A Theory

Month 6, Day 1

Capt Jane Burke

0756 Hrs

Jane was a little surprised to see Takor on the bridge when she arrived. However, she had already received a snarled ‘no’ when she asked Smythe over breakfast whether MacDowell had passed last night. Takor had been sure she would, so perhaps it was trying to ascertain what it was about the chief engineer that kept the girl from remembering what everybody else said she knew. After seeing Smythe’s mood that morning, Jane hadn’t asked for details, but perhaps Takor could fill her in before it went to bed.

Jane sat in her command chair and slowly rotated, watching all the various shift change procedures taking place. Abdulla looked abnormally pale, and it was the redhead who seemed to be actually doing the shift-change procedure for communications as the women talked, but Jane didn’t give it much thought until she heard Abdulla demand, “How can you be so stubborn?” And then, “Mr Smythe! Would you please tell Mac- Dowell that I am here for my shift - as much of it as I can manage - so she can leave?”

Smythe had not been coming to the bridge in the mornings, so Jane was surprised to hear his name used. A glance toward the lift revealed Smitty staring at the communications officers, his own face white except for two bright red flags on his cheeks. He stepped toward them on wooden legs.

Abdulla said something, but Jane couldn’t tell if Smitty heard her. Then the redhead opened her mouth, but only got out 3 words before the engineer help up a hand to stop her. “Not another word,” he said. “Is the change of shift procedure completed?”

“Yes,” Abdulla stated, while the redhead-

Takor suddenly bolted away from the communications console. The lizoid didn’t even hesitate as it grabbed Jane’s arm, and hurried her toward her ready room. “I must speak with you!” it exclaimed, its voice thick and labored.

“But-“ Jane started to protest, then marveled at the alien’s strength, to force-march her across the bridge with hardly any effort.

They entered her office and Takor released her arm as the door closed behind them. She watched as the alien staggered across the room to lean against the bulkhead and breathe deeply. Blossom sat at her desk in the corner, her eyes wide as she stared at the Sciss. Jane sat at her desk, remained silent until Takor began to regain its composure. “What is this about?”

Takor’s head fins - normally kept folded along its skull - fluttered for a moment in embarrassment. “You asked me once if anyone aboard could... arouse me. Sexually.”

Okay, not something we would discuss on the bridge. Nor do we need witnesses. “Blossom, take a break,” Jane instructed.

“Captain?” her yeoman protested.

Jane turned to face her. “This is a personal discussion, yeoman. I would not let anybody listen if you wanted to discuss this type of subject. I won’t treat Mr Takor any differently.”

Blossom frowned, but stood up. “Yes, captain.” She paused at the door for a quick look back, as Takor staggered to a chair. Its uncertain footing seemed to reassure the younger woman, and she left.

Jane turned back to the Sciss. “It seems an unusual question for me to ask you, but if you say I did, then I must have.”

Takor riffled its upper lip, then changed its response to a slow human-like nod. “At the time, I did not believe it possible. I have been assigned here a good amount of time, and there had never been any indication...” It paused to smooth down its head fins with both hands, something Jane hadn’t seen it do since it had first arrived. “It now appears I may have been... mistaken.”

Jane leaned forward. “Are you saying that someone has-“

“Not one somebody,” it interrupted. “However, the combination of two... of a particular two somebodies... appears to produce pheromones sufficiently close to those of my own species so as to-“ Takor took another deep breath and its head fins fluttered restlessly.

Jane knew what pheromones were. Supposedly, humans produced them, but she had never personally been aware of them. A piece of her had doubted their existence, at least in humans. “Let me see if I understand. No one human has the ability to arouse you. But when a particular pair of humans is in your vicinity, you do become aroused. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

There’s been plenty of reports about Sciss pheromones, so I guess humans have them, too. “Even if they are not aroused?”

Takor hesitated. “I am not a good judge of human arousal.”

No, I don’t imagine so. “Okay, which-“ Do I really want to ask? There are a lot of possible answers that I do not want to hear. Of course, I wouldn’t have any proof; there’s nothing in Fleet regulations about a couple producing sexual pheromones. Still, I hate being blind-sided. “Which pair?”

“Lt Cmdr Smythe and Lt MacDowell.”

Jane winced. I should have known. Her behavior when she came aboard, his behavior during our review of new crew members... I didn’t want it to happen, so I turned a blind eye. This can only spell trouble for one or both of them. “I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you, to have to endure that olfactory assault during her tests.”

“I have not endured it well,” Takor responded. “Both times I attended the test, I cut it short by ordering the females out, to remove the mixed pheromones. But I was not sure which pair of humans was the source of my... response until this morning. It would have been unseemly to order anyone off the bridge, yet I had a most urgent need to remove myself from the... stimuli. Therefore, I left.”

And drug me across the bridge like so much baggage. I can’t really blame it. The alternative of staying there would have been... a big mess. Would it have attacked one of them? And if so, which one? “Do the Sciss have a word for rape? Do you know what it means?”

“I have had the word explained to me. It was a difficult concept. We do not have it on Sciss, since each responds to the other equally.”

So, no answers to that question. “Never mind. Are you recovered? Calm?”

Takor’s head canted to one side and a blunt claw manipulated a fin to get it to cover the ear flap. “Yes. The pheromones are not present here.”

“Good. Thank you for your report. Do not plan to attend any more testing sessions of Ms MacDowell.”

“She has not passed,” it stated.

Which might be because it prematurely ended the tests, twice. “I know. I will have to find some answers, but finding them will not involve you.”

“Very well. I will return to my normal routine tomorrow.” The lizoid rose and left.

Jane headed back for the bridge, stopped when she saw Smitty talking to the day bridge engineer. “Smitty, this is your day off. What are you doing here?” And why did it take me so long to remember that this is his day off?

Startled, the man looked up. “I... lost several of my crew to this... illness, captain. I thought it best to be sure all the necessary positions are covered.”

“Very well. You can have half an hour to do that. After that, get out of uniform and have some fun.”

The engineer frowned. “Yes, captain.”

Changing her mind, Jane returned to her ready room. I have a lot of thinking to do. Something I had hoped wouldn’t happen is on the verge of boiling over. How do I nip it in- well, it’s no longer in the bud stage.

Do I let her fail, get busted in rank and sent back to- probably back to tugs, if not dismissed altogether. That’s not fair.

Black space, other senior officers have spouses! How did they manage it? Got married when they were younger, I suspect. And what makes me think these two have any such intentions? Maybe all they have between them is lust!

I hate these kinds of problems.