“At less risk, noble Ottonius, than you imagine,” said Iaachus. “Telnaria has conserved mighty weaponry, which may be employed in its defense.”
“The batteries,” said Julian.
“Of course,” said Iaachus.
“Which may not fire,” said Otto.
“I do not understand,” said Iaachus.
“In many districts of the city,” said Julian, “there is unrest, civil disorder, rioting, looting and burning.”
“Unfortunately,” said Iaachus.
“The blockade?” said Julian.
“That is the pretext,” said Iaachus. “More is concealed.”
“Guardsmen are few,” said Julian. “They do not interfere.”
“They have been forbidden to interfere, save to defend their own safety,” said Iaachus.
“What madness is this?” said Julian.
“Much has transpired since Tangara,” said Iaachus. “New games are afoot, and new players move unfamiliar pieces.”
“I shall tell you what I have learned,” said Julian, “and you may tell me what you know.”
“Proceed, dear friend,” said Iaachus.
“Recruitment amongst Vandals, once promising, is imperiled,” said Julian. “Loyalties are uncertain and confusion reigns. By tradition, Vandals, in all their tribes, will follow the wearer of a given medallion and chain, a war lord’s emblem of office. Drisriaks, a tribe of the Aatii, or Alemanni, by custom hereditary enemies of Vandals, obtained that token, and threatened plausibly to use it to unite the Alemanni and Vandal nations in an alliance which would portend doom to the empire. But many such medallions and chains were smithed and distributed, this casting doubt on the authenticity of any such device.”
“Excellent!” said Iaachus.
“Now,” said Julian, “that alliance is forestalled, but Vandals, even Otungs, hesitate to declare for the silver standards.”
“There is much here,” said Otto, “which I do not understand. I do not see in this matter the thinking of Drisriaks. There is a subtlety and an astuteness here, a narrow slyness and cunning, which seems unlikely to have sprung from camps and halls. What is here speaks rather to me of cities, of sheltered colonnades and sealed chambers.”
“Let us suppose,” said Julian, “as my colleague suspects, that machinations are herein involved, and machinations originating in, or supported by, forces within Telnaria itself.”
“Yes,” said Iaachus, “let us suppose that.”
“Then what I cannot understand is the possible motivation for such an act. What could be gained? Why would one tear down walls? Why would one open gates in the presence of an enemy?”
“Clearly there would be something to be gained,” said Iaachus.
“Surely nothing in the interest of the throne,” said Julian.
“No,” said Iaachus.
“Then, what?” demanded Julian.
“I fear I know,” said Iaachus.
“What?” said Julian.
“You have noted the unrest in the city, the rioting, the looting,” said Iaachus.
“Yes,” said Julian.
“What you are unlikely to have noted, or understood,” said Iaachus, “is that the temples of the gods, and the temples of Floonians, save for one such cult, have been attacked, despoiled, and burned, by zealots, supposedly in the holy cause of propagating a particular faith, one of the several supposedly one true faiths, only the other one true faiths, at least to date, have refrained from promoting their views by destruction, arson, murder, robbery, and such.”
“Surely the city is in turmoil,” said Julian. “There is general looting and burning. Many districts are unsafe, some devastated.”
“Some of this is spillage,” said Iaachus. “Fire spreads. One object of value appropriated leads to another. Who can resist the temptation to seize unprotected treasure? Is there no elation in stealing, burning, and killing? In a crowd small men are large, weak men are strong. The unhappy, envious, and resentful are liberated within the concealment of anonymity. Once the beast with many heads has tasted blood it longs for more. In what other country than the mob can hatred and violence, theft and greed, be unleashed with impunity? But there is more, as well, and intention, and calculation.”
“I do not understand,” said Julian.
“These riots are fomented with a purpose,” said Iaachus, “and the purpose is the acquisition of power.”
“I have been long from Telnaria,” said Julian.
“Do you know of Floonianism?” asked Iaachus.
“Very little,” said Julian.
“It is a demand of a particular Floonian leader, the leader of one of the several Floonian faiths, a man named Sidonicus, entitled ‘Exarch of Telnar’,” said Iaachus, “that the empire adopt his version of Floonianism as the official faith of the Telnarian empire, and that the empire should then use its power to supplant and exterminate all other faiths, of whatever sort.”
“Tolerance is the way of Telnaria,” said Julian, “even from the time of the village kings, even before the institution of the senate, even before the empire.”
“Sidonicus demands intolerance,” said Iaachus, “on behalf of his own views, of course.”
“He is insane,” said Julian.
“Perhaps, rather,” said Iaachus, “brilliant and unscrupulous.”
“Surely the empire will do nothing so cruel, heinous, and divisive,” said Julian.
“Rewards would attend this concession,” said Iaachus. “Floonians, in their millions, on many worlds, as you probably know, have largely existed as inactive, benign parasites, living within the shelter of the empire they refuse to support and defend. They ignore state authority, flout law, eschew taxes, decline munera, refuse to bear arms, and so on. They are, I gather, primarily concerned with the welfare of their own koos, whatever that is.”
“Interesting,” said Julian.
“But,” said Iaachus, “in exchange for declaring Floonianism the official faith of the empire, and extirpating all other faiths, Sidonicus will bring his flocks into the fold of the empire, supposedly then a reformed, redeemed empire.”
“As committed, participating citizens, to support, defend it, and so on,” said Julian.
“Precisely,” said Iaachus. “You can see the potential value to the empire of additional millions of zealous patriots now defending an empire they regard as their own.”
“And what of our other citizens?” asked Julian.
“Over one or two centuries,” said Iaachus, “there may be no other citizens. The confused and hesitant, the opportunistic, can be converted, the recalcitrant killed, or, if any should survive, exiled, deported, forced into wastelands, driven into wilderness worlds, to eke out what livelihood they can in scattered, despised enclaves.”
“And if the empire does not so declare, as the exarch wishes?”
“Opposition, disruption,” said Iaachus. “Treason, inertness, treachery, betrayal of the empire. You have seen the streets.”
“Clear them,” said Julian.
“We dare not,” said Iaachus. “One would do no more than produce martyrs.”
“And thus the quiescence of guardsmen?” said Julian.
“What, in any event, would be a hundred guardsmen, or two hundred, against an avalanche of ten thousand?”
“What will the empire do?” asked Julian.
“I urge resistance,” said Iaachus.
“Because of the threat to your own power?” asked Julian.
“If you wish,” said Iaachus.
“What of the emperor?”
“He plays with his toys.”
“The empress mother?”
“She is receiving instruction in Floonianism,” said Iaachus.
“Your power in the palace wanes,” said Julian.
“Another has her ear,” said Iaachus, “Sidonicus, Exarch of Telnar.”