The Science of Beauty

Posted on Sat 22nd Feb, 2014 @ 7:16am by Lieutenant JG Lys Greystone

914 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/6
Location: Promenade or Tivoli Gardens?
Timeline: Current, mid-afternoon

Flavia Smith loved flowers. She also loved children, so she had plenty of both. She walked along the almost finished banks of the river that flowed around Deck 1554. The whole system was a marvelous feat of science and engineering. There were two parts to the water reclamation system. On Deck 1552, a stream meandered around approximately 2000 meters, offset 1/2 of the way around the central cylinder of Protector from the upper stream on decks 1550-1551. At the end, it dropped straight down 2 decks, to Deck 1554, creating an amazing waterfall among rocks and trees which had already been planted by Protector's Head Gardner, Hieronymus Block.

The waterfall fed into the main river, which ran entirely around deck 1554. It was much wider and deeper than the waterways on other decks. allowing additional water to circulate, and providing safe passage for the two small steam wheelers which Jade planned to have travel around the deck twice a day, including one moonlight cruise. The river water was partially recycled up two decks, and partially replaced constantly by exchange with the water reclamation project.

Truly it was an amazing accomplishment, and as Flavia's six children, who ranged from 2 to 13, ran up and down the grassy banks, she could imagine how many people would enjoy rest and relaxation here in the years to come. Villas they'd own, an Inn and at least one Bed and Breakfast, not to mention the fishing village and the farmlands - it had all seemed so far-fetched the first time Jade Lantz had mentioned it to her. But now ... now it was a reality needing only a few finishing touches.

As she neared the bare patch of ground she had come to map for a floral garden display, she spied the Chief Science Officer sitting at a picnic table, PADD in hand. Flavia marveled that the tables were already installed, and looked beyond the area to the fishing dock and village, recently completed. It was exciting to see so many of the committee's plans accomplished. So few, really, had been abandoned or postponed.

She set her own PADD down on the table where Greystone sat. "Hello! I'm sure I'm not the first, but let me compliment you anyway on the wonderful job the Science department has done, working with Engineering and the committee to make the gardens a reality. It's exciting to see it all come together!"

Lys looked up and smiled at the woman who wanted hybrid orchids and went out of her way to obtain as many as possible. "This was a complete joint effort; in fact, I barely touched any of it. A plant here and there but I swear that is all." The young woman gestured at the other side of the table for Flavia to sit.

Glancing at her children, she called out, "Herodia, keep an eye on Terminus. You know he doesn't swim well yet!"

As she sat down, her daughter called back, "Du betten, Mama."

"I thought they might like to run around while I'm mapping the layout for this garden," the florist explained. "The Arboretum just isn't a place for wild young things. Someone told me you were the one planning the river life, though. I know that grumpy fellow ... what's his name? Always reminds me of a gruesome painter from the 1900s." She frowned, "Or was it the 1800s? Well, no matter, a long time ago. Blotch? Blosch? Block! That's his name. The gardner, I mean, not the painter." Having completely backed herself in circles, she shrugged and smiled.

"The point is, Block is planning some of the plantings, the ones that are dietary, but someone said you are doing fish and ... well, whatever it is that lives in rivers," Flavia said. "What does live there, anyway? I've never been around them. I'm a desert girl myself."

"Fish, snakes, eels but in a river like this something that likes the fast speed in location and another that prefers lazy swimming. I would place fish, of different varieties, freshwater of course or those that can tolerate low doses of salt." Lys pulled up a picture of a trout and showed it to Flavia. "These like fast moving water and this," an image of a blue gill sunfish, "prefers slower moving water."

"Wonderful! I like the variation in color on this one," she tapped the picture on the scientist's PADD. "It looks like a rainbow, sort of. These are good for eating, too? Oh, dear," she said, struck by another thought, "have we made room for a fishery somewhere to produce the fish we'll need so visitors can actually eat what they catch?"

"Yes," Lys replied. "Deck 1552, and they are trout, the rainbow ones and yes quite tasty, so I heard, and we have an area nearby where we can gather bait."

"Well, then, it looks like you have the river and fishing under control," Flavia nodded her head emphatically. "I approve of having things under control. Speaking of which, my children aren't. I think they've had enough fun for one day. I'll have to come back later to work on my garden plan." She rose, picking up her PADD. "You enjoy the peace here, young lady. I have a feeling it won't be long before this is a very popular spot!"

"You are probably correct." Lys replied and then added "Thank You." She smile slightly as she returned back to what she had previously been focused on.

==

Lieutenant jg Lys Greystone, CSciO

Flavian Smith, Civ (npc of Jade Lantz)

 

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