In Poul Anderson's Technic History, how can the Nikeans recover from their defeat by the "friends" who killed millions and:
"'...destroyed the last great cities that we had left from the Terran Empire days...'"
-"A Tragedy of Errors," p. 511?
Roan Tom surmises that the friends, too few to conquer a planet, destroyed the cities to prevent anyone else from using Nike as a base against them and adds:
"''Course, I wouldn't go startin' major industries and such again without husky space defenses.'" (p. 515)
But how can space defenses be built without major industries being started first? In any case, Nikean policy is the opposite:
"'We hide instead... Most leaders dare allow naught that might draw other friends. Radio a bare minimum: no rebuilding of cities; yes, we crawl back to our dark age and cower.'" (ibid.)
To enforce this policy, planetary leaders have fought wars, e.g., against the Prester of Silva to prevent him from building an atomic power plant. However, the solution to the Nikeans' problems will be interstellar alliances forged by Roan Tom.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree Nike had a very bad problem: you can't have space defenses without first the kind of heavy industry needed for building them. And that requires the massive amounts of energy an atomic powered plant would provide (I doubt Nike had any appreciable amounts of coal or oil).
While I understand that "cowering" might lower the chances of further outside attacks, it's not a good LONG term strategy. So, my inclination is to sympathize with the Prester of Silva's attempt at rebuilding a nuclear power plant.
And that title "Prester," wasn't it derived from "Priest"? It makes me wonder if the founder of the line of Presters of Silva was a priest who somehow ended up ruling the region of Silva some time after the Empire fell.
And there's an actual real world analog in the history of Montenegro! For nearly two centuries it was ruled by a line of bishops succeeded by their nephews. The mountain people of Montenegro, led by their Prince Bishops, successfully fought off the hated Ottoman Turks as the latter overran the Balkans.
Ad astra! Sean
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