Your Body Is a Battleground

[Lorna DeLaTour]

A few months had passed since Lorna had moved to Jovan station. She didn't regret her choice to accept the work offer but she would be lying if she tried to deny she missed outdoors and even space travel. She felt confined aboard the space station, even though it was a spacious one, full of so many species mingling with one another. She loved cosmopolitan opportunities, because she was a firm believer that people could gain from knowing about other cultures. For sure, it could be challenging, and sometimes even dangerous with certain idiotic individuals when put in the same setting with belligerent ones; but she still felt passionate about such things.

Her background working with different species had also seen her help with different medical facilities aboard Jovan Station, which also kept things fresh, at least as much as it was possible in space. Today, she had been summoned to one of the med bays in the ambassador sector. The last time she had been there, a reluctant Bothan had given her trouble until she was able to quiet him when trading childhood stories. The things a patient could need never ceased to amaze Lorna, and it was also why she loved her career, besides helping people.

Upon entering the building, the receptionist greeted her and directed her to the level and room where she would receive her patient of the day. Still curious as to what had brought her here, Lorna went to the appointed area. Putting her personal effects aside, she briefly wished she had got some stim caf. She had worked late the previous night and had thus skipped her morning run. She was alert enough to do her job, but the extra kick would have been welcome. She would see whether it would be a matter of breakfast or lunch, depending what was up with the patient.

A medical droid showed up and gave her a datapad with the file of the patient she was to see. Walking to the medical station to check everything was in order, Lorna realized that old habits died hard. Although she didn't risk malfunctions in this medical facility, having worked many charity missions with improbable equipment had made her inclined to triple check everything.

She heard the door open behind her, and turned to look, curious whether the medical personnel had something else to add, or whether it was her patient.

[Camile Saccard]

The opening door revealed not one of Lorna’s colleagues, but a patient. She wore a flight jacket, decorated with a fan-like insignia (https://theholo.net/forum/images/usr/customgroupicons/socialgroupicon_16_1455035660.gif) on the chest, and a simple body glove and black boots beneath. Her blonde hair remained tied back in the usual, functional tail, though a few errant strands had escaped. With red-ringed eyes and splotches of a red rash on her face, her expression was one of obvious frustration.

“Doctor? Please help.”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

When Lorna realized it was her patient, she brought up the woman's file to the nearby monitor. Already mulling over what she just saw, she gestured towards the examination table.

"Please sit... Captain Saccard," she added having seen the woman's name from the corner of her eye. In a few minutes she hadn't had time to check. Sanitizing her hands as she stepped back for the other blonde to get ready for examination, she looked at the little information there was on the file. That felt like classified information, which wasn't the first time she went through such things, especially having worked with some ambassadors so far.

"I'm Dr. DeLaTour," she said briefly, for the woman wasn't here for small talk. Bringing a light to have a better look at the rash, she inwardly mused how rashes could be everything from nothing to really bad, but if there had been a real anxiety over the situation, the woman would have been quarantined.

"When did the rash start? On what part of your body?"

[Camile Saccard]

The medical file on Camile Saccard was brief. Aside from a report on an initial examination conducted on her arrival into Alliance space, there was a brief profile that included her vitals, blood pressure, and a few other measurements.

NAME: Saccard, Camile
SEX: Female
AGE: 32
SPECIES: Hapan (humanoid)
ORIGIN WORLD: Hapes Cluster, Relephon
OCCUPATION: Military officer
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: None declared
ON-GOING COURSES OF MEDICINE: None declared
NEXT OF KIN: Unknown - see station naval command in event of emergency
WEEKLY ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: x
WEEKLY NARCOTICS CONSUMPTION: x
SEXUAL HEALTH: x

x - patient declined to answer. Need to arrange Hapan translator for next visit, I think.

“It began not long after I arrived on this station,” she said, through sniffs and in thickly accented Basic. "It goes sometimes for days or weeks, and then - poof," she gestured in irritation at her face. "Again. Always on my face or my hands."

[Lorna DeLaTour]

The patient's file was minimal, but provided the answer about the origin of the accent. Lorna had never got to treat a Hapan before and had only briefly met one of the kind. It had been a male who had believed that being outside of the Consortium meant he could walk all over women. Poor little thing had learned some hard lessons that day.

"When did you arrive? Did anything change in your life here? Do you eat or drink something new? Have you had new sexual partners?"

Since it stated that no prescription was ongoing, and that the other questions hadn't been answered, the blonde nevertheless tried to get some answers. She knew too well how some people wouldn't declare certain things upon early checkups, which could complicate their doctors' life later on, but that was another topic.

Having worked on so many worlds, her voice was naturally articulated and easy to understand. The only times where her Raaltiir accent would crop up was when she was either very excited or very pissed. Neither was the case at the moment.

Lorna had a couple of ideas of what might be causing the rash, and Saccard's answers would hopefully give her some further insight.

[Camile Saccard]

“It has been… less than half a year since I came here.”

Had anything changed in her life? What a question. Her steady climb through the ranks of the Hapan Navy had been brought to an abrupt halt, as the Admiralty had, under the guise of a reward, recommended Camile for a posting aboard a ship full of males and non-Hapans.

“I had not left the Cluster before this time. It was my first time meeting foreign... aliens. Here, the food is either still alive or too bland.”

The people are also too bland, she thought, and that accounted for the last thing she said:

“I have had no sex since joining your Alliance.”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna couldn't help agreeing with Saccard's remark about the food. That was a rather accurate observation, although Lorna had lived on bland ration bars more often than not during certain missions.

She nodded to the other blonde's answers. "Thank you. I'm going to do a general physical examination, and do a skin test, and run some blood work."

She paused as she stepped closer to Saccard. "The check-up and tests will confirm, but you're a good candidate at some sort of allergic reactions. Once we figure out exactly what, we will be able to have you back to normal."

The half-Lorrdian couldn't help being reminded that lack of sex had definitely been part of her experience on Jovan. Not that she needed strings of lovers to be satisfied at all times, but she did miss that sometimes, along with real outdoors. Other than that, her time on Jovan had been a good and productive one so far.

[Camile Saccard]

An allergic reaction? Camile wrinked her nose a little at the thought of it, yet if it were true, she would not be surprised in the least. It was a miracle that she had not fallen prey to some alien infection already.

“Bon. How do we begin? Should I be naked?”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

"It is not necessary per se. Under garments don't get in my way, if you wear any."

Lorna let Saccard do as she saw fit. The blonde doctor had seen so many variations about what one culture wore and what it didn't that she was ready for whatever. And her knowledge of Hapan lingerie was quite nonexistent, military or not.

She entered the tests she wanted to pursue on the nearby examination machine, so the results would be processed as efficiently as possible, once she would have got the required samples.

[Camile Saccard]

Camile’s attention followed the doctor, and when no further instruction was forthcoming, she shrugged out of her flight jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. The form-fitting bodyglove would stay on.

“Where should I be?”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

"Please seat on the examination table, facing me," Lorna replied. She assessed the body-glove, which was definitely form-fitting. While her behavior was strictly professional, as it was her nature, Lorna would have been a bloody liar if she had tried to deny she found the Hapan very attractive, even with a rash. About anyone with such a skin issue would have looked ridiculous, but Saccard still managed to be stunning. All those legends about Hapan women might just be true after all.

"Please extend your arm so I can draw some blood," she added, tools in hand, the action not taking long. The doctor went to get the tests going on the nearby medical machine, before returning to Saccard,

Her next step was to check the different spots with the rash. "Most of them look allergy-induced, but certain spots look slightly different, like on your left forearm," she explained. "Did you get all the required vaccines upon arrival to the station?" It should be a yes, but Lorna had already seen a few cases of people not being as up-to-date as they were supposed to.

[Camile Saccard]

While the doctor inputted something into one of her machines, Camile perched on the end of the examination table and resisted the urge to sniff and swipe at her stinging eyes. Fingers curled around the edge of the table, he leant a fraction to one side to peer at whatever the doctor was working with. Was the standard of medical science within the Alliance as sophisticated as that practised inside the Consortium? With only basic combat medical training, it was hard to tell.

When Lorna turned around, Camile sat up straight again, shoulders back and her posture that level of perfection that only a life in the military could achieve.

“Vaccines?” She paused, long enough to parse the word from Basic into Hapan. “Uh, some, yes. ”

Lifting her left arm, Camile inspected her reddened skin with a suspicious frown.

"Am I allergic to this place?"

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Whoever had taken care of Saccard's initial visit was not someone Lorna would recommend. It was a botched medical report. "Your medical file upon arrival on Jovan is incomplete, but I believe you didn't receive the Cizeri flu vaccine. These different spots are quite telling."

When the medical machine dinged, Lorna turned on her heels and checked the results. At least in this medical section, the technology was doing its job. "You definitely didn't receive the immunization." Lorna frowned at the readings before looking back at Saccard.

"I recommend getting the vaccine now. You already have the Cizeri flu, and it must have been ongoing for a while. You don't need quarantine of any kind, but I'll prescribe you some medication for the upcoming ten days."

Lorna returned back to Saccard's question. "You might still have mild allergic reactions to the Cizeri population, but we will take care of this after we get the flu out of your system."

[Camile Saccard]

Opening her mouth to ask a question, Camile was cut short by a sneeze.

“Cizeree,” she said in a whispered sigh, after composing herself. The word might as well have been a curse. She could hardly walk a step on the station without bumping into a Cizerack, and her brief time aboard the Novgorod had been spent in close quarters with one of their kind. Of course she had caught something from them.

“Please do whatever is necessary, doctor.”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

When Saccard agreed with her recommendation, Lorna retrieved a vaccine from the storage cabinet further into the medical room. She shortly administered the shot to the Hapan. "You can put your jacket back on."

Looking back at the results one more time on the screen, she transferred some information and prescription on a datachip, which she handed to Saccard. "I've updated your file in the system, but made you a copy. I will get you the couple of medications you will be on for a week. After that, I'll need you to come back for a follow-up. By then, I will be able to determine for sure whether you have any further allergy."

She paused for a moment, considering an other thing. "Do you have any ointment to help with the rash. If not, and if you'd want one, I can provide you with one before you leave."

[Camile Saccard]

Shrugging back into the flight jacket, Camile stuffed the datachip into a pocket. At the word ‘ointment’, she looked up and nodded an affirmative.

“Am I,” she paused, casting about in her mind for the right word. “Contaga, um, how is it... contagious?”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

"You're not contagious anymore." Lorna paused for a moment. "Are there any other Hapans stationed here with you? If so, it is possible they have the flu as well, once any of you caught it."

She reviewed a couple of details on her datapad, glad that Jovan Station provided decent medication. She had dealt with much more limited or weaker options during some of her career.

"One thing regarding your prescription. If you start having acute headaches, stop taking your medication and come back to the medbay."

[Camile Saccard]

“There are no other Hapans here,” Camile said, with an unrestrained sigh. “Only me.”

While straightening out her jacket, she nodded along with the last of the doctors instruction. She glanced at a wall-mounted clock in the doctor’s office.

“I have seven more hours off duty. Can I drink alcohol with this medication?”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna could understand the isolation, although it had been years since she had consciously got out of her element over and over again. The day she realized that imperial mindset was not for her, she knew that it would severe ties with her youth. She hadn't committed to the Alliance until accepting the position on Jovan station, but she had certainly stayed away from imperial territory for the most part. Yet, she didn't comment on Saccard's words about being the only Hapan on the station. She simply nodded as she began shutting the work station down.

She had no reason to stay at the facility longer for she had taken care of the Hapan. Gathering her belongings, she shook her head at the question. "No alcohol while you're on this prescription. And avoiding any sort of stimulant would be better too, though not mandatory."

She subtly shrugged at the mention of off duty. "Off duty used to sound better when there were actual outdoors to enjoy," she quipped. As much as her work was interesting on Jovan, she had never been stuck indoors that much, even when traveling from one world to the other.

[Camile Saccard]

No alcohol, no stimulants. That meant at least a fortnight of sobriety, on board a station that did not engender a desire to be sober in the captain. It wasn't that she was a lush or even a regular drinker - and station wouldn't import any decent Hapan wine or brandy - but it was sometimes cathartic to end the day with a glass of something warming. She watched as the doctor began to gather up her belongings, evidently finished her shift for the day.

“You are also off-duty,” she said, stating the obvious. Eyes slightly narrowed, Camile studied the doctor for a moment.

“Would you like to have dinner?” she asked, and then just as matter-of-factly added, “Or we can fuck, if you’re not hungry.”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna already found the rash-covered Hapan hot. What happened next only made her inwardly swoon even worse. Straightforwardness was a huge turn on for the doctor. It was so bloody refreshing to see attractive people like that. Locking the door to the medbay behind her, she stared at Saccard.

"Dinner first. You'll need some food to take with your medication."

Leading the way towards the exit, she continued as if it was the most natural conversation to have. "Then as your doctor, I prescribe at least a solid three hour of fucking." To be blatantly honest, most people would probably tire with the medication the Hapan was on, but based on the tests she had run and the vibe she got from Saccard, she believed that those three hours would be highly entertaining, and she was more than happy to share her load of entertainment. She was very interested in seeing Saccard out of that damn body glove.

"We'll fuck at your place. I have two pets and you don't need any further risks of allergies."

[Camile Saccard]

“Bon,” Camile agreed, as if the two had just made some very satisfactory business arrangement. Three hours of sleep would be more than enough, she thought, as she strode out of the office alongside Lorna. It had been a whim to proposition the doctor, and one that she had not expected to bear fruit. Her impression of the Alliance had been that they preferred to engage in a long, tedious courtship before sex was even discussed. Now, the captain wondered whether she could have been as forthright with other women aboard the station. Well, those handful of women who were remotely close to Hapan in appearance, a group that the good doctor fortunately fell into.

“Where shall we eat?” she asked, her mind already skipping beyond the dinner table to how Lorna herself would taste.

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Growing up with a half-Zeltron cousin had proved a challenge to Lorna, but it had also helped her cut to the chase. While Morgana had been busy wrapping everyone around her finger - and she did that very well, Lorna just went for it when she wanted it. And being half-Lorrdian helped her get a good sense of people, which had only increased when she pursued a medical career.

Of course, being upfront with Saccard's frank offer was way more enticing than getting into trouble for calling out her university professors out for being narrow-minded idiots.

"Let's go to the Broceliande Brasserie. It's small but their food is actually well-seasoned, and their service timely." She had had enough ration bars and cups of cold tea in the past few days. "Have you been there before?"

[Camile Saccard]

“No, never - but you have good taste, so I’m sure it will be fine,” she said, eyes forward and chin lifted, with a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

“Do you think they will be okay with my outfit?”

What Hapan society lacked in sexual anxiety they made up for a preoccupation with etiquette in other social engagements. Wearing the proper attire to dinner was something that Hapan socialite’s fretted over and though Camile was definitely not a socialite, she didn’t want to turn up to the restaurant only to be denied entrance.

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna couldn't hide the grin that passed on her lips at Saccard's compliment about her tastes.

The Hapan's sudden question about her outfit caught her by surprise, and then she mentally scolded herself because of little she knew about Hapans and social etiquette.

"You will be fine. You manage to make a body glove and a rash look dapper."

She leaned closer to the other blonde for a moment. "And I will ask for one of the two private dining rooms anyway." She knew the owner well, as it was one of the few places where she splurged for cuisine to her liking, and she had helped refer their daughter to a good specialist for her health condition.

[Camile Saccard]

Nothing about the off-duty uniform combined with some obvious symptoms of the flu made Camile feel particularly dapper. However, the quick rake of Lorna’s eyes over her body, back in the examination room, and the grin that curved the doctor’s lips now went some way to reminding the captain that even when tired and rundown, most non-Hapan’s would consider her objectively attractive.

“Should we take a shuttle, or is it close enough to walk?”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

"They're doing some work at the moment near the Brasserie, so walking will be easier. It should only be ten minutes."

Lorna didn't say much as she led the way towards the eatery, although her mind was definitely running over the dessert menu already. That only made her more hungry, including for actual food.

As they reached the place, Lorna held the door for Saccard, and then waved at Mr. Danterak, the owner. He greeted both of them warmly and asked one of the waitresses to lead both blondes to one of the small private dining room.

Once they were alone, Lorna didn't think about taking her seat though and grabbed at Saccard's jacket to pull her close, her lips crashing against the Hapan's. She might wait for dessert but it didn't mean she wouldn't miss on an appetizer.

[Camile Saccard]

The short walk to the brasserie had given time enough for tension to build between the two of them. The moment the door to the private booth shut behind them, that tension had exploded. Hands at Lorna’s hips to pull her closer, their bodies flush against one another, Camile realised just how long it was since she'd been this close to another woman. The other blonde wasn’t Hapan, but the curves of her body suggested otherwise.

“Do you do this kind of thing often?” she asked, between hungry kisses.

[Lorna DeLaTour]

It had been way too long since Lorna had found herself in such a situation. Getting to touch the Hapan in a non-professional way was a promise of hot and spicy heavens and she loved it. She would have bowed at the other blonde's skills at actually saying something in between kisses.

Pressing herself against her, hands working their way up to lock behind the Hapan's neck, she managed to reply, but it took a lot of willpower.

"Not in a very long time," she half-purred, half-panted.

"Would you like..." The waitress stopped on her tracks and looked down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

[Camile Saccard]

Camile had only moments ago pushed Lorna back against the wall of the booth - one hand tangled in her hair and the other between her thighs - when the voice of the waitress sounded behind her. Her hand tightening into a fist in Lorna’s blonde hair, the captain turned and shot a glare at the waitress that said: don’t you people knock?! It was the kind of look that officers serving beneath Camile would have known all to well.

“Two of the special," she said, somewhat breathless and her accent a little thicker in her irritation, "with sides of whatever the chef recommends.”

The waitress nodded and edged backwards, appearing to not know where to look as she excused herself.

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Aggressively making out in the private booth of the Broceliande Brasserie hadn't been on Lorna's bucket list, but maybe it should have. Even sick, Saccard's energy was potent and she loved it. And not scaring a sex partner was also very intoxicating. Lorna was often mistaken for a sweet and placid woman, and had bothered quite a few obnoxious lovers in the past. Though the annoyance had been mutual most of the time.

When Saccard responded to the distressed waitress, Lorna nibbled at the Hapan's ear. "You have good tastes too." Part of her was slightly amused by the whole mess.

But most important, she used the fact that the Hapan was glaring at the disappearing waitress, so she could push back against her, and drive her to the nearby seat, landing on her lap in the process, and picking up where they had left moments ago.

[Camile Saccard]

Hitting the chair knocked a little air out of Camile, who grinned as Lorna sat straddled over her. She ran her hands up the other woman’s sides, admiring the rarity that was non-Hapan beauty.

“You know, I feel better already.”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna had a hard time imagining how Saccard might look without the rash and in fully good health. It was unfair that Hapans had such good genes, but she was very happy to have a very close inspection of the gorgeous specimen she was currently straddling.

"Good. That means the treatment is working," she teased, before kissing and nibbling on the Hapan's neck. Although she probably hit some rash spots underneath the woman's clothes, for their making out was a testimony to the deep hunger they had for each other, she at least tried to be semi-careful with what skin she could actually see.

As she heard a knock, she called out for the waitress to come in. The other woman placed a large tray of appetizers as well as their drinks and almost ran off.

In between a few other kisses, Lorna looked very seriously at the Hapan. "You need to eat. And not just me."

[Camile Saccard]

Reaching around the woman in her lap, Camile plucked something from the tray of appetizers. Lorna was a fantastic distraction and her touch was almost enough to make the captain forget about the irritating itch of her skin.

“Must you be so practical?”

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna's hands trailed from Saccard's neck to her shoulders, and she nodded to the question.

"Right now, I must indeed."

Snatching an appetizer from the tray, she didn't move from the Hapan's lap though. She grinned at her after eating the food bite.

"This is what you get for fucking your doctor."

[Camile Saccard]

“But you’re off duty-”

There was a pair of quick knocks at the booth entrance.

“Enter,” Camile called. The waitress had returned with one of her colleagues in tow, the two of them carrying rather opulent looking trays of food. Evidently, they wanted to serve the two women their dinners as soon as possible. Camile watched with wry amusement as the two waitresses tried to navigate about the table without looking in her direction.

“I think they are scared of us,” she said, as the pair shuffled out of the booth without so much as a word to inquire about whether Lorna and Camile were enjoying their meals.

[Lorna DeLaTour]

Lorna had no opportunity to place any retort to Camile's observation. Also, the Hapan's naturally commanding tone stirred something deep in the doctor. She found it irresistibly hot. Even with her skin rash, not only was she gorgeous, but the way she carried herself was enticing. Lorna hated doormats, and Saccard was definitely not one. Hell, she would even let her take over, should it go there. She would unlikely be that compliant, but she couldn't help daydreaming about the military as the trays of food were placed in their booth. Frankly, she was way more focused on dessert right then and there.

She realized Saccard had said something about the waiters, and she laughed. "Better be scary than trampled over," she mused, reaching out to fetch another appetizer, trying to focus on the food for now, which was going to be difficult; but she had meant it when she had said the Hapan should eat.