All The Weyrs of Pern

"But if Ruth and Jaxom are here, why send the note now?" Fandarel asked.

Jancis smiled at her grandfather. "Trig needs the practice, Granddad."

Trig was back almost immediately, looking inordinately pleased with himself.

"He needs more than practice," Fandarel said, dismayed at the apparent disobedience.

"I don't know about you," Jancis said as a diversion, striding over to the lift, "but I want to see this 'attack.' I've never been allowed out of Hall or Hold during a Fall, so now may be my only chance. Aren't any of you interested?"

The reaction to her challenge was immediate, and when Jancis found herself crammed into the lift with three big smiths she was sorry that she had issued it.

Then the lift door opened to a curious bedlam: two green dragons, wings plastered to the window, were so fiercely hissing and spraying saliva that the view was largely obscured, while Ruth, his wing fingers on those of the two greens, putting him at full stretch, overlapped their bodies. He was loudly emitting some sort of croon that was only just audible through their angry sputters.

Jancis managed to grab Trig before he took off to join the dragons in their futile posturing. She pi

The view-or the part of it that was not blocked by green and white dragon bodies-was awesome: the objects blanketed the entire panorama. Jancis had to exert a firm control over an urge to recoil as the shapes, zooming straight at Yokohama, were deflected at seemingly the last moment before impact by the ship's shields. But gradually, she and the smiths became accustomed to the spectacle and could appreciate it with detachment. Not that any of them found it as amusing as Jaxom did. He was clutching the pilot's chair in one hand to prevent himself from floating off, but he was nearly doubled up with laughter. S'len and L'zan, hovering circumspectly out of reach of furiously swishing dragon tails, looked on in chagrin and embarrassment.

Being the tallest man there, Fandarel had a reasonably unobstructed view. "An amazing spectacle. Aivas, is this one of those meteor showers you've told us about?"

"What you are seeing is not a meteor shower," Aivas replied. "Comparing the present onslaught with reports made by Pilot Kenjo Fusaiyuki during his reco

"But where will it fall?" Jaxom asked, unable to remember which Weyr was scheduled to fly Fall next.

"On Nerat, in precisely forty-six hours," Aivas replied.

Jaxom let out a long whistle.

"This swarm has a long way to go yet to reach the atmospheric envelope of the planet," Aivas continued.

"Hmmm," Fandarel said, moving closer to peer out the window. "Fascinating! To be amid Thread and unharmed by it. Truly astounding. It's a great pity we can't do something to stem the tide here, before it reaches the surface."

S'len groaned. "Please don't even think that," he said, flicking his hand at the willing creatures whom Ruth was visibly restraining at the window.

"Thread doesn't look so dangerous right now," Jancis said thoughtfully as she watched the ovoids sweep in and abruptly disappear.

"In its frozen state, it is unlikely to be life-threatening," Aivas said.

"But you don't know for sure?"

"Attempts were made by Nabhi Nabol and Bart Lemos to secure specimens, but their ship disintegrated before they were able to return with them."

"We could get some now," Jaxom suggested. "There're plenty out there."

There was a significant pause, and Jaxom winked at Jancis. It wasn't often that Aivas was caught speechless.

"You fail to recognize the hazards of such a venture," the Aivas replied at last.

"Why? We could stash the thing in Airlock A, for instance, and it would stay frozen. As you keep telling us, it takes the friction of the atmosphere for Thread to metamorphose into its dangerous state."

Jancis was mouthing words at Jaxom, shaking her head violently. Under her arm, Trig struggled with renewed vigor to free himself from restraint.

"The Yokohama is moving at approximately 38,765 nautical miles per hour or about twenty thousand miles per hour relative to the Thread ovoids. To attempt to capture one would be an impossible maneuver even for persons trained in extravehicular activities. It would also be essential to have nonheat-conducting tongs."

Trig squawked.

I would capture a Thread egg for you, Ruth said, turning his head at an impossible angle over his shoulder to his rider.

Jaxom looked in alarm at his white dragon and regretted his spontaneous suggestion. "Oh, no, you don't." At Ruth's crestfallen expression, he added, "No one else can keep those greens under control."

"Did Ruth just offer to go get a Thread?" Jancis asked, holding more tightly to the writhing Trig. "Let Trig go."

"You heard what Aivas said about the velocities and nonheatconducting tongs."

"It doesn't look as if we're traveling anywhere near that speed," she replied. Then she sighed. "Even if I know we must be. Anyway, fire-lizard talons aren't exactly heat-conductive, are they? Trig seems to think he can."

"What!" Belterac demanded, his eyes bulging with horror. "Bring one of those-those things in here with us?"

"Not in here," Jancis told him. "Into the airlock, where we can examine it closely. In its frozen state, it poses no danger."

"Do you really think Trig would be able to manage?" Fandarel asked, his insatiable curiosity getting the better of an ingrained revulsion to Thread.

"If he thinks he can," Jancis said. She looked down at the struggling fire-lizard. "Letting him do something about Thread may calm him down." She looked out at the barrage.

"It has been noted," Aivas said, "that fire-lizards are particularly courageous in the presence of Thread. It has also been noted that, in both fire-lizards and dragons, the thought becomes the deed by some method which does not bear investigation. If Trig should think he can retrieve a specimen, despite the obvious difficulties, it would greatly facilitate a useful examination of the organism. Placing it in Airlock A would, of course, keep the specimen frozen, dormant, and impotent. Then it could be examined at leisure, a procedure your ancestors scheduled but did not implement. It would complete their biological investigations of this organism."

Jaxom looked warily at Jancis. All in all, he wasn't sure they should ask this of Trig. Didn't they know as much as they needed to know about Thread? And yet, to have a Thread impotent, at their disposal, locked in a primal form, would be subtly gratifying.

It wouldn't be at all hard to do, Ruth told Jaxom.

"Ruth!" Jaxom vetoed that with a sharp chop of his hands. "You stay out of this fire-lizard assignment. Show-off!"

To his surprise, Jancis laughed. "Does Ruth think he'd fit in Airlock A?" she asked, gri

I'm telling him, too, in case he doesn't understand, Ruth said, turning a reproving eye on his rider. I'd be perfectly safe. I'm much bigger than the Thread eggs. I wouldn't be thrown off balance as a little fire-lizard would be. And it's no more than a jump between.

Trig gave a cheep, turned his head toward Ruth, and cheeped again, the whirling of his eyes speeding up with anticipation and resolve.