[LMB] Barrayaran Pirates

[Mitch Miller]

As we know, the Counts were originally accountants, who collected
taxes from, presumably, local village headmen, feudal lords, maybe
even a democratic city-state or two.  It sounds to me like there would
have been plenty of opportunity for local warlords, mercenaries and pirates,
rather like feudal Japan.

Speaking of which, has anybody given any thought to how Sergeyar is
being governed?  Will there be new counts appointed?  Will there be local
councils electing representatives to an assembly presided over by
the Viceroy and Vicereine?

I get the impression that Barrayar is trying to maintain a fairly low
profile on Komarr.  Komarrans still are doing things by shareholder vote,
with an occasional Barrayaran administrator and Impsec staying in the 
background as much as possible, sort of a British colonial model.

Mitch Miller


From: "Jean Lamb" <tlambs1138 at charter.net>

Raye Johnsen--
Well, no, it wouldn't have been.  Because when a
member of the nobility flew the skull-and-crossbones,
they generally did so under a letter of marque and
were officially aiming at ships of enemy countries.
Which, if all the Vor were sworn to the Emperor, there
wouldn't have been any of.

--Coughs gently. _Which_ Emperor? The Evil Pretender cowering in the 
Imperial Palace or the Brave Young REAL Emperor nobly offering deliverance 
to the downtrodden masses? (I'm listening to _Prince Caspian_ in the car 
these days). I see the possibility for rival letters of marque, of equally 
dubious provenance, preying on weary merchantmen and smugglers. Being Vor 
(although not the wrong kind, depending on which side your family was on) 
would offer an advantage then. Younger sons could be sent off to sea with a 
ship rather than littering the capital or plotting against older and/or more 
legitimate brothers. I mean, it's not like they had Sergyar then, and I 
suspect people did come back from the South Continent, probably at the most 
inconvenient times.

And you know they would have the proper attitude about rum. I mean, it 
_does_ go bad if you leave a bottle half-empty.

Jean Lamb, tlambs1138 at charter.net