See Zamok Sabyel'.
Why do Lunarian phyles fight?
"While Zamok Sabyel' was the castle of Phyle Ithar, it was also a city, entrepot, market, cultural center, rendezvous for the entire race: wherefore Arcen and Yanir had combined to try storming it." (p. 502)
These yoyo Selenarchs have yet to learn, first, that it is possible and preferable to share such facilities and, secondly, that storming a citadel in space is dangerous for all concerned. Surely the most likely outcome is simply the destruction of what they want to win?
Why do the Demetrians become involved and take sides? Because Arcen and Yanir want to:
"'...end intercourse between the two races, holding that we have no more to gain thereby and much to dread. In evidence they cite what became of Luna...'" (p. 505)
Also, Orain of Yanir makes unreasonable claims among the asteroids while the Demetrians, who cannot afford to waste time or resources on conflict, urgently need Lunarian cooperation to get off Demeter. Guthrie protects his people and would play the Lunarians off against each if they continued to fight. War is not what the Demetrians are about and, frankly, the Selenarchs should have learned better by now. Erling Davis is a spatial engineer who unwillingly and of necessity engaged in a few short military actions but now wants peaceful cooperation with Phyle Ithar.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Come! You expect LUNARIANS, people naturally inclined to be reckless and high stakes gamblers, NOT to take chances? That is exactly how I would expect at least some to behave! And it's not hard to find plenty of that kind of people among ordinary humans as well. So I don't find the attack on Zamok Sabyel by rival phyles to be implausible.
And I don't think the Demetrians could have become a threat to the Lunarians unless they had, at a minimum, a long lasting settlement on a planet which was not doomed. So the Arcen and Yanir phyles very likely erred on this point.
Sean
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