All The Weyrs of Pern

7

Lessa roused abruptly, opening her eyes to a darkness which suggested that daylight was still hours away. F'lar lay sprawled beside her, his forehead touching her shoulder, one arm thrown across her, one leg pinning hers down. Their bed was oversized, but he invariably managed to occupy more of it than she did. In fact, there were only finger lengths between her and the edge. She must have told herself to wake up at this barbarous hour-she had always had that ability. But why? Her mind was too sleep-fogged to provide an immediate answer.

Ramoth was sound asleep, too. And Mnementh! All of Benden Weyr was asleep, including, she discovered with irritation, the dragon and rider supposedly on watch on the Rim. She would blast him as soon as she figured out why she was awake at this appallingly early hour.

Then she saw the lighted clock face on the bedside locker. Three bloody of the clock! Progress was a two-edged dagger. Having a reliable timepiece that was visible in the dark only made the darkness and this early rising harder to endure. But seeing the clock reminded her of why she had to get up early that morning. She pushed at F'lar, who was never easy to wake up unless Mnementh called him.

"F'lar, wake up! We've got to get up." Ramoth, dear, wake up! We've got to be at Landing. Aivas particularly wants us there. She prodded F'lar's shoulder more urgently and, struggling to pull her legs out from under his, reluctantly rose from the comfortable, warm bed. "We've got to get down to Landing early this morning. Early their morning."

There were moments, and this was one of them, when Lessa's enthusiasm for the Project faltered. If, however, this was the morning when Aivas would set in train the results of two Turns of hard studying and work, the early rising would be a minor sacrifice.

In the bigger chamber of the queen's weyr, she could hear Ramoth mumbling and grunting, denying the summons just as F'lar was doing.

"Well, if I have to get up, you will, too," she said, and callously hauled the sleeping-fur off her weyrmate.

"What the-" F'lar tried to grab the fur, but Lessa, with a chuckle, snatched it from his hand.

"You've got to get up."

"It's the middle of the bloody night, Lessa," he complained. "We don't have Fall for another day and a half."

"Aivas wants us there at five of the clock Landing time."

"Aivas! " He sat bolt upright, wide-eyed, pushing his tumbled hair back from his face.

Lessa snorted at F'lar's response to that name.

"My shirt!" he cried, shivering convulsively in the predawn cold. "Heartless woman!"

She snatched shirt and pants up from the chair and tossed them to him. "I am not at all heartless!"

Then she opened a glowbasket to find fresh clothes for herself. F'lar made a quick stop in the bathing room while she poured klah for them both. With her cup in her hand, she passed F'lar on her way in; then she washed quickly and replaited the ends of her braids.

"Watch rider's asleep," she told him when she got back into the weyr, where he was stamping into his boots and shrugging on his riding jacket.

"I know. I've sent Mnementh to scare the living lights out of both of them." He cocked his head then as they both heard a reverberating roar and a startled squeal. "That'll teach them."

"One day Mnementh's going to startle one or both of a watchpair off the Rim!" she replied.

He grinned at her. "Haven't yet! Here!" And he held out her flying jacket and cap. As she stuck her arms in the sleeves, he bent and kissed the back of her neck. F'lar was often amorous when he first woke.

"That makes me shiver! " But she didn't pull away, so he kissed her again and hugged her affectionately. Leaving one arm across her shoulders, he guided her out to Ramoth's weyr.

The gold queen's tail was still in the weyr; the rest of her was out on the ledge. And, as F'lar and Lessa joined her there, Mnementh lowered his head from the level above the queen's weyr, his eyes gleaming brilliant blue-green in the darkness.

Who did you scare awake on watch up there, Mnementh?

Lessa asked.

B'fol and green Gereth. They won't, sleep on watch again.

The bronze dragon's tone was particularly severe, an attitude with which Lessa had no quarrel, for both B'fol and Gereth were well enough on in Turns not to be delinquent.

"Next Fall, B'fol and Gereth will handle firestone sacks," F'lar remarked, having followed the exchange. This was no time for Benden Weyr to get slipshod. "Have we time for porridge? " he asked hopefully.

Considering that days at Landing were apt to be spent in nonstop work, Lessa thought a good breakfast was only prudent, even if they were already behind the appointed hour. "We'll make time," she said, a ripple of mischievousness in her voice.

"Now, now, Lessa," he began in a tone of mock reproof, "if we don't let anyone else time it..."

"Rank has some privileges, and I'll think the better for a decent breakfast in my guts," she said. "So we'll make a little time. Especially since you're so hard to wake up." She laughed softly when he sputtered a protest. "If you please, Ramoth!" And the queen crouched to allow her rider to mount. "You won't mind giving F'lar a lift, will you, dearest? I don't want him falling off that upper ledge, trying to mount Mnementh in the dark."

Ramoth turned her head toward F'lar and blinked. Of course.

Mnementh waited until both riders were settled on the queen's neck before pushing off from the upper ledge and gliding down beside them to the floor of the Bowl. As soon as they had landed, the night lights in the Lower Caverns were visible, as well as the banked fire on the small hearth where a big kettle of porridge was simmering. The huge klah pot was pulled slightly to one side so that the contents would not become too strong to be palatable.

As Lessa filled two bowls with the steaming cereal, she was glad that they had the place to themselves. The bakers must just have left-for the big table near the main hearth was full of cloth-covered breadpans. F'lar brought over two cups of klah, spooning an almost indecent amount of sweetener into his, and then sprinkling as much again over the porridge Lessa set in front of him.

"It's a miracle you don't gain weight with all that sweetener," she began.

"Or lose my teeth," he said, adding the second half of that long-standing complaint. He gave her his widest grin and tapped his teeth with his spoon. "But I don't and I haven't." He dug into his breakfast.

Lessa sipped at her klah first, wanting to clear the last of sleep from her wits.

"Do you suppose that Aivas is going to start the Project this morning?"

F'lar shrugged as the question caught him with a hot mouthful. He swallowed. "I can't think why else he called a meeting of such a group at such an hour. According to the original schedule he gave us, we should be ready to start. Despite what some critics imply," he added with a grimace that had nothing to do with the piping-hot porridge on his spoon, "he keeps his promises."

"So far," Lessa said in a dour tone.

"Well, he has!" Then F'lar looked at his weyrmate. "You don't really believe he can keep his promise about Thread, do you?"

"I just can't figure out how he can contrive to have us do what the settlers couldn't! " She glared at him, both relieved and sorry that she had come out with the doubt that had been increasingly bothering her.

F'lar covered her hand with his. "He's done everything he's promised to do. And I believe him, not just because I, as a dragonrider, want to, but because he sounds so very sure."

"But, F'lar, every time he's been asked, he hasn't promised that we will be able to destroy Thread. He's said it is possible. That's not quite the same thing."

"Let's just see what today brings, huh, love?"

F'lar gave her that knowing look of his which sometimes she wanted to scratch off his face. She took a deep breath and held back a scathing retort. Today could prove much, and as deeply as she wanted it to prove that F'lar was right to place so much confidence in Aivas, she had to prepare him for possible disappointment.

"But if today is a disaster, that's going to reduce our effectiveness at next week's Conference at Tillek Hold to choose Oterel's successor."

F'lar frowned. "I recognize that danger. I'm reasonably sure that Aivas also does. I'd say that's why he scheduled this meeting. His timing so far has been nothing short of phenomenal."

"He and Lytol are really into the political aspects, aren't they? I could almost wish that Lytol was still Ruathan Lord Warder. That'd give Groghe the support he needs. Even I have heard the grumbling about Ruatha's young Lord Holder spending so much time down here instead of in his Hold."

"At least Ranrel can't be considered too young to be a Lord Holder, Lessa," F'lar reminded her. "He's in his mid-thirties, with five children. And he's certainly the only one of Oterel's sons who's shown any initiative at all. That port-renewal project of his was inspired." F'lar chuckled. "Even if he did add insult to injury by insisting on using Hamian's stuff to build the new wharfs and reinforce the piers."

Lessa had to grin, remembering the fuss Ranrel's innovative engineering had caused among those who derided or downright rejected any useful products of "the Abomination." F'lar scratched sleepily at his scalp and yawned.

"And when the other brothers tried to belittle Ranrel's project, along comes Master Idarolan, raving about the facilities," she said.

"That's not going to hurt when the Lord Holders convene. His mate's a Masterweaver. She's interested in having a power loom. I don't know where she found out that such things were possible."

Lessa threw up her hands. "Everyone's gone 'power' mad."

"It sure reduces sheer drudgery."

"Hmm. Yes. Well, eat up. We'll be late."

F'lar grinned before he upended his klah mug. "We already are, you know. It's as well you're permitting us to time it." He laughed at the wicked glare she gave him.

After putting their crockery in the main sink to soak, they fastened jackets and caps and left the cavern.

"We were supposed to be there half an hour ago, Ramoth," Lessa told her queen as she mounted. "We need to be there on time."

If you insist, Ramoth replied disapprovingly.

The others were already assembled in the main hall when the Benden Weyrleaders arrived. Robinton looked sleepy, but Jaxom, Mirrim, Piemur-with gold Farli curled about his shoulders-and the three male green riders ail appeared very wide-awake indeed.

Jaxom straightened his shoulders and pulled at the lightweight sleeveless tunic he wore, to free it from his sweaty back. Irrepressibly, Piemur grinned at that evidence of his friend's nervousness. Mirrim was equally nervous. The other three green riders, L'zal, G'rannat, and S'len, were shifting from one foot to another.

"All present and accounted for, so let's see what Aivas wants with such an ill-assorted crew," F'lar said, nodding at Lessa to lead the way. As he strode forward, he tossed a reassuring smile over his shoulder at Jaxom and the others.

When Aivas had asked for this predawn meeting two days earlier, his special students had been excited by the prospect that he intended to launch the plan. They had been careful to contain that excitement to prevent even more rumor circulating. Not even Piemur had been brash enough to ask Aivas for confirmation.

Certainly all these young folk had studied diligently over the past two Turns, even if their lessons and drills seemed to be irrelevant or endlessly repetitious until, as Jaxom had remarked to Piemur, he could do them in his sleep.

"That may be what Aivas wants," Piemur had said with a shrug. "They make about as much sense as the drills he gives me for Farli."

Jaxom saw him stroking Farli's back as they marched down the hall and into Aivas's room. The lights brightened, and Piemur grinned to himself: Master Morilton's "light bulbs" worked just as the original ones had. Yet another minor triumph for the Masterglass-smith, working from plans of the "Abomination." The thought of that epithet caused Jaxom to frown-Master Norist was not the only one who had come to refer to Aivas in that manner. Of course, if today was truly the beginning of the assault on Thread, that tune could easily change before there was more cause to worry about the growing number of dissidents.

"Good morning," Aivas said at his most polite and noncommittal. "If you will seat yourselves, I shall explain today's project." He waited until they had taken their places and their excited murmurs had dwindled into respectful silence.

Then the screen displayed a clear picture of the view with which they had all become familiar: the bridge of the Yokohama. Only this time there was an addition: a space-suited figure slumped over one of the control panels. There was an almost simultaneous intake of breath at the realization that the body was that of Sallah Telgar, who had died so valiantly to save the colony. This, then, was the actual bridge of the Yokohama-not the image that Aivas had supplied during their training. Then the focus of the picture slid across the consoles beyond the figure to rest on the board marked LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM.

Jaxom saw Piemur reach up to stroke Farli, whose gaze was fixed on the screen. She gave a little chirp, for she, too, recognized the board. She had been working for a month on a mockup, pushing at two toggles and depressing three keys in a certain sequence. She could now perform those movements in less than thirty seconds.

Over the past two Turns, Aivas had subtly collected many facts about both fire-lizards and dragons. The most relevant fact was that both creatures were able to maintain the oxygen levels in their systems for almost ten minutes without suffering undue discomfort or harm. That time could be pushed to fifteen minutes, but after that amount of time, both fire-lizards and dragons would need several hours to recover from the effects of oxygen deprivation.

One of the exercises with fire-lizards and dragons in which there had been no success had been getting them to take an object from one place and bring it to another. Telekinesis, Aivas had called it, but the concept-patiently explained-confused the dragons as thoroughly as it did the fire-lizards. They would go between to get the required object, but they could not bring it without physically collecting it. Aivas had explained that if the dragons and fire-lizards could transport themselves telekinetically, it logically followed that they ought to be able to use their abilities to lift distant items to them.

"Today, Piemur, you are asked to send Farli to the Yokohama to manipulate the switches as she had been taught to do. There is no oxygen at present on the bridge, and it is essential that the life-support system be activated before we can take the next step. Another of the toggles will transmit a report on the general condition of the Yokohama.

"Oh!" Piemur murmured very softly, then sighed gustily. He stroked Farli, who chirped again, her unblinking eyes still on the screen. "Somehow I thought that's what you'd say."

"She has been an excellent pupil, Piemur. There should be no problem, as she is well accustomed to obeying you."

Piemur took a deep breath. "All right, Farli," he said. He unwrapped her tail from his neck and held up his arm in the position that indicated she was to take a message.

Carefully walking along his bare arm with her talons sheathed, Farli reached his forearm and turned about to face him, her eyes whirling alertly.

"Now-" Piemur held up his right hand. "This is going to be slightly different, Farli. I want you to go up in the sky, to the place you see in my mind." He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts tightly on the scene of the bridge and the particular console she was to activate.

Farli chirruped queryingly, looked over her shoulder at the picture on the screen, and burbled once, reclosing her wings on her back.

"No, Farli, not into the screen. Get the 'where' from my mind." Piemur closed his eyes again, concentrating on the exact place he wanted her to go, emphasizing the life-support console next to the slumped corpse. When she chirruped again, this time almost impatiently, he sighed and turned to the others in defeat.

"She just doesn't understand," he said, trying not to let his disappointment color his voice. Not that he blamed her. She had been to most of the places he sent her. How could he get across the difference between traveling around the planet and going into space above it? Especially as he could not quite grasp the concept himself.

Farli emphasized this by flitting from his arm to the room in which she had been trained, moments later coming back and trying to fly into the picture on the screen.

Piemur's grin was weak. "What do you bet she's gone and done her exercises again? That much she understands!"

Disappointment was palpable in the room. Piemur kept his eyes straight ahead, on the tantalizingly unreachable view on the screen.

"So?" F'lar asked. "What do we do now, Aivas?"

There was a long pause before Aivas spoke. "The mind of the fire-lizard does not function in recorded animal behavioral patterns."

"That's not surprising. Your records only cover Terran types," Piemur remarked, trying not to feel so depressed about his little queen's failure. She was the best of the whole fair, better even than Menolly's Beauty, who was certainly very well trained. But he had hoped that she would be able to make this strange variation of flight. "It's also a long way to ask her to go when no one's been there before."

Another silence hung on the room.

"There's only one dragon in fact," F'lar said slowly and thoughtfully, breaking the pause, "who's ever been off the planet."

"Canth!" Lessa exclaimed.

"F'nor's brown Canth is too large," Aivas said.

"It wasn't his size I was thinking of," Lessa replied. "It's his experience in going above this planet. He's done it, so perhaps he can explain to Farli so that she'll understand what's wanted of her." Her eyes lost their focus as she sought for Canth.

Yes, we can come immediately, Canth replied to Lessa's request.

There was a stir of anticipation among those waiting in Aivas's room. Piemur kept stroking Farli, who had returned to her position on his arm. He murmured softly that she was a marvelous fire-lizard, the best in the world, but that the toggles she was to pull and the buttons she was to press were really not the ones in the next room but, rather, identical ones up on the Yokohama, far above their heads in the dark sky. She kept cocking her head this way and that, her throat pulsing as she tried her very best to understand what was wanted of her.

"Ah, they're here," Lessa said. "F'nor's on his way in."

Looking as if he had dressed in a hurry, F'nor came running into the room. "Canth said it was important," he said. After a puzzled glance around the room, he regarded Lessa expectantly.

"Aivas needs Farli to get to the bridge on the Yokohama," she explained. "Farli doesn't understand her directions. You and Canth are the only two on Pern who have left the planet. We thought Canth might be able to clarify the instructions so Farli will know what she is expected to do."

As she spoke, F'nor pulled off his flight cap and shucked off his heavy riding gear. When she had finished, his expression turned humorously quizzical.

"Well, now, Lessa, that's a problem. I've never been exactly sure how Canth and I managed that abortive flight in the first place-"

"Do you remember what you were thinking?" F'lar asked.

F'nor chuckled. "I was thinking I had to do something to keep you from trying to get to the Red Star." Then he frowned. "Come to think of it, Meron was there, and he tried to make his fire-lizard go. She disappeared in a flash, and I don't know if she ever returned to him."

"Farli's not afraid," Piemur said staunchly. "She just doesn't understand where she's supposed to perform what she's been trained to do."

F'nor spread his hands in a gesture of appeal. "If Farli can't get the hang of it, I don't think any of them could."

"But could Canth explain to her that he went off the planet? Into space?" Lessa asked.

Could you, Canth? F'nor asked the brown dragon. Canth was in the process of draping himself on the ridge above Landing where the rising sun would warm him.

You showed me where you wanted me to go. I went.

F'nor repeated Canth's answer. "A planet is a bigger target than a spaceship we can't see."

Farli does not understand, Canth added. She has done the things she was asked to do in the place where she has always done them:

Canth, Lessa asked the dragon directly, do you understand what we're asking Farli to do?

Yes, you want her to go up to the ship and do the things she has been trained to do there! She doesn't understand where she is to go. She's never been there.

Jaxom squirmed a little on the chair. Considering how hard Piemur had worked with Farli, it was a crying shame that the little creature couldn't grasp the essential point.

Ruth, do you understand? he asked the white dragon. Sometimes fire-lizards listened to Ruth when they ignored everyone else.

Yes, but it is a cold, long way for a fire-lizard to go if she hasn't been there before. She's trying very hard to understand.

A lot of thoughts crowded Jaxom's mind just then. But the main one was that Ruth was not too big to fit on the bridge-if his wings were folded back and he landed precisely on the floor just in front of the lift door. He would also have to remain very still, for Aivas had said there was no gravity on the bridge. Ruth would be in free-fall. Aivas did not see that as a problem for a dragon or a fire-lizard, accustomed as they were to being airborne. Jaxom had known that that was one reason Aivas had grilled him so long and so hard on the layout of the bridge and lectured him on null-gravity conditions. But until Farli had done her exercise on board the Yokohama, turning on the bridge's life-support system, Ruth and Jaxom could not go.

Aivas had had crews searching the Catherine Caves assiduously for "space suits." They had found two-or, rather, the perished scraps of fabric and the bright plastic shapes that had once serviced it. Oxygen cylinders had been manufactured, being not dissimilar to agenothree tanks. HNO3, Jaxom reminded himself, now that he knew the precise chemical constituents of the flame-producing mixture. But there was no protection for a frail human body in the absolute cold and airless vacuum of the Yokohama's bridge in its present state.

Jaxom thought that manufacturing proper equipment would prove to be Aivas's alternative. He had already had several long discussions with Masterweaver Zurg. But alternatives would take time, not to mention more experimentation on the part of both Zurg and Hamian's innovative crew-more time in which the disenchanted Lord Holders could steadily withdraw their support from Landing.

If only Farli could understand, Jaxorn thought, searching his own mind for any clues that he, or Ruth, might be able to give her. Ruth had perceived the difference, but he was much smarter than Farli. He understood so much-as much as I do, Jaxom thought with great pride.

As you understand, so do I. Ruth's tone was almost accusatory. It is not really a very long way between but it is up far.

Although Jaxom leaped to his feet, shouting "No, Ruth, no!" he was too late. For Ruth had already gone between.

"Jaxom!" Lessa exclaimed, her face white. "You didn't send him? "

"I most certainly did not. He just went." Jaxom was aghast, and Farli began shrieking protests, her wings extended, her eyes whirling with startled, angry red.

Outside, Ramoth and Mnementh bugled their own warnings.

Don't, Ramoth! Mnementh! Lessa cried. "We'll rouse everyone in Landing and they'll know something's gone wrong." Then she turned into F'lar, clutching at him in her fear for Ruthand for Jaxom.

"Jaxom?" F'lar bellowed seeing the shock on Jaxom's race. Mirrim, her tanned cheeks bleached white, had leaped to Jaxom's side, as had the other green riders, their expressions anxious, ready to support him. Robinton and F'nor were too stunned to react, so there was only Jancis to watch the screen and count.

"He's all right," Jaxom managed to say, though his mouth had gone terribly dry. The strong link with Ruth had attenuated to just a faint touch. "He's still with me."

"Did you tell him to go?" F'lar demanded, his expression so fierce that even Lessa recoiled.

Jaxom gave the Benden Weyrleader an inscrutable glare. "He bloody just went and did it! Ruth's got a mind of his own!"

Then Jancis leaped to her feet, gesticulating at the screen. "There! There! He's there! On the count of ten."

There, undeniably on the bridge, wings tucked tight, his whole body flattened, was Ruth. Before their eyes, he drifted upward, peering about him with an expression of astonishment, until his head touched the ceiling.

"Ah! Well done, Ruth! Jaxom!" Aivas's bellow of triumph cut across the racket of astonishment and surprise that reverberated around the room. "Jaxom, tell Ruth not to be surprised to float. He is, in free-fall, with no gravity for up and down. Warn him not to make any energetic movements. Does he understand, Jaxom?"

"I am, I did. He understands," Jaxom said, staring in fascination at the screen.

"See, Farli!" Piemur pointed excitedly. "Ruth's led the way for you." But Farli was so confused by the sudden cheering and shouting in the room that Piemur had to grab her by the cheeks and turn her head toward the screen and Ruth! "Go to Ruth!"

The little queen gave a squawk and, launching herself from Piemur's arm, disappeared.

"Jaxom, you tell Ruth to get back here right now!" Lessa shouted, recovering from her shock. "Mind of his own, indeed! I'll give him a mind to obey!"

"Restore yourselves to calm observation!" Aivas's voice once again cut through the furor. "Ruth is unharmed. And... Farli has found her way."

Piemur let out a yelp of surprise, plainly audible in a room suddenly gone very quiet. For Farli had indeed found her way to the bridge of Yokohama and, with one talon firmly hooked on the edge of the console, was diligently pulling toggles and pressing buttons. Lights appeared on the board.

"Mission accomplished," Aivas said. "They may return."

Farli came and has done her job, Ruth said, not realizing that Jaxom could see him. I'm floating. Let go, Farli. It's not at all like being between. A most unusual sensation. Not like swimming, either.

It was also a most unusual sight for those observing Ruth as he drifted gently across the bridge, a handspan above the arc of consoles, ducking his head to keep from scraping the ceiling.

As Farli released her grip, she, too, began to float. Startled, she extended her wings and gently revolved end over end, colliding with Ruth. He reached out to steady her, and both were propelled farther away from their original locations, toward the great plasglas window on the bow of the bridge complex. Suddenly Jancis began to giggle, and the tension in the room evaporated.

I think that's quite enough clowning about now, Ruth, Jaxom said, trying to sound stern. But he couldn't help grinning along with everyone else over the antics of the two creatures. You scared the life out of me! Now get back down here.

I knew exactly where to go. I showed Farli. I had no problem at all doing it, and this is fun. With a negligent shove of one wing, Ruth executed a complete turn in the air and began floating back toward the lift. Will we get to come back again?

Only if you and Farli get your bodies back on Pern this instant!

Oh, all right. If you say so.

Laughing with a mixture of amusement, sheer relief, and fury, Jaxom dashed down the corridor and outside. The others were close on his heels, full of triumph and the laughter of relief. Lessa, however, was raging at the risk Ruth had taken, and she knew from the set expression on F'lar's face that he felt the same.

Halfway down the corridor, F'lar caught Lessa by the arm. "You may be furious, Lessa, but we can't intervene in this. And I probably lost as many seconds of my life as you did over Ruth's leap."

"Ruth cannot be allowed to be so irresponsible," she said, fuming. "Jaxom isn't. I don't understand how Ruth gets away with such disobedience. Ramoth wouldn't."

"Ruth and Jaxom were not Weyr-trained. But don't think Ruth's going to get off easily for this escapade." He managed a droll grin. "Judging by the look on Jaxom's face, he's had a fright he won't forget. That will inhibit Ruth far more surely than threats from you and me." He gave her one of his little shakes. "More important, the less furor there is right now, the fewer rumors will abound."

Lessa let out a heavy sigh, glared at him, and then gave herself a shake, releasing herself from his grasp.

"Yes, we don't want this bruited about-at least, not quite yet. But I tell you, and I'll tell Jaxom, too, I don't want to live through another few seconds like that again. All I could think about was how under the heavens would we explain to Lytol."

F'lar grinned wryly. "As it's turned out, Lytol can print this up as a turning point in the modern history of Pern."

"And just won't he!"

Discretion muted the congratulations for the brave venturers, but everyone patted Ruth and scrubbed at his eyeridges until his eyes were whirling with delight. When Farli finally settled down again on Piemur's shoulder, she also received extravagant caresses. False dawn was just lightening the eastern horizon, so there was a good chance that few were awake to wonder at the fuss being made of Ruth.

"I think," Robinton began when the elation abated, "that we'd better return to Aivas. I, for one, would like to know what's next."

"Well, that depends on what Aivas learns from the instrumentation that Farli just turned on," Jaxom replied. "If the bridge is intact, warms up, and there's enough oxygen left in the tanks that supply that area, Ruth and I go up-together." He grinned. "That's when we initiate the telescopic sequences that will reaffirm the position of the system's planets-most particularly, our old enemy, the Red Star."

That was, however, not quite all that Aivas had in mind when, late the next day, the bridge atmospheric conditions were found to be satisfactory.

"Piemur, I would like you to accompany Jaxom," Aivas said when the group reassembled.

"I'm not supposed to go with him this trip," Piemur exclaimed.

"Originally, no. Two men will be needed for what should now be the first project. To demonstrate proper respect for Sallah Telgar, it is fitting that her mortal remains be brought back to Pern and properly interred. No doubt, Lord Larad would like to attend to whatever burial rituals are currently practiced."

A profound silence prevailed until Robinton cleared his throat.

"Yes, that would be not only respectful and appropriate, but a long-overdue honor for such a valiant lady. I'll inform Lord Larad immediately."

"Would her space suit be usable after all this time?" Piemur asked, curious. When he saw the shocked expression on Jancis's face, he belatedly realized how callous that sounded and, groaning, hid his face against his arm. Farli curled her tail consolingly around his throat.

"With some minor repairs, it is to be hoped that the space suit is usable," Aivas replied so calmly that Robinton was certain that recovery of both body and suit had been planned from the start. "You are both to dress as warmly as possible, as the bridge temperature currently reads ten degrees below zero."

Jaxom was unmoved by that information, since he was used to the absolute cold of between, but Piemur gave a dramatic shudder and hunched his shoulders as if already warding off the chill.

"Can Farli come, too?" he asked.

"That would be advisable," Aivas said. "If Jancis's Trig will accompany Farli, there would then be two fire-lizards who understand this sort of between transfer."

Despite an obvious reluctance, Jancis instructed her young bronze Trig to settle himself on Piemur's right shoulder. Jaxom and Piemur left the buildings by themselves so as not to suggest to anyone outside their small group that this journey was anything unusual. The bulky tanks of oxygen, which Aivas had insisted they bring in case of emergency, had already been secured to Ruth's back, but Jaxom checked the ropes before he and Piemur mounted.

"Ready, Piemur?" Jaxom asked over his shoulder.

"As ready as I'll ever be," the harper replied, resettling his grip on Jaxom's wide belt. "But I'm awfully glad Ruth's already been there."

Tell Piemur not to worry. It's fun to float! Ruth remarked as he launched himself.

As Jaxom passed on that encouraging message, he felt Piemur's spasmodic tug on his belt and knew that the harper was also nervous. Not that he didn't trust Ruth to get them there. It was just such a long way!

Between never seemed so cold nor the transfer so long, yet Jaxom, counting silently, reached ten seconds just as they emerged onto the bridge deck of the Yokohama.

"Are we there yet?" Piemur asked. His hands were rigid on Jaxom's belt. As Jaxom looked over his shoulder to reassure the harper, he realized that Piemur had his eyes squeezed shut.

Rather than laugh at his friend, he cleared his throat and turned his head forward-and began to slide sideways off Ruth's neck.

"Shards! What's happening?" Piemur exclaimed, opening his eyes as he and Jaxom continued to slide to their right until they came up against the cold wall.

Don't make sudden moves, Ruth warned both of them.

"I heard you, I heard you," Piemur replied. The freezing wall seemed to burn through the leather of his helmet and his jacket. "It is cold up here!"

Jaxom only nodded. "I'm going to pull us back up on Ruth, Piemur," he said. Carefully grabbing a neck ridge, he slowly righted them. Farli unwrapped her tail and peered up at Jaxom, chirping encouragingly.

"That's all I need," Piemur said wryly. "My fire-lizard telling me how to handle free-fall! " Farli pushed off from his shoulder and floated upward. Trig squeaked; when Farli answered him in an encouraging tone, he let go of his perch and, following her example, also drifted away. The two came to rest on the ceiling, chittering animatedly.

"That's enough, the pair of you," Piemur said, disgusted.

"They're not coming to any harm," Jaxom said, "and Ruth says if we move slowly enough, we'll be all right. We've got a lot to do. Look, Piemur, I'll dismount-carefully-and then you can untie the oxygen tanks. Ruth says the tanks are bulky and he doesn't move until we've untied them. He wants to look out the window."

"He would!"

Jaxom heard the note of self-disparagement in Piemur's voice and grinned. "They did have some practice, you know."

"Hmmmm! The air here smells peculiar, sort of dead."

"It'll probably improve with the fresh tanks," Piemur said cheerfuly.

Cautiously, Jaxom dismounted on the right-hand side of the white dragon. Keeping between Ruth and the wall might prevent him from floating about.

Your placement is perfect, Ruth, he told his weyrmate approvingly, hanging on to a neck ridge as he judiciously lowered himself.

It's the only place I'd fit, Ruth remarked, slowly turning his head to his right to observe the margin. I'll hook my tail so I won't drift when you unload me.

Now I know why dragons have tails! Jaxom replied, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Don't laugh," Piemur warned. He had just swung his leg over and had to clutch at Ruth's wing joint to keep from floating upward.

"I wasn't laughing at you, Piemur. Ruth's just found out how to anchor himself. Watch his tail. And dismount to the right, not the left. Don't grab that wing joint so hard. Wings are fragile."

"I know, I know. Sorry, Ruth." But as Jaxom watched anxiously, he could see that Piemur had to make a considerable effort to relax his grip. "I've done some crazy things in my life, stealing fire-lizard eggs, crawling into carry-sacks, scrambling along shorelines-but this is undoubtedly the craziest," Piemur muttered to himself as he eased off Ruth's back, following Jaxom's example. At last his feet touched the deck. "Made it!" he exclaimed.

Wedged between the wall and his dragon, Jaxom began to untie the ropes that secured the oxygen tanks to Ruth's back.

"Huh!" Jaxom exclaimed in surprise as the tiniest push sent the first tank drifting toward the deck. "Well, easier off than on!

As Aivas said." He grinned at the young harper, who was gaping in surprise. "No weight at all." With one finger, he pushed the second tank after the first.

"Hey, I could get to like a place where work is play," Piemur said with a grin as he began to relax.

"Here-let's stack them against the wall. By the first Egg!" Jaxom inadvertently used more force than necessary to lift the tank and nearly launched it over Ruth.

"Wow!" Piemur stretched out to restrain the tank and found himself rising. But he was quick enough to grab Ruth's wing and correct the reaction. "Yeah, this free-fall stuff has distinct advantages! I'll tend to the others."

While Jaxom watched in surprise, Piemur took a firm hold of Ruth's shoulder neck ridge and executed an effortless flip over the white dragon's back.

"Whee!" The exclamation was part laugh and part surprise that his unorthodox maneuver succeeded in guiding him neatly into the narrow space between the dragon and the railing around the upper level of the bridge. "This is fun!"

"Watch it, Piemur. We don't want those tanks crashing into anything."

"I'll just tie these down."

"It is safest to secure any loose object on board a spacegoing vessel," Aivas agreed, as calm as ever. "You are doing well. Bridge temperature is still rising, and all proximity alarms are quiescent."

"Proximity alarms?" Piemur asked, his voice rising in surprise.

"Yes, this facility is now receiving function reports and damage analysis," Aivas went on. "Considering its length of time in space, the fabric of the Yokohama has not had a significant breach. The solar-powered deflector shields display no operational damage. As you will remember from your studies, these panels provide power to the small thrusters that keep the ship in its geosynchronous orbit. There has been minor penetration of some of the outermost sectors of the main sphere, but these were automatically sealed off. None of those sections are now required. The doors on the cargo bay are still open, and a malfunction light is on. However, your assigned tasks take precedence. Please proceed. Oxygen remains at a normal level, but you will shortly feel the effects of the low temperature, decreasing manual dexterity. Gymnastic displays should be curtailed."

Jaxom smothered a laugh and hoped that only he had heard Piemur's insolent mutter about all work and no play.

Moving carefully, Jaxom ducked under Ruth's neck and took a firm hold on the railing. To his surprise, he saw that Piemur was hovering motionless on the wide steps down to the command level of the bridge. Looking up from his circumspect movements, Jaxom, too, was transfixed by what had stunned the harper. Below them lay Pern; its blue seas glistening to port; while to starboard was visible the coastline and vivid greens, browns, and beiges of the Southern Continent.

"By the Egg, it's just like the pictures Aivas showed us," Piemur murmured reverently. "Magnificent!"

Unexpected tears pricked his eyes, and Jaxom swallowed hard as he viewed his world as his ancestors had once seen it at journey's end! That must have been a triumphant moment, he thought.

"It's big!" Piemur added, daunted by the prospect.

"It is a whole world," Jaxom replied softly, trying to reorient himself to the incredible size of it.

With great majesty, the scene was imperceptibly altering as the planet swung toward the dusk line.

"Jaxom? Piemur?" Aivas recalled them to their duties.

"Just admiring the view from the bridge," Piemur said briskly. "Seeing's believing." His eyes still on the wide window, he floated over to the flight of stairs and pulled himself hand over hand along the railing down to the flight deck. From there he used every available handhold to make his way to the console he was scheduled to program. At last he wrenched his gaze from the spectacular view and studied the job at hand.

"I got more red lights than I like," he told Aivas as he strapped himself into his seat.

Jaxom, making his way around the upper level to the science positions, could see the red lights on those boards, as well. He pulled himself into a seat and strapped in.

"I've got them, too!" he said. "But not on the telescope settings."

"Jaxom, Piemur, key in the override commands and then go to manual."

Jaxom's board was immediately cleared of over half of the red dysfunction lights. Three remained, along with two orange lights. But none of those would interfere with the program he was to initiate. A quick glance told him that Piemur was already tapping away at his assigned keyboard.

Jaxom set to work, stopping now and then to flex his fingers and gaze wonderingly at the fantastic view of Pern. Nothing could detract from that spectacle, not even the comical antics of two fire-lizards cavorting in the weightlessness. Oddly enough, their excited squeakings and chitterings as Farli dared Trig to more and more outrageous maneuvers helped dispel the unreality of this bizarre environment.

Once Jaxom began to concentrate on setting the program for the telescopes, Ruth released his tail anchor and drifted with great dignity toward the wide bridge windows, where he could indulge his fascination in Pern and the starlit blackness. The fire-lizards continued their chittering conversation.

I don't know what they are, either, Ruth said. But they're pretty.

What's pretty? Jaxom asked, looking up. Can you see the other two ships?

No. There are things flowing past us.

Things? Jaxom craned across his console to see what Ruth was seeing. However, his view was blocked by the bodies of the dragon and fire-lizards, who had their faces pressed against the far right of the bridge viewport.

Suddenly all three creatures flung themselves back, away from the window, the motion sending them careening toward Piemur and Jaxom.

"Hey, watch out!" Jaxom ducked as Ruth zoomed overhead. At the same moment, there was a distinct rattling sound.

"Something's hitting us! " Piemur cried. Unstrapping quickly, he pushed himself off to the viewscreen.

"What is hitting you?" Aivas demanded.

Piemur bumped against the viewscreen, looking right and left. "Jaxom, ask Ruth what he saw. I can't see anything." Pressing his left cheek to the plasglas, he tried to see beyond the thick curve of the window.

Things-like fire-lizard eggs-coming straight at us, Ruth replied.

"Well, there's nothing out there now," Piemur said. He headed back to his station, grabbing the back of his chair just as he was about to overshoot it.

"Aivas?" Jaxom asked.

"The pinging indicated the screens deflecting a small shower of objects," Aivas replied calmly. "No damage is reported. As you will have learned from your studies, space is not a barren void. Minute particles are in constant motion through space. Doubtless a shower of some sort startled Ruth and the firelizards. You would be wise to continue your tasks before you.

Jaxom noticed that Piemur, too, was not completely reassured by that explanation. But it was true that the icy cold was seeping through their layers of clothing and so, as Ruth and the firelizards cautiously, with much chirping and twittering, returned to their positions at the window, the men returned their attention to their consoles.

Jaxom worked as fast as he could, but still the cold increasingly penetrated the down-lined gloves that had always kept him warm through hours of Threadfall. Maybe space was colder than between, he thought, flexing frozen fingers.

"Aivas, didn't you say there'd be heat on the bridge?" he complained. "My hands are getting numb with cold."

"Readings indicate that the bridge heating is not working as efficiently as possible. It is probable that the resistive ceramic of the units has crystalized. This can be repaired later."

"That's good news," Jaxom said as he double-checked his entries. Then he straightened up. "Mine's done-program ready."

"Activate," Aivas ordered.

Jaxom punched that key with some trepidation-though the Egg knew how he could have gotten it wrong with the endless drills Aivas had put him through in learning the sequences of attitude, exposure, and sectors. With considerable personal satisfaction, he watched the fast-forward scroll of the display as it confirmed his plotting.

"This board's much faster than the ones we've been using," he remarked.

"The equipment on the Yokohama was state-of-the-art when the ship was commissioned by the Pern Charter Group," Aivas said. "High-speed computations would have been essential in astronavigation."

"I told you we were using baby stuff," Piemur murmured.

"Before the infant walks, it must learn to crawl," Aivas said.

"Is everyone hearing all this?" the harper demanded with some indignation.

No.

"I thank your mercy for that! And my program's up and running, too, by the way."

"That is correct. You must now begin phase two of the schedule. You will find the auxiliary oxygen storage behind Bulwark B-8802-A, -B, and -C," Aivas instructed.

Piemur was shaking the fingers of his gloved hands. "My fingers have never been this cold! I'll give you Bitran odds this bridge is colder than between."

"In point of fact," Aivas remarked, "it is not. But you have been in that very cold temperature far longer than you have ever remained between."

"A point," Jaxom reminded Piemur as they pulled themselves up along stair rail. "Remarkable feeling, this weightlessness," he said with a comradely grin at the harper.

Piemur gave him a happy grimace of agreement. Just then Farli and Trig came tumbling end over end above their heads, making them duck-which sent them bouncing off the steps.

"Careful! " Jaxom cried, reaching for the railing as smoothly as he could.

"Ohohohohoh!" Piemur continued to float on up to the ceiling.

By the time Jaxom, securely holding on to the rail with one hand, had grabbed the floating Piemur by the ankle and hauled him down, neither was sure whether to laugh or swear at their clumsiness. However, the slight mishap made them all the more circumspect in their motions. They located, opened, and examined the auxiliary oxygen compartment, then carefully removed the one empty tank, maneuvered the four they had brought with them into the space available, and made the necessary connections to bring the replacements into the system.

"Phase three may now be initiated," Aivas told them once the connections had been checked.

Jaxom caught Piemur's gaze, and the young harper gave him a wry grin, shrugged, and turned back to the space-suited figure they had both been avoiding.

Ruth, we need you back on the landing, please, Jaxom said as he and Piemur solemnly converged on Sallah's body. He swallowed.

As they lifted it from the chair it had occupied for 2,500 Turns, the rigid space-suited body retained the position in which it had originally collapsed across the console. Jaxom tried to feel reverence for the personality that had once inhabited the frozen shell they were handling. Sallah Telgar had given her life to prevent the defector, Avril Bitra, from draining the Yokohama's fuel tanks in her bid to escape the Rukbat system. Sallah had even managed to repair the console Bitra had wrecked in her fury at being thwarted. Odd that a Hold had been named after such a woman, but then, Bitrans had always been an odd lot. Jaxom chided himself for such thoughts. There were some very honest, worthy Bitrans-a few, anyway-who were not given to gambling and the other forms of gaming that fascinated so many of that Hold. Lord Sigomal kept to himself, but that was far preferable to the late Lord Sifer's well-known unsavory appetites.

With the ropes that had held the tanks in place, Jaxom and Piemur strapped the bent body between Ruth's wings. Sensing their mood alteration, Farli and Trig had ceased their cavorting, and when Piemur again mounted the white dragon, they quietly settled to his shoulders.

When Jaxom slid astride Ruth, he could no longer control his jaw, and his teeth began to chatter. Had Sallah felt this creeping cold as she died? Was that what had killed her, abandoned so far above the planet? His chilled fingers could barely feel Ruth's neck ridge.

Let's get back to Landing before we freeze solid, too, Ruth, he said.

"Can we go before we freeze solid?" Piemur asked wistfully, unaware that he was echoing Jaxom's silent request to Ruth.

Now! Jaxom longingly projected a vivid scene of warn, balmy Landing to his dragon.

As they entered the chill blackness of between, he was still not sure which was colder.

Much later in the evening of that momentous day, when Lessa had a chance to sit down and think about it all, she wondered just how Aivas-quite likely with Lytol's connivance-had contrived such an extraordinary and timely event as the return of Sallah's body. This would have considerable impact on the entire population, both North and South, both doubters and believers. Sallah Telgar's heroism and self-sacrifice had, in the past two years, become a favorite harper ballad, repeatedly requested at all Gathers and evening entertainments of any consequence. To be able to bring her back from her lonely crypt should be considered a significant vindication of the Landing effort.

Lord Larad was absolutely dumbfounded when Robinton, conveyed by Mnementh and F'lar to Telgar Hold, apprised him of the retrieval of his ancestress's remains.

"Yes, yes, indeed, Sallah must be honored. There must, of course, be some ceremony fitting such an occasion." Larad looked helplessly at Robinton.

Burial services were usually brief, even for the most honored being. The deeds and goodness of unusual persons were perpetuated in song and harper tales, which were considered the most fitting of memorials.

"A performance of the Ballad of Sallah Telgar would certainly be appropriate," Robinton said. "Full instrumental accompaniment to chorus and solo voices. I'll speak to Sebell."

"I never thought to have the chance to honor our brave ancestress," Larad said, and floundered once again.

Fortunately Lady Jissamy, Larad's astute and capable wife, stepped to his side. "There is that small cave, just to the north of the main court, the one which that recent rockslide revealed. It is just large enough-" She faltered and then recovered. "And certainly accessible, easy to reseal."

Larad patted her hand gratefully. "Yes, the very place. Ah... when?" he added tentatively.

"The day after tomorrow?" Robinton suggested, resisting an urge to grin in triumph. The day after next would be just the day before the Lord Holders convened about the matter of the late Oterel's successor.

Larad shot him a quick glance. "You couldn't possibly have planned it this way, could you, Masterharper?"

"Me?" Years of practice made it possible for Robinton to affect genuine surprise. He waggled his hand in denial.

F'lar came to his assistance with a disgusted snort. "Hardly, Larad. We knew she was there. So did you. Aivas included her sacrifice in his historical narrative. Today was the first chance to actually get to her. And it just doesn't seem proper to-well, just to leave her remains there."

"To give her rest after all that long time in cold space," Jissamy said with a delicate shudder. "It's time and past it. Should we make it an open ceremony?"

"I think that only proper. Telgar, of course, should have the honor, but many will wish to be respectful," Robinton said with a properly grave mien, hoping that the occasion would spark considerable interest through Hold and Hall. Even those who were not curious about Sallah could be expected to come, if only to see who else attended.

When Jaxom, Piemur, and Ruth arrived back at Landing, they had gratefully turned their burden over to Masterhealer Oldive and two of his Masters. Now the mortal remains of Sallah Telgar rested in a finely joined coffin of Master Bendarek's best wooden panels.

Shown the cleansed space suit, Aivas assured all that the heel of the suit and the other small tears could be mended. Aivas remarked to Lytol that since someone would be expected to wear that suit, it was fortunate indeed that superstition was not a facet of Pernese culture. Lytol disagreed. He and Aivas immediately became involved in a discussion of primitive religions and arcane beliefs, so that Robinton was just as glad that he was free to leave for Telgar Weyr with F'lar. The Harper wondered fleetingly if he would have done better to have stayed to listen to what was certain to be a fascinating debate; but he was deriving too much satisfaction in being the bearer of such remarkable tidings.

One of the older Telgar sons brought in a tray with wineglasses and a fine crystal decanter, which Robinton decided must be one of the new designs Glassmaster Morilton had produced. The next son arrived with a tray of piping-hot little pastries and some good Telgar mountain cheeses. With a glass of white Benden in his hand, Robinton was definitely pleased that he had come.

"You said, did you not," Larad began, "that someone had actually been on the old ship? Was that judicious? "

"Necessary," F'lar said. "No danger involved. Piemur's little fire-lizard did exactly as Aivas taught her. So there's air on the bridge, and it's warmed up. Ruth will take Jaxom back again tomorrow to find out why the cargo-bay doors have remained open. Probably a trivial malfunction, according to Aivas. All in all-" F'lar paused to sip his wine. "-a most auspicious beginning. Most auspicious."

"I'm glad to hear that, F'lar," Larad said, nodding, his expression solemn. "I'm very glad to hear that."

"Not half as glad as I am to be able to report it," the Benden Weyrleader replied.