Keena was riding high on the wave of sexual joy that was Keepum's ongoing gift. It could take several days for its orgasmic influence to begin to fade.
Her first few weeks on this starship, and she'd already learned so much.
Back on shift and assigned to the loading dock, she operated the lifts and grabbers that manipulated the Magnitude's inventories of parts and supplies. The huge hangar was a bustle of droids and crew, all working together to marshal the Magnitudes stores.
Mind-free busy work that let her mind wander and wallow in the sensational experience of the day before. Press green, press white, press green, then blue, repeat ad-nauseum.
Green... She used the grab to hoist an engine array up in a haze of distraction...white... The huge array swung lazily over the ramps. Damn, Keepum was good... blue...
Wait no!!
The load uncoupled and fell 20 feet, crashing to the floor in a catastrophic thunder of twisting metal.
Keena jumped from her console and looked over the parapet. All she saw was shattered metal and a pair of legs protruding from the edge.
Keena's supervisor sent her straight to her quarters, while the unfortunate docker, Sweep Jones, was beamed directly to sick bay. It seemed touch and go as to whether he'd survive.
...
Her quarter's door buzzed, announcing a visitor.
At her desk, head on her arms, Keena mumbled her permission to enter.
Beams walked in tentatively.
He went straight to his friend, placing a sympathetic hand on her back.
"Keena, I heard what happened. Are you ok?"
"Not really Beams," she whimpered, "The Captain wants me in his command room. I'm going to be punished. Do you know what that means?"
He did. It would be a whipping.
"Keena, just quit, quit the fleet. I can't bear the thought of you in pain," Beams pleaded.
The tannoy cut off Keena's response.
"Recruit Keena, to the command room."
This was it.
...
"Recruit Keena, you have the choice," Captain Naughton's voice rolled around his study.
"For the extreme negligence that led to the grievous injury of Docker Jones, you may retire from the fleet and leave in disgrace. Return to the populace and be forever forbidden from enjoying the rights of the Fleet." He turned on his heel to face her. "Or face the corporal punishment of six lashes, to be broadcast to the ship as both an example and a warning."
Keena felt the tears of shame sting her eyes; she felt tiny and inconsequential in the presence of the Captain. A large, imposing man of ancient African heritage, his aura of command infused every strut of the Magnitude.
"Captain I..." a sob choked the words in her throat.
The Captain walked around his desk, sat on it, and leaned towards Keena reassuringly.
"Recruit Keena, I would be very sorry to lose you from the Fleet, the Concordia needs people like you.
"But you must make this choice freely. The punishment will be painful and humiliating, as it must be to act as a deterrent, but it is avoidable. You have free will in this decision."
All Keena had known was wanting to join fleet. Life could be tough out in the wider Concordia.
"Captain..I..I'll take the lash," Keena whispered in a small voice.
" A very brave choice, Recruit."
The captain rose and spoke with his back to her again. "As you know, there are four levels of punishment. Hands, calves, buttocks, back." He spun to look her in the eye. "As your carelessness resulted in Docker Jones having to be rebuilt, yet you did not extinguish his existence completely, I have ruled it as a level three offense. Punishment will be carried out here, by me, but broadcast to all monitors ship-wide." You will be restrained and will receive 6 strikes across the buttocks from the laser cane. The damage will be painful, but you won't carry the scars as they once did."
"You have 7 cycles to choose when to receive your punishment, recruit.' Finished the Captain
"Captain... sir. I can't live with this hanging over me any longer; I need it done now, sir."
The captain studied her face for a long time. "Very well recruit." He spoke softly, "Let it be now."
He rose and paced to a cabinet behind his desk and called out to the ship's AI.
" Vex? Ship-wide communication active, all ports.
Crew. Some of you know, and some that maybe do not, we have a level three punishment to be carried out on the ship, and that is to be carried out imminently." The Captain reached inside his cabinet and produced four thick bracelets of silver-coloured alloy and a silver rod of around eight units long, smooth and chromed.
" Recruit Keena is to receive her punishment of six lashes for the grievous injury caused to Docker Jones by her negligence. Communication over."
He carried the bracelets to Keena.
"You must remove your uniform, recruit Keena, and then we will lock in the gravity cuffs. You are new to the fleet, have you seen these before?" He enquired.
Eyes cast downwards, she shook her head no
"These are restraints that will allow me to position you anywhere I need to; they are linked to the ship's gravity field and can be manipulated to hold their position anywhere on the ship. In this case, they will lock your hands and feet into the assumed punishment position," he explained.
"Please recruit, remove your uniform, and attach the cuffs to your wrists and ankles."
Keena's heart was pounding from her chest; it felt like an out-of-body experience as she undid the zip, starting at her neck and chasing it all the way down to her crotch.
She let the white and red overalls fall to the floor so that she stood in just her white compression vest and white and red fleet underwear, thong style, that disappeared between her light brown cheeks.
She picked up the first gravity cuff and, with a shaking hand, clipped it around her left wrist.
It hummed as it locked and gently vibrated through her skin.
She daren't look at the imposing Captain for fear of breaking down. She would face this ordeal bravely, she vowed. Though she felt his eyes watch her every movement.
