“Is it possible that people in the Stellar Republic were trying to warn him about what was coming, and that those hints fed into his B Team scenario?  He had no reason to suspect such a thing, so he would have been unlikely to have take precautions against such an eventuality.

“Thank you, but I do need to prepare an adequate defense against the bizarre and irresponsible charges laid by Elektra DeWitt, which I must do by tomorrow evening, but I will take questions from all of you so soon as I have done that.”

From behind Drummond-McLaren came loud cheers. “Cedric!  Cedric!  Cedric!”

&&&&&

Elektra DeWitt looked across the open fields toward New Washington, Colorado.  The Capitol building was indeed the shining castle on a low hill, with mountains rising well to its rear.   The shine, of course, was the quartz sand used in the concrete blocks of its walls.  The Independent Union Party paid for space within the confines of the local Seldon Legion Summer camp.  If  the camp’s borders were well-fenced and moated to keep buffalo, grizzlies, mountain lions, and the occasional tiger away from children, and vice versa, those protections also kept out human intruders.

The remainder of the Independent Union Party Executive Committee, less the odd man out,  sat around the same large table, waiting for Drummond-McLaren to submit his defense.  Then their work would begin.  They’d each snuck out of town to a place where they could meet undisturbed. 

There came a knock at the door. “Senator DeWitt?”  Senator Grigsby had to lower his head to avoid hitting the top of the doorframe.  “You have a visitor.  He’s been scanned.  He asked to speak to you alone.  Doctor Chelan vouched for him.”

“Very well,” she answered.