brand new colony

That Athyr sends for Lanselos and not someone else is partly a conciliatory gesture--he wants Lanse to know he's forgiven for the fight in the mess. His intention is to talk to him for a little while before he sends him out, but as usual the combination of responsibilities and the need to reenter the Glamorgan negotiations steals most of his time.

All he really has the opportunity to do is to tell Lanselos, "I got word from Marguel that a freight convoy from Escalot went down early this morning. Gorram thing crashed and burned--I need you to get out there now and find out what happened, scout me any survivors, pick up any of the freight that's still worth takin' and chase off the scavengers, do whatever you can. You got the authority to take as many men as you need." He squeezes Lanselos' shoulder. "Thanks. Know you're the man for the job."

Then he finishes buttoning up the official jacket and disappears back into the negotiation room with a smile over his shoulder for Lanselos.