Emperor Roger needs some Imperial Auditors

Rincewind wrote:

Max wrote:Part of the problem was that the defects only showed up under unusual stress and after fairly long delays. A personalized test program that was to be effective would have to take those factors into account, which would make the whole process less easily implemented.

The dogzard chow idea does have a certain appeal however...

Max

And as been recently proven with the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal they can always design the weapons in question to fool the testing equipment or environment.

Yes, but also until ol' Rog took the Throne, the Empress was too busy and hadn't personally been affected by the testing being evaded. And she had more important things to deal with than to properly whack the people pocketing money and selling shifty equipment. Roger, on the other hand, has direct first-hand experience with alleged top-notch equipment malfunctioning spectacularly, and with Adoula having escaped there's definitely a Civil War looming. Looming war means lots and lots and lots of arms and munitions contracts needing to be bid on and filled.

Adoula won't care about using shifty equipment, as long as it works most of the time, but is also apparently willing to accept gutter trash as 'soldiers'. Roger's going to pretty quickly win any soldiers in his camp's loyalty once the stories of Marduk spread and him publicly executing anyone who skimps on weapons contracts, pour encourager les autres.

It isn't as if there aren't any - the Inspectorate and the IBI actually have that responsibility. (Lest we forget, where was Guy Gianetto before the coup plot?) While the IBI was run by civilians, the Inspectorate comes under the military - and if I am not mistaken, specifically under Gianetto. The question is - who takes over the Inspectorate? (Both Julian and - no wisecracks - Poertena - now are members of the Peerage - so either could actually do it; both are well aware of what happens when weaponry fails thanks to Marduk. Though I could hear Eva now; "Do you really want the consequences of having Poertena in charge of the Inspectorate?" Then Roger looks at Eva with that pain of seeing Ima Hooker's death and answers her own question - "Yes. A thousand times yes. No Marine should die because their equipment failed when it shouldn't have.")