A Talking To - Siten

[stolenhart]

R'lyn had a few decisions to make. With the successful Hatching his position in the Weyr had become less stable and he knew there was talk of retiring him to wingrider or even Watchrider. He had to do something the other riders did not expect. He had to get Siten on his side, which meant he'd have to treat her like she was an equal. Not an easy tasl to do. He'd never been one to treat a woman lower than the spit canines but to have one be his equal? He inwardly shuddered at that.

Castogath was sitting on the grassy bank near the lake, sunning himself. The bronze preferred the lake because it had been a quiet place the last few turns without the young dragons but now, he'd have to find another place to hang out. The lake was the place the young dragons learned to swim before braving the rougher tides of the beach waters. He was going to send Siten back in time, but he wanted to make sure she was capable of dealing with the men who would be going back with her and capable of leading a Weyr when she came back. Thus he had requested she miss her lessons with the other Weyrlings today.

[saidaltam]

Siten had been a bit bewildered by the request that she miss her training, but Isiloth had insisted, the same way she always did, that R'lyn had wanted to meet with her, and gold rider or not, she was still a Weyrling and in nothing like a position to refuse the Weyrleader a simple request, nor did she suppose she would, if she could, anyhow.

Training had been interesting, thus far, of course, but this had her curiosity piqued, and so, after seeing to it that Isiloth was well set for the day, she and the young dragon had set off for the lake shore. Castogath was easy to see from a fair distance away, and for a moment, Siten wondered if they weren't late.

:If we are, they will wait. I needed to be oiled, you needed to eat--he's probably just early. Bronzes are like that, you know.:[/color] Isiloth was, as ever, unrepentant. Since Siten hadn't actually felt bad, though, all she did was smile affectionately at the dragon and rub her eye ridge softly.

"I know, Isiloth. Come on." And, with Isiloth at her side, as was only right, Siten made her way quickly from there down to the lake shore, presenting herself before R'lyn with her head canted curiously and one eyebrow cocked. "You wanted to see me, Weyrleader?" she inquired mildly.

[stolenhart]

He studied her and sighed, then glanced over at the gold. His entire Weyr rested on these two beings, he wished them the greatest of luck. There would be some holders who would not want this gold to ever rise, who would try to kill her. The sooner dragonkind was gone from Pern, the better off these Pern would be and unfortunately the Over Holder was one of them. "That is not how a Weyrwoman addresses her equal", he told her, firmly, brooking no arguement as he sipped a cup of klah.

"What I want does not matter. You have taken time out of your busy schedule to talk to me not the other way around. Trust me, Wingleaders and Weyrleaders do not have busy schedules. Most days", he smiled at her, "Now, knowing that, how would you address me? Remember I am your equal not your better". She would have to learn the art of command now or these men would overrun her, much as they did him. She was needed though, whereas he was not.

[saidaltam]

Siten was startled by his little speech for a moment, but quickly pursed her lips to consider the matter. She, frankly, had expected that, for as long as she was a weyrling, he outranked her, a notion that Isiloth had done everything in her power to disabuse her of, to no avail, but he and the little gold were clearly in agreement, and Isiloth hadn't missed a heartbeat with her brisk, :I told you so.:[/color] Siten ignored her.

Finally, after a long moment, she replied, "It would be rude to ignore a title you've earned, regardless of what my own is, and there's no call for that, under any circumstances but significant personal intimacy, and, not meaning to be insulting, but we're not precisely friends, so the only points which could be safely revised without being insulting would be my tone and how I phrased the question." She furrowed her brow for a moment, then said, "I've practiced the art of being soft spoken, and it's a habit I'll have to break, now."

:It's a habit that I'll break you of, if you don't do it yourself,:[/color] Isiloth insisted sharply.

'I know,' Siten sent back before admitting, "I don't really know how I ought to have phrased the question, though." She paused, then added, "I am curious why you've called me down here, Weyrleader."

[stolenhart]

He gave her a slow smile, she was quick witted this one. That was all to the good. "It is a habit you will have to break", he agreed with her. Castogath glanced over and yawned, displaying large shiny teeth and coiled up on himself like a giant feline. "Always begin as if you called the meeting. You should have said 'Weyrleader glad you could join me I have something to discuss with you'", he informed her, finishing his klah. "It gives you the position of authority. Of course you have to have something to discuss but it doesn't matter what it is as long as you think it is important", he added, setting the cup down and standing up. "Then we are done you ask, is there anything else? To which I would say yes Weyrwoman I wanted to discuss such and such with you. Makes it seem as if I am asking for a favor from you".

Which of his bronzeriders would he send back in time with her? Someone young and capable, able to handle the time travel and the position. So many choices. He'd have to send a green or two back along with a few blues and browns as well. Maybe fifteen in all? "I am going to send you and Isiloth between", he told her, "when she is old enough to between. I thought I would warn you now since you will need to learn betweening as soon as possible. As soon as she hits the air I want you betweening. The sooner we get you aged, the sooner Isiloth can lay her first clutch", he explained.

[saidaltam]

Siten nodded slowly. "Three turns for a gold to age, someone told me. That's a lot of clutches, and we're undermanned already," she agreed, looking over at Isiloth.

:I will clutch better,:[/color] the gold replied calmly, plopping down and echoing Castogath's yawn. :I will fly higher and farther and longer. You'll see.:[/color]

'I'm sure you will,' she assured Isiloth, then looked back at R'lyn. "It's a risky move, Weyrleader, but I believe you're right. If we're to stand a chance of strengthening our forces at all, it's a measure that we'll have to take." She paused, then added, "There are... other measures, as well. Measures which will meet with much resistance, but which ... may be necessary." She wasn't sure if she really ought to be broaching the subject, but if she was to be a capable Weyrwoman, and, after all, he was right--they did need her--then she'd have to broach subjects that people didn't particularly like in the future, again, as well. She supposed she may as well start on it, now. Besides, it was only the two of them, there. If there was a safer time, she couldn't think of it.

[stolenhart]

"Yes", he agreed, "In three turns with two mature golds that is three clutch, some sixty dragons. That is quite a bit of dragons when we are undermanned", he explained reaching for his cane. He leaned on it and dug at a piece of grass with his toe. A grub worm came up to the surface and quickly disappeared. "In the next few months I want you to think about which bronzeriders you want to include going back with you. I will send half a wing to protect you and such and then five to six bronzeriders as well. I want you to stay there for two and a half turns then you will return here in time for Isiloth to fly", he wished he could keep her there until Isiloth flew but the Weyr would need to see the flight to follow the new Weyrleader.

"Other measures? Don't leave an old man curious, I don't want to die today", he gently teased her, placing both hands on his cane. He had long since considered the holders would have killed his weyrmate but why would they? Her gold was long since past rising, he hated being sworn to a dragonless man. They did not understand at all.

[saidaltam]

Siten nodded as he explained what he wanted and made a note to herself to begin assessing them as soon as she had the opportunity. Better to know who she was bringing back than to bring strangers. As he inquired about her other measures, however, her mind came sharply back to the present, and, after a brief pause, she said, "Did you know that her name was Brogan? I didn't. I had to ask. One of the other Candidates told me. She impressed a green, and I know that greens are not so hardy as bronze and brown, but they're fast, and they're agile, and that's a fighting dragon that they have and we don't. How many dragons have we sent North since you've been here, Weyrleader? How much of their fighting force should be here? It's a loss to a Weyr that's already suffering losses. I know that tradition says women don't ride fighting dragons, I know the holders would hate it, but every fighting dragon we send North for impressing to a girl is a fighting dragon we don't have and they do. Besides, they're greens, or... or blues, Weyrleader. They're not bronze or brown. They're low ranking colors, and they're a loss that, in our undermanned state, with only one queen to their two, and a young one at that, a loss we cannot afford."

As she concluded her speech, Siten took a deep breath and waited for the eruption. She did not expect what she'd said to be taken well. In truth, it's why she said it so quickly--better to deliver a speech in its entirety than to be cut off at the knees before your point was even made, even when you expected that it was a point that would fall on deaf ears.

[stolenhart]

He should have known it would be something like that. And she was correct, from a military stand point sending away valuable fighters was rather against the point but when had this war ever been sensible? Not in his lifetime certainly. He gave a large sigh, "Four. In the last thirty turns I have sent four women North", he told her. "All of them on greens. Three were from the Stands since it has been Turns since we had a gold on the sands", he remembered each one. Their faces as they were Impressed, the sadness that came when they knew they were leaving home, and the defeat they wore when they sailed away.

"Siten I am in a precarious situation. I have to uphold the customs and dictates of the Over Holder and Weyr or they will kill me. Your gold there is one reason why. Now that she has Hatched successfully and Impressed my situation is worse. I am old. These bronzeriders want to fight and I don't. That is why I am asking you to choose your bronzeriders. There are a few who could be persuaded with a pretty face and soft words. Perhaps you could see about letting women stand first, then maybe as Watchriders. This particular battle", he shook his head, "will take your whole life and you must take smalls steps to see it done. You must get the right women to Impress, the right wingleader to allow them to fight, the right Weyrleader to allow them to stay", he finished, stepping forward as Castogath reached his neck out. "It could take your entire life".

[saidaltam]

Siten nodded slowly. "I expected it would not be a small task, but it is a step that needs to be taken. If it takes a lifetime to see it done, then so be it." She paused, then added, "Your death, now, would throw the Weyr into chaos. If you die, there will be no leadership until Isiloth rises. Queen rider or not, nobody is going to listen to me while I'm still a Weyrling. The only one who would stand a chance of keeping any order would be your second, and then, only if the other Wingleaders were willing to heed him. The Weyr would fall apart, and by the time I could get it back into one piece, the North will have taken us." For a long moment, she was silent, but finally, she lifted her chin just a bit and said firmly, "We need you, Weyrleader. I'm neither prepared nor in any position to do this. Don't you let anyone see you dead, yet, Weyrleader."

Isiloth snorted arrogantly, laying down and closing her eyes for a nap, but as she lay there, she contacted Castogath, her mindvoice actually soft for what was probably the first time in her very short life. :Are the other silly bronzes really squabbling that much? Is mine right?:[/color]

[stolenhart]

He laughed. "The Weyr is not so frail as that. I suspect one of the wingleaders would step up in the event of my demise though I assure you I would not willingly die just yet", he said, touching Castogath's bronze nose lovingly. The bronze might be over thirty turns old but he barely looked like he was out of his first decade. Except for the lightening of his hide on his face and a few fat bumps along his stomach and tail it was easy to see he was still in the prime of his life. R'lyn would naturally see eight decades and possibly ten, such was not unheard of in this day and age.

"I do not doubt the North would act in my death but I am afraid your greatest trouble would come from the Over Holder. He would seek to gain complete control of the Weyr", he explained. The Over Holder was not a nice man, well it depended on who you were. R'lyn remembered him when he was a boy in swaddling clothes though and even then he'd been insufferable. "Be wary of him, he is an oppurtunistic tunnelsnake who will take advantage of you. Be wary of any rider he pushes forward".

[saidaltam]

Siten smiled. It was a dry, almost bitter, and decidedly unamused expression. "With all due respect, Weyrleader, of all the mistakes you would be right in worrying about me making, my trusting anyone is most assuredly not among them. Trust has never come easily to me. I have been mistreated too often, by too many, for too many years, to trust just because someone who was born with his power and did nothing whatsoever to earn it, who feels the keeping of weapons designed solely to kill Isiloth and her kin is a just and prudent action, advises that I should trust the person." About then, she seemed to realize just how much she'd said, but she'd already blasphemed far too many times, and she could not imagine how one more improper comment could make her seem less suitable for any purpose.

"Rest assured, Weyrleader, my trust is hard-won and rarely, if ever, given," she said somberly. Isiloth momentarily sacrificed her 'sleeping' act to scowl at her rider, but it was a very weak, artificial scowl, and she didn't bother to hold it for long.