Held to the Highest Standards

Writers: Eimi, Roxanne
Date Posted: 20th February 2006

Characters: D'wrayt, U'kaiah
Description: D'wrayt and U'kaiah discuss his punishment for fighting with his wingrider
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 12 of Turn 3
Notes: Notes: Follows "She Makes You Feel Good"

U'kaiah stood outside the Weyrleader's door, his shoulder slumped and
his head hung low. How could he face D'wrayt now? What could he
possibly say? He had done the unthinkable - willfully and knowingly
_attacked_ a fellow rider, and he a _wingleader_! No matter what
N'vanik and Sarian had done, there was no excuse. None at all. And now
he must face the Weyrleader, the man he had looked to for approval since
he was a Weyrling, to hear his fate.

}:Treadorth's rider is expecting you. You must go,:{ Kalamath crooned
softly. }:No matter what happens, we will be together.:{

That fact was U'kaiah's one comfort as he finally lifted his hand to
knock.

"Come in." D'wrayt called gruffly. He hadn't been sleeping well lately
and the incident that happened earlier didn't improve his mood any. What
could the sharding man been thinking?

"Sir?" U'kaiah said in a barely audible whisper as he walked into the
Weyrleader's office.

"I was hoping it was you, U'kaiah. Have a seat, would you care to
explain what went on earlier?" he said as he poured himself a glass of
fruit juice. He handed the younger bronzerider a glass as well. D'wrayt
thought that it might help him to have something in his hands.

U'kaiah looked down at the glass. He knew he couldn't hold it. His
fingers were trembling too much. D'wrayt seemed so... calm... "I
attacked wingrider N'vanik in the dining hall, sir."

"I'm well aware of _that_ particular fact, bronzerider. I simply would
like to know why?" D'wrayt said trying not to sound too exasperated at
the man's answer.

"I over-reacted, sir." U'kaiah knew that was a gross understatement.
"I discovered that as some kind of prank, wingrider N'vanik and a
woman..." He found it difficult, despite how angry he was at her, to
say her name. The bronzerider was too accustomed to being loyal that
even her sudden betrayal had trouble cracking. "They entered my office
when I was not there and had sex on my desk."

"Did you find them there?" D'wrayt asked curiously. He would never have
guessed that was the reason behind U'kaiah willfully attacking another
rider. It simply was not something he could tolerate in his Weyr,
especially from his Wingleaders.

"No, but I found evidence of it." He let out a long, strained sigh. "I
found undergarments on my desk that I knew belonged to one of my
greenriders - to... Sarian. I confronted her, she confessed all, saying
it was N'vanik's idea. We argued - fought is more like it. I left her
and just had to get away, and I wasn't looking for anyone or anywhere in
particular. But I saw N'vanik in the dining hall and I just... cracked
my shell, sir."

"I see. You of all people should know that there is no toleration of
fighting amongst ourselves. The riders look up to you just as much as
they look up to me as we are the ones who set the examples simply by
being bronzeriders not to mention the rank we uphold. There are going to
have to be consequences for your actions, you know that don't you?"

U'kaiah nodded, his eyes looking down at the floor.

"If two of your wing members had been fighting, what would you do?"
D'wrayt asked wanting to get the young bronzerider thinking a bit. He
had found over the turns that asking the troublemaker what they would
have done if they were in his shoes often got them thinking and produced
some interesting answers. Sometimes they were better punishments than he
had come up with and other times they tried to use it as a way to get
out of trouble, which never worked.

"It's different, sir," the bronzerider said with a shake of his head.
"You can't go easy on me. I am a Wingleader, and therefore must be held
to the highest standards. This wasn't some fight between wingmates.
This was a Wingleader attacking one of his own men." He looked up to
meet his Weyrleader's eyes. "I know what you have to do. And I have
earned my punishment, D'wrayt."

"I'm glad you understand. Shells, I've tried to think of ways around
this, but there is no other alternative. I have to demote you to the
Weyrlings wing until I can know you've got yourself under control.
W'darev could use your experience as a wingleader to help him with the
senior weyrlings. I'll talk to S'rak about taking temporary leadership
of Cyan until I can get another wingleader in place. Effective
immediately, you are no longer Cyan Wingleader." D'wrayt said visibly
pained at having to demote one of his better wingleaders.

That was a harder blow than any N'vanik had thrown that night.
**Weyrlings... Not even a Thread fighting wing...** "I will start
cleaning out my weyr, sir."

"Before you go, U'kaiah. I have one more question. Do you miss her as
much as I do?" he asked knowing he would know exactly who he was talking
about. It was hard seeing another goldrider in her weyr as it reminded
him everyday that she wasn't there. It would have been easier if she had
transfered as he would be able to see her occasionally, but such
finality was hard for him to grasp. He woke up at times expecting her to
be beside him only to find himself alone.

U'kaiah could not look up at him. They had never spoken of Jaela.
D'waryt's feelings for his Weyrwoman had been obvious. It had always
struck U'kaiah as ironic that he should share those feelings for the
same woman. "Sometimes I think I see her," he finally answered in a
quiet, strained voice. "But when they turn around I see it's someone
else. And sometimes I can hear her laughing, but its not her, and I
remember she's gone. I think I'm going crazy without her, D'wrayt."

"I understand completely. I wake up and have to stop myself from going
across to see if she's still awake. Thankfully, I haven't barged into
Corvera's weyr without knocking. I miss the easy companionship we had
together. It's nice to know that there's someone else that wonders if he
will always be looking over his shoulder for a glimpse of her only to
remember she's gone."

"Forgive me, sir," U'kaiah whispered, his eyes still locked on some
unseen spot on the floor, "but that is no comfort to me." **At least
you _had_ that easy companionship long enough to enjoy it...**

"I didn't expect it to be, but I do know what it is like to wonder what
might have been. Cherish the memories of the time you had together."
D'wrayt replied. He had known there had been the start of a relationship
between U'kaiah and Jaela from some of the things that Calyth told him
when he inquired after the whereabouts of her rider on occasion.

U'kaiah craddled his forehead on his hand. "She'd be so ashamed of me
today." Part of him was glad that she was not there to see him fall,
but he also knew it would never have happened if she had been there.

"Have you thought of talking to a mindhealer? They helped me to get past
wanting to join my weyrmate when she died and I've been to see them a
few times since we lost Jaela. It helps to have someone to talk to
rather than drown oneself in wine." D'wrayt asked wanting more than
anything to help his young wingleader.

He shook his head. "No. I don't want to talk to anyone. I don't want
to think about it anymore. I just want to forget it all."

"Just do me a favor and don't drink yourself to the point that you're no
use to anyone. I need you to get yourself together so that you can lead
the wing again." D'wrayt replied having said those same words once.

"Yes, sir," U'kaiah nodded. D'wrayt left him so hope that he could be a
wingleader again some day, but the young bronzerider knew it would be a
while before he could prove himself again. "Is that all, sir?"

"That's all." D'wrayt replied dismissing the bronzerider. He needed his
dragonriders to be working together not fighting amongst themselves.
Arguments were one thing, but throwing punches around just because you
were upset with another rider was unacceptable. He truly hoped that
U'kaiah understood that he had to set an example for the wingriders and
perhaps working with the weyrlings would help him realize how much the
younger riders looked to the older bronzeriders for direction.

Last updated on the February 21st 2006

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Held to the Highest Standards