"Lawson here," Miranda greeted tersely, acquiescing to the request for communication that appeared on the screen of her terminal, wondering if there was any possibility of her being able to get her work done before her shift came to an end. "What is it?"
"That's an awfully blunt way to greet someone," Dr Chakwas voice filtered through the speakers.
"Dr Chakwas, I didn't know it was you," Miranda responded apologetically, shoving her irritation to the side. "Sorry, It's been one of those days. Mordin won't stop pestering me about one of the new experiments he's been running. Something to do with boosting the intelligence of Varren, though for what reason still remains a mystery to me."
"I was curious as to why Mordin appeared so excitable today, more than usual that is. He's been in and out of the infirmary borrowing equipment and medical supplies, I have no clue what he needs an ECG monitor for," Dr Chakwas said with an amused flair in her voice. "In fact, I'm certain that he hasn't gotten a wink of sleep these past few days."
"He's like a dog to a bone when he has his mind set on something, it's impossible to break him away from it until he's had his fun," Miranda joked, hearing the older woman chuckle lightly in response. "What was it you wanted to talk about? Because if it's about Mordin sequestering your supplies then I'm afraid that there's little I can do. That wily Salarian can bypass even the most complex security systems without so much as a second thought, if I'd known that he was a master code cracker before I would have reconsidered bringing him aboard."
"Oh no, I don't mind it. In fact, I'm quite curious about his experiment, I'm already envisioning a talking Varren being added to the crew at some point in the near future. It wouldn't even be the strangest addition to our ever-growing rogues gallery," Dr Chakwas assured her light-heartedly. "No, I needed to talk to you about Grunt."
"Grunt?" Miranda sat up, already imagining a thousand and one things the Krogan could have done to necessitate the priority call. "What has he done now?"
"Nothing... " the doctor paused. "At least, not yet."
"Meaning?" Miranda raised a brow at the ominous statement.
"It's all this business with his sexual maturity. I thought he had gotten it out of his system weeks ago, though I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason for it," Dr Chakwas said, unaware that Miranda knew exactly what it was that became an outlet for the severely hormonal Krogan. "Grunt has appeared quite calm, or as calm as a Krogan can be. But he started flaring up again today, appearing ready to tear his room apart at any moment."
"And where is he now?" Miranda asked, concerned about the implications of having the lust-addled Krogan wandering freely around the ship.
"In the med bay with me. Well, he's currently locked in the rear supply room if we're being specific," Dr Chakwas answered. "I felt that it was safer to bring him down here and keep his vitals monitored, luckily for me Grunt seemed to share my concern."
"Could I ask what this has to do with me?" Miranda inquired, keeping her voice as steady as she could after becoming aware of just how close Grunt was to her personal quarters. "Matters of security on the Normandy are more of a concern for Jacob or Shepard, I'm usually the one who cleans up the mess after something goes wrong."
"Ordinarily, Shepard would have been my first point of call. But before Grunt agreed to let me seal him away, he had only one request. He wanted to see you."
"Me?" Miranda felt her blood run cold, worried that her most illicit secret had become known to the Normandy's sole physician. "Did he explain why?"
"I'm afraid not, he was oddly vague when I asked why," Dr Chakwas replied, unable to see the visible relief that passed through the Cerberus operative. "I concluded that it was best to not pry, I know better than to pry into the mind of a Krogan. Will you be able to come across?"
"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can," Miranda said, cutting the link.
Miranda sat back and stared blankly at the wall across from her, lost in a world of her own. It didn't come as much surprise to hear that Grunt's libido had spiralled out of control, fully aware that she played a significant part in the rapid deterioration of his boundless pool of arousal. Since initiating an intimate relationship with her, Grunt had become relentless in his demands of Miranda; overwhelmingly so. It was a rare mistake on the part of Miranda, to engage in a sexual partnership in what was essentially her place of work.
Miranda's sexual encounters were always kept separate from her true life, committed with lovers who didn't know her true identity and had no means of contacting her once the deed was done. She was a woman who enjoyed the pleasures of intercourse, but equally enjoyed keeping a wide distance between herself and the men she met up with via iPartner. It was an error of judgement on her part to so easily succumb to Grunt's advances, even more so when he decided to start visiting her quarters whenever he pleased in search of a relief only she could bring.
It was a dangerous game for a person who always ensured that work and personal affairs were kept as separate as possible. That's not to say that Miranda didn't get a kick out of the risk of being caught, it certainly added a level of excitement that broke the monotony of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape she was forced to endure on a daily basis. However, the thought of anyone uncovering the sordid affair didn't sit well, not when Miranda knew that any opportunist or individual with an axe to grind would give anything to hold the secret over her head, to extort her for everything they could.
As exhilarating as her spontaneous sessions with the energetic Krogan were, Miranda didn't believe it was worth the potential risk to her career and her character, aware that it would undermine the authority she held both on the Normandy and within the Cerberus hierarchy. Gradually, Miranda tried to keep Grunt at a distance from her, becoming more vigilant about locking the door to her quarters to prevent the Krogan from wandering in and dragging her over to the bed whenever the urge developed, making sure to avoid heading down to engineering unless it was absolutely necessary.
To discover that Grunt's arousal had returned to its chaotic state came as little surprise, but knowing that it had reached a degree that was concerning enough to warrant an intervention by Dr Chakwas was hardly something she could ignore. Though she tried to ignore it, the thought of finally ending the dry spell between her and Grunt ignited a fire within her that had been all but snuffed out in recent weeks. Instinctively, Miranda's hand fell beneath her desk and moved between her thighs, bumping against her mound.
"God," Miranda hissed, taken aback by the sheer arousal the gentle touch induced. Rubbing her fingers across her covered slit, Miranda found herself being swept up by the desires she had deliberately divided herself from. The temptation to unzip her bodysuit and finger her hot sex was strong, but with Grunt ready and waiting for her in the room across from hers, Miranda pulled her hand away and stood on her shaky legs. "I hope I won't regret this."
Miranda straightened up and cleared her mind, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Once she was ready, she left her desk and sauntered over to the door to her quarters and disengaged the lock, sweeping into the crew quarters. With the night shift on duty, only a skeleton crew was required to maintain the Normandy, allowing Miranda to walk the short distance without being spotted. Arriving at the med bay, Miranda stepped inside and found Dr Chakwas sat at her own terminal, in the middle of ordering fresh supplies to replenish what had been borrowed by Mordin.
"You took your time," Dr Chakwas offered Miranda a friendly smirk, clutching a small glass of Serrice Ice brandy.
"I had a few documents that needed finishing off," Miranda smiled back, always finding herself able to open up to the older physician in a way she couldn't with most if the crew. "My workload isn't getting any smaller."
"All work and no play," Dr Chakwas smirked knowingly, pointing at her monitor. "I've already had to stock up three times this week, you wouldn't believe how often I have to tend to the away team when they come back from their missions."
"I think I have some idea," Miranda said, having seen for herself just how far Shepard and the crew were willing to go to get the mission done. "Sometimes I feel like this is less of a cohesive team of unique individuals and more of a gang of adrenaline junkies."
"In my experience, the adrenaline junkies are the ones you want to stick with. During my younger years, I served on vessels that were captained by borderline tyrants, captains who wouldn't tolerate anything less than a by the book approach to their missions," Dr Chakwas said, taking just a small sip from her glass. "Shepard is nothing like those captains; she commands authority without having to demand it from her crew. You follow her wherever she goes because you respect her, no matter how unorthodox her approach can be."
"Hence the exorbitant cost of the Lazarus Project," Miranda added, sharing a small laugh with the physician. "Humanity needs a leader, and there was no-one better suited for the role."
"And she was worth every penny," Dr Chakwas replied in earnest, swallowing the last drops of brandy. "I don't usually drink while I'm at work, but I make exceptions for certain occasions."
"I take it that this is one of those occasions?" Miranda asked, flicking her eyes towards the sealed room to the rear of the med bay.
"I should say so," Dr Chakwas gave Miranda a weary smile, bringing up a recording of Grunt on her monitor, one that showed the Krogan marching around the med bay without pause. "I've dealt with my fair share of Krogan over the years, I even spent a month on Tuchanka in my early thirties as part of the Alliance's initiative to better understand the biology of the other races. But the one thing I've never experienced is a Krogan as youthful as Grunt, bristling with a bottomless pit of energy. I did my best to sooth him, but I'm afraid that I'm out of my depth."
