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Score one for the Vulcan, Edmund thought as he made more notes. Gleer looked like someone had urinated in his soup.

“In addition,” T’Latrek said, “First Minister Asarem is not Councillor Krim’s wife, but rather his ex-wife.”

“An irrelevant distinction,” Gleer said dismissively.

“To Tellarites, perhaps.” Before Gleer could respond to that, T’Latrek said, “However, the reasons why we should ratify Councillor Krim’s appointment to the security council have very little to do with Councillor Krim.”

“They have everything to do with him!”

T’Latrek continued as if Gleer hadn’t interrupted. “They have to do with the planet he represents. In the past decade, Bajor has been a very important planet in quadrant politics. It houses the gateway to the Gamma Quadrant. It was the staging ground for the Dominion War. And it is the Federation planet that is closest to Cardassian territory. Its proximity to the wormhole, to Cardassia, to Tzenketh, and to the Badlands makes its strategic value as great as that of any world in the Federation.”

“I do not deny that,” Gleer said irritably. “Bajor’s importance is obvious even to the meanest intelligence.”

Edmund half expected a comment about Gleer’s own cranial capacity at that, but T’Latrek wasn’t going for cheap shots today, apparently.

“It is for that reason that Bajor’s presence on the security council is a necessity. We cannot expect Bajor to accept its role in the security of the Federation without giving it a concomitant voice in that security. To do otherwise would weaken their position at a time when their strength is of paramount importance to the Federation.”

Gleer huffed. “I believe that what is of paramount importance to the Federation is not having someone on its security council who opposes the very notion of Bajoran membership in the Federation.” He turned to look at Krim, seated on the end of the fourth row closest to the president, then he looked at T’Latrek. “Do you deny that that is so?”

While T’Latrek and Gleer spoke, Edmund looked out over the council. After all these years covering the Palais, he had gotten fairly good at interpreting the body language of the different species that were represented on the council. Matthew Mazibuko of Earth was inscrutable as ever, though he did seem to shift uncomfortably when Gleer spoke. Lari Beltane of light-gravity Gemworld, in her specially modified chair, gripped the arms of that chair more tightly when T’Latrek spoke, indicating that she was on Gleer’s side of the debate. Gnalish councillor Gorus Gelemingar’s tail waved back and forth impatiently during the entire talk, so Edmund assumed he didn’t care all that much. Linzner, the new councillor from Benzar, blinked a great deal when T’Latrek spoke, and leaned into her breathing apparatus when Gleer spoke, so she was probably on the Vulcan’s side. C29 Green of Nasat was having an animated conversation with someone on his comm unit, and he was not the only one who was tuning out this latest in a series of debates between these two.

Then, as Gleer looked at Krim, Edmund did likewise. To the reporter’s amusement, Krim was smiling.

In response to Gleer’s question, T’Latrek raised an eyebrow. “It would be the height of folly to deny that which is on the public record. However, my colleague neglects to mention that the Circle Commission, which studied the coup d’etat in question, exonerated Councillor Krim of any wrongdoing.”

Gleer snorted, a most unpleasant noise. “That was simply politics.”

“There was no political gain to be had by exonerating Councillor Krim,” T’Latrek said in a withering voice. “He was, at the time, out of the sociopolitical arena completely, nor did he use his exoneration as an excuse to reenter that realm.”

Before Gleer could respond, Krim started laughing. Then, belatedly, he activated the light in front of him. The law did not specify an upper limit to the number of people who could hold the floor, but few presidents had ever allowed the number to exceed three. At that point discussions generally devolved into shouting matches.