Chief Samira Carter was having a good day. It was her day off, and as chief of security on the Inyx, she didn't get many of those. Especially not now that they had chased Wasp, the criminal vandal-hacker, all the way to the furthest and most dangerous parts of the rim of Alliance space. This was the kind of time when standards slipped and tempers frayed, and it was Chief Carter's job to make sure that didn't happen. Captain Vasser was perfectly capable of running a tight ship, of course, but it wasn't appropriate to dirty the captain's hands with every petty squabble and misdeed amongst the crew.
Dealing with all that fell to Chief Carter. Nobody talked back to a good security officer, and she was a great security officer.
As she walked through the Inyx's passageways and bulkheads, everyone who she passed looked at her with a healthy mixture of fear, respect, and admiration. On her days off, Chief Carter was particularly grateful to be able to bask in that last one. She put a hell of a lot of effort into her body, and she was always glad to get some appreciation for it. Tall and broad-shouldered, she certainly had the build of a security officer, and she spent just about every spare hour she could in the Inyx's gymnasium keeping her large, prominent muscles nicely toned and finely honed.
When she was off-duty, like today, the regs even permitted her to wear a simple, black tank top instead of the usual button-up uniform jacket. She loved the looks it put on the faces of some of the younger girls on the crew.
But today she had something more to bother with than winking at the women ogling her to make them blush. She had an appointment with the ship's chief medical officer.
"Hey, doctor," Chief Carter called out, as she walked into the medbay. "How's it going?"
"Chief." Dr. Hiraga rose to meet her, a warm, professional smile on her face. "Thank you for coming. I trust I haven't interrupted anything important? I was under the impression that you were off duty, but you look busy."
"Don't worry." Chief Carter laughed heartily. "I was just pumping some iron. I'm afraid I had to come straight from the gym."
She knew Dr. Hiraga was reacting to the sheen of sweat covering her muscular body. In truth, it was simply how Chief Carter often liked to present herself. It usually had the desired effect. Her rich, olive skin looked incredible that way, she'd often been told. She could have showered, but instead she'd just taken a little time to make sure her chin-length bob of black hair looked good.
Dr. Hiraga wasn't her usual type. But you never knew.
"I'll be sure not to keep you," Dr. Hiraga replied. "As you know, it's mostly just a check-up."
"I'm sure it'll be quick," Chief Carter quipped as the two of them went to sit down. "As you can see, I'm in great shape."
Dr. Hiraga laughed politely. "I'm sure. But today we're more interested in your mental health than your physical health."
"Pfft. I don't really go in for that kind of stuff, but alright." Chief Carter sat back, one arm resting over the back of her chair. "What do you need to ask?"
The doctor pulled something up on her datapad. "Well, it's been a long tour, and we haven't seen much success so far. How are you handling the stress?"
Chief Carter shrugged easily. "It's nothing. I'm used to it."
"Are you sure?" Dr. Hiraga pressed. "As chief of security, there's a lot of pressure on your shoulders."
"My shoulders can handle it." Chief Carter flexed a little, grinning. "If I get frustrated, all I need to do is picture what I'm gonna do to that Wasp once we get our hands on her."
"That's certainly what I like to hear." Something lively and daring suddenly flashed through Dr. Hiraga's eyes and - to Chief Carter's shock - she bit her bottom lip. "Don't worry, Chief. I trust you. I'm looking at those shoulders of yours very, very carefully."
She was plainly flirting and, for once, Chief Carter was too stunned to flirt back. This was the last thing she'd expected from the ship's mousy doctor.
"Right." She laughed awkwardly, immediately unsure if she'd simply imagined it.
"Do you feel you have coping methods for the stresses that your role presents?" Dr. Hiraga asked, flipping back to professionalism. "Friends? Hobbies? Ways to blow off steam?"
"Well, sure. That's what I go to the gymnasium for." Chief Carter gestured at her biceps. "There's no better way to deal with things than lifting something nice and heavy. It gives you a goal to strive for. Gets you out of your own head. It feels great, even if it does leave you a little sweaty."
"So I see." Dr. Hiraga's eyes flashed again. "You make it sound very appealing, Chief. Perhaps I'll have to pay you a visit at the gym sometime - if you wouldn't mind, of course."
Her flirtatious tone threw the security chief off-balance again. "You mean, to work out? Sure. I'd be more than happy to show you the ropes, spot for you, stuff like that."
"Oh, no." Dr. Hiraga giggled uncharacteristically. "I was just thinking that I'd love to watch."
Chief Carter blinked and then looked at her sharply. There was no way she had imagined that. Dr. Hiraga was certainly in some kind of mood. Besides her flirtiness, she was calmer and more assured than Chief Carter had ever seen before. And... was she wearing something underneath her uniform? Chief Carter could see, just barely, a few hints of something black and shiny. It looked kinky.
A slow smile crept over Chief Carter's face. Was Dr. Hiraga having some kind of midlife crisis? Whatever was happening, it was clearly good for her. The doctor had always been so high-strung, and if discovering her wild side was helping her to get over that, Chief Carter was happy for her.
Plus, she'd be happy to help. Fraternizations between officers were strictly regulated, of course, but as chief of security, Chief Carter felt entitled to bend the rules a little, provided she was being discreet. Dr. Hiraga had never really caught her eye before, but she certainly wasn't bad-looking, and Chief Carter found herself suddenly curious about what, exactly, was going on under that uniform.
"Sure," Chief Carter replied slowly, grinning. "You can come watch. I bet there are all kinds of things I could show you."
"I bet." Dr. Hiraga took a moment to smile daringly at her before moving on. "Well, I think it's safe to say that you're doing great. Now let's take care of the procedure."
Chief Carter suddenly frowned. "The procedure?" She'd heard nothing about this.
"An inoculation," Dr. Hiraga explained. "We're entering a region of space inhabited by a unique void-faring alien species called the Kressari. They make use of a unique song with mind-altering effects. I've devised a simple procedure to protect each of us from those effects."
"I see," Chief Carter replied cautiously. This was all news to her. "What does it involve?"
"A simple holo-stimulant nano-implant, based on our ship's very own holodeck technology." Dr. Hiraga stood up and started making a few preparations. "It's injected via the aural canal and attaches to the optic nerve. From there, it makes use of holographic projections that can cancel out other mind-altering effects."
"Huh." Chief Carter was taken aback. She trusted Dr. Hiraga, obviously, but she'd never heard of the Kressari before, and this was the kind of thing she'd expect to find out about in a briefing or a ship-wide announcement. "And... this is all coming from Captain Vasser, right?"
