Chapter 29: Solent Signs the Emergency Classification Orders

The notification arrived at twelve minutes past one in the morning, delivered by Ministry owl to the letter tray beside Solent's bed. He heard the wing-beat, which woke him. He did not hear the paper land, which told him the owl was Ministry-trained. He rose without haste, put on his dressing gown, and carried the letter to his desk before opening it.

He read it once. He sat for a moment with his hands flat on the desk, which was his habit when processing information that required reordering. Then he lit the desk lamp and began.

The first thing he did was open the daily log and note the time. Twelve fourteen. Notification received. He wrote this in the log with his customary neatness, the letters evenly spaced, no evidence in the pen strokes of the hour or the nature of the news. He had been keeping Academy logs for twenty years and they were consistent documents. A future archivist — he permitted himself to observe this without irony — would find nothing in the record to distinguish this entry from any other.