Disclaimer: I don't own anything/anyone from the Pern world books. I do own most of the characters in this story and anything else not from the original series.

Note: "Niquii" is pronounced NEE–KWEE

Chapter Six: Benden Weyr

Not to Lessa's surprise, Star had quite a lot of trouble climbing onto Ramoth, considering the size of the queen dragon. Vanya fell off her shoulder and complained loudly as Star pulled herself up with the riding straps, grabbing hastily to the Weyrwoman's hand and swinging up behind her. Ramoth rose to her feet, Mnementh next to her, and they took off beside each other.

Hard winds tore at the queen's two passengers, and, taking Lessa by surprise, Star gripped Ramoth with her knees only, flinging her arms in the air and yelling like she was on a roller coaster. "Faranth's shell, hold on, girl!" the Weyrwoman screamed back to her over the rushing winds. "You'll get blown off!"

Inwardly, though, she was pleased that the stranger was enjoying the flight so much on her dragon and grinned as she lectured her young passenger. "Sorry," the teenager called, and once more gripped Lessa's belt. "That was pretty dumb, but it was really fun!"

When they had gained sufficient altitude, Lessa saw F'lar give the signal to go between. She shouted a warning to Star and gave Ramoth the image of the Weyr. The young woman froze as they went between. Somehow the teleportation farther between both time-wise as well as geographically had seemed much shorter. Weird. Perhaps because she knew what it was like and wasn't trying to get through it soon, and let it take the three coughs Lessa had said it would, rather than reaching out to pull through. But she had no time to puzzle over it because they were finally out again, and not quite warm, but at least not as cold as wherever they had just been. She shivered and hunched her shoulders, still wondering why the last trip had been worse than this short one.

"It's warmer inside," Lessa spoke in her normal voice as they slowed for the decent. On top of the cliffs surrounding the huge crater they were circling down into, a blue dragon bugled a welcome, which the gold and bronze returned. Star suddenly gasped as she saw the enormity of the Weyr for the first time. The walls were taller, she was willing to bet, than the space needle, and pocked with landing spaces leading into caves- like the one they were making for.

Mnementh pulled back to allow his mate to go first. Ramoth and Lessa nodded to him at the same time, nearly making Star giggle through her chattering teeth. Suddenly the gold dragon beat her wings harder, driving them up into the air, and then folded them and dove, rippling in a wavelike motion. Unable to restrain herself, Star whooped and once more let go. She threw her arms up in the air and grinned.

Then Ramoth back winged to land neatly on her ledge, and moved aside for Mnementh. F'lar said something to his dragon they were too far away to catch. The effects were immediate.

The bronze twisted about, turning his tail to Lessa, Star and Ramoth, then he looped the loop backwards, wings folded, twice, as he plummeted towards the ground. They suddenly popped back up, apparently having gone between to get there, mere feet away from the ledge, scarcely back winged and settled, driving clothes and hair flapping all over the place.

"Don't you ever do that again!" cried Lessa, launching herself from beside Ramoth at F'lar and Mnementh. The bronze rumbled, eyes whirling in distress at having upset her, his Weyrwoman and rider of his gold mate, but also grinning like a fool at having pulled it off. "Not only could the weyrlings have seen you, but Mnementh's not as agile as he was! All of us are getting-"

They all knew her next word was to be 'old'. Then she closed her mouth, took a breath to calm down, and composed herself. "Let's all go inside." She turned to sweep past all of them and into the weyr, face troubled as she passed Star.

F'lar grinned at Star as they followed Lessa into the weyr. Nivi, Vanya and Elzin followed, peeping. Ramoth grumbled. "You may want to leave them outside," he commented. "Lessa's not… overly fond of them since T'bor tried to steal the queen egg. I'm sure they're hungry; never met one who wasn't, especially only recently hatched."

Right on cue, Elzin peeped and sent his and the other fire lizards' hunger at her. "Don't say 'I told you so', please," the girl requested firmly when the bronzerider opened his mouth.

F'lar grinned and bowed slightly. "Actually, I was going to suggest you send them down with a message to Niquii. She has one of her own, a brown, and he's pretty mature, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking on a few more for an hour or two."

"You're sure they wouldn't be in the way?" Star held on to Vanya anxiously, and they stopped.

"I believe the translation here is, 'does Niquii know how to take care of four lizards?'" He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, mock stern, frowning but smiling in his eyes. She looked down, thankful she didn't blush easily.

"No! Well, yeah."

"Let me assure you that we have been taking care of fire lizards at Bendan Weyr for longer than either yours, or you, have been alive." He grinned at her again.

"And there are still people who never get tired of those little flitters," called Lessa from down in the weyr. "They'll be taken care of; there's no shortage of feeders at a Weyr. I've got a message for Niquii here. She knows more about fire lizards and dragons than any candidate has in a long time."

"Candidate for the clutch of eggs, a junior queen's. They're set to hatch pretty much any time now, tomorrow or the next day, maybe," explained F'lar as Lessa came up to them with a harness and a small tube with something inside it.

The Weyrwoman explained to Star how to attach the harness on her fire lizard. "Bronze'll do fine. Blues and greens, fire lizard or dragon, are disasters with messages unless they have a queen, a gold, to guide them." For a minute the girl frowned, then gently grabbed Vanya, gave her a dime from her pocket, set her on her arm, launched her out the weyr and told her to go to the lake, drop the coin near the water and return.

A few seconds later, while Lessa and F'lar stared at her, trying to decide something to say, the green popped back in and landed on Star's arm again. "Thank you, Vanya, would you mind going back to get it?"

It took her about ten seconds to bring it back. With the little fire lizard on her arm, the coin in her hand, Nivi and Elzin circling and cheeping, she bowed to the dumbstruck Lessa. "I believe my point is made, Weyrwoman Lessa, Ramoth's rider of Benden Weyr," she said in a prim I-told-you-so tone. "Sorry," she added. "But Vanya's just… I don't know, more like me than the others. She's sassy, disrespectful… you name it, we got it."

A minute later, she launched Vanya again, this time having Elzin and Nivi follow, and told her to go to Niquii, with the brown fire lizard. Mnementh had already given Niquii's face to Vanya.

"It has been… a long time –never, actually– since I have seen a green, or brown, blue or even bronze fire lizard, for that matter, perform that swiftly," said Lessa slowly. "I don't think any could have done that without directions from a queen fire lizard."

Star shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable. This little one is very special, commented Ramoth to her rider, and her fire lizards are made more capable because of her talent.

"Oh, thank you," laughed the girl, mock glaring up at the huge golden dragon, "thank you ever so much." She didn't notice the glance exchanged between the adults, nor did she realize she had once again overheard a dragon's voice without it being specifically directed at her.

000

"We do not know how Joozith of all the dragons of Pern heard you. We see no connection. Furthermore, you also managed to contact me as well."

"I did?" asked Star.

"You are the first human able to mentally reach another of us," she added. The Weyrwoman regarded Star calmly. She fidgeted, afraid she had done something wrong. After a while it became clear they were waiting for her to say something.

"I don't know how I did it," she said at last, haltingly. "I didn't even know I did. It was really weird, I don't think I tried to call or hear any of them, or you," she added, looking at Lessa. "Should I try again now?"

"If you would allow us a demonstration?" requested F'lar. Star nodded nervously.

"Try Ramoth first," Lessa suggested, gesturing in the direction of her dragon's weyr. "I'll see what I can do to guide you, but won't have her initiate the conversation, just… sort of keep an 'ear' open for you."

Star swallowed nervously, then closed her eyes and stared off to the side at the floor. Ramoth? She thought hesitantly. Do you copy? Houston we have a problem… Earth calling Ramoth…!

Houston? Copy? The dragon sounded confused. Why would Earth call me?

Never mind, but it means 'do you hear me?' Thank you! Star opened her eyes. "Got 'er!" she reported happily to the Weyrfolk.

"'Houston'?" asked Lessa with a crooked grin. "I was listening in," she explained. "Your people have such interesting and intriguing speech."

"Thanks," muttered Star.

"Perhaps you could try finding me now?" she suggested. "Would Ramoth and Mnementh need to help?"

For answer, Star held out a mental hand to the dragons. They took it up and gave a shining bridge in her mind to Lessa. Nope, don't think so, the girl thought.

Her mind was wrenched away abruptly as Lessa gasped and shook her head. "You okay?" asked Star nervously. What if she had hurt the Weyrwoman?

"That… was very powerful," she commented when she regained her senses.

"Sorry…" Star's voice was very soft in her apology.

"No, it is all right," she was told. "I just was listening a little too hard when I didn't need to." Lessa smiled at her. "I think we're going to have a fun time exploring what all you and I, and the dragons, can do mentally."

"Oh, splendid," the teenager muttered under her breath, but they heard anyway. "Chores, and here I am on vacation in Hawaii." The adults chuckled, and she grinned ruefully, apologizing. "But, really, I have to be getting home now. My parents will be worried." She rose. "Do you think Ramoth or Mnementh or Joozith could bring me back? I've been gone much longer than I intended."

"Are you sure?" asked Lessa. She and F'lar traded looks.

"Yes."

"I don't see why you can't stick around for a few days. We can always, no matter how much time has passed, bring you back to the same hour, or any hour that day, that you left." Lessa met Star's eyes.

About to scoff at the suggestion of time travel, the girl rethought it. After all, she had three little fire lizards, had ridden two dragons, a green and a gold, teleported, spoken to many dragons, and Lessa, through telepathy and had sent her own fire lizards between in teleportation faster than any had before, according to the Weyrwoman. Against that, who was to say the dragons couldn't teleport her home not only Where but When as well?

"To the same minute I left?" she asked suspiciously, just to hear them say it. They nodded. "All right, then." But she would still miss her family.

We know, the combined voices of Mnementh and Ramoth told her, and we will always be here for you.

As will the fire lizards, added Mnementh alone, and all the dragons of Pern.

From every weyr in Benden a fierce chorus of affirmations greeted her.