I also took time before answering, but in my case it was a struggle for control rather than thought.
“Zur,” I said finally, “in the future I would ask that you remember two things, and that you pass them on to your team. First, I am the Commander of this mission and as such, am entitled to be apprised of each new development regardless of who it embarrasses.
“Secondly,” I dropped my voice to a low hiss, “I am a Warrior, and the next team member who deliberately withholds information from me, regardless of caste, will answer to me on the dueling ground, either here or upon completion of the mission.”
CHAPTER NINE
We never found Sirk’s body. Even though a disappearance such as this is not an unusual occurrence of the Warrior’s caste, it was annoying. Without the body, we had no additional information. We did not know what killed him or how, or even if our defenses had been breached. It was an ineffective way to die.
Still, the mission progressed at a satisfactory speed. An astounding number of specimens were observed, analyzed, and discarded by the Scientists. After several uncomfortable attempts to serve as moderator, I approved a plan allowing the Scientists to make their requests for additional equipment directly to the Technicians. This plan proved workable, and the Technicians were kept busy in their labs designing and building the desired items.
The Warriors were not idle either. When not standing guard or collecting specimens, they were escorting observation expeditions into the field.