The departure clerk had already put my name on the list.
I pointed to it.
"I didn't book this visit."
She checked the paper beneath her board. "Your group submitted the names."
"It isn't my group."
The expression on her face suggested she had heard several versions of that sentence from students who changed their minds after transport was paid for.
I gave her the limited practice agreement.
She read the added paragraph. Then she read it again and looked toward Rolan.
He was speaking to the replacement escort near the covered arrival point. A small vehicle waited beyond the public rail. Two other students stood beside their bags, discussing the supplier demonstration they expected to see.
Ordinary students. Ordinary plans. I wanted to keep them out of whatever happened next.
The clerk called Rolan over.
"This excludes travel," she said.
He looked at my copy and sighed.
"The visit is part of the practice introduction. We discussed equipment support at the exhibition."
