Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper: Growing Roots
Robin Hopper
((Botany Labs, Level 21, Science & Research Center – Amity Outpost))
Robin was practically buzzing with enthusiasm. If she’d been wearing stripes, one might have mistaken her for a bee. Much like a pollinating insect, the thing that had her excited was plants – more specifically, the ‘starting line-up’ of available cultivars that she had selected from the Federation database to provide as garden starts for the first round of community gardeners.
She gestured Siben over to take a look, showing him the wide array of edible flora from throughout the Federation’s core worlds.
Hopper: We’re measuring good results from the blend of soil chemistry, artificial sunlight, temp and humidity, and so forth that are present in Mackinac – at least from the cooler weather crops. We might need to dome things like peppers or ::gesturing:: if someone wants to grow a Vulcan spice blend, say.
Siben stooped down and looked at the soil in the plants running his fingers through the foliage of many of them, seeing how full and strong they had been growing – a personal point of pride for Robin. She walked as she spoke, letting Siben investigate the crops to his satisfaction. Each of them had been chosen for their characteristics. Easy, reliable… but not nearly as interesting as what Robin hoped they could start growing once additional sourcing had been done from other Federation worlds.
Siben: Of course, of course. And the domes will keep the view and work unobstructed.
Hopper: Well, what about your side of things? We’ve got some good candidates for Round One here, but I’m excited to hear what your friends in the Diplomatic Corps have been sourcing for us!
Siben was visiting, in part, to take a look at how the test crops had grown under the conditions present at Robins’ chosen destination and, in part, to discuss the next phase of the project which would involve bringing in more ‘obscure’ fruits and vegetables from other Federation member worlds as well as one or two that had been traded from worlds outside the Federation’s membership.
In order to pass ‘spec, all varietals had to be carefully vetted to ensure they would not create unintentional hybridizations or grow out of control beyond the beds, disrupting the carefully-managed biomes of Peace Park (or worse, produce seeds that might germinate in the on-board biofilters, as had occurred in one or two shipboard botany labs in years past!)
Siben: ::perking up from the pots:: Oh! Yes! I have some wonderful news!
The Suliban agriculturalist held up his fingers, indicating each point of interest by ‘counting’ a digit.
Siben: We have some Bajorn spiny basil, and some Alvinian Melon the seeds of which actually came from some prize-winning giants, Andorian tubers for a good caloric intake, we even have Leola root from the Talaxians. Ummm Risian beans…Oh! And a few sprouts of Rippleberry from the Gamma Quadrant.
Hopper: ::Wide-eyed:: The gamma quadrant? Really… Those must have been challenging to come by. I’ll have to do some research on their growth habits.
Siben: But that isn’t the greatest news. Earth, and Centauri have offered up some fruit tree saplings, oh and tea plants. That is a huge investment from the core in a project like this.
Robin was particularly surprised to hear that her mother’s homeworld, Velestus – or as it was known by most of the Federation Standard-speaking worlds, “Alpha Centauri IV” (or just “Centauri”), had donated to the project. She’d had her hopes, but the planetary government was notoriously skittish about exporting uniquely-Centauran cultural products, lest they wind up absorbed into what was broadly considered the Federation’s “pervasive homogenized monoculture”. Perhaps things had been changing there since the last time she had visited (now many years ago). Then again…
Hopper: ::Smirking:: I wonder if tsavai Keox – um, my grandmother on Alpha Centauri that is – had anything to do with getting that pushed through. She’s still got strings to pull within the scientific authorities… I should write to her.
Coming back to the moment, Robin nodded to Siben.
Hopper: That’s great news, thank you, Siben. I’m sure you’ve had a lot to do with promoting this initiative through your contacts as well. I’m sure it can be tricky to get engagement with ‘traditional’ projects like this when replicators are so ubiquitous…
Siben: There just aren’t as many stations like this one where they have so much open space for projects like this one to work on.
A selling point, perhaps. Robin was sure that Amity’s unique location in the Delta Quadrant probably helped as well. While growing plants in the soil on a space station was probably not most Federation diplomat’s idea of a ‘sexy’ project, the possible doors it could open for trade and relationship-building with their local neighbours may well have influenced the speed with which things now seemed to be moving.
Siben: Speaking of work we need to talk about some of the ::indicating the plants:: Less lovely parts of the plan. Now-I-don’t-know-if-you-know-him-but-my-roommate ::pausing for an inhale:: But-my-roomate-is-an-engineer-and-I-thought-we-could-get-him-involved-in-some-of-this-and-see-if-he-had-any-ideas-when-it-comes-to-the-technical-side-of-things-do-you-have-any-issues-working-along-side-Nathan-Richards?
Robin blinked a couple times, wobbling her head as if each word in Siben’s rapid-fire question had actually just hit her in the face, before she let out a small chuckle.
Hopper: ::Affirmative nodding:: Yes, I’m well acquainted with Lieutenant Richards. As the station’s Second Officer, it’s my responsibility to have a healthy working relationship with all the senior staff – your roommate included.
She refrained from asking the question that had been bugging her for the past couple of months – when is Nate moving out of your shared accommodations, Mr. Siben? – and stuck to the professional points.
Hopper: I expect you’re talking about integrating the garden’s water systems, temperature and soil monitoring, and so on into the Park’s existing bio-management regime?
Siben: Response
Hopper: Was there any other aspect of the project that you can see Mr. Richards, or his team, being needed for?
She listened carefully. Of course, while she had some experience in agricultural management, overseeing a hundreds-of-acres hydroponics facility running state of the art automated equipment, was considerably different to managing a bunch of amateur greenthumbs poking around in the dirt. Siben no doubt had more experience working on a variety of projects.
Siben: Response
Hopper: That makes sense to me. I can also see how cross-training a couple of engineers on proper garden management could be beneficial; Have some dedicated support for the project long-term. Perhaps you and I can put together a hands-on training session for some of them?
Siben: Response
TBC
