[PO1 Jovireh Velal - Front Ear - Captain's Office]

It was strange to Jovireh that being called to the Captain's office no longer caused the instant and lasting panic attack. Of course, it was likely due to how she'd come to know the CO, both professionally and socially. The way the woman had handled the conversation when the Petty Officer did make a grave mistake only went further to ease the nerves she once felt. Now as she approached the office, she felt primarily curious about what this particular meeting was for.

Seeing T'Laara as she approached the door, the corner of her lips turned up in amusement as that question was suddenly answered. There had been only one incident that involved both her and the Vulcan scientist, and she could understand why the Captain would want to discuss it with them. She gave the other woman a nod of greeting before entering the antechamber.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," she returned Mabel's cheerful greeting with a smile. Then she straightened her uniform - more out of habit than actually thinking it was needed - and stepped through the doors into the office. Stopping before the conference table, she gave the older woman a smile as well. "Good morning, Captain." In spite of being fairly certain what this meeting was about, she decided to wait for the Captain to voice her specific reasons for calling them before launching into an explanation.

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Tag Judith Eastman Shavan Th'zhaar (T'Laara)

[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Captain Eastman's Office]

Judy looked up with a pleasant smile on her face, as usual.
"Good morning. Have a seat," she invited them both.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: I don't like the idea of a possibly dangerous plant sample taking up residence in the park. It seems like a bad idea," she said simply, not mincing words.

"However, I don't know everything, which is why I called you both up here, to explain this thing to me, and I know this is a big ask. Why is this the right move?"

Judy hated to be one of those managers, asking for simple managerial answers to complicated technical questions, but what choice did she have?

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Tag Jovireh Velal , Shavan Th'zhaar

[T’Laara - Captain Eastman’s Office]

T’Laara sat down and listened while Velal began to explain the situation. She disagreed with the Captain that the plant living in the park was a bad idea, but then, it was quite the unusual situation to have to explain. “Indeed. We can no longer think of it as merely a plant sample, but as a sentient being. I made telepathic contact with it, and when it had grown enough it was able to speak in my mind. The very first thing it communicated was that it would do no harm. It then expressed a desire to remain there in exchange for sharing its fruit.”

Speaking of, she took a piece of the fruit that was on offer. “It is also extremely valuable from a scientific perspective. There is much we could learn from it, and the park is an ideal environment for it to stay in. It is equipped to provide levels of energy that the lab is not, and the being has a unique need to be surrounded by other plants.”

“I understand that you are responsible for the well-being everyone on this station. Surely that now includes the being living in the park, which I do not believe is a threat to anyone else.” It was, after all, the Mac’s crew that was responsible for bringing it to the station in the first place.

She had more to add, but paused to let Captain Eastman consider what they had already said.

Judith Eastman Jovireh Velal

[PO1 Jovireh Velal - Front Ear - Captain's Office]

If Jov didn't know any better, she'd say the Vulcan sounded excited. Though who could blame her? This was every botanist's dream come true. Then the Captain posed a more difficult question to answer. "It doesn't have the intelligence of a person, and I haven't detected any emotions beyond basic instincts. But it is fully aware of itself and its surroundings, has made requests to better the environment, and has asked questions out of curiosity and a desire to learn." Had Judy been a telepath, then she would have simply suggested she talk to the plant herself. However, even if it became capable of communicating with those who weren't telepathic, it would likely be confusing and painful to one who wasn't used to psionic connections. That certainly wouldn't help their case at all.

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Tag Judith Eastman

[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Captain Eastman's Office]

Judy nodded. The two women gave her a clear perspective that this was indeed an intelligence, not capable of being reasoned with at any sophisticated level, but capable of understanding kindness and cruelty.

"We'll have to do what we can to protect it, that much is clear," she assessed.

Of course, that left the question of how much interface with the public was safe.

"Have there been any indications of anger from it? Of mistrust? For that matter, does it know where it came from?"

"And, as another point, do you think it's going to develop more, cognitively, with time?"

If only there was some way for the human to interface telepathically...

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Tag Jovireh Velal , Shavan Th'zhaar

[T’Laara - Captain Eastman’s Office]

“That is true,” T’Laara agreed with the security officer’s answer. She fully believed in its intention to do no harm, and was encouraged by the fact that Captain Eastman seemed to understand.

Moving on, she addressed the last part of the question. “When we were searching for it on the day that it moved to the park, we both felt its telepathic abilities and awareness growing along with the plant itself. Before then it had exhibited no sign of sentience, but once it had acquired the necessary energy and conditions for its growth spurt, it developed into what it is now at a rapid rate. Its growth, both physically and in terms of intelligence, has slowed since entering this stage. However, as we have said, it is able to learn, and is continuing to do so. It may not develop significantly more, but without any data on its life cycle or more observations of others of its kind, it is difficult to say for certain.”

Jovireh Velal Judith Eastman

[PO1 Jovireh Velal - Front Ear - Captain's Office]

She definitely understood the desire for more information, but the lack thereof was part of what made this so exciting. They were the first. It was up to them to gather that information and find those answers. "I suppose it's possible," she replied thoughtfully when asked about the use of probes. This really wasn't her area of expertise. "It might work better if we're able to tune the probes to the plants' DNA structure."

She paused for a moment before continuing hesitantly. "We do need to remember that it pulled energy directly from the station's power conduits. I believe that is what triggered the growth spurt. That would explain why it hasn't grown any more after settling in the park." She hoped she was right about that, as it meant they could prevent it from happening again. But she wasn't a scientist either.

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Tag Shavan Th'zhaar  Judith Eastman