Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern - Chapter Eight

[kalinara]

Last time, we saw that Masterhealer Capiam wasn't doing too great. We also saw some of the preparations made by Fort Weyr to deal with the pandemic. We're probably going to continue on this vein for a while, I suspect.



Anyway, we're still at Fort Weyr. Moreta's woken up and is getting an update. Sh'gall is rested and getting ready. Berchar, on the other hand, is doing worse. Moreta is concerned. Since Berchar had been taking "sweatroot", she thinks the fever should have already been sweated from his body.

...is that how fevers work? I guess Pern fevers must.

But anyway, Orlith reassures Moreta, reminding her that neither Sh'gall nor Moreta are ill. Orlith's own pregnancy is advancing though, making Moreta concerned about her ability to fly Thread. Orlith is confident though.

Leri and Holth are still asleep, we're told, having been up late studying records. Moreta remembers a discussion the night before, when Leri had vented that Weyrfolk generally don't get sick. I mean, there was/will be that time that F'lar got sepsis. But she's ruling out injuries like knife fights, abscesses and kidney/liver infections. I kind of feel like those ARE illnesses. But okay.

Oh, here we go. I guess McCaffrey figured that she let Sh'gall be a little too likable or something, because:

Moreta had been quite willing to take that reassurance with her to bed. Though Nesso might have found it curious that Fortine was sending drum messages, Moreta logically concluded that Capiam was sleeping off the exhaustion of his round of the afflicted Holds. Sh’gall said that the man had been traveling for days. Sh’gall’s excessive alarm over the epidemic was likely compounded by his innate antipathy for injury or minor ailments. The Weyrleader had been overreacting. She felt more sanguine about her contact with the diseased runner: It had been so brief that she failed to see how she could be affected.

Didn't Moreta tell us earlier that the ONE thing Sh'gall does well is lead during Threadfall? Now you're telling us about his "innate antipathy for injury or minor ailments"?

Okay, fine, dude's a coward.

But anyway, Moreta is feeling reassured, despite her concern for Berchar.

So everyone's setting up for Thread. There's a side note about two workers: Declan and Maylone. They apparently had both been searched last year, but neither Impressed. However Declan had made himself useful to the healer, while Maylone was young enough to "Impress again" (odd choice of words that), so they were allowed to stay on. Moreta thinks that even if Declan Impresses in the future, he could still be a big help to her. A Weyr never has enough healers for men and dragons.

I can see that. Declan, by the way, is a thin-faced man of nearly twenty. And he and Maylone are efficient enough that Moreta hasn't gone to Healer Hall to get a more experienced replacement since Berchar's ill. I feel like that might be a mistake.

Sh'gall comes in, specifically to incur Moreta's scorn.

She was serving herself from the porridge kettle when Sh’gall entered the cavern. He went straight to the dais and pulled all the chairs but one from the table. He sat down, beckoned to a sleepy weyrling, and, when the boy would have mounted the dais, Sh’gall warded him off with a peremptory command. While those in the cavern watched with amused surprise, the boy brought the cup of klah and the cereal bowl, placing them carefully at the far end of the table. Sh’gall waited till the boy had gone before he collected his breakfast.

Moreta felt impatience for such elaborate precautions. The Weyr had enough on its mind with Fall at midday. Out of deference to the Weyrleader’s authority, she kept her expression bland. Nesso had added something flavorful to the cereal, and Moreta concentrated on identifying the addition.

Wingleaders and wingseconds began to arrive, to report the readiness of their wings to Sh’gall. They prudently observed his isolation.

I suppose the fact that Sh'gall will be vindicated by the plague could be a layer of nuance, but eh. I think we're clearly supposed to see him as a tool.

The other Weyrwomen (Kamiana, Lidora and Haura) show up. They seem unimpressed by Sh'gall and ask after Berchar. There's a hint of cattiness, as Kamiana hopes for no serious injuries, and this is apparently aimed at Haura, who we're told is a capable but unenthusiastic nurse.

I'm still not sure why the Weyrwomen are automatically stuck with nursing duties. But fine, whatever.

Oh, hey, another potshot at Sh'gall:

“Has a sweeprider gone out?”

“Sh’gall’s less likely to fly blind than any other Weyrleader I’ve known,” Moreta told Lidora dryly.

...okay, I appreciate that Moreta dislikes Sh'gall, and I think the entire system forcing them together is deplorable. But, um, do you have to undermine him like that right before Thread? I feel like that's not a great idea.

The "sweeprider" (apparently some kind of scout) comes in with news from the High Reaches rider. Sh'gall is incensed that the dude (whose name is A'dan) actually spoke with the rider, breaking quarantine. I mean...couldn't they have talked via dragon?

But apparently not, A'dan clearly thinks the rules don't apply to riders.

“Other riders! Anyone! We must keep this disease from reaching Fort Weyr and that means staying away from everyone. Today, during Fall, no rider of this Weyr is to approach any holder, any rider from High Reaches. Give any necessary orders adragonback, preferably on the wing. Touch no one and nothing belonging to anyone outside this Weyr. Have I made my orders perfectly clear this time?” He ended his outburst with another searing look at Moreta.

I mean, yes. That seems reasonable! Kamiana wonders how Sh'gall thinks he can punish offenders, which is a fair question, I suppose. I feel like the Weyr likely has some disciplinary options though.

Sh'gall clearly isn't popular among the Weyrwomen, as Lidora has her own complaints:

“He really is rousing us for Fall, isn’t he?” Lidora said, leaning toward Moreta. “How long does he mean to keep us cooped up here?” Irritation colored her voice and sent a flush to her cheeks.

Moreta gave the dark woman a long measuring look, and Lidora caught at her lower lip.

“Aggravating to be sure, Lidora, but few Gather loves are ever caught for long.” She had accurately guessed the source of Lidora’s discontent and wondered who had caught the weyrwoman’s fancy at Ruatha Gather. Moreta looked away, with apparent unconcern, but she thought again of Alessan and how much she’d enjoyed his company. She’d been showing off a bit, rushing to the runnerbeast’s aid, trying to catch his attention.

Sh'gall and Moreta discuss Leri, while Sh'gall's expression warns her to keep her distance. And you know, to be fair, while Sh'gall might or might not be a coward, he DID get exposed to the creature and he knows it. These behaviors are at least as much about protecting other people as himself.

Sh'gall doesn't seem to mind the idea of Leri fighting, as long as she stays mounted, which she always does. But we see more evidence of his unpopularity among Weyrwomen:

“Is he complaining about Leri again?” Kamiana asked, perversely forgetting her own objections.

I mean, look, from everything we've seen, he's definitely a dick. But, rather like Kylara, McCaffrey's so fucking heavy handed about it. That said, Kadith and Orlith seem to get along nicely:

To allay Moreta’s anxiety, Orlith executed a very deft turn and landed with precision near Kadith. The dragon was a good-size beast, a deep rich shade of bronze with green undertones. He was not the largest bronze in Fort Weyr but, in his mating flights with Orlith, he had proved the most agile, daring, and energetic. Kadith looked up at Orlith and affectionately stroked his head on her neck. Orlith accepted the caress demurely, turning her head to touch muzzles.

Aw.

But really, why is leadership determined based on which dragons want to fuck?

More preparation though, there's a lot of detail. But hey, I appreciate this bit:

Moreta was not one of those rare queen riders who could understand any dragon. Kadith turned his molten eyes on Orlith, and she steadied. Orlith was queen of the Weyr, as senior queen, the most powerful dragon in the Weyr, and since Fort was the first and biggest Weyr on the planet, she and her rider were the preeminent partners. But when Thread Fell, the Weyrleader was in command and Orlith had to obey Kadith and Sh’gall. So did Moreta.

I love Moreta more because she doesn't hear all dragons. That shit was fine when Lessa did it, but quickly got stupid. But it's worth asking, why IS the bronze rider whose beast bangs the queen, the one who calls the shots here. What if, somewhere in the green or brown dragons, there's a dude with the tactical ability of Alexander the Great? He allegedly fucked men, after all.

So now our characters fight Thread. It's fun! I'm not going to recap all of it, but it is pretty great to actually SEE a Thread fight as it happens. It's very exciting. Everyone seems to do very well.

Well, there is SOME excitement, when a young blue rider, unfortunately named N'men, miscalculates and almost takes a flamethrower to his dragon's gut. I swear to god, I feel like sometimes she picks these names at random.

There's another issue with a blue Weyrling, this one named T'ragel, and Moreta makes him stick around for clean up duty. It's fun to see her be strict.

So anyway, the Fall ends. There are some casualties, all injuries, no deaths. No one that we actually know or recognize. B'lerion takes a moment to say hi, and Moreta takes a moment to regret that Sh'gall and/or Kadith see B'lerion and/or Nabeth as rivals. Moreta then admits that they might not be wrong about that. Orlith does like Nabeth, and Moreta would much rather spend the Interval with B'lerion over Sh'gall.

They head back to the Weyr, where Moreta goes to work. A dragon named Dilenth is her first patient. It's bad. He's injured his "mainsail". And I'm rather delighted that parts of dragon anatomy is apparently named for parts of boats. Fortunately Dilenth is young, but he'll be on the injured list for some time.

His rider is the even MORE stupidly named "F'duril". Does McCaffrey even TRY to say these idiot names out loud? Or does she just choose them through keyboard smashing?

There's a nice bit where Nesso, assisting, states outloud that the "wingsail" is nothing but shreds and wonders if it will mend. Moreta has the same doubts, but resents Nesso for saying them outloud.

I like this part a lot actually. It's very busy, as busy as the Threadfall, and equally hard to recap. But it's interesting to see the chaos of the aftermath.

A'dan, the sweeprider, is actually F'dural's "weyrmate" (roommate? Lover? I don't think we heard what A'dan's dragon color is) and Moreta drafts him into helping. We also hear some other really awful weyr names like D'ltan and B'greal. And I swear to fucking god, McCaffrey, do you even THINK about how your naming rationale is supposed to work?

Oh, we do hear his dragon color. Green. Tigrath. So they're probably lovers, not just roommates. Moreta is very encouraging to him:

["]if you have to get sick, A’dan, do it now and get it over with. Dilenth and F’duril both will find it reassuring to have you helping me. F’duril knows you’ll be the most loving and gentle nurse that Dilenth could have. A’dan!” She spoke urgently because she needed his help. “Don’t think of it as a dragon wing. Think of it as a fine summer tunic that needs mending. Because that’s all we’ll be doing. Mending!”

You know, it WOULD be fun to read a Pern book solely from the point of view of the Healers. It'd be like ER or Chicago Med, but for Dragons.

Anyway, it's very tense, but they manage to successfully save the wing. Dilenth will fly again. The really awfully named Weyrlings are joined by a guy named M'barak and I swear to god, if McCaffrey were still alive, I would send her fucking hate mail.

It is kind of fascinating to see Orlith's role in keeping the patient dragon under control. I start to see why nursing is part of a weyrwoman's duties. Though I feel like a bronze-rider would probably do as well.

But uh oh, here's an interesting problem. Apparently K'lon and his dragon Rogeth are helping. K'lon was a recent patient of the plague. Apparently he'd said he was fine and couldn't stand being idle.

Fuck dude, you might have just gotten everyone sick.

Especially as apparently there had been a drum message asking for a rider to convey Tolocamp from Ruatha to Fort Hold. So I guess Tolocamp did get his way after all. There are also sick riders at Igen, Ista and Telgar. That's a pretty big problem, as there will be Threadfall in two days at the South.

...interesting. I suppose it'd be unreasonable to think F'lar is the only person to ever come up with predictive charts over the years. It makes sense that the riders of Moreta's time would have their own methods.

So anyway, they felt they had to respond to the drum message even if it meant disobeying the Weyrleader AND the Masterhealer AND the quarantine. Because they're fucking idiots.

ESPECIALLY when there reports of EIGHTY-ONE sick riders. WHOA. Moreta regrets not paying more heed to Sh'gall's report. Especially since Fort had already been under strength, with the injuries from last fall and this one.

So Sh'gall is vindicated! But we're still supposed to hate him, I think, because he's gone off to look for Leri and is angry. Nesso, because she's unlikable too, hasn't bothered to tell him about the drum messages yet.

We go back to dragon triage, but Moreta keeps thinking about the news from Ruatha. She wonders if there's anyone sick at Ruatha, and if so, how did Alessan permit Tolocamp to break quarantine.

Good question, I think we'll probably find out soon.

Moreta is eventually saved from Nesso's presence by someone named Tellani, who is giving birth. And Nesso's reaction is INTERESTING:


“Giving birth, no doubt. She started labor at the beginning of Fall.” Nesso raised her eyes and hands ceilingward in resignation. “We’ll probably never know who the father was for Tellani doesn’t know.”

Aren't the Weys supposed to be above slut-shaming? And Moreta is even in on it:

Privately Moreta blessed Tellani for her timing; she would have respite from the Headwoman, and a birth after Fall was regarded as propitious. The Weyr needed a good dollop of luck. A boy, even of uncertain parentage, would please the dragonriders. She’d have a stern talk with Tellani about keeping track of her lovers—surely a simple enough task even for so loving a woman as Tellani. The Weyr had to be cautious about consanguinity. It might just be the wiser course to foster Tellani’s children to other Weyrs.

I feel like Tellani probably knows if she's related to her lovers.

K'lon shows up and I think I hate him far more than I hate Nesso or Sh'gall, the characters McCaffrey clearly wants me to hate.

“It was I who insisted on conveying Lord Tolocamp,” K’lon said firmly, chin up, eyes shining. “You could say that I hadn’t actually heard the Weyrleader’s order of quarantine since Rogeth and I were asleep in a lower weyr.” Outrageously K’lon winked at Moreta. An older, weyr-bred rider, he had not been best pleased when Sh’gall’s Kadith had flown Orlith, making the much younger bronze rider Weyrleader in L’mal’s stead. K’lon’s discontent with the change in leadership had been aggravated by Sh’gall’s overt disapproval of K’lon’s association with the Igen green rider A’murry.

Go. Fuck. Yourself. You fucking plague vector.

And seriously McCaffrey. Hate mail. Fucking "A'murry"?

To her credit, Moreta seems pretty upset, but they don't get far before Sh'gall shows up. He's angry at the lack of ground crews from Crom or Nabol. There aren't even illness in those places. Sh'gall thinks they're using the plague as an excuse to avoid their obligations "to [him]".

Moreta fills him in about the sick riders down south, and Sh'gall is pretty dramatic:

“This Weyr will always discharge its duty while I’m Leader!” Sh’gall glared at her as if she had disputed him. Then he whirled and faced those lingering at the dining tables of the cavern. “Have I made myself plain to you all? Fort Weyr will do its duty!”

Unfortunately, the speech is punctuated by the dragon shriek that announces the death of one of their kind. It's the first plague death: a rider named Ch'mon (Seriously, I would send fucking HATE MAIL) died of fever, and his dragon went between. There will be six more deaths during the evening.

Per the healer Fortine, the illness is officially a pandemic.

Sh'gall and Moreta argue, of course. And of course, Sh'gall is a fucking dick about it. He doesn't understand why K'lon is okay, but Ch'mon died. Moreta "gathers strength from Orlith", which makes me hate this fucking system all over again (from her reaction, it sounds like Sh'gall is abusive as well as a dick, which really sucks!), and points out that the illness is already among them and they can't undo mistakes. She is optimistic though, which gives her fellow riders and weyrfolk some benefit. Sh'gall is still pissed off though.

And Moreta, well:

The confrontation had shaken Moreta. She was drained of all energy, even Orlith’s, and it had become an effort to keep upright. She gripped the edge of her chair, trembling. It wasn’t just Sh’gall’s rage but the unpalatable, unavoidable knowledge that she was very likely the next victim of the plague in the Weyr. Her head was beginning to ache and it was not the kind that succeeded tension or the stress and concentration of repairing dragon injuries.

Crap. They're definitely going to need another healer now.

Moreta gives some last minute instructions, even as the headache hits really hard. She ends up running across Leri on her way to her rooms. Leri keeps her distance, of course, but has already measured out the recommended medicine for her. Including fellis juice from her own stock. Aw.

The chapter ends with Moreta getting some much needed sleep.