“Tomorrow morning I’m going to visit his father,” Mal said.
“No you won’t. You couldn’t bear to do it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You already would’ve done it if you were serious,” the doctor pointed at him, “but so much of what we do is because of him. And to lose him, already? Oh, no. If you let him go now, he’d be a regular citizen and all your connections, ability to watch and test him would be reduced to almost nothing. In a way, he’d win.”
Mal’s shoulder twitched again.
Brisack began to smile. “That’s it! He wins no matter what. Yesterday you didn’t push Relf about what happened, because you suspected Perrin went back in the forest, and that would kick him out of the army and your experiments. So he wins by doing what he wanted and by staying in the army. You’ve lost twice, and the captain doesn’t even realize the size of his victory!”
Mal glared his best, but Brisack was in far too good a mood.
“We have other matters needing attention,” Mal said abruptly. “We haven’t fully evaluated the information from the past raids, especially in Trades. Who died there, and what were the effects?”
“Just that easily, eh?” Brisack shook his head. “Just replace one citizen with another? One didn’t die here, but oh good—a few died there. Let’s get to analyzing!”
Mal rolled his eyes at the doctor’s attempt at sarcasm. “Citizens die every day. More are born to replace them. We can study one just as easily as another—”
“They’re not horses, Nicko. They’re humans! People are not interchangeable!”
“That’s where you’re wrong!” Mal’s patience finally wore out. “That’s the whole purpose of this study—the animalistic nature of humans! I’ll agree that there are subtle differences in personalities, responses, whatever. But when you get right down to it, you can use any mule to pull a cart, any woman to birth a baby, any man to wield a sword. Just teach, manipulate if you must, bridle, threaten, and control, and it will perform.”
“And one will not out perform another, through sheer will or determination or desire?” Brisack pressed.
“No!”
“And that’s why you’re invalidating the study on Perrin Shin,” Brisack suddenly snatched the upper hand, “because he proved everything you just claimed to be completely false? He’s defied your every attempt to control him, and he keeps succeeding!”
Mal opened his mouth, but no words came to it. A moment later he spoke. “New procedure. I want the forts to have a set of eyes in them.”
Brisack squinted. “In them? None of our officers in Command School—”
“Not officers,” Mal said. “What I have in mind are enlisted men. Shy boys requiring the frequent attention of their fort commanders to ‘bring them up’ a bit, take them under their wings, so to speak.”
Brisack let out a low whistle. “That’s never been done before.”
“Neither has been using the Administrators’ messaging service to send a warning from a Guarder,” Mal intoned.
“I’m not one of them,” Brisack declared. “Only an observer.”
“You swim in the same pond, Doctor.”
“There’s a great difference between the swans and the leeches, Nicko. And just what are you hoping to accomplish with this?”
“Keep an eye on the commanders. Nudge them back into place from time to time.”
Brisack shook his head. “You’re talking about putting in mere boys, Nicko. They aren’t nearly understated or experienced enough to pull off something so complex. They’ll be found out within days, especially if they’re trying to send messages.”
“I wouldn’t require constant messages,” Mal waved that off. “Only communication in times of extreme situations or unexpected opportunities. They could be successful once or twice a year.”
“Hmm,” Brisack considered, in spite of himself. Research was research, after all. Who was to say what was acceptable and what wasn’t?
Well they were, of course. They made the rules.
“You know,” the doctor mused slowly, “if just the right men are placed, they could deliver a wealth of information. How many forts will you begin with?”
Mal’s mouth formed a suggestion of a smile. “For now, just one. Training for this new position begins as soon as the right man is located.”
“But I haven’t sent any messages—”
“No,” Mal cut him off. “Only I do that now.”
Brisack bristled. “May I at least know which fort is receiving this new procedure?” he asked coldly. “Might it be Edge?”