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I had never been in the Grand Halls, not here at least. Every Memberworld had Congressional Chambers for Elected Officials, Great Halls that were rotated through every ten Cycles. But the High Council had never convened on my Homeworld within my lifetime. I had only seen a few Tertiary Congressional meetings held in our capital city. It would be yet another 40 Cycles until the High Council took its seat on my world, although, with the war looming, it was likely that the High Council’s circuit would be restricted to the Julrieten and Bloorkäm Homeworlds, as they were the deepest into Collective territory and thus most easily defended.

The vaulted halls towered overhead as we walked to the wing that had been requisitioned as conference room for our group. The Admiral greeted us with a mere nod as we entered, and waved off my salute almost before I could finish.

“Should’ve known you’d be out harassing the vendors, Thirkle.” She said.

“I believe the term you’re looking for is patronize.”

“And you just had to take Chakky with you too.” She turned to me. “Let me guess, he had you eat a brat and expounded on the wonders of mustard?”

“Yes Admiral, he did.” I said.

She chuckled and turned back towards Kel. “And I suppose you’d consider such an inter-species culinary exchange so important as to necessitate conducting it now, while we are preparing what might be the most important speech ever given to the Council?”

“Eh, you know I’m not one for public speaking. I get nervous in front of people. And I was hungry, I figured a full stomach would calm my nerves.” Kel replied as he shrugged.

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“You feel ready to convey your concerns before the Council-members?”

“I do, Preyl. Although I expect your statement alone sufficient to sway any still on the fence about the need for an immediate and overwhelming response against The Heg, I’ll do my best to hit your point home.”

“Excellent. Well then, it seems as though everything is in order, shall we proceed to the Chamber?”

“I’d say so, after you Prey—“

“Excuse me, Admiral.” I cut in. “Will I be expected to speak before the Counci—“

“—That is unlikely, Chakky.” She said, waving her forelimb to Captain Yribia and Goolie and the rest of her entourage. “As one of my Advisors, you may be asked to swear that the testimony presented is true, but you will not be expected to speak before the Council-Members or the Chancellor.”

“Understood, Admiral.” I said, most relieved.

And at that, we proceeded through the halls toward the Grand Chamber. Nearing the entrance, we passed the rows of Julrieten ceremonial guards.

The Julrieten were a tall spindly species, standing an average of 7 and a half standard units tall. Taller than even the Humans in our company—though I’m told that occasionally Humans too spawn outliers that reach such towering heights, nevermind the fact that height alone doesn’t determine physical prowess and that the thick brutish build of the Humans meant even a Human Nymph in barely its 10th Cycle of life would snap a Julrieten in two. Apparently the Humans’ slang moniker of choice for the Julrieten was ‘twig’.

The Julrieten guard, with broad angular faces and slender limbs adorned in the bright garb, moved in unison. Their gracile movements reminiscent of an interpretative dance.

The two standing nearest the door, with decorative sabers drawn and crossed about the entryway, snapped to attention sheathing their blades and drew open the elegant doors as we approached.

Entering the Grand Hall, I was awestruck by the sheer size of it. A vast conical hollow, at every latitude Council-Members seated about the circumference at regular intervals, all gazing at the focal point of the room, a large, circular platform in the center where we would stand and address the masses, and the tiered dais rising up before it, where the Chancellor would sit and—as the elected voice of the Council-Members—address us.

My hearts pounded as we walked, feeling the gaze of the nearly fifty representatives upon us from on high, as well as the thousands of civilians in attendance standing in the ground levels open to the public.

We took our places on the platform. The Admiral and Kel at the forefront, the rest of us along the back perimeter. We bowed in unison to the Chancellor in front of us, then to our right, our rear, and our left, and then, as is custom, the elected officials then did the same, bowing to us on the platform, and to the citizenry in attendance, to those they served.