The Next Day

---

Taylor was already in her lab apparel and slowly making her rounds in the greenhouse. With a coffee in her hand, she took casual sips and glanced down the many rows of vegetation. She wasn't a very good morning person and preferred this to be 'alone time' while he perked up from her daily caffeine boost. Every so often, Taylor would wander down the aisles to lengthen her time spent in the greenhouse...it was just so peaceful.
Finished walking around, she headed back towards the lab areas, sipping casually all the while.

When the door to the lab slid open, Teva didn't even bother to look up where she had her eyes against the microscope. The only thing she was looking up for was every few seconds she would look at an electronic notepad she had, scribbling down something, before looking right back through the lenses. When she heard someone enter, however, she knew who it was. "Is that your first or second cup?" she asked her superior. "I just want to make sure it's safe to talk to you or I'd just be walking on chestnuts trying."

"Second. I'm good." Taylor said with a smirk. "I felt the pot on if you want any." she offered. Taylor set her cup down and sat across from Teva. "You know...this is just one of those days where I don't want to do anything. Ever have that?" 

Teva smirked, still looking through her microscope. "Every day," she replied rather bluntly. "Well... I suppose more precisely I have days I would like to just stay in bed with my husband, but, we don't really get a choice in the matter and I must show up or somebody-" She pointed at Taylor without looking up. "Will be all over my ass for it. And thank you, for the coffee, but I've had two fags before I came down here, I am good at least until lunch." She smiled, looking distinctly prettier and more innocent as she finally looked up at her boss.

"Well I'm up for taking it easy today-" Taylor said honestly, taking the last gulp of coffee. "So how are you two doing?" she asked, referring to her and her husband.

"Ah, well I'd suppose," Teva replied thoughtfully as she finally set her pen down and leaned back in her chair. "I mean... Everyone gets so worried you know? 'How does.. that work? How do you two work at all really?' It's really none of their business." She actually didn't seem offended that Taylor had asked, as if the woman wasn't part of 'everyone'. Which, she kind of wasn't. Teva smiled fondly, staring at the table as she thought. "I still smile when I wake up next to him, I still look forward to getting home at night, knowing he will be there. He still makes me happy, and he's quite entertained with me as well, so I suppose we are doing just fine." She laughed softly. It was such an odd position. Teva rarely laughed at such innocence. Usually she was laughing out of schadenfruede.

"I think it will just take time for the inter-species coupling to become more accepted. Eventually though...." Taylor said, looking at Teva now, "You have to admit, it's a lot more accepted then it used to be. But you know how people are...they are afraid of what they don't understand." 

Teva nodded. "They are afraid of being eaten," she corrected jokingly, agreeing with Taylor, but pointing out a fear most people had as well. She looked at her superior with a little frown. "What about you? How do you feel about the whole situation?"

"With you two? Oh I think it's completely fine." Taylor said immediately. "I thought you knew that." How could she not accept her and her husband? She too had some personal information about herself that was...beyond the norm to say the least.

"I do, but I meant in general," Teva tried to clarify. "After all, I don't even know your personal stand on it. Not that I think you need somebody, but I've never see you show particular interest in anybody." She tilted her head slightly, not really accusing Taylor, just being sociable. "Well, except perhaps that pilot you dragged down here yesterday..."

"HIM?!" Taylor nearly chocked on her spit. "Oh no no no...I was just giving him a tour." Coughing for a moment to clear her throat, she began, "Well... I guess I haven't shown interest in anyone because...well...I guess there isn't any that interest me? I was never really the type of person to go on dates or to have a partner..." She wasn't too proud of this fact.

Teva frowned. "Well... that's not always a bad thing. I mean, there are a lot of assholes out there." She paused for a long moment before continuing. "If you are interested in having one, you will notice when the right person comes along. Or creature, I suppose..." She gave her friend a comforting smile. "It's a personal choice, how it comes along, if it ever does. There is no set of steps to follow when it comes to finding a partner, and no time line."

"Thanks-" Taylor said honestly. She had always felt bad when this topic came up. "I just don't think there is anyone my type, you know?"

"Ah, don't be like that," Teva grinned. "Sure, you can be a pain in the butt, but I'm sure somebody or something out there has got the patience for you." She chuckled softly.

"Mmmhmm.." Taylor placed her chin on her fist with her elbow on the table, "I'll believe that when I see it. Shall we make a wager?" she joked.

"Alright, what be the stakes?" Teva questioned with a smirk. "Because I'm willing to bet on this tan can of every-flavor-beans, you'll find somebody willing to put up with you... Besides me of course." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Someone who would do it willingly." She grinned at the other woman.

"Oh come on- you act like I'm the evil oppressor. I'll have you know that I consider you practically my equal and you know that." Taylor gave her a look, lifting her brow.

"Practically," Teva repeated teasingly before nodding. "But yeah, I know. But our days would get so bored if we just accepted the fact that we know each others' every button and tick." She looked down at her electronic pad on the table. Her brow furrowed slightly, she sat up, scribbled a small note, then leaned back in her chair again, looking thoughtful. "... How long before the Commander is calling us all back for 'social reports' you think?"

Taylor started to rub her temples. "Not sure... depends what else is on his plate, I suppose. Not that I'm anti-social...but a bunch of experts in their field all primped up and snooty. Not my cup of tea."

"Nor mine, but for me it is because I'm anti-social," Teva grinned, but sobered a moment seeming to remember something. "Oh, and I got this-" she said, digging her her lab coat pocket for something, pulling out a six inch vial after a moment with a toxic looking dull orange substance, looking acidic yellow when tilted to the light. "From Tezcacoatl like you wanted. For the root fungus resistence experiments? And he said to tell you... and forgive me if I translate wrong.. 'Next time, make her get it herself'." She paused, thinking, then nodded, seeming to find that the best way to translate her husband's words before holding the vial out for Taylor to take. "Although.. I believe the terms he used were for not invitation forms, but.. um.. 'threat tone'? I'm not quite sure how to explain it."

"Touchy touchy." Taylor said, taking the vile. "Tell him I appreciate it, ok?" She lifted the vile up, "Perfect." she said, looking at it through the light.

"I'll do my best," Teva replied as she leaned back in her chair and watched the other woman. "... How are the experiments coming along anyway? You know even if that helps, we're going to have to find a way to synthesize it. He's not a cow, and certainly not a dairy farm."

Taylor couldn't help but smirk, "Of course...if it works that is." Pulling over a test tube holder, she started to separate the venom into twelve separate tubes. 

"What's your theory anyway? That it will stop the growth, or kill it if it tries to attack the root system or...?" Teva understood that her husband's venom was designed to completely paralyze and then kill the person over a ten minute period (or round about, depending on their health, species, etc.). It would be interesting to see what it did to fungi, even if it wasn't helpful in the end.

"Depends I suppose." Taylor said, placing corks on the tops of the vials. "I don't really know the acidic levels of this- so it's hard to say really. But that's my first goal- to analyze it." She rolled up her sleeve, exposing her robotic attachment. Carefully taking a drop from one of the vials, she dropped it down onto her scanning area and waited for the results.

"Well.. you be careful with it. That stuff gives me a heat rash, which is concerning enough. I'm not sure what all it eats through... Though when he drools in his sleep, we have to replace the pillow in the morning...." Teva drifted off a bit, moving her chair from side to side slightly as she thought about it.

Taylor couldn't help but chuckle under her breath. "So is his saliva always this toxic?" she asked, simply curious. She watched the readings on her arm before jotting some percentages down on a notepad.

"No, only when he thinks about food," Teva answered calmly, as if it really wasn't a big deal that her husband's drool could eat through walls and stop earth deer in their tracks. "Then the venom kind of leaks out... His natural saliva is actually kind of... sweet. I would compare it to the way Stink Horn fungi attract flies... Only, of course, he is not attracting insects, he is attracting herbivores, and other such creatures that enjoy fresh fruit, not rotting compost..."

"Attracting herbivores? Would you be included in that category?" Taylor asked, cleaning off her arm. "Not that he wants to eat you or anything. I've heard of pheromones attracting people to one another...but a strongly acidic venom? Not so much."

"No.. I've never felt the desire to lap up the contents of his mouth, so I would suppose I'm not included," Teva replied, watching the other woman. "You can talk to him all about it if you like. I could try to translate... And of course, it would be our quarters, which is kinda private, no offense, or we get the Commander's permission for him to come down here."

"Wait-" Taylor began, only hearing the first half of what Teva said. "So how-a...do you guys-. Ummm, you know what, never mind."

Teva's lips just quirked up slightly in amusement. "Maybe I didn't say it right? His saliva is rather sweet, like.. strawberry juices, but more so, and give off an odor that he tells me is much stronger, but my nose can't pick up on all of it. When a creature, such as... say, a sheep, smells it, they seek out the sweets, and attempt to eat it, the same way we would sip the most delicious juice we've ever had. His venom has no odor, but it does paralyze the animals, and slowly kills them over a period of time and he could, yes, bit them and inject it like an Earth serpent, but he says this works a lot like our venus flytrap. I suppose variety in the hunt.... Anyway, he doesn't think of me as edible, and therefore doesn't poison me. And I can't smell his saliva entirely, so I don't get intoxicated by it. Trust me, I was just as confused myself early on."

"Ahh.... so as long as everything works between your kinds. I guess that's the important thing, right?" Taylor lifted a shoulder. She wasn't the best at chit chatting, but Teva was probably the one person within a few light years that she was most comfortable with. She started to wonder about Teva's situation and then her own. If a human and a species like her husband could work....why couldn't she find someone who could work with her? Flaring her eyebrows, she ignored the subject and began to more enthusiastically work with the venom as a distraction.

"I suppose it's just a good thing I was never dead set on having offspring," Teva replied, but noted Taylor becoming more and more absorbed, so she quieted and leaned forward, returning to her microscope and notes. "... Just try not to get any of that venom on you, ok?"

"Noted." Taylor said simply. Taking a breath, she rose from her seat and went to a cabinet where the key experiments were being held. Begining them out and setting them across the lab table, she started to set up the experiments, noting exactly what she was doing the whole time.

"Oi-eh?" Teva protested lightly, her brow furrowing a little as she looked up from the microscope to watch Taylor. "Wait a minute! What happened to not feeling like doing anything today, eh? What happened to 'I'm up for taking it easy today'?" She was barely containing a smile at her own teasing.

"Hey- you're the one who mentioned 'status reports' for the Captain." Taylor reminded, "Makin' me all paranoid."

"I said 'social', not 'status'," Teva pointed out, frowning at her friend. "He seemed more concerned that we get along, than that we do our jobs. Really concerning, that one." She shook her head, looking at the table top thoughtfully for a moment before looking at Taylor again. "Do you think he's even read his handbook yet? You know 'Your Job' manuals we each got?"

Taylor chuckled, "Yea...I'm not all too sure how I feel about the captain. I mean I get the whole 'get to know everyone' thing....but really? What's next- show and tell?" She looked bored at her plants, thinking maybe she should start when she is more alert. The coffee wasn't cutting it.

Teva made a noise dangerously close to a snort, and a smirk was playing with her lips. "I'd 'show' them Tezcacoatl, and 'tell' them to stay the hell out of my quarters, or else." She chuckled softly, but seeing Taylor's expression, frowned a bit. "Look, I don't think either of us has had breakfast. Why don't we go get some food while contemplating how we are going to work today? Clearly neither of us is in the mood for experiments, and everything else that needs done is really routine."

Taylor had to admit that she was right. "Alright. Sounds like a plan." She left the plants out but locked away the venom. Slipping the key in her pant pocket, she turned to the door. "Alright- let's go socialize. Ugh...that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, doesn't it?"

"Like chewing compost. Let's go," Teva said bluntly, sighing as she stood from her chair. With a few clicks, her notes were saved and she joined Taylor to head out and get something to eat.

---

Taylor and Teva came back a few hours later with full stomachs and a new bottle of chemicals. "Well at least we got this for free. She was nice." she said, putting the bottle on the counter. 

"Yeah, it's like someone took the perfect doctor and split it in two to give us her, and that bird-brain doctor," Teva replied as she took a seat at one of the lab table stools. "He may be the more knowledgeable one, but I don't feel like biting HER head off." She looked at Taylor with her usual calm expression, leaning one elbow on the table with her hand supporting her chin. "... YOU seemed to like her," she added, stressing the word to indicate her suspicion.

Taylor lifted a brow and leaned her back against the tabletop. Shrugging her shoulders, Taylor said, "She was cute." Slipping her hands in her jacket pockets, she proceeded to look at Teva, wondering her reaction. "I mean- in such a comparison to the doctor especially. What species is she? Have you a clue? Curious."

Teva lifted an eyebrow at her superior, but otherwise gave no indication of her opinion. "I believe she's called a 'Ton'. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know... Well, before you think she's 'cute' you might want to research what she does. I'm sure she'd make a decent girlfriend, if only by her species attributes. I'm not so stupid as to assume it's all about biological compatibility though." She shrugged, watching Taylor calmly. Truthfully, she wasn't one hundred percent sure she had even gotten it right so far. Did Taylor actually like the nurse? In... 'that way'?

Taylor kept her eyes on her, "A 'girlfriend?' What the hell are you inferring?" she asked, waiting for Teva's reply. She made a mental note on what species the nurse was. She was just...curious. That's it.

"Only that you find our nurse... interesting, and perhaps her company... more so," Teva said innocently enough, making sure to keep her face carefully blank. "Really, Taylor. I'm not judging. It just seemed like the young woman... intrigued you, more so than our other crew members. And, might I point out, you are denying my insinuations decidedly less so than when I suggested your new friend the pilot of this ship."

"He has way too much sunshine up his ass." Taylor said bluntly. Then again...the nurse was probably equally as perky, if not more so. Ignoring the thought, she said, "Well- maybe I can have a drink with her....if only to keep getting free supplies." Taylor added the last bit quickly.

"Uh huh, well if you want me to hold down the fort while you gone easing yourself into the dark depths of dating, you let me know, captain." Teva gave a half assed salute before hopping off her stool and moving about nonchalantly to get some paper work from a filing cabinet, a pen, and a few objects used for testing. She had a few rounds to complete, and better now than later.

"Don't get ahead of yourself! I don't feel that way. I just met her." Taylor chimed, raising her voice as Teva departed. "Business partner, that's all." she said.
Taylor kept to herself for a few hours, updating her experiment documentations for the day. All the while, she was pondering thoughts that she dare not speak of. Moving to the cabinet, she started to clean up her work station.

"Is it time for dinner yet?" Teva asked as she returned, her eyes still on the electronic pad in her hands. She touched the screen a few times with the pen before setting them both on the desk and looking at Taylor with a frown. "My stomach started growling some where over in corn." She paused, noticing her superior's expression. "What's on your mind," she conceded, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the desk. "Still thinking of the cute nurse?"

Taylor was about to snicker at the bottomless pit of a stomach that Teva had, but her last comment caught her off guard. She choked on her spit and coughed, "Wha?! Hey- It's not like that! Jeebus, I just said she was nice and your all up on my case." 

"I do it for the reaction," Teva smirked before her face was calm again. "But seriously, about this dinner situation.... What's the plan? You want to go now, or send me home to eat with Tez, or... What? We just waiting until after shift in...." She looked at her watch. "Four hours?"

"Wait wait wait, this isn't the munchies, is it?" Taylor asked with an accusing smirk.

Teva opened her mouth to reply, paused, then closed it again, appearing to actually think about that. After a moment though, she scowled and shook her head as if she couldn't believe she actually considered that. "No. At least, it shouldn't be, unless our assists are using some weird pesticide we aren't aware of."

"I actually could go for an ice cream...as juvenile as that sounds." Taylor admitted, adjusting on the stool. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Teva nodded and opened the door for Taylor to go first. "I haven't had ice cream in years.... Tez doesn't much partake in sweets, and I don't enjoy them enough to both keeping them around for myself..."

"You're.... up for a whole 'nother meal already?" Taylor asked, making sure. The two headed towards the elevator, again to head to Social Sector.

---

A few hours later, the door to the lab slid open with a hissing noise that made Teva smile just a little nostalgically. Once inside though, her face was calm again. "All food, oxygen, and other biological supplies are grown, harvested, and sorted here," she informed Marons calmly as she walked along hallway that was lined with doors and large glass windows showing into the enormous greenhouses. She stopped at the one that had row upon row of tall green leafy plants that had not yet come to fruition. She opened the door to a walk-in closet like area, a door on the other side. "We have to be sanitized first. No offense, but it's hard to tell when the other people on this ship bring onto it, we can't risk contaminating the food supply with something it doesn't even recognize, let alone was able to fight off."

I'm a rock. There's not many diseases that can live inside a rock. But I see the need to do this. Marons scribbled down, he was happy to get decontaminated in order to be with the plants though. He paused for a moment, then wrote down the words Are the substances you decontaminate with flammable? He had rather a problem with liquids that would go up when in contact with fire.

Teva shook her head, then realized he couldn't see. "No. There were immediate changes and renegotiation when I was hired," she told him as she went to the wall where a panel of buttons was installed. "It's mostly pressurized water, with a chemical derived from Penicillin. Well.. something similar anyway. I don't have time to explain it." She shook her head, hit the button and with a woosh of air, she closed her eyes quickly as the air around them rushed around for a full minute, feeling like dozens of cloths brushing against them, wiping them clean. When it finally stopped, she opened her eyes, sighing. She hated that. The door in front of them slid open and the moist air hit them from the green house, the rustling of leaves quiet but noticeable, to the trained ear. "After you," she said, nodding her chin for him to go first needlessly. 

Marons wasn't exactly a big fan of sudden winds and loud whooshing noises; he stumbled for a second, then stood completely still where he was. He fumbled with his slate, almost managed to break it over the hand holding the chalk and finally scratched the words Can't hear. Didn't expect that. Give me minute. Since he couldn't hear, he couldn't see, and he stood there for a long while until the wing like protruberance that were his ears flapped and seemed to stop ringing. He took a few careful steps inside the green house, making sure he didn't crush anything while his hearing still wasn't 100%

Teva frowned slightly, watching him. He really might be a problem like this. She stepped forward and very carefully put her hand in his. With a bit of maneuvering, she managed to step in front of him and take his other hand, holding them but letting him hold his board and chalk. She looked over her shoulder as she stepped back into the greenhouse, making sure she didn't step on anything as she lead him deeper into the plants until they were surrounded, taking very careful steps. She didn't want the plants to get hurt. Luckily, this was not one of the greenhouses that had the more hazardous chemicals used. Though- and here she looked at him- she didn't think it would hurt his... skin? Outer coating. She looked back again. They were a good ways in now. She let go of his hands and stood still, hoping his hearing was ok now.

First things first, I do not have a very well atuned central nervous system. You touching me, I can't feel it, but I can hear it. Be careful when approaching me when I'm stunned, I might hurt you by accident Marons wrote down, putting the most important thing on the top of his list. Secondly, thank you, most aren't willing to wait for my kind. Thirdly... could you be very very quiet for a moment? He reached out and gripped the covers over his ears, indicating what he was going to do; he wanted to hear everything going on here right now.

Teva nodded, figuring he could hear her clothing move, but then stood still, watching him. Legal system help him if he hurt a plant. Though, she understood what he was going to do. That shouldn't cause any harm. She didn't move though. She was used to a similar stance with Tez. He didn't like sudden movements at all, and often wanted to inspect her, for food, who had touched her, what she had touched, various things. So she stood dead still, watching the large red rock moving in front of her, tilting her head slightly with curiosity. An action that she would not, of course, do if anyone could see her.

Slowly the mufflers slid off, and Marons could fully hear; the hole in his face that constituted a mouth twitching into a smile as he listened to the plants around him. Humans could sometimes hear it, but to Marons the sound of the slow wet twist and pop of growing plants was distinct. He could tell where things were growing, how quickly and even if they needed watering in some cases. It was wonderful, to a stone man this was life happening all around, much more expressive than the babble of people's inane chatter. Carefully he picked up the mufflers again and slid them over his ears, lifting up his slate and writing the words Thank you on it.

"You are welcome. You don't hurt the plants, then we won't have a problem," Teva informed him in her customary dead pan tone. Still, something about it said his thank you set her off a bit. "... Is there something specific you wanted to see? Or just.. sit here? I'm not really sure what the world is like for you, so I don't know what you would find interesting. Perhaps if I turned the lights off in here..." Her voice trailed off as she considered that idea in the context of sympathizing with his unique conditions. She was not, however, offering to do so. In the end, she looked at him again, her eyes having wandered with her thoughts. "Can you smell?" she asked. He didn't seem to have a nose, but Tez smelled a lot with his tongue. Perhaps Marons was like that some how? Adapted differently?

Smell was developed to determine whether something was off, poisonous or edible. My kind eats rocks, rocks and lubricant in cold climates. Marons wiped the slate clean and wrote We had no need for smell so we lost it over time. We have basic taste sensations, and our mouths are the more sensative parts of our bodies so we can feel the texture a lot better. It was lucky he didn't use pencil and paper or he'd have written enough notes to wipe out every tree down here Please don't switch the lights off, you'll trample the plants. I just like listening to them grow.

Teva scowled. "I did not plan to, and I would do no such thing," she informed him on the last part, offense tinging her tone. She crossed her arms, scowled a moment longer before inhaling and exhaling slowly, trying to smooth her metaphorical ruffled feathers. She looked around at the lush greenery. After a moment, she seemed to have an idea. "Wait here," she said, holding a hand up to him as if to stop him, just a reflexive movement before she disappeared among the rows, quiet rustling giving away her position, but clear that she was being very careful. It was a few moments later that she stepped out in front of him again. She held some green leaves up to his mouth. Spearmint. Strong enough she was hoping he could taste it, and in it's natural form, like all leaves, it had noticeable texture. She didn't know how much it would mean to him though. "Here," she said, offering the small bit of plant for him to try.

Marons seemed to wriggle his ears, and it took a moment before people realised that that was his way of blinking in surprise with no eyes. He hadn't expected Teva to go hunting for plants for him to try. He carefully took the leaves from her hands as she basically tried to stuff them into his mouth and began to eat them one by one. He chewed them for a long while, the mouth obviously a tender spot since it made very few scraping noises as he chewed. It was still strong enough to break rocks, but was also subtle enough to gently chew plants. However, whenever he swallowed the balls of mint pulp that wound up in his mouth it would hit his stomach and burn, his body venting the minty air with soft puffs of carbon dioxide. He smelt like a christmas decoration.

Teva gaped. Actually gaped. She looked ridiculous and she didn't care. "Fascinating..." she breathed, her nostrils flaring as she smelled the air. Still, her eyes didn't leave him. Instead, she was looking all over his form. She had to check the digital library for more on his species. She hadn't expected that to happen at all. "That was... remarkable. Do you always do that?"

Do what? Marons asked, with no sense of smell he had no idea what he actually DID when he ate things like mint. After all it wasn't often that he ate plants, if at all, and never really enough mint to cause him to smell like this. While the vents at the top of his head puffed out small clouds of mint smelling poison that fed the plants all around them, he was completely none the wiser to his hidden talent. If you could call it that.

"That is remarkable...." Teva murmured, taking a noticeable step toward him. Her iris spun as she analyzed just what she was looking at, and smelling. Carbon dioxide and mint. She couldn't stop staring. "Taylor has got to see this... You.. you smell... well, good, but more than that..." She smiled, actually honestly smiled and it was obvious in her voice. "You are feeding the plants...."

Marons finished the last piece of mint he'd been handed and wiped his slate clean again, writing down the words My body basically burns all food I put into it. I use oxygen and chemicals which creates carbon dioxide and... apparently a smell. More small puffs of air drifted from the cooling vents on top of his head, the hot minty scent filling the air.

Teva just couldn't stop grinning about it, though she was trying to sober herself. "Would you come back tomorrow? I'm sure Taylor would love to know about this."

I will try, but I have a business to run Marons wrote down on his slate. He seemed to think of a moment and wrote Can I visit some of the other green houses? I would like to be able to listen to them some more...

The scientist shook herself mentally and made a face. What else could she show him? "What would like to hear?" she asked after schooling her features back to calm, knowing her expression would change the tone of her voice and she didn't want him to hear what she was thinking. Yes, she would be studying him later to the fullest extent of the computer's library.

Have you any plants that are exotic? And strange or unusual ones? Even ones that are dangerous to people normally? I asure you, I will not be harmed. marons wrote hurridly, his excitement obvious from the sheer speed of his writing. He wanted to experience as much as possible.

"Well... we have a few small plots for the more.. diverse of people on this ship..." Teva's voice wandered off as she thought. "Come on." She led him back to the closet room they came in in, which closed behind them and let them through without decontaminating them. There was no point now. Her boots tapped on the floor as she walked down the hall, making just a slight metallic noise with each step.

Marons made heavy footsteps as he moved, each foot landing heavily but never claning; his steps were heavy but almost silent, a disturbing characteristic for someone his size. He followed Teva closely, his "ears" giving slight flapping motions as he happily listened to the things going on around him.

"The plants are a lot more resilient, and you haven't left the area, so we won't need to decontaminate this time," Teva informed him as she led him into another room like the first decontamination chamber, but didn't bother with the panel on the wall. "We won't stay long.. I'm not sure if these chemicals will corrode you or not, and no matter how sure you are, I won't chance it." She did, however, walked over to the few safety outfits on the wall and picked up just the mask that would cover her mouth. "A few plants in here give off spores that, if I inhale them, will cause my red blood cells to hemolyze.Just a human thing." She clasped the mask over her mouth, looking much like an old fashioned doctor's mask, but with meshing over it, and it was black, with a leather fastener behind her head. After it was set, she pushed the button and the other door slid open with a small hiss. The room they were in was immediately swamped with the humidity of the air in the green house beyond, accompanied by much more pronounced rustling of leaves in this room.

Being careful in here and taking a few tentative steps forward, Marons found that he basically had no ill effects from being in the room with all these strange plants. He had no blood cells, so they didn't kill him. He could hear the rustling in the leaves much louder now, a slight frown falling over him as he wrote What's making that noise? and showed it to Teva. What was moving like that down here? Were the plants just moving themselves?

"The way the plants grow or react to being touched by another plant," Teva explained, her voice not muffled, but it was oddly displaced, as if one could tell it wasn't coming from the right spot on her face. "Also they are being watered in certain places at certain times. The system is programmed to do that though. A few other things, of course..."

The voice thing was strange, like seeing a video get out a synch so everything on the soundtrack was only slightly off the people's lips. It was annoying, but bareable. Marons was a bit more preoccupied however, as he raised his slate up with the question Other things?

"Biological things. I'd rather not try to explain," Teva said, her tone letting him know it would simply take too long, and she was certain he wouldn't understand all of it anyway. "I doubt I would be able to. I wouldn't have understood it before my fourth year of schooling." There was a pause. "Go ahead and explore, I'm sure you can hear your way around in here. And nothing eats rocks, so you should be alright."

Marons made his way carefully through the vegetation, the gentlest golem that Teva would ever see. Creeping in deeper he found a large round boulder, the very top free of any moss or bracken. Carefully he sat down on the boulder, his weight pushing it into the soil a few more inches, and removed his covers slowly. He wanted to properly hear what was around him...

Teva followed him, watching his every move, her eyes taking it all in, her brain storing every fact she could assess. When he settled, however, she stopped, the small distance between them left (only about 2 peoples worth) and looked at a tall plant that looked a little like bamboo, except it was black and sprouting black leaves that resembled Earth's maple tree leaves. Her irises shifted in circles this way and that as she reviewed information on it.

Marons turned his head at the sound of something shifting inside Teva, she must have a biological upgrade... It was interesting really, the depth you could explore the world around you through only hearing; he could hear Teva's heartbeat, the squeak of the growing plants, the soft crack that... No, it couldn't be... He stood up slowly, gripping his covers but not putting them on; there was something in here, something that shouldn't be in here... He moved slowly, heading towards the depths of the black leafed bamboo.

Looking at up when Marons started to move, Teva frowned. What on earth was he doing? Taking quiet steps since he had his covers off. "What is it?" she asked, her voice practically inaudible to the human earth. She really didn't want to set him off again.

She saw him tense for a moment, then waggle his ears and continue moving; to him it had been as if someone had practically yelled in his ear. It wasn't too bad though and he recovered quickly, moving slowly through the forest of black leafed bamboo before finally stopping deep inside it, nothing but the plant in all directions. He put a finger to his stoney mouth to show silence, then pointed to a pile of stones in a small clearing; it was a large pile, roughly six foot long and a foot high. One of the rocks had slipped off it's precarious perch finally and fallen inwards, cracking the bones within. It was a grave, a very badly made grave.

Teva's frown deepened. She stepped forward and touched his cover, knowing he would hear the movement and know what she indicated. She turned and stalked away, knowing he would be able to follow her through the plants. It took only a minute for her to go directly to the comm. panel on the wall. She pushed and held one of the small orange buttons, speaking clearly, "I need security in bio. engineering immediately."

Marons took a moment, listening to everything around him; the path that the person had come had not been the one they had taken. He could hear the squeaks of new plants growing in the places the person had knocked the old ones down. It also meant that this was a rather new burial; whether murder or last wish he couldn't tell, either way he didn't like it. Turning slowly he stepped back towards the path, finding it easily and slipping the covers back onto his ears as he made his way back to Teva.

D'mitri used his ID to get into the greenhouses without any trouble. He had brought along two other members of his security team. He had been done here only once before and made sure that he wouldnt have to ever come back down here, the silence was unnerving to him. "We are here and heading your way." He broadcasted to both mental signatures he located and moved in their direction.

"Careful D'mitri" Marons replied mentally, the light voice would be surprising to all those who hear it, but he knew only D'mitri would really hear it. "The greenhouse we are in requires masks and decontamination to get into, if you do not wear the masks then your blood cells will die off. Tell your people that they need to put on the masks and follow the scientist's advice so you don't have this entire place burnt down."

"That still creeps me out," Teva notified the officer as she turned and walked along the wall just a few feet to where the door to the decontamination room was. She readied herself at a control panel that was a little smaller next to the door, looking in through the glass at the small room beyond. "Masks and suits please. I'll decontaminate you. It'll only take a minute or so. This is an emergency, but I can't risk the plants any more than they obviously have been already. You understand, sir?" Teva told D'mitri as she stood ready at the panel for them to arrive and dress. Yes, she was furious and wanted that.. grave, or whatever it was, out of the greenhouse, but if the person had followed protocol to get in, then the plants would be ok. She wouldn't have decontamination come in when she could prevent it. This entire house was going to have to be scanned and probably cleaned, however. It made her skin crawl with irritation. She'd contact Taylor as soon as the officers left.

D'mitri and his men appeared inside the decon room and with a silent gesture his men put on their masks. D'mitri had already afixed his own mask which was made by and for Aggrosians. It was made entirely out of a clear material except for where it was sealed to his face. also the mask didnt extend any further then the bottom of his nose and extended all the way back to the top/back of his head, as well as having a thin hose running from it to a small box clipped to his belt no bigger then a deck of cards. "We are ready for decontamination now Teva." He said into her mind.

"Suits too," Teva instructed mentally, feeling herself grow tired of responding this way as she pointed to the suits on the wall. She knew she would have a headache later. "But- Just wait." She looked at the panel and hit a few buttons quickly. She watched as their hair and clothes shifted about as the wind whipped around them for the minute it took to sanitize. When it settled, she pointed again and waited.

With another gesture the men grabbed suits and put them on, tossing D'mitri a suit for himself. With a deep sigh he slipped it on and then waited for Teva, "Is there anything else?"

Teva just shook her head, not wanting to talk anymore. She didn't enjoy it, even if it didn't feel like anything physically. Emotionally, it felt invasive. She pushed a button and turned as the door slid open, already starting back through the foliage though she was careful not to damage anything. When she finally came to the... grave... again, she just stepped out of the way, knowing D'mitri would understand.

D'mitri walked up to the grave and didnt feel the need to ask what the situation was. "One dead humanoid? Possible human, gender unknown at the moment, decay greatly advanced. "He said as he knelt down and investitgated the bones and makeshift gravesite. "You didnt disturb the scene or pick anything up before I arrived so that is good." He then turned to Teva, "who has access to these greenhouses?" As he asked he began to snatch information from her mind.

Teva just crossed her arms, looking at him annoyed. "Taylor Samson and myself, and a few caretakers and such," she informed him out loud. "Though I don't know why you ask when you could just take the information. Police brutality, early Earth would call it. Regardless. Can we get this removed?" She gestured to the grave vaguely. "It can't be here."

"Believe me." D'mitri said stepping closer to Teva, "If you knew all the things I have done in my past then the simple taking of relevant information would be the last thing you would label as brutal." He then turned to his security team and sent them orders and gestures. They went to work with examining and photographing the scene and everything else that is usual for forensic and evidence collecting. "And no we cannot get it removed, not till the scene has been cleared and all relevant findings have been bagged. I understand your feelings in this matter even though I do not share them, but a life has been taking and that is more important then plants."

Marons had followed intently, listening in to every word Teva had said out loud; he didn't like the silence D'mitri made in a room. He scratched on his plate, because he didn't know if D'mitri was still listening in, and showed Teva the words I think... there are more Teva. I heard this grave because a falling rock broke a bone, but there are a few broken plants over in that direction. He pointed over to a place where a few of the stalks seemed to have been shifted in their positions, pointing diagalanly from the ground.

"Oh for fucks-" Teva cut off her irritated words with a frustrated sigh, covering her eyes. After a moment though, she let it fall, seeming to decide something. "Alright.. look." She looked around, trying to address this. Finally, she looked at D'mitri. "You think this is important? You kill these plants? At least 20% of this ship's population will die in a month." She looked at Marons, quiet for a moment. "And really... Really?" she asked, her frustration showing through the rhetorical question. "You've gotta be kidding me...." she muttered to herself, sighing again. "Can you please be VERY careful, and show him where you think they are? I gotta let Taylor know about this..." She held up her hands, but then just kind waved them as if to say 'I can't deal with this' and walked away to find a communication panel.

Fuming, Taylor power walked out of the elevator. She opened the identity lock doors one by one until running into some gaurds. "What the-?! Move it! Move it!" she angrily pushed her way through. At least they were wearing the proper attire though. Finally she spotted Teva and Marons, quickly heading there way. Not noticing D'mitri just yet, she asked "Mind explaining to me why these 'uniforms' are in MY laboratory?!"

Teva just pointed at Marons, her expression bland. "He found.. what is it? A grave?" She looked at Marons, then toward where D'mitri was before looking at Taylor again, her frown noticeable even though the mask on her face covered it. "I called them down here to handle this, but I didn't think they'd be invading the whole damn green house. I thought they'd just remove it. Look, Taylor, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you wanted done about this. If they are in here too long, we both know it's going to damage the plants, and I'm not sanctioned to be making orders and stuff, just to have you come down here and chew my ass out for it. Head of Security over there-" She pointed. "Seems to think find out who killed somebody is more important than preserving the sustenance for 20% of this ship's population that was both know has essential parts in this room."

We don't even know if the person was murdered Marons offered, holding up his slab for people to see It might be twisted but someone could have asked to be buried here. He wiped it clean with his fist and held up I did not mean to cause a problem, I simply heard something strange. I did not believe there would be someone buried down here... Though there is possibly more. He wiped the slate again and held up Would you like me to take you the way I believe more graves will be? for D'mitri to see.

"What is it that you are hearing exactly?" Taylor asked, with her hands on her hips. It definitely wasn't a good sign. Her and Teva leave for over an hour and someone drags dead bodies down here?! She looked over at the head officer in charge. He was her next target.

I heard a rock break a bone before, when I got there I could hear plants growing at a different pace, as if someone had trampled them or broken them in half. More bodies may lie down that trail. This was all Marons really had to go on, but it was something he thought they should look at; if anything, it should show the path the person took.

To D'mitri, Teva seemed to have a complete and total lack of respect for the laws and regulations on this ship. He planned to put survailence on her incase she decides the law isnt as important as her plants again. "Even if it wasnt murder then we have trespassing and illegal burial of a body or bodies. I would warrent that if the person who did this is not part of your staff and can still make it in here he is a security risk for everyone. What is to stop him from coming in here and diliberatly damaging your plants. How many would you say would die of starvation?" He asked everyone in the group as it felt as if they wanted him to just jetison the remains out of an airlock and be done with it. "Security is my job, plants are yours. When they intertwine mine takes priority, I will make it as fast as possible but will not rush it and risk losing valuble evidence." He then turned to Marons. "Please do take me to the others."

Sorry guys, didn't mean to cause trouble. Marons flashed the biological engineers, his mouth shifting to a slight sad face. It looked strange, the flat features like an opera mask since there were no other features than a sad gurn. It did look really wierd. He turned away, motioned to D'mitri and began to walk along he path that he suspected the person had come. After a short walk he stopped, able to tell that he was in a clearing; he couldn't hear rocks however, so he had to hold up Is there something there? for D'mitri to read. He could guess though, he could almost feel the collection of rocks piled on top of each other, failing in protecting the decayed body from the hostile environment.

D'mitri stood in silence as he looked at the remains likewise buried poorly. "There is indeed something there." One of his team suddenly looked up and walked briskly from the first body and immediatly began working on the second pile. "We found another body." he broadcast into Teva and Taylor's mind. "This brings up the possibility of more bodies in this area which may call for a deck wide search and in the minimum a full search of this greenhouse. Since this would be a long process is there any race or races that would have little to no affect on these plants?"

Taylor grit her teeth, keeping herself from shouting a bunch of profanities. The whole "telepathy thing" annoyed her to no end. "What the hell does it matter? Everything is contaminated!" she shouted.

Marons held the slate up to D'mitri, even though he couldn't hear what the man was saying he could hear Taylor a mile off. His slate read If everything is contanimated why does nothing seem ill around here? The grave I heard first was because a one broke, I'm guessing it was an exposed bone which means almost full decomposition. Surely any changes to the plants would have happened already?

"Taylor... Are we going to have to tell the commander about this?" Teva muttered to her boss, trying not to glare in the direction the others had left in. She frowned, returning her gaze to her boss. "I don't know how we're going to replace this stuff. I mean.. we're going to have to check very plant for contamination, but if something is contaminated...." She let the question hang in the air. Taylor was sure to know the pain in the ass that came with having to clear out an entire bio sphere and the regrowing that had to follow.

"You have a point." D'mitri said as he rubbed his chin. "This may not be the actual crime scene. The gravedigger may have killed them elsewhere, held onto the bodies for awhile and then buried them here where few people travel." He turned around and went back to the first body and examined the bones for any bite marks that might narrow the search or any kind of tool mark.

The bones were clean, almost too clean; it was as if someone had gone over the bones and slowly removed every single inch of flesh. One thing was strange in the fact that the bones looked very weak, as if they had been worn down quickly; though in this atmosphere it would hardly be surprising that they were affected by acid soil. The bare eye revealed practically nothing else, except perhaps the slight scratch marks around the first skeleton's eye socket.

"Hmmm. Gather everything you can and take it back to forensics for analysis." D'mitri said as he put the bone down and ran his hands together to get off any dirt. He walked over to Teva and Taylor. "Do you have any cameras in her or on the way in here? How about card logging devices?"

Teva sighed, trying not to be frustrated, but she was failing. "The ship's main computer holds all the logs. If there are cameras, you, head of security, would know about them."

"I am not aware of the location of every single camera." D'mitri said as he examined the area. "I did not place them, nor did I install them myself. Keeping the fragile nature of these plants in mind and the obvious unhappiness of you and your subordinate it would not surprise me if they were removed or not installed."

"We definitely need to tell the commander. Right now." Taylor ran a hand threw her hair. "It's a murder for fucks sake." She wasn't really worried about herself at all, but for the other civilians on the ship. Taylor glanced at D'mitri, "Can't you like...mental call him or something?"

D'mitri closed his eyes and searched for his mental signal for a few seconds before opening them again. "The find captain is no longer on the ship. It appears he has left with a number other crew for some reason. We will have to continue the investigation anyways."

"Suuuuuuuuper," Teva said sarcastically before sighing and looking at her superior. "I'll write up the report for this. We have to do it anyway. I'll get started on that, try to minimize your work. I'll leave you to deal with-" She paused, looking at D'mitri, her expression carefully neutral. "Security." With a polite bow of her head to each person, she turned and left the greenhouse, headed back to the office to file the discovery report, possible damages, and tests and procedures that would need to be performed now.

Taylor was trying to become more calm. What is done is done. "So I assume this is the first murder that has turned up in a while." She looked to D'mitri for reassurance.

"We had an attempted murder on the first day that was coupled with an assualt and smuggling charges." D'mitri said as he watched Teva leave. He turned and watched his men gather up the bones. "Your assistant, Teva is it? How thorough was the background check on her?"

"Should I be going?" Marons scratched down on his slate, holding it up but to no one in particular. He had just wanted a quick walk in a heavily forested area, he hadn't expected this...

"Teva? Surely you don't think she is a suspect." Taylor said, a little caught off guard. She glanced to Marons, "If you'd like- I think the tour is over."

"You can leave, but I may need to speak with you at a later time." D'mitri said before turning his attention back to Taylor. "It is a possibility. She expressed concern for the plants and contamination, and when I examined the bones they had been cleaned so rigorously that they had been worn down a bit. She did not react as one would expect a human female to when she discovered the bones and seemed bothered by their discovery. There are only a few people that have access to this area and she is one of them. And most of all she seemed bothered by my investigation and my job.

"Could someone held decontaminate me?" Marons asked, holding the slate up for Taylor to see; if he carried anything out of here a lot of people might die. So he'd need a scientist to decontaminate him, since he didn't know how to do it himself. He'd have asked Teva to do it, but she'd dissapeared somewhere among the plants...

Taylor wasn't too convinced. "I've known her for years." Taylor explained, "She wouldn't have the know how or the motive to kill someone." That she knew of at least. "And why the hell would she bury them in the greenhouse....where she works? I would like to think that she would be very paranoid if she knew they were there the whole time. Other crew members are constantly walking through here." She looked over at Marons. "Just stand in the cel you entered through then you came in. Hit the green button." 

Marons stood there stock still, still holding the slate up and asking the same question as he waited for her to adjust her mistake. To give her a little hint he rubbed the slate clean again and wrote "So which one is green now?" He tried not to feel annoyed that Taylor had just basically asked a blind person to "press the green one".

"We would like to believe a lot of things about the people we know and work with." D'mitri said. "And it doesnt take a college course to know how to kill someone." He didnt think that she had killed whoever these people were, but her behavior left him with some suspicions. "Im just asking that you keep an eye on her, and dont clue her in on my quandry."

"Right." Taylor said finally. "Should I expect a camera crew down here in ten minuets?" she asked, wondering if this would go public already. Glancing at Marons, she said, "The biggest one." He could tell from her voice that she was a bit stressed out about this whole situation.

"No. There will be no media fallout here as no one will learn about it." D'mitri said as he gathered all his men. He stood silent for a moment and all the men started tying off the bags of evidence very tight and sealing them off. "Come with me Marons. You can decon with the rest of us." He turned back to Taylor, "If you would like I could keep a of garrison of security down here for you incase the murderer comes back to drop off more bodies."

"I think that would be best." Taylor nodded. She looked over the plants throughout the green house. Guess they weren't safe in their biosphere after all. "If we find anything else, how should I contact you?"

Marons was honestly considering clouting Taylor with his slate, but then again he did realise this was stressful for her as well. Never mind that he'd just found two bodies for them with his ears, they were in her precious green house; it was just a shame he didn't show stress quite as well as the fleshy ones on this ship... He moved off with D'mitri, glad that he was going to decontaminate with him; he hateed that whooshing air of the decontamination.

"If you need to contact me call the security office, if I am not there they will contact me. I dont exactly sleep so I am available 24/7." D'mitri said as he walked towards the decon room. One of his subordinants stopped and saluted saying "Yes sir." before placing himself on this side of the door. Once everyone but the security guard stationed in that section was in the decon room the button pressed in and the process began.

Marons clamped his ears together the moment the air began to rush around them; he winced, but let out no noise as the sound of rushing air made him deaf. He swayed for a moment, then managed to catch himself before he fell on his backside; he was deaf right now, so that meant he couldn't actually move right now. Well today... was interesting.

Taylor sighed and walked over to the dirt pile where the body was taken out. She wondered how long they had been working next to a corpse. Thinking about what D'mitri said, she really doubted that her partner, Teva, had anything to do with this.
Sighing, Taylor wondered about her 'date' that had been interrupted. Was she still at the coffee shop? She wanted to find out. After closing up the greenhouse and locking up, she headed back to the social sector.

D'mitri left the rest of his team at various points and doors in the greenhouse to keep watch and make sure that no one gets in or out without permission from him and Taylor. "Well Marons. Its starting to appear as though I should hire you into my security team. You help me find a thief and now you locate several dead bodies." He said as he stepped onto the elevator.

"Any of my kind would have found those bodies, if they'd been then and there and doing exactly that thing" Marons replied psychicly as D'mitri spoke into his mind "it was sheer luck we found them, they could have been here for much longer if I hadn't heard the rocks." His head turned up towards the ceiling of the elevator as he stepped in "I'm not a police man, I'm a bartender. I just... get lucky a lot. Drop me off at the social sector will you? You can tell me what the autopsy reports say later, pop by for a drink... or something." He hesitated, remembering that D'mitri's kind had no mouth; he was sure he'd find something for the man though.

Nodding his head, D'mitri pushed the two buttons for the Facility Quarters and the Social Sector. "Well lucky or not, you have a knack for finding what needs to be found. I believe the Human's Catholic religion has a saint that is supposed to help people do that. You should be careful or they may start to worship you as one of his disciples." he said as the elevator wisked them away to the social sector.

"There's plausible and there's just plain silly" Marons said, grinning slightly as he counted the dings as the elevator rose. He nodded to D'mitri as the door opened on the Social Sector. "Keep me updated, alright?" he asked as he left. He was actually rather surprised he wasn't a suspect in this... but then again he was very difficult to miss, and him carrying a body would be even more obvious.

"As far as im allowed too." D'mitri said as the doors shut and he was taken up to the facility quarters.