I am laid up with a cold so we might be in for a day of blogging.
"'"It ain't the work, it's them damn decisions,"' he quoted absently." (p. 149)
Where does Flandry quote this from? When I googled the phrase, all that came up was the text of Ensign Flandry.
"'How in the name of Copros can Starkad matter so much?'" (p. 151)
What is Copros? I can't find this one either.
Next comes a moment of realization that, despite its importance, I do not seem to have posted about before:
"'How in the name of Copros can Starkad matter so much? One lonesome planet!'
"And the idea came to him.
"He grew so rigid, he stared so wildly out into the universe, that Persis was frightened. 'Nicky, what's wrong?' He didn't hear. With a convulsive motion, he grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and started scrawling. Finished, he stared at the result. Sweat stood on his brow." (ibid.)
After some further checking:
"...at last he nodded. 'That's it,' he said in a cold small voice. 'Has to be.'" (ibid.)
He has interpreted the figures that Brechdan had kept secret. A rogue planet will strike Saxo. By that time, the Merseians will have maneuvered the Terran Fleet into mobilizing around the star so that both will be destroyed - except that now that will not happen because Flandry can prevent it, provided that he survives pursuit by both Roidhunate and Empire.
This experience changes him:
"[Persis] enjoyed the rest of the voyage, even after she had identified the change in him, the thing which had gone and would never quite come back. Youth." (p. 152)
3 comments:
Paul:
My guess is that PA (or someone from whom he borrowed the term) coined "Copros" as a pseudo-deity just for the purpose of humorously-spoken (and sneaked past the censors) vulgarity. The Greek "kopros" means "fecal matter." If kopros, or copros, were invoked as if considered a god, it would then be "Holy Shit."
David,
I wish I hadn't asked!
Paul.
Kaor, Paul and DAVID!
Paul: I don't consider myself particularly observant, but I THINK, even when I first read ENSIGN FLANDRY, I knew this was an important moment in the story.
David: and you reminded me of how there was an Eastern Roman Emperor, Constantine V (r. 741-75), who was bitterly called by his enemies "Copronymus." (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
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