Adventures in Pern: Firebreath Grill

At the eager "Me!"s of the group, K'pek led us to the middle of the Weyr, where a line of shops and restaurants poked out of the stone walls.  We stopped in front of a luxurious-looking eatery, with a wooden sign that was adorned with the words, "The Firebreath Grill".  A mechanical dragon, belching paper "flames", stood guard next to the door.

"Ah!  Greetings, K'pek!  We have a table reserved for you."  A spindly waiter appeared out of the entrance, sporting a thin mustache.  "Come in, come in!"  He ushered us into the restaurant, mouthwatering smells of roast meat tempting us.

We were seated at a long table, and within seconds, a huge, turkey-like roast was lowered onto the tablecloth.

 The waiter from before set to carving the meat, while words sprang from his mouth.  "This here is a Wherry.  Wherries are ostrich-sized birds, discovered by the first settlers of Pern and named for their resemblance to the boats.  While at first they were one of the only animals available for food, they still remain as a delicious alternative for herdbeasts."

He began doling out the slices of meat, placing them onto each person's plate.  Plates of vegetables arrived, strange and foreign but fragrant nonetheless.  While I waited for the meat to be passed to me, I munched on the aromatic leaves.

Once the succulent flesh reached my mouth, my eyes widened in amazement.  The skin was perfectly roasted to a crisp crunch, the meat under soft and tender.  It was heaven.

Within half an hour, we had polished off all the remains of the Wherry and the exotic vegetables.  Then, plates of pie began to arrive, each slice filled with berries.

As before, each bite was pure bliss.  It was hot, seemingly fresh out of the oven.  The berries--they tasted somewhat like blueberries and blackberries--dissolved in my mouth, followed by the buttery delight of the crust.

"These pies are called 'Bubbly Pies' by the people of Pern."  The waiter was speaking again.  "They're especially loved by the children, but that doesn't mean adults can't enjoy it too!"  The few of us without pie filling our mouths laughed.

After we had finished that, we left the restaurant, assured that our bill was covered by the price for the tour.  We followed K'pek back down to the bottom of the Weyr, slower now that our stomachs were full.   When we reached the bottom, he turned to us.  "Well," he began, "that concludes our tour.  I hoped you enjoyed it."  Sounds of approval rose from our masses.  "Now, it's about 9 pm.  We have a many activities you can partake in down here, and some dragon riders are answering questions that you may have.  Or, you can return to your weyr--after all, it's another big day in Pern tomorrow!"  He smiled.  "I'm sure you have many better things to do than to listen to me ramble.  Goodbye, and we hope you enjoy your stay at Pern!"

We dispersed, travelling to each of our destinations.  I headed straight to my room, popping open my laptop.

And then, I wrote.

Adventures in Pern: Bejeweled Eyes

We went back up the way we came, ascending towards the faraway sky.  Our luggage gone, we made quick progress, appearing on the top levels in no time.

When we got there, a dragon was waiting for us.  Its bejeweled eyes glowered maliciously at us, azure scales glimmering in the dim light.

"Opikuth!"  K'pek shouted, embracing the dragon.  It immediately softened, nuzzling against its rider.  "Everyone, this is Opikuth, my dragon."

Our tour group stared with wide eyes at Opikuth.  This was the first time many had encountered a dragon this close.  The dragon was majestic, great wings resting softly at its back.  Around me, cameras were clicking frantically.

"Now, Opikuth is a blue dragon."  K'pek announced, "Blue dragons are the smallest of the male dragons.   Being smaller, they're more easily maneuverable than the larger browns and bronzes."  He patted his dragon's head lovingly.  "Over there," he pointed to a green dragon bumping its rider with its head, "is a green dragon.  Green dragons are the lowest on the dragon hierarchy, but they're also the only females other than golds.  Green dragons have less stamina than other dragons, and as such, when fighting Thread they must rotate every couple hours."


"After blue dragons are the brown dragons.  Brown dragons are the middle-sized male dragons.
 They usually hold the title of Wingsecond, which is pretty much the second-in-command, after Bronzes.  Bronze dragons are the largest male dragons, the most common mates to the Queen, a gold dragon."

As he talked, he pointed towards the multicolored dragons that were lounging about the cave.

"The Queen is arguably the most important dragon of all.  She never chews firestone, because the chemicals that allow dragons to incinerate Thread render a female dragon infertile.  And the Queen is our only source of dragon eggs."

He led us to a board that outlined the different dragon sizes.  "You may notice that there are two gold dragons.  The larger Gold is Ramoth, who existed during the 9th Pass.  She was abnormally large, birthing 41 eggs in her first clutch.  The Queen before her only gave 12 eggs per clutch."

He paused a moment to allow us to absorb this fact.  "The white dragon you see at the lower left is a rarity.  White dragons are unable to break out of shells on their own, and must be assisted.  Before now, it was an unspoken rule to never aid dragons in hatching, but now that we can, the population of white dragons are slowly rising."

As the sound of clicking cameras began to die down, K'pek clasped his hands.  "Now," he asked, "who's hungry?"

Adventures in Pern: The Weyr

We poured from the ship like a river, where I was tossed aside, left to mill around in confusion, luggage in hand.  I had a tour scheduled upon arrival; now, if I could only find my group.

"Blue Group, over here!"  I turn towards the voice.   It was a scrawny young fellow, surely no more than 20 years of age.  He waved a bright blue colored flag, which I headed towards.  I supposed this was what the little blue sticker on my ticket meant.

When I arrived, the young man grasped my hand, shaking it vigorously.  "Nice to meet you, miss.  My name is K'pek.  We're just waiting for a few more people to arrive, then we can begin the tour."

One of the Blue Dragons

While we waited, I gazed at the dragons that sat at the corners of the quad, perched still as statues.  They were shimmering shades of blue, regal and cold.  A human would rise only to their shoulders.

With a start, I realized that they were the gate-openers that had allowed us into Pern.  That was an amazing skill.

An exhausted looking couple arrived, toting two large duffle bags each.  K'pek checked them off on his list, and we began the tour.

"Hello, everyone!  My name is K'pek, if we haven't been introduced already, and I'll be your tour guide for today.  It looks like everyone has bags they would like to put down, so first we'll be heading to the Torden Weyr, where you'll be staying.  Then we'll meet some of the dragons and their riders that live in the Weyr, and finally we'll dine at the prestigious Firebreath Grill.  After that we'll return to the Weyr, where you can engage in a variety of activities."

While he had talked, we boarded a shuttle that took us, blindingly fast, to an yawning cavern.  Upon closer inspection, stairs and tunnels spiraled down into the depths, which glowed with a faint light.  A man riding a green dragon was gliding into the cavern.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights," K'pek grinned, "because all of you are booked here for 3 days.  But don't worry, there are railings built into the edges.  We've never had an accident from when we first started."

We began to make our way down, our shoes slapping against the stone steps.  At first, the caves around us contained the occasional dragon and his rider, but near the bottom we began to see other tourists, stumbling around aimlessly.

K'pek led us to a tight row of wooden doors.  They each had a number, emblazoned in brass.  "Alright, these are the weyrs you will be staying in for the duration of your trip.  You each have a room number on your ticket, but feel free to see me if you have any trouble.  I'll be waiting here, so come and find me once you're done dropping off your stuff.  Then we can continue the tour.  We'll depart in 15 minutes."

We dispersed into our rooms.  I opened the door marked 168, entering a tiny cabin.  Setting down my bag, I plopped onto the bed, finding it surprisingly comfortable.  I stood up and walked into the private bathroom, which boasted a shower you could barely turn around in, a sink that called forth a trickle of water, and a thankfully functioning toilet.  A basket, filled with a strangely glowing material, hung from the ceiling.

Not that bad, compared to the Green Group.  Their quarters consisted of a tent on the bottom of the Weyr, and a shared bathroom.  Though the Brown Group, one rank above mine, was certainly better.

It had been around 15 minutes already, and when I went back outside I found most of our group already waiting.  K'pek was counting heads, and as the last stragglers appeared, he clasped his hands, almost joyfully.

"Let's begin the fun part of this tour, shall we?"

Adventures in Pern: Beware, for Here Be Dragons!

Before our herd of people could trample out of the rocket, a prim, beautiful stewardess appeared out of the captain's cockpit.

"Greetings, honored guests," she smiled sweetly, her voice silk, "and welcome to Pern!"

Some bloke began to applaud, joined by others around him.  The stewardess silenced them by running a hand through her immaculate hair.

"Thank you.  My name is Althea Galloway, and I am delighted to see you all!"  Again, her radiant smile shone.  "However, I am here to talk to you all on a very important business.  Pern is a very dangerous place. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy your visit here!"  Althea hurriedly reassured her rapt audience.  She pulled out a pocket-size mechanism, which unfolded into a projector that shone bright rays of light onto the wall beside her, creating a slideshow of her speech.  "As long as you follow the necessary safety procedures, your stay on Pern will be safe, fun, and unforgettable."

"First of all, Pern is home to very unique wildlife."  Many of the tourists laughed, nodding knowingly.  "You may have heard of the ancestors of dragons, firelizards.  They're extremely rare nowadays, but if you are hiking in one of Pern's isolated natural reserves, you may catch a glimpse of one.  Normally, they are shy and willing to keep away from humans, but do not ever try to corner one, or capture one.  As with any wild
beast, firelizards are capable of defending themselves--after all, they were dragons once.  In fact, there are a few people who have bonded with a firelizard, as you can see in the picture.  More commonly, you might encounter a snake.  Unlike snakes on Earth, Pernese snakes have six limbs which they use to burrow or swim.  Several species have a poisonous bite, so stay as far away as you can from them."

"And of course, you have your dragons.  Pern is widely renowned for its seemingly fantastical feat of bio-engineering these creatures.  But remember, even though the only dragons you will see are tame, do not attempt to touch them unless you get approval from their rider.  Not all dragons are friendly towards visitors."

"Last, but not least, the reason we created the dragons!  Thread, what we call the deadly spores that rain down from the Red Star.  We predict the next attack will arrive in 20 days or so.  One day before the attack, there will be a planet-wide announcement, calling everyone to take cover.  It used to be that we would instruct everyone to go to the Weyrs, but now all our buildings are safe.  As long as you are indoors, you don't need to worry.  Our dragonriders are well-trained, and no Thread has hit the surface for centuries."

Althea smiled once more, concluding her speech.  "Thank you all for coming to Pern, and I hope you enjoy your stay!"

Adventures in Pern: The Journey Begins

The sun rose high into the skies when I was ushered onto the Dragon Star, a high-tech rocket ship headed for the Rukbat system almost 170 light-years from Earth.  That's 1.6 quadrillion kilometers!  Seems crazy, right?  Not with the Dragon Star.

"Alright, buckle up, everyone."  The captain's gruff voice was met with a roll of laughter.  Everyone knew that going between, what they called "worm-holing" in the old days, was smooth and bump-free.

It used to be dangerous, when the process was controlled by the mind-power of one dragonrider alone.  But now, the Pernese scientists have mastered the technique, stationing a squadron of dragons and their riders to receive the shuttles.  Our captain would send a message to Pern, and the squadron would create an opening between from where they stood.  Then, the shuttle would go between, and the captain would steer the ship easily into the gateway, into Pern.  Simple, and blindingly fast.  Apparently, the journey between rarely took more than ten seconds.

"Going between in 3...2...1."  The windows turned jet black, soft dawn of morning gone.  I began to count the seconds:

1...

2...

3...

4...

5...

6...

7...

All of a sudden, the windows shone with a glorious light.  We had arrived at Pern.