(ii) Ys is a subordinate ally of the Roman Empire. Dennitza is the capital planet of the Taurian Sector of the Terran Empire.
(iii) Non-human intelligences:
Ys has a covenant with the Three;
Dennitza is close to the Merseian Roidhunate and Dennitzans include descendants of immigrants from Merseia.
(iv) Both Ys and Dennitza have a parliament.
(v) The Roman centurion, Gratillonius, becomes King of Ys. The Terran agent, Dominic Flandry, temporarily administers Dennitza during a crisis.
(vi) Gratillonius' daughter becomes the Gods' agent for the destruction of Ys. Flandry's son works for Merseia.
(vii) Both Gratillonius and Flandry are reluctant to face the truth about their offspring.
(viii) When the Roman Empire withdraws from Northern Europe, Gratillonius organizes what will become medieval European feudalism. Flandry hopes that several planets, including Dennitza, will survive the Fall of the Terran Empire.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Re your point "(v)," one wonders if Flandry was called "Gospodar pro tem" during those days when he temporarily governed Dennitza?
Gratillonius was VERY reluctant to face the hard, unpleasant facts about Dahut. And Flandry also didn't want to face similarly distasteful possibilities about his son Dominic. But, unlike Gratillonius, Flandry did not dither and hesitate about investigating Dominic Hazeltine. The latter was turned over to a team of agents from Terran Naval Intelligence for hypnoprobing. Flandry did hope a light 'probing would prove his son's innocence and that would then settle the matter.
Your point (viii) needs some nuancing. Feudalism as we saw it in Europe did not truly begin taking the form we saw till after the collapse of the Carolingian Empire. I think what we see Gratillonius doing was starting an era of Gallo/Roman warlordism, government by local strong men. True, I grant this was one of the roots of feudalism.
Aeneas, Nyanza, and Dennitza are examples of the kind of feudalism Lord Hauksberg and Flandry saw evolving within the Empire. And Flandry thought this had the advantage of giving civilization on some plaents something to fall back on after the Empire fell.
Sean
Post a Comment