03-14-2026, 04:19 AM
Beka had been very grateful for the break. The redhead’s role as chief doctor for Artemis meant that it was extremely rare for her to actually be able to completely disconnect and relax. For all her many flaws, she was an incredibly gifted trauma surgeon, but with the ship in Earth’s orbit there were enough top-class medical facilities in easy reach for her skills not to be needed.
Privately she would never have admitted it, but Sydesh had been keeping a somewhat lower profile since her break-up with Aeryn. The CSO was an extremely popular officer whilst the doctor was, at best, a polarising presence. It meant Beka had been something of a latecomer to the gathering and had kept a respectful distance from the hostess.
Still, as she emerged from the lake in a two-piece swimsuit, there was no denying she was certainly capable of making an entrance. Nearby heads turned, and the appreciative nod from the Security officer Cam Reeve earned him a smack round the head from Nat Okehampton, his girlfriend and Beka’s roommate.
“What was that for?” Reeve said, rubbing his head as he turned to Nat.
“Wandering eyes,” Nat replied as Beka approached the couple’s mini-camp right by the jetty.
“And? You think I’m remotely interested in her?” Cam asked.
“You’re only human,” Beka said, joining in with a wink as she picked up her towel. The shimmering green of her swimsuit meant she was really hard to miss - it was actually fairly modest, more like boxer shorts and a sports bra than a bikini, but it was still a two-piece and the redhead filled it in all the right ways.
“Sydesh, you’ve got to have heard of the crazy / hot axis,” Cam said. “The hotter a girl is, the more you’re inclined to take risks with how nuts she is?”
“Yeah…” the doctor replied, as Okehampton rolled her eyes.
“Nat is right in the sweet spot. Near as damn it a 10 on hot, and a 4 or maybe 5 for crazy,” Reeve explained. “She’s spicy enough to keep things interesting but in no way do I feel I’m in danger if I say the wrong thing. You, you’re a solid 10 on both. You’re smoking hot, but not only are you aware of it, you’re an absolute basket case of a person. You turn up and literally anything can and will happen. Case in point after the Ursula Andress appearance just now.”
Okehampton burst out laughing as Sydesh’s face flushed red.
“I hate you sometimes,” Beka said, before the flash of motion to her right made her turn her head. Right in time to get a faceful of drink.
“Who the hell do you think you are!” The newcomer was a dark-skinned woman with Bajoran nose ridges, and she’d just pitched most of a pint of something over the doctor. “Turning up to a Star Fleet gathering looking like that! Do you have no shame?!”
The towel hit the floor as Beka found her tongue.
“Who the fuck appointed you the morality police?” she shouted back. “You’ve got no problem with that guy over there in fucking y-fronts, or Nat’s cropped top, but you’re coming at me for something that’s not even that bad? Just how bad are your insecurities?”
“For shame!” the woman yelled.
“Not a concept I’m familiar with,” Beka snapped. “Tell you what. Which one’s your guy? I’ll fuck him right here in front of you. I’ll damn well give you something to be offended about!”
There was a sharp crack as the woman slapped Sydesh in the face. And then someone came between the two of them…
Privately she would never have admitted it, but Sydesh had been keeping a somewhat lower profile since her break-up with Aeryn. The CSO was an extremely popular officer whilst the doctor was, at best, a polarising presence. It meant Beka had been something of a latecomer to the gathering and had kept a respectful distance from the hostess.
Still, as she emerged from the lake in a two-piece swimsuit, there was no denying she was certainly capable of making an entrance. Nearby heads turned, and the appreciative nod from the Security officer Cam Reeve earned him a smack round the head from Nat Okehampton, his girlfriend and Beka’s roommate.
“What was that for?” Reeve said, rubbing his head as he turned to Nat.
“Wandering eyes,” Nat replied as Beka approached the couple’s mini-camp right by the jetty.
“And? You think I’m remotely interested in her?” Cam asked.
“You’re only human,” Beka said, joining in with a wink as she picked up her towel. The shimmering green of her swimsuit meant she was really hard to miss - it was actually fairly modest, more like boxer shorts and a sports bra than a bikini, but it was still a two-piece and the redhead filled it in all the right ways.
“Sydesh, you’ve got to have heard of the crazy / hot axis,” Cam said. “The hotter a girl is, the more you’re inclined to take risks with how nuts she is?”
“Yeah…” the doctor replied, as Okehampton rolled her eyes.
“Nat is right in the sweet spot. Near as damn it a 10 on hot, and a 4 or maybe 5 for crazy,” Reeve explained. “She’s spicy enough to keep things interesting but in no way do I feel I’m in danger if I say the wrong thing. You, you’re a solid 10 on both. You’re smoking hot, but not only are you aware of it, you’re an absolute basket case of a person. You turn up and literally anything can and will happen. Case in point after the Ursula Andress appearance just now.”
Okehampton burst out laughing as Sydesh’s face flushed red.
“I hate you sometimes,” Beka said, before the flash of motion to her right made her turn her head. Right in time to get a faceful of drink.
“Who the hell do you think you are!” The newcomer was a dark-skinned woman with Bajoran nose ridges, and she’d just pitched most of a pint of something over the doctor. “Turning up to a Star Fleet gathering looking like that! Do you have no shame?!”
The towel hit the floor as Beka found her tongue.
“Who the fuck appointed you the morality police?” she shouted back. “You’ve got no problem with that guy over there in fucking y-fronts, or Nat’s cropped top, but you’re coming at me for something that’s not even that bad? Just how bad are your insecurities?”
“For shame!” the woman yelled.
“Not a concept I’m familiar with,” Beka snapped. “Tell you what. Which one’s your guy? I’ll fuck him right here in front of you. I’ll damn well give you something to be offended about!”
There was a sharp crack as the woman slapped Sydesh in the face. And then someone came between the two of them…