Green Thumbs Aplenty [SJO]

[Valae Heavenshield]

​

“Y’all want to put those Nysillin plants in the greenhouse, they need to be transplanted.” Valae instructed some of the volunteers. “Gentle now,”

A fresh batch of the healing herb had arrived from the Jungle planet of Felucia. During a recent visit, Valae had befriended a local tribe and had even assisted with their harvest of Nysillin. They had agreed to provide the Silver Jedi with a small crop of their best plants, so long as they were not sold for profit, but used to further studies. Since they grew on such a hot and humid world, the designated greenhouse had been made to match the tropical climate.

With her hands on her hips, Valae turned to survey the scene.

There was a small field nearby that needed to be worked – the soil needed to be tilled and amended with a sprinkling of nutrient rich supplements. A small patch of land had been reserved for a community garden, open for any member of the Silver Order to use freely. They would need some skilled hands to help construct the raised beds, bring in soil, and finally begin planting. She could also hear the gentle sound of the newly constructed fountain that flowed into the Koi pond. A shipment of fish would be arriving soon, and would no doubt need some tending to as they are released into the fresh waters of their new home.

While there was much work to be done, there were also plenty of spots to take a quick break. It was a nice day to be outside and enjoy all that nature had to offer. Valae knelt down to inspect a small flat of flower starts; they looked quite healthy and ready to be put into the ground. She slipped a pair of garden gloves over her already calloused hands, and lifted a small trowel. Today she looked the part of a farm-hand, dressed in a gray tee, bib overalls, and rubber boots. She topped her look off with a sunhat hat that featured a wide brim to keep the sun off her face.

Carrying a tray of new plant starts, she started to make her way to one of the flower beds. It was nice to see others taking time away from their duties and training to help out. In fact, it brought a wide grin to the Jedi healer’s face.

[member="Arisa Yune"], [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"], [member="Valkren Calderon"], @SJO

[OOC: Feel free to pick a task (or make up your own) and have fun!]

 

[Marl]

Marl was finally, after a long time, at peace. Who knew that putting plant seed in the ground could be so... relaxing. The day was beautiful, Marl was glad that none of his trooper's from the clone wars saw this, if they did... well they'd probably be rolling in their graves seeing their serious commanding officer as a gardener. He planted more seeds for Dust-Corn. He looked over at the other volunteers, happily enjoying their time planting seeds and hoeing. He the noticed Master Kitra, who was indulged in the flower beds. seeing how she was alone, Marl decided to introduce himself, as they had not met yet. He walked up next to her and crouched.

"What you planting?" Marl asked, when she looked back. He extended his hand for a hand shake.

"We haven't formally met yet, my designation is CC-4938," Marl kept saying that out of habit, he put a mental note that nobody knows what that means and continued.

"But everyone calls me Marl, I'm an Antarian Ranger." he put on a slightly awkward, yet friendly smile.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Cambria Zadira]

Cambria Zadira led a small group of younglings across the fields towards the greenhouse that was visible ahead.

The Jedi Knight enjoyed working with the youngest of the Jedi family, especially this particular youngling clan as they were made up of mostly alien species. The Twi'lek remembered when growing up at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant that she was the only non-human in her clan. The young exotic beauty had sometimes been made fun of because of her braintails and/or her curvy body that had matured faster than others her own age. She wanted to help them feel appreciated for who they were. Even the human boy had self-image/esteem issues as he had been fathered by a clone or so the story went. Maybe an introduction to [member="Marl"], who appeared to be normal as normal could be, would help him with that.

The Twi'lek stopped the group as they came up to the Clone and [member="Valae Kitra"] where they were talking. Cambria waited for an appropriate moment, then addressed them.

"Salutations this day, Healer Kitra and Ranger Marl," Bri greeted with a respectful bow of her head. "May I introduce you to Clan Hawkbat. These younglings are eager to help today with your project as I am," she offered with a small smile gracing her naturally berry-colored lips and a thoughtful twinkle etched in her gold speckled hazel eyes.

"Learning the value of nature's bounty is important for all of us."

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Colonel Valkren Calderon suddenly appeared, and appearing rather casual at that. The young officer had traded out his full-suit of combat armor for a pair of overalls and a baseball cap. Dirt had begun to cake underneath the fingernails that were connected to his now worn hands; however, even in his exhausted state, he was wearing a very friendly smile. He had returned from one of the fields to report to Valae on how they were almost finished with tilling the soil, spending most of their time overturning and stirring the massive fields of dirt to help soon breath new life into the same fields; yet Valkren became distracted at the sudden arrival of some familiar faces.

Valk stopped in his tracks at the sight of Marl, one of the NCO's that worked beneath him in the chain of command of rangers. He knew Marl had knowledge about his farming history, but he had never expected one of his men to see him in full-farming-getup. The ranger smirked, folding his tattoo-covered-arms over his chest before speaking up.

"Well damn, Marl. Seems like I can't keep you away from this stuff."

He then narrowed his eyes at him, his voice returning to a monotone, intense version of the seemingly friendly colonel that was present only mere moments ago. "You sure you're a soldier? I'm sure Miss Kitra here will always take more workers."

The young officer let this statement sit for several moments, before smiling once more and slapping the clone across from him on his shoulder. "Good to see you, brother."

Colonel Calderon turned to Cambria soon after this, recognizing the batch of younglings she brought along. "Always a pleasure, Master Zadira. Now who do we have here then?" He asked this in reference to the young ones, nodding in respect.

[member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Marl"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae turned at the sound of a voice, and she looked to see a man approach. He was familiar, she had seen him around before, but never had the chance to strike up a conversation. She stood and wiped her hands on the front of her overalls, but she seemed unbothered by the fact that her clothing was now dirty. A friendly smile grew on her face and she extended to her hand to greet the man formally.

“Oh, these are just some flowers. Some, uh…” She looked down at their colorful petals, drawing a blank. “Well I don’t know exactly what they are, actually. Some kind of violet maybe?”

She shrugged and chuckled softly.

“Nice to meet you, Marl.” She nodded, “I’m Valae.”

And then her attention shifted as Knight Zadira approached with a group of small younglings in tow. Valae offered the group of newcomers a warm smile. It was nice to see that the young ones had come to get involved as well – team work was an important lesson.

“Good to see you Knight Zadira,” She addressed the Twi’lek, “Thank you for coming. We have plenty to do!”

For a moment, she pointed out the flats of flowers that needed to be planted and the tools the younglings would need. Once these beds were completed, they could move on into the greenhouse if they would like. But Valae had a feeling that they wanted to be outside in the sun.

She spied Colonel Calderon coming back from the field; he’d already been out working for a couple of hours. Valae was thankful for the help; the man had a strong back and a healthy work ethic. She couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to have a knack for this kind of work. A chuckle escaped when he quipped about Marl.

“Hey, we always need some able workers. Marl is welcome anytime!” She grinned, “Say, how’re things in the field?” She asked Valkren.

[member="Valkren Calderon"], [member="Cambria Zadira"], [member="Marl"]

 

[Cambria Zadira]

It seemed everyone was dressed down for the outdoor work they were doing today. Cambria herself had forgone her normal Jedi robes for a more simple outfit her species might wear working the land. The Rutian Twi'lek decided against her usual leather head gear and bracings too instead donning a visor-like hat that fit around her lightly tattooed braintails and ear nubs.

"Thank you, Colonel Calderon... Like wise," Bri answered flashing a small smile, then turned to face the younglings gathered and pointed to each. "May I introduce Initiates Genya, Neo, Chaz, Jethro, Raxx, and Jayda." She then pivoted back to face [member="Valae Kitra"], [member="Valkren Calderon"] and [member="Marl"].

"We have a swimming party planned at the Falls for later after the tasks have been completed here. You are all invited as well if you care to join us, though do dress to get wet. I understand the younglings will be perfecting their cannonballs," the Twi'lek Jedi grinned softly, then bowed her head gracefully before motioning for the younglings to follow her over to where the flats of flowers and planting tools were located.

 

[Marl]

Marl looked back at his Commanding Officer after he quipped at Marl about being a full time worker. "I don't know all about that, after all, you're the one wearing the overalls, Valkren." he looked over to Cambria, and the younglings.

"Ah, Master Zadira, pleasure to see you again," he gave her a handshake and afterwards crouched to the younglings. "You are all in good hands." He gave Cambria a warm smile.

He stood back up. He looked back at Master Valae, "Here's some Ithorian rose seeds I found, they make beautiful plants." he said giving her the seeds.

He looked back at Cambria, who invited everyone to the waterfall afterwards. It'd be nice to cool off, afterwords.

"You're on, Master Zadira." he said with a smirk.

[member="Cambria Zadira"]
[member="Valae Kitra"]
[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

"Looking mighty fine out there, to be honest. Need some of those nutrients though, all done tilling the soil..So it's waiting on ya' Miss Kitra." Valkren stated, before looking back to Marl. A chuckle escaped the young colonels' lips at his statement. Marl was a good soldier, and an even better friend. He was happy the clone was here to tag along.

Valkren tipped his cap so that it rested on the back of his head, letting more sun hit his forehead. He'd only assume he was getting burned on his arms, luckily none of his ink were recent tattoos, so they wouldn't be damaged imedietly. However he couldn't speak for long-term effects.

"A dip does sound pretty nice after all this work is done. You going to join us, Miss Kitra?" He questioned after hearing Cambria's offer, before looking back to the younglings and hearing about their cannonballs.

"Oh have they now? Well we'll just have to see about that one, right little ones?" He smiled at the group before they took off. This was nice, he had spent most of his off time on Voss at the gym, cantina, or his office..But he had yet to join the group for something of this nature. He enjoyed it, especially as it brought back so many memories of his family's old farmstead.

[member="Marl"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic wandered down to the gardens that were being prepared for the Jedi Temple. He had lived on a urban planet, plant life was scare and for the most part, being surrounded by nature was a completely new experience for him. He was use to buildings and metal everywhere. When he saw others planting and becoming one with nature, Yuroic smiled and decided it would be healthy for him to join. There had been too much in the way of fighting, he rather enjoy some peaceful acts, this seemed perfect. Noticing that there were some familiar faces as well, Marl and Cambria from the pub when he was lower in mood due to his inability to help Jairdain, the woman he loved, from being held by Sith. Also saw Valkren, who was another person from the pub, and Valae, she was from when he was in blaster training. Though watching from afar unlike him, Marl and Cambria. This seemed to be her area of expertise more than combat, which is fair.

Yuroic approached Cambria and gave a slight incline of his head, Ki'usol, nol t'u Sihse Zadira. Do tann dan ohk gu. Greeting her in the traditional language of her people, before turning to the others. Greetings Master Kitra, Colonel Calderon and Ranger Marl. He gave each a short bow of curtsy before moving closer to Valae. How can I help? I've not done gardening before, so not sure what to do. I grew up on Nar Shaddaa, not a planet of nature. Yuroic confessed as he looked down, he was becoming less ashamed of his past but whenever it brought out his lack of knowledge in what others might assume is common, it did cause some embarrassment for him.

Spoiler

Translation: Greetings, once more Master Zadira. I hope you are well.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Marl"]

 

[Cambria Zadira]

The Jedi Knight didn't need the Force to tell her that the initiates were exited that the Rangers especially would be coming to the swimming party.

"We will be very pleased to have you all join us at the Falls then," Cambria smiled, then added. "Food will be provided, though bring your own drink should you require something more refreshing than fizz pop," she nodded with a knowing twinkle in her golden eyes before turning back around to give the younglings some instructions on how to plant the flowers.

A short time later a familiar voice addressed Cambria in her native tongue once again. The Rutian Twi'lek canted her head towards the young Padawan she'd conversed with briefly at the Cantina.

"Ki'usol veo gu, Jalrirk Xeraic. Do ohk gu, arni'soyacho. Selerki'ahi cit toe t'irk, ka?"

Spoiler

Translation: Greetings as well, Apprentice Xeraic. I am well, thank you. Wonderful day for planting, yes?

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Marl"] [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

She smiled at Marl as he offered up some Ithorian rose seeds.

“Why, thank you! These will make a great addition.”

Valae was glad to hear that the tilling was pretty much done, thanks to the hard work of Valkren.

“The nutrient mix is all ready to go, if you want to venture back out to the field. But if you’re lookin’ for a change of pace, we do have a small greenhouse that needs to be assembled.”

She pointed over towards a pile of rods and fiber-glass. There were instructions provided, but she had a feeling that it would be easy enough to get together. It would be a good project for one or two.

“A swimming party sounds like fun,” She said to Cambria, and she turned to Colonel Calderon. “Well, I suppose I could dip my toes in the falls.”

While the Jedi healer was not opposed to wading in the water, she was not a fan of swimming. Her own skills when it came to treading water were weak. Growing up in the desert had not offered much in the way of experience. And then there was that one time when she nearly drown… the memories were not pleasant.

And then she turned slightly to see Yuroic approach. Valae’s smile grew warmer and wider, it was nice to see more of the Silver Jedi here to help. As he stepped closer to inquire about the tasks that needed to be completed, she pursed her lips in thought.

“Let’s see, we do have a fresh batch of Nysillin plants that need to be transplanted. That’s a good place to start, I’ll show you how it’s done.” She said with an encouraging nod. “Just follow me over to the greenhouses. And just a warning… it’s pretty hot and humid in there, made to resemble the jungle world of Felucia.”

[member="Cambria Zadira"], [member="Yuroic Xeraic"], [member="Valkren Calderon"], [member="Marl"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Cit ohk t'o ba, Sihse Zadira. Debis karkan ar fa'ken ji xeilkara kvert. Yuroic replied to Cambria with a small smile before turning around to Valae and giving her a nod of his head. He was sort of use to humid temperatures, when he was a slave, he would often be made to suffer the harsh temperatures that his master demanded on his ship. Ta'Mihaj had lived many years on Tatoonine and preferred his ships to represent that degree of harsh temperature.

Yuroic headed to the greenhouse and opened the door inside. The humid heat blasted harshly at him, took him a moment to adjust to such harsh conditions before he shook it off and headed inside. Once inside he looked around at the various plants and refrained from touching them. Not knowing what they could do or be made him reluctant to take a sniff of the flowers.

How does transplanting flowers work? I never heard of doing that before. Is it difficult or easy? I wouldn't have thought moving plants around as such a big deal. Then again, there's a lot I still need to learn about nature. Yuroic thought out loud, the questions were directed at Valae but he was staring in somewhat wonder at the plants. Why do plants need to live in certain conditions? Can they not adapt like we do? Though I suppose, it is difficult to put layers on a plant if it's cold... The thought of dressing plants in clothes and scarves made him chuckle slightly.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Marl"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"]

Spoiler

Translation: Day is most lovely indeed, Master Zadira. Looking forward to making the gardens flourish.

 

[Nia Sol]

Nia found herself in the community garden rather lost, she still couldn't believe that such a beautiful place like this in the galaxy existed. She was trying to find the Jedi that accompanied her on the the journey to Voss.
The youngling was still in a state of awe at the beauty of the buildings and the planets natural ecosystem.

"Where did he run off to, I don't know anyone here." There was so much to take in, being on a new world, seeing people she didn't know.

"I just need to stay calm." She took a deep breath as she sat by the Koi pond. "The Force feels so strong here, so calm, so peaceful."

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Marl"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She could also hear the gentle sound of the newly constructed fountain that flowed into the Koi pond. A shipment of fish would be arriving soon, and would no doubt need some tending to as they are released into the fresh waters of their new home.

Fashionably late as usual, Arisa would arrive by speeder to do her part in helping Valae with working on new garden and empty fields. Though, this time she would have a good reason for her tardiness, as the speeder was loaded up with supplies and all sorts of colorful fish to fill up the new pond that had been dug out.

Just about everything looked to be in order, a ring of large stones and well-manicured plants already surrounding the pond. All that was needed from her install the filter, then the fish would have their new home!

Quietly, she got to work on her own after exiting the speeder and collecting the supplies she needed. They were a series of small energy generators the would emit a very specific kind of force field - osmotic fields - that would filter out potentially harmful pathogens and keep the water clean for the fish.

A rather simple installation, but a time consuming one that required setting up the generators to a good alignment, then calibrating them to only filter out certain things without starving the fish or ruining the delicate ecosystem of the artificial pond. Anyone in the area would find her working out the configuration of the generators, dressed casually in a navy tank top and khaki shorts.

Every so often, she'd pause from her work to greet someone who came past to address her, or just look around at the progress of others. There would also be another Jedi present (Nia), who appeared to be meditating beside the pond. It brought a smile to her face to see everyone enjoying themselves working on the gardening project, especially considering all that had happened as of late. For a time, the troubled Grandmaster would push all stressful thoughts to the back of her mind as she poured her focus into the task at hand.

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Cambria Zadira"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Marl"] [member="Nia Sol"] [member="Kiran Arlos"]

 

[Nia Sol]

The girl opened her eyes to notice a young women working on the pond, she had brought supplies on her speeder with all types of colourful fish.
Nia then gazed back at the female Jedi, her hair was fair with a gentle smile gracing her lips. "She looks so beautiful, yet wise, just like my old master."

She smiled as she was about to ask her something but choked for words, eventually she found her voice. "Excuse me?" She asked quietly.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Marl"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Yuroic Xeraic"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

As she continued working, she felt the younger woman focusing on her now and turned to face the Padawan reflexively. The girl looked like she wanted to say something, but words would only sputter out from her lips after some struggle.

"Yes?" she answered, setting down a hydrospanner and brushing her hands clean against her shorts. "I don't think we've met before. I take it that you're new here?"

Very new, as the Grandmaster made it a point to personally welcome every newcomer (and returning member who left on hiatus before her tenure) during weekly orientation sessions when she was present on Voss. Eventually, their paths would have crossed.


[member="Yuroic Xeraic"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Cambria Zadira"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Marl"] [member="Nia Sol"] [member="Kiran Arlos"]

 

[Nia Sol]

Nia was a little nervous, she didn't want to embarrass herself on her first day. "Yes, I am. my names Nia, Nia Sol. I came here with another Jedi...um he didn't really give his name...he wears a mask wrapped up in cloth."

"But as soon as we landed he kinda wandered off without me." She then looked at Arisa and the others and realised she was one of the only Jedi's wearing robes, assuming they were Jedi of course. "It would be best if I didn't make a fool of myself." Not too mention the hot temperature wasn't something she was used to.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Marl"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Yuroic Xeraic"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

As she parted from the group, she offered a smile and a small wave. She would make sure to catch up with them when it was time to go cool off at the falls. Valae had caught sight of the Grandmaster by the pond, likely using her technical expertise to assist there.

For now, she turned her attention to Yuroic. The two came to the large greenhouse and were soon met by the hot and humid conditions. Valae reached back and tied her wavy hair up into a bun, rolled up her sleeves, and stepped inside. Closing the door behind her, she looked to see the padawan already exploring the varieties of flora present.

He seemed quite eager to learn, evident by the many questions posed. Valae gave each some thought before answering.

“I don’t presume to be an expert here,” She scratched her head, “But there’s many reasons one might transplant somethin’. Say you’ve got a plant that’s outgrowing its pot, that’s a good reason. Or you’re moving something from outdoors to indoors, as we’re doing here with the Nysillin… or vice versa!”

Valae knelt down next to a flat of the healing plants, at their current growth, they resembled reddish pods. She offered Yuroic an apron, should he wish to protect his clothing, and handed him a small trowel.

“You see, these plants came from Felucia – it’s hot there. It’s native to that world, so those are just the conditions they like.” Valae shrugged, but she did chuckle heartily at his comment about dressing plants in layers to keep them warm. “Just take the planets out of these shipping containers, and re-plant them in these” She provided a stack of larger pots.

[member="Arisa Yune"], [member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

As Nia recounted her story on arriving at Voss, she would immediately recognize the identity of the Jedi by the description provided. There was one Tusken Jedi running around on Voss as far as she knew.

"Ah, Jakkor. Decent fellow, but he has a habit of just disappearing for long stretches of time. Don't take it personally, he's something of an explorer. In any case, I'll have to reach out to him to give thanks for bringing you here safe and sound."

She rose, coming closer to Nia for conversation as her original task was momentarily forgotten. "The Force is strong with you. I assume you were given a choice to come to Voss. Would you mind sharing why?"

Nia didn't seem to know who she was talking with, and Arisa had purposely avoided revealing her identity. She was curious to see if the woman would be more candid with her answers if she didn't know that she was speaking with the Grandmaster of the Silver Order. While Arisa strived hard to remain approachable and personable in her new position, that didn't stop some people from treating her differently. Sometimes, it was just nice to talk to people when they just knew her simply as Arisa.

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Cambria Zadira"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Marl"] [member="Nia Sol"] [member="Kiran Arlos"]

 

[Nia Sol]

Arisa's question was a fair one, and she seemed acquainted with the Jedi she described. "The choice was mine alone, my master discovered me years ago on a mission. She trained me, well, it was a short lesson.
The girl stood up before Arisa, there was a moment of grief written upon her face. "But then one day a bounty hunter chased her, there was nothing I could do, both of them were too fast for me. She was killed."

She looked up at the Jedi. "But she told me if anything bad should happen I should go to Voss"

"I recorded everyday in my head, I was patient, yet frustrated. I never left a planet before, there was so much to learn, not only that I didn't have many credits to start with." She sighed. "I just wished It didn't take 5 years of my life to achieve it."

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Marl"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Yuroic Xeraic"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]