The Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey [308]
“The stars mark time for us in every Turn and help us distinguish one Turn from another,” Wansor was saying and Jaxom brought his attention guiltily back to the speaker. “The stars guided Lessa on her courageous trip back through time to bring the Oldtimers forward.” Wansor cleared his throat at his somewhat unfortunate mention of the two dragonrider factions. “And the stars will be our constant guides in future Turns. Lands, seas, people and places may change but the stars are ordered in their courses and remain secure.”
Jaxom remembered hearing some talk of trying to alter the course of the Red Star, deflecting it away from Pern. Had Wansor just proved that that couldn’t be done?
Wansor went on to emphasize that once you understood the basic orbit and speed of any star, you could compute its position in the heavens as long as you also calculated the effect of its nearest neighbors at conjunction, at any given time.
“So, there is no doubt in our minds that we can now accurately predict Threadfall, according to the position of the Red Star when in conjunction with our other near neighbors in the skies.”
Jaxom was amused that, whenever Wansor made a sweeping statement, he said we but when he announced a discovery, he said I.
“We believe that as soon as this blue star is released from the influence of the yellow star of our spring horizon and swings to the high east, Threadfall will resume the pattern which F’lar originally observed.
“With this equation,” Wansor rapidly jotted the figures down on the board, and Jaxom again noticed that for a sloppy looking person, his notations were conversely precise, “we can compute further conjunctions which will affect Threadfall during this Pass. Indeed, we can now point to where the various stars have been at any time in the past and will be at any time in the future.”
He was writing equations at a furious pace and explaining which stars were affected by which equations. He turned then, his round face settling into a very serious expression. “We can even predict, on the basis of this knowledge, the exact moment when the next Pass will begin. Of course, that’s so many Turns in the future that none of us need worry about it. But I think it’s comforting to know nonetheless.”
Scattered chuckles caused Wansor to blink and then hesitantly grin, as if he belatedly realized that he’d said something humorous.
“And we must make sure that no one forgets in the long Interval this time,” Mastersmith Fandarel said, his bass voice startling everyone after Wansor’s light tenor. “That’s what this union is all about, you know,” Fandarel added, gesturing to the audience.
Several Turns before, when Ruth’s life expectancy had been short, Jaxom had held a private if egocentric theory about the sessions at the Smithcrafthall. He had convinced himself that they had been initiated to give him an alternative interest in living in case Ruth died. Today’s meeting let the substance out of that notion, and Jaxom snorted at his self-centered whimsy. The more people—in every Hold, in the Weyrs—who knew what was being done in each of the Crafthalls, by the individual Craftmasters and by their chief technicians, the less chance there was that the ambitious plans to preserve all Pern from the ravages of Thread would be lost again.
Jaxom, F’lessan, Benelek, Mirrim, Menolly, T’ran, Piemur, various other likely successors to Lord Holders and advanced junior craftsmen formed the nucleus of the regular school at the Smith and Harper crafthalls. Each student learned to appreciate the other crafts.
Communication is essential. That was one of Robinton’s tenets. Wasn’t he always saying, “Exchange information, learn to talk sensibly about any subject, learn to express your thoughts, accept new ones, examine them, analyze. Think objectively. Think toward the future.”
Jaxom let his eyes drift about the room at the gathering, wondering