The Beaded Tapestry

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

Phycodurus-8

Dear Analis,

I have finally reached a point in the lab assembly where I feel comfortable to sit for a few moments and write you a letter.  It has already been four days since I was transported to the Phycodurus-8 and I wanted to write to you while my first impressions are fresh in my mind. Although it has been a slow start to the lab work, I am now making better progress. I have found a sanctuary from the distracting and  sterile atmosphere of the lab in one of the stations three atriums for hydroponics and oxygen generation.  The soothing sounds of water dripping from the moisture generators in the glass paneled structure has a calming effect on me and also allows me to concentrate on my letter to you. The medical staff on the Derringer-8 fully cleared me two days after our arrival here, but I still have the slight tremor in my right hand.  It has diminished significantly in the last three days and I feel confident by the time the lab is operational I can resume my artistic endeavors.  I have said that the atrium is a refuge from the atmosphere of the lab, but I find it nearly impossible to leave it most days as the view of the anomaly is all encompassing.  From my very first site upon arriving it is everything I ever dreamed it would be.  The viewing area on the Derringer-8 was near empty  except for a few crew members and I was able to spent most of my two days of recuperation there.  My hand has been itching to begin the first sketch since that moment and I have been drawing in my imagination almost constantly. Unfortunately as soon as I pick up the charcoal the tremor brings me back to reality. I will have to be patient a little bit longer.  For the first time in my long association with the array I am doubting my ability to capture the true essence of the phenomenon.  It is impossible to put into words the beauty of seeing it´s form suspended in the blackness of space.  LIke a feathered aberration in the deep oceans, spreading its leafy appendices over an unimaginable area of the universe. .  The color variations are indescribable and I will have to use all my ability to mix the color pigments to capture them.  All the images we have captured from Earth do not even come close to the actual view from here. The outlook  from the lab is by far the purest.  The large viewing window uses the true spectrum material we requested and it make all the difference in keeping any type of shape or color distortion to a minimum.  I have also used the main viewing area of the station and as they use the same normal vacuum glass as the Derringer-8 it definitely alters the coloring of the anomaly and also blocks out many of it’s features. I wish it was possible to get a view without any type of interference.  I will have to think on that possibility.

I am currently about fifty percent completed with the instrument set up in the lab.  I am trying to get the essential equipment set up and recording as fast as possible.  Then I can set up the peripheral equipment next as they are not needed to start collecting data from the anomaly. As I predicted the growth of the anomaly near the Flynn foundation is not evident at this time.  The Flynn satellite was just completed six months ago and their research only began within the last few weeks.  It feels strange to be experiencing things now that I know have already happened.  I am tempted to contact them and share what we know from our observation from Earth over the last two years, but as you have let me know they are not willing to discuss their research with us. I know from a news release I read before the journey that they have over three hundred children housed on the artificial satellite.  Most have a degenerating disease or a birth defect that affects their quality of life.  I may try to contact the director of the facility once I am established on New London.  They have a small corporate complex that is near where my studio is planned.  Hopefully I can convince them in person that sharing information can be a benefit to both sides. If it would help with the research to prolong or improve on the life of a child, I am willing to grovel.  

Sadly my friend NIcolas was still under sedation when I left the Derringer-8 and I was unable to see him.  Hopefully when I return to the ship for transfer to New London he will be up and about.   I see from your ship’s itinerary that you should now be beginning your second year of stasis. Right on schedule.  That is encouraging. I enjoyed reading through all the letters you sent during my stasis.  I am still sifting through the data you included but I have started using some of it to set up the correct settings for the monitors installed outside the outer ring of the station. The remote unit is working as expected and I am able to make very delicate adjustments to the positioning arm.

I am a bit disappointed that the committee has not given a designation to the anomaly yet.  If they do not do it soon I will make one for myself as I tire of calling it the anomaly/phenomenon/array. I also want to thank you for the great picture of your new appendage.  Now if you could stop biting your nails long enough to get a nice manicure that would be ideal.

I will continue to write so you will have a running diary of the next year of  activities to read when you are retrieved from stasis.  I considered starting a personal diary to record my activities but it seemed more intimate to continue to write you letters.  I have started a lab notebook with all relevant findings and I will leave this in the lab when I leave and start a new one for the studio on New London.  I hope the lab will be as you expect when you arrive.  

Love always

Victoria