Truancy Origins (62 page)

The Mayor's guess had been correct—her tent was one of hundreds that formed a temporary encampment at the riverside. A mercifully cool breeze rolled across the water and over the camp as Iris approached the saluting colonel.

“All units are ready for immediate deployment, ma'am,” the man said. “Will we observe the forty-eight hour grace period, or has the Mayor rejected it?”

“The Mayor rejected it, but I don't intend to let him set our schedule,” Iris replied, watching a beetle crawl across the ground. “Order a stand down from full alert.”

The man looked surprised, but nodded anyway. “Yes ma'am.”

Iris glanced at him. “Something on your mind, soldier?”

“I was wondering why we don't just overwhelm them, ma'am.”

Iris nodded as the beetle stumbled over a rock. Some commanding officers did not appreciate having their orders questioned. She, however, made a distinction between disrespect and curiosity, and felt that satisfying the latter—though never the former—could make for a more effective army.

“Combined, the Educators and the rebels in that City have an estimated fighting force of twelve to fifteen thousand,” Iris said. “It's enough to be a problem if we rush in blindly. We have only ten thousand ground troops to
subdue any resistance and secure all fifty-seven districts against insurgent attack.”

“But what do we gain by waiting?”

In response to the colonel's question, Iris gestured toward the river, and the man turned to look in that direction. Across the glittering water, the ominous shapes of skyscrapers loomed like giant tombstones. Many of them showed obvious signs of damage, and rising smoke plumes indicated that fighting was ongoing in the City.

“What you are looking at is nothing less than the complete breakdown of society,” Iris explained as the beetle examined her shoelace. “That City was built upon education. Now that the very foundation of their lives has been challenged, those people don't know what to do with themselves or their newfound freedom.”

“Freedom?”

“Anarchy, to put it plainly,” Iris said. “It was inevitable the moment the rebellion gained traction. That City is in the middle of tearing itself apart. Once both sides are exhausted, we will move in and pick up the pieces at our leisure.”

“So what are your orders, ma'am?” the colonel asked.

“Keep all forces on standby. No airstrikes, nothing that risks giving away our presence,” Iris said. “However, cut all shipments into the City by another fifty percent.”

The colonel looked surprised. “Why not cut them completely?”

“With no supplies, there can be no war,” Iris said. “But if we reduce their supplies rather than cut them completely, they'll become desperate and go for each other's throats. By the time we move in, they'll be both exhausted and out of resources.”

The man nodded. “And what about our assets within the City?”

For the first time, Iris hesitated. The beetle began skittering away. “Still no sign of our primary objectives?”

“None.”

“Then tell the assets to keep looking.”

“What happens if they're found?”

With precise restraint, Iris swung her staff, pinning the beetle to the ground without crushing it. She pressed the second button on the grip, and the staff discharged an electrical shock that instantly fried the insect.

“If either one of them is spotted,” she said blandly, “inform me immediately.”