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de himself familiar with the names of the brightest stars to be seen in Benden's wintry skies。 Canopus was low on the horizon； Girtab outshining her。
He really ought to get to work now； to make Honshu a viable part of what dragonriders could 〃do〃 to protect the planet。 That was at least obvious to him。 He had no idea how a dragon； or all the dragons of Pern； could stop another fireball…they didn't have any more antimatter engines to drop on them； he thought wryly…but it made a lot of good sense to find out if anything else was likely to impact any time soon。 From some scrap of those nearly disregarded astronomy lessons； he remembered that hazardous impacts were infrequent。 There were a few documented； like the Circle Runner Station and the most recent meteorite that had rammed into the prison yard at Crom Minehold。
Wansor； old Lytol； and D'ram were certainly working all out on updating orbits with Erragon down at Cove Hold。 The skies currently above Pern had altered within Rukbat's system since the colonists had first surveyed it twenty…five hundred and fifty…three Turns ago。 Asteroids had collided； broken up into different pieces； spinning into new orbits。 Perhaps one of them had been the Fireball。 Others； like the erratic wanderer inaccurately called the Red Star had entered the system as ets or fragments。 In the spare moments F'lessan had had； he'd reviewed his old astronomy notes from his classes with Aivas。 A long…forgotten lesson reminded him that the Yoko got its information from what the Ancients had called 〃a southern array of satellites。〃 Aivas had once mentioned the absence of a northern array； which would have given a much clearer picture of minor planets； ets； and other orbiting bodies。 He remembered that there were more telescopes stored in the Catherine Caves； which probably would have been set up in observatories to keep track of such objects。 Old Earth certainly had known exactly what was in its solar system。 But no one had anticipated the Red Star and Thread falling on Pern。
Thread must have sharded a lot of the colonists' plans； F'lessan thought to himself。
To identify what now circled in Pern's spatially near vicinity would need more than however many apprentices and journeymen currently worked at Cove Hold。 The telescope in the ingenious observatory that old Kenjo had contrived was the type that required a puter and a screen to display what it saw。 The l0x50mm binoculars he had wheedled out of Jancis worked well enough。 With these he had been able to spot what were marked in the Aivas charts as minor planets and the larger objects in the asteroid belt。 But to have an instrument that would produce images that one could study in detail！ That would help enormously in charting the skies。 He grinned； rubbing his cold arms。 And maybe he'd get Tai to help him。 Ah！
When the entire furor over the Flood had eased down； he was sure he could now get authorization from Master Wansor to withdraw the appropriate boards and crystals out of storage at Admin to be able to focus the primary mirror。 Aivas had taught him how to assemble a puter。 Benelek； another of his old friends and now Master of the puter Hall； could probably be talked into helping him。 Screens were harder to e by； but he might just cajole Stinar into giving him a spare one； if he promised regular reports of what the ancient Schmidt…type telescope detected。
Enough stargazing。 He had a tiring day ahead of him。 He hadn't had a chance to show Tai where he kept the binoculars or the stand。 Much less the glory of the Honshu observatory。 As he turned on his heels and walked quickly back into his weyr； out of the cold； he smiled to himself： she'd like that！
CIRCLE RUNNER STATION…1。18。31
〃Not the first time things have fallen on Pern that weren't Thread！〃 Chesmic； Circle's garrulous Stationmaster； said to the two men who had asked for a night's shelter。 Since it was extremely cold and there was enough in the stew pot for two more； Chesmic allowed them in。 Besides； he could use a new audience。 Every other Runner gathered for a warm meal before continuing their runs had already heard his usual tale。
〃Why d'you think we call this place Circle？〃 he went on； glancing first at one and then the other。
〃Do tell us；〃 the younger man said； his tone so close to downright rudeness that Chesmic almost didn't continue。
〃Do tell us。〃 The older man with the scarred face spoke more courteously； in a deep； oddly muffled voice。 When he broke off a piece of bread from the big loaf in the center of the table； Chesmic noticed that he was minus the top joint of the first finger on his left hand。
〃Not because it's built round。〃 As he took up his tale again； Chesmic's penetrating glare included everyone at his table and their quiet conversations stopped。 〃Which it ain't。 But； 'cos o' that great hole out there！〃 He pointed in the appropriate direction。 〃Twenty good paces from the front door and twice as deep as the tallest man ever growed。 'Cos that's where that…〃 and now he pointed to the twisted black fragment displayed in a niche in the stone wall； 〃…landed！〃
Of the two guests； only the older man looked at it。 His panion assumed a supercilious smile as he continued to spoon stew into his face。 At least； Chesmic thought； they won't plain they hadn't been well fed at Circle。
〃Nothing pared to what the Fireball did；〃 the younger man said； openly contemptuous。 〃Never should have messed with the Red Star。〃
〃That…〃 Chesmic waggled his hand toward the crater； 〃fell over a thousand Turns ago before Aivas had the dragonriders push the Red Star out of harm's way。〃 He rushed on before the arrogant young man could do more than open his mouth。 〃So it stands to reason there ain't no connection twixt it and the thing what plowed through Crom Minehold。 Both of them are meteorites。〃 He pronounced each syllable。 〃Ain't the first that have fallen。 Fireball was a different thing altogether。 Right？〃 he asked the Runners。
They murmured agreement with him。
〃Does Crom Minehold display its meteorite as you do？〃 asked the older man in his odd speech。
Chesmic couldn't quite place the man's accent。 He was certainly not from Keroon； Keroonians drawled…that is； when they spoke at all。 Nor was he from the eastern coast。 Runners bred there spoke in crisp tones。 West coasters did； too； though they accented some words differently。 That was it。 The man had no accent； no tone to his words： he just spoke them and sometimes blurred the t's and d's and n's。
〃Naw； sold it to the SmithCraftHall for more marks than the mines've earned in Turns。〃 Chesmic did not wholly approve of that sale but it had been their meteorite。 Not that he couldn't have sold his to the SmithCraftHall； if he felt like it； but you couldn't sell something that had been in his family so long。 Wouldn't be right！
〃I heard that they think it's part of the Red Star；〃 the young man said； a sly gleam in his eyes。
〃That's a bundle of snake wallop；〃 Chesmic replied contemptuously。 He pointed skyward。 〃Iffen the Red Star had broke up…which Masters Erragon and Stinar and Wansor has seen through Cove Hold that it hasn't…we'd have rocks falling down all over the planet。 And we don't。〃
〃That Fireball made enough trouble for us；〃 one of the Runners said。
〃It was wrong to move the Red Star；〃 the older man said； his face somber and his voice forbidding。 〃It has circled Pern for centuries and to alter its course is a bad deed。〃
〃Oh； it's still to circle Pern；〃 Chesmic agreed。 〃Just not close enough to drop Thread on us again。〃
〃Thread； and the dragonriders flaming it out of our skies； is tradition。 So many have been broken。 So much has Aivas corrupted our way of life； our traditions。〃
There was something about the man's toneless voice that caught you up in his words but Chesmic knew about traditions。 Runners followed ones that belonged to the first CraftHall to be formed at Fort Hold。
〃There isn't a Runner on any trace on Pern； north or south； that does not follow tradition。 And since you've both finished eating； you'd best make use of the beds that tradition…〃 Chesmic paused to be sure these strangers understood what he meant。〃…requires us to of