Scott Schultz wrote: >>That's a strict way to look at it. Personally, I think there's a bit of >>difference between mutual back-scratching, even of a more sinister sort, >>and accepting hard currency in return for laying someone out. >> >> > >I think this is splitting hairs. You could make an argument that Loftis >would see that Vlad's request was a reasonable one (especially given >Dragaeran attitudes towards the eviction of little old ladies) and therefore >would have followed through with it regardless of Vlad's agreement to do >some "work" for him in return. There's no question of Vlad being "hired". >The negotiation between Vlad and Loftis (hope I got his name right) is a >direct parallel to the negotiations he did in the Jhereg for similar types >of "work". The only question is Vlad's motiviation. If he did it because >Loftis helped him and conversely would NOT have done it if Loftis had NOT >helped him then it's "murder for hire". > >If you have any doubts, try re-casting the story in terms of a modern-day >policeman agreeing to help a known hit-man out of a jam. He then gives said >hit-man all the details needed to take out a corrupt cop and the hit-man in >turn kills the corrupt cop. > >Faced with a real-life example like that, would you really say that the >hit-man was just doing a favor and not doing "murder for hire"? > > Orca Spoilers First off, Vlad makes a deal with Timmer, who is an ensign in the same group as Loftis. And more importantly, Loftis is the reason Vlad and Timmer reach an agreement: Vlad liked Loftis, and is pissed at the crap Domm pulled to cover his own ass, including having Loftis killed. Timmer probably liked Loftis more than Vlad did, but more importantly, she respected him. And she was unhappy that Domm was going to get away with having Loftis killed, as Domm caused the mess that brought her and Loftis to Northport in the first place by bungling the false investigation. I'm away from my books, since I'm at work, but I'm fairly certain I have the names and actions more or less right. The deal between Vlad and Timmer was not so much "you get me the deed to the land I'm interested in and I'll kill Domm" so much as "we both want justice for what Domm did to Loftis, so arrange for Domm to be here at a certain time, and I'll take care of it; better that I get my hands dirty, as I'm already scum, than you bring down the Empire on you for Doing the Right Thing (eliminating Domm, I argue, and Vlad agrees, is the right thing to do). Although they "spoke Jhereg" at the meeting to get their meaning across, I would argue that the motivations and lack of payment differentiate this from actual "work." Jose -- Jose Marquez | There are 10 types of people in jhereg69 at earthlink.net | the world: those who understand http://www.hackwater.com | binary, and those who don't.