Commander Peter Harris was feeling tired, but happy, returning from shore leave. However, he had just arrived on deck when he was overcome with nausea…

“I don’t get seasick, for fucks sake!”, he cried. “What the hell’s going on…?”

The nausea worsened and he keeled over, collapsing…

Some of his friends had been welcoming him on board as he crumpled. They just picked him up and rushed him to sickbay, not waiting for a stretcher…

Peter came weakly back to awareness on a cot in sickbay. The doctor came over as soon as he heard him groan…

“Lie there, don’t try to sit up, or get up”, the doctor said. “You’ve picked up some infection or something from somewhere, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s really doing a number on your body…”

“What’s it doing to me?”, Peter asked. “I really feel like crap.”

“Whatever it is, it’s nothing I can treat; I’ve given you something for the pain, which I hope is helping, but this bug has spread already to your entire body. It’s almost like it’s rewriting you.”

“What...?”

“Let’s put it this way; It’s actually rewriting your DNA. You’re well on the way to becoming a woman…”

“Shit…!”

Peter passed out again, both from shock and the effects of the virus. The process then seemed to accelerate; physical changes then started taking place. His skin went really smooth; his tunic started straining against the new breasts that were forming. The doctor actually had to unbutton it; Peter would have been injured otherwise. In the end, he set up a curtain around Peter’s bed then undressed him completely, as all his original clothing was starting to dig into him.

Once everything had stabilised, at least externally, the doctor contacted the quartermaster and had a set of women officer’s uniform issued. Peter was going to need it. This was left in a neat pile on a chair next to the bed.

Peter groaned weakly and began to awaken, now that the worst of the trauma had passed. He then looked down at himself…

“What the fuck! I’m a woman, and naked??”

He stopped, then gasped, as he realised his voice was different too…

“Doc! What’s happened to me?”

“I would have thought that was obvious!”, the doctor said, with more than a hint of sarcasm. “However, how or why is a complete mystery.”

“I’ve put you a uniform on the chair by the bed”, the doctor continued. “It should be in your size.”

Uncomfortably, Peter gently sat up, then swung herself out of bed. The first thing she saw was the sports bra…

Then she saw the skirt.

“I’m not sodding wearing this! Get me a tracksuit, or something. There’s no way I’m wearing a woman’s uniform!”

 “Sorry, sir; you’re going to have to. Regulations.”, the doctor said. “We can’t have an officer around ship in a tracksuit.”

“Just get me one, I’m not staying on board like this!”

“You’re going to have to. We put to sea while you were unconscious. Also, your expertise is essential to the current mission.”

Peter swore, once, very loudly. Hesitantly, she then started to dress. She didn’t have a clue how to wear the uniform, but she managed to make herself at least presentable.

“You can lose the curtain, doc; I’m up and dressed.”

The doctor packed away the curtain, then came face to face with Peter…

“Wow.”, he said, unable to control himself.

“What the hell’s got into you?”

The doctor just handed Peter a mirror…

“Shit…”

Peter was a knockout, especially neat and tidy in her uniform. Neat, shoulder length blonde hair (Peter had been almost bald and dark haired) ‘DD’ cup breasts and legs like matchsticks. She was also taller; she was over six feet (Peter had been 5’ 8”). She looked like a twenty-year-old fashion model.

“How the hell am I going to be taken seriously, looking like this!?”, cried Peter. “Do I look like ‘Commander Harris’ to you, doc? A forty-three-year-old veteran? No, I damn well don’t!”

Peter was distraught. To her amazement, she felt like having a hissy fit and crying her eyes out. Fighting for control, she clenched her fists.

“You’d better get up to the bridge. The captain needs to talk to you.”

“I can’t! I’m no good to anyone like this…!”

“You’re still Peter Harris where it counts, up here!”, said the doctor, tapping Peter’s head. “And the soon you remember that the better!”

Peter, fighting for control, headed to the bridge…

Peter managed to get to the bridge without anymore ‘incidents’; some other crewpersons spotted her, but as there was a fair number of women crew on the vessel, they thought nothing of it.

Then, with a swallow, she walked on to the bridge…

“Commander Peter Harris, reporting for duty, sir!”, she said, saluting.

“You’re taking the piss!”, was the captains reaction.

“No, Sir! You can check with sickbay if you don’t believe me!”, was Peter’s quick reply.

“You can’t be Peter! You’re a wallflower, a model! You’re not a Commander of this ship…!”

“With all due respect, sir, you don’t know what you’re talking about as you don’t have all the facts to hand”, said Peter. “Please, check with Doctor Carter.”

“Ok, but I don’t know what you’re trying to pull…”, said the Captain. “Sparks, get me sickbay.”

“Yessir.”

“Carter here, sir.”

“Steve, what’s going on? I’ve just had this… tart come onto the bridge, claiming she’s Commander Harris?”

“Erm, she is, sir. It’s a very unusual side-effect of a virus she picked up on shore leave. That is Commander Harris. She’s just… female, now.”

“You’re shitting me!”

“I can assure you I’ve never been more serious. Ask her. Ask her anything.”

“Ok… thanks for nothing, Doc.”

The captain closed the channel, then turned to Peter.

“Ok; so, you claim to be Peter Harris.”

“I am Peter Harris!”, Peter said, annoyed.

“Alright; tell me about Midi El Salam…”

“Ah, no wonder Doc told me my expertise would be needed. Is that where we’re heading in an all fired hurry? The revolution must have started, and we’re needed to evacuate Station Alpha One.”

“How the hell do you know about Alpha One?”

“I worked there five years ago. Michelle Taylor is a friend of mine.”

“Commander Harris worked there five years ago. It’s in the records.”

“Is it in the records that Michelle left me a commendation for saving her life under fire? Is it in the records that we managed to infiltrate the Ambassadors dinner party by posing as a married couple? We had to escape a riot from an upstairs window.”

“I’ve only just seen the declassified pictures from that. It’s still not in the official record yet. Damn, you are Peter Harris…!”

“Right. Now that’s out of the way, what can I do to help?”

The crew soon got used to the new female commander, and she made friends quickly, especially taking into account the way she looked.

However, to start with, there was still a bit of a problem taking her seriously.

Then someone got on the wrong side of her temper…

They ended up in the brig. Making a pass at your Commanding officer is just not done whilst at sea on a mission…

Peter admitted she was partly to blame; she had been behaving as if she was still ‘one of the lads’ in the mess hall, completely forgetting her new curves and assets…

One of the junior officers, in the spirit of things and slightly drunk, had kissed her. He’d ended up on his back on the floor…

What nobody realised was that even though Peter was now a woman, she still had her male strength and reflexes. She was quite capable of holding her own, and giving as good as she got…

The problem was the incident happened with quite a few witnesses. All of them stood up for Peter; the officer had been totally out of line. As such, they couldn’t just let it go, so he ended up in the brig for 24 hours, mainly to sober up and cool down. People had a lot more respect for Peter after that…

The female crew also got on with the ‘new Peter’ as well. Tracey Anderson, the quartermaster, proved to be a real help, explaining everything about ‘women’s problems’ and the bits and pieces that she’d need day to day. Peter and Tracey got very close; only as friends, though, as Tracey had a husband waiting for her back at port. She became a good sounding board for Peter as well.

Tracey was finding the change in Peter fascinating.

“How are you managing with your first week as the other sex?”, she asked, one evening.

“It’s weird”, Peter answered truthfully. “I never realised how men looked at female crew until the captain had a go at me my first time on the bridge. He couldn’t take me seriously until he’d spoken to Doctor Carter. Also, that officer that made a pass at me. The rank meant nothing to him.”

“Now you know what it’s like”, Tracey said. “Sorry it took you becoming a woman to find out about that.”

“It’s not your fault”, said Peter. “It’s still a mystery where I picked up this virus from…”

The ship finally arrived at its destination.

Then they had another slight problem… the captain refused to let Peter go ashore.

“I know the area!”, Peter said. “I’m an asset! That’s what I’m here for in the first place!”

“I’m not prepared to risk you, in your current ‘condition’”, the captain replied.

“Oh, you mean because I’m a woman?”, said Peter. “That’s sexist and uncalled for. I’m just as strong and skilled as when I was a man, and I also know the area.”

“You can co-ordinate the operation from here”, the captain said. “That’s what commanders do… commander.”

Annoyed, Peter stayed on board.

It was only after the team descended on Alpha One that they found out there was a curfew imposed on all women in the area. Peter would have been captured, or worse…

Peter’s insights, relayed to the team, meant the mission went off without a hitch. His knowledge, in the end, made the entire mission a success…

The Alpha One personnel were billeted on the ship for the return trip.

As space was tight, Michelle Taylor was asked to share with Commander Harris.

“You’re expecting me to spend the trip back in Peter’s quarters?”, Michelle asked. “I didn’t know that mixed sex quarters were allowed on these vessels.”

“Just get yourself settled in”, the captain said. “I’ll explain everything later.”

Puzzled, Michelle went to Peter’s quarters.

She knocked.

“Come in”, came a woman’s voice…

Michelle walked in and came face to face with Peter, as she was now.

“Hi? I’m sorry, I thought this was Commander Harris’ quarters…?”

“It is, Michelle. It’s so good to see you are ok.”

Peter got up and came out from behind the desk.

Michelle saw the name tag on her uniform…

‘Commander P Harris’.

“Peter…?”

“Yep.”

“I think you’ve got something to tell me. I can’t wait to hear this story…!”

With a chuckle, the two friends sat at the desk in the cabin, talking and laughing well past lights out…