When asked what Diana wants from a visit to Zacharia, Targovi replies:
"'Why, simply the thrill of newness. Whatever you care to show her. She is young and adventurous...'"
-CHAPTER FOURTEEN, p. 344.
Kukulkan Zachary tells Diana:
"'Oh, yes, we need newness, we Zacharians, more than ever in this year of enclosure; we need it as we need food and air and light.'"
-CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, p. 368.
So Diana seeks newness from people who need newness. (Year of enclosure!)
At ease while aware of her strength and Tigery knife, Diana:
"...hoped that whatever happened would indeed be happy; but whatever it turned out to be, surely an adventure awaited her." (ibid.)
See:
A Sense Of Adventure (different)
9 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
So the Zacharians felt themselves to be stifled or stagnant? To be rusticating? IMO, the solution is simple: stop holding themselves apart from the rest of mankind, the Empire, the universe! Many Zacharians should leave their island and start making lives and careers away from Zacharia. Some could become academics and scientists, others could become merchants and entrepreneurs. Still others could have enlisted in the Imperial armed forces or joined the Civil Service. And, given their intelligence and abilities, what ever field they entered, many Zacharians would soon have risen very far in them!
I made similar points in my article "Was the Domination Inspired by Merseia?"
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
They could, as individuals, give a lead in different activities instead of arrogantly claiming a leadership role for themselves as a group which is what they started out by doing. They are the Technic History counterparts of the Exaltationists.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree! The Zacharians should have renounced their lingering ambition of ruling the human race. And they might have become like Stirling's Draka, in the "right" circumstances.
Ad astra! Sean
Duplicate post: it would make sense for the Zacharians to find a planet which they could clandestinely colonize.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
An intriguing notion! But we see nothing in THE CAME OF EMPIRE indicating the Zacharians did so. Instead, they were griping about how all they had was a small canton on the planet Daedalus.
What might have resulted from the Zacharians clandestinely colonizing a planet? Might they have become like the Draka you created? Presumably, this hypothetical planet would have been outside the Empire, to avoid any unwelcome attention.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: it would have given them the opportunity to build a real power-base. OTOH, their clan ideology was that they were supposed to be -rulers-. OTOH2, they weren't that on Daedalus either and you have to start somewhere.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
And it was darn fortunate for the Empire and the human race that the Zacharians apparently never thought of seeking out a planet to colonize. Maybe they were too individualistic vis a vis each other to work cooperatively like that?
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: but they seemed to work in unison very well in GAME OF EMPIRE.
There might be practical examples -- but there are many planets settled by fairly small, impoverished groups. Altai, for example, and the small colony overrun by the Shenna that nobody noticed had fallen out of touch for years.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Yes, I have to agree Zacharians do work very well together. Which makes it all the more puzzling that they did not seem to have attempted settling a planet outside the Empire.
I remember Altai and Oleg Khan's remarks to Flandry, frankly saying Altai had been settled by Russo/Mongols too weak to grab a better planet for themselves. And I remember as well that fledgling human colony destroyed by the Shenna.
The Shenna interests me. That race began as an offshoot of an older, parent species which was failing to adapt well to worsening conditions on their planet. The New Shenna were herbivores which became aggressive, meat eating omnivores!
Ad astra! Sean
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