“You have presented the reasons why Khadorans have no need to attack the Chula,” frowned Lord Quilo, “but what is to stop the savages from attacking us?”
“I will execute a treaty with the Chula,” offered Lord Marak. “We will each agree to the boundaries of our peoples. Hopefully, we will soon begin trading between the Chula and the clans, and perhaps in time, we will even learn to trust one another.”
“Any other edicts, Lord Marak,” asked Lord Chenowith.
“Not at this time,” sighed Lord Marak, “but I warn you my election will cause problems.”
“There will be problems no matter who becomes Emperor,” declared Lord Chenowith. “I could be easily tempted to take your list of edicts and make them mine.”
“That would please me,” smiled Lord Marak.
“But I won’t,” grinned Lord Chenowith. “They are your edicts, and you should implement them yourself. My nomination of Lord Marak still stands. Are there any other nominations before I call for a vote?”
“There will be no other nominations,” smiled Lord Quilo. “Let’s get this vote out of the way so we can start planning to implement the Emperor’s new edicts.”
“Yes,” grinned Lord Kiamesh, “I can hardly wait to see the faces at the Assembly of Lords when Emperor Marak announces his few small changes. A few of those expressions will be priceless.”
The mood of the Lords’ Council was bright as they voted in the new Emperor. While the meeting officially ended with the election of Emperor Marak, unofficially it continued well into the night. Each of the members of the Lords’ Council began preparing speeches in support of Emperor Marak’s edicts.
The Lords’ Council mediator, Katzu, checked the room periodically. Each time he checked, his curiosity grew as to why the council was still in session. He also wondered why the members were in such a jovial mood. Eventually, he stayed inside the room and listened to what was going on. With a wide grin of understanding, Katzu pulled out a chair and sat down to join in the preparations for a new Khadora.