Posted by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Eela’s Apartment- Compelling Things to Grow

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Eela’s Apartment- Compelling Things to Grow

(snip)

Sitting back on her heels, Eela looked over her patio and smiled. “I really like the idea of vines as partitions. It would give everything a slightly wild look, something more organic than the very clean lines of the building. Soften it all. I was thinking a lounging area with a false fire pit that does give off some warmth, a dining area with maybe even an outdoor grill or something like that, plus a quiet nook amongst the plants where I could read or meditate. Maybe with a small fountain or other water feature?” Work could still penetrate her home, as evidenced by her office already, but out here was a place that hopefully she could leave it all behind for awhile.

“Well…and you would need to ask your security detail about this, but we could also put an overhead trellis in place. It would give you shade and protection from the elements. As well as give it a bit of a more…natural look. We can’t really put large trees out here, but an over head would give a similar effect.” Eela may not be able to read Sharah’s thoughts but the feeling of consideration and calculation would be clear. Sharah was actively considering the security implications with more consideration than most medical officers would. Her final year roommate had been a security officer with a very unique point of view and Sharah had picked up a lot from her. The thought of Ashlyn brought a tinge of loss to her thoughts. “Getting this all started will be a long process, and I’m happy to do it.”

“And I’m happy to have the help. How about a pergola over the dining area? It’s probably the area I’d want shade anyway and we can position it closer to the inside so it feels like a natural extension of the apartment.”

“You really love all this, don’t you?” Eela asked with a soft smile on her face as she gazed at Sharah. “What made you choose medicine over botany?”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Sharah looked up from where she was working to connect the last of the planters. She looked at the little plants that Eela had already planted and ran a finger over the leaves, her head tilted like she was listening to something and then grinned. “I do. Very much, plants are…a part of me that I love.” She grabbed the last of the herb seedlings and set them down in front of Eela. “Medicine…the need to help others is a compulsion I can not ignore. Botany came along after that.” She got up and disappeared into the nook and returned with a 3 foot deep pot. She sat and started marking out space to cut the side of the pot. “Do you like potatoes or other root vine type vegetables? We can grow them in this pot, cut a door here, and then you reach in to remove them without having to dig everything out.”

“Actually, that’s a great idea,” Eela said, finishing up with the herb seedlings. “There’s a Haliian root vegetable called murrow that is like a cross between a Terran potato and a parsnip. So says my husband…” Eela sat back on her heels for a second and frowned. “Ex-husband, I should say,” she said with a slight frown. She was usually pretty good about the distinction but then some days her brain just… forgot.

“When I was 10 my parents felt we had exhausted all the possible…treatments…for my condition on Betazed. So they decided to seek help elsewhere. we got transport on a little Discovery class called the Galileo. I met a science officer there, a botanist, who was very kind to me. He let me play in his arboretum and gave me a safe place to hide from all the noise and confusion. His name was Oliver Loughty. It was from Uncle Olly that I learned that plants were used to make medicines.” Sharah paused and looked out across the view for a moment before turning back to the work. “I asked him if he knew of a plant that would cure me, that would make me better. He didn’t of course, but he showed me how to take care of the plants. He taught me everything he knew, and how to use that care as a type of meditation. To give me focus when the universe is chaotic. Over the years my…attachment to plants and their ability to help heal us grew into a connection with my medical training. It’s not so much a choice between the two as blending them together. Though I did serve briefly as the Botanist and then CSO on the Ark Angel before returning full time to medicine.”

Fayth, SFCMO

“I understand,” Eela said, brushing dirt off her hands. “I was a counsellor first, long before I decided to switch to command. The blending of two different skill sets was not always easy but I quickly found my insight into people helped me navigate decision making more easily. More compassionately. I fully believe the type of counsellor I was directing impacted the kind of Captain I ultimately became.” She smiled warmly at Sharah. “I’m glad you found a way to make it all blend together and that you find peace with the plants.” She herself was still looking for that thing that could provide a bit of peace in her life and right now these plants might just be a good start.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.