Chap. 392 The Strange Beast of Woochick Island

“By the stars, K’ndar, these are amazing. I don’t know where to start first!” Jansen said.

She’d extracted the pictures he’d taken of the horned beast in the jungle.

“Look,” she said, pointing at the picture, “it’s looking right at you. Next picture, it turns and you can see stripes!”

“That’s obviously camouflage,” K’ndar said, “and common sense tells me the horns-if they ARE horns and not bones, are for self defense.”

“It has to be, zooming in, there’s scars alongside the stripes.”

“Yes. I bet my lunch-well, perhaps I shouldn’t bet my lunch, I went a long time yesterday without one. But I can tell you the food at Cove Hold is terrific.”

“You bet what?”

“Is that as close as you can zoom in?”

She tried. “Yes.”

He examined the picture for several moments. “I don’t have the boots anymore, but remember me telling you about the woochick slashing my boot with a large talon on its hind legs? It looks like the same sort of cut on the side of this animal. I’m betting the woochick attacked this beast, which means it’s probably a prey animal. Oh, I wish I’d caught one!”

“Let’s see what Turing thinks it is,” she said.

The computer hemmed and hawed for a few moments, then said,

Unknown. Closest matches: 75% Ceratopsian, Terran, Cretaceous era, extinct.

51% Herratipid, Vulcan, Nenaavarian era, extinct.

“And?” Jansen asked the blandly blinking cursor on the screen. But the computer was content with just the barest of definitions. Jansen muttered under her breath as she asked it for further information.

“Karatopsian? Never heard of it,” he said.

“No, no, if it’s Global, it’s pronounced serra top see en. But what is that?? Let’s see.”

She typed Define Ceratopsian.

The computer responded:

“Ceratopsian, n, (ser-a-top-see-en) Gr, horned or hornlike, any of a group of plant-eating dinosaurs from Terra’s Cretaceous Period (146 million to 66 million years ago Terran), characterized by a bony frill on the back of the skull and a unique upper beak bone called a rostral. See image of holotype creature Triceratops.

Cit: Encyclopedia Brittanica, London, United Kingdom, Terra

“Dinosaurs?” she said, puzzled.

“Like our dragons. Saurians. Dinosaurs were the dominant animals on Terra for a very long time. I think our original colonists, when they found fire lizards, assumed they were dinosaurs. They’re close, I guess, not related of course, as Terra is a very long ways away. This animal’s appearance is what we call convergent evolution. If I’m reading this correctly, our beast is 75% similar to a Terran beast and 51% to a Vulcan one.”

“Hmm. Well, Turing, are you going to give me more information?”

It blinked noncommittally. She typed in Illustrate typical Terran Triceratops

K’ndar laughed. “Say that three times real fast.”

She giggled. “Thatthatthat. Easy.”

The computer screened an illustration of a Triceratops.

Both of them were gobsmacked. “Look at those horns!”

“It DOES look a lot like your island beast.”

“Whoa,” K’ndar breathed, delighted that he’d been right about convergent evolution-until he saw the dimensions.

“Good grief, Jansen, look at the size of the Triceratops? NINE meters long? Nine?”

“That’s what it says. Whoa is right. On second look the island beast does have some differences, I see. “

“Like ours has six legs instead of just four,” K’ndar snarked.

“Well, yeah,” Jansen said, her interest piqued. She typed in “How many Terran dinosaurs?”

Terra had an estimated 300 valid genera and approximately 1000 known species of dinosaur. More undoubtedly existed but were never found, due to the haphazard nature of fossilization and, during the human era, warfare, agricultural and environmental destruction and climatic changes. Please refine request.

“Hmm,” she said, “Getting pedantic, Turing? Okay, how long was the dinosaur era on Terra.”

Earliest known dinosaur was Nyasasaurus at 243 million years before present era. Dinosaurs went extinct (save for avians, mammals, and several land reptilian species) after an asteroid strike 66 million years before present era.

“I can’t even imagine that amount of time,” she sighed.

“I’ve not done the research,” K’ndar said, surprised as well, “but from what little I know, it wasn’t just dinosaurs that were extirpated. I think all of Terra was decimated, for thousands of years.”

“An entire class of animals extinct after an asteroid strike? And we thought our fireball was bad,” she said, astonished. She looked at K’ndar. “How sad. It must have been terrible. When I have time, I’m going to research it. Turing’s historical archives are deep.”

“Yes. But for now, let’s get back to the beast,” K’ndar said, hoping to move things along.

She clicked back to the beast’s image.”Since you found it, I should think you have the right to name it.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know if I should.”

“No, K’ndar, shrugging not allowed. Remember the arguments when you found the musk lizard? Name it NOW and no one will know any better.”

He sighed. “I sure do remember that. Fleming calling it a spotted pig killer?” He snickered. “You’re right. Okay. Ceratops.”

“Works for me.” she typed Assign name Ceratops to animal pictured.

Done. Full Linaen nomenclature? it asked.

“Turing, you get smarter every day,” Jansen sighed. She looked at K’ndar.

“Okay. Um,” he rummaged in his mind, “Simple is best, in my mind. Is it okay to name the island Woochick Island?”

She grinned, changed screens to one that was a mere list. “Nothing on this list even close to that.” The computer pulled up an aerial view from space and she typed in “Woochick Island”.

“Done.”

“Will we catch heat for this, just arbitrarily half ass naming islands, just you and me?”

She laughed. “Who’s going to know?”

“Me,” a voice said behind them.

Surprised, they looked behind them. P’jar, the staff botanist, was leaning against the framed doorway, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

“How did you get in without our hearing you?” Jansen asked, flushed. “I never heard the door woosh!”

P’jar moved over to just behind Jansen. “I came from between,” he snarked.

“Right,” she said, scathingly. Even so, she felt grateful that K’ndar was there with her.

There’s something about you I don’t like, P’jar, she thought. I can’t quite elucidate it, but I know how you make me feel. I’m Raylan’s assistant, I have had no problems taking care of business while he’s with Francie. I won’t take this. This is my office, my computer, my job. It’s your tone of voice, that supercilious expression, like now. You make me feel as if I’m still an apprentice.

“There’s ways around a noisy door,” P’jar said, winking conspiratorially at K’ndar.

“We didn’t hear it because you’re leaning against it and keeping it from closing,” K’ndar pointed out. I don’t know why, but you’re acting bullish right now, P’jar. I don’t like it.

Jansen glared at P’jar. “Okay, smart arse.” She held his eyes for a long moment.

P’jar dropped his eyes, then looked past her. “Sorry. You two were so involved in naming an island, I guess you just didn’t hear.”

He entered the room to stand behind the two. The door swooshed shut behind him.

“So what is so amazing about a flyspeck island? The Eastern Sea is full of them.”

She changed the screen back to the ceratops.

“This beast, in particular, but the island has…” K’ndar started, but P’jar shouted, “WHERE is that island?!”

“What?”

P’jar leaped forward, stabbing a finger at the screen. “There. This beast, it’s on an island? WHERE is it?” he shouted in excitement.

“It’s um, well, here’s the coordinates,” she said, pointing at the data on the bottom.”Why?”

“The coordinates mean nothing to me,” P’jar said, testy, “I need a cairn, a dragonstone, something to push into Falconth’s head. Who took the picture?”

“I did,” K’ndar said. Stars, but he can be a bit aggressive, he thought. “Why?”

But P’jar was focused on the screen. “Why? Why? For Pern’s sake, look! Look at that! The vegetation! I’ve never seen any plants like these, the trees, the shrubs, it’s all new. I’ve never seen plants like them, not anywhere on Pern, um, at least on Southern, and I thought I knew every plant on Pern.”

He straightened up, drilling K’ndar’s eyes. “I have to go there. Those plants are so unusual, I need to take samples, give me ten minutes and I’ll be harnessed up with collection bags ready to go.”

I am being pushed into a trip I hadn’t planned on taking, K’ndar thought, I’m not a weyrling to be ordered about. And I’m not ready to go skyhooting off, I have work here to do.

“Right now?” he said.

“Yes! Why not now?”

Well, I’m not ready,” he said,”And I really hadn’t planned on flying out there today. I have work to do.”

“Come on, K’ndar, just take me out there, you can come back, if you want. Just a quick two betweens, or just have Raventh push the dragonstones, you did make a cairn, right? I have to collect some of those plants!” P’jar grumbled.

K’ndar suddenly understood the brown rider’s insistence. I know the feeling. I felt it myself. “Francie made some cairns but at this moment they’re probably under water. I have other things on my schedule today, P’jar.”

“Underwater? She made them under water?”

“Tides, P’jar, tides,” Jansen said, catching on immediately.

“Tides? Damn the tides,” P’jar said.

“Obviously, you’re not so acquainted with the power of the sea,” Jansen said. “Grew up inland, did you?”

“I grew up in Western Weyr, ma’am, it’s right on the coast. I know about tides,” P’jar retorted.

“So you understand that,” she started, but K’ndar interuppted.

“No matter where you grew up, P’jar, the tides are the problem at Woochick Island.” He looked at Jansen. “Would you please (he emphasized ‘please’) bring up a current image of the island from the starship? With maybe the water depths and the reef?”

“Of course,” she said, as she contacted the starship. You’re a pain, P’jar. Is it because Raylan’s out? You don’t act like this when he’s here. You act like you’re the boss hoss here right now, ordering K’ndar around like he’s just a kid. And just barely NOT ordering me.

“I don’t see the beach,” K’ndar said, “Obviously it’s high tide there.”

“Yup,”P’jar said, “Damn. And I bet as it’s an unknown island that Flight Ops doesn’t have a clue as to the tides. It’s an unknown island? I wonder why.”

“It’s all by itself,” K’ndar said, “it’s not even remotely connected to the Eastern Island chain. It’s limestone, too, not volcanic. See the reef? I’m no seaman but I know enough about coral reefs that they could open the hull of a ship in a minute.” I hope I’m using the right terminology, he thought. “No one dares bring a ship in there. The only way to get ashore is by dragon, there’s only one beach on the whole island where one can land.”

P’jar looked at Jansen. “How fresh is this image?”

She pointed at the time. “Maybe two minutes? It takes those electrons a few seconds to get here from the starship.”

“Where’s the beach, K’ndar?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen an aerial photo of the island, so I don’t really know where the beach is. I do know that at high tide, the cairn is underwater, just like the beach itself. That beach is small, P’jar, it’s maybe three hundred meters long and a hundred meters from tree line to water line, and the tide makes time there fairly short.”

“Hmm,” P’jar said, tapping his chin with a forefinger, “That makes for a problem, I think I could spend a week out there just collecting.”

He looked at them. “Okay. I guess I’ll have to take a few days to figure out when I can get there. By the way, I think it’s fair to call it Woochick Island.”

Jansen bridled. Yes, he’s very much trying to take command. Damn it, this is MY domain.

A memory of Evvelin, the Admin chief, swam into her mind. She’s easy to work for but she doesn’t take any of this kind of attitude, she thought. She’d NEVER allow this sort of interaction from anyone, not just a cocksure dragonrider like you, P’jar. I’ll just put on my best Evvelin attitude.

“I’ve already decided that. I don’t believe you have the time to go there today, P’jar. You’ve been out on Western for almost a week, so I am sure you have data to input,” she said, her tone frosty.

His eyebrows jumped skyward.

“The plants will stay there for a while longer, I’m certain. You, though, well, I’m certain you know how the Science Division Chief wants his data turned in on time, even when he’s not on site.”

P’jar flinched.

Jansen held P’jar’s eyes for a long moment. She saw them turn to something a little less assertive.

“Aye,” P’jar said after a long moment. He shrugged.
I’m being an arse, he thought.

“Never mind me,” he said, letting it go, “I got hyped seeing all that new stuff. I can’t wait to get to it!”

Motanith just landed Raventh said.

K’ndar immediately looked at P’jar to see if his brown had announced the green dragon’s arrival.

The two dragon riders eyes met. There was something in P’jar’s eyes that K’ndar remembered seeing at the weyr, when he was still a weyrling. Yes. He knows. He felt a wave of relief, but it was tinged with uncertainty.

She grinned. “It’s okay.” She turned to K’ndar, feeling a bit of triumph.

“So, K’ndar, what shall you name the animal?”

He dragged his attention back to Jansen. His mind was unsettled.

“What did the Terrans name their triceratops?

She typed. The triceratops reappeared.

“Triceratops horridus?” It doesn’t look horrible to me. Although those horns look like the beast could give a good account of himself in a fight.”

“To me, I think they’re rather fetching. It looks almost cute, in a saurian way, of course,” she said. She returned the ceratops picture.

“Right. I’ve decided. It’s Ceratops woochickii,” K’ndar said, with finality.

As she was typing it in, the door to her office swooshed open.

“There you are,” they heard a familiar voice say.

Leaning on a skybroom cane, and looking a bit wan, Francie smiled. Raylan hovered solicitously behind her, obviously prepared to catch her should she collapse.

Jansen’s expression said it all. Thank the stars you’re back, boss.

___________________________________________________________

“I’m just here to pick up some fresh clothing,” Francie said.

They were outside their quarters. Raventh and Falconth were ogling Motanith. The fire lizards swooped over her head.

“You’re going back to Cove Hold?” K’ndar asked, confused.

Raylan nodded. “But not with me,” he said, “Unfortunately, I have work to do.” Something in his manner was bristling. He’s not mad at me, K’ndar thought, but he’s certainly peeved about something. Did Raventh tell Motanith about P’jar?

K’ndar felt fear for her. “Is there…is there something, um, bad with your leg, and, um…I am so glad to see you up and about but what is going on?”

Francie touched his shoulder. “No, no, it’s not my leg. I’ll be keeping it, luckily, thanks to you.”

“It was Motanith, Francie, I just did basic aid.”

“Stop, K’ndar. It was you, too. But anyway, I, I would really want to stay here, but, well, it’s Motanith. She’s coming into heat. There’s no dragons at Cove Hold other than Rath, B’rost’s blue, and he stays gone. I would much rather be alone at Cove Hold with her than have Landing’s bronzes and browns rising to mate with her.”

“Oh.” Yes, he thought. Now I understand this feeling. It’s been a while.

She sighed. “You know how it is, K’ndar. You’ve seen mating flights.”

“Yes, but..um…not with Raventh, he’s..”

“Raventh’s not sexually mature yet. He’s got another year or so before he can mate, but he’s still aware of what heat means and what female dragons are for.”

Yes Raventh said, I want to fly with the others when she rises. I can catch her. I am faster than the bronzes and Falconth.

Raylan bristled. “Never mind she’s my wife.” Sometimes I wish I didn’t have this issue, he thought. Other men have normal lives with non-dragon riding wives. No dragon lust addled dragonriding men to compete with.

She leaned against him, and he put his arms around her to steady her.

It was so close, he thought. So close. She went out there without telling me.

He sighed in his mind. But I did screw up, too. And I love her more than I love my own life, I almost lost her what was it, two days ago? I’ll never forget, I was so afraid she was going to die. I can deal with a horny green dragon if it means keeping Francie with me.

K’ndar blushed. “Oh. I, um, well,” he stuttered, suddenly understanding the feeling of increasing urgency. Motanith is coming into heat. And that means I’m about to drop into that mindless maelstrom of lust. One green dragon with four males-no. I’ll tie myself to my bunk. Not with you, Francie, I could never have sex with you.

She smiled. “So, thank you again, K’ndar. I’ll be back in a few days.”