Nick wrote:Louis R wrote:Hmmm... I have a feeling I'm repeating myself, so I'll keep it short. My own suspicions, based on the assorted straws in the wind:
1. Phandys was indeed one of Hauwerd's friends. He was signaled to act by that insertion in the boat reservations, but:
2. Hauwerd's source for the timing was actually the officer Phandys took his info to.
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I don't see any evidence that Phandys and Hauwerd were friends, although it's certainly possible they knew each other. Certainly Phandys would have known who Hauwerd was, but the reverse might not have been true. That said there isn't any evidence that they weren't friends either.
I don't think that Hauwerd's source was the officer that Phandys notified about the falsified boat reservations. The reasoning for that is that when they went to arrest Hauwerd, he yelled out something like "Oh f*** you, [whoever]" when they told him he was under arrest. I got the impression that the officer was one of Rayno's true believers and not the type of person that would have been sympathetic to the Circle.
My guess* is that Phandys was NOT aware of the Circle or any other reform minded group at the time we're introduced to him. He was just an officer with a highly developed sense of integrity and duty. His actions that day led to his being trusted by Rayno and assigned as Duchairn's bodyguard, but they also caused him to start quietly questioning what was really going on in the Temple and not liking what he found. Since then he's gotten in touch with some group not loyal to the Group of Four and will be a factor when the time is right.
*My record for guessing is mixed, so we'll have to see how it turns out.
I just went back and reread the context of that scene cited above in AMF. As I interpret it, Phandys and the rest of the unit were under the command of Hauwerd when he was a part of the guard. So yes, they did know one another and were friends. My take is that the scene was staged for the purpose of avoiding the question which could have revealed Ahnselyk's connection with the Wylsyn Circle.
Don
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