Palais Bourbon, Paris.
March 12, 1935
The chamber was restless before the bells even rang.
In the galleries above, reporters leaned over the railings, pens already moving.
Trying to find some controversy and report some spicy news.
On the floor, deputies gathered in uneven clusters, Radicals near the center, Socialists whispering tightly to the left, and old-line nationalists in the rear watching everyone else like they might be carrying knives.
Paranoid eh.
But you cannot judge them given the political condition of France.
Who knows someone might want to kill them in order to send a message.
The emergency session had been called less than twelve hours earlier, and yet nearly every seat was filled.
The creation of the German Luftwaffe had jolted even the most complacent.
"Disgraceful," muttered Deputy Mauclert, slamming his folder on the bench. "Open defiance of the Treaty. And we're discussing it like it's an academic paper."
