Jack Gammel, on 16 March 2012 - 11:11 AM, said:
You are right that ComStar is anything but neutral, but let's be fair about Operation Scorpion. Myndo Waterly was insane, and she planned Operation Scorpion without the knowledge of many high level members of ComStar.
I agree she she planned Operation Scorpion pretty much in a vacuum. But what I keep getting from Warrior Coupe is that the rest of Comstar doesn't disagree with her, just some of her conclusions. Not once does any of the Precentors step up and mention, "We are neutral, we shouldn't involve ourselves with the fourth Succession War." Instead they tell her to create the fake holovid so they have a reason to interdict the Federated Suns. During Myndo's speach about Hanse (where she compares him to Kerensky), they all agree that Comstar needs to stop the Federated Suns, not to make peace or save lives, but because they are winning, and this would move the IS away from Blake's vision and teachings.
Comstar might differ in their application of Blake's teachings, but they all agree with them. Some great quotes;
"Myndo shook her golden hair back from the shoulders of her red silk robe. "Blake said wars
would fragment the Successor States. Then, and only then, would ComStar rise up to lead
mankind to its true pinnacle. Hanse Davion's war has swallowed half the Capellan
Confederation. It does not divide. It unites!""
"Ulthan Everson rose to her challenge. "Have you forgotten, Myndo Waterly, that the holovid of
a raid on our installation that you manufactured uses a location that appears to be the
substation in the Weng-chu Prefecture of Santa's Gold Coast? Davion's troops have not pacified
that area yet. How can we base our Interdiction on so transparent a piece of fakery?""
"She kept her voice soft, yet full of urgency. "That's right, my friends. The Word of
Blake is full of directives on how we may blunt the advances and drives of nations and
nationalism. Jerome Blake, in his wisdom, tells us how to manipulate economies and the
demands of the populace for material goods. He points out to us the tools that can turn a
minor, local protest into a cause that can unite worlds, and he has instructed us in ways to
smother revolutions that work counter to our goal."
Her eyes glowed with the light of inspiration. "Jerome Blake foresaw everything we would face
in pursuing the mission he laid out for us. He equipped us to deflect empires and turn nations in
on themselves. He taught us to hobble that which did not conform to his ideals. He molded us
in such a way that we are able to defeat all threats he foresaw, but Hanse Davion is outside
anything in Jerome Blake's experience.""
Ironically enough, none of the Precentors disagreed with her or even questioned her sanity. Comstar is the enemy of civilization and thus man. With no clans, eventually one would hope we'd figure this out. Sadly we don't seem like we'll be able to kill them yet....