Van Rijn and Falkayn come very close to an irreconcilable conflict. Falkayn has betrayed van Rijn by finding Mirkheim and not turning it over to him. Van Rijn has risked Coya's life, then threatened to blackmail Supermetals. When he accuses Falkayn of betrayal, the latter's response is almost Biblical:
"'Do you want a response? I deem best we let what is past stay dead.'"
-Poul Anderson, "Lodestar" IN Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 631-680 AT p. 680.
See Luke 9:60.
Van Rijn sees that Falkayn and Coya are together and agrees to guard the secret of Supermetals.
This is the pivotal crisis for van Rijn and Falkayn as Flandry's support for the usurper Molitor will be for Flandry.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree it was wrong of Supermetals to have tried to violently kill or capture Nicholas van Rijn when he had discovered the source of the company's wealth.
I am not so sure the means taken by Old Nick to escape death or captivity was wrong. As long as those means included an at least barely possible chance of success. A man as bold and daring as van Rijn with a crew of death defying beings like the Ythrians would have been very willing to take chances. As regards Coya, I agree that is more questionable and indeed her grandfather tried to persuade her not to go with him.
The daring and iffy means taken by Nicholas van Rijn to escape at Mirkheim reminded me of how, centuries later, Flandry used a pulsar to escape pursuing Merseian destroyers in A CIRCUS OF HELLS.
Yes, "Lodestar" shows us a critical and pivotal moment in the relationship between van Rijn and Falkayn. Old Nick HAD been betrayed by Falkayn when the latter did not report his discovery of Mirkheim to his patron and mentor. Yes, Falkayn wanted to use the wealth of Mirkheim to help poorer planets and races being left behind by Technic civilization. Since van Rijn was not a bad man and had no objection to helping others, the question of who was more in the right is an open issue. And indeed Falkayn regretted violating his oath of fealty to van Rijn.
And, yet again, we see Poul Anderson making a very apt and skillful use of the Bible when we see Falkayn alluding to Luke 9.60! Anderson has to be unique among the best writers of SF in how he so often quoted from or alluded to the Scriptures.
Interesting, how you think "Lodestar" showed us a pivotal crisis between van Rijn and Falkayn comparable centuries later to Flandry's support of the usurper Hans Molitor. And the reasons why Dominic Flandry was loyal to old Hans were similar to those of Falkayn. That is, the Usurper was an able, well meaning, basically decent man who was a RELUCTANT usurper.
Sean
Sean,
I am not sure whether Falkayn was directly alluding to Luke 9:60 bout his phrasing is suggestive.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Granted! But, as you said, Falkayn's wording was so suggestive that it seems plausible Luke 9.60 was in his mind.
Sean
Though you could argue that Supermetals had a well-founded apprehension that if the source of their wealth became known it would be seized by force (under color of law) and taken away from them.
That means that they were arguably justified in using force to guard the secret.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I agree. By the time of "Lodestar" the League was becoming corrupt and cartelized. I can see either the Home Companies or the Seven in Space seizing Mirkheim by extremely dubious means. But I'm sure Old Nick would not have behaved like that!
Sean
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