A/N: Welcome back. Here is the next chapter.. Sorry it's been so long, but I have been very busy with real life. This is a very minor rewrite to correct a wording error in a piece of dialog. I also gave the Candidatemaster a name. Reviews are appreciated and missed when absent.
Disclaimer: The Dragonriders of Pern is a trademark of and copyrighted to Anne McCaffrey. This is fan fiction and garners NO MONEY WHATSOEVER for the author of this fiction. Additionally, the views espoused in this chapter are not necessarily the beliefs of the author of this fiction. The beliefs as written are done so to maintain canon integrity.
Chapter Four
Just before Sulanth transferred, Derek mentally linked with him. He wanted to know how to go between. That would be a very useful skill if by some insane chance the Confederation were to do something rash.
Sulanth transferred, aware of his passenger linking with him, but concentrating on the jump.
When Sulanth transferred, Derek was amazed. It was so simple. He didn't think he'd be able to explain it to another human, but it was child's play.
They emerged over Ista and Sulanth began circling for a landing. When they had landed and both his passenger and rider had dismounted, he said directly to Derek, Don't ever do that again without asking.
Derek's face turned red in embarrassment. 'That had been rude,' he said to himself.
Yes, it was, Sulanth confirmed. I would have allowed it and taught you, but it was rude not to ask.
I'm sorry, Derek thought to him. I apologize. It will never happen again.
Good, Sulanth returned, and seemed to forget it had happened.
"He actually spoke to you?" D'vid couldn't believe it. Sulanth never spoke directly to any human except him, Ellen and his sister.
Derek nodded. "I did a bad thing. I linked with him just before he transferred."
"You what?" D'vid was appalled. "How dare you do such a thing?"
"Sulanth already gave me the what for about it. It was rude to do so without asking and I apologized. He seemed to accept the apology."
"Why would you do such a thing," D'vid asked.
"Ruth said he could teach me to go between," Derek said. "He said I wouldn't need to know because I will impress, but I wanted to know just in case the Confederation tries something tricky."
D'vid stared at him in shock. A dragon could teach this man to go between on his own? That was utterly incredible. He had linked with Sulanth once when they were between and the process seemed completely alien to him. He knew he would never be able to do it.
"Well, did you understand how he did it?" D'vid asked.
"Sort of," Derek lied, erecting every mental shield he could, hoping to keep the dragons from knowing he was lying. "I kind of see how it's done, but not quite." The Weyrleader along with everyone else would know eventually, but he wanted to keep it to himself until after the hatching. For all he knew, he wouldn't be allowed to stand if others knew he could go between on his own.
D'vid nodded. "Seems that the Mentasynth really altered you. I've linked with Sulanth while we were between and it seemed incomprehensible, to me anyway."
"Well, I had better get back to the candidate's barracks," Derek said not wanting to lie anymore than he had to.
D'vid nodded. "Go on. I had Sulanth tell the Candidatemaster's dragon we were back. He should be expecting you."
That night, while his roommate was sleeping, Derek silently got out of bed and stepped to the center of the small bunk room. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Bowl. Then he did what Sulanth had done.
Suddenly he was colder than he had ever been. He opened his eyes but saw nothing. He continued concentrating on the bowl and suddenly he could see the dim shape of the bowl wall. He felt exhilarated. He had actually done it. Now no matter what the Institute did, he would be able to be free.
Another candidate, a girl by the name of Ganala had just walked into the bowl. She loved coming out at night and looking at the stars. Suddenly a shape appeared several feet away. She silently scampered back into the darkness of the cavern. As she really looked at the shape, she realized it was the newcomer. She was about to go out and ask him how he had just appeared when suddenly he disappeared.
Ganala couldn't believe it. It looked like he came from between and then went between again. But there was no dragon. A human couldn't go between without a dragon.
She walked out to the area where she had seen him. No. He hadn't turned invisible. There was no one there. She was tempted to tell the Candidatemaster. She dismissed that idea immediately because then she would have to explain what she was doing out here when she wasn't supposed to be. The Candidatemaster set a strict curfew and expected it to be obeyed.
Derek was outside with the rest of the candidates listening to a lecture from the Candidatemaster about dragon oiling and the dangers of cracked hide on a dragon when he saw the girl watching him. It seemed like she was always watching him but when he looked at her she looked away and ignored him. He lowered his mental shields just a bit and was immediately sorry for it. This girl was half afraid of him and the other half was fascinated. He put the shields fully back in place. He did not like feeling the fear of someone being afraid of him.
Later after the class had been dismissed and he had a bit of free time, he walked out into the bowl. Shortly thereafter he saw her. He took a good look. She was about fourteen, rather pretty and had bright inquisitive eyes.
He walked up to her and said, "Hi. Nice day."
She looked at him unable to speak for a moment and then said, "Yes it is, isn't it?"
"So, do I have something growing out of my ears or something?"
She looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"It seems you are always looking at me. When I notice, you look away and concentrate on a chore or the lecture if that's what the class is doing."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Gonola said.
"Then why are you a little afraid of me?"
She looked him right in the eye and said, "I'm not afraid of you. Why should I be?"
"That's what I'd like to know," he replied. "But I can tell you are a little afraid of me. I can read other people's minds. I don't usually do it. I have shields that keep me from inadvertently doing it. I lowered my mental blocks just a little during the last lecture. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, but I did. You seemed both afraid and fascinated by me."
She stared at him in shock. Then she found her voice. "How did you go between without a dragon?" she blurted.
"Shhhh!!! Not so loud," Derek admonished her in a low tone.
"So you did."
He nodded and looking around to make sure no one was close by, he told her about what had happened and why it was so important he learn to go between.
Ganala couldn't believe it. He had been confined all his life before he came here? When he hadn't done anything wrong? She had heard about the Confederation, of course, but they had always seemed so fair.
"Can you teach me?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I don't think so. Not with words anyway. I don't have the words to tell you what you need to do other than visualize your destination. Maybe if we linked minds but I've never done that with a human and I don't know you well enough to even try it."
Linking minds? With a person? She had never heard of such. Only dragonriders linked minds and then only with their dragon. She was also a little afraid if she did the link would be unbreakable.
She nodded. "So why don't you want anyone to know you can do this?"
"For all I know, they won't let me stand, it they know I can go between," he told her. "I am not going to risk giving up the chance to have a dragon."
She understood. She had been ecstatic when she turned thirteen. She could at last stand at hatchings as a candidate. Her father had wanted her to wait until she was fourteen, but weyrbrats were allowed to stand as soon as they entered the age range. Of course, no one expected her to impress. Queens usually went for holdbred girls and women on fighting dragons was still very rare, but there was still a chance."
Just then the Candidatemaster, rider of blue Tomarth, strode into the bowl. He saw the two together and walked up to them. "Ah, Ganala. I see you've met our newcomer."
"Yes sir," she said.
"Derek, may I speak to you; in private?"
"Certainly, sir," Derek said. "I'll be right back.
She nodded.
They walked away and when they were out of earshot, the Candidatemaster stopped and said in a low tone, "Be careful how you proceed with her,"
"Sir," Derek returned. "I don't understand."
"She is a dragonrider candidate. If she is pregnant or suspected of being so, she will not be allowed to stand."
Derek looked shocked. "Sir, I would..."
The Candidatemaster held up a hand. "Normally I would allow nature to take its course, but she wants to ride a dragon. The chances of her succeeding are slim, but I want her to have every chance."
"But she can't be anymore than fourteen years, I mean turns, old."
"You've got a good eye, son," the Candidatemaster told him. "Dead on. Fourteen turns two months ago."
"I would never do anything like that with a girl her age. It's against the law."
The Candidatemaster looked at him as if he had just grown horns. "Against the law? She can bear children. That gives her the right to marry by the standards of the holds. She could bed anyone she wanted and the Weyr wouldn't think anything of it."
Derek was shaking his head. "Where I come from it's a crime for a man to bed a girl under the age of seventeen. Even if she consents or even initiates it."
"A crime?" The Candidatemaster couldn't believe it. "They punish them for doing what comes natural?"
"Not them. Him. Or her in the case of a boy under the age of seventeen and an adult woman."
"Unbelievable," the Candidatemaster muttered. "Well, we aren't where you come from. We are on Pern. We have different laws here. I was just telling you to be careful. So be careful. And if she does impress, you are not to do anything that might damage her dragon. And bedding her before the beast is ready to rise might. Might even damage yours if you impress."
"Thank you sir. I appreciate all your teachings."
The man grunted at that. "That's all candidate. Be mindful of what I've told you.
As Derek walked away he heard the Candidatemaster murmur under his breath, "Idiotic Confederation."
Derek smiled at that. He felt the same way about them.
When he got back, Ganala asked, "What did he want?"
"Nothing important."
"Then why tell you in private?"
Derek sighed. "If you must know, he wanted to remind me what would happen if you got pregnant.
She stared at him in shock. "What?"
"I know," Derek told her. "What he didn't know but does now is that you have no fear of that from me. Where I come from, I would be breaking the law by doing that."
"Breaking the law?" Ganala couldn't believe it. They didn't believe in having sex?
Derek told her about the sexual consent law in the Confederation.
She just shook her head. "I'm glad I was born here and not there. Imagine. Punishing a man for responding naturally to someone who shares his feelings."
"Well, aside from my own ingrained beliefs, I would never knowingly do something that might cause someone else not be able to stand."
They talked for quite some time. Him telling her what it was like to grow up on Earth, and her telling him of growing up on Pern.
Ten days later, Derek was awakened by a humming. He looked around but it seemed to be coming from everywhere.
"Everyone, get into your robes," he heard the Candidatemaster call. "The hatching is about to begin.
A/N: Well. That's it for this chapter. See you next time. And I don't necessarily agree with either Pern's or the Confederations sexual codes. As stated in the notes at the beginning, this is written this way to maintain canon integrity. Don't forget to review.