It took me a while to process that after leaving the Captain's room. Sassy? Me? No way. Sass? That was a statement of fact![1] Whatever—don't get caught up over it. Time to head back and see how she's doing.

            Oh, yeah, CMO Hannic. I should stop by the doc's office first.

            CMO Hannic's office was thankfully, on the same deck. (how far is the captain's office from the med bay?)

            The airlock doors opened once I was in front of it, and CMO Hannic was standing in his office, rummaging through a cabinet.

            "Lieutenant Jun, reporting in," I announced, as the doors closed behind me.

            CMO Hannic turned around to face me and came out of his office. "Welcome, Lieutenant," he said. "The captain briefed me on your mission. A toast to your success." He poured some water from a dispenser into a disposable cup and toasted me before downing it.

            "You're just thirsty, aren't you, Doc?" I noted. He tossed the cup into a wastebasket.

            "Take a seat over there, Lieutenant," he said nonchalantly[2], pointing me to a nearby open stool. Since it was next to a medical bed, I took the opportunity to rest my arm on it. CMO Hannic brought over a medicine tray and his own stool and sat down.

            "Hm?" I noted there was some stuff on the medicine tray. A digital pad, syringes—

            CMO Hannic picked up one of the syringes. "The stuff in here should limit how much magic she can use at once. The captain wants her within our control for now, so she doesn't blow up half the ship or do something crazy. I mean, given her prior treatment and care, I wouldn't be surprised if she did something in her sleep and we end up breathing vacuum. This injection goes in her arm. You need to inject the entire thing or she won't feel the full effects. This only affects mages, so even if something happens and you get it on you or in you, it won't do anything."

            Hmm. Alright. "Understood," I said.

            "Since the magic blocker in her body hasn't been administered and should be already degrading, she's going to need the shot for two more days, once per day. I've already given her today's dose, so you don't have to worry about that. She should wake up within those two days, and afterwards we probably won't have to worry. Typically mages will unconsciously control their magic so it doesn't go out of control, and from the records you brought, there was nothing about her magic going out of control. From what I understand, mages who let their magic go out of control don't live long." CMO Hannic picked up the digital pad and turned it on.

            "Was there anything like physical abuse on her bio scans, Doctor?" I asked.

            He shook his head. "There wasn't much on the records you brought from the ship she was on, just basics. No sign of fever, no vomiting, stuff like that. If they did scan her health, they didn't keep any records of it. Our bio scans didn't pick up anything like physical abuse scars or bruises, and her hymen is still intact, so nothing suggesting vaginal sex. But that's just it. I'm hoping you could ask her more about herself once she wakes up."

            "Will I be reporting to you, Doctor?"

            "Yes. Send your daily report to my terminal, instead of the captain's terminal. This is still a secret project, so best not to attract too much attention by sending it to the captain directly." CMO Hannic showed me the pad, which now had the girl's bio scans on it. "See? They don't show anything serious, but they don't show much about her medical history." He pointed to her brain scans. "Definitely signs of prolonged stress. Based on this, I would say her only problems are mental. That's your job to handle, Lieutenant."

            "Yes, sir." So…just stress.

            He handed me two sealed syringes, full of of the stuff he was talking about. That would make them…limiter shots? "Here are the two doses for two more days. Anything else, Lieutenant?"

            "No, sir."

            "Where is she now?"

            "Sleeping inside my room, sir. On the other bunk that was setup for her use. I took the liberty to clothe her from a supply locker for now. I think I got the size right."

            "Ok. You'll be getting clothes and supplies for her as part of your requisitions. The captain arranged for it, but if there's a problem with the supplies, you'll have to sort it out with the (quartermaster)."

            "Yes, sir." We stood up.

            "There's a classic Earth tradition that might help with her mental stress," CMO Hannic said. "Skinship. Intimate physical contact. There's been plenty of research to suggest that it will have beneficial effects. Also, because she's female, it might help if you just listen to her if you draw out any stories from her. There's plenty of research suggesting females like it when males are there to get intimate and just listen to the female. Consider it being her mental support. Just don't get any romantic ideas. She's still a prepubescent kid, according to her bio scans. She won't be thinking about you in that way for a little while."

            "Uh, yes, sir." Seriously? Getting romantic with her? Who knows what she was really like…

            "Anything else happens and you know how to reach me. Dismissed, Lieutenant." I held the two syringes and exited the medical bay.

(Doctor's visit and walking through ship, slight conversation with other shipmates and some subordinates)

(after reporting to CMO Hannic and receiving limiter shot stuff, I head to my room)

            The door closed behind me, and I took in my surroundings. Well, really, I was looking mostly at her.[3] She was still sleeping, wrapped in the blanket. She had on the few pajamas I had found for her, spare women's clothes from a supply locker. She still had her teddy bear, clutching it in her left arm. Her breathing is still regular, like how I found her. She seems pretty calm and peaceful for now. It was almost time to sleep, so I made ready for bed. Reporting…well, she hasn't woken up yet. Perhaps I should do so more like a diary than an actual report.

…

…

But how long would that peace last?

[1] Now, did you think that I would actually ravage the poor girl? I'm hurt—I'm a sincerely decent man. Well, as decent as any man can be.

[2] Yeah, you're just thirsty. Screw me…

[3] Any guy who likes girls would stare at her. She was good-looking, and had plenty of potential. Perfectly natural for a guy who likes girls to trip up over her.
Not that I was tripping over her.