HB of CJ wrote:My interpretation upon reading the book was that somebody on the flag bridge was quite upset that the august Admiral had screwed up so many times and so many way skipping along on the road to destruction that justice had to be served.
It almost tasted like the events that sometimes happened during the United States involvement in the Vietnam war where very bad officers were actually killed by their own troops, sometimes by a grenade tossed into the officer's tent.
Could there have been a very present underlining current of disrespect and outright anger expressed by the enlisted crew of that Admirals Sollie SD? Also, FWIW, a gun is never kept in the hand of the suicide person. It gets tossed.
HB of CJ (old coot)
The first question I have to ask is: did Crandall know enough for the MAlign to ensure his elimination? I think he could provide information on his contacts, and who had arraigned his fleet's coincidental movement near the Talbot Quadrant. It might even lead back to Rajampet. My conclusion is that he did, but I'll also observe that Rajampet wouldn't want him captured alive. Perhaps not from the attack on Spindle, but when the Manty battle fleet took him on. Still, I have to think that's a stretch.
I also think that most of the senior officers on the flag bridge were unlikely to shoot him in the back for screwing up that badly.
“all of whom seemed to be competing to see who could agree most vehemently with their admiral.”
Now his Frontier Fleet Intel Officer, Commander Shavarshyan, was not one of them, but he also seemed an unlikely candidate. Although, I can see where if BF personnel needed to blame someone, well, he is FF.
That leaves me with four likely possibilities: one of the enlisted on flag bridge shot him for getting all the people killed; nanotech assassination (which could be at Crandall's own hand or not);
Someone paid to kill him - mostly likely MAlign; or true suicide, although clearly the back of the head is difficult.
Which of the above? I think, like most people, that the MAlign was somehow responsible.
-- Bob G
But, otoh, the ... mutual dislike between BF and FF, combined with his boxseat experience of how Crandall act, could be reason enough - even without MAlign influence - to cross that particular limit.