"Attractive but not pretty," F'lar murmured to his weyr-mate after a very brief glance at F'lessan's companion. "No wonder he's so often at Honshu now."
He likes it there,Ramoth said in that same cryptic tone.
T'gellan, with Mirrim and Talina, came up the steps now and Lessa thought Monaco's Weyrleader was much too thin, his eyes haunted. He had been working all the hours of the day to rebuild his Weyr. For that matter, neither Mirrim nor Talina looked much better, but they didn't look as gaunt as the bronze rider: they didn't have the full responsibility that a Weyrleader shouldered.
Lessa realized that all were now assembled and F'lar led her to their places on one end of the long, oval-shaped table.
"We're all here, aren't we?" F'lar said with a weary smile. He waited until the others seated themselves.
Twenty-two riders, three men who should have been enjoying their last decades in leisure, two Masters, and a Lord Holder: twenty-eight men and women to solve what she felt in her bones was impossible. But then, killing Fax had been-once. And ending Thread. Why should she consider thiscrisis to be beyond their capabilities? She gave her shoulders a little shake and took her place beside her weyrmate. She heard his sigh. Then he, too, stood straighter, to address the assembled.
"I'm sure we've all heard that dragonriders should do something about anything that falls from the sky." He let the various angry and resentful reactions to that peculiar assumption fade. "Ridiculous as that notion is, I think we all realize that that's the first question the Council will put to us in two days' time. Somehow that Fireball has become our fault." He altered his voice, affecting a querulous tone. " 'Dragons can fly between.Can't they just push rocks out of the way? Can't they burn them out of the skies? Can't they dosomething?' "
"Didn't we do enough?"F'lessan said with a brittle edge to his voice that surprised Lessa. Then he shrugged and his expression altered to one of detached indifference as other bronze riders muttered about ingratitude and impossible demands.
"Dragonriders did more than enough," said Lytol, the former Lord Warder of Ruatha, his craggy face fierce.
"Every Weyr performed magnificently," D'ram added, prideful.
"In the time allotted," Jaxom said, his expression very bland, turning his head ever so slightly toward Lessa. That sly remark subtly defused the unspoken resentment. Some even chuckled.
"I never understood quite how you accomplished as much as you did," Wansor said in all innocence. But then his expression turned to respectful awe. "The miracles you managed! In the face of what could have been catastrophic. Why the Storm of 'Twenty-nine Present Pass was a shower in comparison!"
"Fortunately, we're not considered responsible for the weather," F'lar said satirically.
"Not yet," G'dened added in a sour voice. Though Ista had been spared the full impact of the tsunami waves, the island had suffered badly from the hurricane.
"You know, there are those who feel we failed them in that storm, too," G'narish said, shaking his head.
"This time we had sufficient warning," K'van remarked, "before the winds made it impossible to fly."
"Back to what you said, F'lar, it isn't as if dragons couldflame rocks in space," N'ton said. "Dragons need oxygen to make fire."
"Meteorites are moving too fast to be caught by dragons," K'van added, "not to mention the fact that they're so hot, mere dragon fire would have no effect whatsoever and be a total waste of time and effort."
F'lar grinned broadly. "Other facts Lord Holders and Craftmasters tend to forget. Still, I'd like to take the initiative. We've been on the defensive since that sharding Fireball impacted."
"You mean, there issomething we can do?" G'dened demanded, sitting up straighter and glaring around the table.
"Oh, indeed," Wansor said, smiling beneficently around the table. "My Craft hasn't been idle a single moment. We have solid recommendations to make to the Council."
"Recommendations?" G'dened snapped, scowling. "They want answers!" He thumped the table with one fist. He had been one of the youngest of the bronze riders to come forward to the Ninth Pass and Lessa could see that he was burned out by giving answers to Lord Holders and Craftmasters.
"They always want answers," G'narish agreed, shaking his head. He, too, had reason to be as tired as G'dened.
Lessa wondered if there was any way to suggest that those two older Weyrleaders should step down and let younger, more flexible bronze and gold riders take over. She was grateful enough that M'rand and R'mart had retired. The two new Weyrleaders tried to appear at their ease but it was certainly the first time G'bear and Neldama had attended this sort of tactical meeting.
"Well, they deserve answers, G'dened," F'lessan said at his most cynical. "Only this time, they also want us to dosomething." His grin was positively challenging.
"What canwe do?" G'dened demanded, eyeing F'lessan as if the younger man were challenging him as Weyrleader.
As she was about to take exception to G'dened's manner, Lessa felt F'lar give her thigh a reassuring squeeze. Especially after F'lessan had laid claim on Honshu, it should have been extremely clear that he had absolutely no desire to accept Weyrleadership anywhere.
"It will, of course, require the cooperation of all the other Crafts and Lord Holders," Wansor went on, smiling with benign encouragement, "for the marks and craftskills required. We've already made the preliminary surveys and preparations and, with the assistance of our newest Master," and the old Star Master made a respectful bow to Erragon, "Master Idarolan, F'lessan, and Tai," and his smile included the two riders at the end of the table, "and three dedicated persons who are not included in this meeting, we have these ready."
"Preliminary surveys of what?" G'dened demanded.
"Preparations to do what?" G'narish asked, surprised.
"Which three dedicated persons?" Mirrirn asked, turning to look at Tai in an almost accusing manner.
"Surveys to locate the most advantageous site for another of the telescopes from the Catherine Caves, to give us a twenty-four-hour coverage for that critically needed sky-watch program!" Master Wansor beamed expansively as if this provided the answer.
Turns ago now, Lessa recalled Wansor's triumph at finding a high resolution telescope, a Cassegrain-according to the metal plate on the mirror cell and the thick manuals that had come with it-in the Catherine Caves. Aivas had supervised its installation and lighting up during his first Turn in charge of the Red Star Project. F'lessan had found the one left at Honshu and had just recently, after a lot of hard work and delicate repair, got it functioning again. How a third one would possibly deter more comets, stony or metallic bits from pocking the surface of Pern she did not know. Whether or not the project would appease the nervous or parsimonious among the Council was, of course, in doubt. Was sky-watching what really kept F'lessan down in Honshu and so much in Tai's company?
Yes,was Ramoth's smug reply.
"If we hadn't had the Yoko'stelemetry reporting the Fireball as early as it did," Wansor went on, "or the unusual capabilities and devotion of the dragonriders, there would have been a complete catastrophe instead of a mere disaster."