Van Rijn allowed himself and Adzel to be captured by the Shenna because he had deduced that, while at Beta Crucis, Falkayn and Chee Lan had learned the coordinates of Dathyna and had gone directly there to spy. Allowed to spend nights in their disabled spaceship, van Rijn and Adzel retain their communicators because van Rijn has persuaded Thea that he will benefit from hearing Shenn programs! Thus, he is able to broadcast coded military intelligence that hopefully will be received by Falkayn and Chee Lan who will then return with it to Technic civilization. Needless to say, Falkayn and Chee Lan rescue van Rijn and Adzel before departing from Dathyna. Flawless, long distance team work. I might summarize more details of van Rijn's deductions or alternatively just advise blog readers to read or reread Satan's World.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
In fact, I think the editor of the Baen Books SAGA OF TECHNIC CVILIZATION, Hank Davis, commented in one of his introductions or afterwords that the Old Nick stories were studied in business administration schools as useful examples of how to work in real world commerce.
Analogous to studying the Flandry stories on how to do intelligence work!
Ad astra! Sean
In some respects (appearance aside) Old Nick reminds me of my father, who could sell ice to eskimos and talk birds out of trees.
Eg., he met my mother at a dance in 1942, which she came to with someone else. While the someone else (who Dad knew) was in the (wartime, crowded, very long) line up for the men's toilet, Dad went over to their table and said:
"Sam wasn't feeling well, and he had to leave. But he wanted me to walk you home."
They were married a month later... 8-).
I never learned moves like that. Wound up married in spite of myself. 50th Anniversary next 4 Nov.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Ha! I have to admire that kind of gall and chutzpah from your father! But that kind of brazen behavior might have been very dangerous half a century earlier, because your father might have been challenged to a duel.
Ad astra! Sean
Paul: congratulations!
I just wish Jan had lived long enough for our 50th.
Sean: Possibly. Though being outsmarted like that would have made the man look ridiculous.
You can duel to avenge an insult, but avenge being outmaneuvered just makes you look more pouty.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree. But human beings of both sexes CAN be that pouty and revengeful.
Ad astra! Sean
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