The Day of Drilling

By Garic Lisown

SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the following books: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, and The Shadow Rising. However, the material herein is based on one subject, The Age of Legends. This may spoil parts of those two books, but tiny parts at that. I ask that you PLEASE read on if you are interested. Thank You. Foreward by Garic Lisown

During the Age of Legends, many feats were done by woman and men using the One Power. Many fields of science and technology owed their existence to these Aes Sedai. Although many great feats were accomplished, the Aes Sedai were still encumbered by natural drawbacks between saidarand saidin. One group of researchers located at the Collam Daan in V'saine, had thought they had found a new source of energy which both men and women could use. But, these researchers had not found a new Source. They had found the Dark One's prison. All the researchers had to do to tap this source was drill a tiny hole through the Pattern. This hole enabled the Dark One to touch the world, and a large backblast rocked the world. It shattered the Sharom, the floating sphere above the Collam Daan. Many of the researchers died in this backblast, and the story I'm going to tell involves one of these researchers. (She is fictitious in the sense that Robert Jordan has not created her) The story will follow Danalla Esienne (the researcher) from the moment she awakens, her morning, her trip through V'saine, etc...

A great wind blew across the city of V'saine, headed towards the Collam Daan. On the winds wing's there rode a bird. Not a terribly big bird, but rather a small bird. A couple of blocks from the college, the bird descended from the breeze and landed on a windowsill. To onlookers it seemed like it was landing on water; the buildings of this Age were so smooth and fluent you could stare at them for hours. The birds tiny babies chirped in desire for the food their mother carried. The mother, by this time, was annoyed with the sound, and twirred back in a high-pitched sound. This loud noise brought Danalla Esienne out of her deep sleep, and right into waking.

"I love waking to the sound of a bird chirping or twirring, or whatever!" sighed Danalla Sedai. "It's so...sharp."

Danalla Esienne was an Aes Sedai that worked at the Collam Daan. Or rather, the Sharom. The Sharom was the one thousand foot wide, white floating sphere poised one thousand feet above the Collam Daan. In order to suspend it without wires, or flows of the One Power, the Aes Sedai had used the world's own magnetic and gravitational fields. This was but one of the many feats accomplished with the aid of the One Power. Though not all tasks were completed using the One Power. The process used to suspend the Sharom, for instance, was only discovered and refined with the One Power=2E

"Today is the big day. The day I have been waiting for forever!" Danalla cried as the memory crashed home. "Today we're going to tap the new Source!"

Danalla launched herself out of bed, and flicked on her call unit. It wasn't that it was a duty, just that she didn't feel like it. In her hurry to contact her parents she put the wrong code in twice. Her parents were a hundred and fifty years old. Not bad since the average life span was between one hundred and fifty and two hundred years of age. Since no disease was beyond a Restorer, the life expectancy was much higher than it is today.

Her parents had never told her but, she was a mistake. Birth control methods were so advanced that there was almost no worry about having a baby without your eliminating the precautions involved. Fortunately, the economy at the time was in good condition, as if it never was, and they could afford a child.

The global capitalistic economy gave the greatest awards for the most or best service. Most material things were plentiful, so financial wealth was not needed. If you wanted to help, then there was a place for you. Since financial gain was so easy, even a person in the lowest position still had enough money to live in comfort.

"I wonder if they will assign me a third name for this?" she wondered aloud. All children were born with two names, and the third could only be attained through great accomplishments. " I mean, this is a great feat. And it will aid the world forever!"

Right then the call unit came on.

"Hello?" said a woman's voice through the unit. "Who is it?"

"Hey Mom! Guess what today is!?" replied Danalla. The look of confusion on her mother's face disappointed Danalla. "Today is the big day!"

"Oh yes, I forgot! My memory isn't what it used to be!" her mother muttered. "Let me get your father, he'll want to talk to you. "

Danalla waited patiently while her mother went off to get her father, all the while yelling "Hawer, Hawer. Danalla is on the unit!"

After a good fifteen minutes both her parents returned to sit in front of the monitor. They both looked so tired. She wondered if a Restorer could help them but quickly discarded that thought. " 'A Restorer can Heal anything but old age' " she mimicked.

"What was that honey?" her father said.

"Oh, nothing." she replied unhappily. It seemed so sad that she would outlive her parents by at least two hundred years. An Aes Sedai was about middle-aged at three hundred and some had actually lived to be about seven hundred years old! "So how are thing's there?"

"Oh, good, good. Though there isn't much to do except go for walks down near the pond, and sleep beneath the chora trees. 'A city without choras would seem as bleak as wilderness.' " Hawer said rote by rote=2E It was, of course, a popular saying at the time.

"Well, it was nice talking to you," Danalla said "but I have to go. It is the big day as you know!" The look on their faces did nothing for her mood.

"Oh. Okay. We'll talk to you after your big day." said her mother as she switched off the unit. Danalla thought she seemed mad at her, but at the moment she didn't care. She had to get ready!

Since it was only a couple of blocks to the Collam Daan, she decided to walk and enjoy the breeze and the calmness that exuded from the chora trees. "What a great feat that was! That and the Nym. Though it would pale in comparison to today!" she thought. Overhead jo-cars, jumpers, and hoverflies whizzed past, while the four wheeled jo-cars were on the ground and off to her right. She would have to rely on one of the floating vehicles to get her up to the Sharom, since she couldn't Travel or Skim. She just didn't have the strength in the One Power to handle it. She was a part of the team because of her knowledge, and quick wits.

Upon her arrival at the university, she barely noticed beautiful, blue and silver domes, or the Da'shain Aiel scurrying about their tasks. Almost every Aes Sedai had an Aiel servant, but not her. She hadn't bothered to look for one, and one hadn't pledged to her.

Just as she was entering the change room, Mierin Eronaile came out. She was the team leader.

"Hello Danalla!" said Mierin. "Looking forward to the big day?" What a stupid question that was! Of course she was looking forward to it! You can't blame Mierin though. Tensions were tight between them and she was just trying to relieve some of the stress. After all, today they had to work in perfect harmony.

"Yes, yes." Danalla said dryly.

"Well, hurry up and get changed. We have work to do! I'll see you in the Sharom."

Danalla decided that was a good idea and got ready and into her lab coat lickity split. The halls of the Collam Daan were surprisingly empty, but the project had been kept under tight wraps. Besides, the only people needed were the Aes Sedai and their Aiel servants.

She got to the take-off area just in time. The last transport up to the Sharom was just about to leave as she walked through the door. It was a hoverfly, an unstable wasp shape, but she wished it was a sho-wing. She liked the size of a sho-wing. Their large sizes and delta wing patterns made them quite stable. They were mainly used as overseas transports for people without access to the One Power and Travelling. As the hoverfly ascended to the great white sphere, the other passengers started their conversations back up again. Danalla sat and brooded in silence.

"I should be happy, but something just doesn't feel right." she thought. "Tomorrow I'll go out and do something active! I don't get enough exercise anyway."

1The hoverfly came to a stop motion beside the Sharom, and a small door opened on the side of the vehicle and the building. A small runway between the vehicle and the building was folded out. Since she had done this many times before, she had no qualms about crossing the very narrow bridge way.

Once inside the building, she headed directly towards the lab where the channeling was to be conducted. The marvelous beauty held no awe for her today. She simply wanted to finish this.

When she arrived at the lab, she found a group of very nervous, yet excited, researchers. All of her colleagues had gathered there for this very special moment. When the last of the researchers had joined the group, Beidomon Sedai called for everyone to get to their assigned positions.

It became deathly quiet; as the leader had to weave tiny flows of the One Power she needed all of her concentration on what she was doing.

After a minute or two someone yelled out (she didn't know who) "It is done, we have tapped the new Source!"

A big cheer went up with the first shake, then the second rolled through and people started to panic. The link was broken and many of the Aes Sedai were moving off to the side to regain their composure. Just then, the sides of the building started to crumble. Some of the researchers reached out to the One Power and twisted the Pattern. "They, they're all Travelling out of here!" she thought. Since she couldn't handle the tremendous amount of saidar in order to Travel, she ran. She could see the floor crumbling away beneath people's feet, and them toppling through with it! Just then the floor beneath her dropped away, and she fainted from the extreme shock of falling. The last thought that went through her head was "What did we do wrong?"

Danalla Esienne Sedai was one of the many researchers that died during the destruction of the Sharom. Not long after her death, her parents died as well. The ill-fated project had killed numerous people, but nobody realized how many more it would kill in the next three thousand years. The Dark One's awakening was definitely a catastrophic event.

Note: 1 The exact landing procedures for the Sharom has never been written by Robert Jordan (as far as I know). This, therefore, has been created by me, solely for the purpose of this text. If Mr.Jordan does or has written this procedure then this procedure is deemed unaccurate by me. If you have any information concerning this procedure then please e-mail me at [email protected]

The Making of Sylottrin Fashayn: Part II
by Sylottrin Fashayn

Corint Masighn yawned silently, and bounced three year old Sylottrin on his knee. She giggled, as much from the bouncing as from the gleeman's juggling. The Sighing Wind was a respectable establishment, if a tad bit small. The smiling gleeman had been glad to find a clean Inn to ply his trade on this side of Lugard. Old Gretin was back in the kitchen, no doubt beating the two serving girls over the head with her spoon. The woman was queen of the kitchen here, and proud of it. Corint was glad he'd found a place both clean and respectable, but willing to hire his mother as Cook in exchange for her room and board. He had less rent to dole out each week, and owner of the Inn, a stout young widow, had been delighted to have a baby in around the Inn. So, Lottie grew up around strangers and the occasional gleeman, as well as the serving girls and stableboys.

The last gleeman had even left the girl his cloak of colorful patches. A gift she could use when she grew older. The reason for the gleeman's gift was his utter amazement at the three-year-olds agility and slight of hand. She was smarter than most five-year-olds, and quicker than most adults. The gleeman had sputtered for several minutes after Lottie had found his bright red ball, not in one of his offered hands, but in his sleeve. Corint had begun teaching the girl, despite her young age, how to be swift, silent and careful. He'd even gone so far as to have the blacksmith make tiny little knives. He'd soon have her wielding then like an expert.

His only worry, was that his fond feelings for the bright young girl would soon stop him from his original plan. Make her into the city's finest assassin, and his successor. He would soon come to miss her bright smiles and bubbly demeanor. No assassin of his acquaintance was ever truly happy. Those that thought they were, actually held claim to either callousness, or some, even madness. He would do his best to ease the girl into the art of killing. He would try to keep the worst truths from her, and perhaps she could retain a little of that innocent joy with small lies and careful planning. !br

!br

Eight year old Sylottrin looked at Gretin and sighed, before continuing with her ciphers. Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. It was all so very boring. Reading was better, but nothing could beat the excitement of going out into the city with Corint. He'd begun to let her come with him on assignments, sliding in the shadows with him. Twice, she'd managed to cause him worry, when she slipped to quietly for even him to notice her. But, he praised her often. Said she would be a better assassin than he would someday. She did frown, however, at the thought of that word. She'd heard it once in the Inn. An angry man had cursed, and called all Assassins Darkfriends. That had worried Lottie. She didn't want to be a Darkfriend. She knew little of things, but Gretin taught her that the Dark One was bad, and all his followers. Look to the Light, Gretin always told her. No matter what she did in life, always look to the Light for answers.

Gretin stared at Sylottrin and fought back tears. She was still her innocent baby. After tonight, however, she didn't know what to expect. Corint was going to explain what he actually did to the child, and try to reason away the badness of it. The child was so eager to learn, and so eager to believe Corint, she was sure he'd succeed in making her believe that killing wasn't bad if the people you killed were evil, or bad. Bright or not, Corint was Lottie's ideal. Wiping her gnarled old hands on a towel, she set her spoon on the table, and pulled something from her pocket. Something Corint would hopefully never miss from his strongbox. The man didn't know she had a way of opening it without a key. She stood next to Lottie and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Lottie....I'd like to give you something. Something...of your mother."

Sylottrin stared up at Gretin in surprise. She knew that she'd been found in the alleyways of Lugard. Corint told her often, but then reminded her that he loved her like his own, and would never abandon her. He'd never mentioned anything about her mother, and Lottie often wondered, but never asked. She stared at the golden circle in Gretin's fingers. A ring, shaped like a serpent biting its own tail. She'd never seen anything like it...nothing so beautiful and shiny gold. Gretin put it in her hand, and smiled, "Corint doesn't like to speak of the woman who gave you to us. She was dying, and she wanted you to have someone to care for you. This made Corint...angry. The assignments he has...and will teach you about...they are all connected to your mother and her death. Remember that, and remember that your mother loved you, as I do, and Corint does. Corint's assignment's are for vengeance. Remember that always. But, never speak of this to Corint. Never show him that ring. It will only anger him. Remember always. Never ask him, only believe that what he does is right."

There. Gretin felt she'd given the girl something to hold on too, and as far as she could tell, not one statement had been a lie, but the girl was almost certain to piece it together in a way that was completely wrong, but in a way that, hopefully, would keep her as innocent as possible in the world she was about to enter. She waited for the girl's reaction with anxiety. When it came, she scrambled to think of some suitable answer.

"Gretin. What was my mother's name? Did you know that?"

Gretin smiled warily, and picked the first thing that came to her head, "Carina Fashayn."

Lottie nodded, "Then I shall be Sylottrin Fashayn. Is that all right? Will it make Corint angry? He said I should pick a last name for myself. Something not associated with him. Why, I don't know." At Gretin's nod and smile of approval, Lottie beamed, and slid the ring over her finger, testing. It was three times too large. Gretin suggested she find a piece of cord, or ribbon, if she wished to wear it about her neck. Always out of sight, however, she admonished, and Lottie smiled happily, nodded her agreement as she left her ciphers to find a bit of cord. !br

!br

Lottie stared at the dead man face down on the dark garden path in front of the bench, which she herself stood behind, blood pooling around him. Corint slipped from the shadows, and gestured, "Come on, child! Before the watch comes. Well done!" With that, Corint scaled the garden wall by way of a rope lowered from the top. Lottie shivered, but wiped her knife on the man's cloak and it disappeared into her sleeve. She remembered nothing of the last three minutes. The last thing she recalled was slipping down the wall, all the time thinking of her mother, a shadowy figure, dying in an alleyway, because of HIM, her target. The man sitting on a bench in his garden.

She stared one last time at the dead man, and then turned away, following Corint. Gretin had told her that people knew of Corint's wish for revenge, and sought him out with similar grievances, and a willingness to pay Corint to do what they themselves could not. Kill the men and women who had ordered her mother's death, and the death of many others, it would seem, for the numbers of people seeking vengeance were great. She was beginning to see a pattern emerging. These people were all nobles, for the most part, or rich merchants. They tried to hide it under dark cloaks, but they were different from the others frequenting The Sighing Wind. More polished. More powerful. Powerful enough to have people below them killed for doing evil.

Corint assured her that he never accepted an assignment that meant killing anyone but the lowest of the low, the most evil of all evil Darkfriends. And, out of necessity, and sanity, she believed. Believed it with all her heart and soul. A soul, she'd sworn as a child of eight, would forever be a seeker of vengeance in the name of the Light. A defender of those who it was actually too late to defend, except for their memories. And Corint had smiled a relieved smile when she'd understood his explanations, the smile of someone not sure if they believed their own explanations.

Slowly, Lottie turned, and followed Corint up the rope on the wall, pulling it up behind her, leaving the smell of death in the garden below. Her green eyes did not sparkle tonight, and Corint would find her smile a fleeting memory of the past. Yet, the young twelve year old held desperately to her beliefs that her vengeance of for the Light. A desperately slippery hold..