<snip>

Cai considered. “It’s roots make thing ointment that the people there put on deep cuts. It closes them faster. I think cellular regeneration properties. It also shrieks like a klaxon if you get to near it. LOUD as LOUD gets.” He said thinking back to the plant.

“They also have these things, arachnids, twelve legs and Four mandibles....they are like black and neon colours that change depending on the plants and stuff nearby. I wanted one but Will isn’t a fan of spiders so that was a hard No. they are sometimes kept as pets one of the locals said but they are clever and can get out of habitats kinda easily so you need to check on it at least once every day and make sure it’s entertained. Theirs webs are like black silky stuff that the locals sometimes use to make cloth from. So they are really useful.”

Cai

“Sounds fascinating,” Brad said. “Is their color-changing a chameleon-like thing or more like a mood ring?” The plant-spider combination honestly sounded fascinating. You could use the spider silk to make a bandage and then apply the plant root ointment for a medicated bandage that could be a life-saver if you got on the bad side of a pre-warp species… or a pack of rowdy Klingons… or a pack of Nausicaans in general.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Cai smirked. ”You want to help me talk Will into letting me get one? A spider I mean.” as their food arrived he immediately stuffed the burger into his mouth and began to eat in the fashion that most teenage boys do.

Cai

“Well if I know your sister at all, there’s no way in Hell she’ll consent to letting you keep it in your quarters,” Brad began, popping a chicken pastel in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

“But you might be able to talk your teacher and someone in Science into letting you keep one in the biolabs for research purposes.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Cai grinned. “You’d have to propose it, if I say it to her she will point blank refuse.” He said as he chewed then completely changed the topic. “You know Nurse Eakins is thinking of asking you out right? Like on a date.”

Cai

The clatter of cutlery dropped in surprise indicated that Brad had, in fact, not known that.

And if that didn’t make it clear enough, the choking sound of liquid going down the wrong side of the esophagus definitely did.

”Ill take that as a no.” he said with a grin.

“Oh for God’s sake!” Brad exclaimed, once he was capable of speaking again. “Not again…”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Cai shrugged. ”Why don’t you just take her out and be a bad date or something and then she will put all her friends off?” he asked

Cai

“Because I might, at some point, want to date another woman in this quadrant,” Brad replied. “And also because my mother would slap me so hard my head would rotate at least 900 degrees if she found out I’d made another girl cry on purpose.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Bump

The boy grinned. ”You could always say you’re involved with someone else. Or that you like someone else. I don’t go to her for some advice and lead ignorant in the fact she has the hots for you? Tell her you aren’t sure what to do you love this person and what would she recommend because she seems like the sort who enjoys romance”

Cai

“See, that seems like a good way to get your sister back on my case,” Brad said, pointing his fork at Cai. “Every week since I’ve come on board, it seems like she’s trying to hook me up with some subordinate or other. And it’s not like I can just grab Marshall or Jarvis and plant one on them, because then she’ll just expand the pool and the last thing I need is her trying to set me up with every sentient being in the sector, plus a couple of not-entirely-sentient ‘but they’re really attractive non-sentients’.”

He rolled his eyes. “You play around with one mannequin as an undergrad and you’d be amazed 1) how far the story will travel 2) how long it will take for people to let you live it down.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff