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?"