The Senate, she decided, was full of weirdos and morons who couldn't stay on topic to save their lives. A rather damning assessment, but there was something to be said of its relative stability over the years. Empires came and went, but the Alliance had always remained in one form or another.
She pondered the question posed by
Lehvi Vass
. The Chancellor was right. The people of Hapes were clamoring for representation within their local governments, not just on the galactic stage. It was strange to think that she had the ability to grant that power to even the most lowborn Hapans. After all, she was the Queen. Her word was law, even if she would ironically be giving up that absolute authority.
"
With the assistance of the Alliance, we will rearrange the Consortium into a constitutional monarchy," Nimaa'ri said at last, finally remembering to use the royal
we. "We will look to other democracies for inspiration, though how we structure our government will be unique to us. It won't be perfect, but no system of governance ever is."
She could practically hear the uproar from the elites back home. They would probably find ways to worm into leadership roles, with whole systems being conveniently "represented" by the same noble houses who had ruled them for generations. But in time that might change.
"
And for the record, the right of men to vote will not be infringed. We will accommodate the ERA and all other Alliance laws."
The Chancellor was right. Kalen had already drawn the same conclusions about how this would go down as soon as Nimaa'ri slipped through his fingers, escaping the assassination attempt he had planned and fleeing to Fondor to plead for aid. The Hapan Union, for all its ambitions and the support they had garnered from the common people, could not survive a protracted conflict with the mightiest faction in the galaxy. The same people chanting their name today would curse it tomorrow.
As for the alternative... At the mention of multitasking, Kalen permitted a brief glance over his shoulder at the displays, specifically the one streaming live footage from the Assembly floor, before facing Alicio again. He snorted. "
Which one's the real you?"
"Assuming all goes well, I'm going to suggest to the current Queen to create a new branch of government to lead alongside her. A parliament, or elected prime minister, or something to that effect. I believe she and the Senate will be open to it, though I suppose I won't know until it happens."
"I doubt you led the Crimson Veil so you could personally gain power. If my read on you is correct, you've done all this because you truly believe in your cause. If the Queen acquiesces, your support among the common people demanding change will waver. They, or the Crown, may seek retribution against the assassins that nearly destabilized the region. In the event of that happening, you could save your people from retaliation, and help this new branch of government succeed, by surrendering yourself to Alliance custody."
"You can wait until you've had time to examine the legitimacy of this new democratic process before turning yourself in. In fact, I recommend it. And... I promise, I wouldn't allow you to be harmed."
Kalen studied Alicio. He looked older in person than he did on the holo. It was in the eyes, which held a breadth and width of experience comparable to Kalen's own. Not necessarily wisdom, but knowledge gained from years of being kicked down and having to find a way to get back up again. He recalled the reports he'd heard, that during their final confrontation the Queen Mother had tried to have him executed in the
Hapan style.
"
It's like a dream, isn't it?" he murmured. "
Being shot by a gun of command. It turns you into a sleepwalker. When you wake up, you feel... less than human."
Kalen's late wife had her own personal gun of command, a custom model with electrum-plated grips. She never ordered him to take his own life, obviously, but he often wished that he was dead in the aftermath.
Elaan took a step or two closer to him, not touching but physically present. Kalen squared his shoulders and set his jaw. "
I won't go back to prison," he said, voice low and measured. "
But I can disappear until I'm needed."
If he was needed again. Despite having devoted his life to fighting for freedom, he had a hard time believing it would ever truly arrive. There was always the next tyrant to overthrow. "
And if I should die in exile, it would be a more fitting end than rotting in a cell."
Valery Noble
|
Everest Vale
