To all of those who wondered "Where the Hell is the eleventh chapter?!!" I wish to apologize for my tardiness. Here's the break down. As you know, I was on vacation for a month and hadn't any access to my computer. That covers the month of June, but why did it take all of a month of July to come out with another twenty three pages? Well, I had intended to have the thing written out the first week I returned from vacation, but then I came back to discover I had caught my sister's virus when I went up to visit her for her graduation. I was flat on my back for a week. I'm still coughing. Then, I got hit with this monster case of writers block. The worst I've ever suffered through. I knew where I wanted to go with the chapter butwell, I wasn't getting there. I swear, I must have started and restarted this thing three different times, trying to come up with the perfect chapter. I ended up piecing them all together. It's still not perfect and I'm not real happy with it, but I figured I'd better get it out there for you before the natives get any more restless. Ihope you like it. Oh, and chapter twelve is coming along much more smoothly. I'm already five pages into it. Read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. Those belong to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu agency, as well as to their respective creators Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate. I also do not own the world of Pern or any of the terms used there in, those are sole creative property of The Dragonlady herself, Anne McCaffrey.

((Warning! Time jump ahead!))

Lady Une looked out of the window of the office she and Treize shared in their Hold. The chill and frost of early spring has melted into the warmth of high summer, birds were singing, children were laughing and all seemed peaceful. Treize had remarked that he'd wished things were truly as peaceful as they appeared to be on the surface. In the past four months things had gone from bad to worsethe relations between many of the Lord Holders and the Weryleaders had deteriorated to the point of almost non-existence. Things were uncomfortable to say the least. And now, with the midsummer Council Meeting coming up so soon she was not optimistic about the chances for a sudden reconciliation. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was a purpose, a guiding force behind all of this. There had to be a real reason as to why The Lord of Nabol and the Lady of Bitra were so suspicious about the activities of the weyrs. They seemed to take a positive delight in coming up with all manner of suspicious reasons for their patrols and with each new ridiculous insinuation those among their circle listened a little harder, even began suggestions of their own. There were few enough thinking clearly and all too many willing to sing Nabols tune. The whole affair left a sour taste in Une's mouth.

"Hello lady, the headwoman said I'd find you here," said Treize, entering their office to wrap his arms around une from the back of the chair. "It's not often that you find somewhere to brood."

"It's about what the other Lord Holders are saying. If that is not cause for brooding, I don't know what is."

Une, the youngest Daughter of Lord Brien and Lady Kelira of Bendan, had never expected to be allowed to marry Lord Trieze, a man she loved. She'd expected to be dowered off into a loveless land-alliance and forced to bear children until she died abed in a birthing. Such was the fate of many girls among the Holds.

She thought to that time so many years ago when she and Treize had met for the first time. It had been at a Gather hosted at Bendan, Trieze had been formally introduced to the council by his father as the heir to Fort Hold. At the time Une's parents had been considering a match with the newly widowed Lord of Nabol, Kereth who was several years her senior. It was not that he was such a bad person, although Une would not have trusted him as far as she could have thrown a runner beast with one hand, but he would have made a good land match, as far as her parents were concerned. She had been tentatively for it, having never seen the lands beyond her own Hold. All that had changed the first time she and Treize had locked eyes.

The golden memory was one of the ones Une cherished, The first time she'd looked into the perfect, sky-blue eyes of Treize a shock that felt like electricity had coursed through her causing her to jump a little. Apparently the young Heir of Fort Hold had felt it too because he'd been standing there regarding the young woman just barely out of adolescence with something akin to wonder on his face. He'd looked like he'd never seen a woman before (and Une knew that that wasn't true for rumor had it he'd seen lots of women beforeor more accurately seen the underside of their skirts) in those days. She still remembered everything about that moment, the way he had stood, dapper and dashing with his ginger hair shining in the sun riffled by a light breeze. His aristocratic face almost too beautiful to be real, Une had lost her heart to him between one heartbeat and the next.

And then she had despaired, because she knew that her mother and father would not be likely to wait for the young heir of Fort to get permission from his parents to marry and pursue a match with her. Then wait further years for his parents to pass the lands and titles onto their heir for their daughter to become a Lady. Not when they had a Lord Holder with a good title and an adequate bride price waiting for her. She had hastened to share a round of dances and a gather-night of conversation with him, thinking that it would be all she would ever know of happiness. She'd sunk even deeper into despair at the end of the night when she realized that she was by then lost to him forever. She'd not known that those few hours spent with him had cemented Treize's resolve to have young Une as his Lady, and quickly.

He was clever, and with a complex scheme of bargains, rumors and lies that included getting a friend of his to counter offer. Millirado had been amused, he later told her, to see Treize finally lose it over a woman. Lady Noin, who at the time had not been Millirdo's wife, but his best friend, had been vastly less amused until she too was brought into the plot. The debacle involved half of the Lord Holders (unaware of course) a series of carefully choreographed mistaken identities, a fake treaty and an equally fake illness. Trieze had cleverly managed to pull it off without anyone but their inner circle being the wiser, and to this day no one knew. They were happily married within weeks and a few months later a healthy baby girl had arrived.

They had face challenges aplenty in their years together, but Une intended that they be together to face plenty more.

"Well my love I suppose that the matter must and will be broached at the Council meeting coming up shortly. However, given the letters exchanceg between Relena and Milliardo, I think that Benden's Wyerwoman's sudden illness is a little too convenient. Adirna was in good healt at the Hatching just months ago, and I do not think that even he crippling of her beloved could cause her to waste away this quickly.," said Trieze. "Without clever representation from all weyrs making a united front, their position will be weakened. I hope that if they do not recover in time for the Council session that they will pick two representatives who are intelligent and competent enough to handle the machinations of the council."

There came a knocking at the office door. Mariemaia peeked her head in and said

"There's a common-dressed woman here to speak with you mother, father. She say's it is urgent and that she will speak with you and only you."

"What did she say her name was?" questioned Treize.

"Alija, father."

"Ah. Good, yes, then send her in Mariemaia," he said rewarding her with a smile. Mareimaia disappeared from the doorway and scampered off.

"Alija?" questioned Une. "Who's that?"

"One of Master Robinton's clever little speis, probably the best among them. She has a way of ferreting out information even among places that are hostile to strangers asking questions."

"Ah, she sounds useful," siad Une.

"I have a verbal message for her to deliver to Corliss, since she's going that way anyway," he said.

"I assume it's about the ledger," said Une, with her uncanny ability to read her lover's mind.

"Yes, and a few other trifling details, I'd like to know what she was able to pick up out there."

"I see. Well, it appears you may get your wish, here she is."

The woman appeared in Treize's room silently, she looked tired from a long journey afoot and Trieze immediately offered her a chair.

"What's the message you have for the Masterharper?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"I have a bit of evidence from a reliable source that has been validated as being an authentic link between the Raiders activities and the actions of one of the Lord Holders," said Treize with an equal lack of preamble. "Tell him I would have said something to him about it sooner, but we wanted to test the validity of the documents before saying anything. Duly tested it's been proven. Futher, I would like to know if he has anyway to help in the growing dissolution of relations between the Holds and weyrs. And Last but not least is a boon I would ask of you."

"Ask."

"I would like to know what you've been able to uncover out there."

"I report to Masterharper Corliss and no other. But I will say this, you will be called upon soon by him, very soon. I suggest you stay up for when I finnish my report to him he will likely call for you and your lady."

"Well, cryptic, but thank-you for the services you have rendered," said trieze.

"My pleasure," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've a report to make. Good day."

The woman exited the room as quietly as she entered and une said

"Well, that was quick. I wonder what's going on."

* * *

"Hmmmm, what else rhymes with skies, eyes? Lies? Nah, too trite, fit for a first year apprentice" he muttered. The sound of a small lap-harp being strummed absently momentarily filled the room. He had been laboring all morning on the song that wouldn't let him be. He knew darned well that if he didn't get it down and work it out now he would regret it when he sat down to do just that later and find that the thing had slipped away from him.

"Better take it once more from the top," he murmured to himself.

He started out with the simple cord and sang the verses he had so far, making minor notes and adjustments as he did so.

The sea and sky were grey that day

When she departed just past dawn.

Walking to the seaside way

She missed the warning song.

That Thread would fall and storm would rage,

The Lady and her Fair of five walked into danger great.

The tide had slithered out at noon

And Lady filled her sack in ignorance

Of the danger swift and soon

'gainst which she'd no defense

Storm clouds Gath'ring on the wind brought certain death from skies

Unless the clever Lady could a solution improvise.

"Ah! There she is!" he said in triumph as the rhyme finally fell into place. He loved it when things fell into place, it happened so seldom in life and even more rarely in music that when it did it was a moment to be cherished.

"Masterharper Corliss, sir?" piped a reluctant voice from the hallway.

"Eh? Oh, it's you Evrim, come on in lad," said the older man with a small encouraging smile. Evrim was a shy, reticent thing, and the youngest and smallest lad in the Harper Hallbut he was devoted to his music.

"Masterharper sir, I don't wish to bother you, but there's a person here to see you and he said that it was a matter of some importance so I" he trailed off, then gestured behind him.

There stood a woman of absolute forgettability. She was completely average in every way, average height, average build, niether beautiful nor ugly, neither fat nor thin, completely unnoticeable in a crowd. Her ordinary thin brown hair and her boring brown eyes and her middling-aged tanned plain face made her versatile, with a change of clothes and a few cosmetics she could blend in anywhere which made her very useful, especially with the things that she did for the Harper Hall. The only noticeable feature was the shine of intelligence and shrewdness in her eyes that belied her average appearance. She looked average on the outside, but the inside was another story entirely.

Alija was possessed of an intelligence that could sometimes leave a person gaping. It also probably accounted for why she was involved in the work she did rather than becoming some meek holder or crafters wife, Alija had the (some would say unfortunate) knack for saying exactly what she thought and doing what she felt was the correct thing. Corliss counted himself lucky to have stumbled across her for her skill at infiltration and intelligence gathering was second-to-none.

"Masterharper," she said offering a small genuflection for the sake of appearences. For he most part, like a lot of the Masterharpers that had gone before him, Corliss did not stand on ceremony. He believed, as his old mentor had once told him, that the Masterharper should be able to command respect when it was required and fade into the background when it was not.

"Alija, please. Come in, sit down, would you like some klah, I can see that you're fresh in from a long trip, you ought to have something to freshen yourself with."

"Yeah, thanks," she said casually, collapsing into the chair he'd gestured to and giving him a look of gratitude for the cup of klah. "Was that a new tune I heard?"

"It's the beginning of one," he allowed. "I met the young sister if Lord Milliardo of Ruatha, charming young lady, at a Hatching a few months ago and she spun an absolutely fascinating yarn for us all, and then went on to Impress the Queen egg. Mark me well, she'll change things around here, so she will."

"I see, and you know this how?" asked the young woman archly. Her tone, as usual, was as dry as the sands at Igen. Most of her jokes (when she made them) were wry and her smile a simple twist of the lips. But her observations were always sharp, her opinions many, and her insight valuable, so she could be excused her barbed wit.

"Instinct," said the Masterharper succinctly. "I haven't been Masterharper for twenty years without getting a feel for these things you know and I'm telling you the girl is going to be one of those people that will be remembered. She is a focal point for change."

Alija said nothing but her face betrayed her skepticism.

"She will," the Masterharper insisted.

"If you say so," said Alija, her face and tone a careful neutral. "Anyways, I thought you might like to know what I've been able to dig up, oh! And the reason I came back so quickly instead of doing my usual full turn is that I have rather disturbing news. And Trieze sends his regards by the way, I had a bit of a visit with him before coming to the Hall."

"Trieze? He knows that you're working for me? Well, well, I always knew the lad was sharp."

"He says that he has a small scrap of evidence linking the Raider attacks to one of the Lord Holders. He doesn't know which one or ones are involved in the conspiracy or what their plan and goals are so he's going to watch and wait and see if her can find something more concrete. He says he would have told you sooner but he figured it might be best to ensure the validity of the evidence. It's the real thing he says."

"This is most disturbing," said the Masterharper, stroking his chin absentmindedly.

"It gets worse sir," said Alija frankly. "I took a small tour with the Raiders. They don't seem to be particularly worried about the dragonrider patrolsthey said something about an early warning system. My guess would be that they have someone on the inside, possibly a dragonrider"

"Not possible," said Corliss. "The dragonriders protect Pern, that's how it is."

"I am aware of this sir," she said. "However, there may be a slight difference in opinion about what the best interests of Pern are. Lots of people means lots of different opinions and it is unlikely that all of them are going to agree unanimously. They are human after all."

"That is correct," said Corliss reluctantly. To her credit, Alija looked as though she were finding the notion of a dragonrider working for the enemy as unsavory a thought as Corliss himself felt it to be. At least Corliss was giving the matter some thought and not dismissing it out of hand. It was when one closed their minds to possibilities that one came to be in jeopardy. "But I do not at all like the implications."

"I can't say that I do either sir, but what other answers are there?"

Corliss' face brightened at this and he said

"That young woman, Relena, from the Hatching. She had a small fair of Fire LizardsCould not one of the Raiders possibly have Impressed one and be using it to detect the presence of dragons somehow?"

"You mean to tell me they're real?" Alija looked at the Masterharper incredulously. Her face showing some rare surprise.

"Very much so," he assured her seriously. "I've seen them with my own eyes. That's what you get when you're out of the loop on these things for so long."

"Then it could well be," she said seizing upon the new notion with a feeling akin to relief. She did not like the thought of a dragonrider working for the enemy. "And I will have you know hat it is at your behest that I am out of the loop on these things for so long. If you didn't need me gathering information down among the holder folk and others in the lower end of Pern's hierarchy I would have heard of these things."

"What other news have you for me?" he asked, switching topics as Alija's resting time was short and she would be back out on the roads again in the morning.

"Well, aside of the tidbit about the early warning system, information has been sketchy at best. I think one of the Raider parties plans to attack Holkin's Caravan on the Southeast border of High Reaches. One of the boys mentioned something about the headman, whom I assume is the true brains behind their missions and probably the Lord Holder to boot, wanting to strike at the Lords of High Reaches and "teach them a lesson." I respectfully suggest that you have someone waiting for them, preferrably several someones with large tough hides and wings."

"I read you. I'll contact Midii tonight, she'll have someone on it."

"And Treize also said he would like to meet with you and a representative of the weyrs regarding my most important report," she said then turned her attention back to the report. "There's an old rumor resurfacing about the Lord of Nabol and the Lady of Bitra having an illegitimate son-"

"Old news," dismissed the Masterharper.

"I would say so too, sir, but for one thingWhy is it resurfacing now?"

"With all of the recent controversy surrounding the Weyrs and their border patrols, perhaps it has stirred up some of the old controversies and allegations."

"Or perhaps someone wishes to make the Holders look bad to the Weyrleaders and widen the gap between them."

"I don't see how, the weyrs have all manner of "illegitimate" children. Those born from a mating flight or those that were simply passion of the moment, even those that were-"

"I think I get it. Sir," she said shortly. Alija was a little touchy about the subject of sex being brought up in her presence, she'd just as soon not hear about it. Her prudishness was a source of neverending good-natured teasing from the Masterharper.

"Anyhow the point being is that all the children of the Weyrs are provided for and I don't think that the Weyrleaders would give a pin how many lords and ladies had illegitimate children. So would you kindly stop dancing around the Gather square?"

"Well, I guess I've put it off as long as I could. Here's the really bad news. I infiltrated the Lands of Nabol like you requested four months ago, it took some doing as the Lord Holder has apparently closed off his borders to all outside travel except throughfare travelers. There's been a small food riot over in Nabol's lands. The grassland herders who raise cattle and sheep have had a bad year, a blight struck the animals and the herders barely managed enough to buy fodder and requisites for their livestock. What concerns me is that their Lord Holder has not been providing for their welfare by handing out food and clothing and medical supplies."

"I had heard nothing of this!" said the Masterharper in shocked outrage. "It is the required duty of a Lord Holder to provide these things for his people in times of their own need."

"That is not the end of the matter. I did a little digging and came up with thisThe Lord Holder should by all rights, have been able to hand out the marks. He had three prosperous years before that, more than enough to make up for the excesses of his youth and still have plenty left over to provide for his Holders. But when pressed he said that the coffers were running low. That tells me something. That tells me that the marks are going somewhere and we don't know where. That is something I find rather worrying, and given the message from Treize I'm coming up with a scenario that is making a little too much sense."

"You think that the Lord of Nabol is involved in the Raider debacle, possibly leading it," he said flatly. He knew her well enough by now to guess at some of her thoughts.

"That is correct sir," she allowed. "The problem of all of this is that we only have pieces, small ones at that, and very little proof. But even so, something needs to be done."

"And something shall be done," he assured her. "Regardless of whether or not Nabol is, in fact, our culpritthese food riots are cause enough to bring the man up before the Council which will be meeting in a few days anyway. We need to act quickly while the element of surprise is on our side. If I can prove your words accurate, then an investigation can be launched. In that investigation, provided we can get it, other matters can be looked in to as well. I shall send out messengers to bring Lord Treize and lady Une to meet here with me and a runner out to fetch Weyrwoman Midii."

"Sounds like a good plan. I want to head on up to Bitra to investigate some of the rumors of misuse of authority and a restless populace. I'll let you know when I have something."

"Disturbing as our discussions often are, it is good to hear your voice again my friend," said Corliss.

"Thank-you sir," she said inclining her head deeply in acknowledgment. "Now, I think I shall find a good meal and my bed. I'm tired, and I leave early in the morning."

"I'll undoubtedly be up to see you off. Perhaps you should invest in getting a runner beast to carry your supplies," he suggested.

"Nah, it'd only slow me down. And I'd have to worry about feeding it and finding a place for it to sleep when I travel. It'd be harder to blend in if I weren't on foot. Besides, a beast carrying your things nods to a certain amount of prosperity and with all of the Raider attacks being held recently I would not care to look prosperous. Goodnight sir."

"Goodnight Alija, sleep well."

"No doubt of it," she said, pausing at the doorway. "I shall be sleeping the sleep of the exhausted."

* * *

Weyrwoman Midii of Fort Weyr dismounted agilely from gold Merith's back. The Bowl was echoingly empty at fort for all that the glows were lit. This was because it was early morning at Fort where it had merely been late night over at Bendan. Weyrleader G'Kan was probably sound asleep and Midii couldn't blame him. Given the choice that was where she'd be too. In fact, she had every intention of grabbing a few hours of sleep for herself before-

~Tap. Tap~ Midii turned at the slight footfall. Who besides her would be up at this hour in the morning? Ah. Trowa. She might have guessed.

Trowa was one of her best, which was why she had promoted him to wingleader (over her weyrleader's protests). Her was always calm, always kept a level head and if people thought him a little cold well, he got the job done. Long and lanky, even the dispassionate weyrwoman had to admit that he filled out his riding leathers well.

"Wingleader Trowa, what brings you out here at so early an hour?" inquired the Weyrwoman curiously.

"I have a message for you from Masterharper Corliss, he wishes to meet with you about a matter of grave importance as soon as possible."

"Then why does he not bother G'Kan? He is my equal in authority," said Midii, he voice edged with annoyance and weariness. It had been a long and tiring day. She was low on sleep and patience.

"But not your equal inviews about certain matters," said Towa circumspectly. Midii had not been Weyrwoman for so long without knowing how to read between the lines. It was known within the Weyr that Midii and her "weyrmate" held vastly differing views about, well, everything really. In many couples this made for merely interesting contrast and stimulating conversation, but in a pair of personalities like Midii and G'Kan, it was a match to oil-soaked tinder. They were at near-constant loggerheads, about the only time they could bring themselves to compromise was for the sake of their Weyr.

"You mean his provincial thoughts about a dragonman's duty ending at the Weyr," she said shrewdly. "Very well, I can sacrifice a few more hours of sleep. But I warn you Wingleader, if I fall asleep in the middle of this meeting I will be expecting you to take careful notes."

"Of course," he said neutrally.

To most people, the inability to read the quiet and expressionless man would have been maddening, but Midii did not find it so at all. Sure, he rarely smiled and laughed even less, some said he was a stoic and antisocial, but Midii herself would take a little silence over the loud and boistrous tones of her erstwhile weyrmate. Besides, she had seen him on occasion with his sister, and his blonde friendQuatre? And she could tell that he truly cared for them both.

<I wonder if he> she mused. Didn't bronzes usually pick from the heterosexual side of the spectrum? Perhaps not. Maybe, they were just good friends, and maybe they were something more. It certainly wasn't her place to speculate, but now that she thought about it she hadn't heard about any liaisons between the bronze rider and any of the queens or the female green riders. <Maybe he is>

She shrugged away the thought. Really. It wasn't any of her business whether he was or not.

"I presume that since you are in your leathers thatArmyth is ready to go."

"Yes."

That was Trowa for you, why choose a lot of words when one would do? Without further comment, they leapt to their dragon's backs and headed skyward to snap between to the Hold. They were unsurprised when they landed at the courtyard and saw the glows inside the Harper Hall still lit, The Masterharper was still awake and probably still waiting for them.

"Well, you're up late. As usual," said Weyrwoman Midii upon arriving at his chambers. "Hello Lord Treize."

Lord Trieze of Fort, along with his Lady sat in council with the Masterharper. They all three wore troubled looks on their faces. Midii also noted that there were maps laying haphazardly on the table along with a worn, beaten ledger that the Masterharper was regarding with a look of consternation and worry both.

"Weyrwoman Midii, I'm pleased that you came so quickly," said Lady Une. "I know the hour is late, and I know that you have had a stressful day, but this truly couldn't wait."

"You three never look worried unless there is something to worry about. So, what's going on?"

"I have here a ledger," said Treize. "This ledger was given to me from a reliable source-"

"I recognize it," said Trowa suddenly. "Lady Dorothea had it after that attack in the lines months ago. She was quite insistent on bringing it to you immediately."

"I recall a mention of it on your report," Midii said.

"This ledger is the only link we have between whoever is really behind the massive and sudden organization of the heretofore disorganized Raiders. It shows records of transactions made to the raider chieftains, and a few of their targets. That was how w knew to have you and your riders there waiting for them Weyrwoman, when they planned to attack for the first three months after our first conspirational gathering."

"So that's how you knew. And here I thought you'd suddenly developed the ability to see into the future," she said mock ruefully.

"Well, we're at the end of our information. Our grace period is up. But then the Masterharper came to me with rather interesting and disturbing tidings. The Lord of Nabol is having a little trouble taking care of his people lately. His herder folk had a rough year and barely made enough to cover the expenses of their beasts with none leftover to cover their own needs. There have been food riots in the north due to his sudden and inexplicable inability to provide for them for the coming winter."

"Buthe's been remarkably prosperous these past few years and I haven't seen any extravagant new developmentsno new wings to the Hold, no sudden feasts or Gathers, no large purchases or land or beasts. In fact the lands have been pretty quiet these last few months."

"Too quiet," said Trowa. "Nabol has sealed off their border."

"Sealed? I thought it was rather unusual that they were not letting any new workers in," remarked Trieze. "Especially during Gather season. In the cold north, they'll take any reason to celebrate. Lord Kereth has always thrown extravagant gathers in the past."

Suddenly Trowa stiffened, his eyes widened as he gasped.

"Trouble. There's fire and rioting at the lands of Nabol. People are getting hurt. Killed."

"What?!" said Midii. "Why didn't you say this earlier?!"

"I just found out," said Trowa. "Quatre is out on patrol up there. He just contacted Armyth with the report that the Lord Kereth has called in armed men to subdue the riots by force. The men he's hired don't exactly look like the respectable type, Quatre says."

"And you can hear him all the way over here?" said Weyrwoman Midii in interest. "From the Nabol border?"

"Quatre and I are friends," said Trowa. "We are always able to get each others attention in times of need."

"First things first," said Trieze, ignoring Midii's interest in Trowas's abilities. "Do the men hired wear any kind of livery, any colors particular to one Hold?"

There was a pause while Trowa relayed the message. Then

"No. Quatre says they're all dressed in common clothes and common colors in a polyglot of different styles from different regions. They could be from anywhere he says, but he says that he doesn't think they belong to a Hold, to judge by the wear and tear."

"Raiders?" asked Une. Almost hopefully. If it were so, then they finally had their guy, or if not that then at least a strong suspect.

"Quatre thinks sobut," Trowa cautioned. "He say's the men are being careful not to use excessive force. The Lord Holder obviously wants this done mostly in accordance with the rules laid out by the council. However, there is some looting going on and Quatre says that some of the "enforcers" have set fire to the fields, he doesn't know how long they can keep the blaze under control in a land that is parched and full of dried out grasses. He doesn't sound very optimistic."

"This just keeps getting worse and worse," remarked Treize mildly. They were never ones to panic.

"Well, regardless of whether or not the Lord of Nabol is going easy on his dissenters," said Une. "His inexplicable lack of funds and his blaintant disregard for the needs of his people are cause enough to bring him up before the council. We can get access to his records and his Hold, poke around in there and see what we can turn up."

"We have all the people we need," chimed in Midii. "Me, on behalf of the Weyrs, Masterharper Corliss on behalf of the crafthalls, and Lord and Lady of Fort on Behalf of the Lord Holders. That's enough to seize Lord Nabol, search his Hold and convene and emergency council session prior to bringing him before the full Council. Trowa. You're a wingleader, assemble your wing. I want them in the air and on their way to Nabol in fifteen minutes. Do what you can about the fire, if it's out of control by the time you and your wing get there let it rage and get the people out of there. We'll sort the mess out later when we can. Get going. Send others over here to convey Masterharper Corliss, Lord Treize and Lady Une. I'll see when you arrive."

"Right," he said as he hastened to obey her commands. When weyrwoman Midii made up her mind to do something it was going to be done. Mountains were moved, oceans trembled and Thread fell up until she was satisfied. It was something she and Lady Une had in common. He'd heard stories about them both

* * *

The air above Nabol was still cold with the chill of full night, even as twilight tinged the sky a lighter blue. Trowa looked down in horror at a grass fire raging across the landscape. Smoke choked the air even as the shrill and frightened screams of women resounded in it. He could see a panicked herd of people, insects, animals, birdsanything that could move was making all haste away from the inferno that was the fire whipped by the winds. Aside of the sounds of screams was the dull and unmistakable roar of flames, the cracle of dead grass being devoured by the raging blaze.

Towers of smoke rose from the glow of orange and yellow below them, black and blinding.

Shadows danced through the smoke, and the clamber of ringing metal and shouts seemed to give the smoke a peculiar living quality, like a great beast of war bent on destruction and death devouring the fields.

Secondary to the roar of flames and the screams of women were the sounds of a massive fight. Wherever the flames were not, there churned an ocean of people hacking and bashing at each other with weapons both made and improvised. The shouts competed with an inferno in full blossom and the smothering, choking, sooty, blackness of the towers of war rising against the dawning like. Flames blossomed against the night like buds that hid themselves away, waiting for the morning light.

It was the epitome of chaos. There were bodies of the slain and beaten lying side by side on much of the free ground. Trowa could even faintly smell the now sickening scent of cooking meat among the smoky smell pervading the fields. That meant that some had not made it to safety, either they had already been dead and hadn't been carried from the field or the flames had eaten them like so much grass.

-I can hardly see a thing!- said R'tel, his second, through his dragon.

-There's a clear spot to land nearby,- assured Armyth. ­Just follow us.-

And Armyth gave a final wheel and swooped down to land in a clear non-burning section of a field. The only reason it wasn't burning was because it was entirely of bare, hard packed earth. Probably used as a Gather grounds in the past. The roar of the flame had been loud from dragonlengths above it, at ground level it was deafening.

Before the flames was a stampede of cattle mooing and crashing through and over everything that got in their way, after that came sheep and goats interspersed with hares and prarie foxes and dogs and ground hogs. Any thing that could run was doing so in a blind panic. Cattle and rabbits alike stampeded through armed men caught in struggle with one another, goring their human obstacles without regard to which side they were on. There was no stopping an animal in full charge, the safest thing to do would be to get out of its way.

"There's nothing we can do about the fire," he shouted aloud and through Armyth. "It's too big and too dangerous. It'll just have to burn itself out because there's no way to contain it. Even if we lit smaller controlling fires, the wind is at such a velocity that it'd jump over them. Just start subduing the fights and getting the women and children out of there! Mind the animals, they're stampeding and if you see one don't attempt to save it."

The riders in his wing obeyed without hesitation. Trowa ordered five to the skies to scout out survivors and send the locations to the ground crew, while others on rescue ran in and led them to safety, carrying those that couldn't walk. Still others of his wing worked with their dragons to bust up the fighting. They gathered all into a group, regardless of who they were or why they fought, to sort out later. Herders and militia alike were covered with ash and soot, coughing from smoke inhalation and exhausted. It would be hours before things were sorted out.

-J'Sten, you and your line mate come on from the sides, those militia men are attempting to escape,- Trowa ordered via Armyth. ­C'rim, you and Ireith swoop down to one side of that cattle stamped in the third field and see if you can herd it away from the people.-

There was an acknowledging thought sent hurriedly back to him, Trowa did not have time to pay attention as someone rushed at him from his left side trying to knock hiim from his dragon's back. The idiot probably didn't know that the rider's riding straps were designed to keep him adragonback even if he were unconscious. However the man did land a solid punch to Trowa's jaw and momentarily made him see stars, before Trowa shook it off and returned the gesture in kind. Trowa had once been the bareknucks champ for his section of the barracks when he'd been in weyrling training. He was gratified to see that he hadn't lost his edge. He had the man out and slumped to one side in three moves.

He checked in with his wing to see how they were faring on rescueThere were still a lot of people lost and frightened, trying to find their way out of the flames.

-**cough cough cough** I can't see! Where is everyone!- Cme a strong sending from somewhere amid the flames. ­Dekim? Dekim where are you? Help, I'm all alone!-

The voice sounded young, scared. Trowa unstrapped himself and dismounted to follow the voice. It sounded like it belonged to a little girl.

<Whoever or whatever she is,> he thought, <She's got a strong sending. I can Hear her through Armyth. She must be one of those rare ones that can hear all the dragons.>

-You are growing closer to her location,- Armyth told him. ­Hurry. She's frightened, the flames are coming nearer.-

-I know. I can feel it.-

The overwhelming heat seemed to come from all sides, he breathed in hot air, shut his tender eyes against the scorching heat and allowed his dragon to see for him. He didn't know how much more he could bear as he walked deeper and deeper into the flames. It seemed like the whole world was composed of fire and all he cold hear was the roaring and crackling of the blaze. The only smell was the smell of smoke and he was faced with a huge wall of fire leaping, dancing, consuming.

There, just before the wall, cowering in fright, was the source of the cry. A little girl. She was dressed in rags and covered in soot. When he reached her she just looked up at him, not moving. He absently wondered why she was cowering away from him and scooting back toward the flames she had just a moment ago been begging for rescue from. Having no patience for the mystery, Trowa reached down to pick the child up and carry her from the fire wall.

"Don't kill me!" she little girl screamed above the roar of the fire gone out of control. She had covered her head as though expecting a blow.

"I came here to get you out of this fire not to execute you. If I'd wanted you dead I'd have left you here, now come on!" he ordered. The fire was growing closer and they really did not have time to argue. The girl looked hesitant. Trowa bent down and slung her over his shoulder and sprinted out of there.

-The girl wants to know if you intend to take her back to the weyr and torture her,- said Armyth, sounding offended in his mental voice.

-What? Where does she get that nonsense?- demanded Trowa.

-She says that her father Dekim told her that Dragonriders are evil and that they eat little girls for breakfast, that they'd feed her to their dragons if they ever caught her. She says she can hear us by the way,- reported Armyth.

"Your father lied to you girl," said Trowa gruffly, still running from the flames. "Dragonriders protect Pern and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But Dekim said-" she said in a small frightened voice.

"Nevermind that, child. It's a lie. We'll just get everything sorted out after all this is over," he said. He sighed in relief when he emerged from the worst of the heat and deposited the child safely at the gathering place under the watchful eyes of his wing men. <Who would tell such nonsense to a child and why? What purpose could such lies serve?>

-Trowa!- called Quatre. ­ Your wing just reported in, they say they've rescued everyone they can find. The weyrwoman is getting things organized. She says that Masterharper Corliss, Lord Treize and Lady Une and herself will place Lord Kereth under Hold arrest until they can haul him before the Council that meets in a few days.-

-And the fire?-

-It's still going strong and doesn't show any sign of diminishing. That was brave of you to walk into the fire and rescue that girl.-

-It was no more than any of the others were doing. I would not ask my wing to take risks that I myself am unwilling to take.-

-I called my own wing here to help out. Between out two wings I think we managed to get everyone out.-

-And if we didn't there's nothing to be done about it now and we'll find out when the fire burns itself to extinction.- said Trowa.

-There's a cheerful thought if I've ever heard one,- came a new voice into the conversation. Weyrwoman Midii. -So you're Quatre?-

-Yes Ma'am.- he stammered.

-Weyrwoman will do fine. I'd like to thank you for contacting your friend when you did. You gave us the perfect opening for a full scale penetration of Lord Kereth's borders,- the cool collected voice said. ­Some time I would be very interested in hearing about how you managed to contact Wingleader Trowa at such a distance.-

Quatre was caught off guard and Trowa could hear him stumbling over a reply. By that time Midii had broken the link.

-My.my. What a redoubtable woman,- Quatre said at last.

-Indeed.-

By the mid afternoon the fires had dimmed a little and the peoples gathered together had been sorted out into two groups, those who had been hired by Lord Kereth to subdue the rebellions on his lands and those who had actually lived on his lands.

* * *

Une stormed into Lord Kereth's office, Treize and Midii in her wake along with the Masterharper.

"It's so nice you see you Lord Treize," said Kereth genially, ignoring lady's Une's death-promising look.. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You may start by explaining why you have not been taking care of your lands or people the way a Lord Holder is, by tradition, required to do," Treize said in a deceptively light tone. He knew his lady did not trust herself to speak for she was shaking with surpressed rage. The scene she had witnessed outside went against everything she was taught to value as a Lady of the Holds. She took it as a personal offense.

"Why I have!" said Lord Kereth, feigning shock. "The peasant folk led a little insurrection that had to be put down. It was for their own good you understand."

"I understand that you are confined to your Quarters and your assets and accounts will be seized for investigation," said Lady Une coldly. "I and Treize on behalf of the Lord Holders, Masterharper Coliss on behalf of the Craftsmen and Weyrwoman Midii on behalf of the Weyrs have the authority to bring you before the council on charges of maltreatment of those beholden to you, and sedition, and immoral conduct."

"Do you now?" said Kereth smoothly. "And I don't suppose that the Council knows anything about this little trip to my lands does it?"

"Oh don't you worry any sweetheart," said Midii with sugary sweetness, edged with acid. "They'll know all about it. I promise. Along with eyewitness depositions to your depravity they'll know all about it!"

And with that they swept out of the room, ordering in three of Midii's dragonriders to search the room carefully for hidden documents, treasureanything incriminating they could find basically.

* * *

Between the two of them, Lady Une and Weyrwoman Midii had had things organized swiftly. There were impromptu kitchens set up to feed the unfortunate gathering, and shelters just in case people could not return to their homes or had no homes to start with. Weyrwoman Midii had her people out patrolling the skies looking for any escaped militia men or missed food riot victim. By late that evening Treize, Corliss, Une, and Midii had served Lord Kereth his Hold arrest warning. He'd heard that Midii had taken an almost diabolical delight in drawing herself up to her full height (she was tall for a woman), putting on her full authority as weyrwoman, and telling him that if he tried to escape she would have her riders out in force to hunt him down like a herd-beast. Midii could be an intimidating creature when the mood struck her.

Even with the Lord Holder safelt subdues and some of the fires contained and burned out, there was a lot of clean-up work to do. Fortunately, the Holders said they could handle things from there. However, Trowa knew that the battles had only just begun. They still had to haul Kereth before a full council and prove him guilty of all charges, then they had to prove he was working in collusion with the Raiders as well as see if he might have had any co-conspirators. There was still a long ways to go.

"But at least we have a start," Quatre remarked to Trowa's unspoken brooding.

"Yes. At least we have a start."