SPOILERS for Phoenix, Athyra, Orca, and Issola. Jerry Friedman wrote: > --- Jose Marquez <jhereg69 at earthlink.net> wrote: > > >>Jerry Friedman wrote: >> >>>--- Chris Olson - SunPS <Chrisf.Olson at Sun.COM> wrote: >>> >>> >>>>Hmm... Maybe that's the Last Contract? Kelly hires Vlad >>>>to assassinate the Great Cycle! Another All-Expenses Paid >>>>trip to the Land of the Dead, with chisel and hammer in >>>>hand.... >>>> >>>>Okay, maybe not. <grin> >>> >>>I've taken that idea seriously since somewhere around _Phoenix_ >>>(probably on one of my re-reads). The main objection, of course, >>>is that from things Paarfi says, Norathar's reign lasts well beyond >>>Vlad's expected lifetime. Ways around that: >> >>I would say that another huge objection is that Vlad hates Kelly, and >>while he would be tempted to take Verra and the other Lords of Judgment >>to task (using his new toy) for various reasons, I don't think that he >>would really do it unless he had a better reason than Kelly wanting him >>to. > > > As I recall, though, he told Kelly at the end of _Teckla_ that > he respects what Kelly's doing. That might be a good reason. > And as Kiera says in _Orca_, maybe being good at something is the > best reason to do it. *shudder* But if you recall in Athyra and Issola, he makes his reluctance to continue killing known (In Athyra: "I won't kill for you again," mumbled while injured, possibly referring to the Jhereg, but could also be in response to Verra hiring him in Phoenix; in Issola: he ostensibly goes to Verra's place to kill her, but he doesn't really intend to; rather, he double-crosses the Jenoine by plotting against them with her help). He'll do it out of necessity, but it's highly unlikely that he'll agree to be a hired killer just because he's good at it. And while he assassinates Domm in Orca, that seems to be more out of a sense of justice than anything. So I guess you could argue that he's going to get paid in different coin, much like Dragons are in battle. >>Especially after knowing that Kelly's ideas won't work in the >>current Empire. > > I'm not sure Vlad would trust Verra on that. On the other hand, > from what Steven posted, Verra might be right. I think that she is. In 10,000 years, there might be a Teckla republic long enough to implement those ideas, but I think that unless they can manage to break the Cycle, once their turn is up, it'll be time for the next reign. I think that those ideas need both the right circumstances and the destruction of the Cycle to work: it's unlikely that any revolution will work out during, say, a Dragon reign, and even if they somehow break the Cycle, they've got to convince everyone that their way is the best way, as even with superior numbers of peasants, the army (i.e. Dragons and Dzur) can start mowing them down if they don't agree with the premise of revolution. >>Maybe Vlad can manage to live long enough to see those >>ideas be viable, but not Kelly and his supporters. > > Well, okay, but if Kelly isn't around to annoy Vlad any more, > doesn't that remove your objection? Well, it removes the entire premise (that of Kelly hiring Vlad to take out the Lords of Judgment), and thus there would be nothing to object to. My objection was based on the fact that I don't think Vlad would willingly work for Kelly, because of the personal dislike he has for him, as well as the fact that it bothers Vlad that Kelly doesn't care about casualties and is willing to sacrifice whoever is necessary to achieve his goal. Armed with what Verra told Vlad (and Kelly, but he doesn't listen to gods), Vlad knows that Kelly's movement is just going to get a lot of innocent people killed, mostly Easterners and quite possibly his wife, and he has no desire to help that along. Whether Vlad would be willing to take out the Lords of Judgment for some other agency is a different question. I would think not, unless they really screw him, and as the holder of a Great Weapon that is quite a threat to them, they better make sure he never finds out if they go and screw him. Jose -- Jose Marquez \ Cthulhu 2004 jhereg69 at hackwater.com \ Why vote for http://www.hackwater.com \ the lesser evil?