The final confrontation is spiritual rather than physical. Murdoch's companion, Faustina, rams a gun into Trevelyan's stomach and says that she will kill him but this is not a cue for an Andersonian action scene. Trevelyan would have had to disarm Faustina, then dodge several other weapons aimed at him, but this is unnecessary. Murdoch pulls the gun from Faustina and knocks her down. He realizes that he must concede to Trevelyan. Faustina, still on the ground, bruised and tearful, asks why the Coordination Service as represented by Trevelyan, must upset their plans. Trevelyan says that Good Luck must be not colonized but preserved for study because the dead race has a right to be known. She does not understand.
That leads back to the unseen narrator repeating, as he had said in the beginning, that the Service guards the Pact. Living, dead and unborn must be kept one in time. This is necessary for meaning and even for survival:
"...but the young generations so often do not understand." (p. 165)
This was said before but now we have seen Faustina.
The narrator states his point, the story makes the point and the narrator restates the point. End of. But the Psychotechnic History deserved more instalments like "The Pirate."
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And the Stellar Union risks between swept aside by those "young generations," as they become increasingly impatient with being balked by the Cordies!
Ad astra! Sean
Note the Proclamation Line of 1763 as one of the proximate causes of the American Revolution.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Exactly what I had in mind! The land hunger of the colonists as they pressed westwards was not going to be eliminated. At most the UK could have tried to manage or channel it.
Ad astra! Sean
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