5010/Germination: Road to Knowhere

Germination: Road to Knowhere
Date of Scene:	25 July 2018
Location:	Knowhere
Synopsis:	Some earthlings make their way to Knowhere, gaining some particular insight and a potential new weapon in fighting the Oomycetans.
Cast of Characters:	Shadow King, Nuala Duvall, Stardust, Brick

---

Shadow King has posed:
Nuala was able, through another contact of hers, to locate one of the aliens she saught, a Mycotekton. Finding the Mycotekton was only half the issue: the other part was a live translator. The Mycotekton in question, though, comes with her own translator, another member of her crew. Both were willing to meet, if the price was right, to go over some history related to the planet. Jiu'chi is the Mycotekton's name, her translator is Torbeah, Torbeah is a Ravager and a member of a crystalline race, Xliod, that can emit varieties of light and energy signatures as well as vocal harmonies. They have agreed to meet up at the marketplace, as their ship is docked for maintenance, at Knowhere. In theory, a Xliod and Mycotekton shouldn't be too hard to locate. The Xliod has a light purple crystal appearance, while the Mycotekton is a small, skinny race known to wear elaborately adorned hoods and shawls.

The market itself though proves to be busy and bustling with a variety of alien life; it may not be as easy as hoped.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    It was a long journey, but they are finally there. Hopefully this will be the midpoint. The interceptor docks, and Nuala shuts down the engines. She wears her suit now. "Okay," she says, walking back from the cockpit. "We are here. Remember, there are a lot of aliens here that look really strange to you I'm sure, don't stare. If they act like they want to help you, they probably want to kidnap you, or steal from you. You brought some human items, they should be worth something in the market place." She takes a swig of an old cup of coffee she had laying around. How many is that today.
    "Are you sure you are up for this? It is most certainly not going to be like any place you've been before," she says. Of course, they already have come this far, so it's a bit past the point of no return.

Stardust has posed:
It was a long trip. In fact it wasn't that long, but it may have felt it. Colette managed to not touch any of the things she wasn't supposed to have touched, which is good. There was a weird moment when she had a short shouting match with herself, but apparently that's normal for people with guests in their head. After that she refused to speak in anything other than French to anyone, but as everyone could either speak French anyway or had a translator device, that only lasted about ten minutes. Which is about as long as Colette ever manages to sulk for, anyway.

    The main thing though, they've arrived at Knowhere, and nobody got stabbed. Given the bubbling friction between Damian and Nuala, Colette counts that as a significant victory. As far as she is concerned, that's the hard part of the mission out of the way.

    As she had indicated, Colette's approach to the change of clothes issue was to change her clothes. Into other clothes. It's a neat trick. Each outfit retains a general resemblance. A shared color scheme of whites and pale grays, and a tendency to shimmer slightly like moonlight, which varies in degree. The rest, apart from always looking at least vaguely super-heroic, varies quite a lot. With the arrival onto Knowhere, her outfit currently looks distinctly sci-fi, with various bits that look like they might be some kind of functional tubing, and rigid plates that look like they might be some kind of armoring. It's all for show, really. She carries a holdall slung over one shoulder that's almost as large as she is, containing a mushroom sample pod, two empty pods, and an assortment of things she's brought along as trade goods. She has a freeze-sword slung from her hip.

    "Of course we're up for it," Colette replies to Nuala with a wave of the hand. "No weirder than Le Marais on a Friday night, to be honest." Nuala may wonder what kind of hell this 'Le Marais' place is, but the truth is that Colette IS looking around rather eagerly and excitedly. She is however doing a pretty good job of not rubber-necking too visibly. She's subtle enough about it. Don't want to look like a rube.

    "So. A short guy with a funny hat. I've seen Mycotektons so I know what they look like. And the other guy is a giant walking crystal. That shouldn't be too hard to spot.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala moves to the rear ramp. The airlock slides open as she keys the command, and then the ramp opens. The scents of the alien foods and ionized fuel fill the ship, and Nuala takes a deep breath. "Oh, I have missed that smell," she says. Which exactly, she doesn't say.
    "Very well," she announces, walking down the ramp. She walks directly out and onto the platform, looking around. Suddenly, she looks...relaxed. Despite the rough looking nature of the area, there's a visible tension that seems removed now that Nuala is in a new environment.

Brick has posed:
Brick Marsten is of alien origin, part human, part New Genesean, and thus it is profoundly humiliating for him that he is subject to warp sickness. He's been hiding in a dark quiet place with Maire Boit pinging quietly at him. But once the movement stops he's muuuch better, and he comes to the ramp.

"Wow this place is weird, what are they DOING?" he says as he sees a vein of choroloplasm being tapped.

Shadow King has posed:
Jiu'chi and Torbeah aren't hiding. Jiu'chi, short and covered in her elaborate dress, is easy to miss, suprisingly, though. Torbeah, though? The big crystalline Ravager, proudly showing off the colors, is more than easy: other aliens stay out of her way. She is easily over seven feet, with long arms that end in menacing crystal dagger forms along the backs of her arms. She's in just a vest, so much of that is on display. She is lingering at the front of a stall full of various bread-like substances, bartering in her musical language. Jiu'chi is off to one side, seated on the edge of some cement, simply looking out at the various movement through the market. A closer look at her reveals under her hood and wraps, a small breathing mask, that covers her lower face below wide light-pink eyes.

Stardust has posed:
Colette is less impressed by the odour, wrinkling her nose at it. "We should have brought a crate of underarm deodorant," she comments as she strides into the market space. "There's obviously an intergalactic shortage out here."

    It doesn't take long for the group of humans to attract a few curious stares. Humans are a rare sight on Knowhere, and a group of four like this even rarer. A huddle of Badoon takes a particular interest, and one approaches Colette to some laughter from his fellows. Looming over her threateningly, he says "Big Bag. You need someone strong to carry it. Give." The Badoon has a translator, fortunately.

    Colette stares up at the tall lizard-like alien , staring him right in the eyes. For a few moments she says nothing, then barks a short, gutteral response. <<Utch'ne ve grssat-tag ve ichnuma z'an!>> Which, as anyone who speaks Badoon knows, translates as 'I stole these words from the lips of your grandfather.' The towering Badoon's eyes widen, while his fellows stop laughing and mutter amongst themselves. The Badoon makes some kind of gesture, perhaps some alien equivalent of warding of the evil eye, and backs away to join his fellows.

    Colette ignores the Badoon, scanning the scene in front of them. Big purple crystal, big purple crystal. If I were a big purple crystal, where would I be? Towering over the heads of the crowd, apparently. Colette gestures with her head. "That look like the crystal we're looking for Nuala?"

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala follows Colette's gesture. "That...would be her, likely," she agrees. She starts over, her own slim suit a little cleaner looking than most of the others here. Of course, it also notes her as a Nova agent, so for some, it's a reason not to bother her. For others, who knows?
    "What did you say to that Badoon?" she asks. She doesn't speek Badoon. She glances back to Brick, making certain that he looks well enough to follow. "Do you feel more stable now? Do not show weakness, Ravagers can be very...exacting." she asks as they head toward the contact.
    Once arriving, she nods toward the Ravager contact. "Torbeah," she greets. "It is good to see that you are still able to frighten the masses."

Brick has posed:
Brick still looks a bit greenish, but that could be the lighting. His movements are strong and precise, and he's got his scanning going on. He nods to Nuala; he's not going to show weakness, but he doesn't seem aggressive. He does, however, have a freeze-sword, should he need to use it.

Stardust has posed:
"No idea," Colette whispers to Nuala. "It just seemed like a good idea. Oh wait. Apparently it means 'I stole the words from the...' What? 'I stole the words from the lips of your grandfather. Weird." She gives a shake of her head. "Apparently they're superstitious and that kind of talk worries them."

    Colette shifts the bag around on her shoulder - despite her lack of interest in hiring an aggressive porter, it is rather awkwardly large - gives Brick an encouraging slap on the shoulder, and loosens her sword in the scabbard. She steps up beside Nuala, acknowledging the two aliens with a quick nod of her head before scanning around them to observe who else may be paying close attention to the meeting. She seems to be doing a bodyguard act today.

Shadow King has posed:
Torbeah releases a musical laugh, some of it far off the register of what humans can perceive, but a great deal of it IS, when Nuala speaks to her. It is a strange tubular echo across her upper torso. 'Vocal chords' is probably not a guess of how she's making the sounds. She replies, though. "I have no need to be social, after all," Torbeah answers, darkened, black orbs in her face flickering as she turns to examine Nuala, crystal-coated palms dropped to rest on her heavy belt at her waist that pulls in the vest.

"We've only got limited hours 'fore we leave. /My/ time's money," Torbeah reminds Nuala, and then looks over the humans without much expression. "These aren't your cubs."

The smaller alien seated on the 'curb' doesn't do anything much, just seems to observe, her large eyes clear and attentive, though.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala glances behind her at the others. "Not exactly. They are warriors, they are just young ones." She looks back and up to the Ravager. We have some items. We have earth music we can provide," she says. "We need information for it. Jiu'chi's people, they created a weapon, something like a fungus, which has arrived on Earth. It's destroying the planet, we are trying to figure out how to stop it. The planetary defense powers are doing all they can, but it is constantly reappearing, replanting itself. We need to find a way to eliminate it." She looks over at Jiu. "We are hoping that you can help us know the best way to do that."

Stardust has posed:
Colette drags her eyes away from scanning the crowd to stare up Torbeah. Leaning in close to Nuala for her voice to be picked up by the translator, she says, "We have Terran artifacts. Ancient, pre-industrial. Rare religious icons from a unique space-age religion. Rare foodstuffs. Mysterious sacred objects. Much music." She pulls out a player, hits shuffle, then plays, skipping every few seconds. Beethoven. Beatles. Beiber. Mozart. Madonna. Miles Davis. The player is quickly pocketed again. "Almost none of this has left the Earth before. Is your information as valuable?"

The large bag is unzipped, and Colette pulls out a secure transport pod with a sample of the Oomycetan visible inside. She holds it out where Jiu'chi can see it. "I saw your friend's homeworld die. Tell her. We will stop it happening to other worlds. We are defeating it, but slowly. We need more speed. We need to know what made it aggressive. And about the brother fungus. The fruiting one. The trash eater."

Brick has posed:
Brick is in backup position, doing backup-y things, like a short guard or something. Watching the crowd, etc.

Shadow King has posed:
Torbeah makes a funny little trill, that translates roughly to 'hmmmmmm', a thinking or stalling sound for her people. "She can't 'hear' us at all, so don't bother talking at her," Torbeah says, matter of fact. "How /much/ earth music? How long?" Torbeah asks, in a bartering tone. She likes the player. "Also, she's touchy about her planet being eaten. What 'xactly do you want me to ask?" Torbeah asks of Nuala, as if she didn't want to upset Jiu'chi. "How to kill the thing that ate her home?" Torbeah's upset, but also doesn't seem lost or confused. "I can save you some time: I don't think she knows that, or she'd have a planet."

Torbeah turns her head to look at Colette and the pod, and reacts with a little snarl, dodging in between it and Jiu'chi. "Did you---! Put that away!" Too late: Jiu'chi saw, and suddenly bolts off through the crowd. Torbeah releases a mix of swearwords and gives chase.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala glances down at the container, and closes her eyes. "<Why did I agree to this?>" she asks herself in Xandarian. She looks back at Colette. "She knows what it is," Nuala says to Colette. "You think you could be a little less sensitive? If Earth was destroyed by that, and you were left to wander the stars, would you ever want to see one again?" She doesn't take chase. "Now she probably will not want to have anything to do with us," she says.

Stardust has posed:
Colette just answers Nuala with a raised eyebrow. It's an evocative gesture. It says 'live with it.' It says 'Shock tactics are my thing, hadn't you noticed?' Mostly, it says 'They unleashed this stuff on the universe, they can deal.' The sample pod is quickly bagged, the bag passed to Brick for safe-keeping, and Colette takes off after the two aliens.

    She moves quickly, surprisingly quickly given that her legs aren't actually moving. Colette is in fact flying, though at a height of about an inch. She had good reason to be training in this unusual method of flight recently, and it's useful It attracts less attention. She could be going faster, but she's fiddling with her cellphone as she goes. Typical teenager.

    Or not. As she catches up to Torbeah, Colette launches herself upwards, somersaulting clear over the crystalline alien's head and landing in front of Jiu'chi, with her phone held out in front of her.

On the screen is a moving image. Purple glowing cube, spinning orange six-pointed star, three concentric blue circles, red planet, white elongated sphere (x2), orange ringed planet, green swirly thing, blue dot. Any hope of a conversation in the weird visual language will hinge completely on their translator, but this single message was prepared well in advance. The translation: "We are too late to save your world. Great sorrow. Help us save others. Redemption."

Shadow King has posed:
If Jiu'chi saw the message or read it, it is unclear. She halted when Colette came over and jumped backwards from Colette, alarmed. She spins and buries herself into Torbeah's front. Torbeah doesn't act defensively of herself nor of Jiu'chi, just seems to accept the situation. Colette may recognize that the behavior of physical contact is normal for a Mycotekton. "She wasn't born when the planet was lost. Do you blame /her/? Is she responsible?" Torbeah asks Colette, a sad quality underneath the somewhat aggressively demanded question. "She agreed to converse to you for free. But MY price is going up; if you upset her again, we're done."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala walks after the group, shaking her head as she hears Torbeah's upset tone. She doesn't step in to help Colette, strolling to Torbeah's side rather than hers, a certain visual declaration that she is on their side in this discussion. She lets Colette give her own response, offering no defense for her.

Stardust has posed:
"Some cultures blame the children for the sins of their fathers," Colette answers Torbeah calmly. "Mine is not so barbaric. "I don't offer her blame. I offer her a chance to redeem her entire race. To turn tragedy into glory." She cants her head to the side. "Would you deny her that opportunity?" Her own challenge lacks any aggressiveness, all smiles and sweet reason. If Torbeah is revealing some sadness, then Colette's willing to play on her sympathies for her friend.

    "Enough music to play continuously for two cycles, local time." Let's not forget Torbeah's mercenary instincts though, so straight back the the bargaining. Colette holds out a data crystal, copied aboard Nuala's ship. "More than worth your time. If you are wise, you will be able to make considerable profit from it."

Shadow King has posed:
"Don' tell me how to make profit, cub. Or insult me or 'er. I just don't want to put up with the nonsense for the next trip if she's upset," Torbeah snorts. If she does care about Jiu'chi, she's masking it now. She accepts the extended data crystal, and shrugs some.

"Can't promise she knows what you want. Savin' planets isn't her thing. But. What you want me to ask first? Keep it in order. She's smart enough but don't talk more'n one thing at once. Something about a fruit?" Torbeah does something interesting now: her crystals gleam and flutter in patterns of light and heat across her neck. Jiu'chi observes it, as if reading, and looks at Nuala, then Colette.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "There were two biological creatures that her people formed," Nuala says in a tone that lacks energy decidedly, trying to bring the tone back down on the conversation. "One was helpful to balancing the ecosystem, the other consumed it. We had a thought that perhaps the balancing fungus might help check the other. It is one consideration. I also wish to apologize for the young lady's manners," Nuala adds. "She is not accustomed to dealing in a more diverse culture," she explains, hoping that will be enough to smooth things a little.

Stardust has posed:
Colette smiles at Torbeah, even more sure now that it's a mask, but letting the crystalline alien have her way. As far as she's concerned it doesn't matter if you're haggling in an alien bazaar or negotiating with a school friend to swap one of your PBJs for two of their pastrami on ryes. You start off hard-ass to show you mean business, but you never try to make them lose face.

     "Understood," Colette says to Torbeah with a nod. A second nod is given to Jiu'chi as the Mycotekton looks her way, and she pushes the phone forwards a little, hoping to attract Jiu'chi's eye to the message. "Thank you. We can't ask for more than she knows. The helpful fungus ate trash and grew fruit. Her people harvested it. Ask her about it. If there is any left anywhere."

Shadow King has posed:
Jui'chi responds by patting a few areas on Torbeah's neck with her hand, as if determining where the lights should be. She's speaking Torbeah's language, in a way. "She says," Torbeah begins, as if trying to figure out how to put it. "She had to protect her child-thing from the thing you have with you. She doesn't have a kid, but that's what she said." Torbeah sounds puzzled. Torbeah looks to Ju'chi again, new flashed patterns. And then more gentle patting from the small alien.

"I asked her about if there were two fungus. She says there were. Both were created from a now-extinct, natural original source. Two fungus things. The first one wasn't controllable, the second was."

A pause while they confer. "Yes, both kinds still exist."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala nods, "Have they found a way to control the first?" she asks. "Perhaps with the second? From what we saw, I believed there might have been some sort of harmony present, but vague history records could be misinterpreted."

Stardust has posed:
"Originally the first one was controllable too," Colette says. "It only became aggressive after the war started. Does she know why? What changed the..." she glances towards Nuala. "...harmony?"

    There's a short pause, then Colette adds, a little more subdued, "I saw what happened to her world. Please tell her we will discover how to defeat them. So that nobody's child-thing will be endangered again. We want to spare everyone from what she has suffered. If we could find a sample of the other fungus, it would be a great help."

Shadow King has posed:
Torbeah looks back to Jui'chi again. They converse. There's some sort of argument that begins, at least from Torbeah's side, and some body language. Jui'chi seems fairly serene, but the emotions are weird for the smaller alien for sure. Far less human.

"Let's see. Ugh." Torbeah scowls. "They thought they could control it. It seemed like the other one. It lied. Something like that. It's manipulative as hell. It got stronger than the other one in some way. Something about size. She's not being clear."

Jui'chi is gently unwrapping her head-scarf, letting it fall into her hands. She still has a breathing mask on, but it is organic: it is not technological. It is the lower portion of the soft pink fungal creature she has draped gently around her neck. There are several mushroom heads on it, the size of perhaps a palm, in an array at her neckline like a fluffy collar. Pink and blue tones swirl over the surface of the small fungoid, with a fluffy mush of 'soil' that seems to go down under the shawl. Jui'chi is effectively wearing a small, watercolor-colored fungus. "This is against MY advice here," Torbeah says, annoyed.

Brick has posed:
*ping* PING *ping* Maire Boit starts talking to the young creature, <<May we have small sample so we can try to restore harmony?>>

Brick kneels, holding out a small sample jar, open.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala notes Torbeah's hesitation. "Why?" she asks, unaware of the conversation that the mother box is having. She gives a look to Torbeah, inquisitive as to the nature of why the Ravager seems to be so protective.

Stardust has posed:
Colette gives Nuala a wide-eyed stare. "Size. When the war started, they were seeding the destructive ones. What I saw before, the bad fungus stalks were fairly small, the good fungus stalks were huge. If they communicate psychically, maybe it's a kind of who has the loudest voice deal? Once they started to grow big in the damaged areas, they didn't have to lie any more, because they had the loudest voice. Sleeper agents. Maybe if we strap this into some kind of a psychic amplifier?"

    Colette pulls out a second data crystal, holding it up to be seen, but not out to be offered, just yet. "If she can spare a sample... It wouldn't hurt her would it?" she asks Torbeah, sounding a little concerned.

Shadow King has posed:
"She should sell it for high credits, of course," Torbeah scoffs at Nuala, matter of fact. They confer a little, once more. "She has asked it to split; put something in your box that it can eat. Something organic, like a plant. It will take a little time, she says. I asked about your size question. She's likening size to also being the smartest, but I'm not sure about that translation. The most connected, the largest reach. That's why she didn't want yours near, it could harm hers, since it is bigger. It could take over it's free will."

Jui'chi moves her hands back to the fungus, and is manipulating it gently, though not the part on her face. "She can't breathe here, so she can't give you this one," Torbeah provides on her own, without needing a translation.

Brick has posed:
Feed the shroom -- organic material. Well, on Earth, one feeds horse droppings to funguses, but Brick has some leftover hummus (the bland kind without the highly acidic olive oil) that he will put in the container(s), after scanning to make sure it won't be toxic or incompatible with the smol fungal friend.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala arches her brow, unable to argue with Torbeah's logic. She glances at the fungus being used as a respirator. "If we were able to grow one to be large enough," she says. "Would it be able to control the malcious one?"

Stardust has posed:
"I brought a large cheese to trade," Colette says to Brick. "In the bag. We can feed it some of that. It's only chedder. I bring some brie de Meaux as well, but I ate it. "

     Colette hands the second data crystal over to Torbeah. "Third one on delivery. We'll throw in one artifact too. Agreeable? Also..." she glances down at Jui'chi. "Please tell her that when we have defeated the bad fungus, we will send details of our techniques. So she can share with all her people."

Shadow King has posed:
Torbeah turns back to Jui'chi to ask the new question. The flutter of colors and energy patterns over Torbeah's crystals is beautiful in a way, as is the response of the smaller alien. There's something between them, a sisterly thing.

"She says she thinks that would work, but might not last; the bad ones will only be held for a time until they get larger too, then they will get loose again. The other ones are greedy, eat living things too, and grow so much faster. They tried it, but only ended up with a huge 'nice' one being consumed when they thought it was all over. They eat each other when they get in range. And there was no coming back from that."

The mushroom's bottom of spores drifts down Jui'chi's arm, and she moves to bend over the container and lightly dust the spores into the container. "It's really fragile," Torbeah observes. It isn't translated: this is something Torbeah knew on her own.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "While this is nice," Nuala says, "We need to know if someone knows a good way to completely eradicate the aggressive ones. I am concerned that we are a little off track."

Stardust has posed:
"Psychic amplification," Colette repeats confidently on a subject she knows nothing about. "Controlling them for a while will be enough. We already have a way to kill them." As the spores enter the sample container, she passes over a third crystal, and a bow with flint-tipped arrows. Real, genuine, tourist tat. Really, genuinely made by indiginous Terrans though, so that counts as a rare primitive artifact, right?

    Colette turns to Nuala, raising an eyebrow. "We brought a couple of Tony's guns along," she mutters. "Give them a cartridge?"

Shadow King has posed:
"If there were larger ones of this kind than the other kind, they could have eradicated them. That was the plan. Just didn't happen," Torbeah says after asking Jui'chi. The latter re-wraps her head and the mushroom in the shawl, completely covering it again. "She can make anything out of these fungus things. They're better than tech," Torbeah says proudly. "I think we're done." Jui'chi moves forwards, and gently attempts to pat Colette on the arm. That's all.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala considers for a moment. "Thank you Torbeah," she says. She nods to Colette. "I think that would be good. The poison he created has been very useful." She looks back to the aliens. "The Oomycetan was able to grow in space when using a star's energy. It also grew when it was exposed to heat. Will the same happen with this?" she asks. If so, she is pretty sure she has the answer to this problem.

Stardust has posed:
    "Makes sense," Colette agrees with Torbeah with a nod. "The war. The bad mushrooms grew off the flames of burning cities. The good mushrooms were the enemy's food source, so they were attacked. Balance shifted. No time to grow the good ones big enough."

    Colette allows the pat, and smiles at Jui'chi. She digs into the bag, and pulls out a cannister of the toxin, offering it to Jui'chi. "Torbeah? Please explain to her that this is a toxin. It is safe in this cannister, but must be handled with great care. It will kill the bad mushrooms. But it needs to be applied deep inside. In the myceleum, in the fibres below. If she can synthesize it, and share it with her people, it may help them greatly."

Shadow King has posed:
Torbeah translates for Nuala first, and answers, "Yes, but the other one will notice, and stop you. If they are not moving, do not be fooled. They are subtle and smart."

Jui'chi backs away from the Toxin, and Torbeah translates again. "If it harms them, it will harm her. They're connected. They are the same as this fungus. Good ones, bad ones. ---But I'll take it." Torbeah accepts the canister, and puts it into one of the pouches on her lower belt.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala nods. "Give her one of those Apokalyptian guns," she tells Colette. "For the unneeded stress." She would rather get all of them off Earth, but at least that'd be one less.

Stardust has posed:
"It'll probably be a bit unpleasant to most organic beings too, but a weapon is a weapon," Colette reasons. "I'm sure your own weapons can hurt your own kind too, Torbeah. It's safe in the container. But if there is an infestation..." she shrugs her shoulders and smiles at Jui'chi again. "When a child-thing is endangered, sometimes it is necessary to take dangerous measures. Better to have the option than not. "

Colette makes a cutting gesture to Nuala with her hand. "We decided not to bring any, remember?" As far as Colette is concerned, they've paid enough anyway. There's some damn good music in that collection! However she's going to have fun on the journey back, with Nuala's whole 'don't share advanced tech' thing."Maybe you could spare a Xandarian power-rod though?"

Shadow King has posed:
Torbeah is perceptive, and will immediately attempt to barter for anything else, for information on things like what will best feed the spores so that it won't take weeks to grow it, and how to not kill it by accident. In essence, though, the trade is complete: both sides have what they wanted, to some extent: Jui'chi seems listless and disconnected, but that is part of who she is. Her actions, when she does them, are kind, and she gives freely. Traits that are in common with the friendly little sample they now possess.