The Great Rotunda is a cacophony of noise and movement, as over a hundred thousand people rush about, weaving in and out of halways and in between repulsorpods. It nearly resembles the commotion that might be found at a ball game on Earth or in the Athletic District of Nera City, with excited fans rushing to their seats, craning their necks to look at the sports stars, while children mill about, occasionally tripping or colliding.
But this is not a ball game - this is an emergency convention of the Neran Senate, the largest legislative body in the Milky Way. The fans are the senators of the Upper and Lower House, more than eighty thousand strong, each representing millions, even scores of millions, of people. The children are the lobbyists, party whips, and staff aids, delivering last-minute notices, donations, and threats. And the single sports star is Vodo Bonias, the Speaker of the House, standing on a raised platform in the very centre of the hall.
He looks around at the chamber and then down at the time display on his console. Precisely at the turn of the hour, he picks up the Royal Staff and slams it onto the floor of the pod. The crack reverbrates throughout the rotunda, propagated by concealed speaker systems, and the cacophony of noise dies out. The speaker waits a few more moments for the last of the conversation to die out, and then activates his microphone.
"Order. All will rise for the national anthem."
As the anthem plays, the speaker scans the rows of repuslorpods, looking for any sign of dissent or misbehaviour. He notices a delegation from one of the rim worlds whispering among itself, and discreetly sends a note to the Sergeant-at-Arms. Disrespect is not tolerated within the Senate.
14-Aug-2014 09:19:35
