Galen Matou watched with a good amount of amusement as one of the female candidates for the clutch hounded yet another candidate as she tried to make notes on him. The moment she’d started questioning him upon his arrival at Firestone Weyr, Galen started questioning her. His attack had been so quick she’d answered each before becoming nervous as she said she was when being questioned by her “interviewees”. Her name was Renko and she was a year his senior, she was a Journeywoman Astronomer though she called herself a Starcrafter and for some odd reason liked to write about other people’s lives. “So you write a sort of reverse diary all the time?” Galen had asked her at the time. Renko’s only answer to him was a shy, blushing, nod. She in the end had interview the young man, nearly causing Galen to fall asleep in the process. Thankfully, Renko’s twin brother, Cortel, who was also standing for the same clutch, pulled Renko away from him. On the first day of candidate classes Galen felt the need to react as he had when he was in the Air Force Boot Camp, standing stiffly when addressed and answering every question beginning and ending with “sir.” It wasn’t until the Head Searchrider made a visit to the class and scoffed at him that he quit the conditioned response to anything that had to do with or learning about combat and the care of things to do with such. He like a number of the candidates didn’t like the bronze rider, whom was called B’tal, one bit. It was later that same day that Galen was surprised that the bronze Searchdragon was much more tolerable than his rider. “Ignoring your chores again?” the snide voice of B’tal broke through Galen’s thoughts as the bronze rider entered the room where he and a few other candidates were enjoying themselves for a time till they were needed again. “We finished are chores about an hour ago, sir,” Galen replied ever calm though his voice held a hint of ice usually only seen on the ice at a hockey game. B’tal looked at the young man of twenty three years, he seemed to like him about as much as a recently impressed bronze rider, T’lcin, from Firestone Weyr’s first clutch; in less words, he didn’t like Galen Matou at all. “You should be doing some kind of work, other wise the dragons won’t want such lazy dimglows,” B’tal told the for Air Force man, yet he probably didn’t expect somebody else to answer first. “Oh leave off, B’tal,” growled the voice of one of the newly impressed riders from the first clutch who’d been walking by, “Just because it took you so many times to impress your Neverenth doesn’t mean that the dragons won’t pick somebody who hasn’t done a lick of work. The dragons choose ya’ know.” “This is none of your business, Talcin,” B’tal growled back at the younger bronze rider. “His name is T’lcin if I remember correctly, B’tal, and he has just as much business being in this conversation, bronze rider,” Galen replied taking up his usual spokesperson attitude, “I mean, he’s just trying to keep you from bullying other candidates like you did him…” Galen paused and a small smirk came to his lips, “And if a friend of mind told me correctly, you said he and a woman named Gemtia would never impress. And low and behold the two impressed a bronze and gold respectfully.” “All of you report to the Headwoman, I’m sure she’ll find something better to keep your mouths from being so busy,” B’tal replied sharply. T’lcin smirked at B’tal’s outburst as the elder bronze rider left candidates, and Jr. Weyrling’s presence. “I think he need some anger management,” Galen coyly thought aloud. “More like a good kick in the arse the majority of the time,” T’lcin replied as he walked in with admiring eyes at the older man, “Not many can stay that calm in B’tal’s face, ya’ know? I like the tactics.” “I’m going for a Psychology Major back where I come from,” Galen replied, “It came natural to me in my youth, thought it might be worth a shot in battles. Sometimes better to fight with the mind than the fist some have been known to say.” “You’re up for candidacy in white Destoneth’s clutch, right?” T’lcin replied in turn. “Correct, Sakabatouth’s rider,” Galen replied in the way he had found people sometimes talking formally to other riders, “Galen Matou, I believe your friends with Renko and Cortel considering they are the two I’ve heard of you and Gemtia from.” “Very true,” T’lcin smiled broadly, “And I have a feeling in the future you and I will also be friends, if only to fight the son of a wherry every one knows to be B’tal.” “I think that you will be correct,” Galen replied, “But I have to say, B’tal can’t be all that bad… even if he has never said a good thing to me.” “I guess so,” T’lcin replied thoughtfully, “Other wise Weyrwoman Lerial wouldn’t have kept him at the Weyr, huh? Then again, maybe she only tolerates him because of Neverenth being such a good searchdragon.” “We may never know, T’lcin,” Galen replied with a hearty chuckle. Story to come when I find the time around school work. Return to the Main Page Firestone Weyr Background by Tiyanni!