G'ny was kept busy in the newfound bustle as well. With Saleneth's eggs having become Weyrlings, Moura decided to have the pair resume messenger duty, routing G'ny and Saleneth occasionally to the Holds they initially served, but also adding new destinations to their rounds. G'ny suspected Moura this was all part of Moura's plan: to ease G'ny into the diplomatic relations a Weyrwoman's duties entailed, continuing to build her popularity beyond the Weyr's walls. All of this preparation predicated on the timing of Saleneth's fertility. It was a gamble in which G'ny could not quite share Moura's confidence, although she did her best to follow the older woman's lead. The well-being and support of beholden Holders was essential to a Weyr's success. Although most Weyrs were primarily self-sufficient during Interval within their territories, there were occasions on which they would consult each other. Indeed, twice a turn, the Weyrleaders and Weyr Harpers convened to discuss the possibility of Thread. Still, after just over two hundred years without the lethal substance, all reports indicated that all Star Stones registered negative towards any impending Thread. At the very least, it was important that enough riders traveled regularly enough to keep the reference points of each Weyr fresh for use at any moment. Equally, if not more important in this era were Weyr-Hold relations, so G'ny could expect an assignment to either or a variety of both when she checked in with Moura.
"G'ny, good to see you back. You know, I was going to meet with you tomorrow morning about your upcoming schedule, but since we're both here, do you think we could do it now? Over a bubbly pie perhaps?" Moura addressed her subordinate rider, casting an eye towards the still-warm pies. G'ny nodded with a smile in response to her Weyrwoman.
"As usual, you seem to have charmed those around you. Correspondence from Lord Olleran indicates you would be very welcome as a dispatch rider to Tillek. Although, given T'mosen's latest reports, I suspect the sentiment comes from a certain son, Jonderan? Any interest?"
"I'm happy to be wherever the Weyr needs me," G'ny replied. Although the overwhelming smell of fish had been jarring, G'ny found her time at the Hold to be quite pleasant overall. She had faith she could handle Jonderan's polite advances. She replied delicately, "On his part, sure I suspect there is."
"Well, we seem to need you all over the place, so I'll only be putting you on a secondary rotation - I'm sure Olleran and Jonderan will understand. For now, I need to ask a special favor of you. At the last convention of Weyrleaders, the Fort Weyrwoman and I got to comparing recent clutch sizes, noting that numbers really seem to be down. I told her I wanted to follow up later since neither of us had our records with us. Would you bring our records and meet with her on this matter? Ideally, you should include all of the active Weyrs. I would help you cover the territory, but there's just so much to do here, especially with two classes of Weyrlings - the second on the heels of the first." G'ny heartily assented to this request, even as she feared the results she might find through it. She was one of the most well-traveled dragonriders in the Weyr, and her dragon's unexpected clutching exploits gave her a greater understanding of the feminine nature of the task. Adjusting to new situations, managing the emotions of the stakeholders involved, and synthesizing investigations were skills G'ny had long honed, reaching back to her Holder days. Beginning with her exile to Igen, G'ny had been effectively relieved of her Wingsecond duties, and the rapid string of events since then had made return to them impractical. Rather, since Moura's return to leadership, G'ny had become the effective junior weyrwoman, who therefore had the luxury to pursue non-Wing related activities for extended periods of time. She was relieved too, with all that had happened with L'can. She resolved that her mindset towards the new experience would be one of positive determination.
"Depending on your findings, perhaps it might be in the best interest of Pern to recruit an otherwise idle Weyrlingmaster given the difficulty in balancing their staggered development, keep an eye out for anyone who might match that description." Moura strategized.
G'ny was up and on her way at first light. Ever since Moura had entrusted her with this mission and she had grasped the significance of it, a pit gnawed at G'ny's stomach, making sleep difficult. The early rays of day crept over the perfectly chiseled contours of Fort Weyr's outer buildings, casting long shadows that stretched westward. But for these grasping shadows, everything seemed orderly and in it's place, though quiet as most of its inhabitants still slumbered. Given this early hour of day, G'ny was surprised to see a small figure bustling towards them.
"Good, you're here. I am Ferra, the Fort Weyrwoman." A short woman rushed up to greet them. What the Weyrwoman lacked in stature, she made up for in intense energy. Someone has had her klah, G'n could not help but think offhandedly. Perhaps it is the same reason as keeps you from sleep, Saleneth hazarded, ever sensitive to her rider's routines. The Weyrwoman caught G'ny admiring the meticulous stonework. "Ah yes, we have capacity for over five hundred dragons here at Fort. We are hardly at a fraction of that. One hundred and thirty six." The woman stated bitterly.
"I thought maybe it was the flagging energy of our past Weyrwoman, but here I am on my inaugural Weyrlingclass as Weyrwoman, my third overall, and the numbers still don't look good. Nor have we had a queen yet, although I feel it coming soon. Allarath's mother didn't have her until her fourth clutch. You are here to confirm my suspicions - that this problem is not confined to Fort?"
"Well, we've got two and a half queens rising. Twenty three from our most senior queen's most recent clutch. Our junior weyrwoman had previously posted fifteen, although there was pretty unanimous speculation that it was because her rider did not keep her in shape and the flight did not go as smoothly as such a natural process should, so we thought little of it. Mine, the 'half' recently clutched seven, but there was never any reason to think she would have any eggs, let alone a queen."
"A queen, from a 'half' gold you say? You really were out to exceed expectations, weren't you?"
G'ny chuckled but turned serious. "Still, your observations are spot on. In fact, that reminds me, Saleneth's own number of clutchmates, which included our junior weyrwoman's gold as well, was on the small side. Fourteen total, if I remember. Growing up in a Hold, I thought clutches were supposed to be two to four dozen, but when I got to the Weyr, I guess I just figured that was a figure exaggerated by folklore. Now that Moura has me examining historical records though..."
"I thought perhaps it could be something in the air - maybe it's something on this coast, which is why I approached Moura with my suspicions first. A change in the weather perhaps? Not that I have noticed anything. Dragons always did seem more sensitive to those kinds of things than us. At least my fears are not all in my head, although I almost wish they were. Better one paranoid Weyrwoman than a pandemic across Pern. Fair winds in your travels, and keep me posted. I took the liberty of making you a quick, abridged copy of our hatching records to take with you. May the other, more eastern Weyrs not be in such sorry states as ours." The Weyrwoman thrust a sheaf of vellum into G'ny's hand.
"You took the liberty... or a Weyrling made the copy?" G'ny teased the Weyrwoman once she was swiftly outside striking distance. In answer, the Weyrwoman smiled with an air of authority and waved as G'ny winged upwards on Saleneth and blinked between.
G'ny had thought it prudent to report back to Moura with her findings as soon as possible. From over five hundred dragons, Fort was down to one hundred and thirty-six. The immensity of the decline troubled her. Troubling too were the implications of these statistics, especially considering the primary objective of dragonriders. If Thread were to fall tomorrow, their forces would be significantly overwhelmed. When she had initially learned Records at Igen, Intervals lasted about two hundred years, yet the Star Stones registered the no cause for alarm, leaving most Weyrleaders, Ferra aside, unconcerned about this historic threat. Moura was clearly troubled by the confirmation, but set about channeling her concern into formulating a plan for action.
"Well, what are you waiting for, go check the other Weyrs out!" She commanded simply at the end of G'ny's report. "The day is only half over, check in with another one today, but remember, this is a sensitive topic, one that many other Weyrwomen may not be ready to face just yet. Report back once you have collected data from all four remaining Weyrs, but feel free to return home or reach out to Azirith if you need help."