PROLOGUE

Thursday October 19th 2000

The bell above the door to the salon tinkled as I entered, and a young woman bounded enthusiastically from the rear of the shop to meet me.

“Hi”

“Hello. I, er, have an appointment for nine this morning…”

“Yes. It was me you spoke to on the phone. I’m Lucy, by the way.” She beamed engagingly. “So…you’re here for the works, pretty much…”

“Yeah. Hence the early appointment.” I smiled back.

“Hot date tonight?”

“Sorry?”

Tree

Mom dropped me behind the stage, and I felt the first cramp right as I got out of the car. That may explain a little of Autumn’s behavior today. Synchronization may be a very stupid good idea.

I was ten minutes late, and would have missed the meeting. Gwen needed mom’s signature on some stuff. My ears felt sore, and heavy. That was because there were little tyrannosaurs biting them of course. Goddamn it.

Time on My Hands
Chapter 56: 397-398 CE: Exploring the New World

Raben was delighted to learn of the success of the two western exploratory voyages. Raven Mail dispatched to Bazram told Ollie to line up 2 battalions of Pathfinders with at least 50 Sami in each to head out in the spring of 398 to prepare the Faroe Islands and Iceland for colonization. Two 4 ship exploratory fleets were ordered to continue west since the southern western explorers had found a new continent. Each exploratory min-fleet would consist a 360 ton caravel, a 180 ton caravel, a 100 ton caravel and a 24 ton clinker. An additional 1492 colonists would be included in the 398 colonist transfer to Bazram to make up for the 1492 Pathfinders being dispatched. Raben also ordered 4 battalions of Pathfinders west to establish bases and prepare for colonists on the islands of Bermuda, Hatteras, Great Abaco and Grand Bahama. The 6 battalions of Pathfinders sent to the 6 to establish the new island bases meant 4476 people had to be diverted from settling in Senegal. Each Pathfinder battalion included 2 - 100 ton caravels and 5 - 24 ton clinkers to transport between islands and around the coasts as well as to fish to supply the unit with food. Finding nearby fishing areas was part of their tasks.