[Annabeth’s sitting at a cafe in the Fire Sector, blonde hair its usual mess of curls when the console turns on; she glances at something off screen for a few seconds before coming back into focus. There's a tall, thin, somewhat scraggly looking but composed middle-aged man standing beside and a little behind her, letting her take center on the camera. You might recognize him as Bruce Banner, if he remembered to introduce himself.]Unless you're new or living under a rock, the rationing's back in full swing with pretty unfortunate long term implications. We're fine now, whether you’re accustomed to a higher lifestyle or otherwise, but probably not for said long term if this keeps up. That's where hydroponics comes in. If you don't know -
[Insert brief but simultaneously detailed enough explanation of hydroponics here.] We've already figured out the logistics and mechanics of developing such a garden, hopefully with a grand enough scale to actually be useful and successful.
[Brief pause, and she points upward over her shoulder.] It was his idea.
[He nods on cue.] Uh, hi. I'm... Bruce Banner.
[He does look kind of uncomfortable giving out his name, but forges on.] Usually I work in physics or biochemistry, but with some help I've managed to put together a feasible work proposal for the set up.
[He starts to gain speed and smoothness as he gets into the technical aspect.] The critical point here is that with an isolated indoor filtration system for the water, and no use of soil, we can prevent the widespread sickness from affecting our crops. We'd just have to be careful about cross-contamination.
I put out some feelers, and... the kedan are pretty interested in working with us. So we'd have a lot of local support. We can't pay anyone, because we don't plan on making any money off of it. The food would be for everyone.
[He glances over at Annabeth, handing it off again.][She picks up with ease.] It'll be run like a co-op - you work some, you'll get some. There's a lot to potentially do beyond just the set up, so don't feel like you're automatically excluded if you don't understand the more technical or scientific aspects.
[It’s not like she gets them all herself either; Annabeth just sort of found herself taking the reins like she do and ordering people around.] Basically, we're looking for volunteers, from any interested party. To keep it functioning, it'll probably require a lot of upkeep - so there's not really a limit here either, since it'll need a fairly regular commitment. If we get enough people involved, the garden should essentially run itself. And I know over half the population is pressed over food shortages, so yes, should this expand, some of that will be quelled.
[Level and unhurried, Bruce wraps up with,] Right now we're just looking for a preliminary estimate of involvement. A place to start. So, let us know if you're interested.
[A beat of silence, before he adds,] Thanks for listening?
[Annabeth glances up at him with a bit of a face, but that’s about all she does - no goodbyes from her before she cuts the feed.]