"Back so soon?" Scotty grabbed a blue rag from his belt and mopped his face with it, before looking up to face Kirk. The captain was peering down at him with a fatigued expression.
"Not exactly. Zerbexians kept us busy for 5 whole hours." Kirk rubbed the back of his neck, twisting it gently with a series of soft cracks.
Scotty let out a low whistle. "Surely you canna mean I've been down here that long…" He climbed up out of the access hatch one rung at a time. "If'n ya don't mind my askin', what was it like?"
"The flora or the gravity?" Kirk offered a hand to the engineer, who glanced down at the yellow grease stains before accepting. With little to no effort, Jim yanked him out of the hole and dropped him on his feet next to the gaping doorway.
Scotty kicked the flap shut, laughing. "Well, I guess that answers the second half of that question! So my little experiment was a big hit then?"
Kirk nodded. "Couldn't have done it without you, Scotty. Any tech device that saves me a trip to sickbay is a winner in my books." He rolled up the sleeves of his yellow uniform shirt to reveal a flat black wristband studded with tiny silver filaments.
Scotty smiled. "Well, you can show me your gratitude with a tall glass of me favorite, on you. Ya dinna have any problems? No electric shocks, even?"
"A bit of tingling, but that's all. Nobody ever suspected I had help. Bones was a little jealous, though. Made some smart remarks about wanting to test my blood sugar." Kirk bounced up and down on his toes.
Scotty let his thoughts drift to the reason this little gadget existed in the first place. Zerbex III's gravity was markedly high, due to its immense size, yet it still boasted a lush variety of plant life that the science department was eager to catalogue and sample. After requesting permission from the Zerbex Halung, it was agreed that a team would be allowed to collect several varieties of vegetation. Though Kirk had initially wanted to sit this one out, it was Spock who had urged him to attend. Apparently the Zerbexians considered it rudeness on the part of any leader to send his second-in-command in his stead with no good reason. ("Tell 'em I'm sick." "I cannot lie, sir." And so on.)
The problem was the strain the planet's gravitational pull was sure to have on Kirk; how could he be an effective representative if he had to struggle with every little movement required? He really didn't relish the idea of getting a hypo stimulant with unknown medical side effects bound to manifest. Coffee, on the other hand, would have an entirely different side effect. The thought of having to excuse himself every hour or so had no appeal.
And so he had approached Scotty a week ago and posed the problem to him. Now, if there was anything Scotty liked, it was a challenge. So he'd missed his customary "hour" of sleep (as he called it) three nights in a row working in his quarters with miniscule tools. The result was a lightweight band to be worn on the wrist that generated a personal gravity dampening field, lessening the planet's effects on the wearer and making it easier to perform duties.
Needless to say, he got more than a few approving looks from the Zerbex, and quite a few disbelieving ones from the landing party, Ensign Hart in particular. The poor botanist looked as though he thought his captain had stepped out of the pages of a comic book.
Scotty reached for a tablet lying on a crate and flipped through the tabs on the screen. Keenser chose that moment to walk into the cargo bay. "Back," he called before retreating behind a column.
"Took ya long enough. I'll be right with you." He put the screen on screensaver and looked back up at the captain. "So, about that drink…."
"Can't. I only got half an hour free. But," Kirk paused, flexing his banded arm, "I could help out around here for the next 20. That'd leave me five for a shower and five to show up." He cracked his knuckles. "So….what needs doing?"
Scotty waved an arm in the direction of a pile of storage containers. "Ya see those crates over there? Well, they're all Doctor McCoy's, and heavy as all get out. When we got them in, he told me to put 'em on the port side. So I did. Not two days later, he told me to move 'em to starboard so he could access something else he wanted. Done. Then he tells me he wants them in cold storage…..anyhow, I must've moved those flamin' things halfway back to Earth when he decides he wants them where I originally put them the first time! All this and Fulton borrows the ETT, without asking, because Nurse Mendel thought it would be fun to play transporter tag in the holodeck. Overloaded the circuits and now I cannae budge these hulking boxes one fool inch." He let out a loud sigh before making as though he was going to kick one of the crates.
Kirk folded his arms over his chest. "Oooookaaay, just a wild guess here, but the point of that story was: you want me to test out your newest toy on these things?"
"Please?"
"Sure thing, Mr. Scott. Least I can do," he grinned, rolling up the other sleeve. "Should have it done in no time."
Keenser poked his head out from behind the column. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," Scotty replied, wandering over to his friend. "Was the signal relay system that messed up?"
Keenser made a face. "Worse." He looked past Scotty to where Kirk stood, hands on his hips, studying the pile of boxes. "Why?"
Scotty glanced back over his shoulder briefly. "Ahh yes, well , that, my friend, is a great man."
Keenser's eyes widened as Kirk bent at the waist and lifted one of the crates with considerable ease, throwing it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"….Yessir, Captain Kirk's always got your back," Scotty continued. The captain bore the massive container on his back before tossing it over his head and depositing it lightly on the ground. Keenser blinked, once, twice. Kirk returned to the stack of boxes.
"Y'know, we're pretty lucky to have him. At least he's willing to lend a hand where it's needed." Kirk lifted another, supporting it on the palm of his hand. A spring in his step, he crossed the length of the cargo bay a second time, laying this one atop the first. Keenser rubbed his eyes, in as much disbelief as his face could betray.
"Some captains would consider it beneath them to even lift a finger." This time Kirk seemed to be aware that he was being observed by the bewildered Roylan. He smiled at Keenser and waved before lifting a crate with the index finger of each hand, with seemingly no effort at all.
That was it for Keenser. With no apologies, he backed up slowly before darting out the door like an Olympic sprinter. Scotty frowned, scratching his head. "Now what in the world…."
"Finished." Kirk jogged up next to Scotty. He was barely breaking a sweat, and his cheeks were only faintly pink.
"That was fast…." He looked towards the door again. "Not as fast as Keenser, though. You should've seen the little fella. Ran outta here like we were having a containment breach or summat…." He shrugged. "Now what do ya suppose is eatin' him?"
"Beats me." Kirk shrugged back, but his eyes danced with humor. "Gotta warp."
"Thanks Captain….ya were a real big help." He was just about to clap Kirk on the shoulder when the captain's communicator beeped.
Kirk flipped it open. "Ye'llo."
"Jim, McCoy here. Ya know that little gremlin from Engineering?"
"You mean Keenser, Bones?" Kirk covered his mouth and coughed to hide a laugh.
"Yeah, that's the one. He just came tearing into sickbay like a bat outta hell. Poor guy's a nervous wreck. Wanted me to check his eyesight. When I asked why, all I could get out of him was something about the captain and boxes." McCoy paused. "You know anything about this, Jim?"
Scotty raised an eyebrow at the captain, as if to say, well? Kirk was biting his lip to keep from laughing now. Tears were streaming from his eyes. "I'll – I'll be right there." He clicked the communicator off and snapped it on his belt. Finally he let out a loud howl.
"I dinna see what's so funny about it," Scotty muttered, frowning in concern.
Kirk sucked in a lungful of air, doubled over, hands on his knees. "He – he…saw me….he-" He straightened up and tapped his wristband. "He saw me-"
A light went on Scotty's head. "Ya mean- when you were-"
"Yeah." Kirk wiped his eyes. "Exactly."
Scotty burst out laughing, which set Kirk off again. After several moments, they finally caught their breath. Scotty dragged his sleeve over his wet eyes. "Good heavens…..what he must think…" He shook his head slowly from side to side. "Well….I guess we both owe him an explanation, now, don't we?"
Note: The ETT was a device mentioned in the 2013 Star Trek video game. For more info, see here: https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Engineer_transport_tool
"Not exactly. Zerbexians kept us busy for 5 whole hours." Kirk rubbed the back of his neck, twisting it gently with a series of soft cracks.
Scotty let out a low whistle. "Surely you canna mean I've been down here that long…" He climbed up out of the access hatch one rung at a time. "If'n ya don't mind my askin', what was it like?"
"The flora or the gravity?" Kirk offered a hand to the engineer, who glanced down at the yellow grease stains before accepting. With little to no effort, Jim yanked him out of the hole and dropped him on his feet next to the gaping doorway.
Scotty kicked the flap shut, laughing. "Well, I guess that answers the second half of that question! So my little experiment was a big hit then?"
Kirk nodded. "Couldn't have done it without you, Scotty. Any tech device that saves me a trip to sickbay is a winner in my books." He rolled up the sleeves of his yellow uniform shirt to reveal a flat black wristband studded with tiny silver filaments.
Scotty smiled. "Well, you can show me your gratitude with a tall glass of me favorite, on you. Ya dinna have any problems? No electric shocks, even?"
"A bit of tingling, but that's all. Nobody ever suspected I had help. Bones was a little jealous, though. Made some smart remarks about wanting to test my blood sugar." Kirk bounced up and down on his toes.
Scotty let his thoughts drift to the reason this little gadget existed in the first place. Zerbex III's gravity was markedly high, due to its immense size, yet it still boasted a lush variety of plant life that the science department was eager to catalogue and sample. After requesting permission from the Zerbex Halung, it was agreed that a team would be allowed to collect several varieties of vegetation. Though Kirk had initially wanted to sit this one out, it was Spock who had urged him to attend. Apparently the Zerbexians considered it rudeness on the part of any leader to send his second-in-command in his stead with no good reason. ("Tell 'em I'm sick." "I cannot lie, sir." And so on.)
The problem was the strain the planet's gravitational pull was sure to have on Kirk; how could he be an effective representative if he had to struggle with every little movement required? He really didn't relish the idea of getting a hypo stimulant with unknown medical side effects bound to manifest. Coffee, on the other hand, would have an entirely different side effect. The thought of having to excuse himself every hour or so had no appeal.
And so he had approached Scotty a week ago and posed the problem to him. Now, if there was anything Scotty liked, it was a challenge. So he'd missed his customary "hour" of sleep (as he called it) three nights in a row working in his quarters with miniscule tools. The result was a lightweight band to be worn on the wrist that generated a personal gravity dampening field, lessening the planet's effects on the wearer and making it easier to perform duties.
Needless to say, he got more than a few approving looks from the Zerbex, and quite a few disbelieving ones from the landing party, Ensign Hart in particular. The poor botanist looked as though he thought his captain had stepped out of the pages of a comic book.
Scotty reached for a tablet lying on a crate and flipped through the tabs on the screen. Keenser chose that moment to walk into the cargo bay. "Back," he called before retreating behind a column.
"Took ya long enough. I'll be right with you." He put the screen on screensaver and looked back up at the captain. "So, about that drink…."
"Can't. I only got half an hour free. But," Kirk paused, flexing his banded arm, "I could help out around here for the next 20. That'd leave me five for a shower and five to show up." He cracked his knuckles. "So….what needs doing?"
Scotty waved an arm in the direction of a pile of storage containers. "Ya see those crates over there? Well, they're all Doctor McCoy's, and heavy as all get out. When we got them in, he told me to put 'em on the port side. So I did. Not two days later, he told me to move 'em to starboard so he could access something else he wanted. Done. Then he tells me he wants them in cold storage…..anyhow, I must've moved those flamin' things halfway back to Earth when he decides he wants them where I originally put them the first time! All this and Fulton borrows the ETT, without asking, because Nurse Mendel thought it would be fun to play transporter tag in the holodeck. Overloaded the circuits and now I cannae budge these hulking boxes one fool inch." He let out a loud sigh before making as though he was going to kick one of the crates.
Kirk folded his arms over his chest. "Oooookaaay, just a wild guess here, but the point of that story was: you want me to test out your newest toy on these things?"
"Please?"
"Sure thing, Mr. Scott. Least I can do," he grinned, rolling up the other sleeve. "Should have it done in no time."
Keenser poked his head out from behind the column. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," Scotty replied, wandering over to his friend. "Was the signal relay system that messed up?"
Keenser made a face. "Worse." He looked past Scotty to where Kirk stood, hands on his hips, studying the pile of boxes. "Why?"
Scotty glanced back over his shoulder briefly. "Ahh yes, well , that, my friend, is a great man."
Keenser's eyes widened as Kirk bent at the waist and lifted one of the crates with considerable ease, throwing it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"….Yessir, Captain Kirk's always got your back," Scotty continued. The captain bore the massive container on his back before tossing it over his head and depositing it lightly on the ground. Keenser blinked, once, twice. Kirk returned to the stack of boxes.
"Y'know, we're pretty lucky to have him. At least he's willing to lend a hand where it's needed." Kirk lifted another, supporting it on the palm of his hand. A spring in his step, he crossed the length of the cargo bay a second time, laying this one atop the first. Keenser rubbed his eyes, in as much disbelief as his face could betray.
"Some captains would consider it beneath them to even lift a finger." This time Kirk seemed to be aware that he was being observed by the bewildered Roylan. He smiled at Keenser and waved before lifting a crate with the index finger of each hand, with seemingly no effort at all.
That was it for Keenser. With no apologies, he backed up slowly before darting out the door like an Olympic sprinter. Scotty frowned, scratching his head. "Now what in the world…."
"Finished." Kirk jogged up next to Scotty. He was barely breaking a sweat, and his cheeks were only faintly pink.
"That was fast…." He looked towards the door again. "Not as fast as Keenser, though. You should've seen the little fella. Ran outta here like we were having a containment breach or summat…." He shrugged. "Now what do ya suppose is eatin' him?"
"Beats me." Kirk shrugged back, but his eyes danced with humor. "Gotta warp."
"Thanks Captain….ya were a real big help." He was just about to clap Kirk on the shoulder when the captain's communicator beeped.
Kirk flipped it open. "Ye'llo."
"Jim, McCoy here. Ya know that little gremlin from Engineering?"
"You mean Keenser, Bones?" Kirk covered his mouth and coughed to hide a laugh.
"Yeah, that's the one. He just came tearing into sickbay like a bat outta hell. Poor guy's a nervous wreck. Wanted me to check his eyesight. When I asked why, all I could get out of him was something about the captain and boxes." McCoy paused. "You know anything about this, Jim?"
Scotty raised an eyebrow at the captain, as if to say, well? Kirk was biting his lip to keep from laughing now. Tears were streaming from his eyes. "I'll – I'll be right there." He clicked the communicator off and snapped it on his belt. Finally he let out a loud howl.
"I dinna see what's so funny about it," Scotty muttered, frowning in concern.
Kirk sucked in a lungful of air, doubled over, hands on his knees. "He – he…saw me….he-" He straightened up and tapped his wristband. "He saw me-"
A light went on Scotty's head. "Ya mean- when you were-"
"Yeah." Kirk wiped his eyes. "Exactly."
Scotty burst out laughing, which set Kirk off again. After several moments, they finally caught their breath. Scotty dragged his sleeve over his wet eyes. "Good heavens…..what he must think…" He shook his head slowly from side to side. "Well….I guess we both owe him an explanation, now, don't we?"
Note: The ETT was a device mentioned in the 2013 Star Trek video game. For more info, see here: https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Engineer_transport_tool
