"'Commander...your young man makes me proud to be a sentient creature. What might our united races not accomplish? Hunt well.'"
-Ensign Flandry, CHAPTER FOURTEEN, p. 145.
Once I asked a friend a question and, after some thought, he responded, "I think you're right." I was bewildered. I had asked a question, seeking information, not made a statement. However, he had interpreted the question as a rhetorical question, thus as a statement, and thought that that statement was right whereas, when I realized this, I did not know what the statement was. I will not say that I agree with Brechdan because he asked a question, although no doubt it was rhetorical. I think that Merseians and Terrans united would be able to accomplish much but not in the way that Brechdan means. His "Hunt well" gives the game away. He had said earlier:
"'...I would love to see them our willing subjects.'
-CHAPTER TEN, p. 92.
He means that Merseians with Terrans as willing subjects would conquer the rest of the galaxy more quickly.
The real potential for interracial cooperation is shown in the following installment when the xenophysiologist, Cnif hu Vanden says:
"'This pouchful of us...to fathom an entire world!'"
-A Circus Of Hells, CHAPTER THIRTEEN, p. 286.
-and Flandry responds:
"'I know...I've heard my own scholarly acquaintances groan about getting funds.'" (ibid.)
Flandry continues that Merseians and Terrans have only recently begun to understand their own planets and now have many more to explore. Interracial peace could be the beginning of a new age of dynamic exploration.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
But that kind of interracial peace would only be possible if the Rokdhunate renounced both its impossible ambition of conquering the entire Galaxy and its conviction that the Merseian was superior to everybody else. So, yes, Brechdan's words "I would love to see them [humans] our willing subjects gives away the Merseians real view.
Ad astra! Sean
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