Knowing that his fellow students were observing him made him hope devoutly that he didn't look as ridiculous as he felt. Sharra had told him repeatedly that he had not looked at all foolish coping with weightlessness the day before. He should relax in satisfaction that both he and Piemur had handled themselves most creditably. She only wished that she could somehow have seen the view of Pern which had so transfixed them.
"I've never seen that particular look on Piemur's face before. Jancis was impressed."
"So how did I look?"
"Dumbstruck, just like Piemur," she replied, giving him a mischievous grin. "About the same way you looked when you saw Jarrol for the first time."
At least today, Jaxom knew he had some control over his movements-as long as he kept his feet on the deck. He took the first step forward, wrenching the heavy boot's grip off the floor and stamping it down in front of him. Ruth had landed in the same spot as before, right by the lift door. Jaxom had only to duck under the dragon's neck to reach the control panel, which Aivas had assured him was in working order.
I'll move out of your way, Ruth said obligingly. Picking up his hind legs, he flipped over and over backward, coasting toward the window. It's better than the view from the Star Stones on Benden or the fireheights at Ruatha. By the time Jaxom had pressed one thick-gloved finger on the pressure panel, Ruth had his nose against the plasglas and was staring out into space.
Jaxom still could not dispel the sense of being an intruder which he had felt keenly the day before, walking where his ancestors had, manipulating switches, toggles, and keyboards just as they had once done. He had told himself that that was partly because of the gruesome errand he and Piemur had been on, retrieving Sallah Telgar. He had hoped the feeling would have altered now that he was here on another errand, but it had not.
Though he and Piemur had, miraculously, been able to log into their respective consoles and complete their tasks, Aivas had not been able to discover why the cargo-bay doors remained open. Today, after a brisk tutorial session from Aivas, Jaxom's assignment was to descend to the Cargo level and attempt to use the control console or the manual override there.
"It is to be hoped that one of those two systems is operational," Aivas said.
"Why?"
"Otherwise, you would have to venture outside the ship to discover what was keeping the doors from closing."
"Oh!" Jaxom had seen enough footage of Aivas's training tapes to wonder if he would have the nerve to space walk.
The lift opened and he stepped in. The door shut. Once again consulting the diagram in his hand-though he had memorized it-he punched the button marked CB for cargo bay before he noticed how many levels the lift served. Although Aivas had assured him that the solar panels of the Yokohama contained sufficient power to operate the bridge lift, he had a nervous moment before the long-unused mechanism rumbled into action.
"The lift is operational," Jaxom told Aivas in what he hoped was a casual tone. "I'm descending." He had also been instructed to keep up a running commentary. Jaxom was not by nature garrulous; it seemed inane to keep reporting simple actions, even if they were not taking place under normal conditions. Aivas had merely repeated that this was normal procedure for a single operative in what was to be considered a hostile environment.
"Proceed," Aivas said.
The descent seemed to take both a long time and no time at all. A warning note sounded, and a red sign-DANGER: VACUUM!-appeared on the door of the lift.
"What do I do now, Aivas?"
"Press the PUMP DOWN button on the right of the sign and wait for the danger lights to go out."
Jaxom did as he was instructed. He noticed that his suit puffed out and seemed slightly less wieldy. He was just growing accustomed to that alteration when there was a melodious ding and the door slid silently aside-and Jaxom looked out at a vast blackness that framed an even blacker area that was punctuated by star lights. There was no reassuring sight of sunlit Pern below him. He didn't move a muscle.
Don't be nervous. I'd come after you if you fell out, Ruth said encouragingly.
"I've reached the cargo bay," Jaxom said belatedly. "There's insufficient light." And that, Jaxom said to himself, must be the single most stupid understatement he had ever made!
"Feel to the left of the door. There will be a panel." Aivas's voice in Jaxom's ear was steady and reassuring, and he let out his breath, only just realizing that he had been holding it in. "Wave your hand across the panel, and emergency lights will come on."
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 unnerving sight of star-studded space. He wanted to increase his pace but sternly held himself to a rhythm that would prevent sudden, unexpected reactions. He could feel the sweat on his forehead, and then the little suction fan in his helmet turned on and the moisture was evacuated. That phenomenon occupied his mind until he was actually at the lighted console.
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.