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Updated: September 22, 2025
"We came here to annex their planet to the Galactic Empire, whether they wish it annexed or not. Commodore Shatrak used the quickest and most effective method of doing that. It would have done no good to attempt to parley with them from off-planet. You heard those telecasts of theirs."
He stubbed out his cigarette and rose, and as he did, Erskyll came out of his daze and onto his feet. "Commodore Shatrak! I mean, Admiral," he corrected himself. "We must re-impose martial rule. I wish I'd never talked you into terminating it. Look at that!"
One of the vehicles that had been sent down from the Empress Eulalie for use at the uranium mines. As it lifted and advanced toward the center of the room, the other Lords-Master were springing to their feet. Vann Shatrak also sprang to his feet, reaching the controls of the screen and cutting the sound.
Until this morning, when history returned in the black ships of the Galactic Empire. He stubbed out the cigarette and summoned the robot to give him another. Shatrak was speaking: "You see, Count Erskyll, we really had to do it this way, for their own good."
"Did you have any trouble getting cooperation from the native officers?" Shatrak asked. "Not in the least. They cooperated quite willingly, if not always too intelligently. I simply told them that they were now the personal property of his Imperial Majesty, Rodrik III. They were quite flattered by the change of ownership.
Beside Shatrak, Erskyll and himself, there were Lanze Degbrend, and Count Erskyll's charge-d'affaires, Sharll Ernanday, and Patrique Morvill and Pyairr Ravney and the naval intelligence officer, Commander Andrey Douvrin. Ordinarily, he deplored serious discussion at meals, but under the circumstances it was unavoidable; nobody could think or talk of anything else.
Zhannar insisted that they should be under his Management; when Chmidd and Hozhet supported Khouzhik, he began clamoring for the return of the regular army to his control. Commodore Shatrak was more than glad to get rid of the Adityan army, and so was Pyairr Ravney, who was in immediate command of them. The Adityans didn't care one way or the other.
He doubted if any of the Lords-Master he had seen were to be trusted, unassisted, to fix a broken mouse-trap. Line-Commodore Vann Shatrak was also worried. He was wondering how long it would take for Pyairr Ravney to make useful troops out of the newly-surrendered slave soldiers, and where he was going to find contragravity to shift them expeditiously from trouble-spot to trouble-spot.
Vann Shatrak, who was now commanding his battle-line unit by screen from the Proconsular Palace, began fretting. "I wish I hadn't been in such a hurry to terminate martial rule," he said, once. "And I wish Pyairr hadn't been so confoundedly efficient in retraining those troops. That may cost us a few extra casualties, before we're through." Count Erskyll laughed at his worries.
That seemed to horrify the herald even more that the things Shatrak had been calling him. "Forgive me, Lord-Master. I did not think...." "That's right; you didn't," Shatrak agreed. "And don't call me Lord-Master again, or I'll...." "Just a moment, Commodore." He waved the herald aside and addressed the two in white gowns, shifting to Lingua Terra.
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