“Yes. Yes, I do,” the wishing-he-were-still-just-Deputy Censor answered with all the force of desperation. Ten days without the boss—and worse, without myself and Toshi too—had not been kind to Su-Hyeon, and his purple uniform had served as pajamas for so many nights under his desk that even his tiny breasts showed through the wear-sculpted fabric. “Getting through all these urgent motions is obviously going to be slow and complicated, but I’m actually the one who convened the Senate today, because it’s been ten working days since this crisis began, and Censor—former Censor—Ancelet’s order that the market be frozen, and some other stuff they did before resigning, is going to expire at noon today, but since the powers of an Acting Censor are different from those of a Censor I can’t renew most of it unless you formally make me Censor, and if I don’t renew it by noon the economy is going to—”

“Five seconds,” Speaker Jin warned.

Su-Hyeon turned purple. “… do a bunch of stuff that’s bad!”

Grandpa smiled. “Thank you, aptly put. Before we deal with any other action, since this one is mercifully uncomplicated, we have a motion on the floor to confirm Jung Su-Hyeon Ancelet Kosala as Romanovan Censor. Is there a second?”

Several rose to second.

“Does anyone want any further discussion of the Acting Censor’s motion?”

“Point of Order, Member Speaker.”

Had anyone else dared interrupt, I fear Grandpa would have thrown something.

“The Chair recognizes Mason Guildbreaker Senior.”

Grandma’s gesture was more bow than nod. “Thank you, Member Speaker. Given the current crisis, everyone in this room must realize that we may need to enable the emergency executive powers of the Censor, as set out in the Alliance Charter. No one in this room will doubt that Acting Censor Jung Ancelet Kosala can fulfill the standard duties of Censor masterfully, but I think many of us would be more confident in this decision if we had a chance to hear the Acting Censor briefly answer whether they feel prepared to accept these emergency powers, and serve as the temporary Executive Officer of the whole Alliance should the need arise.”

“An apt point, thank you, Mason Guildbreaker Senior. Acting Censor, what have you to say?”