Lt.(jg) Dr. Toz: How about a museum, too?

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Patty Boyle

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Sep 25, 2024, 6:04:47 PM9/25/24

to USS Octavia E. Butler – StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG

((Arboretum, Deep Space 14))

Toz stood next to Peri, her gaze taking in her doctor. It probably wouldn't be long before Dr. Nis would be an assistant. To her, maybe if she managed to make CMO herself. No need to dream about it, though. She gave Nis a quick smile and turned to Peri as she answered the previous question.

Katsim: We just arrived a moment ago and were hoping to explore.

Nis: We’re looking for petel stones. They grow on asteroids around Platz Delta, but apparently they have some on the top floor in a simulated low-atmosphere environment.

Toz: Petel stones? I heard they were fuzzy and actually quite pretty.

Katsim: Oh, yes, it is lovely.

Guide: It is a fascinating place, but ‘lovely’ would be a foolish way of describing trees. Although it is debatable how much emotional empathy the vegetation here emits, they do not love the way we do, nor would they accept love from entities without cell walls.

Nis looked too distracted watching Katsim’s purple dragon zipping around swallowing big grasshoppers and other insects whole. Toz had a sudden thought: Was it okay for a purple dragonet to eat the bugs here? Bugs usually ate the insects that were harmful to the plant. Maybe she should ask. But there was a better issue at hand and it had to do with her love of trees. That included forests.

Toz: All trees are lovely in my opinion, sir. ::looking around and nodding:: Yes, lovely is the word.

Katsim: I’m sorry, back to what you said before. What do you mean, dangerous?

Guide: We study many forms of plant life in the arboretum. As the Trill mentioned, this is Starfleet, and some of those plants are not to be touched. That is why we only offer guided tours at this time.

Nis: One of Nis’s former hosts was a biologist. What kind of no-touchy plants are we talking about here?

Katsim: response

Toz: Venus Flytrap?

Guide: There is a plant here known as Warrior Chechem. It is known for its ability to spit great distances.

The guide rolled up her sleeve to reveal a red patch on her skin that looked like a burn, bright and peeling. From a few spots, it oozed a blackish tar-like pus.

Nis: Why haven’t you had a medic look at that?

Guide: ::Rolling her eyes :: It would be highly illogical to allow a wound like this to go unattended. This is after I consulted medical.

Katsim: response

Dr. Toz decided not to mention being a doctor. She knew nothing about this kind of injury and would not want to ‘cause harm’. After all, she took an oath. Her revere was broken by the guide’s next sentence.

Guide: Do you want to go on a tour or not?

Just behind them, a purple orchid opened up, its flower as big as a human head, its stamen unrolling. Toz turned to it just as a fat bee gingerly landed on it, and a sweet, alluring scent like caramel rolled out to tickle their noses. It was very inviting, although the notion of the Warrior Chechem was not so appealing.

Nis: We could always just . . . uh . . . go get Greek food instead.

Toz: Not sure I like Greek food but in this case, I agree. Or how about pizza?

Nis/Katsim: response

Guide: Whatever you do, please get control of that purple bird-creature. I study those insects it’s devouring, you know?

Katsim: response

Peri called Echo who came over and perched on her shoulder. Toz was amazed. She’d never had a pet. Well, other than the stray yellow cat that went as soon as she got her belly full of milk (and cookies). Toz couldn’t help but share her chocolate chip cookies.

Nis/Katsim: response

Toz: Then Greek it is. ::smiling:: I’m easy. Oh, yes, Dr. Nis, I completed the reports and included a few of yours. Just the ones you’d already given me.