The Christmas Rose
Sulu's POV
On the Enterprise, post Rec Room Christmas Party
A/N: An experiment, in the holiday spirit. Need I repeat I own nothing, I only play with JJ's toys? Ties to Grandfather's House, somewhere in the future. Thank you to VLD (Vulcan Language Dictionary)!
It's kind of a long story, Captain. But if you insist.
I would be happy to, sir, especially if the alternative is the Brig. Sir.
Yes, sir. At first it seemed odd that the head of the Sciences Department—with a doctorate in quantum and sub-particle physics no less—was puttering around in the botany labs. Well, not even the lab, really. That would be glorifying what he does: mostly digging around in the dirt and growing things in the ship's garden.
For a long time I suspected he was just evaluating even having the gardens, that it might not be an efficient use of the ship's resources. That's the kind of reputation he has. It was hard to accept the idea that he simply might like to garden.
Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer. I asked if he was going to close down the garden, maybe turn it into a sub-particle collision chamber—something more in line with his rarified theoretical expertise. But he reacted with surprise.
"Efficient, Lieutenant? Should we remove all artwork as well? Ban the performance of music? No, this is a ship of sentient beings whose mental health depends of a variety of stimuli." Then he looked to the side for a moment, considering. "And down time, if you will. To maintain optimum performance."
So I stopped worrying about what he was doing there, and after a while hardly noticed when he stopped in, usually at the oddest hours, to work in Lab plot 42a. I've never talked about it because you know how private he is. Anyhow, that's the reputation he has.
Of course I've kept an eye on what he's grown since we've gone into deep space. I mean, who wouldn't be curious? K'chr tea. No surprise there, but he says it doesn't taste the same. Herbs, too. A couple dozen crew try to grow a few things to make the replicated food taste better. That's nothing unique to him. But the flowers surprised me: marigolds, lobelia, martokh. I didn't expect him, of all people… He's been trying to grow roses, but the ones he's planted haven't lasted.
Typical, given the divas that roses are: nasty but beautiful plants. It's hard not to love them, though.
Sometimes we discuss strategies for getting his roses to thrive. He has a small plot of seedlings he's working with.
So…remember last spring when we transported the Betazed Council to earth to meet with the UFP President? They were to strategize on the iridium shortage and the Ferenghi monopoly? Most of the crew were able to go on leave—OK, so most of us went drinking out at our old Academy watering holes, you know how that goes—
No, sir. I don't mean anything at all by that.
Anyhow, even Spock and Uhura took leave and beamed down to visit his grandfather.
They come back and she slips this beautiful rose onto his workstation by the viewer and he leaves it there. That's the only regulation I've ever seen him break sir. Well. Pretty much. Recently, that is. Er…not counting that Narada business.
My point is, I noticed it was something special to him. I…ah, stole a couple of leaves off it and put them in stasis when he left the bridge. Analyzed them. And that's where I began. Now that rose isn't exactly the one I grew. He'd mentioned his mother had grown the rose on Vulcan—and I knew that was impossible with the cultivar Uhura gave him. It had to have been hacked to do that. And I was pretty sure I could repeat it.
We, er, I, couldn't accomplish that without some background work.
Yes, sir. The Sciences Division holds the First Officer in the highest regard sir. He demands the highest level of excellence sir, and ensures we achieve it.
No, sir. We do not consider him a pain in the ass, sir. If I may speak freely, sir? Maybe a little, Captain, but really, we respect him terrifically. He's the kind of scientist we all dream about working under: incredibly brilliant and perceptive. I think we all wanted to do something special for him, you know? Er, I mean…I wanted to.
Spock describes his mother as a teacher, but that's not telling the whole story. She was a professor of xenolinguistics at the University of Washington. And for fun she played around with rosaceae genome sequencing—bio-hacking, if you will. I was able to track down her documentation through her old colleagues at the U Dubb. She'd hacked in Nevasan-photosynthesis bio-sequences from Vulcan plants and cactaceae water conserving characteristics to develop a cultivar that could survive on Vulcan. It was an awesome accomplishment for an amateur.
Obviously, the First Officer's smarts aren't all just from his Vulcan side.
It was tough. Complex. You know, splicing Vulcan plant genes into a terran life form and getting it to thrive. The cactus characteristics were easy, by comparison. Same plant family actually. If I hadn't gotten help from Amanda's old colleagues, it would have taken me a heck of a lot longer to get a viable gamete. Plus I have some friends in the Terraforming Division of Fleet who have a few genome re-sequencing tricks of their own to share. I mean, ones short of playing with protomatter.
I had to set up a special 40-Eridani adjusted light panel to get the thing to thrive. Almost blew it one time, when he noticed it. I'd left the lab door open and the Nevasa panel caught his eye as surely as a patch of solar wavelength light would ours. But I told him I was working on an algae experiment that I didn't want disrupted and of course he respected that.
Getting the rose plant growing was only half the battle. Getting it to bloom, and for Christmas was another leap in complexity. And I apologize, sir, but that was the reason for the contraband: the Romulan bloom stimulant. Being a Vulcanoid people, of course they settled a system with similar…well, you know the story. But I truly do apologize sir. I see now that the challenge carried me away.
Uhura had nothing to do with it. Well, other than speaking Romulan. And Orion. And knowing the shipping schedules of Orion bootleggers. And being able to curse like an Orion pirate. Well, she jumped on board pretty quickly once we brought her into, er…well, I mean, it was completely my doing.
But you sure wouldn't want to be on her wrong side. She is seriously…connected.
Spock knows there's a lot of secrecy around the holidays. I think he tolerates it; kind of a cultural sensitivity he extends everyone. It wasn't hard to sneak a barrel-size pot with a 1.5 meter plant into the rec room behind the Christmas tree-
Yes. Scotty beamed it there, sir. No, sir. I won't do it again without authorization.
Yes, three bottles of good Scotch, sir. His usual rate—er…
No, I had no idea it would make him cry when we pulled it out for him, sir. But they were happy tears, didn't you think? Captain?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. It doesn't make it any better, sir. I understand now, sir.
No, sir. I won't ever pull such a 'generous, kind, ill considered, technically impressive, dumb-ass trick' again, sir.
Is there a correct response to 'do I see that it's the same kind of dumb ass ill-considered trick you'd pull', sir?
Yes, sir. I swear on the life of my firstborn that the story will never leave the ship or you will personally hang me from the yard arm. Sir.
Can I….leave now, sir? The ice in my eggnog is melting.
Yes, sir. Merry Christmas to you, too.