Wace does not do so bad. He:
works hard and well on Diomedes, well enough for van Rijn to offer him an important job back on Earth;
speaks truth, as he sees it, to van Rijn when the time is right;
heeds Sandra's explanation of van Rijn's role on Diomedes;
correctly predicts that van Rijn will be the father of Sandra's heir;
justly characterizes van Rijn as aging, fat and uncouth;
but unjustly adds "...callous and conscienceless..." (p. 511)
Van Rijn smokes a Trichinopoly cigar, eats a four-decker sandwich, wants to follow it with an Italian hero sandwich, and is unconcerned about Wace's attack on him. (See The Food Thread.)
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteOld Nick might be aging, fat, and uncouth, but he most certainly was not callous and lacking in a conscience. Even if he did like to loudly pretend that ALL he cared about was making money.
Sean