So, then, how best to proceed? All Akadeanna could do as she watched her husband caring for his new dragon lifemate was shake her head.
What had started out as a simple Tower installation on the satellite of Sadr 6 in order to open up new territory for the FT&T had quickly devolved into a convoluted and confusing mess. True, it could be argued that no one could've possibly anticipated finding another sentient celestial body like Petaybee. That discovery alone had sent shockwaves throughout the FSP and Intergal, necessitating intervention by the CIS.
Still, Akadeanna was more than a little concerned. The new Tower was, ostensibly, to expand FT&T's service regions. How could they have dispatched a survey crew to Lua dos Dragões, Dragons Moon, without any Talents on the team? Then, another worry came to the fore in Akie's mind. What if the FT&T had known all along… and were secretly hoping to harness the Talent power of a planet-sized entity? Such an arrangement was staggering, to say the least, and potentially catastrophically fatal if misused. Akie didn't like where her thoughts were going. The CIS in general, and Phon Tho Anaciliact specifically, would go ballistic at such exploitation.
While Vance and Luna remained behind at Benden Weyr, Akadeanna returned to Landing. She needed AIVAS' help to do some math.
"Elara is Earth-sized?" the machine inquired.
Akie nodded.
"Given those parameters, then," AIVAS remarked, "if the telepathic Talent level is uniformly consistent based on the size of an average human,…"
Akie felt her pulse racing, dreading the answer.
"Then the estimated Talent level of Elara could potentially be T1 in strength multiplied by 1.6 times ten to the 16th power."
"By the First Egg!" Akie hissed.
That was more power than all the combined Talents in the galaxy… even when boosted by the Towers!
Sharding hell, Akie!
Vance! God love the man! Seems his Impression of Benth had heightened his telepathic ability considerably if he'd been able to pick up her thoughts that far away.
What are you going to do? he begged.
Try not to broadcast the news to every Talent in the known quantum multiverse! she sighed, sending a mental hug as she did.
Better alert Phon Tho.
Reading my mind? she chuckled. I'm on it.
Using the FTL equipment at Landing, Akadeanna beamed a priority one secure call to the CIS representative.
"Yes, I can see where you might be concerned, my dear," Phon Tho muttered, shaking his head. "Have we been able to establish the entity's Talent levels yet?"
"No," Akie muttered, shaking her head. "They used the most advanced equipment available and the FT&T testers couldn't measure that high!"
Even across the FTL link, Akie could see Phon Tho blanch at the news.
"This entity has already manifested Talent abilities far in excess of anything I've seen," Akie went on, meeting his gaze. "Elara can not only communicate telepathically across nearly 2000 light-years but has also demonstrated 'portational abilities that can reach across that same distance… and all without the benefit of the boosters and power amplifiers inherent in a Talent tower!"
"By my ancestors!" Phon Tho hissed, finding it difficult to assimilate this new information.
"I would like nothing better than to be able to rescue all the transports that were lost in those early teleport malfunctions," Akie wept, wringing her hands, "but if Elara gets out of hand, how do we stop it? We don't have a psionic dampener large enough! I feel like I'm walking through a mine field! One wrong step…"
"Then we must proceed with extreme caution, my dear," Phon Tho softly replied, projecting a calming aura. "I will assemble the best team of CIS educators that I can muster. We will assist you with Elara's education. We poor flawed lifeforms will have to do the best we can to essentially teach a god and guide it along the path to benevolence and kindness."
Weeping, Akadeanna silently nodded.
Friend Akie?
Sharding hell! Elara!
Yes?
Why afraid? Did this one do something wrong? Did… I… hurt you?
Swallowing once, Akie shook her head. Your power… it is so strong.
Across the FTL link, Phon Tho gasped, picking up the same mental broadcast. His hands visibly trembling, he whispered, "For the love of us all, child, go gently!"
Go gently?! How do you talk to a god?
Do you remember the brown dragon, Canth?
Yes! Vance wanted a dragon. I… brought one to him.
Elara, Akie whispered, her whole body trembling, you nearly killed his rider when you did.
Kill? What does that mean? I don't understand.
"Gently," Phon whispered over the FTL link.
It means to end life, Akie wept, tears cascading down her face. It means to cause it to be extinguished. F'nor is Canth's rider… and friend. They were flying high above the surface of Pern when you teleported Canth, leaving his rider behind. F'nor would've fallen to his death if Vornath and I hadn't reached him in time. If F'nor had died, his dragon would've known and gone between, ending his own life rather than be separated from his lifemate!
A very long and profound pause followed.
Elara… nearly killed… Akie's friend?
Akadeanna couldn't respond. She didn't want to hurt Elara. It had been an innocent act… like a child doing something to please their parents without understanding the consequences of their actions.
Akie? Elara.
Yes?
Another long pause.
I'm sorry.
Elara…
I did not mean to hurt your friend.
It was there in Elara's thoughts… honest, sincere regret. It understood!
Akie?
Yes?
Will you help me?
Elara, I…
Teach me… help me to understand… so that I won't do it again!
Akie wasn't sure if something as big as a planet could cry, but that was exactly the impression she got from Elara. It well and truly regretted what it had done!
Weeping but smiling, Akie replied, I'm your friend, Elara. I'll do my best!
"By all the gods and deities!" Phon Tho hissed, sweating profusely as he collapsed back in his seat. Smiling, he quietly told Akie, "Well done!" before breaking the FTL link.
So, how to proceed? Once Akie had finally stopped trembling, she paid a return visit to Benden Weyr. Canth snorted in surprise and F'nor's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when Elara spoke to them, expressing just how sorry it had been over the incident. What caught Akie by surprise was when Elara then asked F'nor and Canth to help with its education in hopes of avoiding any such mishap in the future.
"How do I answer?" F'nor hissed, clearly unnerved by the experience.
"The same way you and Canth communicate," Akie replied, giving him a thump on the shoulder.
Eyes lighting up, F'nor laid his hand gently on Canth's muzzle, silently broadcasting, We'd love to help, Elara.
Even across nearly 2000 light-years, everyone experienced a profound sense of relief. Thank you!
That's when Akie was hit with a flash of inspiration. She turned to Lessa nearby.
"Can you spare F'nor and Canth from the weyr?"
"Why?"
"So that the two can go together to Lua dos Dragões."
"What?!" F'nor gasped.
To help Elara, Canth concluded, his eyes whirling faster with excitement.
"More than that," Akie went on. "It'll give the other dragons and riders an independent evaluation of life on Dragons Moon. With you two there and what we're trying to do establishing a Talent tower on Elara's surface, you'd be in the best possible position to determine if it would be a good pursuit for the Dragonriders of Pern… giving them a new purpose once Threadfall ends."
"To go off-planet," F'nor sighed, his eyes taking on a distant look as he imagined the possibilities. Looking straight at Akie, he added, "To see all the wonders that are so commonplace to you… count me in!"
And me! Canth enthusiastically chimed in.
"Careful, brown rider!" Lessa chuckled, gently thumping F'nor on the shoulder. "With an attitude like that, they'll soon be calling you two the next Abomination!"
What is an… abomination?
We'll explain, Elara, F'nor silently chuckled, once we get there!
"Weyrwoman?" he asked, turning to Lessa.
"We'll come with you," F'lar announced as he came up behind Lessa, gently laying his hands on her slender shoulders.
"We?!" she stammered, turning to face him. "But the weyr! Who…"
"We'll only be gone a few days," F'lar assured her, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "T'gellan will be in charge while we're away." Fixing his gaze squarely on his weyrmate, he added, "Lessa?"
Chuckling as she gently wrapped her arms around him, she said, "Well, truth be told, I've been curious about this place Akie's been talking about. If it's only for a few days…"
Turning to Akadeanna, Lessa wondered, "How will we get there?"
"Depends on what you feel comfortable with, Weyrwoman," Akie replied, feeling a little apprehensive about what she was going to propose.
"Meaning?"
"Well, the least risky would be an FT&T transport aboard Firlea's Fury," Akie explained. "Kind of like going between on a dragon but there's no biting cold."
"No cold?!" Lessa gasped, struggling with the concept. "Then how…"
"I'm not sure," Akie admitted, shaking her head. "It might be a specialized form of teleportation for dragons and fire lizards, giving them respite from Thread. Normal Talent transport for some reason doesn't produce the biting cold."
"I see," Lessa sighed. "Is there another way to get there?"
For a long moment, Akie didn't respond. Drawing a deep, steadying breath, she finally told them, "Have Elara bring us there."
The weyr was deathly silent for several minutes as the residents of Benden digested what Akadeanna was suggesting.
"The distance to this place…" F'nor began.
"Dragons Moon," Akie responded.
F'nor nodded. "How far did you say it was?"
"1893 light-years," Akie replied.
"That's far, right?" F'nor wondered.
"To travel that same distance," Akie explained, double-checking the numbers on her wrist computer, "you would have to travel to Rukbat and back to Pern almost 60 million times."
"How far is Pern from our star?" Lessa asked.
"A distance similar to Earth from its parent star," Akie replied. "Over 90 million miles."
"By the First Egg!" Lessa hissed. "And Elara can do this nearly instantaneously?!"
Akadeanna silently nodded.
"Sharding hell!" F'lar cursed, realization causing his eyes to bug out. "I'm almost sorry now that I studied those AIVAS' astronavigation files."
"Elara has already shown that it has the capability," F'nor remarked, meeting Akie's worried gaze. "Teleporting Canth there and then sending him, Artimeth, Vance, and Luna here."
For several minutes the room was silent as everyone mulled over the possibilities. Silently, F'nor stepped up to Akie, gently laying his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm game."
As am I, Canth rumbled.
"Weyrleader? Weyrwoman?"
Lessa's eyes met F'lar's. With a brief nod, she said, "We're in."
Akie glanced at Benden's Weyrleader. Silently, he nodded, a slight grin on his face.
"Your dragons?"
We're with you, rider, Ramoth rumbled, earning a smile from her lifemate.
When can we go? Mnementh chimed in, radiating excitement.
Dragons and riders gathered together… Vornath, Benth, Artimeth, Canth, Ramoth, and Mnementh forming the outer ring… Akie, Vance, Luna, F'nor, Lessa, and F'lar holding hands in a circle at the center. Recalling everything Jeran Raven, son of the Rowan, had taught her, Akie formed a gestalt with all the others… dragons and humans. When she was certain everything was strong and stable, she reached out to one more sentience.
Elara?
Friend Akie?
Yes. Can you sense the others with me?
Yes!
Can you bring all of us to your surface near the Tower installation?
For a moment, nothing but silence. Akie, I…
My friends wish to visit you, Akie explained.
Recalling the location of the Talent tower's large vessel landing cradles on Lua dos Dragões, Akie projected an image of their group standing in the open area of the dome.
This is where we would like to go. Can you help us?
Still, Elara hesitated. Drawing a deep, calming breath, Akie opened the gestalt, allowing Elara to join. Dragons and humans all gasped when they felt the overwhelming strength of its presence.
We need your help to make the crossing, Elara. You can do this.
Akie, I…
You've already done it before… first bringing Canth to you and then sending Canth, Artimeth, Vance, and Luna here to Pern. Help us make the crossing, Elara.
There was a long pause before the travelers heard, Thank you, friend Akie. Prepare yourselves.
A brief episode of darkness, as though blinking your eyes, and the twin sextets of humans and dragons were staring out through the pressurized transparent dome of the Tower complex and up at the looming form of the gas giant, Sadr!
"Everyone alright?" Akie asked aloud, trying to gauge their reactions to the long-distance teleport.
"No cold!" Lessa whispered, slowly glancing around. Then, more loudly, "No cold! Shards and shells!"
"So this is the world you came to, Canth buddy!" F'nor sighed, patting the side of his dragon as he glanced about. Turning to Akie, he asked, "Mind if we have a look around?"
"Be my guest!" Akie chuckled, using her TK ability to press the door control that opened the massive docking bay access doors, the landscape of Dragons Moon just beyond.
Without another word, F'nor was astride his brown dragon, buckling in securely, and then the pair was awing, soaring gracefully out the opening and into the vast skies of Lua dos Dragões.
"Shall we?" F'lar asked as he climbed astride Mnementh.
Grinning broadly, Lessa nodded, mounting her own Ramoth. Once the two Benden leaders were firmly strapped in, their lifemates took wing, following F'nor out the massive opening into the skies of Dragons Moon.
Thank you, Elara, Akadeanna wordlessly sent. That was well done!
You are my friend, the moon replied. Thank you for believing in me.
"Should we go after them?" Vance wondered as he glanced out the door.
Akie shook her head. "They've battled Thread most of their lives. They'll be fine!"
Arm-in-arm with each other, Akadeanna and her family headed out of the dome, their dragons close behind. Shortly after reaching the outside, Princess Tigress, their Barque cat, came bounding over, leaping up to Luna's shoulder, meowing loudly in protest to being left behind… with no food to eat!
"You're not the only one who's hungry, Princess," Vance chuckled, wrapping his arm around his dragonet's neck. "We'd better hurry to the cafeteria and see what the replicators can whip up for Pern dragons!"
Laughing freely, dragons and riders… and a Barque cat… went to see what was for dinner!