“I have conducted many of these orientation sessions,” he began quietly, “but never has one been more difficult for me personally. I know that if it weren’t for us, some of you would not be sitting here today without fathers, without husbands, without brothers. Nothing I can say will lessen the tragedy of that. But I want you to know that extremely unfortunate circumstances brought about that situation, not deliberate intent. I want you to know that every widow will be cared for, every fatherless child watched over. Shalev cannot bring those six men back to you, but we can try to lessen the impact of the tragedy on your personal lives.”

As he continued, sober, earnest, and pleading for their understanding, Madeline watched him closely, then dropped her glance and continued eating her lunch. She had once hoped this man might be her son-in-law, that he might show some interest in Stephanie. Now all she could think about was Travis’s betrayal.

“—and while it will be difficult for you to understand at this point,” Travis was saying, “very shortly you will see that your coming to Shalev and the Alliance of Four Cities will be the turning point of your lives. Our purpose this afternoon is to orient you to our little pocket of surviving civilization, to show you what we have achieved.

“In a way, your children have grown up in the village with neither the advantages nor the disadvantages of so-called civilization. They have had virtually no experience with television, movies, transportation, modern conveniences, and so on. But on the other hand, neither have they had much experience with crime, violence, pollution, discrimination, greed, war, and similar ‘benefits.’ Their opportunities for education and culture have likewise been extremely limited.

“I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that in the Alliance we are prepared to offer you all of the advantages of civilization, and none of the disadvantages. When I say none, I mean that literally. You will find no crime here. None! I know that seems incredible, but we are not talking about low crime, we are talking about no crime! You can walk the streets of Shalev any time of the day or night and never fear a mugging, an assault, or a rape. None of those things exist here. None! There are no robberies, no burglaries, no shoplifting, no vandalism. In fact, it’s difficult to find locks in Shalev, except for simple ones that maintain privacy or protect small children from getting into danger.”

Becky slurped the last of her soda through the straw, yawned, then leaned against her mother’s arm. Madeline gave her a quick squeeze. Thoroughly bored now also, Lori pushed her plate away and laid her head on her arms. Stifling a yawn herself, Madeline turned back to Travis. Scheduling a heavy lecture after a meal was not the wisest course of action, she decided.