Studying Sentient Slime

Posted on Sun May 7th, 2023 @ 5:08am by Ensign Jhesia zh'Kaaliq

1,073 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Relaunch
Location: Biology Lab - USS New Hampshire-B
Timeline: 1020 hours, March 15, 2398

ON:


Ensign Jhesia zh'Kaaliq, a lanky Andorian science officer, was hard at work in the biology lab of the USS New Hampshire-B. She had received a special gift from her brother Kehl before departing on this mission, a sentient form of slime mold. The mold was capable of communicating through high-frequency vibrations that Jhesia could sense with her sensitive antennae.

Jhesia was fascinated by the mold and had been conducting experiments on it since the beginning of the her time on this vessel. Today, she was running a few tests to learn more about the mold's behavior and capabilities.

The first test involved introducing a small amount of a nutrient-rich substance to the mold and observing its response. Jhesia had hypothesized that the mold would grow rapidly in the presence of the nutrient and produce a visible change in color. To her surprise, the mold did not react as she had expected. Instead of growing rapidly, it appeared to retract and produce a noticeable vibration, indicating that it was in distress.

Perplexed by this reaction, Jhesia began to question whether the mold had developed a sensitivity to this particular nutrient. She decided to test her hypothesis by introducing the mold to a different nutrient, one that was known to be harmless to most life forms. To her surprise, the mold grew rapidly, producing a bright green color that contrasted with its original pale yellow hue. She made notes about the two sets of nutrients in a nearby PADD.

For her second test, Jhesia wanted to see how the mold would react to a small amount of radiation. She had hypothesized that, as a single-celled organism, the mold would be more resistant to radiation than most multicellular organisms. However, she was unsure of how much radiation the mold could withstand.

Jhesia exposed the mold to a low dose of radiation and monitored it closely. She saw that the mold did not visibly react to the radiation, and the vibrations it produced remained consistent. Feeling encouraged, she increased the radiation dose. The mold still did not show any visible signs of damage, but the vibrations it produced began to change in frequency and intensity.

Jhesia interpreted this change in vibrations as a sign of the mold's increasing distress and decided to stop the experiment. She recorded her observations and made a note to investigate this change in behavior further in future tests. Once again, her dainty fingers fervently tapped notes in her PADD.

For her third test, Jhesia introduced a small amount of a known toxin to the mold to test its response. She hypothesized that the mold would recognize the toxin and produce a vibration indicating that it was in distress.

As expected, the mold produced a strong vibration almost immediately, and its color began to darken. Jhesia made a note of the time and dosage of the toxin and recorded the mold's response. She planned to test the mold's ability to recover from the toxin in her next experiment. She took notes about the different colors the mold had turned and cross referenced them with frequencies from each experiment. She hoped it would help her understand the lifeform’s signals in future tests.

Finally, Jhesia wanted to test the mold's ability to communicate with other forms of life. She introduced a small insect into the mold's enclosure, curious to see if the mold could recognize the insect and communicate with it.

To her surprise, the mold did not seem to acknowledge the insect's presence at all. Jhesia was disappointed but still recorded her observations and made a note to investigate this further in the future. Maybe the slime simply didn’t recognize the insect as a threat. Maybe it didn’t expect to communicate with the insect. It did slowly slink away from the bug, crawling to the opposite side of its spacious container.

Overall, Jhesia was pleased with the results of her tests. She had learned more about the mold's behavior and capabilities, and had generated several ideas for future experiments. She was excited to continue her research and discover more about this unique organism.

She decided to reach her brother on a nearby comm panel and tell him about her tests.

As the two officers saw each other on comm panels in laboratories aboard different starships separated by lightyears, the two siblings cerulean blue faces lit up happily.

“Jhesia!”

“Kehl”, she replied happily. “How is life aboard the Tokyo?”

“It’s great”, he said matching her excitement. “Carrier life is hectic. Busy. We’ve got extensive science labs though. There’s always something to do.”

Jhesia couldn't help but feel a pang of envy when Kehl mentioned the impressive science facilities aboard the USS Tokyo. "That sounds incredible," she said, "but I've been keeping busy myself."

She went on to describe the experiments she had been running on the sentient slime mold Kehl had gifted her. "I've already run multiple tests on it," she said, "and each one has yielded fascinating results. Yesterday I exposed the mold to different wavelengths of light to see how it would react. It showed a clear preference for red light, which is interesting considering it was originally found in a dark cave system."

“That’s odd”, Kehl replied. “My specimen seems to prefer blue light… I thought.”

Jhesia went on to describe the other tests she had conducted, including one in which she monitored the mold's reaction to different nutrient levels, and another in which she studied its response to different temperatures. She had been studying her little friend for days.

“Overall," she said, "it seems to be an incredibly adaptable organism, capable of thriving in a wide range of conditions. I can't wait to see what other experiments I can come up with."

Kehl listened with interest, his own scientific curiosity piqued by Jhesia's enthusiasm. "That's amazing," he said. "It's great to hear that you're making such interesting discoveries. Who knows what other mysteries that mold might hold?"

Jhesia smiled, grateful for her brother's support and encouragement. "I know, right? It's incredible to think about all the possibilities. Well okay, big brother.. I’ll let you get back to your work.”

“Great hearing from you, sister.”

“Likewise”, she replied.

They exchanged smiles before the channel closed. Jhesia turned to the slime being and playfully tapped the side of its container. She wondered if it could sense her.

Jhesia zh'Kaaliq
Science Officer
USS New Hampshire-B

 

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