“We know about the Jedi’s covenant, Council Member,” the Sullustan snapped, his jowls wobbling furiously. “Marshal Kriss’s vow has been playing on loop for months on every holonet channel from Muunilinst to Tarabba. But powerful as the Jedi are, it is foolish to place all of our lives in their hands. Unfair even. The DFP proposes—”

Now it was Soh’s turn to interrupt. “Yes, Senator Toon, I am fully aware of your proposition, but this is neither the time nor indeed the place to discuss the Defense Force Program.”

Toon’s dark eyes widened. “Not the time? Chancellor Soh, need I remind you that Cyclor is not a frontier world. The Nihil have struck in the heart of the Mid Rim. Where next? Ubrikkia? Gizer? Coruscant? The Jedi are many, but they are also finite. This crisis shows—”

“This crisis will pass.” Lina Soh’s voice was like durasteel. “Just as Hetzal passed.”

That was a mistake. “Passed? Tell that to the victims of the Emergences. Or the billions who have found themselves at the mercy of these pirates.”

“Billions we have helped. Billions who have been rehomed. Even Hetzal is stronger than ever before, the Rooted Moon—”

“Reseeded with specially engineered crops that will grow at twice the speed of traditional kavam,” Toon interrupted, completing her sentence. “Yes, yes, I have seen the holoreels. The Jedi’s legacy protected above all.”

“Our manufacture of bacta protected.”

“Be that as it may, the Great Disaster should have been a wake-up call, and yet what happened? Valuable credits that could have been used to establish a proper defense against the Nihil plowed into the folly of the Republic Fair.”

Now Soh’s voice rose. “The Republic Fair will be a sign of solidarity. Of strength.”

Toon snorted. “The Spirit of Unity. Yes, we’ve seen the posters, Chancellor, but all the propaganda in the galaxy won’t distract from the fact that the fair is a dangerous extravagance that should have been canceled the moment the Legacy Run was destroyed. All that time … all that money … frittered away on, on frippery and ostentation! The Republic Fair is a dangerous vanity project that puts the lives of our citizens in jeopardy. The Senate knows it and so do you, Madam Chancellor.”

“That is enough!” Larep Reza’s shout cut through the Sullustan’s argument, shocking the senator into silence. “The chancellor is right. How dare you politicize this attack for your own gain.”

Soh raised a hand, but the damage was already done.