The Beaded Tapestry

Delphi, New London

Dear Analis,

It is with great joy that I announce my arrival on New London and that I have taken up temporary residence in the city of Delphi. It is everything I imagined and much more.  The mixture of old world character and new world technology combines to produce a fascinating atmosphere. The spaceport is well outside the populated areas and we were shuttled into the center  by hydro taxi. Delphi is fashioned after a supposed 18th century model of Amsterdam  and the use of waterways for transport is almost exclusive.  With the ready supply of water from the Salsburg Ocean Delphi is built on, it seems the logical solution to traffic congestion and environmental conformity.  The small streets are filled with mainly pedestrians but there is also many animal  drawn vehicles. From what I see they use  some type of modified equestrian stock similar to Earth horses but more suited to the higher gravity. They are stockier and possess thicker limbs than their terrene cousins. I have created a few sketches of the roanian’s as they are called and I will include them with this letter.  As the taxi made its way to my new apartments,  I found myself staring equally  at the Cyber-mechs and Cultavists mixed in among the other pedestrians. The mechanical alterations I have observed so far  are similar to those seen on Earth with one exception.  The Cyber-mechs all include a symbol on their embellishments that represent the Anomaly. Similar to a mix between  the ancient druid symbol for the letter E and Z  but with added floridity.  I saw this symbol everywhere as we entered the city and it seems to be also a representative for the artisan community that use cybernetics to enhance themselves and the effects of the Anomaly.  The Cyber-mechs here call themselves the Equestrian wayfarers. They are so similar in appearance to the so called  Mech youths of London that I can imagine myself back once again on the street of London.  The long black coats lined with silver mesh would not  seem out of place in our old home and there are hundreds walking around in this uniform in the streets of Delphi. Most of the cybernetics I saw on this populous were facial enhancement for vision but there were also many artificial limbs that hint at specialty crafts and abilities. I wonder how Nicolas feels about these additions as he has them by no choice of his own.  

My temporary accommodations are small but adequate for my short stay here and ideally located within walking distance to  the vast social service establishments I must visit during the next few weeks.  The bulk of my belongings and most of my work has already been sent ahead to the studio site by special courier so the lack of space is not a burden. I am happy my rooms are above street level as the buzz of civilization is reduced.  Compared to the near silence of my quarters on the Derringer and Phycodurus, the sounds of the city are deafening.

Unfortunately we arrived at the spaceport during the daylight hours and I was not able to view the Anomaly in its full glory before we entered the city. The use of modified gas lamps within the city allow for adequate viewing of the Anomaly during the night  but the true splendor of the Anomaly is best seen in the darkest hours from well outside the city.  Even during the daylight hours the power of the anomaly is evident.  The moment I disembarked from the shuttle and  stood in the unobstructed atmosphere on the planet surface I was inundated by my first experience of the  full sensory array emanating  from the Anomaly.  Analis, the feeling is so indescribable I was left speechless. If we are able to follow through with our ideas for the Louvre to capture this experience, it is beyond imagination the lives we will change on Earth.  I find it hard to believe there could be any type of ill will or violence in the presence of such overpowering feelings of positivity and focus I experience here.  I am beginning to solidify my suspicions that the Anomaly does not affect everyone the same.  I realize this plays into your intelligence theory, but I believe you are closer to the truth than the scientist who believe it is only an astronomical body.  As we discussed before, the growth towards the Flynn satellite was very profound in our time view from Earth and now the added observation of how different groups respond to the Anomaly point toward a guiding force involved here.  If this is true I hope the Anomaly finds us worthy in our endeavors.  We must remain confident of the good our work will bring to mankind and hope the Anomaly shares our ambitions.  There is no evidence at this point in time of added growth toward the Flynn satellite, but I will focus a portion of my research to follow that particular phenomenon during the next year as I did with your equipment.  This will allow us to closely monitor the changes first hand as was not possible on Earth.

I must sign off now.  I have an appointment with the Louvre representative in an hour and I have a few things to prepare. I have made plans tomorrow for a short trip along the sea coast with NIcolas before he continues on to his new establishment.   I will write upon my return and give you a description of the Anomaly from outside the city.  We are hiring one of the  roanian carriages to make the journey.  The fuel based vehicles here are used almost exclusively for cargo transport  between the population centers so there are many creature drawn vehicles used locally for short trips.

I remain your dedicated sister.

Victoria