Dear Annalis,

I look forward to reading your vision journals as you explore the new found relationship with the Equine.  I remember my brief time on the space station and realize how vastly different my response and experience is now on the planet surface.  Indeed the scans will be an interesting comparison, since we have both been on the station, but you have not yet visited the planet.  I have done some preliminary work this last year on my own brain chemistry changes, but the addition of your information after an extended stay in close proximity will be beneficial as a comparison. 

I am preparing to leave in a few days to meet Nikolaas in Newton.  Travel by geotrain will again be my mode of transport since it is both pleasant and practical.  Nikolaas has sent me a list of items he would like me to bring from the desert around my studio.  He will utilize these items in the seminar we will be attending.  I guess he has done some research ahead of time on the health and wellness benefits obtained from desert fauna and wants to get a head start in Newton under the direction of our host.  He also wants to use the extensive lab facilities of the institute where the seminar is being held. There are come analytical processes that require specific equipment that are not available to him at his facility.  His plan is to complete these analytics in parallel with the seminar.  I guess there are some major restrictions on the use of substances in his profession and he wants to be sure all the materials we will gather when he stays with me at my studio can be utilized when he returns to his home.  He will also need the official certifications from an accredited lab to ensure his offerings are aligned with the regulatory guidelines for food stuff. I forget sometimes how different or two professions are.  We are both artists, but I cannot poison anyone with my products.  I only hope I can find a sample of all the materials he has asked me to bring before my departure. Some of them I have not even heard of and did not know they could be found right under my nose. (or feet to be exact) Addison helped me with the majority of the list since he is more familiar with the terrain and local resources. I only have two items left to “gather”.  I could use Katryna’s help right about now. Unfortunately I still have not heard from her since my return from the research station.  The multiple messages I have sent to her family have gone unanswered.  I have also received no response to the messages left at the community hall in town.  Addison has also voiced concerns of her silence, but we do not have another avenue of communication to try. Her original lodgings are now occupied by someone else, with no message or forwarding instructions left with the proprietress.  If I do not hear anything before my return from Newton,  I may get the Louvre representative to look into it further.  This is a further difference from Earth that is very prevalent on New London.  It is possible to disappear into society here.  The close tracking done on Earth is not practiced here.  You could easily disappear off the radar, even if you do not want too. I miss Katryna’s inspiration and local knowledge. I just hope whatever is keeping her silent is of her own choosing.

Love Victoria