"All that work is divided among several Halls and different locations," Fandarel said with an air of relief. Then he shook his head, his expression doleful. "I find it very hard to believe that some member of my Crafthall could so wantonly destroy the hard work of his colleagues."
"Your society is a trusting one," Aivas said, "and it is sad to see that trust betrayed."
"It is indeed," Fandarel agreed, his voice heavy with sadness. Then he straightened his shoulders. "We will be vigilant. F'lar, would there be any riders available for extra guard duty?"
"Watch-whers would be more effective," Lytol said, entering the discussion for the first time. He had turned very pale, despite his southern tan, during the disclosure of Jaxom's peril. "They would be most effective, and I am of the opinion that the Weyrs are stretched as far as they should be right now."
"Watch-whers and fire-lizards," Fandarel said. "Many of the Craftmasters involved have fire-lizards, and once they know that they are to be vigilant, they will be."
"My brother Toric had had good luck using some feline cubs," Sharra put in. "Of course, they have to be caged in the daytime, for they are ferocious beasts."
"Recruit whatever guardians are necessary, but do not permit the essential manufacturing to be damaged," Aivas ordered. "Tomorrow the dragons assigned to exercises in the Yokohama are to transport the fuel sacks. Master Fandarel, you will see that the sacks are emptied into the main tank. That will eliminate one security problem."
"Would that we could remove all the vulnerable materials to the Yokohama!" F'lar said. "Could we?" he asked Aivas.
"Unfortunately that is impossible, for a variety of reasons.
However, as soon as certain items have been completed, they should indeed be transported to the safety of the Yokohama."
"Is there any guarantee that they'd be safe there'?" Lytol wanted to know. He ignored those who regarded him with anger, dismay, disbelief, or anxiety as he waited for Aivas's reassurance.
"This facility can efficiently and easily monitor the Yokohama as you cannot your individual Holds, Halls, and Weyrs," Aivas replied.
"And the guardian guards himself!" Lytol added in a low voice.
"Q.E.D.," Aivas said.
"Cue ee dee?" Piemur asked.
"That has been demonstrated."
14
On the bridge of the Yokohama the next afternoon, Jaxom and Piemur leaned over the engineering console.
"I know we emptied all those sacks in," Piemur said in an aggrieved tone, "but you wouldn't know it from the gauge."
"Big tank," Jaxom said, giving the dial a tap. "Drop in the bloody bucket."
"All that work for nothing," Piemur added, disgusted. They had had to suit up, because the fuel auxiliary intake pipe had been in a low-pressure section. The harper did not like the restrictions of a suit and the smell of tanked air. Despite weightlessness, the sacks had been awkward to manage: they could only take two at a time to the engineering level from the cargo bay where the dragons had transported them. And they were even more awkward to empty into the intake, following Aivas's instructions on the procedure for handling fluids in free-fall.
"Not for nothing," Aivas replied. "It is now safe from any tampering."
"Then it was dangerous?" Piemur asked, shooting Jaxom an I-told-you-so look.
"The fuel was not flammable, but if it were spilled, there would be toxic effects. Also, soil impregnated with the fuel becomes sterile. It is wise to avoid any unnecessary problems."
Jaxom rotated his shoulders, easing tense muscles. Sometimes working in these free-fall conditions was harder than performing a similar task on Pern.
"We have quite enough trouble as it is," Piemur said, and then turned to Jaxom. "Klah?" He lifted the hot bottle, one of Hamian's new contraptions: a large, thick, glass bottle, insulated by teased fibers of the same plant Bendarek was using to make paper and set inside a casing of Hamian's new hard plastic. It kept liquid warm or cold, though some people could not understand how the bottle knew the difference. "Meatroll?" He held out several wrapped rounds.
Jaxom grinned as he sipped from the bottle, taking care not to let any droplets escape into the air. "How is it that you always seem to have the very latest thingummies?"
Piemur rolled his eyes expressively. "Aivas said it was a thermos, and harpers traditionally try new things out! And besides, I'm resident at Landing, where Hamian has his manufactory, and you're just a runner-in, always missing the fun."
Jaxom refused to rise to the jibe. "Thanks for the food, Piemur. I'd worked up quite an appetite."
They had taken off their helmets and gloves upon entering the bridge and now made themselves comfortable in the console chairs. After the first edge of their hunger was allayed, Piemur gestured to Ruth, Farli, and Meer, who were plastered across the window, staring out.
"Do they see something we don't?" he asked.
"I asked Ruth," Jaxom said. "He says he just likes to look at Pern, all pretty laid out like that. With the clouds and the differences in light, it never looks the same twice."
"While you are eating," Aivas said, "this is an opportunity to explain another very important step in the training process."
"Is that why we got the sack duty?" Piemur asked with a wink and a grin at Jaxom.
"You are as perceptive as ever, Piemur. We have a secure channel here."
"We're all ears," Piemur said, then added hastily, "figuratively speaking, naturally."
"Accurate. It is essential to team how much time dragons can spend in space unprotected by such suits as you are now wearing."
"I thought you'd figured that out, Aivas," Jaxom said. "Ruth and Farli suffered no harm at all during the time they were on this bridge. They didn't seem to notice the cold and certainly weren't in oxygen debt."
"They were on the bridge for precisely three and a half minutes. It is required that dragons function normally for a minimum of twelve minutes. Fifteen would be the upper time required."
"For what?" Jaxom asked, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. Piemur's eyes were bright with excitement.
"The exercise is to accustom them to being in space-"
"Having already become accustomed to weightlessness?" Jaxom asked.
"Exactly."
"So we're at the walking stage?" Piemur asked.
"So to speak. The level of adaptability of your dragons is commendable. There have been no unfavorable reactions to the experience of free-fall."
"Why would there be?" Jaxom asked. "It's on a level with hovering, or being between, and dragons have no problem with that. So now, they're to go extravehicular."
"Wouldn't they float away?" Piemur asked, casting an anxious look at Jaxom. "I mean, like the Thread eggs do?"
"Unless a violent movement was made, they would remain stationary," Aivas said. "As they will exit from the Yokohama, they are moving at the same speed, not at a different velocity as the incoming Thread spheres are. However, to prevent any panic-"
"Dragons don't panic," Jaxom said in flat contradiction, speaking before Piemur could utter a similar rebuke.
"Their riders might," Aivas replied.
"I doubt it," Jaxom said.
"Perhaps dragonriders are a breed apart, Lord Jaxom," Aivas said at his most formal, "but records of many generations indicate that some humans, despite training and reassurance, can find themselves overwhelmed by agoraphobia. Therefore, to prevent panic, the dragon should anchor itself-"