Bath Time

Posted on 07 Feb 2013 @ 9:07pm by

2,124 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD 02 0235

Sidi wagged his tail as he turned again. Alpha bark-yelled at him but this was fun! Alpha wanted him to be all wet so Alpha should be all wet too! But Alpha also wanted to put the notgood-smell on him that took away his good-smell. His fur got wet and then no more Sidi good-smell. He smelled like...blergh...he didn't like the smell. But Alpha kept trying to put the blergh all over him and Sidi didn't like this game. But Alpha bark-yelled at him a lot when he did this - as well as try to put him under-water and Sidi head don't go underwater! He turned again, finding the rim of the hole to get out.

"This is better than the pond!" Alpha bark-yelled, like he should be showing fangs to warn Sidi but no fang showing. Only bark-yell. No angry Alpha only bark-yell and grabbing Sidi to keep him in hole water. And more blergh. Lots of blergh. Now water smell of blergh as well. Sidi hated blergh! Even made his fur taste bad. Almost like food-taste but fur not meant to be food-taste. Need to be fur-taste. Need to have good Sidi smell. Not bad blergh smell.

He shook himself, to rid his fur of the water and white, foamy blergh. Alpha growled then. Not even Alpha liked blergh on him so why Alpha put blergh all over Sidi? Sidi shook himself free of water again, trying to get out of blergh hole and be done with this. Alpha promised play but this not play! This BAD! Alpha grab Sidi and keep him in blergh hole while continuing to rub him with blergh. Sidi like rubbing, but not when it has blergh. Blergh is bad! But Alpha not let him go, not let him leave blergh! Now Alpha make water run over Sidi again, wetting his fur all over again. Sidi just DRIED himself why Alpha want to make him wet! Why Alpha do this! Take away good Sidi smell! Sidi work hard to have good-smell and Alpha make him smell like blergh!

Sidi wagged his tail as Alpha stopped making him wet and let him out of blergh hole. This was good! Sidi liked this! Soft...soft...soft cloth and Alpha rub Sidi! Help get rid of water. Help wipe off blergh smell. But blergh smell stay...stay long time. Sidi hated blergh smell almost as much as he hated blergh taste. Sidi wanted good fur-taste, not bad almost food-taste blergh on his fur.

He shook himself, trying to get rid of all the blergh smell. But he knew blergh smell stay with him.

But Alpha wet too! Alpha smell like blergh! Alpha not happy but that's okay, Sidi not happy either! Blergh! Everything have smell of blergh over it now. Floor, tub, Alpha - Sidi! Too much blergh. Soft cloth even smell like wet blergh. Alpha definitely smell like wet blergh! Good. Alpha need to smell bad. He do bad thing to Sidi - make Sidi smell bad. Sidi smell very faint now. But...PARK! They go to park and Sidi could roll in grass, dig into grass and start to get rid of blergh smell. Get good Sidi smell again.

Oh! Brush! Brush brush brush! Alpha brush Sidi! This okay, this good. Brush help get rid of itchy fur and blergh! Brush feel good! Alpha still growling, still not happy. Alpha no want to be wet. No want Alpha smell covered in blergh. Too bad. Alpha should not try to make Sidi smell blergh! Sidi smell like blergh then Alpha should smell like blergh! Ha ha! Alpha can't shake himself dry like Sidi can! Alpha silly two leg! But now Sidi run! Dance! Alpha and Sidi go to park and roll in grass! No more blergh but good grass smell covering Sidi. Then Sidi and Alpha start to smell good again.

Jeremy sat back, gripping the towel in one hand while watching Sidi prance in a circle around him. He didn't understand the dog. He jumped willingly into the artificial pond of the Arboretum to go after the ducks or whatever else Jeremy threw into the water for him to get. He loved to go into the water there. What was the difference between taking a swim in the pond and getting a bath? But, at least he smelled more pleasant now. A apple and citrus scent lingered on his coat. And on him. He still had spots of foamy shampoo covering him, and the majority of him was wet. What he didn't have to get wet himself, Sidi managed by constantly fighting with him in the bath or shaking himself.

Really, giving the dog a bath ranked just below cleaning up after him. But it had to be done, otherwise someone come along and complain that Jeremy let Sidi be 'dirty' and 'smelly'. He didn't understand how people such as the Captain could hate dogs so much. Sidi was well behaved - mostly and more so the last three days - and seemed mostly uncomplicated. He liked to play - which for him was searching or biting and his toys - to sleep and to eat. What Jeremy liked is that Sidi wasn't complicated with his feelings either. He let Jeremy know which of the people he met that he liked and which he didn't. He wasn't sure how the dog decided so quickly but he did. For the most part, Jeremy agreed with his assessments.

Jeremy watched as Sidi ran around the room, having already smelled all he could of it earlier. Sidi stayed away from the tub area, however, as if he might be afraid of another bath.

"Computer, end this program," Jeremy ordered. The tub, water, towel and other items disappeared. Unfortunately, for Jeremy, the computer couldn't dry him off as easily as it cleared the room. Even the puddles of water that Sidi splashed from the tub were gone. "Computer, initiate Stone Sidious Training One Boy Alpha." Jeremy stood as the room shimmered around him, continuing to do so until he called Sidi to his side, so the room could properly materialize the scene. When it was done, Jeremy found himself staring at the bridge, Alpha shift.

"Computer, delete character of Lieutenant Malevin."

"There is no such character currently in the program."

Sighing, Jeremy rubbed his temple. "Computer, delete character of flight control officer." He watched as the image of Lieutenant Malevin shimmered then disappeared. "Replace with another flight control operator." He didn't even want to see that woman. Blaming her insecurity and deficiency on Sidi still angered Jeremy. He wished he could delete Saalm as easily but...when Sidi went to do his test, he was sure she would be there. Would probably insist on administrating it. So...Jeremy sighed. He looked around to find Sidi sniffing the bridge area, his tail high and stiff in the air, his ears laid back. Sidi often had that demeanor in the Holodeck and Jeremy never understand the reason.

Sidi went around the new room. There was no smell here. He still smelled the left over blergh but not as much. Nothing else in the room but the Alpha-blergh smell existed. He saw people but didn't smell them. And if he didn't smell them, then his eyes must be wrong. None of the things he saw had a smell. He didn't like that. It was like when Alpha wanted him to 'seek' in the room. It was too easy - what he was to 'seek' was the only smell in the place and Sidi didn't find it challenging. There was no skill. Oh here's the smell! Here! Alpha here! He snorted his displeasure at even thinking about that.

He went to Alpha at the command and looked up at him. This wasn't a fun game, but Alpha gave him lots of beef treats for putting his paw in the right spot. Sidi liked beef treats - much better than the kibble Alpha gave him. But not nearly as good as what Alpha gave himself to eat. Sidi wondered if he should try to be Alpha again and get the good stuff to eat not the kibble. Alpha could eat all the kibble he wanted. Sidi liked the good stuff. He sniffed, smelling the bit on Alpha. It didn't smell good but he remembered. Alpha proved he was Alpha then. Sidi whined. Alpha reached down and scratched him. Sidi liked it but...Alpha bite smelled worse. Sidi smelled the bad under the blergh.

"Okay, Sidi, let's try this again," Jeremy said. So far in all the trials, Sidi only moved around the bridge. He hadn't barked again or ran up to the main viewscreen. Jeremy worked on getting Sidi to sit on the opposite side of him, the left side, so he wasn't between the two stations. Sidi went down without a problem, only rising to sit on his haunches as Jeremy sat at the station. "Computer, replay simulation from liftoff from Vega with current displayed characters." The room shimmered again. Jeremy listened as the simulation went through the motions of liftoff from Vega. Sidi whined a little as the ship began to lift off but then his eyes were drawn to the viewscreen. Without warning he ran to the center and barked at the screen. "Computer stop program and rewind fifteen seconds. Sidi heel."

Sidi went back to him as the viewscreen shimmered. "Continue program." Jeremy watched. Sidi sat with his tongue hanging out and then he ran to the viewscreen, barking.

Jeremy sighed as his shoulders slumped. "Computer, reset program. Delete images of avians on viewscreen."

Jeremy waited. Sidi whined at liftoff. He put his head in Jeremy's lap and eyed the room. Jeremy waited as he watched the screen. The view filled with clouds and then, seemingly, all too soon, the clouds gave way to the fading light of atmosphere and all too soon, the only light on the viewscreen were those of simulated stars. "That was the problem, wasn't it?" Jeremy asked after stopping the simulation again. "You were chasing the large birds we passed by?" Sidi lifted his head at the mention of birds but didn't see or smell any so settled back into Jeremy's lap, waiting to be stroked or rubbed. "Computer restart simulation. Remove turbulence from liftoff."

Jeremy didn't even pretend to watch anything else. The ship rose in the air, relative only to the changing of the viewscreen. The removal of the shaking and other indicia of the ship's initial battle with gravity gone and Sidi didn't even blink an eye. "Down," Jeremy said, reinforcing the command with a hand signal. Sidi lowered himself to the floor, looking up at Jeremy over his shoulder before settling his head on his front paws. He yawned, his eyes half closing.

"Computer, restart simulation with all previously stated conditions." Jeremy went through the motions of the liftoff, half following the action of the simulation, the other half of his focus on Sidi. The dog stretched but otherwise gave no reaction to what was going on. Jeremy shook his head. Just as he had said - Sidi got excited by the planetary launch. Just like everyone but the incompetent Lt. Malevin.

Jeremy reset the program to add the turbulence - and eventually the birds. The results were predictable. Sidi reacted to each stimulus as he had at launch. Jeremy's jaw clenched. All that trouble over an isolated incident! He hated the idea that so many people preached 'enlightenment' and 'acceptance' but meant it only conditionally. If they had just given Sidi the chance. Now...

Jeremy sighed. Now was the hard part. "Computer, set tactical station for Sidious Training One Boy Boy." Jeremy waited for the telltale shimmer and then hit a key on his station. Simultaneously he gave Sidi a new command station. Sidi looked at him, his brown eyes curious and head cocked to the side. "I know, that's a new one," Jeremy said. "But we're going to get through this."

Jeremy stood and considered. What did he have to do to make this work? He still wasn't confident about his control of Sidi in a crisis situation, or in a search. How was he going to accomplish this task? Saalm said two weeks but...Jeremy sighed. Two weeks was all he had. Less than that now. He took the package of beef treats out of his pocket, noticing that they were slightly soggy. He didn't have much choice in the matter. It was a task he would accomplish and prove that Sidi deserved the respect that Jeremy was fighting so hard to get him.

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