Chap. 251 The Daylight Star

Chap. 251 Daylight Star

They had mounted their dragons when a tumult arose. Ista Weyr's residents who were outside began to point skyward and shout in fear.

"Look! Look up! There's a star!"

"In the daylight! It's a star in the daytime!"

"It's so bright, it must be coming right at us!!"

"Nooo, not another fireball!!"

K'ndar and B'rant both looked up. Despite the bright sunshine, a brilliant star had suddenly appeared in the blue skies over the Northern island.

Several people began to run, but from atop the ridge, a young woman called out, "Don't worry! It's not a fireball! It's okay, don't panic! Don't be afraid, it's harmless!"

B'rant frowned. "Let's go up there, I think there's room for our dragons," he said.

They launched and flew up to the peak of Ista Weyr's volcanic rim. The watch dragon, a green, warbled a greeting to Banarth, B'rant's bronze.

I greeted her and she ignored me. It's as if I don't exist Raventh said, sadly.

Females are like that, sometimes

But I am handsome, and Banarth is old.

It's okay. You ARE handsome, it's just, he's a bronze

He says he's not old.

Never mind. Can you land here?

If this big brute of a bronze moves, yes.

Banarth folded his wings and shuffled closer to the green. Raventh, miffed, stayed on the far side of the bronze.

"Good on you for trying to calm everyone. What IS that, do you know?" B'rant asked the girl aboard the green.

"Yes, sir, it's the black hole. Our star smith told me the black hole at the center of our galaxy is feeding right now, right now we're seeing 'jets'."

K'ndar grinned. Rahman had passed on the sighting of the suddenly active black hole to the planet's astronomers!! That was smart. Of course people would be afraid, after the fireball of how many years ago? had caused so much destruction to Pern. No, it was the resulting tsunami's that wrought such devastation. Still, no one would ever forget the fireball. It was why so much attention had been paid to astronomy in general. Now every Weyr, Hall and Hold had a telescope to watch the sky, and plans in place on what to do in case of another fireball.

B'rant broke through his reverie.

" "Feeding? A black hole?" B'rant said.

K'ndar felt the odd sense of superiority over his former Weyrlingmaster. He didn't know of the black hole? But not everyone had had the intense curiosity he'd had since childhood, of wanting to know everything. Not everyone had thirsted for knowledge of things you couldn't always see. Not everyone was as scientifically minded as he was, or had a mentor-Rahman-who'd lent four science books to him when he was a new Weyrling. He still could not quite grasp how a black hole worked, or even what it really WAS, but, as Rahman had said, "neither did Einstein."

"You're right, ma'am, I was with Rahman, the astronomer when it first started feeding. He didn't mention that we'd actually be able to see it, but your starsmith is correct. I think the 'star' will only last a few weeks."

K'ndar saw T'mos, Ista's Weyrleader, come out into the bowl of the Weyr and hold his hand over his eyes, looking up in the sky. Shirvan, his Weyrwoman, was alongside, calling out to her weyrfolk to calm down.

"Watch dragon, report!" T'mos bellowed, his voice amplified by the surrounding crater's walls.

"Excuse me," the watch rider called, "I've got to launch, please."

"Aye, ma'am, we're leaving now, before things get crowded," B'rant said.

"Aye," K'ndar said.

"Launching," B'rant said to the watchdragon's rider. The green huddled to allow their two dragons enough room to launch.

As they circled for height, K'ndar watched as the "star" grew in intensity. Soon it might outshine the sun!

"A black hole, K'ndar?" B'rant called, puzzled. "How can a 'black' 'hole' be brighter than the stars in the night sky? It's even brighter than Betelgeuse!"

"It's a long tale, sir, and I'll tell you when we get home. I think Rahman said we wouldn't be able to see it from Southern, so take a long look now. It's the first time in thousands of years that something like this has ever been visible."

They caught an obliging thermal that carried them safely into the sky.

Just before going between, K'ndar noticed something.

Where's Roany?

Siskin chipped, a worried note to his voice.

He disappeared a few moments after we landed at Ista.

Dismayed, he felt a rush of guilt. He'd lost Greta's fire lizard!

Not lost. I shouldn't feel any guilt, he thought. We rescued him, we didn't impress him. He'd never 'made friends' with us, he'd always kept himself to himself. Distant and aloof.

"Not like you, Sisk, my always happy little one," he said, reaching forward to scritch his blue fire lizard, who was firmly settled just in front of his riding harness. Siskin weeked in agreement.

Funny how two creatures of the same species could be so different in temperament. But then, every animal was like that, just like humans. He could remember a dozen horses, all with a different mind and temperment.

He remembered how engaged Roany had been with Greta. Quite unlike the lonely and rather forlorn lizard they'd brought back from Western.

How do you comfort a pet who'd lost his family?

I didn't realize how much I'd come to like him. He'd made himself a member of our family, even being cold as he was he said to Raventh.

That was just him, returning to the wild. He'll never forget Greta or Earth, but he won't forget us, either. He's free to be himself Raventh said, in a comforting tone.

I was, well, I don't know what to feel. He's free to go, of course, but I've gotten sort of attached to him. Now I'm worried.

He'll be okay. He's regained a lot of weight. I believe he was hatched near here. Don't worry. He knows where we are, now. If he wants to stay with us, he will be back.

"K'ndar, now that we're out of hearing range, are we in any danger? It's getting brighter by the moment!"

He felt so odd, giving his elder advice.

"Don't worry, sir. It's 25,000 light years from us, give or take a couple hundred. What we're seeing is ancient history. It can't hurt us, we're much too far away to see anything but the light," he called back.

"That's a relief. Do instruct me on black holes when we get home," B'rant replied, then slapped his forehead. "Oh, wait. I forgot, you're at Landing, now!"

"If you come with me to Landing, sir, I'll have Rahman do that...he's the master of the stars!"

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