the collar.

And Candar was doing all the talking. When he had started one hour and
fifteen minutes ago his voice had been harsh and low. Now it had
increased in pitch and volume and he was striding back and forth,
showing his scorn for the Allied Systems in every gesture. Thane
glanced at the "absolute" dial of his watch and wondered how long it
would keep up.

"... we have come to deal with you in good faith and again you seek to
exploit us. You would, if you could, take all we produce and give
nothing in return. This you shall not do. Onzar is young, but already
its power encompasses five suns. Each day we grow stronger. We do not
need your shoddy goods in exchange for our treasure."

As Candar's voice became louder and more shrill Thane noticed that a
technician to his left kept adjusting the recorder dials. In an hour
or so the speech would be broadcast through Onzar, three and a half
light years from this meeting place in space. Candar was choosing
words to inflame the already fanatical nationalism of his expanding
system. "You would take our discoveries, the fruits of our genius and
industry. You would even take our young men into slavery. But this
Candar will prevent. We are a warrior race, and what we need, we take.
Our day approaches."

The last three words were his trademark, his invariable sign-off. So
that was that. Candar strode from the room followed by the marshals,
the advisors, the interpreters. Thane looked over to Garth who had
slumped a bit in his conference chair on the Allied Systems side of
the room, and was lighting a cigar. Thane had never particularly liked
Garth, but, now, he felt a touch of sympathy with him. Garth took two
long puffs on his cigar and then slowly shrugged his shoulders as if
to put a final period to the scene.

Back in the Allied Systems naval cruiser, Garth was getting out of his
reserve marshal's uniform. He glanced across at Thane, strapping his
couch belts at the other side of the compartment. "I wanted you to see
Candar in operation. Figured you might as well as long as this show
was scheduled anyway. Could be that it will be of use to you in your
new assignment."

The navigator's voice came over the intercom, "Prepare for finite
acceleration, twenty seconds absolute."

* * * * *

Garth zipped up his civilian coveralls and dropped to the couch,
slipping the stub of his cigar into the converter tube. "This
conference was about li