#medical misconduct is sexy

[straitjacketprincess]

what do you mean the next time I go to the mental hospital a sexy older doctor WONT groom me into a fucked up relationship that ends up with me getting worse and depending on them for everything until im their perfect mentally unwell patient that only they can treat (treatment is getting raped)????? what do you mean that wont happen???

[australianwomensnews]

Medical research has a major problem: an alarmingly high number of trials are based on fake, fraudulent or misinterpreted data.

Research misconduct sleuths call them “zombie” studies. They look like real research papers but they’re rotten to the core. And when these studies go on to influence clinical guidelines, that is, how patients are treated in hospitals and doctors’ rooms, they can be dangerous.

Professor Ben Mol, head of the Evidence-based Women’s Health Care Research Group at Monash University, is a professional zombie hunter. For years, he has warned that between 20 and 30 per cent of medical trials that inform clinical guidelines aren’t trustworthy.

“I’m surprised by the limited response from people in my field on this issue,” he says. “It’s a topic people don’t want to talk about.”

The peer review process is designed to ensure the validity and quality of findings, but it’s built on the assumption that data is legitimate.

Science relies on an honour system whereby researchers trust that colleagues have actually carried out the trials they describe in papers, and that the resulting data was collected with rigorous attention to detail.

But too often, once findings are queried, researchers can’t defend their conclusions. Figures such as former BMJ editor Richard Smith and Anaesthesia editor John Carlise argue it’s time to assume all papers are flawed or fraudulent until proven otherwise. The trust has run out.

“I think we have been naive for many years on this,” Mol says. “We are the Olympic Games without any doping checks.”

How bad science gets into the clinic

Untrustworthy papers may be the result of scientists misinterpreting their data or deliberately faking or plagiarising their numbers. Many of these “zombie” papers emerge from Egypt, Iran, India and China and usually crop up in lower-quality journals.

The problem gets bad when these poor-quality papers are laundered by systematic reviews or meta-analyses in prestigious journals. These studies aggregate hundreds of papers to produce gold-standard scientific evidence for whether a particular treatment works.

Often papers with dodgy data are excluded from systematic reviews. But many slip through and go on to inform clinical guidelines.

My colleague Liam Mannix has written about an example of this with the hormone progesterone. Official guidelines held that the hormone could reduce the risk of pre-term birth in women with a shortened cervix.

But those guidelines were based on a meta-analysis largely informed by a paper from Egypt that was eventually retracted due to concerns about the underlying data. When this paper was struck from the meta-analysis, the results reversed to suggest progesterone had no preventative effect.

There’s a litany of other examples where discounting dodgy data can fundamentally alter the evidence that shapes clinical guidelines. That’s why, in The Lancet’s clinical journal eClinical Medicine, Mol and his colleagues have reported a new way to weed out bad science before it makes it to the clinic.

Holding back the horde

The new tool is called the Research Integrity in Guidelines and evIDence synthesis (RIGID) framework. It mightn’t sound sexy, but it’s like a barbed-wire fence that can hold back the zombie horde.

The world-first framework lays out a series of steps researchers can take when conducting a meta analysis or writing medical guidelines to exclude dodgy data and untrustworthy findings. It involves two researchers screening articles for red flags.

“You can look at biologically implausible findings like very high success rates of treatments, very big differences between treatments, unfeasible birth weights. You can look at statistical errors,” says Mol.

“You can look at strange features in the data, only using rounded numbers, only using even numbers. There are studies where out of dozens of pairs of numbers, everything is even. That doesn’t happen by chance.”

A panel decides if a paper has a medium to high risk of being untrustworthy. If that’s the case, the RIGID reviewers put their concerns to the paper’s authors. They’re often met with stony silence. If authors cannot address the concerns or provide their raw data, the paper is scrapped from informing guidelines.

The RIGID framework has already been put to use, and the results are shocking.

In 2023, researchers applied RIGID to the International Evidence-based Guidelines for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a long misunderstood and misdiagnosed syndrome that affects more than 1 in 10 women. As a much maligned condition, it was critical the guidelines were based on the best possible evidence.

In that case, RIGID discounted 45 per cent of papers used to inform the health guidelines.

That’s a shockingly high number. Those potentially untrustworthy papers might have completely skewed the guidelines.

Imagine, Mol says, if it emerged that almost half of the maintenance reports of a major airline were faked? No one would be sitting around waiting for a plane to crash. There would be swift action and the leadership of the airline sacked.

[ukrfeminism]

5 minute read

Thousands of hospital staff are reporting claims of sexual assaults and harassment by patients, an investigation has found, prompting calls for ministers to address the “daily threat of abuse” faced by doctors and nurses.

More than 20,000 alleged incidents of sexual violence and sexual misconduct by patients on hospital staff were recorded in the five years to 2022 by 212 NHS trusts in England, freedom of information (FoI) requests by the Guardian and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found.

The 20,928 cases accounted for just under 60% of the total alleged incidents trusts disclosed. Allegations included claims of rape, sexual assault, harassment, stalking and sexualised remarks.

Experts cautioned that the figures were likely to be a serious underestimate as staff are often deterred from making complaints when patients abuse them.

Deeba Syed, a senior legal officer at the Rights of Women helpline, said: “Women tell us they are expected to continue to care for patients who are abusive or harassing without efforts to adequately safeguard them from further harassment.

“We hear worrying reports of women feeling pressured into not raising formal grievances and instead being transferred to different departments or locations. They tell us it is argued that this is more expedient than moving the harassing patient, despite victims feeling this is unsafe to others and a punishment on them.”

Katie, not her real name, a junior doctor in the south-east of England, said patients had made sexual comments about her since she was a student.

“From the word go within clinical placement, I always felt very heavily sexualised by patients,” she said. “One time, when I had to get close up to a patient’s face to examine his eyes, the patient started licking his lips and rubbing himself. I was 19 or 20 at the time and the consultant had left the room – I was completely terrified.”

She said she has also experienced sinister, crude comments, like being asked if she was going to “pleasure” a male patient. Katie said she did not feel she could tell anyone as she found most of the consultants intimidating. 

The everyday harassment has made her reevaluate her career path and she is hoping to go into obstetrics and gynaecology so she does not have to treat men. “I find the sexual harassment affects me too much and makes me feel like shit.”

The Guardian and BMJ investigation found trusts recorded 35,606 sexual safety incidents, a term that covers a spectrum of behaviours from abusive remarks to rape, allegedly perpetrated by staff, patients or visitors in NHS hospitals in England between 2017 and 2022.

While the majority were cases of patient-on-staff abuse, nearly 7,500 were allegations of patients abusing other patients and more than 3,000 were cases of staff abusing patients.

Responding to the findings, Simon Fleming, an orthopaedic surgeon and co-author of a 2021 report on sexual assault in surgery for the Royal College of Surgeons, said the NHS needed to take a more robust approach to sexual misconduct by patients.

He said: “Patients abuse staff often. Some of this is normalised, some of it less so. What you permit, you promote, and the NHS needs to stop permitting patients and staff behaving in a way that makes healthcare less safe for all of us.”

Some NHS workers do feel able to speak out. Charlotte Miller, a paramedic at Westminster ambulance station, London, said her employers were “incredible” when she reported being molested while attending to a patient on Edgware Road, west London, in October 2022. The patient, Naveed Ahmed, in his mid-30s, was jailed for nine months in November 2022.

Miller said: “He had already told my crewmate and I we were sexy and had been leering at us, but then he grabbed my crotch. I was really shocked. I’ve had comments before, but that was the first time that someone actively tried to grope me. I didn’t know what he was going to do next.”

As soon as she radioed for help, the police were called and her station sent a colleague, along with an incident response officer. “I had all these phone calls from various managers to make sure I was OK, they told me to have the rest of my shift off and go home to rest. They constantly checked in on me in the days afterwards and helped support me while I made my statements to the police. I couldn’t ask for any better management, if I’m honest.

“I hope this will encourage other people to have the confidence to report these things,” she said.

Dr Becky Cox, a co-founder of Surviving in Scrubs, said: “The stark findings of this investigation should put into sharp focus the work that the health secretary and NHS leaders need to do to ensure the freedom of NHS staff to work without threat of sexual violence from patients and other staff members.

“It was not long ago we were being heralded as pandemic heroes by the government and cheered by the general public, yet we continue to face unsafe working conditions and the daily threat of abuse.”

Surviving in Scrubs lists more than 150 personal accounts of sexual harassment and abuse. They include cases of patients assaulting, molesting and sexualising nurses and doctors.

The health secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “NHS leaders have a statutory duty of care to look after their staff and patients and prevent harassment, abuse or violence in the workplace. I expect employers to be proactive in ensuring staff and patients are fully supported, their concerns listened to and acted on with appropriate action taken where necessary.”

Dr Navina Evans, the chief workforce officer at NHS England, said the health service should not tolerate any sexual misconduct, violence, harassment or abuse.

“NHS England has established a dedicated team to ensure people who experience violence and abuse are supported in the workplace, and there is greater provision of support for all victims and survivors. All NHS trusts and organisations have measures in place to ensure immediate action is taken in any cases reported to them and I strongly encourage anyone who has experienced any misconduct to come forward, report it and seek support.”

• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

[quailfence]

[Image description: Ten gifs of Ace Attorney characters. Each one has a bit of text over it.

Image 1: An annoyed Apollo and the Judge. Text: Judge: Counsel it's up to you, what do you want to do? Defense: I wanna die…

Image 2: A thoughtful Phoenix, and Datz giving a thumbs-up. Text: Client: I told the police I was drinking. Attorney: What were you drinking? Client: Crystal Meth

Image 3: A nervous Phoenix and the Judge talking about Mia being channeled by Mia. Text: Clerk: Is your client present? Attorney: No (pause). He's actually deceased. Clerk: Awe. Okay…so he's with us in spirit.

Image 4: Max Galatica and The Judge. Text: Judge: What are you in custody for, sir? Defendant: Being too sexy for society

Image 5: A nervous Athena and the judge. Text: Attorney: Objection! Judge: Basis? Attorney: I don't know…

Image 6: Apollo Justice and AA4 Phoenix. Text: Attorney: What did you do to prepare for your deposition today? Witness: I had a bottle of wine. Attorney: Okay. Anything else? Witness: Nope.

Image 7: Phoenix and Godot. Text: PD: *alleges prosecutorial misconduct and discovery violation mid-trial because the DA didn't discover a recorded interview between him and a witness.* DA: Your honor. This is my second trial I was out on medical leave for a surgurey earlier this year. The fact that the PD thinks I should know how to di any of this is frankly offensive.

Image 8: The Judge and Larry. Text: Judge: Hove you ever been diagnosed with a mental disorder or disability? Defendant: Not yet, your honor.

Image 9: Wocky and the Judge. Text: Judge (attempting to determine indigence to appoint counsel): Do you work? Defendant: Nah. Judge: Are you in school? Defendant: Nah. Judge: How do you support yourself? Defendant: Just vibing.

Image 10: A sweating Phoenix and the judge discussing Matt Engarde. Text: Judge Should I order a mental health exam for your client? Attorney: That's the thing, your honor. My client isn't so much crazy as he is a fantastic a**hole. End description.]

@aa-described @aceattorney-described

Real court transcripts + Ace Attorney

[noonachronicles]

Here to Mars

Song Min Ho/ Mino X Reader

Word Count: 10.6K

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Futuristic...Space...Stuff?, Military!AU

Warnings: Mature themes including, sexual activity, vulgar language, and intergalactic violence.

A/N: Thank you to my Mino Anon for waking up something inside of me that was apparently dying to get out. HUGE thank you to @memoiresofaneternaldreamer for doing a light proof of this monster, but mostly for this AMAZING moodboard that made me cry at work because I wasn’t expecting such a perfect gift. I hope people like it, even if you don’t...here it is anyway because I worked really hard on it...

Honey, it's in the stars. And you're my everything from here to Mars

And every word I say I truly mean 

Dear darling, I hope I'm being clear 'cause there's no one like you on earth

That can be my universe.  

Lieutenant Song Min Ho was trouble. You knew this about him before he even stepped onto your ship. You knew because every single one of his superiors before you warned of him. Of his disregard for the rules and inability to follow direction. The thing about Song Min Ho, or Mino as he had apparently preferred, was that he was also the best known pilot in about a billion galaxies. What was worse was that he knew it. So when your admiral had told you he would be joining your crew on the G.S.S. Mobb you couldn’t exactly refuse.You had the best ship in the entire Galactic Guard, it made sense you would have the best pilots.

When he finally arrived it took him a total of five minutes to plant himself on your bad side. You were always one of the welcoming officers for new recruits to your ship, and the smug way he entered your bridge as if it was already his infuriated you. Mino was instantly attracted to you and didn’t seem to feel the need to hide that fact. Your strength, your power, there was even something about your clear disinterest in him as a subordinate that drove him wild.

Unfortunately, you learned, he really was as great a pilot as everyone had suggested. He’d been quick to fall into a leadership role with the rest of your flight crew. And in his first three months on the ship he’d seen 15 minor combat situations and had been able to deflect any and all damages from the main ship. That was the only reason you could justify not having written him up already for relentlessly causing mischief throughout your domain. You did everything you could in an attempt to ignore him not realizing that it was your attention he was seeking all along. Once Mino had an idea of what might warrant your regard he concocted his stupidest plan yet.

It had been a slow day, giving you the chance to walk the ship with your second in command. It wasn’t often you got the chance to really take inventory and you were pleased to find that everything had looked good. The ship was spotless and well maintained. On other ships an unannounced walkthrough would leave room for mistakes, but your crew was the best and your ship was always flawless.   

“What’s this?” you asked as the two of you reached the flight deck.

It seemed a large group of rowdy pilots had gathered in the hanger and were looking out into the vast empty space just beyond the ships seal.

“Uhhh…” your second tried to search the logs on his handheld for information on what was happening. “I don’t know, Captain. There shouldn’t be any activity down here.”

“So who the fuck is that?” you asked as one of your fighters shot passed the opening of the ship at high speed..

The crowd of pilots, maintenance crew members, and really anyone within earshot of the flight deck, cheered wildly. You watched the fighter shoot back and forth, playing chicken with small meteors, blasting them to bits and then speeding through their remains. In general being a showoff.

“Mino…” You spat, making your way through the crowd.

Everyone had been too preoccupied with his show that they didn’t even recognize that their Captain was among them. With your arms folded across your chest you watched his show. As he went on the crowd grew even rowdier, thrilled by his performance. At times even you found it hard not to allow for an impressed smirk.

So enthralled by his flying you barely noticed the other pilot that finally recognized you in the crowd. He grabbed his radio and you could hear the krshht of his call out. “Uh...lieutenant you’re gonna want to come back in.”

“What for?” You could just hear the smug grin on Mino’s face over the radio.

“You’ve gained an audience.”

“Thanks, that’s the point, Seungyoon.”

“Mino… the captain is down here.” He lowered his voice but not well enough, “She looks pissed.”

“Ah. Roger that lieutenant. I’ll be coming back in then.” He said with a cheerfulness that made it seem like that’s what he’d been waiting to hear all day.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Kang.” You said before making your way back out of the crowd.

You were going to finish your walk. Go back to the bridge. Hopefully finish up your quiet day. Instead you heard the unmistakable sound of crushing, scrapping metal and the entire gathered audience gasp in concern. You turned back to the seal just in time to see Mino’s fighter come crashing back onto the flight deck. Narrowly missing other fighters and handfuls of crew members. Once he had skidded to a complete halt Mino released the hood and jumped, with a superfluous amount of enthusiasm, from the cockpit to a round of cheers from the crew.

“I’m alive!” He shouted happily. “I think I broke my arm...but fuck it! I’m alive!”

His eyes scanned the crowd until he met your infuriated gaze. The smile on his lips hardly faltered at all.

—

“You’re on medical probation with that broken arm, Song.” You said almost the second he entered your quarters later that afternoon, after having his injuries catered to in the infirmary. “And you’re lucky I don’t have you removed from my ship completely for the fighter you destroyed.”

“Captain. Good to finally see you again.” He smiled, taking a seat in the chair across from your desk. He casually crossed one leg over the other and placed his casted arm on top of his thigh. “It feels like it’s been years since you welcomed me onto this immaculate ship and then never came to see me again.”

“I am the captain of a ship whose crew is over a thousand. Do you think I have time to babysit every single one of you?” You asked slamming your pen down finally looking up at him. “That’s definitely how you behave.”

“I just couldn’t figure out why you’d been ignoring me.” he said with a sigh of relief, clearly ignoring your words, “now it seems so clear.”

“And what reason seems so clear to you now?” You questioned in a huff of frustration.

“Obviously, you’re afraid to fall in love with me.” he grinned, “I suppose I don’t blame you. You have a great crew here but none of them, I've noticed, have been brought on for their good looks. Well, with the exception of you, if you ask me. Not that you aren’t also a great leader. I’d say it’s about half and half. Half the severity of your hair bun, half the severity of your leadership. It makes for a whole...lot of sexy.”

“Song, you’re the best pilot this ship has ever seen. I’d hate to have to have you removed for blatant misconduct and sexual harassment of a superior.” You hoped he could tell by the look on your face that you weren’t playing his game.

“My apologies, Captain. I meant no disrespect.” He said solemnly. You could see the grin forming before he muttered, “I must have misread the situation.”

“There is no situation, Lieutenant.” You said sternly. “I’m serious. Watch your mouth on my ship or I’ll have you transferred to the docks.”

He looked up at you wide eyed, finally sensing your seriousness. The docks were career suicide for a space pilot. It was essentially being trapped on earth, unable to fly, unable to do anything but watch the stars pass overhead. Older generations likened it to to working the graveyard shift at an actual graveyard. “I’m sorry, Captain. Please, I’ll do anything.”

You sighed. “Just do your job, Song. Nothing more, nothing less. And if you ruin any more of my equipment trying to show off, I promise you, you’re gone.”

“Thank you, Captain.” For once it seemed he was sincere.

“You’re excused, Lieutenant.” You said looking back down at your paperwork. “I hope I won’t have to see you again soon.”

He stood from the chair and took a few steps towards the door, “What if I wanted to see you again, soon?”

You looked up from your work unsure you’d heard him correctly, “Excuse me?”

“Um. Weren’t you going to ask about my injury?” He asked innocently.

“Does this look like the infirmary to you, Song? Do I look like someone who deals with injuries?” You asked with a furrowed brow.

“I don’t know.” He pushed his hair back out of his face with his uninjured hand and smiled. An actual, genuine smile. Not something smug but something real. It took all you had not to audibly react to how handsome he truly was. He looked down at his toes, “I think the painkillers are setting in.”

“Go... rest then.” You said quietly forcing your eyes back down to your papers.

—

Almost a month had passed and you were pleased that Mino had stayed mostly off your radar. At least in the sense that he wasn’t being needlessly destructive to get your attention. He was only being needlessly obnoxious and constantly hovering around you. With his injured wing he was unable to fly which meant he had plenty of time to hang around your bridge. Which he did, everyday, under the guise of learning the navigation system.

“Captain,” the second officer said stepping up behind you as you sat reading your charts. “There’s an unidentified ship that's been circling our location slowly for the last hour. They're also getting closer with each rotation.”

“I’ve noticed them, barely. Their movements have been very subtle.” You noted, “Have you attempted contact?”

“Yes ma’am. They’re receiving our messages but are apparently refusing response.”

“You feel they’re a threat?” You asked watching the nervous body language of the officer.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, “I don’t like to make assumptions based off of such little information...but something feels wrong.”

“Captain.” Mino said suddenly at your side

“You’re on medical probation.” You didn’t even satiate him with a glance in his direction before shutting him down.

“I can do this.” He whined.

That made you turn to look at him, “There’s nothing to do yet. If you weren’t so trigger happy all the time maybe you could have avoided the injury you already have.”

“I got this from showing off, not from combat. And I’m basically healed already.” He argued slipping the sling he’d been wearing over the top of his head as if that meant he was suddenly cured.

“I said there’s nothing to do yet, Mino!” Instantly Mino raised an eyebrow at you. He knew he’d gotten to you or was at least getting close. The second officer eyed you suspiciously as well. “Lieutenant Song. Please, step back and await any further direction….from...somewhere else.”

“Yes, Captain.” He smiled to himself before taking several steps back, but still close enough to listen.

You moved to your chair and sat down, considering your options carefully. If the ship was friendly you didn’t want to come off as too aggressive. If it was unfriendly you didn’t want to make contact unprepared. You sighed, a sense of worry overwhelmed you. Your gut told you this wasn’t going to go well and that you should risk coming off as aggressive for the sake of your crews safety.

You requested that the second officer open a line of communication and turned to Mino with mild reluctance. “Will you please go down to the hanger and have six combat fighters prepared for flight on my order?”

“Depends on if I get to be in one of those fighters.” He said running his tongue over his lip, thirsty for the chance to be back in the air.

“Lieutenant… don't make me say medical probation again.”

He cleared his throat and looked away from you like a teenage girl having a tantrum. “Fine. I’ll get your fighters ready.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Song.” You said with a slight eye roll.

You waited for confirmation that your pilots were ready for flight before opening the line of communication. “This is the captain of the Galactic Guard’s fleet ship, the G.S.S. Mobb. Please identify yourself.”

Waiting for a response you turned to your safety officer and requested shields up.

“If you do not identify yourself appropriately we will have to assume that you are a hostile intruder of this quadrant and we will have to take action against you and your ship. Again, I request that you please identify yourself to avoid any unnecessary action be taken.”

Radio silence. The knot in your stomach grew tighter. It seemed silly to look out at a ship in the distance and assume intentions but you definitely felt threatened. Finally there was a return message. It was clear from the first few words that the female voice that came over your system was a robotic translation.

“This Uag’r Barlak. Leader of the Kronon star system. Your Galactic Guard has wrongfully taken control of a star system that does not belong to them. May your death and the destruction of your ship act as a message to your Guard that tyranny will not be tolerated by the Barlakian’s. We are the resistance.”

“Are the shields up?” You asked urgently.

“Yes, Captain!” a voice called from one of the controls officers.

“Send the fighters!” You ordered, and watched as the ship that had been circling you neared.

They immediately began shooting their distance cannons at your ship, and you could see almost two dozen combat fighters release from their hanger.

“Get me the flight deck.” You said nervously gripping the edge of the table you’d been standing over.

“This is the flight deck, Captain.” said a voice over the intercom.

“We need at least a dozen more fighters in the air, right now.” You paused, “Is this Lieutenant Kang?”

“Yes, ma’am. We have a dozen fighters preparing for flight. They should be up and out in less than thirty seconds.” He said knowing and quickly trying to avoid your next question.

“Where is Lieutenant Song?” The air went silent. You could almost feel the heat of your rage as your neck grew red with anger. “KANG!”

“He’s in the air, Captain.”

You took a deep breath and looked down at the table. It was a 4D gridded map of the space around you. Your ship, the Barlak ship, the fighters. You could see it all happening in front of you in real time. Your eyes passed over the combat happening outside your ship and you wondered passively which fighter was Songs.

“Lieutenant Kang.” You said after a deep, calming breath, “Stay alert and keep your line open for any further requests.”

“Yes, Captain, of course.”

You watched the battle rage on for nearly an hour. Mino was superb, as always, flying circles around enemy ships and taking them down. You had several other amazing pilots as well, taking out their small combat fighters and destroying the larger ship cannons. By your count however, you’d lost three of your own fighters. So far your biggest loss of this deployment. Your heart ached for your lost pilots but you didn’t have time to be sad about it.

“Shields?” You asked watching a fourth fighter narrowly miss a laser cannon shot. Instead your ships shields took the brunt.

“Seventy-five percent, Captain.”

“Admiral Yang has sent transmission, Captain. He wants to know if he needs to send additional assistance.” Your second asked hesitantly.

“We’ve got this.” You responded tight lipped. You hated that your admiral would undermine you like that.

You weren’t wrong. With one of your pilots taking out the enemy ships second to last outer cannon, they finally cut their losses and jumped into hyper speed, leaving three of their smaller fighters in the lurch.

“Kang, bring your fighters back in. Our outer cannons will take care of the stragglers.”

Several of your bridge crew high fived and cheered. You let out a long breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding onto. You received congratulations left and right, but there was something you had to do. You left the celebration of the bridge and made your way swiftly to the flight deck.

“Where’s Lieutenant Song?” You asked the second you reached the flight deck command center.

You observed several injured pilots of the ones that made it back to the ship. Several of your fighters looked nearly destroyed. You’d never seen your ship in such disarray. It should have bothered you more. It bothered you that it didn’t bother you. It bothered you that your sole concern was why you hadn’t seen Mino’s fighter in the hanger. Why he wasn’t limping around somewhere being showered in sympathy by his peers. Why he wasn’t annoying you for attention while you were trying to focus on the true issues at hand.

“Where is Lieutenant Song?” You asked again to someone else this time.

The crew member looked up from where he was collecting debris, “He went straight to the infirmary, Captain.”

“Thank you. Is everything under control down here? As well as it can be?”

“Yes ma’am.” The crew member nodded.

“Do you need anything from me?”

“No ma’am. We’re just fine.” He responded sincerely.

You nodded, your head somewhere else completely. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Yes ma’am. Thank you ma’am.” He nodded and went back to his business.

Your hands shook nervously as you made your way to the infirmary. You’d been stopped several times and tried to remain as calm and collected as possible. Hoping that you didn’t seem too much as if you were desperately trying to be somewhere else. As expected after the attack the infirmary was chaos. As many injured pilots that you’d observed earlier, there were twice as many here with injuries much more severe and the damage to your own ship had left a few bruised and battered crew members needing attention. Even still it didn’t take you long to find Mino, you just searched for the one nurse who was blushing furiously and giggling like a middle schooler.

You snatched the curtain sectional and tugged it open. Mino was sitting up, shirtless, on a gurney. He was mostly bandaged already, a charming smile on his face. The nurse had been applying ointment to one nasty looking cut on his side.

“Captain.” He said snapping you from your obvious stare.

“Um.” Your eyes shifted from his smooth, muscular chest to his amused eyes. “I thought you’d look much worse.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“I’ll need to speak with you once your done here. About your disregard for direct orders.” You turned towards the nurse he’d been flirting with. “Are any of his injuries severe?”

“No ma’am.” She smiled something small, the way you were asserting your dominance and aggression was very clear to her. “He should be done here shortly.”

“Good.” You said and turned back to Mino who was biting his lip as he watched you. “My quarters then. As soon as your done here, Song.”

“Aye, aye.” He smiled cheekily. As you turned to leave, in his most suggestive tone yet he finished with, “Captain.”

You stopped for a beat, wanting to say something, took a deep breath and thought against it. You walked away without looking back. You weren’t sure what you were going to do once he met you in your quarters. You’d made the request too hastily. Your internal arguments began immediately. What you had wanted to do was kiss him, to finally wipe that perpetually smug smile off his face once and for all. You’d wanted to have your hands on him like that nurse did. Taking care of his wounds. Wounds he’d earned protecting your ship.

The thought made you stop in your tracks, in the hallway near the bridge. You reached out, clutching the wall for support. This was not going to be good, you’d let him get under your skin, every layer. He was too handsome. You’d been too lonely. You were letting your more primal desires take over from what you knew was your more evolved train of thought.

“Captain?” You looked up to see your second in command looking at you with concern and realized that you still had your hand pressed against the wall, and were panting deeply as if you’d been running.

“Yes?”

“Is everything okay? Do you need help?”

You straighten yourself and cleared your throat. “I’m fine. I…” You wanted to blame it on an anxiety attack, something generic. Stress from the battle, but something like that would only be seen as weakness. “I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. I’ll be in my quarters for the rest of the afternoon if you need me.”

“The ship is going to be fine, Captain. You made good calls today. Get some rest, you earned it.” He said patting your shoulder gently. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

You’d been in your quarters only a minute, it felt like. Only long enough to down an entire pitcher of water and let your hair down around your shoulders.  Still your mouth felt dry when the knock sounded on your door. You cursed under your breath and turned towards it, sitting on the edge of your desk as casually as possible.

“Come in.” You called.

“Captain, you wanted to see me?” Mino said stepping inside your office.

“Shut the door please, Lieutenant.”

You watched as Mino turned and closed the door. He looked back at you over his shoulder with a cocky smirk and your heart started racing immediately.

“Anything else, Captain?”

“Lock it, please. And you can wipe that smirk off your face while your at it.” You commanded. You would remain in control, at least that’s what you told yourself. Even if you didn’t quite believe it.

Mino did as he was told and then stood in the center of the room at attention. His hooded eyes watching you relentlessly. You wished he’d look somewhere else, your awards or your desk, the carpet, or just anywhere but your body. You already felt like your body was a flashing neon sign begging for him to take you. The way he stared, tongue rolling over his lip, only confirmed it.

You pushed yourself from your desk quietly and stepped towards him. He was still shirtless. Too bandaged on his one shoulder to have been able to slip back into his undershirt, so he had the arms of his flight suit tied around his waist to keep it from slipping all the way down. Although it was still low enough that you could see the start of his Adonis lines.

“Are you okay?” You asked quietly, sincerely, observing the cuts and clear bruising beginning on his skin. You stood face to face now. Too close.

He could not hid the shock on his face. Eyebrows raised and mouth drawn back in surprise. “I thought you didn’t care about-“

“Please, just answer my question.” You sighed, he exhausted you.

In every way shape and form Song Mino exhausted you. He chipped away at you. Like a fool, you’d believed, chipping at an iceberg with an ice pic. And yet somehow his persistence wasn’t as futile as you assumed it would be.

He turned his head just slightly. Your faces just inches from one another. You bit your lip as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn’t think he’d ever get here, but the air around the pair of you was thick, and he couldn’t help but believe you were waiting for him to kiss you. He wasn’t entirely wrong.  

“I’m going to be just fine, Captain. Don’t you worry about me.” He said quietly, softly.

You didn’t move, he assumed you wouldn’t, so he tilted his head even closer testing the waters. You kept your eyes on the wall opposite you, as his eyes trailed over your skin, “What you did out there was stupid, Song.”

“It’s not the stupidest thing I’ve done and I’m sure I’ll do worse in the future.” He whispered because his lips at this point were already so close to your ear he could practically taste you.

You gulped. “Thank you, for saving my ship.”

“I’d do anything for you.” He said, his breath hot against your skin. Your eyes were burning holes in the wall across from you. “Just tell me what you want me to do and consider it done.”

“I can’t.” Everything inside of you was conflicted and fighting. You wanted him so badly but you risked the job you’d worked so hard for.

“Can’t what? You can’t tell me? What if I guess then?” His lips brushed softly against your skin and you thought you might cry. “If I had to guess, I’d guess that you want me to…”

Your breathe grew heavy in your chest as he raised his hand to your collar, pushing your shirt to the side, exposing a patch of your skin. You inhaled deeply. His fingertips were rough on the skin but his palm rested gently on the top of your breast. It was a lot of physical attention you didn’t feel prepared for.

“Please, don't tease.” You begged quietly, the anticipation too much. His eyes trailed over your face, catching the pain in your gaze. The tremble of your lips. The unsteady way your breath caught in your chest. The heavy pounding of your heart under his palm.

“If I had to guess. I’d guess you want me to kiss you. Here.” He pressed his lips against your collarbone and instantly moaned at your scent. “Here.” He said kissing another patch of sensitive skin. “Here.” He said sucking the skin of your throat gently between his lips. “Here.” He pressed another kiss against your jaw just below your ear.

Your hands flew up from your sides wanting to touch him. To hold his broad, muscular shoulders. But you stopped yourself, palms hovering just over his arms. You whimpered, it physically hurt you how badly you wanted him. Mino showed no restraint. He wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you into his body.

A gasp escaped your lips. His mouth continued its attack on your neck and chest. It was as if he was eating up every gasp and whimper you released for him. His hand lowered from your waist to squeeze your ass. You could feel him growing hard between you two.

“Stop.” You whispered. His hand released you immediately. In the back of your chaotic mind you couldn’t help but think he wasn’t so terrible at following orders after all. “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.”

His bottom lip rolled under his tongue as he eyed you hungrily, “You think you can’t...but, you do want to?”

“Shit.” You sighed. “Yes. Fuck. Yes, I want to. It doesn’t change anything. I can’t do this. It’s already gone too far.”

His finger trailed a line up your neck slowly, until he was cupping your head in his palm. “If you promise not to say anything, I promise not to say anything. We can do whatever we want, no one has to know.”

“That’s not how it works. If we were to get caught…”

“We won’t. I swear. No one will ever know. Can’t you keep a secret?”

You stepped back, the air becoming too thick in the room. You hit the back your legs on your desk and took a much needed seat.

“I can’t give you anything. I won’t. You wouldn’t get any special treatment. I’d still need you to behave, to listen. I can’t ever promote you. I wouldn’t-“

You didn’t even notice him move towards you. You just felt his lips on yours and felt your body sink into his hands, like ice melting in a fire. His tongue was soft and strong against yours. The hand on his bandaged arm held your head in place while the other found the waist of your pants. His long fingers slipped inside of the fabric and between your thighs easily. Your back arched from the touch and Mino let your body follow its desired movements. Still protecting your head he laid you down on the desk.

“I don’t want anything from you. Except this.” He whispered against your throat as you panted desperately beneath him. His fingers circled the moistening patch of cloth between your thighs. “This...is yours and yours alone to give. So I ask, may I have this?”

You nodded, “Yes.”

He didn’t waste any time finding his way underneath the thin fabric that kept him from you. His fingers pressed slowly and stiff inside you. Your eyes fluttered shut. You felt almost embarrassed that it had been so long since you’d been touched by someone else that the sensation could have made you cum then and there.

You realized that you still hadn’t touched him. All you’d wanted to do and your hands had never met his skin. You grabbed his hips, lifting yourself from the desk and moved your hands over his taught, warm skin, up his back where you could feel every muscle. As your brain began to make a list of things you wanted to do to him, you realized that it was too late now, and you might as well just do it. Hands on his shoulders you pulled him into you, latching your mouth onto his flesh. He was salty and soft on your tongue.

“Help me.” He groaned at the feeling of your mouth on him. “Help me get these pants off of you.”

You remembered his injury, and felt bad that you’d been too indulged in your own satisfaction to remember. He pulled away, removing his fingers from inside of you, his  hand from your pants. You watched, jaw dropped open, as he placed his glistening fingers on his tongue and then sucked them clean of you.

“Pants.” He grinned at your reaction to his lewd behavior.

“Oh, right.” You shook yourself out of your trance and slid off the desk.

You began to unbutton your pants and then looked over at him leaning against the desk now and changed your mind. Your hands grasped the knotted sleeves of his flight jumpsuit and started untying.

“Your pants, Captain.”

“No.” You shook your head, continuing on. “Yours first. You got to taste me. Now it’s my turn.”

“You don’t have to do that.” He said as you tugged his suit down so that he was standing in a pair of black boxer briefs. The outline of his erection clear as day. “I think you’re wet enough for the both of us.”

“Why do you always talk back?” You asked dropping to your knees before him. Hands on his thighs you leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his bulge.

He looked down at you in awe as you released him from his briefs. His mouth fell open as you looked up at him, taking him between your lips. You liked watching the way the muscles in his stomach clenched and released as you sucked him off,  teasing his tender tip with your tongue. It surprised you, pleasantly, when he started to whine.

You knew he was close when he finally begged, “Let me fuck you.”

“You don’t want me to finish?” You teased.

“Please, I need you.” He gasped with desperation. It hit you that he’d wanted you this whole time just as bad as you’d wanted him. He wasn’t just another flirty fuckboy, not entirely.

You stood up and slowly unbuttoned your blouse and then removed it, tossing the fabric onto the desk next to him. “How many people on this ship have you fucked, Lieutenant?”

He sucked in a hiss of air as you undid your bra and placed that next to him as well. “Not one. Why?”

“You expect me to believe that?” You asked, toying with the button on your pants.

“I’ve only been interested in one person since I got here.” He answered. “You can believe that or not.”

“Would that nurse you were flirting with say the same?” You unzipped your pants and he raised his eyebrow in surprise as you peeled them off your legs to see the quite sexy pair of panties you’d been hiding underneath your professional wardrobe.

“I’m usually not so attracted to jealousy, I’ll be honest, but the fact that you’re typically so confident...the change of pace is really doing something for me.”

You rolled your eyes, “Lay back.”

Again, and still slightly surprising to you, he did as he was told. You stepped towards him, your fingers dragged along his thighs, over his hips, his abs, his chest. You climbed onto the desk, straddling his lap. He bit his lip in anticipation of your next move. You rolled your hips gently, rubbing your wet sex against his hard cock. You giggled lightly as his mouth fell open at the sensation.

“Who's the tease now?” He asked, looking up at your smile.

Finally you lifted your hips, and moved him into position before sinking down on him. A moan instantly escaped your mouth as the stretch betrayed you. You’d wanted to take this slower, to be more meticulous with your movements but he felt too good to mess around. Not to mention his hands, gripping your hips, wouldn’t have let you relent even if you wanted to.

Months of pent up sexual aggression that you didn’t even realize had been building was released from you. You could have been on him all day, he felt so good. Your thighs tightened painfully from the workout.

“Fuck, y/n!” He gasped “I’m gonna...I’m cumming.”

Your eyes widened at the sound of your name on his lips. He’d only ever called you Captain before. One of your hands gripped down on his good shoulder. As you slipped the other between your legs, your fingertips finding your swollen clit.

“Oh god. Oh my god.” He panted, as you rode him clear out of his orgasm. The friction slowly becoming too much pleasure for him. He whined again from the agonizing pleasure of it. “Oh, y/n. My goddess.”

Sweat pearling off your chest, his last words brought you to your finish. You tightened and tugged around him. Your mouth had fallen open silently and you crumbled into his chest.

“That…” You panted heavily satisfied.

He waited to if you were going to finish your thought and then chuckled when you clearly weren’t. “Yeah, that.”

—

Months passed and everyday you didn’t get a message from the admiral that you’d been fired had been a day full of surprises. Mino was actually more discreet than you’d ever expected. He remained ever the menace, giving you endless opportunities to call him to your quarters for reprimanding. Which, it had turned out, Mino loved being reprimanded.

It seemed to be more difficult for you to keep your hands to yourself than it was for him. You just couldn’t help yourself, brushing your hand against his, a playful pinch of his butt when no one was looking just to see the tiny smile on his face as he tried not to laugh. Not being able to kiss him was the most agonizing, because he was better at kissing than he was at flying and he was a fantastic pilot.

You started to really love your intimate moments together. When you’d lay in your bed and he’d play with your hair, brushing it out of your face or off of your shoulder. Letting his hands through it, massaging your head as you rested on his chest.Typically pulled back into a tight bun he enjoyed the silky way your locks twisted around his fingers. You liked to kiss his scars, old and new and learn where each and everyone came from. You loved learning him.

He liked to make you laugh more than anything else. To see you smile was so rare on the ship and he liked to know that he was capable of prying smiles from you so easily. He liked all the things you did just for him and no one else. Mino was funny and he was sweet, he was more than you had ever possibly expected. You knew you were in love with him. You hoped he was in love with you too.

Life hadn't just been secret sex and private romance however. The Barlakian’s had attacked your ship three more times. Each time having learned a little more about your techniques. Each time getting a little more aggressive than the last. It was by far your biggest stressor. Mino was good for postcoital talk about fight plans. He had seen the Barlak ship up close, he knew its weak spots, and the way that their fighters maneuvered. He found them to be almost robotic, easier and easier to battle. But your concern wasn’t their small fighters it was their large cruiser. The one that was damaging your ship with every battle, the fighters were just a distraction.

Whenever he thought you were getting too stressed, too obsessed with the Barlak, Mino was very good at distracting you. There was something almost poetic about the way Mino went down on you. You were usually good about keeping quiet but when he was between your thighs you struggled to bite your tongue hard enough. Which was why he usually did it in your private shower.

It was just art in its purest, most raw form. Your thigh draped over his shoulder, his hands grasping your hips so tightly it felt like being strapped into a fighter harness. The glass of the shower was ice cold against your heated skin but the water felt like summer rain as it poured over the both of you.

Your thighs shook with your orgasm as you drank up the water that rained down on your mouth. When he finished Mino slipped up your body, pinning you against the glass of the shower. His lips captured yours roughly. Your arms slipped easily over his soaked shoulders. You could taste yourself on his tongue.

You could feel the walls around you shaking and you gasped, “How do you make the whole universe tremble too?”

He chuckled lightly, “That wasn’t me, baby. Thank you for the credit though.”

The walls shook around you once more, harder than before. You looked up at him, his hair dripping down into his face. He looked serious and you realized that what had started out as a sexual pin against the glass had become protective as the ship shook again. You found yourself squeezing his shoulders for support. Suddenly the alarms blasted through the intercom. The ship was under attack.

You sprinted breathlessly onto the bridge as the ship shook once more, your hair was still damp.

“Debrief.” You said as your second in command reached you.

“The Barlakian’s. It’s a new ship, it came in fast and close. They must have been tracking us to have known our exact coordinance like that. We’ve been hit a total of ten times. The first was before we could enable the shields. They took out one of our outer cannons. I requested ten fighters to discharge immediately, we’ve lost five. They’re prepping more as we speak. Shields are already at sixty-five. Captain, you have to decide now if we stay and fight or if we pull back.”

“There.” Mino said beside you. You hadn’t even seen him come in. You noticed his damp hair however, and wondered who else would notice that the two of you shared that in common. “This is the weakest spot in their ship. I’ll go out with a cannon shooter and blast it. I would bet my life it’ll take out their entire ship. We don’t have to run.”

“Cannon shooters aren’t as fast as your normal fighter.” You said eyeing the weak spot he’d pointed out.

“I know.”

“That’s suicide.” You barely whispered. He was right though, if he could hit the spot with enough power, it could destroy the whole thing.

“For a lesser pilot, maybe. Not for me.” He said confidently. “I can do this. All you need to do is make sure our ship is out of the blast radius.”

“Captain?” You second said awaiting your decision. “We need an answer, now.”

You sighed heavily. “Call down to the fight deck and have them ready a cannon shooter for Lieutenant Song.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He answered before turning away.

“Mino.” You said quietly, brushing your fingers on his wrist.

“That’s lieutenant to you, Captain.” He said pointedly.

“Lieutenant Song.” You said eyeing the chaotic crew that swarmed around you, everyone was genuinely too busy to pay much attention to the pair of you. “Come back...safely.”

“Give me twenty minutes. I’m just going to go out and save the galaxy.” He smiled warmly, “When I get back we can finish that meeting we were having earlier.”

“Mino,” You said again, trying to get him to understand your sincerity, “please. I need you to come back.”

“If you’re not careful Captain, people are going to start thinking you have feelings for me.”

“People wouldn’t be wrong.” You responded, “Just come back. Okay? That’s all. Don’t do anything stupid. If it gets sketchy…”

“I will come back to this ship. You couldn’t keep me away.” He said, finally with the genuine understanding that you had needed from him.

You nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. “You're needed in the hanger. Safe flight, Lieutenant.”

Your eyes burned as you watched him go, but this was neither the time nor the place to let your emotions get the best of you. Taking a deep breath you turned back to your crew and exhaled. Quickly you found your focus, directing the crew to where they needed to be and to be doing the things that needed to be done. First task was to get your ship moved out of the blast radius.

As that was occuring, in collaboration with the flight deck, you made orders for the faster combat fighters to assemble together on the opposite side of enemy ship as the weak spot that Mino would be tending to. Remembering the strategic flaws Mino had told you about the Barlakian’s before, you knew that they would focus on the larger group, not a single cannon ship. Just because they were on a new ship didn’t mean they’d changed their strategy.

Watching your map you were pleased to see how correct you were. Much of the fire power from the ship and the Barlak combat fighters converged on where your smaller fighters had been assembled. Meanwhile you watched as the cannon shooter made its way around the back end, essentially undetected. There was a mild sense of relief that coursed through you but also knew this was far from over and Mino was far from safely back to you.

You could hear the conversation between your second in command and Kang in the flight deck confirming that the ship was a safe distance from the blast zone. You knew that meant that Mino was ready to take his shot. Your second confirmed that the ships shields could withstand a blast and you verified that Mino was cleared to take the shot.

Everything that happened next felt like an out of body experience. As if you were standing just over your own shoulder watching yourself looking down at the map. Watching Mino’s cannon take several shots towards the enemy ship. Looking up out of your bridge window to see the Barlak ship collapsing on itself. Looking back down at the map, to see if the cannon shooter had made its way out of the blast zone as well, just to see that the map had been taken out momentarily and you had no visuals.

A celebration of joy and relief bloomed throughout the ship as you made your way from the bridge to the flight deck. You felt uplifted and in good spirits enough, knowing that the operation had been successful. There was just one last thing you needed to be complete on board with everyone else.

“Captain.” One of the officers said with a small salute as you entered the flight deck. The rest of the crew turned and did the same.

“At ease.” You grinned, “Are all my pilots back?”

“Almost ma’am.” Lieutenant Kang responded. “Just waiting on, Song. We’d lost his shooter for a minute after the blast, but we just found him a second ago. Waiting on contact with him now.”

“Good.” You nodded checking the blip on the radar, he was close. “Very good.”

There was a hint of static on the radio and then a sound that eased you completely. “G.S.S. Mobb flight deck. This is Lieutenant Song. Can you hear me?”

“This is flight deck, we can hear you now pilot.” Kang responded.

“Good. Is the Captain present?” Mino asked knowingly.

“The Captain is present on deck.”

“Excellent. If you could just let her know that her star pilot is heading back home safely, I would appreciate it. She wasn’t getting rid of me that easily.”

You rolled your eyes and the crew chuckled, used to his cockiness and playful banter they didn’t suspect any deeper meaning from his comment. You watched as the cannon shooter entered the hanger, only slightly worse for the wear. He landed easy and hopped out of the cockpit happily.

The feeling of relief, of knowing he was actually safe, had just barely draped over your body when you saw the rogue enemy fighter heading straight toward the hanger.

“Intruder! Blast it!” You shouted out.

It was just a second too late. The fighter got off one shot with its small cannon before your ships guns took it out. You watched, in painfully slow motion, as the blaster hit Mino’s shooter. Your eyes grew wide as the metal began to tear apart from itself, exploding. Mino, after realizing what happened, tried to duck out of the way and avoid the blast. He was just too close and it was just too late. You were running from the flight deck down to the hanger as soon as his feet were torn from the ground from the blast.

“MINO!” His name tore from your throat in a blood curdling shriek.

Your feet hit the concourse faster than anyone could comprehend, headed down the hanger. Several crew members were working towards putting out the fire from the explosion, others were quickly gathered around Mino.

“Get out of my way! Everyone move!” You yelled kneeling next to him. “Baby…”

He winced from the pain, but a smile still crept on his face, “Captain...that’s a bit bold.”

“Oh shut up, Mino.” You gasped lightly at the sight. A shard of metal debris was lodged in his neck, blood oozed from the wound slowly. You wanted nothing more than to remove it but you knew it would only do more damage. You looked up at the crowd of people that had gathered. Most shocked by the scene, some muttering about the way you squeezed his hand in yours. “Someone get a doctor! Immediately!”

“They’re on the way, Captain.” One of the crew said calmly.

“Okay…” you leaned closer to him, kissing his forehead. “Help is on the way. It’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna stay right here. You’re gonna be fine.”

“So it’s worse than it feels?” He asked lightly.

“It’s...not bad.” You lied.

“Your face is even less convincing than your words if you can imagine.” He joked.

“I know.” You whimpered.

“Don’t cry.” He said furrowing his brow in pain.

“I’m not.” You said shaking your head defiantly.

“You are.”

You lifted your hand to your cheek and wiped away the wetness you didn’t realize was there. “Mino...I have to tell you something, just in case. You have to know.”

“I love you too.” He whispered, stealing your thunder, but you didn’t care.

You leaned your head against his shoulder and couldn’t stop it as you sobbed freely. “In all the galaxies... in every universe, it was you that was made perfectly for me.”

He let out a laugh, that turned into a cough. You noticed the blood on his teeth before he recognized the taste of copper on his tongue.

“You’re really giving us away, Captain.” He groaned form the pain, “We’re definitely getting sent to the docks now.”

“Good.” You sniffed, “I don’t care where they send us, as long as we get to go together. Do you understand me? We go together, Song.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave you a blood red grin as the medics finally arrived. You moved away on your own accord, wanting them to get him the help he needed as fast as possible. Otherwise you knew they would have had to peel you away from him.

You watched what you could. They fitted a blood transfusion pack, and placed a packing gel around the wound to stop the bleeding. You wanted to complain about their lack of tact as the put him on the transport. He gritted his teeth with the pain, knowing you were there. Not wanting you to think the worst of it. Although you already were.

—-

Later, while you waited for the surgeons update you’d heard whispers from the infirmary about his injury. The debri in his neck from blast has just barely missed his main artery. Any closer and he would have been dead before even you’d reached him. It only made your chest heavier.

You knew by now that word of your actions towards Mino in the hanger, that your relationship, was well known throughout the ship. Nurses eyed you as they spoke quietly. Other patients in the infirmary kept eyes on you too. You realized in that moment, maybe for the first time, how much you didn’t care. What happened next in your career was the least of your concerns. The only thing that mattered now was that Mino survived. That he recovered. That he would be there for you to love.

Once the surgery was over it had been hours later. The infirmary was almost completely cleared when the surgeon came to tell you about the success of the operation and that Mino was resting. They tried to tell you that you couldn’t see him, until you reminded them that this was your ship. You sat beside his bed in a chair, watching the rise and fall of his chest, grateful for it every time. As the early morning hours of the next day arrived and still he slept you rested your head on the bed next to him and closed your eyes for a bit.

As you started to wake up you’d forgotten where you were. Eyes still closed all your brain was willing to comprehend was that the air around you smelled of him and that his hand was playing with your hair like he usually did when you’d lay in bed together. It was the excruciating cramp in your lower back that reminded you that you had been slumped over in a chair.

“Mino.” You bolted up straight and looked over at him. He was smiling at you, still sleepily. He pressed his fingers against the bandage on his throat as if to indicate he couldn’t speak. You had to take the opportunity to joke, “Finally, a moment of peace with you.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Does it feel terrible?” You asked softly. He shook his head no.

“Are you lying?” He nodded.

You grabbed his hand in yours and kissed his knuckles. “But you’ll live.”

He moved his body, making space on the bed for you and patted the mattress.

“You know I can’t.” You said biting your lip, so tempted. “It would be unprofessional.”

He gave you a look that could only have been described with the phrase, Oh please.

“You’re right. We’re already going to be dishonorably discharged.” He grinned and you slipped onto the bed next to him.

Tucking into his side you sighed deeply with content. He wrapped one arm around you, his hand at the small of your back while the other hand went back to your hair. He kissed the top of your head several times before he really settled down.

You closed your eyes but a request remained at the edge of your lips. “Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again.”

You could feel the chuckle in his chest. And then, just a very hoarse whisper, “Okay.”

—-

You walked into the bedroom to see Mino finishing up putting on his dress uniform. His hair was slicked back, and his jaw was sharp. You could see the pink of his fresh scar dipping under his collar. It ended up being nearly six inches in length from behind his ear to the front of his throat. It didn’t matter, he was still the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. You sighed, quite wantonly, and Mino turned towards you with a smirk.

“What?” He asked as you stepped towards him. Sliding your hands up his chest and over his shoulders.

“Nothing. You’re just so handsome.” You whispered pressing your soft lips against his soft scar over and over from end to end.

“You look sexy.” He grinned squeezing your butt playfully. “In your itchy wool captains skirt...I can’t wait for you to put on your little hat over that fierce, tight bun.”

You groaned, pulling out of the hug. “Don’t get used to it. I’ll only have this job for about another hour, then it’s only civilian clothes for me.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Lucky for me you look pretty sexy in those too.”

“Maybe it would better if we both just got sent to the docks.” You said with a slight pout.

“Why?” He scoffed, “I can think of nothing you would hate more. You’re a leader, not a nothing.”

“I wouldn’t have to worry about you getting hurt at the docks.”

He smiled, loving how incredibly soft your love for him made you. It was like a drug for his ego that you only ever showed that affection to him. He kissed your forehead swiftly. “You know you’ll have to worry about me wherever I end up.”

You groaned once more, this time in realization that he was right, and rested your exhausted head on his shoulder. Why your heart chose him you’d never know for sure. All you knew was that somehow, even though his olive suit was an itchy, warm wool, and his chest was hard with muscle, you were still more comfortable in his arms in that moment than anywhere else you could think of being.

__

During Mino’s pinning and recognition of service ceremony you sat nervously on the stage between several of your admirals. Your direct leader had eyed you several times and only spoke to you once before it began to remind you of the meeting that would be held in his office following the ceremony.

Despite your nerves you’d been proud of Mino. The crowd was huge. Usually for these types of events it was a few higher ups and some fellow Guard members. However Minos story of bravery had spread like wildfire and he had become a bit of an intergalactic hero. As many civilians as could be accommodated were in attendance and you had heard that there were thousands more outside the event, just wanting to give him thanks with their presence.

He looked good, standing tall as he received his Heroism in Combat, Crimson Heart for being wounded during intergalactic combat, and finally his Excellency in the Sky, for being a superior pilot, pins. He told you before the ceremony that he’d wished it was you pinning him, at first he said it as a sexual joke but then again later and more genuinely. Although both of you knew it would never be allowed. Instead it was one of your peers, and one of Mino’s old Captains. He kept his eyes on you the whole time, and you fought a blush every second of it.

After the ceremony you and Mino took your time getting to the admirals office. You had said you wanted to be prompt but Mino had other plans. He squeezed your hand in his as he dragged you around to a few pilot friends that had been placed on other ships. He showed you off more than his newly acquired military pins and it made you blush furiously with every new introduction.

He made you feel drunk off your love for him so much that the two of you stumbled into the officers building. You even felt giggly as he kissed your neck in the elevator. It wasn’t until you reached the Admirals door that your stomach flipped.

Mino could see the change in your demeanor and it made him frown. “You were so happy.”

“I am still happy.” You said faking a smile.

“It’s going to be fine. You and me...were going to be fine.” He promised.

“I know.” You sighed, still with a slight disbelief. You fixed the collar of his jacket, straightened his newly acquired pins, and adjusted his hat so that it sat properly on his head.

“Feel better?” He asked with a grin as you dropped your hands back down to your sides, knowing your need for control was a comfort.

“Kiss me please?” You asked holding back anxious tears.

“Always.” He said pressing his lips to yours. The stress you’d felt oozed off your shoulders and down to the floor. As long as this stayed the same, Mino was right, you’d be just fine.

The air in the office was thick and uncomfortable. Mino and you sat in chairs across from the admiral. His, surprisingly, cluttered desk the only thing between you and his disapproving glare. Mino had grabbed your hand before walking into the line of fire and hadn’t let it go since. You weren’t sure if the admiral was waiting on one of you to speak first as a power move, but you were both waiting for him.

With an almost unprofessional huff, the admiral began, “Obviously you two are here to discuss discharge procedures for having a prohibited relationship between a superior and a subordinate and then not disclosing the relationship once it began.”

“I’m going to stop you there, Admiral.” Mino said with an air about him that told you he’d had this conversation planned in his head already. “That’s just not going to be happening. Neither of us will be dismissed from the Guard today.”

“Song, I’m sorry son, but you’re not the one who dictates how things work in here. That’s my job.”

“I beg your pardon admiral, but...I’m an intergalactic hero. You saw the crowd out there today, right? How bad would the Guard's publicity be if they reprimanded an actual hero.”

“Are you threatening me, Song? Are you threatening the Guard, because you’re going to want to think about that.” The admiral said, growing red under his collar.

You bit your lip in amusement. Now you knew why everyone who didn’t have to deal with insubordinate Mino, could love him so much. It was too funny when it wasn’t you.

“That’s not a threat, Sir. That’s just a fact.” He said calmly crossing one leg over the other, his fingers tightening around yours. “If you don’t give me what I want, it’s going to backfire. I mean, I don’t care either way what happens, but I’m the face of the Guard now. Do you think the people are going to want to see the face of their Guard down on the docks, kicking rocks?”

“Fine.” The admiral said tight lipped, “You’ll remain a pilot, Lieutenant Song. Congratulations.”

“Commander.” He corrected. You raised your eyebrows as you stared down at the floor. He was pushing it, but his face was straight and he wasn’t done yet.

The admiral inhaled deeply, infused with rage. “Anything else, Commander.”

“Just one thing. I only fly under one Captain.”

You’re eyes shot up at that. He was smiling smugly at the admiral. You didn’t even want to look over at the desk for fear of the rage monster you would witness.

“That I cannot do. Your Captain broke rules. She exhibited a relationship with a subordinate. She took advantage of her position. She compromised the integrity of the Guard and of her ship. She will be demoted from Captain and removed from the G.S.S Mobb immediately.” The admiral looked coldly at your hand clasped in Minos. You thought to remove it but his fingers tightened around yours. “Maybe we can find your captain a nice desk job, something more suitable for a lady. Since this position seems to have been a bit too overwhelming.”

“You’re not listening, Admiral.” Mino said sharply, obviously angered. “I will fly only under this captain. If you don’t allow that then you’ll lose your best and now most highly decorated pilot, and the face of the Guard. Not to mention, the recording I now have of this conversation and of you expressing blatant, and quite honestly archaic sexism towards a fellow officer will find itself….everywhere.”

You tried not to look at him too suspiciously, but something told you that his comment about having the conversation recorded was a bluff. It was apparently not a risk the admiral was willing to take, however. By the end of the meeting Mino was a commander, and you had your ship back with a new title as well.

—

Three months passed before you stood on your bridge once more. It was still a few days before take off but you wanted to do a walkthrough of the ship while it was still moderately empty. The repairs, modifications and updates made since the last flight made your heart swell. Your ship, she was a true beauty. The best in the fleet.

Your vacation had been filled with beaches and camping. Sunrises and sunsets. All the earth things you’d been missing out on in space. But it felt good to have your fingers on the controls again. Passing gently over the navigation system. Standing in front of your panoramic shield window you imagined how the stars and planets were going to look up close once more.

“General.”

You turned from the window to see Mino. You could tell he'd been watching you and it made you blush in a way that only he could.

“Commander.” You nodded, “How does my flight deck look?”

“Crisp.” He grinned, “Beautiful. The new fighters are…”

“Do you need a minute alone? A cold shower, maybe?” You smirked.

“Hah. Hah. I saw you fingering that new Navi system, you pervert.” You laughed as he wrapped his arms around you. “Welcome home, baby.”

“Thank you.” You said kissing him. He raised an eyebrow nonchalantly as if everything he’d done was no big deal. So you grabbed his chin pointedly, “Thank you...for making sure I got my ship back.”

“Yeah well...it was mostly selfish. I love a having a strong woman in charge of me.”

“Oh, I know that.” It was your turn to be smug and you loved it.

“Are you ready for this?” He asked genuinely, “You won’t be able to escape me once this ship is in the air.”

“What do you think escape pods are for?” You asked deadpan.

“You’re so funny.” He said flatly.

You sighed and turned around in his arms to look out at the view earth provided you with, and the to the sky, knowing that it expanded so much further than your eyes could ever possibly see. “I get to explore the actual universe with my own personal universe at my side. I’m more than ready for this.”

[vsplusonline]

Chiropractors remove anti-vaccination website posts following media coverage: study

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/chiropractors-remove-anti-vaccination-website-posts-following-media-coverage-study/

Chiropractors remove anti-vaccination website posts following media coverage: study

TORONTO — Many Canadian chiropractors who advocated against vaccinations have removed vaccine-related information from their websites after attracting extensive coverage by media outlets, according to a new study.

The study from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. has found that half of chiropractors who provided mostly negative vaccine information on their websites have removed those posts in the last three years.

Chiropractor and McMaster associate professor Jason Busse said in a press release that the removal of vaccine information from chiropractors’ websites was associated with an increase in Canadian media coverage on the topic.

“The Canadian media has drawn attention to anti-vaccination statements by some chiropractors, and that seemingly had a large impact on curbing publication of such online material,” Busse said. “While this is laudable, chiropractic regulatory colleges should monitor chiropractors’ websites and social media accounts for misleading information and enforce their standards of practice.”

According to the press release, chiropractic is Canada’s third-largest regulated health-care profession with approximately 9,000 practitioners across the country.

The study, published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Open, focused on Canadian chiropractors’ websites over a three-year period.

Researchers said they identified 94 out of 3,733 chiropractic websites in July 2016 that provided information on vaccinations. According to the study, almost 63 per cent of these websites were critical of vaccination, 20 per cent were neutral and 17 per cent were supportive.

The study reported that the vaccination content was generally poor with a median score of 19 per cent from online health information assessment tool Web Resource Rating. According to the study, posts on chiropractic websites included offering alternatives to vaccination, claims that vaccination is harmful, mixed evidence regarding vaccination and concerns regarding vaccination policy.

When looking at media coverage, the study found only one Canadian newspaper story concerning anti-vaccination statements by chiropractors between 2012 and 2016. However, between 2017 and 2019 researchers found 51 news articles published on the topic.

Three years after a number of Canadian media outlets began reporting on anti-vaccination statements made by chiropractors, researchers found that approximately half (47 per cent) of the websites identified in 2016 had been discontinued or removed all content regarding vaccinations.

“Historically, some prominent chiropractors have been extremely critical of vaccination, and a number of traditional practitioners maintain these attitudes,” Busse said.

This includes Halifax-based chiropractor Dena Churchill who surrendered her professional license last year and was ordered to pay $100,000 after admitting professional misconduct for spreading vaccine skepticism on her blog “Dr. Sexy Mom.”

“It may be helpful for medical and public health associations to work with Canadian chiropractic associations to collaborate on promotion of vaccination programs,” Busse said.

The College of Chiropractors of Ontario standard was amended in 2018 and 2019 to prohibit chiropractors from providing vaccine information on their websites and social media accounts.

The Canadian Chiropractic Association also updated their position statement in late 2019 explicitly stating that “vaccination is a safe and effective public health practice for the prevention of infectious diseases.”

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[duaneodavila]

Can California Eliminate The “One Free Grope” Rule?

California has been on quite a tear lately, legislating the wealth of laws for the purpose of signalling that it’s doing something about the #MeToo nest of vipers in its most woke and progressive communities. Let’s face it, there’s some cause for embarrassment to learn that the strongest supporters of social justice all prayed at Harvey Weinstein’s shower. So they’ve been busy, leading the legislative way, which its advocates gave the hashtag #takethelead bills.

SB1300, in the words of the ironically-named advocacy group, Equal Rights Advocates, “fighting for women’s equality,” was a nail-biter.

SB 1300 closes loopholes in California’s current sexual harassment laws, proposing several important reforms:

Provides guidance to California courts on the “severe or pervasive” legal standard for sexual harassment claims, to ensure the standard is consistently and fairly applied to better protect victims. This clarification addresses the “one free grope” standard that was confirmed by the 9th Circuit federal court in 2000.

What this refers to is the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Brooks v. City of San Mateo, written (ironically) by Judge Alex Kozinski.

Our story begins when Patricia Brooks, a telephone dispatcher for the City of San Mateo, California, and her coworker, senior dispatcher Steven Selvaggio, manned the city’s Communications Center, taking 911 calls on the evening shift. At some point during the evening, Selvaggio approached Brooks as she was taking a call. He placed his hand on her stomach and commented on its softness and sexiness. Brooks told Selvaggio to stop touching her and then forcefully pushed him away. Perhaps taking this as encouragement, Selvaggio later positioned himself behind Brooks’s chair, boxing her in against the communications console as she was taking another 911 call. He forced his hand underneath her sweater and bra to fondle her bare breast. After terminating the call, Brooks removed Selvaggio’s hand again and told him that he had “crossed the line.” To this, Selvaggio responded “you don’t have to worry about cheating [on your husband], I’ll do everything.” Selvaggio then approached Brooks as if he would fondle her breasts again. Fortunately, another dispatcher arrived at this time, and Selvaggio ceased his behavior. Soon thereafter Selvaggio took a break and left the building. Brooks immediately reported the incident and, the following day, the city placed Selvaggio on administrative leave pending an investigation.

The question has nothing to do with whether Selvaggio’s conduct was acceptable. It was not. The question is whether the City was liable for Selvaggio’s conduct.

This, it turned out, was not the first time Selvaggio had made improper advances to co-workers. At least two other female employees, including Pat P., another senior dispatcher, had been subjected to similar treatment from Selvaggio. However, Selvaggio’s earlier victims had not reported his misconduct. Only after the city launched its investigation into Brooks’s allegations did these other incidents come to light.

The problem for Brooks was that Selvaggio’s prior misconduct was unreported, meaning that while it presumably happened, the City didn’t know. The secondary problem was whether this one instance, standing alone, met the standard of “severe and pervasive” to establish a hostile work environment. While noting that it was not impossible for a single instance of conduct to be sufficient to meet the test, the “isolated incident” here failed to suffice, since the prior incidents were unknown to the City.

SB1300 expressly disavows this position, which is characterized by activists as the “one free grope” rule. It’s critical to emphasize that this isn’t to condone the grope, but to give rise to vicarious liability of the employer for what it’s employee did. The question isn’t how horrible it was for the victim, or the severity of damages she suffered as a result, but whether the employer is liable for a groping employee when it has no reason to know that he’s a groping groper until after he gropes.

(b) A single incident of harassing conduct is sufficient to create a triable issue regarding the existence of a hostile work environment if the harassing conduct has unreasonably interfered with the plaintiff’s work performance or created an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. In that regard, the Legislature hereby declares its rejection of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit’s opinion in Brooks v. City of San Mateo (2000) 229 F.3d 917 and states that the opinion shall not be used in determining what kind of conduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive to constitute a violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.

Notably, the “condition” expressed in the legislative intent is a non sequitur, that a single incident of “harassing conduct,” which isn’t defined, is sufficient if its impact does harm. The condition makes no sense, as it’s both a requisite element anyway and bears no nexus to the core question of how an employer is supposed to address something that has yet to happen. What this really suggests is strict liability, though the statute isn’t quite so clear:

(j) (1) For an employer, labor organization, employment agency, apprenticeship training program or any training program leading to employment, or any other person, because of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status, to harass an employee, an applicant, an unpaid intern or volunteer, or a person providing services pursuant to a contract. Harassment of an employee, an applicant, an unpaid intern or volunteer, or a person providing services pursuant to a contract by an employee, other than an agent or supervisor, shall be unlawful if the entity, or its agents or supervisors, knows or should have known of this conduct and fails to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. An employer may also be responsible for the acts of nonemployees, with respect to harassment of employees, applicants, unpaid interns or volunteers, or persons providing services pursuant to a contract in the workplace, if the employer, or its agents or supervisors, knows or should have known of the conduct and fails to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. In reviewing cases involving the acts of nonemployees, the extent of the employer’s control and any other legal responsibility that the employer may have with respect to the conduct of those nonemployees shall be considered. An entity shall take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring. Loss of tangible job benefits shall not be necessary in order to establish harassment.

While this covers everything from soup to nuts, including every conceivable path to victimhood and potential “harasser” including nonemployees, it also includes the language “knows or should have known” plus “fails to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.” With such vagaries, the message appears clear that the only way an employer can avoid liability is to immediately remove any employee against whom an accusation of harassment is made, and eject or terminate any connection to any non-employee.

Obviously, even the State of California can’t mandate employers actually be able to see into the future, so the only out for strict liability is to take extreme action immediately upon the first alleged grope. Whether this closes a loophole or creates a nightmare is according to which side of the accusation one’s on. For an employer, however, the only certain path out of potential liability is clear as they may not be technically liable for failure to see into the future, but the outcome will be the same.

Can California Eliminate The “One Free Grope” Rule? republished via Simple Justice

[straitjacketprincess]

Pathetic pupthing experiment with Stockholm syndrome x sadistic scientist who just wants to torture them for their own gain (but entertains their desperate needs until they die ;3)