[ He looks up, and then back at Byerly, shrugging. ]

In Harmonia, the tradition is for conquered nations to become second class citizens. If they cooperate. That's the same legal status most people born in the country have— the first class citizens are the nobility. [ He waves a hand. ]

But if they don't cooperate, they become third class citizens, a legal status little better than slavery, with worse taxes. That lasts for a hundred years. If they ever rebel, the timeline starts over. Our ruler is immortal, you see, so he can wait.

My boss wants to find a way to shorten the timeline. Parole for good behavior. [ A pause. ] I guess the debate is how he's going to do it.