What We Did Not Know Before

 

A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows, I.

"...Josip died, and the Policy Board split on accepting his successor..." (p. 350)

Josip had been Terran Emperor in Ensign Flandry and The Rebel Worlds. Thus, the mention of his name counts as a ninth reference to earlier instalments. However, it is news to us that there was Terran civil war during the events of "Warriors from Nowhere."

Flandry mentions "'...the time I came to [Emperor Hans'] notice...'" (p. 346)

That has to be when he rescued Hans' granddaughter in "Warriors from Nowhere." For three or four years after that, Flandry was one of Hans' right hand men, persuading the marches that:

"'...they'd really rather keep Hans for their Emperor than revolt all over again.'" (ibid.)

So Josip had died, the Policy Board had split and the marches had revolted between "Hunters of the Sky Cave" and "Warriors from Nowhere." In fact:

"'...Hans had assumed, which means grabbed, the crown less than two years earlier.'" (p. 350)

So Flandry was working for a usurper at the time of "Warriors from Nowhere" and we had no idea how volatile the situation was. The text continues:

"'Everything was still in upheaval. Three avowed rivals were out to replace him by force of arms, and nobody could guess how many more would take an opportunity that came along, whether to try for supreme power or for piratical autonomy.'" (ibid.)

This is retcon: retroactive continuity. And the Empire could have disintegrated then. Flandry met his opposite numbers, Tachwyr and Aycharaych, on Talwin four years before the events of A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows, thus shortly after "Warriors from Nowhere" but when Hans Molitor has almost won the civil war.