Are you sure

Posted on Sat Oct 5th, 2024 @ 11:40pm by Commander Kevin Lance & Captain Mira Rodale

Mission: Deep freeze
Location: Norris/ matrix
Timeline: Lost

Mira had a puzzled look on her face as Kolar led her out of sickbay.

“Are you sure this is the color I had?” She asked the boy. It was a deep rich reddish brown.

Kolar was laughing “Mama, even the doctor told you it was.”

Still ….Mira bit her lip. Ok, Kevin had said he preferred her natural color. This seemed to be it.

“Mama, you know what we need? Ice cream.” Kolar told her changing direction.

“What is Ice cream and why do we need it?” Mira asked curiously.

Kolar stopped walking and turned around to look at her. “You don’t remember ice cream?” He looked worried.

Should she lie? No. So she shook her head.

Kolar frowned. “They took everything? Do you remember where you hid the chocolate?”

Mira frowned what was chocolate and why would she hide it?

Kolar pouted “it’s OK Mama I’ll show you.”

{Officers lounge}

Kolar led her to a table and he pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Mira grinned, taking her seat while Kolar climbed up into his.

A man came over. "What can I get you two?”

Kolar grinned. “a big bowl full of ice cream. One scoop of everything.”

The man looked to her and she nodded. She had no idea what Kolar had just ordered but she wasn’t going to tell this man that.

She got a few surprised looks from the males and a few angry looks from a couple of women. Maybe because she was back?
Mira wasn’t sure. Kevin hadn’t told her she couldn’t go any place on the ship. He only had Kolar as her escort so that should mean the ship was safe. Kevin had just said that she couldn’t leave the ship.

A huge bowl of multi-colored balls was placed on the table with two spoons. “Kolar, I don’t think you should have ordered all of this.” There was no way they could eat it all.

Kolar shrug. “You didn’t say no.”

Mira frowned it had never crossed her mind to say no. “No” t here was a sharp pain on her forehead. She rubbed it.

“Mama try this one. It’s mint chocolate, your favorite.”

Taking the spoon, she tried it.

{Brig}

Awal frowned at the ten crewmen they had in brig. They had nine traitors. 6 men 3 women. “Why?”

He didn’t understand. Mira hadn’t hurt any of them. From what he would tell she had never hurt anyone.

“We took her from him. We just sent her back to her people,“ the man smirked.

"That explains nothing," Awal complained.

"She has you hoodwinked as well," the man answered, "Look, the numbers don't lie. The Chuck Norris was once a legend in the Republic Fleet, Captain Lance the scourge of the Royalist. But since the Captain 'rescued' her, the ship has been less and less effective. Fewer engagements, smaller targets, less damage done. Every year the numbers fall."

Awal said nothing but was troubled by the assertation. The war against the Royalists was going well and their antagonists were increasingly reluctant to fight set-piece battles. Fewer opportunities could explain the fall off in effectiveness but it was hard to deny that Captain Lance had become more contented and less aggressive since his union with Mira and the birth of their son. "What are you suggesting?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"She is a sleeper agent," the man explained patiently, "planted to distract the Captain and eliminate the Chuck Norris as a battle cruiser."

"If she was distracting the Captain," Awal reasoned, "Why would the Royalists remove her?"

"They didn't," the man continued, "We sent her back in the hopes that Captain Lance would pick another woman and forget about Mira. We underestimated his determination."

Awal smirked. Any of the senior officers could have told the conspirators that Kevin's love for Mira was so deep that he was unlikely to be diverted from recovering her by any obstacle or enticement. Still, he needed to look into the conspirator's assertion that the Chuck Norris was being sidelined by Kevin's focus on Mira and if it was something that she was doing consciously.

{Captain's Quarters}

Kevin was troubled. Awal had shared the information that he had gathered from the crewmember that has conspired to send Mira back to the Royalist and he had some disturbing reports from Montgomery of her usual behavior in interactions with the crew. She had become a valuable part of the Norris' command crew, a determined and capable officer but since her recovery from the cantina on the Royalist base station, she had demonstrated a more compliant nature. She hadn't even been able to discipline Kolar. He was prepared to chalk all of it up to the brainwipe but something gnawed at him.

All through dinner, Mira hadn't displayed any personal preferences seemingly content to have others make decisions for her. She was incapable of denying any request even when he deliberately gave her a dish that he knew she hated. Mira face displayed conflict and perhaps even pain but she accepted the food and began eating it without complaint until Kevin had the plate removed after a couple of bites.

Throughout the rest of the dinner, Kevin had been diligent to prevent Mira from having to express a negative opinion or decision which was difficult as he was constantly having to discipline Kolar who didn't understand but seemed to sense that his mother could not deny him anything.

After dinner, Kevin sent Mira to lounge in a long hot bath while he arranged Kolar in bed.

"Dada," the boy asked after Kevin finished reading him a story, "Is Mama okay?"

Although troubled by Kolar's question, Kevin asked brightly, "What do you mean, Cub?"

"Mama seems different."

The difference was bothering Kolar as well. "She is fine," Kevin lied, "just tired from being away from us for so long. She'll be back to her normal self in a few days." Truthfully, Kevin doubted this assessment. "Sweet dreams, Cub," Kevin said before kissing the boy on his forehead.

He returned to the main portion of their quarters to find Mira walking out of the bathroom dressed only in a towel. She was so beautiful and he hated himself for what he was about to do.

"Mira, go stand in the corner facing me."

Confused curiosity expressed on her face, but Mira obeyed without objection. Kevin settled himself on a couch on the opposite side of the room.

"Drop the towel," he commanded. Again, without objection or delay, she did as he ordered. She did cover herself, so her modesty had not been completely wiped.

"Start barking like a dog," Kevin continued.

A series of high pitched yips emitted from Mira's mouth.

"A big dog."

Mira lowered her voice a couple of octaves.

"Down on all fours."

Mira dropped to her hands and knees while continuing to bark.

This is very bad, Kevin thought, anger and depression warring within him. But there was one more thing that he needed to test. "Stop barking. Crawl to me and kiss my foot," he demanded.

The humiliation and subservience was something that Mira would never do without a great deal of negotiation before hand and even then maybe not. But this Mira began crawling towards him in a seductive manner while maintaining eye contact. For good and bad, it was almost more than he could bear.

She reached him and lowered her head but before her lips touched his boots, Kevin ordered her to stop. He lifted her to a standing position and with anguished tears whispered, "Oh Kitten. What did they do to you?"

Mira blinked, confused eyes at him. "I don't understand what you want. I am trying Kevin. My head hurts." she blinked tears running down her cheek.

"It's not you," he reassured her, "You have done everything it could ask of you. Now go get dressed. We need to see the doctor."

Mira turned and walked to the bedroom. Her conditioning was so precise that she didn’t deviate even to cover herself with the towel.

When she was out of the room, Kevin muttered darkly, "Whoever did this to her will pay."

:off

Command Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

And

Captain Mira Rodale
CO USS Chuck