"Again, Captain".
Captain Yamada struggled to keep pace, moving her fins against the automated current. No less than two hours earlier, she had been sitting in the main conference hall meeting with her officers.
First Officer Brasky spoke first. "Captain, we have determined that a rare humanoid species inhabits this planet."
"What are their capabilities, Brasky?"
"They seem to be of limited intelligence, Captain, barely more than that of an average human child. Space-Fleet has requested that we study their living habits for the Great Library."
Yamada turned to O'Donnell, her senior scientific adviser. He seemed nervous, and she noticed his discreetly trying to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
"O'Donnell, what is it?"
"Captain, I'm not sure how we'll pull this off. Data from our probes indicates that these creatures occupy the darkest reaches of the planet's surface, so any attempted contact will be extremely difficult without violating the First Doctrine."
"Do you have any suggestions, then?"
"The Kempler Protocol."
"You mean-"
"Yes, Captain. Full genetic conversion. We already have a large enough DNA sample taken from both a male and a female of their species, so all that remains is to select the team."
The captain didn't need to think very hard about who she would pick. It would be her, Brasky, Communications Officer Van Jogan, and O'Connell's assistant, Dr. Lucy Porter. Second Officer Anoyo would assume command until they returned.
Yamada had never undergone the Kempler Protocol, so O'Connell insisted on overseeing the process himself instead of handing it off to the ship's memory core like the other team members. He directed the captain to disrobe and meet him in a large, converted lab space, where he greeted her with a shave kit.
As he shaved her head and body, O'Connell explained the limits of what he was about to do. "Genetic conversion is still something of an untested theory, captain, so I have to lay down so ground rules. Do not interact with the natives any further than necessary to gather the data. Return to the ship immediately for re-conversion to human form once you have the requisite data. And whatever you do, do not allow yourself to give into the natural urges that will accompany your transformation. I've implanted a small device under your breast that should prevent any issues, but you must abort the mission if you feel compromised in any way."
"Anything else, O'Donnell?"
"No, Captain. Now please stay still. This is going to sting."
He inserted the DNA conversion input into the base of her neck.
"Now follow my instructions exactly."