第25节

Generals, and the Behavioural Codes from the Manual. No

problem. Steve could quote chapter and verse. As he went to sit down,

Steve was struck by the thought that, had he been a Mute, he might have

been raised - like Cadillac - as a wordsmith.

Once again, the President of the Board of Assessors clasped her fingers

together and fixed him squarely with her grey-brown eyes. 'Steven,

I've given much thought to your previous testimony - in particular, the

account of your escape you gave us yesterday. I've also discussed it

with my colleagues on this Board and we have been forced to the

conclusion that you have not been completely truthful with us."

Steve fought down a sudden feeling of unease and scanned the Assessors

with an air of slightly bewildered disappointment.

Fran's mouth showed a hint of amusement as his eyes swept round the

table to meet hers. 'The point that concerns us is the remarkable

degree of cooperation shown by your captors. You say that you offered

them a trade-off but that, in the final analysis, none took place.

We find that difficult to believe - particularly in view of your

earlier claim that we have underestimated the Mute's powers of

reasoning. However, even if this clan was as dumb-assed as the

Southern Mutes, they are led by two wordsmiths - both of whom you have

rated as being of above-average intelligence ' 'Beg pardon, ma'am - may

I qualify that?"

'Go ahead,' said Fran.

'What I meant was - "Above-average intelligence for Mutes"."

Fran swallowed a smile. 'I take the point, Steven. I think the Board

is aware of your, uh - position on that particular subject."

Steve cursed inwardly. His interruption had probably done him more

harm than good.

Fran unlaced her fingers and placed her palms flat on the table. 'But

to return to what I was saying. We are puzzled by the fact no one

seems to have thought that, once the arrowhead was ready, you might use

it in an attempt to escape."

'But they did think of it, ma'am. They warned me that if I tried to

make a break for it, they'd knock me out of the sky."

'And you believed them,' said Assessor 4, the woman sitting on the

President's right.

'I had every reason to, ma'am,' replied Steve. 'I'd already been shot

down once by a crossbow bolt - and I'd seen most of my section aboard

The Lady killed the same way."

'And yet that did not deter you,' observed Fran. 'You single-handedly

overpowered two guards then killed three others who attempted to stop

you taking off."

'I got high marks in close combat drills too, ma'am."

'Yes,' said Fran. 'We all know what you are capable of, Steven. But

is it reasonable given the precautions that - on your own evidence the

Plainfolk take to guard their settlements, to ask us to believe that

you were able to do all this, steal what they must have regarded as an

extremely valuable object, and leave without a general alarm being

raised, or any further attempt being made to stop you?"

Steve laid a hand on his heart and radiated an hlmost tangible aura of

sincerity. 'That's the way it happened, ma'am. On my oath to the

President-General." The rest of the words spilled out before he could

stop them. 'I guess they didn't expect me to go at night."

The eight Assessors looked at one another then simultaneously flashed a

request for a Supplementary onto Fran's video screen.

Fran asked the question they were all bursting to put to Steve. 'Why

not at night, Steven?"

Steve knew he dare not hesitate. 'Because the Plainfolk don't really

operate at night. In an emergency they'll move the settlement under

cover of darkness but - from what I observed- they don't fight each

other. When it gets dark everything shuts down- and most of the guards

go to sleep."

Fran let Assessor 5 - the man sitting on her left- put the question.

'Let me get this straight. Are you suggesting that if we attacked

these lumps at night we would have the drop on them?"