Gau said nothing, and looked toward the stars, which were beginning to show in the darkening sky. OrenThen followed his gaze. “Looking for your ship?”
“Found it,” Gau said, and pointed upward. “The Gentle Star. You remember it.”
“I do,” orenThen said. “It was small and old back when I first met you. I’m surprised you still command from it.”
“One of the nice things about running the universe is that you’re allowed your affectations,” Gau said.
OrenThen motioned back toward Gau’s platoon. “If memory serves, you’ve got about enough space on the Gentle for a small company of soldiers. I don’t doubt that’s enough to do the job here. But if you’re determined to make a statement, it seems underwhelming.”
“First it’s overkill, and now it’s underwhelming,” Gau said.
“Your being here is overkill,” orenThen said. “It’s your soldiers we’re talking about now.”
“I was hoping not to use any of them,” Gau said. “And that you would listen to reason. That being the case, there wouldn’t be a need to bring any more.”
“And if I don’t listen to ‘reason’?” orenThen said. “You could take this colony with a company, General. But we can make you pay for it. Some of my people were soldiers. All of them are tough. Some of your soldiers would be buried with us.”
“I know,” Gau said. “But it was never my plan to use my soldiers. If you won’t listen to reason—or the pleadings of an old friend—I have another plan in mind.”
“Which is?” orenThen asked.
“I’ll show you,” Gau said, and looked back toward his platoon. One of the soldiers came forward; Gau nodded to him. The soldier saluted and began speaking into a communications device. Gau returned his attention to orenThen.
“Since you once lobbied your own government to join the Conclave—and failed, through no fault of your own—I’m sure you can appreciate it when I tell you that it’s nothing short of miraculous that the Conclave exists at all,” Gau said. “There are four hundred and twelve races within the Conclave, each of them with their own plans and agendas, all of which had to be taken into consideration as the Conclave came into being. Even now the Conclave is a fragile thing. There are factions and alliances. Some races joined the Conclave thinking they could bide their time before taking it over. Others joined thinking the Conclave would be a free ride to colonization, with nothing else expected from them. I’ve had to make them all understand that the Conclave means security for all of them, and expects responsibility from all of them. And those races who didn’t join the Conclave have to learn that what the Conclave does—all of its members do.”
“So you’re here in the name of all the Conclave races,” orenThen said.
“That’s not what I mean,” Gau said.
“You’ve lost me again, General,” orenThen said.
“Look,” Gau said, and pointed toward his ship again. “You can see the Gentle?”
“Yes,” orenThen said.
“Tell me what else you see,” Gau said.
“I see stars,” orenThen said. “What else am I supposed to be seeing?”
“Keep watching,” Gau said.
A moment later a point of light appeared in the sky, near the Gentle. Then another, and another.
“More ships,” orenThen said.
“Yes,” Gau said.
“How many?” orenThen asked.
“Keep watching,” Gau said.
The ships winked in, singly, then in pairs and triplets, then in constellations.
“So many,” orenThen said, after some time.
“Keep watching,” Gau said.
OrenThen waited until he was sure no more ships were coming before he turned again to look at Gau, who was still looking into the sky.
“There are four hundred and twelve ships in your sky,” Gau said. “One ship from every member race of the Conclave. This is the fleet with which we will visit every world that was colonized, without authorization, after the Agreement.” Gau turned again and looked for his lieutenant, whom he could barely see in the gloom. Gau gave his lieutenant a second nod. The soldier spoke in his communicator again.
From each ship in the sky, a beam of coherent light stabbed into the colony on the riverbank, blanketing the colony in white. OrenThen let out an agonized, bursting cry.
“Spotlights, Chan,” Gau said. “Only spotlights.”
It took a few moments before orenThen could respond. “Spotlights,” he said, finally. “But only for the moment, correct?”
“At my order, every ship in the fleet will refocus its beam,” Gau said. “Your colony will be destroyed, and every member race of the Conclave will have a hand in it. This is how it has to be done. Security for all, responsibility from all. And no race can say it did not agree to the cost.”