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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?

“Does Golanth watch stars with you, too?” she asked. Zaranth affected to and never objected when Tai spent long hours on her green back, studying the night sky.

“He pretends to be interested,” F’lessan said in a mock-soft voice, turning to grin down the metal spiral at her.

I hope I will not hurt these things when I bring them to you so high up, Golanth said facetiously.

“Golanth, you will carry them as carefully as fire-lizard eggs,” F’lessan said, his voice stern as he winked down at Tai. “When I found the place, it was a mess and outside most of the solar panels were fouled or missing. Worse than the Admin building.” He took a deep breath before the next step. “Golanth was very good about helping me repair and reinstall them. He doesn’t fit in the observatory, of course, but he’s good at encouraging me to work hard.” He chuckled as he plodded up several more steps, boots clanking on the metal. She could feel the climb pulling at her muscles. He went on. “Good thing the cylinder had been vacuum-wrapped—another point in my theory that they intended to come back!” She could see that he was using the handrail to pull him upward. Good idea! She followed his example. “So we cleaned and repaired the vents and solar panels, and let power build up. I’d the finder scope to use to see if the instrument still worked. It did.” He gave a deep sigh of satisfaction. “We’ll have to run a pointing recalibration but I’ve got the files for the stars we use. Once we’ve hooked up the computer and are sure it’s pointing accurately, we can proceed to search whatever part of the sky Erragon wants us to scan. The program makes it possible to shift the primary mirror. We’ll get pictures on the monitor and decide what to save.”

He paused, taking in deep breaths before he started upward again. She wondered that he didn’t save his breath for the climb but F’lessan loved to talk and, since his voice was very pleasant to listen to, she didn’t mind. She didn’t usually have much to say.

“Got the generator working, too, so we don’t have to limit solar panel use.” He had breath enough for a chuckle. “Mighty clever those Ancients were in harnessing renewable energy. When we told Aivas that we’d found the old machinery, I swear he almost laughed.”

“Laughed?” It would never have occurred to Tai that Aivas had been endowed with a sense of humor. She nearly stumbled on the steps but caught herself on the handrail.