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In the early hours of the morning, when Rubak's light had not yet touched the pounding waves, there was a stirring on Western shores. For although a ship had been scheduled to leave port, there was no sign of her. Nor, indeed, was there any sign of the passengers who had charted the voyage for which the Southern Star had been bound. At first, all had seemed quite ordinary indeed, yet when the search parties had been sent out, they had found...
Next to nothing. It was, it seemed, as though the trail left behind by those men, women, and children had simply... vanished, beyond a certain point. As if, perhaps, they had ceased to exist. Stranger still, no one who had been at the dock that morning had seen the Star, although she'd docked at that very place many times better. Nor was the captain difficult to spot, for the swaggering Joten had been known to wear bright scarves in gaudy, eye-blinding colors. He was memorable enough, and his people well enough liked, that they'd surely have recalled a recent visit. Yet no one could remember seeing the seacrafters in months.
The sailors hadn't been new to the area. True, anyone could get caught in a bad squall, but no one had reported bad weather in these parts. Just off the coast a ways from the twin port Holds of Western and Rivercrest, Clearwater Hold was not large enough to boast a watchdragon of their own, so when the cry went up that a ship had been lost at sea, they could not easily send word to the sweepriders. So it was that a contingent of earnest, worried men and women had been formed to bring the report themselves. They'd not merited a runner, either, but given that many of the would-be passengers had been their own kin, well, they'd had reason enough to make the journey.
So it was that Hestina and R'mor found themselves with a near hysterical mob of people, each wanting assurance that Western Weyr would do their duty by them. This group had been promised jobs on the Northern continent, at Tillek Hold. It had been several sevendays since the initial disappearance, and they had not received word of the Southern Star, nor heard of any sign of their lost ones.
"We'll send out sweepriders," Hestina told the gathering, a frown between her brows. "K'tos, please consult with the dolphineers. If there's been a storm system in the area, their partners will certainly know." Turning to R'mor, she quirked a brow. "R'mor, please let Casgar know that our guests will be staying for the duration - or at least until we've found something." For there was no doubt that these holders would need more than the Weyr's word to placate them. Hestina, who had experience with the mercurial nature of the Western waters, knew how serious the situation was very like to be.
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