> Anyway, this isn't much simpler, but it's much less dangerous, > and it allows for the Morganti-switch Aliera-in-Pathfinder thing > as a backup. > > First Vlad checks with the Demon. "Mellar's purpose was to start > a Dragon-Jhereg war. What if we get the money back and don't have > a war, so Mellar lives another couple weeks with the knowledge that > he's thrown away his life for nothing? Then we kill him. Would > that be sufficient punishment? Considering that the alternative > is a disastrous war, and that my backup plan isn't guaranteed > to work and at best gives Mellar a quick death, not necessarily > Morganti. Also, if a war does happen, Mellar will have succeeded > no matter what we end up doing to him." (In a book, this might > happen offstage--Vlad just says that he got the Demon's permission.) > > If the Demon says no, back to Kiera and Aliera. > > If he says yes, and Morrolan and the Organization work something > out on who gets to kill Mellar [*], then Vlad walks up to Mellar at > the party and says something to shake him up, like, "There won't > be any war. Your plan has failed, half-breed." Daymar does the > mind-probe. If it doesn't work, back to plan B, depending on what > the Demon insists on. This puts Mellar seriously on his guard, making Vlad's backup plan even less likely to work. Moreover, it may inspire Mellar to put *his* backup plan into effect. We don't actually *know* that he had one, but I'd hardly discount the possibility. For instance, what if Mellar decides to just let out the information disgracing the Dzur -- and lets it be known that this information only came out because of machinations between the Jhereg and the Dragon. He might end up with a three-way war! And I've only been thinking of ideas for a minute or two -- Mellar has had centuries to cover his contingencies. > If it works, Daymar gets the information to the Demon, maybe through > Vlad or Cawti, and the money is collected. Fentor asks Mellar's > two guards to leave. > > Then Vlad says to Mellar essentially what he said to the Demon, but > in public, in front of as many Dragons as possible. "We saw through > your plan, we defeated it by the simple method of not having a war, > so you've thrown away your life and wealth and power for nothing. > As part of your punishment, you'll be allowed to live with that > knowledge for a while longer. Then the people you stole from-- > who have their money back--will make an example of you at their > leisure before destroying your soul. Your plan wasn't bad, > but you're no match for *real* Dragons, *real* Jhereg, or > Easterners. We'll be keeping an eye on you and explaining more > about your ancestry and your failure. Enjoy the party." A public pronouncement of how closely the Jhereg and the Dragon worked on this? I don't think *either* house would be well-pleased to have that made public. Younger, rasher members of either one could easily end up starting the war anyway, out of wounded pride. At the very least, those directly involved would risk a significant political hit. > Any thoughts? I think that if the book had been titled _Issola_, this plan might have worked :-) I think that the risk level isn't significantly less than the plan that was actually used. Alexx Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employers. alexx at carolingiaSPAMBL@CK.org http://www.panix.com/~alexx "NO ONE can stop the Eye in the Pyramid Lord Julius... We are as smoke. We are your shadow. We are _every_where." "Hmm You're like _smoke_ -- you're my _shadow_ and you're _every_where. Are you bigger than a bread box?" -- Cerebus 160