Personal Log, Stardate 101904.4, Lieutenant Commander Ansha Wind-People I am still in a small vat of nutrient liquid, in a formless ball without any form of locomotion and with only this special PADD and my tricorder in the tank with me. I am bored, sad, and lonely.
Orders arrived last night that there will be an investigation into the loss of the USS Ecstasea which is expected of course.I do not think I anticipated the next actions of the investigating senior officer, Captain Nimitz, but given the circumstances it is understandable. The surviving crew is being sequestered once at DS-13 with the senior officers confined to quarters once we arrive. That would be R’Nol, Zach, Annakei, Shamaz, Oppa, and myself. We have taken it upon ourselves to maintain this confinement as of this moment.
Still… It is very lonely here in the botanical sciences lab onboard the USS Defender. My fellow mycinoids on the shelves surrounding me are not very talkative. The only “person” that I interact with is a human mycologist whose first name is apparently Cindy, I think she is an ensign, not sure though.Still cannot see well without focusing lenses. Basically she is my attending physician, though she is not used to treating patients and it shows. She is a scientist, and lover of all things fungal. She dotes on us like we were her children, cooing and talking in a way that is meant to encourage us I suppose, and celebrating our various milestones like when the mushroom next to me fruited. Yay for Henry. She calls the mushroom Henry. Doesn’t look like a Henry to me but whatever.
While it is adorable, it is getting terribly annoying. I need to have a discussion with her about… well, that I am a sentient being, a person, a fellow Starfleet officer, and senior in rank. We have only a few hours of travel left before we reach DS13 so I debated on just rolling with it. Also I have avoided such a talk as she has been most attentive to my needs and her care is without equal. Nonetheless, she should probably know how I feel.
The young, blond, human female, dressed in a Starfleet uniform with science colors entered with a cheerful smile and a bubbly, positive demeanor.
“HELLO EVERYONE!” Ensign Cindy said sweetly. “How are all my babies doing today? Oh, Henry, I am just still sooooooooo proud of you!”
“Cindy,” Ansha’s emotionless, accent-neutral, computerized vocoder said. “May I have a word with you?”
“Oh, Ansha,” she replied, still in her mycinoid mom mode. “Hi. Are you alright? Those nasty,nasty toxin levels are lower today. Isn’t that wonderful.”
“Yes,” Ansha replied.”Just wonderful. I need to talk to you. Do you think you can talk to me in a normal voice?”
“I’m sorry? What?”
“Talk to me like a normal person?”
“Ansha, I…”
“What is your rank and your last name?” Ansha’s vocoder said.
“Uhm, Ensign, and Newell,” she replied, in confusion. “Wh…why? What’s wrong, what else do you need?”
“Ensign Newell,” Ansha began. “I may be a fungus among all the other fungi here, but I am a sentient being. A person. I am also a Starfleet officer, like you, and furthermore, I am a Lieutenant Commander which outranks you. Do you understand?”
Cindy was taken back a bit. She became red in the face. Her cheerful demeanor was completely gone as she struggled to form her next words.
“I… I am… Ansha… I mean Lieutenant Commander, I’m sorry. I…”
“You are not used to being a… physician for lack of a better word.”
“Yes. ma’am,” she replied. “I’m so sorry. I really do apologize, I just, I don’t know, I just talk all my little… I mean the specimens that way. But you’re not a specimen, you are a person and I am sorry, Lieutenant Commander Wind-People.”
“Apology accepted, ensign,” Ansha replied. “smiles You care about them and it shows. Also, I know this is an unusual circumstance. You do not have specimens talking back to you often, do you?”
“No, except Veronica.”
“Veronica? confused face”
“The Carnivorous Weeper over in section A,” Cindy replied. “She gets a little testy when we are late with her meals.”
“Oh,” Ansha replied. “laughs Haha. That would explain the screeching noise I hear sometimes.”
“Yeah, but she is a sweetheart when she’s fed. Look, I…I feel really bad about how I have treated you, Ma’am,” Cindy said, going back to the original topic. “You went through so much. I can’t even imagine what stress you are dealing with right now, and I haven’t been the best at bedside manners, huh?”
“My Earth Papa…”
“Dr Vakmar Singh, oh he’s been such a big help.”
“Yes, he used to say that from grace can come understanding. I hope we are at the understanding point now, Ensign.”
“We are, Lieutenant Commander, and I promise I will keep it in mind from now on.”
“Please do,” Ansha replied. “You never know. More of my kind will be showing up in Starfleet now. Some have enlisted and as of right now we have five Wind People at the academy.”
“OH! That is so exciting. I guess they would come here for treatment if they were stationed onboard the Defender.” She clasps her hands together and does an exaggerated excited shake. “I really hope one gets stationed here!”
“Easy there, I realize we are rare and to a mycologist we are a dream specimen, but we are people.”
“Oh, I know, Lieutenant Commander. You’re right, and if they come here I will treat them as fellow Starfleet servicemembers. I promise.”
“I believe you,” Ansha said.
“Still, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but it has been a dream come true having you here, and getting to treat you. I do wish it was under better circumstances, Lieutenant Commander. I hope everything works out. I do. I feel so sad for you and your crew.”
“Thank you, Cindy,” Ansha said. “So no legs yet?”
“I’m sorry Lieutenant Commander, but you’re still not regenerating enough to take on a skeleton yet. Be patient though. I have sent the treatment plan to the biological sciences lab at DS-13 and the models all indicate that you should be growing at a normal sustainable rate in 3 to 4 cycles. That means you will be able to take on a new skeleton in about a week.”
“Too long. Oh well. I understand, Ensign,” Ansha replied. “You have been most attentive and I do feel better thanks to you. Even Henry was telling me how wonderful you have been.”
Cindy’s eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped wide open.
“YOU CAN SPEAK TO THE OTHER FUNGUS?!! WHAT ELSE DID HE SAY?”
Ansha paused before typing then began her response.
“smiles I am sorry, I am kidding. That was a mean thing to do. laughs HA HA I cannot really talk to other fungi.”
Cindy drew back, scrunched her face and closed her eyes. She opened them again and flashed a sheepish grin then shook her head.
“That was good. You got me good on that, Lieutenant Commander. I suppose I deserve it.”
“smiles Maybe a little,” Ansha replied. “Thank you, for talking to me normally. I needed that.”
Cindy sighed. “Well, I need to check on the others, and then I can come back and we can talk some more if you would like?”
“I would like that.”
Cindy tilted her head and smiled. Just then a screech filled the air. Cindy rolled her eyes and turned.
“Coming, Miss Veronica. Hold your horses.” Cindy walked back to Section A.