THE MEETING THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN
AFTER A MOMENT OF CONFUSION, people started to leave. I got up too; so did Mom-Woo, but Da-Lorrin put his hand on her arm and said, “Wait.” She sat back down again.
“Huh—?” I started to ask, but Lorrin leaned across and said, “Shh. Sit down, Kaer.” So I did. Obviously, something was up.
We weren’t the only ones staying in our seats. At least half a dozen other families waited patiently while everyone else filed out. I noticed that the Kellys weren’t among them; they were already heading for the tractor-bus. Most of the families who stayed were long-time trainees, but not all. The ones I knew were all folks who had high work-scores and were considered good candidates for crossover.
The Man with the Silver Earring waited patiently on the stage, watching people exit. Several folks approached him and tried to engage him in conversation, but he just shook his head. It looked like he was saying, “Administor Rance has given you the official position. I support her totally.” He had to say that quite a few times, but finally the last of the crowd filtered out.
He waited until the doors were closed—and locked. I looked back and saw that there was a scout by each door. Earring glanced quickly around the room, as if counting us off on an invisible list. Satisfied, he said, “Please move forward and fill up the front rows.” His voice sounded different now.
When we had all taken our new seats, he continued. “Anything that gets said in this room must stay in this room. Officially, this meeting didn’t happen. Does everybody understand that? Anyone not willing to abide by these conditions?” He glanced around. “No? Good.”
He took a deep breath. For a moment, he seemed almost human. “Despite the restrictions of the Charter,” he said, “we do intend to mount a rescue operation. We’ve applied for an exemption and we expect to have it signed by morning. So we will proceed with our preparations on the expectation of authorization. But whether or not we get that exemption, we will proceed. Legally or not.
“We have armed scouts crossing over tomorrow morning. We’ve sent three choppers through the gate, fully loaded with nonlethal weaponry. We have a team of twelve prepared to make an assault on the prison where the Linneans hold our scouts. We have little hope for a peaceful outcome. We expect to act—and we will prepare as fully as we can.
“Our observers on the scene report that the Linneans have posted at least twenty guards, all armed with crossbows. They look like experienced military men, so it doesn’t look good for a frontal assault. And besides, the Charter mandates that we take no lives ... unless absolutely necessary. We would all prefer that such ‘necessity’ does not arise. So we have to consider all of our options. Whatever we do on the other side, we expect enormous repercussions. Both here and there.”
“You’ll need more than twelve scouts,” said Da-Lorrin, in his sergeant’s voice. “Where can I volunteer?” Immediately, five other men stood up too.
Earring waved them back down. “If we cannot do it with twelve, we cannot do it with twelve hundred—”
“Some of us have military experience,” said Lorrin. “Have your scouts ever seen actual combat?”
“Some. Not all.”
“I repeat my request,” said Lorrin. “You need me. Us,” he corrected.
“We appreciate the offer, but—”
“If you didn’t want us to volunteer, then why this meeting?”
“We do need volunteers, but not for military action. We think the scouts should handle that part, but we need on-site monitors and support teams.”
Lorrin shook his head. I knew that shake. That was the “this is a very bad idea” head-shake. He said, “You’ve already acknowledged that someone from a disappeared family probably betrayed Jaxin and the others.”
Earring nodded. I guess he’d seen that head-shake before, if not from Lorrin, then probably from his own da. He chose his next words carefully. “Yes. Unfortunately, we do have reason to suspect that.”
“Then you don’t dare send anyone else into Callo City that the disappeared families would recognize,” said Lorrin. His words had an immediate effect on all the scouts.
“That one worries us a lot,” Earring admitted. He exchanged a serious look with Smiller and Byrne. “If such a situation exists on Linnea, it means that none of our present scouts can continue working and observing anywhere they might risk identification. It would cripple the program.” And then he added, “Enormously.”
“Then I do have a point, don’t I?” said Da-Lorrin, smiling wryly.
Earring nodded sadly. It was the first time I’d ever seen him look anything less than ferocious. “Let me say it bluntly. We have to get our people out with a minimum of attention—and as little cultural upset as possible. Right now, our best plan involves a team of stealth operatives hitting all the guards simultaneously with self-vaporizing anesthetic darts. With tear gas as a backup. We know we can do it. We’ve scanned the prison, we know the layout, we know the routines of the guards. We’ve run simulations of six different assaults. We have an excellent chance of success. To the Linneans, our people will have simply disappeared from a locked cell.”
“And that will add to the belief that Oerth-people have mysterious powers, won’t it ...?”
“Our other on-site teams will start rumors that a sympathizer freed them, that someone saw them riding out of town. We’ll take their horses at the same time.”
“Won’t that put the guards under suspicion?” asked a farmer named Brill. “Won’t that endanger otherwise innocent people?”
“Probably,” said Earring. “But I doubt that you could call this squad of military guards innocent. They have a nasty reputation, well-deserved. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for their needs right now. But the question does merit consideration. All of our questions do. We have to consider all our options and their consequences before we act.”
He glanced at the clock. “I think we’ve said enough for now. Midnight approaches; so does winter. You all have work to do. Those of you who want to volunteer, give your names to Smiller—then go home and talk this over among yourselves. In your own homes, nowhere else. Remember, no one goes unless his or her family agrees. Oh, and don’t worry about the hidden monitors; tonight’s snowfall will probably knock some of them out for a few hours. Weather often has funny effects like that. You all know the situation, so you shouldn’t have any disagreements about the facts. Just decide if you can afford to take the risk. If you can, make your good-byes tonight. We’ll pick you up in the morning. Oh, and one more thing,” he said. “Thank you.”