Part 8. Arrival vs 2.0
Iyru looked around. She hadn't gotten used to the sudden shifting of surroundings that brought them to the base. Carefully letting her feet adjust to a more solid underground, she stepped forward.
"Where is everybody?" she asked.
"Eating, I guess." Tasrin answered, "It's about right for the evening meal."
"And nobody is protecting the base? I'm surprised you aren't angry with them for leaving this place defenceless."
"And against what should they defend it? It's an isolated planet. Anyone invading it would have to crash like us." Tasrin winked, "Not many people would dare that."
"I wouldn't hesitate." Fairlight interrupted.
"You'd jump out of a plain without a parachute." Tasrin answered irritated.
"If I knew I was going to land ok." Fairlight shrugged, "Don't think you know me."
"Calm down." Knux said, "Let's just go meet these people."
"What do we know about them?" Iyru asked.
"According to my orders they're all young, without bonds to earth."
"Specify young." Enid asked.
"All under 30."
"Hey, we're the oldest here!" she called out to Tasrin.
"Speak for yourselves." Fairlight said, "I'm only 25."
"Really? You seem much older." Enid answered.
"I'm mature for my age." Fairlight winked.
Tasrin rolled his eyes and thought: Her, mature? As if! He quickly got his face back to a stern expression so no-one would notice him. There was one other place, he thought, where the available soldiers could be. Looking out to the landing area he saw a small speck running toward them.
"I think that's our welcoming committee."
"Friendly of them." Oisin remarked, "How did they spot us so easily?"
Tasrin pointed up where Hazen was flying circles. In his mind Oisin suddenly heard, "You wanted them to come, now they come."
"Oops." Oisin said, blushing, "Hazen might have picked something up."
Kalhar rose in one swift movement and pulled her fellow dragon from the sky. "Sit!" she called out loud, her eyes blazing to make sure he would not move.
"Did you give the order?" Enid asked.
"No, she acts on her own mostly." Tasrin said, "But she acts right."
Kalhar beamed with pride at the words of her bond and looked even more authoritive when the running man suddenly reached them.
"Status Report!" Tasrin suddenly bellowed.
The young man, seemingly under 20 stopped immediately and in stead of taking them in, jumped into position and started: "Sir! Private Nick reporting for duty. All personnel ready for inspection Sir!"
"At ease." Tasrin said, "Show us to the mess where we can talk."
"Will they be coming too?" the young men asked, looking at the dragons.
"That is their choice." Tasrin answered.
"We're coming." Kalhar said, scaring the living daylights out of the young man.
"I guess they'll be coming." Tasrin shrugged, "Is there sufficient room?"
"Sir. Yes, sir."
They followed the young man toward the large group of buildings. Enid slipped closer to Tasrin "I love it when you talk military." she smiled. 

***

A few days had passed. Oisin had not thought that so much modern comfort would be in this place.  That morning he had enjoyed a shower and later that night he had reserved a sauna room. Apparently the military had invested in free time a lot to keep the dozen privates happy. 
But even more than the sports and relaxing possibilities, Oisin loved the library. he and Knux had been going through it almost from the moment they had checked in. It wasn't just the books Knux loved to study. For Oisin it was the room itself. It was vast, with open spaces and a large glass dome that let the sun flow in freely. He had heard Knux complain about what it would do with the books, but Oisin loved the concept. 
He was sitting in the library again, talking calmly with Iyru and Fairlight about their dragons who were playing outside. Knux was busy somewhere in the storage area where he had insisted the more valuable books were kept. Oisin noticed Fairlight looking at his cup of coffee.
"I thought you liked tea like Iyru." he said.
"I prefer hot cocoa. Besides, no-one loves tea like Iyru." Fairlight smiled, "I was thinking about something."
"About Knux?" he asked carefully.
Getting up rather quickly, she said: "Not at all. Hmm I'm feeling a bit hot, I think I'll go take a walk."
Iyru and Oisin watched Fairlight leave. "Do you think anything happened between them?" Oisin asked.
"Nothing could have. Fairlight isn't free."
"She has a husband?" Oisin asked surprised, "Why didn't he come?"
"He died." Iyru said, "She once told me she couldn't live without him. I was sure then that she would not remain alive. but apparently something kept her here."
"That's sad enough to write a ballad about."
"Fairlight is trying to make it one with a happy ending though." Iyru said, "She might succeed too."
"If anyone can it's Fairlight." Oisin said, "What will be, will be."
"You've been saying that a lot lately."
"It feels right, though I don't like not being able to control what I do."
"Who says it controls you? It keeps you safe. Like gentle wings keeping you warm and dry when it's raining. Keeping you close until it's time for you to fly."
"Why did you say that?"
"I don't know. just seemed right."

***

Fairlight left the base buildings and stepped onto the Whispering Plains. Her hair was immediately swept up by the wind and she had to take a moment to put it back together. Casually walking along the path to the AIDEN she wondered if anyone would find it strange that she was visiting the eggs. She hadn't bonded a dragon yet and assumed she would not be denied access. Still she looked to see if anyone was around.
Fairlight passed the wooden fence that was supposed to keep unqualified people out. What people needed to be kept out was a mystery to her. She was tempted to bring Tasrin another visit to tell him about unnecessary security. The prospect cheered her up.
Inside the round fence a hollow was sheltered from the hardest winds that raged across the plains. Fairlight's eyes were immediately drawn to the nest in the middle. Wooden logs and small braches where woven together, forming a comfortable, sheltered place where the eggs were safe from wind and rain.
She skidded down the dry slope and looked into the nest. The AIDEN was big enough to have an adult dragon inside - or at least was assumed to be big enough - but without a female to tend the eggs looked kind of abandoned. No-one was guarding them, why would they?
"Fairlight." a voice suddenly spoke behind her.
Fairlight startled, took a step forward and accidentally spilled a potion she had been holding on one of the eggs. The pink-coloured potion soaked into the shell and the egg started moving.
"Oops." Fairlight exclaimed, she hadn't been planning to do this. Just yet. But what was done, was done. She turned and was surprised to see Terrence behind her. The French charming man had tried making a pass at her the first week after she had arrived here. Just her luck to meet him again here.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Looking at the eggs." Fairlight shrugged, "But thanks to you I did more than looking." Yes let him feel guilty.
The egg suddenly cracked in half and a fluffy, cute, pinkish dragoness sat on the sands. The dragoness, her purple Rastafarian hair glued to her neck from the wetness of the love potion Fairlight had spilled, was looking intently at the mistress of matchmaking.
"Valentine." Fairlight said, "Such a beautiful early gift." she said smiling.
"What did you spill on her?" Terrence wanted to know.
"Something I wanted to put in Knux' coffee."
Terrence gave her a surprised look, took a few steps to the exit and then ran out. Valentine hissed when he left. "I don't like him." she said.
"Neither do I, love. Let's get talking to Danyx."
"Ok." the dragoness answered, "Hmm, I want some more of this thing you spilled on me, it's delicious."
"You're as bad as Iyru with her tea."

***

"Welcome." Enid said when all the soldiers had gathered, "You have been invited here with a reason."
Tasrin interrupted her, "Not an invite, an order."
"Don't interrupt me honey, I'm trying to be nice here."
"You don't need to be nice."
"Siggie will not like you for this."
"Leave Siggie out." Tasrin blushed thinking about the possibility of Enid taking out Siggie to introduce him to the gathered soldiers.
"If you say so." she shrugged, "Anyway, I guess you are ordered to follow our command and the command we want to give is to split up in groups of three, each one of you going to a different area to hatch an egg and bond a dragon.
Commotion washed through the room, some positive, other negative. Enid had known some of the present soldiers might be against bonding a dragon because it would seriously diminish their chances of promotion. That's why she had devised something without even Tasrin knowing.
"Before you desert - which is still a criminal offense - I must tell you that everyone who bonds a dragon will be ranked Lieutenant and in charge of the area they impressed their dragon in."
"What are you saying?" Tasrin asked.
"This should be a democracy love. Really, how else do you expect them to cooperate?"
"By not wanting to die."
"Sometimes you have such medieval notions. Siggie likes that in you, but I guess that's a man thing."
"I asked you to leave Siggie out of this."
"Then you don't have much choice." Enid smiled, "What will it hurt? The dragons won't let them do anything stupid."
"Ok, but only because I can't retract your words. I'm not happy about it."
"You will be eventually."
"You do know that I don't have the power to up them in rank do you?"
"Rank is just a name given to people, Lieutenant." Enid smiled, "It is not who they are."

Continue to Part 9

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