In Afelahn, Tom Woods and I set up lights in most of the rooms in my home base. They are simple and not very pretty, but they´ll do.
Although the age is not complete yet, I´ve decided to start using the base. At first, there´ll be only limited access, for expedition personnel.

I brought a crate full of firemarbles from Dasharen to Afelahn, I´m planning to design some lamp variants for my ages with them.

We linked in this morning. It was an astounding view, the whole age is covered in crystals of various sizes, from small, thumbnail size, to giants of 20 meters.
Our crew started to survey the age. One of the first things we noticed was, that the crystals vibrated when we made noises. The louder the noise, the more vibrations. Kennett told us to stay as silent as possible, fearing that the vibrations could cause a “crystal slide”. We moved slowly and didn´t talk much. It was a strange, eerie atmosphere – no other noise could be heard, and we didn´t see any signs of life.
The crystals had a blueish hue mostly, though some of the smaller ones were more green.
Kennett asked me to take some small samples (but carefully) and put them into a knapsack he had brought with him.

I was concentrated on my work, so I didn´t see, what happened next – but the others told me later: Someone must have stumbled and fell against one of the bigger, fragile crystals, which gave way and fell against another – and so on. A terrible, loud noise filled the air, as more and more crystals – well, I think you can say, they imploded, and sent their sharp shards into all directions. Everyone of us was cut by those shards, we were bleeding, I couldn´t see much because blood ran into my eyes. Someone took my hand and put it on a linking book they had brought into the age.

Somehow we all made it out of the age, but all of us are hurt in some way. Fortunately, most wounds are only skin deep and light, but Claire, one of our interns, got a gaping wound on her left shoulder, and was taken to hospital.
Our M.D. and his two nurses tended to us others. Now I´m sitting in my room, my cuts are slowly healing – B.P. said, we won´t go back there, until we find a way to better shield ourselves. Maybe one of the older maintainer suits would provide enough shelter?

Until then, the age is deemed “unsafe” and “volatile”.
I thought I had had enough of tumbling things, but it seems like this is a recurring theme in my career as an explorer…

Something more pleasant: My first age is making progress. I think, when I can upkeep my pace, it will be finished at the end of the week. Finished writing, of course. I really hope, that the age will be sufficient to build me a “home base” of some kind… well, we know, that writing isn´t a exact thing. Who knows, what the age will be like.