A covenant of oxen

“Sulu, you have the con. I’m going down to check on my babies.”

Uhura’s repressed comment about him and farm animals is in the slight sway of her ponytail.

In Engineering-C, temporarily a makeshift hold, Bones is bent over the monitoring interface.

“How are the kids, honey?” asks Jim, hoping he’ll jump.

“Bank H is still lagging, but they’re–” Bones scowls. “Don’t pretend you care. Go stare at A-13. You think you knocked up that cow yourself, don’t you.”

A-13’s gotten bigger since yesterday. Its heart flutters desperately. Jim feels a kinship with this motherless creature, gestating between the stars.