09/02/2026 15:38

---

Many fell wounded or dead. They arechildren! Gooseflesh crawled. None of the twelve waiting in the barracks even speculatedout loud what this might be about, but they remembered what Dao hadsaid the day before about visitors and interviews. Jerym peered out again at the sun.

Varlik turned off his terminal and called Mauen. 29The T'swa colonels, three of them now, arrived together at Lamons'sweekly command meeting, each with his aide. Not evenJerym, who'd been sent repeatedly to lead men into no-return situations. Although he was at Service instead ofWisdom/Knowledge, over the years he'd shown occasional flashes ofexceptional perceptivity.