16.6.5 The T'rvati Atomic Garden
(This is an entry for The Shop Contest 963 A.E. See - SHOPCONTEST)
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Part 1: Shop design
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Shop name
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The T'rvati Atomic Garden
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Ideal Location
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In the south of Tabby Outpost, past the Decheeran's foot.
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Room names and descriptions
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Room name: Inside a climate-controlled hall
Room description: This building carries unmistakeable signs of T'rvati's handiwork, from its semi-organic airlock to the "breathing" of the dome above as it regularly expands and contracts during its work to filter impurities from the air inside. This airlock takes up a significant portion of the northern wall with a bony outer frame and enameled, white iris doors separating the entrance hall from the hostile exterior. Curving viewscreens form a window-like border between the dome and its floor, displaying a simulation of Song restored, the surroundings overwhelmed with verdant life and no ash or mutants in sight. Layered panels of hexagonal amethyst form most of the dome's ceiling, and only momentarily expose a gray, chitinous surface above during deeper breaths from the building's filtration systems. The tiled floor comes as a return to normality, with its alternating tiles of silver and purple remaining perfectly still and stable to walk across.
Room name: The Atomic Garden
Room description: This shop lies inside a formglass sphere at the heart of the building, and is constantly bathed in a limited spectrum of artificial light by a network of drones circling overhead. Twisted specimens of plantlife line the curved walls, some likely to look familiar, others barely recognizable as life, even less a plant. The specialized lighting lends the garden a bluer hue than the rest of the structure, though a centrally located glow-sphere supplies a smaller amount of broad-spectrum light, keeping visibility from falling too low. A holographic sign hovers above the glowsphere, reading: "Welcome to the T'rvati Atomic Garden".
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Stock list
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Mostly variants of existing plants, or foods based on the mutant plants, some changing more than others.
appearance: a violet-veiled vorstenoot
dropped: A violet-veiled vorstenoot rolls about on the ground here.
examined: Unlike the typical heavy, hard-shelled vorstenoot, repeated mutations have rendered this strain remarkably easy to eat. The outer surface is an unusual, vivid violet, smoother and far closer to an eggshell than the usual for this species, and breaks with the lightest tap. Within the scant protection of its fragile shell is a creamy flesh with a tangy aftertaste, soft, sticky, and lacking the vorstenoot's well known milky fluid at its center.
A hazmat suit.
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Decor/Furniture
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Appearance: The radiation station
Dropped: A bulky titanium station/workstation
Examined: Despite being made almost entirely of baryonic titanium, this cuboid station relies on a worryingly thin layer of rad-shielding across its surface to isolate its contents from the outside world. A heavy, shielded touchscreen takes up a large portion of the station's front, offering a clear view throughout the irradiation of its contents, and easy control of the tools inside. Within the central chamber, an array of mechanical limbs protrude from a shallow, metallic hemisphere embedded in the ceiling, which allows most samples to be positioned and retrieved with relative ease. A focused ion beam has been set up to the left of the limbs, using xenon ions for precise ionization of a sample. A second radiation source has been placed directly beneath the hemisphere, taking a heavy handed approach in the form of a broad, rad-shielded container with two sections, one for seeds, one for radioactive material right beside it. Entry to the chamber is granted by a thick door taking up most of the right side of the station.
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NPC
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Merak T'rvati, Jin non-binary.
Possible dropped line: Merek T'rvati tends to their garden here, providing weeds with a lethal dose of radiation.
Examined: Behind the visor of a partially disarmed B.E.A.S.T., an emaciated Jin watches over their research through icy gray eyes. The outer shell of their lightweight exoskeleton is a translucent blend of R-glass and transteel, making it difficult to see exactly where the visor ends and the more protective helmet begins. The pilot's silhouette almost suggests an Elgan inhabitant, short and slender, but for the short horns barely visible beneath the metallic protection. Vibrant purple enamel lines the suit's joints, claws and horns, adding a splash of color to the armored panels. Adjustments to the suit's plasmacasters have turned an otherwise effective weapon into a source of ionizing radiation, with liquid gallium replacing plasma, and fuel lines resembling little more than silvery arteries beneath the suit's armored skin. Tungsten blades line the unusually narrow nozzle of these modified plasmacasters, serving as an unconventional wristblade in an emergency.
Other information: If possible, I'd like Merak to acknowledge dynasty members as family upon entry.
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Part 2:
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I chose Tabby Outpost as the possible location for the T'rvati Atomic Garden for two reasons. The first, and main reason, is that it's a heavily irradiated environment with the local scientists confirming that it's still dangerous and causing mutations. This helps to justify the easy supply of mutants for the shop's stock. The presence of the Song Restoration Society is my second reason for choosing it, as my character chooses to work with them with the plan to create new plants which thrive on Song's surface.
I think the shop would fit in the outpost as it's aligned with the goals of the nearby researchers to revitalize the planet, and the atomic garden could help to make some progress towards that. My character's interest in biology and mutants are the main way this idea ties in with their backstory, an so they'd choose to become a shopkeeper to fund further experiments and expansion into Song's wasteland, as a next step after collecting mutants and plants for study.
