Chap. 223 Navigating

Chap. 223 Navigating

I needed that flight Raventh said.

I did, too K'ndar said.

He unharnessed Raventh. Just a little ways away, Francie was unharnessing her green, Motanith.

Lefsa was chirping as excitedly as a fire lizard. "That was INCREDIBLE! And you do that every day?"

Francie, grinning, nodded her head. Her three fire lizards swirled over her head. Siskin chittered and looked at K'ndar.

"Go ahead, lad," he said, wondering why the fire lizard suddenly asked for permission.

Any ideas?

Not a one. He usually just goes.

I know.

Francie rolled up her harness and put it over her shoulder. She and Lefsa approached them.

"Which one is your quarters, K'ndar?" she asked.

"That one, way over there, on the left. They gave it to me because it's got a bay large enough for Raventh. I just realized your quarters are in the middle of the village. How does Motanith fit?"

"She doesn't, not really. Only because she's a green can she fit. We literally have to move out into the middle of the commons, so that she can launch. Sometimes we have to chase the kids away, they want to be Right THERE. But it was the only place big enough for a green, if you can believe it, at the time. Since then, they've uncovered a lot more buildings. I've been discussing it with Raylan, we are thinking of moving to this end. I'll ask Grafton for new quarters, like yours. I'm sure he's got the roomier buildings now. It's the moving all our stuff that will be a pain," Francie said.

"I can help," K'ndar said, "After moving an entire weyr AND the livestock before a hurricane, one little home can't be much," he said.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to take you up on it," she said.

"I volunteer, too, " Lefsa said, "it's the least I can do to repay you for your help."

"Pay? Piffle, Lefsa. We dragonriders are always ready for any excuse to go flying," Francie said.

Grasping on the name Grafton, K'ndar failed to see the two women exchange knowing glances.

"Just who is this Grafton? I've heard his name dropped a dozen times," K'ndar asked.

The two women laughed. "He's our headman. Like your Hariko, but of Landing. We don't have a Weyrwoman or a Lord Holder, so we've had to invent new positions and responsibilities," Francie said.

Raventh shook his wings and folded them neatly by his side. Then he headed for their quarters.

"Look at him, " K'ndar said, "he knows where we live and the only way I know how to find my way back home is to have Siskin lead me."

"What? What do you mean?" the two asked in unison.

"Every time I've come to Landing, I've had someone lead me to where I need to go. I can find Main and Library, now, or at least I did until the re-organization, but since I've been here, I'm lost. A kid named Marsh showed me to my quarters, and came back in the morning to take me to Science division, where Lefsa's office is, but afterwards, I had to find my way back 'home'. I had to have Siskin lead me. I'm totally confused by how Landing is laid out. How do you remember which way to turn?"

The two looked at him with astonishment. Lefsa's eyes were full of suppressed amusement. K'ndar caught it, and felt stupid. Lefsa was about to speak but Francie put a hand on her arm.

"Wait, Lefsa, it's not as strange as it sounds. Most everyone on Pern lives in caves. Even here, the Ancients took shelter in those tiny little caves, at the base of the mountain, until they put up all these buildings. We fix up caves to keep out the wind and rain but still, we're cave dwellers. You know why, of course, it was the best protection from Thread, for millennia. Caves aren't planned, aren't set out in neat, orderly rows, like here at Landing. Outbuildings like wooden barns are sacrificial to Thread, people expected to lose them, so they just put up outbuildings wherever it was most convenient.

This place, Landing, tells you a lot about the Ancients, before they came here. They obviously didn't have to worry about Thread. They had machines that moved without horses. They made use of this grid pattern of housing because it is the best use of land to cram in a lot of families and places to work. The Ancients lived like this, I'm certain, and planned this place the same way their villages were, they called them 'cities' on Earth. This layout was most familiar to them. I bet they were confused as can be when they landed here and found only caves.

Dragonriders don't purposefully plan a Weyr, they adapt to it. They need a place that has caves large enough to accommodate a dragon and one that a dragon can fly to without having to land. We live in extinct volcanoes that are circular in most cases, but in K'ndar's weyr, which used to be mine, too, it's a cluster of smaller, semi-circular cones stitched together by a straight ridge. Cottages and barns are just stuck anywhere they'll fit. I've seen Landing folk get lost on the grounds of a weyr. There's no rhyme or reason, it's what my mother used call "higgledypiggledy". So K'ndar has never had any concept of rows and columns of buildings, like here at Landing. It's the only place on Pern like it," Francie said, sympathetically.

Lefsa blushed. K'ndar felt glad for Francie's rescue, and for teaching him something he'd not even considered. Of course weyrs are a muddle. It was LANDING that was odd.

"I'm sorry I was about to laugh at you, K'ndar. I didn't know, I've never been to a weyr," Lefsa said. "I'm afraid your 'guide', Marsh, has a reputation for being less than helpful in dealing with newcomers," she said. "Your datalink..he did give you a datalink, didn't he?"

"He did, but I know how to operate a datalink about as much as I know how to birth a baby," he said.

The women laughed.

"Marsh. Yes, we all know Marsh. I bet my lunch...well, I've eaten it so I bet my dinner he didn't tell you about the map of Landing," Lefsa said.

"NO! I wish he had, I can read a map," K'ndar said, heatedly. That little shit, Marsh...I'll settle your hash, one way or another, he thought.

"Well, then, let's go to your quarters, I'll show you how to access the map, but first, I want to show you how easy it is to navigate Landing," Francie said.

The four fire lizards zoomed towards his quarters. Raventh and Motanith followed them.

"There were two workmen here earlier, they fixed the bay door," K'ndar said. He strode to the bay door and waved at the glowing panel next to it. For one heart stopping moment he thought it wouldn't open, but with a soft woosh, it went up to its open position.

"Ah, they took away the screech, too," he said.

Siskin cheeped and led Francies' three into the bay to give them a tour of the high ledges. They landed on one of them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Didn't they clean up there?" Lefsa snapped.

"Marsh said they didn't have a ladder. Don't worry, I'll get to it. If I can get a ladder, I'll get up there and do it myself. I don't think I want Marsh back here...he's a snob."

"Aye, he is. But anyway, K'ndar, oh, Motanith wants to go in and try it for size, does Raventh mind?" Francie said.

I don't mind...I like greens. A lot.

K'ndar laughed. "No, he doesn't mind at all," he said, "he's an incurable flirt."

Raventh entered his bay, and stepped onto the hefty couch that had been made for him. He told Motanith to wait until he turned around.

"I don't know, it looks pretty tight with Raventh in there," Francie said, doubtfully.

Motanith gauged how much room there was between Raventh and the walls and deferred.

Too small for two but I would like to have a weyr like this Motanith said.

Francie patted her green's jaw, glad the dragon hadn't tried to squeeze in alongside Raventh.

"Okay, she won't go in, she says it's too small for two dragons," she said.

I know, my lass, it's okay, we'll get you a room like this, soon she said to the green.

"I'm just so amazed at how he..how your dragons understand what we say, and they respond!" Lefsa said.

"They do indeed, Lefsa. It's a shame you weren't Searched. Were you?" Francie asked.

"I don't remember, so I guess not. Is it..like being in love? You don't know until you know?"

Both dragonriders roared.

"Well, yes, kind of. You don't know until you know. You don't know until the dragon chooses YOU," Francie said.

"Oh," Lefsa said, "I had heard that the dragon chooses you. And what happens if you don't get chosen?"

"You can wait until the next clutch is laid, but that is usually just once a year, especially with older golds. I know riders who were passed over three times, but that's unusual. Usually, a Candidate either waits around for another year, and then leaves, or just accepts that he's not going to be chosen and he finds something else to do," Francie said.

"Um. I bet it's heartbreaking, like when you fall in love with someone and they don't love you back," Lefsa said, with a tone that reeked of experience.

"It's a lot like that," K'ndar said, "I think, but I've never been in love, so I'm not sure."

"Pity," Francie said, winking at him, "you're a good catch. But ANYWAY, I'll show you how to know where you live. It's called an address. Come with me," and she stepped outside to lead him around the corner of the building.

"See this road? It's wide enough for what the Ancients called 'vehicles' to move along. Two wagons can fit on it side by side. See that bolster there, the one made of stone?" she pointed to the intersection of two roads.

"I noticed it but didn't think it was of any importance. But then, there's a lot of things I've not noticed before here. I feel pretty stupid, right now."

"NO! It's not stupid, it's just that you're new. The roads, here, K'ndar, run north and south, east and west. Here at this intersection..think of your geometry, K'ndar, that bolster? Go up to it and read it. They've apparently not cleaned it yet. Landing's roads are on a perfect x-y axis, like in math," Francie said.

"I hated math, Francie," he said, but he obeyed. He examined the bolster, still feeling provincial. Precisely square, it had been carved with some precision instrument out of basalt. It was about chest high. On the eastern and western sides of the bolster was the number 200. On the north/south side was a name. He brushed away lichen growing over it. It had been incised with incredible precision, even after 2500 years of wear.

"What does it say?" Francie said, knowing what it was.

"Bee..Ee...Ell...Belior! Like the moon!"

"Right! The names of the roads are on the x axis, the north-south roads. They're named after stars, and in some cases, other astral bodies, like our moons. The east-west roads are numbered.

See that column of buildings off to your left? It's the farthest south. They're on road number 1. Your building here is the most southeastern one of its column, which is number 2. The bolster says 200, correct?"

"Yes", he said, not at all understanding, but hoping the map would clarify it.

"This building here is the first set of buildings on the 2nd column. So to begin with, your home is on the corner of Belior and 200. But there's a little more, let's go around the corner to the human door," she said, leading the way.

"Here we are, see the number next to the door? It needs a clean up, too, but it reads what?"

"2001" K'ndar read. He'd not noticed the number before.

"Correct! And on this block there should be, um.....oh, I don't know how many buildings there are on this specific block, but as with a map, read right and up," she said.

Lefsa counted quickly. "There's 9, of various sizes. And like just about every other block, there's a small commons in the middle," she said. "The one at my place is being used to grow vegetables," she said.

"So the building just west of this one should be 2002. It's not difficult, K'ndar, just a little confusing at first. I won't go into it deeper, I can see your eyes beginning to glaze," she laughed.

K'ndar nodded his head.

"It will come to you, K'ndar, after you see a map. For now, all you need do is remember your address is 2001 Belior. The north-south roads are all in alphabetical order, so can you guess what the next one should be called?"

K'ndar was befuddled but was trying hard.

"Um...C?"

"Right! C for Canopus. And the next?"

"D" he said, with growing understanding.

"D for Deneb," Francie said, "And E is for Eridani, my address is 4100 Eridani. Lefsa?"

"6330 Fomalhaut."

"The names are all stars?"

"Stars. Or moons, like 'Timor' is off to our north. I think it was the Ancients way of reminding everyone that they navigated through space by the stars, just like we do at sea, except they were navigating through three dimensions," Francie said, relishing teaching.

K'ndar shook his head. "Where things are in three dimensions! I don't even want to know how hard THAT was to navigate."

"No, four dimensions, if you count time. But it's not much different than flying, K'ndar. That's three dimensions and it's not hard to know it...when you get frostbitten in flight, you know you're too high." Francie said, giggling. "Trust me, when I show you on the datalink, it'll be clear as mud. Can we go in?"

"Um...certainly, but right now, nothing's unpacked. I've been too busy. By the way, what is Aivas's address? And can I go see it, someday? Or is it forbidden?"

Both women shook their heads.

"Not forbidden. It's on Aldebaran road, in the same complex as Administration. You've been there, you just didn't see Aivas, it's in a smaller building. No. It was decided that putting Aivas off limits would only make it into something to be feared, or worse, adorated. Of course you can "see" Aivas, but you can't go into the office itself. Everyone just peers in at it through the door. There are people who go in the office where it's at, that's just to keep the place swept out, but K'ndar, everyone here is linked to it with computers and now datalinks. We don't NEED to go into that specific office anymore," Francie said.

"Does it..respond?"

"It's not talking, anymore, remember, it told Master Robinton it's job was done. We access it, every day. It's still aware of its surroundings. It can and has defended itself, but that was a very long time ago. We'll take you to see it, but for now, let's see that datalink of yours. And tomorrow, K'ndar, I'll take you to meet Grafton. You're going to have to meet him anyway. As for having nothing unpacked...well, K'ndar, you let us girls take a look at your quarters, and we'll help you turn it from a place into a home."

Later that night, K'ndar appreciated the help the women had provided.

"You need artwork on the walls, K'ndar, if I may? I have some stuff laying around my quarters, I don't have the wall space for it. How'd you like a picture of Donal?

"I'd love it, Francie, you know how I am with horses," he'd said.

"I'll bring it tomorrow," she promised, and they left.

After emptying the two crates of his belongings, he felt it was still a very large space to fill.

He began to find spots to store his few belongings.

He picked up his lasso. It's been a very long time since I've thrown a loop, he thought, can I still do it? It hadn't been rosined in years, but was still limber. Keeping it in a canvas bag had helped. He went outside through the open bay with it and shook it into neat circles. It felt good in his hands. Yes, it's been-since I was Searched!

He looked side to side to see if he had any witnesses. He had none save Raventh and Siskin, who'd come out to watch. If I miss the throw, I don't want to look foolish, he thought. Although did anyone here at Landing even know what a lasso was or what for?

He raised his throwing arm and circled it, his muscles remembering what it felt like.

What is that? Raventh asked.

A lasso. This is how I caught cattle. Usually from horseback.

Raventh was amazed. Like a bolo?

Not quite the same. Watch. It's been a long time, I may completely miss my target.

He did. Aiming at the bolster, his first loop fell to the ground. The second, the third. He wasn't too worried, he'd roped the ground many times. Then his brain said, Oh, yeah, I remember.

He threw another, just right. The loop settled over the bolster and he instinctively pulled it taut.

Satisfied, he removed the loop, returned to his original spot several meters away and threw several more, every one neatly roping the bolster.

I think I'll do this every day from now on, just to keep in practice, he thought.

While removing the rope from the bolster, he caught the name: Belior.

"Huh. First time I ever roped a moon," he said.