“We are command officers, we don’t dig in the rubble. We must assess and direct.“The man identified by Stahl as Mr. Berry said.“I am Master Se...geant Finbarr Berry former Marine. I commanded a Thor Gunboat. I am not a civilian, but I wore that uniform to serve each and every civilian. Because that is what the Union Military is here for. You never have seen the inside of a Wolfcraft, I can tell.“Then he pointed at McElligott.“And you need to retire, we don’t need you.“That angry spat hit Elligott. ”“Who is this?”“This is Dr. Yamani calling from Al-Karim.”“Ah, Dr. Yamani. How are you?”“Fine, my blessedness.”“I hope Khozem isn’t running circles around your intellect?”“My holiness, I’m calling regarding Khozem.”“A very smart boy, isn’t he?”“Yes, indeed. He must take it from you.”“He does.”“Unfortunately, we have a problem here on campus.”“What is it?”Dr. Yamani swallowed and said: “Sir, your son is missing.”“What? Come again.”“Your son is missing.”“Where did he go?”“That’s the problem, your. The bone is bare and the sand is soaked with blood. He hits me again, crying louder than me and grabbing the saw up again. He has to finish the job. I lie awake during the night, looking up at constellations which would eventually pass over my home in America. Andy is asleep. I lean over and kiss him, seeing that he is crying in his sleep. I’d give anything to stop him from crying. My entire leg is numb. I flop back onto the sand. Off to my side, our camel sleeps in a gigantic hulk. His humps. I performed the funeral rites myself, conjuring dramatic illusions of his life’s work and guiding an asteroid out of orbit to ignite his pyre. It was perhaps my finest magic. We did not discuss it beforehand but I am sure he knew I would use the situation to further my cause, just as he had always taught me to do. As I sat in my study with the envelope containing the list of challengers who had entered the contest, I felt a thrill to see confirmation that my time had come. I concentrated.