"But that's ridiculous, Khreggor. Who does the work, and who tells them what to do? Who told these people to come here?"
"Our Emperor sent us. That is his picture, behind me. But we are not his slaves. He is merely the chief man among us. Do your Masters not have one among them who is chief?"
"That's right," Chmidd said to Hozhet. "In the Convocation, your Lord-Master is chief, and in the Mastership, my Lord-Master, Rovard Javasan, is chief."
"But they don't tell the other Lords-Master what to do. In Convocation, the other Lords-Master tell them...."
"That's what I meant about an oligarchy," he whispered, in Imperial, to Erskyll.
"Suppose we tell Ravney to herd these Lords-Master onto a couple of landing-craft and bring them up here?" Shatrak suggested. He made the suggestion in Lingua Terra Basic, and loudly.
"I think we can manage without that." He raised his voice, speaking in Lingua Terra Basic:
"It does not matter whether these slaves talk to us or not. This planet is now under the rule of his Imperial Majesty, Rodrik III. If this Mastership wants to govern the planet under the Emperor, they may do so. If not, we will make an end of them and set up a new government here."
He paused. Chmidd and Hozhet were looking at one another in shocked incredulity.