Down on the Farm (Closed)

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

"For now, I need to rest and heal up for a bit." Mahak replied. "And let us hope that my father does not choose this time to come home. If he does, we will have a much more difficult time of it."

Strov chose that moment to reenter. He took off his gloves and tucked them into his belt, nodding to them both as he did so.

"The herd is in. I am told that you are not yet fit enough to help out." Strov said to Mahak. There was no judgement in his voice, just a clear declaration of facts. "Perhaps, Chief Reyes, you could help with the milking? Mahak is fit enough to walk, but not to labor. He could show you how."

[Kali Reyes]

Strov made Joffrey snuffle pitifully into the bottom of the hat he was trying to dig into. Kali wasn't sure if it was mentally healthy for a baby to share a living space with its mother's killer. It was kind of like a demented reverse Bambi situation where instead of Bambi's father taking him in, it was the hunter's kid or something.

Yeah, pretty demented.

"The milking?" All sorts of thoughts funneled through her head - and all of them were dirty. Kali nervously rubbed her knuckles and prayed her mouth wouldn't fail her this time. "I don't see why not," she piped up enthusiastically. "I'm actually really good with my hands. I'm a natural at it!"

Close, but no cigar.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

Neither Vulcan got the innuendo, but apparently Strov appreciated her work ethic.

"Then you two get started. With your attitude and Mahak's knowledge you should make short work of it." Strov said. "The main barn, Mahak. Don't forget to put them to sleep after."

"I will not, uncle." With difficulty, but waving off help, Mahak found his feet. He put his bruised torso back into his shirt. It was stained with sweat and blood. "After we milk, might--"

"My clothes will fit you. They're in the usual place." Strov was spooning up some bean stew into a bowl, hungry after driving the herd.

Mahak led the way out to the barn with Reyes. He could walk, but it was clear from how deliberate his movements were that he would not be much help in the barn.

The herd certainly had made their mark. The smell in the air was singularly of animal feces, and it and hoof prints abounded now all over. Mahak was careful not to step in anything.

"Milking a grand chimera is laborious but easy." He told her as they slowly walked. "Someone with your engineering skill and dexterity should excel at it."

The barn was open air, enclosed only by a low powered forcefield. Grand chimeras, despite their name, were apparently docile creatures.

"This is a male," Mahak announced as he stepped into the barn. Before him was a hairless, leather creature whose shoulder didn't quite reach his. It was four legged, but there it's similarity with an earth bull ended, as it did not have horns, but rather a blunt, cobby head. It's eyes were close set and flickered with aggression, locking onto them the moment they approached. A tail that honed itself into a wickedly sharp bone spike dragged behind it. It tromped uneasily when Mahak stroked it's side.

"The bulls are very aggressive, for herbivores," He told her. "A boxing companion of mine at Basic said that that was rather like myself, if you can appreciate the humor. Careful of the tail. See the fringes on either side near the end of the tail? Bones in it will flick out horizontally after the tail has skewered someone. It goes in as a spear and out as a handful, as the idiom goes here. I have seen a bull stab a ranch hand in stomach, and the man's entire chest cavity and intestines came out with it."

[Kali Reyes]

"We're milking a chimera?!" What happened to simple animals like cows or sehlats or antebarran cattle? It sure smelled like them when they arrived at the herd. Kali had to rub her nose irritably to get used to the smell. It's been years she she got acclimatized by barn yard smells.

As Mahak described the chimera, Kali's nose wrinkled from something more than dung. "You want me to milk a creature that can gut me like a fish?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

"No, no." Mahak assured her. "Only the males are dangerous that way. This was just to acclimate you to the creature, and for your human curiosity. You are on a new world and I know that humans like to explore. We will be milking the females only. Let us go see one."

It was immediately evident that female grand chimeras were more docile than their male counterparts. The beast that Mahak showed to her next was shaking some feed, a scraggly kind of grainy weed, from it's feeding rack. It did not deign to notice their approach.

When Mahak stepped up to it the chimera turned it's head, and with some affectionate roughness, nuzzled the Vulcan right in the chest with it's rock hard, immense skull. It snorted pleasurably.

Though he was wincing a bit from the contact, he reached out and almost affectionately robbed it right above it's eyes.

The chimera rumbled pleasurably low in one of its stomachs. It's spikeless tail wobbled back and forth hypnotically. The cow was both smaller and less musclebound than the male creature they had just visited.

"This is how we put them to sleep after, and calm them during milking. Bulls do not have this reaction. To be affectionate with a bull is foolhardly, and to handle them requires much more roughness and determination." Mahak had stopped rubbing the cow's head. "Cows, however, are much easier to work with. Be careful, however. She could still kick or trample you if she knocks you down. Say hello to her, Kali."

[Kali Reyes]

"This is how we put them to sleep after, and calm them during milking. Bulls do not have this reaction. To be affectionate with a bull is foolhardly, and to handle them requires much more roughness and determination." Mahak had stopped rubbing the cow's head. "Cows, however, are much easier to work with. Be careful, however. She could still kick or trample you if she knocks you down. Say hello to her, Kali."

"Sounds like Stubbstail McGee and I have a lot in common," Kali snickered at the bull, then jumped when the tail flicked just a tiny bit in her direction. She sniffed indignantly at him. "I'm not milking you for sure."

The cow, on the other hand, was a good egg. She tried petting her on the spot on her head where Mahak did and hopefully she did it right because the cow closed her eyes for a second and swished her tail around. "Hello To-Her," she teased. "Bet you can appreciate my dad jokes a lot more, don't ya? You keep your boyfriend away from me and we'll do super, yeah?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

"Good, good." Mahak said in a soothing voice directed at the animal. "You have a good hand with beasts, Kali. Between your knees on the floor you'll find the milking apparatus. Attach each one to the mammary glands on the beast's belly. Gently, you don't want to spook her."

Though he would never say so, Mahak was secretly very pleased that Reyes was showing promise and that she seemed to be bearing this for his sake. Not every mate out there would get their hands dirty just to please their partner's family.

[Kali Reyes]

Milking alien animals was the second highlight of her day, but she came prepared for it. They had touched down on a farming colony after all, so it wasn't totally out of range for Kali to find herself taking up the role as milk maid for the day.

But while she kicked back and let the machine do its job, she wondered about S'Trel and T'Vak and how this whole thing has been nothing but weird.

"Pon farr," she said out of the blue. "You told A'lera that you guys get it once every seven years. So when's yours?"

Privacy. Kali knew no such thing.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

"It is considered...delicate to ask a Vulcan about their cycles." Mahak said. "However, you are not Vulcan and an outsider here, so I will tell you. I went through my last pon farr a year ago."

The grand chimera was making a deep, concerned noise as its milk was drained out, so Mahak scratched her above and between the eyes. Some calm returned to her.

"You do not need to wait for my biological and spiritual obligation to mate with me, Kali," Mahak said lightly. "We have not before. And besides, the ceremony itself should be undertaken with a dedicated mate and for the purpose of reproducing."

[Kali Reyes]

Relaxed on the stool and almost lackadaisical, Kali sat her chin against her knuckles while watching the machine work. It almost sounded like the requisites were beyond her reach, even when he probably didn't mean it that way.

She was too spent to flare up, or maybe she was cautiously waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Just thought I'd ask, I guess."

And think. It wasn't really her business what he did a year ago. They haven't even dated for a good solid year yet. Thinking about the way S'Trel looked at her like she was a delicious T-bone steak and then imagining Mahak do the same to some other hapless fool a year ago was just a hell of a lot more interesting than milking chimeras at the moment.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

"She's done. Onto the next, shall we?" Mahak suggested, trying to force a bit of jocularity into their grim situation.

"Mahak," Strov said, appearing at the barn door. "I will see to the rest of the milking. You and Chief Reyes are to repair to the house, wash up, and present yourselves for dinner."

"We've already eaten, uncle," Mahak replied, still moving onto the next animal. "Kali is enjoying--"

"Your father has returned." Strov said, and that was all it took.

"I see." Mahak replied. "Kali, we had better do as he says."

[Kali Reyes]

One bessy down, more to go. Kali was in the middle of unhooking the machine off of To-Her when Strov arrived to throw a wrench in the task. She tried not to look too pleased that she didn't have to do more grunt work.

The air seemed to suck itself out of existence by Strov's declaration.

"Yowza," Kali said while cleaning her hands with a cloth. "The final boss approaches. Is it time for me to start melting your dad's heart with a cool island song?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

"It might be best if you do not--" Mahak started.

"I quite agree, nephew. Chief," Strov was addressing her in an attempt to be conciliatory. "We are Vulcans from a colony world. You have probably noticed our rougher edges and attitudes. However, Avarin is a much different sort. He is a highly respected and traditional philosopher. He will not be as forgiving and accepting as we have been."

"Kali has done nothing worth forgiving, Uncle," Mahak said, his voice sounding a bit restrained. "But we will both do our best to appease my father while he is with us. Won't we, Kali?"

[Kali Reyes]

"That's a bit backwards," Kali pointed out. "Human philosophers tend to be a lot more open-minded than farmers... no offense."

But she knew a warning when she saw it. Kali reluctantly kept her eyes from drifting down Mahak's strong back. "I'll behave." For sure. Definitely. The itchiness started to settle in the back of her head.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

The interior of the house was considerably more gloomy. Avarin, it seemed, disliked the down home feel of the place. Anything not utilitarian or spiritual had been put away: no more hand woven prayer rugs, tapestries, or family portraits. The place looked pick bare, and darker.

Mahak had finished cleansing what little labor he had done that day and now sat ramrod straight in the main dining area, his injuries either healed or forgotten. He looked like he was preparing mentally to be chewed out by a superior officer.

T'Vak was nowhere to be found. Mahak knew from long experience that his parents could not abide one another's presence and only remained married for his father's status. When they had to be on the same planet at the same time his mother usually left for what was called 'town' on Harmony. Mahak was half temped to join her.

When Avarin entered Mahak stood as if loaded on a spring. The sleeve of his best tunic slid a bit down his arm when he extended the traditional salute.

"Peace and long life, father."

Avarin was a taller, more austere version of his son. He did not have any of the working class muscle of his family, the ranginess, the affability. His face had long ago been stripped bare of any weakness, emotion, or life. His face was unwrinkled but much, much older than his wife's, and his body was unremarkable. The hand that he raised to return the salute bore no calluses and was soft.

"Peace and long life, Mahak." Avarin's large black eyes fell to Reyes, his hand still raised.