driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Zoe Hange
Broadcast: Yes, fleetwide video
Action: If you're on the Red Fish
When: 2/16 early afternoon

[Tap-tap-tappity goes Hange's finger on the mic, and the speakers pop-pop-pop in response. There's a moment's pause, and then Hange flicks the setting from audio to video and grins at the camera.]

Good afternoon, everyone! New arrivals and parties being planned, I see everyone's keeping busy. Good, good! The fastest way to get bored is to give yourself nothing to do!

Speaking of that - I've been working on a little something I'd like to rope the whole fleet into, if ships are willing! It'd be to the benefit of all of us, hopefully, and I think it would boost morale around here too. We aren't meant to be crammed in these cans with no sky and no trees around. So!

[Up pop some drawings, in front of the screen. It looks like a vertical setup of... troughs? Deep troughs with some other stuff thrown in there. Hange's voice continues cheerfully from behind her papers.]

What I'd like to do is get us microfarming! I took as many samples as I could from that forest, so we have some stock to start with. I'm looking especially at producing edible plants and those with medicinal purposes! Vertical arrangement would be more space-efficient then horizontal. I'm hoping to start things off on the Red Fish, and if we see success, build similar setups in the ships of those who are interested! One of our young engineers seems confident he can set us up with growlights, so that'd mitigate the lack of sunlight we see on these ships. And I know we have some people around who are excellent at working with plants!

[She drops the papers, grins sunnily at the camera again.]

Of course, they'd require tending to. That's why I'm broaching the idea to everyone!

[Kaneis]

Say! Introduce me to your botanically-inclined crewmate!

[Hiro]

You're still on board for this, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh yes, please! I'm Flora, as you've heard, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Captain Hange! What may I do for you?

I'm interested in starting microfarms on the ships, and I've heard you have experience with growing plants!

That's a great idea. I've also grown things in space before, so I'd be happy to help! But if it's green and grows, I can grow it. Mushrooms, too, which aren't plants technically, but I don't have a problem with them.

What about analyzing the compounds in a plant? Can you tell if something's poisonous or not without ingesting it, for instance?

Yeah, that's right! Analyse sounds very scientific, though. It doesn't really work like that for me in some instances, if I don't already know a plant's properties by heart.

Edited 2015-02-17 18:07 (UTC)

What do you mean? Can you describe your abilities to me more fully?

Well, I can be more analytical about things, and like to conduct experiments, for instance, but I don't have the right equipment for that or the right augment to use what we have. But if I find a plant I don't know...which has yet to happen, actually, I sort of analyse, but it's more an instinctive sense. That, or I'd just ask it things.

[Ayep.]

I'll do my best to answer your questions, but I apologise if I fall short in some ways...it might be like explaining colour to a blind person, but that doesn't mean I won't try and I am happy to talk about it, besides.

So... did you feel very at home in the forest we last visited?

[Could you communicate with the trees with your brain, Flora?]

...Yes.

[It was like remembering how to breathe, and reminded her so much of home, it hurt.]

I sort of miss it.

... I'm sorry to bring up bad memories, if that's the case.

[And she genuinely is; her tone drops respectfully.]

But I would like to understand what you can do so we can use your help as efficiently as possible.

[Flora perks right up and raises her hands. Oh dear, she's bringing down the mood, drifting off like that.]

Oh no, it's fine, really. Please don't apologise. As for what I can do, I grow things, or heal sick ones...or make entirely new things.

[That gives her an idea, she hasn't created anything new for a while, has she?]

Entirely new plants? Spontaneously, or mutating them from existing seeds?

Both, but more the latter, to start. It depends on how you'd like to qualify "new". I've created my own species, but I often use existing things as templates. I can't help but use what I know.

I imagine that nature is diverse enough, it's hard to make up something really never seen before. What a fascinating skill set to begin with, though! Are those type of talents common where you're from?

And yet it's a big universe. I'm sure there are things out there I haven't seen, especially when you throw magic into the mix. But yes, they're very common on my home world, we're very big on nature as a matter of course!

I'm envious. We could make great use of talents like that where I'm from, and yet it seems they're nowhere to be found.