forge ahead and not have to concern ourselves with translating usdess
trivia for posterity. So 1 ask you, what have we really lost’?” Silence
extended until Sheledon uttered a sharp laugh.
You know, she may be right. We’ve been knocking ourselves out copying
down stuff that won’t work here on Pern anyhow.
Especially,’ and his voice hardened, since no-one back on Earth cares
enough to find out what’s happened to us.” Sydra regarded her husband
with a blink. Not that old Tubberman homing tube business again?”
Sheledon went defensive. Well, we know from. . . the Records .
Sydra said with a malicious grin, and Sheledon flushed, that the
message tube was sent without Admiral Benden’s authority. Without the
name of a colony leader on it, no-one on Earth would have paid it any
heed if it even got to Earth in the first place.
IF I
Someone could have come and had a look-see,’ Sheledon
said.
Oh, come now, Shel,’ said Bethany, as amused by his sudden switch for
he had always derided the Tubberman Tube Theory. Pern isn’t rich
enough for anyone to bother about.
So the precious records said, but j think that was to save face.
They should have checked on us to see how we were faring . They got
awfully proprietary about the Shavian colonies that were the basic
reason for the Nathi Space War.” That was over three hundred years ago,
She 1,’ Bethany said in her patient teacher-tone.
And it is totally irrelevant to now,’ Sydra added. Look, the loss of
the computers is undeniably a blow to us, but not something we cannot
overcome But all that information . . . cried Clisser, tears coming
to his eyes.
Clisser, dear, and Bethany leaned across to him, patting his hand
gently, we still have the best computers ever invented . . . and she
tapped her forehead, and they’re crammed full of information: more than
we really need to operate – – But. .. but, now we’ll never find out
how to preserve vital information — like early warning of the return of
the Red Star.
We’ll think of something,’ she said in such a confident tone that it
penetrated Clisser’s distress. And briefly he looked a trifle brighter.
Then he slumped down in even deeper despair. But we’ve failed the
trust placed in us to keep the data available Nonsense!” Sheledon said
vehemently, crashing one fist down on the desk-top. We’ve kept them
going past their design optimum. I’ve read enough in the old manuals to
appreciate that. Every year for the past fifty has been a miracle. And
we haven’t, as Bethany says, lost all. A gimmick from the past has
failed, like so many of them have. And we’re now going to have to
bypass the easy access to data they provided and sweat through books!
Books! Books that we have in quantity.
Clisser blinked. He shook his head as if mentally rejecting a thought.
We have been planning to ignore much of the old data,’ Bethany said
gently. What was most important to us…” and her hand indicated the
Pern of the present, has been copied well, most of it,’ she amended
when Clisser opened his mouth. If we haven’t needed it up to now, we
never will.
But we’ve lost the sum total of human…” Clisser began..
Ha!” Sydra said. Ancient history, man. We’ve survived on Pern and it
is PERN that’s important. As Bethany said, if we haven’t needed it up
to now, we never will. So calm down.” Clisser scrubbed at his skull
with both hands. But how will I tell Paulin?” Didn’t the lightning
affect Fort, too?” asked Sheledon and answered himself. I thought I
saw a work force on the solar heights.
Clisser threw both hands up in the air. I told him we were checking
the damage Which is total?” Sheledon asked.
Total!” and Clisser dropped his head once again to his chest in
resignation to the inevitable.
It’s not as if you caused the storm or anything, Cliss, Bethany said.
He gave her a burning look.
Was the system being run at the time?” Sheledon asked.
Of course not,’ Clisser said emphatically, scowling at Sheledon.