BtH96

==Chapter 96 - By the Horns==
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Government House
Port Sheridan, New Vallis
Taurian Concordat
April 20th, 3026
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"And you are live in three . . . two . . . one," said the producer as Thomas sat behind his borrowed desk. The red lights on all of the holo-cameras blinked on and Thomas Calderon, Protector of the Taurian Concordat looked straight ahead.
"My fellow Taurians," he began. "Today I am making several announcements that will affect all of us in the Concordat. First and foremost, I am on the world of New Vallis where I, my heir Edward Calderon, and officials of my government have concluded negotiations with ComStar."
He paused for a moment and then he smiled at the cameras. "The Interdiction is over. By the end of May, all HPG Stations in the Concordat should be resuming their normal operations. The . . . incident that caused the Interdiction and the Concordat takeover of all the HPG Stations was not authorized by the ruling body of ComStar, but rather by rogue agents acting against not only the interests of the Concordat, but against their own organization."
"Those guilty of conspiring against both ComStar and the Concordat have been punished and the matter is now settled. Normal interstellar communications should resume on all worlds of the Concordat with an HPG station by the end of next month. I have been given the personal assurance of the Primus of ComStar—Vesar Kristofur—that such an incident will not occur again."
Once again, the Protector paused and he looked down at his notes and nodded before he resumed looking at the cameras. "Regardless of what assurances I—and the Concordat—have received, rest assured that we will be watching ComStar very closely in the future to prevent any such a repeat."
"On other matters, my son and Heir-Designate, Edward Calderon has just returned from a diplomatic mission to the Federated Suns. Hanse Davion and I have agreed to formally sign a peace treaty between the Taurian Concordat and the Federated Suns. The embargo against Taurian manufacturers and resource extractors selling to the Federated Suns is hereby lifted, along with the ban on purchasing items and material from the Federated Suns. First Prince Hanse Davion and I have agreed to a Free Trade Agreement where commerce—without tariffs—between our nations will commence."
"As part of this Treaty, the Taurian Concordat will send representatives to the worlds of Bromhead, Horsham, Robsart, Wrentham, Flintoft, Diefenbaker, Midale, Carmichael, Lindsay, Ridgebrook, Electra, Maia, Merope, Brockway, Brusett, Hyalite, Keuterville, Anaheim, Warren, Weippe, Caldwell, Pierce, Tentativa, Montour, Vedigreis, Cohagen, Estuan, Armington, and Csomad. These twenty-nine worlds will, in 3031, hold a plebiscite of their population to consider the following question: do you wish to rejoin the Taurian Concordat as member worlds or remain part of the Federated Suns?"
Even though the journalists and cameramen in the office knew what was coming, the was an audible intake of breath at that blunt statement.
The corner of Thomas' lip quivered for a moment and then he nodded his head. "Representatives of my government will be on each and every one of those worlds for the next five years, answering questions and pledging ourselves—the Taurian people—to the promise that each world that chooses to return to us will receive investments to restore the population and industry to where it was before the start of the Reunification War."
And then Thomas leaned back in his chair and he sighed. "But despite what we are doing to convince the people of these worlds that their future will be better if they are aligned with the Concordat rather than the Federated Suns, we are not assured that they will vote that way. Our representatives will be there to monitor the elections and ensure that they are fairly conducted. Yet, some of them—perhaps even all of them!—might well elect to remain part of the Federated Suns."
Thomas paused for a moment. "And we, the men and women of the Taurian Concordat will respect their choice in this matter. If our brothers and sisters of old return to us we will welcome them with open arms and make them Taurians once again. If they choose to remain separate, we will acknowledge their desire and forsake—once and for all time to come—any claims upon them."
"There are some of you out there among the Taurian Concordat who will see this as a betrayal of our ideals. It is not. We—the Taurian people, you and I and all those who dwell on our worlds—we are fulfilling our ideals by honoring those who once part of us with the choice of where their future lies."
"In five years, we may have the Pleiades returned to us; we may not. We may have systems that were part of the Old Concordat back in our fellowship of worlds. We may not. For that decision is not ours to make—we are not invaders. We are not conquerors. We are Taurians. And we shall respect the choice the people of these worlds make."
"We will not lash out against them if they choose to remain apart. We will not try—by force of arms—to join them to us when they have chosen not. I ask that all of you remain patient and in 3031 we will discover what the future may hold. Until then, I will—by my oath and on my mortal soul—continue to protect each and every one of you. Just as Samantha Calderon and every Protector of the Taurian Homeworlds and Taurian Concordat have done before me."
"Finally, for those among you who fear that Hanse Davion is using this as a ruse, as a means to lull the Concordat into complacency—rest assured that I have taken steps to assure that this is not the case. And should it be the case, we will have Wolf's Dragoons—all five regiments and their supporting elements—in the employ of the Taurian Concordat. Colonel Wolf and his command should be arriving in the Concordat by the end of June and his regiments will take up station along our borders with the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation to keep our worlds safe from predation. They will also work to train the Taurian Defense Force and the Constabulary to an even finer edge so that any attempt to invade the Concordat in the future will be repelled."
Thomas leaned forward and one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "I swore an oath to protect you all—and I shall do exactly that. I am Thomas Calderon, Thirty-Second Protector of the Taurian Concordat and this I swear to you all. Good night and may God above watch over each and every one of you as we enter a new age of peace and prosperity for all of our people."
Thomas waited for a moment, then the red lights on the cameras flickered off, and a voice announced, "And we are out!"
And there was applause from those scattered around the office as Thomas held up one hand. Slowly the applause faded.
"Henri," he said to his intelligence minister. "That goes out via HPG and courier ship to every world in the Concordat. Today."
"It shall be done, my Lord Protector." Henri answered with a bow.
"Good. Now let us head home. New Vallis is nice, but I miss Taurus—and my children."
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