In Anderson's Fire Time, engineers from the World Federation are able to build dams that will hold back the flood water which cyclically wrecks civilization on the planet Ishtar but this rescue project has to be suspended because of the war between the Federation and the planet Naqsa.
On Ramnu, Miriam Abrams had asked a colleague:
"'...have you ever perchance heard of Admiral Flandry?'"
-Poul Anderson, A Stone In Heaven IN Anderson, Flandry's Legacy (Riverdale, NY, June 2012), pp. 1-188 AT I, p. 16.
On Ishtar, the chief engineer tells a Federation Navy captain:
"...as far as pride in being human goes, I was at the formative age of fifteen when Gunnar Heim brought us to our victory over Alerion. I don't merely know, I feel what this meant."
-Fire Time, VI, p. 68.
These are great names in history in two timelines.
6 comments:
War diverts attention and funds from other things; OTOH, if it doesn't, you get chopped into dogmeat.
Kaor, Paul!
And we see mention of how the Founder of the Empire, Manuel Argos, became a legend during his lifetime. And remembered as such centuries later.
Ad astra! Sean
S.M. Stirling:
Some of those other things eg: a reliable secure energy source are very helpful in making weapons of war, as well as making life good in your country.
So you are sometimes left with a difficult optimization between making weapons now and building up industrial capacity for building lots of both swords and plowshares later.
Kaor, Paul!
Another thought I had was thinking those dams could also be used for releasing water in a controlled way for things like irrigation once the immediate threat had passed.
Ad astra! Sean
Jim: yes. A lot depends on whether you're anticipating a long war or a short war.
The US (and Britain before it) specialized in longish wars, in which mobilizable economic strength was more important.
But they were both islands; dominating the sea let them arm at leisure.
Prussia, OTOH, specialized in -short, sharp- wars and emphasized big forces, rapid mobilization, and quick devastating strikes.
Frederick the Great nearly got Prussia destroyed when he ended up with all the other Great Powers combining against him in the 7 Years War -- only the "Miracle of the House of Brandenburg", when the Czarina died and her successor was a demented Frederick fanboy, saved Prussia.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
It does make me wonder what might have happened in history if Empress Elizabeth had lived long enough to completely destroy Prussia. It was only her death which removed her implacable death grip from a Frederick II at his last gasp and despairingly seeking death in battle.
The Habsburgs might have ended up unifying Germany, not Prussia.
Ad astra! Sean
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