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"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 gri
"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 stu
"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.