Tales of the Republic (The Complete Novel) by M.G. Herron

Author:M.G. Herron [Herron, M.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction Thriller
Publisher: MG Publishing LLC
Published: 2017-05-11T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

FILIBUSTER

As they hurried to the senate, Bohai filled Ming in on the details.

“It started the way you’d expect—Khan pushing that martial-law-disguised-as-security bill, and Fuquan’s faction fighting it. But when it looked like Khan might get the upper hand, Fuquan came out swinging with accusations of negligence. I don’t know where she got them, but—”

“I gave them to her.”

“What? Why?” His face blanched. “That’s what was in your files.”

Ming shrugged. “You wouldn’t help me.”

Bohai huffed a heavy breath out through his nose as they turned a corner and headed toward the senate.

The ruckus of voices could be heard down the hall even with the door closed. There was shouting, the sound of feet stomping, the rap of a gavel on wood.

“What you were proposing—”

Ming cut him off. ”I’ll take the fall.”

“And Fuquan was okay with that?”

“I didn’t tell her about the biobug. I just gave her the file and asked her to look into it. I didn’t know she would take action so soon.”

“Well it’s out in the open now. I hope you’re ready.”

Bohai threw open the door to the senate, and he and Ming walked into a battery of noise. Everyone was yelling at once. Words flew up the wall over the vice president’s head as the automatic dictation tried its best to capture as many voices as it could. But the computer had limits, and during the clamor the text was a garbled mess of insults and shouts of “Order!” from the vice president.

Senator Fuquan stood on the floor, rattling off figures and dates that were practically swallowed in the din.

“On June 1st, a shipment of rations arrived—short three kilos. On July 2nd, the shipment failed to arrive. On July 10th, a shipment arrived that was short by five kilos, and several days late. On October 2nd…”

Khan stood at his seat and pointed at Fuquan. “How dare you accuse me! You know nothing about the situation. Nothing!”

The vice president gripped the microphone on his desk and shouted into it, “Sit down, Joseph. If you interrupt the senator again, I’m going to have you thrown out on your ass!” Feedback from the microphone squealed and then tapered off in the deafening silence that followed.

Ming and Bohai stopped just inside the door. Senator Fuquan stood with her shoulders thrown back. She was a full foot shorter than Senator Khan, but she stood her ground, the papers held firm at her side like the razor’s edge of a scythe she was about to use to cut Khan down to size.

“Sir,” Khan said, walking past Fuquan to address the vice president directly in a lower voice. “This is a ploy to draw attention away from the real issue at hand.”

“The lady is well within her rights. And, I should remind you, she has the floor.”

“These are reports from last year! What about the riots? What about the army camping on our doorstep? We should be dealing with the problems of today!”

“I will not ask you again, Senator Khan. Sit. Down.” The vice president squeezed the last two words through his perfect rows of white teeth.

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