Order of Magnitude

XXXVI. The Assembly

      There was a general air of gloom in the government's first assembly after the Prime Minister was killed. An immediate query of succession was brought up, and all of the assemblymen knew that they had an important task at hand. They had to pick a new Prime Minister, and it had to be by direct vote. There were 135 men and women in the chamber that had to make their decision. To be elected, all someone needed was 68 votes, but the general feeling was that a healthy consensus would be the best road. The country was already reeling from a cowardly attack; they couldn't afford a long, protracted political battle on top of it.

      The obvious favorite was Barrimore Kane, a senior advisor to former Prime Minister Antony. If selected, the transition would be smooth, since Kane supported most of his predecessor's policies. Most of the people in attendance of the chamber believed that this was going to be an easy decision; in and out, and move on. Gerald Sloane, on the other hand, had other ideas. He didn't want to drag this out any more than anybody else, but he certainly had different plans on how the country should have been run. As the minority party leader, he was the biggest opposition to Antony's more extreme proposals. He was just as shocked and upset that the Prime Minister was dead, but he couldn't deny that here would be an excellent opportunity to get the country 'back on track'.

      "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," the Speaker of the Assembly began. "Today we have a task of grave importance in front of us. Last night, at 8:43 PM, our Prime Minister succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the attack. Now, nobody here can deny the influence that Antony had on all of us, but we must look forward for the sake of our country and way of life. As detestable as it may seem, we need to replace our Prime Minister. Anybody who wishes to be considered for a vote, make your presence known."

      Immediately, Barrimore Kane stood up and spoke crisply. "I would like to nominate myself," he said. "As chief adviser, I can be expected to carry on our late Prime Minister's unbreakable spirit."

      The assembly stood and applauded. There was no other man or woman on the floor that could be more prepared for the job. Assemblymen looked at their neighbors with a knowing grin. In all of the confusion that came with the Prime Minister's attack, this was the first time they felt back on track. When the cheers finally died down, the Speaker addressed the crowd again. "Do we have any other nominations?" he asked, ready to pound his gavel and call the whole thing a success.

      Sloane stood up. "I nominate myself!" he said. The assembly groaned. They didn't want this to become an ordeal, but it looked like they didn't have a choice anymore. "I understand that I am not the most popular person in this chamber," Sloane said, eyeing the other members like a shark eyes chum. "But we can't run the country based on a popularity contest. I am the only one here who has the experience and political savvy to survive a storm like this."

      "What storm?" the speaker couldn't hide his disdain. "Our Prime Minister was killed, not his ideals."

      "Excuse me, Mr. Speaker," Sloane interjected. "But please don't lecture me on ideals. Antony and I had our disagreements, but we never once wavered in our belief that we want nothing more than the best for our people. Those ideals we all share. Unfortunately, Antony's methods were proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be foolish. The truth is we can't treat these parvs humanely."

      A roar from the crowd. "Humanity is the only way to lead this country," Kane interjected.

      "Mr. Kane, you expect to tell our nation to be humane to a species that have actively declared war on us. This attack was not an accident. They assassinated our Prime Minister. They want to fight us, and your approach is to let them kill us? That's not what this country needs right now. We cannot underestimate this threat. And that is exactly what we would be doing if we selected you to replace Antony."

      Kane sat down, collecting himself. He didn't have anything to counter with, and the assembly picked up on it. They talked amongst themselves, not so sure what they felt anymore. After a few minutes of heated discussions, the speaker called the group to order. "Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like this thing won't be sorted out today. As per the rules, we shall reconvene four days from now to hold an official vote. Thank you."

      He pounded his gavel.