Holder.
The “cold storage”, I suspect,’ Bridgely said, disgusted.
We didn’t coin the term,’ said Azury with a shrug.
Well, we don’t want it circulated,’ M’shall said angrily. Bad V,;
enough having to live with the facts without having to debunk the
fantasies.” We do want the swift justice meted out to the rapists and
the murderers to be well publicized, though,’ Richud put in.
That, yes! Speculation, no,’ Paulin said. He rose, and tapped the
gavel on its block. I declare this session of the Conclave dismissed.
Enjoy Turn’s End and we’ll meet in three days’ time.
He intended to enjoy every moment of it for the year he’d put in.
He noticed a similar determination on other faces, especially young
Gallian’s. Apart from the Chalkin affair, Jamson had no need to fault
his son’s management of High Reaches. Though maybe that bit about
cannibalism’ could be whispered in Jamson’s presence. That would
certainly alter his opinion about impeachment. Somehow Thea was still
ailing’ and had persuaded her spouse to stay on in Ista for Turn’s End.
That gave more opportunity for the Chalkin affair to die a natural
death.
Turn’s End was a holiday for everyone except for those involved in the
ambitious Landing Suite’ debut at all the Weyrs and the major Holds.
Clisser was run ragged with rehearsals and last-minute assignments, and
understudies for those with winter colds. Then he had the extra burden
of preparing for the precise calculations needed to set up the fail-safe
mechanism to predict a Pass. Torn between the musical rehearsals and
observing the installation of a permanent Thread-Fall warning device, he
opted for the latter. Of course, his role was supervisory, as the more
precise location had to be conducted by teams of astronomers, engineers
and Weyrleaders on the eastern rim of all six establishments. He, Jemmy
and Kalvi were to set the mechanism at Benden, the first Weyr to see’
the phenomenon, then skedaddle on dragon back to each of the other five
Weyrs to be sure all went smoothly.
It was imperative that the first installation, at Benden, had to be spot
on in case there might be a distortion at any other.
Though Clisser doubted it, not with Kalvi fussing and fussing over the
components. Clisser had been over and over the requisite steps to
pinpoint the rise of the Red Star. Once that circular eye’ was set on
the Rim, they could install the pointer, the finger. But the eye’ had
to be spot on! The teams had been in place for the past week, with
pre-dawn checks on the Red Planet’s position at dawn. All that was
necessary now was a clear morning, and that seemed to be possible across
the continent which had enjoyed some bright clear, if wintry, skies.
Fine weather was critically important at Benden, for the other Weyrs
could take adjusted measurements from that reading if necessary.
Kalvi was still fiddling with the design of what he was calling the Eye
Rock, which would bracket the Red Planet at dawn on Winter Solstice. His
main problem was adjusting the pointer . . . the position at a
distance from the Eye itself at which the viewer would stand to see the
planet. The pointer had to accommodate different physical heights. Old
diagrams of Stonehenge and other prehistoric rings had surfaced.
Actually Bethany’s students had found them after an intensive search of
long-unused documents. Fortunately for Clisser’s peace, Sallisha had
gone to Nerat for the Turn’s End celebration, ready to start her next
year’s teaching Contract. He was spared any reminder from her of how
important it was to keep such ancient knowledge viable.
He had rehearsed arguments, in case he had a letter from her, about the
fact that, in the crunch, someone had remembered.
He was quite excited – if freezing – to be on Benden Weyr’s Rim with the
others, telescopes set up, aimed in the appropriate direction while
Kalvi and Jemmy fiddled with their components. Kalvi had put up a cone
for the pointer; the notion being that a person resting their chin on
the cone’s tip would see the Red Planet bracketed just as it cleared the
horizon. They’d have to try it with folks of various statures to be