The Astralaceaes

Chapter 3: In The Presence of Towering Trees

The silence in the room was deafening as Haledon stared at Sparrow.

"No." He finally said with a shake of his head. "That's ridiculous. You're shading my leaves."

Sparrow stared back into Haledon's eyes. Folding her arms over her chest, she released a frustrated sigh.

Behind her—tucked half into one of the walls—Witch-Hazel's head twitched between Haledon and Sparrow. Spindly vines crawled up its face, forming a twisted smile.

"No, you're having a go at me." Haledon continued. "If y—if you were who you say you are, then you'd be a thousand rings old!"

"Several thousand, actually," She replied quickly, anticipating the remark. "Give or take a few centuries."

"But how—?" He stood and walked towards Sparrow.

Behind, Witch-Hazel twitched and emerged from the wall. The staff began to emanate a purple bioluminescent glow from the ends. Extending its free hand, a waterfall of thick pollen lazily drifted to the floor.

Haledon stopped and took a step back.

Sparrow cocked her head before turning to look at Witch-Hazel.

"Witch-Hazel! Out. Out. Out. Go stand in the hallway." She ordered.

There was a pregnant pause before the bramble beast huffed. With heavy steps, it sulked past the two and became one with the wall, disappearing quickly.

"It knows...there are grass screens, right?" Haledon asked as he turned his attention back to Sparrow. "It can just walk through those."

"Witch-Hazel isn't like you or me." She scowled, staring at the wall. "Arbornauts don't have flesh or bone or connecting sinew. They're the embodiment of Nature and can root and move through this ship however best suits them. And sometimes, like in Nature, Arbornauts will do what they have always done, like—spying on us!"

She yelled at the wall and then waited. There was a gentle rustle of leaves and then silence.

"There, now Witch-Hazel has given us some privacy. So, Haledon, you are in charge of the Hypogeal Nexus?"

"Yes...umm, can we get back to you being thousands of rings old?" Haledon tried to steer the conversation. But Sparrow began wandering away from him and towards one of the tables.

"I could tell by the external husk that your nutrient composition has changed."

"I—uhh...umm, well, I remember hearing many generations ago there was an impact with a sizeable interstellar object."

"Astras' are meant to collide with space debris. How else would they replenish materials utilized and released into space through entropy?"

"Okay, well, yeah, but this was the size of a mature pod. The damage was mainly to the forward seed, and it was the first and only time an Astralaceae has docked with another."

"Really? The other Astra came to your ship? The seed connected itself? Was this laterally?" Sparrow was looking back at Haledon, hungry for answers. "For how long? Was it near a star?"

"I don't know—it's practically ancient history. I think we attached with the seeds...in parallel?"

Sparrow tapped her foot and looked around the room. She gave it a thorough inspection before returning her gaze to Haledon. Waving her hands, she motioned for him to move before sitting in the seat and sighing.

"I must remember to examine the Lateral Dendron Rods another time," Sparrow muttered as she slumped into the woven chair that had been summoned. "Show me your daily routine, Seral Druid."