Medical introductions

The figure in the chair noticed Dustin’s gaze and unclipped her harness. Leaning forward to stretch for a moment, the Queri doctor then stepped further forward and offered her hand for a shake. “Probably should reintroduce myself now I’ve found a form that’s tolerable. Dr Bleu, at your service captain.” It took a moment of processing before Dustin reacted, reaching out to shake the offered hand. “That… yes, welcome to the crew doctor. Err… form that’s tolerable?” Releasing Dustin’s hand, Bleu stepped back and nodded, shifting her weight onto one hip as she did so.

Gone was the vague humanoid shape as well as the blob of slime - in it’s place, the doctor now looked almost exactly like a human woman in jeans and a sleeveless top. A short pixie cut put Dustin vaguely in mind of Emely although when he looked closer he realized it wasn’t free-moving hair but carefully styled solid slime - the same effect as short hair on a marble statue, an artistic touch rather than individual locks. As his lower brain started to point out other features - hips nearly as well proportioned as Meli’s, and a reasonable amount of bust - the Queri gave a grunt before answering his question.

“Standard protocol when serving with other species is to adopt a look-a-like form for them. Helps with bedside manner apparently. I looked up the holos of your crew and tried to make something you would find acceptable as per policy, then decided it was far too top heavy and a bloody stupid policy so went with what felt comfortable for me. So you’ll have to deal with it, captain, or I’ll ignore protocol altogether and just blob around.” Dustin found the Queri’s gaze hard to read - possibly because the eyes were the same colour as the rest of her, jeans and all. “If you’d rather work in your natural form, that is perfectly fine” he found himself saying “honestly, you don’t have to do this for me or the crew.”

At that point, the part of his brain that had gotten adjusted to living with the collection of horny misfits that comprised the senior crew must have decided to take control of his mouth because he added “Although I must say it is an attractive form you’ve chosen.” before he could stop himself. Bleu’s colour shifted at that - ripples of darker green flowing through the blue like seaweed in a tropical ocean - before the doctor gave a nod of acceptance and stomped back to her seat. As she sat down, the movement of her thighs finally allowed a message from Dustin’s lower brain to parse through his consciousness. While the slime might have been appearing to wear jeans and a top they, just like her hair, didn’t actually exist - they were just extrusions of her skin shaped according to her will.

Just as he was thinking that, Bleu’s top shifted - the scoop of it dropping a little lower to reveal slightly more cleavage. “How much longer will this flight be? I’d like to meet the rest of the crew and get settled in.” The doctor’s voice seemed normal - but was there a hint of something else there? Dustin mentally shook himself - “You’ve just gotten an insect girl joining your lovers, maybe don’t read anything into how the slime’s acting” - and then, trying to keep his gaze firmly on her eyes Dustin smiled and replied “not that much longer now we’re clear of the atmosphere” before returning to the controls.

When he set the shuttle down in the bay he wasn’t surprised to see the entire crew waiting for them. Meli raised an eyebrow when the doctor climbed out of the shuttle but didn’t say anything, instead shaking the other woman firmly by the hand before guiding her off towards the medbay once everyone else had been introduced. Emely and Yril’k returned to the bridge at the same time, just in case there were any issues with the transfers of the remaining new staff that needed resolving. That left Dustin with Trea’k, Rye and Rocky to lug the doctor’s personal belongings up to one of the officers quarters. The officers wing was actually getting quite crowded - although most of them slept in the ambassadorial bedroom with Dustin, they still maintained their own bunks as places to keep belongings or have alone time.

When they had dropped the cases off in an until that point unoccupied room, Dustin and his lovers said their goodbyes to Rocky who was going to make use of the downtime to call home and check in on Clyff and the wedding preparations. No sooner had the Uinn rounded the corner than the two women turned to Dustin. “Well, well, well Dusty. Go out to get a gingerbread blob, come back with a hottie. Emmz is gonna be mad when I remind her of our discussion while you were planetside, she’d bet it’d be a whole day before our newest officer turned into something designed to rile you up.” Both the Rabyth and Vex’ess women were grinning as they teased him on the way back to his ready room, despite his protests that he had nothing to do with Bleu’s chosen form.

Dustin had Trea’k help him cook in the ships main galley that evening. She’d expressed an interest, and the ambassadorial kitchen while sizable was never the less awkward for her to move her many-limbed body around. The entire crew (such as it was) would be eating together that night at Dustin’s insistence. “We’ll have another meal when we’ve got everyone aboard tomorrow while we’re in transit, and then a final one once Rocky and Clyff are wed” he’d decided, insisting “when we get new officers or lots of new crew at once I want us to take the time to eat together. It’s important to me.” That had been that - while he usually listened to his crew, this once Dustin pulled rank.

The result however was more than worth it. He’d opted for a spiced vegetable curry; it was authentic Earth cuisine asides from a couple of vegetable substitutions which were essentially the same in taste if not in shape or colour prior to cooking. The crew were mostly silent once the food was served, spices and rice locking their attention on the bowls in front of them. Eventually however the sounds of dining slowed and conversation resumed once more.

Bleu and Meli seemed to be engrossed in some form of technical discussion, Emely and Rocky were discussing his wedding plans, Rye and Yril’k were… Dustin wasn’t sure what those two were talking about, but it seemed to involve a lot of flexing of biceps and at one point he was pretty sure he heard the worlds “mechanized? Not a bad idea…” from the Rabyth which he filed away on the never ending pile of things he needed to raise with her. Trea’k meanwhile sat to his right and leaned gently into his shoulder. “I do not mind you know. It is not an issue for me in any way.” The Vex’ess murmured so that only he could hear her.

Wrapping an arm around her and stroking the mix of skin and chitin that covered the insect woman’s arm Dustin whispered back “mind what?” Trea’k nuzzled further into him and gave a little sigh. “You acquiring a potential new mate so soon after our coupling. I fear Rye and I may have overdone it with the teasing earlier on.” Feeling him shift the woman added quickly “I do not just mean the good doctor, should she decide to pursue you; it is a more general point. I have read up a little on human psychology to prepare for my counselling role and noted that your species places a lot of value on some very strange concepts around mating, so thought I should point it out.” Dustin wasn’t sure how to process that, so opted instead to hug the bug woman closer before replying “I don’t intend to add anyone new any time soon, but thank you for letting me know, lovebug.”