The Age of Discovery, Chapter 3: Duckweed Base
Day 1: 1130 hours… We sight Duckweed Base without further incident. As we approach the encampment I am struck by how many times have I looked over a small pond, or eddy along the Potomac, and seen the brilliant green of duckweed rafts mottling the still water. These tiny aquatic plants, were it not for scale, looked quite similar to the more familiar lily pads – yet a trio of duckweed leaves would fit easily on the tip of your finger. The Micro Expeditionary Corps had constructed Duckweed Base upon just such a trio of leaves. The base comprised a watchtower the height of six men, a cluster of yurts, and an arrival stage identical to the one at Dragonfly Sky-base. Tarah banks the flyer and circles low as she sets the wings for our landing. I can barely feel when the skids touch the landing stage, so expert is Tarah’s landing. I thank the pilot for her skilled services, invoke the wish that we meet again, s...