The Grand Alliance And The Argo Astrographical Company

(No exclamation mark after the title in this edition!)

The Night Face.

When the action of a novel moves down to a planetary surface and stays there, I do not expect to receive any further information about interstellar conditions. However, the characters continue to converse. Raven says that:

Lochlann had invaded Nuevamerica and divided it into fiefs over a century before the Namericans rebelled against Lochlanna rule;

fortunately for the Namericans, Lochlann was at war with the Grand Alliance at the time of their revolution.

Thus, we have now been informed about three post-Imperial interstellar alliances:

Roan Tom allied Kraken, Sassania and Nike;
a "Grand Alliance" waged war against Lochlann;
later, the Allied Planets rediscover and re-civilize isolated planets, including Kraken.

Although we learn nothing more about the Grand Alliance, we already know that, fifty years after independence and contrary to Lochlanna custom or practice, the Namerican Astrographical Company explores and makes treaties as a private, commercial enterprise. The Company, needing bases for refueling, repairs and recreation, investigates Gwydion for this purpose.

Thus, there is regular interstellar travel between a growing number of civilized planets. This is no longer the disorganized "Long Night" period experienced by Roan Tom. Violence takes the form of wars between sovereign planets and alliances. It has ceased to be mere piracy practiced by unscrupulous individuals monopolizing a handful of remaining working spaceships.