"[Flandry's] helmet was adjustable for underwater; on Starkad, the concentration of dissolved oxygen was almost as high as in Terra's air."
-Poul Anderson, Ensign Flandry IN Anderson, Young Flandry (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 1-192 AT Chapter Four, p. 32.
The Starkadian atmosphere at sea level has too much oxygen for human beings. It would burn their lungs. However, apparently, Flandry's helmet can extract just the right amount of oxygen from either the air or the seawater on Starkad.
Ferok asks whether it is true that Terran females obey males. Flandry says "'...sometimes.'" (p. 33) It is far more complicated than that! But that has been one kind of social model - far more so among Merseians, kzinti and Thrintun although those last two species are in another universe.
When Ferok asks who keeps order and why Terrans have not killed each other, Flandry checks whether he understands Tigery social arrangements:
there is no territorial loyalty;
no town or island is ruled like a ship;
females are organized into associations like the Sisterhood;
members of such associations can live anywhere and even have special languages;
the associations "'...own all important property and make all important decisions...'" (p. 33);
thus, males have no influence.
When Ferok indicates that this is true but tactlessly expressed, Flandry offers "'Apology-of-courage...'" (ibid.) so how many kinds of apology are there? Before Flandry can explain social relationships among his people, the vaz-Terran, the attack by the vaz-Siavo begins. See "Battle At Sea," here.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
That mention of the Tigery "apology-of-courage" indicates how the most advanced Tigery societies on Starkad had evolved etiquette, customary manners, gestures and words of courtesy, etc. And the same can be found among humans as well. In fact I discussed that in one of my essays, citing examples from Anderson and Stirling's books.
Here's a human example from Chapter 1 of ENSIGN FLANDRY, after Lord Hauksberg reached the room in the Coral Palace where the critical members of the Policy Board were waiting for him (he was a little late, btw): "Hauksberg made the humility salute. "My sincere apologies for keepin' my lords waitin'," he said." So Hauksberg made a ritual gesture of apology as well as the verbal form. Albeit the gesture was not described. Hands pressed together with a bow, perhaps?
Sean
I get the impression that the Tigeries are more aggressive and less social than humans by instinct, but that the strong behavioral sexual dimorphism compensates to some degree.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I agree. Your comment more precisely describes what I was thinking about the Tigeries. And, of course, simply being intelligent beings capable of learning would also help.
Sean
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