Re: Character Impression **Some Spoilers"(eps. 110)
Justin Ho (iluvatar45@hotmail.com)
Sun, 06 Aug 2000 16:35:13 CST
>From: "Howard Cheung"
>Reply-To: logh@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
>To:
>Subject: Re: Character Impression **Some Spoilers"
>Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2000 23:12:19 -0700
>
>The following are counterfactual arguments, but I think they are worth
>discussing
>
>If Yang really did fire at Brunhild in the Battle of Vermillion, the
>universe would have lapsed back into instability. For the Empire, the
>death
>of Prince Loengramm would probably fragment the newly consolidated,
>reformed
>oriented administration Riehard had work so diligently to establish. For
>the Alliance, a tactical victory at Vermillion would prolong the quasi
>democracy and perpetuate the corrupted political system in Heinasein. In
>both case, the overwhelming majority of people in universe would probably
>suffer.
I said things would probably be different, not necessarily better. :)Yang
would most likely have had to go through another round of harassment by the
politicians and/or be consigned to a desk job or retirement like the
commanders of the Dagon battle.
Although there would most likely have been an initial period of chaos in
the Empire, wouldn't new centers of loyalty have formed around either Hilda,
Mittermeyer, and/or Reuentahl? I wonder whether the fragmentation would
really have been as great as it said.
Or perhaps Merkatz with the aid of the Alliance would have eventually ledd
a campaign to "restore" the Empire? Would have been ironic if that had
happened.
>
>In the aftermath of the ninth battle in Iserhon Circuit (a brilliant battle
>that resembles the ingenuity of King Henry V and his English longbowmen in
>the Battle of Agincourt), Yang did receive an agreement to parley, or
>negotiation depending on how optimistic you are, from Emperor Riehard.
>However, I would speculate that unless Yang die, long-lasting peace between
>the Empire and the "Alliance" was not sustainable. Yang was too prominent,
>both as a military genius and an avatar of democracy, in the views of the
>admirals in the Empire. As long as Yang lived, he would always be regarded
>as the only man capable of challenging the Loengramm dynasty. My guess was
>that as soon as Riehard died, as he did a year later, Obeinstein would push
>for the total elimination of Yang and his faction in order to consolidate
>Kaiser Alexander's power.
But remember that Oberstein is not well liked by the admirals (especially
Mittermeyer) and Hilda would have been a counterbalance to his more ruthless
suggestions. As it is, Oberstein is only barely tolerated because he helps
Reinhard.
>I would farther argue that Riehard and Yang must die in order to make way
>for an era of peace in the universe. Both men, especially Riehard, were
>aberrations in a stability environment. Their greatness were enshrined in
>battle fleet and star system, not parliament and public forum. If they did
>live through the peace ensured, Riehard would probably lust after worthy
>opponents to do battle with, while Yang would be too darn lazy and honest
>to
>be an effective politician. In an more abstract analogy, both Riehard and
>Yang existed only for battles. Since both of them represented the chaotic
>saga, the death symbolically ended the brief period of intensive conflicts
>between the "Alliance" and the Empire. In short, the transition of Riehard
>and Yang to Empress Hilda/Kaiser Alexander and Julian/Fredericka was a
>temporary respite between two antagonistic political systems. It is ironic
>that after 100 years of massive military mobilization, billions of lives
>lost, and incalculable amount of resources wasted, the subsequent
>strategically balance in the universe was exactly the same as when Ale
>Heineseen had just landed in Heinesein after his 50 years journey in space.
>
>H. Cheung
I don't think Yang would have wanted nor tried to become a public figure.
He always tried to get a peaceful retirement, if this alternate timeline had
come to pass, then he might have gotten it (minus all the media attention
that would inevitably intrude on his life). Reinhard would have had trouble
I agree.
The balance is not the same at the end as it was in the beginning.
The Imperial capital is at Phezzan instead of Odin, meaning the more
cosmopolitan nature of Phezzan might influence Imperial policy to be more
even handed. The FPA is no more but has internal autonomy and there are
hints that the Empire under Hilda is headed away from absolute monarchy
towards constitutional monarchy, and perhaps in the distant future, a
republican system. Phezzan itself as an independent politcal entity is also
a thing of the past, meaning there is no longer a third party.
Reinhard can be viewed as a victor in the physical sense since he has
conquered known space, but Yang can be seen to have won ideologically.
Reinhard's autocracy provided the decisveness and efficiency to bring about
political unification but only Yang's vision of a just democratic system can
create a lasting peace. Even Reinhard's reforms are towards a more
egalitarian system. In Reinhard's mind, Julian's successful boarding action
of Brunhild showed that Julian and Yang's ideals deserved to be treated with
respect.
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