ataraxites | OXYGEN GARDENS

T H E O X Y G E N G A R D E N S
levels ▒▒▒ - ▒▒▒ of the usc tranquility
reachable by the green lifts
❝ The oxygen gardens, in addition to the the mechanical CO₂ scrubbers, provide the ship with oxygen; judging by the contents of the first level, the gardens were also originally intended to provide part of the ship's food supplies. Although the remaining three levels of the garden are lush jungle, the only animals to be found inside are insects. ❞

O V E R V I E W
The oxygen gardens take up a good portion of space on the Tranquility, as they help keep the ship's air and water supply pure, recycled, and filtered. The entire complex is bigger than four football stadiums stacked on top of one another, and the first level is actually much larger than the other three, extending for a good half mile in any direction. Each level is lit with fluorescent growlights, built into the ceiling high above floors themselves. Extending past these lights, on the ceilings (and in the walls) are extensive sprinkler systems. Floors two to four receive timed "rainfall" once a week, and are spritzed lightly otherwise. Level one is provided with a complicated mesh of sprinklers for seed plots, and the hydroponic systems provide the plants with irrigation.

Each level is also outfitted with a monitoring terminal, which assesses the condition of the level in question. Though most climate control is directed by the atmospheric stabilizers in engineering, the oxygen gardens have secondary terminals with which to monitor the health of the plants and environment on each level. On level one, there is an additional monitoring system that ensures proper filtration of the irrigation systems, the water supply, and the CO₂ scrubbers. The agriculture crew may manipulate and input information using these computers within the non-lethal specifications. If any crew members attempt to sabotage or break any system within the gardens, however, the terminal shuts down and alerts are sent to engineering.

L E V E L O N E
Level one is where most of the technical machinery and filtration systems are located. Though every level uses hydroponics, level one is the level in which all plant life is cared for using a hydroponic system. There are rows upon rows of high-tech NFT (nutrient film technique) hydroponics and a lush accumulation of the plants themselves, extending for about a quarter mile; almost every garden plant, fruit, or vegetable is being grown here, as this floor is 95% concerned with growing food for the passengers, rather than creating oxygen. Some plants may not be recognizable, as they are native vegetation from Pasiphae, Alexandria, or Ceres, but everything is very healthy and very edible.

Seeds can be found in cabinets near the filtration systems, and characters can plant them just about anywhere in any level. They are in either packets or packed into space versions of Earth's rockwool cubes. Hovertrucks and dollies can be used to transport food and harvested crops to the passenger quarters or kitchens; all gardening equipment is kept in metal "sheds" on each floor.

H ₂ O F I L T E R S
This is where the main hub of water recyclers are located, collecting wastewater from sinks, bathrooms, washing rooms, and runoff from irrigation in order to filter it, purify it, and send it off to be used again. There is a tremendous amount of water being used on the ship—from pools to plumbing to sprinklers—and all of it is in a constant process of reprocessing and purification. There are many artificial streams running through the oxygen gardens, which collect "rainfall" runoff and act as both drainage and sources of wastewater collection. It takes about one week to completely purify the entire ship's water supply, but as it is a constant process, there is never a water shortage.

The plumbing in the Tranquility is extremely extensive, and although the gardens are the recycling hub, there's a huge amount of piping leading to and from level one in order to disperse the liquid. Along with the air vents, the pipes that allow water and other fluids to be transported throughout the ship are very heavy-duty, very large, and can create problems if not monitored correctly. This takes place in engineering, but agriculture staff are encouraged to report leakage or spillage so that it may be fixed. Water can be diverted to special spillways within the Tranquility's structure so that it can be collected and redirected back to the filters.

C O ₂ S C R U B B E R S
Carbon dioxide scrubbers control and eliminate the carbon dioxide in the air passengers exhale. Since the plants in the oxygen garden need the carbon dioxide in order to flourish, the CO₂ emissions are very carefully controlled in order to keep the plants and the humans healthy. The huge bank of scrubbers near the water filtration system serves as the air filtration system, as the air is similarly recycled and purified, so that the ship remains fresh and breathable 24/7. Air is pushed from the filtration system through spacious vents threaded through the Tranquility at all times.

L E V E L S 2 - 4 — T H E J U N G L E
Much of the O2 gardens is mostly sprawling jungle—it looks light it once might have been a neatly manicured forest, but now it's tangled, messy, and out of control. The floor is covered with at least three feet of packed soil, and there are thick trees and bushes and grass growing wild here. Occasional grassy fields and gardens of overgrown flowers dot the otherwise very dense forest. This is where a majority of the insects live; honeybees, butterflies, earthworms, and several insects native to the Miraxian Triad care for the greenery and the soil of this section, eliminating most of the need for human gardeners.

These levels are purely for the creation of oxygen, as evidenced by the huge amount of greenery. They've been allowed to grow unchecked for an undetermined amount of time, so the vegetation here really is quite thick and hard to navigate. There are plain grassy sections that are not populated by trees, but there are no rolling hills or any change in the floorscape at all. Small streams run branch through the denser areas, providing a faint calming sound on top of the ever-present mechanical hum of the ship.

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N A V I G A T I O N