On Sun, 29 Jun 2003, Mark A Mandel wrote: > On Fri, 20 Jun 2003, Philip Hart wrote: > > #I don't understand how anyone can actually launch a successful coup > #against an Emperor able to use the Orb, which I believe gives one the > #ability to fry anyone linked to it. > > This is the second or third time in the current thread that I've seen > this power attributed to the Orb. Because I repeat myself. Do I repeat myself? Very well then, I repeat myself. > Is this correct? It's correct in the sense that I do believe the Orb has this ability, based on a soupc,on of speculation. > The only similar thing I remember is from a conversation between Vlad > and (Aliera? Kiera?). Vlad is surprised to learn that any citizen of the > Empire can use his or her (sorry, Steve!) link to the Orb to contact the > Emperor directly, but the Emperor can fry the person if he thinks his > time is being wasted.* [snip] > * I started to make the Emperor references gender-neutral in that > sentence and quickly saw the merit of Steve's position. How about: Vlad is surprised to learn that a citizen's link allows him or her to directly communicate with the Emperor, who may however fry anyone who does so frivolously. You could just recast the "citizen" as Vlad and avoid the gender question entirely: Vlad is surprised to learn that as a citizen he has the right use his link to communicate with the Emperor, but doing so frivolously might get him (and Loisosh) fried.