[Spoiler - UH] utube snippet

ywing14 wrote:

BrightSoul wrote:His only crime is smuggling. Not a capital offence. End of line. If she tries to force a confrontation over his actions to force some form of retribution, IE inflames public opinion through sensationalized stories, she risks exposure. Like I've said many times, she'll stay out of it. She's best off letting the Manties internal opposition parties to try it but not her. At best she gets the Manty intelligence groups to keep him "locked up" but working for them.

There is very little more than that anyone can achieve. Inflamatory article is written to attempt to force a trial. Queen's bench hands down decision to try him for his smuggling, he gets commuted sentence so long as he remains in custody of ONI and SIS. On Kornati people are satisfied as they still want Agnes Nordbrandt more than him, after all she was bombing them long before he ever supplied her with weapons.

Of all the reporters out there she can't risk discrediting herself. Focus on the Mesan occupation and the Mantie's actions in supporting rebels in the Verge and Shell as well as their ties to the Ballroom, yes. Try to make hay out of this? No. Let someone else take the lead on it.

Lets keep in mind that she likely knows more than she should about Harahap's actions, if she doesn't her control does. If even a hint of that knowledge leaks she is done.

Why can't anyone see this? Is it the climate of today's assault on our own institutions like the press and FBI?

One of the other things I'm wondering about is if Isabela's replacement will be IDed? Maybe even where he was active prior to taking over for her? What can Pat Givens and the GA intelligence teams do with that info?

I am confused, his only crime is most certainly not smuggling. Under the US system he would be guilty of a plethora of counts of providing material support to terrorism along with a plethora of counts of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism. If it results in death the maximum sentence is life in prison. He'd be looking at a long time in prison.

However, O'Hanrahan won't get involved because his capture isn't a big story. Not when it "appears the Manties" just set off all those explosions all over Mesa which killed a lot of people.

ldwechsler wrote:His only crime is smuggling. Not a capital offence. End of line. If she tries to force a confrontation over his actions to force some form of retribution, IE inflames public opinion through sensationalized stories, she risks exposure. Like I've said many times, she'll stay out of it. She's best off letting the Manties internal opposition parties to try it but not her. At best she gets the Manty intelligence groups to keep him "locked up" but working for them.

There is very little more than that anyone can achieve. Inflamatory article is written to attempt to force a trial. Queen's bench hands down decision to try him for his smuggling, he gets commuted sentence so long as he remains in custody of ONI and SIS. On Kornati people are satisfied as they still want Agnes Nordbrandt more than him, after all she was bombing them long before he ever supplied her with weapons.

Of all the reporters out there she can't risk discrediting herself. Focus on the Mesan occupation and the Mantie's actions in supporting rebels in the Verge and Shell as well as their ties to the Ballroom, yes. Try to make hay out of this? No. Let someone else take the lead on it.

Lets keep in mind that she likely knows more than she should about Harahap's actions, if she doesn't her control does. If even a hint of that knowledge leaks she is done.

Why can't anyone see this? Is it the climate of today's assault on our own institutions like the press and FBI?

One of the other things I'm wondering about is if Isabela's replacement will be IDed? Maybe even where he was active prior to taking over for her? What can Pat Givens and the GA intelligence teams do with that info?

I am confused, his only crime is most certainly not smuggling. Under the US system he would be guilty of a plethora of counts of providing material support to terrorism along with a plethora of counts of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism. If it results in death the maximum sentence is life in prison. He'd be looking at a long time in prison.

However, O'Hanrahan won't get involved because his capture isn't a big story. Not when it "appears the Manties" just set off all those explosions all over Mesa which killed a lot of people.

There are a few things wrong with the whole concept:

1. We don't know for certain he WAS smuggling at this point. He definitely was push revolts but proving smuggling might be very tough.

2. Who gets to try him? He didn't do anything that the Manties could really get him for. As far as I know he was never on Manticore. Yes, they might get him for his work early on in Talbott but even there they got his confession while under drugs.

3. Since the Manties actually made good on his promises, why would the newly freed worlds go after him.

4. Mesa might have trouble trying him because those who knew what he was doing are either missing or dead.

5. The Sollies might want him for fomenting rebellion but I doubt the Grand Alliance would give him up for that. Can you imagine a request from the mandarins for Firebrand for fomenting rebellion? We could have a great contest imagining what Queen Elizabeth would say to that!

PeterZ wrote:Spoiler!
As good as Damien is, he hasn't been an eager participant of the tasked he has been given by either employer. In his heart he longs to burn down the OFS client system that turned his home planet into a pit of misery. That forced him to choose to prepare other star nations for similar subjugation rather than being ground into dust by a home "nation" that would see all his intelegence as a threat. He has spent everyday since joining the Gendarmerie fight for survival. Hiding the thoughts that would doom him in the eyes of leaders like Brigadier Ucitel.

Now, NOW! Things are different. He has succeeded brilliantly in persuading verge worlds to rebell against OFS. He has further succeeded in persuading those worlds that Manticore was behind his planning and support. He'd pushed down all but one his personal desires reflecting his core self to do these things. After his capture, what does he find out? Manticore made good his false promises. Manticore gave him his heart's desire, to let his "Firebrand" burn down the oppressive OFS undergrowth so that the fragile shoots of the tree of liberty might grow and thrive on those verge worlds.

He is realist enough to recognize that Manticore will not trust him enough to employ him freely. He would be willing to support Manticore in freeing the verge. He would do it gladly, for once throwing every bit of himself into his work. So, he dances the professional dance with Lady Harrington and the rest of his interrogators, hoping he can find freedom from his self made cage.

That's what drew his bond-partner; the passionate inner desire like a furnace bound by iron purpose. That purpose was chosen, but from a menu of options so narrow it was no choice at all. Now, his choice truly reflects his inner core desires. The two bonded partners share iron purposes that are very compatible. They each are driven by their furnace like passion to accomplish their goals, their purpose. Combined these two may be the most effective and utterly ruthless agents in the galaxy. Not cruel, but ruthless pursuit of their purpose.

PeterZ wrote:Spoiler!

That's what drew his bond-partner; the passionate inner desire like a furnace bound by iron purpose. That purpose was chosen, but from a menu of options so narrow it was no choice at all. Now, his choice truly reflects his inner core desires. The two bonded partners share iron purposes that are very compatible. They each are driven by their furnace like passion to accomplish their goals, their purpose. Combined these two may be the most effective and utterly ruthless agents in the galaxy. Not cruel, but ruthless pursuit of their purpose.

PeterZ wrote:Spoiler!
As good as Damien is, he hasn't been an eager participant of the tasked he has been given by either employer. In his heart he longs to burn down the OFS client system that turned his home planet into a pit of misery. That forced him to choose to prepare other star nations for similar subjugation rather than being ground into dust by a home "nation" that would see all his intelegence as a threat. He has spent everyday since joining the Gendarmerie fight for survival. Hiding the thoughts that would doom him in the eyes of leaders like Brigadier Ucitel.

Now, NOW! Things are different. He has succeeded brilliantly in persuading verge worlds to rebell against OFS. He has further succeeded in persuading those worlds that Manticore was behind his planning and support. He'd pushed down all but one his personal desires reflecting his core self to do these things. After his capture, what does he find out? Manticore made good his false promises. Manticore gave him his heart's desire, to let his "Firebrand" burn down the oppressive OFS undergrowth so that the fragile shoots of the tree of liberty might grow and thrive on those verge worlds.

He is realist enough to recognize that Manticore will not trust him enough to employ him freely. He would be willing to support Manticore in freeing the verge. He would do it gladly, for once throwing every bit of himself into his work. So, he dances the professional dance with Lady Harrington and the rest of his interrogators, hoping he can find freedom from his self made cage.

That's what drew his bond-partner; the passionate inner desire like a furnace bound by iron purpose. That purpose was chosen, but from a menu of options so narrow it was no choice at all. Now, his choice truly reflects his inner core desires. The two bonded partners share iron purposes that are very compatible. They each are driven by their furnace like passion to accomplish their goals, their purpose. Combined these two may be the most effective and utterly ruthless agents in the galaxy. Not cruel, but ruthless pursuit of their purpose.

Bluesqueak wrote:

PeterZ wrote:Spoiler!
As good as Damien is, he hasn't been an eager participant of the tasked he has been given by either employer. In his heart he longs to burn down the OFS client system that turned his home planet into a pit of misery. That forced him to choose to prepare other star nations for similar subjugation rather than being ground into dust by a home "nation" that would see all his intelegence as a threat. He has spent everyday since joining the Gendarmerie fight for survival. Hiding the thoughts that would doom him in the eyes of leaders like Brigadier Ucitel.

Now, NOW! Things are different. He has succeeded brilliantly in persuading verge worlds to rebell against OFS. He has further succeeded in persuading those worlds that Manticore was behind his planning and support. He'd pushed down all but one his personal desires reflecting his core self to do these things. After his capture, what does he find out? Manticore made good his false promises. Manticore gave him his heart's desire, to let his "Firebrand" burn down the oppressive OFS undergrowth so that the fragile shoots of the tree of liberty might grow and thrive on those verge worlds.

He is realist enough to recognize that Manticore will not trust him enough to employ him freely. He would be willing to support Manticore in freeing the verge. He would do it gladly, for once throwing every bit of himself into his work. So, he dances the professional dance with Lady Harrington and the rest of his interrogators, hoping he can find freedom from his self made cage.

That's what drew his bond-partner; the passionate inner desire like a furnace bound by iron purpose. That purpose was chosen, but from a menu of options so narrow it was no choice at all. Now, his choice truly reflects his inner core desires. The two bonded partners share iron purposes that are very compatible. They each are driven by their furnace like passion to accomplish their goals, their purpose. Combined these two may be the most effective and utterly ruthless agents in the galaxy. Not cruel, but ruthless pursuit of their purpose.

I'd agree. One of the early points made about the Solarian League is that they've been training and arming troops from the client states who have absolutely no loyalty whatsoever to the League. In fact, deep underneath, they probably loathe the League; they just don't allow themselves to feel that loathing.

And it's been made very clear from the start that Damien is one of those troops. He has no loyalty to the League - like Thandi, being a League Officer was the only route out of misery. For all his intelligence, I'd say he hasn't conceived of the possibility that the 800 pound gorilla, the only game in town, could collapse in his own lifetime.

But we also see that he sympathises with those who oppose OFS and their serfdom. That's why he's such a good agent provocateur; there's a level at which he wants to do what they're doing, but believes that it's ultimately hopeless. Truthfully, when the balloon went up, the sensible thing would have been to find some plausible reason why the 'Manty agent' needed to be behind the lines. Instead we see him fighting with the resistance. And again, and again, we 'see' him thinking that he would really like Indy and Maggie to succeed.

So who's the 'real' Damien? The Gendarmerie and Mesan mercenary? Or the guy who joins the resistance and wants it to win?

I suspect Damien and Thandi are playing poster boy and girl for a lot of people in the Solarian military who made that 'only game in town' decision. And who are now about to discover that the League is no longer the only game around; and that they have been carefully trained with all the skills needed to destroy it.

JohnRoth wrote:If you're talking about Isabel Bardisano, Harahap has already told them about both Rufino C. and Colin Detweiller, and has said he considers Colin possibly the Intelligence director.

Robert_A_Woodward wrote:While he does know that Rufino was Isabel's replacement (at least as far as Janus was concerned), I don't believe he knows Colin's name; he does know he was debriefed by an individual who claimed to be Isabel's boss (and was still recovering from bad injuries).

JohnRoth wrote:That could well be. I'm pretty sure I heard it, but I'm not going to go watch the video again to verify that.

JohnRoth wrote:That could well be. I'm pretty sure I heard it, but I'm not going to go watch the video again to verify that.

JohnRoth wrote:I just watched the video again. He discusses Colin Detweiler - by name - beginning roughly 3:10 in for maybe 3 minutes.