Chap. 116 The Team Forms

Chap. 116  The Team forms

The telescope on the eastern half of Far Western Continent was by far the largest K'ndar had ever seen. Given that he'd only seen the small one at the Weyr, that was probably inevitable. 

Rahman, the astronomer, beaming with pride, patted it gently, as if it were alive.

"This has given us a far better look at the stars, at our solar system, and even beyond," he said, with the tone of voice usually heard from a proud father.

"Is the one that's to be built on the western side as big as this one?"

"Nay, K'ndar, bigger. Not by much, but bigger. Between these two and the others on Northern, we should be able to really begin to understand our place in the galaxy."

"Can you see, for instance, earth?"

"Oh, no," Rahman laughed, "this telescope is nowhere powerful enough to see that far. Earth is 175 light years away from us, to be exact. And you wouldn't be able to see the planets, just earth's star, Sol."

"Wow", K'ndar said. 

"But, should you want to see what earth looked like, for it's been a very long time since our ancestors were on earth, and many light years away,  there's books in the library, as well as a map in Landing."

"I've seen the maps in the astronomy book you gave me, but I didn't know there were maps at Landing.  Every time I think I've seen everything at Landing, I learn of something new."

Rahman turned and dusted an imaginary something off the telescope.

K'ndar said, "I think I'd like to look at the moons, sometime. I've never seen through the telescope."

Rahman smiled. "That is easy, my lad, but of course, it depends on the moons! But I'll be here for the rest of the night. Come on in after sunset and we'll take a look." He changed subjects."

"How do you like your quarters?"

"Anything could be better than Tillek," K'ndar griped. "I'm still pissed at the way we were treated at Tillek. We even discussed commuting from our home weyr, but the time change is just too much, so we'll be staging here. I have to say that, while it's not as substantial as Tillek, at least Western provides much better quarters. We're warm and dry, the beds are clean, and the food, I'm told, is pretty good."

Rahman nodded. "True, lad, there are problems at Tillek. Not here, though, it's much smaller here, and probably easier to manage. Being that it's an 'outpost', a 'research station', there's not an official steward. So we all pitch in and do our part to make things work. You'll be expected to do tasks, like kitchen work and cleanup, just like the rest of the staff."

"I'm fine with that, sir, I don't mind at all. I've not been out of Weyrling training so long that I've forgotten how to do tasks like sweeping floors and bringing in supplies," he said. "I'm even fairly competent at cooking…my mum taught me how to cook, even bake bread. Not as good as what Oscoral does at home but…it's edible," he grinned. "Far better than anything I got in the few days we were at Tillek." he groaned at the memory. "I like fish, I do, but not cold, old fish!"

"I agree. I much prefer other holds and weyrs to Tillek. Your weyr's kitchen is probably one of the best. But such is the life of a wandering starsmith-you eat what's set for you. Come back after dark, I'll be here, and I'll show you some nebula!"

K'ndar wandered through the small set of buildings. The main purpose of the settlement was to support the telescope, so there was nothing in the way of entertainment. But there WAS a research lab with a small library.

Most interesting to him was the map, such as it was, of the Far Western Continent.

Considering that humans had been on Pern for over 2500 years, he was astonished that so little had been done on Far Western. 

I'm getting tired of giving it two names, he thought. From now on, I'm calling just Western Continent, like we already do with Northern and Southern.

There were pictures of Western taken from, he assumed, the Yokohama. It appeared that Western had rolling hills but no mountains worthy of the name. Vegetation seemed to be fairly sparse, in the interior, with forests edging it. Would it be just like the steppe? 

D'nis wants you. He is by our quarters.  And there is a fire lizard here, he is with a green rider. I don't know who his master is. Raventh said

Thank you. Siskin is with you or the other fire lizard?

He is playing with the other fire lizard, another blue

Tell them I'm on my way

T'ovar was standing with a woman, D'nis and D'mitran. 

Siskin cheeped and settled on K'ndar's shoulder. He projected happiness.

Another blue fire lizard swooped down and landed on the woman's shoulder.

K'ndar was a bit wary of T'ovar, now. The High Reaches dragon rider had, in his mind, let them down by allowing his team to be assigned to untenable, substandard living quarters at Tillek. But he said nothing, having learned to keep his mouth shut. Once bitten, twice shy, his mother had said, and he felt as if he'd been bitten.

"Ah, K'ndar, there you be. Greta, this is K'ndar, from Kahrain Steppe Weyr, rider of brown Raneth," he said, introducing them.

"Raventh. My brown is RavENTH," K'ndar corrected the older rider. Had the mistake been purposeful? It sounded condescending. 

"Aye, Raventh. Greta is joining the survey team as the geologist."

I'll have to take time to talk to her about her fire lizard, he thought.

They shook hands. "Hello, K'ndar, pleased to meet you. I ride green Earth."

"Earth! That's interesting," he said, grinning.

"I know. It was odd, and perhaps coincidental but, you know how dragons are."

"Could be confusing," he said, thinking.

"Not as much as you'd think. She's already met your dragons. She says Raventh told her all the greens like him," she said, laughing.

K'ndar liked her already. "That's my boy, Raventh. He's always flirting with the girls." 

D'mitran said, "Well, does she?"

"Does she what?"

"Like Raventh"

"Um…." her eyes went blank, not having to tell the other riders she was talking to her dragon.

Then she laughed.

"She says, ""Eh, he's just another brown. I like Corvuth a LOT more"."

They all laughed. D'nis, bronze Corvuth's rider, said, "Don't you dare let her come into heat, young lady, I'm far too old for you!" That broke the ice into last, laughing bits.

"Don't worry, sir, she lets me know fairly early, if it happens, well, I can go home until she's  through it."

D'mitran, it went unnoticed, didn't say a word. He WAS interested, but his Careth was a brown, just like Raventh. His chances, given what her rider had just said, were probably nil.

Ah well, he thought, that's life as a dragonrider. Subject to the whims of a dragon.