"On gilt mural panels were painted the saints and heroes of Dennitza."
-Poul Anderson, A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows IN Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight Of Terra (Riverdale, NY, 2012), pp. 339-606 AT Chapter XVII, p. 559.
Lords wear rainbow robes, Folk tunics or gowns, Zmayi leather and metal. A majority of Zmayi vote to hear the demonstrators' leaders who can be trusted to be good mannered and to speak briefly. Surely impossible in a human gathering.
The Chief Justice greets the demonstrators in Serbic, "Zdravo," and Eriau, "Hydhref." (ibid.) Flandry, concealed among the demonstrators, realizes that the only member of Parliament whom he knows is the ychan/zmay/Merseian, Kyrwedhin. History plays strange tricks on its main protagonists. Since the session is televized, Ywodh addresses his audience, "'Worthies and world...'" (p. 560) When Kossara emerges from between the demonstrators, human beings moan and zmayi rumble. We must continually remember that two rational species are represented here.
Then, at last, the shooting starts, not from the demonstrators, and Kossara takes her first step towards canonization - martyrdom.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm surprised either the Gospodar or Chief Justice presides over meetings of the Dennitzan parliament. Most actual legislatures would think it inappropriate for either the head of state or the chief interpreter of law to do that. But I can imagine some human societies arranging matters that way.
Yes, humans in a similar situation are not likely to behave like the Zmayi. There would be a natural resistance from the legislature to being PRESSURED by a mob. If such a demonstration's leaders WERE allowed to speak, it would be only prolonged haggling (to avoid a riot) and they would face outraged stares.
Seam
Sean,
Anderson/Flandry makes exactly those points!
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
No surprise, because I took those points precisely from Anderson/Flandry! Also, I think such points are REALISTIC, because that is how I believe human legislatures would behave. And, for that matter, SHOULD behave. A legislature should be free from anything like coercion from mobs.
Another thought I had, as regards what I said in the first paragraph of my first note, is that the three houses of the Dennitzan parliament were presided over by leaders chosen by those houses. it's possible the Gospodar or Chief Justice only presided over meetings where the three houses met in JOINT sessions for extraordinary reasons.
Sean
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