Free Imperial Stars 3-The Crash of Empire by Jerry Pournelle

equality between opponents."
     
    Lance Phillips, feeling dazed and drained, but with a small warm sense of achievement, straightened from the battle computer.
    "I didn't do too badly?"
    "Best of the lot," said the examiner cheerfully. "Your understanding of the geometrical aspects of space strategy is outstanding."
    "I had a sense of drag—as if I couldn't get the most out of my forces."
    "You didn't. You aren't dealing with pure abstract force, but with human beings. You made no allowance for that."
    "But I did well enough to survive?"
    "You did."
    "What about the others?"
    "They had their opportunity. Those who conquered will be saved. Any really outstanding fighters who lost because of bad luck, or superb opposition, will also be saved."
    "We get a chance to do battle later?"
    "Correct."
    "We fight for our own planet?"
    "That's right."
    "But—how long since the planet was attacked?"
    "Yesterday, when this trial began. Prior to that, not for about a hundred years."
    " Yesterday! What are we doing here? We should—"
    The examiner shook his head.
    "The attack never amounted to anything. Just a fleet of lobsters wiped out in fifteen minutes."
    Lance Phillips looked quite dizzy.
    "I thought we didn't believe in war!"
    "Of course not," said the examiner. "War, of the usual kind, has a brutalizing effect. As likely as not, the best are sent to slaughter each other, so at least the physical level of the race is lowered. The conquered are plundered of the fruits of their labor, which is wrong, while the conquerors learn to expect progress by pillage instead of by work; they become a burden on everyone around them; that leads to a desire to exterminate them. The passions aroused do not end with the conflict, but go on to make more conflict. We don't believe in war. Unfortunately, not everyone is equally enlightened. Should we, because we recognize the truth, be at the mercy of every sword-rattler and egomaniac? Of course not. But how are we to avoid it? By simultaneously understanding the evils of war, and being prepared to wage it defensively on the greatest scale."
    "But that's a contradiction! You can't distinguish between offensive and defensive weapons! And we have too small a planet to support a large-scale war!"
    The examiner looked him over coolly.
    "With due respect to your logic, your understanding is puny. Now, we have something here we call 'discipline.' Think carefully before you tell me again to my face that I am a fool, or a liar. I repeat, 'How do we avoid war? By simultaneously understanding the evils of war, and being prepared to wage it defensively on the greatest scale.' "
    Lance Phillips felt the objections well up, felt the overpowering certainty, the determination to brush aside nonsense.
    Simultaneously, he felt something else.
    He opened his mouth. No words came out.
    Could this be fear?
    Not exactly.
    What was it?
    Suddenly he recognized it.
    Caution.
    Warily, he said, "In that case . . . ah . . . how —"
     
    Iadrubel Vire scanned the fragmentary reports, and looked at Margash Grele. Grele's normally iridescent integument was a muddy gray.
    "This is all?" said Vire.
    "Yes, sir."
    "No survivors?"
    "Not one, so far as we know. It was a slaughter."
    Vire sat back dazed. A whole battle fleet wiped out—just like that. This would alter the balance of force all along the frontier.
    "What word from the Storehouses?"
    "Nothing, sir."
    "No demands?"
    "Not a word."
    "After a victory like this, they could—" He paused, frowning. They were pacifists, who believed in self-defense.
    That sounded fine, in principle, but—how had they reduced it to practice? After all, they were only one planet. Their productive capacity and manpower did not begin to approach that of Crustax and—
    Vire cut off that line of thought. This loss, with enough patience and craft, could be overcome. Two or three more like it would be the finish. There was just not enough potential gain to risk further attempts on that one little