Author's Note:
Hello everyone and this chapter follows after the events of the previous one. I probably won't update this story again until after Christmas but hopefully before New Year. The next chapter is the 50th one so I would really like your suggestions for it so please either PM me or leave your suggestions in reviews. Thank you all for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Blow Your Cover (Part Two)
Jim wasn't quite sure what to say to the two men in front of him and he was trying hard to ignore Pavel who was grinning behind him.
Scotty and Hikaru had beamed back aboard earlier than expected both bearing black eyes and obvious signs of being in a fight. They had been caught by Bones who had then forcibly sent them to explain themselves to Jim who'd been in a middle of a chess game with Pavel. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "So you were both in the bar and a large group came in."
The two being questioned nodded and Jim continued, "At first it was fine until they started making loud remarks about the Enterprise at which point you got up to defend her and that's when the fight started."
Scotty quickly corrected him, "No sir, the fight didn't start then."
"So how did you both get a black eye then?"
Hikaru answered, "Well sir, when it was obvious that we were outnumbered we decided to retreat but they followed us. We then hid but we were discovered and that's when the actual fight started."
Scotty took up the story, "We managed tae hold them off long enough tae make another escape then Ah commed the ship tae be beamed back aboard and that's when Doctor McCoy sent us tae you sir."
Jim was glad that for once his crew couldn't really be considered the ones in the wrong and he relaxed as he was confident that the incident wouldn't have any serious repercussions. He gave the two a small smile, "Well it seems that this wasn't actually your fault so I'll consider your black eyes and bruises punishment enough. However there is something I don't quite understand, how did those people discover where you were hiding?"
Jim was genuinely curious as he knew that both Scotty and Hikaru were nigh on impossible to find if they didn't want to be, that and he was wondering why the engineer had given the pilot a black look when he'd mentioned them being discovered.
Scotty gave Sulu another dark look and the helmsman shuffled his feet awkwardly and answered, "Well a noise beyond our control gave us away."
"What kind of noise?"
"An unexpected and loud noise."
Scotty was blatantly glaring at Hikaru's which only made Jim more determined to find out what the pilot had done, "What noise was it exactly because I'm getting a distinct feeling its something to do with you Hikaru."
"Well it was sort of my fault but it wasn't a conscious decision, it just happened."
"What did you do Sulu?"
The helmsman hesitated then resigned himself to answering, "I sneezed."
Jim couldn't suppress his grin as Pavel burst into laughter behind him, "So your cover was blown and you both ended up in a fight because you sneezed."
Scotty spoke, "Aye and we might've escaped unscathed if this numpty hadn't sneezed loud enough tae alert the whole planet."
"It wasn't like I had much choice, have you tried holding in a sneeze before!?" Hikaru defended himself.
"If ye'd just held it in for one minute more we'd have gotten clean away but ye just had tae sneeze then."
"We wouldn't have even been hiding if you hadn't been so quick to snap at them when they were talking about the Enterprise."
"If ye hadn't been so eager tae go tae that bar we could've…"
Pavel was still laughing and Jim soon joined him as Scotty and Hikaru continued to argue, completely ignoring anything else. It was a long time before Hikaru heard the last of it especially when the story reached the rest of the ship.
PS-So I hoped you all like that and please give me your chapter suggestions. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.