Reena Vaemas val Mari'Dosvin stifled a yawn as she looked over the data on her control pad. The prospect of a good long nap in the hydropod was oh so enticing, and she had to restrain herself from ejecting from her suit and collapsing into it with a splash. There was something she had to get off her plate first, though...

[color=9e0b0f]"Right, continue recording of Audio Log 11-13, Subject..."[/color] Neera began, before pausing to take another look at her opponent. The bulbous plant pulsated sluggishly in response, its deep crimson color clashing horribly with the cool blues and greens adorning the walls of her quarters. [color=9e0b0f]"...Meatbulb,"[/color] she concluded, settling on a simple name for the odious thing. [color=9e0b0f]"In my research on this newly uncovered plant life, I've uncovered several unusual properties of its biology, including its volatile defensive mechanism which has thus far soiled my equipment twice. As scanning has done nothing to uncover the...means by which it activates this defense, I'm afraid I have to resort to a more hands-on approach in the form of a traditional biopsy."[/color]

Neera set down her control pad next to the ugly plant and went to pick up a small needle to begin, only to find her hands twitching uncontrollably. Taking deep breaths, she grabbed her twitching arm and tried to steady it.

[color=9e0b0f]"No...you don't need it...you can do this..."[/color]

Thankfully, the twitching subsided, leaving her both relieved and angry at herself. Her craving for Hype tended to rear its head at the worst times, and the seventy-two hour shifts hadn't exactly helped her self-control. Still, Neera was pleased that she was able to handle those eventual cravings better then when she was stuck in that prison hospital. Being one of these Marauders certainly kept her busy, and one thing that hadn't changed since her wild drug lord days was that she was at her best when she was busy.

[color=9e0b0f]"So,"[/color] Neera continued, readying the needle in one hand and gently inserting it into the bulb of the angry crimson plant. [color=9e0b0f]"Through observation, the best method to prevent a violent reaction is a small gentle puncture of the lobe closest to the stem, as follows. This should allow the fluid to-"[/color]

Neera's monologue was interrupted by a liquid popping noise, like a large fruit being smashed with a mallet. Neera flinched in shock as crimson fluid burst forth from the agitated plant, coating the back wall and the front of her suit in its deep red innards. [color=9e0b0f]"-though clearly the stem puncture method is not a entirely RELIABLE means of disarming it,"[/color] Neera commented bitterly, wiping the worst of the gunk from off of her helmet with a miraculously unsoiled cloth. [color=9e0b0f]"In any case, once the bulb is drained, through force or otherwise, I should be able to observe the inner workings of the plant." Without a second thought, she plunged her hands into the center of the exploded bulb to continue her biopsy. "And from what I can tell, the mechanism that causes the reaction does not appear on-"[/color]

"ALERT. ALERT. ENEMY SPACECRAFTS DETECTED."

[color=9e0b0f]"[i]Renla Vaas[/i], of course it's when I'm up to my elbows in plant matter,"[/color] Neera groaned. Irritably, she extracted herself from the dead bulb's core and attempted to quickly towel off the worst of the red innards from her arms, and stormed out of her quarters, automatic at her side. It took her a while to get to the bridge where the Captain undoubtedly was, since the environmental controls for her quarters needed to be on the opposite end of the vessel. When she finally got there, still covered in red plant matter and ready to extract revenge on the bastards who were interrupting her work, she was surprised to see that the flight deck was suspiciously empty.

[color=9e0b0f]"I'm here,"[/color] Neera said curtly, tapping into the comms system through her suit. [color=9e0b0f]"But where the hell is the Captain?"[/color]