"The New Rebellion (Kristine Rusch)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

security was obvious: guards at all the doors of the amphitheater, and defense
droids scattered among the protocol droids stationed near the non-Basic-
speaking senators. Representatives from all species and planets in the New
Republic sat in their assigned seats, watching her expectantly. Mon Mothma had
been right; Leia's actions on this day would determine the course of the
Senate in the future.
Reporters from dozens of worlds crowded the visitors' balcony near the
fragmented crystal segments in the ceiling. The segments caught and reflected
sunlight in a rainbow effect, illuminating the center of the room. The Emperor
had designed this little trick to strike awe in those observing him. Leia was
glad for the sun and the rippling light. It would distract the new
representatives, who had never seen it before.
She started down the stairs. The smell of bodies, human and alien, filled
the Chamber, already too warm from the proximity of so many beings. Leia
studiously looked ahead, noting, as she passed, M'yet Luure sitting beside his
new colleague from Exodeen. Both Ex-odeenians had six arms, and six legs. They
barely fit in the regulation chairs that Palpatine had built in the days when
nonhumanoids were considered to be among the less important species. By looks,
it was impossible to tell the former Imperial Exodeenian from his rebellious
fellow senator. Indeed, she couldn't tell any former Imperials by sight, only
by reputation.
Like Meido, the first and only senator from the planet Adin. Adin had
been an Imperial stronghold, and Leia still wasn't certain if Meido's election
had been fair. She was quietly having some of her people investigate him. She
had memories of his seamed face from her Rebel days, but she couldn't place
him.
Finally she reached the front of the Chamber. The chamberlain announced
her as she took her place behind the spotlit podium. The senators applauded,
or did the nearest equivalent. The Luyals pounded their tentacles on the
desks. The eel-like Uteens had their droids applaud for them. She rested her
hands on the podium's wooden surface, careful to avoid the computer screen.
She had no prepared speech, a fact that relieved her now.
The Senate Hall doors closed and the guards moved in front of them. The
applause was loud and favorable. Leia smiled, nodding toward old friends and
ignoring the new faces. She would deal with them soon enough.
"My fellow senators," she said over the din. The applause slowly faded.
She waited until it was gone before continuing. "We begin a new chapter in the
history of the Republic. The war with the Empire is long over and finally we
have extended the hand of friendship-" An explosion rocked the Chamber,
flinging Leia into the air. She flew backward and slammed onto a desk, her
entire body shuddering with the power of her hit. Blood and shrapnel rained
around her. Smoke and dust rose, filling the room with a grainy darkness. She
could hear nothing. With a shaking hand, she touched the side of her face.
Warmth stained her cheeks and her earlobes. The ringing would start soon. The
explosion was loud enough to affect her eardrums.
Emergency glow panels seared the gloom. She could feel rather than hear
pieces of the crystal ceiling fall to the ground. A guard had landed beside
her, his head tilted at an unnatural angle. She grabbed his blaster. She had
to get out. She wasn't certain if the attack had come from within or from
without. Wherever it had come from, she had to make certain no other bombs