ves had
been gunbutted to produce them.

"Lords and Gentlemen," he said, after he had greeted them and introduced
himself and the others, "I speak to you in the name of his Imperial
Majesty, Rodrik III. His Majesty will now greet you in his own voice, by
recording."

He pressed a button on the arm of his chair. The screen lighted,
flickered, and steadied, and the trumpets blared again. When the fanfare
ended, a voice thundered:

"_The Emperor speaks!_"

Rodrik III compromised on the beard question with a small mustache. He
wore the stern but kindly expression the best theatrical directors in
Asgard had taught him; Public Face Number Three. He inclined his head
slightly and stiffly, as a man wearing a seven-pound crown must.

"We greet our subjects of Aditya to the fellowship of the Empire. We
have long had good reports of you, and we are happy now to speak to you.
Deserve well of us, and prosper under the Sun and Cogwheel."

Another fanfare, as the image vanished. Before any of the Lords-Master
could find voice, he was speaking to them:

"Well, Lords and Gentlemen, you have been welcomed into the Empire by
his Majesty. I know, there hasn't been a ship in or out of this system
for five centuries, and I suppose you have a great many questions to ask
about the Galactic Empire. Members of the Presidium and Chiefs of
Managements may address me directly; others will please address the
chairman."

Olvir Nikkolon, the owner of Tchall Hozhet, was on his feet at once. He
had a loose-lipped mouth and a not entirely straight nose and pale eyes
that were never entirely still.

"What I want to know is; why did you people have to come here to take
our planet away from us? Isn't the rest of the Galaxy big enough for
you?"

"No, Lord Nikkolon. The Galaxy is not big enough for any competition of
sovereignty. There must be one and only one completely sovereign power.
The Terran Federation was once such a power. It failed, and vanished;
you know what followed. Darkness and anarchy. We are clawing our way up
out of that darkness. We will not fail. We will create a peaceful and
unified Galaxy."

He talked to them, about the collapse of the old Federation, about the
interstellar wars, about the Neobarbarians, about the long night. He
told them how the Empire had risen on a few planets five thousand
light-years away, and how it had spread.

"We will not repeat the mistakes of the Terran Federation. We will not
attempt to force