The Starkad affair.
The Intelligence academy.
Scout duty based on Irumclaw.
Four years elsewhere with periods of advanced training on Terra.
The McCormac Rebellion.
During this period, Flandry advances from Ensign to Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander to Commander.
Arriving on Terra shortly before the McCormac Rebellion, Flandry reports to Captain Yuan-Li. Although on leave, he is shortly ordered to report neither to his immediate superior nor to Yuan-Li but to Vice Admiral Sir Ilya Kheraskov who gives him new orders and then tells him to report to Rear Admiral Yamaguchi.
Later
When Flandry is a Captain, his immediate superior is Fenross who advances from Vice Admiral to Admiral. Later again, Flandry himself becomes first an Admiral, then a Fleet Admiral.
I think that that summarizes the successive stages.
13 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think you should have added that for a long time Flandry was mostly content to remain a Captain in rank, because further promotion would make him too senior to continue being a field agent. And it was more fun and interesting to do intelligence work in person and on the scene!
It was only sometime after A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS that Flandry finally accepted promotion to admiral's rank and to doing mostly administrative, analytical work, and becoming an informal Imperial adviser.
Ad astra! Sean
Paul, Sean,
Upon reading today about the Uniforms of the newly established US Space Forces (somewhat unfairly mocked for carrying a camouflage pattern, simply because they did NOT order new uniforms but used existing ones, Air Force i guess to save expenses).
But anyway, this article made me wonder what rank structure the US Space Forces have. Given that it is associated with the Air Force I guess it will be army structure, ie Lieutenant/Captain/Mayor/Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel/General.
Which is a pity because any Space military institution should use the naval rank system for cools! :)
Sean,
Wasn't there also some sort of scandal, I seem to remember, that would preclude an early promotion to Rear Admiral?
Johan,
A Space Force would seem to require more of a presence in space first?
I don't remember that scandal.
Paul.
Kaor, Johan and Paul!
Johan: I agree, it would seem more natural for a Space Force which may eventually include space SHIPS to use Naval ranks and terminology. Which is what Poul Anderson did with the Navies of the Solar Commonwealth and Terran Empire.
Paul: Absolutely! For a Space Force to be REAL and meaningful first requires getting OFF this rock.
Ad astra! Sean
Paul,
I found that scandal, it's a reference at the beginning of THE GAME OF GLORY where Flandry's goings about after HONORABLE ENEMIES are detailed. After a mission to set up a surveilance center deep in Merseian space, he returns to Terra for leave where he spends an "epochal three months" at the permanent banquet of the Lyonid family. During this time he seduces, or is seduced by "the wrong man's wife", leading to Flandry reluctantly fighting a duel. We're not told about the outcome, other than that it caused Flandry to give up hope of an early promotion to Rear Admiral and be re-assigned to the Spica sector.
So it would seem staying Captain for a long time might not have been entirely voluntary, at least not initially.
Johan,
Thank you.
Paul.
I am now fascinated by the idea of a permanent banquet! The mere notion is gorgeously over the top and typical of the debauched age that came to an end with the death of the dispicable Emperor Josip and the rise of the somewhat dour Molitor Emperors (echoes of thrifty Vespasian after the excesses of Nero).
Johan,
Somewhere on the blog, I discussed a possible timetable for the banquet.
Paul.
See "A Perpetual Banquet," Tuesday, 22 January, 2013.
Kaor, Johan!
I should have discussed that point, that at least at one time Fladnry was hoping for early promotion to admiral's rank. But the problem is, in that very same story, WE CLAIM THESE STARS, Flandry seems revolted at the idea of having a merely administrative job. I see an inconsistency there, unless he very soon decided he was happy to remain a captain.
And this discussion of the Perpetual Banquet of the Lyonids somewhat regrettably brought to mind the vulgar, gross out Banquet of Trimalchio in Petronius Arbiter's SATYRICON. But I don't think the Lyonids Banquet was like that! Rather, I think Petronius was satirizing the nouveau riche parvenus of the Early Empire.
Yes, things like the Lyonid Banquet plainly came to be considered passe after Josip died. We see mention in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS of how a certain degree of austerity came to be preferred.
Ad astra! Sean
The perpetual banquet thing always made me think of the Mad Hatter's tea-party in ALICE.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
The somewhat chaotic "unexpected party" we see at the beginning of THE HOBBIT also comes to mind.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment