"It was raining again, with a bite in the air as the planet spun toward winter. They hadn't restored the street lights, and an early dusk seeped up between ruined walls and hid the tattered people who dwelt in caves grubbed out of rubble."
-Poul Anderson, "Marius" IN Anderson, The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 1 (Riverdale, NY, 2017), pp. 5-17 AT p. 5.
Rain, bite, winter, dusk, ruins, tatters, caves, rubble... Recovery from World War III.
Eventually, the last novel in this future history series will open:
"There is a planet beyond the edge of the known, and its name is Rendezvous.
"Few worlds are more lovely to the eyes of men. As the weary ships come in from space and loneliness, they see a yellow star against the great cold constellations..."
-Poul Anderson, The Peregrine (New York, 1979), CHAPTER I, p. 1.
Ships are weary, space is lonely, constellations are great and cold but Rendezvous is lovely to the eyes of men. As in the Technic History, despite a less auspicious start:
"...we are on our way."
I am also. I will travel to London early tomorrow and return late on Sunday. We are inspired by visiting the capital city and by the people that we meet there. This will probably be the last post for June.
8 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
We also see some worn and weary spaceships in ENSIGN FLANDRY, in Chapter 17: "The Imperial squadron deployed and accelerated. It was no big force to cast out in so much blackness. True, at the core was the SABIK, a Star-class, what some called a pocket battleship; but she was old and worn, obsolete in several respects, shunted off to Saxo as the last step before the scrap orbit. No one had really expected her to see action again. Flanking her went the light cruiser UMBRIEL, equally tired,..."
Ad astra! Sean
Incidentally, that description in MARIUS is an accurate description of the way things where in much of Europe between 1945 and the early 1950's.
I was born in eastern France in 1953, and my brothers used to play with unexploded German ordnance and collect skulls from old bunkers.
And once when we were on a caravan-holiday, we parked in a field about 50 miles south of Metz. My mother was cooking dinner in the trailer, I was in my cradle, my grandmother was being useless, and my father was taking a well-earned rest in his hammock while my 3 elder brothers played.
One of them came up to him and put something on his stomach and said: "Dad, what's this?"
It was a German antitank mine.
We had a rather nervous dinner in the trailer while my father walked out -very carefully- in the tracks the car and trailer had left, to go find a mine-clearance squad.
About the same time, he accidentally ran over a man who stumbled out in front of the car on a narrow lane in the dark. (Not his fault, no way to avoid it.)
He immediately went to the police; they looked at the body, said: "Oh, don't be concerned, it's only an Algerian," tossed it in a truck and drove off. No further paperwork.
Different era.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I find it rather appalling your brothers were unwittingly playing with un-exploded ordnance and antitank mines! I'm glad none of it blew up.
And after the MASSIVE bloodshed of WW II, I can see why the French police were so casual about that man accidentally killed by your father. Just another body, no big deal.
Ad astra! Sean
I've thought about that quote I took from ENSIGN FLANDRY and I've been wondering what was meant by the expected fate of the "Sabik," to be soon sent off to that "scrap orbit"? Were some planets in the Empire devoted entirely to building, maintaining, or scrapping Navy warships? Were obsolete, worn out ships stripped for reusable parts, fittings, furnishings, etc.? And were the shells broken up/disassembled and sent to steel mills to be made reusable?
A minor point, but it stuck in my mind!
Also, I can imagine some historical/revered Navy ships being preserved as memorials. Like the USS CONSTITUTION in the US or HMS VICTORY for the UK.
Ad astra! Sean
From the sound of things, the Terran Empire was technologically rather static, so ships wouldn't go obsolete very often. They'd eventually wear out, of course.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Except that mention of the SABIK as being obsolete in several respects necessarily means there were some technological advances as time passed. Esp. if the rivalry with Merseia made it imperative for the Navy to remain up to date.
Also, compared to us, the Terran Empire was vastly more technologically advanced.
I agree, what you said about ships eventually wearing out.
Ad astra! Sean
I spent my childhood in London UK in the early 1960s. There was a bomb shelter in the park where we played, and we'd go in and explore it. The War wasn't that long ago or far away...
Kaor, Unknown!
Not in, say, 1962.
Ad astra! Sean
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