Jeepers. When will I remember to check the reply-to field correctly? On Jan 19, 2004, at 4:12 PM, David Silberstein wrote: > ... > None of these activities would have brought his group into conflict > directly with the Empire *yet* - but the Jhereg Organization sees the > latter sort of activities as being a direct threat to their income. > So it is in their interest to *force* Kelly into conflict with the > Empire - and Kelly is not averse to this, perhaps because, as a > matter of principle, he wants to demonstrate that an effective group > of organized Teckla and Easterners *can* resist the Empire. I would note that, looked at this way, Kelly's movement, even if a raving success, is actually not a threat to the Empire or the Cycle - and doesn't ever have to be - IF the Empire is willing to adapt its power structure. I can see, however, a) the Empire not being willing to or b) certain parties being happy to make the movement _appear_ to be more of a direct threat, and thus force the issue, or, most likely c) both. But even House Jhereg _could_ re-Organize if the Empire moved that way. It would take quite an individual, or a rare group - indeed the stuff of legends - to turn Kelly's proto-revolution into a Dragaeran governmental renaissance without causing a major conflagration (heck, even _with_ the major conflagration). Where, oh where, could we find one of those? Being Zero Man (Noam Izenberg's nighttime superhero avocation)