Giving the Untried a Chance

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 8th July 2010

Characters: U'kaiah, G'nir
Description: G'nir offers his services out of heart felt concern for his injured Wingleader... (yeah right...)
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 18 of Turn 5

G'nir

With a groan U'kaiah lifted his arm high enough to slide his hand across
the surface of the desk to reach for the next hide. He knew the healer
said it would take a more than a sevenday to heal, he would have thought
that he would have seen _some_ improvement by now! There was a light
tapping at his door which was greeted with a frown meant more for the
way his body was betraying him than the disturbance. "Come in!"

G'nir entered the office. "My duty to you, Wingleader," he greeted
politely.

"And you," U'kaiah nodded, though he could not summon anything close to
a smile for the bronzerider. "What can I do for you?"

"I heard of your injury. How are you feeling?" G'nir's symphathy was all
fake.

"Well, at least with Threadscore you can slap numbweed on it," the
wingleader said with a smirk. "This is just a constant ache."

"Mm, yes. Did the healers ground you?" G'nir had predatory gleam in his
pale grey eyes.

"Not completely. I will be watching the drills, but not leading them."
Flying straight on Kalamath was fine as long as he didn't jostle his arm
too much. Holding onto riding straps with both hands during dives,
turns and steep ascents was unbearable.

"So, who is leading the wing then?" G'nir asked, getting to the issue
that interested him most.

"My Second, of course." U'kaiah was in too much pain to be politic, and
the look he gave the bronzerider spoke clearly that it was a stupid
question to ask.

"So you need someone to fill in for the Second then," G'nir was
obviously volunteering.

"Naturally. We've got it covered." He tried to nod but even that
seemed painful.

"By whom?" G'nir asked.

"Well, we talked about it, and we've decided this would be the perfect
opportunity to give some of the brownriders some leadership experience.
So P'jol for one. We're still trying to decide who else. We'd like at
least one more." He looked at the bronzerider expectantly. "Any
suggestions?"

"Me, I have the experience. They are young," G'nir replied. He certainly
didn't hid his glows under the basket.

U'kaiah sat back in his chair with a wince and looked the man square in
the face. He really was an ambitious one, this G'nir. "Like I said, we
want to give some _brown_riders a chance."

"And you let the experience slip past while giving the untried a
chance?"

"How else will they _get_ experience, G'nir, if they are never given a
chance to see what they can do?" Surely someone had to have given the
bronzerider his first chance! Or had he forgotten that?

G'nir just grunted. Not much he could do if U'kaiah's mind was already
made. But it stung. He was sick and tired of being just a wingrider. It
was hard not to push his nose into things that didn't belong to him.

U'kaiah couldn't help but feel a little triumphant at putting G'nir in
his place. "Who knows, G'nir. Someday you may have a chance to lead a
Wing of your own again, and you can run it any way you like. Until
then, why don't you just leave the leading to me, hmmm?"

"Yes, sir," he nearly gritted his teeth, but managed to control himself.
The hardest part was that the wingleader in him recognize U'kaiah's
reasons
as valid ones.

At least he was learning to control his temper. "Was there anything
else?"

"No, not really. Get better soon," G'nir said, with no genuine feeling
behind that wishing. It was for politeness sake only.

His feeling was obvious by the tone of his voice, but U'kaiah found he
could be magnanimous enough to smile. "Thank you, G'nir. You may go."

The older bronzerider nodded and get up, stomping off from the office.

Last updated on the July 17th 2010

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Giving the Untried a Chance