“Greetings,” said Redburn into the quiet, “and welcome to the Paladins of the Sphere gathered here. I also welcome the members of the media gathered here, and the vast throngs watching our deliberations today. On this solemn occasion…”

It had taken years, but Jonah had finally mastered the art of sitting completely still and looking attentive when the Exarch made a speech. He’d also mastered the other skill crucial to surviving Paladin meetings: reading and typing messages on the desk’s data screen while seeming to pay rapt attention to the Exarch’s words.

Most of Drummond’s contributions to their side conversations were along that line. Jonah thought they would be better served by not including her in the off-topic messages in the first place, but some of the others enjoyed provoking her.

There was a pause before Heather finally responded.

Everyone, of course, had some ideas—or at least hopes—of who might be appointed. But no one was willing to share them, especially with Kessel. The sooner Kessel had a name in his head, the more time he’d have to plan how to win them to his side.

“…meets the high standards for Paladins set by Devlin Stone. It is my honor to present Lady Janella Lakewood, Knight of the Sphere, as the next Paladin of the Republic.”

Applause swept the chamber, and all fifteen Paladins in attendance rose to their feet to welcome their new colleague. Lakewood was both competent and well liked, and people in the chamber, including some of the Paladins, were still clapping and whistling as she rose from her place with the Knights and came down to take her seat among the Paladins. Lakewood herself appeared nervous but determined, and at the same time happy—not an unexpected combination of emotions, Jonah thought.

As soon as the Paladins were seated, most of them reached for their keyboards to send congratulations to Lakewood and exchange reactions with each other. But a note in Redburn’s voice stopped them.

“I had planned, at this point, to officially commence deliberations on the choice of my successor. I would give anything to be able to follow that course.

“Unfortunately, I must make an unanticipated announcement. This morning…”

To the astonishment of everyone in the room, Redburn’s voice broke. He looked down, picked up a piece of paper, and read directly from it.

“At seven-fifteen local time this morning, Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion was found in his office in Santa Fe, dead of an apparent heart attack.”

The collective audience in the chamber gasped as one. At least one reporter dropped his noteputer to the floor, while others dashed out of the room to get the news out as quickly as possible. Others stayed, waiting for any further information Redburn might supply.

“The Republic of the Sphere knew no greater friend or servant than Victor Steiner-Davion. In the course of his long life…”

The words stood alone on the screen of each Paladin before anyone else responded.

Several Paladins then followed with tribute messages of their own. It didn’t take long, though, for politics to rear its head.

Jonah’s first impulse was to respond with anger, saying it was too soon to talk about Victor’s successor. Legends are not simply replaced.

But he knew it wasn’t too soon. With the unrest spreading across The Republic and Redburn’s call for an election, the Paladins could not take time to mourn.

The speech. Jonah hadn’t thought about that. He’d been anxious to hear what Victor had to say, hoping that some part of the elder Paladin’s address would help him clarify his own thoughts on voting for Exarch. He didn’t slavishly follow Victor’s direction—not by a long shot—but Jonah knew he’d be foolish to disregard the senior Paladin’s input.

I had counted on him being here to help us.—Avellar

Something tickled the back of Jonah’s mind. The timing was incredibly bad; suspiciously bad, even. Redburn had mentioned a heart attack, but the timing of Victor’s death could not help but raise suspicion. His remarks would have been pivotal; now they were lost. That might prove convenient for someone.

He glanced at his screen again. Kessel surely had some reaction to the news, but he had sent no comment. Neither had Sorenson, widely known as no friend of Victor’s. Surely they had something to say, and chances were they were saying it only to each other. Kessel, in particular, must have immediately realized that Victor’s death threw the election wide open, and would have immediately moved to take advantage of it. In fact, if anyone had something to gain…

Jonah squelched that line of thought before it even started. The political debate was going to be bad enough, and it wouldn’t help to start casting aspersions on his fellow Paladins.

“…a decision especially crucial in this time of election,” Redburn was saying. “I cannot, I will not promise you that the new Paladin will take the place of Victor Steiner-Davion. No one could. The new Paladin will make his own place, as all Paladins have done. Paladins of The Republic, officers of the Sphere, ladies and gentlemen of the media, I present to you Knight Gareth Sinclair.”

Sinclair—looking overwhelmed—left the Knights and walked down to Steiner-Davion’s empty desk. The applause this time was more hesitant and muted, not from disapproval of Sinclair, Jonah knew, but because people were still processing the news of his predecessor’s death.

Jonah applauded quietly along with the rest of the Paladins as Gareth Sinclair took his seat. Not until the sound had died away did Jonah happen to look back at his desk screen. A new message had appeared.