Before our herd of people could trample out of the rocket, a prim, beautiful stewardess appeared out of the captain's cockpit.
"Greetings, honored guests," she smiled sweetly, her voice silk, "and welcome to Pern!"
Some bloke began to applaud, joined by others around him. The stewardess silenced them by running a hand through her immaculate hair.
"Thank you. My name is Althea Galloway, and I am delighted to see you all!" Again, her radiant smile shone. "However, I am here to talk to you all on a very important business. Pern is a very dangerous place. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy your visit here!" Althea hurriedly reassured her rapt audience. She pulled out a pocket-size mechanism, which unfolded into a projector that shone bright rays of light onto the wall beside her, creating a slideshow of her speech. "As long as you follow the necessary safety procedures, your stay on Pern will be safe, fun, and unforgettable."
"First of all, Pern is home to very unique wildlife." Many of the tourists laughed, nodding knowingly. "You may have heard of the ancestors of dragons, firelizards. They're extremely rare nowadays, but if you are hiking in one of Pern's isolated natural reserves, you may catch a glimpse of one. Normally, they are shy and willing to keep away from humans, but do not ever try to corner one, or capture one. As with any wild
beast, firelizards are capable of defending themselves--after all, they were dragons once. In fact, there are a few people who have bonded with a firelizard, as you can see in the picture. More commonly, you might encounter a snake. Unlike snakes on Earth, Pernese snakes have six limbs which they use to burrow or swim. Several species have a poisonous bite, so stay as far away as you can from them."
"And of course, you have your dragons. Pern is widely renowned for its seemingly fantastical feat of bio-engineering these creatures. But remember, even though the only dragons you will see are tame, do not attempt to touch them unless you get approval from their rider. Not all dragons are friendly towards visitors."
"Last, but not least, the reason we created the dragons! Thread, what we call the deadly spores that rain down from the Red Star. We predict the next attack will arrive in 20 days or so. One day before the attack, there will be a planet-wide announcement, calling everyone to take cover. It used to be that we would instruct everyone to go to the Weyrs, but now all our buildings are safe. As long as you are indoors, you don't need to worry. Our dragonriders are well-trained, and no Thread has hit the surface for centuries."
Althea smiled once more, concluding her speech. "Thank you all for coming to Pern, and I hope you enjoy your stay!"
"Greetings, honored guests," she smiled sweetly, her voice silk, "and welcome to Pern!"
Some bloke began to applaud, joined by others around him. The stewardess silenced them by running a hand through her immaculate hair.
"Thank you. My name is Althea Galloway, and I am delighted to see you all!" Again, her radiant smile shone. "However, I am here to talk to you all on a very important business. Pern is a very dangerous place. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy your visit here!" Althea hurriedly reassured her rapt audience. She pulled out a pocket-size mechanism, which unfolded into a projector that shone bright rays of light onto the wall beside her, creating a slideshow of her speech. "As long as you follow the necessary safety procedures, your stay on Pern will be safe, fun, and unforgettable."
"First of all, Pern is home to very unique wildlife." Many of the tourists laughed, nodding knowingly. "You may have heard of the ancestors of dragons, firelizards. They're extremely rare nowadays, but if you are hiking in one of Pern's isolated natural reserves, you may catch a glimpse of one. Normally, they are shy and willing to keep away from humans, but do not ever try to corner one, or capture one. As with any wild
beast, firelizards are capable of defending themselves--after all, they were dragons once. In fact, there are a few people who have bonded with a firelizard, as you can see in the picture. More commonly, you might encounter a snake. Unlike snakes on Earth, Pernese snakes have six limbs which they use to burrow or swim. Several species have a poisonous bite, so stay as far away as you can from them."
"And of course, you have your dragons. Pern is widely renowned for its seemingly fantastical feat of bio-engineering these creatures. But remember, even though the only dragons you will see are tame, do not attempt to touch them unless you get approval from their rider. Not all dragons are friendly towards visitors.""Last, but not least, the reason we created the dragons! Thread, what we call the deadly spores that rain down from the Red Star. We predict the next attack will arrive in 20 days or so. One day before the attack, there will be a planet-wide announcement, calling everyone to take cover. It used to be that we would instruct everyone to go to the Weyrs, but now all our buildings are safe. As long as you are indoors, you don't need to worry. Our dragonriders are well-trained, and no Thread has hit the surface for centuries."
Althea smiled once more, concluding her speech. "Thank you all for coming to Pern, and I hope you enjoy your stay!"
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