Shulamit putters around the museum backrooms in Song, clearly quite curious but doing its best to not be too nosy.

You say to Picram, "Hoo hoo, thank you for inviting me to this session!"

Picram starts up the recording drone, then picks up a four-folded medallion of harmony, almost reverently handling the object as it places it on a well-lit table for all to see. It explains, "today's research session is regarding the medallion of harmony, an item restored with finds from Tabby Outpost. I am joined by Shulamit Moonchild, the curator of the Scatterhome museum."

Shulamit waves at the drone cheerfully, looking at the medallion with care but not touching it. "Ooh hoo! Very pretty."

Picram adds, "the object can be described as following: This constraption consists of four medallions designed to insert into each other so that they clasp together with a latching mechanism. In its closed state, a small lever undoes the mechanism to unfold the contraption into four painstakingly restored medallions. The first medallion features a leaf, the second a feather, the third a jewel, and the fourth a claw. Each image is engraved and decorated simply, but artfully. The medallions are joined together with a woven cord of tensile and durable metallic strands." The recording drone zooms above the table to get a proper view, confirming the description to be accurate.

You nod slowly.

You say, "It is extremely intricate, I'm surprised it was possible to find all the medallions and have them work still. In the...hoo...mechanism bits."

Picram says, "Indeed. We had to pick quite a few finds to assemble this one. I just pulled it from the display case for some research, and will likely put it back on display. One moment..."

You say, "Speaking of found, where...hoo, was this found? We don't have such an object in our collection, so I can't rightfully say."

Picram briefly rummages through the boxes in the back, returning to the table with four different medallions: one jewel-engraved, one claw-engraved, one leaf-engraved and one feather-engraved medallion. They look rather damaged from their long stay underground. Arranging them next to each other in the same way as the assembled one, Picram continues, "These were all found on Tabby Outpost. I believe the symbolism is quite clear - we have one medallion for each of the four founding races of the Dominion, combining into something greater. This likely means these were created around the founding of the Dominion."

"Oh?" you exclaim quizzically.

You say, "Hoo, that was...quite some time ago, yes? It sounds like a lovely tribute. Ceremonial object?"

You nod your head slowly, trying to wear your best wise look.

Picram says, "I think it likely was an object of ceremonial meaning, but we don't know much for certain - most of the recorded details of Song culture seems to have been destroyed with the surface, so we have no recordings of anyone actually using these. The fact that a lot of medallions can be still found on Tabby could also hint that it was more of a commemorative item widely handed out to people."

You say, "Oh hoo, right. The...bad planet things happened after the founding. My sense of time is sometimes wrong. Oh, that could be. Come with a medallion for you and yours, leave with the others so you can a completed medallion for later? Perhaps they also made a lot of them and only some are currently found."

Shulamit looks thoughtful. "Perhaps an entire thin layer of just medallions across a planet..."

Picram says, "The Dominion was founded over 900 years ago, in 29 A.E. to be exact, so people back then had the ability to mass-produce things already. I haven't seen any before they were dug up, so production was stopped, possibly because they were only produced on Song, and the facilities to do so were wiped out. With a war raging across the sector, I suppose nobody thought of building more, as you can't beat back the Ishvana with fancy medallions."

With a soft 'hoo', you say, "It would be delightful if one could stop the Ishvana with fancy art crafts."

You nod your head slowly, trying to wear your best wise look.

Picram says, "It can if you consider lasers fancy."

"Heh heh heh," you chuckle.

You say, "Sometimes. Usually it is lasers doing the engraving, and not the ones being engraved though."

Shulamit gazes upon the medallion, tilting its canopy back and forth. "I wonder if these medallions were used, well, worn? Held? By someone then, or if they were only part of the mass production lines."

Picram says, "They might have been worn, or just collectible trinkets to commemorate the founding of the Dominion. Bear in mind this might have been something unprecedented in many people's lives. I don't think they'd be practical for the everyday wear, so chances are they'd only be worn on certain occasions, or hung somewhere in the home the rest of the time."

Thoughtfully, you say, "Tabby Outpost has been lovely when I visited. Ish. Well. It was less stabby than some places. I wonder what it was like before. Oh hoo, didn't think of it being more of a mantle piece. That would make sense."

Picram says, "Tabby Outpost is an irradiated wasteland, thanks to the Ishvana. "Lovely" is not quite the word most people would use to describe it."

Cheerfully, you say, "Well, it was...a nice walk?"

Picram says, "Sadly, this means most finds need to undergo extensive decontamination processes, which doesn't really help with their quality."

You nod slowly.

You say, "Hoo, some of the places we dig are damaged, but perhaps Tabby Outpost is the most difficult. Gunurash is simpler, being mostly. Dry."

Picram says, "Removing syncrete slag from something as fragile as a fossil or delicate antiquity has been the cause for much frustration in our laboratories, but I believe great strides have been made."

You rub your chin thoughtfully, raise your eyebrow and say, "I see..."

You say, "Sometimes Poet brings in finds from Locorin swamp, and those, hoo...well, I'm surprised things are not sopping wet when brought in."

Picram carefully lifts up the medallion, its tendrils running along the breaks between the individual pieces, "I was around to assemble this after we found a good set of pieces. This one was glued together, but if it weren't, it should be relatively easy to disassemble it again. I don't know if this would qualify it as an everyday use item as well."

You say, "Probably not an everyday item. Well, there might have been some that kept them on themselves, but it seems unlikely to be the hoo....common thing."

Picram says, "I think you'd want to ensure things are well dried before they arrive in a museum storeroom for an indefinite amount of time. Wouldn't want to spread some kind of mold or fungus to your fossils, that would completely throw off the data."

You nod your head gravely in acknowledgement of the point.

You say, "Indeed. They are very crispy before they are placed in the backrooms. Not...quite crispy, but hoo. Dry, but never as dry as the Gunurash finds are."

Picram nods.

You say, "I like the simple design on each medallion. It's very pretty without being so ornate as to be difficult to view."

Picram says, "A few centuries in the desert sand might work wonders for desiccating your samples. Not everyone has this amount of time though, so it's good technology can speed up that process."

Picram nods.

Nodding its canopy solemnly, you say, "Indeed. Not everyone can just wait as we can, when we wish to."

Picram says, "Indeed. It would be interesting to learn about the design process. Was each piece made by a representative craftsbeing of their race? Was it designed by a single person?"

You ponder the situation.

Acknowledging Picram's point to be true, you nod your head gravely at it.

You say, "I'd hope each was designed by one of their species. But with all being somewhat similar, perhaps not. Although maybe they were given a design document to keep things similarish."

Picram says, "Yeah, I think they would have at least been expected to talk to each other."

You nod slowly.

You say, "Any other objects in the collection from the same time as the medallion? Perhaps? Although difficult to know."

Picram says, "Yes... we have a set of ancient Dominion battle armor on display in the lobby, too. Since it seems to have been used in the battle on Song, we have reason to believe it is from around the same time."

You rub your chin thoughtfully, raise your eyebrow and say, "I see..."

You say, "Very interesting. I'd like to study that at some point. Armor is interesting, even if I barely use it much."

Picram says, "I suppose it is rather helpful at least for archaeologists that all cultural activity on the surface of Song ceased at around the same time, as that means that most finds in the same layers are easier to date."

Shulamit looks down at its own armor, all tucked away and almost invisible.

You ponder the situation.

Acknowledging Picram's point to be true, you nod your head gravely at it.

You say, "Unfortunate, but helpful!"

Slowly, you say, "...extremely unfortunate?"

You nod your head slowly, trying to wear your best wise look.

Picram says, "Maybe the planet can one day be restored, and archaeologists annoyed again."

"Heh heh heh," you chuckle.

You say, "Perhaps. You'll have to leave behind a giant plaque telling future archaeologists sorry."

You nod your head slowly, trying to wear your best wise look.

Picram says, "I guess we could bury that somewhere for them to find, yes. However, given the amount of work and research still required for an undertaking of that dimension, this might not happen during my time as Lord Commander, so someone else will need to work out the reconciliation with the archaeologists."

You ponder the situation.

You nod your head slowly, trying to wear your best wise look.

You say, "Well, hopefully the Lord Commander at the time they decide to have a "We have cleaned things up" party will make a large plaque."

Picram says, "I'm almost certain that this would be a reason for a celebration the sector has never seen before."

You nod slowly.

You say, "Well, hopefully we will both be around for it. Perhaps not. Perhaps! I think I have a few hundred years left."

You nod your head slowly, trying to wear your best wise look.

Picram says, "We might have, yes. But that's neither here nor there for our research at hand."

You nod your head gravely in acknowledgement of the point.

You say, "Hoo, true. Today is, fancy medallion day."

Picram says, "A medallion which I should probably return to the display soon, before Curator Amthral gets uneasy."

Comprehension flashes across your face.

You say, "Hoo, hoo. That's fair. I should probably be doing paperwork back at Scatterhome's museum myself."

You nod your head gravely in acknowledgement of the point.

Picram says, "Even if these medallions were made as a mass produced item, perhaps for everyone at whatever founding ceremonies happened in the Dominion, they now remind us of those tragic events that led us to become who we are today."

You say, "Hoo indeed. Perhaps one day they can be held up as a less tragic reminder, and more...ah, look what happened, but we have recovered! sort of thingy."

Picram says, "Maybe one day."

You nod solemnly.

Picram says, "For now, let's sign off on the research session! I'll shut the recording drone down shortly, so now would be time for final remarks from you."

You say, "Hoo, final remarks?"

Shulamit shakes its canopy, pondering briefly. "Thank you for having me! Thank you for existing, fancy medallion!"

You nod your head gravely in acknowledgement of the point.

Picram says, "There's nothing to add to that for now, thanks for joining!"

You hum a happy tune.

Picram powers down the drone, the visual feed fading to black.