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121st of First, 1100 A.W. — Tomorrow is the day I say farewell to the sanctuary I have only ever known. If my mother were still alive, I don’t think she would approve of where her son’s education has led him to. Had I known, I wouldn’t have done so well in my studies. My father, however, might have approved. He would probably see it as the closest I will ever get to being in the Guard. It wasn’t for him to decide my destiny. No matter his service to the Polity, it is for the Council to determine the fate of us all and up to the citizen to see to it that fortune is good. I always wondered what my life would have been outside the Scholars. In a cruel twist of irony, I am about to find out. Be careful what you wish for…
It could be a long voyage before we find land — if we find anything at all. We might end up right where we started. You would think it would be better to try to cross over the desert, north of the mountains, than the ocean first. At least you have land beneath you. Well, land that isn’t underwater, at least… The Council is convinced, however, that it is the ocean where, somewhere beyond, fertile land may be found.
This will be the first expedition by air. There have been many by sea and, especially, by foot. All have failed to find any fruit. For more than ten thousand years, Man has been confined to this land. We have conquered the valley and the lower peninsula… The mountains are too rugged to settle… Beyond the mountains… A wasteland where you can find yourself surrounded by sand all the way to the horizon in all directions… The farthest any expedition party made it out there was 19 days before they had to return. And only a few out of dozens returned to tell the tale. If the heat and exhaustion don’t kill you, the sandstorms will. The strongest of our tames can’t handle the desert either. The Council has decreed that no more expeditions are to be made there. Probably for the best, considering most don’t even make it past the mountains.
The world is curved, maybe round, this much we know. Expedition parties that have traversed far enough into the desert or the ocean drop below the horizon. Nobody has fallen off an edge yet.
I should feel lucky it isn’t a voyage by sea. They are by far the roughest — in many different ways. First, you have the sea itself… Her motion can make you very sick. Then it’s a matter of duration. Sea voyages are the longest — with the surviving record being 83 days. For that voyage, it was a miracle they returned at all. Their ship was a total mess, and their crew — utterly decimated.
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I am told flying by air is the safest, despite being the newest form of transportation and never having flown far beyond our land. The first prototypes of airsails were deadly disastrous, often killing their own inventors. Over time, they became safer than even walking or riding a tame. Their expense is what limits their use, particularly the procurement of lifting gas, an explosively dangerous process. For now, airsails are just a scientific curiosity. And by tomorrow, a use for faraway exploration… Hopefully, not for the last time.
The HSS Heaven Sails will be staffed by a crew of 60, including myself, the sole historian. The others won’t think highly of having a member of the Scholars on board. They probably won’t think I’m worth the weight and space. I can’t completely disagree with them. The most use I’ll be for them is helping with sanitation. I have no skill with ropes, and they wouldn’t even entertain letting someone like me take one of the wheels. Certainly, I will be there to document their glory… Or doom… But that won’t much matter to them if we can’t make it home.
If we do somehow find land, some crew members will have to stay behind. Only essential personnel and I may first return. I imagine many possibilities for mutiny. If such were to occur, I highly doubt the mutineers would think twice about throwing me overboard. At least if I am thrown overboard from an airsail, I will probably die on impact with the sea. They say it’d be like falling on stone — a merciful death compared to a seaman’s.
There are many tales of doomed expeditions in fiction… Often full of cannibalism and sodomy… Almost always as sea voyages… No writer has imagined an air voyage yet. Perhaps we will become the defining legend. Hopefully, a more… Optimistic story…
The Council was very open about why they selected me as the historian to document this expedition. They want a young, fresh mind. Aside from a few distant relatives, not having any living family was also a factor in their decision. I have never been married, or in love, for that matter. The life in the Scholars is… Scarce of women. So scarce that most members eventually get their marriages arranged by the Council.
Women and children are not allowed on the sea or on long expeditions on foot or by tame. The Council forbids it. Children are a burden, requiring care and constant vigilance. The Council sees it as senseless to risk potential bearers of children. If a woman becomes too old to bear a child, she’s seen as a burden anyway, unable to pull her own weight. The same rules apply to airsails. The skies and the seas are the sole domains of men.
Maybe, if some of the adventure stories are true, there will be beautiful women waiting for us on the other side of the ocean. I can’t really imagine it. Man, for all we know, has always been confined to our land. Even if more people are out there, I don’t think they would be pleased to see us. They would probably regard us as invaders rather than explorers.