Chapter Eight

Edward Graham stared at his fellow council members with the eyes of a tired man. They were in his office, seated on the couches and armchairs, as they discussed what the decision concerning Allura and the planets behind her would be. Graham listened with half an ear as they argued and cajoled each other into going to one side or the other. His mind kept on drifting. They had been at it for nearly four hours and the end was nowhere in sight.

"So what are we going to do?" Admiral Danne Dalora said, throwing up her hands. "We need to decide by tomorrow what we're going to do about this and we have gotten nowhere."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Edward, they're right," Marie Selea sighed. "We have lost whatever touch we've had with this Alliance. We are military and we should stick to that. We cannot govern over two-hundred planets. We don't have the time or the manpower...we have to leave it to someone else now."

"Those are the words of a quitter," Reeza Arong sneered. "The Garrison has been leading this Alliance by the nose ever since the Drules first attacked. It wouldn't have survived without it and there is a reason for that; we led it well."

"Not this time," Lemaj Mileaux said with a sorry shake of his head. "We really messed up this time, and it costs billions of people their lives and livelihoods. We failed to protect them the one time it really mattered. We made a decision that wasn't meant for us to decide. It should have been up to them. Had we a senate, we would not have made the wrong decision and be blamed for it."

"They would have been blamed for it," Eleka Yevoke snorted. "We aren't much different from a governing body, Lemaj. We were chosen by the last council members as stated by the statute that Alliance leaders signed. They did choose us though they were not the ones who directly signed the document."

"They've changed their minds," Marie said softly. "They're entitled to that."

"That doesn't mean we give in," Oman Gothe pointed out.

"But it does mean we listen and think about why they're doing this," Sehcort Ralrra argued.

They turned to Graham who was sitting behind his desk, his hands clasped over his stomach. He looked each one of them in the eye.

"Ask yourselves this," he said. "Are you deciding because you like or dislike the power you have, or do you honestly think this will be for the good of the Alliance?"

They lapsed into silence and eyes began dropping to the floor as they thought about the question Graham had so calmly thrown at them. Admiral Lit Carmack was not a big speaker, but when he did they listened and he spoke now.

"I dislike my power," he said in the semi-soft voice of his. "I entered the Academy to find adventure in a spaceship and to fight Drules in my fighter. I didn't even think about getting this job, the lives of billions of people on hundreds of planets resting on my shoulders. I am a soldier, not a politician."

"Hear, hear," Jessa K'Rayon said, slamming her hand on the top of the coffee table.

"Is this how you all feel?" Graham asked.

"No," Dalora said, her slender lavender hands gripping her coffee cup. "I wanted to be able to make changes that I thought were necessary in the Alliance which is why I wanted to be part of the council. I joined the Academy because I wanted to make a difference and that is what we're doing here."

"We made a difference alright," Mileaux said bitterly. "My people have lost their homes and their families because of what we did."

"How many times do we have to apologize for that?" Arong demanded.

"As many times as we have to," Mileaux retorted angrily, his face turning a darker shade of orange. Selea put a calming hand on his arm.

"We can't back down every time we make a mistake like this," Dalora said.

"It's not just any mistake, Danne," Carmack argued. "It was a massacre and we are responsible for it."

"We know that," Yevoke said. "But do we have to rehash it over and over again? I know people died, but we still have an Alliance to run and we have to deal with this uprising as a united council whether we completely agree with each other or not."

They turned to Graham again.

"Edward...what do you think about all this?" K'Rayon asked gently, seeing the strain in the older man's eyes.

"I'm tired of it," he replied. "I'm tired of bearing the weight of everything on my shoulders."

They stared at him silently. Admiral Gothe sighed deeply.

"Resign from your position, Edward," he said. "Don't make a decision that you might regret. You can't stay neutral if your mindset is like this."

"Actually, Oman, my mind can't be clearer."

Graham looked at Selea who smiled encouragingly.

"Are we ready to vote?" he asked.

"Yes," they replied with one voice.

Allura drank a mouthful of Rosenal from the mug she held in her hands. She had just finished a two hour meeting with the rebel planets to decide who would come to Earth to set up the new government should it go through. She was chosen as a Senator and wondered if it was a good idea. Her own planet had not yet gained its foothold and here she was running around, playing doctor to a sick alliance. She shook her head. If anything, setting up this government would be good practice.

"Prince Alderain was making googly-eyes at you," Keith said from his seat in one corner of the room.

"I hope he didn't hurt himself," she said flatly.

"I'm sure it's getting to that point. Watch out, Allura. I think you have a suitor."

She turned her head slightly to look at him. "That is the least of my worries and last subject on my mind."

She thought she heard him say, "Good", but decided to ignore it and the implications that came with it. She didn't know when she had stopped being just Allura, Princess of Arus to Allura, spokesperson for the rebel planets and Senator of the future IPA government, but she knew it wasn't such a bad thing despite the enormous work load and stress. She felt accomplished, but at the same time hoped it would be over soon. Arus was beckoning to her. Zarkon's forces were laying low for now, attacking other planets, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Half an hour until we have to go to the final meeting," he replied. "You should be getting ready. It's probably a big day for dresses."

She glared at him and his non-changing dress uniform. She pushed herself off the couch and trudged to her room to change.

"You wouldn't happen to have any caff-pills on you, would you?" she asked.

"Don't take those," he warned. "They're addictive."

"I don't think I'll be able to stay awake."

"You will."

She pulled her gown on with some difficulty as it was tighter than the others, hugging her curves. It was the same shade as her eyes as was the long vest that hung to the ground. Vaguely, she was relieved that she had already done her hair. She stomped out into the living room and reached out to latch onto Keith's arm. He didn't move when she did and she looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"That dress...it's stunning," he said in a strangely husky voice.

"Thank you. It was my mother's."

He shook his head slightly and led her out. They entered the hall shortly and sat at their table. The council was already there and Space Marshall Graham pounded his gavel for silence. He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep in a week, but then again, neither had anyone else involved in the meetings.

"We've come to a decision concerning Princess Allura's...request for a new government," he said in a booming voice that echoed in the silent chamber."