When the Merseian submarine attacks Ujanka with large caliber guns throwing only chemical high explosives, Flandry reflects:
"So the enemy wasn't introducing atomics into this war. (Yet. When somebody did, all hell would let out for noon.)" (p. 56)
We already know from CHAPTER THREE, p. 23, that the Merseians plan a few more years of conflict on Starkad so they will not introduce atomic weapons any time soon. And, if we have read the novel before, then we also know that they hope eventually to destroy the Terran Fleet without deploying a single weapon. The universe can be more destructive.
He responds to the current attack:
"Flandry raced through an assessment. Detested hours and years of psych drill at the Academy paid off. He knew rage and fear, his mouth was dry and his heart slammed, but emotion didn't get in the way of logic." (p. 56)
We all need that "psych drill" which sounds like the psychophysical training of both the Psychotechnic Institute and the Time Patrol and also the karma yoga of the Bhagavad Gita. Zazen is not a set of techniques but it is practice in letting go of spontaneous or preprogrammed reactions.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Altho I can see the value in that kind of "psych drilling" Flandry was trained in, most civilians don't NEED it for handling every day life. Most of us don't have to worry about people doing their best to kill you, after all. So the kind of training given to Terran military/Intelligence officers would not be very useful for civilians. And to Time Patrol agents, of course.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But we have to cope with life! And we need all the help we can get.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I know. So I can see SOME of the techniques drilled into Flandry being useful even in civilian life.
Ad astra! Sean
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