On Dragonwings by Anne McCaffrey

Author:Anne McCaffrey [McCaffrey, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-41630-8
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2011-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall of Fort Hold, with Lord Paulin seated in the front row, Kalvi himself was demonstrating to those who would form the Fort groundcrews how to use and service the HNO3 cylinders, taking his audience from assembly of the parts and then a quick rundown of common problems likely to be encountered in the field. Every small holder within Fort’s authority was present: many had brought their elder children. All had come on foot, their own or a horse’s. Fort Weyr, like the other five, was beginning to restrict dragon rides. Lord Paulin understood and approved.

“We’ve had it far too easy, using the dragons the way our ancestors would have used the sleds and airborne vehicles,” he was heard to say when one of his holders had complained that he had been denied his right to a dragonride. “We haven’t been breeding horses just to run races, you know. And the dragonriders have been far too accommodating. Do us all good to walk or ride. You have, of course, extended your beast holds to shelter all your livestock?”

There had been moaning over that necessity, too, with complaints that the engineers should really have spent more time trying to replicate the marvelous rock-cutting equipment with which their ancestors had wrested living quarters out of cliffsides.

Kalvi had come in for considerable harangue over that, which he shrugged off.

“We have a list of priorities: that’s not one. Nor could be. We still have two sleds in the North but no power to run ’em. Never did find out what they used,” he said. “No way of duplicating such power packs, either, or I’m sure our ancestors would have. Otherwise why did they engineer the dragons? Anyway, renewable resources make more sense than erudite or exotic imports.”

When the main lecture was concluded, everyone was told to reassemble after the noon meal for target practice. This was vastly more interesting than having to listen to Kalvi waffle on about how to adjust the wands of the HNO3 throwers to give a long, narrow tongue of fire or a broader, shorter flame. Or how to clear the nozzle of clogged matter.

“You’ve got almost as much variation in flame as a dragon has …” Kalvi said as he slung the tanks to his back, his voice slightly muffled by his safety gear. “You, there, the hard hat has a purpose. Put it on your head! Lower the face screen!”

The offender immediately complied, Kalvi scowling at him.

“The effective range of this equipment is six meters on the narrowest setting, two on the broader. You wouldn’t want it to get closer to you.” He was fiddling with his wand. “Damn thing’s stubborn …” He took out a screwdriver and made a slight adjustment. “Always …” he said loudly and firmly as he held the wand away from his body, “keep the nozzle of the wand pointed away from you and anyone in your immediate vicinity. We’re flaming Thread, not folks. Never … never … engage the flow of the two gases without looking in what direction the wand is pointing.

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