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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?

“I’m going to think about it,” Fourth said. “I don’t hold with someone hurting people, but devices—things we neither want nor need—can be broken or spilled or got rid of.” She looked to Fifth to see his reaction.

Third guffawed. “Some folks tried that. Got their ears deafened …”

“The machine’s dead,” First reminded him.

Third snarled at being interrupted. “Got exiled for hurting the Masterharper—”

“I did hear that the MasterHarper died in its chamber. Perhaps the Masterharper had realized how insidious that Abomination was. Could he have terminated it?” asked Fifth.

The woman gasped.

“That’s a very interesting idea,” Third said softly, leaning forward. “Is there any proof?”

“How could there be?” First responded in a horrified voice. “The Healers said Master Robinton’s heart gave out. From being bounced around during his abduction.”

“He was never the same after,” agreed Second, who had grieved as sincerely as the rest of the planet for his death. “Heard tell there was a line printed on the screen. Stayed there for a long time and then disappeared.”

“ ‘And a time for every purpose under heaven,’ ” murmured Sixth.

“Couldn’t have been Master Robinton that put up that message. Had to have been Aivas,” Seventh said, scowling at Sixth.

“Something to think about, though, isn’t it?” Third said.

“Indeed it is,” Fourth said, eyes blazing.

“There are other matters to think about: what that … Aivas machine”—though Fifth’s odd voice had no inflection, his scorn for Aivas rippled down the table—“has insinuated into our way of life, corrupting the traditions by which we have survived so long.” Fifth had no trouble dominating the conversation again. “I do not—” He paused. “—approve of harming a living thing.” Again, he left a significant pause before he continued. “But permanently removing items that can have dangerous effects on innocent people is another thing. It would be wise to make certain that such new materials and objects should never see the light of day.”

“Much less glowbaskets or electricity,” Third said in a facetious tone that was not well received even by Second. Fifth and Fourth glowered so repressively that he recoiled.

“I go along with removing some of those gadgets and new junk,” Second murmured, but he didn’t sound entirely convinced. “It’s more that some of us,” he added, glancing from one face to another, “never seem to get our fair share.”

“I agree wholeheartedly. Like dragonriders getting what they want first,” Third said. “Get our share.”

“There are more folk than you might think,” Fifth said in his compelling voice, “who have genuine doubts about improvements from all this Aivas stuff. Machine oughtn’t to know more than a human being does.”

First gave another emphatic nod of his head and rose. “Be right back with some other right-thinking human beings.”