[Well, we've already thrown out both the Prime Directive and any temporal edicts or rules that might have applied to this situation, so why not go all-in and chat with civilians about Starfleet missions and directives while we're at it!]

I was studying it! In a cave! I mean, the planet was called Grottonus, so there were like, a lot of caves, but still.

[She really has no idea whether it's sentient or not, at this point -- is it like when you clip a toenail and that's no longer part of you, so it's fair game? Or did she just make a Little Baby Talking Moss when it let her scoop up some of its...moss? These are the questions that science is here to answer. Either way, she holds out the little vial.]

Here you go. But be careful. The source creature was both carnivorous and chatty.