[Day 6]

     He was up early.  Meeting with P'Ker outside the commons they both
walked over to the proposed new site of the apartments.  Nikol carried a
small sampling hammer, a pair of canvas sacks, and writing instruments.
P'Ker carried the plans that they had worked on and some marking chalk.

     They started at the north end, pacing and marking.  Nikol would chip
samples or rap the walls and listen to the echos.  P'Ker had enough sense to
allow the blaster to do his job and not interupt him when he seemed to lose
himself facing one end of a cave.  Nikol would label samples and place them
in his sack and then jot impressions of each cave down on his own rough
sketch of the plans.  They contained incomprehensible glyphs and symbols for
charges and layouts of the blast.

      They were on the third apartment of the complex, mainly due to Nikols
insistence on double checking each measurement before moving on when the
messenger arrived.  "Measure twice, cut once."  he would mutter as they
confirmed each count and pace.  P'Ker nodded, having heard the same from
several other craftsmen in the complex.  It was like a mantra for those for
whom a mistake could be very costly.  The runner was one of the young
apprentices to Seth and he carried an urgent summons for Nikol to attend
right away.  Nikol motioned for P'Ker to continue the basic measures and
that he would do the double check when he returned, as well as collect the
samples.

     Rather than heading to the deeper passages Nikol was led down onto one
of the greens where the master miner waited for him, a pair of cups of
spring water by his side.  "You ever had dealings with a pregnant woman?"

      This seemed an odd way to start a conversation but Nikol responded
politely.  "I am the youngest of eight.  Every holiday almost guaranteed at
least one relative present would be pregnant.  I am familiar with the
condition."

     Seth blew out a breath and nodded.  "Good, then this will be much
easier.  You know when the woman gets to the stage where the room has to be
'just so' for the baby?  Painting, sewing, quilting, toys and the like?"

     Nikol nodded, memories of an aching back while arranging furniture for
his sister in law.  "Nesting stage, aye, I know it.  My Da says that this is
a time when it is best to shut up and obey because all the alternatives are
infinitely worse."

     "Your father is a wise man.  I have a job for you but it is not to be
an easy one.  You must remove a rock outcrop, at the insistence of a nesting
female.  As you may guess, it must be done 'just right'."    He paused, as
though hesitatnt to give the next piece of information.  "Of course 'No job
is simple'."

     Nikol smiled back.  "Never.  So where is the gas pocket in this one?"

     "The female is not . . . human.  It is the Queen."

     "Dragons get nesting instinct?"  Nikol asked incredulously.  Seth
nodded.  "And she wants a rock outcrop removed?"

     "Won't lay until it is.  She is waiting for you in the hatching
grounds.  Now I know better than to rush a blaster . . . but she doesn't,
and she IS the queen.  I'd advise you to do it right once and get gone.
Anything or anyone you need will be at your disposal for this job.  Now I'd
advise you to drink up and get to it.  Jad, here, will show you the way."
Seth tapped young Jad who looked dismayed at having been given this assignment.

     "I'll know who and what I will need after I see the outcrop."  Nikol
nodded and scooped up his bags and tools.  "Let's get to it, Jad."

     As they walked along Nikol slowly came to fear the upcoming meeting.
He had never dealt directly with a dragon before.  He had seen them in the
distance, coming and going from the town but never up close.  And now he was
doing a job for one . . . a pregnant one . . . who would be very fussy  . .
. and could eat any journeyman who happened to irritate her.  His paced
slowed for a moment and then he sped up, mainly to keep up with Jad who was,
for want of a better word, scurrying forward like a frightened mouse.

     The hatching grounds were in a protected alcove of the Cleft warren of
caves and she and her rider were waiting for them on the warm sands.  The
queen looked even bigger close up but Nikol refused to yield to the fear and
buried it in the business at hand.  "Now, what would you like done?"

     Cynthia opened her mouth to speak but Trissanna pre-empted the
explanation by dragging her claws across the offending outcrop and then
glaring at Nikol as though _he_ had personally put it there.  Nikol knew
that look, whether it was from a dragon or a sister-in-law.  He hurried
across to the outcrop and started chippinbg and measuring.  He glanced acoss
at Jad who was doing his best to be inconspicuous.  "Tell Seth I'll need
five two drillers now and five men and a wagon in two hours.  You can come
back with the wagon."

     Jad nodded vigorously and left quickly.  Nikol sat down in front of the
rock and measured it with a practiced eye before getting out his pen and
paper and starting the calculations.  Every now and again he would make
marks for the drillers, in their glyphs so they would know the angle, depth,
and width to drill.  So focussed was he that he did not notice the head
lowering to look over his shoulder and only when the hot breath blew a paper
aside did he realize who and what he had turned his back on.  He turned to
look eye to eye with the queen.  Cynthia had left, called away on some other
business, and the two of them were alone.

     One hand tried for steadiness as it returned the errant page to the
pile while the other gripped a pen tightly.  The reptilian gaze revealed
nothing of what thought processes were going on within the huge head, at
least, not to his inexperienced eye.  He spoke calmly, in a low voice, as he
might to one of the more fractious animals in his fathers stables.  "It will
be no problem, ma'am.  It's not a supporting rock so we'll just split her
off of the face and break her up and we'll be out of here in a few hours."

     The hiss of a reply needed no translating.  He shrugged and continued.
"No, ma'am, it cannot be done faster.  If I rush a job like this I run the
risk of dropping the whole rock face onto your sands.  I will not rush this
no more than you would have me rush your laying.   Now it will be done,
once, right.  I'll be back inside of half an hour and then I will stay until
it is done to _your_ satisfaction.  By your leave?"  Again he tugged the
forelock as though dealing with royalty (which he was) and then he squeezed
by, carrying his calculations.  He met the drill team at the entrance and
directed them to wait for his return.  (he didn't want them to speak of the
job in front of her for fear they might say something wrong and sour the mood.)

     Running.  He thought he had left that behind when he graduated to
journeyman.  Here he was, running through the commons and up the stairs to
his apartment.  He opened one chest and then another and layed out the
requisite materials for the charges.  This was a simple cut and it took him
little time to make the four tubes and a common set of quick fuse.  He
bundled it up and scooped the plain hunting horn in the other hand and was
again running across the complex back to where the hatching ground was.  He
took the drill team in and set them to making the charge holes while he
double checked all of his calculations and measurements.

     "Done"  The laconic elder driller said as he started for the exit.

     "Wait."  The team waited while Nikol checked each hole for angle and
depth before he dismissed them.  He then looked over at the queen who lay
with her eyes focussed on him and what he was doing.  "Ma'am?  From here on
it gets dangerous.  I will be setting blasting charges and I'd appreciate it
if you were to leave until I am through."

     She raised her head almost in defiance and he spoke quickly, taking the
one route his father assured him would always work in this situation.  "The
babies, ma'am.  I wouldn't want to put the bab . . . eggs, eggs at risk."

     The head  cocked to one side and then she gracefully exited the cavern.
Nikols tension went down three notches and he returned to setting and
checking each charge in turn.  He then set the quick fuses for each leading
to the longer base fuse that would allow him to be far enough away from the
blast.  He took the horn and a  went to the entrance.  Blowing the horn the
traditional twelve times, warning of impending explosion, he then lit the
fuse.  It hissed and raced away from him leaving him a moment to duck and
cover before the cavern shook with the combined crump of the four charges
going off simultaneously.

     He counted to ten and then blew a long single blast on the horn to
indicate the all clear.  Then he ran into the cavern . . .

     dust

            lots of dust.

     Slowly it all cleared and he was gratefull to find that he had done it
just right.  The face had been cut a smoothly as though with a knife.  He
set a couple of secondaries to break the outcrop into managable fragments
and blew them in place.  As he was finishing the five and wagon arrived and
he helped lift and load the wagon for removal of the rubble.  She arrived
after the wagon had left for the third time to find him raking the sands and
picking up each small pebble that had come down from the face.  His focus
was such that he did not hear her come in nor note her presence until she
was right behind him.

     He hoped the jump of surprise was not too obvious but he kept picking
up for another ten minutes before stepping to the side and gesturing at the
new wall.  "Well?"  In his minds eye he could see his sister-in-law and
remembered how many times he had moved the room.  He hoped it was good
enough but he was ready for the worst.

<<<nrpg>>>
hokay, one outcrop obliterated.

I would not be the least surprised to find that there was some other
offending part to the cavern.  Nikol won't be either.

mike--->and fathers day is tomorrow