Monday, 8 March 2021

Goodbyes

In Poul Anderson's Ensign Flandry, we last see Dragoika at the end of CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, weeping for her planet. Between CHAPTERs SEVENTEEN and EIGHTEEN, Flandry makes his goodbyes to everyone in Ujanka, including Dragoika. He has not been able to say goodbye to his friends among the Siravo although he does see Isinglass and Evenfall for one last time on a screen in Ridenour's office. Terrans prepare to evacuate some Starkadians whereas the Merseians, having claimed to support the Siravo, leave without rescuing anyone. In CHAPTER EIGHTEEN, Flandry says goodbye to Ridenour, Hauksberg, Persis and Abrams.

Some very important facts that readers do not know as yet:

John Ridenour will have a subsequent mission to Freehold;

Persis is pregnant;

some Toborko, including Dragoika, and some Siravo will be settled on the planet Imhotep;

Dragoika's son will befriend Flandry's daughter and will work for Imperial Intelligence;

Flandry will save the Empire several more times, will marry Abrams' daughter and will become a Fleet Admiral and informal Imperial advisor.

In other words, the entire Flandy series unfolds from this auspicious beginning.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And that departure of all but a few Merseian "obervers" without the Roidhunate lifting a tailtip to help the Empire in saving SOME of the Starkadians probably embittered tbe vavz-Siravo, from the Sea People realizing they had only been means to an end for Merseia.

It was impossible for Terra to save everyone on Starkad from that looming explosion of their sun. Too big and little known a planet, and not enough time. The Empire had to focus largely on evacuating the Kursoviki islands and the Six Cities of the Davidstar Sea People.

Ad astra! Sean