Posted May 25, 2022, 3:33 a.m. by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) (David Fergusson)
[snip]
When there was a lil in the conversation, she spoke up. “These seed pod candidates you mentioned. We came across one, obviously,” she blushed because the boy had been the reason they were here, more or less. “There were several small orbs in the pod with them. I fear it was my call not to retrieve them all when we woke the child. And for my part in their loss, I apologize. But may I ask, what were all the cylinders in the pod with the child?” She feared they would not answer, and possibly send her away, because of the loss of the items. But better to know now than drag it on further.
Turning to Tia, Dol nodded, “..Yes when we send out a Seed Pod we provide it with several of those small orbs. They contain samples of many local plants and animal life here on our habitat used as food. Their makeup is embedded both as a organic substance inside and in a readable digital format from the shell. They provide those who adopt such a candidate with many local food, plants, and such to make them comfortable. As well as can be used as a form of energy for the parents or in trade among certain peoples we have traded with whole value energy production say over other forms of monetary compensation.” He said.
”..If you could provide me any readings of the writing usually on the pod indicating their candidate class and number I could have it looked up and provide more information on the candidate that you found. The Alstairians as you call them I do recall having met one of their sleeper ships some time ago and one candidate did go with being adopted by two on the ship, before they went back into cryo sleep to return to their homeworld since they could not settle here..” he added
Glen listened carefully to the conversation between Dol and Tia. They had yet to make a final decision on what to do with the child, but they still had the seed pod, so reading the markings from its sides wouldn’t be a problem. Glen thought that it was also interesting that while the people of Habitat had been willing to exchange food, plants, and whole value energy production items with the Alstaireans, they hadn’t exchanged their superior stasis technology; something which would have made them very much safer in their flimsy spacecraft on their long journey home.
Perhaps that was a valid question Glen could ask Dol about?
And so he was minded to ask this very question, just as soon as Tia had finished asking her own.
Tia nodded. “I’m sure we have recordings of the pod inside and out. I’ll see about getting them to you.” She hasn’t mentioned much more because she wasn’t sure how much Dol knew it what the Captain had said. She’d let the Captain offer up more if he was inclined.
Glen still hadn’t made a decision about Franz, the name Sickbay had given to the orphan child. Instead, he wanted to press the Dol on their policy of technological exchange and to try to confirm the technological level of this very unusual and complex society.
Glen asked the Dol, “Why is it that the people of Habitat were willing to exchange food, plants, and whole value energy production items with the Alstaireans, but they didn’t exchanged their superior stasis technology; something which would have made the Alstaireans very much safer in their flimsy spacecraft on their long journey home?”
During the long pause you could hear a self-sealing stembolt drop.
Their time here was short and Glen was getting frustrated that he couldn’t see much progress being made. When Dol didn’t answer the question immediately, Glen decided to bring the discussion straight to the point. “Alright then! My guess would be that while you were given these ‘seed pods’ in an exchange, you were not given the technology or understanding to manufacture any more, and so have a limited supply. To be perfectly honest with you, they are at the limit of our own technology too, which is why I’m curious about them. I expected, that given what you have told us, you would be keen to explore exchanges in technology between us.”
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