Van Rijn explains to Falkayn. The expanding Technic civilization frontier has left many volumes of space unexplored and undeveloped. SSL will send hundreds of robot craft at a time into one such region. If they detect natives that it might be possible either to buy from or to sell to, then the robots will report back. A trade pioneer crew/trader team comprising a Master Merchant, a xenobiologist and a planetographer of different species will investigate, lay a groundwork and notify van Rijn. In their first job, Falkayn, Adzel and Chee Lan must resolve conflicts on the planet Ikrananka before they can contact van Rijn. Realizing that this kind of operation is what their job is going to consist of, Falkayn christens them "troubletwisters." In
Satan's World, he describes himself as:
"'...roving troubletwister for Old Nick.'"
-Poul Anderson, Satan's World IN Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (Riverdale, NY, March 2010), pp. 329-598 AT I, p. 332.
When van Rijn appointed him, Falkayn was not yet a famous space captain spied on by competitors but now he has become precisely that. He is a confidential associate of van Rijn and has:
"...served as fate's instrument for entire planets." (p. 330)
The only such planets that we have been shown so far are Ikrananka and Merseia - and the latter was not a routine trader team operation - but there must have been many more.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
One or two more trader team stories, not necessarily led by David Falkayn and his team, would have been good!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: alas, yes, but Poul was mortal like the rest of us. There are books I'd like to write that I won't, because I want to do others more and my time is finite.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Anderson himself expressed similar comments in replying to my letter about THE GAME OF EMPIRE. But he wanted to turn to other ideas.
I think you mentioned having a notebook for jotting down at once ideas about stories you were writing or might write in the future, if possible. I'm sure that included ideas unlikely to be developed.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment