The Thin Blue Line (The Empire's Corps Book 9) (v5.1) by Christopher Nuttall

Slaughterhouse as themselves, without any allowances made for their gender. But it was far from uncommon for female soldiers outside the Marines to be harassed, not least because the Imperial Army did reduce the training program for them. And rapes were not unknown. The Civil Guard had no female soldiers at all.
    “It will do,” she said. On Greenland, her homeworld, there had been one way of dealing with rapists. The bastards were shot – and if the would-be victim shot him herself, before he could knock her down, she would receive a medal for improving the human gene pool. But it wasn't a standard of justice known in the Core Worlds, where defending oneself could lead to criminal charges. “I don’t suppose you could add something about me defending myself?”
    “Not really,” Quincy said. “It would attract attention.”
    “Then leave it as it is,” Belinda said. She sighed. “What can you give me to take down to the surface?”
    “You have a gun permit issued by the Spacer’s Guild,” Quincy said. “We have quite a number of blank permits, so it’s only a matter of adding your name and ID number into the blanks and tagging it to the weapon. I doubt you’ll be allowed to bring it down to the surface, but they’d be more surprised if you didn't have one. But we can't give you any overt weapons.”
    Belinda nodded, unsurprised. It wouldn't be a problem. No matter the law, there was no shortage of illicit weapons in the Core Worlds. A few days on the surface, with access to local records, and she would be able to obtain any number of weapons. The trick would be doing it without being detected or identified.
    And besides, she still had some of her implanted weapons. It would be enough to give her an advantage if the shit hit the fan.
    “We can give you several different kinds of money, as would be expected of a spacer,” Quincy continued. “The problem, however, is that they may be worth less than nothing on Terra Nova. I suspect the value of the Imperial Credit is still plummeting and ... bearer bonds from a different world may be useless if there is no overall backer of debts. I’ve taken the liberty, therefore, of giving you copies of some of the latest music and entertainment flicks from several different worlds. You may be able to trade unsecured copies for cash. I’ve also given you some rare metal chips, but they may take them off you when you pass through customs.”
    “Understood,” Belinda said. If worst came to worst, she could break into an unsecured apartment and rob it, or even pick up a man for a night. She'd done both before, during her first missions as a Pathfinder. It wasn't something she cared to do, but it was part of her job if necessary. “What other equipment can you give me?”
    “A modified multitool, for a start,” Quincy said. He held up the pencil-like device and demonstrated one of its hidden functions. “You can use this as more than just a lockpick, with a little effort. And it passes for a standard multitool unless someone takes it completely to pieces.”
    Belinda leaned forward, interested. She loved her rifle, even if she hadn't carried it since Han, but she enjoyed hearing about spy technology. It never failed to amuse her, particularly when Quincy demonstrated how a sex toy could become a useful tool with a little manipulation.
    She was almost disappointed when the call came for her to board her starship and leave the Chesty Puller far behind.

Chapter Five
    This may make more sense when you realise that a woman’s virginity was vitally important to the locals. The parentage of her children could not be called into question. Even if it became clear within a few months that she was not with child, she could never give up her virginity again.
    - Professor Leo Caesius. The Decline of Law and Order and the Rise of Anarchy.

    The waiting room had, if anything, grown fuller since Glen had entered the station and made his way to the conference room. Dozens of men and