Chapter 11 Building a Gazebo
If there was one thing to take into account regarding the adventure with Amira it was really a walk in the park, but when they checked the pictures that they need had to go on another expedition on Cerea. The boys were really spellbound by the beautiful lush world despite not gaining the pictures that they wanted regarding autumn, but they did had new ones for summer and spring time. The people of Cerea were of course suspicious of the 3 due to the battle droids but they did warmed up to them when they saw that they were just some kids who managed to reprogram the droids and were actually exploring the landscape and the plants whom the Cereans were more then pleased. The other thing to be known was the fact that despite all the good things that was, when they came they didn't counted on a Jedi to also be present at that moment, and not any but Jedi a child of Cerea, Ki-Adi-Mundi. Who on the sight of them and their droids he immediately went to question them; it amazed him with their misadventures despite all that.
They hoped that he wouldn't be giving them a task to do, however it was a misplaced hope since he wasn't there only to visit his home planet. Master Mundi was trying to see if the CIS were making trouble and he was right in a sense, because there was a landed C-9979 transport ship. And the Eds had to use their tactic with their reprogrammed B1 battle droids and a contingent of 4 commando droids to get in and again to take control of the ship to get intelligence. When Master Mundi heard that the mission was only to build a listening post the master rewarded them a number of credits along the ship which contained mostly building materials.
"Well this was something we should have expected." Eddy commented while back on the Fortune Favor after getting the transport and their escort back to the ship.
"Well maybe but we can't overload the ship's systems to listen to every single warring side of this conflict." Double D said.
"Maybe building a listening post could be a good option now." Said OM 01.
"We will figure out in the future days on what to do, but now let's get back to the cul-de-sac I believe we will take a day or two off from exploring from tomorrow, who knows maybe we will use something from what we got today. Maybe we will use that for some scam." Eddy said as the ship was navigating hyperspace.
"Should we prepare the Space Shark with some building equipment and some droids for such a task sir?" Asked OM 01.
"Just in case yes, make sure it will be camouflaged." Eddy ordered as they exited hyperspace.
"And remember what we said about saving energy and fuel gentleman." Double D said.
"Roger-Roger sirs." Said another droid as the Eds went to the docking.
"Well aside from the small mishap regarding the Jedi Master Mundi things went pretty well on Cerea." Double D said.
"Maybe but I have to tell that the cuisine was kind of odd. A dish that I tried was quite spicy." Eddy said.
"With the unfamiliar foods that are found around the galaxy, one can't deny it." Double D said.
"Ed loves it, thinks it is good." Ed said eating a cerean made bread.
"Well their pastries were for me quite more adequate to tell the truth despite the unfamiliarity." Double D said as they walked towards the docking bay where they were greeted by the droids who prepared the Gozanti. After getting inside they immediately descended at the outskirts of the cul-de-sac in the woods just when it was close to evening. The boys after leaving the ship they helped conceal the ship for no one to see before parting ways as to their homes.
When the next day came the Eds walked around the neighborhood trying to no look suspicious they instead started to a scam with lemonade but containing some small extra ingredient in the form of iorgan juice from the space iorgan fruits. And the scam was surprisingly going well, Eddy even decided that from the recording from the droids and from what they filmed to make a cinema night and they got what it needed especially with the memory the droids have from past experience.
"Well things are really coming well can't believe this would happen eventually with the Fortune Favor." Eddy commented after the last customer left.
"Well I have to agree the fact that ever since with the Fortune Favor things really turned around and to be sincere even for our droids things are looking around very well, when on worlds that had trouble with the CIS they see us and them as heroes." Double D said.
"Yeah, too bad that now last time we got a ship with construction materials and we don't know where to actually build a base of our own." Eddy said.
"Well we can still use them at something till we find a way to make a ground base or use it for our station." Double D said before Eddy heard a conversation between Sarah and Jimmy regarding Jimmy's zen garden.
"Think positive thoughts Sarah, this garden is a harbor from the brutal outside world beyond the fence, a vulgar world that is filled with muggers, wedgies and purple nurples. But alas my garden lacks one thing…one last item to make it perfect, a gazebo in which to sip iced tea and drink in the beauty that is surrounding us."
"Let's build one Jimmy." Sara said with enthusiasm.
"With wispy arms cannot bear the incessant pound of a hammer Sarah." Jimmy commented.
"This lemonade is really great wonder what exactly is in it?" Asked Johnny after drinking some of the lemonade.
"A special treat Johnny, from a special fruit." Ed said.
"Let's just say it is a…." Double D started before Eddy came in literally removing Johnny from the scene, getting both him and Plank out of the road.
"Sorry Johnny something intervened and it is a secret ingredient we can't tell." Eddy said before going back to his friends.
"Boys we got a new scam to cash in, take those." Eddy said getting them 2 construction helmets. "And call the Space Shark we got some job for the construction droids."
Slap
"Heya squirts!" Eddy said.
"Oh dear they are interrupting our Yoga exercises." Jimmy commented while actually Jimmy was using a rolling pin on her back.
"Get lost Eddy."
"Just a friendly neighborhood visit from the Ed Construction Company! You dream it up we slap it together." Eddy declared but Sarah wasn't convinced.
"Stay here while I rearrange his face." She started preparing her arms to beat Eddy.
"Hold on Sarah maybe I am the one with the universe today but I need a gazebo and here's a construction company at my door." Jimmy said.
"What?"
"Peaceful thoughts Sarah." Jimmy said as he turned to the Eds.
"Oh gentleman." He called as he started to explain his idea of the gazebo that while Ed was drinking like a dog from the koi fish pond.
"No problem there jimbo, not only we shall make your dreams come true but it shall be done out of wood, but it shall be done as fast as possible." Eddy said while he took both Jimmy and Sarah to get them inside. "Now you two wait while we and our construction team get to work." Eddy said before pulling out his communicator to contact the Space Shark.
"Space Shark this is Captain Eddy."
"We copy you sir." Responded the droid at the other end.
"Have a team of 3 construction battle droids to our location with some equipment and bring as much wood as you can." He said.
"Should we bring the wood from Cerea sir? The inventory of the ship that we took last time had cut several trees from the planet to add wood to the base they wanted to build." The droid overseer of the ship said.
"Get as much as you can out I will come by." Eddy said.
"Roger-Roger."
"I made the sketch of Jimmy's proposed gazebo. As you can see we have to dig deep in order to lay an appropriate foundation. However I advise to wait for the droids to come by to make it orderly." Double D said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah I get it, we shall only begin with a shallow foundation for now till I go get our droids." Eddy said as he pulled out an X sign from his pocket.
"X marks the spot big guy, dig shallow this time." Eddy said as Ed started with his bare hands to dig which wasn't quite orderly, but Eddy already left in a hurry to get the droids, of course Double D decided to stop him before he went too deep.
"Enough Ed I believe it is good enough." Double D called.
"Okay Double D! All done." Ed called as the hole was deep enough to Ed's waist.
"Good think I stopped you it would have been too deep." Double D said just when the droids with an anti gravity ramp with supplies with Eddy arrived.
"Here we are." Eddy called.
"Ed had made the requested foundation and I stopped him before he went too deep, we only need to lay down the foundation material." Double D said as he showed the droids the sketches.
"We have it at our disposal right now sir, we will start pouring it." A droid said as the droids started pouring the material into the hole.
"By the way in how much time will this stuff become solid?"
"The materials in that C 9979 transport that we took were meant for a temporary base, this foundation material would usually become solid in an hour." Reported the droid.
"An hour and what we do an hour?" Asked Eddy.
"We can start preparing the walls for the structure before we put it together. One aspect to be known is that the wood of Cerea is one of the finest, despite the world been considered a backwater in the galaxy." Said the droid.
"Backwater or not let's make the walls." Eddy said.
"Okee-dokee foreman Eddy." Ed said as the Eds and the droids were starting to execute their plan.
"Captain Eddy maybe someone should keep an eye on the 2 who asked for this gazebo, just in case they are coming too early. We remember the directive regarding staying hidden." Said one of the construction droids.
"I will keep an eye on them, you just keep constructing." Eddy ordered.
In Jimmy's room
"Oh Sarah…you will rival the flowers with the delicate beauty of your kimono." Said Jimmy after making a pink flower kimono literally made of cardboard.
"I've never had a cardboard dress before." Sara said admiring it.
"Come on, let's prepare the iced tea to drink in my new gazebo." Jimmy said.
"Do you have any soda pop?" Sara asked.
In the meantime
"Got the nail sight here Double D?" Asked Ed while hitting the nails for the gazebo which really took shape, if it wasn't for the droids the gazebo would have looked really bad, but with the droids it really took the form it should have in the sketch, the only drawback was that it was square and not round.
"Ed, your skill at hammering nails is quite questionable." Double D said while Double D was trying to carve some of the peacocks.
"At least the structure is nearly completed, only the roof must be done and it will be finished." Reported a droid who was working on the roof.
"As long as it takes shape we it will work." Eddy commented before a droid came.
"Captain Eddy I have to report something." The droid started.
"What happened?" Eddy asked.
"We used the entire purple paint sir; we don't have for the roof." Reported the droid as another droid used the last drop of paint on the body.
"Do we have other types of paint?"
"Only pink one, but only for the roof, not so much for the interior."
"Use it anyways for the roof, as for the interior we will figure something out. We can let Jimmy and Sarah do for the interior as they wish." Eddy said.
"Roger-Roger." The droid saluted.
"You know Eddy; your intervention would be very welcoming especially to get new paint." Double D called.
"Actually Captain Eddward, it is better this way, due to the fact that the paint isn't the best quality, it will take 2 to 3 hours to dry, leaving marks if you sit inside." The droid who had just finished the roof said as the second one started to use the paint to color the rooftop of the gazebo.
"Hmm in this case, maybe it will be fine for Jimmy to do the interior." Double D said before hearing Jimmy's voice from inside.
"I can't wait to look at the gazebo and savor the tea in it. I will go and ask how the construction is going." Jimmy said.
"Jimmy is coming." Double D called.
"Go and tell them that it is still a work in progress and wait for some more time." Eddy said as Double D went in, while Eddy went to the roof.
"How is the situation?" Eddy asked.
"Nearly there sir I need 15 more minutes." He said.
"You will get only 10 or 5 if Double D doesn't manage to hold them back." Eddy said right when Double D entered inside the house where Jimmy was nearly finishing the tea.
"Oh is my gazebo finished?" Jimmy asked with excitement.
"The construction is still ongoing and it will be finished after a bit more time." Double D said trying to stay calm.
"In how much time?" Sara asked with suspicion.
"We still need 20 minutes till it is finished." He said.
"Hmm OK, but I really hope it will be good." Jimmy said with enthusiasm.
"No problem there, we shall tell you when it is finished." Double D said before leaving back to his friends.
"Well?" Eddy asked.
"We got 20 more minutes." Double D said.
"Perfect because we need time to hide the droids after this." Eddy said.
"Captain Edduard maybe we have to do a small cleaning around, Captain Ed had thrown some of the earth around." Said a droid.
"I noticed that, you and I will clean." Double D said as he and the droid started to clean around with a broom and a dust pan to get the earth in one place behind the gazebo where the final part of the roof was finished.
"It is finished." Said the droid as he climbed down the roof, one would say just in time.
"And not too soon, well done gentleman." Double D said checking the sketch.
"Hello Rolf." Ed called looking over the fence tracking the attention of the others, Eddy went to check and saw the farm boy carrying his goat Victor around.
"Hallo Ed boys, Rolf has no time for talk, he has chores to finish." He said as he moved forwards.
"Just a quick question Rolf, were there others besides you who was around coming from the direction of the woods?" Eddy asked.
"No, Rolf was alone. Why would short Ed-boy ask that?"
"Just curious." Eddy called as he watched Rolf moving out of sight before taking a look around if there were others when he made sure there weren't he gave the green light for the droids.
"The coast is clear boys, remember, only stun mode to the weapons. Make a check." Eddy said as the droids made a check before moving out on the alley to go towards the woods at an accelerated pace.
"Well, all clear, bring the squirts in." Eddy said as he and Ed went after them, after grabbing them, they immediately blindfolded them to follow them outside.
"Sarah, my tummy is tingling with excitement." Jimmy said.
"It's probably gas Jimmy." Sara said.
"No peeking." Ed said, stopping them at the spot where they wanted they removed their blindfolds to show them the gazebo. And this time Sarah was surprise that it really was a gazebo before them, while Jimmy well part of the excitement dissipated a bit due to the fact that he didn't expected it to be square or that the interior will not be painted, but despite all that it was perfect and luckily the garden wasn't ruined, well 90 percent of it wasn't.
"Oh it looks great but why it isn't painted inside?" Jimmy asked.
"Paint was in short supply and the earth that we had to remove to make the foundation didn't have a space where to put it." Double D said before Eddy pushed him aside.
"But look at the bright side, you can decorate inside the way you like and got a small mountain to place a gnome or anything else. The work will be one dollar and 50 cents." Eddy said as Jimmy paid them.
"Enjoy the place." Eddy said as he and the others left while Jimmy and Sarah went to try the gazebo.
"Can't believe they actually did it." Sarah said getting a chair to the gazebo, of course Jimmy had some thought regarding this, by all he hoped to have positive thoughts but the problem was the negative ones always lingered in the back of his mind despite managing to suppress them; by all accounts his bad thoughts hoped for something worst then this.
"Hmm I wonder how they managed to make it well still." Jimmy said thoughtful and to be frank how come that the Eds turned so good in the recent times.
"Who cares let's enjoy the place." Sarah said although Jimmy really wanted to figure out how this could be.
Author's note: It is inspired from the Ed Edd and Eddy comic, The Garden of Ed. Hope you enjoy.