[Dragaera] A passing comment of Sethra's

[Scott Crain]

Philip Hart <philiph at slac.stanford.edu> wrote: 
Interesting point, but is it like Sethra to mention such a vital
piece of information (to Vlad of all people, who she's very fond of
sending off ignorant) off-handedly?  I can't quite imagine her
caring too much if Teldra gets a final good-bye, either.

---

If I may offer an opinion: rubbish.

Sethra, despite many (most) views on her in both classical and modern Dragaeran society, has been shown by Our Esteemed Author as being nothing if not courteous.  She's also the consummate commander -- she knows, has researched to the nth degree, what her subordinates need in order to do their best.  Morrolan?  Support, direction, and a place at the front of the battle, whether literally or figuratively.  Vlad?  Well, she doesn't typically send Vlad off ignorant; she sends him off with just enough information to get his hackles up -- which is the condition in which Vlad works best.  She knows this, she -understands- this, and though Vlad may not like it, it's as Lady Teldra says: "You keep surviving."

Interestingly, I've just recently had cause to re-read portions of Rob't. A. Heinlein's 'Tunnel in the Sky'.  Early on, the main character's combat-officer sister says that when she sends out scouts, she arms them with absolutely nothing -- a canteen, a couple of ration packs, and that's it.  No weapons.  Why?  Because it makes them grow eyes in the backs of their heads, that they know and realize that they are -totally- screwed if they are seen or caught, which means they take only the chances that'll keep them alive.  This is essentially the same way Sethra treats Vlad -- make him aware he's going into a situation wherein if he screws up he's dead, but don't give him much more than that, because his greatest ability (which point, note, the Demon Goddess agrees on) is his ability to observe, adapt, improvise, and overcome.

Otherwise, Sethra acts with the utmost in courtesy.  To those Dzur heroes who come to destroy her, she stands to meet them in open battle; to Jhereg, she offers them a business deal.  To Orca a bribe, to Issola fair words, to Dragons hauteur and arrogance and a perfect willingness to chop each other into small pieces, Iceflame to their greatswords.  She may be a couple hundred thousand years old, but she sees people as people -- Aliera e'Kieron and Morrolan e'Drien as Dragon warriors to be met on equal terms, Tazendra as a Dzur hero with whom to share close kinship and the deep emotion of which Dzur are capable, 
and Vlad Taltos as an Easterner Jhereg with whom she can share the ferocious curiousity and cold cunning of which he is capable.

While these may be exceptions, all being notable people, she is not once in Brust's writings ever shown as being callous without callousness being necessary at the moment, unkind without it being appropriate, or rude without rudeness being required for the furtherance of the Empire and the Cycle.

Sethra and Vlad are very, very similar.  Which is perhaps why she failed to hamstring the yendi when she was supposed to...



S. Thomas Crain
Author-in-Training
       
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