"And wine. Don't forget wine, F'lar," Robinton called. "Benden wine, if you please, Esselin, and make that two wineskins. This could be very thirsty work," he added in a conversational tone, grinning at Lessa.
"Well, you're not going to drink up two skinsful, Robinton," Lessa said at her sternest, "talking yourself hoarse with Aivas. Which I can see is what you have in mind. I'd say you already had quite enough excitement for one day. It's certainly more than I can believe in one day."
"Be assured, Madam Lessa," Aivas said in a placatory voice, "that every word you have heard is factual."
Lessa turned toward the screen that had displayed marvels to her, images of people who had turned to dust centuries before and objects totally foreign to her eyes." I don't doubt you, Aivas. I doubt my ability to absorb half the wonders you have described and shown us."
"Be assured that you have achieved wonders of your own," Aivas replied, "to survive the menace that nearly overwhelmed the settlers. Are those immense and magnificent creatures ranged on the slopes outside the descendants of the dragons which Madam Kitti Ping Yung created?"
"Yes, they are," Lessa replied with proprietary pride. "The golden queen is Ramoth-"
"The largest dragon on all Pern," the Masterharper said in a sly tone, his eyes twinkling.
Lessa started to glare at him but instead burst out laughing. "Well, she is."
"The bronze who is probably resting beside her is Mnemonth, and I am his rider," F'lar said, grinning at his mate's discomfort.
"How do you know what is outside?" Fandarel blurted out.
"The exterior sensors of this facility are now operational."
"Exterior sensors..." Fandarel subsided into silent amazement.
"And the white one?" Aivas went on. "It-"
"He," Jaxom said firmly but without rancor, "is Ruth, and I am his rider."
"Remarkable. The bioengineering report indicated that there .were to be five variations, imitating the genetic material of the fire-dragons."
"Ruth is a sport," Jaxom replied. He had long since stopped being defensive about his dragon. Ruth had his own special abilities.
"A part of our history," Robinton said soothingly.
"Which," Lessa said with another stern glare at the Harper, "will wait until some of us have rested: "
"My curiosity will be contained, Madam."
Lessa darted a suspicious look at the dim screen panel." You have curiosity? And what is this 'madam'?"
"Gathering information is not restricted to humans. Madam is a title of respect."
"Lessa's respectful title is Weyrwoman, Aivas," F'lar said with another grin." Or Ramoth's rider."
"And yours, sir?"
"Weyrleader, or Mnementh's rider. You have already met Masterharper Robinton, Harper Journeyman Piemur, Mastersmith Jancis, and Lord Jaxom of Ruatha Hold, but let me make known to you the Mastersmith Fandarel, Lord Groghe of Fort Hold, which we have always known was the first to be founded-" F'lar hid a grin at Lord Groghe's suddenly modest demeanor. "-though certainly not why. Lord of Telgar, Larad, and Lord of Lemos, Asgenar."
"Lemos? Indeed." But before the listeners could react to the mild surprise in Aivas's tone, it continued. "It is good to know that the name Telgar survived."
"We have lost the knowledge of the naming," Larad murmured. "And are prouder to know that the sacrifices of Sallah and Tarvi are remembered so lastingly."
"Aivas," F'lar said, standing squarely in front of the screen, "you said that you were attempting to discover where Thread came from and how to exterminate it. Did you come to any conclusion? "
"Several. The organism known as Thread is somehow attracted to the eccentric planet which, at aphelion, pierces the Oort Cloud; as it approaches perihelion, it drags matter with it into this sector of space. This trailing cloud disgorged a little of its burden into the skies of this planet. Calculations at the time indicated that this would continue for approximately fifty years, at which time the material in Pern's orbit would be exhausted. Calculations also indicated that there would be recurrences of the phenomenon at intervals of two hundred fifty years, give or take a decade either way."
F'lar glanced about to see if anyone had understood what the Aivas was saying.
"With due respect, Aivas, we do not understand your explanation," the Harper said wryly. "A great deal of time has passed since Admiral Benden and Governor Boll led the settlers north. We are currently in the seventeenth Turn -what you call a year, I think– of the Ninth Pass of the Red Star."
"Noted."
"It has always been assumed," F'lar said, "that Thread came from the Red Star."
"It is not a star: the most reasonable explanation is that it is a stray planet, probably drawn out of its native system by some odd event, traveling through space until it was attracted by Rukbat's gravitational pull and became trapped in this system. The matter you call Thread does not come from its surface. It originates in the Oort Cloud of this system."
"And just what is an Oort Cloud?" Master Fandarel asked ingenuously.
"According to the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, the eponymous cloud is composed of material orbiting a sun far beyond the orbit of its outermost planet. Cometary material leaks from the cloud into the inner part of the system. In the particular case of Rukbat, some of the material is hard-shelled ovoids that change in a peculiar manner, losing their outer layers and attenuating on contact with the upper atmosphere, falling to the surface as what has been termed 'Thread'; this resembles a voracious organism that devours carbon-based organic material.
Fandarel blinked in his attempt to digest the information.
"Well, you did ask, Master Fandarel," Piemur remarked with a mischievous expression.
"Your explanations only confuse us, Aivas, for none of us have the learning to understand them," F'lar said, lifting a hand to indicate that he was not to be interrupted. "But if you knew, and presumably our ancestors knew, what Thread was and where it came from, why didn't they destroy its source?"
"By the time this facility reached those conclusions, Weyrleader, your ancestors had removed to the Northern Continent and did not return to receive the report."
A depressed and defeated silence prevailed over the room.
"But we are here now," Robinton said, straightening up on his stool. "And we can receive your report."
"If we can understand it," F'lar added drolly.
"This facility has educational programs that can supply remedial teaching in all branches of science. The prime directive given this unit by captains Keroon and Tillek, as well as Admiral Benden and Governor Boll, was to gather information and formulate a course of action that would end the threat posed by these incursions."
"Then it is possible to remove the threat of Thread?" F'lar asked, carefully schooling his expression to reveal none of the hope that he was feeling.
"The possibility exists, Weyrleader."
"What?" was the incredulous response of everyone in the room.
"The possibility exists, Weyrleader, but will require tremendous effort from you and quite likely the majority of your population. First, you must be able to understand scientific language and learn to work with advanced technology. In addition, access to the main banks of the Yokohama must be obtained to add to relevant data on asteroid positions. Then a course of action can be initiated that could probably result in the cessation of these incursions."
"Possibility? Probably result? But the possibility exists?" F'lar strode to the screen and put a hand on each side of its subtly glowing blankness. "I would do anything-anything-to rid Pern of Thread."
"If you are prepared to relearn lost skills and perfect them, the possibility does exist."