I thought it might be fun to take another look at the epilogue to Surrender Your Dreams now that Hour of the Wolf is out and the ilClan era is upon us. For the longest time, it seemed like the events of the epilogue might be rendered non-canon. I was sure that such a ruling had been made, but as the Sarna note for the novel explains, Herb's statement regarding SYD did not explicitly declare it apocryphal, and so it remains canon.
So how well does it fit now in a post-Republic universe? And what clues might we be able to uncover using our newly updated factbase?
Let's find out.
Contaminated Zone A1 (Previously Breezewood)
Kwamashu
Former Duchy of Andurien
Fortress Republic +21 years
Right off the bat, we're told Kwamashu is in the Former Duchy of Andurien. Meaning the Duchy of Andurien is gone. Given that Ari Humphreys married Ilsa Centrella a few years back, is it too much to assume that Andurien is now a part of the Magistracy?
Well, perhaps, yes, because of this passage:
Flagpoles marked one end of the plaza, though the flags that fluttered in the breeze were different than those that had flown over Kwamashu two decades earlier; different than any then known.
The Duchy of Andurien, then, is no more, but whatever it is a part of is new, as its flag is new as well. Is this the flag of a new Centrella dominated Capellan Empire? Signs are inconclusive but I am hoping yes.
There are also multiple flagpoles. Are they all flying the same flag, or are there multiple flags present? There doesn't seem to be a strong implication either way, in my opinion. If the latter, does it suggest that Kwamashu is a part of the Third League?
Each year knights who had never made the pilgrimage came for the first time; every year time thinned the ranks of those who had come since the beginning."
This is where the timeline starts to get wonky, IMO. Kwamashu happened in 3138. Redburn and his Remnant forces are stuck defending Callison and the surrounding worlds up until 3149 when Levin is dispatched to bring them home to Terra. Fortress Republic was activated in 3135, meaning the gathering in the epilogue (FR+21) has to take place in 3156 - after the events of Hour of the Wolf, but only by 5 years. Not very long a time to be holding a gathering, honestly. It seems odd to be lamenting "how few remain" when you've only done something four times before.
Damien Redburn had died years ago in the way he deserved to die - in an epic battle that had strained their friendship nearly to the breaking point.
Er, okay. Seemed kind of beyond strained after Rock of the Republic, but your mileage may vary.
Jonah Levin had ensured that his friend had enjoyed a formal state funeral on Terra, after Fortress Republic had been broken and the great Liberation accomplished.
The man who ran a false flag operation, broke every rule of zellbrigen and came within an inch of murdering the future ilKhan/First Lord got a state funeral on Terra?
Great Liberation always seemed like a tell that The Republic won in the end, but the phrase has a certain Clan-like ring to it, so that tracks, still.
This year's speech was being given by Vergessen, a strapping young man untouched by the chaotic years of Fortress Republic.
This is written to make it appear that the bad old days are long gone, but again, only five years have passed since the ilClannening.
Lady Synd, Vergessen's mother, had not attended the last three reunions.
So other than the first one, this is her only one.
The older members of this gathering were fond of pointing to Vergessen and commenting that "back in the day, he would have made knight, or even paladin."
Back in the day, which was only half a decade ago. (Am I harping on this one point too much? It kind of feels like I am. Almost done, I promise.)
Hunter Mannheim's children had played important roles after Fortress Republic. Ron was known for his prowess as a MechWarrior and Judith Mannheim was an up-and-coming politician on Terra.
There are some interesting ways to parse this. The fact that Terra still has politicians who are not Warrior Caste members is somewhat surprising. (Taking 'politician' here to mean someone who achieves elected office rather than 'administrator' or 'functionary' who gets appointed by the Clan Council. Also, the fact that Ron is mentioned without his surname could be construed as meaning that he has been inducted into the Wolf Clan warrior caste.
"There are other memorials, like Fortress Wall in Geneve, where the Inner Sphere honors those who fell in service to The Republic."
Really? A monument to soldiers of The Republic on Alaric "I will tear down all symbols of your state and make it as if it never existed" Ward's Terra?
Something seemingly changes between what we see in Children of Kerensky/Hour of the Wolf and this point five years into the future. And if we look at the snippets from 3250 spread out in earlier products mentioning the office of Exarch as being a potentially ongoing thing then it points to Alaric having something of a change or heart. Or at least being forced to concede to the realities of his situation.
That's all, really, except for the thing about Paul Moon's age not lining up for Epilogue 2 to also be in 3156. I don't know what you can do about that but hand wave it away - Moon forgot how old he was, maybe? ;D
