Free Star Wars: The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch Page A

governing body,” she said. “Let’s vote.”
    “I thought this was an informal meeting,” ChoFï said. It was an admirable ploy to delay the vote.
    “An informal meeting is still a meeting,” Meido said.
    Leia suppressed a sigh. They had outmaneuvered her. It would be hard to take a vote without their consoles, without the electronic count, or computer backup. But a voice vote would work, if someone counted the votes, and tallied them to the proper senators. It also had the added benefit of making each voter accountable in front of the others.
    She sent one of the pages to get an official tally sheet. When the page returned, she scanned the sheet, her gaze stopping each time it hit a dead or seriously wounded senator. She would remember that day in the Hall for the rest of her life. In its own, less devastating way, it had shaken her as the destruction of Alderaan had. She had thought the Hall a completely safe place. Perhaps that was why she fought the introduction of the former Imperials. Perhaps she wanted to protect one of the few havens left in the galaxy.
    It only took a few moments to get the system set up. Time enough for each senator to think of a response.
    “The question we are putting to the vote is this: Should we have an independent investigation team? Your vocal response must be ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘abstain.’ ” She took a deep breath, then called on the first senator.
    Both she and the page recorded the vote as it occurred. A protocol droid also listened, double-checking the tally. She had expected the vote to go in her favor. At the least, she expected to break the tie on a close vote. But as she ran through the list, skipping the missing and the dead, she realized that her voting block, which had been the majority, was now in the minority. Most of the uninjured were the junior senators. The senior senators, those with long ties to the Republic, had somehow received the brunt of the blast.
    By the end of the list, Leia’s throat was dry and her eyes burned. Her shoulders were stiff from tension. Fifteen senators voted against the independent investigation. Fifteen. The rest abstained or voted in favor. The measure won by an overwhelming majority.
    Across the room, she met Kerrithrarr’s gaze. The Wookiee senator believed, as Leia did, that the former Imperials would destroy the Senate. Kerrithrarr’s hair stood on end, and when he noticed Leia, he shook his head in despair.
    Leia checked her results against the page’s. Then the droid confirmed their numbers. “By a clear majority,” Leia said, “the measure to provide for an independent investigation passes.”
    The junior senators cheered while the rest of the room looked on in astonishment. Leia picked up a wooden cup and pounded it on the buffet table as she called for order. As the room quieted, she said, “I realize that we are not meeting in the Hall. Due to the informal setting, I will let this breech of etiquette pass. In thefuture, though, any senator showing undue partisanship will be expelled from the room and his vote will not be counted. This rule is in the Senatorial bylaws. I suggest you read them.”
    Her voice echoed back to her, and she could hear the thread of anger below it. Usually she prided herself on her restraint, but her patience was wearing thin. Didn’t these so-called leaders understand the effects of their actions? Didn’t they know that this kind of partisanship would divide the Republic?
    Faces were turned to hers expectantly. She nodded toward them. “Since it was your idea to have an independent investigation, Senator Meido, I would like you to compile the team. We will need the names of the investigators for our records.”
    Meido smiled. His teeth were pale pink against his crimson skin. “Gladly, President.”
    She didn’t like his expression. It made her feel vulnerable. It made her feel as if she had walked into a trap.
    “Tomorrow we will meet in the ballroom at the normal time. Until