Who should control the industrial wealth of Mirkheim?
Supermetals asks Hermes to establish a protectorate.
Van Rijn favours Supermetals which would then join the Polesotechnic League.
The Home Companies favour the Solar Commonwealth which in practice would mean themselves.
The Seven in Space argue that the League should remain neutral in the struggle for control and should then deal with whoever wins that struggle even if it is the Baburites but the Seven, having secretly armed and equipped the Baburites, speak with forked tongue.
The Polesotechnic League Council is incapable of resolving the issue. Could Poul Anderson have imagined anything more like a real world conflict albeit in the fantastic context of his Technic History?
When Lennart inadvertently confirms van Rijn's suspicion that the Commonwealth has already despatched an armed force to Mirkheim, van Rijn tells St. Dismas to get busy praying for them as casually as if the saint were a fourth member of their informal discussion group.
(Barring a supernatural intervention, Mirkheim cannot be put under the control of a Heavenly hierarchy because in practice that would mean some group of clergy.)
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
If it had been possible I would support van Rijn's alternative.
In the right circumstances, having clergy beings managing Mirkheim might have worked, neutrals unaffiliated to any faction.
Ad astra! Sean
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