An invitation to a Hatching ends in an unusual outcome.
(See the end of the work for notes.)
On a lonely platform in the vast sea of stars, a dragonpair waited.
Standing in Mission Control, T’mar looked through the viewscreen and into the darkness of space, looking for any sign that their guests had arrived.
Suddenly, there was a sudden warping of space, then a silver starship slid out, its dimensions appearing to stretch outwards, then back to their original shape.
T’mar winced as she imagined how the passengers fared during the voyage. She had heard that translation through a Singularity point made most travelers ill.
All the more reason to welcome them! Vazimath said.
Outside Mission Control, Vazimath sat along the perimeter of the landing pad, his eyes whirling with excitement.
As they waited for the ship to approach, T’mar glanced away from it and toward the blue-green curve of Pern’s atmosphere.
The view of Pern from the viewscreen was slightly different from what she was used to – the planet’s western hemisphere was visible, as opposed to the eastern hemisphere – due to the different position of Field Point 1 in Pern’s orbit.
Field Point 1 was an extension of the SpaceHold, located near the closest transfer point to Pern where ships with Singularity Drives could dock. There weren’t many ships that did have such a drive, but enough FSP officials used them that it was necessary to build the extension, as the Singularity Drives were incompatible with FT&T’s Towers.
“This is NT-1455, calling SpaceHold FP 1,” a calm, male voice intoned.
The operator pressed a button, opening a communication channel. “This is SpaceHold FP 1,” the operator said.
“Requesting permission to dock.”
The operator pressed a few more buttons. “Permission granted.”
The doors to the docking bay opened, and the sleek silver starship hovered inside, landing slowly and quietly onto the floor.
T’mar slid on her helmet and exited Mission Control, joining Vazimath as they headed toward the landing pad. As they approached the docked ship, Vazimath hung back and sat down across from the ship’s entrance.
T’mar walked directly up to the entrance and stopped. After waiting a moment in which nothing happened, she spoke up. “Permission to come aboard?” she asked carefully.
“Granted,” a voice said suddenly out of nowhere, startling T’mar. The ship’s entrance opened, and T’mar stepped inside. After the airlock cycled, she popped open her helmet and lifted it from her head.
Looking around, T’mar saw that the ship was sparsely furnished, with everything painted a warm beige color. On one of the walls, a large titanium column was mounted, its indicators shining green.
“Welcome to NT-1455,” a male voice said warmly – the same voice that had granted T’mar entry.
T’mar looked around for the source of the voice, but found no one.
The voice laughed. “No need to look for me. I’m the ship itself.”
T’mar looked perplexed. “You’re… the ship?”
“Affirmative. I’m the ‘brain’ half of the NT-1455. You can call me Theron.”
“Theron.” T’mar thought a moment. “Are you an AI?”
Theron chuckled. “Nope! I’m an honest-to-goodness shellperson! My brain controls this ship.”
“Oh!” T’mar suddenly remembered what she had heard about shellpeople. Born with serious physical defects or diseases, they were placed into shells at a young age and lived as sentient starships and space station administrators, among other unusual jobs. “You’re a Brain and Brawn ship!”
“Precisely!” Theron said cheerfully. “My mobile half, Nia, is rounding up the FSP entourage. She’ll come out to greet you soon.”
Immediately after he said this, a tall, tanned brunette lady walked into the room, wearing a crisp blue shipsuit. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled.
“Hello there,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Nialla Paro, but you can call me Nia. I see you’ve already met Theron.”
T’mar took her hand and shook it. “I’m T’mar, rider of brown Vazimath.”
Just then, an inner door opened and a group of seven FSP officials walked in. To T’mar’s relief, none of them appeared to be ill from the Singularity transfer.
“Welcome to Pern,” T’mar said warmly. “My name is T’mar, and I’ll be your guide for the next few days. Just let me know whatever it is you need, and I’ll do my best to accommodate you.”
She waited a moment for the group to acknowledge her, then continued. “A word of warning, though. You all have been invited to observe a dragon Hatching. So naturally, there will be many, many dragons present. Don’t be afraid of them. They won’t bite – unless they’ve been provoked.” She smiled playfully. “So it goes without saying not to do anything to provoke a dragon. Or his rider.” She looked back at them seriously again. “That should be everything. I do hope you enjoy your time here!”
She listened closely as the FSP officials introduced themselves and asked various questions. Then they grouped together as Nia ushered them out of the ship. As the main cabin cleared, T’mar and Nia turned to leave as well.
“Nia,” Theron said suddenly, “There’s another person on board.”
“Another person?” Nia looked confused. “An intruder?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Theron continued nonchalantly, “Just a… little stowaway.” He was silent a moment, then addressed the air. “Come on out, kid. The jig is up.”
There was a slight rattling noise, then one of the ceiling panels came open. A young child jumped down from the hole in the ceiling, dirty and grease-streaked as if they had spent a sevenday inside the ship’s innards.
“Huh? What?” Nia stammered. “Since when did-”
“Since our last stop at SSS-900-A,” Theron replied
“Why didn’t you say anything then?” Nia demanded.
“She wasn’t hurting anyone,” Theron said petulantly, “In fact, if you listen to her story, you might be glad she’s here with us and not elsewhere!”
Nia put a hand to her face and shook her head.
T’mar looked at the little girl curiously. She looked to be around eleven or twelve, with a brutally short haircut. She would have been mistaken for a boy, if not for her high, delicate voice.
“Am I in trouble?” the girl asked. She looked ready to run if she was.
Nia sighed and gave her an exasperated smile. “Not if you don’t want to be.”
They listened intently to the girl’s story, and Theron was right, it was rather tragic.
The girl, whose name was Takaya, had lived on Mir, a frontier colony that had recently been ravaged by pirates. Her parents and siblings had been brutally murdered, and Takaya herself was captured and taken away by the pirates to be sold as a slave. When the ship docked at a space station, Takaya had managed to break free and escape. She had been stowing away on different ships ever since.
“I picked this ship because I heard it was going to Pern,” Takaya said, “Pern’s the planet with the dragons, right? I found out that everyone else on the ship was going to see a dragon hatching!”
T’mar and Nia looked at each other. Takaya seemed to be very good at information-gathering, in addition to being technically competent.
“Can I come?” Takaya begged, “Please? I wanna see the dragons hatch!”
“That depends on this lady here,” Nia nodded to T’mar. “What do you say?”
T’mar eyed Takaya speculatively and said, “As long as you stay close to us and stay out of trouble, you can come see the Hatching.”
Takaya let out a shout and jumped up and down. “Yay! Thank you!”
T’mar, Vazimath spoke up, Let me see the little one.
“Let’s go outside,” T’mar said with a knowing smile. “My dragon, Vazimath, wants to see you.”
Takaya’s eyes went wide. “Your dragon?”
“Yep,” Theron spoke up, “T’mar’s a dragonrider. I’m sure I mentioned that at some point?”
T’mar and Nia led Takaya out of the ship and away from the landing pad, to where Vazimath sat. His eyes whirled a calm, cool blue.
Takaya looked over and nodded respectfully to the group of FSP officials, many of whom looked back at her in puzzlement. Then she focused on Vazimath. Her eyes widened in awe at his size and color.
“He’s beautiful…” she said softly, “His color reminds me of chocolate, or coffee…”
T’mar smiled. “On Pern, we call it klah.”
“Can… can I touch him?”
Vazimath answered by lowering his head toward Takaya. She reached out a hand and gently stroked one of his foreridges.
“Would you like a ride on him?” T’mar asked with a smile.
Takaya blinked. “Really?”
“As soon as arrangements are made,” T’mar said, “we’ll fly down to Xanadu Weyr, where the Hatching will be.”
Takaya beamed. “Yes! I’d like that very much!”
There was a blast of warm air as Vazimath and his passengers emerged from between. T’mar looked to the left and the right, seeing the two green dragons carrying the FSP officials in formation behind Vazimath. Nia and Takaya sat behind her, with Takaya clutching the small servo bot that acted as Theron’s eyes and ears away from the ship.
“Everyone okay?” T’mar called out.
“I’m fine,” Nia answered.
“That was cool!” Takaya blurted out.
“Quite literally,” Theron added. “I thought my joints would freeze up!”
T’mar laughed. “That’s between for you. Just a couple of seconds in, then you come out where you need to be.”
As they approached Xanadu Weyr, the watchdragon bugled out a question, while Vazimath called out a reply. Soon enough, they were cleared for landing.
When the three dragons landed and their passengers disembarked, T’mar saw that the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman had come to meet them.
“Welcome to Xanadu Weyr,” the Weyrleader said, “It’s an honor to have you here.” He eyed the group with interest, staring curiously at Theron’s servo bot.
“Thank you for the invitation,” T’mar said.
“Please, let us know if there is anything you need,” the Weyrwoman said, “We want to be as accommodating as possible for everyone…” She noticed Takaya standing next to the adults.
Quickly, the Weyrwoman looked around, then beckoned a young girl to come over. She had short, close-cropped black hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a strip of white cloth around her arm. “Candidate!” she called out.
The girl ran over to her. “Yes, ma’am?”
“I know you have a very busy morning,” the Weyrwoman said, “but can you do me this one favor?”
The girl nodded, looking puzzled.
“I want you to show this young lady around,” the Weyrwoman said, nodding to Takaya. “She’s part of the FSP group who’s come to see the Hatching.”
The girl nodded again. “Yes, ma’am.”
The Weyrwoman smiled. “All I ask is that you stay out of trouble, and come back before the watchdragon bugles three times!”
The girl smiled back. “We will!”
The Weyrwoman turned and together with the Weyrleader, they led the rest of the FSP entourage further through the Bowl, with T’mar, Nia and Theron’s servo bot following close behind.
Takaya watched them leave, then turned to the girl standing next to her. “Nice to meet you,” she said shyly.
The girl beamed. “Welcome to Xanadu Weyr. I’m Kelaki.” She held out her hand.
Takaya reached out and shook it. “Takaya.”
“I’ve never met someone from off-world before,” Kelaki said excitedly, “I especially wasn’t expecting a kid my age!”
Takaya nodded. “This is my first time here on Pern.” She looked around, wide-eyed. “I’ve never seen so many dragons in my life!”
“You’ve come at the right time,” Kelaki remarked, “We don’t get visitors too often here at the Weyr. But when there’s a Hatching, everyone comes out of the woodwork!”
“The… Weyrwoman called you ‘Candidate’ before,” Takaya said, “What does that mean?”
Kelaki smiled proudly. “I’m one of the candidates to Impress a dragon from today’s clutch!”
Takaya’s eyes widened. “Oh…” She remembered what T’mar told her about Impression before they arrived. “Wow…”
“Are you hungry?” Kelaki asked, “I’m dying for some bubbly pies right about now!”
“Bubbly… pies?” Takaya looked confused.
“Oh, yeah… you wouldn’t have had them before! They’re the best tasting snacks on Pern!” Kelaki grabbed Takaya’s hand and pulled her along. “C’mon. Let’s go get some!”
Nia glanced behind her as the group walked. Seeing the two girls run off in another direction, she frowned.
“Was it a good idea to let them loose like that?” she whispered.
T’mar laughed softly. “They’ll be fine. The girl with her is likely Weyrbred, and probably knows the Weyr like the back of her hand.”
They turned their attention back to their hosts, who were answering questions about the Hatching from the others in the group.
“It’s a shame there’s no queen egg this time,” the Weyrleader was saying, “That would have been an amazing treat, to see a queen hatchling Impress!”
“It is what it is,” the Weyrwoman replied, “Rukath has many more Turns and many more flights ahead of her. Laying a queen daughter will happen when the time is right.”
“In the meantime, this Hatching looks very promising,” T’mar spoke up, “Twenty-five eggs! And judging from the size of some of them, at least three or four of them could be bronze!”
“Quite the lucky charm, then,” Nia said, “Bronze dragons.”
“Of course!” Theron piped up. “Bigger is better!”
Takaya and Kelaki sat by the lake, munching on meatrolls and bubbly pies and watching several riders bathe their dragons.
“I think the idea of bonding with a dragon is wonderful,” Takaya said, stretching out onto the grass. “The closest thing I’ve ever had to a pet was a stray dog that always came to our house for food.” She smiled fondly. “We would give him baths all the time because he’d always come to us covered in mud!”
Kelaki raised an eyebrow. “But dragons aren’t pets!”
“I know,” Takaya answered. “I have a feeling nothing really compares to having a dragon for a friend.” She looked very subdued.
Kelaki looked at her curiously. “Don’t you have family and friends, where you come from?”
Takaya looked away. “I… used to. Not anymore, though.” She fell silent, staring at the ground.
Kelaki stared back at her with concern. She looked out across the lake, thinking, then an idea came to her. “Hey.”
Takaya looked up. “Hmm?”
“Wanna see something really cool?” Kelaki asked with a conspiratorial grin.
Takaya followed close behind as Kelaki led her back to the Weyr and through a sprawling maze of rooms within the Lower Caverns, past the dining hall and kitchens, and through a small, nondescript door inside a storage room. The door led to a small tunnel, and eventually Kelaki and Takaya were crawling through a series of narrow ventilation shafts.
“Just keep going straight for a little bit, then turn left,” Kelaki’s voice echoed in the tight space.
Takaya was no stranger to crawling in the dirt, but doing so in an unfamiliar place, on an unfamiliar planet, made her feel uneasy. “Are you sure this is okay?”
“We’ll be fine,” Kelaki said reassuringly. “We just need to watch out for tunnel snakes. They can be venomous.”
“T-tunnel snakes?!” Takaya blurted out.
“Don’t worry,” Kelaki said quickly, “If we run into one, I’ll kill it with my knife!”
They crawled to the left, then squeezed through a small hole in the tunnel, emerging into a large, dark sprawling space. The air was hot and heavy.
“Watch your step,” Kelaki said softly, “The ground will be really hot in a minute. And stay quiet.”
They moved carefully through the room, until the dirt ground gave way to hot sand and light from above seeped through. Eventually, they arrived at a large, dimly-lit clearing, filled to the brim with gigantic, mottled eggs.
Takaya gasped. “Are these…”
“Dragon eggs,” Kelaki whispered, dropping to her knees again and crawling toward the clutch. “It’s a rite of passage for candidates to sneak into the Hatching Ground and touch an egg before they all hatch!”
Takaya followed her. “Can I touch one?”
Kelaki shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt, I guess. Just be careful!”
Takaya turned to a nearby group of eggs, drawn to one egg in particular. It was a bright, gleaming blue that reminded her of the sky. She slowly reached out and laid her hand on the shell. It was warm and dry and brittle. Then she gasped as the egg pulsed and a sudden shock went through her body. She removed her palm, looking down at it, then at the egg.
“Takaya!” Kelaki said sharply, “Come on, let’s go! Someone’s coming!”
Takaya turned away from the egg and quickly and quietly followed Kelaki out of the Hatching Ground.
They made it out into the Bowl when the watchdragon bugled three times.
Kelaki looked up, startled. “It’s time,” she said, “I need to get back to the candidate barracks!” She looked over at Takaya. “Do you know your way from here?”
“Don’t worry,” Takaya reassured her. “I can find my group. Just go! And good luck!”
Kelaki nodded. “Thanks.” She turned and ran off.
After a few minutes of looking, Takaya finally caught up with the FSP group. T’mar looked up and smiled at seeing her.
“There you are,” she said, “Just in time! Where’s your friend?”
“Kelaki left to get ready for the Hatching,” Takaya answered.
“Where’ve you been, kid?” Theron asked, the servo bot gawking at her up and down, at the dirt in her hair and covering her shipsuit. “You look like you stowed away on another ship!”
“Oh… uh... Around,” Takaya said slowly.
Nia chuckled and shook her head, pulling out a hand towel. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up a little before we take our seats!”
Once everyone was finally situated, Takaya looked out across the large arena in front of her and saw the Hatching Ground in its full glory: the hot sands surrounding the clutch of mottled dragon eggs, with the golden queen and her mate in their midst. She looked up and saw myriads of dragons perched along the rim of the Bowl.
Suddenly, a low hum filled the air, along with a slight vibration that could be felt from head to toe. The seated crowd immediately quieted down as the humming grew more and more intense. Takaya looked around, puzzled, until she realized the humming was coming from every dragon in the arena.
A movement caught Takaya’s eye, and she turned her head to see a group of young people walking toward the eggs, wearing pristine white robes. The candidates, she realized. She squinted her eyes, looking for Kelaki, but couldn’t see her. She continued to watch as the candidates positioned themselves in a half-circle around the eggs.
A moment later, there was a sudden silence as the dragons in the arena stopped humming. The crowd in the Stands sat with bated breath. Then, there was a loud crack, as the first eggshell broke.
Takaya stared in wonder as a large bronze dragonet pulled himself out of the wreckage of his egg.
There was a loud cheer from the Stands as the little bronze jumped onto the Sands, stalking about and searching for his rider.
“It’s considered good luck for a bronze to Hatch first,” T’mar said, turning to Takaya. “He’ll have first pick of the candidates!”
It didn’t take long for the bronze hatchling to push his head into the arms of a tall, teenage boy. With an astonished smile, the boy shouted, “His name is Exagryth!”
Several more eggs hatched at once. Two greens, both of which chose girls. Then a brown and a blue, who chose boys. Takaya watched as each of the chosen riders approached and embraced their dragonets, calling out their names in infectious joy.
“Her name is Corokith!”
“Adelanth!”
“Samanth!”
“Karioth!”
Takaya then saw another blue who chose a girl, followed by another brown who chose a boy. “Will a brown dragon choose a girl?” she asked T’mar, “Like you and Vazimath?”
“We were a special case,” T’mar answered, staring at the Impressions with a gentle smile and a faraway look in her eyes. “It doesn’t usually happen.”
“Oh.” Takaya squinted her eyes, looking hard at the remaining candidates on the Sands, and smiled when she saw Kelaki standing near a group of eggs that were quickly hatching. As the dragonets broke shell, Takaya hoped that one of them would choose Kelaki.
Suddenly, Kelaki gasped, and rushed over to a silvery pearl-blue dragonet that staggered over to her. She threw her arms around the dragonet, falling to her knees. “Oh, Hanakith!” she blurted out, tears of joy falling from her eyes.
Takaya cheered, standing up and clapping her hands. She continued to watch as other candidates Impressed their dragonets, filled with happiness for each pair.
The Hatching was done in no time, with over twenty new dragonpairs walking off the Hatching sands. People in the Stands were starting to leave. Takaya looked at the others sitting near her start to get up, and she did the same. Until…
Where are you?
“Huh?” Takaya stopped in her tracks and looked around wildly. “Who said that?”
“Who said what?” Theron’s servo bot turned to address her.
“Someone just called out…” Takaya said, looking around.
Why can’t I find you?
“There it is again!” Takaya spoke up, looking everywhere she could.
T’mar looked over at Takaya, puzzled. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
Why aren’t you here?
“Can’t you hear it?” Takaya asked, looking around more frantically.
There was a sudden gasp from the crowd, and T’mar looked over at the Sands, eyes widening at what she saw.
A lone, blue dragonet, staggering around on his spindly limbs. His hide sparkled a deep, iridescent, turquoise blue, and he was covered in small bits of blue eggshell. He let out a loud, heartbreaking cry that tugged at the hearts of everyone present.
T’mar, Vazimath said from the Rim, the little ones belong together.
T’mar looked over at Takaya, then at the blue dragonet, and everything clicked.
“Takaya,” she said, taking the girl’s hand, “Come with me. Hurry!” They pushed their way through the crowd. When their feet finally hit the Sands, Takaya let go of T’mar’s hand and ran the rest of the way toward the crying dragonet. She skidded to stop in front of him.
Don’t cry, Takaya thought desperately, Please don’t cry. You’re not alone anymore!
The dragonet looked up and locked eyes with Takaya. Suddenly, Takaya felt a warm, welcoming presence in her mind. It flowed through the very depths of her soul, filling every jagged hole in her wounded heart and mind. The constant pain in her heart from the loss of her family dulled, as the dragonet’s entire being enveloped her, acting as a healing balm.
You’re not alone anymore.
“What’s his name?” T’mar asked gently.
“Restioth.” Takaya smiled through tears of joy and reached out to stroke Restioth’s head.
I love you, Takaya! Restioth said, cuddling into her arms.
Takaya choked back a sob with a little laugh, and hugged him back. I love you too!
We’ll never be alone again, will we?
Takaya closed her eyes and laid her head on Restioth’s. Never!
The moment was interrupted by the rumbling of Takaya’s stomach.
Can we eat? Restioth asked meekly. I’m hungry, and you are too!
Takaya got up, pulling Restioth with her. Behind her, she could hear people conversing softly to each other, both Weyrfolk and the FSP officials.
“An off-worlder Impressing a dragon? It’s unheard of!”
“How are we going to train her?”
“Is this even allowed?”
“How will this affect diplomatic relations with Pern?”
T’mar heard the chatter and immediately stepped in. “Everyone! We can worry about these other things later. Right now, we have a new dragonpair that needs to be fed and attended to!”
“And we have a Hatching feast to attend,” the Weyrwoman spoke up, smoothly taking charge and directing everyone toward the dining hall. “Let’s allow the new riders their moment with their dragons!” She looked back at T’mar and mouthed a “thank you.”
The new weyrlings appeared in the dining hall when the Hatching feast was in full swing, with many of them receiving toasts and congratulations. Even Takaya received a few commendations as she moved through the crowd and toward the FSP group’s table.
“Congratulations, kid!” Theron shouted, thumping Takaya on the back with a robotic arm. “You’ve done the impossible!”
“How does it feel, to be a dragonrider?” Nia asked her.
Takaya beamed, her smile brighter than any star. “Good,” she said, “So, so very good!”
T’mar observed Takaya as she talked and laughed with Nia and Theron, and noticed just how happy she was – happier now than at any other time she had seen her. The undercurrent of sadness in her demeanor was gone. The Impression had done much to heal her heart.
And yet, in the back of her mind, T’mar wondered how Takaya would handle what came next. Would she leave with the rest of them? Or would she stay on Pern? As an off-worlder, there was so much about Pern that she didn’t know. How well would she be able to fit in?
T’mar sighed and took a sip of her wine. She would make it a point to talk with the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman about her concerns.
They are kind people, Vazimath said, They will know what is best for the little ones.
The next day, T’mar requested that Takaya come see her in the Weyr’s archives. She looked up as Takaya opened and shut the door.
“How is Restioth?” T’mar asked.
“He’s still sleeping.” The look on Takaya’s face showed her longing to return to him. After a long moment, she asked, “Are you in trouble now since I Impressed?”
T’mar shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s just presented an unusual situation. You’re the first person from off-world to Impress a dragon.”
Takaya nodded. “You don’t know what to do with us,” she said simply.
T’mar smiled. “Straight to the point.” She stared back at Takaya seriously. “Now, the Xanadu Weyrleaders have agreed to let you stay here, since you have no home or family to go back to. But there are conditions.”
Takaya nodded again.
“First, that you learn as much as you can about Pern and its culture. You’ll be living here, after all. We’ve arranged for you to have regular lessons with the Weyr Singer to fulfill this.
“Second, you must learn to put your dragon first in your life. As a dragonrider, the relationship between you and your dragon is the most important. Learn to take care of each other, and be attuned to each other’s needs. Don’t put yourself in situations that could harm your dragon.
“And third, you must understand what being a dragonrider means. Yes, it does mean that you have a friend for life in Restioth, but with that privilege comes responsibility. A responsibility to Pern. To protect its citizens, Weyrfolk, Holders and Crafters alike. To further Pern’s progress and interests.”
T’mar looked at Takaya pointedly. “I know you’re young, and you’ve been thrust into this situation so suddenly. Are you willing to accept these terms? To learn and grow together with Restioth?”
Takaya stared back at T’mar with a determined look. “I will.”
“Is everyone ready?” T’mar looked over at Nia and Theron, then over at Vazimath. The rest of the FSP group had already returned to the ship.
“I’m gonna miss her,” Theron said wistfully. There was no question who he was talking about.
“I’m relieved knowing she has a place to belong to now,” Nia added.
She was interrupted by shouts from halfway across the Bowl.
“There they are!”
“Oh, good! They haven’t left yet!”
T’mar, Nia and Theron turned to see Takaya and Kelaki rushing toward them.
“Come to see us off?” Nia asked.
The two girls, bent over and catching their breath, looked up at them, grinning.
T’mar looked Takaya up and down, impressed at the change in the girl’s appearance. Gone was the dirty, grease-streaked shipsuit – in its place was a simple tunic and pants, and the intricately woven shoulder knots of a blue weyrling dragonrider tied around her left shoulder.
“Looking good,” T’mar said, “…Weyrling T’kaya.”
The girl beamed, and her chest swelled with pride. One of the first decisions she had made in her new life was to elide her name, according to Pern tradition.
“Just you wait,” she said, “With Restioth’s help, I’ll be the best dragonrider ever!”
Kelaki, now Ke’aki, thumped a hand on T’kaya’s shoulder in support. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Hanakith and I are here to help too!”
T’mar chuckled at the mischievous smile the two weyrlings shot each other. Their Weyrlingmaster would have his hands full training them in the next months.
“We’ll try and visit whenever we can,” Nia said.
“Will you and Vazimath visit sometimes?” T’kaya asked T’mar.
“Oh, we’ll check in every now and then,” T’mar answered, looking at both T’kaya and Ke’aki. “We’re looking forward to seeing what great dragonriders you’ll be!”
The two girls waved goodbye as Vazimath kicked off the ground and spread his wings, rising gracefully into the air with his passengers strapped to his back. Once they were airborne, T’mar looked down, catching a final glimpse of T’kaya waving back. The girl had a long road ahead of her, but T’mar knew that with the help of her dragon and her friends, she would thrive.
So, last story was a crossover between Dragonriders of Pern and the Talent series - now here's my take on a crossover with the Brainship series! And of course it wouldn't be a Brainship story without a precocious kid! My inspirations for Takaya's character were Sassinak, Joat, and to some extent, Tia, with her look based on El from season 1 of Stranger Things.