Questions Without End
IC Date: Day 20, Month 12, Turn 2, 7th Pass
Players: R'hal, Vanya
Location: Records Room
Synopsis: R'hal runs into Vanya while she's doing some research in the Records Room. The main topic seems to be speculation on why the queens aren't rising, and various other assorted subjects. There are so many questions, and so few answers. Just theories and conjecture.
Records Room,
Late Afternoon
Some effort has been made to keep this immense room warm and comfortable. Given its size and contents, this has not been an easy undertaking. There is a slightly musty scent to the air and no matter how many baskets of glows are brought in, there seems to be a perpetual state of gloom. Some of this may have to do with the way the cavern is arranged. The area nearest the exits is given over to tables and chairs, meant to be used by those studying the records. Here it's always quiet but generally well-lit and not as musty.
Then there is the rest of the cavern, which is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of stone shelves. Rising from floor to ceiling, they bear more scroll tubes than could be counted in a month. The hides inside of each tube cover every topic imaginable and are marked by little tags, indicating where they're to be stored according to the organizational system created by the current weyrwoman.
Since the weather outside is awful, Vanya's decided the day is perfect for spending indoors, continuing her research. There's a variety of things she wants to check on, not the least of which are past records of gold flights, clutches and the like. That, and there is her own research into lists of injuries over the previous Pass, and various other data that's stored in this vast repository of information. She sits at a table off to one side, a number of scroll cases next to where she copies down copious notes regarding dragons and mating flights, oblivious to anyone around her who might be doing their own work, whatever that may be. Her stylus makes a soft tapping on her cheek as she peruses the hide currently in front of her. So engrossed is she that the healer doesn't even take note of the time.
Winter or no winter, the Wings still fly, and 1A's wingsecond looks as if he's been doing just that. R'hal's dressed in full flying gear, including helmet, though he removes that as he comes through the door. He stops just inside the entrance, lays a loosely rolled sheet of hide on the nearest desk, and starts to unfasten the toggles of his jacket. The hide unrolls itself and lies flat.
There's not much sound in the Records Room, it being a place of study and reading. So, the sound of footsteps is something of which to note, which Vanya does. She glances up from her own reading, recognizing R'hal, watching him remove his flying gear. The hide he sets down is given a quick glance, her brow furrowing slightly as she perhaps ponders what it might be. Then, should the rider happen to take note of her, she smiles and nods a greeting, setting down the stylus and re-rolling the hide to place it back in the neatly marked scroll tube. It joins others on one side of her which need to be returned to the shelves. This she has no problem doing, as her earliest -- and perhaps fondest -- duties in Healer Hall was working with the records.
Once he's adjusting his clothing to suit inside temperatures, R'hal walks over to one of the shelves and leaves his sheet of hide in a tray. This is done with no hesitation, and no need to consult the record keepers - apparently it's a standard procedure. He then moves towards the rack where maps are stored. On his way, however, he notices Vanya and smiles at her, then moves in her direction. "Afternoon. I just brought our wing report down. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, R'hal," Vanya replies, keeping her voice down so as not to disturb anyone else who might be in the records room, although there doesn't appear to be anyone at present. "My duty to your Yanith," she adds, nodding about the wing report. "I've been meaning to look you up," she says, picking her stylus back up and toying with it a little. "I heard from the Hall." A beat. "They removed me from my posting here, but haven't reassigned me elsewhere, so, for the time being, I'll remain here. I'm exploring various options, not the least of which is a private practice to enhance the physical therapies available in the weyr." It's all said very matter of factly, no rancor, no upset. "I'm also continuing my research, as you can see, and the dragon healing."
R'hal frowns deeply, not without a hint of incomprehension. "Removed you from your post but not reassigned you? What does that mean, exactly? They're not recalling you, or posting you again? What do they expect you to do? Are you allowed to work as a healer?" He removes his jacket, hangs it neatly over the back of one of the chairs at Vanya's table, then pulls out the chair and sits down in it.
Vanya chuckles softly. "Honesly? I don't know what this is all about, R'hal. Ordinarily, I'd have been either reassigned immediately, or at the least recalled to the Hall. The fact they did not take my knot means I can practice healing, yes, but to be perfectly blunt, I've not received a very warm reception in the Infirmary in recent days." She shrugs, shaking her head. "They'll likely not turn aside my help if there's an emergency or a bad 'fall, but I don't think I'm very welcome there." She doesn't seem overly upset by this, though there is a slightly tightness in her lips. "The main thing is means is that I've no income now, and will have to seek employment at the weyr -- which Sinopa is willing to give me -- so I can pay for my room and board."
R'hal is still frowning. "But they're not just going to leave you here, are they? That's hardly fair. If they don't think you should leave the craft, and they don't want you in this posting, they should reassign you, not leave you hanging around. That's no solution to anything." He lays a hand on the table. "Or, are they still investigating something?"
"Frankly, this has me baffled, R'hal," Vanya replies. "I've several theories, and none of them really make sense. It's not like I'm all that important, so maybe they don't need me right now? Or, it could be they have some other reason for not reassigning me. Maybe the powers that be feel my skills are questionable? I don't know, but I'm not going to raise a ruckus about it. I'm actually in a very good position here to accomplish some things I've wanted to do for a while." She shrugs again. "I'm not looking a gift runner in the mouth, and as the old saying goes, when one door closes, another usually opens up. There are plenty of opportunities for someone with brains and gumption. I like to think I have a bit of both."
"I'm sure you have," R'hal says reassuringly. "And... I'm not sorry that they've let you stay here." There's a faint hesitation before that. "But, you're a talented healer who's developing a line of work, doing research, discovering new things. You deserve to get the credit for that, sooner or later. This won't be good for your career, will it?"
Vanya sits back in her chair, pondering this point. "In some ways it won't, in others ...?" She cants her head to the side. "Perhaps. If I pursue a private practice -- which my knot allows me to, by the way -- I can choose my clients according to their specific needs. I'm perfectly capable of working as a healer, even if I choose to do it visiting various cotholds in the area. Weyrwoman Roa dropped by the other evening, and spoke to me on this. I've a lot more freedom than I'd originally thought. I'm also free to pursue my research and report on my findings regarding preventative healing with therapeutic massage and exercise. So ... in many ways, it's the best of both worlds."
R'hal nods slowly, though the note of doubt in his tone suggests he's still not entirely convinced. "That doesn't sound so bad, then. Well, I hope it works out for you. Are you still going to be assisting Sinopa? Or will you be spending too much time on healer work?"
"At this point, I'm still working with Sinopa, yes," Vanya replies. "I keep doing so for as long as I can, but she knows my first love is healing. Once things get settled," meaning once either Citalth or Tialith has risen, "we'll take a look at things and see what's going on then. I'm researching some things for her now, as a matter of fact. She's obviously very concerned about why the queens aren't rising on a regular schedule, and I've a theory I'm exploring. I don't know if I'm right or not, but ... it never hurts to check."
"Really? Is this the thing about them all gravitating to the same cycles?" R'hal unconsciously leans forward a little, the slight formality and hesitation gone from his manner. "That's really important, whatever the cause. We need the queens rising often, especially at this stage of the Pass."
"That's my guess, yes," Vanya replies, "though I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thought of that possibility. If I were to make my guess, I'd venture it was because all the various queens are from different parts and timezones of Pern. Some are older, some are young. None of them seem to have a problem rising when they leave the weyr. We know Diya's gold rose after she left here. And so have others. So, it's my theory they are all somehow trying to coordinate with one another, probably on an instinctive, subconscious level." She chews her lower lip. "At this point, I don't really care which queen rises first. We're losing more riders than we're replacing, and that attrition is going to hurt the weyr in a very short period of time." She sighs. "If only the greens could reproduce, too. They might help make the difference."
R'hal gives a dry chuckle. "We might have an awful lot of little green dragons. But then, that wouldn't be a bad thing." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "You said it happens with women. That they all have their courses together. Should we expect every queen in the place to rise at about the same time? Because that could have its problems, as well. Shells, it could be a disaster if they really did go up at the same time."
Vanya chuckles. "Maybe, but greens are very useful, as I recall," Vanya says, smiling. "Well, yes. Women who live in close proximity over time tend to have their monthly courses close together. It's something strange that no one can really explain, but it does happen. Not immediately, mind you, but over the course of time." She ponders this. "Most of the Caucus queens go home periodically, and I'm fairly certain if a gold rider notes her queen showing signs of rising, they leave for their home weyr. So, we're facing two possibilities here. One, that the Caucus queens need to leave for a period of time, thus allowing the natural course of mating flights for High Reaches' queens. Or, two, the Reachian queens need to leave the weyr for an unspecified period of time so they can get back to a normal cycle. Neither is likely to happen, because I don't think the Caucus will want that, and our weyrwoman can't afford to be gone for a long time. It's a dilemma."
R'hal's lips are pressed into a hard line. When he speaks, it's quite forcefully. "It's more than that. It's a serious problem. This is a Weyr. We exist to fight Thread. For that, we need dragons. We do not exist to educate the bright young things of Pern. The Caucus could go anywhere. Find another suitable crater, or build accommodation for the dragons of students at one of the Holds, if necessary. If your theory is correct, they can't be allowed to endanger the future of this Weyr."
Vanya looks a little uncertain. "But, the problem is, it's only a theory, R'hal. The Caucus serves a very good purpose for Pern, and it is useful in that it /does/ educate the future generations. The fact it's in a weyr is ... well, I don't know but what you're correct regarding it could be housed elsewhere, but the point is, it's here now. Removing it from the weyr might cause even more problems we cannot foresee. A weyr is autonomous, and offers a unique opportunity for the students to observe the basic safeguards the ancients set up. Politics is inherent in any society, and by placing the Caucus at a hold, well, that can mean an advantage other holders may not agree with. It's a puzzlement, yes, and some kind of solution will have to be found. But what that solution is? -- that's the big question." She shakes her head. "Unfortunately, time is running out, and something needs to be done before the attrition permanently weakens High Reaches -- and thus all Pern -- to a point of non-recovery."
R'hal stares across the cavern, forehead wrinkled into yet another frown. "Well. We don't have as many fertile queens as some Weyrs. How about starting by looking for the maximum safe number? The records should tell you that." He glances down at the hides in front of Vanya. "Or is that what you're doing there?"
"One of the things, yes," Vanya replies. "From what I can determine, Benden can house the most dragons at 600 or so. Fort, slightly less, with Ista being the smallest at 350. Now, those are rough numbers. From what I can tell, High Reaches should house around 500 dragons. If my calculations are correct, then there should be at /least/ four to five fertile queens at High Reaches. And those queens /should/ have been producing clutches over the past ten turns or so, preparing for Threadfall." She looks down at her notes. "There are three Reachian queens here -- Citalth, Tialith and Vasyath. I've been told Vasyath rose shortly after she left for Telgar, but she's getting older, and may not rise again. I'm not certain of that. But, discounting Diya's and Yevide's golds, the others should have been rising frequently, and producing larger clutches."
R'hal listens intently to the figures. "So, if you look back to just before the start of the last Pass, say, that should be a peak time for numbers? You could see how many queens we had then, and if they were breeding regularly. And you could look at other Weyrs, as well. Find out how many queens are known to be all right, and look for any times when a Weyr had more than that, and see what happened. See if six is too many."
Vanya smiles. "I've already done some research on other weyrs, and every other weyr seems to be up to their numbers. Those that I could find info at, I mean. Not everyone is willing to just give numbers to some random healer who pops up. Fort was very cooperative, and so I have the best numbers from them. Their queens have been producing large clutches regularly for the past few turns. So." She shakes her head again. "I'm compiling it all, and maybe there's something in there that will give an answer of sorts." A pause. "I'm sure I'm not the only one doing this research, R'hal. I'm fairly certain there are plenty of people sitting down and putting two and two together and coming up with the same answers I am."
R'hal shrugs. "There's no secret about how many queens a Weyr has." He gives an engaging grin that makes him look rather younger than his turns. "They're rather hard to hide, after all. But, frankly, I've heard of Weyrs with five laying queens, and we don't have that many more. I'm surprised that it's causing a problem. Anyway, how many queens can we safely have here?"
"R'hal, I don't know the answers to all these questions. I'm still learning and still researching," Vanya says. "Sinopa asked me to look into a few things for her, get her some information, so that's what I'm doing. Statistics are easy to compile, but as for how many queens a weyr can safely support? -- you'd do better to ask someone far more familiar with the weyr structures than I am. I can hand out numbers, yes, those are easy to find. But anything beyond that is just conjecture on my part. Logic would dictate the larger the weyr, the more queens it could support. The thing I'm thinking here is that all the queens in one place from so /many/ different time zones and ages, well, that may be the crux of the problem. Not numbers, but time, place and age."
R'hal's frown deepens. "But why should that make a difference? They're all here, now. And if transferring queens caused them and everyone else to stop rising, surely someone would have noticed." He's silent for a while, staring down at fingers that are spread out along the edge of the tabletop. "With your women, does this all-at-the-same-time thing happen regardless of where they come from? And do they have to be sleeping in the same room, or what? Would an entire Weyr or Hold full of women... you know? Or are we talking about dormitory by dormitory?"
Vanya's forehead creases, as well. "R'hal ... I've really only scratched the surface here," she says, her voice a little strained. "I've got a lot of information I'm going over, and, like I've been saying all along, this is only a /theory/ I have. I've got no solid /proof/. That's what I'm looking at. There are any number of possibilities that could be true. Any number of reasons for the queens not rising. My concept is only /one/ of them. Maybe they're all taking the cue from the oldest, the most senior of queens here, which would be Vasyath, near as I can tell." She sighs. "Please, if I had the answers, I'd be shouting them from the Star Stones, believe me." Her handa clasp the stylus, thumbs against the middle as if she might break it. "Give me time, and maybe I'll know more." She gestures to the shelves. "There are hundreds of scrolls I've yet to read, and I'm far from an expert on the mating cycles of dragons. Humans, I know. Dragons...? No."
"Vasyath, yes. But a queen doesn't inhibit other queens from rising. I'm not even sure if she could." R'hal lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't push you for answers when we don't even know what questions to ask, really." He folds his arms, looking rather uncomfortable now. "I shouldn't keep you from your work."
"But, your questions are good questions, and they may help me in this. Don't /ever/ be afraid to ask me something, R'hal. The more questions raised, the more likely someone will stumble onto the right answer." She smiles, trying to ease the tension. "We're all concerned about this, and sooner or later some thing is going to click, and we'll have the answer. Just ... it's going to take time, and unfortunately, time is the one commodity we don't seem to have a lot of." She rubs at her face now, leaning back in her chair with a soft sigh. "I've done about all I can do here today, and the more tired I get, the more likely I'll miss something." She pushes herself from the chair and picks up the scroll tubes. "I'm calling it a day. I'll go over these notes and see what I can figure out."
R'hal pushes his chair back, wincing a little as the legs scrape on the stone floor as he stands. "You're right. It's dinner time, anyway. I should go and get changed, and then get something to eat. Never stops, does it. I'll see you around, Vanya." With a smile and an inclination of his head, he turns and leaves.
"No, it never does, but sometimes it slows enough for us to take a breath," Vanya says, nodding and smiling as R'hal exits. As for herself, well, she has a dozen or so scroll tubes to return to their proper place. Far be it from her to ever leave such things scattered about. Dinner? Well, that can wait until she's finished putting all those hides away.
Players: R'hal, Vanya
Location: Records Room
Synopsis: R'hal runs into Vanya while she's doing some research in the Records Room. The main topic seems to be speculation on why the queens aren't rising, and various other assorted subjects. There are so many questions, and so few answers. Just theories and conjecture.
Records Room,
Late Afternoon
Some effort has been made to keep this immense room warm and comfortable. Given its size and contents, this has not been an easy undertaking. There is a slightly musty scent to the air and no matter how many baskets of glows are brought in, there seems to be a perpetual state of gloom. Some of this may have to do with the way the cavern is arranged. The area nearest the exits is given over to tables and chairs, meant to be used by those studying the records. Here it's always quiet but generally well-lit and not as musty.
Then there is the rest of the cavern, which is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of stone shelves. Rising from floor to ceiling, they bear more scroll tubes than could be counted in a month. The hides inside of each tube cover every topic imaginable and are marked by little tags, indicating where they're to be stored according to the organizational system created by the current weyrwoman.
Since the weather outside is awful, Vanya's decided the day is perfect for spending indoors, continuing her research. There's a variety of things she wants to check on, not the least of which are past records of gold flights, clutches and the like. That, and there is her own research into lists of injuries over the previous Pass, and various other data that's stored in this vast repository of information. She sits at a table off to one side, a number of scroll cases next to where she copies down copious notes regarding dragons and mating flights, oblivious to anyone around her who might be doing their own work, whatever that may be. Her stylus makes a soft tapping on her cheek as she peruses the hide currently in front of her. So engrossed is she that the healer doesn't even take note of the time.
Winter or no winter, the Wings still fly, and 1A's wingsecond looks as if he's been doing just that. R'hal's dressed in full flying gear, including helmet, though he removes that as he comes through the door. He stops just inside the entrance, lays a loosely rolled sheet of hide on the nearest desk, and starts to unfasten the toggles of his jacket. The hide unrolls itself and lies flat.
There's not much sound in the Records Room, it being a place of study and reading. So, the sound of footsteps is something of which to note, which Vanya does. She glances up from her own reading, recognizing R'hal, watching him remove his flying gear. The hide he sets down is given a quick glance, her brow furrowing slightly as she perhaps ponders what it might be. Then, should the rider happen to take note of her, she smiles and nods a greeting, setting down the stylus and re-rolling the hide to place it back in the neatly marked scroll tube. It joins others on one side of her which need to be returned to the shelves. This she has no problem doing, as her earliest -- and perhaps fondest -- duties in Healer Hall was working with the records.
Once he's adjusting his clothing to suit inside temperatures, R'hal walks over to one of the shelves and leaves his sheet of hide in a tray. This is done with no hesitation, and no need to consult the record keepers - apparently it's a standard procedure. He then moves towards the rack where maps are stored. On his way, however, he notices Vanya and smiles at her, then moves in her direction. "Afternoon. I just brought our wing report down. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, R'hal," Vanya replies, keeping her voice down so as not to disturb anyone else who might be in the records room, although there doesn't appear to be anyone at present. "My duty to your Yanith," she adds, nodding about the wing report. "I've been meaning to look you up," she says, picking her stylus back up and toying with it a little. "I heard from the Hall." A beat. "They removed me from my posting here, but haven't reassigned me elsewhere, so, for the time being, I'll remain here. I'm exploring various options, not the least of which is a private practice to enhance the physical therapies available in the weyr." It's all said very matter of factly, no rancor, no upset. "I'm also continuing my research, as you can see, and the dragon healing."
R'hal frowns deeply, not without a hint of incomprehension. "Removed you from your post but not reassigned you? What does that mean, exactly? They're not recalling you, or posting you again? What do they expect you to do? Are you allowed to work as a healer?" He removes his jacket, hangs it neatly over the back of one of the chairs at Vanya's table, then pulls out the chair and sits down in it.
Vanya chuckles softly. "Honesly? I don't know what this is all about, R'hal. Ordinarily, I'd have been either reassigned immediately, or at the least recalled to the Hall. The fact they did not take my knot means I can practice healing, yes, but to be perfectly blunt, I've not received a very warm reception in the Infirmary in recent days." She shrugs, shaking her head. "They'll likely not turn aside my help if there's an emergency or a bad 'fall, but I don't think I'm very welcome there." She doesn't seem overly upset by this, though there is a slightly tightness in her lips. "The main thing is means is that I've no income now, and will have to seek employment at the weyr -- which Sinopa is willing to give me -- so I can pay for my room and board."
R'hal is still frowning. "But they're not just going to leave you here, are they? That's hardly fair. If they don't think you should leave the craft, and they don't want you in this posting, they should reassign you, not leave you hanging around. That's no solution to anything." He lays a hand on the table. "Or, are they still investigating something?"
"Frankly, this has me baffled, R'hal," Vanya replies. "I've several theories, and none of them really make sense. It's not like I'm all that important, so maybe they don't need me right now? Or, it could be they have some other reason for not reassigning me. Maybe the powers that be feel my skills are questionable? I don't know, but I'm not going to raise a ruckus about it. I'm actually in a very good position here to accomplish some things I've wanted to do for a while." She shrugs again. "I'm not looking a gift runner in the mouth, and as the old saying goes, when one door closes, another usually opens up. There are plenty of opportunities for someone with brains and gumption. I like to think I have a bit of both."
"I'm sure you have," R'hal says reassuringly. "And... I'm not sorry that they've let you stay here." There's a faint hesitation before that. "But, you're a talented healer who's developing a line of work, doing research, discovering new things. You deserve to get the credit for that, sooner or later. This won't be good for your career, will it?"
Vanya sits back in her chair, pondering this point. "In some ways it won't, in others ...?" She cants her head to the side. "Perhaps. If I pursue a private practice -- which my knot allows me to, by the way -- I can choose my clients according to their specific needs. I'm perfectly capable of working as a healer, even if I choose to do it visiting various cotholds in the area. Weyrwoman Roa dropped by the other evening, and spoke to me on this. I've a lot more freedom than I'd originally thought. I'm also free to pursue my research and report on my findings regarding preventative healing with therapeutic massage and exercise. So ... in many ways, it's the best of both worlds."
R'hal nods slowly, though the note of doubt in his tone suggests he's still not entirely convinced. "That doesn't sound so bad, then. Well, I hope it works out for you. Are you still going to be assisting Sinopa? Or will you be spending too much time on healer work?"
"At this point, I'm still working with Sinopa, yes," Vanya replies. "I keep doing so for as long as I can, but she knows my first love is healing. Once things get settled," meaning once either Citalth or Tialith has risen, "we'll take a look at things and see what's going on then. I'm researching some things for her now, as a matter of fact. She's obviously very concerned about why the queens aren't rising on a regular schedule, and I've a theory I'm exploring. I don't know if I'm right or not, but ... it never hurts to check."
"Really? Is this the thing about them all gravitating to the same cycles?" R'hal unconsciously leans forward a little, the slight formality and hesitation gone from his manner. "That's really important, whatever the cause. We need the queens rising often, especially at this stage of the Pass."
"That's my guess, yes," Vanya replies, "though I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thought of that possibility. If I were to make my guess, I'd venture it was because all the various queens are from different parts and timezones of Pern. Some are older, some are young. None of them seem to have a problem rising when they leave the weyr. We know Diya's gold rose after she left here. And so have others. So, it's my theory they are all somehow trying to coordinate with one another, probably on an instinctive, subconscious level." She chews her lower lip. "At this point, I don't really care which queen rises first. We're losing more riders than we're replacing, and that attrition is going to hurt the weyr in a very short period of time." She sighs. "If only the greens could reproduce, too. They might help make the difference."
R'hal gives a dry chuckle. "We might have an awful lot of little green dragons. But then, that wouldn't be a bad thing." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "You said it happens with women. That they all have their courses together. Should we expect every queen in the place to rise at about the same time? Because that could have its problems, as well. Shells, it could be a disaster if they really did go up at the same time."
Vanya chuckles. "Maybe, but greens are very useful, as I recall," Vanya says, smiling. "Well, yes. Women who live in close proximity over time tend to have their monthly courses close together. It's something strange that no one can really explain, but it does happen. Not immediately, mind you, but over the course of time." She ponders this. "Most of the Caucus queens go home periodically, and I'm fairly certain if a gold rider notes her queen showing signs of rising, they leave for their home weyr. So, we're facing two possibilities here. One, that the Caucus queens need to leave for a period of time, thus allowing the natural course of mating flights for High Reaches' queens. Or, two, the Reachian queens need to leave the weyr for an unspecified period of time so they can get back to a normal cycle. Neither is likely to happen, because I don't think the Caucus will want that, and our weyrwoman can't afford to be gone for a long time. It's a dilemma."
R'hal's lips are pressed into a hard line. When he speaks, it's quite forcefully. "It's more than that. It's a serious problem. This is a Weyr. We exist to fight Thread. For that, we need dragons. We do not exist to educate the bright young things of Pern. The Caucus could go anywhere. Find another suitable crater, or build accommodation for the dragons of students at one of the Holds, if necessary. If your theory is correct, they can't be allowed to endanger the future of this Weyr."
Vanya looks a little uncertain. "But, the problem is, it's only a theory, R'hal. The Caucus serves a very good purpose for Pern, and it is useful in that it /does/ educate the future generations. The fact it's in a weyr is ... well, I don't know but what you're correct regarding it could be housed elsewhere, but the point is, it's here now. Removing it from the weyr might cause even more problems we cannot foresee. A weyr is autonomous, and offers a unique opportunity for the students to observe the basic safeguards the ancients set up. Politics is inherent in any society, and by placing the Caucus at a hold, well, that can mean an advantage other holders may not agree with. It's a puzzlement, yes, and some kind of solution will have to be found. But what that solution is? -- that's the big question." She shakes her head. "Unfortunately, time is running out, and something needs to be done before the attrition permanently weakens High Reaches -- and thus all Pern -- to a point of non-recovery."
R'hal stares across the cavern, forehead wrinkled into yet another frown. "Well. We don't have as many fertile queens as some Weyrs. How about starting by looking for the maximum safe number? The records should tell you that." He glances down at the hides in front of Vanya. "Or is that what you're doing there?"
"One of the things, yes," Vanya replies. "From what I can determine, Benden can house the most dragons at 600 or so. Fort, slightly less, with Ista being the smallest at 350. Now, those are rough numbers. From what I can tell, High Reaches should house around 500 dragons. If my calculations are correct, then there should be at /least/ four to five fertile queens at High Reaches. And those queens /should/ have been producing clutches over the past ten turns or so, preparing for Threadfall." She looks down at her notes. "There are three Reachian queens here -- Citalth, Tialith and Vasyath. I've been told Vasyath rose shortly after she left for Telgar, but she's getting older, and may not rise again. I'm not certain of that. But, discounting Diya's and Yevide's golds, the others should have been rising frequently, and producing larger clutches."
R'hal listens intently to the figures. "So, if you look back to just before the start of the last Pass, say, that should be a peak time for numbers? You could see how many queens we had then, and if they were breeding regularly. And you could look at other Weyrs, as well. Find out how many queens are known to be all right, and look for any times when a Weyr had more than that, and see what happened. See if six is too many."
Vanya smiles. "I've already done some research on other weyrs, and every other weyr seems to be up to their numbers. Those that I could find info at, I mean. Not everyone is willing to just give numbers to some random healer who pops up. Fort was very cooperative, and so I have the best numbers from them. Their queens have been producing large clutches regularly for the past few turns. So." She shakes her head again. "I'm compiling it all, and maybe there's something in there that will give an answer of sorts." A pause. "I'm sure I'm not the only one doing this research, R'hal. I'm fairly certain there are plenty of people sitting down and putting two and two together and coming up with the same answers I am."
R'hal shrugs. "There's no secret about how many queens a Weyr has." He gives an engaging grin that makes him look rather younger than his turns. "They're rather hard to hide, after all. But, frankly, I've heard of Weyrs with five laying queens, and we don't have that many more. I'm surprised that it's causing a problem. Anyway, how many queens can we safely have here?"
"R'hal, I don't know the answers to all these questions. I'm still learning and still researching," Vanya says. "Sinopa asked me to look into a few things for her, get her some information, so that's what I'm doing. Statistics are easy to compile, but as for how many queens a weyr can safely support? -- you'd do better to ask someone far more familiar with the weyr structures than I am. I can hand out numbers, yes, those are easy to find. But anything beyond that is just conjecture on my part. Logic would dictate the larger the weyr, the more queens it could support. The thing I'm thinking here is that all the queens in one place from so /many/ different time zones and ages, well, that may be the crux of the problem. Not numbers, but time, place and age."
R'hal's frown deepens. "But why should that make a difference? They're all here, now. And if transferring queens caused them and everyone else to stop rising, surely someone would have noticed." He's silent for a while, staring down at fingers that are spread out along the edge of the tabletop. "With your women, does this all-at-the-same-time thing happen regardless of where they come from? And do they have to be sleeping in the same room, or what? Would an entire Weyr or Hold full of women... you know? Or are we talking about dormitory by dormitory?"
Vanya's forehead creases, as well. "R'hal ... I've really only scratched the surface here," she says, her voice a little strained. "I've got a lot of information I'm going over, and, like I've been saying all along, this is only a /theory/ I have. I've got no solid /proof/. That's what I'm looking at. There are any number of possibilities that could be true. Any number of reasons for the queens not rising. My concept is only /one/ of them. Maybe they're all taking the cue from the oldest, the most senior of queens here, which would be Vasyath, near as I can tell." She sighs. "Please, if I had the answers, I'd be shouting them from the Star Stones, believe me." Her handa clasp the stylus, thumbs against the middle as if she might break it. "Give me time, and maybe I'll know more." She gestures to the shelves. "There are hundreds of scrolls I've yet to read, and I'm far from an expert on the mating cycles of dragons. Humans, I know. Dragons...? No."
"Vasyath, yes. But a queen doesn't inhibit other queens from rising. I'm not even sure if she could." R'hal lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't push you for answers when we don't even know what questions to ask, really." He folds his arms, looking rather uncomfortable now. "I shouldn't keep you from your work."
"But, your questions are good questions, and they may help me in this. Don't /ever/ be afraid to ask me something, R'hal. The more questions raised, the more likely someone will stumble onto the right answer." She smiles, trying to ease the tension. "We're all concerned about this, and sooner or later some thing is going to click, and we'll have the answer. Just ... it's going to take time, and unfortunately, time is the one commodity we don't seem to have a lot of." She rubs at her face now, leaning back in her chair with a soft sigh. "I've done about all I can do here today, and the more tired I get, the more likely I'll miss something." She pushes herself from the chair and picks up the scroll tubes. "I'm calling it a day. I'll go over these notes and see what I can figure out."
R'hal pushes his chair back, wincing a little as the legs scrape on the stone floor as he stands. "You're right. It's dinner time, anyway. I should go and get changed, and then get something to eat. Never stops, does it. I'll see you around, Vanya." With a smile and an inclination of his head, he turns and leaves.
"No, it never does, but sometimes it slows enough for us to take a breath," Vanya says, nodding and smiling as R'hal exits. As for herself, well, she has a dozen or so scroll tubes to return to their proper place. Far be it from her to ever leave such things scattered about. Dinner? Well, that can wait until she's finished putting all those hides away.