thanatos wrote:cthia wrote:I can't help but feel Beth is secretly worried deep down inside about the lasting stability of the restored Republic. What will happen to it after the changing of the guard? After Pritchard is replaced with a fair election, how is the course of the current government maintained with so many Saint-Just style of sympathizers waiting in the wings? Trust me, I've personally been a part of much more surprising elections.
How is Beth to know that the leopard isn't really a chameleon waiting to change its colors again? With so much shared tech it could prove fatally difficult for the Star Empire this time around trying to recover from a blow like that. And even more difficult for Beth and her power base to bounce back from being so wrong.
I believe this point is addresses in the Epilogue of Uncompromising Honor. Elizabeth is well aware of the dangers, especially since Prichart can only remain in power for 3 5-year terms I believe, which is the reflection of pre-prolong thinking. Which is why the two of them have agreed on deepening the cultural ties between Manticore and Haven by granting automatic citizenship for anyone who moves in either direction. It's how Manticore and Beowulf ended up such close nations, with citizens on both sides getting married and having such deep political ties despite Beowulf's membership in the SL. So the new arrangement goes even further than that, making it very difficult for Havenites to view Manticorans (or it's alliance members) as enemies and getting the sort of political toehold among the population (the way the Legislaturalists and the CPS did to divert attention away from their failings).
Thanks for the info. I'd sure hate to see Beth stressed by another chameleon act. That would probably bend her steel to the point of breaking.