I am asked frequently what the Mercy’s Pledge actually looks like. You may have noticed that I don’t go into too much detail on the specifics, preferring instead to leave it up to the reader’s imagination. Also, it didn’t seem in character for anyone in Ardulum: First Don to expound upon the ship at length. It’s old, it’s falling apart, what is there to talk about?

There are some nuggets of information within the first book, however, that give a hint to its design. Mercy’s Pledge is an old Earth shuttle from around Yorden’s teenage years. First Don takes place in 2060, which means Yorden, in 2017, is a teenager, getting excited about space travel and where it could lead him.

The Pledge is said to have been fairly old even with Yorden encounters her for the first time, and signs on in his twenties for early interstellar transport. That leaves us with classic shuttle designs of the seventies–something that isn’t new tech at all and that no one would mind being taken up and reused for exploratory travel through wormholes.

But which one? The image linked above shows the US version shuttle and the Russian version. Although never really explored, careful readers will note that Yorden speaks Yiddish and has an implied Polish heritage. The Russian shuttle model I based my mental image on is indeed the Russian version pictured above…with some modifications.

The Pledge has also been heavily modified, the most prominent portion being the laser port that Nicholas uses to shoot down one of the Risalian ships early in First Don. There are also mentions of extra plating and severe breaks in the initial casing.

So what does the Pledge look like, some ninety years after it was first made? I worked with a graphic designer, the amazing Nick Naretto, to visualize what a 90 year old Pledge might look like. I didn’t just want a sketch, though, I wanted something to wear, something to commemorate the ship that saved Emn, gave a home to Neek and Nicholas, and that helped turn the tide in the Crippling War.

Here, then, is Mercy’s Pledge. She’s a little rough around the edges, more solder in some places than others, and she’s clearly past her prime, but hey, that grandfathered weapons port really comes in handy in a sudden dogfight! What do you think? Does she live up to your expectations?

The cellulose-based technology in Ardulum is not too terribly far from what we have on Earth today (the first book takes place in 2060). Biofilm computer screens have been around for a few years, even if not commercially available, and we are only about three years from cellulosic food printers.

In fact, we already have 3-D printers that use wood! Some photos below show how this is accomplished. Of course, we can’t use straight wood just yet, so this is more of a wood-plastic-composite 3-D printer, but it is a step in the right direction.

This is the outside of a 3-D wood-plastic-composite printer. The inside is pretty simple, and doesn’t look too different than other printers.

What is unique is the cartridge. Take a close look. That’s wood dust in there! Kind of puts the printers in the Markin conference room into perspective!

Of course, we’re not printing food yet. That plastic component is still tricky. But here is what a little toy looks like with wood mixed with the plastic.

I envisioned the printers in Ardulum to be much smaller–more of flat surface that built up without a box to contain it. Although in book two we get our first look at a ‘fast print’ perf shop, and there the printers are housed in larger, free-standing units where you can place your order and have it made there on the spot. Something to look forward to for book two, if you’re a tech geek like me!