Dragaera

Alternate ending for _Jhereg_

Thu Mar 25 10:50:11 PST 2004

--- Alexx Kay <alexx at panix.com> wrote:
> 
> > 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.

Mellar's got to be as much on his guard as he can possibly be.

> 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.

That's a good point.

> 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!

What machinations?  The Jhereg can take full credit for figuring
out Mellar's plan and deciding to hold off.  Morrolan isn't
involved at all, much less the Jhereg, unless they came to an
agreement on killing Mellar, and no one has to reveal that.

What I thought of was that Mellar might convince somebody--maybe
a Dzur, since the Organization is enough people to fight--to
rescue him.  But I suspect that members of other houses aren't
likely to get involved in an intra-Jhereg dispute, now that they
know that's what it is.  Especially not on the side against the
Organization.

> And I've only been
> thinking of ideas for a minute or two -- Mellar has had centuries to
> cover his contingencies.

True.  He might even have thought of being tricked into stabbing
somebody with a Morganti weapon.  Less likely, though.

> > 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.

They didn't work together.  Morrolan did exactly what he was going
to do anyway, Aliera is *less* involved than in Vlad's plan, and
the House of the Dragon isn't involved at all.  Morrolan and Aliera
wouldn't take any political hits they haven't already taken--for
instance, everyone knows Morrolan has a Jhereg security consultant.

I guess young Dragons might do something rash, but it seems to
me that Vlad is offending Morrolan more in his plan than in my
suggestion.  I doubt rash young Jhereg would do anything against
the wishes of the Organization.

> > 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.

No good guys getting stabbed with Morganti weapons and no make-or-
break duel for Vlad with a master swordsman.  And I still think
Vlad has his plan as a fallback.

By the way, in Vlad's plan, why didn't he boot out Mellar's two
guards.  Then instead of Mellar teleporting out, Morrolan throws
him out for breaking house rules.  It seems it would be much
easier for several people to trace the teleport--who would supply it?
--and gang up on Mellar.

-- 
Jerry Friedman

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