Beyer stood in his lab, something that had slowly grown of the last couple years consuming his little living room, dining room and kitchen. The floor and shelves are covered by the dying crops under otherwise ideal conditions. Beyer stares at the wall of black board, covered in chalk explaining in excrutiating detail how much light the plants should need, minerals, water, etc... everything that should have grown a healthy and strong plant, but the crops whithered and grew stunted fruits. In his chlenched fist he rolls the stubby pencil of chalk back and forth on his palm.
*snap*
"DAMN IT" Beyer shouted throwing his, now, two pieces of chalk against the wall to join the slowly growing pile of similar used and discarded chalk. He took the spongy eraser and began erasing the months of work he had done that had, yet again, ammounted to nothing. "It doesnt make sense, they had all the nitrates they should have needed, it was rich soil high in dissolved protiens and minerals. I even distilled the water before adding nutrient solution.... was it the light? contaiminant of the soil? damn..." Beyer was talking to himself, growing ever more agitated at his years of defeat.
'Beyer!.... Beyer?" shouted someone from outside. 'Was it realay the day for the void meeting already?' beyer thought to himself. "yes, Yes, come in!" he replied to the voice. A burly man stepped in, one of the miners he traded with for chalk and chemical precursors, Argus.. Angus... Argo? traded with the man for years and couldnt remember his name. Beyer rationalized it that the mans name wast actually that important, he was generally so distracted that he hardly spoke to the man. Partially it was intentional because he knew he was several months worth of rations in debt to him.
Argus, or whatever his name was stepped into the lab and marveled at the sight, "all this and you still cant figure out whats killin the plants?"
"Not for lack to trying..." said Beyer, "whats going on?"
"the caravan to Jul'ritarzi is starting to pack up, you said you where going to be on it."
"and i will be, i just need-
"the caravan was supposed to leave two hours ago..."
Beyer simply nodded, he was so distracted he hardly remembered that there was a meeting at Jul'ritarzi anyway. he ran to the back and started gathering up supplies, a couple days of food and a small bag of clothes, but then a heavy backpack loaded mostly with notebooks and stubby pensils and a few thick text books on Xeno-biology, planetary ecology, one on astrophysics and one on theoretical physics that he beraly understands.
after only a few minutes he was ready to depart and told angus, or argo... that he was giving his house to the community. the others of the mountain could come and raid his house for whatever they needed, including the plants. He had no intention of returning to this place, because he was going into the void..
