The Arulians have bombarded Sevenhouses and Oldenstead and captured Waterfleet and Startop. For Nordyke, see here.
Domkirk is on the coastal plateau of Onyx Heights, close to tidal marshes and to the outbacker-controlled Windhoek Range and Upwoods. Domkirkers cultivate the surrounding land with humanly supervised robotic machines and have a two hundred year old cathedral.
The outbackers attack and destroy Domkirk.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
As I've said in others of your Freehold blog pieces, the conflict on that planet was caused by the Nine Cities erroneously claiming to speak for that world and the Empire not being aware of how large and powerful the Outbacker culture was. I think the Nine Cities comprised a smaller portion of the population and territory of Freehold compared to the Outbackers (estimated as being somewhere between forty and sixty millions).
Frankly, I have to wonder how PLAUSIBLE it would be for two such very different cultures to co-exist on one planet for centuries without BOTH of them (esp. the Nine Cities) becoming aware of their real extent, power, abilities, etc. I can see why Anderson wrote the story like that, to show how a conflict between the Cities and the Outbackers could also affect or drag in the Empire (plus Merseia's Arulian catspaws).
I would place part of the blame for the conflict on Freehold on the Outbackers, because the disdain and aversion they had for the Cities contributed to the Cities not knowing much about the rival culture. The conflict might have been averted or at least conducted less destructively if both cultures had fully known of each other's existence. To say nothing of how the negotiations for Freehold's annexation to the Empire would have been very different if all three parties had participated in the discussions.
Btw, the cathedral at Domkirk is very interesting! Section V of "Outpost Of Empire" describes it thus: "But the bishop's seat had been raised two centuries ago, in a style already ancient. It was of colored vitryl, panes that formed one enormous many faceted jewel, so that by day the interior was nothing except radiance--and even by moonlight the outside flashed and dim spectra played." I assume "vitryl" is a glasslike material far stronger and shatter resistant than ordinary glass. If so, I can imagine buildings like cathedrals being made largely of vitryl (probably with a framework of strong, but light weight metal). I can imagine stained vitryl windows framed by solid colored panels of the same material. Churches and cathedral can be made much lighter and "airier" if stone did not need to be used for the walls.
The closest real world example of a church looking like the Domkirk cathedral I can think of is the Sainte Chapelle of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The architects of Louis IX of France who designed and built it strove to use as much stained glass as possible and minimize the use of stone.
Sean
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