Subject: (urth) Re: The Beautiful Ones, They Allways Hurt U

From: Thomas Jeenicke <thomas_jeenicke at public.uni-hamburg.de>
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 08:33:44 +0000

Talarican wrote (digest urth v028.n169.2):
>What struck me in "No Planets Strike" was what a whimpy galactic authority
>seems to be operating. A (shapechanging!) people who us swords they can't
>even make, but must obtain in trade, imprison spacegoing humans on their
>planet and torture them if they misbehave, and the humans cower in their
> starships and do nothing about it? (and keep selling them swords?!)

It must be considered that most people coming to Sidhe are very poor (p.92:
"People still come, though, mostly the ones that are too poor to go anyplace
else"), and authorities (galactic or otherwise) usually don't care much
about that kind of peolple. Furthermore, the Beautiful Ones try not to get
too much attention from otherworldly authorities: if somebody on another
world ask about a human on Sidhe, that human is allowed to leave (p.93).
Obviously, the Beautiful Ones fear that somebody with power could take an
interest in their world and their'world's situation after all.
The traders probably still come because there is still profit to make. And
if a trader leaves the ship, it was his choice and he has to take the
consequence (so they think, maybe).
I guess the strength of the Beautiful Ones is deception and manipulation.
They look noble, but are not at all. Their manipulative skills must be
great, though they aren't described. The humans on Sidhe being underdogs
even before they came to the planet) don't think they can do much against
the situation, and they don't work together! That working together can solve
problems, is what the animals' show try to teach (p.95/96).

>I wonder what the point of the Beautiful's prohibition on human
reproduction
>was? ... Better yet, how is it implemented? Are the humans forbidden to,
um,
> make babies, or are any who are born kidnappped?... What do they do with
>the children they take?

I think that it si forbidden to reproduce and, if it happens anyway, the
newborns are kidnapped. My guess is that they are either killed then or
raised as slaves - all humans on Sidhe are practically slaves. Why the
Beautiful Ones were afraid of babies born on Sidhe right from the start, is
difficult to say. But now, that the rule is implemented, it is clear, what a
surviving newborn will be. The human will probably not be able to work
wonders, but he will be a saviour insofar he is a symbol that there is a way
to defend oneself against the Beautiful Ones (esp. if people are working
together), that the miserable situation of the humans on Sidhe is not fate
(not precribed by the "planets"), but can be changed.

Thomas

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