The Courage of the Commonwealth (Perseverance Andrews Book 2) by John Spearman

Author:John Spearman [Spearman, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

17

In the morning, Perseverance rose early after a poor night of sleep that saw her get out of bed numerous times to enter notes on her comm unit. She packed for her departure, then dressed in her formal uniform. Pulling up her comm unit, she went over the notes she had made and put them in the order she felt was best. Then she carried her bag downstairs and went to Samantha to see if breakfast was ready. Lord Gilchrist, David, and Samantha were already in the dining room, waiting.

“David will take your bag and have it delivered to your ship,” Alfred explained. “There’s no sense in you lugging it through Caerleon Station in your number ones.”

The table conversation stayed away from politics for the most part. Samantha offered to check on Saint John in the hospital, which Perseverance thought was very kind. Finally, it was time to leave for the Parliament building.

When they reached the table where they would sit, Alfred took the seat to Perseverance’s right. They remained standing. Admiral Freshley appeared a few minutes later, flanked by aides. The aides took seats behind him and did not join him at the table.

Roughly three-quarters of the chamber was already full. Members of both Commons and Lords were present. There was a flurry of members entering just before the clock chimed nine. The sergeant-at-arms then came through the doors, carrying a ceremonial mace, followed by the prime minister. They paused at their places while the chaplain read a short prayer of invocation.

After the prayer, there were some administrative things the prime minister addressed relating to the day’s schedule. The first item was the confirmation hearing. When he finished, he formally opened the hearing and called upon Perseverance to offer a statement if she wished.

Perseverance did indeed wish to make a statement. She was reminded of how uncomfortable she felt a couple of years earlier when she and Saint John embarked on the publicity tour throughout the Commonwealth. Having Lord Gilchrist by her side and the gravitas he brought with him served to reassure her. She stood and began her address.

“Honorable members of Parliament, it is a great privilege to stand before you today. It is not because you are considering whether I am worthy of higher rank but because this assembly is the reason I serve our Commonwealth. I am humbled to be here. As a member of the Royal Navy, I pledged to protect our way of life and our system of democratic government. If you deem that the needs of the Commonwealth are better met by granting me more responsibility, I will endeavor to fulfill your expectations. Thank you.”

The prime minister then opened the floor for questions. Members signaled on their comm units whether they wished to ask anything. The prime minister then chose each member.

“Captain, please share with us your view of how the war is going,” came the first inquiry.

“Given how outnumbered we were at the onset, I think we have done a good job of stretching things out to this point,” she said.

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