MSNPC Conservator Khar Ud'Wasi - The Garden Must Grow

[Max]

(( Airlock 3, Deep Space 33 ))

So much black.

The whole trip out to Deep Space 33, the one thing Khar Ud'Wasi, Conservator of the Kressari, could not get used to was the black.  She had left the home system before, of course, but that had been to core Federation worlds, or to engage in talks with mercenaries or their old Subytt rivals.  This was the first time the Kressari would extend their influence quite so far from home, and in such grand fashion.  She found herself frequently retiring to her ambassadorial quarters to mind the ecosystem she maintained there.

A curious name - Alpha Isles.  It struck her that this was the journey she was on would have been better suited by a seed on the ocean current, bearing forward new life to barren volcanic lands.  Instead, she was old growth from old forest: solid and stable and able to weather the storm.  Old enough to know what it took to raise seed to sapling, still young enough to have the strength for grand endeavors.  Others would come later, if her roots took and broke apart the rock.

She was glad to finally have reached DS33.

Once docked, the ritual began as it always did: one piece at a time, methodically.  A soft underlayer stretched out over her large body as much for her comfort as the health of the living garments that would lay atop it.  Then, the tougher, fibrous middle layer, to give structure and support for the outer garment.  It took patience to wear - the material would flex more as it warmed to body temperature, but always started out uncomfortably stiff.  Footwear came next, partially made from a tough, springy woody plant that only grew on Kressari.

Last, of course, was the Va'tari cloak.  This living emblem of the sum of Kressari skill and values took more patience still, and not just in its creation.  It took both her aides quite some time to carefully help her into the resplendent vestment without unduly disturbing the arrangements.  Once on the wearer, one could not move quickly - the miniature ecosystem required constant minding: one must care not to sit or lean or even extend an arm too quickly, lest they risked tearing the long tendrils of mycelium or pinching the roots until they crushed the moss.  Like any garden, the cloak required constant, careful care and slow nurturing.

Her aides retrieved the gifts, and finally, everything was ready.  She, and her people, stood at the transition.

The airlock puffed open, and her aides stepped forward first through the portal to a world that smelled more of skin and synthetics than flowers or bark - a smell she associated with non-Kressari space habitats.  It was odd that this was the moment she finally understood what her people had to offer in return for their bold ask.

The aides fanned out slightly to either side so that her measured step, step, step, step could slowly flow forward in an uninterrupted, unhurried straight line.  She came to a stand in front of two men dressed in white and gold - one with more white than the other.  One Human.  One Kressari.  Her chin lifted slightly in regard and recognition of each.

Then the chin turned down, and she bowed like a tree bending in age, her aides following suit with a low bow of their own.  She returned upright just as slowly, witnessing the Kressari man's bow in return as she did.  At last she spoke in a methodical, sonorous, humming voice.

Ud'Wasi: Fair skies and rich soils bless the hour and place of our meeting.  Mmm - I am Conservator Khar Ud'Wasi.  These are my senior aides.  :: An open-upward hand to the right :: T'El.  :: An open-upward hand to the left. :: Na'Li.

Her hands remained raised and perfectly level until the aides placed a pot in each one, and they stepped back once more.  Steadily, without even a hint of wobble, she brought them forward in presentation to the two Starfleet officers.

Ud'Wasi: We gladly share that which has enriched our world with you in the hopes that it will enrich yours.  Mm... May they grow and flower as our friendship grows and flowers.

Shayne: ::glancing briefly at El’Heem before accepting the gifts tenderly:: Welcome to Federation Starbase Deep Space 33. I am Captain Randal Shayne, and this is my medi… science officer Lieutenant Ras El’Heem. We are honored by your visit.

El’Heem: Indeed. ::bowing again:: I am particularly proud to engage with my fellow Kressari and hope that I can help bridge the gap between the Federation and our people.

A subtle shift of color swept across her eyes.  A conservator she may be, but she was not owed two bows.  She had known to expect him, yet seeing one of her own so far-flung from the homeworlds with her own eyes...  It was oddly encouraging to know she wasn't quite the first to make it this far, even if it was a Starfleet vessel that had carried the man hither.

Ud'Wasi: Of course.  The Federation has long shown its many values to the Kressari, but as yet we share no formal bond.  :: Regarding El'Heem ::  It does Starfleet great credit that one of our own has taken root among your ranks, and appears to flourish.  As ever, life's course outpaces our ability to name it.

Shayne: Response

A slow nod, and Ud'Wasi began to process in a steady, flowing gait, side-by-side with the starship captain.  What a curious life this man must lead.

She observed the station around her as she moved through it.  For a moment, her gaze stuck to a pair of colorfully-uniformed officers passing in the opposite direction.  Then it slid to study an individual in a jumpsuit whose species she could not identify from behind, working on some open panel.  Then her attention passed to a trio of civilians - a family perhaps?

Ud'Wasi: I am told we stand on ground nearly swept away by Lattice Alliance fire. Hnnn- Yet it appears to me new growth has already surpassed the old?

It was half-question, half-statement.  Some plants that grew fast died fast if they did not invest that most precious commodity into longevity: time.

Shayne: Response 

The Kressari man behind the two of them, following with T'El, seemed to have questions of his own about his home.  Understandable.

El’Heem: I must say, it is very good to see you. I haven’t been home in some time and am eager to hear of the developments in Kalandra.

T’El: I am envoy Ger T’El. I must say I am surprised to see a member of the Kressari receiving us. It was not expected.

Ud'Wasi showed no reaction - she had decided not to share the information on the identities of the officers receiving her with her aides ahead of time.  Perhaps that had been a mistake.

El’Heem: Yes. I am one of very few who are officers of Starfleet. I know of no others personally. Tell me, what of Sylvana prime? How is the crop this year?

T'El declined to answer, or even indicate he heard the question.  She understood - there was something unusual about the Kressari Lieutenant, to be sure, yet a bridge was built from both sides.  It wouldn't do to ignore sprouting seeds of offered friendship where they grew when they were seeking to build a closer relationship.

At last she answered when it was clear her aide would not.

Ud'Wasi: Sylvana blesses us all with its bounty this year.  We have been - hnn - fortunate.

She could still remember taking part in organizing the evacuation of Sylvana not so long ago when she was just a junior politician, pleading for help from the Federation.  She was not quite so empty-handed today.

Ud'Wasi: Now a question for you.  In your estimation, what are the most essential ingredients for a healthy garden?

A test, of sorts.  Not one with a right answer, or one meant to challenge identity.  More like a soil test: meant to ascertain what sort of politics would grow best - a probe to examine how closely the Starfleet officers' perspectives aligned with her own.

El'Heem / Shayne: Response

Ud'Wasi: Hmmm... :: A slow head nod :: I shall come to the point directly.  The Kressari people have come to the decision.  The garden must grow.  We intend to colonize a new world, and the Alpha Isles has drawn our attention with many reports of several worlds of interest.  It is an endeavor that will require all you have noted - and more.

Her slow, smooth pace continued without interruption, each foot rooting firmly against the decking before the next picked up, as if the news was of little consequence.  The decision had been over a decade in the making.  Ever since the decimation of Sylvana, the concept had been slowly taking shape, evolving out of the initial panicked need for simple space to put refugees and into something much grander.

She was curious to know how the Starfleet officers would respond.

El'Heem / Shayne: Response

Ud'Wasi: I hear no one in Starfleet knows the Alpha Isles better than you, Captain Shayne, and your crew.  Hmmmm.... Five years dedicated to the region.  Establishing contact with new species, investigating strange anomalies...  It is one thing to read reports from far away, and quite another to live in a place until one has become such a part of it that one feels the flow of things.  :: A pensive pause. :: I wish to know both of your judgments on this matter.  Hmmm... It strikes me as a rich and fertile region, but one that requires a patient hand - one mindful of the thorns growing everywhere.  What do you think of these Isles?  :: A glance to El'Heem :: How does the idea of a Kressari colony world among them strike you?

El'Heem / Shayne: Response

Tag / TBC...

------- ✾✿❀❁❀✿✾ -------

Senior Conservator Khar Ad-dellaan Ud'Wasi

Colonization Committee Chair

Combined Kressari Conservatorship

as written by

Lieutenant Junior Grade Amelia Magnolia Semara

Science Officer

USS Khitomer - NCC-62400

A239710MA0