Space Relations Pt. 28

Absently, the captain pushed the blanket away and got to her feet. She took a deep breath as Cruz continued to examine her, while the rest of the crew gawked at her new female form covered over only by her tight boxers.

"Cappy, you really outdid yourself this time." Mark commented. "I mean, seriously, that ass!"

"What's wrong with my ass?" The captain tried to look over her shoulder to check that part of her out.

"There is nothing wrong with it, Cappy." Mark leered at him. "It just looks really good for thumping, you know what I mean?"

"Is that the first thing you can think of?" Barbie protested.

Mark shrugged. "Hey, this ain't you grandma's science vessel, bitch. Oh, no, honey! This ship has been X rated from the start. Cappy, your ass looks delicious. You don't know how much I'm going to enjoy tapping that later."

Barbie's face twisted up with irritation, but she didn't say anything.

"I don't quite know how to answer that." The captain replied. "For now, let's just stick with official protocol. It is kind of disconcerting for you to refer to me as if I'm some sort of sex object."

"Hey, you guys did that all the time when some of us were girls." Mark replied.

"That's true, Captain." Mario nodded. "You ex-men just didn't notice it, but you've always talked to us like that."

"We can make that a topic for conversation when out support group convenes again." Cruz said, decisively. "Captain, according to my preliminary examination, you're vital signs are stable. If you would follow me to the med corner, we'll check out your mental and physical states in more depth. Follow me, Captain."

"Who wants breakfast?" Mark asked. "If you want a big, beefy hot dog, Cappy, you come to me first, because I've got one waiting for you. I think I'll make some hot cakes today. Give me about twenty minutes, you guys."

As the big man started off, he looked as if he was going to lean over to smack the captain on the ass. Barbie must have read his mind, as she quickly got between them.

"Hey, I'll take on both of you at the same time." Mark winked, before he strode out of the room.

"The relational dynamic here on the ship is very odd." Cammie commented.

"It will balance itself out." Mario nodded. "Oh, yeah, it will. If only one of us had changed, we would have gotten over it and gone on with our duties by now. Since nearly the whole entire crew has changed, we've had to alter our outlook over and over every time somebody else gets zapped. But don't worry. I think the Captain has his head grounded. He's a trooper!"

"I think I liked him better as a man." Freya crossed her arms. "A lot better."

The captain noticed how her wife shot a glare in the Viking woman's direction. There was still a lot of tension between them. She thought she should say something to change the subject. "Okay, I want all of you to be honest. Who here thinks I'm ugly?"

"You're not ugly!" Barbie was the first to respond. "You're not the man I'm used to looking at, but you're not ugly!"

With her big eyes, Cruz looked at the captain and shook her head.

"Does this body make my hips look too big?" The captain joked.

Mario covered her mouth and giggled, while Cruz replied, "You do have your junk in the trunk, Captain, but I've got you beat in that department. Oh, my. Did I just refer to myself as a sexual woman? I thought that day would never come, baby, but here it is in its full, resplendent glory. Not only have I become a woman in form, but deep inside my psyche, I have really become a woman. What a day this is turning out to be!"

"That's enough of that, you goofball." Mario went over and elbowed his partner. "Come on, let's get Captain Wilma on the treadmill so we can check her heart rate."

"Wait, wait." The captain held his hand out. "I don't think Wilma will be a good name for me."

"Oh, did you choose another one?" Mario looked at him. She started bouncing up and down on her toes. "What is it, Captain?"

The black woman was a little distracted by Mario's bouncing. All of his mannerisms and voice tone were exactly like Mary's. It was weird to see that on the little blonde man instead of the little blonde woman he'd once been. Finally, the captain glanced around at his crew. "I want to be called Uhura. Lieutenant Uhura."

"Isn't that name trademarked?" Cruz wondered. "I could swear I've heard that name before somewhere."

"It can't be trademarked." The captain replied. "It's the name of one of the highest mountain peaks in Africa. You can't trademark a mountain, Cruz."

"My mistake. Let's get you checked out. I don't think we'll find anything wrong with you, because you're obviously in excellent shape, both mentally and physically."

"Come on, honey." Mario came over and took hold of Uhura's wrist.

That little blonde man was still exhibiting Mary's maternal instincts, the captain saw. Like Cammie said, the relational dynamic was very odd on that ship.