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."I agree completely, though, that something needs to be done about the basketof snakes." He scanned around the eighteen exarchs."Would someone like toidentify those snakes?"Page 36ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHands shot up.The Kalif called first on Alb Riisav again, then on others.The same points were made and elaborated as had been made in council the daybefore: The finding of numerous inhabited worlds would dash The Prophet'sseeming infallibility, and harm his aura of clairvoyance, which would weakenKarghanik, and the fabric of civilization.While finding the non-human empiregave credence to the oral tradition of a lostBook of Shatim.Also, thepresumed non-human empire now knew about humans, posing a possible threat tothe security of humanity.The Kalif or others answered those points much as he'd answered them incouncil the day before.The possibility of invading the Confederation was brought up, but the Kalifdidn't accept it for discussion till they were done with Alb Riisav's"snakes." Finally he pointed."Alb Varso, you wanted to discuss a possible conquest of the Confederation.This was brought up in council yesterday, but we didn't discuss it at anylength.Would you like to address the matter now?"The man spoke seated."I wasn't thinking in terms of conquering the entireConfederation, Your Reverence.I mean twenty-seven member worlds and even moresubject worlds? Even with our superior weaponry, that's far too many.It wouldbe more practical to conquer one or two of their lesser worlds.Subjectworlds."The Kalif's thick brows jumped; the exarch's military naivete had taken himby surprise."I haven't given the matter much thought yet," he answered, "butIam interested.Depending on how we go about it, I think we can follow yoursuggestion, yet have them all."He gave them a moment to puzzle at that.Jilsomo repressed a wrysmile:Haven't given the matter much thought yet!"Keep in mind," the Kalif went on, "that I'm speaking offhand thinking outloud.First let's consider their naval strength.Three years ago, according toour best information, they had between seven and ten battle cruisers andfifteen or twenty of what they call frigates, apparently similar in functionto light cruisers.As far as fighting vessels are concerned, that's all.Remember, the Confederation worlds have no navies of their own; only theircentral government has warships.They are a people whose wars have been minor,and fought almost entirely on the surfaces of tributary planets.It seemstheir major worlds have not fought each other for a very long time.Also, atany one time, most of their fleet is stationed near or on their central world,a planet they call Iryala.Other units are visiting other planets, generallysingly, or hunting smugglers; things of that sort."Of course, the Confederation may well have begun work on enlarging theirfleet since the Klestron incursion.I'd expect them to.Our information,though, is that they've had no active program of building warships for a longtime, so it's unlikely that they started with significant naval shipyards andarmories.It will take time for them to make major progress toward a powerfulfleet, time we mustn't give them.If, in fact, we're going to invade."Now suppose we capture a single system, the system of one of their lesserworlds.Presumably we'd start with just one in any case.Should we send aforce we consider sufficient to take and hopefully protect just one? Or aspowerful a force as we can?Page 37ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Suppose we send half our imperial navy: four battle cruisers and ten lightcruisers, along with troopships and supply ships, and then pause for a year orso to consolidate our control and organize our new possession.Let's say wealso deploy a defensive pattern of T-bots in the surrounds."Meanwhile, the Confederation would have built new shipyards and be adding toits fleet, perhaps significantly improving its weaponry at the same time.Whenthey were ready, they'd strike to recover their lost planet.Logical? Andtheir lines of supply and reinforcement would be far shorter than ours.Farshorter.Depending on how great our advantage in weaponry actually is, iftheir strategy and tactics were good enough, they might hound us and drive usout."He paused.No one seemed inclined to break in."On the other hand, suppose we attack with a maximum force: most of theimperial fleet plus most of the sultanic fleets.And assault their throneworld, a planet named Iryala, catching the main part of their fleet there anddestroying it.Iryala is their only world with facilities for buildinghyperspace ships.That monopoly is the key to Iryala's imperial dominance, asit is to ours, so they're unlikely to change it."Therefore, if we should capture Iryala, and destroy or decimate the warshipsstationed in her system, it would break their ability to do anything seriousabout our conquest."The Kalif paused, his attention on their faces, their reactions.He had theirattention.Not their agreement, necessarily, but their attention."As I said,I'm speaking offhand, and without extensive training in naval warfare.Butthat could be the broad strategy."Also, Iryala is, or was, the only Confederation world equipped and allowedto manufacture major munitions.Thus any surviving remnants of their fleetcould operate only until their ordnance was exhausted.We could go to whateverConfederation world we wished, concentrate our strength there, and capture it.Possibly we could rule the entire Confederation through the existingbureaucracy.If not, then over a period of time, perhaps a century, we couldconquer it planet by planet."He looked the exarchs over again and found no fidgeting, no suppressedarguments awaiting the floor.He continued:"The scenario I just outlined is based on one main assumption: that our spaceweaponry is much superior to theirs.There is no doubt that ours is at leastsomewhat superior, and probably substantially so.In particular, it seemsalmost certain that they have no energy shields, and that by itself would giveus a great, a decisive advantage."With this as a background, who has questions or comments? Alb Varso?"Varso stood.He was a smallish, wiry man with the appearance of considerableenergy."Your Reverence, have you given thought to how the empire might rulesuch conquered worlds? Conquer them perhaps, butrule them? They'd be somethinglike three years distant by hyperspace.It would take four years or moresimply to complete an exchange of messages by pod!"The Kalif nodded."This would have to be worked out in detail, in advance.Itmight be an autonomous region, governed for the empire in the name of Kargh,perhaps by a governor general.Karghanik would be the tie; Karghanik and thetradition of the colonists' home worlds [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]