Part 118, Chapter 1960
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Sixty
31st January 1970
Argelander Observatory, Balderschwang, Bavaria
While Ben agreed that the telescope seeing first light was a huge deal, the huge production that was being made of it was hardly necessary. It had become something that was seen along the same lines as the moon landings, a point of national pride. Ben personally felt that the Sciences were something that transcended the petty squabbles of men and nations, that they worked best when it was for the betterment of all. When Ben had voiced his opinions to Louis Ferdinand, the Emperor had said that while he admired his idealism and optimism, he thought that Ben needed to talk to his father about the other role that the Sciences had played in history.
Ben had understood that immediately. Every scientific discovery held the potential for both progress and destruction, it was something that always needed to be considered. Ben’s father was a Professor of Organic Chemistry, a field that had made the modern world possible, including many of the ever more lethal weapons used by its militaries. That was the reason why Louis Ferdinand felt that the opening of the Argelander Observatory should be celebrated in the manner that it was. It was a constructive development, and they needed it to be seen as having the full backing of the State as well as industry. If Kings and Industrialists getting their pictures in the newspapers at the opening made them more inclined to support similar projects in the future, then it was a small price to pay. The alternative was that the same resources would be squandered on things that would not benefit society other than to feed the insatiable greed of wealthy men.
That was also the reason for establishment of the Friedrich Order for Science and Industry. Named for Louis Ferdinand’s great grandfather, Friedrich III, it had been created as an award for those deemed to have had worked for the betterment of mankind. Kiki had also pointed out to Ben that it was a not-so-subtle message being sent to her older brother, who was expected to ascend the throne as Friedrich IV in only a matter of months, about the direction that the Emperor thought that society was moving in. The 40’s and 50’s had been an era of rapid advancement. However, things had stagnated during the 60’s. Sure, there had been the Space Program and substantial advancement in most fields, such as computing, but most of those had been evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. It was Louis’ hope that the Friedrich Order would help foster the change he was after. Ben had noticed that among those inducted into the Order were typically young and were considered innovators of one sort or another. When Ben himself had been told that he would be among them for his participation in the Taxidiotis Program and his work on Argelander Observatory, the thought had occurred to him that he might have gotten in because of his relationships. It was something that Kiki had complained about often, then he realized that like the others he was getting the induction for what it was figured that he would do in the years ahead and it was giving him a powerful tool to go about doing it.
That was at the forefront of Ben’s mind as he conducted a tour for a number of the very men who Louis Ferdinand had mentioned. In the back of the crowd, Kiki quietly chatted with her sister, Marie Cecilie of Galicia, and Anna, the Queen of Saxony. The three women seemed to be enjoying themselves far more than the men who Ben was trying to explain the workings of the telescope to.
Hong Kong
It had come as a sudden shock when the Captain of the HMS Darner had been relieved of command. It was something that everyone had been expecting for ages, but no one had been eager to see it happen because there was a chance that whoever replaced him would be worse. Once it happened though, things took a turn that could have been anticipated by anyone with half a brain. Who had dropped the dime on the Captain? The problem for Smythe was that he was the one who was widely seen as having the most to gain. While everyone knew that the Captain had posed a serious risk to the ship, there was a great deal of personal loyalty that it was felt that was owed him because he had commanded the Darner since she had left the yards a few years earlier. That was why it came as something of a relief when word came that a new Captain had been assigned to the Darner. In many respects, they should have paid heed to the amble warnings that their own experience provided, it could always get worse.
Lieutenant Commander Courtenay walked down the gangplank looking at the seventy men of the Ship’s Company with thinly disguised disdain during the welcoming ceremony. Admittedly the crew was a mixed bag. Like all ships of the Eastern Fleet, they were from all over the Commonwealth, English or Scottish of some sort or their descendants. As if Smythe needed more proof that British Navy’s Sailors had never been picky about their bedpartners over the last few centuries. Before Courtenay even opened his mouth, Smythe knew that he would have the posh accent that came from a lifetime of wealth, sculpted by years spent in exclusive schools. Smythe’s family had been serving in the Navy for generations. Growing up in Portsmouth, any other life would have been unthinkable for him. That had meant that he had gone to sea as soon as he had been able to legally and he had earned his Commission through years of hard work and clawing his way up from the bottom.
As soon as Courtenay started to read aloud his orders to assume the role of Master and Commander of Her Majesty’s Ship Darner, Smythe decided to just start hating him then. As opposed to waiting for Courtenay to screw up. The problem of a self-correcting problem like this was that they tended to get anyone unlucky enough to be next to them hurt or killed in the process.
31st January 1970
Argelander Observatory, Balderschwang, Bavaria
While Ben agreed that the telescope seeing first light was a huge deal, the huge production that was being made of it was hardly necessary. It had become something that was seen along the same lines as the moon landings, a point of national pride. Ben personally felt that the Sciences were something that transcended the petty squabbles of men and nations, that they worked best when it was for the betterment of all. When Ben had voiced his opinions to Louis Ferdinand, the Emperor had said that while he admired his idealism and optimism, he thought that Ben needed to talk to his father about the other role that the Sciences had played in history.
Ben had understood that immediately. Every scientific discovery held the potential for both progress and destruction, it was something that always needed to be considered. Ben’s father was a Professor of Organic Chemistry, a field that had made the modern world possible, including many of the ever more lethal weapons used by its militaries. That was the reason why Louis Ferdinand felt that the opening of the Argelander Observatory should be celebrated in the manner that it was. It was a constructive development, and they needed it to be seen as having the full backing of the State as well as industry. If Kings and Industrialists getting their pictures in the newspapers at the opening made them more inclined to support similar projects in the future, then it was a small price to pay. The alternative was that the same resources would be squandered on things that would not benefit society other than to feed the insatiable greed of wealthy men.
That was also the reason for establishment of the Friedrich Order for Science and Industry. Named for Louis Ferdinand’s great grandfather, Friedrich III, it had been created as an award for those deemed to have had worked for the betterment of mankind. Kiki had also pointed out to Ben that it was a not-so-subtle message being sent to her older brother, who was expected to ascend the throne as Friedrich IV in only a matter of months, about the direction that the Emperor thought that society was moving in. The 40’s and 50’s had been an era of rapid advancement. However, things had stagnated during the 60’s. Sure, there had been the Space Program and substantial advancement in most fields, such as computing, but most of those had been evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. It was Louis’ hope that the Friedrich Order would help foster the change he was after. Ben had noticed that among those inducted into the Order were typically young and were considered innovators of one sort or another. When Ben himself had been told that he would be among them for his participation in the Taxidiotis Program and his work on Argelander Observatory, the thought had occurred to him that he might have gotten in because of his relationships. It was something that Kiki had complained about often, then he realized that like the others he was getting the induction for what it was figured that he would do in the years ahead and it was giving him a powerful tool to go about doing it.
That was at the forefront of Ben’s mind as he conducted a tour for a number of the very men who Louis Ferdinand had mentioned. In the back of the crowd, Kiki quietly chatted with her sister, Marie Cecilie of Galicia, and Anna, the Queen of Saxony. The three women seemed to be enjoying themselves far more than the men who Ben was trying to explain the workings of the telescope to.
Hong Kong
It had come as a sudden shock when the Captain of the HMS Darner had been relieved of command. It was something that everyone had been expecting for ages, but no one had been eager to see it happen because there was a chance that whoever replaced him would be worse. Once it happened though, things took a turn that could have been anticipated by anyone with half a brain. Who had dropped the dime on the Captain? The problem for Smythe was that he was the one who was widely seen as having the most to gain. While everyone knew that the Captain had posed a serious risk to the ship, there was a great deal of personal loyalty that it was felt that was owed him because he had commanded the Darner since she had left the yards a few years earlier. That was why it came as something of a relief when word came that a new Captain had been assigned to the Darner. In many respects, they should have paid heed to the amble warnings that their own experience provided, it could always get worse.
Lieutenant Commander Courtenay walked down the gangplank looking at the seventy men of the Ship’s Company with thinly disguised disdain during the welcoming ceremony. Admittedly the crew was a mixed bag. Like all ships of the Eastern Fleet, they were from all over the Commonwealth, English or Scottish of some sort or their descendants. As if Smythe needed more proof that British Navy’s Sailors had never been picky about their bedpartners over the last few centuries. Before Courtenay even opened his mouth, Smythe knew that he would have the posh accent that came from a lifetime of wealth, sculpted by years spent in exclusive schools. Smythe’s family had been serving in the Navy for generations. Growing up in Portsmouth, any other life would have been unthinkable for him. That had meant that he had gone to sea as soon as he had been able to legally and he had earned his Commission through years of hard work and clawing his way up from the bottom.
As soon as Courtenay started to read aloud his orders to assume the role of Master and Commander of Her Majesty’s Ship Darner, Smythe decided to just start hating him then. As opposed to waiting for Courtenay to screw up. The problem of a self-correcting problem like this was that they tended to get anyone unlucky enough to be next to them hurt or killed in the process.