Planning the Future: Gold & Bronzeriders Mandatory

[hrsegrl]

The first twenty four candlemarks of his leadership had been an upheaval for the Weyr that he had waited to make his decisions about who would be Alpha Wingleader and who would be Weyrlingmaster. Iaslia and himself had spoken of the choices and had come to an agreement. He valued her judgement as much as his own and so she was to be present here. The chair at the head of the table was hers.

He waited. They would be here soon. The men who were the greatest the Weyr had to offer. The same men who would be the most help for his time as leader and also the men who would forever be his rivals. They could almost consider eachother equals if their pride and arrogance did not stand in the way. Ev'os smiled at that. Most of them were still unhappy having a young inexperienced Weyrleader. They did not realize that he had more experience than they could understand. Training a group of weyrlings and assigning them tasks was not easy. Not when they all woke tired and went to sleep more exhausted than the day before.

The position had given him a chance to see and prove to himself that he could do this. He already knew how Iaslia wanted to run things and he agreed with most of it before he even became Weyrleader. Now they made a near perfect team, knowing eachother's strengths and (Faranth forbid) weaknesses. The riders of Beta Wing would always see him as their true leader no matter who was Weyrleader. They had been through so much together and that was why he was going to stay Wingleader of Beta wing. That was why Alpha, the more prestigous wing would be going to another Bronzerider.

There were many things to discuss today. Now that the eggs were on the Sands, they had a lot of unfinished business to take care. Loose ends would be tied up and there was the matter that Z'skel was requesting a meeting with him too. Might as well deal with all of it in one fell swoop. Pacing the room his dark eyes watched as food and drink was placed in the middle of the table. In case this meeting lasted a long while, which was entirely possible.

[starshine]

Z'skel strode absent mindedly into the weyr. He was making plans in his head, going over painfully what he was going to mention to the Weyrleader. He was banking on having the leaders backing in this adventure he was about to plung into. It was almost convenient for E'vos to call a meeting on the bronzes just when Z'skel mentioned that he wanted to meet with him.

There was also the matter of the Weyrleadership. With the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader currently filled that left open several spots. Z was indifferent to them. He cared not whether E'vos and Iaslia had considered him for any of these slots. He was content with his dragon and flying for Alpha. He considered himself to be one of the few riders to not have a problem with E'vos' age. So what if he was young, many famous weyrleaders were young, and another thing, Iaslia was young as well. That meant that they were healthy and full of stamina, while Nisurath's health was certainly something to consider, she still produced a small though healthy clutch.

He shook his head as he entered, then bowed slightly in greeting to the new Weyrleader. He took a stance behind a chair around the table. He wasn't planning to sit before the others and the Weyrwoman had made their entrance and had taken their places. It was only curious to do so.

[LyricalBlue]

Even the huge mass of stone that made up the Weyrwoman's Chair could not quite make Iaslia look small, not with her height. The lanky form of the young Weyrwoman was clad in a long, slim fitting dress. It was unusual for her to be in anything but a simple blouse or riding leathers; so to her, the pale blue of the simple dress made this occasion all the more concrete. She needed to make an impression on these bronze riders, that she knew well. They all knew her, but they knew her as a tolerant older brother knows a high tempered younger sister. Though, maybe the flight had changed how some viewed her.

She crossed her legs and smoothed the fine cloth over her knees, when Z'skel entered she raised her eyes. Ev'os was pacing, why was he always pacing? Couldn't that man stand still for just a moment? Honestly, Iaslia wanted to be on the sands right now. Being away from her broody queen was making her twitch.
They will not steal my eggs. I guard them well.
The vehemence in the gold's voice almost made Iaslia twitch. Nisurath was one of those Queens, to no one's surprise of course. She sighed and tried to sooth the dragon.

Love, no one is going to steal your eggs. They are the most important things on Pern.
Of course they are. That is why I must guard them.
Iaslia ran a hand through her firey hair, she was going to be very glad when these eggs hatched and Nisurath stopped drooling all over them. The brooding gold barely even tolerated Rovanoth near, and that alone was enough to make Iaslia realize just how bad she was. The Weyrwoman couldn't imagine the fate of any Candidate foolish enough to wander out on those sands.

In any case, right now she had to focus. The broody queen had to be on her own for a little while. The Weyr needed its leaders, as young and inexperienced as they were. Iaslia knew her success and Ev'os's would depend on their support. After Z'skel, E'dian entered. The man seemed to have aged years following Gaelle's death. And who could blame him, no one had expected those harrowing events. She nodded to her father and his cool gaze settled on the very young Weyrwoman for several long seconds before he looked to Ev'os.

His gravely voice was restrained and clipped. Even in the best of times, the man was not sociable. "Weyrleader." He paused and ran a hand through short hair in much the same fashion as his daughter had done earlier. Not all habits were formed from rearing, he and his daughter were much alike even though he hadn't know about her until after Iaslia's mother had died. Of course, niether was really aware of any resemblance in appearance or mannerisms.

[E]

E’mion made his way to the Weyrleader’s and into the council room directly connected to it. The long table that the bronze rider had witnessed full so many turns in the past seemed to lack the luster the once powerful weyr had had. Now with only a handful of bronzes around one end of the long table… it only made it more important and clear to E’mion that his place was no longer in the past when the Weyr was at the peak of its power. He was needed here, to help restore the dying Weyr.

It had taken the well scar’d bronze rider a long time to cope with the reality that he was living in the future – a future where dragon kind itself had almost gone extinct with the loss of its last queen. Even the mating flight of this new, pale little queen had had E’mion on the edge and he worried and fretted over her health even if he had not shown it in person. What concerned him most was if the little queen would ever fly high enough and far enough to produce a golden egg – and even if she did, would she be healthy enough to lay it without killing herself? She had struggled so much over the few large eggs she had this clutch… It seemed that while a little queen was better than no queen – to E’mion that only gave them time; not security.

Giving a deep bow to the red headed girl who had brought the little queen home, he then turned to the bronzerider who had won the flight and bowed a second time. No, E’mion did not have the pleasure of knowing the history and the personalities of all parties involved in this room. He did not know what to expect and knew he would spend most of the time today evaluating exactly what strengths and weaknesses the Weyr had. Taking a seat next to E’dian, he waited for their young Weyrleader to take lead.

[hrsegrl]

The first to arrive was also the person who had requested a meeting of him. They might as well open that topic of conversation here as well as others that the Bronzeriders might wish to discuss. Ev'os was not just some young man out of Weyrlinghood and though he felt he had yet to prove that, today would certainly do so. He nodded back to Z'skel and waited for the others to arrive. Iaslia was sitting in her chair as was to be expected. Normally the Junior Weyrwomen would be sitting on her end of the table. Seeing as she was alone, he expected the Bronzeriders to sit as close to her as possible.

E'dian arrived shortly after Z'skel and was just as quiet. “E'dian.” He nodded and waited. E'mion entered next and seemed to be taking in the people in the room before finding a seat. Ev'os remained standing. “Good afternoon to you all. As you well know there is a clutch on the sands. It is with this in mind that the Weyrwoman and myself have decided on a new Weyrlingmaster.” Ev'os looked over all of them momentarily. “E'dian.” He let the name sink in, no one should object to this. Or so he hoped.

“With E'dian leading the Weyrlings, we will be needing a new Wingleader for Beta wing and a Weyrsecond.” Ev'os walked over to an open seat next to Iaslia and took a moment before saying anything. “Z'skel, you are now Beta Wingleader.” He knew that this would make E'mion, E'dian and R'lec more than a little unhappy. “E'mion, you are now Weyrsecond. R'lec will be Wingsecond for Beta Wing.” He needed someone he could trust to support him as Weyrsecond to be in the position but R'lec had a certain reputation about him that displeased Ev'os and with Z'skel as a Wingleader and E'dian as Weyrlingmaster he had no other choice but E'mion.

The youngest Bronzerider finally sat down and poured himself a mug of klah. “On to more pressing matters. If any of you have anything you wish to discuss now is the time. Z'skel you may begin.” Ev'os was not sure exactly what they would have to say but felt the small group should stick together no matter his decisions. After sipping his klah, Ev'os set his gaze on Z'skel. This should be interesting.

[starshine]

Z'skel took the seat he had been standing behind and listened contently as Ev'os explained the new ranks. He would now be Wingleader of Beta Wing, well he made a mental note to hold a meeting with the young riders. He watched as each rider took the news of his new responsibilities before beginning his request.

"Congratulations bronzeriders" He was attempting to be polite, "Weyrleader Ev'os I do hve something to discuss though now would not be the time. Perhaps later in privet?" He flushed a little. If there was one thing that truly made him uncomfortable it was speaking before several bronze riders. "Although perhaps you have some advice on working with the riders of Beta, since you do have extensive experience with them." He sat stiffly in his chair and glanced from rider to rider, finally landing on the Weyrleader.

[hrsegrl]

If there was any grumbling he was unaware of it or perhaps it was that he just did not care. Any grumbling should be held back in his presence or he was quite ready to make them all wingriders and forget the whole business. Z'skel seemed pleased though it was hard to tell with some people. He was like E'dian, quiet and happy in his own head. Not something he could help now. The young Weyrleader's eyes flew over to Z'skel at the mention of speaking in private. How utterly irritating this was, what could he possibly have to say to him that the three other men in the room could not hear?

Who knew with Z'skel but he had known him to be a quiet private sort of person. He would not have requested this without due cause. "Of course, after the meeting then. As for Beta Wing, I am sure you will find them to be a well trained group of riders who will do anything for one another. If you have trouble with any of them feel free to speak to myself or Iaslia. My only advice would be to continue the hard drills. Some dragons get lazy if they think they can get away with it. Riders too for that matter." Ev'os looked at the other men now, dark eyes resting first on one then another.

"Anyone else here need to bring something to our attention? If not then you are dismissed except for Z'skel. " He poured himself some water and drank a little before turning to face his Weyrwoman. If she had anything to say she was welcome to say it. Of course she never needed permission for that and could have led the meeting if she had wanted.

[E]

E’mion listened as ranks were adjusted to suit the new Weyrleader, but soon found himself rather disappointed. Not in how the ranks were handed out, mind you, because he had expected to not be handed a ranking position since he was the one bronzer in the Weyr this young man knew nothing about and further more had no reason to trust. No, E’mion found himself slightly disappointed because none of his own questions about the direction the Weyr was going to take were addressed.

Perhaps it was because he had the opportunity to see the differences with his own eyes; the differences between the Ponaa that once was and the Ponaa that now is. Dragonkind was in grave danger if the rumors that the other Weyr’s were empty was true. With only the sickly looking little gold as the only queen… Not to mention it seemed that in a hundred turns there still only seemed to be one or two dragons close to matching Malekith in size – apparently the numerous flights he had won had done nothing to help.

It was too hard for him to swallow the pill that his home Weyr was completely abandoned.

“Sir, forgive my ignorance for a moment and bare with me.” E’mion said, his voice a deep and rough one to match his scar’d appearance. “I realize I have missed a lot in the last hundred or so turns, but are all the other Weyr’s truly lost to us? E’dian has reassured me time and again that they are, but I can’t help but feel the need to check for myself, to believe it when I have seen it with my own eyes.”

“Do you men of Ponaa Weyr not run patrols of the empty Weyrs at least? If it’s a problem of lost coordinates, Malekith has them all. If it’s a problem of volunteers I am more than happy to go myself. I just find it devastating to think we are the last with only one queen.”

Turning to the Weyrwoman, he nodded his head to her with respect. “And a proven queen now that she has had a successful flight, Mi’lady. But still only one. When you take into concideration that the last queen was Murdered…” he said the word with discust, “…Well its another thing that makes this very old man wonder what has happened to the world he once knew. I would like to know what you have in mind to address the death of your previous queen, Weyrleader.”

[LyricalBlue]

The thin redhead sat stiff and feeling rather small in her chair. As tall as she was, she still felt somewhat dwarfed. She listened to the changing of the ranks without comment, her gaze flicking to her father as he nodded when Ev'os named his new rank. That must have been prearranged then, she felt rather miffed that Ev'os had not seen fit to discuss his changes with her. But then, the handling of the bronzes was his field. She just had to keep them there. Z'skel was young, but she approved of E'mion at her Weyrleader's back. The man had experience, or at least he claimed to. Threadfall would prove that quick enough.

Her green eyes slid to Z'skel when he spoke up and her eyebrows arched. A private meeting? What did he have up his sleeve? Then E'mion spoke up and Iaslia found her temper rising once more. She was not Gaelle, she would not make such a foolish mistake as to take Nisurath out of the Weyr alone. That aside, Gaelle's death had still left a black mark on the Weyr and it was one Iaslia intended to lift. The one man they had captured had died before he had been of any use. The healers had said his heart had failed because of poor nutrition and stress.

Now what in the name of Faranth did he mean about the Weyrs not being abandoned. The dragons knew, they always knew. If there was another Weyr on Pern, even if it was in hiding, the dragons would know. No, in this time, they were all that was left. But his comment could not help but cut deep. Nisurath was the last, and she was so small. The doubt ate at all of them whether she could ever breed another gold. Her brows furrowed together and her hands gripped the ends of the chair's arms till their knuckles were white.

[hrsegrl]

If he was aliad back sort of man, E'mion's questions would have been answered in much nicer way. However, Ev'os was not about to let the Weyr be insulted by such statements. There were some things people did not say or even imply around here. With a tight reign on his temper he said in a collected voice, "I understand your concern, however, Malekith and the other dragons would know if there were other dragons on Pern. Also there is no reason to patrol when we have detailed records of the other Weyr's demise and when they became empty." Answering his questions now, getting all of this out of the way would help get this Bronzerider on track. Ev'os knew that he was in some shock at how things had come to be.

Still implying anything about Nisurath and Iaslia being incapable made him a little angry. He'd speak with her later about it, E'mion would learn to show more respect for them. "Gaelle had a horrible habit of wandering out into the jungle with just her dragon. Iaslia would never put herself in that kind of danger not when dragonkind is depending on Nisurath to save them." That was not to say the Goldrider wouldn't want to fly Thread if it came to it but she wasn't one to try to get herself killed wanderign about Pern where people did not respect dragons.

Ev'os stood up again and paced a little as if forming a conclusion in his head. The dark eyed youth was quite determined to show them he was capable of leading and well. He faced E'mion from across the table. The man needed to know or he would never be able to trust Ev'os comepletely. As Weyrleader he needed that trust even if it meant doing something he was not sure he liked.

"If you feel you must see the other Weyrs to settle your concience then I will allow you to take a patrol of five or six riders of your choosing. If you find any old records while you are there, we can add them to ours. I would remind you that the Holders have no knowledge of our existence. It would be best to keep a low profile." Ev'os could see how dangerous this was but he also knew E'mion needed to see to believe.

"Anyone else?"