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Chap. 415  To Catch a Thief Data looked at his datalink as they made their way towards Rigel. He felt a huge sense of satisfaction. I knew he’d come back, that trap worked like a champ. “It looks like no one comes out here,” said Commo, “Look how high the grass is. And the trees,…

Chap. 414 The Fence’s Advice The healer removed her stethoscope earpieces. “He’s gone,” she said, with a sigh. Talking with Grafton helped me, she thought. “Don’t worry, Ma’am,’ he’d said, “Landing is full of all sorts of specialists. I have a feeling your necropsy will be done without you having to touch a scalpel.” The…

Chap. 413 The Healer’s Dilemna Landing’s riders dispersed to their individual quarters for unharnessing and grooming.  Mondevuth, Falconth and Corvuth flew the short distance to their mountainside weyrs. They were too big to fit in the buildings that had been opened. Their riders weren’t gentle in their assessment of L’ichen’s care (or lack thereof) of…

Chap. 412 The Signal Trap “Chief?” One of Communication’s techs came to her Chief’s desk. “Yes?” “Remember during the shutdown, when Data caught that one datalink signal to the Yokohama? Even though everyone knew we weren’t supposed to use our datalinks?” “Oh, yes, I do, Data was on it so quickly it didn’t leave the…

Chap. 411 The Moribund Blue Landing’s dragons were approaching their meadow after their biweekly drill. Despite riding a brown dragon, P’jar was acting as wing leader. It feels so strange, he thought, to be ordering two bronze riders who also happen to be former Weyrleaders AND are now Councilmen-but we all agreed on our taking…

Chap. 410 One week later My hands are sweating, Data thought, as he stepped onto the stage. The implications of what I read not an hour ago are mind numbing. Raylan was stunned, too. “We’ll have to tell them,” Data said. Raylan nodded, numbed. “You will help me?” “Of course,” Raylan said, “Although I have…

Chap. 409 Disguises P’jar was surrounded by several people, all talking about his idea of planting Landing’s commons areas in order to disguise it. “Where we will get the plants?” “Um…” P’jar looked over the crowd’s heads to catch K’ndar’s eye. K’ndar recognizing it, joined him. And soon regretted it. “K’ndar, here, he’s met people…

Chap. 408 The Morning After Raylan waited as his division crowded into their conference room. I’m going to need a larger room, he thought, my division has grown after Admin shuffled everyone during the shutdown. I recognize most of the new folks, but it will take some time for them to assimilate into MY way…

Chap. 407 I love a rainy night The message from the cargo transport’s captain appeared on the big screen in the auditorium. Not a word was said as people read the message. Then, the crowd gasped and moaned, almost in unison. Data looked out over the crowd. Some of them looked as if they were…

Chap. 406 The Factory Ship “Excuse me, ma’am, do you remember me?” The young apprentice looked shyly at Jansen. She and Crista were working together on the database. They were trying to understand the radio antenna’s first message. They’d moved into the same room they’d been in the day they found the shifting of work…