There are 3 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [DL-C] A Day Worth Waiting For
From: Alton Reich <alton.reich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. USS Calypso: On the Starbase
From: Josh Turnof <josh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
3. [DL-W] A late meeting
From: Allen Veazey <veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 10:51:09 -0500
From: Alton Reich <alton.reich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-C] A Day Worth Waiting For
{Note: This takes place after a time jump, and so is set on Day 1.}
{Day 1 - Cynthia and Trevor's Apartment}
"Come in," Cynthia called out in response to the knock on the door.
The door opened, and Calylin stepped in. "We're ready when you are."
Trevor emerged from the kitchen drying his hands on a towel. Calylin
looked at him quizzically as he tossed it back in the kitchen. "The
privileges of being Warrenlady," he said with a simle, "you get me to
do
dishes for you."
"Oh, be quiet and help me up," Cynthia held out her hand.
"As you wish, my Lady," Trevor said with a flourish before taking
Cynthia's hand and helping her out of her chair.
Cynthia patted her significant abdomen. "If I don't have this baby
soon, You'll need to push me around the Warren in a wheelbarrow."
"I really hope it doesn't come to that," Trevor said.
"Why not?" Calylin asked. "It seems like it would be romantic, in an
odd sort of way."
"Maybe, but she'd probably complain that I was going too fast... or
too
slow. Oh, and then what would happen if I hit a bump?"
"You're terrible," Cynthia said, "I wouldn't complain to you about
bumps, I'd complain to P'ker."
"You should probably warn him," he said to Calylin. He pulled the
door
open and gestured them through, "Ladies."
They walked out into the sun****ne and across the empty ledge. Syren
and
Triss were preched on the edge of the upper green in a cluster of
other
dragons. The three made their way down the stairs to the lower green,
and across the lush grass. Most of the Warren's riders were lounging
on
the grass waiting for them. Gathered in a group at the center, with
their dragons, were the new riders. Waiting for the official end of
thier training, and the beginning of their tenure as full-fledged
riders.
Katrina, Rowan and Andahar emerged from the group of riders and met
Cynthia, Calylin and Trevor as they approached. Katrina clasped
Cynthia's hand, "You look wonderful."
"I feel like an elephant," Cynthia said with a smile. She looked over
at the trainees, "Are we ready?"
"Yes," Andahar replied for them, "We are ready to start working the
new
riders very hard."
Rowan chuckled, "In a week, they'll wish they were back with Eth'n."
Cynthia laughed, which triggered a small contraction. "I shouldn't do
that."
"Are you all right?" Trevor asked, the concern in his voice evident.
Cynthia smiled at him, "I'm as fine as I can be." She looked at her
Wingleaders, "Let's get started."
Trevor left them as went to join the other riders, angling toward
Kellie
and Turner. Cynthia and Calylin took their places in front of the
assembled trainees, with Rowan and Anadahar to their left, and Katrina
to their right. The assembled riders stood and silence fell across
the
lower green. From the rim of the upper green, Cynthia heard a dragon
sneeze. It was all she could do to keep from laughing.
When she was ready, she said, "I want to thank you from joining us
this
morning for one of those days that occurrs all too infrequently at
Cleft
Warren. Today we celebrate the completion of training, and welcome a
new group of riders into our wings. Who stands to vouch for these
riders?"
The group of trainees parted, and Eth'n stepped from within their
ranks. He approached Cynthia and Calylin, and bowed to them. "I do."
he said.
"I'm glad that I didn't have to bow," Cynthia whispered to Calylin. A
broad grin spread across Calylin's face, and she had to supress a
laugh.
"I have been responsible for the training of these riders," Eth'n
continued, "and they are prepared to join the Wings of Cleft Warren."
"On behalf of the riders of Cleft Warren, I an prepared to welcome
these
new riders into their wings," Cynthia replied. "Please present the
riders."
Eth'n pulled a list from a pocket in his riding tunic and unfolded it.
"With pleasure." He turned and faced the new riders, "Tatewin and
Tatezi, Alpha Wing."
Tatewin stepped forward and shook Eth'n's hand. She then shook hands
with Cynthia and Calylin before moving over to Rowan and Andahar.
Tatezi lept into the air and flew to the rim of the upper green. She
landed next to Bohoc and settled in to watch the rest of the trainees.
"Cholomon and Param, Beta Wing."
Cholomon shook hands with Eth'n, Cynthia, and Calylin. Katrina
clasped
her hand for a moment and spoke to her. Param lept into the air and
circled the upper green before landing next to Alizarine. Azure
reached
her neck across to nuzzle the newest dragon in her wing.
Eth'n read off names and the new riders came forward one at a time.
The
process took about 20 minutes, and by the time he finished, Cynthia
was
feeling distinctly uncomfortable. She had been feeling small
contractions throughout the ceremony, but was surprised by the
strength
of the one that hit her as the last new rider joined Alpha Wing. She
almost lost her balance and put her hand on Calylin's arm for sup****t.
"Are you all right?" Calylin asked.
"I think so," Cynthia replied. "But I think it might be time."
"Time for what?"
Cynthia smiled, "I think my water just broke, so it would be time to
get
this out of me."
Trevor rushed up to them, "Is something wrong?"
"Her water broke," Calylin explained to him.
Trevor looked at Cynthia, who smiled and nodded. Trevor grinned at
her,
"You're expecting me to panic, aren't you?"
"You do have a history of it," Cynthia said, "so I won't be
surprised."
"Well," Trevor replied while waving his arm in the air, "I have had a
while to prepare for this, and I did decide that I am not going to
disappiont you."
"That's wonderful," Cynthia replied as she felt a contraction, "but
I'm
thinking that we should be heading to the Med Center while your lack
of
panic holds."
"Working on it."
Triss launched herself from the edge of the upper green and glided
toward them. She backwinged, causing a strong breeze and landed
several
feet from them. She was already saddled and she crouched down in
front
of them. "Your trans****tation is waiting, my love," Trevor said with
a
flourish.
Cynthia leaned over and kissed him, "Have I told you that you're
wonderful lately?"
NRPG:
Ok, one time jump. This post was harder to write than I expected. I
really don't know why.
There are lots of places for other folks to pick things up, so feel
free.
Next up: A birth....
Respectfully Submitted,
Alton Reich
Warrenlady Cynthia and Syren
Summary:
Day 1: The new trainees get assigned to their wings. Cynthia goes
into
labor.
--
Alton J. Reich
<alton.reich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 22:35:17 -0400
From: Josh Turnof <josh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: USS Calypso: On the Starbase
MD 4:0930
Scene: Away Team, Starbase 10
Lowering force field...
Louie looked at the hardware in front of him for a few moments. It
didn't
seem that hard. There was power to the couplings. The couplings
controlled
the field emitters. Shut down the emitters, shut down the force
field.
'Not a bad plan, if I do say so myself.' He thought to himself.
It was his first away mission as a senior staff member. He was quite
a bit
nervous. In fact, even his hands were shaking a bit. It was good.
Reminded you that you were still alive...or so Master Chief Thompkins
had
told him before they'd left.
'Alright, now the emitters are there, the power couplings to the doors
are
there...and...voila!' Louie thought, as he stood up. The doors
opened, and
while he heard the science officer -- an officer Louie was still very
interested in, though they hadn't talked that much yet -- begin to
update
the FO. He peered through the other officers to see what they were
all a
gawk at. The bodies lay motionless about six inches off the ground.
Louie immediately ducked down to the ground to confirm it, but yes,
there
truly was 6 inches of air beneath them. He couldn't see anything
propping
them up.
Pulling out his tricorder as well, he saw, probably what the rest of
them
were seeing. Barely any pulses. Fair respiratory functions. Brain
waves
existed, but were mostly in waves or pulses, rather than constant
states of
activity. It was almost like they were..."hibernating," he breathed
accidentally out loud.
"Yes," the CSciO said, turning towards him, yet finding Louie still on
his
knees searching for any reason for why they'd be levitating. "I
concur."
"Lorn to Lt Freda. Find anyone else?"
<Not yet, sir.>
"Okay, well, keep looking. We have the nine here. See if you can
find
others. Lorn out." He turned to the two youngest officers. "Let's
see
what else we can discover about these, shall we?" He asked, walking
towards
the closest one, with a tricorder in one hand and a phaser in the
other.
Saijin and Louie each took a different one, all three speaking their
findings as they became clear. Taking samples of the surrounding air
and
bodies, Louie asked if the FO felt comfortable with them making a more
thorough investigation. Lorn walked back around to side of the first
one
he'd stood near.
He opened his mouth to answer, when all of a sudden a hand shot out
and
grabbed the FO's forearm.
*****
Respectfully submitted,
Ensign Louie Coltraine
Chief of Operations
USS Calypso
NCC-78464
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 03:23:37 -0500
From: Allen Veazey <veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-W] A late meeting
Day 12
evening
Ash's quarters
The bad news was that Ash was dirty and tired; the good
news was that there was a supply of hot water and a natural
basin in his old apartments. It had taken almost two hours
to scrub the dirt and minerals out of the large depression,
but the chance to soak in hot water had been worth it.
The same with the strong lye soap that he had obtained
in stores; it did not smell all that wonderful, but this was
the cleanest he had felt in weeks.
Memory had served, well enough. Things were slowly
approaching the way they used to be. Reed mats covered
the training area. The bed in the sleeping area had been
removed, reed mats covering the floor there, too, and a
spare futon-like mattress put down. The worst was the
back room, where Ash simply had shook his head at the
damage; he had repaired and replanted where he could,
and would simply have to search or beg for the rest of the
plants he wanted.
And next on the agenda...
[[ Dressing up once again, ]] Sol's voice sounded in his
head. [[ I never did understand that. ]]
*I have to dress the part,* Ash thought back. *I procured
the best I could, those that were in the stores. I cannot
look like a beggar, if I am to see the Prince. I just hope
things will be handled by the time he arrives.*
[You mean Trendal's rider?] Wyndamenth thought to
him from the dragonhealer's cave. [They are already here.
They have been here for hours.]
*Why didn't you tell me?*
[You didn't ask.]
Ash sighed. *Where is he... Trendal's rider... now?*
[At the dining hall. There's something going on,
some kind of animal loose.]
*Not Avid, surely.*
[No... he's stretched out close to your cave. This is
some other kind of animal, a pet.]
*Wonderful... no, I won't be adding to the evening's
festivities. Wait... Reolden isn't there with Ari, is
he?*
There was a pause. [I don't know.]
*All right.* Ash crawled out of the large depression,
moved the stone that served as a drain.
Minutes later, he was dressed and headed towards
the dining hall. Black pants, a white silken ****rt, his
green s****skin boots, black belt... his sword was
at his side now, the carved jade hilt looking almost
black in the moonlight. He paused at the entrance,
letting his eyes adjust to the light, his expression becoming
more and more troubled as he looked around.
*She's not here.*
[I don't know where she is, Ash.]
*That's all right. She...* He broke off, for his eyes met
Reolden's at that moment.
*Great.* He nodded, slowly; after a moment, he got
a nod back. There was no point staying, then, and he
busied himself with gathering his dinner, and left as
quickly as he could. If anyone said anything to him,
or if there were any looks his way, he did not notice
them. His thoughts were on Reolden, for they both
knew that a meeting was coming.
It was much later, after Ari had left, that Ash'chenon
came to the guest quarters. He was spared the need
to announce himself, for the Prince was already
outside, waiting on him.
"Ash'chenon," the younger man said. "I would
hardly have believed it. I still don't believe it. I
heard you were dead."
"I hardly believe it, myself." Ash bowed slightly,
though he did not need to; they both knew the rules
here. It was neutral ground, of sorts. "I heard I was
dead, too. I'm glad they were wrong."
"It must have taken a lot of nerve, coming back here
after all this time."
"I had no choice... my dragon is ill."
"Oh." Reolden's face fell. "I didn't know."
"She'll be well enough, soon. Then we will leave."
"That would certainly be a relief for my father."
"I'm sure." Ash looked around, fumbled with his pipe,
and lit it. "And you?"
"What do you want me to say? You've caused more trouble than
you're worth. Every Lord in the Dragonlands was afraid that you
could single them out and overrun them. Just like Lord Patka.
And then that... unpleasantness... at Geode." The Prince
watched as Ash winced. "Father was furious that
Christalla had pardoned you."
"There was a Hellspawn."
"I know. I understood it. The Landbound do not. Hellspawn
don't infest them like they do dragonriders... why is that?"
"Hatred for their worst enemies, I suppose. Or directions
from the Hive Queen."
"Well." Reolden paused. "I'm sorry, Ash. Even after all that's
happened, you've done a lot of good things for me, for my
father. Even if he won't admit it. And I wouldn't wish sickness
on anyone.. or their dragon. What's wrong?"
"I'm still not sure. The Wastelands have affected her. The
warping magic... we spent too long out there." Ash tilted his
head, a familiar gesture. "What brings you here?"
"I came to see the Warrenlady, to visit..." Reolden smiled.
"You already know, of course. Ari."
"I know. I know more than you think." Ash's expression became
stony. "What I don't know is why you would try to deceive her
like you're doing. I would have expected better from you, a
dragonrider."
"Stay out of it, Ash. It's family business."
Ash smiled slightly, an expression that never reached his
eyes. "I would believe that, and step back, if she wanted to
go. If someone wasn't waiting to take advantage of her the
moment she landed in Ralengarde. She's a dragonrider,
Reolden. You, of all people, should know what that means
in that circus they call a Court."
Reolden's face clouded. "Be careful, Ash'chenon."
"I might, if I didn't see a wrong being committed here. Are you
going to tell her the whole truth?" He waited as the Prince looked
away. "I didn't think so. You know what will happen, same as
I. How can you look at yourself?"
"You make it sound like she's throwing her life away. She's
going to be living a life of priviledge."
"That's not the life she wants. She's wild, innocent... you're
taking advantage of that."
"I'm showing her a better life. She deserves to know. Family
business, Ash."
"After all this time? Hardly. The king needs her, pure and
simple. There's no altruism here. But there might be malice."
"That's ridiculous!"
"No, it isn't. I know who Cicely was." The words dropped like a bomb;
there was a long, ugly silence.
"I won't let anything happen to her," Reolden finally said.
"In that, we are together. I won't, either. The choice is hers
to make, if she goes with you. But I will not see Ari taken
advantage of."
"Or... what? You'll invade Ralengarde?" The words were an
attempt at a joke, but his tone was half-serious.
"Of course not."
"You've walked that fine line between rider and general,
took advantage of that dual heritage so long, I wondered
if you thought you could get away with it." His voice
dropped low. "I'm asking you to stay out of it, Ash."
Ash'chenon paused. "You have no right to ask me that," he
said. "She's a dragonrider. I am, too."
"And so am I. I'm not ordering you. I'm asking you. I'm asking
as Reolden, rider of Trendal, not Prince of the Realm. Doesn't
that mean anything to you?"
"More than you know."
"Then why are you doing this?"
"Because what you're doing is wrong. And you know it."
"No." Reolden shook his head. "Only from where you're
standing. You're too jaded to see a good thing when it's
offered."
"And Ari's too naive to know when she's being used."
"She's my cousin. Part of the royal family."
"And my student."
"She... what?"
"Call it whatever you will. Mentor, I suppose. I could not
stand by and watch her life be thrown away."
"You..." Reolden paused. "I see."
"I knew you would."
"I wish you hadn't. Don't you know what kind of effect you're
going to have in Ralengarde?"
"Yes." Ash paused. "It's worth the cost. Sometimes things
need to be done.
"Yes, they do." Reolden nodded. "Thank you for telling me."
"It was... good to see you again, Prince Reolden."
"I wish I could say the same."
"I understand... completely." Ash tilted his head again. "It
has been a long time. Years ago, I told myself that you would
go far, stretch your wings and become much more than you
were. Far more than the cir***stances of your birth. I was right."
Reolden paused. "I've... had good teachers."
"Be well, Prince."
"And you, Ash'chenon."
Ash didn't see the slight smile that Reolden wore as he turned
away. Then again, Reolden didn't see that a similar smile was
on Ash's lips, as well.
*************************
Respectfully submitted by
Allen Veazey
veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
'chenon and Wyndamenth
Summary: Ash finishes his cleaning, visits the dining hall looking
for Ari, then meets with Prince Reolden later that evening. They
argue Ari's fate, then part with a kind of stalemate.
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