the building of amicus

"Well then," Moonbeam said, as he glanced about the clearing that he had come across several days ago. "I guess this is home."

When the DPIP had accepted his request to settle down in Issiq, he hadn't been sure how much assistance he'd be getting. Shockingly, though, he'd found that soon enough, there was a small series of building set into the ground. Not bad at all, he thought, one paw over his eyes to shield them from the sun. "Jorah, Irinwe, what do you both think?"

The two colonists he had found as the first members of his new research group were delightful, even if there was a bit of a communications gap between them. Thank goodness he had been given translators - it was so much less frustrating to be able to talk with the two aliens, instead of gesturing a bunch.

Irinwe was on the edge of the hole into the ground where the building lay. All around, the sand burned hot. "I'm excited to get inside," she said. "As much as I appreciate the landscape around us, cooling off right now would be delightful."

Jorah nodded in agreement. "Come on, then!" He trotted down the long staircase to reach the front door - or, well, the door in the middle of the hole. It would be some brilliant protection from the heat of the long days and the chill of the dark nights. He looked up to Moonbeam and Irinwe and grinned at the prospect of exploring a brand new home.

Moonbeam admired the sand dunes around them, the sparse desert plants and old stones that scattered the landscape, and then he followed Jorah down. Irinwe was quick to not get left behind. When Moony reached the door, he fished out a shining key from his pocket - another gift from the DPIP - and unlocked the door. It opened soundlessly, and Moon led the way into the darkened building.

There were no windows, of course, so he had to look for a lightswitch. Eventually he found one on the right side of the door, and when he pushed it, their new hideout from the world was revealed to them in a blaze of light.

This was obviously an entryway, a place to welcome visitors and find a way into other rooms of the building. After looking around in awe for a few moments, the trio split off on their own separate paths to explore the small complex.

Jorah discovered a small room filled with pillows and a training area. It seemed to be the perfect spot to hang out, discuss the plans that were had, and he suddenly felt quite glad that he had accepted Moonbeam's invitation into the colony. Having a quiet place to rest meant that he would be able to sneak around even better when he went out into the world. Perhaps he would practice surprising Irinwe and Moony?

Well, he didn't want to scare anyone. He'd have to be careful about how he went about it.

Irinwe found herself in a kitchen like room - stocked with enough food for several weeks. Irinwe assumed that they would need to go hunting eventually, but while they settled in, this would be enough to get them going. She wasn't much of a cook, herself, but she supposed she could do her best to take care of the others until they added some more helpers to their ranks.

Moonbeam, of course, was drawn to the call of science, of discovery, and he found the laboratory. It was perfect for what he wanted to work on - there were already several materials here that he had been meaning to try out in his time travel experiments, and equipment that he could only have dreamed of in his past life. Sure, he might have been a past ruler, but his kingdom had hardly been technologically advanced. This was impressive.

Moony was nearly hopping up and down - he was so excited to get started! But, perhaps, he was also a bit worried. The DPIP sure had a lot of faith in him, didn't they? He had no idea how much all of this must have cost, never mind what it must have taken to transport him here and set up in the middle of a literal desert. He suddenly felt the awful weight of expectation leaning down on him.

But no - he knew what he was doing. He was a scientist, and a good one, at that. With himself and these fascinating colonists at his side, surely they would accomplish their goals! Moonbeam wandered back through the other rooms until he found Jorah and Irinwe, both involved in a quiet, but energetic conversation. "Thoughts on all of this?" he asked, grin on his face.

Jorah nodded. "Quite brilliant, really! This is all because you're a time traveler?" he asked.

"Well, not yet, not really. I'm trying to develop the tech. I was hoping that you both would stick around, help me out. We could build up a little community of innovation here! Wouldn't that be exciting?" Moonbeam was dreaming big, imagining the future set out before him.

Irinwe smiled. "I'm glad to help. We'll need more of us to have a proper group, though, yes? I might have a few friends I could convince to stop by, check the place out."

"Why, that would be delightful!" Moonbeam beamed. And so, a plan was made. The trio of brand new friends set about deciding how their bold new future would come into proper being. While the middle of Issiq might have been a bit of a solitary place to build a base, Moonbeam liked this spot. No one to steal his research, and a quiet landscape.

Surely some day there would be more activity around here, to be sure, but Moony felt more comfortable knowing that it would be on his own terms. In the meantime, he decided to wander out into the desert a bit to try and find the nearest water source. There was a lot to be done, of course, and he needed to get right to it!