Mandy slept under the blanket of woven moss. It's warm earthen comforts bringing her dreams of her childhood.
Mandolan children were the most delightful creatures in the universe. Shortly after weaning, they were turned loose with a governess in the forests of Mandola. Like the Lippizan horses that the ancient Terrans used to ride, the children grew strong and sure in this unfettered exhistance. The children were allowed to grow and blossom before choosing a life-path, and they were happy. They played endlessly, swimming in the waters, gardening the sacred herbs, and climbing the ancient trees of the forests. The Mandolans understood the symbiotic relationship between children and trees, and the forests grew along with the youth of Mandola. No where could you travel without seeing one of the children cradled in the boughs, exchanging important secrets with their favorite tree, or just taking a nap.
Each day the children would gather in the clearing to plot the days adventures. Each evening they would gather again to herald their accomplishments around the fire. This was Mandy's favorite part of the day. The Elders would tell them stories, and sing songs, all passing down the oral history that was Mandola.
Life changed for all of the children when representatives from the Federation Academy came to Mandola. They brought with them many games for the children to play. Trials and playful compitition were something the children loved, and they gladly obliged.
Mandy took all of this in as she usually did, after all, if the Elders weren't worried, why should she be? She playfully aced every test set to her. She was a fierce protector in their mock battles, and as quick to laugh as she was to cry over some other child's misfortune. She learned their songs and their stories with passion.
She was no different than any other Mandolan child, except for the fact that she saw everything. One of the Federation 'games' was to put the children in a tent with various objects, under the pretense of waiting for someone to come get them. When the children were removed, they were asked what was in the tent with them. On her first try at this game, Mandy had it down to how many threads per square inch in the tent canvas. The elders and Federation representatives left the girl standing in the clearing and huddled in quiet conference for what seemed like hours.
When they offered Mandy schooling in the Federation Academy, she had no idea they were being anything but benevolent. She had never even heard of Recon, or Information Technology, and as she dozed in her tree for the final time, she imagined the great opportunities this would offer her. The Federation!
Her initial feeling upon reaching Polaris was one of tentative joy. That quickly faded and was replaced by a creeping depression that she had never felt before. There were no trees here, and she was forced to wear a uniform, and shoes.....The tests seemed endless, and she never really saw any point to any of them. She read disinterestedly, fought half-heartedly, and longed to be someplace she could run for miles.
One evening, while resting in her bunk, she heard a low voice singing in the next compartment.
Watermelon moon
Floating in the sky
He's lonesome too
Honey, so am I
He's just half the moon
That he used to be
I know just how he feels since you're not here with me....
She followed the sounds, and came upon the bunk of the Ice Giant, Farkin. She calmly sat on the floor and asked him to continue. His creaking and groaning sounded just like her long lost trees! She leaned against the wall and let his voice roll around her like the wind.
The two made an odd pair. The hulking Ice Giant and the maiden would chatter away, laughing in their little corner of the room, the two seemed to have found their place. His upbringing was similar to hers, and he seemed to be an endless supply of Woodrow songs. They were a delight after the hours of Disney Theme songs piped into their bunks. Farkin would pick her up, and she would cram pillows over the speakers in the room. The two would enjoy the silence for a brief moment, then one or the other would begin to sing.
Life carried on like this for a time, until the morning that Mandy was pulled from her Memorization lab. She was brusquely given the information that in a minor skirmish between DisneyCo fighters and the rebels in the Tygris Quadrant, the planet of Mandola was destroyed, please return to your station. Mandy did as she was told, but on seating herself at her station, she shot upright again and left the room. Farkin saw her face, and he lumbered out of the room after her. He found her in her bunk, curled into a tiny ball, sobbing. Inbetween the sobs and muffled hiccups, the girl told Farkin what had happened. She could not be sworn to protect the Federation and their interests if they would not protect her and hers. Farkin sat in silence. He was never impulsive, but this once he told her, in his quiet voice, that she should go. Their eyes met for a brief second, and in the next she had shed her Federation uniform and the dreadful shoes. She took her sari out from under her pillow, and wrapped herself in the cloth of her land.
The Federation was supposed to protect those that could not protect themselves. They didn't. In that instance, Mandy shed the past few months along with her uniform. She would resume the life she had once known, and was probably always destined for. She took the position on the MudcatEnterprise because she had heard their gardens were unrivaled in any ship, and the Captain gave her free rein so long as there were plants to recycle O2, and fresh food to feed the crew.
Once again, however, there was change in the air. Disney and the Songstealers had taken from her everything she had ever held dear. And what would become of the Green Man and the Terran now? One ancient, one young, but both with kind hearts and powerful souls. She hoped it would be enough.
Mandy shifted uneasily under her blanket, her brow furrowed, and she pulled the moss tighter around her.