Articles of the Federation - Keith R. A. DeCandido [36]
This time it was Esperanza who rolled her eyes. In addition to the president’s office, the fifteenth floor of the Palais included two large meeting rooms-the Ra-ghoratreii Room and the Wescott Room, both named after past Federation presidents. These two in particular were the ones who’d signed the Khitomer Accords and the Organian Peace Treaty, respectively, and their portraits hung on the respective walls. The latter room had been the site of the regular meetings between the Deltan and Carreon delegations for two months now.
“Yeah, they’re still going at it. The latest is that the Carreon are asking for exclusive trading rights to eeriak.”
Frowning, the president said, “Isn’t eeriak their biggest export?”
“Yeah, and it’s not replicable. Delta’s economy will collapse if they only trade to Carrea, since they can’t possibly import enough to make it worth Delta’s while to go exclusive.”
“Talk about feeble delaying tactics. When do you think I should get into it?”
“Another couple of days, I think the Deltans are gonna walk out, so I’d say within a couple of days.”
“All right. Well, at least Delta will have water for another month, thanks to a handy one hundred and fifty-one to one vote.”
“I assume Delta was one of the two who abstained?”
“Yeah-the other was Ontail who, once again, didn’t show up.”
Esperanza blew out a breath between her teeth. After the incident at the Rashanar Battle Site, the Zife administration had managed to keep the Ontailians from leaving the Federation altogether. However, Councillor Lo had only been at two council sessions in the year and a half since Rashanar.
That, however, was a discussion for another time. “Who was the one negative vote?”
Glowering, the president said, “Who do you think?”
“Quintor?” Esperanza asked with a wince.
“I tell you, Esperanza, I’m starting to relax my enthusiasm for appointing her to government oversight.”
“If it was anything other than government oversight, I’d agree.”
The words hung between them for a moment.
“You realize,” the president finally said, “that it probably won’t matter. What Zife did probably won’t even come out during my presidency-and even if it does, that won’t matter to the current council. Honestly, do you really think I’d do something as depraved as what Zife did on Tezwa?”
“If you’d asked me the same question about Min Zife two years ago, I’d have said the same thing I’d say about you now. But who the hell knows? And the point is, we have a responsibility to make sure that sort of abuse of power can’t- “
Waving her hand in front of her face, the president said, “All right, all right, I know-I’m the one who gave you that speech after we found out about Zife, remember? And I know that Quintor will question everything, which is what you want in that position, but- ” She let out another breath. “I’m just hoping that particular council gets very little work.”
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure that happens, ma’am.”
President Bacco nodded. “Good. Anything else?”
Esperanza smiled. “Eleven to ten, huh? Real pitchers’ joust, wasn’t it?”
“It’s pitchers’ duel, you heathen.” But the president returned the smile. “All right, it’s 1815, so I’d better start seeing my 1800 appointment. What was it again?”
“Sivak said it was Secretary Kolrami.”
The president leaned back in her chair. “Oh joy, I get to be lectured at by the agriculture secretary. Why did we appoint her again?”
Esperanza got up from her seat. “Because she’s the Federation’s leading expert on agriculture, and she’s been criticizing the Federation’s position on several issues for ten years now, and you thought her arguments were cogent.”
The president shook her head. “Yeah, well, that was before she was directing them at me. Now I just think they’re tiresome. I’m starting