Talking to Plants

Posted on 20 Jun 2013 @ 7:28am by Lieutenant Kiri Cho

3,990 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Multipurpose Laboratory
Timeline: MD8 1700

ON:

Was it Monday? It felt like a Monday. Since coming onto the ship Kiri felt like she had lost track of the days, everyone was using stardates anyway. She hadn't thought of it before but she should get an Earth calender for her new program, it would be a nice feature. Her hair was back to its straight normal state, she had been sleeping, mostly. The things that had been troubling her of late, Stone, cave monsters, strangers, weakness and fear were not behind her but not completely filling her horizon either. Work in the Rojar system had fitted into the odd tedium of shuttle missions and personal work. There had been time for some personal things but, most of it had been work. It kept her mind busy and she was starting to feel like her old self, at least when she didn't think about any of it too hard. Standing up straight, as tight as she could, that made her feel good. Clean uniform, clean boots, no blood on her face. There weren't really any smiles on her part but neither was there a sad look in her eyes.

She hadn't really spoken to Liyar since their adventure in the caves, he had done so much to help her. He was her friend wasn't he? Well she only trusted Dawn more than him and he was the only one she let into her head at all. Walking down the corridor she cradled an incense burner in her arms, not going quite a top speed for once. This was something she needed to take easy, be calm about or it might make it harder. Reaching the door she took a breath before pressing the button, closing her eyes. Feeling the weight of the ceramic tray in her hands, warm from where she had been holding it.

The door opened to Kiri before her finger even hit the pad, as though it had somehow expected her arrival. It didn't, but the occupant inside had felt her impending arrival since the moment she'd stepped off the turbolift. He was seated across the room with his legs folded in front of him on a mat. Before him Vaikreyan rested in her pot, purplish translucent leaves and all winding down to the floor. He looked serene and healthy. Any signs of internal struggle were carefully suppressed beneath the calm and stable veneer of Vulcan control. His hands rested on his knees, back straight and head tipped up slightly toward the ceiling as though channeling from the top of his head all the way to his feet. He opened his eyes and regarded Kiri tranquilly. A curious, bounding energy followed her through the door, and Liyar quirked an eyebrow over at her in greeting. "Good afternoon." He gestured to the mat on the other side of Vaikreyan.

Entering Kiri looked at the plant with some surprise, it had moved. More likely than not, not alone but still it made her uneasy. Clutching her gift in her hands she managed a small smile as she copied his position on the second mat. After a moments uncertainty she placed the white and black dappled intense burner towards the middle, on the right hand side. Fixing her eyes on Liyar through the foliage she tried to clear her mind, "I brought you a gift."

Liyar leaned over and picked it up using his fingertips, holding it delicately. "I can see this," he said with a small, grateful nod. "Thank-you." The concept of giftgiving was a purely Terran one, or at least a nonvulcan one. Liyar had received quite a few gifts since coming aboard, including the plant in front of him from his adopted brother, so he had learned not to question it. Instead, he let the action speak for itself. In a way, it was a little related to what they would be discussing today. Gifts were about connection. A tangible token of internal reaching. Telepathy was much the same. Liyar stood and replicated some incense, lighting it and pricking the burner with a few small drops. He sat back down. "Shall we begin?"

"Okay," Kiri was a little more certain now, this was something she wanted to learn. Settling slightly she looked at him once more before closing her eyes, trying to open herself just a little bit.

He couldn't help but think back to the winding ropes of Kestra's design, Betazoid harmony, and wonder if he were suited to this task. He could barely reign in enough control to enter a healing trance. He rarely got beyond the third level of meditation and he couldn't shut them out. The bracelets under his uniform sleeves felt like their own prisons. What if he was dooming Kiri to the same inability to control that he possessed? "I do not know how useful I will be to you as a teacher in the coming future," Liyar said after a long minute of contemplation. What if his knowledge was useful, regardless of the current state of his abilities? He did not know. Now that Kestra was here, things were different. She was, even in her condition, vastly more qualified than him. It reminded him just how out of control he might be. "My own abilities have proven to be somewhat erratic. I would teach you what I know. What I can give to you, knowledge. This is Vulcan knowledge, Vulcan training. My abilities, no longer conform to that model. Functionally, I do not know how these sessions will proceed. If you still wish to continue, then I will do my best to provide you with a stable base."

Opening her eyes Kiri looked carefully at him, she wasn't sure what had changed. Other than their away mission together, one that she felt he had dealt with far better than her, what could have happened? He was the only telepath that she knew able to teach her, if not him then who else? Trill seemed to make things difficult, secret. Vulcans were calm, sort of and she could trust not to tell anyone her secrets. Was there any other race that would offer her that protection? "I would like to try, if that is okay?"

Liyar inclined his head. "My abilities are not what you might call normal. While before it was possible for me to ignore this, that time has passed. Events have happened which have forced me to realize that I may simply be unsuited to assisting you this way." He made a small, barely noticeable face. "I cannot predict my telepathy. I now realize that I cannot give you an absolute guarantee that you will be safe, should we venture into purely mental territory. Therefore, I am unwilling to engage in purely mental exercises. I would teach you as much as I can," he clarified. "And I am willing to train you, as much as I can."

"I see," Kiri looked a little surprised, she didn't know enough about Vulcan's to really judge. If it wasn't safe then it wasn't safe, that was all there was to it. There were still a lot of questions as to what had happened, if he was okay. Falling silent for a moment she looked concerned, "Whatever you can teach me would be useful."

Liyar moved the edge of Vaikreyan's pot forward a little. "Then let us begin. I wish to turn your attention today to the purpose of telepathy. While our abilities are important on their own merits, the way in which they are used is of equal, if not greater importance."

"Okay?" She understood the words at least, if not quite what they meant. Was she going to be talking to the plant? He'd explained it before but, well plants weren't people.

He tilted his head. "You do not seem sure of that statement."

"Well, you mean we will be working on theory rather than application?" Kiri wasn't completely sure, she had somehow been looking forward to something similar to what they had done before though. It was something completely new, a different way of sensing.

"For now. As you may have noticed, I have brought Vaikreyan here to serve as an application of telepathy, but that shall come later. Before we can begin to use telepathy, we must first understand how to use it. The source of power, how to wield it, when and why. This is much different across species. A Betazoid and a Vulcan do not receive the same training because they do not have the same abilities, nor the same neurology. Just so, Trill have evolved telepathy for a very specific purpose. To communicate with Trill symbionts, to Join," he said, as Raifi Zaren had explained, "and to perpetuate the experience of the symbiont. Trills in Trill society are taught to use their telepathic abilities within this frame. From what I understand, you grew up on Earth."

"Yes," Kiri nodded, there was still so much she didn't really know.

"Then, naturally, your cultural awareness of Trill telepathy is not optimal. On Terra, they do not teach Terran telepathic practices, since Terrans are typically psi-null or very close to it. Therefore, it becomes important for you to identify what telepathic ability means to you," Liyar explained. "You were not raised on Trill, and in many ways, the reasons for telepathy in Trills is lost upon you. You were not raised on Vulcan. The reason for Vulcan telepathy is inapplicable to you. You are not a Betazoid, or a Cairn." She could see where he was going. "In this, you are Kiri Cho, who is a telepath. Your reasons will need to be your own, and they will form a solid base for your learning. Very simply, what does it mean to you?"

"It is something I might be able to do that makes me more useful," Not reaching your full, well close to full potential was something that Kiri didn't really understand. Constantly she had tried to better herself, this was just another thing to develop.

"In what way do you believe it would make you more useful?" Liyar asked.

"Well, better able to protect myself, and I mean, reading minds or understanding how could be a useful skill?" She didn't really know what she would be capable of or how, but it was more than she had now.

"In my culture, my people learn that telepathy is not merely a skill or a tool. It is not an addition like a piece of clothing you can put on and discard at will," Liyar said. "It is part of you, the way a hand or a leg is part of you. It is a method of communication, of expression and reception. It would be more accurate to say that telepathy is a language, a way to experience the universe. I would encourage you to look at it as a method of enriching yourself."

"I do, it is why I try to learn as much as possible," From learning two additional languages to histories of mathematics from other cultures, she wanted to be as useful a person as she could. A science officer could be asked about anything at all and she'd need to be able to answer or find an answer quickly.

Liyar knew that the way to enlightenment for any person wasn't being told what to do or how to think. She had asked for his help, so he would do his best to give her the foundation he knew. Whether she could use it, would be up to her. "Indeed. Our power - the energy that guides our minds to reach out and connect, is firmly tied into our Core. The Core of every person is that inside which separates you from others. That place which is uniquely you, that is comfortable, self-aware, and untainted by other perspectives. That which you intrinsically know, intrinsically feel, believe, think. It goes beyond that. It is the motivation of thought, the intent of will, the force that compels you to move forward as you. That Core is the most powerful source you have at your disposal. In order to begin to direct and control your telepathy, you will need to learn how to access and channel this core. The Will, Meres. It is the foundation of everything. It forms the fabric of society, people interlinked, action and reaction."

"Okay," Kiri was caught between knowing that most of her mind was a series of chemical impulses that became more and more complex as more were added and something spiritual. Taking a breath she looked up at him, "There is a lot to learn then."

Liyar tilted his head at her. "Yes," he agreed. "However, I cannot teach you how to access your core, or how to recognize it. That is something that you will need to learn to recognize yourself. The best way to begin this process is to analyze your thoughts on the matter itself. What do you think about what I have said?"

"That I don't really know anything about my, Core?" Kiri shifted in place slightly, "I think I understand what you mean, but I'm not really sure what motivates me." When it came to social things it was because she didn't want to be alone. With work it was to gain praise, to be worth something, to prove that her sacrifices lead to something. To make her parents proud of her, to make other people like her. Were these things all there was though, as ashamed of most of them as she was. Was there a deeper truth, after all none of these felt like a, core sense of being.

"Is that something you would like to learn to identify?" Liyar asked her contemplatively.

"I think so," Really it felt like it was something she should learn rather than she wanted to. Might it let her understand other people better, what they were thinking and wanted?

"Your level of success in the telepathic arts is not measured in skill," Liyar veered off topic slightly. "It is not something that you can exercise without thought like a limb. Each time you improve your abilities, you will be accessing your Core and learning to open your senses to other perceptions. You think you would like to identify this - that is good. For that is the only way that you will come to understand your potential. It comes, as I have said, with the desire and patience to learn. Take Vaikreyan for example. What purpose do you think she serves?" Liyar indicated the plant.

"Um," He had said, "A form of telepathic storage, to conduct transpiration, reproduce and, expand." Plants and creatures that provided as useful service to intelligent life tended to be quite safe from extinction and often were able to spread widely.

"Yes. At Vaikreyan's most basic level, she is purely a means of experience," Liyar said. "There is no other purpose to Vaikreyan than to connect to that which she has seen and heard, to what is stored and gained. To absorb knowledge, awareness, and understanding. I have brought her today in order that you may experience this connection. A practical demonstration, of sorts. If you are willing."

"Okay but is it sharing with me, or me with it, or both?" It had stored all this information so was it looking for more? What would it find out about her, would she see the personal thoughts of everyone that had come into contact with it?

"That depends," Liyar answered. "By default, Vaikreyan will be able to read your mental signature, and the things that you think about while in the link. What she stores is up to you. You will see what she shows you. As I said, due to a lifetime of telepathic exposure, she has developed something of a personality, comparable to A.I. She will 'choose' events and memories from her store that are relevant to your experience."

"Right," It was a round peg that still fitted in a square hole, it made sense but overall Kiri felt she was missing something. This was safe though and if she had control over what she thought about, the was fine. She had to focus herself, that might be a little hard. There was no choice, fight through it, "What do I need to do?" Place her hands on it, try to reach out to it with her mind?

Liyar took a breath and slowly opened the connection between Vaikreyan and himself, listening to her chatter idly in the back of his mind. He then slowly wound together the threads between Vaikreyan and Kiri who sat across from him, until the edge of Kiri's consciousness was tapped into the link between handler and vessel. After a few moments, Vaikreyan's voice and memories grew until Kiri could hear them, random and strange. Vaikreyan laughed musically in Kiri's mind. Shhh, relax! I, the solitary fish, a fish apart / (apart at least from the tree fish and the stone fish) / write, at isolated moments, a tiny fish or two. Remember-Zaren? Spots and worms. Trill are delightful. She yanked out an image of a Bajoran monastery, the one Zaren had left inside for her.

Kiri was used to order, or at least regimented chaos. This was different and rather disconcerting, was this was talking to a child was like, or a normal person? Then there was the image of the building, one she didn't really recognise. Golden domed towers, red tile roofs and yellow stone walls. The angle was strange, like looking down from another building. The distance had larger buildings, all surrounded in greenery. It wasn't just an image though there were more attachments than that, something personal, feelings that as she found she started to share. Wonder, awe, a little acrophobia, actually she felt rather dizzy, what was that? At the same time her own mind was making links to the red and black Buddhist monasteries she had seen before.

Of course I'm a normal person, Vaikreyan huffed with faux indignation, a cross between awareness and non. A lilting song floated through the images, serene strings plucked from harps, violins, the walls of Starfleet and the bay of San Francisco rippling in the background. It panned out into a skyview, whoops and hollers in the background, air rushing up all around as the landscape turned into tiny squares of green. Admiral Janson had greatly enjoyed orbital skydiving, for whatever it was worth, riding on the tails of exhilaration and rock music. Vaikreyan lazily flipped through her memories of Terra and the humans. Then she zipped off away into space, all the way to the Red Planet of her previous owner. Another monastery popped up. I've got a collection! Redsky, redsands, metal and stone and peace.

It was most disorientating, like the contact wasn't with someone that had a very disorganised mind. Starting with something familiar then clashed with something that threatened to make her physically sick, warbled music and rushing air. Then whip-lashing to space and then somewhere else, Vulcan? She wasn't sure but she didn't think there were monasteries on Mars and that was the only red planet she'd seen for herself. These ones weren't so very different from those at home, though with more carved rock. Softly she tried to think words, Could you slow down a little?

Show me Mars, Vaikreyan whispered kindly. And all your favorite places in between.

There weren't really that many places between Mars and Earth, at most there were three not counting stations. As for how to show them she couldn't only figure out that he was meant to think about them, loudly? So that was what she did, trying to bring up images of the places she'd been to. Utopia Planitia from orbit, outside the facility. There was a flash for a second before she tried extremely hard not to think about the interior. It wasn't exactly classified but she didn't know this, being, plant? The small apartment where she had spent two days that overlooked a hydroponic dome and in the distance a lake of water that was covered in a skin of ice. The redness was everywhere, dust clung to everything and even the air that gave Mars it's name. Then there was the Moon, somewhere she had more memories, a tiny pin prick in the sky for something so close.

The moon, Vaikreyan sighed, and a few memories stored within her bubbled up in response. White-white corridors, domes, timeless dust, grey and black and white, chrome and sleek metal, rows, stairs, rails, decks. It looked like a living complex, or maybe a Starfleet boarding facility. Vaikreyan's mind tendrils followed Kiri along, gently dipping into her memories where she was permitted and bobbing along against the glass walls of those Kiri preferred not to share.

The Moon was somewhere her parents had taken her once. The only real holiday they had been on together. Her father had a meeting there and her mother was displaying some work at a gallery, Kiri was eleven. It was a place that was beyond Kiri's experience. The insides itself were like other government buildings she'd been in, like her school. The domes though, the range of plants, aliens, that was all new. Too new. For almost the entire trip Kiri clung to her mother, it was hard not to be scared of everything. Of getting lost in a strange place filled with strange people. The shops were nice though, and the gallery was huge. Paintings mostly from Earth but several places very far away.

Vaikreyan hemmed and hawed, terribly pleased and fascinated by the mental presence alongside her. She swirled them up and over buildings, shooting them through space. The Gladiator and her former caretakers, the Ares and her spot up in the mess hall, bright uniforms and colors of all sorts, alien and non. Then she hopped them off to Ansvar IX, her homeworld. Great trees and roots buried in the ground, a whole planet interconnected. My home, Vaikreyan whispered peacefully. Where's yours?

On Earth, Kiri answered thinking about her rural village, her little house. Then she started to feel very sad, she tried hard not to think about home. It was somewhere she was safe and nothing like her life on the ship, maybe she should have stayed.

Aww, Vaikreyan's voice soothed gently. You'll return some day, a whisper of a smile ghosted along the edge of her words, strangely alive. Home is where the heart is.

Grief has limits, whereas apprehension has none. For we grieve only for what we know has happened, but we fear all that possibly may happen. Why was Pliny what she thought of, other than the obvious, Home is where you think it is, not where you want it to be, The ship was the closest thing she had to a home now, it didn't really feel like a home though.

It will someday, Vaikreyan encouraged gently, and then just like that, she had slipped away, mental tendrils winding back until Kiri could blink and the room was familiar once more. Liyar was still sitting in the same spot across from her.

Looking rather dazed Kiri blinked a few times and held on tight to the ground. She'd been taken to places far away, distant in her memory and it felt very strange to be back, or was she? Was this real now, or was the plant just remembering the room from where she had left?

OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, VDF/SDD
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Kiri Cho
Assistant Chief Science Officer, SSC
USS Galileo

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