Frustration brewed within the young farmhand. Ko felt helpless and alone, even here among some of his peers in the saloon. The patrons were all quite lively, watching various screens and projectors that displayed footage of a big swoop race taking place on the planet. However, the Kel Dor’s mind was too preoccupied to enjoy watching the sport. He was too upset with the current state of affairs taking place on Nubia.
It was a great injustice in his eyes. The planet’s leadership had practically halted one of its major exports, food. Ko suspected that greed and corruption was afoot. Considering that the Galaxy was still in a time of reconstruction after the Second Great Hyperspace War. Massive famines stretched across the stars, effecting countless individuals. But instead word of some mysterious unknown blight meant that crops needed to be culled instead of harvested. But as far as Ko and every other farmer on Nubia could tell there was no such thing.
To help overcome going without work, the government has been paying agricultural workers to not work. Keeping them finally supported while all this plays out. Unsurprisingly many offer, just to have a rest from the back breaking labor. Those who didn't, however, saw their heavy equipment and machinery suddenly stop working thanks to Various kinds of ‘brickware’. So even the farmers who wanted to keep working couldn’t.
Ko had hypothesized that those incharge were hoping to capitalize on the desperation in the galaxy, and create artificial scarcity here on Nubia to later sell warehoused food for an insane profit. Enough to where paying off workers around the planet would be more than worth it. He didn’t blame the farmers who chose to accept this, they didn’t have much of a choice now. Especially if it meant having all of your equipment suddenly stop working.
However, it still made Ko extremely upset, since he knew that there certainly wasn’t any blight that required the entire industry to shut down. He knew that it was a lie. Ko also wasn’t someone who made a living off of farming. He was part of the Jedi Service Corps. Ko believed that he had to do at least something, even if it wasn’t much.
“Hey Kid, you okay? You haven’t even opened your can of tea yet… That isn’t very like you.” Said a deep voice. Ko was suddenly pulled out of his ruminations to see a large Dowutin looking a bit worried.
“Well, no not really. I’m still upset over the whole situation here. I just feel like I need to do something. I hate sitting around doing nothing while plenty of others around the galaxy are struggling to secure a better future. I just don’t know what to do Xade.” The young Kel Dor replied, earning him a sigh from the Dowutin, Xade. The large man was of one of the many peers and friends Ko had made during his time here on Nubia.
“Yeah I figured, but you push yourself too much. You’ve already done a lot for communities around here. Why don’t you take it easy like some of the others? I mean it’s not like you can cultivate an entire farm by yourself.” Just as they said that it was as though a lightbulb turned on over Ko’s head and caused the young Kel Dor to perk up some.
“Actually that might just be what I need to do.” What ensued was a futile back and fourth discussion between Ko, Xade and some of their other peers. Trying to convince farmhand that it was a foolish idea for even a member of the Jedi Service Corps to attempt to cultivate an entire farm alone without any high end equipment. But Ko was too stubborn to give in to their concerns. To him something, anything, would be better than sitting around those in power who were waiting for the perfect moment to take advantage of the situation they themselves created.
Over the next hour Ko got things in order to embark on the seemingly unrealistic and herculean task he set for himself. He was familiar with an independent farmer that was willing to let Ko use their land. Someone who had wanted to do the same thing, if not for being hover-chair bound and their harvester droids being out of commission.
Soon enough Ko stood out at the beginning of one of the untilled fields. In his hands he held a Vibro-hoe, something low tech, and analog enough to be reliable. Slung around his shoulder was an old scattergun in case any predatory armadids might wander upon him. Close by was some of his friends, including Xade, sitting atop their swoops to watch the determined Kel Dor start working. Believing it to be a fool's errand. Above them the setting sun began to cast an fiery orange glow across the sky.
Not long after Ko began striking the wet soil beneath him, and tilling the field he found himself alone. His friends having left him, sure that he’d give up on this soon enough. But as the cold horizon adjacent to the sun kept creeping further along in the sky the young Kel Dor maintained his pace. Each movement of the vibrating tool tore through more and more of the topsoil. Slowly but surely creating more and lines of tilled soil across the field, just one of several across the farm. Despite how abrupt this all was, he still had a plan. Even though he generally disliked the practice of monocultural farming, he had to get the most bang for his buck with the crops he sought to grow. But he was willing to temporarily stress the environment if it meant growing anything meaningful.
Fortunately the moon was full, and illuminated the land around him well enough to press on well into the night. His tenacity along with The Force helping to fuel and power his tired body through this. All the while keeping his senses sharp so that he wasn’t ambushed by a vicious armadid.
Hours passed and fields were getting tilled and seeded an acre at a time. Using The Force to telekinetically throw out and saturate the ground with seeds. The only thing Ko worried about was if he’d have enough energy to finish things up. With labored breaths he shambled over to the edge of the field he was at. Dragging the vibro-hoe behind him on the ground. The young Kel Dor didn’t even know what time it was, but it was beginning to look like that one part of the horizon was getting brighter. At the end of The Field Ko sat himself down on the ground, taking some deep breaths. Closing his eyes he began to try and center himself.
For his plan to work in a timely manner he needed to use The Force to create a surge in plant growth with all the buried seeds around him. However, it was proving a bit difficult, he lacked focus both from exhaustion and his own stubborn ego. It kept him from maintaining a calm state to direct his energy. Ko began to think about where he was, what he was actually doing. Finally feeling a measure of doubt, that perhaps now after all his hard work, it really was a fool’s errand. That he just spent a whole night playing in the dirt.
No, he knew that was wrong. He also knew that negative thinking was a surefire way to fail in his efforts here. Right now he pictured the energy in himself, the ground, and the air. All key factors in trying to grow the crops and cultivate them. Eventually, given some time, Ko wasn’t even thinking, just feeling and letting himself become connected with the world around him in The Force. Only then, after his ego was little more than an afterthought, that the plants quickly begin to grow and rush out from the soil. Feeling the surge of life around him Ko opened his eyes to see all the plants around him fully grown and ready for harvest. His plan had worked.
But just as that realization hit him, so did a wave of crippling exhaustion after just expending so much of his energy on Plant Surge. In an instant he felt himself grow heavy and he fell back onto the ground, finally passing out.
It was a great injustice in his eyes. The planet’s leadership had practically halted one of its major exports, food. Ko suspected that greed and corruption was afoot. Considering that the Galaxy was still in a time of reconstruction after the Second Great Hyperspace War. Massive famines stretched across the stars, effecting countless individuals. But instead word of some mysterious unknown blight meant that crops needed to be culled instead of harvested. But as far as Ko and every other farmer on Nubia could tell there was no such thing.
To help overcome going without work, the government has been paying agricultural workers to not work. Keeping them finally supported while all this plays out. Unsurprisingly many offer, just to have a rest from the back breaking labor. Those who didn't, however, saw their heavy equipment and machinery suddenly stop working thanks to Various kinds of ‘brickware’. So even the farmers who wanted to keep working couldn’t.
Ko had hypothesized that those incharge were hoping to capitalize on the desperation in the galaxy, and create artificial scarcity here on Nubia to later sell warehoused food for an insane profit. Enough to where paying off workers around the planet would be more than worth it. He didn’t blame the farmers who chose to accept this, they didn’t have much of a choice now. Especially if it meant having all of your equipment suddenly stop working.
However, it still made Ko extremely upset, since he knew that there certainly wasn’t any blight that required the entire industry to shut down. He knew that it was a lie. Ko also wasn’t someone who made a living off of farming. He was part of the Jedi Service Corps. Ko believed that he had to do at least something, even if it wasn’t much.
“Hey Kid, you okay? You haven’t even opened your can of tea yet… That isn’t very like you.” Said a deep voice. Ko was suddenly pulled out of his ruminations to see a large Dowutin looking a bit worried.
“Well, no not really. I’m still upset over the whole situation here. I just feel like I need to do something. I hate sitting around doing nothing while plenty of others around the galaxy are struggling to secure a better future. I just don’t know what to do Xade.” The young Kel Dor replied, earning him a sigh from the Dowutin, Xade. The large man was of one of the many peers and friends Ko had made during his time here on Nubia.
“Yeah I figured, but you push yourself too much. You’ve already done a lot for communities around here. Why don’t you take it easy like some of the others? I mean it’s not like you can cultivate an entire farm by yourself.” Just as they said that it was as though a lightbulb turned on over Ko’s head and caused the young Kel Dor to perk up some.
“Actually that might just be what I need to do.” What ensued was a futile back and fourth discussion between Ko, Xade and some of their other peers. Trying to convince farmhand that it was a foolish idea for even a member of the Jedi Service Corps to attempt to cultivate an entire farm alone without any high end equipment. But Ko was too stubborn to give in to their concerns. To him something, anything, would be better than sitting around those in power who were waiting for the perfect moment to take advantage of the situation they themselves created.
Over the next hour Ko got things in order to embark on the seemingly unrealistic and herculean task he set for himself. He was familiar with an independent farmer that was willing to let Ko use their land. Someone who had wanted to do the same thing, if not for being hover-chair bound and their harvester droids being out of commission.
Soon enough Ko stood out at the beginning of one of the untilled fields. In his hands he held a Vibro-hoe, something low tech, and analog enough to be reliable. Slung around his shoulder was an old scattergun in case any predatory armadids might wander upon him. Close by was some of his friends, including Xade, sitting atop their swoops to watch the determined Kel Dor start working. Believing it to be a fool's errand. Above them the setting sun began to cast an fiery orange glow across the sky.
Not long after Ko began striking the wet soil beneath him, and tilling the field he found himself alone. His friends having left him, sure that he’d give up on this soon enough. But as the cold horizon adjacent to the sun kept creeping further along in the sky the young Kel Dor maintained his pace. Each movement of the vibrating tool tore through more and more of the topsoil. Slowly but surely creating more and lines of tilled soil across the field, just one of several across the farm. Despite how abrupt this all was, he still had a plan. Even though he generally disliked the practice of monocultural farming, he had to get the most bang for his buck with the crops he sought to grow. But he was willing to temporarily stress the environment if it meant growing anything meaningful.
Fortunately the moon was full, and illuminated the land around him well enough to press on well into the night. His tenacity along with The Force helping to fuel and power his tired body through this. All the while keeping his senses sharp so that he wasn’t ambushed by a vicious armadid.
Hours passed and fields were getting tilled and seeded an acre at a time. Using The Force to telekinetically throw out and saturate the ground with seeds. The only thing Ko worried about was if he’d have enough energy to finish things up. With labored breaths he shambled over to the edge of the field he was at. Dragging the vibro-hoe behind him on the ground. The young Kel Dor didn’t even know what time it was, but it was beginning to look like that one part of the horizon was getting brighter. At the end of The Field Ko sat himself down on the ground, taking some deep breaths. Closing his eyes he began to try and center himself.
For his plan to work in a timely manner he needed to use The Force to create a surge in plant growth with all the buried seeds around him. However, it was proving a bit difficult, he lacked focus both from exhaustion and his own stubborn ego. It kept him from maintaining a calm state to direct his energy. Ko began to think about where he was, what he was actually doing. Finally feeling a measure of doubt, that perhaps now after all his hard work, it really was a fool’s errand. That he just spent a whole night playing in the dirt.
No, he knew that was wrong. He also knew that negative thinking was a surefire way to fail in his efforts here. Right now he pictured the energy in himself, the ground, and the air. All key factors in trying to grow the crops and cultivate them. Eventually, given some time, Ko wasn’t even thinking, just feeling and letting himself become connected with the world around him in The Force. Only then, after his ego was little more than an afterthought, that the plants quickly begin to grow and rush out from the soil. Feeling the surge of life around him Ko opened his eyes to see all the plants around him fully grown and ready for harvest. His plan had worked.
But just as that realization hit him, so did a wave of crippling exhaustion after just expending so much of his energy on Plant Surge. In an instant he felt himself grow heavy and he fell back onto the ground, finally passing out.
. . .
The next thing he knew Ko woke up in a bed, as light shined in through a window. He was back at his rural residence here on Nubia, a small hut. As he leaned off the bed he felt a pang of soreness rush across his body. A consequence of overexerting himself so much. He also had no recollection of going to bed, let alone getting back home.
Ko noticed that his clawed hands were wrapped up in bandages as well. Vaguely recalling how he’d basically worn through the gloves he had on the night before. Next to his bed on the night-stand was a note. Written on it detailed how Xade and his friends had decided to check up on Ko at sunrise after realizing he wasn’t back home yet, eventually finding him passed out next to a field of freshly grown crops. Mentioning how when word got out about how Ko had managed to single handedley grow an entire field with many more tilled and seeded others got inspired and went to go harvest them by hand to keep them safe since no pesticides had been used to keep them safe prior.
To the Kel Dor that was certainly good news. Since he was feeling so sore now that he doubted he would be able to go out and harvest them himself. But there were still more seeds and plants that needed to be cultivated. He was also fortunate no wild animals tried to eat him while he was unconscious earlier. However, Ko knew that the work he started was far from over. He was gonna need to find ways of getting the crops transported off world to where they could be processed into things like nutri-paste to feed those in need. He doubted that local authorities were going to let that happen since he wasn’t supposed to be farming in the first place currently. But Ko would deal with those issues when they arrived. Perhaps a bit of smuggling was in his near future…
