All the Weyrs of Pern - Chapter Fourteen
Jan. 19th, 2025 08:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatSo last time...stuff happened! Mostly involving the Yokohama!
Here's the thing about All the Weyrs of Pern, and I think maybe part of why so many fans dislike the sci-fi-ication of the series. It is very slow and very ponderous. I don't actually mind it that much because we are seeing forward momentum, but I can definitely appreciate that the fans looking for more substantial drama or character interaction might be a little bored.
I don't mind it myself, but admittedly, I might feel different if my last Pern book hadn't been so utterly abysmal. This is at least coherent, and I don't feel like half the story happened somewhere else.
Tangential note, I was intrigued by some of your comments about Skies of Pern and read it. My reactions are in their own post, but I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Feel free to jump in with your own take.
Anyway, let's jump in:
So we rejoin Jaxom and Piemur on the Yokohama. They're dismayed at the low level of fuel - apparently Kenjo's hoard really was something of a drop in the bucket. Which probably explains why the administration hadn't cared. I might not have either if not for all the "I hope evil Bitra doesn't get this."
Anyway, Piemur is pretty disheartened, but Aivas reassures them that the effort isn't for nothing. The fuel is now safe from tampering. I mean, it was pretty safe in Honshu too. But okay. Apparently, it is pretty toxic and could have negative effects on the soil if spilled.
Piemur and Jaxom take a break for lunch where Piemur shows off a thermos, made by Master Hamian. Jaxom asks how Piemur always has the latest thingies. Because he's more likable than you are.
Piemur explains that he is a resident of Landing, while Jaxom is just a visitor. Don't give the man ideas, Piemur, it took this long to get him to actually start governing Ruatha, and I'm still not sure I think he does any work. Besides, that doesn't really explain how F'lessan got a wristwatch.
I'm going with the "Jaxom is just less likable" explanation. It works for everything.
Apparently Ruth and the fire lizards are busy staring out the window. Per Ruth, they like to look at Pern. Fair enough.
Aivas decides to take the opportunity to explain more about the training process. I'm still not sure why he doesn't just lay the whole thing out. What would have happened if Aivas developed some kind of electronic fault and shut down? No one would know how to proceed!
So the next step is to learn how long dragons can spend in space. Because they can't exactly fit into a space suit. Jaxom, stupidly, says he thought Aivas figured that out: Ruth and Farli were fine after their hops into space. But Aivas, not being an idiot, points out that three minutes isn't the same as twelve or fifteen minutes, which is what they're going to need.
So the next step is for dragons to fly outside in space. Piemur's afraid they might float away. I'd be more afraid that, should oxygen deprivation hit too quickly, they might be too disoriented to go between. But it probably is worth a try. Anyway, Aivas notes that they should remain stationary as long as there are no violent movements.
Jaxom chooses this moment to be macho:
“Unless a violent movement was made, they would remain stationary,” Aivas said. “As they will exit from the Yokohama, they are moving at the same speed, not at a different velocity as the incoming Thread spheres are. However, to prevent any panic—”
“Dragons don’t panic,” Jaxom said in flat contradiction, speaking before Piemur could utter a similar rebuke.
“Their riders might,” Aivas replied.
“I doubt it,” Jaxom said.
“Perhaps dragonriders are a breed apart, Lord Jaxom,” Aivas said at his most formal, “but records of many generations indicate that some humans, despite training and reassurance, can find themselves overwhelmed by agoraphobia. Therefore, to prevent panic, the dragon should anchor itself—”
“Himself,” Jaxom automatically corrected.
“Or herself,” Piemur added, waggling a finger at the white rider.
“For the dragon to be anchored securely to the Yokohama,” Aivas finished.
Translation: Jaxom is a macho, sexist git. It was very clear that Aivas was speaking about dragons in general, not Ruth in particular. And green dragons have been most involved with this process anyway.
Fortunately they're not going to need ropes or anything. There are places for the dragons to grip. So now it's time for Jaxom to do more cool shit. Ugh.
Truthfully, I know I'm not being fair. For the most part, Jaxom has been fine this book. And if I'd read this book without past knowledge and biases formed by White Dragon, I'd probably find him bland but serviceable as a lead. I'm pretty sure that was actually the circumstance when I initially read this book as a kid.
At least this isn't eighteen chapters of whining about an egg, but I still resent that he gets everything.
Ugh:
The harper gave him a long incredulous look and sighed. “I don’t know which of you two is more outrageous. You’d dare anything, the pair of you would.” Then in a wry tone, he added, “And I’m supposed to be the reckless one.”
“But you aren’t a dragonrider,” Jaxom said gently.
“The dragon makes the man?” Piemur shot back.
Jaxom smiled, sending a loving look at Ruth, who was watching the two humans. “With a dragon to guide and guard you, you tend to feel secure.”
Yep, unless McCaffrey wants to convince us that you're a poor bullied orphan prince. I'd read a fanfic from Dorse's point of view, I really would.
It is interesting how adamant Piemur is about this though:
“So you say!” Then Piemur fixed Jaxom with a fierce stare. “So you’re going to do it? Without checking with anyone?”
Jaxom glared right back, anger rising. “I don’t need to check with anyone, Piemur. I’ve been making my own decisions for a long time. This time I get to make it without anyone else’s interference. Not yours, or F’lar’s, or Lessa’s, or Robinton’s.”
“Sharra’s?” Piemur cocked his head, his eye contact unswerving.
...I mean, maybe you SHOULD check in. You're not just a dragonrider, dude. And if you WERE a real dragonrider, you'd have to answer to F'lar or Lessa. But you're also Lord of Ruatha, and for some bizarre reason everyone acts like they can't do this shit without you. So yes, you fucking should check in.
At the very least, you should tell the wife that you almost got killed because you weren't forthcoming about things in the first place.
...okay, maybe I still dislike Jaxom for legitimate reasons.
I like this bit though:
“Ruth sees no problems. If he did, I would certainly listen to him,” Jaxom said, very much aware that Sharra would undoubtedly share Piemur’s reservations. “I don’t know why you’re upset about an EVA. I thought you’d want to be first.”
Piemur managed a flicker of a smile. “One, I don’t have a dragon to reassure me. Two, I dislike being trussed up in this thing.” He flicked his hand at the space suit. Then his expression changed to a cocky grin. “And three, it’s just likely I’m one of those humans who’d panic out there with solid earth a million dragon-lengths away from my feet. So,” he finished, rising to his feet and reaching for Jaxom’s helmet, “since I can’t talk you out of it, go and do it. Now! Before I get myself in a knot!”
Of course, Piemur gets to be frightened. It's funny how much more likable self-awareness is in a character.
But Jaxom is at least somewhat sympathetic and makes sure to check in, keep a commentary like Piemur requests, and set things up so Aivas can show Piemur what they're doing.
So...space.
Jaxom was accustomed to very short passages between, but this must have been the shortest they had ever taken. One moment they were on the bridge; the next, they were surrounded by a different sort of darkness. For one heartbeat, Jaxom tasted as deep a fear as he had ever known. But Ruth’s head, erect and swinging around as he surveyed the scene, was all the token of reassurance Jaxom needed. Then he became aware—unlike the total lack of sensation in between—of his legs pressing against Ruth’s neck and even the tug of the straps against his belt.
Ruth notes that the metal is so cold that it feels hot, but he's got a good grip. He's holding his breath, but there's no discomfort. Jaxom, of course, is fine too. He is a little anxious when Ruth decides he wants to climb higher for a better look, but it's fine.
Ruth is a bit of a troll and lets go to float upward, noting that all he has to do is jump between to go where he needs to go. And it does look beautiful:
Jaxom had to agree. Ruth had them perched on the topmost rail, and before them, the globe of Pern glowed in brilliant greens and blues: He thought he recognized the Paradise River Hold estuary and, just at the curve of the horizon, the purple hills of Rubicon and Xanadu. Above were the stairs; behind him, shining far too brightly, was Rukbat’s blaze. He thought he caught sunlight glinting off one of the other ships—the Bahrain, no doubt. And far, far above him, at an impossible distance, was the Red Star and the Oort Cloud that the erratic planet would penetrate yet again in another hundred or so Turns.
Meer and Farli pop out to take a look too, though Ruth urges them back since they can't hold their breaths as long. Ruth decides he wants to breathe too, so he takes them inside, quite exhilerated.
Piemur’s complexion, Jaxom noted, was noticeably pale under his southern tan, and his expression was unusually grim for a man who traversed the Southern coasts for months with only a gold fire-lizard and a runt runnerbeast for company and never lost his sense of humor.
Have we settled on months then? Okay, fine. I'm still mad about how Renegades fucked around with that. I do appreciate that this means Jaxom hung around "recovering" and shirking his duties for months as well.
Anyway, Jaxom thinks it's not really much different from between and not as dangerous. That's actually an interesting thought. Where IS between, anyway?
Piemur thinks Jaxom's trying to convince himself and wonders how Sharra, Lytol, Lessa, F'lar and Robinton will react to this. Fuck Robinton, but the rest...yeah, probably should have asked first.
Piemur also thinks that the spirit of competition will make every other dragon and rider feel obligated to do it too. He wonders if that was Aivas's master plan after all. Heh.
--
Jaxom gets back and immediately is a dick about the consequences he was blase about earlier:
“True harper instincts!” he remarked acidly to Piemur, when the journeyman bellowed the news to Lytol on the duty desk. His old guardian turned pale and stern, and Jaxom had the satisfaction of seeing Piemur blanch. “Just let’s keep this all in perspective, shall we?” he added, striding to Lytol. “I’m all right, really I am. Ruth wouldn’t put me in danger any more than Aivas would. Someone!” He raised his voice. “I need some help here!”
Hey, you're the one who DID it. You didn't spare a single thought for Lytol at the time, so fuck off.
LOOK at this:
“Just don’t stand there, Piemur, get some wine. Some of that fortified wine would be best,” she called after him as he scurried for the kitchen. “And just what have you been up to?” she demanded of Jaxom.
“Nothing as dangerous as springing news on—” Jaxom caught himself before saying “old man.” “—someone with no advance warning or preparation. I gather Aivas did not mention what he had planned for us today.”
...YOU DID IT. YOU are the one who did the action that Piemur told Lytol about. This is YOUR fault. If you don't want to scare people, don't do scary things. I want to hit him with a fucking brick.
The downside to reading Skies of Pern is that I kind of got used to reading a book with a protagonist I actually liked, who actually did think occasionally about other people's feelings, and I do not enjoy this contrast.
(Seriously, in like the first chapter or two, when F'lessan meets Tai in the library, he actually goes and takes his books to the alcove so as to be less of a disturbance to her. Do you REALIZE how novel that kind of quick consideration IS in this series???)
Lytol recovers well enough, asking what made Jaxom attempt such a dangerous maneuver. Of course Jaxom insists it's fine. And then he decides to be a real dick.
“Wouldn’t you agree, Lytol, that a dragon won’t endanger his ride? That a dragon can take himself and his rider anywhere between to safety?” Suddenly Jaxom realized that this was the first time in many Turns that he had asked Lytol to verify draconic abilities. He could see the muscles along his guardian’s jaw clench, and wondered if he had overstepped the bounds of tact.
YEAH KINDA. MAYBE?
Lytol takes it well enough, though he tells us some bullshit here:
Lytol exhaled. “On occasion I have thought that Ruth acted too much on impulse, but you, Jaxom, have always been cautious; thus the two of you balanced each other. He would no more endanger you than you would put his life in jeopardy. But your extravehicular activity should have been discussed beforehand.”
I get that McCaffrey has this weird idea of Jaxom as this careful, thoughtful, quiet kid. But that's not the kid she actually wrote. She actually wrote a self-centered, reckless idiot who spends most of his time whining about not flying thread, whining when flying thread doesn't get him the recognition he wants, using a young girl as a cover story, raping said girl, getting disgusted with said girl after her response to the rape, and then flying thread while clearly sick.
Maybe Todd McCaffrey was a quiet, thoughtful kid. But Jaxom fucking isn't.
Ruth decides to be a dick too, announcing that he's going to sleep in the sun and saying that he's glad they didn't wait for permission, since it would have taken days.
Jaxom doesn't relate that part. He does note the "harangue" that comes when the grownups are informed. Fuck off, Jaxom.
The thing that gets me about Jaxom isn't that he makes bad decisions, necessarily, it's that he so clearly resents being called out for them. Even when he was warned this would happen.
Eventually Jaxom points out that they should discuss what Aivas actually wants. D'ram thinks they're supposed to ram the Yokohama into the Red Star. Oh, look at this bullshit:
Jaxom, Piemur, and F’lar shook their heads.
“Why not?” Lessa demanded. “That must be why he wanted the fuel in the tanks.”
Jaxom smiled wryly at her ignorance. “That drop of fuel would not explode on impact, and ramming the Red Star with the Yokohama, ponderous as it is, would not alter its orbit one bit. But I grant you, he needs the dragons to move something.”
I love that crack about her "ignorance". She saved the goddamn world, you shut your narrative mouth, you cretin.
But convenient that the boys all understand the space stuff better than she does. Fuck that shit.
I sarcastically like this though.
“What do the dragons have to move and where?” F’lar asked with no preamble.
“So you have perceived part of the plan, Weyrleader.”
“You mean to use the Yokohama to ram the planet?” Lessa asked, still sure that she had the answer.
“That would be totally ineffectual, and the Yokohama is needed as a vantage point.”
“Then what?” F’lar insisted.
F'lar's praised for deducing the part that everyone figured out, while Lessa has to be arrogantly wrong. Grr.
Anyway, Aivas starts his explanations. Apparently there's a big chasm deep in the planet and they're going to blow it up.
UGH.
For a very long moment, no one spoke.
“We have no such exploding capability,” Jaxom said.
“You do not. The Yokohama, the Bahrain, and the Buenos Aires do.”
“What?” F’lar demanded angrily.
“The engines,” Jaxom said. “The bloody engines. Oh, you are devious, Aivas!”
...I hate that this is treated as so much more plausible a possibility than ramming a planet. Also how does this work when the Yokohama is meant as a vantage point?
But fine. They're going to position the engines and use HNO3 to breach the containment. It'll be a slow corrosion with a two week window for the actual kaboom.
Of course, this brings up the big question, can the dragons carry the engines?
“Their mass is the one weak point of the plan. However, you have constantly stated that the dragons can carry that which they think they can carry.”
“Correct, but no one has ever asked them to carry engines!” F’lar replied, awed by the scale of the loads.
Jaxom began to chuckle and received offended stares. “That’s why the bronzes have been exercising in free-fall—to get them used to things being so much lighter in space. Right, Aivas?”
“That is correct.”
“So if we don’t tell them how much those bloody things weigh . . .”
“Now, really, Jaxom,” F’lar began.
“No, really, F’lar,” Jaxom replied. “Aivas is applying a valid psychological tactic. I think it’ll work. Especially if we think it can work. Right?” He gave F’lar a challenging look.
Question: wouldn't the dragons get an idea of what they're doing from their rider's minds?
Also, if this works this way, why do they need bronze dragons at all? The green dragons should be able to carry the same weight?
But okay, fine.
They start thinking about the trip. Lessa, understandably, is concerned about the distance spent between. Her trip nearly killed her, after all. (Something that makes F'lar quite bitter.) But Aivas reassures her that the riders will all have oxygen and protective suits.
We learn some interesting technical information about Between actually:
“From what has been said by every rider interviewed, only eight seconds elapse to reach most destinations here on Pern,” Aivas went on. “Of those eight seconds, the dragons seem to use a basic five or so to assimilate their coordinates, and the rest of the time for the actual transfer. Using this premise and adapting it to a logarithmic computation, assume that travel takes 1 second for 1,600 kilometers, 2 seconds for 10,000, 3.6 seconds for 100,000, and 4.8 for 1 million and 7 to 10 seconds for 10 million. While this method of transference is still incomprehensible to this facility, it does appear to work. Therefore, knowing the approximate distance from Pern to the Red Star, it is easy to compute an interplanetary jump. It has also been established that dragons are able to function for fifteen minutes before their systems are in oxygen debt—more than enough time to make the journey, position the engines in the chasm, and return. The dragons are accurate fliers.”
F'lar, naturally, wants to try the journey. He doesn't want to ask the Weyrs to undertake the trip and doesn't intend to risk anyone else. (Everyone knows that he's thinking about F'nor's trip before.)
...this bit makes me laugh a bit:
“You will not take such a perilous expedition by yourself, F’lar,” D’ram said, rising to his feet, his expression resolute.
“D’ram . . .” Robinton reached for the old dragonrider’s arm, while Lytol’s expression was both pitying and approving.
“D’ram, this is a young man’s duty,” the ex-warder said, shaking his head sadly. “You have long since done yours.”
"Young."
It's worth noting that Skies of Pern will give F'lar's age as sixty-three. That's set about eleven years after this. I think. There are one or two confusing bits. But he should be fifty-two here.
(Actually I think he should probably be older than that, since originally Dragonflight had him in his early thirties. But fine. We've known McCaffrey intended to massage him downward for a while.)
I admit at my current age of almost forty-two, fifty-two doesn't seem that old anymore. But it's hardly "young".
Jaxom, of course, intends to go with him. He cites Ruth's ability to know where and when he is, which no other dragon has. (Actually, one of the things I really enjoyed about Skies of Pern is that at least a few characters mock that idea entirely. After all, how did Ramoth GET an oxygen deprived Lessa to the past without knowing where and when she was?)
Robinton actually gets a good point albeit one that I don't think Jaxom deserves:
“What happens, though,” Robinton said, his composure recovered, “if the one man”—and he gestured to F’lar—“who can keep this planet united and the young Lord Holder who has earned the respect of Hall, Hold, and Weyr should be lost to Pern at this very critical stage?”
When and how did Jaxom earn this respect exactly? We were JUST told that he doesn't risk speaking in Council for fear of harming his own cause.
But fine, whatever. Lessa decides she's going with them. And while I think, intellectually, that's a bad idea, as she's the only one who could possibly unite people if F'lar is gone...I'm not arguing with her. She's scary.
Jaxom's a terrible husband, by the way:
“I won’t tell Sharra.” He paused while Jancis savagely muttered something to the effect that Sharra wouldn’t let him go. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Jancis,” he said, giving her a quelling look. “But there are a few things I must put in order. And to be perfectly candid, I’d like a good night’s sleep. It’s been a busy day!”
You should divorce his ass, Sharra.
But anyway, they plan to go tomorrow. Apparently the dragons are excited. And everyone realizes that arguing with Lessa is a fool's game. So there we go.
We'll likely see what happens next chapter.
Here's the thing about All the Weyrs of Pern, and I think maybe part of why so many fans dislike the sci-fi-ication of the series. It is very slow and very ponderous. I don't actually mind it that much because we are seeing forward momentum, but I can definitely appreciate that the fans looking for more substantial drama or character interaction might be a little bored.
I don't mind it myself, but admittedly, I might feel different if my last Pern book hadn't been so utterly abysmal. This is at least coherent, and I don't feel like half the story happened somewhere else.
Tangential note, I was intrigued by some of your comments about Skies of Pern and read it. My reactions are in their own post, but I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Feel free to jump in with your own take.
Anyway, let's jump in:
So we rejoin Jaxom and Piemur on the Yokohama. They're dismayed at the low level of fuel - apparently Kenjo's hoard really was something of a drop in the bucket. Which probably explains why the administration hadn't cared. I might not have either if not for all the "I hope evil Bitra doesn't get this."
Anyway, Piemur is pretty disheartened, but Aivas reassures them that the effort isn't for nothing. The fuel is now safe from tampering. I mean, it was pretty safe in Honshu too. But okay. Apparently, it is pretty toxic and could have negative effects on the soil if spilled.
Piemur and Jaxom take a break for lunch where Piemur shows off a thermos, made by Master Hamian. Jaxom asks how Piemur always has the latest thingies. Because he's more likable than you are.
Piemur explains that he is a resident of Landing, while Jaxom is just a visitor. Don't give the man ideas, Piemur, it took this long to get him to actually start governing Ruatha, and I'm still not sure I think he does any work. Besides, that doesn't really explain how F'lessan got a wristwatch.
I'm going with the "Jaxom is just less likable" explanation. It works for everything.
Apparently Ruth and the fire lizards are busy staring out the window. Per Ruth, they like to look at Pern. Fair enough.
Aivas decides to take the opportunity to explain more about the training process. I'm still not sure why he doesn't just lay the whole thing out. What would have happened if Aivas developed some kind of electronic fault and shut down? No one would know how to proceed!
So the next step is to learn how long dragons can spend in space. Because they can't exactly fit into a space suit. Jaxom, stupidly, says he thought Aivas figured that out: Ruth and Farli were fine after their hops into space. But Aivas, not being an idiot, points out that three minutes isn't the same as twelve or fifteen minutes, which is what they're going to need.
So the next step is for dragons to fly outside in space. Piemur's afraid they might float away. I'd be more afraid that, should oxygen deprivation hit too quickly, they might be too disoriented to go between. But it probably is worth a try. Anyway, Aivas notes that they should remain stationary as long as there are no violent movements.
Jaxom chooses this moment to be macho:
“Unless a violent movement was made, they would remain stationary,” Aivas said. “As they will exit from the Yokohama, they are moving at the same speed, not at a different velocity as the incoming Thread spheres are. However, to prevent any panic—”
“Dragons don’t panic,” Jaxom said in flat contradiction, speaking before Piemur could utter a similar rebuke.
“Their riders might,” Aivas replied.
“I doubt it,” Jaxom said.
“Perhaps dragonriders are a breed apart, Lord Jaxom,” Aivas said at his most formal, “but records of many generations indicate that some humans, despite training and reassurance, can find themselves overwhelmed by agoraphobia. Therefore, to prevent panic, the dragon should anchor itself—”
“Himself,” Jaxom automatically corrected.
“Or herself,” Piemur added, waggling a finger at the white rider.
“For the dragon to be anchored securely to the Yokohama,” Aivas finished.
Translation: Jaxom is a macho, sexist git. It was very clear that Aivas was speaking about dragons in general, not Ruth in particular. And green dragons have been most involved with this process anyway.
Fortunately they're not going to need ropes or anything. There are places for the dragons to grip. So now it's time for Jaxom to do more cool shit. Ugh.
Truthfully, I know I'm not being fair. For the most part, Jaxom has been fine this book. And if I'd read this book without past knowledge and biases formed by White Dragon, I'd probably find him bland but serviceable as a lead. I'm pretty sure that was actually the circumstance when I initially read this book as a kid.
At least this isn't eighteen chapters of whining about an egg, but I still resent that he gets everything.
Ugh:
The harper gave him a long incredulous look and sighed. “I don’t know which of you two is more outrageous. You’d dare anything, the pair of you would.” Then in a wry tone, he added, “And I’m supposed to be the reckless one.”
“But you aren’t a dragonrider,” Jaxom said gently.
“The dragon makes the man?” Piemur shot back.
Jaxom smiled, sending a loving look at Ruth, who was watching the two humans. “With a dragon to guide and guard you, you tend to feel secure.”
Yep, unless McCaffrey wants to convince us that you're a poor bullied orphan prince. I'd read a fanfic from Dorse's point of view, I really would.
It is interesting how adamant Piemur is about this though:
“So you say!” Then Piemur fixed Jaxom with a fierce stare. “So you’re going to do it? Without checking with anyone?”
Jaxom glared right back, anger rising. “I don’t need to check with anyone, Piemur. I’ve been making my own decisions for a long time. This time I get to make it without anyone else’s interference. Not yours, or F’lar’s, or Lessa’s, or Robinton’s.”
“Sharra’s?” Piemur cocked his head, his eye contact unswerving.
...I mean, maybe you SHOULD check in. You're not just a dragonrider, dude. And if you WERE a real dragonrider, you'd have to answer to F'lar or Lessa. But you're also Lord of Ruatha, and for some bizarre reason everyone acts like they can't do this shit without you. So yes, you fucking should check in.
At the very least, you should tell the wife that you almost got killed because you weren't forthcoming about things in the first place.
...okay, maybe I still dislike Jaxom for legitimate reasons.
I like this bit though:
“Ruth sees no problems. If he did, I would certainly listen to him,” Jaxom said, very much aware that Sharra would undoubtedly share Piemur’s reservations. “I don’t know why you’re upset about an EVA. I thought you’d want to be first.”
Piemur managed a flicker of a smile. “One, I don’t have a dragon to reassure me. Two, I dislike being trussed up in this thing.” He flicked his hand at the space suit. Then his expression changed to a cocky grin. “And three, it’s just likely I’m one of those humans who’d panic out there with solid earth a million dragon-lengths away from my feet. So,” he finished, rising to his feet and reaching for Jaxom’s helmet, “since I can’t talk you out of it, go and do it. Now! Before I get myself in a knot!”
Of course, Piemur gets to be frightened. It's funny how much more likable self-awareness is in a character.
But Jaxom is at least somewhat sympathetic and makes sure to check in, keep a commentary like Piemur requests, and set things up so Aivas can show Piemur what they're doing.
So...space.
Jaxom was accustomed to very short passages between, but this must have been the shortest they had ever taken. One moment they were on the bridge; the next, they were surrounded by a different sort of darkness. For one heartbeat, Jaxom tasted as deep a fear as he had ever known. But Ruth’s head, erect and swinging around as he surveyed the scene, was all the token of reassurance Jaxom needed. Then he became aware—unlike the total lack of sensation in between—of his legs pressing against Ruth’s neck and even the tug of the straps against his belt.
Ruth notes that the metal is so cold that it feels hot, but he's got a good grip. He's holding his breath, but there's no discomfort. Jaxom, of course, is fine too. He is a little anxious when Ruth decides he wants to climb higher for a better look, but it's fine.
Ruth is a bit of a troll and lets go to float upward, noting that all he has to do is jump between to go where he needs to go. And it does look beautiful:
Jaxom had to agree. Ruth had them perched on the topmost rail, and before them, the globe of Pern glowed in brilliant greens and blues: He thought he recognized the Paradise River Hold estuary and, just at the curve of the horizon, the purple hills of Rubicon and Xanadu. Above were the stairs; behind him, shining far too brightly, was Rukbat’s blaze. He thought he caught sunlight glinting off one of the other ships—the Bahrain, no doubt. And far, far above him, at an impossible distance, was the Red Star and the Oort Cloud that the erratic planet would penetrate yet again in another hundred or so Turns.
Meer and Farli pop out to take a look too, though Ruth urges them back since they can't hold their breaths as long. Ruth decides he wants to breathe too, so he takes them inside, quite exhilerated.
Piemur’s complexion, Jaxom noted, was noticeably pale under his southern tan, and his expression was unusually grim for a man who traversed the Southern coasts for months with only a gold fire-lizard and a runt runnerbeast for company and never lost his sense of humor.
Have we settled on months then? Okay, fine. I'm still mad about how Renegades fucked around with that. I do appreciate that this means Jaxom hung around "recovering" and shirking his duties for months as well.
Anyway, Jaxom thinks it's not really much different from between and not as dangerous. That's actually an interesting thought. Where IS between, anyway?
Piemur thinks Jaxom's trying to convince himself and wonders how Sharra, Lytol, Lessa, F'lar and Robinton will react to this. Fuck Robinton, but the rest...yeah, probably should have asked first.
Piemur also thinks that the spirit of competition will make every other dragon and rider feel obligated to do it too. He wonders if that was Aivas's master plan after all. Heh.
--
Jaxom gets back and immediately is a dick about the consequences he was blase about earlier:
“True harper instincts!” he remarked acidly to Piemur, when the journeyman bellowed the news to Lytol on the duty desk. His old guardian turned pale and stern, and Jaxom had the satisfaction of seeing Piemur blanch. “Just let’s keep this all in perspective, shall we?” he added, striding to Lytol. “I’m all right, really I am. Ruth wouldn’t put me in danger any more than Aivas would. Someone!” He raised his voice. “I need some help here!”
Hey, you're the one who DID it. You didn't spare a single thought for Lytol at the time, so fuck off.
LOOK at this:
“Just don’t stand there, Piemur, get some wine. Some of that fortified wine would be best,” she called after him as he scurried for the kitchen. “And just what have you been up to?” she demanded of Jaxom.
“Nothing as dangerous as springing news on—” Jaxom caught himself before saying “old man.” “—someone with no advance warning or preparation. I gather Aivas did not mention what he had planned for us today.”
...YOU DID IT. YOU are the one who did the action that Piemur told Lytol about. This is YOUR fault. If you don't want to scare people, don't do scary things. I want to hit him with a fucking brick.
The downside to reading Skies of Pern is that I kind of got used to reading a book with a protagonist I actually liked, who actually did think occasionally about other people's feelings, and I do not enjoy this contrast.
(Seriously, in like the first chapter or two, when F'lessan meets Tai in the library, he actually goes and takes his books to the alcove so as to be less of a disturbance to her. Do you REALIZE how novel that kind of quick consideration IS in this series???)
Lytol recovers well enough, asking what made Jaxom attempt such a dangerous maneuver. Of course Jaxom insists it's fine. And then he decides to be a real dick.
“Wouldn’t you agree, Lytol, that a dragon won’t endanger his ride? That a dragon can take himself and his rider anywhere between to safety?” Suddenly Jaxom realized that this was the first time in many Turns that he had asked Lytol to verify draconic abilities. He could see the muscles along his guardian’s jaw clench, and wondered if he had overstepped the bounds of tact.
YEAH KINDA. MAYBE?
Lytol takes it well enough, though he tells us some bullshit here:
Lytol exhaled. “On occasion I have thought that Ruth acted too much on impulse, but you, Jaxom, have always been cautious; thus the two of you balanced each other. He would no more endanger you than you would put his life in jeopardy. But your extravehicular activity should have been discussed beforehand.”
I get that McCaffrey has this weird idea of Jaxom as this careful, thoughtful, quiet kid. But that's not the kid she actually wrote. She actually wrote a self-centered, reckless idiot who spends most of his time whining about not flying thread, whining when flying thread doesn't get him the recognition he wants, using a young girl as a cover story, raping said girl, getting disgusted with said girl after her response to the rape, and then flying thread while clearly sick.
Maybe Todd McCaffrey was a quiet, thoughtful kid. But Jaxom fucking isn't.
Ruth decides to be a dick too, announcing that he's going to sleep in the sun and saying that he's glad they didn't wait for permission, since it would have taken days.
Jaxom doesn't relate that part. He does note the "harangue" that comes when the grownups are informed. Fuck off, Jaxom.
The thing that gets me about Jaxom isn't that he makes bad decisions, necessarily, it's that he so clearly resents being called out for them. Even when he was warned this would happen.
Eventually Jaxom points out that they should discuss what Aivas actually wants. D'ram thinks they're supposed to ram the Yokohama into the Red Star. Oh, look at this bullshit:
Jaxom, Piemur, and F’lar shook their heads.
“Why not?” Lessa demanded. “That must be why he wanted the fuel in the tanks.”
Jaxom smiled wryly at her ignorance. “That drop of fuel would not explode on impact, and ramming the Red Star with the Yokohama, ponderous as it is, would not alter its orbit one bit. But I grant you, he needs the dragons to move something.”
I love that crack about her "ignorance". She saved the goddamn world, you shut your narrative mouth, you cretin.
But convenient that the boys all understand the space stuff better than she does. Fuck that shit.
I sarcastically like this though.
“What do the dragons have to move and where?” F’lar asked with no preamble.
“So you have perceived part of the plan, Weyrleader.”
“You mean to use the Yokohama to ram the planet?” Lessa asked, still sure that she had the answer.
“That would be totally ineffectual, and the Yokohama is needed as a vantage point.”
“Then what?” F’lar insisted.
F'lar's praised for deducing the part that everyone figured out, while Lessa has to be arrogantly wrong. Grr.
Anyway, Aivas starts his explanations. Apparently there's a big chasm deep in the planet and they're going to blow it up.
UGH.
For a very long moment, no one spoke.
“We have no such exploding capability,” Jaxom said.
“You do not. The Yokohama, the Bahrain, and the Buenos Aires do.”
“What?” F’lar demanded angrily.
“The engines,” Jaxom said. “The bloody engines. Oh, you are devious, Aivas!”
...I hate that this is treated as so much more plausible a possibility than ramming a planet. Also how does this work when the Yokohama is meant as a vantage point?
But fine. They're going to position the engines and use HNO3 to breach the containment. It'll be a slow corrosion with a two week window for the actual kaboom.
Of course, this brings up the big question, can the dragons carry the engines?
“Their mass is the one weak point of the plan. However, you have constantly stated that the dragons can carry that which they think they can carry.”
“Correct, but no one has ever asked them to carry engines!” F’lar replied, awed by the scale of the loads.
Jaxom began to chuckle and received offended stares. “That’s why the bronzes have been exercising in free-fall—to get them used to things being so much lighter in space. Right, Aivas?”
“That is correct.”
“So if we don’t tell them how much those bloody things weigh . . .”
“Now, really, Jaxom,” F’lar began.
“No, really, F’lar,” Jaxom replied. “Aivas is applying a valid psychological tactic. I think it’ll work. Especially if we think it can work. Right?” He gave F’lar a challenging look.
Question: wouldn't the dragons get an idea of what they're doing from their rider's minds?
Also, if this works this way, why do they need bronze dragons at all? The green dragons should be able to carry the same weight?
But okay, fine.
They start thinking about the trip. Lessa, understandably, is concerned about the distance spent between. Her trip nearly killed her, after all. (Something that makes F'lar quite bitter.) But Aivas reassures her that the riders will all have oxygen and protective suits.
We learn some interesting technical information about Between actually:
“From what has been said by every rider interviewed, only eight seconds elapse to reach most destinations here on Pern,” Aivas went on. “Of those eight seconds, the dragons seem to use a basic five or so to assimilate their coordinates, and the rest of the time for the actual transfer. Using this premise and adapting it to a logarithmic computation, assume that travel takes 1 second for 1,600 kilometers, 2 seconds for 10,000, 3.6 seconds for 100,000, and 4.8 for 1 million and 7 to 10 seconds for 10 million. While this method of transference is still incomprehensible to this facility, it does appear to work. Therefore, knowing the approximate distance from Pern to the Red Star, it is easy to compute an interplanetary jump. It has also been established that dragons are able to function for fifteen minutes before their systems are in oxygen debt—more than enough time to make the journey, position the engines in the chasm, and return. The dragons are accurate fliers.”
F'lar, naturally, wants to try the journey. He doesn't want to ask the Weyrs to undertake the trip and doesn't intend to risk anyone else. (Everyone knows that he's thinking about F'nor's trip before.)
...this bit makes me laugh a bit:
“You will not take such a perilous expedition by yourself, F’lar,” D’ram said, rising to his feet, his expression resolute.
“D’ram . . .” Robinton reached for the old dragonrider’s arm, while Lytol’s expression was both pitying and approving.
“D’ram, this is a young man’s duty,” the ex-warder said, shaking his head sadly. “You have long since done yours.”
"Young."
It's worth noting that Skies of Pern will give F'lar's age as sixty-three. That's set about eleven years after this. I think. There are one or two confusing bits. But he should be fifty-two here.
(Actually I think he should probably be older than that, since originally Dragonflight had him in his early thirties. But fine. We've known McCaffrey intended to massage him downward for a while.)
I admit at my current age of almost forty-two, fifty-two doesn't seem that old anymore. But it's hardly "young".
Jaxom, of course, intends to go with him. He cites Ruth's ability to know where and when he is, which no other dragon has. (Actually, one of the things I really enjoyed about Skies of Pern is that at least a few characters mock that idea entirely. After all, how did Ramoth GET an oxygen deprived Lessa to the past without knowing where and when she was?)
Robinton actually gets a good point albeit one that I don't think Jaxom deserves:
“What happens, though,” Robinton said, his composure recovered, “if the one man”—and he gestured to F’lar—“who can keep this planet united and the young Lord Holder who has earned the respect of Hall, Hold, and Weyr should be lost to Pern at this very critical stage?”
When and how did Jaxom earn this respect exactly? We were JUST told that he doesn't risk speaking in Council for fear of harming his own cause.
But fine, whatever. Lessa decides she's going with them. And while I think, intellectually, that's a bad idea, as she's the only one who could possibly unite people if F'lar is gone...I'm not arguing with her. She's scary.
Jaxom's a terrible husband, by the way:
“I won’t tell Sharra.” He paused while Jancis savagely muttered something to the effect that Sharra wouldn’t let him go. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Jancis,” he said, giving her a quelling look. “But there are a few things I must put in order. And to be perfectly candid, I’d like a good night’s sleep. It’s been a busy day!”
You should divorce his ass, Sharra.
But anyway, they plan to go tomorrow. Apparently the dragons are excited. And everyone realizes that arguing with Lessa is a fool's game. So there we go.
We'll likely see what happens next chapter.