g, but Colonel Sorban interrupted.

"No, you young fool, he is _not_ unnecessary! He is, in a very real
sense, the Emperor's shield. Our Emperors have always given the people
of the Empire the kind of government they _need_, not the kind of
government they _want_. There are certain things that _must_ be done,
whether the people like those things or not.

"How long do you think the Empire would last without the Imperial Line
to guide it? Not ten years! The thing is too big, too vast, for any
ordinary man to handle the job. The voters are perfectly capable of
electing a man to the Primacy on the strength of his likable personality
alone--look at Lord Evondering. A hell of a pleasant guy, without a
glimmering of real wisdom.

"When the people don't like the things the Government does, they throw
it out--even if the thing done was actually for the best. The people
demand a new Government. We can't allow them to throw the Emperor out,
so we need a scapegoat. This time, it happened to be your father, here.
He happened to be Prime at a crucial time, and he had to give orders
that made him unpopular. So he'll have to get out, and let the Loyal
Opposition take over. But the Emperor will go right on running things.

"Your father is far from unnecessary, son. He's a hero, dammit, and
you'd better remember that! He's taking the rap for another man because
he knows that he is expendable and the other man isn't.

"Oh, your father could probably ride this thing out and stay in the
Primacy for a couple more years. But this mess with the Federation is
going to get a lot stickier than it is now. The Emperor is going to have
to do things that the people will hate even worse, and we might as well
let that fool Evondering take the rap. He'll look so bad by the time he
leaves the Primacy that everyone will be screaming for your father back
again, to clean up the mess."

Jon Senesin still looked dazed. "But, if that's the case, why allow the
people to vote at all?"

"Because that's the only way you can keep an Empire stable! As long as
the average man feels he has a voice in his Government, he's forced to
admit that any failures are partly his own fault. Nobody rebels against
a government he can vote against. As long as he has ballots, he won't
use bullets."

Lord Senesin said: "I know it's a shock, coming this way. But look at it
right, son."

* * * * *

"I am," said Jon slowly. "At least, I think I