Erik Magnusson

For a second time, Poul Anderson's The Game Of Empire summarizes a history that overlaps with what we already know but from a different perspective:

while Emperor Georgios was dying, Crown Prince Josip's favorites came to power;

under Emperor Josip, officials enriched themselves by committing atrocities on outlying planets;

Captain Erik Magnusson, trader from Kraken, who sometimes visited Merseia, foreswore the Terran Empire;

Merseians sensing his disaffection introduced him to Brechdan Ironrede, Protector of the Roidhun's Grand Council;

Magnusson transferred his loyalty to the Roidhunate;

he left his son Olaf on Merseia, telling his family that Olaf was now an apprentice on a prospector ship;

Olaf was educated by Merseians and hypnotically conditioned by Aycharaych;

returning to Kraken, Olaf enlisted in the Imperial marines;

he fought barbarians, bandits, rebels and even Mersians at Syrax but was praised by a secret agent;

speaking three Merseian languages, he also negotiated with the Roidhunate;

Emperor Hans valued Olaf's aloof austerity;

now defending a border sector, Olaf defeated a Merseian attack;

then he proclaimed himself Emperor;

his controllers expect his successor to be guided by Merseians and his grandsons to be the first of the new humanity.

Georgios, Josip, Brechdan, Aycharaych, Syrax and Hans are all familiar names. In fact, Georgios was Emperor with Josip as Crown Prince in Ensign Flandry. Thus, the entire period of the Flandry series has just been re-summarized but this time from a Merseian point of view.