Posted 4:35 am 7/31/00 (Good Heavens! Did I ever sleep back then??)

Homepage     In the Mydst

For our team: Kirsehn, Aitrus, Dar'nay, Kehrin, Scraper, Etonus, Ohvihl, & a bunch of other folks who worked on it with us at one time or another :)

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Eedrah III met me in the Tel'jar district, slipped me an unusually flimsy paper with a smile, and quickly disappeared. Without even opening it I knew where it was from. No D'ni guildsman would ever make something so insubstantial. My friends from the surface wanted to speak with me again. I prepared for the journey then went quickly to the common library. When no one was looking I quickly inputted the code into the wall and slipped into the passageway beyond.

Flattering as it is to be wanted in your third century, I rather wished they could solve these little roadblocks themselves. But it is worth the trouble, I know it. Perhaps they are not ready for journeying, but they have been learning quickly. If they will keep exploring the limits of their own world, preparing, learning the language, learning how to solve ancient mysteries, the day will come when they will be. And hopefully by then new D'ni will ready for them.

Sighing, I opened the full ancient moon mosaic that holds within the hidden portals to their world. There upon a nara pedestals antique beyond imagination were the five linking books. I stepped up to the third and press my hand to the page. I relaxed into the link as Dni dissolved from before my eyes. I briefly lost consciousness, accepting as always the brief loss that is the price of a greater freedom.
The next age swirled around into view I stood, as before, upon a small desert plateau, overlooking a dried up sea. A sandstone cliff rising behind me offered the only shelter there would be from a coming storm. It will rain soon. A sight worth seeing. I smiled.

A short tan-cloaked figure emerged from an invisible rock niche behind me. One of the AVIDs has linked! Brown hair whipped in a whirling dance as she gleefully bounced down to my side. She shouted "SHORAH AND WELCOME!!!!" over an increasing wind. She giggled, "LETS GET IN OUT OF THE RAIN, SHALL WE?" Startled, I followed her back into the hidden alcove removing the goggles as I went. Surprisingly she walked right past the pedestals that would allow us access to both my home and hers. Could it be she didn't see them? She beckoned into the passage beyond. "We have done a lot of work on the GRID project, honorable sir" She looked like she expected me to praise her.

"So I see! And when did you find this place?" Surprised by my voice, she jumped, stumbling backward. I caught her easily, helping her to right herself. And where did they find this one? She looked new.
She dropped her eyes. "Umm" she looked embarrassed, "Well, Sir, I didn't actually. I have these friends and well we found these old books in a rock at the work site and my good friend was working out the star chart. He used this funny astrolabe that was in one of the journals that said it was a key ....and then when we got were it said we used this. lets see." She dug out some loose, tea stained notes. "code 6 right 819 left 91...."

She made NO sense and the code wasn't right. I looked at her levelly.

She started again, "When we got to the main site there were all these directions" her voice trailed off.

"So which friend actually put in the code? Can I speak with him young lady?"

"Um... I guess he is around here somewhere, Sir. I saw him a few hours ago. I was looking in one of the old journals in the room he opened and I was trying to translate the letters on the page. I need to practice them anyway..."

I nodded. Yes it would help speed things later if they would learn what rudiments they can now.

"I got a little dizzy, and when I looked around most everyone was gone. The room has this hidden way out on the hillside... so I wandered back outside. I wish we we'd known that it was here before! The other way is a long drop! Well anyway, one of the guides came and said he would take a note for me and wait here so I did..." She looked at me and blinked innocently. "Shall I show you what we have been working on until they get here?"

My lip twitched in amusement. It was now quite evident that she did not know she had linked!

"Very well young lady, let us see what you have found."

She gladly unzipped a file and displayed it for me. "See my map? It has a lot of the cool things circled. She pointed to the first part of a grid overlaying the map and then waved the printout toward me. I could barely make out the web address, http://home.europa.com/~gp/lech.html. There were pictures with it that look much like what may be her future home, for good reason. "Isn't it beautiful! I think I begin to understand what sort of soil makes up this mudpie. Well...At least generally... I doubt I even know a fraction of what there is to be known...yet the overall picture is clear. The new tunnels lead in the same directions as the old." An interesting reference, I looked at her again. She bounded on ahead then stopped and looked back "Sir, would you please come this way?"

Salar opened an ancient green door and headed for an enormous workdesk surrounded by old oak chairs. I settled in one and then she sat in another. My young friend started flipping through a recently made English journal already open upon the dark wood desk ...within it could be seen technical notes and skillful sketches. She then got out several more journals...at least one of which must have contained her own scribblings. She looked up at me and blushed. "I have had a lot of help finding all this stuff!" Glancing over the opened books, I could see that some held sketches of scenes from BoT...big Lechugilla cave with agave plant scribbled in... (Mayan) stone houses....old calendars...notes about new D'ni from BoD. There were notes also on high astronomy..on 3d real time engines... interactivity/internet access . She pulled some technical notes toward me, obviously hoping for comments.

"Some things I don't even know enough about to know whether they relate or not. I wouldn't know the difference between an AVID base or a Lith base if I tripped over it. And all this math makes my head spin!" She started to lose her shyness in the excitement of the conversation. I refrained from comment, but smiled. That was enough.

"Sir, the Exile site is FASCINATING! it is beautiful! But what on Earth could a Venusian conjuction in 2012 have to do with ANYTHING? High astronomical figures? degree markings? Is Rand building a SPACESHIP? I am starting to think I should check the crop circles for fire marble symbols!" She shrugged. "..well we looked up everything else! Why not?" She scratched yet another short note to herself. I chuckled softly.
She tried to persuade me to speak one more time.

"Do you think these clues Gordon has given us lead to any other places? Are they just insights into inspirations or are there solvable URL's in this muddle?" She looked at me still obviously hoping for a hint. " I THINK that they are mostly inspiration and yet the rumors continue about hidden sites... hidden accessways. Well we have found a few links. Maybe those were it." She sighs " or maybe we should make that machine after all ...."
I laughed out loud!

"It is time to go."
I guided her up and out of the ancient study collecting her books and papers on the way. As we passed the pedestal leading to her current home away from home, I slipped the linking book into my hand.
We arrived at the door to the linking cave just as the rains began. I was delighted to see the pleasure she took in the heavy downpour. I indicated she should pass me. As she went by I slid the book against her hand and, of course, she disappeared. Smiling, I set the linking book back in its place and went outside to enjoy the rain.
Ah my young friends the day cannot come soon enough.

Keep working.