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We hope, Jaxom said to himself. Moving with extreme care, he obeyed and was unutterably relieved to see a line of lights come up all around the immense cargo bay. The effect did heighten the blackness of space, but he felt better with the partial illumination. "Yes, I now have light." It's bigger even than Fort's Hatching Ground, he told Ruth, looking about in awe.
"There is a handrail all around the inside wall of the cargo bay," Aivas went on conversationally. "To your left you will see a bank of lights, and the console should be visible under them."
"It is."
"It will be faster to go hand over hand, Jaxom," Aivas went on, "and quite safe. Otherwise you would exhaust yourself needlessly."
Jaxom wondered if Aivas knew just how scared he was. But how could he? So Jaxom took a deep breath and, lifting his left foot, reached out and caught hold of the handrail. It was round and firm in his grip and amazingly reassuring for a mere thin rail of metal. "I've got it. I'm proceeding as directed."
Holding very tightly with both hands, he kicked off his right foot, balanced the reaction against the solid rail, and began to move hand over hand, hauling his weightless body after him.
"How did my ancestors manage to load ships working like this?" he asked, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Your ancestors worked in half gravity in this area during loading, but the rest of the ship was on normal gravity."
"They could do that? Amazing," Jaxom replied dutifully. He was nearly halfway to the console. The curve of the bay now hid the u
He activated it, and a range of red and orange lights flickered into being. Jaxom experienced a slight shock and then began reading the dials. Some of the red lights were perfectly in order, indicating, as they were meant to, that the cargo-bay doors were open. He sighed in relief and applied his lessons to deciphering the rest. When he was sure of what sequence to use, he entered the appropriate code. The orange light began to flicker. The legend above it said: RTC. He reported that to Aivas.
"That explains why the cargo-bay doors remained open. They were on a remote time control, which must have malfunctioned. The simplest method now is to use the manual release, Jaxom," Aivas told him. "It is found under the terminal. Open the glass lid and pull."
Grabbing the handle of the manual release, Jaxom gave a yank. When nothing happened, he gave a second, more forceful yank. Fortunately he was still holding on to the handle, for the force of the yank sent him dangling above the deck, hanging on by one outstretched arm. A strange gargling noise echoed in his ears.
"What has happened, Jaxom?" Aivas asked, his voice as calm as ever.
Jaxom's momentary panic subsided. In chagrin, he explained.
"Pull yourself toward the deck by exerting a downward pressure on the handle, and very slowly tuck your feet forward," Aivas instructed.
Jaxom obeyed and was relieved to feel his soles restored to a firm contact with the deck. Engrossed in recovering from his hasty action, he did not at first notice the alteration in the light on the deck. The motion caught his peripheral vision to the right; he turned his head, remembering to move slowly, and saw the great cargo-bay doors folding slowly inward, wrapping him in more complete safety.
The door lights on the panel turned from red to green, and suddenly the aggravating orange light winked out.
"Operation completed," Jaxom said, wanting to shout in relief.
"That is enough for today. Retrace your steps and return to base."
Later that afternoon, when Robinton, Lytol, and D'ram arrived for a private meeting, Aivas had further interesting disclosures to make.
"Your wandering planet is flagrantly erratic," he told them. "There has been time to study most of the Records presented to this facility. Even the most illegible ones have been deciphered, using available restoration techniques. The Red Star, as it is inaccurately called, has an aberrant course and does not cross Pern's path every two hundred and fifty years. The orbit varies by almost ten years in four Passes-three were two hundred fifty-eight, and one was two hundred forty. Thread Passes alter from forty-six years in the Second Pass to fifty-two in the Fifth and forty-eight in the Seventh. The two intervals of four hundred years each appear to suggest that the planet did not, in fact, orbit as far as the Oort Cloud, or was, in some inexplicable fashion, diverted from its usual orbit. The former theory is more acceptable than the latter. Another possibility"-and the resonant tone indicated that this was most unlikely-"is that it passed through attenuated portions of this cometary reservoir. Of more importance, and based on calculations from the Yokohama's bridge, this Pass will be short by three years."
"Now that is very good news indeed," D'ram said. "But I don't understand how such inaccuracies could have slipped into the Records."
"That is not at issue," Aivas replied. "Though the method of dating on this planet promotes error."
"Then that would account for the need to position the Eye Rocks, wouldn't it?" Lytol asked. "Because no matter if dating was faulty, the Weyrs would always know exactly when a Pass was imminent."
"An ingenious method of ascertaining the correct position of a planet, though by no means original," Aivas replied.
"Yes, yes," Lytol said hastily. "You told me about Stonehenge and the Triangles of Eridani. Do the inaccuracies have any other importance?"
"That information is still being correlated and updated. Optimistically, it augurs well for the success of the Plan."
"And we can reassure Holds and Halls on that account?" Robinton asked, his voice buoyant with hope.
"You can indeed."
"This briefing, then, is to decide what information can be made public."
"Yes."
"What else can we tell them?"
"As much as you know."
Robinton chuckled. "Which is very little."
"But significant," Aivas replied. "The two expeditions to the Yokohama have been extremely successful. You may also report that the next exercise will extend to the four green riders. It is vital for them to make bridge transfers and continue the research that Jaxom and Piemur initiated. Each will have an objective during his time on board."
"Why did Jaxom have to close the cargo-bay doors today? Especially when you said that that area will not be used for some time," D'ram asked, curious.
"It is necessary for someone to get practice in working in free-fall and to become accustomed to using the space suit. Jaxom is the most adept computer operator, and Ruth is the most courageous of the dragons."
Robinton noticed that Lytol perceptibly preened himself on hearing such praise of his ward.
"Does the fact that he is also a Lord Holder and can report on his expedition come into consideration?" Robinton asked, amused.
"That did figure in the choice; but competence, and being a dragonrider, were more important."
Robinton chuckled. "So who goes next?"
"Now that Ruth has led the way, the green dragons will feel compelled to follow where the littlest one of them has gone before. They will be sent in pairs: Mirrim and Path, G'ra
Robinton chuckled. "You are indeed well versed in manipulating people."
"It is not manipulation, Master Robinton. It is understanding the basic personalities of those who are being trained."