The Beaded Tapestry

Studio Site New London

Dear Analis,

The meditative effect I experienced on the Phycodurus 8 has returned but with the added intensity of the full unobscured illumination from the being above.  I feel the Equine’s  presence as soon as I rise in the morning and it drives me through my day,  pulling me back to remain focused on the present whenever I drift from my intended task.  I know this will sound strange but I feel that it is happy I am here and seems to find a purpose in guiding my scattered thoughts. I don’t know what I would have done if not for that dragoon. I would probably still be unpacking my clothes.

My thoughts keep returning to the train journey here and my conversations with Katryna.  The manner in which she shrugged away my doubts concerning her abilities still haunt me even weeks after the encounter. She gave me the impression of being much older than her limited years and I can still recall the strange flash of green in her brown eyes when I questioned the validity of her gift.  It was not anger that I saw in her young face but a knowing glimpse into the absolute confidence she possesses in respect to anything relating to the Equine. I have not seen her since leaving the train platform in Medici but I feel her presence every day as if she is watching over my shoulder as I continue my research.  It is a bit unnerving and no amount of meditation has been able to relieve this sensation.  Soon the studio will be fully operational and I will have time to return to Medici and seek Katryna out. It might be only an errant  idea from my subconscious but I feel she has unfinished business with me and I need to address it.  Unfortunately she did not share her residential information with me but as she has lived in the community for several years it should not be difficult to track her down.

I have returned to my practice of Hermeticism in the last few weeks. Not only as a relief from Katrynas presence but also to direct my focus to the tasks at hand.  I find myself trying to do four things at once and the ongoing distraction of the construction does not help. There is no sea here to sit beside and meditate to the rhythmic waves but I am able to converse with the Equine and that is far better than any beach could offer.

The studio is now complete and the framework for the attached residence is in place.  There is a team of seven builders on site at the moment including Addison and the work is moving quickly toward completion. When complete the residential dwelling will have two large bedrooms, an open plan kitchen and eating area along with living space that runs the entire length of the structure. There is a door connecting the living area directly to the studio and room for a small office in one corner near the entrance to the kitchen has been planned. I brought few books with me from Earth as my digital library is quite extensive but I still arranged to include a small built in book shelf along one wall of the office corner.  It will be positioned directly next to one of the deep set window seats and I have ordered covered cushions from one of the shops in Medici to create the ideal sketching and reading area. It seems frivolous to arrange something of this nature with everything else that must be done but somehow the act of performing these types of domestic house arrangements are comforting. It brings my mind back to a normal place after the chaotic activities over the last  few months.

Addison has turned over the assessments he performed on various local materials before my arrival here and I will verify his findings as one of my first tasks.  He did not include plants in his choice of material  but mostly concentrated on minerals from the surrounding area. I have a list of fifteen substances to validate from his investigation.  He only had use of a crude set of local instruments before my arrival here but his preliminary finding are promising on five of the heavy metals. Along with the pytherium and sage, this gives me a total of six different materials with promise. I have analyzed the first data from the sage distillation and compared it to a similar plant I studied while still on Earth.  Although the spectral results are similar when compared to the desert sage from Mexico,  the New London sage has very unique electrical properties.  It may be an ideal candidate for the carrier signals within the planned Louvre masterpiece but it is too early to be certain. I still need to test the sustainability of the new sage but I will not be able to do this until the delicate Chronometer and spectral equipment have stabilized in their new environment. They are now set up within a sealed mini lab and I will not have access to them until the studio atmospheric testing is completed.  I should be done with those tests early next week and if the readings are acceptable  that will be the final phase for the lab to be declared complete and operational. I have also completed unpacking the remainder of the equipment from the Derringer and luckily they all seem intact.  It seems the meteorology equipment was the only victim on the trip from Earth and I will not be short any research tools for the actual project.  

By the end of this week I will have enough new data to justify a strip beam message to the Phycodurus for your archives. Hopefully when you arrive there will be so much for you to do the sadness of our separation will be bearable . I know it is helping me.

Love always

Victoria

Studio Build Site

Dear Analis,

After several failed attempts to sit down and write you a letter, I am finally able after three weeks to put down more than a few words before an interruption pulls me away.  Complete exhaustion is the only way to explain my current condition but I am ecstatic with the progress we have achieved so far bringing the studio into reality from the visions I have carried for so many years.  Addison is well versed in the local building practices and I have learned much about desert construction and renewable energy planning working with him in the last few weeks. The buildings on site are completely constructed from blocks made of the local clay and they use a curing process similar to the adobe bricks found in the southwest regions of the Americas.  Since the clay produces a near perfect insulated structure once bonded, it is the material of choice here for the extreme temperatures.  To an extent I was prepared for the heat but not for the drastic drop in temperature that occurs as soon as Proxima drops below the horizon.  The site location in the high mountain desert creates an ideal vantage point to observe the Equine but promotes an environment of extreme temperature variations over the course of the day. Even now in mid-summer I awake to frost on the ground and clouds of misted breath as I hurry between my temporary quarters and the studio structure.  Once inside the brick building and the door is sealed the temperature quickly stabilizes to a constant eighteen degrees centigrade.  A narrow veranda is currently under construction that will completely encircle the studio and living quarters.  Once completed this feature will provide an outer barrier against the temperature changes and allow the studio to remain at the optimum temperature and humidity for the delicate environment needed for the equipment. The veranda will be completed by the end of the week and  I can complete the installation of the last pieces of equipment required to fully begin my work. There will be no need for additional environmental controls as the clay material acts as a constant control of the space within it. The walls are well over seventy centimeters thick with deep set thermal windows inset into the bricks themselves.  Permanent window seats are built into the deep wall of the structure along the entire length of the east end of the building and i can imagine it will be my favorite seat for that first cup of morning coffee before beginning work.  A large conservatory will be added at the west end of the building  to allow for an art studio with unobstructed views of the Equine. Although it will also be enclosed using thermal glass similar to what we installed in your laboratory, the glass panel will be constructed for easy removal to created an open air room with unobstructed one hundred and eighty degree views of the surrounding countryside and the sky above. I have no time at the moment to think of such luxuries as sky gazing and enjoying a cup of coffee but it is a feature I look forward to enjoying. I hope to acclimate myself to this new environment enough  that I am able to enjoy working outdoors in the darkness of night  as I originally planned.  Unfortunately I was deceiving myself in my dream to begin this practice as soon as I arrive.  I will have to continue my practice so far of painting outside during the day and painting from the protected walls of the studio by night. At least until my body becomes a desert dweller.

My temporary quarters are not as nice as my future home.  I am now housed in a canvas tent with just enough room for a bed and the few possession I find necessary during this construction phase.  It has a small environmental conditioner to stave off the heat and cold but I am counting the days until my permanent residence is complete.  The block shell of the residential section is all that is complete so far as the main focus has been on the work space.  The use of wind and solar technology here is fascinating and the site will be independent of the need for outside energy sources once all phases are complete.  At this time a small fusion generator has been installed for temporary use and from what Addison has told me it was not an easy permit to obtain even for a short time use.  It is not the power source of choice here on New London as it uses a non-renewable energy core.  Since it was exported with the rest of the equipment from Earth It was allowed under strict conditions. It can be used during the construction phase of the project and  retained for emergency use if a future need arises but it must be monitored for emissions at all times and must be removed from the planet after the work here is complete or five years.  Whichever come first.  There is much debate here over nuclear material deterioration and this was the compromise made by Addison for agreement of its use. It places a time limit to my time here but it is within the deadline set by the Louvre contract so it does not deter from my plans.  

I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the train station in Medici that the stark desert had gradually flourished into a green oasis as we neared the area.  The village is built along the banks of the Theomine river which flows for many kilometers across the country separating the desert floor from the high mountain region to the east.  A green belt flanking the river extends several kilometer from its banks and is the lifeline for this area.  The village is built on both sides of the river with an incredible ornate  bridge spanning the fast moving water connecting the two communities.  Katryna informed me that over four thousand people live in the surrounding areas with the majority centered around the west side of the river.  The studio site and the forty acres are located one hundred and fifty kilometers north up river from the village and half a kilometer from the river bank. The site benefits from the green belt surrounding the river and access to the water rights were granted in the land use permit.

Every day my appreciation of this new type of terrain grows and I begin to see beauty where before there was only sand and scrub brush. Each passing day there are new wonders to explore and the addition of the ever present Equine in the sky above adds to the mystic of my new life here. I put aside an hour a day as close to the coming of evening as possible to walk to the edge of the property and gaze at the darkening sky and the full splendor of the Equine. There is a  total absence of sound and light during this special closing of the day as I watch the Equine emerge from the blackness of space. It is what I wait for every day and it never fails to take my breath away. I find it more difficult every time  to pull myself away and return to my current task. The only reward is knowing that soon I will be able to place my full energy in this pursuit but for now this hour will have to be enough.   

Although the construction of the site has encompassed most of my time I have made room for a bit of research into the surrounding area and what resources are available on my little slice of New London. The underground container that once held the construction supplies has turned out to be an ideal storage location for the materials I have gathered so far.  There are natural mineral deposits near the edge of the property and I have collected several promising components for my study.  Along with the minerals there are also many useful plants nearby including a variety of the pytherium plant that I spoke of earlier,  This was a fortunate discovery as the first tests I performed on the sample I purchased in Newton have proved it has some amazing properties. I spent the entire day today installing the spectral scanning equipment for the material analysis as that will be the ultimate test to prove its value to our finished product.  By the end of the day tomorrow I will have the first set of data in hand to outline my process and begin to plan for the needed schedule in the coming months. The final piece of the puzzle will be in place with the installation of the delicate equipment next week then I can concentrate on results. Along with the pytherium I have already mixed a few other plant materials with the acrylics I brought with me.  The results have not disappointed so far and the completed end products show promising readings from the basic tests.  An oil distilled from a relative of the sagebrush has produced the most vibrant green I have ever used and I have chosen this material as my first research victim after the pytherium. The historic distillation apparatus we studied during our research has proven easy to construct and extremely efficient. Using the ancient designs I found in the medieval section of the Louvre archives  I easily replicated the distillation unit.  The required construction material was obtained from the surrounding area including the large gourd used to collect the final product. Within a few days I had my first specimen in hand. I have altered the historic plans only slightly as the original was used for medicinal purposes but it has turned out to be amazingly operational. I have included a drawing of the finished design along with a detailed step by step procedure for the production of the oil with this letter so you can add it to your research material. As soon as I have correlated the data I have so far on the sage and pytherium  I will also send it your way.  

Love as Always

Victoria

Geo-train

Dear Analis,

I am writing you on my last day aboard the train and the final moments of my long journey here.  It has been a wonderful experience and a small part of me regrets that it is coming to an end. The landscape surrounding this leg of the journey is stark desert as far as the eye can see and I am struggling to find beauty as I watch the world pass outside.  I have never observed such an absence  of life in all my travels and it does not comfort me knowing I will be surrounded by this environment for the next few years.  I know from our surveys that this part of New London was desert terrain but until this point the full extent of what that meant was not evident to me.  I hope  as we near the end of the journey that some signs of life will appear. In the last hour I have not seen one glimpse of a tree or shrub, only the occasional succulent.   What is visible is some type of cacti vaguely similar to the inhabitants of the North American desert but  nothing I can put a name to.  My cabin mate has told me they are called ground huggers as they grow so closely to the soil.  On the edge of the desert when we first exited the mountain range there was a multitude of these denizens. They came in many different shades of green and ranged in size from a few centimeters to well over four meters across, spreading their tentacle like appendages to take full advantage of the limited moisture here. As we traveled further into the desert they became fewer in number and variety.  At this point I only see the smaller variety and most of these are so pale green that they are almost invisible on the desert floor. 

There have been a variety of travelers sharing my cabin over the last four days. Most of them were traveling to Newton and are now gone, but one young woman has been with me the entire journey. Her final destination is the village of Medici located two hours south of my studio site and I have learned many interesting things about the area from her.  Katryna is a native of New London and has lived in the village for the last two years. Her great grandparents came here as farmers almost a hundred years ago and her family has made the planet their home ever since.  I asked her what a farmer was doing in this environment and she laughed as she explained that most of her family was settled near the green belt  area three hundred kilometers from Delphi. She relocated to the desert area of the planet as the conditions were ideal for her work with the Equine. She was now traveling home after her annual visit to see her family and was excited to resume her work after being absent for several weeks. I sometimes forget the obscure reports we studied while on Earth during our research phase of the project and my conversation with Katryna has brought back clarity to these studies.  

Katryna explained that she is able to interact with the Equine by interpreting the waves emanating from the creature.  She is one of the Neo-Brittanians as the natives call themselves and Katryna is the embodiment of what that name infers.   Since the original scientific designation of the planet was Nova Brittania, they  use the  root of this designation to distinguish themselves from the rest of the population here.  As a fourth generation New Londoner her genetic makeup has been exposed to the Equine for almost a century and from what she explained the resulting mutation manifests itself in different ways.  Strangely she has none of the cybernetic enhancements that adorn most of her contemporaries here and I am curious how she is able to process the Equine information.  I was not brave enough to probe for further information as she was very reluctant to speak of the mechanics of her abilities and changed the subject quickly.  She did relate several of her Equine  experiences in detail and  I have made notes of what she related in my journal for future reference.  It is worth further investigation and it might prove useful to our projects outcome as within her words I glimpsed a hint of the neurological evolution we suspect is occurring here due to the Equines presence.

I have been so intensely focused on the abilities of the natural products on the planet that I had completely neglected the human factor.  I am going to revisit this line of study when I am settled and I hope to convince Katryna to be involved.  I explained to her that I was very skeptical of this type of ability as during my research I found no scientific proof or basis for this type of manifestation. She only shrugged her shoulders and smiled indulgently.  I could see from her reaction that my response was not a new one for her but that she is completely secure in her worth. I am not converted yet but it is one thing to read about something in a report, and yet another to have it speaking to you from across a train berth.  I was fascinated by her many Equine encounters and in spite of our very different beliefs we have quickly become friends. I have learned much from her about what to expect once we arrive in Medici, but she has told me nothing to relieve my concerns about the desert conditions. She assured me that  I would quickly adjust to this type of living, and although the surrounding desert is as stark as our current surroundings,  the village itself and the area around my studio site are prolific with desert life. She is a bit younger than you and I,  having just celebrated her twenty-sixth birthday,  but I felt somehow that she was older and she was speaking to me as if to an older sibling.   I find that although we grew up on different planets and come from opposite walks of life we still share a connection.

I was disappointed last night that you did not revisit me in my dreams.  I am still dwelling on the previous night and I have tried to push these thoughts to the back of my consciousness in order to think about the more pressing plans for the next few months.  There is so much to arrange and this will be my last chance to relax and contemplate  the core of my art before my life takes a dramatic leap into activity.  Meditation is near impossible on the train with the many distractions and I have given up in frustration. I will hopefully have a chance to steal a few minutes each evening during the next few hectic months  to continue the practice so I can allow at least a portion of my brain to stay focused on my art. I also hope you will continue to visit my dreams and guide my work.  

You are forever in my thoughts.

Love Victoria

Geo Train- Sub continent

Dear sister,

I must begin my letter by first relating a dream I had last night on the train. In my dream I found you standing near a lake gazing at a small school of fish swimming close to the shore. As I drew near, you turned and smiled at me. “I have solved the equation at last. See in the water below. It is written on the scales of my new friends.” You stated this clearly then turned and dove into the clear blue water disappearing from my site. I awoke in my sleeping compartment with tears streaming down my face struggling for meaning in what I had seen. I felt a sudden desire to observe the Equine so I threw open the window screen and gazed out at the sky. The night was clear as the train rushed through the dark and I studied the unobscured Equine floating above with additional critique hoping for some inspiration to interpret my strange encounter with you. I then felt an overwhelming sense of serenity pass through me. Sinking back down on the bed, my confusion transformed into the realization that it was only a dream. The sense of loss and panic I experienced as you disappeared below the surface was so real I still fight back the tears as I write this.

I know the dream was caused in part by the total absence of you from my life at this time, but I questions if that is the sole message here. This is the first time in my life that I have ever been completely cut off from communication with you. I realize now it is placing added strain on me that even the Equine struggles to contain. I have turned the events of the dream over and over in my head, but still have come to neither rhyme nor reason as to the meaning. I returned to bed for the remainder of the journey to Newton but I never was able to find sleep again. I have spent my visit to  the city in a mental haze, as lack of sleep and my mental distraction did not promote clarity. It seems essential to understand what the dream could mean, other than your absence, and I will continue to meditate on this when my mind is clearer. We have always retained a close connection even when separated and I believe there is something vital you may be trying to tell me.

I am now back onboard the train, having spent the better part of the day in the city of Newton. Although smaller than Delphi, Newton still utilizes all the environmental and minimalist technologies used across the entire planet. Back on Earth, I was initially skeptical when researching the strict regulations required of the colonists in order to establish themselves on New London. Nonetheless, I am now amazed at how they have kept to these philosophies. They have created an environmentally conservative planet preserving the natural beauty of the terrain, even in the higher population areas. I described in an earlier letter how the use of low light oil lamps to illuminate the streets minimized the distortion of the visual effect from the Equine, but  they also have the added benefit of the lowest emissions of any light source known to exist. The lighting in the cities does not allow for full preservation of the splendid Equine view from the countryside, but compared to conventional lighting it is a great improvement. The use of the local equestrian stock also assists with the conservation process along with the aforementioned geo-trains.

I quickly found the Newton’s Orb Café after exiting the train station and it was not a disappointment. The beverages they produce from the hybrid coffee bean developed for cultivation on New London is nearly indiscernible from the Earth version. There is a pleasant alteration to the taste that I can only describe as nutty. It brings back memories of the pine nuts we picked in Spain on one of our vacations there, only sweeter. I sat for almost an hour in the quaint café savoring my beverage and gazing out the window at the passing people. The storefront contained a hexagonal window commonly used here and I enjoyed the distorted picture it created. The outrageous prices in the attached shop did not discourage me from purchasing several varieties of coffee roasts and a small service set made from the local clay. Each region of New London uses different currency so I have had to rely on my electronic account for purchases so far. When I arrive at the studio site I will find the proper regional currency and convert some of the Louvre credits to tradable coin. Credit is ideal for most of my business and personal needs, but I have found here that the local merchants and street vendors prefer the in hand variety. I made a final stop at an herbalist shop before I returned to the station. I was curious to see first-hand the various new botanicals available here and, if  possible, discover some of their uses. I had meant to seek a shop in Delphi but ran out of time. The owner of the Newton’s Orb directed me to a small shop several blocks away and I spent a very enjoyable hour speaking to the woman there. She was full of useful information and suggestion for my research. I only vaguely outlined my work, but it was enough for her to open up on the subject. She also showed me a botanical book written by a local author and I will try to procure a copy for myself once I am settled. She had only one copy and was reluctant to part with it, referring to it as her main reference. She had many recommendations for herbs that enhance the relationship between the mind and the Equine. Most were involved with improving creativity and wellness, but one in particular was recommended for its electrical enhancement properties within the human nervous system. I took a few notes but as she was quoting portions out of the book she recommended, I will wait and take my research directly from the original source. I purchased a small supply of the discussed substance called pytherium and hope it turns out to be a useful adjunct to my research. If it is, I will attempt to find a source more local to the studio.

We are once more traveling at full propulsion toward my final destination. The terrain has begun to change, passing through heavily forested mountains. Newton is located in a deep valley surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges and a flat plain to the south. We travel first through the northern mountain range bordering the valley and will continue to for most of the night. The altitude is well over a kilometer here and I have seen signs of snow topping the visible peaks. It is high summer in this part of New London, making me wonder how extreme the winters must be here. I now am grateful the studio site is in the equatorial desert region, although I might revise my opinion once I experience the summer heat. We will have to see.

Please visit me again in my dreams tonight, but if you do please be less cryptic.

Love always,

Victoria

There is something very satisfying about filling a blank book with a story created out of my imagination. I only wonder  now that it is full if my new blank book will be as inspirational as this one has been. As you can see I wrote in every available space. I am reluctant to let it go.