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Interview With A Vegetable

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From the darkness of space outside, another vessel enters the massive bay and looks for a spot to settle down. Upon finding a suitable parking space, the ship hovers into position and settles in. At first glance, the ship has an appearance of being made from thick woody trees tightly woven together into a flat, rounded hull. Softly it sets down, and it grows quiet as its engines power off. "I was not expecting anyone to give up hope so soon.." Majors pinches the bridge of his nose then blinks a few times as the ship comes in. "Oh my... well." Madeline follows Jest's gaze. "You know those guys?"

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As they settle in from their sudden transport to Comorro station, some of the refugees from the rifts meet with their first local

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Interview With A Vegetable

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From the darkness of space outside, another vessel enters the massive bay and looks for a spot to settle down. Upon finding a suitable parking space, the ship hovers into position and settles in. At first glance, the ship has an appearance of being made from thick woody trees tightly woven together into a flat, rounded hull. Softly it sets down, and it grows quiet as its engines power off. "I was not expecting anyone to give up hope so soon.." Majors pinches the bridge of his nose then blinks a few times as the ship comes in. "Oh my... well." A thick, fleshy hatch on the side of the ship irises open, and a scraping, shuffling sound can be heard before Torlonodae emerges from the iris and onto the fleshy floor of the docking hub. "Ahhh..." he says as he stretches all of his fleshy tendrils. "I can always count on Comorro for a good rest after days of travels." he says cheerily as he shuffles away from his ship. Torlonodae(#28437POenACF*) A large plant like creature, Torlonodae stands at approximately 6 feet tall. His head is perhaps the largest part of him, measuring nearly 3 feet long, a 1 1/2 feet high, and 2 feet wide. The head is a light olive green, with deep valleys of purple running across it from the large, thick red lips that surround the mouth that runs around most of the front of the head. A pair of eyes on fleshy stalks are perched upon the top of the head, spaced about a foot apart. His central body is a 4 foot tall thick fleshy stem, a darker green than his head, that runs from his head to a pile of thick, fleshy roots attached around a fleshy hub at the base of the stem. The roots are tangled and in disarray, but would appear to serve as his means of getting around. Attached to the stem of his body about a foot down from his head are 6 fleshy tendrils that form a circle around his body. Each 'arm' is about 5 feet long, and at the end of each is three fleshy petals that would appear to be fingers. He wears no outer vestments with the sole exception of a leather belt that runs around his stem where a humanoid waist might fall. The belt contains a variety of pouches each about the size of a fanny pack. "No." Silvereye admits to Majors. "But, some of us must give way to survivors like you." He's about to turn away when the ship arrives. He regards it for a long moment, as if needing a few extra seconds to process it. Sandrim continues to just stare blankly at the new ship, and the new, verdant arrival in the docking hub before he grins and gives his opinion, "Cool." Without another word, the young man breaks away from Majors, heading to get a closer look at the plantship. "Just get some sleep. Things will clear up then." Majors then wanders towards the ship as well. "That you do not see every day." He comments to Sandrim. "That is odd.. even with what I know." At Majors' dismissal Silvereye starts to walk off, glancing at the plant creature for another few moments before he looks back towards the metal, that is to say proper, ships Torlonodae hears the sound of footsteps approaching him and his ship, he stops and turns to focus his eyestalks on Sandrim. "Ah... hello there." he says, his massive mouth curling upwards at the sides a bit. "You're an odd looking fellow, aren't you?" he says, tilting his head and looking Sandrim from head to toe. "From where do you hail, strange one?" "I'm from Fastheld," Sandrim says as he looks over Torlonodae. "And I don't look anywhere near as odd as you, from where I'm standing. No offense. Some of my closest friends looked downright bizarre back home. Where are you from?" "Hmmmm that is quite strange... have yet to see anything like you before." The Sivadian offers. Majors glances the ship over for a moment and rubs his eyes. "Suppose you know a great deal about hydroponics?" One of Torlonodae's eyestalks stands straight up with the other lowers closer to his head, and his head tilts as he observes Sandrim. "Fastheld? Fastheld.. fastheld... Hmm. That planet doesn't ring a bell. It isn't in this neighborhood, that much I do know, thus perhaps why I have never met someone of your kind." he responds. "As for me, I am from Muscipula, my dear fellow." he says, before looking towards Majors. "Hydroponics? After a fashion... I'm more into the traditional farming. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Torlonodae... who would I have the pleasure of meeting?" he asks with a glance between Majors and Sandrim. Silvereye continues his amble towards the civilian ships, eventually turning to collapse/sit near the Artemis, back against a landing strut. Sandrim rubs the back of his head. "Mm. I'm Sandrim Oakleaf," he says. "And Fastheld isn't a planet... it's a country. I'm not sure about the planet's name, though. I didn't leave by... conventional means." Jest walks out from the transport hatch, a bag hefted over one shoulder. Torlonodae is standing beside his newly arrived ship, an organic vessel that has parked amongst the refugee vessels, speaking with Majors and Sandrim. He tilts his head even more towards Sandrim. "You.. don't know the planet you are from? Dear me... did you hit your head?" he says, and catches sight of some of the other ships in the bay as he takes true notice of them. "Come to think of it, I have not seen vessels such as these before... this is most odd." he notes. "Well... never judge a person from their looks or their home, I always say! Never good to insult potential customers." he says with a chuckle. "I would happen to be from Sivad. A bit far away I would suspect." Majors murmurs as he offers the plant man a smile. "I would happen to be Thomas Owen Conrad-Majors III.. what sort of busines are you into?" Madeline steps out of the Artemis and puts her hands on her hips. She yawns a little and looks around the area. "Well, I /did/ hit my head, but that was beside the point," Sandrim says with a slight frown. "It's... a bit complicated, but we didn't exactly have starflight on my homeworld. And what he said, about the business." Jest's steps slow as she looks at Torlonodae, brow furrowing in study that doesn't seem to be based in shock but more in some fleeting impression of recognition. Or? Maybe not." "Sivad...? Not a world I am familiar with... it must be quite far away if I don't know about it. I'm trader by occupation." Torlonodae responds. "Knick knacks, things I've picked up here and there in my travels. Primarily, agricultural goods. A few seeds, fertilizers, gardening tools. Larger equipment by special order. It's not a business to make me rich, but it keeps me fed, housed, and with a bit of spending money in my pocket." he says, his wide mouth curling up at the edges, before looking to Sandrim. "No starflight? Whatsoever? Then... how did you get here?" he ponders. "Complicated you say? I think that is a story I might like to hear.." Madeline scratches the back of her head and walks down the ramp. She stops at the bottom and turns around to look up at Artemis. "Well anything that can help me start a substainable hydroponics lab on my ship and a few others. Was in talks.. I'd love to see a catolouge of what your goods and services are if you have one.. and then perhaps we can talk payment." Majors replies after a short pause. "We are not from this region.. rather far away really both in distance and time... but I am sure we have things worth while for trading." "Check out the plant guy." Silvereye rumbles to Madeline as she glances back towards the ship. "Could be very useful." Sandrim scratches the back of his neck. "I have lots of coins," he says, "and the plants interest me too. Any good, edible ones I could buy off of you for the ship I'm on?" He frowns. "As for how I got here... Well, um, the ruler of the place I was accidentally dropped a weapon that was supposed to make enemies disappear, and we disappeared." "Ah, customers! Well, I'd be happy to discuss a potential sale, but if you wouldn't mind good sirs, I have been on this last trading run for quite a while and I am in need of refreshement. Would you care to join me for a drink?" Torlonodae says. Jest shakes her head slightly and angles off, heading for the Artemis and Equinox within. Madeline looks over her shoulder at Silv, then to the planet. She shrugs and goes back to eyeing her girl. Tamila makes her way back out of the Tradeport Hatch, and once again she's dragging a metal pipe behind her. She's moving in the direction of the Zero Gravitas, and there's the unique smell of the waste management center to her. "Hmmm a drink? I might but I think I might have a prior engagement coming up in the near future." Majors says as he ponders. "Do you have any sort of business card I can contact you with?" Torlonodae pulls a tendril towards him and ruffles in one of his belt pouches, bringing out a card. "Hmm... not sure if this is in a language you can read, but it's all I have good fellow." he says apologetically, proffering it to Majors, before looking to Sandrim. "Ah, capital! Then let us be off to the tavern, shall we?" "Madeline," Jest calls as she gets near, "You coming in on this thing?" Madeline turns around again, this time to Jest. "Do you guys need a wrenching wench along?" Tamila slows up when she notices greenery. She arches both brows in confusion when she seems to notice that the plant is actually sentient, but it doesn't stop her moving towards the Zero Gravitas. Nope. She might have waved to Majors and Sandrim, but she offers a nod instead. "Of course," Sandrim says as he starts to follow. "You lead the way... You have plenty of seeds that'll work alright in hydroponics, right? Just got a place for that set up last night." Majors pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. Something is said in Timonese and he starts to head for the Equinox at a lazy pace. Torlonodae starts to shuffle for the Tradeport hatch. "Hmm.. I'd have to see your setup to be sure.. but as I said it's not really my field." he says as he shuffles along, his roots moving in a haphazard fashion to propel him forward. "I'm very careful in my sales of foodstuffs. It wouldn't do to sell something poisonous to someone to eat, dear me no. Bad for business, and some of the legal systems around here can be quite nasty to deal with." "Could always use engineering aboard," Jest says easily. "Your choice though, hon. This? This is a low pressure run." Her eyes are drawn to Torlonodae again for a long moment. It is in this round of looking that she spots Majors. She smiles. Madeline follows Jest's gaze. "You know those guys?" Tamila dumps the metal pipe on the ramp of the Gravitas and then carefully leans inside to drag something out. She doesn't seem worried about what's going on the rest of the dock. Nope, she's more interested in dragging out the work horses and setting them up. A faint smile plays on her lips as she considers something. "Ello luv. That would be the good ship you were talking about? Shall we see about stiring up the bees a little." Majors offers Jest a small smile as he nears. "I think there are a few sources that can help with what we spoke of earlier." Sandrim continues along with Torlonadae, waiting for him to go through the entrance first. "Well, that's a point," he says with a frown. "I'm... not sure what among your products might be. I could see if anyone I'm working with has a way to find out, though." He opens his belt-pouch, then up to the tree-man. "And, well, see if I have anything you'd trade. Mostly lots of copper coins." They head off to the tavern... Last Orders Tavern - Comorro Station - Comorro Station A smoky haze hangs in the air of this shadowy tavern, with chalky white walls of cartilage and tables that look like flat-topped mushrooms surrounded by cushioned metal benches. The central bar counter is a D-shaped structure of gray-green bone and cartilage, coated in the familiar protective webbing seen elsewhere aboard Comorro. Holovid projectors display news reports from throughout the worlds of Hiverspace, from Rigor Strand to Hekayt Prime. Torlonodae shuffles into the tavern and heads straight for the bar with an air of familiarity. Upon reaching it, he waves a tendril to get the bartender's attention. "A Chlorophyll Delight if you please." he says, as the bartender nods and begins to mix up the drink. "What is your poison, my lad? My treat." he says to Sandrim, motioning for him to take a seat at the bar beside him. Sandrim looks around slowly, then to the bartender, "Ahh, you've been getting a lot like me through, right? I'll have whatever it is they've been drinking." He goes for the safe and hopefully edible route. "I've... no idea what they have here." The bartender brings up a pair of drinks. "I think this is the one I've seen some of yer kind drinkin'." he says, setting the dark brown drink before him. For Torlonodae, he sets down a glass filled with an emerald green drink. "Ah, thank you good fellow." he says, pulling a couple coins from his pouch grasped between the fleshy fingers of one of his tendrils, and proffers them to the bartender. The bartender accepts and heads down to look after other patrons. Torlonodae grasps the drink with the same tendril, the three fleshy fingers taking a firm grip around the glass. "To our meeting, good sir!" he says, raising his glass to Sandrim. "And to good health, and wealth," Sandrim returns, lifting his own drink into a toast with Torlonodae's. That done, he lowers the glass and takes a small, careful sip, uncertain what to expect. "So... you pass through here pretty often, huh?" he asks. "So it's not all people who are just kind of stuck." Torlonodae opens his wide mouth, revealing a thick, fleshy purple tongue within and rows of triangular, bony teeth around the edges of his upper and lower mouth. The entire drink is tossed in and gulped down in one motion. As the mouth closes, the tongue takes a pass around the outside. "Ahhh... that always hits the spot." he says, looking to Sandrim. "Comorro? It's often a stopping point for many, but hard to find sometimes. She never stops moving, you see. Her position is often passed from trader to trader though, so with a little searching it's possible to find her. After A particularly long trading run, I like to seek her out to pick up news and just rest my roots a bit." "Oh," Sandrim says, taking another sip of his drink, and holding in his grimace at the bitterness of it. "So, like a giant trade caravan, I suppose. It's pretty well isolated right now, I suppose. No one seems to know of any nearby worlds..." He frowns a moment, then shrugs. "Well, I imagine you'll hear some interesting news. There's a lot of people who at least look like me here, stuck." "Indeed, as you said out in the bay... you said that story was complicated." Torlonodae says. "Your planet had no starflight? Did a passing ship land and happen upon you?" he asks curiously. "I prefer not to bother with less technological worlds. Simply a hassle to get them stirred up, and sometime they come at you with sticks and knives.." he says with a shudder. "Dreadful. Still, there'll come a day when they'll become a part of the larger world, then that's more customers!" he says with a chuckle. "So you say there are more here also stuck like you? I would assume then that they own those odd looking ships out in the bay. Is one of them the one that brought you offworld, per chance?" Sandrim scratches his cheek. "No," he says. "With us... Well, we come from a world where there are some very powerful people and artifacts. Magic, you know. Our country had dangerous enemies, so the Regent found one of those artifacts. It's called the Gateway Eye, you see, and it's supposed to just make your enemies disappear." He grins a little wryly before going on, "He was showing it to the crowds, when an airship started in. Nothing like what you see out there. There was a panic... and he dropped the eye. We were all pulled into this void, and landed in the middle of the docking hub." Torlonodae listens intently, both his eyestalks standing fully up. "An artifact you say? Dear me, it must have had incredible power to cause such a disruption." he says with a bit of awe. "What sort of enemies would require an object of such power to defeat? They must have been dreadfully terrible to require such measures, and such risks." Sandrim frowns, looking at his drink. "They were black wildlings," he says, "servants of the Shadow, and, well, they're stronger than a human, just one is enough to scare several men, and there were thousands." He shrugs. "It probably was made by the mages before the cataclysm. Who knows? Maybe it was from the dragons." "Dragons? What sort of creature would that be?" Torlonodae asks with great interest. "Mages? Wildlings? I must say, it does sound as if your world was quite an interesting place. Thus the artifact was intended to take care of these... Wildlings? Hmm... if it had worked as advertised, then it likely would have done the trick I should say." he says, settling a bit more on his roots. "Muscipula is a more peaceful world. Most of the carnivorous animals leave us be.. it's the herbivores we have to be careful of. Some can eat one of us with one bite, and think nothing of it!" he says with a shudder. "Thus we grow our tree cities as high as the clouds, and it is there we live in peace." "Giant... tree cities," Sandrim says, shaking his head slowly. "Yeah, I know, you think I'd not be so surprised by things like that after flying through the void in the belly of a giant fish, but that does it too." He takes another sip of his drink, getting acclimated to it. "As for dragons... big, scaled, winged creatures that breathe fire. There are some people that even worship the White Dragon. She's supposed to be the avatar of Light." Torlonodae takes one of his tendrils and rubs the underside of his mouth a bit. "Large reptiles, you say? Firebreathing!? Oh dear me... we do not get along at all well with fire. Although we do use it, we are very careful with it. Our ships can succumb to it easily, as will our homes." he says. "Such a creature would wreak havoc our world has never seen! I do hope they do not intend to follow you on this journey." he says with a touch of worry. Sandrim shakes his head. "I don't think they do," he says. "I mean, I wouldn't know if they would or not, but I don't see them leaving our home behind." He lets out a slow breath. "So, anything else of that you'd like to know?" "From the sound of things, you were brought here rather forcefully. I would hazard to guess that returning home will a difficult proposition?" Torlonodae inquires. Sandrim hmms. "Well, no one has any idea where home even is, so if I had to guess... yes, it would be troublesome," he agrees. Torlonodae nods. "A pity... well, in any event, I do hope you find your way." Torlonodae says, and waves the bartender down to order another drink. "It isn't always easy around here, but we manage pretty well. I'm sure you'll find a way to fit in in no time!" Sandrim smiles, still working on his first drink. "Well, that's actually what I wished to talk to you about," he says. "I'm working on setting up that hydroponics bay, to feed the others around here. I'm pretty sure I can make my way well, especially if I have lots of food and other useful plants." Torlonodae nods. "I'd be happy to give you a manifest of my current offerings. It's not much, I'm afraid. I just finished making my rounds to various regular customers and they've depleted my stock. Still, if there's anything among it you might be interested in, I'd be happy to discuss a trade." Torlonodae replies. "I do have a few edible plants among my wares, but before we discuss a transaction I'd need to have some sort of sample of a current foodstuff you eat. Something for an analysis so I can make sure what I am selling is compatible with your particular lifeform. A formality, to be sure, but it keeps me in business and out of trouble with the law." he says with a smile. Sandrim nods. "Right," he says, before he starts digging into his pockets. Out comes a rations bar, half gone, but still there. "Will this do?" he asks. "I don't /normally/ eat it, but another human gave it to me and it's perfectly edible." Torlonodae reaches out with one of his tendrils and grasps the bar, lifting it up so his eye stalks can focus upon it. "Hmmm.. yes.. this should do. In fact, this appears to be comprised of several different varieties of food stuffs, so I can make a very through analysis." he says with a smile. "It will take a day or two, unfortunately. Is that acceptable?" Sandrim smiles a bit. "It should be," he says. "I'll have a few other things to work on, in the meantime." He grins. "I'm on the IND Iuppiter Lucetius. I'd give you a card about it, but... I don't really have one." Torlonodae chuckles. "I'm afraid exchanging cards is likely difficult... although Comorro translates languages for you while aboard, written language I'm not too sure about." he responds. "In either case, I am sure I will find you. I intend to rest here for a few days before continuing on my way, so we're bound to run across one another during that time." Sandrim nods, and bows his head toward Torlonodae. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Master Torlonodae. Be safe." Torlonodae nods, taking the new drink as it is delivered and making it vanish as quickly as the first one. "If you will excuse me, I believe I will retire to my ship. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Oakleaf." he says with a smile, offering one of the tendrils out towards Sandrim. Sandrim considers Torlonodae a moment, before he reaches out and takes hold of the tentacle in his hand, shaking it firmly. "And a pleasure to meet you." Torlonodae nods with a smile in reply, and with that begins to shuffle towards the door out the tradeport, his roots scuffling across the floor.