The tight schedule

There wasn't enough time in the day to be angry, Cerberus... or rather Miranda, ran a tight schedule. They had arrived back at the Normandy SR-2 in silence, gone to their rooms in silence, gone to bed in silence. The dragging steps of the post-adrenaline tiredness had quieted the tension at least for the night. Shepard had woken, dressed in uniform with the loosest set of pants they had given her, ones still too tight. Her inbox had contained a short, formal email from Miranda and nothing more. Omega, Sahrabarik, getting in soon. Enough time to poke around her new ship, at least she could pretend it was hers. She wasn't eager to meet Cerberus officers, but she needed work from them. Work best done by people with faith in their higher-ups. Lower deck staff could be trusted to do the jobs that made them not die without question, but it was good to know the people who worked the controls, the guns.

She stepped out of the elevator into the main deck. Joker worked quietly far down the shaft at the helm, no need for introductions there. The rest of the crew could stand to be known, even if they seemed expendable. It was a hard shift to run, bouncing between days of nothing to do and then immediately into days of near-restless work. Some were lucky enough to work shifts, some were too important or too good to be substituted. The more lives that depended on your work, the higher the cost of excelling at it became. Joker was in for the long haul, too weird to fit any other lifestyle. It wasn't so easy for others. It was nice to know that somewhere above you, somebody cared if your cog in the machine was turning right. Her experience with Cerberus before all of this had told her they didn't hear that often. Too many commanders using their men to catch a bullet.

She greeted the crewmen she passed as she walked down toward Joker. If they stopped to greet her back, she asked their names. The weapons team were all happy to see her but too wired to see their first action to be much to talk to. Engines were the opposite, too far round the block to want to speak while on shift. As well, there seemed to be a general understanding with them that Shepard didn't like Cerberus.

"What's our pace like?" She asked Joker.

"Mr. Moreau is currently focusing on his duties, we are currently-"

"We're about an hour out."

EDI tried to speak for Joker when he was on shift, Joker pretended it wasn't there. That was their first meeting, it seemed like it would be the standard.

"What is Omega like?"

"Omega is a station carved into the system's asteroid belt, it is known for-"

"You'll love it there, or maybe you won't. It's the big shore leave hotspot for anybody not worried about Alliance Regs, or the clap."

"The usual kind of shore leave hotspot?"

"The local nightlife-"

"This place makes Vegas look like a Church, I think if I moved there I might die before I finish unpacking."

A hand tapped her shoulder, when Shepard turned there was a perky young woman behind her. She had the freshly woken smile and bounce of a morning person if such a thing existed.

"Can I help you Ms?"

"Ms. Chambers. Yeoman Kelly Chambers." She gave a salute, Alliance style but just incorrect enough to be something she learned from vids. Trying to set a friendly foot forward. Morning person behavior.

"I didn't know we had a Yeoman on board," Shepard nodded away the salute. "What are your duties?"

Kelly relaxed, seeming to read that Shepard wasn't that much of a hardass. "In official terms commander, I'm essentially your secretary."

"And in less official terms?"

"You might call me your handler," Kelly walked with Shepard back to the elevator. "I have a degree in psychology, basic medical training, I can help you manage your personal data-"

"I'm not questioning your abilities Kelly, but I do wonder why Cerberus thinks I need a handler when they already have me on a short leash."

"You're referring to your relationship with Miranda and the nature of your modifications?"

"In so many words."

"Miranda is the enforcement arm, I personally don't agree with her or Cerberuses' methods. I think there was already a high chance of you working with us regardless of bodily stake."

"I wish you'd been the one calling the shots."

"Cerberus was additionally aware of the psychological strain their actions likely placed upon you, as well as those inherent with the mission. As such, if you need to talk to me about how you're feeling, I can offer my services."

"And I suppose if I ask you about what their actual plans are it will be all protocol." Shepard sighed as she stepped out of the elevator, back into her quarters.

Kelly stood in the doorway, waiting for Shepard to gesture her in. When Shepard did, she stepped in, peering into the empty fish tank and then around the room before answering. When she did, she pointed up at a spot in the corner.

"While you may find that I am limited by Cerberus protocol," She spoke too slowly to leave any confusion. A glance where she was pointing revealed what was without a doubt a listening device. "You may also find that I am more generous with my consideration of what you "need to know"."

Shepard nodded, "Obviously you couldn't jeopardize your status, but could you tell me a little more about what's going on on this ship?"

"I'll answer what I can."

"How much is being monitored?"

"Why would that be a concern?"

"A good captain should probably know how secure things are, it's always good to have a recording in case anybody breaks code."

Kelly nodded, "A good answer, I expected no less from the legendary Commander Shepard. We have full video surveillance of every room in the ship that isn't classified as a personal chamber. The personal chambers all have audio recording, aside from the captain's, of course." She added with a wink.

"And where does it all get recorded to?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, perhaps EDI would."

"Is EDI hooked up to the surveillance system?"

"She controls every facet of the ship, I don't see why she wouldn't be."

Kelly's arm beeped, she looked at her omni-tool briefly before showing it to Shepard as she talked. A message from Miranda was on the screen.

"Oh but you don't want to hear about that, why don't we talk more about you, commander?"

"Don't talk about the ship anymore."

"Right," Shepard nodded. "I've been asking you so many things, is there something you wanted to know about me?"

"Well," Kelly pondered as she sat down on Shepard's bed, kicking her magnetized slippers. "How are you adjusting to being alive again?"

"You mean other than the new anatomy?"

"Is it bothering you?"

"It would be hard for me to ignore."

"Any pain?"

"Not unless Miranda yanks my leash."

"Any other discomfort?"

"It's hard to learn how to pee standing up if we're being honest. Other than that it's hard to adjust to new sensations."

"Like?"

Shepard shifted awkwardly in her seat, Kelly looked across the room at her from the bed without an atom of malice in her eyes. She was nice, cute too. Shepard thought about going bad things to her, she was getting used to thinking that about every female she saw, but this one was different. She felt embarrassed to feel that kind of base attraction to somebody. Like she was trying to think about the person but the dick was leading the train.

"How graphic are you looking for?"

Kelly didn't balk, "Mary, I'm a psychologist."

"It makes me feel things I don't like feeling. It gives me thoughts I didn't have before. "

"How so?"

"I'm turned on easier, I feel like I spend more time paying attention to a person's body than what they're saying."

"Hasn't that always been how being horny is?"

"I've never been a prude but it's much worse than before, makes it hard to focus. Of course, the fact that there's no easy way to hide it only makes it worse."

Kelly scooted closer, "The fact that your hormones are far beyond what a normal human male experiences isn't helping."

"That in my file?"

"I'm afraid it's common knowledge."

Shepard froze, "What does that mean?"

"Every person on board this ship is aware of your condition, did you not know that?"

Shepard felt her fists tightening, "No, I wasn't told."

Kelly seemed to read her reaction, "Breath, let the anger pass, I want to help you."

"So why exactly does everybody on the ship know?"

Kelly shrugged, "Your hormone production was considered a potential hazard, you don't need to be embarrassed."

"So Cerberus was afraid I might turn into a **** monster? Not sure why I shouldn't be embarrassed about that."

"Technically, we haven't proven that you won't yet. But that's not my point, you continue to only frame these changes in terms of what you've lost."

"You think I should walk around swinging this thing with pride?"

"Maybe not that far, but did you ever consider that you might be able to use these changes how you want to?"

"With Miranda holding my leash?"

"Miranda only decides when to use it against you, same as any old merc who aims for the soft bits. You still control the 99% of the time."

"So what, do I start trying to pick up chicks in a bar?"

Kelly sighed, then stood up. "You should know firsthand that's not how it works Mary, your file said you were good with people, you should know that somebody interested should meet you halfway."

She sat down in Shepard's lap, draping her arms around Mary's neck. Mary's heart skipped a beat, the quick throb below her waist also told her that her body got the message.

"Lots of people would kill to be in your shoes."

Shepard gulped, "Would you?"

Kelly cupped Shepard's cheek in her hand, "No, but I might break code to hang mine over the foot of your bed."

Their lips met, Kelly's breath tasted like coffee so diluted by chocolate to stretch the definition of the word. Her tongue met Shepard's eagerly. Shepard felt like she was getting ready to tear her loose pants apart, there's no way Kelly couldn't feel it against her leg.

"Commander, we have arrived at Omega."

Shepard cursed internally, trying to keep Kelly from pulling her lips away. There was no chance, Kelly stood up and brushed down her uniform, stepping into the elevator. She nodded at Shepard as the doors closed.

Shepard quietly slid into her armor, doing her best to tuck her cock down and not constrict it. It wasn't going down quickly, she suspected it might not do so any time soon. Her balls quietly ached.

The message pinged on her omni-tool.

"Look forward to our next session" ~Kelly.