Captain Nadi of the Supermetals Company to Sandra Tamarin, Grand Duchess of Hermes:
"'David Falkyan himself suggested Hermes as the eventual caretaker. True, he was only thinking of the Commonwealth and the League as rivals for Mirkheim. He did not foresee Babur's entry. However, we have decided his idea remains the best we have.'" (p. 59)
Declare an interest: David Falkayn, the discoverer of Mirkheim, is a Hermetian.
It was entirely predictable that:
the source of supermetals, Mirkheim, would be independently rediscovered;
the Solar Commonwealth and the Polesotechnic League would then clash for control of this valuable planet.
It was entirely unpredictable that an independent power, Babur, would also enter the conflict but plans have to allow for contingencies.
In fact, Falkayn himself will discover that the Baburites are dupes of a cartel within the League, in any case. Falkayn's contributions to Technic civilization outweigh those of either his mentor, Nicholas van Rijn, or their remote successor, Dominic Flandry.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
While what you said about Falkayn's achievements outweighing those of van Rijn is true, I disagree that can be said of Dominic Flandry's achievements. The cumulative effects of Flandry's successes at least matches those of Falkayn.
Hope this uploads.
Ad astra! Sean
Yes, Flandry is essential to the survival of the Empire -- for several centuries, at least.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolutely! Several incidents in Flandry's career were crucial for the Empire's survival, such as his role in thwarting Merseia's plan for using a rogue planet in ENSIGN FLANDRY for fatally weakening it. Flandry expressed some hope at the end of THE GAME OF EMPIRE that Terra would survive another two centuries.
Hope this uploads.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment