Wolvy

Ya know, hanging out at the bookstore in the children's section might not be a bad deal. Even better would be one of their readers; i.e. establish a "furry reading hour", where you get suited up, and read books to the kids once per week for half an hour or so. I'm planning on embedding a mic in my fursuit head (if I build it), so I could plug in and be heard. It seems to me that a big furry dog reading books to little kids could be a big draw; just so long as I make sure to construct a rugged-enough tail for pulling! In another idea-land, we came up with this one: This was taken from the #fursuitden channel on IRC. It's slightly edited to fix grammar, spelling, and typos. 01[22:34] I was thinking of a skit/dance combination as a dog and human pair. Human brings out his furry dog, gets the furry to do some tricks: 01[22:35] "Sit up.": The dog sits up. "Roll over." The dog rolls over. Beg. The dog produces a cup and a cane and jokingly works the crowd for a minute. 01[22:35] "Speak!" The Dog arfs. "Dance!" The dog stops and looks at the owner like they are crazy. 01[22:36] "Come on, Dance!" ..... The FurryDog, agitated and looking confused, shrugs and then launches into a cover of Thriller. The human joins in the synchronized dance. [22:36] heh [22:36] That would be cool

Now that's all good ideas! I'm already mulling it over in my head, thinking of places that might go for it. Heh, I have a Kindergarten through first-grade school only four doors down and the staff all know me. I have to wonder... Maybe participate in their winter carnival, and / or their family book nights as a reader? Speaking of mics - one of the specifications for my own theoretical suit is an embedded mic in the head assembly. Since I'm a EE by trade, a mic isn't too hard to create. In fact, we've made up many headsets for our church already. I'd just need a wireless transmitter & receiver to be in business, and I've seen those on Craigslist before.

Man, I couldn't help but grin at that....

That's a pretty good start, mate!

Okay, brainstorming time. Let's say one of us really does go out and design & build a fursuit. Or, maybe some of us already have done so. How can it be used within the scope of Christian witness? Think of both inside the furry community and outside the furry community. It might be a good way to establish the fact that there are good Christians in the fandom, Christians that accept & value furs, both within and outside the faith. It might also be a good way to show the outside world that this fandom is full of good people, and is not accurately portrayed by popular media. 'cause let's face it, in the real world, we spend a lot of time outside the furry community and it'd be tons of fun to be able to fursuit there, too. How can we Christian furries use the tools of the fandom for the greater good of the Christian kingdom? I need some ideas here - as I'm doing the research, & am designing a suit. However I don't like making tools that I don't use very often-- I like to keep the handles shiny, so to speak. GCome up with a HUNDRED different ways to use a fursuit as an outreach tool and I'll be a lot more fired up about investing in this project!

I'm also in Michigan, usually on the shoreline of some stream or lake near East Lansing. Welcome! -Wolvy the odder otter

Oh Flech! You just hit on one of my absolute favorite bands! I even have a 1st edition pressing of their second album, Styx II.

ah ha ha ha! Oh, this one will be easy-peasy for me. I've got Myst II somewhere around here - Bought it for my computer, played it for about an hour, haven't been back. That's it, I don't have time to play them, I suppose!

Aloha from wintery Michigan !

You two are from Stratford? No kidding??

This site is where it's at, Kolbe! Nice meeting with you! Oh, and I second that regarding Beef Jerky & Coffee -- Some of the best stuff, next to smoked salmon!

YEs! Welcome! I happen to have my very best friend who lives in Kettering, Ohio! Whaddya know. Small world! My friend just retired from the USAF and I get down to Kettering about once or twice a year. I also happen to be attending a Lutheran church, though my friend is a member of the assembly of God- ...as for attending a furry convention, I am sure you'll be able to get to one sooner or later. Personally, I'd recommend that you be out of high school before attending by yourself, unless you've got some parents with you while you are there. I hope you enjoy meeting with the CF folks on this forum - From what I can tell, each and every one of them are upstanding furs with a good grasp on how to balance furry with Christianity. Cheers to you from the "greymuzzle" !

What exactly are you looking for in terms of line art? Anything specific?

Nah. It's not bothering anyone. I just discovered it the other day and it was kinda sorta cool. Unfortunately it's AWOL at the moment on my Firefox browser

Cheers to you, Garron - Welcome, and explore the website!

Let's take the advice of Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians, a new church established in a cosmopolitan city which was known for it's culture, commerce, paganism, immorality and great wealth. We can use Corinth as a paradigm for this gathering here; for we gather in the middle of a virtual community comprised of Christians and non-Christians, of people who are upright in the eyes of the Lord, and people who live very pagan and/or immoral lives. The church of Corinth had been established probably only ten or twenty years before this letter was written, and in that time, corruption had crept into their church. Paul did not recommend that they shut their doors and scatter. Instead he warned them to be vigilant against corruption and immorality. In fact, he instructed them not to separate themselves from the non-Christians of Corinth, and to NOT to judge those outside of their church(which he says is GOD's job), but instead to focus their judgements on those within the church: To not tolerate sexual impurity within the church, and to isolate those Christians who would not repent of such deeds, lest they be lost forever. Read Chapter five of First Corinthians. Focus on versus 9 through 13. Do not get caught up by the term "legalistic" - For we see that even in the early church, there are definite standards by which Christians should live their lives. Chapter six details some of these standards. What we should do is bond together and encourage one another to live a higher standard - It is a hard world with many traps that we live in. From what I've seen, (and I've only been looking for a few weeks) Furry fandom has many problems, pitfalls and traps. Much like the city of Corinth in A.D. 55 did, I would imagine. The church of Corinth was considered a worthy enough endeavor that Paul visited it, and even wrote multiple letters to encourage and counsel them. Perhaps this online community serves as a similar refuge?

A very warm welcome from the cold north! I like your description very much. Cheers!

Welcome Rikki! All the best- -wolvy

Scene 3: The palace apartment of Markuvial Drake Markuvial spoke cleanly into his helmet microphone: “Ground crew, MK2 requests landing clearance. “ “Clearance request confirmed, please hold present altitude but correct course to heading double-ought five to enable current ground traffic to clear.” Drake piloted his twin-seat turbine flier expertly through the skies above the city of Markuvial. The sun was low on the horizon and it cast a golden reflection off the surface of the great western sea. He was waiting for the runway to clear before making an approach. As he waited, he casually put the flier into a tight banking right turn, and then straightened out to pursue the new heading. Shortly thereafter, the ground crew radioed to report a clear runway and approved landing clearance for MK2. As the last few rays of Anwar’s sun waned upon the horizon, Drake’s small attack flier touched down in the palace city of Markuvial for the first time in two months. Drake taxied his craft into the palace hanger where the baron’s mechanics would clean and prep the vehicle for the next flight. Abandoning the aircraft to the mechanics, He picked up the keys to his speedster then wound his way through the crowded streets towards the palace complex. The palace complex lay on top of a hill near the western edge of the city overlooking the sea. It was surrounded by a host of administrative buildings and military posts to form a defensive wall around the complex. As he entered the outer complex, Drake threaded his way past the security forces that he himself once led. He was now in charge of something eminently larger and more ambitious. His very nature thrilled at the chance to explore and conquer a new world. He, like his father, and like all Markuvial ancestors before him, yearned to push the limits of the family boundaries ever outward. Upon entering the inner palace apartments, a familiar silhouette appeared in the great hall. Drake smiled as the white-haired man in the velvet jacket scurried across the hall to greet him with an embrace. “Drake! It is so good to see you home safe!” “Hello father, how did your day go?, replied Drake. “Hmmf! Not as good as yours, I’d imagine!” Drake gently turned and began a slow walk down the hall. “Oh, you heard about my trip did you?” “Who hasn’t!?” replied the Baron, joining to walk abreast of his son. “You walk into one of the biggest industrial plants in the world, fire the owner for crying out loud, and single-handedly take it over?” Drake rolled his eyes. “Yeah. That about sums it up.” He cocked his head in a playful way, and continued. “However, I cut him a real deal on his very own custom made starship! He’ll have the only one like it in the fleet. I’m actually thinking of having it gilded with gold and blinking lights so that we can see it coming and get out of the way!!” The Baron rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. “Haven’t you ever heard of just leaning on a man? His aunt is my cousin’s wife, for crying out loud! She’s been wailing and moaning for the last five days!” Drake frowned. “Father, The little slug sat in his office all day doing who-knows-what while his factory turned out slag. Then when he got caught, he tried to cook the books and hide the witnesses. He even had the gall to lie straight to my face!” Markuvial’s smile faded into a look of concern. He then placed his hand upon Drake’s shoulder as they walked across the great hall. “Yes, well. Maybe next time you could show a little more restraint? You’ve scared many of your suppliers and they are all complaining to me about it!” Markuvial and Drake paused to look out over the river where the golden streetlamps of the city glinted on the water. Markuvial put on a more thoughtful look. “I must say though that I howled with laughter on the star cruiser trade. Nice touch. You really going to build it out of his scrapped alloys?” Drake just grinned and didn’t answer. Markuvial lightly touched Drake’s elbow and turned to address his son: “Drake, will you do us the honor of staying for dinner tonight?” Drake demurred, a look of avoidance plainly written on his face. “Uhh, well I don’t know, I was kind of expecting an important package to arrive tonight…” “Say no more!” “ Say, would that package have anything to do with a certain female art curator I saw in the palace today??” “What? You saw her? That means it’s arrived already!” Drake was distressed. He was hoping to see Trishyanna tonight where they could open the package together, alone. She had a genuine unique appreciation for his collection of artifacts, among other things. “Hah, arrived it has! I hope you don’t mind, but I had the box delivered to my study and it’s still unopened, much as I was tempted to crack it for just a little peek!” “Really? No, not at all!” lied Drake. “In fact, I think your study is the perfect place for the unveiling of this one! Wait until you see it!” Markuvial’s smiled widened at the thought of unmasking the treasure. Drake smiled in return. Perhaps Trish had some other engagement. Its surprising though. She’s not stood me up before. Drake and Markuvial walked as quickly to the study as possible without looking juvenile. Drake entered the study after his father and watched as Markuvial himself grabbed the synthetic overwrap and tried to wrestle it off the long sealex box. Drake just smiled and watched with delight to see the boyish enthusiasm of his father. This is just as much fun, thought Drake. “ Well, you finally convinced Mhendel to part with his prize, eh?” said Markuvial as he continued yanking and pulling on the protective overwrap. “It took more than convincing. Mhendel is significantly richer now and I’m significantly poorer!” Markuvial made a sour face and waved his hands as if to ward off the words. “Pfffssh! Nonsense. You have what is now arguably the world’s most valuable collection of ancient art and history. I’d hardly call that poor.” “That’s not what Sharna would have said.” Markuvial paused for a moment and looked up at Drake with softened eyes. “She would have been proud of you, just like I am. “ Drake went silent, and walked over to help his father work on opening the sealex box. The box itself was rectangular, about six or seven feet long, and about a foot square on the ends. It was covered in a waterproof white overwrap that made entry difficult. However, they soon opened the ends of the box to reveal a rolled up fabric tapestry that was carefully wound upon a wooden spindle. Drake and his father carefully freed it from the box, and slowly began to unroll the ancient cloth across the polished granite floor, taking care to touch only the spindle and not the ancient fabric of the tapestry itself. “The Mhendel tapestry.” announced Drake. Markuvial drank in the details of the ancient artwork and let out a long, low whistle. “You know, I’ve never seen it before. Not even a miniature image of it. Look at the detail and color!” Drake nodded in agreement. “No one alive today except Trishyanna has ever seen it. In fact, I would bet six or seven generations of Mhendels never even saw it. Mhendel himself had to shatter a door of a sealed chamber room to get at it for me. So, until I bought it, I am sure that not even he knew what it looked like. I still don’t know why he even offered it to me, as it has historically been treated as their family crown jewel.” Drake and Markuvial both studied the tapestry. It was large and long: Twice as long as it was high. Six by twelve. The central part of the image showed a large golden dragon standing upon its hindquarters, talons raised and teeth bared. It spread its wings protectively as if to shield a group of people who were standing behind its back. In front of the dragon was what appeared to be two trees whose branches rose up and intertwined together. An unadorned grey blank spot lay between the trunks of the trees. “Exquisite.” Said Markuvial. “What are we looking at here?” Drake studied the tapestry for a while. The Mhendel family preserved it well: It was an heirloom that they took great pride in. He would have to be just as vigilant in its care. “It’s clearly one of the earliest ones I’ve seen, based on the design and layout. Look here: The dragon stands out at you because the crafters wove him out of thread spun with a high concentration of actual gold. Look at the eyes. There appears to be hate in there. Hate for his enemies, but love for his followers. See how the dragon stands possessively, trying to shield his people? Shield them from what, I wonder? He appears to be facing that blank spot in the tapestry. I’ve never seen anything like it before, actually. Then there are these faces of the people themselves… Probably faces of the Mhendel family that commissioned the tapestry. The faces show looks of fear and hope: They look to the dragon for safety, it seems. There’s something odd about the clothing designs though.“ Drake got on his hands and knees to get closer, though he was careful not to touch the ancient fabric. He noticed that each of the characters wore a sash with small words woven into the design. Unfortunately time had aged the tapestry enough that these tiny details were distorted beyond recognition. Maybe with years of study he could decipher them. However, there were plenty more mysteries woven into the cloth, all along the border. “What are these four scenes that are found in the corners of the border?” asked Markuvial “Fantasy and myth, mostly. Look here. This top-left scene is a graphic I have seen woven onto other tapestries: It shows a dragon staring into a large free-standing mirror where he sees a different dragon staring back at him. It’s the legend of the mirror-land, fabled origin of the dragons. Except this one’s slightly different: There appears to be a man in the mirror with the other dragon! That’s odd.” “Any idea why this one is different?” asked Markuvial “No idea. These tapestries were generally commissioned by the family head who could control all aspects of the details, so I suppose the character might represent a family head’s fantasy to actually visit mirror-land?” “What about these other three scenes?” asked Markuvial, who was slowly circling the woven fabric while stroking his chin. Drake looked at the three remaining scenes. The top-right scene showed a mountaintop city perched above a dense forest or jungle. Tiny figures flew about in the air around the city: Birds, or perhaps dragons again? In the distance of the scene was what appeared to be a cone-shaped mountain rising above the forest. Perhaps this was an ancient fantasy rendering of the Mhendel fortress, just expanded to make it seem city-like. “This scene appears to be a fantasy of the Mhendel fortress, just expanded into a city.” Explained Drake. “The ancient Mhendels were obviously enamored with dragons: They have even woven them to be flying about the fortress as if they were as common as birds!” The next one, on the lower right illustrated a large man who stood among several others. He held aloft in his hands some kind of ebony colored box . The object was very nearly a cube with six equal sides. All of the people’s faces were turned towards the cube. Drake puzzled. This appears to be some sort of artifact I have not seen before. I almost want to jump into that scene to ask them what it is. “I don’t know what this scene represents.” Said Drake. “It appears to be some sort of sacred object that these men look at. I’ve not seen or read of any object like this before. I’ll have to ask baron Mhendel about it.” Markuvial stood behind his kneeling son and stared down at the tapestry. “It’s a curious scene indeed: I feel like reaching down there with those men and touching the cube myself.” Drake looked up at his father with surprise. “That’s exactly what I was just thinking!.” Markuvial stared for a moment longer, stroking his chin. His eyes finally broke from the scene and darted to the lower left corner. The scene in the corner was different than any of the others in that there were no recognizable shapes or symbols. It was a scene surrounded by leaves. The bottom of the tiny scene was filled with dark brown fibers, mottled with flecks of gold and silver. The middle was arranged in a horizontal band of green hues, mottled in what appeared to be tan. The top of the scene was weaved in colorful threads of orange and reds that streamed out of a white circle to encircle a single black dot. “What do you make of that last little scene, Drake?” Drake looked at the scene with confusion. It looked out of place for the tapestry style. “ Another mystery. I can only guess that it was some sort of flag, family crest, or coat of arms?” As Drake and Markuvial pondered the mysteries of the tapestry, a servant gently knocked on the study door to inform them that the evening meal was now ready. The mystery would have to wait until tomorrow. Drake carefully wound the tapestry back onto its spindle and pushed it back into the box before retiring to the dining room. # Regret, Frustration, Anger! I look around to see my people dying. We cannot go back for they have closed the gate and locked it. The danger had been unleashed upon our home and that was the only way to stop it. And yet this is a beautiful land. Those of us left outside the gate have fallen in love with it. Like Ryyarh to flame, we stayed despite the inevitable doom to our own bodies. I must save our people. I want to reach out to crush and tear, flame and burn! Avoid me o death or I will reward you with many victims for your terrible maw… I will clothe our people in human blood and it will be my most challenging and final gift. Drake awoke trembling in sweat. He frantically reached over and touched the lamp switch. He rubbed his hand through his dampened hair and stared around his empty bedroom. Everything appeared to be the same and in order. Glass cases lined his walls containing samples of art, talismans, and ancient texts. Nothing appeared to have moved, yet Drake could swear he had felt someone just enter his room. Drake carefully pulled his ion pulse pistol from the night stand and armed it. With practiced silence, he got out of bed and scanned the room. However, there was nothing. Drake moved to the hallway and turned on the light. He moved down the artifact lined passage with the pistol at ready, alert for any sign of noise or movement. A low snatch of conversation floated out from his den and it made Drake freeze in his tracks. Listening intently, Drake continued to search the air for the source of the sound. “(something unintelligble)…nothing.” It said. “Try again…..(more unintelligble voice)…are you sure?” “(more unintelligble speech)we’re close I think.” Drake silently moved to the entrance of the den with his pistol ready. The sounds were still muffled and barely above his threshold of hearing. He reached around the door frame, turned on the light, and cased the room with his gun. He stepped into the room but the noises had ceased. There in the middle of the room lay the Mhendel tapestry, still encased in its broken sealex box. Drake stood there silently staring at it and listened with all his energy. However, no perceptable sound could be found. He looked around the room once more, then disarmed his pistol. Bravo, Mhendel and your superstition. You got to me with your scary ghost story. Well, good night ghost. Go away now, because I don’t believe in you. # A knock on the door awakened Drake from his sleep. Drake opened his eyes and noted that it was full sunlight. Boom, boom! Someone was now pounding on the door. Drake grabbed yesterday’s clothes and carelessly tossed them on. He jogged to the door and opened it. Trishyanna looked him over and her eyes grew wide. “Dragonsfire Drake, What happened to you? You look like crap.” “Nothing, I just overslept a little.” muttered Drake. Trishyanna snorted. “Well that’s a first. I half-expected that you would be calling me at the crack of dawn wanting to know the details of the tapestry inspection!” Drake’s eyes perked up a little. “What kind of details?” Trishyanna let herself slip past Drake, then smiled and dropped her coat onto floor as she headed towards the kitchenette. “How about I make you some breakfast and good hot cup of Khraa while you get cleaned up? It’ll be worth the wait, Drake.” Drake picked up her coat and plopped it onto the coat rack next to the door. “Sure, I can do that. I need to know something though.” Trishyanna spun around with amusement sparkling in her eyes to look at Drake in his disheveled clothing. “Who works for who here? You or me?” he asked. Trishyanna looked up at the ceiling and laughed. “I’d have to say yes!” She paused to laugh at the bemused look on Drake’s face. “Okay, okay, it’s ‘Yes boss.’ I’ll behave. Now will you please clean up while I get you something to eat? There are some unusual details on your latest treasure that I am just bursting to tell you!” # Drake walked into the dining room where the smell of eggs, fresh fruit, toasted bread, and roasted Khraa made his stomache rumble. Trishyanna was sitting at the table, sipping a cup and reading one of her notebooks while his food sat steaming on on the opposite side. He sat down and wordlessly began eating his unexpectedly delicious breakfast. Trishyanna looked up from her notebook and smiled. “There. You look a whole lot better. How’s the breakfast?” Drake nodded in approval as he continued chewing. “I see you have it laying on the floor in the middle of your den.” Drake swallowed and replied: “Yes. I haven’t figured out where to put it yet.” “Might I suggest in a very, very secure building with a really good alarm system?” said Trishyana. Drake cocked his head in surprise. “What could be more secure than the palace apartments?” Trishyanna frowned. “Good point. However, what you have laying on that floor is pretty unique. It’ll be very sought after if these details leak out. Even more than when Mhendel begins telling people how much you paid for it.” Drake grew impatient. “Trish, I don’t really care if he tells the world. We have developed the palatial security for generations until it is arguably the most secure place on the planet. No one can get in here without invitation.” Well then, who or what did I hear last night? Drake continued. “Why do you think I’d need more security for this particular artifact than any of the others?” Trishyanna stopped smiling for a few seconds, seemingly cowed by Drake’s impatient rebuke. “It’s a lot older than you think.” She said. ”Plus it’s construction is unique.” Drake paused. “How old do you think it is? 1200, 1400 years?” She regained her impish smile as she replied: “Try TWENTY-two hundred years!” Drake pushed himself away from the table. “Come on. Is this a joke?” “No, I’m serious! We accomplished two different dating techniques twice on both the tapestry and the spindle itself. The tapestry keeps coming up at 2190 to 2217 years old, and the spindle is about a hundred years younger. Both radio-carbon and spectral shift techniques agree with a 91% confidence ratio.” Drake felt his heart pounding as the realization hit him: His new artifact not only dated back to the original founders, but may have been created by the founders themselves! A broad smile creeped across his face “That’s amazing! Why, this could have been commissioned by mysterious Mhendel himself!” Trishyanna beamed. “There’s more, Drake. A lot more!” Drake fixed his gaze onto Trishyanna expectantly. “Like what?” “The composition of the tapestry is super complex. It’s not a simple spun flax/wool/metal composite like all of the other, later tapestries. “ Trishyanna continued. “It’s a combination of flax, gold, silver, conventional pigments, and a unique substance that replaces the wool as the binding agent. It appears to be shredded animal fibers similar to a horse hoof, but it’s not horse. Whatever it is, it’s tough. Really tough. We haven’t identified it yet, but it’s got a trace chemical composition like you wouldn’t believe. Get this: Hafnium Diboride. There’s a high concentration of it throughout the whole tapestry.” Drake looked at the big grin that was pasted all over Trishyanna’s face. “So, what do you think it is?” asked Drake. Trishyanna’s voice quavered with barely contained excitement. “Want to know why I didn’t come over yesterday evening? It’s because I had some research to do. I wanted to make sure my theory is correct. You didn’t sleep well last night? Well, I didn’t sleep at all! I just came over from the research laboratory after pulling an all-nighter, and what I’ve got will blow you away: The substance in your tapestry Drake, has never been seen outside of a weapons laboratory!” Drake dropped his fork into his eggs and stared at Trishyanna. “You mean you couldn’t get a match? To anything? What’s is closest cousin?” “It’s totally unique to itself. I’ve sampled the fibers, and from what I can tell they are stronger than spider silk, and darned near flame proof. Yet, it’s an animal product. It’s got DNA and a cell structure indicative of an animal.” “Totally unique?” said Drake, not quite convinced. Trishyanna’s grin got even wider. “You know what I’m thinking, don’t you?” Drake felt it sneaking up on him, for Trishyanna’s grin was contagious. He looked into her sky blue eyes, and felt his grin grow wide enough to cause his cheeks to hurt. “Do you think mysterious Mhendel wove some actual dragon into his rug??” Trishyanna tossed her head triumphantly causing her red hair to swish in triumph. “It sure as hell looks like it!” Drake stood up, all fatigue from last night forgotten. “Trish honey, if you are right about this, then we’ve just made the biggest discovery of the century!” Drake ran over to the other side of the table to sweep Trishyanna off her feet and seal their triumph with a passionate kiss. She was always endlessly surprising Drake, first as a historical researcher. As Drake kissed her willing lips, a familiar thought popped into his head, one he thought about more and more: I wonder if you would stay by my side as I rule on the new planet? Should I even ask? He figured that she would make a good match. Her interests were similar, mannerisms were fun, and she had the keenest intellect he had ever seen in anyone. She was from a ruling class baron family, too. She had made her fortune on her own through her dealings in historical research and had risen to importance as Drake personal assistant. In fact, her commission on his last purchase alone probably made her one of the wealthiest historical researchers in the world. But, are you falling in love with me enough to give it up and come with me to a new world where we’ll have to start over? Trishyanna interrupted as if reading Drake’s thoughts: “Mmmm… So tell me something, boss.” She continued: “Will you be taking all this wonderful art with you when you rocket away to conquer your new planet?” “Probably just the most important pieces.” “Oh I see!” Trish smiled as she pulled herself tighter into Drake’s arms to bore into his eyes with her gaze. “And…do you consider me one of the most important pieces?” Drake looked deep into her eyes. Are you serious? “Hmm… You might be.” Drake answered. “However, I doubt that there will be much of a market for art when we arrive. We’d have to start with virtually nothing, you know. My, uh, collection will be under a lot of physical strain for a long time until we are settled.” Trishyanna’s face softened and she stroked Drake’s hair back from his face. She suddenly got serious and peered into Drake’s eyes. “Yeah, I know that. But you know, I’d follow you anywhere. Even if it meant living in a stone hut and washing our clothes by banging rocks together. You and me: we’re an awesome team and I don’t want to give that up when the time comes. I don’t ever want to give it up. Ever.” Drake thought about it some more: He had never seen Trishyanna give up on anything before. She would make a good match, and in time, their love would grow even stronger. . “Bang rocks together, Trish?” smiled Drake. She laughed. “You bet! Afterwards we could debate on which rock was pre-cambrian and which one was paleolithic! He always laughed at her jokes, even when they were lame. Well it was his choice to marry. Probably would have to make a choice soon, anyway. He’d need to inform the Baron, and they could be married in just a few months. “Well then, my dear Trishyanna. Will you indeed stay by my side in all good times and bad, no matter what? We might have some tough times ahead of us. Nothing’s certain on this trip, except adventure!” “Forever and forever, no matter what the cost. Only I want to be your full partner now, and not just your employee!” “It’s a promise!” beamed Drake. Trishyanna leaned into Drake and they tumbled backwards and onto the floor next to the tapestry. Drake fell onto her, feeling her softness and warmth in the embrace. Oh Trishyanna, You’ll make a wonderful lover, and unparalelled partner. I cant wait to spend our lives together! Fear not, for there will be plenty for you to explore and learn on the new planet! They lay there in each others arms, unaware that the quiet whispers of the tapestry had begun yet again in their presence. #

I used to be a Euphonium player, but haven't had a chance to play it in fourteen years. However I dabble with acoustic & electric guitar, and can play a fife. Welcome to the musical, family friendly furry community!

Welcome!

Those are pretty good, mate!

Scene 2 – Drake’s purchase of the Mhendel tapestry. Mhendel paced to and fro in his great room. His barrel chest filled his finest clothes amply, and he wore an expensive but old crown. Lines of stress and worry showed plainly upon his face. Mhendel was torn by the decision he had made five years ago: A decision that he had nearly forgotten about until the herald arrived from the Markuvian barony last week. Now today, the fruits of that decision were about to come to pass. Mhendel was excited for the arrival of Drake Markuvial and his entourage meant his fortunes might very well be changing for the better. However, he was ashamed as well, ashamed that when he was dead and gone, he would have to explain to his ancestors his loss of the greatest Mhendel treasure in family history. Perhaps it was just as well. The tapestry had grown itself to legendary proportions until not even he, the baron of his family dared to even breathe on it, much less look at it. It was, after all, just an old cloth? Mhendel tried to convince himself of this and it eased his mind a little. If the young baron-elect came through with the gold signets, the prosperity of Mhendel’s little barony would be assured for generations. So what if the old rag wasn’t in its vault anymore? All Mhendel would have to do is re-seal the vault and his life, after a few weeks, would return to better than normal: He and his family would be wealthy! Mhendel smiled at the thought. He would be able to afford some new roads, maybe put his ancient fortress in order, maybe even build himself a new castle and turn this drafty old one into a museum or something grand like that! Fifteen million signets for his family tapestry. That was probably more than the worth of his whole kingdom. It probably meant that the young Markuvial would pay more. Mhendel mulled it over in his head for only a short time before deciding it was too risky. He knew that there would never be another offer like this one. Drake was obsessed like no other baron for ancient antiquities and as luck would have it, he was also blessed with riches. Mhendel looked about the ancient great room. It was part of the original structure of his fortress. The ceiling was dome shaped, with supporting beams coming in from the five corners of the room to intersect at the very center in an inverted spire. The ceiling had once been painted with scenes of sky, mountain, jungle and savanna, but it had long since faded to a featureless grey many centuries ago. Only sketches and stories handed down by generations told of the splendor of the Mhendel fortress. Maybe he’d spend his first million on restoring the fortress to glory. Bah. Foolhardy sentiment, that idea! Mhendel jumped out of his daydream when Totter skidded into the room. “Your grace, he’s here!!” Totter, dressed in a traditional silver and blue jumpsuit was very excited. His feet were nearly a blur. Totter’s rail-thin arms pumped the air. “He’s here, and he’s brought an awfully huge truck with about fifty armed guards on top!” Mhendel felt excited but sick at the same time. It was time to greet the purchaser. “Totter, Go get Tarya and have her meet me here. Have Master Markuvial bring his entourage to the great room. Make sure you also let the kitchens know that the feast must be ready within an hour.” Totter snapped to attention, saluted Mhendel with a hearty wave, and danced out of the great room happily hooting like an owl. Mhendel listened intently as the muffled sounds of stirring echoed throughout the fortress. Within a few minutes, his wife Tarya appeared in the great room, arrayed in a most stunning golden dress. Mhendel stood transfixed as his wife of so many years seemed to float across the large pentagon shaped floor to come to rest by his side. The dress flowed snugly down her midriff and hips, and trailed like golden water behind her. “My dear husband. Are you happy ?”, she said with a smile as she took his arm. “Dragon’s fire, but I had forgotten about that dress. Why has it been so long since you last wore it?” A small shadow passed across her face and she shook her head. “I don’t know, I suppose we have not had an occasion like this in a long time.” “Well my dear. I hope there will soon be many occasions. You have stunned me tonight.” Tarya beamed at her husband. After fourty years of marriage, he was still surprising her with his abject love. Even through the hard times of late. Tarya hoped that indeed that the hard times were coming to a close. The technology of Anwar had passed by their little barony, and the young baron-class Mhendel children had nearly all run off to other surrounding baronies to seek their fortune or their mates. No one seemed to appreciate the tradition and rich, noble history that Mhendel barony offered anymore. Tarya had one last concern. “Mhendel, I have to ask you one simple question before this Markuvial arrives with his fortune.” Mhendel paused in concern. “What is that, Tarya?” Tarya looked into his soft eyes, the iris of which was oddly ringed in gold: A rare feature even among barons. “You are about to trade our families dearest artifact for a treasure of gold. It wont ever come back. Our family history says that it is the tapestry that holds the key to our family’s salvation. Are you willing to disregard that tradition without regret?” Mhendel felt the clinging in his chest tighten. His wife of so may years had hit the hardest question he had ever grappled with. Could he sell it? He looked over to the vault embedded into the wall. He looked at his faded ceiling. He then looked into his wife’s eyes. Deep inside he felt his clenched body relax as final decision was made. “It is time to let it go, Tarya. This is the time of our family’s salvation. Drake Markuvial shall be an able caretaker for the Mhendel tapestry.” With that, Tarya reached over to pat her husband’s arm in unspoken solidarity. They then waited as the sounds of men and wheels grew louder. Totter led the procession into the great room and his characteristic prancing made it seem as if a circus had made its arrival. Directly behind him walked Drake Markuvial who wore a stolid face. Totter hooted, ran to the middle of the cavernous room, threw his arms out and up, and shouted with all the pomp he could muster: “Baron and Baroness, it gives me the utmost pleasure to present to you, Second heir to the great Markuvial barony, the esteemed Master Drake Markuvial!!” Drake was amused and he smiled his widest grin as his security team, caught up by Totter’s silly mannerisms, began to applaud wildly. Drake figured that the irrepressible Totter was sincerely and certifiably crazy. Baron Mhendel walked across the pentagonal stone floor to grasp Drake’s forearm behind the wrist, and shake it heartily. “Master Markuvial! It is so good to see you! I hope you and your team had a good journey?” Drake smiled and nodded in agreement. “I would like to present to you my esteemed wife, baroness Tarya.” Tarya moved with ease to the side of her husband, her golden dress shimmering in the soft glare of the electric lamps that were recessed into the ceiling so many feet up. “The pleasure is all mine, Baron Mhendel, and Baroness Tarya.” replied Drake. “Master Markuvial, I must inquire, how are the Baron and Baroness? Are they well?” asked Tarya. Her regal eyes flickered back and forth between her husband and Drake’s angled face. “Very well, thank you. Both have asked that I send you their best wishes. My mother has requested that you both try to arrange a visit later this year, actually. Perhaps after I have properly secured a fitting place for preservation and display of your artifact.” The mention of the tapestry caused a brief flash of emotion to wing across Mhendel’s face. Drake continued: “In fact, I think it would be fitting if the Baron of Mhendel himself perform the unveiling. In a certain way, it would show to the world that the heritage of the tapestry is and will always remain Mhendel.” Tarya looked with genuine surprise at Drake, then turned to her husband, who wore an inscrutable expression on his face. The Baron looked to his wife, then back to the man who was about to leave with his greatest treasure. Mhendel had not expected this, not in a million years. A rich and untouchable family such as the Markuvian dynasty rarely offered such overtures. Or at least, Mhendel thought that was the case, anyway. He had never in thirty-five years had the chance to meet Baron Markuvial at the annual council of Barons. To think that this was happening because of an old tapestry was silly. Was there something else that this young man was searching for? Mhendel spoke, but the offer left him rattled, and unsure of the consequences on taking or refusing it. “Sure, sure, that sounds like a wonderful idea, Master Markuvial… We have not visited your father’s barony before and we would be honored.” Drake, pleasure plainly displayed upon his face, clapped his hands together. “Very well! Now, there is a matter of a good faith deposit that I believe I owe you. I have deposited the remainder in a trust account that will revert to your ownership as soon as the tapestry has been inspected and rendered ready for shipment.” With that, Drake walked over to the large carriage and pulled a latch from the front. A single latch remained. Drake put his hand upon it and spoke. “I give you the good faith deposit of one million signets.” Mhendel stopped breathlessly to stare as the final latch came loose, and the large wooden front of the wagon swiveled down… A cascade of golden coins moved like a tidal wave through the opening, to crash and bounce across the stone floor… He pictured it as a golden waterfall of wealth, more than he had ever seen before! The large coins danced and bounced and rolled in all directions. Drake solidly stood there in the midst of the shower, gold flashing and crashing all about his frame, and still it kept coming! Totter was screaming in laughter and cavorting amongst the treasure like a madman. Mhendel felt like joining him in his crazy dance. He walked over to Drake, waded into the shower of gold and slipped to fall nearly at the young man’s feet… What a showman! I love this man! Dragonsfire, I wish I had a daughter left to give him--- The flow of gold ebbed, until the great glittering pile lay upon the center of Mhendel’s ancient great room. Mhendel looked at his wife Tarya who stood staring with eyes wide, her hand held in front of her mouth. Totter still hooted with pleasure. Drake carefully stepped over the golden pile to reach Mhendel who by now stood transfixed by the gold. With a tilt of his head and a small smile, Drake spoke again. “Would your grace prefer to count it now, or perhaps after we examine the tapestry?” Mhendel broke out of his trance at the sound of Tarya’s giggle. “Hmm? Oh! The Tapestry! Right away!” Mhendel and Drake turned their backs on the gold as Drake’s guards shooed Totter out of the glittering pile. The two men walked to the far wall to a small, but ornately carved wooden door. The carvings were of people, animals, leaves and vines. Centered in the middle was a carved dragon poised in a fearsome posture: Teeth bared, frozen in mid-leap. Drake presumed that the carvings were sourced from the treasure within. Mhendel drew a key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole of the door. With a careful twist, the lock snapped with a click. He then turned the brass knob and pulled the door open with effort. The hinges shrieked in protest as rusty smoke puffed from the hinge pins. Drake, Mhendel, and the lady Tarya looked beyond the door to see a steel plate bolted to the wall with rusted fasteners. Mhendel stared in disbelief. Drake, however, only peered at the plate for a few seconds before turning to the shocked Mhendel. “When was the last time you checked the condition of this tapestry?”, coolly asked Drake. “I…I’ve..well,” stammered Mhendel. Tarya spoke up. “We’ve never checked it. Never in our lifetime, nor in our father’s lifetime. This is the first time in generations that we’ve dared open the vault.” Drake looked at the two people with obvious shock. I can’t believe they haven’t ever bothered to look at it! Drake knew that the tapestry was guarded closely from outsiders, but to lock it away like this? It was almost as if Mhendel was afraid of it. “Why, if you don’t mind my asking, haven’t you even bothered to inspect it?” Mhendel looked away from the steel plate and spoke. “It’s because of what the tapestry does, Master Drake. It’s not just a simple blanket or rug that you hang on the wall.” Tarya continued: “Our family history says that the tapestry is endowed with mysterious power. You can still feel it sometimes, late at night when you are quiet and stand near the vault.” Drake was skeptical, but intrigued by this previously unknown legend. “What exactly can you feel?” “I feel the dragon that is woven into it.” Spoke Mhendel, gravely. “I sometimes dream its dreams and they scare me just like they scared my father and his father before him. That is why we have not opened the vault. There is some sort of spell woven into the tapestry, and we have dared not disturb it until now.” Drake saw the superstitious fear in the baron’s eyes. It is truly amazing that a secret superstitious legend could grip a whole family for so long! Drake replied with barely concealed skepticism: “Perhaps when I have moved the tapestry to a new location you will be able to sleep without any more fearsome dr..” Tarya interrupted him: “Don’t think for a minute that my husband is making this up. I’ve seen his agony when the dream grips him. I’ve seen him sweat and I have felt the heat. The heat overcomes him as if he were gravely ill, just as it gripped his father. One minute its there, and the next minute its gone. I see that you too, have the golden crown in your eyes, just like Mhendel. Don’t underestimate this artifact, Master Markuvial. We love it and fear it at the same time.” The seriousness of the regal lady Tarya shook Drake’s confidence and his smile faded. “I will take your caution and exercise due care, baroness.” Mhendel stepped past from the wooden door as Drake beckoned his inspection team over to examine the steel plate. Trish and two men dressed in white coats hurried over from the side of the wagon. “What do you think?” asked Drake. The team of three historical preservationists examined the steel plate in the wall then talked amongst themselves for a few minutes. Trishyanna produced a small drill to drill a pilot hole into the plate. She then attached an air sampler to the pilot hole and sampled the interior of the vault. Scanning the results, she smiled with satisfaction. She then turned around to report to Drake and Mhendel. “It looks as if this is still an airight seal, based on my readings: The interior was purged with an inert gas and there is still virtually zero humidity inside: Whatever is in there stands a pretty good chance of still remaining preserved. We think that we can cut off the fasteners, pressure equalize the chamber, then transfer the contents for transport to your lab where we can inspect it in sterile conditions.” “Very good, Trish. Please make it so.” Mhendel placed his hand on Drake’s forearm. “Does this mean that we wont get a chance to look at the tapestry?” “Do you really want to see it? Now? After all this time?” asked Drake. Mhendel looked to Tarya, then at the steel plate. He pondered, then shook his head. “No, I guess not. Perhaps some day I will journey to your barony and peer at it once I know it is safe to do so.” A lively metallic ringing from across the room made everyone turn from the vault. Totter rang a small golden bell and executed a very pronounced bow towards Drake, Mhendel, and Tarya. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that the banquet is ready to begin! Your dinner guests have assembled and await your arrival! Today begins a great festival, and we welcome you, Master Markuvial, as the guest of honor!” Tarya smiled and held out her hands to Drake and Mhendel. They turned to follow the odd little man towards the banquet hall as the recovery team labored to extract the tapestry.

Pretty whimsical bit of literature there, Draco. Someone ought to catch up with that traveling salesbeast and put that elephant back in the box!

Dragon's New Dawn begins on a planet with a world government is decidedly not democratic: It's a government made up of a cooperative of baronies; i.e. kindgoms, and two distinct classes of humans. The Baron-class and the working class. These two classes of humans have diverged significantly enough that there are physiological differences which can be seen quite readily in their looks, their gait, and even in their behavior and ways of thinking. Dragon's New Dawn explores the origins of these two peoples, at a time when these 22nd century humans have just discovered their first habitable world, and are in the midst of a great worldwide effort to build the technology and ships necessary to carry them on a fifty year journey to this next world. Drake Markuvial, the son of one of the most powerful baronies in the world, is the appointed leader of the expedition. However his journeys will take him on another, even more radical and dangerous adventure, as he probes the mysteries of the origins of the barons, and how they came to be who they are. I present to you, chapter one, of Dragon's New Dawn. # Dragon's New Dawn, by Daniel Burk. Scene 1 The southern ward of Markuvial province, Filinder’s Smelting and metalworks. Planet Anwar’s vast arrays of solar collectors blanket the whole of the great western desert to capture solar energy and transform it into electricity. The electricity in turn, splits the great western sea’s water into hydrogen and oxygen. This ready source of fuel forms the catalyst used by the world’s greatest fusion reactors. The reactors churn the hydrogen with concentrated magnetic fields to force it into yielding its energy in a vast burst of heat and light. Located just south of the desert lay sprawling complexes of new industry that gather like pilgrims, to drink in the cheap and ready source of energy. Freight cars arrive on the rails each day, laden with raw ore excavated from all over the world. The ore is transformed into steel, aluminum, titanium, and innumerable hybrid alloys. The metals pour forth unceasingly to feed the insatiable appetite of Anwar’s new astrospace program that now grips the imagination of the world’s ruling-class barons. Never before has there been such a unanimous collaboration among the barons. They all dream of the chance to strike it rich on the newly discovered world located only one star away. # Drake Markuvial entered the Filinder’s metalworks with disgust. He looked about himself and noted that in just a matter of half-dozen years, the place already had the look of a decrepit factory ready to fall in upon itself. There was slag, scrap, and dirt everywhere. Drake’s engineers were right when they cryptically suggested that he pay this facility a personal and unannounced visit. Well so be it. Let Jaret Filinder explain how he could create the mission critical castings in such a filthy mess. Moments after Drake and his team entered the factory offices, a small round man in a rumpled suit ran up to Drake and his engineers. A group of similarly suited assistants bumbled out of a board room to chase after their leader. “Master Markuvial! What a pleasant surprise!” stammered a white-faced Jaret Filinder. “The pleasure is mine,” lied Drake. “My apologies but my staff here did NOT inform me of your visit until just now, I was not aware that we had a plant visit scheduled for today! Can I offer you something to drink while we prepare for your visit?” offered Jaret. “Oh, don’t trouble your staff, it’s not their fault. This was somewhat of a spur of the moment visit. I’ve come to tour your facilities and discuss a few matters of some business with you.” Jaret’s eyes darted back and forth across Drake’s cold face and to the steely eyes of Drake’s staff that stood silently behind him. He nervously wiped his sweaty hands onto the lower part of his expensive, but rumpled suit. “Oh? May I ask what type of business?” Drake smiled with cold pleasure at the obvious signs of Jaret’s discomfort but was not yet ready to let him off the hook. “Not yet. First my staff and I would like to see these…remarkable… facilities of yours. Would you care to accompany us?” “Oh, of..of course! Just let me gather the necessary materials and inform the staff so that we can tour…” Stuttered Jaret. Jaret motioned to a shapely young woman that stood behind him. “Fancy, would you please let the formen know that we’ll be moving about the plant on a special tour today? After that, please return to accompany Master Markuvial and myself. ” Fancy smiled fetchingly at Drake and curtsied to Jaret. “Right away, Mister Filinder!” She spun around and flitted off down the hall to disappear into the bowels of the dusty offices. Jaret clapped once, then rubbed his hands together. “Now then, shall we begin?” “Yes, please. My staff would like to discuss business operations with your staff while we tour. Is that alright with you?” asked Drake. Jaret’s face betrayed obvious dismay, but it quickly changed back to a mask of pleasant confidence. Drake dismissed his engineers with the order to find and interview the Filinder metalworks staff. Jaret Filinder and his petite assistant accompanied Drake on a tour the plant. Filinder could not stop sweating, stammering or yammering for the whole hour as they strolled through the suffocating heat of the metalworks. He continually tugged at the bottom of his rumpled suit that bent outward at the buttons around his waist. Drake towered above the portly little man by a full head and shoulder and he walked in seemingly aimless fashion about the metalwork, oblivious to Filinder’s stuttery speeches on the various metal processes taking place about them. Drake stopped at a sight that took him by surprise. They had entered the sweltering heat of the casting plant, where a new load of cold steel has just fallen into a great casting furnace. He could see the ghostly glow of the kiln’s fire flash around the blackened steel, and feel the waves of infrared heat emanate from the furnace. He stood motionless, transfixed by the brightening red glow that crept slowly about the dark chunks of steel. He concentrated his attention on one particular piece of steel where he saw bright yellow lines grow and spread as if made from veins of fire. The veins under the chunk of steel glowed ever brighter until the chunk burst into flame, liquefied, and rolled over to expose a golden belly. The blackened oxides, oils, rusts, and scale burned away, and the iron trickled down into the bottom of the ladle to leave the black slag floating on top of 50,000 pounds of purified molten iron. He watched as a robot extracted the ladle and lifted it with precision to the ceiling tracks. The ladle moved across the ceiling to the other side of the casting room where it would gently pour the treasure into a mold. As the mechanized ladle glided across the ceiling, a tiny droplet of molten iron spilled from above, and with a giant PAFF! it splattered on the moist concrete below, shooting showers of sparks for dozens of feet in all directions. For the first time today, Drake showed his emotions with an unconscious chuckle of delight. The sights and sounds of the raw fire and energy had electrified him like no other part of the project thus far. Unfortunately this tour would end now as he had chosen to finally reveal the reason for his visit. # With literally thousands of plants and factories involved in the project, Jaret Filinder knew that a surprise visit from the director of the entire space program was a really bad sign. He had been racking his brain while trying to stall Baron Markuvial’s son and elicit some kind of emotion to gage the man’s intentions. He had been studying Drake Markuvial all morning, but no outward sign of emotion could be found until now. Filinder watched Drake stare at the pot of melting iron for several minutes as it heated, melted, and poured. At the strike of the iron droplet, Markuvial’s face lit up in delight and he barked a small laugh that frightened Jaret. Drake then turned and bore into him with his blue eyes, which were oddly flecked with gold in the center of the iris. “ Mister Filinder, do you know why I am here today?” “Well sir, I was wondering that same question, if you don’t mind my asking.” “ I’m here because my specialists are concerned about your titanium alloy castings for the ion drive.” “Oh that!” squealed Jaret, pretending to be relieved. He waved his hand in front of his face in a dismissive gesture, and continued as if he was not scared to death. “ I vaguely remember a letter stating concern over some impurity issues, but as I replied in my letter, I consulted with my engineers and they assure me that the impurity levels were well below anything considered dangerous to the struc...” “Yes, yes,” interrupted Drake. “That’s exactly my concern! Your engineers seem to think that they can dictate the quality requirements for our alloys!” “No, that’s not what I meant!” blurted a petrified Jaret. He hadn’t expected that kind of response. His small, well-groomed hands were slick and his tight suit has begun to show darkened smudges where his hands continually wiped the sweaty grime off his palms. “ Well then, what do you really mean?” fired back Drake in a low, neutral, and practiced voice. He leaned slightly forward, cocked his head and gently placed his hand on the rust covered rail beside Jaret. Jaret wanted to recoil and run, but Drake’s hand and penetrating stare kept him riveted to the walkway like a mouse under a cat’s paw. Jaret wanted to lie, yearned to lie, but was afraid that Drakes eyes would bore right into him and expose the truth anyway. However, as he opened his mouth, a lifetime of habitual white lies to customers betrayed him. “ I meant, oh, I meant, that we’re working on increasing the quality of that alloy. Now there might have been impurities that got close to the borderline in the past, but that’s being fixed right now! My engineers think that we are having a problem with the ore quality being delivered to the smelting plant. We are looking for alternate suppliers. However, I think you’ll find that the current quality has sufficient crystalline structure and will make for strong castings that are indistinguishable from the best in the world.” Drake stopped to ponder Jaret’s well-crafted lie. Drake stared coldly down at Jaret. Inside, Drake burned at Jaret’s bald-faced deceit. He felt like grabbing the little man and stuffing him into the nearest glowing mold. However, Drake restrained himself for he had a much better plan in store for Jaret Filinder. “Mr. Filinder, I don’t doubt that your castings will be indistinguishable from the best in the world. To be honest, that is what troubles me. Don’t you know that I have a moral obligation for the safety and protection of each and every one of my citizens? Could I, in good conscience place them in suspended sleep for ten years on a spacecraft, then hope that halfway to the new planet a small casting in the ion drive doesn’t crack to irradiate the whole ship into death’s dark sleep?, No, I can’t take that chance. Evidently you seem more comfortable with those kinds of odds.” Jaret’s face turned ashen. His mouth opened and closed but no sounds came out. He began to understand that he had gambled with arguably the world’s most powerful man and lost. Drake continued: “I am going to make you and your family a generous offer: I’m going to buy your whole operation. As payment, you and your family will receive a complete and operational spacecraft that is entirely yours for the entirety of the mission. You’ll get to join me on our new planet! “ “But Master Markuvial!” stammered Jaret, his face white with shock, “If this is about the alloys, couldn’t I just buy the material back? I’d be happy to...” Drake cut him off with a carbon copy of Filinder’s own dismissive wave. “Oh, don’t worry about the alloys you’ve already produced for the project. They’ve been reserved to be used exclusively on your craft. Now I suggest you assemble your team of engineers, and prepare them for their new mission.“ “Now wait a minute, you can’t just do this!” shouted Filinder. “When the other family suppliers hear about this, you’ll have serious trouble on your hands!” Drake looked coldly at portly little Jaret, who obviously spent too much time in his fancy office instead of managing his factory. “Mister Filinder: I most certainly can do this. I’m deadly serious about this project and will take whatever steps are necessary to guarantee success. The other family suppliers will understand this now.” Jaret’s stomach turned as his mind raced, looking for an angle that he could use to get out of this mess. Drake concluded: “I assume control of this plant as of today, and have brought with me my team of engineers who will ensure that future castings are impurity-free.” Jaret moaned at the shocking turn of events: He may have just lost his whole family fortune, and doomed them to a life on an unknown planet! He wouldn’t be surprised if his wife killed him quite dead when she found out. Then again, maybe he could put a more positive spin on the situation… Drake turned away from Jaret Filinder to consult with one of his own team members, and Jaret understood this as his final dismissal. He wondered as he plodded back to his opulent office on what he would say to his wife. “Guess what, Honey! Great news! I made the deal of the century today: I bought one of the first star cruisers from the actual head of the space program! We’re going to get prime real estate on the new planet! First pickings!” Jaret packed up his office with the help of his mistress. Underneath his desk, hidden under a pile of unread memos and snack wrappers, he found a sample casting for a failed ion drive subassembly that cracked during low temperature testing. Jaret stared at the shattered coupling with a forlorn face. Then he shrugged his shoulders, picked up the casting and discretely chucked it down the trash chute. # Trishyanna Yarr impatiently waited at the edge of the tarmac for Drake’s aircraft. She had spent the last week preparing for this trip, and everything was ready. She had the specialists in place, everyone was packed and assembled, and the arrangements had been completed for the discrete transfer of gold that would be necessary for completion of this next transaction. It had been a very large and physically heavy sum. However, her boss might have nearly blown it. Drake’s latest antic was all over the world news. As the chief director of the world’s space program, she thought Drake ought to be a trifle more discrete when it came to fixing problems. The press was spinning this latest stunt of Drake as a royal hijacking of lesser family’s fortune. Trish knew the facts, but facts are sometimes less important than the perception of the facts. The Filinder family had some powerful friends in high places and they quickly launched a counterattack on Drake’s assumption of their assets. Trish immediately put her staff working on counterspin measures. They would manage fine, especially when the details of Filinder’s fraud began leaking anonymously out to the press over the next few weeks. However, the timing was terrible. She was as excited as Drake about this artifacts mission, and it would be an awful shame if it a bunch of headline hunting reporters mucked it up. The mission meant a lot to Drake, and Trish wanted it to be perfect. Thus, she worked overtime to make sure every last detail was in place. She had secured cryogenics, materials testers, atmospheric testing equipment, anti-macrobiotic equipment, portable hermetic chambers with nitrogen purge, X-ray, modulated radio imaging, and more. In addition, she had hired the world’s best experts in ancient artifact preservation and transportation technology. Everyone and everything was here, waiting for Drake’s little fighter plane to taxi up to the palace gate. Trish heard the sound of the single-engined turbine whining across the tarmac long before she saw the lithe little aircraft move up to the palace hangar. Her heart lept when she saw the helmeted figure pop the canopy, slide it back, and push out with practiced ease. She waved at him, and when the helmet looked her way, she saw the familiar grin appear from within. Even before the turbine had wound down, Drake jumped out of the aircraft and jogged over to his chief assistant, who wore a stern look upon her face. Trish reluctantly opened her arms, and Drake walked into her cool embrace. “Trishyanna! So good to see you! Is everything ready for our trip?’ “Of course. Need you ask?” replied Trish with a mock toss of her head. She then stepped back and put her hands on her hips to eye Drake with displeasure. “Most things went off without a hitch. However you seem to have attracted yourself a crowd lately!” “What do you mean by that?” asked Drake with his eyebrows raised. “Well, for someone who wanted to keep a rather low profile for the next week or so, you sure didn’t act like it at that factory yesterday. You’re all over the world news. You do realize that we’ll be hounded by press wherever we go now, don’t you? That includes the Mhendel barony, especially when we show up with loads of you-know-what in a great big horse-drawn cart. You’ll end up looking like a circus ring leader.” “Well, that was the original intent, wasn’t it?” Trish continued her scolding by putting on her sternest frown. “The intent was a private show for an eccentric and reclusive baron, not for the whole world!” The sounds of jet engines washed over the two as palace technicians got to work around the couple, preparing the tarmac for the palace aircraft that would shuttle Drake and his entourage to the airport nearest the Mhendel barony. Drake looked about, reached for Trishyanna’s hand and led her off the tarmac and to the side of the palace hangar. He put his back against the steel wall and let out a loud exhale. He ran the palm of his hand up across his face and over his hair. He then turned to Trishyanna with a serious look of concern. “Trish, I had to do it. That single factory was placing the whole space program in danger. If I hadn’t fixed it now, people’s very lives would have been threatened. You know that!” Trishyana looked at Drake with frustration in her eyes. What a damned idealistic man you are! A couple days! You could have waited two days! She sighed with resignation, then reached her arms around Drake to hug him. “Dragonfire, but I’ve missed you, Drake. I only want this to be perfect for you. That’s all.” Drake held Trish and watched the techs move their cargo into the awaiting palace aircraft. He kissed her fondly on the side of her head with a quick peck. Her hair smelled freshly washed, scented with fruit or perhaps flowers. Drake thought about the day’s developments and was sorry for the stress that Trish so obviously was going through. “You know something, Trish?” “What. “ she replied. “There’s not much that can go wrong, so long as mysterious Mhendel comes through with the artifact. Even a brief look will be worth it. Just think: Not even a picture of it exists. No one outside the immediate family has ever seen it. Even if we come back empty handed, we’ll still know more about it than any other historical researcher.” “Hmmf! I’m not going to just come back empty-handed. Our hermit barony better come through or they’ll have to deal with me!” Drake gently pushed Trish away so that he could smile to her face. “Trish my darling, you might be one of the most accomplished historical researchers in the world, but you have a lot to learn about human nature. I’ve courted Mhendel and his tapestry for years now. He’s ready to sell. Don’t you worry.” “Sure thing, boss.” Replied Trishyanna, with softened eyes. # The palace aircraft for the Markuvial Barony touched down on the battered runway, and the pilot immediately jammed on the reverse thrusters to slow the large jet down. The runway was short and the cargo heavy. Everyone on board strained in their harnesses as the air frame dug in and whined under the force of the forward jet blast. Even the old runway protested, as chunks of pavement the size of a man’s hand blew off and into the air from the shock of the thrusters. The aircraft struggled to scrub off speed but soon the end of the runway appeared. The tires of the great jet scrabbled in the gravel, and the pilot hung on to pull the jet to a stop with only a mere wingspan of runway left. The pilot already knew his exit strategy: They would have to leave the airport with only the minumum of essentials: No cargo, and only a half-tank of fuel. Even then, he would use the whole runway for takeoff by first applying the brakes, spooling up the turbines to 100% throttle, then letting go of the brakes to launch the aircraft as quickly as possible. There was a good chance that the takeoff maneuver would destroy what was left of the dilapidated airstrip, but that would be the baron’s concern! # Drake and Trish sat at the head of the long, thin conference table in the aircraft conference room. Seated at the table was the remainder of the acquisition team: The security chief, the remote imaging technicians, and the two environmental preservation engineers. This was the last briefing before departing into the backcountry of the Mhendel barony where the ancient Mhendel fortress still stood against rocky slopes of its mountain. “I would like to start this short briefing by first stressing the importance of keeping what you see today secret.” Said Trish to the team. She continued: “For hundreds of years, historians have wondered the age-old question, ‘Where did we come from?’ Several of you have helped answer that question through your prior efforts to assist Master Markuvial in his quest to create a comprehensive collection of historical artifacts. Though these efforts have proved to be valuable in lending insight into early baron life, none come close to the importance of today’s mission. For the details of this mission, I turn us over to Master Markuvial.” Drake smiled at the small group as they clapped politely. He then began to speak. “You all know the significance of the Mhendel tapestry. Doubtless you have heard the rumors. Rumors that say it holds the secret to the mysterious appearance of our people. Some say it tells of the arrival and departure of the great dragon lords. Some describe the tapestry as a bringer of visions. Some hold the artifact in reverence whereas others fear it as possessing a great and terrible power. Today with your help, we will attempt to secure and study the most elusive and protected of artifacts known to exist in this world. The Mhendel family is one of the longest existing baronies in the world, with history going back nearly two millenia. Throughout that entire history, we have heard stories of armies that have fought their way in search of this artifact, only to be beaten down time and again to their deaths by the Mhendel barons. However, it seems that for the first time in history, the artifact may finally be ready to make its showing to the whole world. Baron Mhendel and I have struck a bargain at great personal cost to relocate the tapestry to the Markuvial barony. It will be your job to ensure the safety of this artifact, no matter the cost. I expect you to carry out your mission with great care and discretion. We are about to enter a world that is much different than present-day Anwar. The lands of Mhendel seem to have no use for today’s conveniences. You will travel to the fortress with me either on foot or by horse. The lands around you are much the same as you would find them centuries ago. The Mhendel barony has isolated itself for reasons that it is reluctant to share. Perhaps once we reach the fortress we will learn a little of their secret. If all goes well, you will be the first outsiders to see the mysterious artifact. It has been jealously protected by the barons and their immediate heirs throughout time until today.” One of the imaging technicians picked his hand up from the table and held it palm forwards to Drake. “Two questions, Master Markuvial.” Drake paused and yielded the table to the technician. “How do you know that the tapestry exists if no one has seen it in centuries?” Drake smiled, for his bargain was indeed a great gamble. “I don’t have any guarantee except from the Baron Mhendel himself. He has personally guaranteed that it exists and is in prime condition. Our agreement is contingent on your favorable assessment on the condition of the artifact.” The technician continued: “But, why give it up now? Has something changed?” Drake placed his hand to his chin and paused. “Good question. Yes, I think something has changed. The baron is an older man with only one heir. That heir has no wife nor any prospect for marriage or progeny. The Mhendel barony is essentially in its last days. The family line has burned out. This is only speculation, but I suspect the current Baron Mhendel has also exhausted his fortune. There is great debt. The artifact is considered a fantastic treasure and by relinquishing it, Mhendel can reverse his fortunes and maybe even his chances for the continuation of the Mhendel family line.” “He wont be very popular around town after today now, will he?” muttered the security chief. Everyone chuckled. Drake cut in, “No, and neither will we if word gets out too soon. That’s why everyone had best keep quiet about our purpose. We’re here at the request of the baron, and as far as the public is concerned, we are entertainers attending a private banquet for the baron. The wagon’s contents are a gift for him alone. I am the only one who shall touch the locks. Let your teams know. “ Drake looked across the table at everyone and grinned. “I have a little show in store for the baron that should appeal to his…ah, sense of drama.”