Night Traveller (Gay Romantic Sci-Fi)

Chapter Thirty One

The first thing Callan did, even before they arrived on Asra, was to call an emergency meeting of all council members.  

Rumours had been flying around faster than space debris but he needed everyone to be in possession of the facts so they could make decisions. They met in the largest room of the Rising Sun, crowding in, talking and exclaiming over the top of each other. A couple of councillors were missing, already in the process of evacuating themselves and their families. 

Callan had gone straight to the meeting from the Rover, Oliver following, grateful that he had taken the time earlier to change into his uniform. Ser Keating was already inside, clutching his console unit, ready for any more updates from either the Patrol or the extortionist, and Serra Yoshida was attempting to establish order by getting everyone seated. 

"Attention, please!" Callan's loud voice had everyone turning towards him, shushing their companions. "Some of you may have heard that Ser Keating received an extortion threat a few hours ago. The extortionist is threatening to blow a hole in our dome," he paused for a moment, allowing the angry outcries and protests to subside. 

"I know we were assured when we moved here that the dome was safe, and it is, from normal space debris, but human sabotage is a different matter. Ser Keating has checked with the engineers who constructed the dome and they are working on the technical side of the problem. However, the fact of the matter is that we can't be sure what will happen if someone sets off an explosion. It's my opinion that we should be considering at least the temporary evacuation of all civilians, children and the infirm first."  

"Couldn't Ser Keating just pay the money?" asked Serra Yoshida loudly, over the top of the noisy response. "We could all chip in." 

"I suppose that's one option," conceded Callan, grateful that someone had raised the issue. "However, in my opinion, we would be setting ourselves up for more trouble in the future. If they succeed in getting their money once, what's to stop them trying again? And that's presuming that once they have their money they don't blow us up anyway." 

The arguments and discussion went on for another hour before Callan called a halt. Halfway through however, he wrested an agreement from the council that evacuating the children was a wise move and Medic Mia Baraky left immediately to oversee the process. Ser Keating offered the Hummer as a transport vehicle. 

"It's obvious that we won't be able to keep meeting like this to make all the decisions necessary over the next few hours," Callan said decisively. "Can I suggest that we choose a small group of people, say four or five to act on our behalf during this crisis?" 

Eventually they agreed. It was evident to all but the most stubborn that consensus was not going to work as a method of decision making under the current circumstances. 

In the end Ryan Callan, Serra Yoshida, Mike Oliver and trader Fred Huang, were chosen, along with Ser Keating in his unenviable role as the chief protagonist. Callan automatically assumed the mantle of overall person in charge and no-one argued with him. He lost no time in placing Mike Oliver in charge of tactics.  

Fred Huang volunteered to be responsible for co-ordinating the evacuation and Serra Yoshida was put in charge of organising those who wished to remain. "Anyone who either can't or won't be evacuated will need to find somewhere to stay underground. With any luck, even if the surface buildings are damaged, the underground will be safe. For a while at any rate," she added, imagining a desolate town, swept by nitrogen storms, open to the hostile atmosphere. 

"I think we should keep all our discussions absolutely confidential," advised Oliver. "Naturally we'll keep the council informed, but only as much as they need to know, at least until the crisis is over. The last thing we want is our decisions getting back to the extortionist, unintentionally or otherwise."