PNPC Lt. JG Rhodium Wells - The Tree Remembers
Teayl Thorn
((OOC: Testing out a new PNPC, Lt. JG Rhodium Wells, Science Officer and Xeno-Horticultural Specialist, previously assigned to The Farm on Endicronimas V, now re-assigned to the Ronin’s science department.))
((Arboretum, Deck 05, USS Ronin, In Orbit of Endicronimas V))
The Arboretum of the USS Ronin rose through two full decks like a cathedral of controlled wilderness. Rho always felt more at home in arboretums than in an artificial holodeck full of trees—if only starships could have forests. There were many lively spaces she had discovered aboard, but for the xeno-horticulturalist transferring from The Farm, this was where the Ronin kept its heart.
Above, on deck 04, tall trees brushed against the overhead holo-panels that simulated dawnlight. Trunks from half a dozen worlds reached artificial “skyward”, leaves whispering in false breezes. A narrow catwalk circled the upper level, dotted with benches and railings that invited contemplation—or spying, depending on her mood.
On deck 05, the garden beds sprawled into artfully managed chaos. Moss-covered stones lay nestled between Risan sculpted hedges, and Telar Prime hanging blossoms swayed in gentle crimson arcs. A holographic waterfall shimmered down one wall, its illusion of water breaking on stone without ever releasing scent or mist.
In the center of the space, a small patch of grass—soft as velvet—spread out like a tiny meadow stolen from some forgotten world. Stepping stones led to a simulated koi pond where orange, gold, and white phantom fish glided beneath the surface. Deep greens dominated everything, interrupted only by splashes of purples, blues, oranges, yellows and a single dramatic fuchsia bloom.
Invisible to most, but impossible for Rhodium to ignore, was a living micro-biome of bacteria, fungi, and harmless engineered insects humming through the space, tending to what the crew didn’t see. Ops techs had done an excellent job fine-tuning this ecosystem, but it took an overqualified xeno-horticulturalist to ensure everything remained in balance, and that the grass never grew teeth, and none of the plants tried to digest a crewman. The Ronin crew didn’t know how fortunate they were; if Rho hadn’t come along to tame their little pocket ecosystem when she did, they could have been in deep trouble.
The El-Aurian knelt in the dirt beside a cluster of bioluminescent root caps, her fluffy, ash-blond hair haloed by the warm light. She hummed a low, resonant tone—soft but powerful enough that the nearby fronds almost seemed to vibrate. Her grey eyes half-lidded as she coaxed a hesitant sprout to unfurl.
Wells: Ma chérie, do you feel that?
She murmured to the plant, brushing a delicate tendril with the breath of her words.
Wells: You are thirsty for starlight, non? You must not be shy. We must all learn to grow under borrowed suns.
Footsteps approached, crossing the stepping stones behind her.
V’Len: Response
Rho did not look up at the voice. Instead, she plucked a plump, crystalline fungus from the soil nearby, sniffed it, and pocketed it.
Wells: Depends on who seeks her.
With the back of her hand, she wiped soil across her forehead, leaving an earthy streak, unaware or uncaring that she now resembled a woodland spirit escaped from an old Earth folktale.
V’Len: Response
At that, Rho rose in a fluid motion, brushing dirt from her knees and hands. Small and waifish though she was, she held herself to her full height of five-feet-nothing, carrying herself with a confidence that suggested she had outlived entire governments—and she had. She turned to greet the “two-oh”, head of the science department, and offered the unusual man a toothy grin.
Wells: Ah! Then you have found her, mon chéri. And she is very busy being unbusy.
She reached forward to clasp his hand in both of her tiny ones.
Wells: And you are Commander V’Len Kel. Head of the infamous Ronin science department. I am honoured to meet you and to join your department. Science officer Rhodium Wells, reporting for duty.
V’Len: Response
[Tags / TBC]
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Science Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
As simmed by
Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14