The Merseians lost to Magnusson through either incompetence or connivance. Merseian prisoners are embittered but have not been interrogated.
Landings and takeoffs of unrecognized spaceships have been seen at the autonomous island of Zacharia.
Targovi's superior in Intelligence ordered him to stop these investigations and to return to Imhotep.
Thus, he persuades Diana that she, he and Axor should visit Zacharia - like Yewwl visiting Dukeston in A Stone In Heaven. (See Yewwl's Intelligence Gathering.)
There are at least two other points of interest in this chapter. First, Diana's question, which I have quoted before:
"'Why?...A whole galaxy, a whole universe, a technology that could make every last livin' bein' rich - why are we and they locked in this senseless feud?'" (p. 349)
Targovi's answer:
"'Because both our sides have governments...'" (ibid.)
- rings hollow to me. Is there a contradiction in Anderson's narrative? On the one hand, he is writing a traditional story of inter-imperial conflict. On the other hand, he has just suggested, through Diana's question, that such conflicts have become redundant. The contradiction is quickly covered over by Targovi's reply, blaming "governments."
Secondly, Targovi says:
"'What I have is a ghosting of hints, clues, incongruities. They whisper to me that naught which has been happening is what it pretends to be - that we are the victims of a gigantic hoax, like an ice bull which a hunter stampedes toward a cliff edge.'" (ibid.)
Some people live and breathe such hoaxes. A scare about an epidemic is a hoax perpetrated by sellers of paper masks...
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Wait, the Merseians captured by Magnusson's forces when he was still pretending to be loyal to the Empire were NOT questioned? I'm sure the Covenant of Alfzar laid down the rules and means on how intensively captured enemy military personnel could be interrogated (spies, of course, were not given such protections). That alone was suspicious because no competent military force would omit doing something so elementary!
Like you, I find Targovi's answer to Diana's question unconvincing. Conflicts between rival individuals, societies, nations, civilizations, intelligent races, etc., will have deeper causes than merely the existence of "governments." On lengthier reflection Targovi himself should realize that as well.
Ad astra! Sean
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