And on call waiting I have, dear me, Republic Legate Bronkoski,”  Daphne announced.

“Amazing,” Elektra said.  “The other party heads did as asked, and TerHorst knew he had to call.  Very well.  Bronkowski it is.”

Bronkowski’s unsmiling face appeared on the vid screen.

“Legate,” Elektra said.

“Indeed, Madame First Speaker,” Bronkowski answered.  “I am calling to protest the vicious and false complaints your party made against my government.”

“Pawel?” Elektra countered.  “What false complaints?  Quoting your Senate’s new trade legislation does not seem vicious.”

“Surely you know what I am talking about,” Bronkowski answered.   “Drummond-McLaren’s patriotic decisions – those documents were true.  No, I am referring to your claim that we bribed seventy members of the former cabinet.”

DeWitt took the moment to sip her lemonade.  “I seem to recall Senator Hughes accusing Drummond-McLaren of receiving bribes, and showing the path they took.  For all that he is a ghastly fellow, so that we are well rid of him, he was only one man.”

“However, your cut-out falsely claimed to Drummond-McLaren’s cohorts that you had decoded all of Drummond’s records,” Bronkowski observed, “ including the full list of payments that Drummond made to his flunkies.  It was a false list, six dozen names, but all those men and women have been falsely slandered.  They fled to avoid being lynched.  Naturally, the Stellar Republic has no idea where Drummond acquired the money.”