-
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the view-screens and descend to the main bridge on unsteady legs.
"Captain Morano," he said. "Take us out of here."
Behn-kihl-nahm walked the empty Memorial Corridor with long, impatient
strides. Two maintenance engineers, neither accustomed to moving at
that pace, struggled to keep up with him.
At the end of the corridor he turned right, stopping under the sign
over the entrance to the Senate Hall. He glanced up at it only
briefly, reading it with a sigh in his heart.
1000 DAYS WITHOUT A SHOT FIRED IN ANGER Remember, Peace Is No Accident
Then the chairman turned and looked back, waiting for the maintenance
men to join him. When they did, Behn-kihl-nahm pointed up at the
sign.
"Turn it off," he said. "Take it down. Take it away."
One of the engineers squinted up at the sign. "Do you want it put in
the Senate storeroom?"
Behn-kihl-nahm shook his head. "No. Just get it out of here, now. We
won't have any more use for it."
Then he hurried away from the broken dream and toward the Defense
Council hearing chamber. The emergency meeting on the situation in
Koornacht Cluster was waiting on his arrival to begin.
CChapter 14
The Senate messenger at the gate to the President's residence was as
determined to be admitted as the security droid was determined to bar
him from entering.
"I don't care what your protocols say--I am here on the authority of
the acting chairman of the Ruling Council of the Senate, and my
instructions are explicit," the messenger was saying as Leia approached
the gate from the inner walk. "I must deliver this message, and I may
only deliver it into the hands of the Princess herself."
"Very well. Here I am," Leia said.
"Princess," the messenger said, turning quickly and bowing his head
slightly. "I apologize for the disruption-" "It's not your fault," she
said, reaching through the gate past S-EP1 for the stiff folder bearing
the royal blue insignia. "Sleepy's programming didn't include the
possibility of a summons. Someone will have to see to that,
apparently."
The messenger bowed his head again. "My apologies again, Princess," he
said, and backed away.
Leia did not open the folder before starting back toward the house. Of
all the many bodies---councils, committees, commissions, and
contractors--making up the complex organizational structure of the
Senate of the New Republic, only one had the power to summon the
President to appear before it.
That one was the Ruling Council.
Its name, which went back to the days of the Provisional government,
was no longer descriptive of its role.
Much of the power and responsibility of the transitional Ruling Council
now rested elsewhere in the Senate, the General Ministry, or the Fleet
Office. The New Republic had traded efficiency for democracy and
oligarchy for bureaucracy--and had done so willingly and knowingly.
A confederation of more than ten thousand systems could not be justly
ruled by a self-elected few.
But the one element of its old power which the Ruling Council had
retained involved a special responsibility regarding the President.
The drafters of the Charter were wary about creating too strong an
executive--one who, unchecked, might be able to accumulate more and
more power over time and become a dictator in fact if not in name. The
cold truth was that Palpatine's reign had begun not with a coup, but
with his gaining power largely by legitimate means.
As a check against that history being repeated, the Charter preserved
the Ruling Council in the form of a supercommittee made up of the
chairmen of the Senate Councils. The founders gave it the power both
to void the election of a President and to initiate the recall of a
sitting one. Ackbar had dubbed the Ruling Council "the speed brake on
the ship of state." But as often as it was spoken of, the Ruling
Council met rarely, and had never been used for its intended purpose.
Until now.
The Council had already been seated, apparently arguing behind closed
doors, for nearly an hour before Leia was brought in. Though a seat
was provided for her, Leia chose to stand in the shallow well of the
chambers.
Even that only placed her at eye level with the seven senators seated
around the arc of the panel. At the center was Doman Beruss, the
crystal pyramid and striker resting near his hand. Behn-kihl-nahm was
to his left, but would not look at her.
"Madame President--Princess Leia--in the normal rotation, it would be
Senator Praget's turn to chair this session," Beruss said. "However,
due to the present circumstances, the Council has decided to advance
the rotation to the next designated chair, so as to avoid any
procedural conflicts. Do you have any objection to my chairing this
session?"
So that's what the delay was about, Leia thought. "I have no
objection."
"Very well," said Betuss. "President Leia Organa Solo, you have been
summoned before the Ruling Council for the discussion of a petition of
recall against you.
"A duly constituted member of this body has presented articles calling
for a vote of no confidence on the following grounds One, exceeding
your Charter authority.
Two, recklessly endangering the peace and the lives of citizens of the
Republic. Three, issuing illegal orders to initiate hostilities
against a sovereign state. Four, incompetence to properly carry out
the duties of office.
"Do you understand your rights and obligations in regard to a petition
of recall? If so, please state them in your own words."
"I have the right to hear a specification of the cause of action. I
have the right to present whatever witnesses and evidence I choose in
defense of my actions and performance," Leia said. "I have the
obligation to answer fully and truthfully all questions which may be
put to me, as well as the obligation to appear before the Senate in
assembly should you vote to sustain the petition."
"Very well," said Betuss. "Senator Praget has brought the petition,
and will lay out the specific articles."
That took Leia by surprise--she had been expecting the complainant to
be Borsk Fey'lya. "Senator," she said with a nod.
Krall Praget eyed her briefly before he began, his gaze measuring her,
judging her, ultimately dismissing her. For the duration of his
presentation, he looked down along the curving table from his seat at
the right end, addressing himself to Beruss and the other Council
members, virtually ignoring Leia.
Praget spoke for not quite an hour, then yielded back to Senator Beruss
without asking Leia a single question.
She could not tell whether he had decided he was unlikely to succeed in
getting her to betray herself, or thought his case so strong that that
was unnecessary.
In contrast, Senator Rattagagech had a long series of very specific [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
- doc.pisz.pl
- pdf.pisz.pl
- zambezia2013.opx.pl