Free Méridien (The Silver Ships Book 3) by S. H. Jucha

Then Tatia’s troopers followed suit and created a corridor from the transport to the four-meter-wide stone steps of the lodge. When Tatia was satisfied, she signaled Alex and the remaining people, who left the transport for the lodge.
    Alex noted that Étienne and Alain closely shadowed both him and Renée. For the first time in nearly a year that Alex could recall, the twins wore stun guns on their hips and some sort of small device attached to their harness. He was about to ask Étienne about it when they gained the lodge’s porch, and Assemblyman Eugene Pritchard stepped spritely through the lodge’s wide double doors.
    “Admiral, I’m so pleased you arranged this meeting. Please come this way. Our people are waiting in the dining hall.”
    Through Julien’s research, over thirty Assembly Representatives had been identified as outspoken critics of President pro tem Clayton Downing. After Alex set the meeting location with Assemblyman Pritchard, requesting a large out-of-the-way venue, he had invited the other Representatives to attend. Most had accepted. From the moment contact had been made, the SADEs had monitored the communications of the invited to ensure that the opposition wasn’t informed of the meeting.
    In the center of the Representatives sat ex-General Maria Gonzalez and the other two members of the McMorris Team, ex-Ministers William Drake and Darryl Jaya. The assembled New Terrans paused to take in the flotilla’s personnel, resplendent in dark blue Méridien uniforms tastefully adorned with gold stars of rank, House patch, and a Leader’s or ship’s patch.
    The quiet was broken when Renée spotted Maria. A soft cry of joy escaped Renée’s lips as she threaded the tables with lightning speed. Maria rose up to greet Renée, a huge grin spreading across her face. It was fortunate that Maria was a New Terran. Her heavy-world body absorbed the impact of Renée as she threw herself into Maria’s arms.
    What has become of my quiet, non-demonstrative Méridien? Alex thought.
    Maria’s smile threatened to overtake her face, as did Renée’s, and the women were slow to untangle themselves from each other. Their embrace did much to lower the tension in the room, reminding everyone of the bond the New Terrans and Méridiens had first formed.
    “Well, Admiral, I don’t believe introductions are necessary. It seems relationships are alive and well,” Assemblyman Pritchard quipped, indicating the two women who now faced the assembly with smiles and arms wrapped around each other’s waist. “If you will, Admiral,” Eugene said, indicating the front of the room. “You did call the meeting.”
    Alex and Étienne stepped to the front of the room. Étienne carried the same case Alex had once carried to the Assembly, which contained a portable holo-vid. As Alex set it up, he said to the group, “I believe most of you have witnessed one of these in action before.” It drew a round of smiles and chuckles from the Assembly Representatives. “Before I begin, let me say, from all of my people, how saddened we are by the news of President McMorris’ death. He was a fine man who will be missed.”
    Alex paused for a moment, remembering the powerful and good-hearted leader he had left behind. But, recalling the man who took his place, his demeanor changed. The sad face of the explorer-tug Captain was replaced with that of the flotilla’s Admiral. On Étienne’s signal, Alex said, “This presentation, narrated by Julien, has been assembled from the research of three of our SADEs. I apologize for the length of the presentation, and I beg your patience, but I would not expect this august body to act without sufficient proof of what has been uncovered and to respond as I expect you must.” He signaled the holo-vid’s start.
    Julien began with the theft of the T-1 database and his tracking of the people and credits that had hired the Frazier brothers, who had perpetrated the theft. When the credit trail ended at