Shadow of the giant

insofar as they make
sense, but where they don't, adjustments will be made. And people who have long
been deprived of legally recognized national boundaries and self-government
will receive those things within the FPE."
    Two new lights appeared, blinking a deeper blue. One cut a
large swathe across the Andes. The other took a chunk out of southwestern
Sudan.
    "The FPE immediately recognizes the existence of the
nations of Nubia, in Africa, and Runa, in South America. Plebiscites will be
held immediately, and if the people of these regions vote to ratify the
Constitution, then the FPE will act vigorously to protect their borders. You
will notice that part of the territory of Runa has been voluntarily contributed
by the nations of Bolivia and Ecuador as one of the terms of their entry into
the FPE. The Free People of Earth salute the far-sighted and generous leaders
of these nations."
    Peter leaned forward. "The FPE will act vigorously to
protect the electoral process. Any attempt to interfere with these plebiscites
will be regarded as an act of war against the Free People of Earth."
    There was the gauntlet.
    The questioning afterward, as Peter had hoped, focused on
the two new nations whose boundaries included territory belonging to nations
that had not ratified—Peru and Sudan. Instead of being peppered with skeptical
questions about the FPE itself, Peter had already settled the question of how
serious they were. Taking on Peru was bad enough—no one doubted the ability of the
FPE to crush the Peruvian military. It was Sudan. A Muslim country, which had
given its allegiance to Caliph Alai.
    "Are you declaring war against Caliph Alai?"
demanded a reporter for an Arab news service.
    "We declare war against no one. But the people of Nubia
have a long history of oppression, atrocities, famine, and religious
intolerance committed against them by the government of Sudan. How many times
in the past two hundred years has international action caused Sudan to promise
to do better? Yet in the aftermath of Caliph Alai's astonishing unification of
the Muslim world, the outlaws and criminals in Sudan immediately took this as
permission to renew their genocidal treatment of the Nubians. If Caliph Alai
wishes to defend the criminals of Sudan even as he repudiates those of India,
that is his choice. One thing is certain: Any right the Sudanese might once
have claimed to rule over Nubia has long since expired. The Nubian people have
been united by war and suffering into a nation that deserves statehood—and
protection."
    Peter ended the press conference soon afterward, announcing
that Starman, Bellini, and Boom would each hold press conferences two days
later in their home countries. "But the armed forces, border guards, and
customs services of these nations are now all under the control of the FPE.
There is no such thing as a Rwandan or Brazilian military. Only the military of
the FPE."
    "Wait!" cried one reporter. "There's no
'Hegemon' in this whole Constitution!"
    Peter returned to the microphone. "Fast reading,"
he said.
    Laughter, then expectant silence.
    "The office of Hegemon was created to meet an emergency
that threatened the entire Earth. I will continue as Hegemon under both the
original authority under which I was selected for the office, and under
temporary authorization from the FPE, until such time as no serious military
threat against the Free People of Earth exists. At that time, I will resign my
office and there will be no successor. I am the last Hegemon, and I hope to
give up the office as quickly as possible."
    Peter left again, and this time ignored the shouted
questions.
     
     
    As expected, Peru and Sudan didn't even declare war. Since
they refused to recognize the legitimacy of the FPE or the new nations carved
from their territory, whom would they declare war against?
    Peruvian troops moved first, heading for known hideouts of
Champi T'it'u's revolutionary movement. Some of them were empty. But some of
them were defended by highly trained Rwandan soldiers. Peter was using Bean's
Rwandans so that it wouldn't be perceived as another war between Brazil and
Peru; it had to be the FPE defending a member state's borders.
    The Peruvian armies found themselves caught in well-laid
traps, with sizable forces moving in across their lines of supply and communication.
    It quickly became known throughout Peru that the Rwandan
troops were better trained and better equipped than the Peruvian Army—and they
were led by