Surefoot 24: Snakes on a Starship

"Would we be allowed?" Jonas asked.

"Of course," Hrelle replied, smiling. "And we won't be disturbed unless it's an emergency, or if the Junior Squad gets us lost."

T'Varik raised an eyebrow. "Lieutenants Neheru and Velkovsky, and Chief Grev, can hardly be classed as part of any 'Junior Squad'." She frowned as C'Rash purred against the back of the Vulcan's neck. "That is unseemly."

"We're off duty. And all adults here. Except for Misha, of course."

They sat in silence, eating and drinking, or not eating and drinking.

Then Sasha asked, "Are we going to be okay?"

"Of course we are," Hrelle responded.

But no one backed him up.

"I'd like to think so," Jonas muttered after a moment. "We have to be."

Sasha began crying, wiping her face and letting Eydiir put an arm around her.

Hrelle tensed, but resisted the urge to rise and comfort her. Kami had warned him that it would be like this, for all of them. They couldn't just shake off what had happened to all of them, and with Kami being as much a victim as the rest of them, they would need help from an outside source.

Misha had been sitting chewing on the last of the bacon, when he saw his sister weeping.

And began crawling towards her.

Hrelle and Kami noticed the unprecedented activity first, eyes wide, Hrelle whispering, "Look at him..."

All eyes watched, collectively holding their breaths as the infant struggled to propel himself along the polished wooden floor towards Sasha, grunting to himself, his diaper swishing around his lower half, his tail sticking out and twitching with his efforts.

"Go on!" Neraxis urged, grinning. "Go on, Ickle Baby!"

Sasha wiped her face again, surprised and delighted by the unexpected action, setting aside her plate and holding out her hands. "Come on, Little Brother! Come on! You can do it!"

Misha grunted again, growling as he kept moving, closer, closer-

They cheered as he reached the girl, and she swept him up in her arms, hugging and kissing him with unadulterated delight.

The others whooped and cheered. Hrelle took Kami's hand and squeezed, both of them laughing and crying with joy...