With the end of Threadfall, many of the citizens of Pern began to investigate new opportunities and occupations in earnest, especially with the improving relations between Pern and other worlds of the Federation.
Among those hopefuls were members of the Minecrafthall. At first, this didn't seem to make sense. After all, the planet's name was originally derived from the Exploration and Evaluation Corps (EEC for short) peculiar shorthand for planet designations… Parallels Earth, Resources Negligible.
So where could those in the Minecraft go to find resources they could exploit? Where else, especially now that there was no more Thread? Off-planet! Specifically the two asteroid rings that encircled Rukbat. Scans of the debris fields found a veritable treasure trove of useful and precious metals as well as specialized minerals that could be used to manufacture the more advanced materials the people of Pern were learning more and more about; materials that could not only be used to improve the lives of those on the planet, but in sufficient quantities and purity could be sold off-world, further enriching the lives of the people of Pern.
The hardest part was getting the mined materials back to Pern for processing. The vessels that made up the Pern Defense Force, while usable for transporting what the miners unearthed, even at FTL speeds, would take several hours to make the round trip and they could only transport small amounts.
"Aah!" Masterminer Nicat complained during a routine review at Landing of the efforts his mining teams were accomplishing. "There is a veritable mountain… several mountains… of valuable ore out there, but it's taking forever to get it back here so we can process it!"
"We're doing the best we can," Journeyman Neelek reported, throwing up his hands, "but the inflow of ore is slow and in insufficient quantities to almost not make it worth our while."
"Ambassador, any word on the ore ships we requested?" Fandarel asked, glancing my way. "Sorry. Dana. Anything?"
"Latest word is that the first of the ore carriers will be ready in about two months," I reported, consulting my wrist computer.
A chorus of groans swept the meeting. Clearly, they were hoping for better news.
"There is another possibility," I offered, my gaze sweeping the room.
"You want us to do what?!" F'lar exclaimed when I spoke with him later aboard Faranth's Legacy.
"Help to transport the ore the miners are finding in the asteroid fields," I explained, holding my hands up begging for patience. "Under FTL power, it would take a few hours for normal vessels to make the round trip. However, Faranth's Legacy is unique among the vessels here in orbit."
F'lar's eyes lit up, a grin coming to his face.
"I think you understand what I mean," I went on, smiling at him. "It'll be good practice for the crew, helping them to get accustomed to the workings of this vessel…"
"And give our dragons some needed practice over short distances 'shifting' the Legacy," Lessa chimed in, her smile matching F'lar's. "We can carry substantial loads in our cargo bays…"
"And get the materials to Pern in just a few minutes instead of hours!" F'nor added, thumping his half-brother on the back.
"That'll give Pumara and the construction teams on Pun Ch'lar time to finish the ore carriers," I finished, glancing around the table, "before they deliver them to Pern."
"Better yet," Lessa remarked, warming to the idea, "if we had to, we could pair the ore carriers with Pern-based dragons…"
"Who could 'shift' the vessels not to orbit," F'lar exclaimed, pounding the table with his fist, "but directly to the planet's surface where the ore could be offloaded more quickly!"
"An interesting suggestion," I said, grinning at the others.
"It'll please Masterminer Nicat no end to get his hands quickly on the ore his teams are mining!" Lessa chuckled, grinning broadly.
"We can cover that contingency once the ore carriers are here," I said, nodding. Glancing around the table, I asked, "So, what do you think?"
"At first, I thought you were out of your mind with that suggestion," F'lar chuckled, thumping me on the shoulder, "but it has merits I hadn't considered…"
"Giving the crew, including the dragons," Lessa added, "time to practice what we'll need once we set off to explore the stars. I'm sold!"
"You've got a deal, Dana," F'lar said, shaking my hand.
Slow at first, the crew of Faranth's Legacy accepted the ore the miners unearthed from the asteroids. Once the holds were full, the crew of the vessel attempted their first 'shift', bringing their ship to a position in high orbit over Pern before using normal propulsion to lower it to where the transfer shuttles could then take the precious ore to the surface. With each succeeding 'shift', the crew of Faranth's Legacy, humans and dragons, improved both their confidence and their accuracy, eventually reaching a point where they shifted right to the transfer orbit, the transport shuttles then swarming in to offload the cargo. It was while Faranth's Legacy was making these mundane hops back and forth between Pern and the asteroid belts that they received an unexpected visit from a couple of friends.
"Sir, we're being hailed," Rill reported from the communications station.
"On screen," F'lar ordered.
The faces that appeared were instantly recognizable to all.
"Helva!" F'lar greeted the pilot of the XH-834. "Loreena! Ceruleth! Good to see all of you! What brings you back to this little backwater star system?"
"Fulfilling the promise I made to you, Weyrleader," Loreena replied, grinning broadly. "Our first installment of the planetary systems that the three of us have visited so far."
"Data transmission coming in now," Brekke reported, monitoring from her science station. "Wow! This file is enormous!"
Even with the immensely fast systems aboard both vessels, it took nearly five minutes for the data to be downloaded.
"We have seen so many worlds, everyone," Ceruleth rumbled, rubbing his muzzle against Loreena's cheek. "I hope one day you get to visit all of them."
"Just how many worlds have you three been to?" F'lar wondered, glancing from Brekke to the main view screen.
"We'll leave that for you to discover," Helva chuckled. Waving, she added, "Sorry to dump and run, but… duty calls! Later all!"
The transmission ended, the forward view screen switching to an external view just as XH-834 flashed away at FTL speed.
Two months to the day after that dismal meeting at Landing where hope for the future of mining the asteroids very nearly collapsed, the first of the Pun Ch'lar manufactured heavy ore carrier vessels arrived in orbit over Pern; the next one arriving two months after that and the third after the same interval. There were now enough of the ore carriers to take over from Faranth's Legacy, freeing the vessel and its crew to follow their own destiny.
"Systems status?" F'lar asked from the command chair of Faranth's Legacy.
"Showing all green across the board, sir," Aramina, the vessel's chief engineer replied, double-checking her consoles.
"Impulse power, lowest possible setting," F'lar ordered, turning to the view screen. "Take us out, F'nor!"
"Aye, sir!" his half-brother responded, keying in the proper settings as he faced the forward viewscreen.
Faranth's Legacy left Pern orbit, numerous vessels escorting them for a ways. Then, consulting the data files that Helva, Loreena, and Ceruleth had compiled so far in their courier journeys, Lessa passed the first visualization along to the dragons on board. A heartbeat later, Faranth's Legacy vanished between, appearing ten minutes later high above the first of the planetary references the others had used on their four-jump journey to Pun Ch'lar.
"Systems status!" F'lar called out.
"Still go, sir," Aramina reported, giving him a thumbs up from her station.
Pressing a button on the arm of the command chair, F'lar activated the ship's intercom, calling, "Audiva, how are the dragons doing?"
"Absolutely stellar, Weyrleader," she replied from her medical station in one of the 'shifting' pods. "No indication of any sort of hypoxia."
"Berd Sheerbro's idea to internalize the 'shifting' stations for the dragons was brilliant!" Aramina spoke, grinning from ear-to-ear. "We could even extend the jumps between if we had to."
"Perhaps," F'lar commented, rubbing his chin, "but what about the effects on our human crew? Audiva?"
"Checking," she responded over the intercom, perusing her med station readouts. "Some minor changes in blood chemistry. Biggest complaint I'm getting is from the sensory deprivation while we're between. A lot of the holders who joined the crew aren't as accustomed to that as the riders."
"Duly noted," F'lar responded, nodding. "Good work, Audiva. Bridge out!"
"Still," Lessa commented, pointing at the image on the view screen, "we covered over 60 light-years in only ten minutes. Even if we cut those jumps down to 30 light-years, we'd still be moving faster than any vessel the FSP has ever come up with."
Faranth's Legacy made three more jumps between, emerging in the Regulus star system less than a half hour at FTL speed from their destination. Then, making use of the vessel's normal propulsion, they achieved orbit around the home world of the Kendite Hegemony with practiced ease.
"My children, it is good to see you again," the Kendite Matriarch spoke from the forward viewscreen. "How fares Faranth's Legacy?"
"Beautifully, Zucanno Om Lis Malu," F'lar replied, grinning broadly. "We made the trip from Pern in a little over an hour."
"Well done, everyone!" the Matriarch congratulated them, giving a massive thumbs up in response. "Well done!"
"It wouldn't have been possible without your sponsorship," F'lar told her. "We owe you and your people a great debt."
"Thanks to everything your ambassador did in saving my life," the Matriarch responded, seen patting Puneth on the side of her massive head, "it is a debt I was happy to repay. Safe journey to you and your crew, F'lar. Fare thee well!"
As the Matriarch's image faded out, Lessa said, "I think there's one more place we should visit before we get started exploring."
"The place where it all started," F'nor realized, his smile growing.
"The original home world of the Ancients," Brekke added, smiling at her weyrmate.
"The place where Admiral Benden and all our ancestors first set out across the vast sea of space," Aramina sighed, tears coming to her eyes.
"In search of a new home and way of life," Alemi, science officer and resident dolphineer, commented, brushing aside some of his own tears.
"Earth," F'lar concluded, hugging his weyrmate. "Brekke, how far would the jump be?"
Keying in the request to the ship's computer, she reported, "Seventy eight light-years, a third farther than anything we've tried yet."
"In minutes?"
"A little over thirteen," she replied.
"Bring up the data on the screen," F'lar ordered.
Brekke complied.
"Do we have any reference views of the Sol system?"
"Quite a few," Brekke admitted, shaking her head. "That data dump from Helva was enormous! How could they visit so many places in such a short time?"
"Next time we see them," F'lar chuckled, scanning the images, "we'll ask. What's that first image?"
Brekke checked. "A view of the Sol system from just outside the orbit of Pluto, but well within their Oort Cloud."
"Lessa?" F'lar asked, turning to her.
"A very clear visual reference," she mused, examining the image. "Most likely, though, the planetary bodies have shifted from when this was taken. Brekke?"
Calling up the data the computers now had on their destination, the image shifted perceptively.
"This is what it would look like at this moment," F'nor's weyrmate explained.
"Lessa?"
The image was passed to the 'shifting' crew, and a little over thirteen minutes later, Faranth's Legacy appeared just beyond the outer edge of the Sol planetary system.
"It's beautiful!" Brekke wept.
There were tears in a lot of eyes on board the Pern vessel as the image was displayed on all the monitors throughout the massive ship.
QE2 communication was quickly established with the FSP and their space control sector. Startled to learn the vessel calling them had originated on the once thought lost Earth colony of Pern, the spluttering controller eventually gave Faranth's Legacy clearance to proceed to Earth along one of their many approach corridors. As the vessel gradually drew closer to Earth, excitement throughout the ship only grew. When the viewing monitors finally showed a glimpse of Earth and its solitary moon, cheers went up throughout the entire ship.
"It's like a jewel… floating in space!" Aramina sighed, tears falling unashamedly from her face. "Why did they ever leave it?"
Faranth's Legacy spent about a month parked in orbit, groups of dragons and their riders making the descent to the planet's surface. The inhabitants of Earth greeted them pleasantly enough, but their manners were a bit stiff, almost aloof. By the time the last of the crew of Faranth's Legacy had returned to their vessel, they had all come to the same conclusion.
"No wonder Admiral Benden and the rest of the Ancients fled this world," Lessa muttered, shaking her head as she and F'lar saw to their dragons.
"Perhaps," F'lar was forced to agree, boarding the lift that would take the two of them to the vessel's bridge, "but you and I owe our very existence to the Admiral and his companions. So let's not try to judge the world they came from by the people who live there now."
Smiling and nodding, Lessa planted a tender kiss on F'lar's cheek just as the lift door closed.
The crew of Faranth's Legacy had returned to the home world of their ancestors. As beautiful as it was, everyone had been infected by a powerful wanderlust… a desire to explore space and see what else was out there. What new places would they see? What new civilizations would they encounter? Only one way to find out.
The lift doors opened, F'lar and Lessa emerging on the bridge. F'lar settled into the command chair, Lessa taking position at the navigation station.
"Course, sir?" she asked, glancing back at her pleased and proud weyrmate.
With a quiet sense of satisfaction, smiling as he pointed at the forward viewscreen, F'lar said simply, "To the stars!"