235/2/34.
Officially called the Student Council Operations Room, it was something of a cross between a meeting room and an office. The central feature was a large, rectangular table made from synthetic materials – and therefore wipe-clean, heat resistant, and suitable for use as a dining table – with twelve chairs around it. Apparently, if people wished to work on it, they needed to use a portable ketcom interface. There was a desk set up at the far end from the door, and that had built-in computing facilities as well as a ketcom interface. That was for the president’s use, her ‘command chair.’ At the sides of the room were three more terminals, a refrigerator, a drinks machine, and a counter with a sink and cabinets beneath it. Light came from overhead panels, but also from a broad window behind the president’s desk. It was a cosy sort of room, nicely appointed.
It was certainly not full. Even with the full council in residence, plus a couple of extras, there were seats free at the table. Mitsuko sat at the head of the table, furthest from the door. On either side of her were Darius Miller and Leland Harlow, the latter on her right with Courtney sitting beside him. Beside Darius Miller was Marie Royce and then Melissa. Opposite Melissa was Katherine Daniau; the outgoing secretary was sitting opposite the incoming one and ready to provide advice. The outgoing president had claimed he had family business he needed to take care of and had vanished the morning after the election.
And there was Nava, standing beside the double door, watching. She was not entirely happy with the security in the council’s main meeting room. The window was, frankly, asking for a sniper to make use of it. The doors themselves were secure, but hardly high security. Then again, if Maya wanted in, she could teleport.
Someone else was not entirely happy with the situation. ‘Does she have to be here?’ Darius Miller asked. He was glaring in Nava’s direction when he said it, so it was fairly obvious who ‘she’ was.
‘Until we’re sure the threat is over, yes,’ Courtney said before Mitsuko could make a sound.
‘You’re here. I don’t think–’
‘I’m aware of that, Darius, but I’m here to concentrate on council business, not anyone trying to murder the president.’
‘Well, can’t she stand–’
‘Outside? I was under the impression that you’d done two years of combat stream. You must be aware that the assassin can teleport…’ Darius did his best to glower at Courtney, but she was not the kind of person glowering worked on. Particularly when the man in question was barely two centimetres taller than she was.
‘More to the point,’ Mitsuko said, ‘I see no reason why Nava should not be here. Are we here to discuss anything which is confidential?’
Darius frowned. ‘No, President. It’s simply a matter of practice that no unnecessary students are allowed into council meetings.’
‘I see. Well, that doesn’t apply here since Nava is necessary. Now, as the three council members wishing to retain their positions know, I have accepted them. Today, we make that official by entering it into the minutes.’ She gave a nod down the table to Melissa who smiled timidly and nodded back. Melissa had her ketcom open in front of her, recording everything said in the meeting. ‘Katherine is stepping down as secretary, so I have appointed Melissa Connelly Avorn to replace her. That is also now entered into the minutes. I’d also like to thank Katherine for agreeing to assist Melissa in getting started in the role she has filled so well for the past few years.’
‘It was my honour to serve, President,’ Katherine Daniau said.
Mitsuko flashed a smile. ‘That’s the immediate business taken care of. We have a full council. In the next few days I plan to hold meetings with each of you in turn to discuss your specific remits and how they affect the council and the student body as a whole, but right now I’d like to explain my general position on a few things.’
The new president paused, frowning and appearing to collect her thoughts. Nava was quite sure that this was for effect; Mitsuko already knew exactly what she was going to say, she just wanted certain members of her council to think she was considering her words carefully. ‘Unlike the governing bodies of the Clan Worlds, this council sits at the pleasure of its constituents, the students of SAS-squared. Our purpose here is to represent them to the school and its governing body. We are providing representation for all of the students. Partiality toward specific groups will not be tolerated.’ Mitsuko nodded to Leland Harlow, the chair of the Extracurricular Activities Committee. ‘Leland, your club heads are expected to show partiality to their own club. Pushing for funds and resources for their club is expected of them. I don’t expect to hear of any partiality on your part, however.’
‘There is some partiality in the committee’s regulations, President,’ Leland replied, his expression and tone bland. ‘Clubs which show the school in the best light are encouraged with more resources.’ Leland was the smooth, more attractive counterpart to Darius. He had more obvious muscle on his frame, but they were about the same height. His features were a little softer than Darius’s with a more sensual mouth and a straighter nose. His eyes were dark blue, his hair a little browner and worn a little longer. He smiled quite a lot, but it was a sardonic sort of smile, as if he knew something everyone else did not.
Mitsuko smiled. ‘You know the kind of partiality I’m referring to. I’ll say nothing more about it.’ Her gaze swept the table. ‘I understand that we have to make choices, but I want to hear clearly reasoned arguments justifying the choices we make. If something we do benefits one portion of our students more than the rest,
