The Beaded Tapestry

New dragon project! They always make me happy. Not sure what the finished project will be.

The amulet bag is complete.

A flash of red catches the sun, sending a jet of energy into the solitary soul as they sit staring into the desert morning.  Pale blue flax flowers dot the near landscape, drawing the creatures with their brilliant colors and sweet nectar. A flash of turquoise joins the ruby and a delicate dance ensues as the two colors battle for each bloom, even though the desert is full of options to choose from. They both rise almost as one, disturbed by the sudden discovery of the nearby watcher.  They both hover for a moment above the blossom carpeted desert floor, sparkling green and red as the sun catches the underside of their wings simultaneously before they zip away in search of a more isolated feeding ground.

Dear Annalis,

I know this may seem like I am relating a dream, but this is how I started my morning today here at the studio.  I can only compare these desert dwellers to the earthen hummingbirds, but they do have distinct differences.  Of course the European hummingbird have long ago disappeared from the continent, but I have seen the honeyeaters during my time in Australia and the hummingbird during the few weeks | spent in Ecuador for research. You can imagine my elation the first time these visitors arrived outside my studio window to feed off the prolific flora that arrives here after the desert storms. 

In my vision they are a cross between the South American hummingbird and the Australian honeyeater.  They are slightly larger than the South American species, but with the beak of the honeyeater. The coloring matches more to the hummingbird, but the brightest colors are under the wings and not the throat. They have a strange pattern on the top of their wings that becomes a diamond shape when they are in flight.  The locals call them murmur birds after the sound of their fast beating wings.  When I first encountered them last spring,  I thought a large group of gnomes were all huddled in the garden surrounding my studio and they were whispering to each other:  A conspiracy of fairies.  It was unnerving at first until Katryna told me what they were.  I now see them out early in the morning most days.  Their presence seems to energize me. I cannot help wondering if the Moramets, once they are established on the planet, will cohabitate with these wonderful flyers. As I described, they can be quite competitive for sustenance.  I am sure the research team of your professor Simona will have delved into this particular subject before the decision was made to relocate them here.

I have now started work on the follow up rendition and it is going well.  The recovery from my time at the remote station has been slow, but with your arrival finally at the Phycodurus and the return of the full Equine exposure,  I feel I am up for the challenge.  I still have not heard from Katryna, but Addison spends a day every week helping me out around the studio to maintain all is in working order.  This allows for some much needed social interaction on my part and adds to the socializing I do on the infrequent trips into the village.

I have also made contact with Nikolas.  This time he is coming to me.  His endeavors in the north are going splendidly and he wants to study some of the southern plant varieties to incorporate into his dishes.  Next month we will meet in Newton to visit the tea shop where I told you I met the local herbalist and purchased the book she recommended. She has agreed to host a short two day seminar for the two of us on the botanical world of New London.  Then Nikolas and I will travel back to my studio to spend a few weeks studying and experimenting with the local desert edibles available in this area.  I am excited to share my world with him in the same manner that he has shared his with me.  Also I am looking forward to experiencing his culinary offering again as a welcome change from my own mundane cooking.  I hope someday he can create something for you.  It is an amazing experience.

Well my visitors are now gone as the heat of the day is creeping in and I must get busy. Write back and tell me how I did with your lab set up. I am curious if the data collection during the last year is all you had hoped.

Love Victoria

The body of the amulet bag is complete!! Now to finish with the strap and fringe.

Annalis picked up her coffee from the table surface and took a long sip of the black liquid, savoring the taste and aroma.  Still holding the cup up to the level of her lips, she looked over the edge of the cup at the Equine.

She had been aboard the Phycodurus for three months and the view of the Anomaly floating in space never failed to impress her.  This was always where she started her day; sitting in the stations viewing lounge, breaking her fast with the full view of her research subject to keep her company. 

She lowered her empty cup and finished the last of her warm cereal, before carrying the dishes to the cleaning station.   “Getting a early start as usual I see.” A voice said behind Annalis.  She turned to see chef Amelie coming through the lounge entrance, carrying a starched white chef jacket folded across her arm. “If you would only wait a half hour you could have a fresh cooked meal to start the day.” She smiled, knowing the reason Annalis came so early.  She knew the scientist preferred the quiet communion with the Equine over the crowded dining the later hour offered.  “Good morning Chef.” Annalis said as she disposed of the recyclables next to the cleaning station. “You are the only person I prefer to see before the start of the day.  The cereal is all I ever need this early anyway. My appetite will be saved for your marvelous creations later this evening.”  She laid her hand on the woman’s shoulder as she passed, heading out of the lounge and towards her lab, anticipating the work that was awaiting her.

Already the station corridors were full of people, heading to the lounge or getting off the previous shift.  She quickly made her way down a service corridor, bypassing the main engineering section.  She then took the equipment lift three levels down to the observation labs, using the special pass code embedded in her wrist unit.  It was not strictly forbidden to take this route with the proper authorization, but it was mainly reserved for maintenance personal moving equipment or hazardous materials. Since it was unoccupied, Annalis took a chance and made her way around the crowds to the lab by utilizing this alternative route. 

The Equine influence research labs were all located on the fourth level of the space station, on the side facing the Equine.  The station did not rotate as some orbital facilities did, using artificial gravitational fields in place of rotational gravity. Due to the nature of the stations research, Equine exposure to one half of the Phycoduras needed to be maintained at all times. The placement of the greenhouses and the live animal enclosures were also located on this side of the structure, allowing the plants and creatures the constant benefits given by the Anomaly. All living quarters for humans, plus the storage and maintenance sections were situated on the other half since these services were not dependent on the Equine influence for their livelihood. 

Annalis arrived at the door to her lab and keyed the sensor with her wrist unit.  The indicator above the entry went from amber to green and the door slid open, disappearing into the wall to the right of the opening.  Annalis entered and the entry closed behind her, just as the automatic lights came on to light the interior of her lab. She first went to the viewing wall of the lab and activated the controls located to the left of her work bench.  The entire back wall of the lab silently slid to the right, exposing the view outside the station. Annalis had just left the view of the Equine from the perspective of the lounge, but she still took a moment to appreciate the full glory of the creature from the enhanced viewing capabilities of her lab. The glass was made specifically for Equine study and it had been one of the major expenses of the lab budget.  Spectrally the glass was as near perfect as if no barrier separated her from the vacuum of space.  There was no better place on the entire station that gave a more accurate and unenhanced view of the aspects of the Equine. 

She quickly grabbed her research tablet from the storage cabinet and her journal from her desk before she sat down at the lab counter running along the full length of the wall facing the Equine. “First things first.”  She said to the empty room. “A letter to Victoria.”

Dear sister, 

The expectorant of the Moramet! Let’s start there.  That description does not sound so appetizing, but what a fascinating subject to explore.  Does the saliva have potential for our project? I have never explored the possibilities, but logically if the Moramets are a supplement to the bee population, then clearly they produce some alternative material to honey.  There is a focus team here on the station that is looking into Equine influence material as a food supplement and I believe the Moramets are included in that study, but I know little about their findings.  I think I heard someone from their team comment several weeks ago that a new product they were studying was found to be non-toxic and having a distinct flavor, but I am not sure what substance they were discussing.  I am curious that if the Moramets produce some type of non-toxic material, if the flavor is as pleasant as honey? The Moramets on the station are not prolific as their fellows are expected to be planet side once they are established,  so there is not much excretions to test other than what the researchers deem as relevant.  I know from the chef (who I have become friends with) that she has requested a small sample of any product the researches find non-toxic so she can experiment with them, but the research team has denied all such requests, keeping what substances they have for testing and chemical analyses.  Chef Amelie has become very frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the team, since she also has an interest in preparing dishes that contain material influenced by the Equine.  Her interest sound similar to your description of your friend Nikolas’s work. She wants to introduce different materials into her already vast assortment of ingredients produced in the stations greenhouse. Hopefully she will eventually be granted these requests.  She is very persistent. If it is granted, I will be the first to volunteer as a taste tester for Amelie.  I already think her current offerings are amazing, and I regret every time I am too late for the daily meal times. It takes a lot to drag me away from my lab, but her dishes are one of the things that will.  If I receive more information on the work being done on the Moramet material or any research being performed on New London, I will let you know.  Although they are keeping the location of the Moramet colony very quiet due to the risk of protest or sabotage, I can see if I can get an invitation for you to visit.  We are all working for essentially the same entity, so it might be possible.  I will leave it up to you to wheedle a sample of the excreted material from them if you can. You have a valid purpose for research into the properties, but it might take several years for the full Equine influence to absorb into the Moramets located on the planet surface. We do not have enough information on how long exposure is needed to see any benefits from a new introduced species, and the exposure planetside is more defused than here on the station. I know in humans and mammals the influence is almost immediate either near the Equine or on New London, but this effect is mostly behavioral and not metabolic.  I am not sure about the Aerial Moramet species and the material they produce. Their response may be more plant like and we both know that plants take several generations before the Equine influences their output, but I am sure Nikolas could give you more information on that subject.

I will see if the researchers here have any further information to share. I will have to find something worth a trade for them to be persuaded to cooperate. 

I must stop now and run some data threads on your brain scans.  I want to see how different they have become now that your exposure is complete. 

Love Annalis