STF

Yeoman - Always Up Early

Posted April 21, 2021, 12:39 p.m. by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman) (Jennifer Ward)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Roman Alden (Science Chief, First Officer) in Yeoman - Always Up Early

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman) in Yeoman - Always Up Early

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Roman Alden (Science Chief, First Officer) in Yeoman - Always Up Early

(snip)

“Thank you, Sir. I just observe and try to help, that’s all.” She noted down the extra flies Mushu ate and then she picked up the stylus and began to sketch. “This is a 20x10x12 tank? 10 gallons?” She marked off the area on the sketch that Alden indicated and made a note to ask engineering about installing a pump. “A slightly bigger tank would allow the water area to be slightly bigger and deeper, let him swim some. Of course could always let him swim around in one of the soaker tubs in the gym’s locker rooms.” Rand was actually quite serious. “It would also allow room to put a small den like structure in there. You said Verbose like to make dens?” Rand continued to write and rough, she was no artist, sketch the tank and the ‘decorations’ inside.
Yeoman Rand

Roman nodded. “What exactly do you propose we use? I haven’t got a bigger tank and he’ll escape the gym’s locker room.” He said as he let the lizard crawl on his hand. “That is this tank’s size. Of course, this isn’t the only live specimen I’ve got.” But Mushu might have just been his favorite.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand considered, “Well I suppose the gym is a bit big even if someone was to watch him.” She looked at the tank and then around the lab. She spotted an oval shaped glass, roughly the same dimensions as the tank, high up on a shelf. She walked over, and using a near by step ladder she brought it down and over to the table. “If this isn’t being used else where a lid could be easily constructed. We had a class pet when I was little, a hamster. It had tubes connecting all different size and shape pieces to the main tank. Engineering might be able to attach a similar crawl tube between these two, and this oval one could be nothing but water.” At the mention of others, “Do they socialize well? All the tanks could be connected through this swimming tank. If not small doors could be put in place over each one to insure they don’t interact.”
Yeoman Rand

“Some do. Some don’t. Some I don’t know yet,” He replied. “Perhaps if the doors can be opened and closed?” He suggested, looking at the glass tank. “Like Mushu, I usually study these animals for years, see how they grow and change. And see what else I can learn about them. Usually in order to learn more about a planet’s ecosystem. I lost all of my animals some years ago and had to start from scratch. So many of them I’ve only just gotten my hands on.” He currently had twenty different animals, mostly from the same planet as Mushu, and Mushu was his most recent gain. His collection dated back just three years, a small rodent which Roman didn’t expect to live much longer, was the oldest in his little collection.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand wasn’t big on ‘animal testing’ but she understood the benefits of observing them to learn. “If some of them are from the same planet could you observe their interactions? To see how the coexist?” She jotted down another note. “I am sure the doors could be fixed so you can control them to be opened or closed.” She made another note and sketched a very bad but clearly a hinge on the tank sketch. “I’m sorry you lost your animals. That was a lot of work lost?” She looked around the lab now noticing the other cages and tanks. “May I see the others?”
Yeoman Rand

Roman kept harmful tests to a minimum, preferring to do none at all. He wanted to learn about the animals, not kill them. “Aldaria is a colony world, they needed information on the environment in which they were to be living. Of course, there’s a biologist on site, but never hurts to have an extra opinion. It would be quite helpful to see how they interact, so long as no one gets eaten. Can’t observe something that isn’t living.” He frowned. “A lot of work. I’d been studying a specific type of toxin which appeared to be prevalent on several planets. I had several specimen which used this type of venom.” He explained.

“What about putting their cages face to face so they could see each other? or maybe a larger tank with a small glass between them. That way the react to each other but not touch. At least until it’s safe?” She started to write down the information about his previous studies and stopped. She was sure he had the notes on that work and it wasn’t relevant to what they were currently doing. “Were you able to find the antidote or why it showed up on so many different planets?”

“Don’t open any cages. The report I was finishing the other day was regarding a highly lethan venom which that snake produces.” He gestured to another one of the tanks, tightly shut. Inside was a bright red snake sort of like an anaconda, but not quite the same.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand dutifully clasped her hands behind her back as she walked around. She studied the bright red snake for several moments as it studied her in return. As she moved away it tracked her and she let out an involuntary shudder. This was why she was happy to stay on board a star ship and not go exploring. She was happy to watch from space. Well maybe, she’d like to see new worlds, she just didn’t want to die. She stopped at the cage with the small rodent it was sleeping. “This looks like a miniature pine marten. I found a baby one when I was about 4. I made the mistake of bringing it home to keep as a pet. The mother was not happy with me.” She returned after looking around. She took two different leaves from Mushu’s tank, one had bite marks the other not, and held them out to him, where he sat on Alden’s hand, to see what he would do.
Yeoman Rand

“Yes, we could do that. It’ll stress the prey animals somewhat but not too different from their wild habitat,” Roman said acknowledging her idea. The antidote… It would have been great, the effects of the venom were unpleasant to say the least, if it made it into the bloodstream it would cause necrosis of muscular tissues. But Roman had been close, and then become discouraged after he lost all of his research. He seemed slightly more tense as he answered with a single word: “No.”

Rand had been thinking that she didn’t understand the reports that Cmdr Alden was terse and unapproachable. She thought he was rather pleasant to work with. He followed the safety rules for the lab, he understood and adhered to protocol, he was clear in his answers and directions that he gave her. Rand was enjoying working with him. And then that very terse ‘No.’ She recognized she’d hit on a sensitive topic and so she wisely didn’t say anything more.

He watched her head over to the rodent and nodded. “My oldest animal, I think she’s near the end of her lifespan. Spends most of her days sleeping.” Mushu, who’d been quite content to get some fresh air, sniffed the leaves held out to him, then his tongue shot out, snatching the leaf with bite marks in it.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand glanced back over to the rodent. “Maybe she’s bored? In the wild animals are constantly working even into their ‘elder’ years, they just slow down. What about a good old fashioned hamster ball?” Rand looked at the leaf Mushu didn’t take. Not surprised, but then looked in the tank. “He hasn’t taken any of the leaves like this, or even nibbled them. Could there be something harmful in them?”
Yeoman Rand

“We could give it a shot.” Roman said. He was beginning to feel like Rand was better at giving the animals quality of life than he was. Then again, he was a scientist. “I think you may be right,” he said, setting Mushu back in his own terrarium. Before he closed the top, he took one of the leaves that the lizard wouldn’t eat. “It could be toxic or it could just not be good for him. Might be best to find out which.”

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand nodded. She loved animals, critters, of all kinds. They acted on instinct and it was predictable. She never had to wonder what was expected of her. There was no nuance or agendas or mixed positions. Either you were in charge or you followed. You were predator or prey. “Don’t you have lab assistants that monitor the animals and check for such things?” Rand was referring to the leaves. It might be their job to study it but shouldn’t they observe and report it? And though she couldn’t read his thoughts it might apply to his thought about her being better at caring for them. A lab assistant would be responsible for the animals health and we’ll being. She shrugged sheepishly, “I had a lot of different ‘pets’ as a child. I’ve learned a lot today already today. I wouldn’t know how to figure out how to feed them or make a habitat. When I was very very little I just ‘loved’ them until they died or ran away. Usually they ran away.” The inflection would bring up an image of a toddler hugging a cat while all legs and tails spasmed trying to wiggle free of ‘the love.’
Yeoman Rand


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