Lt. Cmdr. Lhandon Nilsen - The Seed Of A Plant Based Discussion
Lhandon Nilsen
((OOC: The wiki page for the planet where we are spending our shore is here: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Cryethren ))
((The Mirror Gardens, Cryethrae))
Lhandon had found his way down to The Mirror Gardens on Cryethrae. This shore leave was partly a working shore leave (as was becoming the norm for Lhandon).
He had continued the diplomatic work with Cryethrae. Lhandon had helped broker a deal between a local scholar who was also the keeper of the mirror garden, Elae'rexa, and the Butler. Elae'rexa had some seeds that the crew of the Butler, in particular Saa, Tasen and Morton, wanted, and Elae'rexa was happy to make a trade. Arrangements had been made; however, Lhandon was also monitoring a small local population who opposed both the presence of tourists and outsiders on Cryethrae, and this deal. Their reasons were simple: they didn't want it to happen.
His business was done, but he was welcomed to stay, and he took full advantage of such an offer and used this time to clear his head and to try to relax and process the last few days.
Lhandon, however, was exhausted, but not from his duties. In fact, more duties right now would be helpful. Anyone could see it in his eyes - they were redder than before, and under them, bags had formed. He wasn't sure how much sleep he had gotten the previous night, but it certainly hadn't been enough. It was as if his body had run a marathon but hadn't told his brain to make him rest.
He smiled like nothing was wrong as Morton approached him. Lhandon addressed V warmly, he sensed her coming in a way. Sounds were louder somehow. He was turning a reflective plant between his fingers when footsteps crunched the frosty stone. He looked up, forcing a smile.
Nilsen: Oh, hey V. It's good to see you.
Morton: Responses
Lhandon, being six feet four inches tall and built like a rugby player, would stereotypically look somewhat out of place here. One would think he was perhaps a brute, but really, he had a place here, or at least, a place within this topic of plants. The interaction with Morton had felt normal and quiet; the ringing had stopped, he could hear again, and his heart rate and breathing were back to normal. Lhandon had needed that. He hadn't told anyone how the conversation with Eli had gone, save for Tox. Tox was always there for him. He had liked that; he had needed that. Lhandon hadn't eaten much either; he had lost his appetite, getting by with only whatever he had seen at the top of the replicator list. If asked, he would not have been able to tell you what it was. Time was a blur. Maybe that conversation had been three days ago, maybe two, maybe four. Lhandon couldn't tell you that either.
Nilsen: Yeah, it’s good to chat without a mission or something to do. I trust everything is going smoothly with the deal?
Morton: Responses
He had indulged in one of his favourite interests: plants. While his interest was mostly in edible plants and farming, he had appreciated their other uses too, and with the Battle Axe safely aboard the OEB, he had been free to enjoy plants without being accosted.
Nilsen: Aw, nice, I've also got a bit of an interest too. This is a Corelial Olvo, a canny little thing. They can survive both in these pools but also out in the cold on the surface.
Morton: Response
The Mirror Gardens were in a cave accessible by transporter thanks to a series of relays scattered around the planet. The surface of Cryethrae was not welcoming to life, so the Cryethrens, who were not native to the world, were an ancient, nomadic species that had adopted Cryethrae as their sanctuary a millennium ago after fleeing a galactic catastrophe. They had turned the extensive cave systems into their home and had thrived in these systems. Technology played its role, allowing them and their guests to live in comfort and security.
Nilsen: I guess we humans, at least those ones on earth, call them weeds, but look what it can do here. I was a farmer growing up, so weeds were not always my best friend, but I like this one.
Morton: Response
Before them was a vast ice garden with a field of perfectly smooth, frozen crystal pools that were filled with reflective flora and natural ambient light projections. The surface didn't reflect physical images, but the current emotional state of the viewer. When Lhandon had looked into the pool earlier, he had been half expecting to see his own face, but instead there had been just a slight fog and just the smallest ripple, faint and persistent, as if the water itself was holding its breath, hoping for something.
Nilsen: I've been meaning to catch up with you. Tox's report of you was glowing - he actually used adjectives. I figured I need to know the person who impressed him so much.
A hint of mischief washed over him as he continued.
Nilsen: Commander Arlill is more casual than me when you get to know him. He's not by the books, he's very casual. In fact, if you want to get on his good side, call him Tox. He loves that.
Morton: Response.
Just the smallest little smirk, only detectable to the most observant of psychologists, had been curling up around the side of his mouth.
Tags/TBC
Lieutenant Commander Lhandon Joseph Nilsen
Diplomatic Officer
USS Octavia E Butler
O240007LN1
He/Him/His (Both player and character)