Chap. 273 Breaking with Tradition

Chap. 273 Breaking with Tradition

He’d enjoyed D’mitran’s visit. D’nis’s cavern home had brought a wave of poignant nostalgia. Most of all, he had this heady feeling of what, he had no name,for, but it felt like..acceptance.

He watched Careth, with D’mitran and Lord Dorn aboard, soar into the sky. The brown dragon circled to get his bearings and then vanished.

Raventh waddled to the dragon trough and drank deeply. K’ndar retrieved his grooming kit. Siskin chittered, then flew up to one of the high ledges in the dragon bay. His wings stirred up a cloud of dust. The fire lizard sneezed.

Yup, I have to get a ladder and clean those, if only because I don’t want my boys inhaling over twenty hundred years of dust.

How was the hunting? he asked, as he groomed Raventh.

Not very good at all. We eventually flew to the sea and fished instead. We could have gone between but Careth wanted to just fly. He said he doesn’t get to do it often enough, at the Hold. I’m faster than him, by the way.

I don’t doubt that. Look at your beautiful wings! They’re perfect.

Raventh spread them out, admiring them.

They are.

There was something special, he thought, of the relationship he had with Raventh, especially after he no longer had to ingest firestone.

I’m smarter. It’s easier to think. I like being able to make decisions on my own, like today. I knew you wouldn’t say no.

Why would I? You’re my brother, not my slave.

As he worked, he replayed the meeting with D’nis. It had been disturbing. And ground breaking.

They treat me as if I’m a grown man. Up til today, I’ve always felt like I’m still a weyrling. Something has changed. In me? Or in the way they see me?

D’mitran had told D’nis his fears of a lack of Candidates and the dreadful hatching at Western Weyr.

“I’d heard about the hatching at Western,” D’nis said, shaking his head. “The dragons are still upset about it. They’re worried.”

He looked tired. “I’ve been worrying about the same thing, kids not wanting to Impress. I think it’s taken us this long, what, just under a year? after Thread stopped falling just to gather our wits and think. I know it’s taken me for what seems a lifetime to get used to being a Councilman. Poor Corvuth, he’s aching for a good long flight.”

“Sir,” K’ndar pushed in, “Any time you want to give him a flying workout, get with me. Or Francie, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. I can’t speak for G’aryk or Leana, they’re working the same hours as you. I think. Even D’ram probably wants to get out and just fly.”

“I will, K’ndar, I would, but it seems as if just about the time I get some spare time, something pops up. It must have been so much easier to be a Councilman when we didn’t have ‘instant communication. But now all the major Holds have a datalink and a noble’s son or daughter tasked to use it.” He looked at the datalink at his elbow. Sometimes I wish I could just kick you out of my weyr, he thought, I don’t have any privacy anymore.

But no. I am a Councilman, and therefore, I have this electronic minder.

“The Holders…they’re by far the worst offenders, don’t seem able or willing to differentiate between what is obviously Hold business and what needs to be addressed by Landing. So often, it’s just whining about the tithes. Or they want someone to hold their hand and say “there, there”. Just the other day a Holder called wanting to know what we were going to do about the trundlebugs, were we aware that they stink? When were we going to fix that? Pfftt.”

They laughed, but it was more out of sympathy.

At least before Aivas…oh, what am I saying! Aivas has proven to be a boon for us, but it’s coming at a high price. He marooned us, pretty much, by disposing of every warp drive engine the starships had, then sending two of starships themselves into the sun. It’s a good thing that there’s no Thread anymore, but it did give us purpose. Do I wish for a return of Thread? Oh, shaff, no. Not in a million years. But still…sometimes it seems futile to resist what seems to be the inevitable end to dragons.”

D’mitran said, “Sir, I hope you’re wrong, but it’s what I am thinking. We do have all sorts of innovations now, that weren’t around a hundred years ago. I don’t want to see dragons die out. People will still need transport, but so far, it is only the noble or the rich Holder who can afford a dragon ride. The vast majority of people will still travel by horse, or ship, or their own two feet. They’ll resent the disparity. They do now.

I think, we need to convene a conclave of dragonriders, say, every Weyrleader, his Weyrlingmaster, maybe even some of their rank and file dragonriders, those who’ve flown thread, before all that experience dies out. We need to put our heads together and come up with suggestions on what to do with ourselves, how to make it so that Pernese want dragons around, and will want to Impress them.”

D’nis looked at the ceiling, thinking. K’ndar remembered seeing him do that when he was still a weyrling.

“Any ideas?”

“Well, sir, I was wondering, why do we constrain Impressing just to kids? Forever, it seems, only ‘kids’ between the age of 16 and 24 are allowed to Impress. Why is that? Is it because people, kids that age, think they’re invulnerable? Riding isn’t easy, we all know how physical it is, but even retired riders in their 80’s are still riding. If we were to open Impression to people of all ages…well, maybe not geriatrics or toddlers, but still…that would help expand the number of available riders.”

D’nis was dumbfounded.

“I…don’t know why there’s an age restriction. I’ve never heard it addressed, to be honest.”

“Opening it up to all ages will undoubtedly cause marital discord, when a green or a gold rises to mate,” D’mitran said.

“Well, there is that. But, I can attest to it from personal experience, it can be controlled. Just…not easily,” D’nis said.

They laughed.

“And I can see problems with the accession of leadership. No matter how he thinks, a 16 year old bronze rider isn’t capable of being a Weyrleader.”

“We all know why. It’s tradition. That’s it,” D’mitran said.

“Yes. Which sometimes seems to be shackling us. I remember we almost lost the weyr when Jenmay refused to evacuate ahead of the hurricane. Only after Corvuth kicked me in the head and said, How can she stop you? did I realize I’d let tradition shut my mind.”

You did well, going against her. It was the smart thing to do Corvuth said.

D’nis hugged his bronze’s mind and heart. You were the smart one. If you hadn’t encouraged me, who knows what would have happened to us all?

“Her death was the best thing that happened to the Weyr,” D’mitran said.

They all nodded, remembering the Old timer’s brief, tyrannical reign as Weyrwoman.

It still hurts, D’nis thought, losing his beloved partner, Danelle. But the ache is easing.

“A conclave is a good idea, D’mitran. I’ll run it past D’ram when he returns, but I doubt he’ll balk. He’s been up north on family business. It’s why I’m dragged out, I’ve been covering Weyr business on both sides of the ocean. It will take some time to get everyone in one spot. Lord Lytol, of course, will be invited although I am not sure he’s up to it anymore. Timing? Let’s see, I’ll ask F’lar if Benden Weyr is prepared to accommodate so many dragonriders. They’ve been having troubles with tithes not being as hefty as in the past.”

“Does it have to be at Benden?” K’ndar asked.

“What?”

“Why Benden? If you ask me, I say, not at Benden, ever again.”

Both men looked shocked.

“Um…it’s…tradition…F’lar and Lessa…”

“That’s just it, sir, tradition is part of the problem! I don’t think it should be held at ANY weyr,” K’ndar said.

“But..”

“Sir, Landing has the room here to put everyone up. It’s ‘neutral territory’, no weyrleader need be put out because it’s not or it IS on his own turf. About the only problem is it’s on Southern, but it has to be somewhere that’s not the Western Continent. That place can barely support two telescopes and their staff.”

“But…”

“Sirs, listen. Part of the problem is we ARE a different world, now. Aivas has changed us forever, and we have to let go of the past. Yes, F’lar is respected by everyone on Pern. Yes, Benden has been the traditional spot for all sorts of weyr management, weyr decisions. But things have changed. Southern is growing, fast, and we have the vast majority of ‘dragon lands’ here. It’s time Southern is considered just as important as Northern.”

He wondered where he was getting this clarity.

“Remember when we were at Tillek Sea Hold? Remember how we were treated by both the Hold folk, as well as the riders from High Reaches Weyr? They were dismissive of us “Southerners”. We were “babies”. In their minds, Kahrain Weyr is the newest, the youngest of the weyrs, so, somehow, doesn’t get the respect that other, Northern weyrs get. Never mind that Kahrain had to deal with not only Thread, but hurricanes, as well. They treated us as nothing better than a weyrling hiding out from his Weyrlingmaster.

Maybe it was unwarranted, but I felt as if they were laughing at us behind their faces. If we held it HERE, there would be none of that. A case could be made that we could be the ones laughing at them. But I won’t stoop that low.”

D’mitran opened his mouth to interrupt, and he held up his hand, unwittingly, to forestall him.

“In fact, think of it, sirs. Kahrain Weyr has lost so many dragonriders because they want to go to the more famous ones-almost all of them up north. Benden is full, I remember learning that they are turning away riders who want to sign into Benden due to it’s fame and history.

But is Benden a ‘better’ weyr than any other one? I say no. Kahrain Steppe Weyr was just as ably managed, trained, run as any weyr on Pern. We had fewer deaths than anyone, maybe that’s an artifact of its young age, but I say it was also from great leadership. You, D’nis, were a great Weyrleader. You, D’mitran, were a great wingleader, one I knew I could turn to if I were confused, or scared, or just plain too new at riding to know what I was doing. I was searched for by Kahrain Steppe Weyr riders because that’s where I lived…in Kahrain’s territory. Why wasn’t I given a choice of weyrs? Benden and other Northern weyrs have opened up mating flights when they didn’t want their junior golds mating with their kin. Why weren’t Candidates allowed the same privilege? Would I have even impressed if I’d insisted on going to Benden? Would ANY of us? Benden isn’t “better” than any other. It’s just the most traditional, the best known, and was responsible for us even HAVING dragons.”

The two looked doubtful. He pressed on.

“The weyrs must change, all of them. We have to change it. We must have people think of dragonriders as Pernese, not “are you a Benden rider or just some yoke from Southern?”

He could see D’nis about to speak and shook his head to forestall him. The point was blooming in his mind and he didn’t want to let it escape, this time. Part of mind said, are you nuts? These are your leaders. You don’t shush them.

I know. But they need to hear me.

“If we’re not careful, if Pern doesn’t see Southern and Northern as ONE entity, we might eventually turn into two separate Perns. It might end up, um, um, I don’t know the words for it, but I remember Rendel telling me how we humans came to be here. He told me Earth people were constantly fighting amongst each other, killing each other because one place thought they were better than the other. Or they ran out of resources and stole them from someplace else.”

D’nis blanched.

“That’s called ‘war’, K’ndar.”

“War? What is ‘war’?”

“War, noun, origin uncertain. One. Open armed conflict between countries or between factions within the same country. Two. Any active hostility or contention; conflict; strife. Three. Military operations as a science, art or profession,” D’nis’s datalink said.

All three men were silent.

“I keep forgetting this thing listens,” D’nis said, muting it.

“What Fax did was ‘war’, he took seven Holds with fighting men. He killed innocent people, solely because they opposed his stealing their land, their women, everything they had. He exterminated all of Ruatha’s nobility except for Lessa. War is what compelled the colonists to leave Earth, cross 170 lightyears of space to come here, without any assurances that they’d survive the trip or the subsequent colonization. They came her to escape not only a dying planet, but also, to escape war,” he said.

He cleared his throat. “I’ve been reading history. War is dreadful, K’ndar, so bad it’s something we don’t ever teach the kids, not even the word.”

D’mitran shook his head. “Maybe that’s a mistake,” he said.

They sat for long, long moments, just thinking.

D’nis nodded.

“Thank you, D’mitran, you have given me a great amount to think through, and I will see to it that something comes about. Soon. And thank you, K’ndar, for being …well, for your input.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

“I think we’ll see some changes in weyr culture.”

And what about us? said all three dragons, simultaneously.

We have been listening. Will we be included? Don’t we get a say in what happens?

D’nis gasped. D’mitran’s eyes opened wide.

Only K’ndar wasn’t surprised.

You asked me this same question a long time ago. I agreed that you had a say in whatever decision made.

Yes. And you have, and I am happy that you do Raventh said.

“Uh…” D’nis said.

“Yes, Careth, too.”

“And Raventh, but he asked me that a long time ago. The dragons. They’re smarter than ever, because they’re no longer eating firestone. Haven’t you seen the changes in their minds? If we’re going to make decisions, big ones, that change the very heart of our dragon culture, I think it only fair that we include the better half of our hearts..our dragons.”