Free House of the Wolf (Book Three of the Phoenix Legacy) by M.K. Wren

only thirty-two days away.

4.
    PUBLICOM SYSTEM BROADCAST #20958-C-2 DIR/CON
    TRANSCRIPT: SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN 20 SEPTEM 3258
POINT OF ORIGIN: CONCORDIA
    ANNOUNCER : We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to present this special address by the Lord Mathis Daro Galinin, Chairman of the Directorate of the Concord of Loyal Houses. We take you now to the Hall of the Directorate in Concordia.
    (
Music: Hymn of the Concord
.)
    (
Pan: Plaza of Concord toward Hall of Directorate. Zoom to windowall of Chairman’s office
.)
    (
Cut to interior, office. Closeup: Lord Galinin at desk
.)
    (
Music out. Fade to office pickup
.)
    ANNOUNCER : The Chairman of the Directorate, the Lord Mathis Daro Galinin.
    THE CHAIRMAN : Citizens of the Concord, it is not my custom to come before you personally to discuss events within the Concord. However, I’m sure you’re all aware that the situation on Mars is very grave, and I’m informed that unfounded rumors and exaggerated accounts of the disturbances are being circulated that have fostered a climate of fear and doubt throughout the Two Systems.
    As an instance, I’ve been told that a rumor is now circulating that the Lord James Neeth Cameroodo was killed in the initial outbreak. To this I can reply with perfect assurance that Lord James is alive and unharmed. I spoke with him by SynchCom only a few minutes before this broadcast.
    Rumor also has it that the atmobubbles in Toramil were damaged, and again, the answer is an unequivocal no. Toramil’s habitat systems are intact. There was a brief failure in Almath’s systems, but it was immediately remedied with emergency power sources, and
no
casualties resulted.
    Even the actual casualty rates have been grossly exaggerated in some accounts. I consider such morbid rumormongering thoroughly reprehensible, even treasonous, and I’ve chosen to speak to you personally today in order to set the record straight, to explain to you what has actually happened, and what is being done.
    First, I must be entirely honest with you; the situation is indeed serious. However, you must bear in mind that the seriousness of these uprisings is due in part to the fact that all human habitation on Mars is dependent upon artificial environment systems. The memory of the revolt in the Ivanoi compounds on Ganymede is painfully clear. The staggering death toll there was a result of damage to the habitat systems. It was actually a minor uprising; it was devastating
only
because of its location.
    We have a similar state of affairs on Mars. Were these disturbances taking place on Terra or Pollux, the situation wouldn’t be nearly so serious. Drastic measures, such as evacuation, certainly wouldn’t be called for, and I consider evacuation an extremely drastic measure, not only for the people directly involved, but because it could engender general doubt and fear and even panic.
    For this reason, I hesitated at giving that order, but I had to face the fact that a special element of danger exists on Mars. With the possibility of failure in the habitat systems foremost in my mind, I ordered the evacuation of all but key Concord personnel from the ten Martian cities. I also ordered evacuation of all but key personnel allieged to the House of Daro Galinin and advised other Lords with holdings on Mars to do likewise.
    I’m pleased to inform you that the evacuation is being carried out by Confleet, with the assistance of the Selasid InterPlan System fleets, in an orderly fashion, with very little panic or confusion. Terran, Polluxian, and Lunar Conpol units have been brought in to aid the Martian units in maintaining order and preventing potential looting in evacuated areas, and a full Confleet wing has been dispatched to assist in containing the violence still in progress.
    I can also report at this time that the uprisings have been entirely contained in three Martian cities: Almath, Chryse, and Rubivale. Some violence still persists in other cities, but the worst of it