Chap. 44 After Action meeting

Chap. 44  After Action meeting

"I know it's not our normal meeting spot, but it's a lovely day and we can let our dragons play in the lake while we talk," D'nis said.

The weyr had flown against Thread earlier that day. 

His wingleaders, wingseconds and B'rant, the Weyrlingmaster, were lounging on the grass, as well. They all thought it was a much better place to meet than inside the office.

After action conferences weren't obligated to being held indoors.

The usual dissections of the wing's performance, and individual actions fighting Thread were discussed.

"I am very pleased that today we had no injuries," D'nis said, "and normally I'd say dismissed. But I want to discuss with you all the concern I have, as does Danelle, that Elanath shows no signs of an impending mating flight or laying a clutch. She's due."

The others nodded. They knew that there were three other golds, but none of them were old enough to breed, not just yet.

"The healers have checked her over several times, and Elanath says she feels 'fine'. In fact, she's concerned about Danelle, as well. As you undoubtedly have heard, she's not doing well. The healers have checked her and on the surface, can't find anything wrong."

"Like dragon, like rider," said M'ran.

"No, it's like rider, like dragon," argued another, a fainthearted attempt to lighten the mood. It fell flat. They were all worried.

"She's only 22," D'mitran said of the weyr's queen. "Maybe she just needs time to ramp up. After all, she's only had three clutches total."

"But only last year's had any golds at all," said another.

"I know. Maybe in her case it's not so much…well, what do I know, I'm no healer. Maybe Elanath is unhappy that there were no golds in her last clutch.  I think she's..ashamed? But she shouldn't be, she has no more control over it than any human has of choosing the sex of a baby."

"Sir, begging your pardon, not to dredge up old business, and maybe it's connected,  but I'm a bit concerned on how Danelle did fighting Thread this morning. I certainly don't intend to step on any toes here, but it seemed to me as if she was…." one of the wingseconds hesitated.

"Out of sync? I know. I saw it, too. It was just once or twice, but…" D'nis said, feeling as if he was betraying his Weyrwoman. But this was the sort of interaction and observations that characterized every after action conference. A gold rider was just as subject to accidents as a Weyrling, but with far more disastrous consequences. Recriminations served no purpose, so everyone was able to make observations of anyone else, regardless of rank. Better to prevent an accident than deal with the consequences after one.

He shook his head, sick with worry. While she didn't complain, he'd been aware that Danelle hadn't been feeling well for some time. She wasn't pregnant. Of that, he was quite sure. Like most weyrwomen, after impressing a gold, she'd devoted her life to duty rather than childbearing.

"She'd never take being confined to Weyr during threadfall, especially without a definite reason," D'nis said, "nor, for that matter, would Elanath. But we've done it many times to a green dragon or a brown rider when it was obvious they were ill. We've even confined a Weyrleader." He remembered being confined to weyr the year before, due to an ear infection that affected his balance. He'd felt ashamed even though it was the best thing to do.

His staff nodded. They appreciated his courage to even point out his own failings.

"Would we have to call Jianath out in case Danelle had to be confined? She does have the experience of leading the Queen's wing."

"From over 400 years ago, and even then, I bet she'd not led a wing more than once or twice," said M'ran.

"I think I'd sooner just order the junior golds stay home than let Jianath lead them. It's not the dragon, it's her rider. I don't think Jenmay is ….competent."

"She's a bloody hag, she is," someone said, under his breath but still audible.

"I've seen Jenmay going in and out of Danelle's office a lot, lately," M'ran continued.

He shivered. Jenmay, the Oldtimer, was disliked by most of the weyr for her stodgy, old fashioned ways, her sniping, and quickness to point out the "moderns' errors.

"Jenmay's been discussing herbs with Danelle and the healers, both for her as well as for Elanath. She continued to be an herbalist even after she impressed Jianath," D'nis said, shivering, too. Jenmay was cantankerous at best and hideous at worst.

"She knows her stuff, I'll give you that. The healers told me that the herb she advised did a great job in clearing up a nasty skin condition one of the kids had, just with a few applications. None of our healers had ever heard of it."

"Wasn't that the time she and Jianath went North to harvest some plant that doesn't grow down here?"

"Which time was that? She goes off on her own a lot. She is retired, after all."

"I don't know. I know next to nothing about medicinal herbs. I can slather on numbweed, that's about it," D'nis said. The others laughed.

"She insists on going alone, although I've asked her to take some weyrlings to help her harvest as much as possible so that we could find out if we could grow it here." He shook his head, remembering the confrontation.

"She said the herbs were in a secret spot, known only to her and she wasn't about to share it with us "moderns". We've "grown soft..and stupid…over the years."

"And this is her way of punishing us for it," someone said.

"Sounds to me as if she might be doing a little…trespassing? on someone's Hold," M'ran said

"Hmmm. Didn't think of that. I hope you're wrong, it wouldn't do to have any Hold angry with us, North OR South."

"Next time, let's have Corvuth ask Jianath where they went."

"What a pain in the back end she is. What did we do to deserve HER?" someone groused.

"Aye, I hear you, but..she's here. We dragonriders take care of our own, no matter if they're worthy of the care or not. Just think of when WE'RE old." D'nis said, "She's taught our healers-both animal and human, a lot. In one small way, she is right. So much information was lost in that 400 year interval. It's almost as if she was a human Aivas, in a way," he said.

"For Pern's sakes, don't say that to Jenmay. She's death on Aivas. Won't allow a word about it. Insists we use old fashioned terms like 'runnerbeast' instead of "horse', solely because Aivas taught us the new words," B'rant said. He idly picked up a rock from between his feet and tossed it into the lake, just to hear it plunk.

"I can't tell you how many times my weyrlings complained about her forbidding any mention of Aivas, and when an entire class of Weyrlings complain about the same thing, something is wrong," he added.

"Yet, she wears the glasses that Aivas taught the glass smiths how to make," M'ran said.

"Aye, funny how she thinks no one notices."

D"nis nodded, having heard it many times, himself. He loathed Jenmay. She was meddlesome and mean tempered. Was that from coming forward at an advanced age? No, he knew it was because she wasn't Weyrwoman. When she'd first arrived at the weyr-some would say, from banishment-she'd insisted on hovering over Danelle, constantly criticizing her decisions, and interfering with the staff. It seemed to many that she wanted to displace Danelle, but her gold, Jianath, was aged and hadn't bred in years.

Jenmay's meddling had slowed after Danelle had threatened to send her back to Telgar, from where she'd fled after having a fight with the Weyrwoman there.  Now Jenmay was dispensing advice on herbs instead of leadership.  How in the world Danelle put up with her, he didn't know.

In a small part of his mind, he was glad he didn't have to. Not fair to his Weyrwoman but then, sometimes, "life is unfair", as his dad used to say.

I think we're done now Corvuth said, trudging out of the lake. He shook his wings, sending water everywhere.

He was followed by the other dragons. The hot sun would soon dry them off.

D'nis got up and reached for his bucket of oil.

"Well, gentlemen, I believe we have dragons to oil."