They'd been using the juices from a bright yellow fruit brought from the Terrans so long ago. They used it to eat away grease from engines and as an industrial-strength solvent, and to remove adhesives from various surfaces. Mixed another way, as a cleaning material that left a fairly pleasant scent. So imagine their surprise when humans were found to be plucking the fruit from the trees, mixing the juice with water and a little sugar, and drinking it! -- Anon Guest
Wholly organic citric acid was a wonder to the Brevicips. They could just grow it, and harvest the fruits once a year. No longer were they at the mercy of venal chemical merchants who took advantage of delicate Havenworlders. Like many things from Earth, the organism traveled further and faster than the cogniscent life from the same planet.
The Brevicips used the yellow fruit for a multitude of purposes. The trees were photogenic and often used for decoration. The flowers and their perfume were highly prized. As for the yellow fruit... Complicated chemical processes could separate the acid from the sugars within. The oil from the skin, once harvested and preserved, could also be used for other purposes. But the thing that made it most valuable to the Brevicips was the acid.
It could get grease and grime off of anything. It could unclog the worst of blockages in factory pipes. Sufficiently diluted and mixed with the aforementioned oils, it was even pressed to domestic use[1]. So when they took to the greater areas of Galactic Alliance space, they took their precious trees with them. There, they also became part of the air recycling system[2]. Welcome to Misty Station, here there be cleanser trees.
As with all gardens, there is excess. Freely available to those in need because one day, the person who needs help might be you. Few actually needed pure organic industrial cleanser with the sugars still in it, but some would pass through and take some with them just in case. Or so they could have a tree of their own, one day.
It was the arrival of Humans that revealed the most alarming use for the fruit. The happy Humans sought permission to harvest all of the excess for their own refreshment. The Breviceps dutifully warned them of the dangerous acid, but Humans just... ignore warnings.
Plant Maintenance Technician Roark stood by in growing panic as she watched the Humans squeeze the dangerous juices out with their bare hands. As well as some minimalistic tools. All the time laughing and chatting about it.
They diluted the acid - thank the Powers[3], then they added more sugars to the concoction.
Roark screamed when the first Human drank some. It was all she could do not to pass out from the shock. They would need Medics. Psychologists. Both at once. "You just drank acid! What the flakk!"
The Humans paused, blinking in evident confusion. "You've never heard of lemonade?"
[1] With sufficient warnings on the labels of course.
[2] When faced with a choice between complicated machinery or cheap but heavy plant life, many spacers go with alternative that doesn't need advanced training to maintain.
[3] In a society where religion has been the chief source of wars, the solution is to refer to all deities as "The Powers That Be" or just 'Powers' for short. This way, assorted cogniscents can politely assume you mean their preferred deity.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / inaquim]
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