EMPIRE: Conqueror (EMPIRE SERIES Book 6)

by Richard F. Weyand

  The Emperor nodded to Markov, and then he, the Empress, and Consul Saaret sat in three leather club chairs that appeared at a wave of his hand. They faced across the speaker’s well, from audience left. The presenters would take the speakers well in front of them. By a trick of the VR, the presentation displays would appear at right angles to the view of both those seated in the auditorium and the Emperor and his companions. Right now it just said “Building the Peace” in large title characters.

  “Be seated, everyone,” Dunham said.

  He waited for everyone to take their seats.

  “All right, Mr. Markov. You may begin.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.

  “We are going to present here today our proposals for building the peace. Our goal is to put the Empire and all its annexations – indeed, all of humanity – on the path to a peaceful future. History shows there are many ways to wander from that path, and we have studied them in detail. The proposals we will present today all began in the new ideas group – the Zoo, if you will – but have since been vetted and improved upon by the business ideas group and the new ideas review group, all under Joe Lin.

  “These proposals fall into four main areas.”

  Markov waved to the display, which switched from the title to a listing of the four areas.

  “Treatment of the DPN, Political, Culture & Prosperity, and Frontier. For Treatment of the DPN, let me introduce Sally Yeats.”

  Markov took his seat in the front row, and a young woman got up and walked to the center of the speaker’s well.

  “Your Majesty, Milady Empress, Consul Saaret, I’d first like to thank the DPN team in the Zoo. Can you stand up, everybody?”

  She waved a hand to the assembled audience and a dozen or so people stood up. Dunham did some fancy footwork in the VR channels here, because he was actually, in the person of Bobby Furlan, in the audience as well. Dunham had kept touch with the Zoo over the years, welcoming the chance to just throw ideas out without having to worry about the incredible weight the words of the Emperor carried. He stood along with the other members of the team, and then sat back down, setting his avatar to watching attentively, then switched channels back to his Emperor avatar, down in the speaker’s well.

  “Our biggest recommendation is to treat the members of the DPN with respect and care. We passed this recommendation through channels before, while the war was on and the timing was critical. Your Majesty has already done much of it, in rescuing DPN spacers from starvation in many cases, in manipulating events to prove individual formations could not win, which made most of the potential combat unneeded, honoring their ranks and time in service, and honoring the DP’s pension commitments.

  “We believe there are a few more things that can be done in this regard. One is to give DPN veterans, as we do Imperial Navy veterans, priority in Imperial hiring, and transferring their Navy service years into their new Imperial jobs for calculating Imperial civil service seniority and pensions. We will need to hire a lot of people to work for the Imperial government in the former Democracy of Planets, and giving their veterans the same perks as we give our own makes them more a part of the family.

  “Similarly, we think merging veterans organizations and offices, to the extent the Imperial government has any control over that, would also be a helpful step. Perhaps the Imperial Navy could encourage such organizations to take that step.

  “The point is to never treat them as former combatants. It’s too easy to lose that adjective, ‘former.’ These are the people in the former DP who know how to fight, have the training to fight, would be necessary for any serious resistance to integration and peace. We have them, for the most part, on our side now, and the goal is to keep it that way. Not to misstep somehow, in a way that aggravates whatever lingering issues there might be.”

  Yeats bowed and went back to her seat.

  “Thank you, Ms. Yeats,” Dunham said.

  Markov stood up at his seat.

  “Presenting the Political area is Thomas Gaffney.”

  A young man stood up in the front row and walked into the speaker’s well. As had Yeats, he introduced his team and invited them to stand. Dunham was OK staying with his Imperial avatar this time. His Furlan avatar was only involved in the DPN work.

  “In the political area, we note in history the recurrence of war between people who are structural antagonists. The goal is to remove or modify, on one side or the other, the structures that generate the antagonism. In the political arena, that is anything that results in an ‘us and them’ mentality.

  “We think there are several steps here that would make a big difference going forward. If we look at this table–“ Gaffney waved to the display “– we see the status of the Empire both before and after the recent wars.

  “Before, the Sintaran Empire encompassed thirty sectors containing one hundred fifty thousand planets and three hundred trillion people. We have since annexed Pannia as one sector, Estvia, in two sectors, Phalia and the Rim, for a total of eight sectors, Garland, as one sector, Cascade, Celestia, Nederling, and Preston, for a total of nine sectors, Jasmine and Midlothia, as one sector each, the Democracy of Planets, twenty sectors, and their satellites, Annalia, Berinia, and Terre Autre, for a total of six sectors, making a total of seventy-nine sectors currently.

  “The planet and population numbers are just as telling. The Empire now comprises some four hundred thousand planets, with a total population approaching 1.1 quadrillion people.

  “Another way to look at it is to consider who is not in the Empire. Of the four hundred and forty thousand human-settled planets, forty-four thousand – ten percent – are not part of the Empire. The population numbers are even starker. Of 1.15 quadrillion human beings, fifty six trillion – not quite five percent – live outside the Empire.

  “Considering the Sintaran Empire at the time of Your Majesty’s coronation almost ten years ago, only thirty eight percent of today’s sectors, thirty-eight percent of today’s planets, and twenty-seven percent of today’s citizens made up that much smaller Empire. Another way to think of it is fully seventy-three percent of today’s citizens were not a part of the Sintaran Empire ten years ago.

  “In a very real sense, today’s Empire is no longer the Sintaran Empire at all. We suggest Your Majesty make that official. Drop the name Sintar, which for years has been the boogeyman many current citizens were told about by their lying leaders. Instead call this grand merger of so much of humanity the Galactic Empire.”

  Gaffney waved a hand at the display, and it changed from the table to a map, a three-dimensional map of the Empire, with only the four republics and the Satrapy of Sirdon standing alone to one side – the farside – of the map.

  “In that vein, we also suggest you rename this planet, Sintar. We looked into the history of the planet’s name. It was originally Cintar, spelled with a ‘c’, and became corrupted early on. Cintar is the Slavic root word for Center. We propose you rename this, the capital planet of the Galactic Empire, simply Center. It is the Center of the Empire, and very nearly in the center of the map. Make it official. Call it that.

  “Finally, Your Majesty, at your coronation you got down on your knees before the Throne and swore oath to the people of the Sintaran Empire. But that was only twenty-seven percent of the people who now find themselves under your rule. We suggest you have a re-coronation, as Emperor of the Galactic Empire, and swear oath anew, to all the people within your borders, perhaps to all of humanity. The symbolism couldn’t be clearer – that all are equal before the Throne. The ten-year anniversary of your coronation, in a few months’ time, might be a particularly auspicious time to do that.”

  Gaffney bowed to the Emperor and returned to his seat.

  “Thank you, Mr. Gaffney,” Dunham said.

  Markov stood up at his seat.

  “Prosperity & Culture will be addressed by Rajiv Sharma.”

  A young man got up from his seat in the front row and walked to the center of the speaker’
s well. He introduced his team before starting his presentation.

  “Another area of structural antagonism is differences in culture and prosperity. These can be pernicious, and, over time, these differences almost always lead to conflict.

  “The biggest cultural and prosperity difference between the Sintaran Empire as it existed ten years ago and the peoples annexed to the Empire since is the penetration of VR into their populations. These penetrations are as low as two percent. There are hundreds of trillions of human beings – more than half of your citizens, in fact – who do not have VR implants.

  “This means they cannot view entertainment programming in VR, cannot engage in business in VR, cannot further their schooling in VR. There is a huge gap between the future prospects of the haves and the have-nots when it comes to VR. Clearly, rectifying this needs to be a priority.

  “It will take years. We propose the following methodology. Rather than do VR implants in a bulk, unscheduled fashion, as we have been, have people sign up for appointments. A two-person team can scan identification, inject the nanites, and give out the VR training box to perhaps five hundred people per day. Have every team have sign-ups on the network, and let people sign up through normal computer access.

  “The reason we say this is that, if we say we will get people on VR as fast as we can, and we know it’s going to take years, we will get people grousing. ‘It’s been three years, and I still haven’t gotten my nanites.’ This is a breeding ground for trouble.

  “If we schedule appointments instead, we will instead have people saying something like, ‘Well, I’ve waited three years, I only have one more year to go.’ That person is not going to cause trouble, because it could upset the schedule for him getting the nanites.

  “The one exception to that would be school and pre-school children. They should be given the nanites as soon as possible. Having their children and grandchildren attending school in VR will ensure the goodwill of many people, even if we can’t get to them until later.

  “On other prosperity matters, we recommend there be no tariffs between planets within the Empire. Period. Not allowed. The growth of interstellar trade increases prosperity.

  “In that regard, we will need a lot more freighters. Remotely crewed freighters might be best. Thinking that, we were wondering. There are over six million DP warships now more or less abandoned around their home planets. Can we rebuild and repurpose them as freighters?

  “These are the biggest Cultural and Prosperity opportunities we see. VR, no tariffs, and lots of freighters. People who are bound together by VR-enabled education, communications, and entertainment, and who buy and sell each others’ products, are unlikely candidates for war.”

  Sharma bowed to the Emperor and resumed his seat.

  “Thank you, Mr. Sharma,” Dunham said.

  Markov stood up at his seat.

  “The Frontier will be addressed by Xu Guiying.”

  A young woman got up from her seat and walked out into the speaker’s well. She introduced her team before starting her presentation.

  “There are two aspects of our recommendation for maintaining and growing a frontier. The first involves the five remaining independent states of Abelard, Bordain, Doria, Sirdon, and Westhaven. As we can see from the map, these all lie along the farside edge of the Empire, inward along the galactic spiral, in the direction we would normally call ‘west.’

  “We propose these five states remain independent nations. They will always represent a place someone can go if they’re unhappy with being a part of the Empire. That sort of potential goes a long way to relieving pressure, even if no one ever decides to make the trip.

  “To ensure these five nations are allowed to remain independent into the indefinite future, we propose Your Majesty bind the Throne with a guarantee of independence, such as an Imperial Charter to operate as an independent nation. A future ruler of the Empire could, we suppose, revoke such a charter, but the Throne has traditionally kept its promises across the reigns of multiple rulers.

  “The second part of our recommendation is to encourage the settlement of new planets even further west by those who desire more excitement in their lives. Such desires in stable environments often result in people causing instability for its own sake. Instead, we propose the Empire enlist colonists to settle new planets, maintaining a growing frontier to our galactic west.

  “’Go west, young man,’ was an exhortation in the North America of the nineteenth century. We propose to revive that sentiment among those for whom boring prosperity offers no allure.

  “In this regard, we further propose the Empire finance these expeditions entirely. All the equipment, food, transportation, medicines, hypergates, QE radio networks – everything needed for a successful colony expedition – should be financed completely by the Empire. We’ve run the numbers, and it’s much cheaper than the societal costs of crimes, trials, incarceration, and recidivism of bored adventurers to simply finance anyone who wants to go off and do something exciting and adventurous.

  “We further propose those colonies be given a Charter, similar to that for Sirdon and the four republics, to operate as an independent planet for a period of fifty years, at which point a plebiscite can determine whether or not they wish to join the Empire. This gives that initial wave of colonists a guarantee they will not be forced into the Empire against their will during their lifetimes.”

  Xu bowed to the Emperor and resumed her seat.

  “Thank you, Ms. Xu.”

  Markov stood at his seat.

  “That concludes our presentation, Your Majesty.”

  “Remain seated, everyone,” Dunham said.

  Dunham stood and walked to the center of the speaker’s well, turning to face the group.

  “I want to thank you for this presentation, and all the work and research that went into it. These are exactly the sort of well researched and concrete proposals we need to build a lasting peace and ensure future Emperors do not have to face the sorts of decisions I have had to make over the last ten years. For a good long time into the future, I hope.

  “I find all these proposals interesting, and am looking forward to reading your detailed written proposals. I will hold my questions until I have had the time to read and think about your proposals, and will request additional information if I have any questions.

  “Thank you very much, all of you, for a job well done.”

  Dunham bowed his head to the group, and he, Peters, Saaret, and their three chairs disappeared.

  Lots of Meetings

  It was raining tonight, and the wind three hundred feet above ground level could whip the rain around as it passed over and around the building, so the window wall was necessarily closed this evening. The kids in bed, they sat in the living room for their daily quiet period together.

  “What did you think of the presentation by the Zoo today?” Peters asked.

  “There were a couple of things I found surprising,” Dunham said. “Most of the rest was things I had anticipated, at least in broad terms.”

  “So what did you find surprising?”

  “Renaming Sintar and the Empire. That hadn’t occurred to me.”

  Peters nodded.

  “It’s a branding issue, to put it in marketing terms. All the lies about Sintar, both those spread by the DP and those spread internally to their populations by the Alliance governments, have tarnished the brand, one might say. So sidestep the issue.”

  “But everybody knows it’s the same thing.”

  “Yes and no. Everybody knows it’s the same thing, but you no longer trigger the mental associations with the word. It also signifies a change in orientation. In emphasis.”

  “I’m surprised that can work.”

  ”What else surprised you?” Peters asked.

  “A second coronation. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “The coronation has always been very popular, but only within the Empire. Only twenty-five percent of humanity was part of the Empire t
en years ago, and now ninety-five percent is. Most of the people now within the Empire have never seen their Emperor get down on his knees and swear to do well by them. To do the best he can. That’s important.”

  “Oh, I see it now. I just hadn’t thought of it.”

  “What did you think of the colonization proposal?” Peters asked.

  “I liked it. It reminds me of Botany Bay, though.”

  “The British penal colony in Australia? I think it’s more like the British colonies in North America. Give them a charter and ask for volunteers. Mostly volunteers, anyway.”

  Dunham nodded.

  “So what about turning the DPN warships into freighters?” Peters asked.

  “Or colony ships. That’s an intriguing idea.”

  “How would you get that done, though?”

  “Well, I do know a fellow who’s a specialist in salvage operations, and I have a friend who’s pretty good with ship design as well.”

  “You’re going to introduce Otto Stauss to Jared Denny? Oh my God. I’m just glad they’re both on our side.”

  Dunham laughed.

  “Do you know any better way to get the job done?” he asked.

  “No, not at all. That will definitely work. It’s just sort of scary to think of those two together. That’s all.”

  Peters watched the rain slashing at the windows for several minutes.

  “So what else is on the schedule this week?” she asked.

  “Interviewing the first of the district governors. That should be interesting.”

  “Indeed. I wonder which way they’re going to jump.”

  “I would think they would want to stay in power. They are the people who sought out such power within the DP, and were the ultimate winners in achieving it.”

  “As long as they follow the new rules.”

  “Correct. As long as they follow the new rules. That is non-negotiable.”

  First up among the district governors was Seth Glick, the district governor of Gandon District. Interestingly, that was the home planet of Gunther Auer and therefore the headquarters planet of the plutocracy that actually ran the Democracy of Planets. To the extent there could be said to be any headquarters, that is.