There was a blast of sandy wind as T’mar and Vazimath emerged from the cold silence of between. T’mar quickly lowered her flying goggles over her face, and the pair hovered in the clouds as the rough winds continued to blow. When they finally subsided, T’mar looked down to see a dry, desolate landscape. Small, brittle trees dotted the area, and the ground was cracked and parched.

To T’mar, it looked like the land of the dead. It was hard to believe that an active, living Weyr stood nearby.

It shows that no matter where the Pernese go, they live, Vazimath said reassuringly. And they thrive!

T’mar chuckled. We certainly do!

They had never been to Pern’s Western Continent before – until the last few Turns of the Ninth Pass, it had lain dormant and unexplored. But within the last ten Turns exploration and settlement of the continent had exploded, enough to establish a handful of major Holds, Crafthalls and a Weyr.

T’mar continued to scan the ground until she spied the rocky caldera of a dormant volcano, followed by a massive bowl peppered with small caves along its walls. Dragons of all colors flew in and out of the area and were perched along the rim. It appeared to be the layout of a typical Weyr, if not for the massive metal structure attached to its side – a long, inverted slide reaching up into the heavens – Pern’s first space elevator.

T’mar and Vazimath stared at the colossal structure for a moment, awestruck, then Vazimath swooped down and headed closer to the Weyr itself. From the Weyr’s fireheights, the watchdragon called out questioningly. Vazimath bugled out a reply, and soon they were cleared to land.

They were met by a large, shiny metallic-bronze dragon, and his rider, a tall, tanned young man with brown hair and a handsome face.

“Welcome to Rukbat Weyr,” the young bronze rider said, holding out his hand. “I’m Weyrleader A’ran, Fodorth’s rider.”

T’mar shook his hand. “I’m T’mar, Vazimath’s rider.”

“You’re here to observe our first big off-planet shipment, I suppose?”

“That’s correct,” T’mar answered, “We’re here on behalf of the FSP.”

The FSP, or Federated Sentient Planets, was a united government consisting of various different planets across the galaxy, led by the planet Earth. Pern had just recently been rediscovered and re-integrated into the federation, and T’mar and Vazimath chosen to be Pern’s liaisons to the FSP’s officials.

A’ran nodded. “Good on them for sending a native Pernese dragonpair! I won’t have to teach you the basics of dragons and riders before getting down to business!”

T’mar smirked. “That won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll show you to your weyr, if you’ll follow me,” A’ran said, beckoning T’mar to follow him. “Weyrwoman Alora is in orbit at the moment, overseeing Rukbat Tower. The Callisto shipment is in two days, and she wants to ensure everything is perfect.”

T’mar looked around as they walked, seeing the hustle and bustle of a Weyr preparing for a major event. As she recalled, Rukbat Weyr’s population rivaled that of a full-strength Weyr during Threadfall, but solely focused on the shipping and receiving of cargo from all over Pern and beyond. Nearly every rider was rated on the Talent scale, from T-15 to T-2. The sole T-1 Talent, Weyrwoman Alora, also served as Rukbat Tower’s Prime.

Unlike most Tower setups, Pern’s Tower was split into two halves: Rukbat Weyr, which handled ground shipments and deliveries up to Pern’s orbit, and Rukbat Tower, which would handle shipments and deliveries from off-planet. It would also handle transport of passenger ships which would then disembark at the SpaceHold.

After she and Vazimath were settled, T’mar walked through various areas of the Weyr, talking with different riders and support staff and observing their activities. The overall impressions she got were the Weyrfolk’s excitement over the Callisto shipment, pride in their work, and hope that it would lead to further outreach between them and people off-world.

It was some time later when A’ran came over to her.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, “but we have a shipment going out to Rukbat Tower in less than an hour. I thought you might want to watch it.”

T’mar nodded. “Thank you.”

A’ran led her to the space elevator’s control room, situated at its base, with wide windows on one end of the room and a group of large chairs at the other. The chairs had a plethora of buttons and controls recessed into the armrests, as well as large cables leading from behind them to what looked like massive machines hidden in the walls.

T’mar looked out the windows to see the base of the space elevator. A large cargo ship was docked at the base, with support staff attending to it. A drive of dragons of every color hovered directly above the ship, ready to combine their kinesis abilities to help push the ship into orbit.

After greeting the others in the control room, A’ran sat down in the center chair. Two other riders sat in the chairs directly to the left and right of him, while T’mar stood respectfully to the side.

The room quieted down as A’ran pushed a series of buttons on the armrest. A transparent video viewscreen appeared.

“This is Rukbat Weyr, calling Rukbat Tower,” A’ran spoke.

There was a moment of silence, then the viewscreen flickered on. The image of a young woman appeared. She had long, golden hair and sat in a large chair with buttons and controls on both armrests, similar to the ones in the control room. T’mar assumed she was Weyrwoman Alora.

“This is Rukbat Tower,” Weyrwoman Alora said, “Are we all set for the current shipment?”

“Right on schedule,” A’ran replied, “Just a few last-minute adjustments, and we’ll be good to go.”

“Standing by.”

There was silence as the support staff cleared the launch pad. A’ran looked at his two assistants and nodded.

There was a sudden hum, both of machinery and of the large drive of dragons positioned at the bottom of the space elevator.

“Cargo launching in T-minus 10 seconds,” A’ran said, “9… 8…”

The other two riders surrounding him closed their eyes and tensed, their hands gripping the controls on either side of their chairs. The humming grew louder.

“3… 2… 1!”

There was a loud crack, like a bullet launching from a gun, and the cargo ship rocketed up the space elevator faster than the speed of sound, the combined kinetic energy from the Talented riders on the ground and the dragons in the sky pushing the cargo forward past the edge of Pern’s atmosphere and into orbit.

There was a beat of silence, then a response from Rukbat Tower.

“Cargo received,” Alora replied. “A perfect catch, thanks to your expert push!”

“Good to know,” A’ran said gratefully. “The next shipment will be in 8 hours. Hopefully the last, before the big shipment to Callisto.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Alora said, “Rukbat Tower, out.”

---

The next day, T’mar and Vazimath made the jump between to Rukbat Tower. As they touched down in one of the landing bays, T’mar saw that Weyrwoman Alora had come to meet them in person.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you face to face,” T’mar said respectfully, shaking Alora’s hand. She then turned to the massive sunlight-gold queen dragon seated nearby. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Sinonath.” Sinonath nodded serenely in reply.

“The pleasure’s ours,” Alora answered, smiling.

After they were settled, Alora took T’mar on a short tour of the Tower. Surprised and embarrassed that Alora would spend so much time away from her duties, T’mar nearly declined.

“Nonsense!” Alora said cheerfully, “I want you to have as good an impression of us as possible, pardon the pun. So when you write your report, you’ll have nothing but good things to say!”

Rukbat Tower’s control room was larger than Rukbat Weyr’s, with massive windows showing the starry expanse of space on one end and Pern’s curvature on the other. A single, large chair sat opposite the windows, its connections to the gestalt machinery hidden underneath the shiny obsidian floor.

Alora greeted the people in the room who were doing various tasks when a sudden beeping noise erupted from the viewscreen, catching her attention.

“Hmm,” Alora intoned, “An off-planet communication?” She glanced at T’mar apologetically. “Excuse me. I probably should take this.”

T’mar nodded, and Alora pressed a button on her chair.

The viewscreen flickered on, revealing a short, middle-aged woman. The very top of her head was covered in a shock of white, while the rest of the hair falling over her shoulders was brown. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled.

“Prime Alora,” the woman said warmly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally. I’m Meryl Raven of Callisto Tower.”

Alora nodded. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Callisto Prime.”

“No need to be so formal! Just call me Meryl,” the woman said, waving away her greeting. “I wanted to call you to welcome you in advance to FT&T’s shipping network! You’ll be regularly communicating with each of the Primes very soon, and now’s a good a time as any to start putting names with faces!”

Alora nodded. “Thank you for the welcome!”

“It’s no problem at all. Several of us Primes have been curious and wanting to meet you – Danielle of Betelgeuse has been fascinated with dragons since Pern rejoined the FSP, and although Capella doesn’t show it, he’s looking forward to learning how Pern’s culture works. Arlan of Altair has his heart set on vacationing on Pern once transports are allowed; the poor man, he hasn’t had a break in years-”

Alora continued to listen politely with a smile on her face, while T’mar had to try very hard not to laugh. Shards, the woman talked so much! After several more minutes, Meryl finally caught herself and smiled sheepishly.

“Oh, my! I’m sorry for talking your ears off! This whole experience has been so exciting!” She nodded pointedly at Alora. “I’ll let you go for now. We’ll be looking forward to your shipment!”

Alora waved goodbye as the viewscreen winked out.

“Well, that was quite unexpected,” she remarked, “to be contacted by such an important person!”

T’mar raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Not only is Meryl Raven the Prime of Callisto Tower, she’s also the current matriarch of the Gwyn-Raven clan. They’re the family with the most power in the FT&T chain of command. The only Talent with more power and prestige than her is Earth Prime.”

T’mar’s eyes widened in surprise. Earth Prime!

“Well, then, it’s just about time we retired and got some rest,” Alora said, “The shipment will be in 12 hours, and if you would meet us back here by then it would be much appreciated.”

T’mar nodded in acknowledgment. “I’ll be here.”

---

The control room was filled with tension as nearly the entire crew of the Tower came to observe the shipment to Callisto. Alora sat in her control chair, while A’ran and T’mar stood at her sides. Outside, a massive cargo ship was docked, surrounded by a drive of dragons and their riders. Lined up in the distance were dragonpairs carrying bright lights, creating a runway from the Tower into deep space.

“This is Rukbat Tower, calling Callisto Tower,” Alora said in a clear, calm voice.

After a moment of silence, there was a reply. “Callisto Tower here,” Meryl Raven answered. “Standing by for cargo transport. Whenever you’re ready.”

Alora nodded. “Cargo launching in T-minus 60 seconds.” The tension in the room ratcheted up as she began her countdown. “59… 58...”

T’mar glanced around the room at the others, riders and support staff, packed tightly into the room and staring intently at the windows. So much was riding on this delivery – Pern’s first step toward a real connection with a far-off world.

“27… 26-” The countdown suddenly stopped as Alora fell silent.

T’mar, Vazimath spoke up suddenly. Someone is in the Tower. Someone suspicious.

T’mar blinked and looked around. She caught Alora’s eye, and Alora nodded grimly. There was a series of whispers as other riders in the room were notified.

“You there!” A’ran shouted, pointing at a man in a blue jumpsuit who was fiddling with one of the consoles, “What are you doing?”

The man turned, and with an ugly smirk, pulled out a device with a flashing button.

There were shouts, and a massive wave of psionic energy fired toward the man from all the Talents in the room. The suspicious man didn’t have a chance, as the wave hit him full force and caused him to fall over, shaking. The flashing device clattered to the floor.

As a couple of riders roughly hauled the man up to his feet, T’mar gingerly picked up the fallen device and turned it around in her hands. It looked like a starter or detonator of some kind. She looked over at the console the man had been working on and slid her hand under the metal cover, lifting it up. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw a set of wires connected to a small countdown clock.

“A bomb!” a nearby rider exclaimed.

Another rider turned toward the captive man. “Tell us how to deactivate it!” he shouted, shoving the man. The man said nothing, only smirked.

“It’s no use,” A’ran said, pushing his way toward the console. “He’ll never talk.” He peered at the bomb thoughtfully.

“Can you deactivate it?” T’mar asked.

“No choice but to try,” A’ran answered, “It’s just a good thing I spent some time in the Minercraft before I was a weyrling. Building explosives was child’s play.” He pulled out a small knife and handed it to T’mar. “I’ll need help with the wiring as I go. Just cut the wires I say to.”

T’mar gulped, then took the knife. The room was silent as she carefully slit each wire A’ran pointed to as he dismantled portions of the bomb. When she cut the final wire, the countdown clock powered off.

T’mar breathed a sigh of relief as the room filled with cheers. A’ran wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to the now-scowling captive.

“Take him to the brig,” he said, “We’ll figure out what his agenda is later.” He looked across the room, locking eyes with Alora, and nodded.

“Sorry for the delay, Callisto,” Alora said toward the viewscreen, “Just a little mishap, but we got it squared away.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Cargo launching in T-minus 20 seconds,” Alora intoned, eyes closed in extreme focus. “19… 18…”

Machinery began to hum, the sound joining the hums from the dragons and riders outside the Tower, floating in space and surrounding the cargo ship. Alora’s queen dragon Sinonath floated directly behind the ship, ready to deliver the bulk of the push.

Inside the control room, everyone else watched with bated breath.

“3… 2… 1!” Alora’s eyes flew open, and a slight shudder ran through the Tower as the cargo ship launched away and promptly disappeared into the starry expanse.

There was a moment of silence, then another, until finally Callisto Tower responded.

“Cargo received.”

There was a rush of noise as nearly everyone in the control room cheered. The joy was so infectious that dragons could be heard bugling outside. T’mar sighed in relief, and Alora and A’ran exchanged happy looks. When the commotion finally died down, Meryl at Callisto Tower responded again.

“A perfect handover, Rukbat Tower. Well done!” Her eyes twinkled. “We hope that future shipments will be just as smooth!”

“You can count on it!” Alora replied, beaming.

“Callisto Tower, out.”

The screen winked out, and everyone in the control room began celebrating again. They eventually returned landside to Rukbat Weyr, where a surprise feast was held, and the entire Weyr partied throughout the day and into the night.

---

“So, apparently our silent prisoner is a part of the Returners,” A’ran said.

“The Returners?” T’mar asked, “I’ve never heard of such a group.”

“They’re a new movement that’s sprung up among many of the more hidebound and traditionalist people on Pern,” Alora answered. “Just like the Abominators of 200 Turns ago, they’re dead set on ‘returning’ Pern to how it was before AIVAS was activated and Thread was ended, and that includes destroying new technologies and stopping progress.”

“That’s unfortunate,” T’mar remarked, “It’s not good to keep living in the past. Eventually you’d be doomed to repeat it.”

A’ran nodded in agreement. “I didn’t realize just how far they’re willing to go. That bomb could have hurt or killed so many people. We’ve put together a security force to go through Rukbat Tower with a fine-toothed comb and make sure no more bombs were planted elsewhere. And we’ve tightened the security around both the Weyr and the Tower, so no other suspicious people can come in.”

“We’re also concerned about the SpaceHold,” Alora added, “What happened here could almost certainly happen there.”

T’mar had the same thoughts. “When I make my report, I’ll recommend tighter security measures and get an investigation opened on these Returners. They won’t stir up trouble – not on my watch!”

---

After bidding the Weyr a fond goodbye, T’mar and Vazimath were airborne once again among blue skies and warm, dry air.

Looking back at the lonely trees and parched ground, T’mar no longer viewed it as the land of the dead. Instead, it was a land of promise, where people and dragons worked hard and achieved amazing things. Their story reminded T’mar of the SpaceHold and its crew, who dreamed and achieved similar things every day.

Let’s go home, Vazimath, T’mar said.

With the vision of home clear in their minds, the dragonpair jumped between.

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