The Kingdom of the Seven Stars: Chaturanga

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, the star cluster's parliament was packed.

The main chamber was a large, oval-shaped room. Wood panelled walls reached up to a high ceiling. Long rows of blue leather seats curved around the small floor in the centre. The ceiling was painted dark blue and decorated with a star map of the Pleiades, showing the seven main suns of the star cluster, with their seven solar systems and twenty six inhabited planets. The speaker's podium stood at one end of the floor and a tall statue of Justitia; the ancient Roman goddess of justice from Earth, with her sword, scales and blindfold, stood on a tall plinth at the other. In front of the statue, a carved wooden armchair which had been used by King Stephen whenever he had attended the Kingdom's early parliamentary sessions, stood on a small dais. The armchair was the highest seat in the room, but the back of it was still lower than the statue's feet, to remind everyone there that nobody in the Pleiades, including the king or queen, was above the law.

Jessamine sat in King Stephen's chair, smartly and elegantly dressed, with her children beside her. Captain Zachary, who acted as Jessamine's personal bodyguard on state occasions, stood at her other side. None of them had slept last night and Alex was hoping it did not show. He also hoped that nobody could tell how worried they were all feeling.

The chamber was full. Every single seat was occupied as all of the seven hundred members of the Pleiadean parliament had turned up. The public galleries crammed with journalists holding computer pads and cameras. It was not unusual for MPs in the star cluster to sleep in or have long breakfasts or early lunches at some of the expensive restaurants across the street from the parliament and only come in when it was time to vote on something, but this morning – after the news had inevitably spread – everyone had arrived early.

In the middle of the hall, the prime minister stood up. He walked forward and stepped up onto the speaker's podium, took a deep breath and moved closer to the built-in microphones.

"Good morning," he said. "I must begin by making the formal announcement. As has already been reported, King Geoffrey II, the monarch of our nation for the last fifty years, passed away at 9.30pm last night."

Sad murmuring rippled across the chamber. The MPs had been expecting this news for a while, but many of them still sighed and nodded sadly. The journalists were all making notes, filming or taking pictures, but some of them did the same.

"The arrangements for the funeral have already begun," said the prime minister. "Invitations to the service and the Planting Ceremony will be sent out later today. The palace sends their thanks to everyone who has sent messages of condolence already and asks that any flowers be sent directly to the royal greenhouses."

The prime minister paused. He took another deep breath and wished for a moment that he had lost the last election so that one of his political rivals would have to do this, and continued.

"Unfortunately," he said, "I must also announce that the latest move in King Stephen's Last Game has not yet been completed."

There was complete silence in the chamber. None of the MPs said anything. They all sat still in their seats, watching the prime minister. A few cameras clicked in the galleries, but the journalists waited too. The prime minister gritted his teeth as he realised that they all knew exactly what had happened already, and they were waiting to hear what he was going to do about it.

"Therefore," he said, "the arrangements for the coronation of the Crown Princess will unfortunately have to wait until..."

"Excuse me, prime minister!" called Lord Blackstar, standing up. "Might I ask one small technical question?"

Urgent whispering rushed across the chamber. All the cameras in the public galleries started clicking. Alex, Alice and Ellen all sat up. Jessamine's brow furrowed. Captain Zachary started to move and then stopped himself. Lord Blackstar ignored all of this, standing patiently with a relaxed, calm and casual smile on his face, waiting for the prime minister's reply.