Disaster strikes in both physical and human terms. In response to the physical emergency, Nakamura issues orders. Sverdlov argues and has to be reminded that Nakamura is the captain. He replies:
"'Not any more!'" (p. 51)
Nakamura immediately cuts Sverdlov out of the control circuits, asks him to remain at his post, then politely requests the other two scientists to restrain the engineer if necessary.
Even if Sverdlov is right in his disagreement with Nakamura - I cannot know either way -, he is certainly wrong to mutiny especially just at that time. They cannot possibly survive if they are in conflict with each other. Man against nature and man against man: we do not need the second conflict. I remember the climax of the novel but not what happens between so this is a voyage of rediscovery. Sverdlov is the character that we know least about as yet except that he is already secretly in conflict with the two from Earth.
Onward, Earthlings! - but not any further this evening.
6 comments:
Or as Heinlein put it, "The captain is always right -- even when he's wrong."
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly, what both you and Stirling said.
Ad astra! Sean
Or: If the captain's wrong, it will have to be taken up later, not in the midst of the action.
Kaor, Paul!
Preferably before an Admiralty Court's board of inquiry, whose job would be to figure out what went wrong and whether any criminal charges needs to be filed against any survivors.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I was about to leave work in a sub-office to attend a union committee meeting in work time (allowable under the rules). However, there were only two of us in the sub-office at the time. Our boss phoned and said that, for safety reasons, he was unhappy about me leaving the other colleague unaccompanied. I immediately agreed to stay. If I had disagreed with him, I would still have stayed and taken it up through channels later but as it was I agreed in any case. A colleague's safety was more important than my right to attend a meeting.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Very generous and gentlemanly of you! Of course your co-worker's safety was more important.
Ad astra! Sean
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