Surefoot 35: Mission to Kinderzeit

"And the sleds?"

"Rrori and the rest of the shuttle pilots are unpacking them now. I think he might want to have a go on them when the kids are through."

Hrelle chuckled. "Bet you do, too."

Jonas flushed again, before asking, "Is Sasha back yet, Sir?"

Hrelle sighed. "No, she was delayed on Vulcan, some business with the local Starfleet Intelligence office she wouldn't go into detail about. She'll be with the Fleet soon but..." He looked around. "I used to take her to the nearest planet to go sledding, and build snowmen and have snowball fights and..." He smiled. "And maybe you'll do the same someday with your own cubs. Well? Switch her on! Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!" As Jonas complied, Hrelle tapped his combadge. "Hrelle to Kinderzeit Task Force: let the little monsters out at your own discretion!"

*

Misha looked out in wonder at the snow-covered ground, his boots sinking into it as he stepped out of the runabout tentatively, seeing his breath fog before him, trying it again and again, his nose picking up the faint scent of trees in the distance, a distance veiled with more white.

He crouched down, his tail sticking out of the back of the winter clothes his Mama had made him wear, not understanding until now their need. He scooped up the snow before him, holding it in his hot furry hand, feeling it melt, like ice cream in his mouth. He tasted some- it was just water, plain water!

Then something caught his eye, and he looked up into a gauzy sky that began shedding snowflakes.

They drifted down in lazy swirls on a gentle, lazy breeze, all around him.

He stuck out his tongue and caught one, feeling as if it was imparting something magical to him.

From all the shuttles that had carried them here, the Children of the Thirteenth Fleet stepped out into the snowfall; for many of them, who had spent nearly all their lives onboard starships, it was their first experience. And their amazement soon bubbled up into delight, as they began moving around, running, kicking up snow, catching snowflakes in their gloved hands.

Someone made a snowball and threw it at another. The idea went viral, while others learned how to lie down and make snow angels, and still others started scooping up snow to begin building snowmen, and other found the sleds and, with the help of crewmen, began the first of many, many climbs to come up the nearby hill, only to race down squealing on the railed boards, before starting all over again.

Others set up tables with cocoa and other hot drinks and snacks, while from one of the shuttles, traditional Terran Christmas music played.

Hrelle smiled as he saw Naida, Weynik's daughter, rush up to Misha and take his hand, racing to get one of the unused sleds, while Weynik himself was handing over his infant son Jaxan to Kami to mind for a while, Kami smiling as she lovingly held the bundled infant close to her.

He watched his former cadet Kitirik reuniting with Rrori and Neraxis and Jonas, the former Alpha Squad members embracing, and Hrelle filled with pride that they had forged such unbreaking relationships under his command. If only Eydiir and Sasha were here, but with Eydiir on duty back on the Surefoot and Sasha still light years away-

His combadge chirped. "Captain? This is Lt Lamont on the Lynx; our sensors have picked up a vessel entering orbit."

Hrelle tensed, his hand moving to his phaser, his mind already formulating a defence plan, ready to call a Red Alert. If the Klingons are here, and try to harm these cubs because he foolishly brought them here for some stupid Christmas holiday... "Identification?"

"Sir, it's a Starfleet transport ship, the USS Bora. They're requesting permission to beam down two personnel."

He frowned. The Bora? He didn't recognise the name. "Give them my coordinates, Lieutenant."

He kept his hand on his phaser as he watched the twin columns of transporter energy appear before him, coalescing into... "Nice greeting, Dad."

His eyes widened. "SASHA?"

His human daughter stood before him, looking taller and thinner and more tanned than when he last saw here, beside an amused-looked Eydiir. Sasha grinned and raced up to him, embracing him tightly. "I've missed you!"

He hugged back, breathing in her scent, clutching her as if for dear life, the tears running down the sides of his muzzle. "I've missed you too, Runt of the Litter!" He lifted her up and spun her around before setting her down again. "What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for another couple of days!"

Eydiir approached them. "Apparently, one of the Bora's scheduled destinations was cancelled so they arrived early. She had heard about this excursion from Commander T'Varik, who requested that the Bora drop her off here." She sighed, seeing the breath escape her. "Doctor Masterson ordered me to accompany and..." She mimicked his cowboy drawl. "'Take a damn break for once away from those medical texts'."

Hrelle laughed at that, as Sasha reluctantly pulled away to look at him. "Wait- the Bora's Captain has three kids onboard, she was wondering if they could join us for a few hours!"

Hrelle couldn't stop grinning. "The more, the merrier!"

*

"Hey, Inch High!"

Weynik glared at him; his people's calcified facial features didn't usually express the same level of emotions as other humanoids, but they could manage a few under the right circumstances. "I'm not doing it."

"You have to. You promised. The cubs are expecting it."

"I was misinformed. Tricked. Deceived. I won't do it."

"Need I remind you that I am Strategic Operations Officer for the Fleet, and you're currently under my command?"

Weynik growled. "I'll go to my father."

"And whose side do you think he'll take in this instance?"

Now Weynik cursed as he considered the response.

Hrelle shook a finger at him. "You're going on the Naughty List for that."

*

Kami had gathered the children together, delighted at all their reddened, exhausted but excited faces. "I hope all of you have been having fun today?" As they cheered, she continued. "Now, as many of you will know, there is a tradition on Earth at Christmastime, for a man called Santa Claus to arrive and deliver presents to all the good children! Have all of you been good?"

They cheered in the affirmative again.

"Are you sure?"

They cheered a third time.

She laughed. "Well, if you have been, Santa just might appear." She looked around the snowy landscape. "Somewhere..."

Suddenly, two columns of energy formed on a nearby slope, as Hrelle and Weynik appeared, the former in a red suit with white trim, fake beard and with a large red sack over his shoulder, and Weynik... in a red and green costume, pointed shoes and a pointed cap with a bell on it. "I have seen elves in Terran videos. They are tall, handsome, immortal warriors. Dignified."

"Only in Middle Earth," Hrelle informed him quietly. "Not Santa's Elves. Now smile and help me hand out the presents, or I'll tell my cousin Calli you're being a Scrooge and she'll stop giving you any of her action." More loudly now, he bellowed. "HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!"

The children met and surrounded them as they descended and Hrelle opened the sack of gifts. Nearby, Misha stood beside his sister and frowned, tugging at her sleeve, until Sasha dropped to one knee and asked, "What's wrong, Little Brother?"

Misha pointed at the arrivals, his face frowning. "Not Santa! That's Papa and Uncle Weyney!" He tapped his muzzle. "I smell 'em!"

Sasha pretended to peer at the two Captains, as if seeing the resemblance for the first time, before looking at Misha again, speaking confidentially. "You know, you might be right. But from what I remember, Santa can't be everywhere, and sometimes, he asks grown-ups to help him out, and they might even dress up as Santa and his little helpers to give out presents. So, maybe we won't say anything about it to the others? We don't want to spoil it for the little cubs, do we?" She winked.

He nodded solemnly and winked back.

"Now go see if Santa has a present for you, too." She smacked his rear and sent him to join the other children.

"You're not getting broody, are you?"

Sasha turned to see her old friends approach, carrying steaming drinks, Eydiir handing a second cup in her hand to Sasha. "Me? Hell, no! I'm making Admiral before I start popping out cubs!"

Neraxis and Jonas were practically leaning on each other, Jonas grinning as he ventured, "I'm taking bets that she has a bun in the oven before she's twenty-five."

Sasha relished the heat from her cup into her hands. "Hey, watch yourself, Mister, I've been a Lieutenant longer than you! I still outrank you!"

"Actually, Respected Friend Sasha," Kit informed her, wearing additional winter clothes to compensate for his reptilian nature unable to retain heat. "Technically, during his many tenures as Strategic Engineering Officer onboard the Surefoot, Best Friend Jonas amassed a considerable amount of time holding that rank. It might be comparable."

Rrori harrumphed, the white-furred Caitian male. "Typical, it's always about comparing lengths with you apes."

"Feeling inadequate, Meow?" Sasha joked, "Maybe you should go see if Santa has something in there for you?"

"What I would desire would not fit in there, not without her making a noise about it."

"Besides," Neraxis quipped. "What are the chances that Furball has been a good boy this year?"

"It is an efficient conditioning system," Kit opined. "Training your offspring to being socially acceptable throughout the year, with the promise of material gain at the end of it from a mythological humanoid."

"Mythological? But Santa is standing right there!" Sasha smiled as she looked around at her friends. "Well, we're back again. We might not all be serving on the same ships, but... we're close."

"We've always been close, Boss Lady," Neraxis corrected her, an arm around Jonas'.

"And we always will be." She raised her cup to them. "Here's to Alpha Squad."

They raised their cups. "To Alpha Squad!"

She drank -- her eyes bulging as the Spican flame whiskey generously spiking the coffee hit the back of her throat. She sputtered, coughed, and cursed. Loudly.

Nearby, the children turned and made oohing sounds.

The Caitian Santa shook his head. "No presents for Potty Mouths!"

*

It was later in the day when the decision was made to clean up their trash, pack up and return, leaving only criss-crossed tracks and a few snowmen. The children protested, of course, but didn't have the energy left to do much of that.

"Dad?"

Hrelle, bereft of his Santa suit now, turned to Sasha. "There you are! I thought you'd go without saying goodbye!"

She smiled and hugged him. "Never. Congratulations on all of this. Not bad, considering Christmas isn't even a Caitian holiday."

"Maybe not, but we can certainly appreciate the sentiments behind it. Especially the seasonal food. With the Bora gone, how will you get back?"

"I'm heading back on the Moonstone with Captain Weynik. Since I've been assigned to be one of his new junior Ops officers, it makes sense I get started right away."

He nodded, reluctantly releasing her. "Well, at least now you won't be as far away as Earth or Vulcan. You can come visit more often. Maybe even do some babysitting again?"

"What, you can't get free labour from the new Squabs?"

He shook his head. "Don't talk to me about those cadets, they're a handful! Especially the ones in the new Alpha Squad! No comparison to the first ones I had. Every single one of your class was perfect."

She smirked. "What, you mean apart from the ones who were drummed out of Starfleet for lying or assaulting you, or the one who was assigned to spy on you, or the ones who-"

"Don't you have a shuttle to catch? Keep an eye on Short Round, he can't see over most tabletops."

"I'll tell him you said that."

"I hope so." He smiled again. "Merry Christmas. I love you, Sweetheart."

"Love you too, Dad. Merry Christmas."

He stood and watched her depart towards the other shuttle.

*

The Sureswift didn't need him at the helm all the time, but Hrelle felt more confident to be there, ensuring they returned to the Fleet and put the cubs in his care back to their families.

Kami entered the cockpit, carrying something. "They're all asleep, totally exhausted. Even your Warrior Prince. Their parents will be grateful for that."

He chuckled, then glanced at the box. "What's that?"

She crouched beside him and opened it. "Well, it's not fair that Santa gets left out of receiving gifts." She drew out a long, colourful scarf. "Merry Christmas, Esek. Genuine Caitian Cashmere. I picked it up on the way back from Earth, and kept it for a special occasion."

He grinned, as she rose and wrapped it around his neck. "Thank you, Darling!" He rubbed the side of his muzzle against it, relishing the ineffable softness of it and... He sniffed. "Is that your scent on it?"

She nodded, smiling. "I wore it for a while, to mark it for you. And the next time you feel that chill you talked about and I'm not around, put this on."

He felt his eyes well up, as he rubbed his muzzle against hers. "Thank you, Kami. But... I didn't get you anything."

Now she grinned, looking ready to burst, as she drew in and held him tightly, leaned in and murmured, "Yes you did, you fat bastard.

You got me pregnant again..."

THE ADVENTURES OF THE SUREFOOT WILL RETURN IN... MY SUMMER ON VULCAN. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS!