Starfire
Copyright© 2025 by UtIdArWa
Chapter 6
When Thad walked through the airlock, like most people, he stopped, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. Some crew members didn’t like coming to ‘Sherwood Forest’. They claimed that it smelled funny. But Thad had been raised on an agricultural homestead and was familiar with the difference between fresh air and recycled air.
Thad could smell flowers and fresh, clean oxygen. For a moment, he had a touch of homesickness.
“Can I help you, mister?”
Thad opened his eyes. A young man, maybe 17 or 18 years old, was standing in front of him, smiling. He was wearing dirt-stained overalls, work gloves, and had a gardening trowel in his hands.
Smiling, Thad said, “Probably friend, do you know where I could find Monty Sherman?”
A moment of concentration came over the young man’s face. Then he brightened and said, “You mean the flower man? He’s with the danda-danda-dandy lions.” A huge grin grew on his face. “The flower man is down that way, on the, on the,” another moment of concentration came, followed again by the grin, “He’s down that way on the right.”
Thad looked in the direction offered. The room was filled with floor-to-roof columns. Plants were spaced around these columns all the way to the top. Thad thanked his new friend and started walking down the walkway.
The young man followed along and started talking to Thad. Mostly, he spoke of his job, which involved taking care of the plants, ensuring they were happy, watering and feeding them, and when they were ready, taking them to the harvesters. He also talked of his previous job.
“I used to work with Mr. Chief Steward and Bud Finley. They was nice men’s but then the bad lady came, and daddy got me this job. I like this job better, but I do miss Mr. Chief Steward and Bud Finley. They was nice men’s.”
“Floyd Turner, who’s your new friend?” A voice to their right spoke up.
“Oh, Mr. Flower man, we found you. This is my new friend,,,, “ He paused for a moment, confusion written large on his face, followed by a look of tragedy. “Oh, No, I forgot your name, I’m so sorry I forgot again.” He looked like he was about to cry.
Thad was quick to reassure Floyd, “No, Floyd, it’s alright, you didn’t forget. I forgot to tell you my name.”
Monty stepped out into the open and put his arm around Floyd. “It’s OK, son, he’s a friend of mine, his name is Thad, and it looks like he’s your friend too.”
Floyd looked down at Monty, then over to Thad. Thad smiled and nodded his head. Floyd’s face broke into another grin. “Thad, Thad, bo bad, Th-ad. That’s a good name, Mr. Thad.”
“And he’s a good man too, Floyd, but shouldn’t you be working? You’re supposed to be planting those new seedlings, aren’t you?”
Floyd’s face brightened for a moment, “That’s right, Mr. Flower Man. I’ve got to hurry.” He looked over at Thad, “Bye-Bye Mr. Thad, I’ll see you again?” he asked hopefully.
“Sure thing, Floyd, sometime soon, I’m sure.”
Floyd Turner turned and started skipping back the way they had come from.
Monty and Thad stood for a moment, watching Floyd return to his duties.
Turning to Thad, Monty asked, “So what brings you to my little slice of heaven, son?”
“I need your advice, Colonel.”
“Whoa, carefully with that stuff, Thad.” he nodded towards Floyd, “You never know who might be listening. Come with me, let me show you my flowers. We can have a cup of tea, and maybe something a little stronger.”
As Monty was talking, he led Thad around a corner to a smaller greenhouse. As they stepped inside, Thad was assaulted with a blast of yellow. There were yellow flowers everywhere. On shelves, the floor, and even hanging from pots. In the middle of the room was a table with a hot plate and a pot of water beginning to boil.
“Well, Thad, Welcome to my little home away from home. What do you think?”
“It’s certainly yellow. What are these?”
“These are Taraxacum officinale, also known as the common dandelion. A wonderful plant that has been vilified in the past as a weed. Poisoned, yanked from the soil, hunted down as a parasite to worthless lawns and gardens. It has so many uses as medicine, a food source, and so many other things.”
As Monty was saying this, he poured two mugs of tea. Handing one to Thad, he said, “Try this, boy, see how you like it.”
Thad cautiously sipped, then smiled and took a larger mouthful. “That’s pretty good, Monty. I’m not a tea person, but this is downright tasty.”
Monty was beaming. “Great, I seem to have gotten the recipe down finally.”
Just then, someone knocked on the door. It opened, and Arabella Thorne walked in. “Is that a new batch of tea, Monty?” Before he could reply, she noticed Thad sitting at the table. “Ah, this must be the friendly Mr. Thad. Floyd told me we had a visitor.” As she was saying this, she leaned down and kissed Monty on the cheek.
“You’re right on both counts, Ara, Thad. This is Arabella Thorne. Arabella, this is Thad Sawyer. He’s the son of some very good friends. They asked me to keep an eye on him while he’s out here seeking fame and fortune.”
As she poured herself a cup of tea, she said, “A pleasure to meet you, Thad. Any friend of Monty and Floyd is a friend of mine.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Monty, I think I need your advice. I seem to have gotten myself promoted. And I’m not quite sure how to do the job.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Squadron commander, isn’t it? How many ships will you have?”
“Word travels fast around here, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, c’mon, Thad. This ship isn’t that big, and long-distance space travel can be boring. The rumor mill will grab onto anything and spread it faster than the speed of light. Just like with you and that cute Collier girl. That sure got people’s attention.”
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