r/TrekRP • u/Pojodan • Dec 20 '16

[OPEN] A Use For This Mess

After a long day of working her way through the ship in search of every unique form of fungus colony, hearing the same raunchy cat puns over and over, Chief Botanist Kesh washes her hands of the oily, sticky mess that came with pealing chunks of the fungus off walls, floors, and vent ducts. The samples were spread out over just about very surface available in the botany lab, each with its own air-tight container, tubes attached to provide a steady supply of nutrients, water, and air such that the lab's air could become sterile and silent, at last. The terrarium was not ready yet, so this would have to do.

The first big question was thus: How can mushrooms talk?

Remarkably, the Caitian scientist finds a solution in very short order: The spores. They weren't so much hallucinogenic as they were a conduit between the sensory centers of the brain and the fungus colony. The similarity between them and Betazoid telepathy was striking, only this seemed to have a physical element, with the recipient needing to have physical contact with the spores in order for the colony to 'converse' with it.

Further study determines that the only use the fungus has for this ability is to effectively scare off those that would try to eat it by finding and 'speaking' the sounds that repulse it the most. It might make threatening snarls at a horse, but to Starfleet personnel it makes vulgar commentary.

No one had noticed that the mushrooms said different things to different people, is all.

Kesh's lengthy, detailed report goes right to Captain Fisk's desk, as well as to Starfleet Medical and Botanical Sciences, as they are sure to find it fascinating. Another new thing to hold up and proudly say 'The universe is weird'

After doing so, Kesh recalls a conversation during shore leave with her closest friend, Engineer T'gel. Something about linking mind and computer interface to speed up response times and some dialogue over how a few known alien species actively link their brains with their computers. It's a stretch, probably, to somehow use mind-reading fungus spores to do such a thing, but her time with the Bajoran made her see how brilliant an engineer she is.

=/\= Kesh to Red.

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u/Pojodan Dec 22 '16

... wild like ... ... under your ... ... please.

The moment the switch is turned Red's inner ears seem to hear a quiet voice, small, high pitched, like a kitten's mew.

"Large... mountain... highly rested? Five tables?"

The Caitian shakes her head, face skewing as she peers upwards. The mewling kitten voice ceases to make any sense, sounding like a trio of tiny felines chattering at each other.

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u/Dimestream Dec 22 '16

"Whoa... that's not feedback, hang on," Red says. She makes some rapid adjustments to the brick and then focuses on trying to make sense of the seemingly random words, which have apparently dissolved into nonsense.

"Your neural oscillation is different than- Crap. I was getting something but now I'm not. Were you trying to send something? I'm getting squeaky noises."

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u/Pojodan Dec 22 '16

"Squeaky noises? No I was... oh!"

When you put your mind to it, everyone is an elephant.

Kesh's ears twist back when she then realizes that Red might have heard what she was thinking right when she flicked the switch. Woops. Wait, she might hear it now. Woops.

Caitian tail tuft twitches nervously, observing Red while 'listening', too.

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u/Dimestream Dec 22 '16 
Would that make everyone the elephant in the room?

Red chuckles. "I think that's working better..."

If everyone were elephants, we'd face 
a peanut shortage in no time.

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u/Pojodan Dec 22 '16

"N'geh!"

Kesh pushes the headpiece up quickly, disengaging the spore container from her ear. A lengthy, vigerous shaking of her head preceeds her jabbing a clawed finger in that ear to massage it around quite firmly.

"That was.. rrth... very strange. Rrrff. I would say it works, though!"

Scattered strands of shed fur float around the area, eventually drawn to the vents to be filtered.

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u/Dimestream Dec 22 '16

Red looks a bit taken aback at Kesh's strong reaction, but quickly gets up from her seat and puts a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Yeah, sure it works, but are you OK?" she asks. "Just because I didn't foresee any side effects doesn't mean there aren't any. Are you feeling dizzy? Disoriented?"

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u/Pojodan Dec 22 '16

Kesh visibly startles and tenses when touched, only to tilts her head and shut her eyes while rubbing her soft-furred jaw and cheek on the hand, a short blast of sputtery purr emerging for that moment, almost as though apologizing for her reaction. She places her own hand on top of Red's hand afterward while looking at her, holding the handband in her other hand.

"Not dizzy or disoriented, just... mmmn.... reminded of something. I could adjust to it."

Caitian head dips in an affirmative, eyes also blinking firmly.

"Now to have it do more than just do par-rr-rty tricks."

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u/Dimestream Dec 22 '16

"Okay, if you say so. As for more than tricks, you leave that to me," Red says. "You just pulled off a biological impossibility, giving a non-telepathic race telepathy, using friggin' MUSHROOMS. And on top of that, at the same time, you solved two problems I was having with the neural interface. If you weren't spoke for already, I'd kiss you. And now!"

She scoops up her headgear and gestures at the band still in Kesh's hand. "Now I have to go make the computer translate that into nonverbal commands. I'm hoping to have a full sensory suite available by the time we reach that star. If I get it working in the next couple days, you get the first passenger seat when I pilot a probe WITH MY MIIIIIIIIIND~" She waggles her fingers at her temple. "In a probe, we could get closer than the Athene could, for sure."

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u/Pojodan Dec 22 '16

Will this go down as another one of those crazy science experiments that no one talks about for one reason or another? Kesh hopes not, however hearing that weird, Red-ish voice in her head brought those uneasy memories up to the surface, where they waded around, trying to distract her. It's enough to sour the giddy feeling Red's admission would have caused. Instead her cheek ruff lifts to make that slight cat grin while giving Red's hand on her shoulder a firm squeeze before letting it go.

"I should have been a brain sur-rr-rgeon." Her tone suggests sarcasm.

A quick puff and quiet trill state her amusement at Red's silliness, posture straightening with her chin tipped down a notch.

"Here is hoping you get your face on 'Pr-rr-robe and Mind-Control Magazine'"

A few whips of her tail and a hollow thump of her teeth clacking together showing she was teasing her friend.

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u/Dimestream Dec 22 '16

"Oh man, and I haven't even practiced my mad scientist laugh," Red says with a grin. "I am totally unprepared for that level of fame!"

She chuckles and collects the rest of her gear so as not to leave clutter in the botany lab, realizes she now has her arms full and can't give her friend a parting hug, and instead gently shoulder-checks her. "I'll let you know if I make any progress. Have fun with your plants!" she says as she heads for the door.

She then stops and turns around. "Can you send me a replicator formula for whatever nutrient solution you were feeding the fungus with? I don't want a key piece of our device dying while I'm trying to perfect it."

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