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“This pillar is the marker for our district and it is where petitioners come to make their pleas.” He stood beneath its shadow and indicated she should stand next to him.
Around the pillar a swath of men and women moved forward, their eyes on Jamen. They bobbed their heads and slowly formed an orderly queue.
“These are the people you represent?” she asked.
“These are petitioners. Some come to lobby on behalf of businesses or communities; others are here in a personal capacity. Now, I cannot afford to spend my time down here when I’m best spent resolving issues. You will listen to their petitions, note them down and later, bring the list to me.”
Paige clutched the tablet in her hand and gnawed her lower lip. There were probably two dozen people milling around waiting to pounce on Jamen. “On my own?” She wasn’t sure she would understand everything they said to her.
“No.” Jamen waved his arm and from across the lobby strode Atlas. “He will assist you.”
Over Atlas’s shoulder, standing in the shade of the far wall, she spied Gawen watching her. He didn’t move. Why was he there? What was he doing just standing around?
Atlas smiled, his broad figure blotting out Gawen. “Greetings, Paige,” he said jovially. “Busy today. But, they all have the same gripes—pollution, living conditions, broken transit systems, or demanding permits for galactic trade routes. They come and hope that we can magically resolve their problems with a snap of Jamen’s fingers.”
“And if we can’t? They keep coming back?” She saw an old woman, her swollen knuckles grasping a walking stick. She waited at the back of the line with a small child. The great Vendu Empire had many of the same problems she saw on Earth.
“Resources on Halos are limited,” Jamen explained. “It is hard, but you must shield yourself from emotional responses. Take down their details and I will determine if I can help.”
The lobby was humming, the voices fighting in her head to be heard and understood. Jamen wasn’t the only senator on the floor. Conner was there too with Sava at his side with her note-taking device. There was no sign of Lapak and Elga, which was a huge relief to Paige. What would she say to Elga if she bumped into her—how did your punishment go? Was it as effective as mine?
“How often do you do this?” she asked Jamen.
“Every half moon.” Which given there were two moons orbiting Halos, was roughly once a week by her reckoning. She activated the screen of the tablet and took a deep breath. She could do this—she’d wanted to work as his assistant, and he’d chosen her because he had faith in her abilities.
“I will leave you with Atlas.” He brushed his hand against her arm, a tiny gesture of reassurance, and walked away.
The little crowd of petitioners groaned with disappointment as they watched their senator move away. However, Atlas clapped his hands and pointed to the head of the queue. “Approach!”
They spoke with respect, one at a time, some with trivial grievances, others with tales of woe. Atlas helped her with a few words she failed to understand, and the dialect, which she’d not expected. Gradually, her ear tuned out the background chatter and focused on the speaker. She wrote as quickly as her fingers allowed her, although she guessed there were plenty of spelling mistakes. Atlas was confident, easily able to shoo away a time-waster or listen carefully to those he considered more worthy.
The old woman, elegantly dressed in layers of skirts, edged closer, her head hung low and the child next to her fidgeting with the stem of the ornately carved walking stick.
“Yes?” Atlas asked expectantly.
She lifted her head and a pair of bright eyes lit up her face. “There is a leak near our farm.”
“A leak?” Paige repeated, unsure if she’d heard the word correctly.
Atlas puffed out his lips and sighed. “There are many leaks. The barrier patrol will fix it.”
“It is big,” she said sharply. “My granddaughter is sick. We cannot breathe on hot days.”
“What barrier?” Paige whispered in Atlas’s ear.
“Take her name,” Atlas said, ignoring her question with an impatient wave of his hand.
She would ask Jamen instead, then.
A man approached Atlas. They stepped to one side and huddled together, speaking quickly and in hushed tones. Paige found herself alone with the woman. She noted her name as requested.
“Where is this leak?” she asked, finger poised to tap out the location.
“Meeve. The barrier runs along the boundary. The air is poisonous.”
The child whimpered, her fidgeting worsened, and she plucked at her grandmother’s skirt. Paige wished she had candy to give the child or even a piece of fruit. She crouched until she was level with the girl’s eyes.
“Hello. I am Paige. I’m visiting the city, too.”
