For the first few sevendays it was an idyllic time for Key, Dav, and Pumara as they basked in the eternal glow of Impression, doing their utmost to learn what the weyrlingmaster and the other supporting dragonriders from Ista were trying to teach them about the care and feeding of dragons. Even the weyrlings got into the act, helping out when they could when one of their dragons needed to be bathed, oiled, or fed.
"Wouldn't you have preferred one of the larger dragons?" Key asked Dav one day as they were busily oiling their lifemates' skins. "A brown or a bronze?
"Nah," Dav instantly replied, grinning as he patted Marineth on the neck. "I like the blues better… smaller, more nimble. Besides, he's the same color as the lake water in front of my home on Aquilos 2! He's perfect, and I couldn't be happier!"
"Liona?"
"Zucanno?" I responded, peering over Puneth's back as I was helping to oil her flank.
"How quickly do the dragons reach maturity?" she wondered, finishing her part in Puneth's oiling.
"Depends on the size of the dragon," I replied, wiping my hands off on a rag the Istan weyrlingmaster handed me.
"As Dana said," V'kel commented, nodding to me. "Most dragons will reach physical maturity at 18 months, sexual maturity ranging up to three Turns."
Pumara gasped, her face turning pale even under her fur, her eyes growing enormous.
"Zucanno, what is it?" I asked, clearly worried.
"How can I lead the Hegemony," she whispered, her eyes suddenly fearful, "if I have to remain here for so long?"
Lifemate, what is wrong? Puneth rumbled, trying to insert her head under Pumara's arm.
Startled by her lifemate's concern, Pumara draped her arm over Puneth's neck, leaning on her for comfort. "Hush, little one. It's nothing."
Not hardly, I suddenly realized. The Kendite Matriarch Impressing a Pern queen dragon, though heart-stirring and greatly desired, now placed the fate of her homeworld in jeopardy.
"Zucanno," I softly spoke, placing a tender kiss on her tear-soaked cheek, "let me handle this. We'll think of something."
"Alright, my dear," she whispered, nodding her appreciation. "Do what you can."
The Matriarch couldn't simply return to Pun Ch'lar and leave her new lifemate behind. That first Turn of bonding and growth was important to both of them. How could we possibly do both? And, more importantly, where did we start to look for an answer?
In a blinding flash of insight, it hit me! The Kendite Embassy! Tarnaa and I made abeeline between straight there. When I explained to the staff what we were up against, I was given full access to their database they had brought with them. Hopefully, I could find something there that would offer hope.
"Their database is surprisingly rich in content and detail," AIVAS reported after I established a communications link with the rebuilt computer. "What are we looking for?"
"Some way to solve the Matriarch's Impression dilemma," I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
Goldie, perched on my shoulder, trilled softly, rubbing her head gently against my cheek in concern.
Lifemate?
Tarnaa?
I'm curious, she silently spoke, seeing the data terminal through my eyes. Do they have weyrs on Pun Ch'lar?
No, my heart, I quietly replied, flipping once more through the data.
"Masterhealer?" AIVAS interrupted. "Is something wrong? You fell silent for so long, I was concerned."
"It was Tarnaa, AIVAS," I responded, pausing my perusal. "She was wondering if they had weyrs on Pun Ch'lar."
"None as of yet," the amazing machine remarked, "but certainly feasible." Pulling up an image from the embassy database showing one of Pun Ch'lar's extinct volcanoes, AIVAS said, "This location, with modern laser cutter aid, could easily be converted into a proper dragon weyr."
I gasped, suddenly leaning forward in my seat.
"By the Egg of Faranth!" I hissed, sudden hope flaring in my chest.
"And it's not that far from either the Hegemony capital or the Matriarch's home!" AIVAS matter-of-factly added.
"That's it!" I whispered, staggered by the possibility. "A new weyr… on Pun Ch'lar!"
My heart was racing, the flow of blood actually making me a little dizzy. Goldie was trilling from my shoulder, picking up on my excitement. Given the level of technology the Kendites possessed, especially where the laser cutters were concerned, we could bring this idea to fruition in less than a month! Then, another concern began to nag at me.
"Setting up a new weyr is certainly a possibility," I remarked, considering the idea, "and could be accomplished in a fairly timely fashion. But the fauna on Pun Ch'lar are unknown on Pern. How would we know if the dragons who went there could survive on them?"
Looking up from the computer console I was at, I silently told Tarnaa, Call the Weyrleaders and Weyrwomen, my heart. We need to talk.
Thankfully, the Falls scheduled for today had already concluded, so as dragons and riders began to arrive at Landing, I directed the humans to go to the large meeting room in the Admin building. Once everyone was seated, I explained our problem.
"Any ideas?" I asked, scanning the room.
"Does AIVAS know if our dragons could feed on the Pun Ch'lar animals there?" N'ton wondered, leaning forward in his chair.
"Alas, no, Weyrleader," AIVAS responded through the computer screen. "Dragons require boron in their diets. As such, the herd animals they feed on were genetically modified to absorb it from the native Pernese plants. There is no boron in the Pun Ch'lar environment."
"There is a solution," a familiar voice broke in.
"Master Fandarel!" F'lar called, waving as the burly Smith entered the room.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, bowing to everyone in the room.
"I'm amazed you were able to tear yourself away from your explorations aboard the gateway!" I chuckled, Goldie snorting in my ear.
"What did you mean there's a solution?" Lessa prompted, also leaning forward.
"It's actually quite simple," Fandarel explained, turning to the computer screen. "AIVAS, can you project an image of the Pun Ch'lar volcanic crater?"
A 3-D image of the site near the Hegemony capital appeared over the center of the conference table.
"We can do this in two stages," Fandarel went on, gesturing at the hologram. "Dragons can teleport across the intervening distance and be there in approximately one hour, correct?"
I nodded confirmation.
"So we send specialized mining teams adragonback," Fandarel said, grinning. "With the help of the Kendites and their laser cutters, we can convert this site into a well-equipped weyr in about a month."
"But that doesn't solve the feeding problem," Kara cut in.
"We load breeding herd animals from Pern onto the Matriarch's cruiser," Fandarel explained, grinning from ear to ear. "The animals would not survive the journey between…"
"But they would aboard the Matriarch's vessel!" G'dened exclaimed, his excitement coming through.
"Exactly!" Fandarel responded, giving the Istan Weyr leader a thumbs up. "By the time the Matriarch's cruiser reaches her homeworld, a proper weyr will be set up for them. All they will have to do then is move in!"
"We'll need to send dragons and riders to man this new weyr," I suggested, scanning the room. "That way, they can look after the Matriarch and her queen until Puneth reaches physical maturity. It won't have to be a full complement of dragons and riders since they won't have to deal with Thread. Just enough to look after the Matriarch and her new lifemate."
"What about the crops the herd animals will need to feed on?" K'van wondered. "Do we send specialists with the weyr build team?"
"Might not be a bad idea," J'fery of Telgar seconded. "That way, they'll have time to get the herd crops established before the Matriarch arrives."
"So how many dragons and riders are we talking about sending with the build team?" Pilgra of High Reaches Weyr wondered.
"As they won't have the constant threat of Thread to deal with," I responded, glancing about the room, "two dragon and rider pairs… one male, one female… preferably those who have already shown romantic interest in each other, from the six northern weyrs plus two pairs from Southern and the Eastern Islands weyrs."
"I recommend you send sufficient supplies with them," Fandarel suggested, "so that they can feed themselves until the Matriarch arrives."
"We can send additional supplies on the Matriarch's cruiser," Kara from the Eastern Islands Weyr threw in. "Once the new weyr is established, if necessary, we can resupply them via dragon jump…"
"Or establish routine supply runs from Pern to Pun Ch'lar," Fandarel added, nodding to Kara, "saving the dragons and their riders the arduous task of making those long-distance jumps between."
Silence filled the room.
"Any other suggestions?" I asked. When no one responded, I added, "Then let's get to work!"
Within a sevenday, each weyr had put forth the necessary dragon and rider pairs the new weyr on Pun Ch'lar would need. As Kara was a junior weyrwoman at Eastern Islands Weyr and not in a leadership position, it was decided she would lead the expedition to the Matriarch's homeworld along with her new weyrmate, B'seer and bronze Golmath. What really surprised me was when Ryeena approached me about going with the expedition as one of the dragon and rider pairs from Robinton Cove; something I hadn't even considered. When B'gon came up behind her, laying his hands gently on her shoulders, it left me stuttering!
"You… you… Ancestors!"
I had definitely not seen that coming!
"They'll need healers in the new weyr," Ryeena explained, glancing tenderly back at B'gon. "Please, Dana."
Tears coming to my eyes, I gave my friend a warm bear hug, quietly saying, "Just be careful, you two."
Next, I sought out the Matriarch who was busy feeding her queen. When I told her of our plans, she was so stunned she dropped the bowl of chopped meat she was feeding to Puneth.
"What do you think?" I asked, worried I may have gone too far.
"Oh, ch'lia!" Pumara sobbed, throwing her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. "It's perfect! I'm so proud of you! Thank you!" Pulling back to look at me, her eyes brimming with tears, her queen peering over her shoulder, she added, "Puneth and I both thank you!"
That was it, then. All we had to do now… was do it!
FTL transmissions from the Matriarch herself reached Pun Ch'lar in moments. When the special mining teams arrived at the crater, they were met by the technicians Pumara had requested, the precious and powerful laser cutters ready to go!
The build teams from both worlds got right to work. The laser cutters made fast work of hollowing out the necessary weyrs for the dragon and rider teams, with a few spare ones available for visitors. Living caverns were next, providing the dragonriders a place to meet and eat.
The engineers on the build team sank a geothermal vent down to the still hot magma below, providing an abundant source of heat for the weyr. Water diverted from a nearby river was then fed into the vent, causing it to instantly turn to steam. That steam then turned a generator, providing electrical power throughout the weyr which also operated the water pumps that fed plenty of water to each weyr and the living area.
The crop specialists were equally determined to succeed with their work. By the time all the weyrs and supporting structures were hollowed out and deemed habitable, the crop specialists had a burgeoning field of the type of Pern plant life the herd animals would need to graze on. They didn't have to look far for fertilizer, either. As it turned out, many of these people, especially those who lived in the weyrs, had been using herdbeast dung to enrich the soil. It made sense. After all, the creatures couldn't absorb all the boron from the plants they consumed. What remained was excreted and returned to the soil whence it had come, replenishing the boron levels in the crops. Any supplemental boron that the crops might need could very easily be introduced by hand.
Gathering together at month's end to survey their handiwork, one of the dragonriders asked, "What are we going to call this place?"
There was plenty of fanfare five months later when the Matriarch returned to Pun Ch'lar, a heavy cargo shuttle bringing her and Puneth to the surface, the vessel landing easily in the enormous bowl of the crater. As she and her dragon emerged down the ramp from the shuttle, she gasped, pausing at the bottom to stare at the wonder she saw.
Lifemate! Puneth rumbled, her eyes shading to a pleased bluish green. It looks just like the place we left!
"Heart of my heart," Pumara wept, giving her dragon a warm, gentle hug, "it looks like home!"
Kara and Ryeena led the Matriarch up to the queen's weyr, moving out of the way once they got there so that Pumara and Puneth could check it out. From there, they moved to the other facilities the new weyr had… from the geothermal-heated bathing troughs to the food prep and dining area. Pumara examined everything with a critical eye, her lifemate crooning with delight at each new discovery. When the inspection was complete, everyone returned to the weyr bowl, the air pregnant with anticipation.
Ryeena and Kara came forward, their weyrmates and dragons right behind. Gesturing around the bowl, Ryeena asked the Matriarch, "What would you like to call this place?"
Smiling broadly, happy tears streaming down her face, Pumara wrapped her fellow queen riders up in a group hug, saying, "We shall call it… Friendship Weyr!"
The build teams and the dragonriders who would call this new place home all cheered loudly, the dragon bugles of delight resounding around the weyr bowl!
The beast masters wasted no time offloading the herd animals from the transport shuttles that arrived in rapid succession. In no time at all, they were all grazing in their designated corrals, munching on the grasses that would feed them.
Dignitaries from all across Pun Ch'lar followed shortly after to celebrate the Matriarch's return and to shamelessly gawk at her golden lifemate. Pumara and Puneth took it all in stride, smiling and exchanging pleasantries the whole time. The other dragons and riders from Pern spent a great deal of time meeting with the dignitaries and introducing their own lifemates to the gawking crowd. When offered, one or two of the Kendite dignitaries even managed to work up the courage to take a quick trip adragonback, circling the weyr bowl a few times before returning to ground. Most had to be helped to a seat afterward, so overcome were they by the experience!
The Matriarch hadn't traveled alone on her cruiser. Human cooks from Pern had come along, and, between themselves and the Kendite food preparers that the Matriarch herself had called in, a banquet was prepared for the crowd, everyone settling in to dine just as the sun was setting.
To finish off the day, Tarnaa and I arrived just as the meal was ending. With the help of Kendite musicians who knew all too well the musical score from 'Keymon's Song', I stepped up to an overlooking ledge from one of the weyrs and sang along with the musicians. With the exception of the Matriarch and the humans in attendance who had heard the performance back on Pern, the Kendite musicians struck several sour notes before falling into silence as the dragons joined their voices to mine, triggering that dreamlike state that had manifested itself first on Pern. I couldn't help grinning at the disbelieving expressions on the faces of the assembled Kendites. This was something none of them, with the exception of their Matriarch, had ever experienced before… and it proved its universal quality regardless of which planet you were on. Clearly, the dragons made all the difference. Even Puneth got into the act, crooning steadily and smoothly along with the others. Tears and a look of unabashed pride suffused the Matriarch's face as she admired anew her lifemate, bringing tears of my own to my eyes.
For several long minutes, the crowd was silent once the song ended. The moment the effect wore off, everyone burst into thunderous cheers and applause. There was plenty of handshaking all around between the humans and the Kendites making it clear that Pumara had chosen well the name for her new home. It truly was Friendship Weyr!