When trade declined, the Argosy crew disbanded and Dau joined Fleetwing which happened to be in port at the same time. Later Dau will become captain. Most of Fleetwing has been replaced over the millennia but repair facilities have become scattered and expensive. Fleetwing has discovered two more colonizable planets but too few people anywhere are motivated to migrate. Despite nanotech, terraforming would too difficult and expensive. Existing planetary populations grow apart and are uninterested in interstellar travel or in centuries-apart visits by Kith. All of this explains observations from Envoy. Meanwhile, Seladorians are everywhere on Earth.
In Starfarers, one extra-solar species resembles Merseians and, on Brent, the Eriau interjection, "Khraich," is a personal name rendered "'K'hraich.'" Readers inwardly review all of Poul Anderson's future histories which culminate in Genesis, a new beginning in a geologically remote future.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
However much I would regret that, I am not surprised the drive for STL travel eventually declined. Successfully colonized planets would eventually become fully self sufficient, making trade with other worlds needing years, decades, or generations to carry out unprofitable. And that in turn would make it more and more too costly for the Kith to continue those journeys.
I've reached Chapter 30 of STARFARERS.
Ad astra! Sean
Even with the zero-zero drive, narrow beam radio (or laser) transmitter/receivers would be cheaper for moving information between adjacent settled solar systems, if there is no desire to also send material objects. I don't recall from my last reading of 'Starfarers' whether that point was mentioned in the novel.
Lasers are mentioned.
Kaor, Jim!
Yes, but beamed laser communications still runs up against the STL problem: information needing years, decades, or generations to get from Planet A to Planets B or C, etc. Unless a particular packet of data was really, really valuable I don't see that kind of communication amounting to much.
Started rereading Chapter 41 of STARFARERS.
Ad astra! Sean
"beamed laser communications still runs up against the STL problem"
Yes, and you work with the best you have. It looks like light speed communication is the fastest we are ever going to have, however much I would like an ansible to talk to any intelligent beings there might be on exoplanets.
Jim,
One reason why Kith rendezvous on Harbor at Tau Ceti is that there the beam from Earth is only eleven and a half years old so they can get, in their terms, recent news from Earth before proceeding there.
Paul.
Kaor, Jim!
I agree, how fast communication is will depend on what is technically and technologically possible.
Ad astra! Sean
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