Chap. 249 Survivor

Chap. 249 Survivor

"I don't know, K'ndar. I'm still pretty new at this job. We knew when Greta signed this lidar out that it had been calibrated and was in good condition. I'm sure she didn't abuse it. But you're right, I believe it's going to prove to be damaged beyond repair. I don't even know if any of her data can be extracted. I'll let the bright ones in Tech figure that out."

Leana, the new Acquisition chief, was going through the backpack.

"The journal-nope. What a shame, she had a lot of data compiled, if this lump of paper is any indication. What pages aren't sticking together are completely washed out."

Next was a tangled clump of rotten leather.

"What's this?"

She untangled it.

"That's a harness my sister made for Greta's fire lizard."

"It looks to have been very nice work. She's very good. Does she create things on commission?"

"Um...yes."

"I might have her do some leather work for me, later."

She continued emptying the pack.

"Two ditty bags, one has personal items, the other, self care items," she said. She gingerly emptied the personal bag. They were just things, the sentimental value of which were unknowable.

"Doing this makes me feel as if I'm a voyeur," she said.

She picked up a small metal ring. It had been worn smooth of any engraving. There was a spot that may have held a stone. "Who knows what this meant to her." There was what remained of a tiny notebook, now reduced to a lump of wet paper. Another was a tiny dragon, carved out of what appeared to be bone. Two tiny sapphires served as eyes.

"Someone had talent," she muttered. The last item was a small container. With a bit of hesitation, she opened it.

It contained a small bit of eggshell, the length and width of her thumb.

She laughed. So did K'ndar. It broke the heavy atmosphere.

"I'd bet my best boots this was from her dragon's egg. I wish I'd kept a piece of Marith's," she said. Thinking of her green dragon made her smile.

She tucked the things back into the bag. "If you ever go back to Western..."

"Drop the bag over the side where she is?"

"Aye." She sighed. She handed it to him.

"I think that's the best we can do," K'ndar said, taking the bag.

"The rest of the stuff, the rocks? They're interesting specimens, I'll have Geology look at them. But there is no context to where she found them. So they are probably worthless for any sort of scientific inquery. This one's an opal, though, by the way, did you see it?"

"I did see it. It's pretty, isn't it?"

"It is. I'm no judge of gemstones but I know opals are valuable," she said. "She would have been able to sell it for a nice sum. Any idea where she got it?"

I do, he thought, but I'm not going to say. Maybe she found another source. I thought she'd given them all away. But an oath is an oath, he thought, a promise we all made to each other. I don't make promises I don't intend to keep. I don't usually lie, but this time it's permissible.

Leana saw the momentary hesitation. "Do you?"

"I was trying to think of where, but I don't know. I didn't spend much time with her other than on survey. Greta was a nomad's nomad, she went all over Pern. When I worked with her she was always picking up rocks." He felt a moment of irritation. Don't go prying into my private life. Please.

"Well, I think it should go into the museum. Have you been watching its development?"

"No, ma'am, I've been busy!" he said, grateful for the change of subject.

"Jansen took the reins after seeing that no one really was interested. I've been trying to help her when I'm not doing this. It's coming along nicely. That big deep diver skeleton you found, on the southern coastline? It's all cleaned up, being wired together now. It's not going to fit inside any of the buildings here, so they're planning on putting it outside, to designate the museum. Good idea, eh?"

"It IS!"

He's hiding something, she thought, but there's not much I can do other than accept it. It's not greed. He obviously knows the opal is worth something, and had he kept it, no one would have been the wiser. Maybe they had something more going on than professional business. If so, it's none of my business. Whatever, he's an honest bloke.

She continued searching the pack. "The clothes-they can be recycled, maybe. The pack, too...oh. Oh, dear."

Her fingers told her what she'd found before her eyes confirmed it. She pulled it out.

Greta's dragonbraid.

She looked at it and felt her heart twist with dismay and a whiff of dread.

She cleared her throat. "No one told me I'd be doing something like this," she said.

"Makes it hit home, doesn't it." K'ndar said. It wasn't a question.

She nodded. "Yes. Up until now it's just been someone's wet bag of things. Now it's...a dead dragonrider's wet bag of things."

She put it down gently on the desktop.

She remembered getting her own braid. It was one the best days of her life. To this day, it was one of her most cherished possessions.

K'ndar picked it up and cradled it in his hand.

"I don't ever remember getting a class in how to handle a dragonrider's belongings, Leana. I know in the past, when Thread killed so many of us, it was pretty much the surviving dragonriders split up the dead rider's belongings. I'm not superstitious, but I never felt the desire to take something from a dead rider's kit. Maybe if I'd needed something, like a pair of boots? But I never had to worry. What to do about the braid was always the Weyrleader's call. Maybe I'm lucky, but in the short time I fought thread, we never lost a team. Injured, yes. Died..no. What do I do with it? She had never signed into my weyr."

"Do you know where she was from?"

He nodded. "Ista. In fact, her mother told me. She works at the new observatory."

"You should have given the braid to her."

He scowled. "Leana, I DID offer it to her, despite my better judgment. They were estranged. Greta never said a word about her mother but Glorus made it quite clear she loathed her own daughter. She didn't even go to her Impression or graduation. She was happy to see Greta leave after being Searched, she said, 'good riddance'. When she said that, it was with a tone that said Greta deserved to die. Even so, I felt I should offer it, hoping all the while she'd turn it down. She turned it down. She said, "Greta didn't turn out the way I wanted her to."

Leana rolled her eyes. "People like that shouldn't breed."

"Sorry to say this, but you're right. My father was the same sort, a bully, cruel and domineering. But I wouldn't be here if he'd not."

"I know. Well, I think you should take the braid to Ista Weyr. This bag of grooming tools isn't worth the travel. We can safely disregard things like her toothbrush. Let them know what happened to that poor girl. Ever been to Ista?"

"No. And I would like to stay here at home for a few days before I go, if only to get over the time change. And to get some work done."

"I understand. There's no rush. Obviously."

_________________________________________________________________________

"There you go, all nicely oiled up," he said, patting Raventh on the neck.

The dragon turned, and spread his wings, checking them.

I think you missed a spot on my left alula talon.

What? Drop that wing.

He checked. He had. He dabbed it with his oily fingers to get the substance into the tiny crevices of the claw.

Raventh flexed the alula. The talon shone dully in the light.

That got it. Thank you.

I'm so amazed at how sensitive your wings are, and yet so tough, strong enough to carry you through the skies.

Not all of my wings are that sensitive, the membranes themselves are not. It's why we can get a hole through them without too much pain. But the alula, especially, is sensitive. I can tell when it's hooked on something, it's like your stubby finger?

Stubby..you mean this one? My thumb?

He flexed one of his thumbs.

Yes. Thumb. My alula is your thumb. He flexed the claw. It was far shorter than the talons on his feet, but it was stoutly built. He could easily snag a good sized fish with it.

Siskin flew past, chittering. Roany was behind, flying slower. Siskin landed on Raventh's head, but Roany continued on past. He flew in aimless circles, wanting to perch on Raventh but unsure of whether he should. Finally he landed on the rim of the dragon's water trough and took a drink, as if he'd meant to perch there all along.

"Hi there, Roany! How are you doing?"

The fire lizard flared his wings as if to bolt, then relaxed. But he was still wary.

He's not afraid of me, is he?

Not afraid. Fire lizards are a little like us in that they can impress, but they don't -I don't have the words. It's as if only half of him is impressed. A dragon that loses his rider is so unhappy he dies.

A fire lizard doesn't. Roany is still physically weak, and still misses Greta, and Earth. But there's also a feeling in him that is not unhappy being alone. It's what all wild fire lizards are, alone. I think his memories of them are not important anymore. Every day he's alone he's further along not missing them anymore.

Right now, I feel what Siskin feels about us. Siskin loves you and me. He knows he could leave any time he wants, but he stays with us because he wants to. If we were to die and he didn't, he might do the same thing as Roany, especially if he didn't see us die.

Roany didn't know where Greta and Earth were, so he stayed where he'd seen them last. When we told him they were dead, when you showed him images of their bones, it was as if something in his mind was released, like a harness being removed. I think, right now, he's half way back to being a wild, unimpressed fire lizard. He doesn't dislike you, but you're not...

Family.

Family?

Family is usually blood relations, but not always. Greta and Mirth were his family. You and Siskin are my family. My sister Glyena is blood family. Family isn't always blood. Sometimes friends are so loved they become family. And sometimes, like Greta's dam hating her, sometimes blood family DOESN'T love you. Sometimes friends are more family than blood.

That is confusing.

It can be! Do dragons have family? he asked.

You mean, other than humans?

Yes.

Raventh was quiet.

No. Other dragons are just other dragons. We have friends that we like to be with, but most dragons are just others. Blood family doesn't mean anything, because we never mate with our hatchmates or our sire or dam.

We don't, either.

Siskin chipped, inviting Roany to join him on Raventh. After several moments of contemplating the consequences, the blue roan fire lizard flew to land just below Siskin's official perch, that being atop Raventh's head.

Raventh laughed, a happy rumble.

He is unsure of what to do. He's grateful that he is here, where he can hunt or just be, without being tormented by the sea wherries. But he also wants to be away from us.

Tell him he's free to do whatever he wants, although I wish we get him to a healer who might be able to patch up his wings. They're so tattered, I know it affects his flying.

I doubt he'll ever let a human handle him again. I don't think the holes in his wings will ever heal, but the edges where they're torn might. Don't worry, he'll manage with his wings being damaged. I think it's better to just leave him alone. I'll tell him he's welcome in our weyr, that anytime he's hungry and hasn't killed, to come to us.

Yes. He's one of us, now, but only as much as he wants.

Siskin chipped in agreement.