Weird Harold wrote:cthia wrote:If that is true, Honor can't be Queen. You can't have a functional Empire and Honor as Queen. They are two exclusive results -- XOR not OR.cthia wrote:Why not? Care to elucidate?
Honor is too far down the line of succession. G.W.E.N Archer is ahead of her and unlikely to be at a "Winton Family Gathering."
Honor might make it as part of a regency council, but before she could become Queen, you'd have to kill off one, if not both, of her spouses (who are ahead of her in the succession) along with half or more of the RMN officer corp.
Can I borrow a *sigh* from someone? I'm experiencing a shortage.
Gwen Archer is dead. He wanted to come home for this event as well. He came home when word of Michelle going home reached him. I see I have to attempt to supply a plausible reason that they all came home. Many are having trouble accepting the premise of the thread and proceeding from there. It happened people. The MAlign are as astounded as you are. But they are still dancing a jig.
Perhaps Michelle was to be proposed to and an offer of marriage right on the spot was to follow spearheaded by another one of Elizabeth's orchestrated type of shotgun weddings similar to what was pulled on Honor. Honor had her hand in this as well, as payback. We don't know that Michelle wasn't in love on the side and hid it from most everyone else because of the delicacy of the union. Perhaps it's an Andermani? And everyone wants to be there to tease her and to see it for themselves. And Elizabeth, ever wanting to kill two political birds with one stone was up to something, politically. Fifth in line for succession and marrying an Andermani commoner has the political overtones and potential of being big.
Besides, this is the biggest most popular family reunion of them all and many were naturally invited for various reasons known only to the Crown.
I don't deny that protocol across the board had been broken. But this is a sentimental event coinciding with a political move only Elizabeth and a select few knew of. A temporary replacement was sent out to Michelle to relieve her for this honor. And don't think for a moment that Elizabeth failed to reprimand many that were at the function that shouldn't have been there. Yet, in the heat of the moment and the sentimental human element, "Oh what the hell."
The problem again, was the human element. Such an event bent the grapevine from its weight. Communications' channels were abused, laxed. This is an exciting time that flooded even the most unusual communications channels with activity. The MA had informants.
When word of such a gathering and grapevine bending event radiated all the way across the galaxy and reached Anisimovna's ears, I can imagine the conversation she had with Detweiler...
"You mean we can get the government and many in line for succession?"
"Yes. So many are rumored to be going home, that we could very well hit the lottery."
"So this is the opportunity you've been waiting for? This is ripe for your "Operation Dismiss?"
"It promises to be the stuff of legends."
Aside:
By the way. Honor was en route as well, along with Benjamin. They barely missed the fun by the sound of Tester's gun.