Olives

The Commander sucked an olive pit in thought. Though she had few tastebuds, she could appreciate the pleasure and power of taste. Mythtuf did not eat, but grew food plants from Earth in the event they needed to adapt digestive systems and be economically autonomous. The ancestors also recommended agriculture as a sign of cultural hospitality during exchange eras: humans appreciated the familiarity of farming societies. Olives were one of the oldest crops imported from Earth. During the Great Merging, when the Otris Planetary System took matter from the Earth Solar System, olive trees were a staple plant humans harvested and offered to Otris. Commander Gywtug spit and gripped the pit between fingers, studying it: interesting how certain species withstood change of ecosystems and human proclivities. It was not unlike life on Otris.