A low murmur rose at this, but most of the captains listened in rapt attention.
“This year, we will have a captain conduct the discussion from the floor of the meeting. If I have something to say, I’ll have to wait my turn with the rest of you. In an effort to maintain complete impartiality, I have assigned a different captain to each item on the agenda. These captains were chosen at random, and their names subsequently withdrawn from the pool until every captain has conducted a discussion.”
The murmur rose to a buzz as the captains discussed the announcement. As Tambu had predicted, most of the reactions were favorable.
“Now, then,” Tambu said after the captains had quieted down, “I believe we’re ready to start on the agenda. The first item is a proposal for a Council of Captains to replace or supplement the yearly meetings. Captain Ratso, will you conduct the discussion, please?”
The random selection of captains had been a white lie. Tambu had specifically chosen Ramona to conduct this first discussion and had briefed her carefully as to how it was to be done. He had two very important reasons for doing this. First, her handling of the discussion would set the pattern for the other discussion leaders to follow. More important, this item would be the key for his smooth retirement, and he wanted it handled carefully. While Ramona hadn’t given him her answer yet whether or not she would accompany him when he left, she was as eager as he to be sure that his departure was handled with a minimum of hassle on all fronts.