Tuesday 28 May 2013

Humanity As A Minority

I have always strongly disliked poultry and had to turn down a job that would have involved entering a large hut full of hens to pick up their eggs so how would I feel if I were Daniel Holm walking along a corridor in Avalonian naval headquarters where Ythrians, feathered and winged though not beaked, outnumber human beings? Holm himself grew up on this joint colony planet and is at home there.

Human beings are the majority on Avalon as a whole - when Falkayn, founding the colony, requested and received Ythrian protection, some Ythrians joined this mainly human settlement - but they are a small minority in the Domain of Ythri. Holm is learning to accept this. Specifically, as Second Marchwarden of the Lauran System, he has persuaded the First Marchwarden, Ferune of Mistwood, that Avalon must have a unified command for defence but this will not prevent the rest of the Domain from retaining its "'...separate, loosely confederated planetary commands...'" despite unified Terran aggression (Rise Of The Terran Empire, New York, 2011, p. 456).

Avalonian human beings who want their planet to stay in the Domain and who therefore resist annexation by the Terran Empire are not disloyal to their species. One Empire, which, in any case, grants full citizenship to other races, is not the entire human race. Similarly, in a later period, Merseians who have settled on the human colony planet, Dennitza, and who prefer the Emperor to the Rhoidun, are not disloyal to their species. At least, they do not believe that the God intends the Race to have complete hegemony in the galaxy.

But what of human beings who willingly serve Merseia? Do they know that the Rhoidun's Council aims to subordinate or, failing that, to exterminate their species? If so, then, yes, they are guilty of a crime against humanity although no more so than against any other species oppressed by Merseia.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

Yes, I believe there were indeed humans in the Roidhunate who either must have known or at least realized Merseia was willing to exterminate their race if too many humans were unwilling to accept being subjugated as an inferior race. I think we see this most clearly in ENSIGN FLANDRY and A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS.

Also, despite being defeated by the Empire in THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND, the Domain of Ythri was soon reconciled with the Empire. First, because Terra never tried to annex the entire Domain; and secondly because Ythri became alarmed by the rise to power of a Merseia dominated by a racist ideology preaching the "natural" inferiority of all other races to Merseians. This naturally made the Domain an ally of the Empire (as we saw in THE DAY OF THEIR RETURN).

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

Do we see humans working for Merseia in ENSIGN FLANDRY?

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

No, but we do see humans working for Merseia in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS. Esp. on the planet Diomedes, where human agents in Merseia's service were trying to foment a rebllion there. And, of course, Merseia groomed Olaf Magnusson in an attempt to be her puppet Terran Emperor in THE GAME OF EMPIRE.

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

Yes, I agree with those examples.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

I forgot to add that human agents in Merseia's service were also active on the planet Dennitza trying to foment rebellion against the Empire there. Diomedes was merely meant to help lead to a Dennitzan revolt. Using the niece of the Gospodar (who was also viceroy of the Taurian Sector)to provoke the rebellion.

Sean