don't even want to be around when other people eat it."
"They aren't really fish." Ziem said unenthusiastically. She too disliked the salmon packs. They looked and smelled like salmon, but had the consistency of cooked cereal.
"The rations are worse than real fish because of the chemicals they use to try and make them seem like fish. It sticks to everything. If we open even one pack the whole camp will smell all night." He turned to her and looking very serious, said, "Ziem, I am sick of this job. I am hot, and tired, and bored. But more than any of those, I am really, really hungry. I think tonight we should have omelets."
Suddenly Ziem understood, she said, "You want to go over there and get eggs!"
He nodded.
"Are you crazy?" Ziem stared doubtfully toward the river. It was teeming with the grouse like creatures. "There are probably a thousand birds over there. You could get pecked to death."
"I have observed them this whole last rotation. They don't sit on the nests. It is hot enough here they may not need to. I don't think they are attentive parents. They might not even notice me." He paused and added, "But I am not sure, so will you watch and rescue me if I need it? I will try to be fast, but I am going to need to get quite a few eggs."
Ziem looked at Chekov doubtfully, he smiled encouragingly at her. She sighed and said, "So you want me to provide back up for you."
He nodded. "You are my security escort," he said hopefully.
She continued, "I back you up while you wade through an infestation of the birds that have literally shit on us all day long."
He nodded again and added, "It's not like they are going to get me dirtier."
"True," she said with a glance at his uniform. "But you want me to do this while you steal enough eggs to feed the entire remaining away team, including your tent mates, none of whom did absolutely anything to help with any of the work today. And you want to do this, because you think you may not like the way the rations smell."
"Yes!" he said. "You understand!" He grinned and grabbed both her arms with his hands. Ziem had a sudden image of him hugging her.
"I understand the words," she sighed, "but I don't understand the motivation. It can't possibly be that big of deal."
"It is a big deal...I will cook for you if you help me."
Ziem shook her head. She thought his idea was ridiculous, a complete waste of time. As the ranking officer and the acting head of security, she could forbid it. And she thought she would. Stealing eggs would keep her in the sun for however long it took him to decide he had enough. She knew Chief Giotto would approve her refusal. He did not like any unnecessary risk. Not that she really considered the birds to be dangerous, but she was hot and eager to be finished with the work day. She thought he was being silly about the fish. She never had any trouble eating the rations, whatever they tasted like. She opened her mouth to say no, but he looked up at her so appealingly, big eyed and hopeful, and she felt her resolve begin to weaken.
She said, "Oh fine. Go get the stupid eggs. You are cooking them though. That is if you don't die in a swarm of angry grouse parents first."
He looked very pleased. He handed her his PADD and said, "Watch this; I will need the tricorder though. Do you think two dozen will be enough?"
"Two dozen eggs for seven of us to eat for dinner? I think you are going to need to get at least four dozen. Maybe five if you really don't want anyone cracking a ration packet." Despite herself she was beginning to feel more interested. It was always like this for her, no matter how mundane, the tactical details always interested her.
"That many? Really?" He looked surprised, and she nodded, six each seemed minimal to her.
"All right," he said. "I am going to need something to carry them in." He slipped his pack off his back and reaching in, rearranged some things.
"I would feel better if you had both hands free." Ziem said. "What do you need the tricorder for?"
"I will need to analyze the eggs."
"They're eggs. What could you possibly need to know about them?"
He looked surprised and said, "On missions you can't just go pick up things. You have to analyze everything. The eggs could be poisonous. Or maybe they aren't even eggs. They look like eggs yes, and they are in nests, and there are chickens all around them, but it is a mistake to assume things are what they appear to be. They could be anything. It is even possible they are some new, previously unknown life form. They could be intergalactic explorers, just arrived to offer the Phadruans a better deal for their land. If I eat sentient beings because I don't like artificial salmon Mr. Spock will not be happy with me."
Ziem looked at him doubtfully and then asked, "So Mr. Spock is usually happy with you?"
He grimaced, acknowledging the truth of her words and said. "If it turns out I ate previously unknown explorers, Mr. Spock will be very, very direct in his criticism." He slung his pack on his arm, and balanced the tricorder on his hip. She smiled at the way he said "very". He continued without noticing.
"You will be careful of my PADD? I kept it clean all day long; I don't want these stupid chickens ruining the screen now."
"You kept it clean at considerable cost to your uniform." She said.
He nodded, "And to my hair. I hate these birds."
He stood at attention, like crewmen reporting at the start of a mission. "I am ready." He said. "Cover me."
She said, "I will, but take these rocks with you. Throw them at the birds if you feel overwhelmed. And hey, Pasha, listen. I don't think you're going to have any problems, but if you do, go low, try to get to the ground and I will shoot over you."
He slipped the rocks into the pouch on his pack and looked a little concerned. He said, "Set your phaser on stun. The lowest stun you have, those things hurt."
"I know, I will try not to shoot you, but it's good to have a plan. If you really want to do this I guess you are going to have to ask yourself, which is worse, a phaser headache or eating replicated fish?" Ziem said.
He nodded like she had said something profound and replied, "To avoid the salmon, I would risk much more than a headache." He took a deep breath and then said, "I am going in." He turned and started on his way.
Ziem watched him walk towards the nesting grounds. At first he moved resolutely, like a soldier starting a crusade, but as he got closer and the birds got more numerous he began to slow down and walk more gingerly, trying to avoid the largest groups. The birds acted more nervous as he got closer. They squawked and fussed, and did a lot of fly overs. But they didn't actually attack, and he kept moving slowly forward, coming eventually to the nests. Kneeling, he pulled his uniform up over his head and aimed the tricorder at the nest. She watched carefully, seeing no danger, but eager to be ready if the situation changed. Then her communicator beeped.
Still watching Chekov she flipped it open and said, "This is Sabide."
"This is Giotto."
"Hey Chief." She wondered, Could it really be eighteen hundred? She glanced quickly at the comm and confirmed that it was.
The chief sounded cranky, but not worried. "What are you doing?"
"I am still in the field. I'm watching Ensign Chekov finish up his work. Then we are going to go back to the camp." That sounded better she decided than saying she was watching Ensign Chekov be crapped on by about a million birds.
"We are still waiting for this dinner to begin. Just now we are being entertained by a children's choir." He sighed, and repeated, "A children's choir! Apparently they like to wait till dark to start eating. I'll keep you informed, but I see no way we are going make it back tonight."
"Everything is checking out?" As she spoke Ziem saw Chekov suddenly jump back, and she automatically lifted her weapon, but he settled back down, and reached out again so she relaxed and tried to listen to the chief.
"...perfectly safe." The chief said, Ziem wondered what she had missed while all her attention was on Chekov and the birds. "I will continue to check in on schedule. You're still getting our signals?"
"Oh yes. Everything is coming in clear. We watched it all afternoon and I am pretty sure we could get you out quickly if we needed to." Ziem really hoped it hadn't been anything essential.
"Okay, then just keep on following the plan, I will ping you every hour if things are fine, and talk to you in a couple hours." Giotto, never one to prolong conversations, was signing off.
"Um, yes, I will watch for your signal, keep to protocols, check in with the ship, and stick to the plan." Ziem tried to think of everything he was likely to have mentioned while she was distracted.
"That's what I just said." Giotto sounded confused, then annoyed. "Is everything alright Sabide?"
"Oh yes sir, no concerns sir. I was just distracted trying to keep an eye on Ensign Chekov. He's gathering, um, that is to say, he's doing some field work, and I am trying to keep him in my line of vision without changing my own position." Ziem tried to sound both organized and competent, and to tell the truth without mentioning the eggs. It would make too long a story and she wanted to concentrate on Chekov. She was having a difficult time keeping sight of him through the throng of nervous birds. Stretching up on her toes she saw a bit of his gold shirt. She didn't understand what could be taking him so long.
"Well, carry on, and I'll talk to you at 2100." Giotto, reassured, was once again eager to get back to his own responsibilities.
"Yes sir," began Ziem, but the chief had already closed his comm. Ziem sighed and focused all her attention on Chekov. She moved to get a better view. The birds around him were skittish, flying one way and then another, puffing and squawking. She doubted he could hear over their noise, especially with his uniform over his head. She stepped on a rock, trying to get a better view. He had the tricorder on the ground in front of him, but she couldn't see what he was doing with it. There were many nests, and he appeared to be moving slowly from one to the next. He had his pack hanging from his shoulder and she could see when he added to it. She thought he was working very slowly. Watching, her anxiety faded, her boredom grew. After half an hour, just as she thought she would walk over and join him, willing to brave the birds if it meant she would have something to do, he stood up. He slipped his other arm into the pack, so that he was wearing it backwards, and started toward her.
"What took you so long?" she asked as soon as he was close enough that she thought he might hear her.
All smiles, and looking very pleased with himself, he held out his hand as he passed and said, "Let's go eat!"
She jogged a few steps to catch him, and then matched his brisk walk. She asked again, "What took you so long? I was getting nervous. I could barely even see you through all those birds. The chief called and I could hardly concentrate on what he had to say."
"There are thousands of eggs in those nests. And the birds don't care about them. But there are so many birds there that they don't always have room to fly away if they feel threatened. And they don't like it when they think you are reaching towards them. I kept getting bit." He held out his hands, showing her dozens of welts.
"Peck." Ziem said. He looked at her quizzically but kept walking toward camp.
"Birds peck," she said again. "I think you have to have teeth to bite."
"Peck, birds peck. OK. Thanks. Also I was trying to take some readings to figure out how big that nesting area is, I wasn't close enough to the center to get an accurate view. This means I have to go back tomorrow. Not exciting prospect, all those stupid chickens are getting more aggressive. I decided to leave as soon as I got 50 eggs. They better taste good, I am probably going to have nightmares about being buried in feathers."
Ziem laughed and said, "I don't blame you, I might have the same nightmare just from watching."
"Is my PADD alright?" he asked.
"It's fine. Do you want it?" He nodded and she handed it to him. Immediately he began tapping on it. Looking down, watching his work, he didn't see a rock in his path, and stumbled. Ziem reached out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from falling. He smiled ruefully at her.
"Captain Kirk is not totally exaggerating when he says I am clumsy." He said.
"Why don't you let me carry the eggs if you are going to be using that?" she asked.
"Probably a good idea." He slipped off the pack and handed it to her. "How horrible would it be if I broke all the eggs and we didn't get to eat one after all this work!"
"That would be bad." Ziem agreed.
Ziem led the way, moving briskly, the idea of returning to base had improved her mood. He followed closely behind, tapping away, glancing up from time to time to check his bearings, but mostly paying attention to his PADD and whatever he was doing on it. Suddenly one of the birds squawked loudly, from very near, startling Ziem. The big bird took to the sky. It had been busy feeding and hadn't noticed their approach, so they were unusually close. It flew directly over them both, with the usual consequence. Chekov had been so deep in concentration over his figures that he hadn't noticed, and the bird's droppings splattered all over his PADD.
"No! No! No!" He gasped. He scrubbed at the screen with his sleeve, which only spread the mess around. He wiped it against his leg, which was cleaner than his shirt. That helped a little, but not much. He looked up at Ziem with an expression of real distress.
"I hate these stupid birds!" He moaned. Then he bent down and grabbed a rock off the ground. He heaved it at the still airborne grouse, yelling something Ziem couldn't understand. He missed the bird completely. The rock arched up and then slowly began its descent. The bird, oblivious, flew directly into its path. The rock connected with its skull with a thump and both rock and bird plummeted to ground where they lay completely still.
Ziem looked down at Chekov with astonishment. He was looking back up at her with his mouth hanging open. Neither of them said anything for a few seconds and then Chekov sprinted off to the little body. Ziem followed after him moving much more slowly. She felt very nervous. Ziem had never seen anyone kill an animal before, not even accidentally, like this. She tried to think of something she could say to make him feel better.
When she caught up to him he was kneeling on the ground, gazing at the sad little pile in front of him. She walked up to him, thinking, Should I hug him? Would a pat on the shoulder be better, I have to offer some sort of comfort. I wonder what's appropriate? I'm his commanding officer, but he has to be miserable. I should do something. As she stood still, trying to decide what to do, he reached out and grabbed the bird's feet. He jumped up, holding the bird before him. Its wings tilted down at an unnatural angle, and its little body swung slowly back and forth as he showed it to her.
"Ziem," he said with a grin, "Guess what? Tonight with our omelets we have chicken!"
Chapter 15
Evening, the Third Day
Ziem and Pasha spent the remainder of the trip back to camp arguing. His PADD forgotten, he practically bounced beside her, excited and happy, while she trudged along feeling consumed with dread. She tried to convince Pavel to bury the dead bird, and tell no one what had happened, but he flatly refused. She didn't understand how such a shy, kind being could be so unconcerned about the death of another creature, but he seemed completely at peace.
They got back to camp more than half an hour late, absolutely filthy, carrying a backpack stuffed with eggs, and a dead bird. Rudolph was sitting by the tents, and when he saw them he called to the rest of the group. The nurse and the two lieutenants came out to meet them.
"You look even worse than usual. And you're late. What took you so long?" said Martin. Chekov smiled and he held up the body. The other humans became very excited. They came closer, reached out to stroke the feathers and all talked at once.
"Where did you get that?" asked Lapinski.
"You killed one of those birds! Great idea! Can we eat it?" asked Rudolph.
Chekov replied, "I think we should try, Lieutenant Sabide disagrees though."
"There is no way you killed that thing." said Lapinski. "It had to be Sabide."
"Oh no," said Ziem crankily. "He did that all on his own." Chekov nodded, smiling shyly and looking a little proud.
"Ensign," began Lieutenant Sascheja, her eyes even rounder than usual, "I am astonished by your lack of judgement. You had a specific task you were to finish, and this...hunting adventure surely distracted you from it. Not to mention that it was a complete misuse of Starfleet materials."
"I hit it with a rock, while we were walking back. I had already finished my work for the day." Chekov said.
"The slaughter of indigenous animals was not contained in the scope of work as it was originally outlined by the captain." Listening to Lieutenant Sascheja lecture actually made Ziem feel slightly more interested in being in Chekov's corner for the dead bird debate.
"I don't think he did it on purpose Lieutenant, it was more like it ran into his rock." Ziem said.
"I knew you didn't actually kill that thing." said Lapinski.
"And yet," said Chekov in a silky, respectful tone he often used when speaking to Lieutenant Lapinski, "it is dead. Looking at Martin he added in his normal voice, "I think we should try to eat it."
"Damn right we're eating it." said Rudolph. "Do you realize there is only one beef and noodles rations pack left? All the rest are salmon. I hate those fish ones. I guess even the Phadruans wouldn't eat them. Tim spent half the afternoon on the comm with the quartermaster trying to convince him to transport us some decent food."
"Which he refused to do unless some ranking officer calls, apparently just saying the captain left me in charge doesn't quite cut it with supply." said Martin with a laugh. Lapinski scowled and Martin laughed harder.
"We were just arguing over who got to eat the beef and noodles. We all voted for ourselves. You aren't even in the running Pav. Don't feel bad, I wouldn't have been either, but I am armed. We all agreed Ziemmie could probably just have it if she forced the issue. We were thinking of hiding it, but we couldn't decide who should get it if she didn't." Rudolph said. He sounded friendly, but he still annoyed Ziem by not using her correct name and referring, even indirectly, to her size. Chekov glanced up at her consolingly.
"I don't think Lieutenant Sabide wants to try any chicken, she is going to eat eggs." Chekov said.
"What eggs?" asked Martin and Rudolph together. Ziem stepped forward and opened Chekov's pack.
"Whoah," yelped Rudolph. "What have you got there? Like a hundred?"
"Fifty." answered Chekov proudly. Lieutenant Sascheja stepped forward and peered into the sack and then glared threateningly at Chekov.
He hunched his shoulders, looked at the ground, and mumbled, "Which I got after finishing hours of field work while documenting a previously undescribed nesting ground."
Lieutenant Sascheja continued to stare angrily at him. Lieutenant Lapinski surprised Ziem by saying, "Back off Sascheja. We all know he's the only one who did any actual work today, what do you care how he did it? The important thing now is to figure out who's going to dress this little beauty."
"What dress? What beauty?" Chekov sounded confused. "Do you mean Lieutenant Sabide? She looks nice already."
Rudolph and Martin howled with laughter. Ziem could feel herself blush. Lapinski sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Seriously Chekov, I don't know why everyone thinks you're so smart. I don't see it." said Lieutenant Lapinski.
Chekov looked completely lost. "I don't understand," he said. "What dress?"
"He means who's going to get the bird ready to cook. Dress is the word for that." said Martin, still laughing.
"It is? Standard is so difficult. Should be undress maybe, because you have to take the feathers off." said Chekov.
"Yes" said Lapinski. "Yes, that is it. Who wants to take the feathers off the damn bird so we can cook it? Soon too, because I am hungry."
"Also the guts need to come out. And it will cook faster if we cut it up. I can do that, but I want to clean my PADD and take a bath first." said Chekov.
"I am not helping." Ziem said firmly.
Ignoring her, Martin said, "Do it now Pav, you'll just need to clean up again if you do it after. We can get to cooking it if you do it first."
"Good idea, it is a better use of time. Also," as he spoke Chekov sounded more excited. "If I bring my PADD I can take pictures of the dissection. No one ever documented the insides of Phadruan chicken before."
"Now that's our Little Ensign That Could! Serving science and bringing home the bacon all at the same time!" Rudolph said with a laugh. Lapinski and Martin laughed too, and Chekov smiled, although he looked perplexed and Ziem felt confident he didn't get the joke.
"Do not clean that bird anywhere close to where we all bath." Sascheja said, she still sounded angry.
"Yes Lieutenant, I will be very careful. Do you have any surgical tools? I will need something very sharp." Mr. Chekov said.
"You are not using any of my supplies for this silliness." replied the nurse firmly.
"How about this?" Rudolph said as he reached into his boot and pulled out a large Bowie knife.
"Perfect!" said Chekov.
"Do you always carry that?" asked Ziem.
"Don't you?" answered Rudolph.
"Randy, go with him. He's going to cut his hand off with something like that." ordered Lapinski.
"Sure sir. Let's go ensign." Rudolph began to walk and as Chekov started after him turned to the younger man and said, "Do you really think you can do this?" Chekov nodded, and Rudolph said again, "Seriously, do you really think you can do this?"
"Yes, I think I can." replied the ensign. Rudolph looked back at Martin and Lapinski and smirked. Then he grinned at the smaller man and grabbing his shirt, pulled him closer into a kind of one armed hug. Chekov jumped back skittishly.
"Know what? I think you can too!" said Rudolph. Then the two of them walked off towards the head, Rudolph still laughing and the ensign smiling nervously up at him.
The two lieutenants watched them go until they were nearly out of sight. Then Martin turned to Lapinski and said. "I can't believe he got him to say it. And so quick! We are going to have to pay him. Do you have that many credits?"
Lapinski shook his head and said, "No. I'll have to borrow them. It was worth it though. I wish we had made a vid."
"Oh that would have been great! Do you think he could get him to do it again?" asked Martin.
"Not for free, knowing Rudolph." Lapinski replied.
"What are you talking about?" asked Ziem.
Neither man answered her, although Martin glanced her way and then towards the ground with a slightly guilty smile.
"What do you want Rudolph to do again?" she asked, this time more insistently.
Lapinski continued to ignore her, but Martin answered, "We bet Rudolph he couldn't get Chekov to say "I think I can" in front of us." He sounded like he just assumed Ziem would enjoy the joke. She began to feel angry.
"And that is what? Funny?" she asked.
"It's from a children's book, oh never mind. It's not that big of deal. Pav is always so enthusiastic and hardworking. It gets annoying. So we joke about it a little bit. It doesn't hurt anything." said Martin.
"You are like a pair of ten year olds." Ziem sniffed.
"Okay. Okay. Fine." said Martin defensively. "We were just bored and playing. You are making something out of nothing, and anyway, it's done. Just let it drop."
Lapinski looked up at her, and said calmly, "I don't care what you think. I don't like him, and it is funny. I am only sorry we didn't get a vid of it."
Ziem felt ill equipped to stand up to Lapinski. He always looked at her as if she were barely interesting enough for him to speak to. She wasn't used to arguing and knew she wasn't good at it. Part of her wished that she had just ignored the incident, but she was still angry about them skipping the afternoon shift, and the nature of the joke bothered her. She tried hard to think of something impressive to say.
Finally she said, "Even as big of assholes as you two were today, he didn't say anything bad about you." Neither of the lieutenants looked worried. She wished she could come up with a better taunt.
Lapinski said, "Well of course he didn't, he's very noble, our little micro genius. He has to be, otherwise more people would resent that he gets absolutely everything without working for it."
"That's ridiculous." said Ziem.
"Is it?" asked Lapinski in the same bored tone. "He decides to go to the academy instead of high school, and bang, they have a spot just for him. He hangs out a couple years, and then, bang, he's given a commission and a ship. But not just any ship, no, he's assigned to the Enterprise, the flagship of the fleet. Oh, but that's not enough, no he gets to be the navigator. No, no, he gets to be alpha shift navigator. How is that right?"
Lapinski paused, and his tone changed. For the first time he seemed interested in what he was saying. "From the time I was a kid I worked to get into the academy, I worked hard to get in and I worked hard while I was there. I did all the right things, but I don't get on the bridge. I hardly get noticed, while Kirk and Spock spend all their time watching their little performing puppy dog. It's not right. I'm not the only one that thinks sometimes it's good to remind him that he's not important."
Ziem was shocked. The command track officers were generally considered to be the most competitive group on the ship, but she had never before heard one talk like this about another. In security it was different; they looked out for each other. Even the youngest, most green, enlisted man was considered an important team member. She couldn't imagine spending her time cataloguing the faults of the people she depended on every day.
Martin seemed uncomfortable too, he looked skeptically at Lapinski. Then he said, "I don't think you need to worry Tim, I think you make it pretty clear that you don't like him. He probably has no doubts about that at all." Looking up at Ziem he added, "As for me, Lieutenant Sabide, I didn't bet because it was a joke on Ensign Chekov, I would've bet on anyone, I was just bored and it was funny. I don't dislike Pav, he's more serious than I am, but lots of people are. He's a good guy. I don't usually understand what he's talking about, but then, I don't want to either, it's not interesting to me. And that's why I don't even want to work on the bridge. I don't understand any of those guys. Well, that, and having Mr. Spock watch me all the time would creep me out."
Ziem felt herself relax a little, which must have encouraged him. He continued, "How about if we all agree to not talk about the bet anymore? We can all just drop it." He frowned at Lapinski; the other officer rolled his eyes but said nothing. He continued, "Then you can make a fire, Lieutenant Sabide, and Tim, you can find something big enough to cook a dozen eggs in. I for one, am very excited not to eat rations, and I don't want tonight ruined. So let's all just agree to step down, and let it go."
Ziem nodded. Lapinski said nothing, but he did turn toward the supply area, and Ziem considered that an acquiescence. She got the fire going and pulled several dozen eggs out of Pasha's pack. She was careful to keep his dwindling supply of milk out of sight of her fellow officers. After a half hour Lieutenant Sascheja came and joined her. The lieutenant seemed to have calmed herself somewhat. She talked about her day, which seemed to Ziem to have been dedicated to entirely to reorganizing the already organized medical supplies. Conscious of Martin and Lapinski nearby, and considering her criticism of them, Ziem was very careful to listen to the nurse and make appropriate, polite, comments.
Rudolph joined them shortly, holding the plucked and quartered bird. Each section was skewered on a branch sharpened at either end. Rudolph stuck the sticks in the ground by the fire, so that the meat was close to the flame. He sat down to watch the meat, determined that it wouldn't burn. He was in a very happy mood. He chatted and laughed, and told them funny stories about other times he had cooked. For the first time Ziem could see why he was considered charming by many of the other security officers.
Lieutenant Sascheja asked him where Chekov was. Rudolph looked up at Ziem and said, "He's down at the river. You know ladies, it's not too late to sneak down and watch him finish his bath. He's probably still naked!"
Once again, Ziem felt herself begin to blush. Her throat tightened. She couldn't speak, and only managed to shake her head no. She was so flustered she could only barely hear the nurse tell Rudolph in a no nonsense voice that she saw naked men at work all day every day, and that they held little interest for her.
"Oh I can believe that Lieutenant Sascheja." laughed Rudolph, "but you should go keep Lieutenant Sabide company. I think she's very interested." Then he leered at Ziem in an annoying, knowing way.
"You're an idiot." Ziem finally managed to sputter.
Rudolph laughed harder. "Am I? Or am I really, really smart?"
"Well you're definitely not smart." said Martin, who walked up just then, followed by Lapinski and carrying several buckets. "What are you all talking about?"
"Nothing." said Ziem firmly.
"Several things, most recently whether or not Mr. Rudolph is an idiot." Sascheja said seriously.
"Please, asked and answered." said Lapinski, sounding bored, as he always did in conversations he hadn't started. He dropped to one of the stone seats by the fire.
Rudolph didn't seem to feel ganged up on, or even bothered. Instead he grinned and said, "You can say I am stupid, but I am smart enough to be walking away with all your credits today boys."
Chekov appeared then, with wet hair and uniform, looking happy. He was not clean, but he was less filthy. He was carrying a large bunch of fibrous looking plants. Ziem felt her throat tighten again, and glanced at Rudolph, panicked that he would start teasing her again, but he seemed to have forgotten the conversation. Instead he held a bucket while Chekov cut the plant roots into small pieces and dropped them into it. They added water. Then Chekov put the largest log they had on the fire and set the bucket on top it.
Martin and Rudolph began breaking eggs into another bucket. They added it to the log. Chekov sat a little way off and began to clean his PADD. Martin and Rudolph stirred the pots, and turned the meat, and chatted happily. Sascheja asked about plates, getting no response she walked away. Ziem thought perhaps she was angry again, but she returned with ration trays and forks she had removed from the recycling units and sterilized. The food began to smell good. Ziem felt very, very hungry.
Finally Rudolph declared the meal cooked. They drained the roots, and loaded their plates. The four young men took the meat, and got in line with the women to take eggs and potatoes. They all sat down and began to eat. The food was plain, they had no salt, or butter or sauce of any kind, but it tasted good after days of ration packs. Ziem thought they must all have been hungry, because no one spoke. Even the nurse ate enthusiastically. For several minutes there was no sound but chewing. Gradually the eating began to slow down. The young men sat contentedly and competed to see who could hit the very center of the flames with the bones they had picked clean. Ziem wondered if there were more potatoes, and if she could possibly bring herself to take them.
Suddenly Chekov said, "We forgot Mr. Wilson!"
"We did!" said Martin.
Lapinski jumped up and flipped open his comm. Ziem could hear him inviting the geologist to dinner. The nurse looked disapprovingly at the whole group.
"This is not our fault Lieutenant Sascheja," said Rudolph. "He's quiet. We didn't even see him all afternoon. We were hungry."
"He was working." the nurse said primly.
The young men looked chastised, but then Rudolph said, "Actually, I am kind of glad we didn't remember until after we ate the meat. That way we didn't have to share."
Chekov looked a little embarrassed, but joined Martin in laughing. Then he jumped up and looked around, eventually he turned to the nurse and asked where the other ration tray was. Lieutenant Sascheja opened her wide eyes even more than usual, and didn't answer.
"You forgot him too!" crowed Rudolph.
"I did not." snapped Sascheja.
"Forgot who?" asked Lieutenant Wilson, who appeared suddenly from the direction of the tents.
"I am sorry sir; we cooked some eggs and roots. They are good, but we did not sterilize enough trays. We don't have one for you to eat from. If you wait, I will go and get one." Chekov brushed over the forgetting of Mr. Wilson's existence by the entire group very neatly Ziem thought.
"Really, you cooked actual food? That sounds excellent. Don't bother ensign; I can just eat out of the cooking pot. I don't mind if you don't." Mr. Wilson began to pick at the nearly empty buckets of food. He seemed very enthusiastic, and not at all offended at being forgotten.
After a few bites he looked up and said, "This is very nice, a real treat. I confess, when I noticed there were only salmon ration packs left, I actually went to bed early to avoid eating them. I think they are dreadful. So tell me how you found these supplies."
Ziem began to retell the story of the nesting grounds. It was gradually getting darker and cooler. The whole group sat peacefully around the fire and listened. Chekov sat next to her, and when she mentioned how long it had taken him to collect the eggs he interrupted.
"I am sorry Ziem, but I could not be faster. I had to see that each egg was fresh." he said.
"Although I do not endorse the project, it was appropriate of you to be so careful about the wholesomeness of our food Mr. Chekov." said Lieutenant Sascheja primly.
"Not really," he said shaking his head. "I was thinking of me." He looked around at the group and explained, "You think it is bad listening to me complain about Starfleet rations, imagine what I would do if a fetal bird dropped onto my plate."
The group chuckled, and even Sascheja smiled, although she looked unwilling as she did so. Ziem continued her story. As she described the bird flying into the rock Rudolph turned to Chekov and said, "So what did you say to make it actually want to kill itself?"
Chekov shrugged then said, "Russian swear words, much more scary than standard. It lost all hope."
"Poor little thing, it heard you screaming and found it so horrible that it threw itself in front of your rock." said Rudolph.
"Not poor thing. Stupid, shit filled chicken. I wish I had killed more." said Chekov.
"I wish you had too." said Martin. "That thing was tasty."
Chekov looked thoughtful, and then said, "If I knew we were going to be here alone again tomorrow, I could get more."
"No you couldn't," said Lapinski. "You only accidently managed to kill that one. You couldn't convince all the birds to dive in front of your rocks."
"We could set the phasers to stun," began Rudolph
"Still too powerful, there would be nothing left but smell of burned feathers." said Chekov. "We could probably trap them, or maybe..." his voice drifted off and he stared into space, brow furrowed, clearly deep in thought.
"Maybe what?" asked Martin.
"It does not matter." Chekov replied. "Mr. Spock would never agree. Tomorrow we will just have to eat rations. Do you think Captain Kirk will get us some more? Maybe the mac and cheese?"
"If he doesn't then we are all getting the fish." Mr. Lapinski said. "You know Kirk is going to take the one and only beef for himself." Chekov opened his mouth as if to object, but closed it without saying anything. Everyone sat quietly for a few minutes, considering the inevitable consequences of absolute power.
"What time are they supposed to be back?" asked Wilson, eventually breaking the silence.
"The chief didn't know, the dinner hadn't even started when I talked to him. He thought it would be after breakfast. He's supposed to call again around 21:00." said Ziem.
"He's calling pretty soon then." said Rudolph. "Try and get him to give you a specific time."
As the sun set the air cooled off rapidly and everything grew still. The group sat silently gazing at the fire. Ziem reflected on how nice it was to feel full and cool. Cooking had taken so long that there was no chance to have an after dinner work party. She knew they should clean up, and get ready for bed, but it was peaceful sitting in the dusk. She stared contentedly at the fire, feeling more and more relaxed. When her comm pinged it startled not just her, she noticed several people jump.
Flipping open the little machine she said, "This is Sabide." Her voice sounded scratchy and thick.
"Sabide, is that you?" Giotto sounded angry.
"It's me Chief." she cleared her throat and spoke more firmly.
"What are you asleep already? I told you I would call in at 21:00."
"No, I know, I'm just, um, I haven't been talking. Uh, there is nothing to report here. Are you on your way home?"
"No we are not on our way back to camp, in fact we are just now being served dinner. Actually we are just now being given the option of beginning to eat dinner and several people are not taking it. We have been ushered into a courtyard where the tables are. Check and make sure it is lighting up on your screen." As Giotto talked Sabide had handed her tricorder to Chekov who pulled up the maps illustrating the positions of all the away crew members. He nodded up to her when he found the appropriate dots in the correct fields.
Smiling her thanks Ziem said, "You're coming in fine Chief, how do you assess the risk?"
"Low," he replied, "very low. In fact at this point I consider these people too poorly organized to threaten a sick kitten. You should see this fiasco. Anyway, I will continue as per plan, staying at high alert."
"Yes sir, very wise." Ziem said. The whole group around the fire was staring intently at her and trying to catch every word. She felt very self-conscious being the focus of such attention. With so many people around her she felt like there wasn't room for her to move away, but she turned so that she didn't have to see the staring.
Lapinski hissed, "Ask when they will be back."
"Uh sir, is there any estimation of when we should expect your return?" She tried to make her tone conversational, she knew it was silly, but she felt like she was trying to sneak something past the boss.
"Good question. I would like to know that too. They have bed rolls set up all around the courtyard. They are clearly expecting us to stay the night. They talk like they want us to stay for breakfast. Whenever we leave we have a five hour return drive. I would like to say noon, but I keep hearing discussion about visiting some subterranean falls tomorrow. Which I am strongly opposed to, but which the captain has not so far completely rejected." Giotto sounded bitter.
"Oh, well," Ziem tried to think of more to say.
"The captain is enjoying himself." Giotto said even more bitterly.
"Will you keep us informed?" Ziem asked. Lapinski and Rudolph nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh I will. We'll continue to ping each other hourly, and I will call in at 0600."
"Okay, great Chief." said Ziem.
"Tell Rudolph to take the first two watches Sabide. I think you must be tired. You sound stressed." said Giotto.
"No, I'm fine really, just not much of a comm chatterer. I do better in live conversations." All the young men continued to watch her closely. She knew it wasn't her they were interested, but the chief's plans. Still, their scrutiny made her feel incompetent. She knew her voice sounded quivery and nervous. Over the comm she could hear some sort of celebratory cheer in the background, and fortunately it distracted the chief.
"Hendorff, what was that? Well what is he doing now? Yeah, okay, of course he did. You know, a mission with him is like taking a five year old to a parade. Just get back over there and watch him. Sabide, carry on, I'm out." said Giotto abruptly, and he closed his comm.
Ziem clicked her comm closed, and fingered it nervously while she gathered the courage to look at the young men now circled around her.
"I heard him say they wouldn't be back till after lunch. I say we go hunting." said Rudolph.
"We don't have time, we all have to work tomorrow." said Lapinski.
"Oh come on, send Pav at least. He said he can get us more birds. If we all work while he hunts it will be fine." said Martin.
"No. I am going to work tomorrow also." said Chekov.
"Again, Chekov, you are not in charge, I am." Lapinski said. He shook his head and at the younger man before continuing. "You are so predictable. Honestly, it's boring. You can't even admit you killed that bird by accident. You couldn't do it again if you wanted to."
Ziem watched Chekov. He stared back at Lapinski with narrowed eyes. He said nothing, but he drummed his fingers against the side of his leg. The two men gazed at each other for several seconds.
"Typical." Lapinski said with a sneer, turning away from the younger man.
"I did kill that bird accidently, but I could kill more. I just don't want to." Chekov said in a quiet, defiant voice. After a brief pause he added, "Sir."
Sascheja clucked disapprovingly, and Wilson looked worried. Martin and Rudolph had the surprised, delighted expressions Ziem had observed in other young men when they saw fight start in a bar or a confrontation between an old and a new girlfriend in the mess hall. She wondered why some beings seemed to enjoy chaos so much. The tension was making her nervous to the point of nausea, and she wished desperately to think of something calming to say.
Lapinski sneered and said, "Really? That is your excuse? You have so many other choices. As official golden boy of the Enterprise you could use your exemplary work ethic. You could cite how you are such a genius, or your completely superior understanding of the importance of this project. You could even just admit you don't know how to do it; but instead you go with the weakest excuse of all, 'I don't want to'." Lapinski copied Chekov's accent as he spoke, but changed his tone to sound whiney.
"Perhaps the ensign has some moral compunction against unnecessarily taking the lives of the native animals." suggested the nurse.
"He developed it very recently then." said Lapinski disdainfully, arms crossed across his chest.
"But if, as he said, the original bird's death was in fact accidental," began Sascheja.
"It is not moral." snapped Chekov, still staring angrily at Lapinski. "I don't mind killing chickens. Today I would have killed every damn chicken on this planet with my bare hands. Tomorrow I do not wish to kill any."
"Why doesn't everyone calm down and maybe you could just try to explain that to us?" Martin said in a friendly, placating tone.
Chekov sighed and looked over at him and said, "It doesn't matter."
"Sure it does." said Rudolph. "I know I would love to hear more." Ziem thought that, true to form, he sounded like he was enjoying the scene around him.
"I know it will sound stupid." said Chekov evasively.
"You are used to that though." Lapinski interjected.
"Tim, shut up. Just for five minutes try not to be an asshole." said Martin, frowning at his friend. Then he added, "Go on Pav, tell us what the big deal about tomorrow is."
Chekov sighed again, and then slowly said, "I don't mind killing the birds, which, I think I do know how to do." He gave Lapinski an angry look. "It is that," He paused and then tried again. "Mr. Spock will be back tomorrow." He shifted his attention from Lapinski, and nodded to the group like that was enough of an explanation. Ziem felt completely confused.
"And that is a problem because...?" asked Rudolph. Chekov looked at him with consternation, and then looked around at the group, clearly surprised that no one understood his worry.
"Mr. Spock is a Vulcan. He is a complete vegetarian. He doesn't use any animal products. He does not understand why anyone would. I think it causes him...some discomfort to think that others do. I would feel bad if Mr. Spock to saw me do it, or even if he knew that I did it. If he is returning tomorrow, it is possible he would."
"So you aren't afraid to do it, you're afraid to have people know." said Martin. Chekov nodded.
Rudolph said, "I totally get it, I feel that way about almost everything interesting. I would do a lot more if I knew I could get away with it." Chekov smiled weakly.
"Are you afraid he would put you on report?" asked Martin.
"No! Stupid chicken is not sentient! It is not against regulations to kill specimen. We take samples all the time from planets. This is really not that different." said Chekov.
"Well then, what? Is he going to yell at you?" Rudolph asked again.
"Mr. Spock does not yell." the ensign said, beginning to sound unsure of himself.
"What's he going to do then?" Rudolph asked in a puzzled tone.
Chekov sighed and said, "He would possibly raise an eyebrow." He looked a little embarrassed and smiled ruefully before adding, "His lips might get a small bit tight." He gestured with his fingers, showing them a small bit. He looked at his own hands and shook his head as if he was a little afraid of the idea of Mr. Spock tightening his lips. Then he looked at the others with a hopeful, nervous expression. Ziem remembered Lieutenant Uhura had called him endearing. She completely agreed.
Rudolph snorted and said, "That sounds just like Giotto when he's mad. Except then he kicks a hole in the wall and throws you through it. Right Ziem?"
Ziem said, "Pretty much Randy." She couldn't help smiling a little bit at the idea of the chief expressing anger by tightening his lips.
Chekov looked sideways up at her and added. "It is worse than it sounds though." Martin and Rudolph both began to laugh, but in a friendly way, Ziem thought.
"It is!" Chekov repeated. He started to laugh too, and with a mischievous expression, added. "He might even perhaps stand up more straight."
"Ooow, sounds terrifying." moaned Rudolph in mock fear.
"I know. I told you that it would sound stupid." The young man paused again, clearly weighing what he wanted to say. His expression grew more thoughtful and he said, "I feel badly for him that he must be so much with people who do not always treat his values with respect. I don't want to be one more like that."
"Sounds noble Pav, but I really believe it is the eyebrow you're actually worried about," Martin said. Rudolph laughed harder and slapped Chekov on the back, the younger man stumbled forward.
Lapinski watched his crewmates. His expression grew more and more disgusted. Finally he looked at Chekov and said, "I think you have a crush on that freak. The two of you deserve each other."
The goodwill evaporated immediately. Ziem felt herself begin to blush. Martin, Rudolph, and even Wilson turned to stare at Lapinski with shocked expressions. Sascheja looked at the whole group with disapproval. Chekov gazed up at his superior officer. Ziem couldn't read his expression. After several seconds he spoke.
"And I think, that you do not understand admiration." said Chekov quietly. He waited a few seconds before adding, "Sir." Then he jumped up and added, "I would like to be excused," paused and again added, "Sir."
"Go." said Lapinski. Chekov slipped off toward the tents without another word to the group.
Martin waited until he was out of sight to turn to his friend and say, "You know Tim, if you really want to make a go of this commanding officer thing, you are going to have to learn how to not antagonize your subordinates."
"He's so annoying. I mean, we all know he's already done everything he was refusing to do. He was just trying to sound noble. It was so typical. Truthfully, I could write a script of what he's going to say. And he uses that Vulcan as an excuse. How stupid is that?" Lapinski countered.
"All I know is, now we all get to eat artificial salmon tomorrow. Thanks for that." said Martin.
"Fine, you want birds, you'll get birds. I don't need him. I will go get some stupid birds. But you are going to work. You all leave for the field at 0600. We have lots of ground to make up. So be ready." With that Lapinski turned and stomped off toward the tents too.
"Oh dear, this is uncomfortable." said Wilson.
Ignoring the geologist, Rudolph turned to Martin and asked, "You think he will be able to do it?"
"I don't know. But I think it's going to be harder than he thinks it is. I threw rocks at them several times and I never came close to hitting any." Martin replied.
Rudolph said thoughtfully, "You know what else? If he manages to kill anything, and that's a big if, he's got to clean it. You know Chekov won't help him now, and it's harder than it looks. I watched Pav do it. You can't make too deep of a cut or you spill the guts all over everything. It's way harder than cleaning a fish. And you got to get the head off, which means you got to cut through the neck. The spine makes a grisly noise. I was kind of impressed with little Pav. He did it slick as a whistle. Frankly, I don't think most of you pretty boys from command could handle it." He paused and then grinning added, "Fifty credits Tim pukes half way through."
Martin grinned too. He said, "I'm not taking that bet. I got no money left. But let's try and vid it when he does! People would pay to watch. And we can run it on continual loop at the Christmas party."
The two young men shook hands, clearly delighted with their plan. The nurse interrupted by saying, "Have you considered that exposing meat to digestive bacteria by unclean slaughter methods considerably raises the risk of contamination?"
"Have I considered it?" said Rudolph in a happy tone. "Why Nurse Sascheja, I can hardly consider anything else! In fact, I was just going to say that. You took the very words out of my mouth. Great insight, thanks! Thank you very much!"
Lieutenant Sascheja smiled proudly and stood a little taller. Martin dropped his head to hide his grin. Mr. Wilson looked confused. Ziem gave Rudolph a warning look, but he ignored her and placed an arm over the nurse's shoulders.
"Ma'am, you have really given us something to think about tonight. I tell you what; I am going to take the first watch. I want you to just run on off to bed, and I will use some of my down time here to compose a memo to Lieutenant Lapinski outlining some to the potential public health dangers of his plan."
Arm still over her shoulders, Rudolph began walking the nurse towards the tents, when suddenly he stopped. Looking at her with an admiring expression he said, "You know though, Miss Sascheja, on second thought, I could not possibly do the subject justice. It calls for superior medical knowledge, which means you are going to have to do it. I have a plan. You should get up early tomorrow. When Lieutenant Lapinski pulls out of his tent at 0545, you need to be waiting for him. Fill him in on all the details of the dangers of cross contamination. Be specific Lieutenant, because, who knows how little he may know on the topic. Now you know how he is, kind of cranky, but you stick to your guns. This is important information and he needs to hear it!"
The nurse, looking very happy, bustled off toward the tents. Ziem sighed and turned to the still grinning Rudolph, uncertain what she should say, but feeling that the situation should be addressed in some way.
"Don't even start Ziem." said Rudolph. "I already know what you are going to say. You are right. I am provoking trouble within the crew and distracting from the intent of the mission, and blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry and I won't do it again or whatever else you want me to say. But it's too late now to change anything, and you know Lapinski totally deserves it."
"Come on Ziem," added Martin in a wheedling tone. "Think about how happy it will make Ensign Chekov to see Lieutenant Lapinski receive one of Sascheja's lectures." He and Rudolph both grinned at her in a knowing way.
Ziem felt her throat tighten again in embarrassment. Determined to not give them any satisfaction she took a deep breath and drew herself up to her full height. It gave her some pleasure to see their grins fade. She thought Mr. Martin actually looked nervous. She ignored him and glared at Randy.
In her most professional tone she said, "Mr. Rudolph, you have the first watch. In fact, the Chief stipulated that he wanted you to have the first two watches. Wake me at 0400, earlier if anything unusual happens."
"Yes Ma'am." said Rudolph respectfully.
She turned and nodded to Mr. Wilson. "Gentlemen, good night." she said firmly.
The three men responded quietly. She turned sharply and walked briskly toward the tents. she smiled to herself, because for the first time that day she felt competent and professional.