Sten: Difference between revisions

* [[Nepali With Nasty Knives]]: the Gurkhas, real-life badasses who continue to be badass in space.

* [[Obviously Evil]]: The Emperor's "Privy Council," composed of the wealthiest businesspeople in his empire, and every one of them a transparent [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]. Their leader, Sullamora, even chose a couple because of their "raw, open greed." Apparently they're so rich they can [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|screw the rules]], because they actually ''take over'' in the Emperor's absence. You can't really run a political empire ''quite'' the same way you run a financial empire, though, so [[It Got Worse|things get worse]].

* [[Off-Screen Breakup]]: Sten and his childhood girlfriend Bet have already broken up by the beginning of the second book. This does not stop them from occasionally having sex. They agreed to be "just friends," but Bet was feeling "really friendly."

* [[One Nation Under Copyright]]: Vulcan.

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: Many, including the Emperor himself; in fact, the Emperor is so hands-on that he is literally the only living man who knows the secret of where to get Antimatter-Two and has the rest of the galaxy in his pocket because of the immense wealth and power this brings him. He also loves a good beer and barfight. Many other royals or other political leaders of other nations have actual combat ability or military backgrounds, and, friend or foe, they are all nasty people.

** Royals in the Sten books tend to skew either towards being hardcore military basses or ineffectual insane armchair generals. Sadly, both types have a strong tendency towards ruining the lives of those they rule over. Sten's ''career'' is built around toppling despots, and occasionally he even pits one against the other.

* [[Shout-Out]]:

** Famed diplomat Sr. Ecu sends the equally renowned psychologist Rykor a copy of an ancient Earth manuscript. Rykor says she finds the idea of [[Foundation|"psychohistory" fascinating, but found the protagonist "Selden" rather repellent]].

** Sten's friend Ida acted as a stockbroker for him, and her investments made him wealthy enough to own an uninhabited but Earthlike ''planet'', Smallbridge. ([[Horatio Hornblower]] became Baron Hornblower of Smallbridge.)

** Mercury Corps call the "appear unlike who you really are and like no one in particular" camouflage tactic a [[Robert A. Heinlein|"Great Lorenzo"]].