“Wouldn’t it?” muttered Lord Sanderlake.
“I think not,” said Keble-Keith. “After all, there are precedents, you know — numerous ones, and all of them quite clear and unambiguous. Admittedly, no whole planet has ever been annexed before, but terra incognita is terra incognita no matter where it’s found, and our legal advisers assure us that the procedure for annexing undiscovered territory is not affected by the size of the said territory. That being so, the Corporation’s next step will be to proclaim the annexation.”
terra incognita terra incognita Lord Sanderlake looked disconcerted. “What, right away?”
“Well, just as soon as possible,” Keble-Keith told him. “That’s to say, just as soon as the Corporation has built a transmitter sufficiently powerful to —”
“But there’s no need for tha
