Need some clarification on Star Rise histoy

[snowkat]

I am so enjoying reading the OotB 26. I just finished the story "Operation Distract and Delay" by Kris, Anna, and Chantal. It creates great insight into characters by the way. But I got confused by something in it and was hoping someone can set me straight.

There is a part in it talking about a group of dragon riders that called themselves the Commandos, and apparently they were sort of rogues at one time. But it says that most of the people involved had been "packed away to Cantee, with only rare and brief visits back to Pern."

Is Cantee another planet? And do the dragon riders of this time-line get to move back and forth to another planet by going between? I know in theory it would be possible and still be true to Anne McCaffry, since F'nor and Canth went to the red star.

I just wanted some clarification if anyone has time to help me catch up on club history a little.

Thanks, Kat

[Anna]

Hey, Kat,

Yep, and yep. One of the quirks of joining a group as long-lived as StarRise is that we pre-date any of the various no-no's commonly accepted today in Pern Fandom. When this group first started, there were several active Weyrs on a planet called Cantee, which dragonriders from Pern had settled. It didn't have Thread. While those active groups became inactive quite a while back, they're still technically part of our background, and therefore still exist. It's convenient to still refer to it from time to time, as a place for riders to come from, or go to.


Anna

[snowkat]

Thanks Anna, I think it makes a great solution for a problem now and then if a writer writes themselves into a corner. Just banish the problem to another planet. I wish I could do that in real life at times.

I do understand about the long history to the group. I figure there will be quite a few things that I will pick up on as I go and understand, but that one was so unexpected I was not sure I was understanding it right. I thought I better ask before I assumed another planet was involved.

Thanks for the quick reply too.
Back to reading now,
Kat

[Anna]

Never hesitate to ask! Fresh eyes like yours may remind those of us who've been around a while of plots and events we once planned to do, but forgot about.


Anna

[snowkat]

With every story I read I think of something I want to write about.

[Anna]

Excellent! I love reading that!

[Chantal]

There is nothing more inspiring, sometimes, than reading the past stories. Just after the previous issue came out is usually when I am all-fired excited to write.

The Commandos started out of Sable Weyr, I think, and their purpose was to help fight drug traffickers. In the end, their activities doing this conflicted with their duties to the Weyr, and that became a problem. Eventually, Sable's Weyrwoman found out about the group and disbanded them, with orders to her riders to leave the drug trafficking problem to the Holds to deal with.

Is that pretty much how it happened, Anna?

[Anna]

Essentially, yes, Chantal. Although, the main point to remember is that this was a clandestine group - basically a few riders got together and decided to play vigilante without letting anyone of rank know. Over the turns, however, members attained rank at the Weyr but didn't let the secret out. Eventually, however, the Weyrwoman started questioning all the odd, non-Thread related injuries and some former Commandos realized that things had gone too far - being a Commando had become more important to some riders than being a dragonrider and meeting their first duty to Pern.

Weyrwoman Zahlenka found out what was going on...and there really was hell to pay. She takes that autonomy thing very seriously, and needless risk to dragons and riders even more seriously. At present, she's not well-loved at her Weyr for the actions she took in disbanding the Commandos.

[Kris]

Just sticking my .02 cents in here. Yes, the Commandos went, shall we say, a weeeeeeeeeeee bit overboard in their zeal to rid the Southern Continent of drug traffic. Certain riders spilled the beans, and they may yet pay the price, whether at the hands of former prey (drug traffickers) or former comrades (Commandos who decide killing another dragonrider is small loss compared to the unimpeded--in their eyes--flow of harmful substances across Pern).

It'll make for very interesting story fodder, Kat. Glad you enjoyed it.

[ginnystar]

I had a hunch that was another place, when I read it. but then I've read a few AU before coming here and I RP at one and hoping to come up with something for here. I never know what you put in is going to come out later.