A few hours later, the survey team returned their findings, deeming the area completely safe with glowing reports about the safety aspects as well as the added bonus of an abundance of wild edible foods and other resources they could collect before departure.
Aki emerged cautiously from Voyager alongside several other crew members and made his way down the fairly steep ramp. His skinny flip-flops, replicated by Tom, made navigating the slope a little tricky, but he managed. He sported his new Hawaiian shirt and short pants, specially adapted by Tom to accommodate his long, fluffy tail.
At the bottom of the ramp, a big grin formed on Aki's face as he stepped out from under the shadow of Voyager's port nacelle and felt the delightful warmth of the sun soaking into his whole body.
A few moments later, Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry wandered down the ramp, all dressed in beachwear and holding the surfboards they had replicated.
As they approached the idealistic white sandy beach, they spotted Aki in the distance. The cat-eared boy was enthusiastically running around in a flower meadow chasing what appeared to be this planet's equivalent of butterflies.
He was bounding rapidly toward the brightly-coloured insects, then jumping up in the air to try to catch them in his hands as they darted out of his way. He was clearly extremely happy and completely in his element. They could hear him laughing and giggling and saw a huge grin on his face as he ran.
"Oh that's adorable," grinned B'Elanna, "he's acting just like a playful little kitty-cat."
Some time later, Aki was sat on the pristine white sand beach, soaking up its warmth, half dosing, half watching as his three friends were out on the surf catching waves.
Several small groups of crew were on the beach nearby. Some just sat relaxing, some swimming in the ocean, others playing various games like volleyball or catch with flying hover discs.
Some of the younger lower deck Ensigns who were sitting in a group near Aki's position had started to get a little rowdy. They were picking each other up and dumping each other in the water, much to their own amusement.
Aki watched on sleepily, enjoying the soothing warmth and relaxing atmosphere as the sun gently baked his fur ears and tail.
He took pleasure in seeing how everyone was so at ease and having a great time.
After a while, the young Ensign's rowdiness began to spill over and escalate to other nearby crew-mates as they began targeting friends and colleagues for unsolicited dunkings.
It was all done in good spirits, even Neelix ended up having an unplanned swim. He protested at first as the ensigns carried him the short distance to the shoreline, but by the time they'd dropped him in the water, he was laughing as much as they were.
As the cat-boy sat quietly on the sand, deeply relaxed and half-dozing, he failed to notice several pairs of mischievous eyes turn towards him.
——————
Janeway strode with purpose into sickbay and immediately saw three Ensigns sitting on biobeds in their beachwear, awaiting treatment. Each of them was peppered with several sore-looking, bloody cuts and scratches.
"Alright, what happened?" Demanded the captain in a slightly unsympathetic and curt tone, "Doctor, what caused these injuries?"
On seeing the captain's somewhat irked mood, the doctor opted for diplomatic discretion, "I believe the Ensigns might better provide an explanation in this particular case, captain."
Janeway stepped closer to the first Ensign, "Ensign Farley, I'm listening."
The young Ensign looked sheepishly at her, "It was a mistake, a complete misjudgment, totally our fault, captain, you mustn't blame Aki, this wasn't his fault in any way."
"Aki did all this to you?!" She gasped in astonishment.
The Ensign reluctantly nodded, "but it wasn't his fault," he admitted, "we had no idea he was so afraid of the water!"
YOU ARE READING
Star Trek Voyager: The Mylar Cat. (Complete) (+Audiobook Option) (PG-Rated)
Science FictionA cute little stray cat facing a grim future, and a starship captain in need of companionship. It felt like destiny had brought them together, but not all was as it seemed. Written as a heartwarming little tale to lift your spirits and bring comfort...
