[Dragaera] Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object

[Jon Lincicum]

Scott Crain wrote:
> Davdi Silverrock <davdisil at gmail.com> wrote:- On 11/8/06, Scott Schultz wrote:
>   
>> As far as that goes, the Orb is an astounding device but it's still
>> essentially a machine. Witness Vlad's ability to dance around the actual
>> truth by focusing on the literal truth as he saw it.
>>     
>
> - I still insist that this was because the interrogators were either
>
> - utterly incompetent, utterly uninterested in the truth, or bribed to
>
> - go easy.  Or all of the above.
> I don't think so.  It's called 'fugue' -- and with it, you can say almost anything and mean almost anything.  Steve Perry's books are rife with it, especially the ones that take place in his 'Matador' universe, but you can find other examples of it here and there.  It is, basically, any time where you're saying one thing and implying something else -- or you're splitting hairs.
>
> 'Do you know where Morrolan is right now?'
> "No."  (I know ABOUT where he is, but you didn't ask that.)
> "Did you kill Tagitchan?"
> 'In my opinion, he committed suicide.'  ('Cause with the way he was acting, he sure was -asking- to be killed ...)
>
> Vlad, you see, was playing to both the Orb and the inquisitors.  The Orb reads the truth of Vlad's words; Vlad IS being truthful when he says that in his opinion, God-Boss WAS asking for it.  The way he phrases it, though, helps to deceive the inquisitors -- who are, in part, relying on the Orb to tell whether or not Vlad is telling the truth.  If the Inquisitors didn't have the Orb, they'd be a lot, lot more specific with Vlad, and not let him get away with these sleek evasions -- but the -Orb- says 'he's telling the truth', so they accept the words as being a 'no' instead of what they -are-.
>   
Well, that's Vlad's story, anyway.

I think it might be important to also remember the fact that the typical 
Imperial attitude towards Jhereg killings is indifference, so long as 
incidental casualties are kept to a minimum.

They were investigating Tagi-- Tadish--- Takish--- (whatever he was 
called) death simply because the guy had splurged and bought himself a 
Duchy. (Obviously a man with more orbs than balls.)

I doubt the inquisitors really felt any sympathy for poor old Tagichatn. 
They had to go through the motions--so they conduct a spurious 
investigation, conclude that "Mario did it", and go home.

Their only regret is probably that they can't give Vlad a medal for 
removing a scum-sucker like Takishat without blowing the lid off the 
investigation.

After all, it is pretty heavily implied by Zerika in /Phoenix/ that she 
knew exactly what Vlad had done at the investigation... And if she cared 
she could have just arrested him then and there. I doubt the Empire has 
laws about double jeopardy, or a statute of limitations.

Majikjon