written by Anne McCaffrey
published in 1993
short story in the Dragonriders of Pern series
short story in the
Pern series
A team of FSP scientists scout a distant planet. Time is too short to resolve some mysteries, but they find it safe for human settlement, with resources to support residents but inadequate for commercial exploitation. Their report is coded P.E.R.N.c meaning Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible, recommended for colonization.