I hope the switch from regular canon stories doesn't seem too far fetched for anyone? I hope there's a certain interweaving of the story we know.
Utterly enchanted, Saska realised she had forgotten these far distant relatives of dragons. Ting reached her head forward, and Saska automatically scratched her eye ridges.
"I didn't know fire lizards were still being Impressed," she said softly.
"Oh yes, and on most of these southern coves the wild golds still lay their eggs undisturbed. Most of the ones in the Weyrs and Holdings are from the breeding of the Impressed fire lizards."
"Does that affect them? Are they becoming evolved to look more to humans?"
Pru thought about that as Saska took the opportunity to wash hands and face and tidy her hair.
"I think even the captive bred ones are as wild as those outside," Pru said at last. "There's no effort made to keep the queens breeding in the Weyrs or Holdings. When they mate with a bronze they lay their eggs where they like, but of course if there's a convenient warm hearth and a steady supply of food, they'll take the opportunity."
They came out of the guest quarters and Ting chittered at a blue fire lizard lying asleep on a window sill in full sunlight.
"They also like to bask," Pru said with a smile. "That's Chirrup, the Harper's companion. Like Menolly did, he's taught his fire lizard to sing with him. Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"I'd welcome a cold drink," Saska admitted. "Respite seems only to have klah on offer."
"Really? We have a variety of fruit juices, or plain water."
"I'd like to meet Aselan if that's possible? I've a message from Lilim, her relative at Respite."
"We'll go to the kitchens, then."
Walking down the smoothed stone passages Saska could not resist reaching out and trailing her fingers over them.
"Honshu was cut out in the very early days after Landing," Pru said. "You see the full benefit of the stone cutters here, like the passages in Fort and Benden."
"I noticed wire fences, like the ones at Respite?"
"They aren't strictly necessary, I suppose. With the constant coming and going of people and dragons the felines have retreated further into the wilds, but old habits die hard on Pern, and the electrified fences are a remnant of the time after the Ninth Pass when the area was first settled."
The underground kitchens were well lit, and ventilated, and Saska spent a moment examining the mechanisms.
"Sorry! They look the same as the ones we use under domes on the Terrvert colonies. Did you get the blueprints from your AIVAS?"
"So I understand," Pru replied. "This is Aselan. Doctor Saska Freeman, Aselan, the scholar from Terrvert who can hear dragons."
"Pleased to meet you, I'm sure. There's cold redberry, or some grape juice."
"Grape juice please."
Pru gave her a smile. "Aselan will show you the way to the outside. You'll excuse me - I've some herbs steeping I really mustn't leave."
Aselan made shooing gestures and poured a tumbler of juice for Saska, releasing a wave of cold air from the refrigerator as she did so.
"How did you know I was here?" Aselan asked as she sipped from her own tumbler.
"Lilim runs the guest quarters at Respite, and suggested I speak to you about old records kept here. She was most emphatic I shouldn't talk to people she called high-ups."
"Quite right too," Aselan replied with a sniff of disdain, and Saska could not help smiling at the resemblance to Lilim.
"I keep telling Lilim she should come here," Aselan continued. "Much more to do, more people to meet. But she was crossed in love as a young girl, and reckons she'll never get over it. Me, I think she's made herself queen of them guest quarters and wouldn't willingly give them up."
Saska laughed and agreed with her, and Aselan turned back to her cooking.
"I know what Lilim meant, and I'll put that book in your room," she said in a quiet voice. "You go up that stairway there, and come out on the terrace, they'll find you plenty of records to read."
Saska finished her drink and made her way up to ground level, coming out onto a shaded terrace where S'lul and K'var were seated.
"All right?" K'var asked. "I guessed he'd time it!"
S'lul grinned at him and gestured to the table.
"I found the flight logs of the dragon-ships and thought you might be interested. What are you researching?"
"The way dragons are getting smaller for one thing," Saska replied, coming over and leafing through a couple of pages of computer print out. "This is Terrvert print."
"Yes, I have it logged in every time I go to Benden World," S'lul said. "Dragons getting smaller - you couldn't put that accusation at Modeth."
"No, I know, which makes it all the more curious."
She sat down and stared out over the landscape shimmering in the heat haze.
"Have you ever seen a world like this?" K'var asked.
"No, never. Benden World has a red sun, and I've spent most of my research years under domes on planetoids with virtually no atmosphere, so there's only the dark of space to see, day or night."
"The dark of space," K'var murmured. "Yes, that describes it well. They were in such a hurry to bring you here - I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to bring you in the southern winter?"
"I can cope," Saska replied.
"Why should dragons be getting smaller?" S'lul asked.
"I don't know. They reached their optimum at the Ninth Pass?"
"That's what everyone assumes," S'lul said. "I couldn't say, I've never studied it that closely."
Saska looked down at the dragon-ship logs.
"Then - with the threat of Thread gone - they should have bred true. But they didn't. If Thread was still coming - would this be an Interval or a Pass?"
Both dragon riders paused and thought about that as Saska glanced through a few more pages of the logs. Several bronzes and browns had been taken to H-V-8, one of the scientific establishments on Terrvert Two, but there were no records of any conclusions.
"Can you speak to any dragon?" S'lul asked. "Modeth says you're shielding your thoughts."
Saska looked up at him.
"I'm not doing it consciously," she said at last. "I think I'm so used to the background buzz in my mind I just tune it out. Sorry, was Modeth trying to speak to me?"
"Not really. He can hear what we're saying through me. He's interested in what you're saying about smaller dragons, because although he's so big, he's never flown a gold."
Saska frowned and closed the log books.
"That's counter-intuitive," she said slowly. "You'd expect the biggest bronze to fly the queens, to get the best bloodline."
"My sister is Weyrwoman at Southern, Cesila, rider of gold Rannerth," S'lul replied. "That wouldn't preclude Modeth from flying Rannerth, but I'd need some - alternative - weyrmate, although I'd be Weyrleader."
"Is that why Modeth doesn't attempt it? But there are other Weyrs?"
"Oh yes, and when the junior golds fly, those flights are open to all bronzes and browns," K'var said. "As to sizes of dragons - there must be records of those?"
"Not at Respite," Saska replied. "I've looked at all the records, and there's nothing at all about sizes."
"This would be the end of the Tenth Interval after the Tenth Pass," S'lul said suddenly. "We're 300 turns or so from the Ninth Pass which is really our measuring point in a way, here on Pern. 300 turns is about 12 generations from those dragons and their riders. But Kitty Ping developed them from fire lizards and bred them so intensively - "
"I'll bespeak the Weyrlingmaster at Fort, and see if there's anything in their records," K'var offered. "But in the meantime - the day's dancing is being wasted - did you bring a pretty dress when you flung off in such a hurry?"
Saska laughed and stood up.
"Yes, I brought a dress. I want to see all the crafts at this Gather as well, don't forget."
"There will be plenty," S'lul promised. "And dancing."