Merseia;
Ythri;
"'...a barbarian rabble...;'"
"'...a pathetic Gorrazani remnant...'"
-Poul Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight Of Terra (New York, 2012), pp, 389, 390.
The other two, of course, are the Terran Empire and the Dispersal of Ymir. But I am feeling sorry for the neglected Gorrazani.
Gorzuni (later Gorrazani) are "...great gray-furred four-armed tailed bipeds..." with horn-like bony protuberances above yellow eyes in coarse faces. -Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (New York, 2010), p. 418. During the period of the Polesotechnic League, a company based on Luna employs mercenaries from the Siturushi of Gorzun. Colonel Melkarsh commands the patrol and outpost crews on the company's grounds whereas Captain Urugu commands the interior guards and household servants. Alien barbarians, trained in their jobs but knowing nothing else of Technic civilization, keep to themselves and can be sent home afterwards but it is necessary to respect their codes, like the mutual loyalty between Gorzuni commanders and troops.
During the Troubles, the Baldic League which includes both Gorzuni and human beings from barbaric extrasolar colonies, occupies the outer Solar System and raids Earth for slaves. Manuel Argos leads a slave revolt on a Gorzuni ship, captures the ship, uses it to attack Gorzun, then founds the Terran Empire.
5 comments:
Hi, Paul!
You forgot to list another independent civilized star faring race, the inhabitants of the planets orbiting Betelgeuse ruled by sovereigns called "Sartaz," Altho stuck between the Empire and the Roidhunate, a series of wily Sartazs had managed to preserve Betelgeuse's independence. In "Honorable Enemies," we see how Aline Chang-Lei and Dominic Flandry finagled matters to both outwit Aycharaych, thwart Merseian designs on Betelgeuse, and persuade the Sartaz to begin negotiations for allying with the Empire.
Sean
Thank you, Sean. I acknowledge Betelgeuse and honor the Sartaz. Of course, I have not finished chronicling the Gorrazani but social life intervened yesterday evening.
Paul.
Hi, Paul!
No problem! I am reading your comments about the Gorrazani with interest. Careful scrutiny of the texts has enabled you to find out quite a lot about that race.
Plainly, by the time of THE GAME OF EMPIRE, the Gorrazani were no longer barbarians but were content to be on good terms with the Empire. They had become best known, like the Swiss on Earth had been, for exporting utterly loyal and fearless mercenary soldiers. Even a gang boss like Leon Ammon had one!
I was simply surprised by the omission of Betelgeuse! (Smiles)
Sean
Hi Sean,
Bit of necroing an old thread here, but IIRC, there were several Gorzuni among the Imperial Marines that assaulted the Merseian facility in the Star Cave in WE CLAIM THESE STARS/HUNTERS OF THE STAR CAVE. So there seem to have been at least some Gorzuni inhabiting the Empire as citizens, not only as foreign mercenaries.
Interesting though that a Gorzuni/Gorrazani remnant has been allowed to exist all these centuries, given what Manuel Argos said in THE STAR PLUNDERER about disarming everyone else but Terra I would have thought that extinguishing any independent Gorzuni power would have been the nascent Empire's first priority.
Kaor, Johan!
But Manuel Argos also talked about the need to disapprove of racism, of the need for the Empire he planned to found to treat non-humans justly, for them too to have a stake in Terra's Empire. As a result it was enough for the new Empire to drive out Gorzuni/Gorrazni raiders from the sphere of space Terra was claiming. After the Troubles and the rise of the Empire, the Gorzuni became more civilized and were content with their home planet (and possibly a few more worlds, all outside the Empire).
And I'm not surprised some Gorzuni, perhaps restless on their home world, joined the Marines and became Imperial citizens. It fits in with the policy Manuel Argos enunciated, after all. I would cite the example of the real world French Foreign Legion, where non Frenchmen who served, I think 15 years, could become French citizens.
Sean
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