Tolk the Herald (linguistic specialist, interpreter and messenger), accustomed to dealing with other cultures, is more open than his fellow Lannachska to van Rijn's insistence that even flying soldiers need an infantry to take and hold a position. However, even Tolk resists the suggestion that it is more urgent to recapture a food source than the site of a seasonal rite. To welcome High Summer back as the ancestors always did is to keep the Flock alive. But so is to eat. Van Rijn argues that the migrators value ritual so much because they cannot carry material wealth with them.
Of course, van Rijn practices religious rituals but does not let them get in the way of business or work. The Maccabees fought on the Sabbath.
In order to escape from Diomedes, van Rijn has to change the planet beyond recognition. Fortunately, in the Technic History, there is no Federation to enforce a Prime Directive.
"'I made a new way of life here,' said van Rijn expansively. 'It is not this machine or that one which has already changed your history beyond changing back. It is the basic idea I have introduced: mass production.'" (p. 418)
Before van Rijn, the Lannachska had been hunters living in small matrilineal clans loosely organized into the Great Flock mainly for the purpose of completing the annual migration safely. After van Rijn, how will mass production affect their social relationships?
Wace, as ever, makes his private remarks:
"It was too much for one man to do, organizing, designing, supervising, trouble-shooting - Van Rijn seemed to think it was routine to lift neolithic hunters into the machine age in a few weeks. He ought to try it himself! It might sweat some of the lard off the old hog." (p. 421)
Van Rijn knows that it is not routine:
"'It is not time enough! In these few ten-days, I have to try make what needs years!'" (p. 417)
In other words, he is trying it himself. Meanwhile, Wace's soliloquy tells us that this factor/engineer does a lot of necessary organizational and conceptual work - but it is under van Rijn's direction.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm reminded of what John Rolfe VI said near the end of Stirling's CONQUISTADOR: he provided the basic goal, direction, plan, ect., to subordinates he found who were capable of carrying out those plans.
Sean
" Fortunately, in the Technic History, there is no Federation to enforce a Prime Directive."
FORTUNATELY?
1) David F. helps Merseia- look what they do.
2) David F. helps Gorzun (through Supermetals)- look what they do.
3) Old Nick starts an industrial revolution on Ikt'hanis/Diomedes- who knows what that did? (though I believe it's somewhat described in Flandry that the Lannach'ska had a hard time...)
4) All those evil idiots selling self-piloting, nuclear armed ships to barbarians...
5) Missionaries on Zatlakh/Woden- while Adzel and Axor seem pretty "chill"- I can imagine religious wars breaking out there: look what's happening in our-timeline Nigeria?
In our timeline- there have been very few encounters between civilizations of radically different levels of technology without it ending disastrously for the one with the lower level of technology- tho one exception I can think of is 19th Century Japan.
Even if you didn't have a Prime Directive (No FTL, no contact!) it would make sense to study other cultures remotely for decades to determine if they could tolerate contact with aliens....
-kh
Very sound.
Kaor, Keith!
I disagree with some of your points. E.g., while an industrial revolution would, in the long run undermine the Lannach'ska culture, it was also necessary if they were to survive at all. And, btw, the Drakho'nai culture found it much easier to adapt to an industrial, high tech civilization.
I don't understand your point "5." The missionaries there were Jerusalem Catholics, not fanatical Muslim jihadists of the kind who are persecuting Christian in Nigeria. I saw NO indication that these missionaries were forcing their faith on the Wodenites. Everything I recall about Fr. Axor makes it plain he converted willingly.
Sean
@ Sean: I believe you are missing my point:
1) What gives an outsider the right to decide the fate of entire societies?
2) I'm not speaking of forced conversion (which I imagine would be rather difficult with the Zatlakhi), but the *effect these new religions might have on the traditional societies there? You may recall the expression "Fear the fervor of the convert!"
As a thought question: how would you feel about Axor if he hadn't been a J C convert, but had been a convert to say, Terran Baptist, Latter Day Saints, Scientology (or horror of horrors!) Islam?
-kh
*Discrimination, torture, murder, pogroms, inquisitions, crusades, religious wars, etc.
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