They've changed in many ways, but to move from feudalism to socialism, I feel, isn't possible without the consent of the Cycle, if not the Noble Houses themselves. And can you see Dragons, Dzur, Athyra, or Phoenix allowing their aristocracy to be pushed aside in favor of a total Teckla revolt, destroying the Cycle itself? I don't think so. The Houses allow the Teckla to have their little Republic every Cycle because they know it'll last, at most, 17^3 years before the Cycle pushes them aside for the next House in line. The brand of feudalism may change, but it's still feudalism. What Kelly wanted was the destruction of the Cycle... Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Kelly an Easterner and not a Teckla. The revolt in Adril..., involving Vlad's wife (also an Easterner, no?), was not a move towards the Teckla Republic, but a move by Easterners who, being outside the cycle, want a bigger role in governing the empire. Kelly and his followers would not even be involved in the Teckla Republic and Verra's comments about Kelly's ideas do not really apply. ===== "she had a walk that would make a bishop kick in a stain glass window" - Raymond Chandler