Dragonship
By Thomas Mc

Chapter 21 : Attack and Aftermath

The bar swung down again as Tia thought she heard the slurred words "Abomination" and "Menolly" mixed in with the nearly unintelligible ranting of her attacker. Again she partially warded off the blow with her upraised right arm. Somewhere in the jumbled confusion of her mind she thought to shut off the channels carrying her sense of touch and, in this case, pain as the attacker closed in for another swing.

Tia's mind began to clear as her attacker, still ranting unintelligibly, again swung the metal bar. This time she pushed herself away from the ground with her left arm and tried to grab the bar but her damaged right arm was not functioning correctly. Again she was only able to block the blow with the damaged arm.

As the attacker swung again Tia became aware of multiple voices shouting as several men descended on Tia and her attacker. The big man managed to get a couple of more blows in before several others succeeded in pulling him away from her and dragging him to the ground.

For a moment Tia lay where she had fallen and stared blankly at the tangle of struggling shouting bodies on the ground two meters away from her. Several of them were garbed in that ubiquitous Harper blue she had seen so much of. Then her attention was drawn to her mangled arm. It was badly bent in four places, only one of which was where a bend might be expected to be. The synthetic skin was torn in multiple places exposing the clearly mechanical workings inside and a few shreds of artificial muscle and wires hung loosely from various points. It was unquestionably damaged beyond repair.

"Lady Tia!" She heard several voices call out as she spotted Alex, Sebell, Menolly, Jaxom and Groghe running toward her. As she looked at them she noticed that Lord Groghe was huffing and puffing pretty hard and thought that he really shouldn't be running like that at his advanced age.

The next words came from Lord Jaxom. "Shells! What have they done to you!?" At the same time Menolly sprinted over to the tangle of struggling bodies as Sebell was asking, "What happened here?" Alex, Jaxom and Sebell knelt by Tia's side, shock, anger and concern warring for possession of their faces. Then Lord Groghe and Lord Benis were standing over her. "What is going on here . . . Shells!" Benis exclaimed, His face turning red with emotion, as he also knelt beside Tia. Next Alex spoke, his voice full of concern and sympathy. "Oh, Tia, your arm, it's ruined."

Lord Groghe remained standing, hands on his knees, panting and looking down at her for a couple of seconds as his florid face became even redder as he took in the appearance of her damaged arm. Then he straightened and looked over at Menolly and the group of men as they tried to subdue the violently struggling attacker. One of the men in harpers blue grabbed the end of the bar still held tightly in the attackers hand and brought it sharply down on the attackers head and the fight went completely out of him. Then they hauled the stunned man to his feet. Lord Groghe's face turned cold with suppressed anger as he spoke. "Get that thing out of my sight. I will deal with him later." He glared after them as they dragged the still weakly resisting man away.

Tia noticed that Menolly was following them, a look of confusion and concern on her face. She also noticed Sebell gazing momentarily after them, a look of sadness and worry on his face then his expression shifted to one of concern as he turned his attention back to Tia.

Lord Groghe turned around and faced them as Alex and Jaxom helped Tia to her feet. "Lady Tia, I am so sorry that this happened." He glanced at her mangled arm and winced. "That this kind of thing should happen in my hold is inexcusable." He took in the now obviously artificial nature of the damaged arm then looked back at her now serene face. "Is there anything that I or my craftsmen can do for you?"

Tia glanced down at the arm then replied. "I'm afraid this arm is damaged beyond repair. I don't think even the people that made it would be able to repair this much damage.: She sighed. "I'll just have to have it replaced when I get back home to Central Worlds." She looked up at Lord Groghe. "Do not blame yourself. You are not responsible for that fool's unreasoning hatred. This is not your fault." Her expression shifted to one of concern. "I'm more concerned about you. You look like you have over exerted yourself."

At that moment a very upset man came running toward them. "Lord Benis! Where is Lord Benis!?" He skidded to a stop and became aware of the presence of Lord Groghe. He glanced indecisively between Lord Benis and Lord Groghe.

Lord Benis stepped toward the man and responded. "What is the problem?"

That seemed to make the man's mind up. "Lord Benis, sir, someone has stolen two of our best runners. I just went out to make a final check. The lock on the pens was broken off and our two best breeders are missing."

Benis faced the rest and pointed to two of the men that had helped subdue the attacker. They were both wearing Fort Hold colors on their sleeves. "You and you, come with me. Master Sebell, I need your drums to send out the word to everyone to be on the lookout for the missing runner beasts and to detain whoever has them . . ."

Jaxom jumped in as Sebell ran out of the hall. "Ruth is already in the air searching for your runners. If they are anywhere nearby, Ruth will find them."

"Thank you, for your help, Lord Jaxom." He glanced at Tia, a deep frown creased his face. "Two of you help Lady Tia to her guest quarters. The rest of you go about your business." He paused a moment looking at Tia's damaged arm. "Lady Tia, is there anything that can be done about that damage to your arm?" He asked her.

Tia glanced around at the concerned faces of the others then responded. "I kept some of the undamaged parts from my previous avatar body. It won't be a perfect match but I do have a right arm that can serve as temporary replacement until I can get back to Central Worlds. They're stored in the number three cargo hold. I will need someone to take me back to my ship tomorrow morning."

Jaxom responded. "Ruth and I will be happy to take you after he returns."

"Thank you, Lord Jaxom." She smiled her appreciation.

With that Jaxom, Alex and Lord Groghe escorted Tia to her and Alexander's quarters. When they arrived at the guest quarters a young woman was waiting there for them. She stared openly at Tia's damaged arm, her face frozen in stunned surprise.

"Jenna." Lord Groghe called to her with no visible effect. "Jenna!" He exclaimed louder.

The young woman nearly jumped out of her skin emitting a startled squeak. Lord Groghe went over to her and laid his hand gently on her shoulder. "Jenna, it's all right." He talked soothingly at her. "These two people are Master Alex and Lady Tia. They are our guests and you are assigned to them. Do you understand?" The woman quickly calmed down in response to Lord Groghe's calm voice. "You are to give them whatever help that they request of you." He held her gaze for a moment. "Do you understand?"

The young woman blinked and nodded her head in response. "Yes sir."

While Lord Groghe was talking to Jenna, Tia felt the worried touch of Markath in her mind. 'How are you? What happened?'

'I'm all right, Markath. I was attacked but the damage isn't serious. Don't worry about me.' She responded.

"If there is anything either of you need just ask Jenna." Lord Groghe gave the woman's shoulder a gentle squeeze as he addressed Tia and Alex. "Jenna is just a little bit slow but she is very good hearted and loyal. If you speak clearly and concisely she will understand and do her best to do what you ask." He released Jenna's shoulder. "Jenna, have you had your dinner yet?" The young woman shook her head then Groghe continued. "In that case, head on out to the kitchen and get some food and drink. When you come back, have the cook give you a small plate of snacks and a pitcher of water to bring back for our guests." He turned Jenna and gave her a gentle push toward the door. "Now get."

After the woman left the room Groghe turned back to face Alex and Tia's quizzical looks. "Jenna is one of the unfortunate results of our situation here on Pern. There were just barely enough of the original colonists to provide a large enough genetic pool for a viable colony. Over a third of those original colonists were lost in the first threadfall. As a result of the reduced original gene pool we have a high percentage of people like Jenna born every year. They may be slow, mentally, but they make good loyal workers and we do our best to take care of them." Groghe nodded to Alex and Tia. "Now I must leave you, but I will have two guards stationed at the end of the corridor to prevent a repeat of what happened to you, Lady Tia. If you need anything, just tell Jenna or one of the guards and they will take care of you." With one more nod and concerned frown, Lord Groghe turned and left their quarters.

As soon as Lord Groghe was gone Alex turned to Tia deep concern showing in his eyes. "Just how bad are you damaged?" He inquired as he peered closely at her.

"It's like I told Lord Groghe, The only damage is to my arm. It's pretty much destroyed but I have a suitable replacement back at the ship that will be more than adequate until we return to Central Worlds." She replied to him. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Tia walked into the inner bedroom chamber and sat down in one of the three chairs. "I need to get everything ready back at the ship." The life in her eyes died as Tia returned her control to her ship.

The first thing Tia did was check the view through her external scanners. She noticed an inordinate amount of activity in the weyr bowl. Several dragons with their riders took to the air and soon vanished. Tia focused on Ludeth who was pacing and fretting on the ledge outside the queen's weyr. 'What is going on?' Tia inquired.

Ludeth stopped pacing and responded. 'Several of us have gone to help Ruth search for the ones who stole Lord Groghe's two prize runners. They think the thieves were involved with the one that attacked you.' There was a pause then Ludeth continued. 'Margatta wants to know how badly you are hurt and if you are going to be all right.'

Tia acknowledged Ludeth and responded. 'Tell Margatta that the only thing damaged was my arm and that I will be fine. My avatar may have been damaged but I am still safely ensconced inside my shell inside my ship and unharmed.'

Ludeth acknowledged Tia's report and the contact was broken. Tia observed Margatta and Ludeth communicating as they both gazed over where her ship was sitting. Tia then began preparations for tomorrows repair job.

~ o ~

After Tia shifted her control to her ship, Alex filled the time looking around their temporary quarters. It was made up of two chambers. The larger outer chamber was a combination sitting room, dining room and office. Alex noticed that in addition to the expected furnishings, there was a low pallet or cot over next to the outer door. The smaller inner room was basically a bedroom. The two rooms were separated by a heavy wooden door.

About twenty minutes later Jenna returned carrying a tray with a small plate filled with snacks, two cups and a large pitcher of water. After setting the water and snacks out she quietly and efficiently went around making sure that the quarters were in good orderly condition then took her apparent station on the cot by the outer door.

Sixth Day :

The next morning Tia and Alex were in the middle of their breakfast when Lord Groghe arrived at their quarters. "May I come in?" He asked from the open doorway.

"Of course, Lord Groghe. Please come in." Alex responded then waved his hand negligently toward the table. "There is plenty of food here if you are hungry."

As Lord Groghe entered their outer chamber he began speaking. "I have already had breakfast. I just came by to see how you are doing and let you know what has been happening." He took a seat at the table and continued. "One of the thieves was found to the north of Fort Hold riding one of the stolen runners. Both the thief and the runner have been brought back to Fort Hold. The second stolen runner was found abandoned to the east of Fort Hold. We have not yet found the second thief." He paused a moment before continuing. "The man that attacked you is named Camo. He has the apparent IQ of a five year old child and has lived all his life in the Harper Hall. From what he was able to tell us, he was manipulated by the two other men. They convinced him that you were here to kill Menolly and her firelizards and he believed that he was protecting them." Lord Groghe's face hardened and there was a glint of anger in his eyes. "What those two men did to Camo is just plain evil. Those two men and their kind are the true abominations." Lord Groghe paused, his fists momentarily clenched in anger. He visibly regained control of his emotions then continued. "Based on what we learned from Camo, the man that stole the runner will be tried. He already has a sentence of several years in the mines for stealing my best runners. If found guilty of being an 'Abominator' and inciting the attacker to violence, he will be banished, a far worse punishment, believe me." A momentary shadow of pure distain crossed Groghe's face as he said the word 'Abominator'. "When the other thief is found he will receive the same justice as his companion."

Tia looked back at Groghe. "Lord Groghe, what will happen to that poor man that attacked me?"

Lord Groghe shook his head. "Lord Jaxom has offered to take Camo on in as extra help in the main beasthold at Ruatha for a while until all of this . . ." He indicated Tia's ruined arm. "blows over. The man is actually pretty good with runner beasts. He should be happy there and hopefully well away from the influence of those that corrupted him." He sighed. "Menolly is very fond of the poor man and if it seems safe we will eventually bring him back to the harper hall."

Last night Tia had replayed her recording of the attack and combined with what Lord Groghe had told her she believed that the man had been mislead and was not really responsible. "I think I agree with your assessment of that man, Camo, and I'm glad that he will not be punished for what happened."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Lord Groghe gave her a warm half smile. "Now I'll get out of your way so you can finish your breakfast. Jaxom and Ruth are waiting to take you to your ship as soon as you're ready."

~ o ~

Tia was comfortably seated on Ruth's neck between Jaxom and Alex as they climbed into the air above Fort Hold. The next instant all sensory input ceased and a moment of total blind panic set in as she suddenly found herself experiencing the total sensory deprivation that was every shell person's worst nightmare. The next instant she was looking at a dimly lit control panel and hearing the sounds of her ships air recycling machinery. She fought to regain control of her chaotic emotions as she realized that all communication with her avatar had been cut off and that the automatic safeties in her shell had switched primary sensory input to the simple camera and audio systems mounted on the outside of her shell. Ever since Helva's time all shell people were equipped with this built in failsafe should all contact with external comlink systems be lost. She switched her comlink system back to ship channels and she was once again her ship.

She quickly scanned her surroundings through her ships sensors to reassure herself that she was still safely parked in the Fort Weyr bowl. Momentarily reassured, Tia scanned the sky anxiously looking for any sign of Ruth. Then Ruth popped into existence just above the rim of the bowl. After a moment to calm her worry she reestablished her connection to her avatar. Tia took a few moments to calm her still disturbed emotions and regain control of her avatar. The short jump between had been a terrible jolt and she was still working to calm herself down as Ruth circled in for a landing.

As Jaxom reached around to help Tia down he caught the look in her eyes. "Lady Tia, are you alright?"

She took another moment to compose herself. "I'll be fine. It's just that when you jumped between I lost all contact with this body. It was a very disconcerting experience. I should have expected it but it had not occurred to me what would happen. The last time my avatar was carried between it was under its own internal AI control and I was not linked in." Once they were all dismounted she spoke to Jaxom. "You're welcome to come inside my ship. Replacing this arm shouldn't take very long."

Jaxom accepted her offer and the three of them entered her ship.

Continued in Part 22

( rev 130828 )

'The Ship Who Searched' and'The Dragonriders of Pern' and their characters are owned by Anne & Todd McCaffery and Del Ray Books. No infringement on copyrights is intended. (I'm only borrowing the characters and promis not to damage them, too much.) This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be freely used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.