The Scothani, interstellar barbarians, have captured Dominic Flandry who they think might:
divulge information about the organization and undertakings of Terran Naval Intelligence;
translate documents;
identify potential allies within the Terran Empire;
make liaisons;
eventually earn his freedom and a rich reward.
Not a bad deal for someone less resourceful than Flandry who instead systematically sabotages and destroys the Schotanian Empire from within. Later, individual Schotani, like many members of other species, enlist in the Terran Navy.
4 comments:
(Previous version of this comment deleted after I finally caught a serious error.)
Paul:
Flandry's overthrow of the Scothani brought to mind a comic strip that ran in a magazine for players of the Dungeons and Dragons game. The following is a transcript; what isn't direct quotes is my description of the picture:
Ogrek the Undisciplined, smug as ever (his impeccable uniform has a little smiley face on the collar), presents himself to the drow, waving a small white flag and cheerily announcing, “I surrender.” At least twenty warriors surround him, all pointing weapons at him — and every last one of the drow looks terrified. Their commander tells an aide to get back to higher headquarters with the word that they need reinforcements.
Still smiling, Ogrek protests mildly, “But I surrender. I give up. Aren’t you going to take me into custody?”
The commander snarls fearfully, “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?!”
Meanwhile, a discussion goes on among the higher-ranking drow: “Keep that @*!% under siege until we figure out what he’s up to.”
“With all respect, Matron Stress, we should just capture him. The upper world is getting nervous—”
“You just don’t get it, do you, Elsa? Ogrek is beyond strategy. Better minds than mine have tried to undo him. Everything he does always @*!$ works out for him. *§%# his @*#¶>\&¿¢£¥!!!”
Persephone the Vampire asks Elsa what that last word meant, and is informed, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
— Yamara, Manui and Adams, 1993
Imagine having such a reputation as a master manipulator that, when you announce your surrender, your enemies are too afraid to either take you captive or try killing you, because they're sure whichever they choose is what you intended and will end up ruining them....
P.S. Merry Christmas to all, even Mr. Scroo— I mean, Birr.
Kaor, DAVID!
An amusing concept, an enemy so wily and dangerous that his opponents were AFRAID to either capture or kill him!
Ad astra and Happy New Year! Sean
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