banana It's Saturday night.. and the pressure is on! Though ...

Ferrinus<strong>banana</strong>mattbaby<strong>banana</strong>Ferrinus<strong>banana</strong>mattbaby<strong>banana</strong>mattbaby<strong>banana</strong>mattbaby<strong>banana</strong>mattbabyNicolae<strong>banana</strong>mattbaby<strong>banana</strong>Khas totally has a tiny closet-office, <strong>the</strong>n. <strong>It's</strong> piledwith camping supplies <strong>and</strong> mostly unusable as an actualplace to read or write.Hans: "To live forever.."Nei<strong>the</strong>r's paying any attention to you.Anton's looking for information on <strong>the</strong> Assembly- <strong>and</strong>that odd Assemblywoman <strong>and</strong> her odder bodyguard-aides.What are THEIR points of access? <strong>the</strong>ir enemies? <strong>the</strong>iragendas?What Anton gets <strong>is</strong> a quick refresher course inpolitics!Live forever? ...well, <strong>the</strong> good Doctor was talking tothat ghost before... Khas clears h<strong>is</strong> throat again."Excuse me? Elders?"You'll remember - or you will now - that Soroya has twobranches of government: <strong>the</strong> Leg<strong>is</strong>lative Assembly, which<strong>is</strong> like a parliamentary lower house, which passesleg<strong>is</strong>lation, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> City Council.The City Council <strong>is</strong> both executive branch - with <strong>the</strong>Mayor at its head - <strong>and</strong> upper house, with a veto/approval right over laws.Although <strong>the</strong> Assembly <strong>is</strong> elected from populationproportionated<strong>is</strong>tricts, <strong>the</strong> Council has one memberfrom each *region* of Soroya, giving enormous power to<strong>the</strong> rural areas of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>and</strong>ate - which, it turns out,<strong>is</strong> how <strong>the</strong> Crones influence it.oh thats right it was a councilwomanYes, <strong>and</strong> you're now reading internal Circle d<strong>is</strong>cussions- only a very small amount of <strong>the</strong>m, in <strong>the</strong>se 'public'areas, but it's <strong>the</strong>re! - about <strong>the</strong>ir bought-<strong>and</strong>-paidforCouncil members. THREE of <strong>the</strong>m.sc<strong>and</strong>anavian republican witches!! ingeniousFor reference, <strong>the</strong>re only *are* 19 Council D<strong>is</strong>tricts in<strong>the</strong> M<strong>and</strong>ate.oh wowSince <strong>the</strong> Council <strong>is</strong>n't really party-<strong>is</strong>ed, a bloc ofthree members <strong>is</strong> reasonably powerful.<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y are bought <strong>and</strong> paid for? its money <strong>the</strong>y use??That's 16% of <strong>the</strong> council! That's more than a good tip!In one case, it's money; in ano<strong>the</strong>r, blackmail; inano<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> Crones have so much control over <strong>the</strong> localarea - Roy d'Mer - that <strong>the</strong>y essentially choose whogets elected. An elder's ghoul.Although, th<strong>is</strong> local control <strong>is</strong> really behind <strong>the</strong>blackmail <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> money as well, just indirectly.nothing about whats-her-face? <strong>the</strong> womn with <strong>the</strong> oddsmellinglackeys?She was an Assemblywoman