“Hail to Sovereign Peace”

“Hail to Sovereign Peace” is the anthem played as the Secretary General enters the public Earth–Mars meeting. Jubal Harshaw turns its ceremonial role into a delicate test of diplomatic equality: the anthem honors the Secretary General, while the separate Mars movement allows Valentine Michael Smith to be presented as a sovereign rather than a subordinate guest.

The anthem in the diplomatic ceremony

Jubal prepares for the Secretary General’s arrival by asking that “Hail to Sovereign Peace” be played, followed by the anthem for Mars. The Secretary General’s staff confirms that the first piece is obligatory. Jubal’s request for a second anthem therefore does more than add ceremony: it makes Mars audible as a distinct political presence in the meeting.

When the great doors open at the first strains of “Hail to Sovereign Peace,” the Secretary General enters and heads for his chair. Jubal and Smith are already standing. Jubal has rejected leaving Smith seated at the Secretary General’s entrance, since he wants the meeting to begin between equals, not to place Smith above his counterpart. At the Secretary General’s arrival, Jubal signals Smith to sit; the two men take their seats simultaneously, while the other attendees wait several respectful seconds before sitting.

Contrast with the Mars movement

The distinction between the two pieces becomes a matter of staged protocol. As the Mars movement begins, Jubal rises promptly, and the Secretary General stands as well. Smith remains seated because Jubal has not signaled him to rise. His stillness makes the point that the music is not a salute to a superior: Smith is being treated as the sovereign to whom the anthem is offered. He does not understand the diplomatic maneuver and follows the instructions of his water brother without embarrassment.

When the music ends, Smith stands, bows briefly, and sits again with the others. Jubal has modeled the gesture on the conduct of a reigning queen he once saw acknowledge the salute offered to her own sovereign self. The sequence lets the ceremony make its argument without a speech: the Secretary General receives the formal respect due his office, but Smith does not stand beneath him.

Ceremonial meaning

The anthem’s significance lies in its position within a carefully arranged exchange of gestures. “Hail to Sovereign Peace” marks the Secretary General’s entrance; the Mars movement follows as a separate assertion of Martian status. Jubal’s choreography balances deference and equality, using standing, sitting, and the order of the music to shape how the assembled officials understand the meeting. The anthem thus helps turn a diplomatic encounter into a public performance of recognition.