The Terran Empire is likely to withdraw from the border planet, Irumclaw.
Meanwhile, a Merseian spy ring on Irumclaw reports to a secret naval-scientific base on Talwin in the Wilderness.
With Flandry
Local boss, Leon Ammon bribes Lieutenant Flandry to confirm the existence of an abandoned robotic mine on the metal-rich planet, Wayland.
Merseians capture Flandry and take him to Talwin but he escapes with the Roidhun's nephew as hostage.
Outcomes
Ammon will become rich enough to ensure that the Empire stays on Irumclaw;
meanwhile, he eliminates the spy ring;
the Merseians must stop spying from Talwin but agree to a joint Terran-Merseian scientific base on the planet;
Flandry gets rich enough to advance his career.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Ir was worse than the Empire merely withdrawing from Irumclaw! The planet was at a critical location for the defense of the entire Empire, as Flandry said to a fellow scout in Chapter II of A CIRCUS OF HELLS, in protest against the Empire abandoning Irumclaw: "Why, that'd leave this whole flank exposed, for six parsecs inward. We'd have no way of protecting its commerce...of, of staying around in any force--"
A parsec is 3.26 light years, so abandoning the strategic anchor point of Irumclaw would mean the Empire would have to pull back the frontier almost twenty light years, with all the dangerous consequences that could mean.
Even without the money Ammon paid him, I think Flandry would have risen in the Imperial Navy, but probably more slowly and less decisively so. These funds enabled Flandry, quite simply, to move into circles where he would meet influential persons, military and civilian alike, and the liking some of them would have for him meant they would put in some good words and recommendations, helping to advance Flandry's career.
Ad astra! Sean
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