Time and Dirt
(First Day -- Previous Day -- Day 37 -- Next Day)
Day 37
Heliopause Colony on Planet Vertumna, Medbay
“Solane! You’re awake now! I was waiting for you to do that... today I have the time to spend as much as I want here again, since I already told the soldiers what to do the previous day and it’s just continuing with the same today... and they know they would get into trouble with Rhett if they just refused.
Kind of weird that I’m basically giving soldiers their orders now, when I have never even set foot into the garrison... I’m sure they are even less appreciating of the irony, though, haha.
Anyway, how are you doing today, Solane?
...
A xeno grunt is my answer? You know, I actually feel like I can increasingly understand those now, or maybe it’s just my imagination. But today I went to check on the floatcows and everyone else in the barn again and it felt like they were really trying to talk to me, and I was so close to figuring out what they were saying... They still didn’t look that good and I just really wished I could help them, and it would be so much easier if I could just ask them. And if I had more time...
Do you ever wonder what the xenos outside the walls would say if you could talk to them? We only ever can guess what they feel and think by looking at their body language, can’t we? And so we have no way avoiding misunderstandings... a-and conflicts. There’s so much we have to settle in that regard, I think. We haven’t had a good start, but that doesn’t mean things can’t get better, right?
At least with Tiki I feel we have both a good level of communication, right, Solane? I just know what it’s trying to say just by looking at it. And same with the plants... at least the Earth plants. The native ones here seem to be speaking a different language. But Dys might be able to help me with those. I hope I’ll be able to join him outside some time again, then I can bring you more fresh local snacks as well!
And I’ll be able to learn more about what life on this planet is like, so we can become a proper part of the ecosystem and just enjoy growing and sharing alongside each other... Eventually.
I hope one day we can just sing and dance with each other, or something. Well, okay, Dys would tell me and you that that’s not how an ecosystem works, but you get what I mean, right? And in any case I’d prefer that to fighting... or hiding.
...
Wait, sorry, I’m going on and on again about all that. The future is still far away either way and not something to worry about, is it, Solane? For now, we’ll just try to do our best in what we do, right? And for you that’s still resting.
...
Hey, if you’re too tired to smile, don’t force yourself to do it, it’s fine. Although I appreciate the effort, even your pained smile is still a nice sight to me!
Hmm... oh.
...
...
...
You fell asleep! But only briefly. I was here the whole time. Like when you fell asleep in the suns during Dust one year on a break from planting seedlings or shoveling dirt, spreading what were they called di-...dizo, diazotrophs? You know, bacteria that fixate nitrogen to make the soil more fertile for Earth plants!
Anyway, remember, sometimes I had to drag you into the shadows so you’d get some shade and not totally dry out in the heat... and throw a water bottle in your direction when you woke up. And we didn’t even need more in that moment, just looking at the fields and ... each other, and the mushtrees around us.
You should probably have some water right now, too! Here, a cup with the best our colony has to offer.
Good thing you had those breathing tubes removed long ago already, right? That means you can enjoy it normally like always.
...
There...
Oh, you still look pained. Or are you just struggling to keep your eyes open? Are you feeling okay?”
- “... tired...”
“But you already slept the whole day, didn’t you? ... That can’t be healthy, it leaves you no time for physical therapy, to regain your strength so you can return to your plant children... no time to spend with me... please...
Please, let me at least do the physical therapy ... I don’t know if you have it in you to fight much, so I’ll be by your side to help with that...
Okay?
... Is that grunt meant to be a yes?”
“...o-oka-...”
“Ah, hmm... I wish I could get a more enthusiastic response but I have no idea what you’re going through now... Solane, I just know I’ll help you get stronger, tougher again.
Here, we’ll do the same exercises we did previously, sitting up and rolling to the side, okay? I know the medbed already does something similar to you regularly, it turns you automatically every few hours... maybe that’s why you’re so tired, because your sleep gets interrupted so much? That can probably be adjusted by Dr. Instance, I need to ask her, even if she still feels so unapproachable and I don’t want to risk upsetting her, Solane. I need someone of the older adults on my... our side.
She still has her weird brain measurement devices or whatever these beeping things with their colorful holographic models running and doing some experiments she refuses to talk to me about. I think she mentioned wanting to do something she called ‘neurological exam’ soon, though.
Anyway, real physical therapy still needs human hands to be effective, I know that for sure even if I never studied it. A real human touch just can’t be replaced, you know? It’s the same for plants as for other humans.
I think I’ll do them in silence, since they can be a bit exhausting for me as well. You remember what to expect, right, Solane?
...
...
...
There, now you have gotten through it for the day already! Next time we might make this several times in a row, or I’ll ask Dr. Instance what else she recommends.
But now, feel free to rest, since you still seem to need it so much...”