Do Ghost Feel Pain?

Posted on Tue Sep 2nd, 2025 @ 4:04am by Lieutenant Zuriñe Aritza M.D. & Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant Anna Esquivias & Lieutenant N'vok Holv

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Chief Science Officer Office
1675 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Lieutenant Zuriñe Aritza knew that she should discuss what she had just observed with the Sir-soss'im plant cluster and the Zynari with the Chief Science Officer Lieutenant N'vok Holv prior to going to the captain and XO about what she had seen. With that she reached up and tapped her commbadge.

=^=Lieutenant Zuriñe to Lieutenant N'vok Holv. May I see you about something, I believe it applies to our guest the Zynari.=^= She waited for his response.

"I am just finishing lunch with my daughter, Lieutenant," N'vok replied. "I shall be in my office directly afterward. Shall we meet there in, say, fifteen minutes?"

"Very well, I'll see you in fifteen minutes." replied Zuriñe. She never could grasp why the other species were tied down so closely with their offspring. She was a Dokkaran, born alive as a full adult, with the memories of all the Dokkarans born before her.

Almost precisely fifteen minutes later, N'vok was at his office. He nodded politely to Aritza as she approached.

Zuriñe had decided to bring her precious Sir-soss'im plant cluster with her, though she was unsure how the Vulcan science officer would react. Contrary to popular belief Vulcans had emotions, unless they had undergone the Vulcan ritual of Kolinahr, by which all remaining vestigial emotions were demonstrated as purged. Though in truth Zuriñe had her doubts on even that. She knew a couple of Vulcans who had stated that Dokkaran's were perhaps closer and better able to achieve Kolinahr. She had merely smiled at that statement, proof that none of the species that she had encountered understood Dokkarans. Still she knew that many Vulcans had a visceral reaction to Sir-soss'im.

"Greetings, Lieutenant, are you familiar with the plant Sir-soss'im.? she inquired as she entered his office with her beloved plant cluster.

N'vok frowned and adjusted his glasses as he looked at the plant, a nagging thought that he should remember more about the Sir-soss'im. "I am afraid botany and xenobotany were never my strong suite, even before the accident, and I fear I have lost access to what little I once knew. I fear you will have to provide context, Lieutenant Aritza."

Zuriñe smiled "Of course. While, like yourself, I am no botanist or xeno-botanist; I have a fascination and affinity with plants, especially the carnivorous ones. I have considered getting a doctoral degree in xeno-biology. Sorry I am digressing from the subject. Back to the Sir-soss'im, many of your people consider them a legend or myth; however these will-o'-the-wisps of Vulcan do in fact exist." Her Zuriñe carefully brings forward one of her most prized plants. She carefully unveils the plant cluster. It appears as a Salsola tragus or more commonly known by humans, a tumbleweed. This particular species though was quite active. There appeared to be three balls all slamming up to the sides of the enclosure it was in. One could also see the faint trace of a small forced field around said enclosure.

Zuriñe smiled again, "I have added a psionic dampener to the enclosure as these specimens have a group intelligence, and are particularly interested in beings that show psionic potential." The Sir-soss'im plants where feeling along the edges of its enclosure. "These plants originate on Vulcan and their favorite food appears to be Vulcans. These child-sized balls travel in packs and overwhelm creatures. They seem to have an ability to sense and lull those with psionic abilities. The reason I bring this up, it would appear my plant here is also able and sensitive to our 'guest' the Zynari. They plant seems to enjoy attacking them." Zuriñe paused to allow Lieutenant N'vok to absorb this information. She was unsure about the Vulcan, he was still rather young for his species and had suffered a serious injury. Still she needed his opinion on the matter at hand, and to start building a relationship as her career field would and did bisect into the science officer's department.

N'vok sat heavily on the edge of his desk. "Yes, horrors from our past. I remember now, tales of lone travellers and isolated farms being consumed by these . . . plants." He glanced at something in his field of vision. "They had been eliminated on Vulcan. How did you come across them?" He then raised his hand. "Sorry, that is a question for another time. Let us focus on how they interact with the Zynari. You have seen them attack a Zynari?"

Zuriñe chuckled lightly, she knew the plants were not 'extinct' on Vulcan, but were endangered. She replied back "Yes, it seems a Zynari, or the Zynari, still not sure which it is.; decided to play with my conservatory of plants and flowers. A slight breeze, which I now know is a Zynari as I have sensed it before, started to blow over the plants, agitating them. Then I noticed ghost like hands running over the top of them, however my Sir-soss'im to exception to this and seemed to start attacking the ghostly hands. Small holes appeared in the hands, and I swear to the Goddesses herself I heard a very faint 'ouch' as the ghostly hand passed through the cluster. I then advised the entity, or entities, that messing with my carnivorous plants may cause harm to them; especially the Sir-soss'im. Come to think of it, I believe plant life is susceptible to detecting the Zynari."

"Which would also explain your ability to perceive them," said N'vok thoughtfully. "How exactly did the presence of the Zynari agitate the plants?" he asked, grabbing a datapad off his desk to take notes with. "And how did they appear to your senses?"

Zuriñe cocked her head a bit and thought about the question. "It is hard to describe, it is like a gentle breeze, the plants begin to sway back and forth, even though there is no actual breeze. I also notice the breeze sensation, though there is none. It is very faint, but not unpleasant, yet I felt an urge to hunt. I do know that when the ghostly hands appeared my carnivores plants seemed to want to attack the hands, the Sir-soss'im actually managed to inflict pain it seemed." Zuriñe paused and looked at N'vok, unsure what he knew of what he knew of Dokkaran. "My species are calcivores. Then again most lifeforms on my home world of Ceata are omnivorous."

"Intriguing," said N'vok making notes. "It should not be difficult to set up a sensor grid to monitor the plants, which may give us more information about our visitors. It is good that the Zynari did not decide to react against the Sir-soss'im, that could have been problematic."

He added a note that the interior sensor should be tuned to track the Sir-soss'im and alert him, and the other Vulcans aboard, should they ever leave their confinement.

Zuriñe chuckled. "Problematic, I think the Sir-soss'im found the Zynari rather to their taste and liking. Still I agree it could have lead to severe problems in trying to communicate and be diplomatic with them. One reason I warned the Zynari, wouldn't want one of my more aggressive carnivores plants making an unwanted snack of a Zynari. I am rather grateful the Zynari did not make its way over to my conservatory of Ceata. They may not have the same inclination for psionic beings, but they are Ceata's plants; highly evolved and some have rudimentary intelligence comparable to animals. Ceata plants produce oxygen by consuming live prey, or by in taking vastly increased amounts of water and nutrients from the surrounding soil. I have several specimens in my room's conservatory; makes it feel more home-like. But again I digress, question is should we alert the captain and xo to this phenomenon?"

"Yes, indeed, any source of information about our visitors is vital," N'vok says. "I would coordinate with Operations to get the sensors applied to the plants shipwide and perhaps we can get a better idea of how many of the Zynari are aboard and how they move within the ship."

Zuriñe looked toward the Vulcan scientist and replied, “An excellent idea. If the plants on board react to our ‘guest’ like I have observed with mine, perhaps it will lead us to being able to establish communications, as the Zynari would be easier to find and begin a dialogue with. No more pranks.” She smiled, “Shall I summon our command team for a meeting of the minds?”

"Certainly notify them, I will send a message to Lieutenant Esquivias about the requirements," says N'vok doing exactly that. "I have no doubt she will be able to efficiently adapt a sensor grid to this situation."

"Esquivias," Anna's voice could be heard over the com as soon as she was pinged.

"Lieutenant Equivias, I am here with Lieutenant Aritza," begins N'vok. "Her observation is that plants seem to be able to sense the presence of the Zynari. Could we extend the internal sensor grid to monitor the plants in order to track the Zynari?"

=^= Lieutenant Aritza to Commodore Lalor-Richardson and Captain Taylor. I believe Lieutenant N’vok and myself may have a way to track our ‘guests’. Lieutenant N’vok is coordinating with Lieutenant Esquivias on the matter now.=^=

"Well, that depands," Anna's voice came back over the coms. "How do the plants signal they detect the Zynari?"

Gary's voice crackled through the com. "Come to conference room 2 and we can discuss this latest information there."

"On our way," replied N'vok grabbing a datapad off his desk.

"On the way," Anna said.

Zuriñe gathered up her PaDD and ensured Sir-soss'im enclosure as well as the cluster were still properly enclosed and the environment was still in homeostasis for the cluster of plants. “On the way.” replied Zuriñe.