What would you argue to be the most illogical decision made by an IS Leader?

[Metallgewitter]

*Looks at the formation of the Republic.*

*to self*: "No, you're better than that."

Okay, my two votes are for Victor's decision to try to lie to *Not-Marik* about his kid dying while under his care, and then replace him with a double for one.

And for two: Victor trying to use Katrina's pet assassin against her.

For the stupid thing with the Marik (or not-Marik) kid; this was just a dumb plot device. Chalk it up to Victor's inexperience, his state of mind, with IIRC; Hanse recently dying, if you want, but it was poor judgment front to back.

Thomas was a famously honourable man and there were bound to be negative consequences for lying to him. It's even plausible that his military aid would have continued as a memorial, after the kid died.

But to double-down on that with a rehash of a failed plot from before the 4th SW...Wow. Just wow.

Hanse was dead by 5 years at that point. What weighed more on Victors shoulders was the death of his mother and the accusations that flew against him. While he somehow managed to slowly rebuild his image it was not enough. And why did he actually try to emulate his father all of the sudden when all his life before he tried to forge his own path? Inexperience maybe but imho also bad writing. As you said Thomas was honest and unlike Hanse Victor didn't come of as "the devil incarnate" (at least until that point)

[Elmoth]

I tbink i will chime in as i just read wolves on the border.

Accepting the crappy story of the dragoons and do not just obliterate them and take their stuff.

[BrianDavion]

I tbink i will chime in as i just read wolves on the border.

Accepting the crappy story of the dragoons and do not just obliterate them and take their stuff.

obliterating 5 regiments of troops isn't easy, as proven by the draconious combine when they FAILED to do so

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

The role of Archon does not require one to have served in the military. And Katherine is not the only Archon not to have served. Katherine can also loathe the military and still recognize that she requires the military to accomplish her goals. Makes sense to me.

Being Archon specifically doesn't, but being Lyran does. Everybody since the Second Succession War has had to do five years. Hanse and Melissa weren't just doing a bad job of preparing their governments for unification, they were also making exceptions to the law specifically for their children. As we know, that's always the best way to train your kid to be a good ruler.

Anyway, has anyone mentioned Victor not revealing his evidence that Katherine killed Melissa even after the war already started? When he runs into Adam, he says he has evidence and Victor refuses to show it to him. In FM: U, we find out that Victor showed Caesar Steiner but Caesar is not sure that he did the same for Peter. You know, the Archon? If you want to talk about illogical decisions that might be the one.

[BrianDavion]

honestly the whole FCCW is a poorly written mess where FASA ignored their own setting info. It's part of why I've said the clans are some of FASA's best world building, because FASA has useally been semi-consistant with the clans, if the clans where written like the great houses where the refusal war would have kicked off because Urlic Keresnky as Ilclan tried to make his wife khan of the jade falcons or something. (despite clanners not ya know,, marrying etc)

[Metallgewitter]

Anyway, has anyone mentioned Victor not revealing his evidence that Katherine killed Melissa even after the war already started? When he runs into Adam, he says he has evidence and Victor refuses to show it to him. In FM: U, we find out that Victor showed Caesar Steiner but Caesar is not sure that he did the same for Peter. You know, the Archon? If you want to talk about illogical decisions that might be the one.

From the novel it sounded as if Victor didn't have the real smoking gun to convince "outsiders" from the validity of his claims. Yes he mentioned the landsale that financed the assassin for the hit but as Adam stated that could also have been evidence against others. While Victor had everything Starling had collected he had at this point no conclusive evidence. That's why he send Curaitis into an operation to make Katherine think Starling didn't die and made her send agents after them as the final nail in the coffin. And this whole package combined was probably shown to Ceasar Steiner and others as well. Adam himself came to the realization that Victor was at least more believeable when he kept his unit intact instead of taking all their gear and then during the Falcon incursion send part of his army to help Adam defend the Alliance border.

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

Showing what he did have is still a better move than using it to reenact Steamed Hams with Victor as Skinner. It wasn't a smoking gun, but saying you have evidence and then not showing it to people is definitely a worse move, since you look like you made up EVERYTHING you have.