“So, just to be absolutely clear,” said Counselor Alara Hisarlik, “you believe that the crew of this ship is gradually succumbing to some form of mind control?”

Lieutenant Semya Kuznetzov, Captain Vasser’s second-in-command, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Hearing it out loud was even worse than she’d anticipated, even though Alara, the Inyx’s counselor, was somehow able to keep her voice free from scorn or incredulity. The chair wasn’t helping. The counselor’s office had big comfy, cushioned, reclining chairs that couldn’t be found elsewhere on the ship. They were meant to be relaxing; for Kuznetzov, they were proving just the opposite.

“Not… I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” Lieutenant Kuznetzov replied slowly. She was choosing her words carefully. She knew she sounded crazy, but hopefully not completely crazy. “I know how it sounds. And I’m not exactly convinced of it. But I am worried about it. It’s what my gut is telling me, I guess. I just can’t shake the feeling.”

“I see.” Alara leaned in, concerned. “And this is because of the behavior of the crew?”

“Yes,” Lieutenant Kuznetzov explained. “I’ve been noticing something wrong with people, all across the ship. I keep catching crew members spacing out at strange moments, like they’re listening to a voice I can’t hear. Often groups of people at once. But afterward, they’ll insist nothing happened. Or I’ll notice them moving in perfect harmony. Unnatural harmony.” She sighed. “There’s this ancient movie: Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Pod people? It’s like that.”

Alara nodded. “That’s very troubling. I can understand why this would be preying on your mind.”

It was easy to see why Alara Hisarlik was a ship’s counselor. She was, quite simply, perfect for the role. In her early fifties - Kuznetzov had read every crew member’s personnel file - she was older than most of the people on the ship, and had an effortlessly matronly demeanor that made her shockingly easy to talk to. Her office was comfortable, warm, and friendly, and since she didn’t need to wear a uniform she was free to dress herself in a comfortable jumpsuit that made her seem all the more disarming.

The jumpsuit was plenty flattering, too, and Kuznetzov observed that Alara was taking full advantage of the fact that she didn’t need to pass Alliance fitness tests either. Her physique was just as motherly as her demeanor, and it suited her well. Kuznetzov felt a little guilty for noticing that, but it couldn’t be helped. She was a lesbian, after all.

“It has been,” Lieutenant Kuznetzov confessed. “That’s why I’m here. I needed to talk to someone.”

“Why not Captain Vasser?” Alara asked. “If you suspect something’s wrong on the ship, surely she needs to know.”

Lieutenant Kuznetzov hesitated before answering. “I considered it,” she replied eventually. “But I really can’t tell if I’m just being paranoid. If I am, then you’re the person I need to talk to. Not the captain. And if I’m not paranoid, then…”

“Then it’s entirely possible she’s been affected too,” Alara finished. “Is that right?”

Lieutenant Kuznetzov nodded, grateful she didn’t have to be the one to say it. “I’ve noticed she’s seemed a little… off, lately.”

“I see.” Alara took that in stride and smiled kindly. “But you’re happy talking to me. I take it I seem like my usual self?”

“Yes,” Lieutenant Kuznetzov said, before adding: “as far as I’d know, anyway.”

This was the first time Kuznetzov had taken it upon herself to visit the ship’s counselor. She’d never seen the need. Doctor Hiraga handled routine psych evals; the counselor was for the benefit of crew members who just needed to talk, or who preferred to speak with someone who was a couple of steps outside the usual chain of command. Kuznetzov, though, preferred to deal with her own problems herself. She was the stoic type, or so she liked to think. It suited her butch looks and dress sense. But her current troubles necessitated a reality check, and she’d judged that Alara Hisarlik was the best person to speak with.

“Glad to hear it,” Alara replied, a touch playfully, before turning more serious. “Lieutenant, this is clearly a new feeling for you. Have you been under any particular stress lately?”

Kuznetzov shook her head. “No more than usual.”

“That’s good! Now, I know you haven’t been assigned to the Inyx for long. You were transferred just recently. Have you been fitting in well?”

“I believe so. Captain Vasser seems happy with my performance.”

“What about socially? Have you gotten to know the other officers?”

Kuznetzov gave a slight smile. “I’m not exactly a social butterfly. It doesn’t bother me.”

“I see.” Alara sounded a little less pleased with that answer, but didn’t press the issue. “And there’s nothing else that’s been on your mind? Nothing troubling?”

“No, not at all.”

“Hm.” Alara cocked her head to one side. “Well, Lieutenant, I don’t think you’re crazy. That doesn’t mean you’re right about this mind control thing either, of course, but it does behoove me to investigate concerns about the mental states of other crew members aboard this ship. There may be a perfectly innocent explanation. To that end, I think the best course of action is that we keep this between ourselves for now, and I discreetly form my own opinion. Could you give me the names of some of the people you’ve been suspicious of?”

Kuznetzov nodded. “I’ll make a list and send it over.”

“Very good.” Alara smiled again. “I’ll let you know what I think very soon.”

“Perfect.” Kuznetzov felt the tension in her shoulders easing, and she sighed with relief. “And… thank you, counselor. Not knowing whether this is real or not has really been weighing on me. I’m very grateful that you’ve taken me seriously. I’m not sure whether or not I expect you to form the same impression I have, but just knowing that you’re looking into it puts my mind at ease.”

“You’re very welcome.” Alara’s smile grew even warmer. “That’s exactly what I’m here for, Lieutenant.”

***

Alara tapped her soon impatiently against the rim of her teacup as she waited for her next appointment to arrive. Crewman Hannah Weiss was late, of course. Everyone on this ship was always late. They always had excuses, of course. Important duties and important orders, on their important mission to catch Wasp. Everything on the Inyx was so damn important. Everything except for Alara and her counseling sessions.

The one thing nobody on the crew seemed to make any time for was taking care of their own mental health - which meant that, as the ship’s counselor, Alara’s life was devoted entirely to chasing after other people’s problems. After all these years on the job, they were just so infuriatingly cliché. Burnout. Anxiety. Insecurity. She’d heard it all before.

That didn’t mean Alara didn't care, of course. She wanted to help just as much as she had when she’d first started out in this line of work, three decades before. What had made her bored and cynical over the years was learning that she couldn’t help, because no one ever listened. Alara could offer advice, training, medical, therapy - and it didn’t matter because, to most people, she was nothing more than a convenient way to unburden themselves. They didn’t respect her or her expertise, and so she was condemned to the Sisyphean experience of listening to crewman after crewman coming to bleat to her about some inane problem, giving them the perfect advice, and seeing them out the door knowing perfectly well that they weren’t going to heed it.

If only there was some way to make them listen.

As a result, even as Alara had aged into the perfect, matronly counselor everyone wanted, she’d become thoroughly disillusioned and tired of her work. The years had ground her down, leaving her cynical and hopeless. She’d vowed this would be her final tour of duty aboard an Alliance ship, but fate had conspired to drag them out to the far rim for months longer than expected, chasing shadows, leaving Alara more frustrated by the day. The crewmen who darkened her door were becoming nothing more than an indistinct succession of blurred faces, each more forgettable and annoying than the last.

At least, until Lieutenant Kuznetzov.

A conspiracy to take over the ship by secretly mind-controlling members of the crew? In all her years as a counselor, Alara hadn’t heard that one before. It sounded like a paranoid delusion, but Kuznetsov’s psychological profile was rock solid. She displayed no signs of any associated psychological tendencies or conditions that would predispose her to such an elaborate delusion. Which meant that Alara finally had something that could hold her attention.

If nothing else, a spontaneous delusion like this could make for a half-decent case study to write up.

But first, Alara figured that she should investigate what Kuznetzov had been suspecting, and so she’d arranged an innocuous appointment with one of the people the XO had mentioned: Crewman Hannah Weiss. Mind control was unlikely, but not strictly impossible, and talking to her could shed light on reasons she might have been behaving differently or suspiciously.

And if it was mind control? Alara certainly couldn’t miss out on a chance to study it up close and personal. She had a deep, abiding interest in the subject. Strictly professional, of course.

The door to Alara’s office chimed to indicate that her appointment had finally arrived. The counselor set down her teacup, rose to her feet, and went to greet her guest.

“Crewman Weiss,” Alara said, plastering her well-worn welcoming smile on her face as the door opened. “Thank you for coming. Please, come in.”

“Alara.”

Hannah Weiss offered a friendly nod as she entered the room. She was young - less than half Alara’s age, in fact - and much slighter and mousier than most expected of a member of the Alliance military. The Inyx was her first posting, and she’d been struggling to adjust to the rigor and claustrophobia of starship life. Though she’d adjusted over time, following up on her earlier troubles was a reasonable pretext for an appointment.

“Have a seat,” Alara said as she beckoned Weiss in.

She was gesturing to one of the two big, comfy chairs that dominated her office’s central space. Alara had made her office as comfortable and welcoming as the Inyx’s small, spartan bulkheads allowed. In the center of the space, between the chairs, was a simple table, and the room was lit by a special bank of holographic lights that could provide gentle, soothing illumination when needed.

The two of them sat down, and Alara immediately leaned forward so that she could pour Weiss a cup of tea from the still-steaming teapot on the table. Weiss accepted it gratefully, and then Alara sat back with her own teacup and teaspoon in hand.

“So, um,” Weiss began nervously. “What’s this about?”

“Nothing serious,” Alara immediately assured her. “I just wanted to check up on you, now that you’ve been with us for a few months. Have you been having any more issues?”

“No!” Weiss answered in a rush. “Um… h-has somebody said something to you?”

“Not at all,” Alara replies gently. Clearly, Weiss was as anxious and twitchy as ever. “This is completely routine. Now - how have you been doing lately?”

Weiss took a cautious sip of her tea; it proved to be too hot for her. “I’ve been OK,” she answered. “Good. At least, I think. I’ve been having an easier time performing my duties.”

“I’m glad.” Alara smiled at her as she lifted her own teacup. “What about the anxiety you’ve spoken to me about before?”

“It’s better,” Weiss said quickly. She seemed embarrassed to have it brought up to her face. “I mean… sometimes, I still… but it’s easier, now. It feels like I can just kind of… zone out a bit. Get in the zone. Do whatever I need to do, without thinking too much.”

“I see.”

That caught Alara’s interest. It sounded more like dissociation than adjustment. According to her superiors, though, her performance was entirely adequate. That level of automatism was outside of Weiss’s psychological profile. It could indicate that her mental state was being tampered with.

This was exactly what Alara had secretly been longing to hear. She’d agreed with herself that if Weiss seemed completely normal, it would be unethical to pry too deeply into her state of mind. But if there was any suggestion that what Kuznetzov had talked about was true, Alara had an obligation to investigate, fully and discretely.

And it was an obligation she’d relish. What student of psychology wouldn’t? Mind control had always been something of a fascination of hers, ever since her days in college. In academic psychology circles it was considered an unusual, quaint, even useless subject, far more hypothetical than practical, but now more than ever, Alara was grateful she’d taken those classes. Thanks to them, she knew exactly what she needed to do with Weiss.

She needed to hypnotize her.

It made perfect sense. How easily she went into a trance could help Alara to gauge if she’d been conditioned to be susceptible to mind-alteration, and if Alara was able to speak to her subconscious mind, she might be able to bypass whatever form of mind control was currently in effect. An unorthodox approach, perhaps, and not one most ship’s counselors would have been familiar with, but Alara always made sure she was brushed up on her technique.

“Hannah,” she said, once she’d made up her mind. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to hypnotize you.”

Weiss blinked. “Excuse me?”

“It’s a completely standard therapeutic technique.” Alara figured a little massaging of the truth wouldn’t do any harm. “A way to relax. A kind of meditation, you could call it. I think it could really help you.”

“Right.” Weiss still seemed a touch incredulous. “But… hypnosis? Isn’t that just some old thing from twentieth-century media?”

Alara just kept smiling. “Not quite. I assure you, it’s very real. Are you ready to get started?”

“I-I guess.” Weiss glanced down nervously. Alara had known that she’d crumble if Alara pushed just a little. “What do I need to do?”

“Nothing much,” Alara soothed. “Just sit right there and get as comfortable as you can.”

Weiss started to shift in her seat, settling in, and as she did Alara used the console built into the arm of her chair to dim the lights. Weiss was still visibly a little on edge, but Alara was sure she’d relax as soon as the counselor got to work on her. The young crewman wasn’t difficult to influence.

“Good,” Alara said approvingly once Weiss sat back. Even as she made her voice carefully low and rhythmic, she spoke like they were yet to begin and she was just making conversation. “The chairs are comfy, aren’t they? One of the perks of the job.”

“Yeah,” Weiss agreed. She seemed faintly grateful to be talking about something other than herself.

“Not many people on an Alliance starship get chairs like these.” Alara winked at Weiss. “Not even amongst the officers. You might as well enjoy them while you’re here! I know I do.”

“Yeah,” Weiss said again. “They are really nice. Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve been this comfortable in months.”

“Exactly.” Alara nodded enthusiastically. “You know, sometimes, when I can get away with it, I just dim the lights - just like this, in fact - sit down, close my eyes, and let myself drift off a little. Let my mind wander. I have to admit, once or twice I’ve actually fallen asleep like that. I must be getting old.”

Weiss giggled. “That sounds nice.” From her voice, it was obvious that she was feeling more and more at ease.

“It’s easy for me, of course. All I have to do is lock the door, and anyone who knocks will think I’m in a private appointment.” Alara heard another, even more relaxed giggle from Weiss. “I know a crewman like you won’t get nearly as many chances to relax. Not with your superior officers breathing down your neck.”

“Yeah…” Weiss replied wearily.

“Well, there’s no pressure here,” Alara promised. “Why not give it a try yourself? Close your eyes.”

Weiss looked up uncertainly for a moment, but then obliged. “OK.”

“Very good,” Alara said as Weiss’s eyelids fell shut. She already knew Weiss could be susceptible to positive reinforcement. “You’re more than welcome to take a few moments for yourself, Hannah. Just sit back. Relax. Forget I’m even here.”

Alara could tell that, whether she meant to or not, Weiss was hearkening to her words. Her shoulders were slumping and her breathing slowing. She couldn’t help but relax.

“Perfect,” Alara encouraged. “You must be very tired. Running all over the ship all the time, being ordered around constantly by your superiors. It’s exhausting. Trust me, I’ve been there - once upon a time. I know how it feels. When you’re tired like that, nothing compares to getting to take the weight off your feet. You just can’t help but sink into it.”

“Yeah…” Weiss let out a weary sigh. “That’s really… um… but s-should we get started?”

Alara had to suppress a laugh. “We already have.”

At that Weiss stirred - but only a little. Alara was pleased to see that already, she was unwilling or unable to shake off her lethargy. She couldn’t even bring herself to open her eyes. The poor girl really was exhausted.

Unless she wasn’t. Unless there was another reason she was so susceptible.

“What do you mean?” Weiss asked. She sounded distant.

“Hypnosis is just a state of mind,” Alara told her. She made her voice softer still; soothing, but so quiet Weiss had to devote all her attention to each one of the counselor’s words. “A nice, relaxed state of mind. You’re nice and relaxed now, aren’t you? That means you’re halfway there already.”

“Oh…” Weiss’s voice was growing fainter by the moment. It was obvious she was already too dazed to really interrogate what Alara was saying to her. Weiss was proving incredibly susceptible. Alarmingly so, in fact.

At least it made it easy for Alara to take advantage.

“You’re doing very well,” Alara assured her. “This is exactly what we want. Going under hypnosis is perfectly easy, and you’re already doing a wonderful job. And because you’re doing so well, you might notice your awareness changing. You might notice that lots of things that normally bother and distract you are just kind of fading away. Maybe it’s the little aches and pains in your body. Maybe it’s some of the little thoughts and worries you sometimes find yourself dwelling on. Whatever it may be, I’m sure you can notice it simply fading into the background of your mind.”

Weiss just nodded and let out a faint, murmured noise of agreement.

“At the same time,” Alara continued, voice soft and melodic. “You might notice some things you usually tune out. For me, when I’m nice and relaxed, it’s always the ship’s engines. When you first come aboard, they seem so noisy, don’t they? But after a few days or weeks, you completely stop noticing them. Everyone does.”

Another nod.

“But when I’m as relaxed as you are now, I seem to find the sound again,” Alara went on. “That low, droning hum. It’s all I can think about. And it’s not just a sound. It’s a sensation. A vibration. Something you can feel throughout your entire body.”

She noticed Weiss shiver slightly. Clearly, she was feeling it.

“Hannah,” Alara said. “That sound is all you need to think about right now. So it’s completely fine if you just zone out and give it all of your attention. You don’t even need to think about my voice. You don’t need to listen. You can just yourself drift and sink, and maybe every now and then, as my voice and my words float through your head, you’ll find your attention naturally ebbing back towards me. Just letting my words be your guide, whenever it feels natural.”

Weiss seemed so very relaxed now. She was barely moving at all, except for the slow, pronounced rise and fall of her chest. She looked all but asleep, but Alara could tell she wasn’t from the telltale way her eyes pricked up, ever so slightly, whenever Alara spoke. She was hanging on the counselor’s every word, be it consciously or subconsciously.

Alara was fascinated. It was like this girl was the perfect subject. She leaned in, eager to drink in every little detail of how Weiss reacted.

“That’s right,” she urged breathily. “Let me be your guide. You can just let my voice flow in and out of you, letting my words guide you, knowing that this is a safe place and that you can trust me. Everything that happens here is safe, Hannah. I’m here to take care of you. Here to guide you.”

Another nod, this one barely perceptible. Weiss was clearly on the brink.

“And because I’m here to guide you,” Alara pressed, “it’s completely OK for you to just let go. To completely let go. To surrender that last little bit of awareness that’s keeping you from complete, perfect relaxation. Doesn’t it sound nice to just give that up, once and for all?”

A quiet, sleepy murmur of appreciation was her only reply.

“Of course it does,” Alara assured her. “You can leave everything up to me for a little while. Even thinking. Doesn’t that sound good? And I think you’re ready for it. I’m going to count you down, from five to zero. When I say ‘zero’, you’re going to feel the burden of every last thought lifting from your shoulders, and you will be perfectly hypnotized. Ready?”

No reply at all this time, but Alara could sense Hannah was primed and ready.

“Five,” she counted. “Feeling yourself beginning to sink. Beginning to descend.”

Weiss’s shoulders slumped still deeper.

“Four,” Alara counted. “Even that hum, the sound of the engines, is starting to grow faint.”

The movement behind her subject’s eyes had all but disappeared.

“Three. Only my voice. That’s all that’s left. Not even in your conscious mind, just in your subconsciousness.”

Weiss’s head began to loll to one side.

“Two. Whether you know it or not, you’re already preparing yourself to let go completely. You’re anticipating how it’s going to feel.”

One of Weiss’s arms slipped from the armrest of her chair, hanging limply off to one side. She didn’t stir.

“One. Feeling yourself on the precipice now, relaxed and attentive and ready to let go as soon as I say… zero.”

Weiss froze. She just froze. She didn’t slump forward or backward the way someone might if they had fallen asleep. Instead, she just became still as her mind shut down, leaving her only just conscious enough to keep herself suspended in the position she’d been resting in. She couldn’t move. Not unless Alara told her to. Hannah Weiss was now nothing more than a blank, open receptacle for whatever the counselor wanted to do to her.

Alara knew the signs well. It had been just as perfect as she’d always dreamed. Weiss was completely and perfectly hypnotized.

As tempting as it was to simply bask in the moment, Alara knew she had to consider what that meant. Weiss had sunk like a stone. Alara was confident of her technique and it was possible that the crewman was simply a natural subject, but given what Kuzentzov had told her, it was equally possible that she’d been conditioned this way. That she was already under the lingering effects of some form of mind control.

But still, it was too early to raise the alarm. Alara decided that more testing was called for. It was the only professionally responsible way to proceed.

“Hannah, can you hear me?” she asked. “Answer me nice and clearly, please.”

“Yes,” Weiss replied. Her voice was far stronger and clearer than it had been while she’d been going under, but it was also completely devoid of any emotion or feeling whatsoever. Hearing it sent chills racing through Alara.

“Good,” Alara said. “Now, raise your right arm.”

Slowly and steadily, Weiss obeyed. Her movements were stiff, even unnatural, like she was little more than a mannequin whose strings were being pulled. But as Alara watched, her right arm - the one that had been hanging off the side of her chair, started to lift up into the air until Weiss was holding it out straight in front of herself.

Immediate, unquestioning, unhesitating obedience. ‘Suggestible’ didn’t even begin to cover it.

That seemed significant, but Alara found herself distracted by how she herself was reacting. Seeing Weiss obey her like that sent even greater chills through her body, and filled her stomach with butterflies. She was experiencing a giddy, intoxicating thrill the likes of which she hadn’t felt in years. This was unbelievable. It was like a dream come true.

Alara had fantasized about things like this for decades. In her youth, those fantasies had even moved her to study psychology. She’d never imagined anything close to them would ever become a reality. It would almost be a shame when she had to put an end to it and wake Weiss up.

But she didn’t yet, did she? Alara decided there was more testing to be done. She needed to establish some parameters. Clearly Weiss was susceptible to mind control, but did that represent any real danger? Raising an arm was something anyone might do if you asked them to. Alara needed to know if Weiss might prove dangerous to the rest of the crew. She needed to test if she could push the boundaries of the young woman’s morality.

“Hannah,” Alara said, very slowly. “Take off your uniform.”

Immediately, Weiss came to life again. She rose to her feet, slowly but steadily, and began to methodically peel away the layers of her standard-issue Alliance uniform. She started with the jacket, unzipping it across her body and shrugging it from her shoulders before she reached down to remove her pants.

Alara watched the entire process, enraptured. She was used to telling the crew of this ship what they should do. She wasn’t at all used to them obeying. The experience was unfamiliar - but far from unpleasant. For once, Alara felt powerful. She felt in control.

And she liked it.

If all the crew were like this, maybe she could actually fix them and their silly little problems. They’d listen to Alara’s every word. They’d have to. She could have them dancing to her tune. They would be perfectly behaved for once. They’d have to be.

An enticing concept.

Once Weiss finished undressing, she was left standing at attention in nothing more than her plain, white underwear. Her blank eyes were fixed straight ahead, seeing and comprehending nothing, and her face registered no embarrassment or discomfort. In that moment, Alara felt like she could do anything she wanted to the girl - and before she could stop herself, an urge got the better of her.

“Those too.” Alara gestured to Weiss’s bra and panties. “Take them off.”

Again, she obeyed. Alara was left rationalizing. Maybe telling her to remove her uniform simply wasn’t pushing her far enough. After all, simply being seen in your underwear was far from the worst thing. Nakedness was the logical next step. Alara was just investigating. That was all.

So what if she was also enjoying it?

Slipping out of her remaining clothes didn’t take Weiss long. Soon enough she was completely naked, and no less hypnotized for it. She was still completely and totally empty-headed. Watching her strip left Alara’s mouth dry. For all her rationalizing, she was conscious of the fact that she’d crossed a line. Anything Alara did beyond this point was truly taboo. It was conduct deeply unbecoming of a ship’s counselor.

But in her heart of hearts, she knew she couldn’t just stop. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.

“Sit down,” Alara instructed. Every time Weiss obeyed, it sent a fresh wave of heat through the older woman’s body. It was addictive. “Spread your legs.”

Hannah sat back down on the chair behind her and robotically moved her thighs apart until her legs were splayed wide, exposing herself to anyone who might have been watching. The pose was unmistakably sexual - but still, she wasn’t waking up. She wasn’t even stirring. There was no hint that Alara was approaching her limits. What had been done to the poor girl? Did she even have limits?

Alara needed to find out. She was burning to find out.

What about touch? She’d yet to try that, and she was so desperately curious. Alara rose from her seat and reached out - slowly, at first, but with a growing eagerness and hunger. There was no turning back now, after all.

At first, she kept it innocent. Her fingertips met Weiss’s skin on the hypnotized girl’s stomach. Hannah was as unresponsive as a statue; it was Alara who gasped faintly at the way Weiss’ soft, pale skin yielded to her touch. A fresh sense of power surged with the counselor. Weiss seemed so much more like a doll than a person, now. That very thought was intoxicating. And beyond that - it was really, irresistibly hot.

Alara’s hand started moving down, tracing a path over Weiss’s navel and beyond, deviating to one side so that her knuckles brushed against Weiss’s inner thighs. Finally, Hannah showed signs of life, but not the way Alara had expected. It was purely physiological: hairs standing on end, a barely-perceptible flush in her cheeks, a slight, suppressed twitch as Alara’s hand strayed closer and closer to her pussy. But through it all, her eyes stayed glassy and unfocused. There was no indication that she might wake up, or that there was even a single independent thought left in her head.

Alara could scarcely believe what she was seeing. It was like a fantasy come to life. It was perfect. Fuck, it was so hot. As if in a trance herself, she kept moving, inching further and further down, until her hand was just about to touch against Hannah’s-

“Oh wow! You’re even more of a pervert than I’d hoped, shrink.”

Alara’s heart leapt into her throat. She wheeled at the voice, her cheeks already scorching hot with shame at having been discovered. She found herself face-to-face with a woman who was sitting in Alara’s chair, entirely at ease, as if she’d been watching the entire time. Except that was impossible; the door to Alara’s office was locked and she hadn’t heard anyone knock, let alone come in.

Then, she noticed the arrays of holographic lights arranged around her office, all of which were lit up and pointed in the intruder’s direction. They were running some kind of program Alara had never written. That settled it. This woman was a hologram. But that still didn’t explain what was going on. Nobody could access the holographic systems in this room except Alara. For someone else to use them, they must have hacked deep into the Inyx’s central computer. Which meant…

“You’re… Wasp,” Alara said cautiously. “Aren’t you?”

She didn’t recognize the hacker on sight. Alara had no reason to pay much mind to the various mission and tactical briefings the Inyx’s crew received, after all. But she couldn’t imagine anyone else out here presenting themselves this way, with dyed, neon-green hair and in audacious, punk clothing that showed off dozens of tattoos.

“Got it in one!” Wasp giggled. “Now, let me save you some time: yes, I’ve hacked into your ship’s systems. Yes, I have total control. Yes, I’m using holotech to brainwash the crew one-by-one, exactly as Vasser’s right-hand girl suspects.” She winked when Alara looked particularly offended by that last one. “Yeah. I read your patient notes. Oops, my bad.”

“But…” Alara’s mind was racing. “How…”

What Wasp was telling her sounded beyond impossible, but she said it so matter-of-factly, the counselor couldn’t bring herself to be skeptical. And if nothing else, it would certainly explain a few things.

“Never mind that.” Wasp waved a dismissive hand. “Long story. And I’d much rather talk about you.” The cocksure smirk on her face took on a distinctly malicious tone, and she glanced pointedly at the still-hypnotized Weiss. “Having fun, were we?”

Alara flinched and looked down. Wasp had seen everything. Had she recorded it? “I was just…”

“Oh, there’s no need to explain yourself!” Wasp taunted. She rose to her feet and started circling the room, completely at ease. “Trust me, I get it. Frankly, how could you resist?”

"I was experimenting.” Alara tried to make her voice calm and firm. She had a lot of practice with that. “Performing my duty as counselor to investigate the extent of whatever mind control you’ve-“

“Bullshit!” Wasp sang out, plainly delighted. “Admit it, shrink. You’re practically dripping under that jumpsuit.”

Alara couldn’t quite keep her shame out of her face, and Wasp crowed with laughter.

“Don’t worry,” she told Alara once her laughter died. “Trust me, I’m not one to judge. And I’m not going to tell. Your naughty little secret is safe with me.”

“It’s not…” Alara looked away. “I made a mistake.”

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Wasp snorted. “It was a pleasure watching you work. You’re clearly more than a little familiar with that way of getting into people’s heads. Always happy to meet a kindred spirit.”

Alara balled her hands into fists. She needed to move on from this. To regain some kind of control of the situation. “What do you want, Wasp? I suppose I’m to be your next victim?”

Wasp just giggled. “What gives you that idea?”

“Why else would you confront me like this?” Alara shot back. “You have no reason to take the risk of me revealing this to the captain. Not unless you plan to make sure I’m unable to.”

“I like the way you think,” Wasp commented. “But you’re a little off, Alara. I mean, firstly, I already got to Vasser. She was the first, as a matter of fact. But more importantly, no, I don’t want to make you my next victim.”

“Then what do you want?” Alara demanded.

Wasp licked her lips. “I want you to join me.”

Alara’s blood ran cold. “Why?”

“Because that sounds fun.” Wasp paused to shrug as she waltzed around the room. “More fun than making you just another brainwashed bimbo or something. I’m getting a little bored of that. Plus, I hate to see potential go to waste. But doing my part to help the Inyx’s sweet little counselor embrace her wild side for a change? Now that’s a good time.”

“But…” Alara was struggling to process that. The idea that even a reckless villain like Wasp would orchestrate all of this on a mere whim was staggering. “Why would I ever…”

Wasp winked at her. “Same reason.”

Alara bristled and drew herself up. “You’ve made a serious mistake,” she warned. “And frankly, you’re delusional if you think that I would ever consider betraying both the Alliance and all of my comrades just for the sake of… of…”

Her voice trailed off and her conviction ebbed away as she found herself completely distracted by what Wasp was doing.

Wasp had circled around to the chair in which Weiss was still slumped and, as Alara was talking, had draped herself over the back of the chair and was reaching down, sliding her hands across the hypnotized crewman’s body. Alara was transfixed by the spectacle, especially when Wasp slipped a hand between Hannah’s legs and slowly, deliberately, pushed two of her fingertips into her pussy.

Alara’s train of thought vanished. There was just something irresistibly magical about what she was seeing. About the way Weiss remained perfectly blank and still even as she was violated, except for just a few slight, automatic twitches as her body responded to the stimulation. No one who was simply trying or acting could have managed such total lifelessness and mindlessness. Alara’s indignation was dulled, and her curiosity aroused.

It would be completely and totally unethical, of course - but Alara couldn’t help but wonder about all she might be able to do with such a remarkable subject to experiment on.

“You really are a natural,” Wasp whispered to her. She kept her eyes locked on Alara’s even as she started finger-fucking Hannah Weiss in a slow, steady rhythm. “You knew exactly what to do with her. Almost like you’ve been waiting for something just like this.”

Alara wanted to deny it. She wanted to, but she knew how her voice would sound if she tried.

She hadn’t been waiting. Not consciously. But it was beginning to feel like she had.

“It makes me wonder,” Wasp went on teasingly, matching the cadence of her voice to the way she was exploring and enjoying Weiss’s body. “How far would you have gone, if I hadn’t interrupted you?”

Alara shivered. She’d been asking herself the same thing.

“Would you have done this?”

Wasp pushed her fingers deeper into Weiss; all the way to the knuckle, and then further, all the way. Weiss shuddered, back arching from sheer, automatic reflex, and her deep, slow breathing caught as Wasp touched something sensitive deep inside her. When Wasp pulled her fingers free, they were slick and sticky with wetness, and Weiss’s entire body was thrumming with pleasure - but still, she couldn’t wake. It was like she was having a wet dream sitting upright, with her eyes open.

Alara couldn’t look away.

“Or maybe… this?” Wasp teased, bringing her hand back up Weiss’s body. “Is this where your mind was going?”

She turned her attention to Weiss’s mouth, prying her unresisting lips apart and slipping her still-wet fingers into her mouth. Weiss was far too deeply hypnotized to lick or suck without being told, but her tongue still yielded to Wasp as she stroked her fingertips across it, forcing Weiss to taste her own juices and leaving her with her tongue lolling a little way out of her mouth. Alara shivered as possibilities flashed through her mind.

“Ah, yes.” Wasp seized upon her reaction. “She could be very good, you know. You can train her at it. Make her exactly the way you like her.” She toyed idly with the tip of Weiss’s tongue. A drop of saliva formed at the very end. “She’d be perfect. And the best part? She’d never even know.”

“S-stop,” Alara pleaded - but even as she spoke, she knew that wasn’t what she wanted.

She could train Weiss. She could make her exactly the way she wanted. She could make her perfect.

How many times had she yearned for that, in all her time acting as ship’s counselor on the Inyx or some other Alliance warship?

Just for once, Alara Hisarlik could be in control.

“You don’t want me to stop,” Wasp mocked. “Just like you didn’t want to stop yourself. Admit it - we’re way beyond principles now. This is about who you want to be, Alara. A bored, ignored headshrink? Or someone who gets what she wants?”

“Bored…?” Alara blinked. “How do you know that?”

Wasp rolled her eyes. “I’ve been reading your personal logs too. Duh. Hacker.”

Anger flared within Alara - but not brightly enough to outshine her other urges. Her darker urges. Right now, she couldn’t pretend that a little invasion of privacy was what truly mattered. What mattered was that Alara was facing a choice: she could either raise the alarm and go back to her old life as a counselor, or she could embrace what Wasp was offering. She could join her conspiracy, and plumb the depths of her own, twisted desires.

That prospect should have horrified her. It should have, but as she contemplated, Alara realized something alarming: she didn’t care. Not about the Inyx, or the Alliance, or Captain Vasser, or anyone else on the crew. She just didn’t. What had they ever done except take her presence for granted? This wasn’t about them. This was about Alara, and what she wanted.

“It’s your choice,” Wasp told her. “I’m offering you a chance. It’s up to you what happens to poor Hannah here… at least, in a way. Not like she’s going to get her own mind back. No; if you don’t want to have fun with her, then maybe I should enjoy a little taste instead.”

As she spoke, Wasp took the point of Hannah Weiss’s chin between her thumb and forefinger, and tilted it up and to the side until Hannah was facing her. Then, as Wasp leaned in, her hardlight holographic body subtly flickered and changed, and her eyes started to fill with bright, bleeding, pulsing spirals that were being projected out from within.

For the first time, Weiss seemed to respond to something. Acting on some deeply-conditioned reflex, her eyes fixed on the spirals in Wasp’s and shot wide, as if she was drinking in their eerie, mind-altering light. Her face reflected those spinning colors and she started leaning in, swaying like a drunk, her lips perilously close to Wasp’s. Alara still couldn’t fathom exactly what Wasp had done to her, but clearly it was potent. There was no mistaking the fact that Wasp was inside Weiss’s head, and could do absolutely anything she wanted with the helpless, brainwashed crewman.

“Stop!” Alara barked. She was at her limit.

The spirals vanished from Wasp’s eyes and she turned to look at Alara instead, an expression of gleeful malice writ large on her face. “Oh? And why should I?”

Alara met Wasp’s gaze. There was only one answer. “Because she’s mine.”

Wasp threw back her head and laughed. Then, she stood up and straight and walked over to Alara. “Welcome aboard, shrink.”

Alara nodded curtly. Getting into bed with someone like Wasp was still an uneasy proposition, and she remained more than a little shocked at her own feelings. But there was one thing she knew for certain: she couldn’t go back.

That left her only one option. But it wouldn’t be unpleasant, at least. Alara had set aside an entire hour for her session with Weiss. She still had thirty minutes left. A smile came to her face as she thought about all the things she was going to be able to do to that girl’s head in thirty minutes.

And, of course, in the follow-up sessions they were going to schedule.

“I’ll leave you to enjoy yourself in a moment.” Wasp nodded approvingly at the smile on Alara’s face. She knew that look well. “But first, just one thing: let’s talk about what we’d like you to do to Lieutenant Kuznetzov.”