"For more than one hundred and fifty thousand annual cycles of planet Nearous, a little more than half a full rotation of the Ajjan galaxy, this government has met its payment obligations to the Upmanc Conglomerate under the peaceful negotiations forged between our civilizations Founders and those of the Upmanc." Orthor Prequit said into the Data Port audio device that carried his voice to the thousands of attentive listeners.
Orthor continued his delivery with smooth confidence, knowing the ramifications of a verbal misstep at this delicate houras. "As you all know, for only the second time in the history of the Phoer Federation, the government is in a position where it is unable to meet the debt requirement under the mutual contract made between our government and the Upmanc Conglomerate."
Jan sat in his Select Council seat in the chair to the left of Orthor and did his best to appear relaxed and confidant in what the Chancellor was saying. It was Orthor's job to deliver the horrible news to the main government body that the Federation would remain in debt to the Upmanc Conglomerate after all of the sacrifices made by the populations of the twenty four planets and hundreds of orbital arcology's comprising the Phoer Federation.
"Every Council member in this chamber has had to live with the drastic downturn in our crop yields and cattle herds. We have never experienced such a dire situation since the early days of the Federation, well before the homesteading of the Federation's second star system, Clemged, and that stars seven planets." Orthor let his words hang in the still air of the chamber before continuing. "I have had several proposals brought to my office urging this government to confiscate the private wealth of the Federations most affluent citizens, to fulfill final payment to the Upmanc." He paused and shook his head while looking around the Grand Council Chamber. "Even that would not be enough to make up the shortfall we have experienced. And we all know that the Upmanc do not desire our local currency, they only want our agriculture goods."
Orthor had been speaking to the full Government Seat Council consisting of three thousand members for half an houras outlining the current situation with the Upmanc Conglomerate and the Phoersian government's inability to make final payment on the three star systems of the Phoer Federation.
Jan thought to himself that this should have been a time of celebration across the Federation. It should have been a celebration that would echo for more than three galactic rotations in the hearts and minds of the Phoersian people. Instead Jan and the other eleven members that sat behind the Select Council table at the bottom of the amphitheater style designed room holding the three thousand seats of the Grand Council members, were forced to remain silent while the Chancellor delivered the awful news, which was the Chancellors duty under the rules of the Grand Council Chamber.
Jan watched the recognition to speak lights begin to illuminate over the delegation sections throughout the auditorium. The lights projected over each delegation used to indicate a vote or that Councilors sought recognition to speak to the full elected body seemed to bring up the illumination level of the chamber, since it appeared every delegation had some comment to make on the Chancellors speech that had yet to conclude.
Orthor continued speaking as if not noticing that the entire auditorium desired to address the full body of the government. The points made by the Chacellor in his speech appeared to only elevate the tension in the auditorium.
