We'll dance among the stars by daughterofshadows

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Balar 4

Final chapter of the Balar arc!

A bit of science geekery, a few fears for the future and a generous pouring of love.

No new characters, just a few beloved old ones.

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The hour was late when they finally left Celebrilmal’s family. They had lingered far longer than Nellas expected, but Anneryn had slept peacefully in Laurendil’s and Salakanto’s bed, and none of them had the urge to let a lovely evening end.

 

Nellas was surprised when Alma sat down next to her after dinner and asked about her research on the growth of crops on space stations.

“I read your last paper on the topic,” they explained. “My mother had similar ideas, but we left before any of them ever came to fruition. She was part of the village council at home, and often dealt with agricultural projects. This was a special interest of hers, and so it became one of mine, too.”

Their gaze grew distant.

“You see, the village Rōka and I grew up in was very similar to what Círdan and Aerchen have created here. A place for brilliant minds to gather so our people could reach the stars. And we did! My father worked on some of those projects, and so did both of Rōka’s parents. Actually, nearly all of his family members have worked at that yard at one point or the other. Most of them are craftspeople of some kind. You know, it’s kind of funny. We didn’t consider ourselves engineers until we first heard the term here. Before that we were smiths and ropers, glassblowers and jewellers, makers of things. We worked together, but we did not consider ourselves one whole.”

Alma laughed.

“But I digress. The point is we figured out how to go to space. But quickly that wasn’t enough anymore. We wanted to go further. Reach those stars properly. We figured out the technical aspects surprisingly quickly, but the question of how to feed those adventurers going out into the void? That wasn’t as easily answered. It’s another thing we learned from you.”

 

“But what did you eat?! You spent twenty years out there on your own!” Nellas finally interjected.

“Coimas!” Alma and Glorfindel chorused.

“It’s a waybread of sorts,” Glorfindel added. “Don’t ask me how they make it though. High nutritional value and very little taste. There were a few other things, but that was our main meal. It stored well, and apparently the ingredients are easily produced even with our limited knowledge astro-agriculture. Still, we were so glad when we finally harvested the first crops on Hithlum. I was surprised we hadn’t lost all our seeds to radiation damage.”

“Yes!” Nellas exclaimed. “That is what I was hoping to research next. I’ve figured out how to support the growth of crops like corn on a space station, and the methods should be applicable to spaceships as well, but the question of course is whether their fruit will still be safe for consumption, let alone produce useable seeds when exposed to radiation long term.”

She turned to Glorfindel.

“I was actually hoping to continue my research on the Gondolin. It would be the perfect opportunity to study behaviour across multiple harvests. And of course the radiation environment of deep space flight is the one I’m most interested in. The research has less relevance for travel within the system, since ships will usually be near enough to a planet or outpost to restock.”

Glorfindel nodded seriously. “An excellent idea. If you write a proposal for it, I can discuss it with the relevant people so we can ensure you have all you need.”

 

 

“You enjoyed the evening then, my love?” Galdor asked, lacing their fingers together as they walked back towards their own apartment. Eglarest was never truly dark, but at this time of night the lights along the road were dimmed, and the wind had died down to a soft breeze.

Laegolas was a few feet ahead of them, humming along to a music only he could hear, and Anneryn still slept in her sling. Nellas considered it a minor miracle that she hadn’t woken when they picked her up from the bed.

“I did! It’s always fun to talk about my research, and Glorfindel and Alma both made some interesting remarks that got me thinking. We’ll see whether they’ll go anywhere. Did you enjoy the evening, though? You looked rather serious when you and Salakanto returned from the kitchen.”

 

Galdor glanced at Laegolas, fingers tightening around Nellas’ hand.

“We were talking about further studies. I know Laegolas has yet to make up his mind. He might still choose to attend lectures in Vinyamar in person. Or maybe even here on Balar. I wanted to know whether Celebrilmal has decided yet. She has a good head on her shoulders. I would feel better if they were together. Especially since Idril will most likely attend remotely.”

“Did Salakanto have any insight to offer?” Nellas asked, even though she already knew the answer.

He shook his head. “He didn’t. I know we still have some time left before we’re scheduled to leave the system again, and the application window for the academy opens, but…”

“But you are his parent and you worry,” she said knowingly. “For what it’s worth, I think it will all work out in the end. They’re good kids, both of them. They’ll be fine.”

Galdor sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple. “You are right, of course. What would I do without you?”

Nellas grinned. “I have no idea.”

 

They were getting ready for bed, when Nellas finally said something that had been on her mind since they had left Celebrilmal’s family.

“You know, I’m glad we went to dinner tonight. I was feeling a bit homesick this morning, but talking to your friends really helped. Laurendil and Elenwë invited me to join them for coffee sometime, and they promised to introduce me to the person in charge of the nursery. I don’t think I want to leave Anneryn at the nursery while I’m still nursing, but it will be good to know for the future. And even though I didn’t talk to Salakanto or Rōka much, they seem like good people, and I hope next time I might get to know them better. And of course, talking about my research to Alma and Glorfindel was great. Maybe next time I can ask about Alma’s work instead. Perhaps we could host a dinner, too, before we leave. What do you think?”

“I think, if it makes you smile like this, I would host a hundred dinners with you,” Galdor replied.

Nellas rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you are a charmer, Galdor Aldaron. Now, take me to bed. I plan to make good use of our night together.”

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Chapter End Notes

Nellas' research is heavily inspired by some papers I read a few years ago about studies done on plankton growth on the ISS.

The researchers were wondering whether it might be a self-sustaining way of producing oxygen, for example for a trip to Mars, where radiation damage is a big concern.

Now, I'm a physicist by trade, not a biologist, so I took creative liberties and extended the research to include plants beyond plankton, but that's why this is a science fiction AU, not a science fact one 😉