Surefoot 03: Field Trip

Planet Luntanu, Alpha Squad Campsite, 0810 Hours:

Alpha Squad was dismantling the campsite, disposing of their trash and packing up the shelters and equipment for their storage back on the shuttle. Giles hefted one of the heating units, grunting as he quipped, "I think we're taking back more than we brought with us."

"That is very true, Friend Giles," Kit confirmed, still looking forlornly at a world of flying insects he couldn't eat without severe gastric repercussions. "We have many samples, and much data."

"No, I mean substantial bulk. Anyone bringing back any souvenirs?"

"Yes," Eydiir replied, easily lifting one of the other units. "I packed that piece of temple you broke off, for your court martial."

Sitting on a rock near the smouldering remains of their campfire, Sasha looked up from her PADD. "Are you sure I can't help, guys?"

Neraxis and Jonas were busy folding up the last of the shelters, the Bolian shouting, "Just focus on that! I want those replicator credits! Scrappy and I are gonna pool ours together and make us a mud bath on the secondary hull!"

Jonas looked up at her. "We are?"

"Yeah, we agreed last night when you were asleep. We'll even get Chief Grev in on it, you know how much Tellarites love mud baths! Can you imagine the three of us naked together, wallowing about?"

Jonas' expression told them that he did, all too well.

Sasha returned to her work, kicking herself for not finishing it off last night. Well, she corrected, technically it was already finished. Just not to her satisfaction. They had removed all the bad bits from it, anything that might put them in a negative light. Now what they had left was nice, safe. Boring.

False.

Kit was right, that they had to be true to themselves.

She began making changes once again to the report.

When she was done, she saved her work and rose, stretching her legs and feeling the need to empty her bladder; although they were leaving and no longer needed to secure their perimeter, they had packed up the portable toilet, so the bushes needed one more visit. When she was done, she dressed and rose, looking around once more- "TaHqeq Sa'Hut!"

Her father stood there, wearing some loose-fitting civilian clothes, beside an unknown woman with thick black curly hair and a freckled face. "And good morning to you, too. Barbara, I'm delighted for you to meet my daughter, Sasha. She's a talented girl, able to pee in the open and swear in Klingon just like her mother. Sasha, this is Professor Barbara Gianopoulis, head of the research team on Luntanu."

Red-faced, Sasha approached, waving a hand at the stranger. "Uh, pleasure to meet you, Professor. Sorry about, uh... everything you see and here from me."

The woman smiled accepted her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, too. And there's nothing to apologise for. I've lost track of the number of fields I've peed in or ptakh administrators I've cursed out for not supplying essential equipment on time."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Sasha stepped back and looking at her father. "Is there a problem, Sir? I wasn't expecting you."

"Problem? No, no, I wasn't here to check up on any of you, honest. It's just that Barbara had told me that the sunrises on Luntanu were spectacular." He nodded. "She was right. Did you see it?"

"No, Sir." She looked at both of them curiously: the first-name basis, the casual proximity. You'd think that they-

She saw bite marks on the woman's neck, barely hidden by her hair.

Oh...

She did her best to hide her reaction, but she should have known her father would have seen something there. He turned to his companion. "Would you mind if I have a quick word with my daughter for a moment, Barbara?"

"Not at all, Esek."

Hrelle approached Sasha, taking her by the elbow and guiding her to one side, asking her softly, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, flushing a little.

"You... know, don't you?"

"It's... pretty obvious, Dad. How could you? You only just met her!"

"How much time does one need?" He looked concerned as he drew closer. "This wasn't exactly planned, Sasha. It just happened."

"Oh really?"

He frowned, drawing closer to her, his voice low, sympathetic. "Yes, really. I am sorry if I've upset you, it was never my intention to do so. But I'm hoping you'll understand."

"Understand?" Memories of her fight with Jared the night before returned, his taunts that her Dad was little better than an animal running on sexual instinct. She told him that her Dad loved her Mom. Now, to see him here, in the company of another woman, after- after-

After what? she asked herself.

She knew they loved each other. But Mom died seven years ago. Did Sasha really expect him to stop loving, to stop living now? Is that what Mom would want for him? Is that how she would want Sasha to behave towards him?

No. She shook her head, feeling guilty now for her first reaction. "You just surprised me, that's all. I'm okay."

He nodded, smiling. "Thank you." He drew closer, pressing his muzzle against her forehead - but then sniffed and drew back. "Seven Hells, you stink of sweat, animal dung... and what happened to your uniform?"

"Long story."

He looked ready to question her further, before finally shaking his head. "Well, I look forward to hearing all about it tonight at the party. The Professor and her party will be attending as well, you can meet up with her again and swap exotic profanity and interesting stories about where you two have peed."

"Looking forward to it- oh, wait!" She drew in again and hugged him. "Thank you! For Captain Fuzzybutt, and all the snacks!"

He hugged her back. "You're very welcome... now go, please, your funk could down a Klingon."

She showed him how many middle fingers she had on her right hand, before turning it into a wave goodbye at Gianopoulis. "See you onboard, Professor- oh, Professor? You know that temple-like structure on the trail near the slopes? Um, hypothetically, if a very small piece of a wall was accidentally phasered off, would we be in a lot of trouble?"

Hrelle's jaw dropped.

Gianopoulis looked back in bemusement, occasionally glancing at Hrelle as if to confirm that Sasha was being serious. "Well... we try not to damage any sites as a general rule. Having said that, we already scanned and excavated that area, and if there had been any issues we would have asked Starfleet to put you guys elsewhere. And of course the jungle and elements have been working on the structure for thousands of years already, so... I wouldn't worry too much."

She smiled with relief. "Thank you." Then she fled before her father could question her further.

Sasha returned to the campsite, where the others had witnessed the exchange, Giles asking, "What was your Dad doing down here?"

She picked up her PADD and Captain Fuzzybutt before replying. "He, ah, spent the night with one of the archaeologists."

"Ooh, the Captain got some!" Neraxis cooed, before dropping her smile as she looked at Sasha. "Unless, of course, that's a terrible thing. In which case: Bad Captain! Bad!"

"It's not terrible," Sasha assured them. "She seems... nice, you know? And he seems to like her."

"This is not surprising, Respected Squad Leader," Kit informed her. "Archaeologists, after all, are experts at dating."

The group looked at him, while his throat puffed and he made a wheezing sound of Qarari amusement at his own joke.

"That was-" Giles started, but then changed his tone and admitted, "That wasn't half bad, actually."

"Guys," Sasha announced, regaining their attention, and not believing she was saying this. "I've made a decision. I'm turning in the full, uncensored report."

"Are you serious?" Giles exclaimed. "We'll look like idiots!"

"We are idiots - sometimes. We make mistakes. But we also come up with good things, too. Yeah, I had us bring down all that cold weather gear, but Jonas showed off his expertise and fashioned some coolers and bug zappers. And yeah, Kit got sick eating bugs he shouldn't have, but then Eydiir identified that virus and alerted the other squads about it. And yeah, you broke a building, but then you discovered those carvings on the wall. And sure, Tusky attacked our camp and set our uniforms on fire, but we came up with an elegant low-tech means of keeping the animals away. And yes, I ate monkey crap, but- but-"

She looked to the others for a bright side to that. None was forthcoming.

"Look," she continued regardless. "I know we probably won't win, unless the others had done far worse, like maybe sacrificing one of their members to the Shriekers, but so what? It's been fun. And if you're really wanting those replicator credits, you can have all of mine, and I'll live on these rations for a while. They're really not that bad once you get used to them."

"They are appalling," Eydiir declared, setting down the crate she was holding. "But I agree. We stand and face the Universe as we are, and woe betide any who would challenge that."

"Yeah, what she says," Giles agreed, smiling. "Though maybe less Shakespearean. Let's give them who we are, warts and all."

"I have no warts, Respected Squad Leader," Kit confessed. "But I will be proud to admit my faults, in what I have done and what I have failed to do, and I will support my friends in doing the same."

"Well, I guess my plans for a mud bath will have to wait," Neraxis groused, though not too convincingly.

Jonas grunted. "I don't care if we don't win. I just don't want Mr Handsome Jerk to win. He doesn't deserve it for the way he treated you."

"Hear, hear!" Eydiir declared. "And remember, my offer of infecting him with an intense fungus is still there."

"As is my disgust at the offer... but thanks again. All of you." She smiled - and then snapped, "Kit! You're gonna make yourself sick again!"

The Qarari stood there, eyes wide with guilt, with a large four-winged insect half-hanging out of his mouth, and white goo seeping from it down his chin.

"I'm not sitting next to him on the ride home," Neraxis promised.

*

USS Surefoot, Deck 1, Mess Hall/Lounge, 2000 Hours:

It had never been this crowded before, as far as Sasha recalled, with the scientists and support staff from the planet joining the crew and cadets for the buffet and general mingling, before the Squad Leaders presented their reports to the crowd.

Now Sasha was beginning to get nerves, though she put it down at least partly to having to speak before others, rather than any specific doubts about changing the content of her report once again. It was too late, anyway; the Squad Leaders were required to hand in their PADDs to Commander T'Varik immediately upon arriving back on the Surefoot, to prevent them from using the superior facilities onboard to make improvements.

Then she had spent the hours between arriving back and now obtaining a new uniform, and staying in the sonic shower for as long as it took to remove the dirt and stink from the planet. And she also spent the time thinking. She supposed she was worried about the outcome. She had no idea how T'Varik would react to the contents. What if the Vulcan decided as a result of all this that Sasha was an unfit Squad Leader, and replaced her with Giles, or even kicked her out of the AWE Program all together?

Now at the party, she looked at the other Squad Leaders, to see if they were equally nervous. Of course not; Falok was as implacably Vulcan as ever, and Jared... well, when Jared wasn't flirting with some of the female cadets on Falok's squad, he was glowering in Sasha's direction, clearly still angry about the night before, though he seemed to have recovered from the punch she gave her. To the Seven Hells with him, she told herself. She was glad he hadn't been her first.

Falok had given a good, dry, professional report to the crowd, as had Jared, each receiving polite applause. Then it was Sasha's turn, and she fought to control her pulse as she reached the podium and connected her PADD to the display behind her for the multimedia evidence from her report. She looked out at her Squad, who were giving her signs of support - as did her father, standing beside Professor Gianopoulis. His pride was like the light of a nova.

She hoped this didn't disappoint him. "Good evening. I am Alpha Squad Leader Sasha Hrelle." Behind her, images of her crew appeared as she introduced each in turn. "My squad consists of Pilot and Second in Command Giles Arrington, Medical Specialist Eydiir Daughter-of-Kaas, Science Specialist Kitirik Abyss Zuinthinem Emijiz, Engineering Specialist Jonas Ostrow, Security Specialist Neraxis Nemm..." She paused, waiting for their reaction to the final image. "And Morale Officer Captain Fuzzybutt."

The crowd laughed, mostly, with a few looking around to see if it was okay to laugh. And it continued in that vein for the rest of the report, as she illustrated the achievements of her team, and their faults, while also providing the requisite scientific data on the flora and fauna and the remains of the alien structures. T'Varik and Falok stayed implacably Vulcan, of course, and the only one making an active attempt to appear negative was Jared, wearing a perpetual sneer and making Sasha wonder if Eydiir had made good on her threat to infect his crotch with a fungus.

She received an enthusiastic response when she finished and returned to her friends, and T'Varik took the podium and waited for silence and attention before proceeding. "Congratulations to all the cadets for their efforts in this exercise. You have provided informative and interesting reports, and there will be more detailed critiques sent to your individual stations.

There will also be letters of commendation on record for exceptional work for the following individuals: Engineering Specialist Yeager of Gamma Squad, for developing an integrated scanning technique to increase the range and accuracy of her squad's tricorders by 13%; Science Specialist Ingalls of Beta Squad, for his analysis of the geological formations with a focus on recent volcanic activity as the cause of the disappearance of the indigenous population; and Medical Specialist Daughter-of-Kaas of Alpha Squad, for her work identifying a potentially lethal pathogen within the local insect life, developing a treatment and alerting the other squads."

There was more applause, and slaps on the back for Eydiir, who tried her best to remain her usual stoic Capellan self and not look pleased... and only partly succeeded.

As the crowd settled again, T'Varik continued. "As for the competition for best report: the replicator credits are awarded to Cadet Falok and Gamma Squad."

Sasha looked over at the young Vulcan, who bowed slightly as his squad and everyone else applauded and cheered. Sasha joined them, genuinely pleased for their success, before reaching for an offered glass of juice, her throat dry.

T'Varik departed the podium, striding up to her. "Cadet Hrelle, I trust you understand that, based on the parameters set at the start of this exercise, that your mistakes outweighed your achievements, and so I could not award your squad the prize."

"Having heard Falok's report, Commander, I would agree that his was the most deserving," Sasha assured her. "And it doesn't matter. We didn't join Starfleet to win prizes, but to gain knowledge and experience."

"Indeed. I might also recommend that you omit your Morale Officer from any future reports."

"Understood. Captain Fuzzybutt doesn't like the attention, anyway."

T'Varik raised an eyebrow, but then continued. "The PADDs the Squad Leaders used also contained the draft versions of their reports, which I also perused. The other squads edited out instances of mistakes they had made during the course of the exercise, to appear less self-critical. You, however, ending up going in the opposite direction. May I ask why you chose this course?"

Sasha glanced down into the contents of her drink, as if seeking the answers there. "Honesty and integrity are meant to be Starfleet virtues; that includes those times when it puts us in a bad light. And we are meant to be learning out here. How can you teach us if you don't know where we've gone wrong? As the Terran playwright Oscar Wilde once wrote, 'Experience is the name men give to their mistakes'."

Kit nodded beside her. "We have proven to be very experienced on this mission."

The Vulcan looked to each of them in turn, before focusing on Sasha once more. "If it is any consolation to you, keep in mind that, though you may have lost the competition... you have gained my respect."

Sasha filled up at the words. "Thank you, Commander."

T'Varik nodded and departed. But then Sasha caught up with her. "Commander... may I have a private word with you, please?"

The Vulcan nodded, leading her to an unoccupied corner of the room, where she invited, "You may proceed."

Sasha took in a breath; in for a penny... "Commander, I wanted you to know that in the past couple of weeks, I had been in a secret relationship with Cadet Miro. Nothing has happened between us beyond kissing - more or less - but we had planned to go further when we were off the ship and on the planet. I know this was wrong of us."

"Agreed."

"But when I did meet with him, I stopped, and nothing further happened. I promise, Commander, I was only with him last night for a minute or two-"

"2.35 minutes," T'Varik corrected.

"Commander?"

"It was 2.35 minutes, including the time you spent in his shelter, and then outside afterwards when you assaulted him." At the girl's expression she elaborated. "I have been monitoring all of the cadet activities on the planet." She folded her hands behind her back. "Cadet, leaving aside the violation of Regulation 121, I should not have to remind you that assaulting a fellow cadet is a serious offence."

"No, Ma'am. And I am prepared to accept any punishment you deem appropriate."

"Fortunately for you, Cadet Miro had a different story to tell: he denied being in any relationship with you, that you visited his shelter uninvited, attempted to seduce him, and then struck him when he refused you."

"What?" She couldn't believe he would have said that! "That lying bastard!" She bit her lip. "Sorry, Ma'am."

"I cannot confirm or deny the legitimacy of his parentage, but the adjective is accurate, as I proved when I presented him with the transcripts of his earlier combadge conversations with you; that is why he now has a permanent note on his record for lying to a superior officer.

As for your own violation of the regulation, you are equally fortunate in that earlier, I suspended Academy Regulations 118-121 while you and the other cadets serve onboard this ship. This suspension is of course subject to the cadets' maturity to handle it, however. You may resume your relationship with Mr Miro openly now, if you desire."

"Thank you, Commander, but I definitely do not desire. He... said something about my father."

The Vulcan nodded. "Given what I know about you, it is not surprising that such an action would be your... dealbreaker. Although I would still caution against acting in an aggressive manner, despite the provocation. As you go through life, you will no doubt encounter many people whom you will wish to pummel, for various reasons. Do not make it your default response."

"Yes, Ma'am." Sasha flushed, looking over at Jared and blushing. "I feel like an idiot, being interested in him. We've nothing in common except being here. Don't know what was wrong with me."

T'Varik raised an eyebrow. "I suspect it was because, as the human expression goes, 'Your brains were in your pants'." At the girl's reaction, she continued. "Sasha, I am your Academy Liaison and your instructor. But, may I be permitted to speak with you as another woman... and hopefully also a friend?"

Sasha, clearly surprised by the request, nodded and replied, "Yes, please."