Post 354: Where There's Life

Stardate:70804.1200
Title: Where There's Life
Author: Zanh Liis
Scene: Arboretum: Independence
Time: 0115 hours: following "Isn't It Ironic?"
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Having finally let Rada off the hook and sent him on his way after he nearly took off half a meter of living kalact bush in one fell swoop of his clippers, Zanh was awaiting one more person to greet before calling it a night.

She replayed her exchange with Rada in her mind. Either the young engineer was completely exhausted from his tumultuous trip from the planet below, or he had exaggerated his gardening skills a might. Liis decided to reserve final judgment for now on which of the two options she thought more likely, though she felt she had a pretty good idea.

She wouldn't get all the weeding finished tonight, she had known that when she started. But she found that she really got a unique insight into the personalities of the ship's newest personnel by meeting them out of uniform and far removed from the more 'expected' locations of the bridge, or the transporter room.

Yes, this had been a most enlightening experience so far. She would have to do this again, with future additions.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she decided to change the musical accompaniment; to something a bit darker and decidedly more aggressive.

"Computer, access musical database. Begin playback, file Zanh beta 23." The computer beeped and complied.

"I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known. Don't know where it goes, but it's only me, and I walk alone."

Zanh's thoughts were with the away team as she began to clean up the piles of weeds strewn about her. She groaned as she bent down; this was not the kind of activity that was really healthy for a person with a spine full of tritanium implants. There would be hell to pay in the morning.

Nurse Bergman was startled by the volume of the music as she entered the arboretum. She had heard of talking to plants, even of playing music for them. But somehow she always thought that people chose more soothing selections than the one that rang in her ears.

"Captain Zanh?" she called, approaching as the Bajoran lifted yet another handful of discarded greenery into a trolley, preparing to wheel it to the reclamation unit.

"Ah. You must be Ensign Bergman," Zanh went to shake the woman's hand, but seeing how truly filthy she was by this point, decided to forego the custom for now.

"I will owe you a hand-shake at a future date. Right now, you don't want it." Liis smiled at the girl, who was tiny compared to her Amazonian stature, at a good ten inches shorter than Liis. She had blonde hair, kind brown eyes and an air of youthful energy about her.

For a moment, Zanh felt very, very old.

"Welcome aboard, Ensign. I heard that your trip here was something of an adventure?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Well, I won't keep you long. I'll make sure that I schedule another chance for us to chat a bit in the days ahead."

"Thank you Sir," Bergman said gratefully. "It has been a very long day."

"I hear ya. Computer, kill the music." Liis noticed that the Ensign seemed to involuntarily bristle with every thump of the bass, and realized just how high the volume was. "If it's worth playing, it's worth playing loud, I always say."

"Yes, Sir."

"I'm about finished here, past time for me to turn in as well." Zanh lifted a small, apparently dead miniature tree onto her trolley and gestured to Bergman. "You are dismissed, Ensign. But if I could ask a favor?"

"Of course, Sir."

"My back, well, you'll hear about it later when you get to Sickbay and get acquainted with the files of the crew. But, I think I've overdone it a bit tonight, and I was just wondering if you'd mind very much pulling the trolley to the reclamation unit? If I bend down one more time, I may not get back up."

"Certainly, Captain." Bergman lifted the handle and pulled the wagon on. As she did so, she looked over the sad little tree on top of all the weeds and frowned. "Poor little guy. What happened to him?"

"It was planted in the incorrect section when everyone was working on the gardens originally a few weeks back," Zanh remarked casually. "Out of its proper environment, and unfortunately nobody noticed. It's a lost cause."

They reached the waste reclamation bin, and Liis lifted the lid and began chucking weeds into it.

"If you'll just hand the sapling to me, I'll toss it in."

She watched as a troubled expression crossed the young nurse's face.

"Oh, are you certain that it can't be saved? It's still got a few flowers here, look. See?"

"Ensign," Zanh remarked, exaggerating the tone of her voice with a specific purpose in mind. "It's sickly, it's almost completely dead, and it is very late. I'm tired, and I really don't want to debate this. Just toss it into the reclamation unit, and let's call it a night."

Bergman's eyes clouded. "Captain, may I take it back to my quarters instead? I'll put it into some new soil, cut back the dead leaves. If you look here, just for a moment," Marin could see that the roots of the tree still had life left in them. There was no doubt in her mind that the sapling could be saved.

"I know that there's good root stock beneath all this. There is no reason to destroy it. It's a living thing, and it has life yet. I can't give up on it."

Zanh stopped what she was doing and a wide, satisfied smile appeared on her features.

"And that," she began, "is exactly the kind of dedication to life that I would expect from a medical officer serving aboard the flagship. Congratulations, Ensign. You can go now, we'll speak again soon."

Marin was rather bewildered, but at least happy that the interview was over, and that whatever test of character that Zanh had just put up to her, she seemed to have passed it. She nodded and turned to go, but stopped.

"Captain, the tree?"

"I'm going to replant it in the proper environment before I go to bed, don't worry." Zanh assured her. "I don't give up on things as lost causes, Ensign. Or people. Not without a damned good fight."

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Zanh Liis
Acting CO
USS Independence NCC-90791