Free Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 by Gordon R. Dickson, David W Wixon

impulse, he turned to Pallas Salvador:
    "How many of your senior leadership are here?" he asked. "Do we have any empty seats?"
    "We called in forty-four," she said. "But only thirty-five have arrived so far."
    "Nine are missing? Didn't they have enough time to get here?"
    Standing behind Pallas Salvador and engaged in another conversation, Dahno turned his head. He said nothing as his eyes met Bleys'.
    "They've all had at least seven hours' notice," Pallas Salvador said, embarrassed. "We've had no word from any of them, and their staff all say they don't know where their bosses are."
    "Is it possible they're out on their routes?" Bleys asked. His question showed that he had been studiously reading the reports sent in from the Cetan Others: on this large planet, the small number of senior Others had developed a pattern of spreading their individual attention over a number of states, between which they moved like nomads tending their flocks.
    "Their staff people would know where they were, in that case," Pallas pointed out. Then she grimaced, embarrassed at her own temerity, as Dahno moved over to stand beside Bleys, looking down at her.
    "That seems strange," Dahno said, ignoring her discomfort. "Has anyone gone looking for them?" "There's been no time."
    "Can you have someone follow up right away?" Bleys said. "Have someone call the various transportation facilities; and if the missing people aren't found, arrange for dependable people to catch the first flights out to each of those offices."
    "I'll do it myself," Pallas Salvador said, starting to turn away; Bleys put a hand on her arm.
    "Not you," he said.
    "I can do that," Gelica said.
    "Not you, either," Bleys said, suddenly aware that he had been overlooking something. He turned to Pallas again, as Dahno silently moved off once more, to be greeted by another group of his old trainees.
    "I want to start the meeting right away, and I want you both there. Toni—" He turned to look, and found she was right at his side and had been listening. "Can you do this?" he asked her.
    "Of course," she said, "if I can borrow some of the local staffers who won't be wanted in the meeting." She was looking at Pallas Salvador as she said that.
    "Certainly," Pallas said. "Gelica, find Sandra for us, won't you?"
    "Right away," Gelica said; and r aised her wristpad to her face, turning away slightly and activating the HUSH setting that kept her voice from being overheard as she spoke into the pad.
    "Sandra used to hold Gelica's job," Pallas said, in a lower tone, to Bleys and Toni. "She left us when her husband was transferred to Azul, and has been working part-time in Janet Bovovo's office there. I suggest her for that job, Antonia Lu, because she has a lot of experience with our organization and will be obeyed by the junior staff, but is no longer considered senior staff, since she's just been working part-time.. . . Here she is now."
    Toni left for the front office immediately, Sandra in tow, and Pallas and Gelica turned their attention back to Bleys. He was watching curiously as Toni and Sandra left.
    "If she's only a part-timer in an outlying office, why is she even here?" he said as he turned to look at Pallas again.
    "Janet—that's her boss—had to move fast to get here," Pallas said, "and she told me she just grabbed the nearest couple of staff people to accompany her." She leaned toward Bleys and continued in a confidential whisper: "The fact that Sandra's parents live here in Ceta City, and that her mother's been ill for some time, might have entered into the choice."
    Bleys nodded. "I assume she's capable of the job?"
    "Of course," Pallas said. "I depended on her, until she had to leave." She looked sideways at Gelica Costanza. "I didn't think I'd find someone able to replace her, but Gelica has been very good, too."
    "That's good to know," Bleys said. "And since there are some open seats in the meeting, let's have some of the senior staff in there with us, too—but only," he