"Captain, while I applaud your success in first contact with the !A!amo tribe, I must suggest that next time you wear proper boots."

The voice of Y was rather small, coming out of the drone.

But Brooks did have to admit he had a point.

After he had left the bridge, he'd taken a walk and neglected to put his space boots back on.

The moccasins were comfortable - but were perhaps not enough for a world as wild as this.

He'd stepped on something - not even a living being, but a pointed stick, that had punctured the leather, and hence his foot.

"Just clean it and cover it," he told Y. "I'll make the decisions regarding footwear."

"Oh, yes, and leave me to fix your foot again later. What should happen, Captain, if you are running from something dangerous when next it occurs?"

"I think I won't have success outrunning something big here regardless of the shoes I have on," he replied.

"Pish," Y replied. "You are fortunate that I am nothing if not versatile. Among your medical supplies are combat-grade wound sealants. With a few extra layers of it, we can protect your feet far better than mere leather."

"If you take the liner from your boots and put it into those leather rags, they'll be even better," Kai suggested, looking very displeased.

It would reflect on her, she thought, that the Captain had gotten himself injured under her care. But she couldn't keep his foolhardiness entirely under check.

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Y had cleaned the wound on his foot and then started spraying the sealant over the whole thing. It felt odd; like his skin was getting thicker. But it was composed of a flexible carbon layer, so it would be quite tough.

"You know," Brooks said to Kai. "I'm starting to think I should have brought you onto Gohhi with me when I went undercover."

"You know I don't do field work anymore," she said.

"I'm a Star Captain who is supposed to be on a command deck. And yet here we both are, in the field."

She grimaced and looked down at her rifle, cleaning mud off the outside.

"At least the local mosquito analogues don't seem to find us edible," she noted.

"This is true," Y said. "However, local ectoparasites analogous to ticks will still attempt to burrow into your skin, so regular checks of your bodies are advised. They are two centimeters long, so you will likely notice their presence."

"Are they anything like the tree borers?" Brooks asked.

"The what?" Kai asked.

Brooks pointed up towards the nearest tree, where a short and spiked object poked out. "See that? It's not a branch, it's some kind of animal. I saw the holes they left behind on that fallen tree."

"Very perceptive, Captain," Y said, stopping his spraying. "Union scientists have called them Iron Borers, as they utilize metal grains within their drills to puncture the trees, which themselves use copper grains to help strengthen their trunks. The borers are not related to the tick-analogues, as far as I know, however."

"This world must be very rich in metals," Kai said thoughtfully.

Y floated closer to Brooks's eye level. "I recommend that you follow Commander Fan's advice and take the liners from your boots. With that said, unless you have any other medical emergencies, I will end this telecommunication. I have thirteen other teams that require some of my focus."

"Thank you, doctor," Brooks said.

"Goodbye," Y replied, and the drone shifted slightly as its programming took back over.

Kai gestured towards the shelter. "As head of security, you're a risk if you go stumbling around again. Go rest and let your foot heal, I'll take watch."

The drone looked to her. "You need not trouble yourself, Commander Fan, we can-"

"I'll take first watch," she said with finality.

The drone did not argue, and neither did Brooks.

"Thanks, Kai," he said to her. Then, still hobbling a little, he went back to the shelter.