every planetary government into a common pattern, or
dictate the ways in which they govern themselves. We will foster in
every way peaceful trade and communication. But we will not again permit
the plague of competing sovereignties, the condition under which war is
inevitable. The first attempt to set up such a sovereignty in
competition with the Empire will be crushed mercilessly, and no planet
inhabited by any sapient race will be permitted to remain outside the
Empire.

"Lords and Gentlemen, permit me to show you a little of what we have
already accomplished, in the past three hundred years."

He pressed another button. The screen flickered, and the show started.
It lasted for almost two hours; he used a handphone to interject
comments and explanations. He showed them planet after planet--Marduk,
where the Empire had begun, Baldur, Vishnu, Belphegor, Morglay, whence
their ancestors had come, Amaterasu, Irminsul, Fafnir, finally Odin, the
Imperial Planet. He showed towering cities swarming with aircars;
spaceports where the huge globes of interstellar ships landed and lifted
out; farms and industries; vast crowds at public celebrations;
troop-reviews and naval bases and fleet-maneuvers; historical views of
the battles that had created Imperial power.

"That, Lords and Gentlemen, is what you have an opportunity to bring
your planet into. If you accept, you will continue to rule Aditya under
the Empire. If you refuse, you will only put us to the inconvenience of
replacing you with a new planetary government, which will be annoying
for us and, probably, fatal for you."

Nobody said anything for a few minutes. Then Rovard Javasan, the Chief
of Administration and the owner of the mountainous Khreggor Chmidd,
rose.

"Lords and Gentlemen, we cannot resist anything like this," he said. "We
cannot even resist the force they have here; that was tried yesterday,
and you all saw what happened. Now, Prince Trevannion; just to what
extent will the Mastership retain its sovereignty under the Empire?"

"To practically the same extent as at present. You will, of course,
acknowledge the Emperor as your supreme ruler, and will govern subject
to the Imperial Constitution. Have you any colonies on any of the other
planets of this system?"

"We had a shipyard and docks on the inner moon, and we had mines on the
fourth planet of this system, but it is almost airless and the colony
was limited to a couple of dome-cities. Both were a