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Back The Skies of Pern
Chapters (64)
  1. Other titles by Anne McCaffreyPublished by Ballantine Books:
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  7. INTRODUCTION
  8. PROLOGUE
  9. At a Gather—6.15.30
  10. Part 1
  11. Turnover at Landing—1.1.31 Present Pass Aivas—Aivas Adjusted Turn 2553
  12. Benden Weyr—1.1.31
  13. Southern Hold—1.1.31
  14. Healer Hall—1.1.31
  15. Back at Landing—1.2.31
  16. Fort Hold—late night—1.1.31
  17. Fort Hold Runner Station—1.2.31
  18. Keroon Printer Hall—1.3.31
  19. Benden Weyr—midday—1.3.31
  20. Monaco Bay Weyr—five days later—1.8.31
  21. Part 2
  22. Ruatha Hold—local time 12:04 in the morning—1.9.31
  23. Telgar Weyr—local time 4:04 in the morning—1.9.31
  24. Benden Weyr—local time 6:04 in the morning—1.9.31
  25. Harper Hall—local time 1:00 in the morning—1.9.31
  26. Landing—local time 10:12 mid-morning—1.9.31
  27. In the Conference Room at Landing—1.9.31
  28. Monaco Weyr—10:22 in the morning—Timing it
  29. In the Conference Room at Landing—local time 1:10–1.9.31
  30. Sunrise Cliff Seahold—timed-back
  31. In the Conference Room—local time 2:12 at Landing—1.9.31
  32. Back at Landing—local time—3:40
  33. Harper Hall—5:00 in the morning, and Southern Hold—2:00 in the morning–1.9.31
  34. Landing—late afternoon—1.9.31
  35. Same time at Keroon Printer Hall—local time 11:15—1.9.31
  36. Later, on an unusually bright evening at Landing, Sunrise Cliff, and Honshu Hold—1.9.31
  37. Part 3
  38. Honshu—1.10.31
  39. Circle Runner Station—1.18.31
  40. Harper Hall
  41. Benden Weyr—
  42. Benini Hold—east Monaco and Honshu—1.20.31
  43. Harper Hall—1.28.31
  44. Honshu Hold—2.1.31
  45. Fort Hold—2.13.31
  46. Printer Hall at Wide Bay—same night
  47. Honshu Hold—2.9.31
  48. Night at Wide Bay—2.9.31
  49. Ruatha Hold—late evening—2.9.31
  50. Core Hold—two days before Council Meeting—2.26.31
  51. Part 4
  52. Honshu Weyrhold—2.26–27.31
  53. Council Meeting at Telgar Hold—3.1.31
  54. Honshu Weyrhold—3.01.31
  55. Interim at Benden and elsewhere
  56. Honshu Weyrhold—time passing slowly
  57. Landing—3.21.31
  58. Honshu Weyrhold—3.21.31
  59. Southern Hold—3.23.31
  60. Honshu Weyrhold—3.27.31
  61. Benden Weyr—3.27.31
  62. Cove Hold—same day, same approximate time
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. What’s next onyour reading list?

He inched carefully along the wall, moving people who were almost unaware of being manipulated, so intent were they upon the monitor’s reports. He recognized several as off-duty technicians. Being tall, he eased into a spot in the corner and still had a clear view of the monitor. In front of him, Stinar, the duty officer, was standing with the barrel-chested man of medium height, dark-haired, with a handsome hooked nose, whom F’lessan recognized as Erragon, Wansor’s assistant. Shouldn’t he have been in the conference room? F’lessan chided himself. Lytol and D’ram could explain adequately to Wansor but Erragon was needed in here, interpreting the Yoko’s telemetry. When this was over, he’d undoubtedly report to Master Wansor the more technical details of this unusual occurrence. The two were intent on the visual transmitted to Landing by Yoko.

At maximum magnification, Yoko showed a small image of the nucleus, embedded in clouds of dust. Yoko added another window, attempting to trace it back to its original orbit. Details came up as:

Semi-Major Axis = 33.712

Period = 195.734

Eccentricity = 0.971

Perihelion = 0.953 AU

Inclination = 103.95 degrees.

But F’lessan, knowing all these figures would be available later, concentrated on the comet, now resolving jets and debris. Yes, it must be a comet. That would explain its slowing with respect to the stars. Outgassing can push a comet about, making an estimate of its orbit even harder. Furthermore, with the long axis running from the northwest to the southeast, who could tell? It may skid across our atmosphere and disappear south, thought F’lessan hopefully.

Yet another working window opened, labeled Searching. Images of what F’lessan knew to be Pernese space flashed past, the streaking orbits of some of the minor planets against the background of northern hemisphere stars.

“What’s all that about?” Stinar asked Erragon who was blinking at the rapidly altering display.

“I’d hazard the guess that it’s searching for any old images of the comet. It is possible, you know,” Erragon went on, frowning at the speed of the search pattern, “that the comet originated in the Oort cloud.” His grin was forced. “It might even have been seen by our Ancestors.”

“Really?”

Erragon sighed, flicking his attention to some of the other sidebars. “We have a lot of material to review, you know. Just for our home system. Ah, yes,” and he pointed back to the search. “The material we’re seeing was released from the comet two to three weeks ago. Here we go,” he added, intent on the newest sidebar readings.

Encounter Analysis

Estimated Perigee in 1800 seconds

Projected Perigee Distance 16km, error + –296km

Encounter Velocity 58.48kmsec + –0.18km/sec

Probability of Impact 48.9%

Probability of Atmospheric Breakup (Airburst) 1.3%

Impact Error Ellipse 3698 times 592km

Location and Orientation of Ellipse 9° north, 18° east, Major Axis bearing 130°