[G] LtCmdr Tristam Core, "Attack of the vines." (Tags: Bakari, Mei'konda)

[Deliera Jay]

((Core's quarters))

Gamighan: =/\= I'm surprised you're even awake this early, Tristam. Doesn't your ship run on 24 hour time? =/\=

Core: =/\= I couldn't sleep. Wanted to check in, see how you are. Isn't it Gradda's birthday this week? =/\=

::Tristam's father rose an eyebrow.::

Gamighan: =/\= I'm surprised you remembered. =/\=

Core: =/\= '*Course* I remembered! Not every day you have someone only two generations behind you that hits the age of 206. =/\= ::The Rodulan took a sip of his tea.:: =/\= Actually, one day I'll be just like you and brag to people like the Terrans that I'm over fifty years older then they are, yet still outlive them, and still look young doing it. =/\=

Gamighan: =/\= I do *not* brag. =/\=

Core: =/\= Yes you do. =/\=

Gamighan: =/\= I *do not*. =/\=

Core: =/\= What *lies*, my dear father. Must I remind you that as a family, we all agreed that this attitude and deviousness came from *you*. =/\=

Gamighan: =/\= When do I ever brag to Terrans about my age? =/\=

Core: =/\= That time you came to Seventeen! Remember? At that food joint, you made some random drunk and disorderly guy cry because you told him how old you were and that you'd still outlive him! =/\=

Gamighan: =/\= I'd *hardly* call that bragging. I was trying to stop him from hitting the waiter, and *you* certainly weren't helping. =/\=

Core: =/\= You had the most epic grin on your face when you said it. =/\=

Gamighan: =/\= Small details. =/\=

::Tristam didn't have a chance to respond to that when there was somewhat of a muffled knock at his door. The Rodulan frowned - there was a *chime* there. Was a small child at his door or something? The only child that really sprung to mind was Samual, but highly, *highly* unlikely Mual would be aboard. Plus, Taywor would have called.::

Core: =/\= Dad, I'm gonna have to call you back. There's someone at my door. =/\=

Gamighan: =/\= Of course. Stay safe. =/\=

::The channel to Rodul closed and Tristam got out of his chair, moving towards the door. With a huff and a confused thought as to who on Rodulan soil would even be at his door at this hour (and who wouldn't use the damn chime on his door), he pressed the keypad and opened the door to-

::To just a wall of *green vines*.::

::Despite his desperate attempt to reach for the keypad again, his foot got somehow snagged on a vine. He hit the floor, and in swift and panicked motion, the Rodulan did his best to kick away, crawling backwards. Vines attacking him in the middle of the Garuda's Gamma shift? *Come on*. This *must* be a hallucination or something?

::But no. As real as Bakari giving him a right-hand hook, this vine really wanted him out in the hallway, refusing to let go of his ankle. Options?

::Close the door? Nope. Not gonna happen. He needed to get back into an upright position and even worse, get closer to the door. That was a risk he didn't really want to take right now.::

::What was in reach? Behind him was his coffee table, his 3D chess board, a mug, some clothing he hadn't yet bothered to pick up (don't judge him). None of that was at all really useful - sure, if this thing had eyes of which he could see, maybe that'd be a different story, but he was dealing with *vines*!::

::Wait- behind him on the coffee table was also his toolkit! And in that toolkit was a laser cutter.::

::It was a mad, backwards-crawl sort of dash as fast as he could with a lot of struggle. The vine around his ankle wasn't letting up and it was digging in the further he crawled away from his door. But finally, as his trapped foot became tingly, his back the coffee table. Tristam reached around behind him, crashing the toolkit onto the ground and pulling out the laser cutter with very little grace, switched it on, and cut the vine grasping his ankle. With it seared off, he unwrapped the remaining vine left on him and moved further away.

::And then suddenly he remembered voice commands.::

Core: Computer - seal off these quarters!

::It chimed in response and the doors slammed shut, leaving trapped vines slithering about with no room to pull out from the quarters or get closer to him. As long as he didn't get close to that door, he was relatively safe.

::Just in case, though, he threw the little vine that had been victim to his laser cutter into his toolkit. Until such time he had a proper container for it, this was its new home.::

Bakari: =/\= Bakari to Mei'konda and Core. =/\=

Mei’konda: =/\= Urf… Mei’konda here, Commander. =/\=

Core:::with a huff:: =/\= Yeah. =/\=

Bakari: =/\= We're getting reports of floral "infestations" across the ship. I want a damage and operational report from both of you. Meet me in the arboretum in 10 minutes. =/\=

::The Rodulan looked up at his doorway and gave a slight sigh. At least he knew what the hell *that* was - that was a good thing, right?::

Mei’konda: =/\= A… what?  Ah, understood, Commander… If there is a prroblem, I recommend calling a yellow alert.  I will meet you in the arboretum as soon as possible. =/\=

Core: =/\= I might be a little longer, Commanders. I'll be there as soon as I can. =/\=

Mei’konda: =/\= Yes sir.  Mei’konda out. =/\=

::Tristam simply tapped his combadge as he again frowned at the door. There was no *way* he was getting out that way, not with the threat of vines that could kill him. The only bad thing about that being that he didn't have another door to use that'd take him out of his quarters - one of the cons of Starfleet living.::

Core: Computer, what's directly underneath these quarters?

Computer: Storage compartment 24.

::Tristam switched on his laser cutter again.::

Core: I hope there's no floral infestation down there, too . . .

((Arboretum))

::Having only just managed to throw a uniform on and laser cutter clutched between his teeth, he was walking and reading from two PADDs at the same time. Situation reports had been flooding in - so far, only a single plant had managed to get into Engineering systems, courtesy of their lovely Security department and random but brave officers willing to take on what could have been the most horrific creation the Artist has ever made.::

Mei’konda: Impossiible… that is a prressure door, how could the plants…I don’t underrstand, Commaander.

Core:::muffled.:: They must have been allowed in. ::He took two PADDs into one hand, finally pulling out his laser cutter.:: Ship doors don't have cracks in them - unless they've blown a hole into a door or a bulkhead or even a damn Jefferies Tube. They've been getting into everything and the only explanation I've got is that they were already in the rooms when it happened.

Bakari: Response?

Mei’konda: Yes sir… operaational report indicaates that the… worrst of the infestaations, like this, are confiined to just a few areas.  Here, and ten forward.  The protomatter lab haas been affected, too.

Core: Crew quarters as well. Not to mention a few systems that a few flowers are growing into.

Bakari: Response?

Mei’konda: Very good questiion.  In my opiinion, there are two maajor possibilities.  One, the protomatter itself haas contaminaated the ship and had an affect on these.  The second… would be the Community visitor.  It was here… it clearly has an affect on plaant life.

Core: Could be a combination of both? I don't know anything about whoever this "community visitor" is, but if you think they might be a factor in this . . .

Mei'konda/Bakari: Response?

Core: How far away are we from the protomatter right now - do we know?

Mei'konda/Bakari: Response?

Core: Then maybe we need to-

Loupaz: =/\= Engineering to Core! We've got plants coming out of the ventilation shafts down here! =/\=

::What *else* could go wrong today?::

Core: =/\= I'm on my way. =/\= Sorry, boys. ::He called behind him, already halfway to the door.:: Turns out plants love to keep me busy.


Tbc . . .

LtCmdr Tristam Core
Chief Engineer
USS Garuda