Once they council had agreed to accept the evidence before them a sense of panic ran through the group, She would never tell anyone the amount of
time they spent discussing leaving the rest of the colony behind and leaving
that evening before anyone noticed.
Kepi stayed silent as the council worked through how they were
going to gather everyone together, how they were going to make sure that
everyone that wanted to leave was granted passage. By the end of the day they had
worked out an uncharacteristic amount of details.
The senate leader rapped his gavel. “If there are no other points
of order I recommend that we adjourn for the day.” He offered.
“I have a question.” A voice filled the hall. Kepi grimaced. An
elderly senator stood with the aid of a cane and cleared his throat. “While I appreciate
the situation, and applaud all the effort made thus far to save lives, I fear
that I must ask. Once we leave the planet. Where exactly do we plan to go?” He
questioned.
Murmurs from the other representatives filled the room. The senate
leader rapped his gavel for silence. Kepi raised her voice. “We must use the
transport ring. We have no other options.” She explained.
The elderly senator nodded. “That system is three hundred years
old and has never been successfully tested. We could kill everyone we send
through it.” He pointed out.
Kepi shook her head. “The ring was activated just two weeks ago, It’s
the reason the Starseeds came here in the first place.” She explained,
Again murmurs filled the room. The senate leader rapped the gavel
several times.
The old man shook his head. “I read the report of what those boys
did. We have no way of knowing what happened to them once they left this area. For
all we know they are long dead stranded in the middle of nowhere, a fate I would
not wish on the rest of this colony.” He said
Kepi shook her head. “They could just as likely made it all the
way back to Earth, senator.” She countered. “As you said, we don’t know.”
The old man nodded again. “Is ‘we don’t know’ enough of a guarantee
to bet the entire future of this planet on?” He asked as she sat down.
The murmurs of the other senators broke out again and this time
there was no gavel to silence them. Kepi looked up at the leadership and saw
that they too were discussing this question amongst themselves.
Kepi’s shoulders tightened and made her final point, shouting it
over the other conversations. “Given the choice between ‘I don’t know” and
Certain Death, I’ll take ‘I don’t know’ every time. Senator.” She room went
dead silent and stared at her. She found the rest of her confidence and her
shoulders relaxed. “And that is the choice life has given us. It is not great,
and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy but it is where we are. So, I call for
a vote. A nay vote means certain death for the colony, a Yay vote means we take
our caravan through the gate and see what happens next.” She looked to the
leadership table.
The leader reluctantly rapped the gavel. “Is there a second?” He
asked.
Kepi looked around a room full of statues. “I second.” A voice
rang out. Kepi couldn’t believe it. She looked to Fletcher’s seat where he had
raised his giant hand and voiced his support. She had not expected this, and it
made her uneasy.
The senate leader nodded. “The vote has been requested and
seconded. Return with your choice in fifteen minutes. This chamber is
dismissed.” With no further reason to whisper the room exploded into a
uncountable full volume conversations. Kepi couldn’t handle the noise and made
her way out into the hall. Where she ran into Fletcher. She stopped in her
tracks. “Why support my vote?” she asked suddenly.
Fletcher smiled. “I’m a business man, I can work with ‘I don’t
know”. There’s not enough wiggle room in “certain death” for my taste.” She said
floating off down the hall.
Kepi breathed a sigh of relief.
