Much More Progress

Writers: Avery, Suzee
Date Posted: 2nd July 2019

Characters: K'ran, Timassa, Bilpen
Description: Overview of the Weyrhold project.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 10, day 20 of Turn 9

K'ran

Timassa

Bilpen

Bilpen waited in the open field they'd designated as the 'Weyr bowl'
in their surveys of the site. Several areas were staked with the
outlines of buildings and he could hear the miners working inside the
cliffs that would soon be a Weyrhold.

He saw the pair of dragons as they emerged and opened his arms to
signal them to land in the field.

K'ran had overflown this site before as part of patrols but always
before just looking for trouble. It had been attentively noting the
place as he traveled over it, but not remembering it much after
overflown. When doing sweeps, there was only so much about territory
you could hold in your mind. Even for someone like him, who loved to
travel and note the features of land, there was just so much of Pern
to know and remember it all so well. Now he was overflying it with a
different purpose in mind, and he looked at it with fresh eyes and
like he'd never seen it before. This area wasn't just another piece of
land. It was full of possibility. Possibilities that the man he was
going to meet today was going to help spell out. He directed Rogueth
to land in the signaled place and then dismounted.

Timassa and Saryolth followed the bronze and his rider down to alight
next to them in the big field. She was watching everything as
carefully as she could and had come to make notes to take back to
Dolphin Cove.

Bilpen jogged toward where the pair had landed. "Welcome to Barrier
Lake," he said. "I'm the project manager. Bilpen's the name." He
reached out a hand to the bronze rider. His own Master's knots were
visible and he never stood on ceremony where rank was concerned. But
he knew the former Weyrleader's face. "Good to see you K'ran," he
grinned.

"Good to see you too, Bilpen," K'ran said with a firm shake.
"Especially under finer circumstances than before. Rogueth is very
interested in the changes here and so am I."

Timassa nodded "Bilpen," she acknowledged as she shook his hand. "I'm Timassa."

"Good to meet you," he smiled his welcome to the greenrider. He turned
and gestured around the field. "Over there we're building the
Weyrling Barracks and a Lighthouse for the ships coming in to port
here. Then this way," He started walking to a large area being
excavated, "This is where we're building a combination Dining
Hall/Kitchens/Worker and Candidate Barracks. It will be almost as
large as a minor hold but also with large rooms for gatherings."

"I knew that it would be easier to do many types of buildings outside
and then save excavating of the cliffs internal areas for what _has_
to be kept inside, but I don't think I realized just how large some of
them would be." K'ran's eyes widened as he took in the pit being
excavated.

"The Candidate Barracks as part of the Dining and Kitchen areas, hm?
That will certainly be interesting."

"Well it will be a good solid three stories above ground and a huge
cellar for supplies and storage. The second floor will be for the
kitchen staff and Headwoman then the third floor for the Candidates."
Bilpen smiled and led them to the edge of the pit. "They're just
putting in the walls of the cellar now."

K'ran looked down into it. Right now it was a pit being laid out, but
one day soon it would be a whole building. "So the Barracks and the
Dining Hall are outside. Do i remember correctly that so will be the
Infirmary?"

"Yes," Bilpen nodded and pointed where the only evidence was staked in
the ground. "The main entrance to the Weyr for ground traffic will be
right here." He pointed to a medium sized opening. "The Miners will be
enlarging it to take the supply carts directly to the main storerooms.
There will be enough room cleared for the largest ones we receive and
to turn around and come back out."

"That's a more efficient design than at some locations." Where the
carts had to be unloaded right outside the opening and carried on in.

He tapped his chin. "And how are the Miners doing excavating out
internal structures?"

Unless the dragonriders wanted to camp out on the ground, or move in
with the workers, they couldn't move in any intiial staff until some
small weyrs were carved out.

"There is a basic structure just waiting for us to exploit." Bilpen
smiled. "We've already got glows all the way into a huge cavern we
believe will do very well for your hatchings. Would you like to see
it?"

"I'd love to," he said. Looking over his shoulder at Timassa, he said,
"Impressed so far?"

"It's beautiful here," she smiled admiring the cove. "And so much
activity." She could see multiple groups of workers all over the site
and banging everywhere.

"This way," Bilpen led them to the entrance he'd pointed out earlier.
As they walked down the corridor he warned them to be careful in the
uneven spots that hadn't all been smoothed out as yet. Finally after
rounding a long curve they came into a huge cavern. The upper reaches
were shrouded in darkness and they could hear water running. The light
of the glows didn't do enough to clear the gloom but there was clearly
enough room here for more than one queen and the appropriate viewing
stands. "What do you think?"

"Rogueth agrees that the size is impressive and will well-suit a
queen, if he knows them." he said, looking around and taking a deep
breath as he unfocused his eyes and let his bronze see through him.

"What is the running water?"

Timassa had simply followed them through the large tunnel. It was
already large enough for her green and likely a blue to get all the
way into the cavern.

"Ahh yes, that is how we're going to heat the sands," the big man
smiled. "We've got hot springs to feed the whole Weyr with hot water
and heat the sands with a grid of pipes we'll apply below a conductive
flooring layer. Atop that we'll put a layer of crushed rock then top
that with the sand." He nodded to the Weyrleader. "We should be able
to begin bringing in sand in two sevendays. Do you think you could bring a
partial wing here that soon to help with that part of it?"

"You'll have space for them in two sevendays?" he asked with some
surprise. When the man had said that they were working on enlarging
caverns he'd assumed it would still take some more time.

He thought about what he could muster as a partial wing in two
sevendays without depleting the Weyrs of active assistance in
Threadfall, and had an idea. Retired riders where the rider might have
an injury but the dragon was fine, or weyrlings too young to fight in
the wings but with full-grown lifemates... "I assume you'll want
larger dragons for the assistance. Would hale dragons with riders who
are fit to work in some ways, but not fly Threadfall, work for you?"

"My plan includes phases," he said with a smile. "We'll have temporary
shelter for a small number of riders at first out on the side of the
Weyr with cabins and sandy wallows for their lifemates. We'll keep
record of who arrived when and the first arrivals will get the first
finished Weyrs." He cleared his throat. "We'll need a headwoman for
that duty if you have any candidates."

"The larger dragons would be good as long as they can haul sand to us
from the beaches or the desert. We'll pile it outside and workers will
bring it in to form the hatching sands. After that, it will be a
matter of another few weeks for the sands to get hot enough to support
a clutch. By then we'll also have larger weyrs available for you and
whatever queen's are to be sent."

K'ran nodded. "What other support can I bring you right now?"

Bilpen smiled. "We've got quite a supply chain and incoming ships. I
could use a dock master to organize the supply caverns and such but we
don't need him as urgently as the dragonriders and headwoman."

"I'll look for a few options. I do have a Headwoman candidate in mind
for you, I'll get back as soon as I can," K'ran promised Bilpen. "Any
spare copies of the plans for the place I can have to show around,
after the tour's done?"

"Everything is roughed out and I have a copy for you back in my tent,"
he smiled.

Last updated on the August 13th 2019

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