In the Betelgeuse region, traders report curious happening somewhere called Altai. Archives confirm a remote colony. Intelligence sends Flandry to Betelgeuse where the Embassy gives him a dossier, an expense account and his orders. He travels to Altai in a Betelguesean trader ship, ostensibly to welcome the planet into the Empire. Approaching, he spots undisguised military hardware not provided by Terra, possibly by Merseia.
The original version of "Honorable Enemies," set on Alfzar in the Betelgeusean system, had mentioned Llynathawr. In "A Message in Secret," Flandry reflects that a Merseian base on Altai, which is really in the inter-imperial buffer region, would outflank the Empire at Catawrayannis. We know from other parts of the Technic History that:
Catawrayannis is a city on the planet Llynathawr, both named by their Cynthian discoverers who sold the planet to the Terran Empire;
Catawraynnis is the seat of the Governor of Sector Alpha Crucis which is on the opposite side of the Empire from the Betelgeusean buffer region and the Merseian Roidhunate.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Meaning Anderson might have gotten a bit mixed up on the galactography here? Given FTL, it need not have been impossible for either tramp merchant ships from Alfzar or Merseian agents traveling there. Also, we are told only a few Betelgeusan ships per Altaian year went there. Last, in their eagerness to make trouble for the Empire wherever possible, Merseian agents would be willing to go far from the Roidhunate to get to Altai.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But, if Altai and Catawrayannis are on opposite sides of the Empire, then how can a Merseian base on Altai outflank the Empire at Catawrayannis?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
That is a difficulty, I agree. Anderson himself admitted in his essay "Concerning Future Histories" that despite his best efforts (including revising some of the tales) inconsistencies crept into the Technic stories.
A REMOTE Merseian base on the frontier of the Empire opposite to where it faced Merseia might put some pressure there, but not likely to any great extent. Sheer distance and logistics would make it extremely difficult to build it up so that it would become a serious threat to Terra. And Merseia would have to expect the Empire to take some action against such a base, esp. when distance and logistics would here favor the Terrans.
Maybe Anderson should have revised "A Message in Secret"? Esp. since he might not have needed to do more than make some fairly small changes.
Ad astra! Sean
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