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A collection of posts by David Weber containing background information for his stories, collected and generously made available Joe Buckley.

Manticore's relationship with Beowulf

My faithful minions (I always wanted at least one "minion" of my very own) have sent along the following:

Tim Holmes writes:

I sincerely doubt that Manticore has shared any of their higher tech with Beowulf, unless the Beowulfians were invovled with it's development… which pretty much limits it to medical advances (we've never heard of Beowulf being a big military designer, unlike TIY).

Drak Bibliophile responds:

We have no real info on the relationship between the Local Defense forces and the Solarian League Navy so it is possible that Beowulf would not need to pass on any tech knowledge that Manticore sold them. Of course, since the Solarian League Navy thinks that they have the most advanced military tech in the Galaxy, they would not ask for any tech knowledge that Manticore sold Beowulf. Personally, assuming good relations with Beowulf, I suspect that Manticore would sell them enough tech info that their military technology would be at least as advanced as Haven's.

My response:

tum-te-tum-te-tum.

Actually, I will say this much.

(1) Beowulf and the Star Kingdom of Manticore are on excellent terms.

(2) Beowulf and the Star Kingdom both have a very strong interest in ensuring that Beowulf can protect its terminus of the Manticoran Wormhole Junction.

(3) Beowulf and the Star Kingdom have very strong mutual economic, familial, and philosophical ties.

(4) I don't recall ever having said anything anywhere in the book to suggest that Beowulf, which was on the absolute cutting-edge of hyper physics when little things like the impeller drive and the Warshawski sail were being invented, has somehow magically become a star system which devotes its time solely to medicine and genetic research.

(5) If Beowulf had wished at any time to become a member star system of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, it could legally have done so. The Solarian League Constitution, like that of the Republic of Haven, enshrines the right of self-determination by its member systems, and the right of any member system to withdraw from the League. No full member system has ever attempted to do so, and the possible consequences of such an attempt might be interesting, but the legal right exists and is recognized by all constitutional scholars. (Note: OFS protectorates are not "member star systems" for the purpose of this particular legal right. The League judiciary determined that point many years ago after a typically scrupulous examination of all of the utterly impartial evidence presented by the Office of Frontier Security and the Gendarmerie.)

(6) tum-te-tum-te-tum.