Thanks for all of your wonderful comments. They make me happy (*smile*) and give me great insight into what the reader (you) wants. So here's hoping you enjoy the continuation of "When Plans Go Wrong." Chapter four takes place the day after Fall. D'ran and Voliath are from my rp, but Annis and Clinith are not.

Disclaimer: Same as chapter one. If you've forgotten, go back and look.


Chapter 4: Coping

"What have the other Weyrs reported?" Annis asked from her seat at the Weyrleaders' table in Monaco's Records Room. Her lead-filled writing stick was poised over the sheet of wood-pulp paper she would use for the Record of yesterday's Fall.

Annis's weyrmate and the Weyrleader of Monaco Weyr, D'ran, sighed wearily as he took the seat next to her. He was only in his mid-thirties, but the devastation of Thread had aged him prematurely.

"Southern reports nineteen dead and twenty-one out of action for the next month," he began. "Ista has twenty-six dead and forty out of action. Igen has twenty-three dead and nineteen out of action. It seems we were lucky to lose only twelve..."

"Twelve?" Annis interrupted. "I thought it was only nine."

"Three more went between this morning," D'ran explained. "I have some healers with the riders now."

"Great," Annis muttered. "And the burrows? Clinith said Voliath said you had better explain things to me."

"That's right," D'ran said. "It seems that the Thread we missed has denuded a corridor roughly ten klicks long and a half klick wide, most of which was inhabited."

Annis clenched her fist tightly at the news. No Weyrwoman wanted to hear something like that, even if no one could have predicted Thred could fall again after Aivas had practically guaranteed Threadfree skies. D'ran touched her hand lightly, and she slowly released the writing stick before it broke.

"If we still had the grubs, this wouldn't be a problem," she muttered angrily, slamming her hand down on the tabletop. "But those sharding farmcrafters just had to invent a pesticide that killed grubs too!"

"I think you need to see something," D'ran said quietly, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"I need to get this Record written," Annis said, glaring at him.

"Just a short hop between," D'ran wheedled. "We won't be gone for more than a half hour, I promise. And this will likely get put into your Record, so you may as well see."

Annis rolled her eyes, but she had been partnered with D'ran long enough that she knew he wouldn't distract her needlessly at a time like this. In minutes, she and D'ran were seated astride their dragons and rising quickly into the air. She found herself looking eastward, searching for the telltale grey smudge that heralded Thread. No, that was silly. Thread had just fallen yesterday; they would have at least a few days before Monaco would need to fight again. Then Voliath had given Clinith the visual, and the two dragons went between. Annis glanced down at the stark, empty land and gasped. Even more shocking than the complete devastation of Thread was what D'ran had (presumably) brought her here to see: rising out of the dusty, lifeless land was a field of green. Trees, bushes, and several rows of some sort of crop stood serenely in their little oasis. Without waiting for her mate, Annis had her queen tuck in her wings and land jarringly right next to the stone-walled field. She was close enough to step straight from her dragon's shoulder to the wall, jumping easily down to the lush, green grass. She glanced at the trees, searching for any sign of Threadscore or dragonfire. Nothing.

"The sweepriders already checked," D'ran said as he came up behind her. "There are grubs here."

Annis couldn't believe it. She dropped her knees, hastily scooped up a handful of dirt, and watched a tangle of silver-furred grubs scramble away from the morning sunlight. She let the revolting creatures disappear in the dark, rich soil and turn to D'ran.

"Do we know whose hold this was?" she asked fervently. "Are they all right? D'ran, where do you think..."

"Hold on, love," D'ran said, forestalling any further questions. "Think, now. No one builds with just stone, anymore. The likelihood that anyone who held here survived the Fall is very low; we'll try to find out if whoever it was survived, but we have to work quickly with this. I'll send a rider to the Farmercrafthall and the Beastcrafthall to learn more about the grubs. While we're fighting Thread, we can probably get the holders to spread the grubs."

"That'll take Turns, though," Annis said dejectedly. "And we don't even have any firestone!"

"That, my dear Weyrwoman, will be rectified very shortly," D'ran said with a smile. "In fact, we should be getting word from Telgar and High Reaches pretty soon."

"They've started the firestone mines?" Annis asked hopefully. "That was fast."

"They're working on it," D'ran replied. "And I hear that the Masterminer has set his journeymen and masters to looking for mines here in the South, too. Don't worry, Annis. We'll figure this out and do our duty to Pern, just as Pern will once more do its duty to us."

Suddenly, Annis groaned.

"What is it?" D'ran asked worriedly.

"After all this time, we're beholden again," she replied glumly. "Our ancestors worked so hard to make sure we dragonriders would never have to need another tithe ever again, and now this. I can just imagine how the holders are going to take it, too."

D'ran chuckled. The holders weren't the only ones who would resent the instatement of a tithe; free-lance dragonriders who had always lived and worked apart from any Hold or Weyr would hate being beholden to anyone. He hugged her close and tugged one of her long, blonde braids playfully.

"They won't be able to complain, though," he told her. "After all, we're heroes again. Now, let's grab a few grubs for study and get back to the Weyr. The free-lancers will need to be called back to the Weyrs, and I don't doubt we'll have to establish at least one more Weyr here in the South."

"This is going to take a lot of work, isn't it?" Annis said softly as the reality of their situation slowly began to sink in.

"Yes," D'ran replied. "So we'd best get started."

While Annis made her way back to her waiting queen dragon, D'ran scooped five or six of the grubs into his riding glove, secured the glove under his belt, and followed his mate's example. With a grim smile toward his weyrmate, D'ran gave the signal for the two dragons to leap into the air. He raised his arm and, after a short pause, dropped it to direct the dragons between. Thread was falling again, yes, but he and the other dragonriders would protect Pern once again. Yet even faced with such danger and tragedy, D'ran was comforted as the cold darkness of between enveloped him. He was going to Monaco Weyr, where he and Annis would resurrect the dragonriders.

He was going home.


Awww. This is a nice change, I think. I like ending with a sweet, uplifting scene like this. Obviously, the situation's still pretty dire, but there's hope! And chapter one has finally been connected to the rest of the story. Yea! ^_^ Anyway, I'll try to use M'ris and Voliath for Chapter five, but no promises. I might bring in my brownrider, but is that making my character cast too large? I've already got five. O.o Tell me what you think.

As always, if you read, review. I love the feedback, and it's great motivation. All I'm asking for is "I like it" or "I don't like it." If you want to say more, go ahead. It doesn't all have to be excessively positive (just don't be mean and cruel, please), so feel free to say what you think.