Victoria art 4

Phycodurus-8

Dearest sister,

I am making an attempt to write you a letter as I sit in the observation lounge of the Phycodurus.  I have an unobstructed view of the Phenomenon from my current position and I find it hard to concentrate on anything else.  Fortunately for you I am determined to give you a full description of what I am experiencing and this seems the ideal way.  I have tried to write from the lab but the distractions are too high and I end up manipulating the lab equipment or doodling on the letter paper instead of writing words.  

The tremor in my hand is now completely gone and I have made the first attempt at capturing the Anomaly in a drawing.  There is no way to put down on canvas or paper the energy emanating from the Array. Even with the reinforced structure of the station between me and the source I can still detect the strong energy waves that the Anomaly emits.  It is similar to the rise in air pressure before a strong thunderstorm on Earth except there is no rise or ebb to the flow. Only a constant presence that reminds me there is something there.  I have experienced none of the spiritual or emotional waves here that are reported to be present on New London,  but this is as we expected with the research station located so close to the Anomaly. As we are depending on your scientific methods to capture this aspect of the Anomaly along with the energy emanations,  I will try my best to produce a final image to complement your accomplishments.

Looking out the window, the Anomaly fills two-thirds of the observable space from where I am sitting.  The Phycodurus-8 is positioned in space so that the Anomaly appears to be floating away from the station.  It seems to be moving towards Alpha Centauri B and New London.  From the reports this is not the case.  The coordinates for the center of the array have not changed since the scientific community started taking readings over two hundred years ago.  Only the area of space that the Anomaly covers has changed. It is now well over one hundred and sixty million kilometers across and near twice that size from top to bottom.  My first colored rendition included over three hundred different colors and pigments.  As the dominant visual color is in the blue end of the spectrum I have arranged for extra supplies to be ordered for the studio in New London. Our initial research completed on Earth did not indicate that the array ran towards the blue, so I need to change my creative strategy in order to capture the true nature of the array.

The lab equipment has now been completely set-up and all the settings adjusted according to your specifications.  It has been nearly ten years since I worked in a technical environment and it took me some time to familiarize myself with some of the equipment that you have ordered.  Even so, there were some pieces such as the optical enhancement unit and the wave detection module that I have never seen before.  I assume these are two of the pieces you designed and built as there was no manufacturer’s label and no way to access the internals of the instruments.  Following your instructions felt a little like I was one of the Shakespearean witches. I caught myself quoting Macbeth  as I added the eye of Newt and essence of dragons breath to my brew. Double , Double toil and trouble.  That was about the extent of my savoir faire as I completed the final adjustments to the equipment.  All in all it appears everything is working as your instructions describe and no green spectre has arisen from my cauldron as yet.

I have received word from NIcolas on the Derringer-8. He has been released from medical and will be able to transfer with us to New London as scheduled.  From his message it seems that his electronic prosthesis was the cause for the unexpected complication to the stasis process.  Although there have been great strides in regeneration of limbs in the medical field, there is still no reliable regrowth therapy for the optic nerves. I had noticed when I first met him that Nicolas had some type of cyber enhancements installed on his face, but I was not aware until he wrote that he lost his sight to illness when he was very young. I thought it was a voluntary addition  he had requested as this type of modification is very popular with the younger generation.  The medical staff explained to him that it was a rare reaction but they had encountered it before and were prepared for such occurrences.  I am happy that you opted for regeneration of you arm and not an implant.  Although it would have made you more in vogue to have a metallic arm,  it could also have complicated your journey.

The observation lounge was filling with people, so I have now moved back to the lab.  It is now shift change for the stations regular personnel and many head straight for the viewing areas of the Anomaly once they have some free time.  I have spoken briefly to a few of the regular staff member when I have encountered then in the common areas.  They seem reluctant to start any type of friendship with the temporary people here so I have not been able to get much information other than a short response.   I guess it is too much effort to make a close association with someone who will only be staying for a few weeks.  I assume it will be different for you since you will be a more permanent resident.  I was assigned small temporary accommodations near the lab for my short stay here.  They are away from the normal resident area of the space station and are uncomfortably small. Not even a fold down desk or chair is installed in the space. Just a small sleeping bunk and a sanitation room.  The permanent quarters that have been reserved for you are luckily more spacious.  I was only able to view them when I arrived during my orientation tour of the station as they are currently occupied by another staff member.  He will be transferring off the station at the same time you arrive.  He was the exploration pilot slated for the close flyby of the Anomaly.  None of the unmanned probes sent within the proximity of the Anomaly have returned or sent back any data and they have now deemed his flight plans as too risky.  I suppose he will be returning to Earth or one of the surrounding stations leaving his quarters free for you.  I was hoping to prepare your rooms while I was here but as space is a high commodity here, temporary personnel are given the smaller accommodations.  I think you will be happy with what has been arranged for you.  All the rooms have access to an amazing holo program for the resident wall panels.  You can decorate your walls  from  a variety of programmable themes. Some of them also include music and sounds to enhance the experience.  Unfortunately there are no viewing ports on the residential side of the station so I think this is a nice alternative.  Since  the station is dedicated to the scientific study of the Anomaly I guess it makes sense to give viewing priority to the labs. They are all situated on one side of the station with all the residence and support areas on the other.  

I have eight days left on the Phycodurus-8 and I hope in that time any issues with the lab equipment will surface.  At least that way I can attempt to correct the problem before I leave.  I catch myself talking to you constantly when I am in the lab.  Luckily there are no voice activated system running at this time as that could create an awkward situation.  It is very lonely without you here and I wish we could have done this together. Just the ability to discuss with you how the Anomaly is affecting me would be welcomed.  I was not expecting this collection of raw emotions to interfere with my thoughts and creative work, especially not while I am still on the space station. It would be ideal if you were here to compare notes.

I look forward to the time when that is possible.

Love Victoria