Lt. Robin Hopper: The Best Decision
Robin Hopper
((Ikaia’s Lab – Level 3, Science and Research Center, Amity Outpost))
Wong: I was planning to take Kalil to see the other plant species in the other labs. My selection is a bit uh… different from what’s in the other labs. Perhaps Hopper can take you on a tour?
Robin grinned, amused, as she saw Kalil’s eyebrows rise as he looked back and forth between them.
Kalil: Only if she has time--and even then...
As he trailed off, clearly scared of overstepping, she chuckled and placed a hand on her chest, reassuring him.
Hopper: I’d be happy to give you a tour some time, if you are genuinely interested in the subject. I take it your studies are fairly ‘generalized’ for the time being? Is that common on Krios?
Wong: I’d absolutely recommend speaking with Hopper when it comes to botany and plant care. Her collection is certainly something to behold and she knows her stuff quite well.
Robin tilted her head and scoffed in feigned embarrassment.
The truth was, she’d begun building her personal collection of unique houseplants well over a decade ago – and some of the plants she had with her now had been in her menagerie since the get-go. They were absolutely a source of pride and joy for her.
Kalil: It sounds like a fun day. ::He looked back at Robin.:: Yes, we study a little bit of everything--science, history, art, literature--to prepare us for whomever we ultimately may serve as a companion.
oO Riiight… Oo She nodded, recalling that some Kriosians were so-called “empathic metamorphs” whose personalities matured and changed in response to those around them – potential mates – before eventually settling onto a bonded individual as a “perfect mate”...
She tried to play off the revelation casually – but in the back of her mind she started wondering whether or not this process had begun and, if so, whether or not the Kalil she was meeting now was, in fact, more influenced by Ikaia than he realized.
Hopper: ::Nodding:: Gotcha. ::To Wong:: Well, what else is new and exciting in your collection?
The chief medical officer smiled and clapped his hands together.
Wong: Ah! It’s a good thing you asked - you’re in for a treat! The Tempturvium is going to bloom soon. It doesn't bloom very often. Blooms are rare for it.
Hopper: Now that I have to see!
They followed Wong as he led them to where the pot was sitting. After the Klingon took it down from a shelf, he set it on a table for them to observe. A dome covering was secured to the top of the pot. Robin rubbed her hands together excitedly.
Wong: This beautiful specimen comes from The Shoals. It may look like an unblooming lilly, but it’s actually a type of corpse flower.
Kalil: A "corpse" flower? What's that?
Robin laughed.
Hopper: Hahaha – Oh, Kalil… You’re in for something special here. “Corpse flowers” represent a really amazing and unique intersection of evolutionary pressures.
Wong: There is a reason why it typically STAYS under this dome. It actually releases a mist into the air to attract pollinators. However, it smells like well… a corpse. The particles from the mist can be quite difficult to clean. It’s a good way to lose a uniform if you’re not careful.
Kalil: I'll take your word for it.
Robin nudged the young Kriosian man playfully.
Hopper: There are a few varieties native to Earth, actually. I once went to check out the Amorphophallus titanum on display at the Berkeley Conservatory when it was blooming. ::To Ikaia:: It was about twelve feet tall and the smell… ::Closing her eyes, shaking her head:: …Something else.
((OOC: I have actually seen a Titan Arum corpse flower in bloom at the local conservatory and it was a very fun experience!))
Hopper: ::Mischievious grin:: You sure you don’t wanna open it up, Ikaia?
Wong: Anyways, the sap and the leaves have medicinal properties to them that can alleviate fever and diarrhea. It’s one of many plants being studied here for their applications to medical science.
Kalil leaned in closer to get a look at the plant.
Kalil: That's fascinating. Fever and diarrhea... I wonder who was the first person to discover that--and how.
Hopper: ::Shrugging, still amused:: Probably the same way most great scientific discoveries are made – someone brave enough (and dumb enough) to stick their fingers into a puddle of goo just to see what happens.
Wong: I’ve actually been trying to get a hold of spore plant from Omicron Ceti III. It’s noted to have remarkable healing properties with well…. some er… interesting side effects. But anyways, that plant is super difficult if not near impossible to get a hold of.
Robin turned to Ikaia and raised her eyebrows.
Kalil: Why is that?
Hopper: Deadly radiation. ::Realizing that answer was unclear:: Uh, well, really it’s moreso that the plants are adapted for a highly radioactive environment that I expect would be difficult to recreate here in your lab?
Wong: Response
She began to wonder if it might, in fact be possible to set up an environment as part of the Botany Lab’s specialized “hostile environments” collection before recalling that the plant would still need to be transported to Amity on a six-week journey. During that time, maintaining the necessary bombardment of Berthold rays the plants were evolved to thrive in would be incredibly difficult.
oO Hmm… Oo
Kalil: Is the replicator able to recreate the same medicinal effects of a plant?
Hopper: Generally speaking, yes – though I’m sure there are some practical limitations. Ikaia?
Wong: Response
Kalil: ::nods:: Can I ask you two an unrelated question?
Robin turned away from the wall of plants for a moment and put her hands on her hips, nodding encouragingly at the Kriosian student. Judging by the way he’d asked, and the way he now took a moment to consider his question, she got the impression it was weighing on his mind.
Kalil: What made you decide to join Starfleet?
oO The eight shots of tequila I drank in celebration of completing my Master’s thesis… Oo
Hopper: Hoo… That’s a big question. ::Thinking about an acceptable answer:: I’d always dreamed about it. Since I was little. The universe just seemed so big – and my home seemed so small. I guess I always thought it’d be a shame not to see as much of it as I could.
Wong: Response
Robin nodded as Ikaia shared his perspective. She realized that, while she’d explained her initial interest in Starfleet, Kalil’s question had specifically been about the decision to join – to apply for the Academy. That was going to be considerably harder to answer without mentioning the tequila.
She followed a small imaginary circle around the floor as she spoke, crossing her arms and biting her lip absent-mindedly as she tried to put together a straightforward explanation.
Hopper: I actually applied to the Academy under sort of unusual circumstances. I’d, uh, just completed my Master’s thesis and I was thinking ahead to a potential doctorate. A friend convinced me that I might actually have a shot at completing my PhD through the Academy.
Wong/Kalil: Response
She clasped her hands in front of her.
Hopper: Best decision I ever made. Not only did I get to meet – ::playfully slapping Ikaia on the back:: – this big guy… But I’ve been places, seen things, learned so much more than I ever would have at home, or even staying in the Beta Quadrant.
Wong/Kalil: Response
Hopper: A life in Starfleet is a life dedicated to constantly expanding your own, and everyone’s, understanding of the universe… I can’t think of anything more fulfilling. ::Squinting, curious:: Are you considering applying to the academy, Kalil?
Kalil/Wong: Response
TBC
