Should Duchairn Be Executed After The War?

Let's say Charis wins. They capture the Temple and the group of four, and start to do some Nurenberg trial things. Should Duchairn hang with the rest?

As much as I love his character development, DuChairn is clearly guilty of attempted mass murder with the original attack on Charis. I don't think anything he has done since can compensate for that, especially in the eyes of Charis. In all honestly, I think DuChairn might agree with me.

Now I'm imagining a truly heart-wrenching scene where it's Duchairn's turn to face the hangman's noose. Imagine the contrast between how, say, Clyntahn or Rayno would face it, and contrast that with how Duchairn would face it. I, as a reader, don't want him to die because I like the person he's becoming too much, but wouldn't it be justice if they hang him?

RFC has written two types of execution scenes: unjust executions, where the victim is clearly innocent, and executions where you are not only satisfied that justice is done, but rooting for the evil inquisitor/traitor to die. It would be an interesting twist to see a fellow like DuChairn get executed, because most of us would get to feel like Sharlyan did when she sentenced the Corisandian traitors to die. She didn't like it, not one little bit.

I would love to see him commited to community service (for life).

He proved to repentence. And truly care for the needfull.

Dude could be as useful as Nahrmann if he could be co-opted.

Some Nazis got acquitted at Nuremburg. I can imagine a lawyer mounting a compelling defense of Duchairn.

He voted to launch a war of aggression, but did it under false information.

Expert snuggler wrote:Dude could be as useful as Nahrmann if he could be co-opted.

Some Nazis got acquitted at Nuremburg. I can imagine a lawyer mounting a compelling defense of Duchairn.

He voted to launch a war of aggression, but did it under false information.

It would be an interesting trial.

Tararoys wrote:Let's say Charis wins. They capture the Temple and the group of four, and start to do some Nurenberg trial things. Should Duchairn hang with the rest?

As much as I love his character development, DuChairn is clearly guilty of attempted mass murder with the original attack on Charis. I don't think anything he has done since can compensate for that, especially in the eyes of Charis. In all honestly, I think DuChairn might agree with me.

Now I'm imagining a truly heart-wrenching scene where it's Duchairn's turn to face the hangman's noose. Imagine the contrast between how, say, Clyntahn or Rayno would face it, and contrast that with how Duchairn would face it. I, as a reader, don't want him to die because I like the person he's becoming too much, but wouldn't it be justice if they hang him?

RFC has written two types of execution scenes: unjust executions, where the victim is clearly innocent, and executions where you are not only satisfied that justice is done, but rooting for the evil inquisitor/traitor to die. It would be an interesting twist to see a fellow like DuChairn get executed, because most of us would get to feel like Sharlyan did when she sentenced the Corisandian traitors to die. She didn't like it, not one little bit.

LET ME TELL YOU WHY YOU ARE WRONG.

*cough* Sorry. I appear to have added Duchairn to my list of "adopted RFC characters whom I will defend viciously and to the death".

Duchairn is no more guilty of mass murder than Nahrmahn or Sharleyan. Yes, he helped plan the initial attack that ended with Darcos Sound, but, pray tell, what other choice did he have? To his immense credit, he found his conscience and has been doing his best to obey it ever since. He can't take down Clyntahn, any more than Theisman could take down Pierre or Ransom back in the Honorverse. That poor man is walking a tightrope with mines attached to it. He isn't the one ordering the Punishment on innocent civilians. He isn't the one on a vindictive jihad dedicated to wiping out Charis and all its allies. He isn't the one deluding himself that his cause is God's. And he isn't throwing himself away on some heroic (and heroically stupid) act of defiance when he knows he can do much more good right where he is.

That man is a brainwashing victim. He is doing as well as he possibly can without exposure to the truth, helping people instead of hurting them wherever possible - that is not someone who deserves execution. What he deserves is a fighting chance to turn his life around. What use would killing him do? Quite aside from my own stance on the death penalty (don't ask me what it is or we'll be here all night), to put him in the same category as Zhaspahr Clyntahn is absurd and just plain wrong. His courage alone has earned him that; give him one chance to strike back, to make his wrongs right, and I honestly believe he will take it.

#IBelieveInRhobairDuchairn

I don't think that this is the way events are going to turn out. Signs in LAMA pointed to Duchairn plotting against Clyntahn. If he can overthrow Clyntahn and the Inquisition, then Duchairn would be in a position to negotiate an end to the war. In which case, Charis would not execute him. Now, if his coup against Clyntahn fails, then he very well might be executed. Except it would be the Inquisition doing the honors, not Charis.

Based on the current arc of events, I can't envision any way Charis and friends could 'capture the temple' with the Go4 intact. They'll fall/be deposed long, long before it gets to that. You can already see the cracks getting pretty wide in the last book, and I'd imaging they'll be huge fissures by the end of this one.

The pressure/fault lines are many. The most likely I see are a coup when the church really starts to run out of money, or Duchairn showing up to one of the internal meetings with a pistol. Here lately I'm entertaining the thought that Clinton's end might come from Magwair... he's been groomed somewhat to be the underestimated, unintelligent, fairly incompetent military head, but changes in his character and leadership make me think he might turn out to be Robespierre's Napoleon.

Regardless, I don't see any way the Charisian Empire will ever be in position to siege the temple and demand trial of the Go4, at least not within another dozen books.

NervousEnergy wrote:Based on the current arc of events, I can't envision any way Charis and friends could 'capture the temple' with the Go4 intact. They'll fall/be deposed long, long before it gets to that. You can already see the cracks getting pretty wide in the last book, and I'd imaging they'll be huge fissures by the end of this one.

The pressure/fault lines are many. The most likely I see are a coup when the church really starts to run out of money, or Duchairn showing up to one of the internal meetings with a pistol. Here lately I'm entertaining the thought that Clinton's end might come from Magwair... he's been groomed somewhat to be the underestimated, unintelligent, fairly incompetent military head, but changes in his character and leadership make me think he might turn out to be Robespierre's Napoleon.

Regardless, I don't see any way the Charisian Empire will ever be in position to siege the temple and demand trial of the Go4, at least not within another dozen books.

Frankly, I'm up for any form of resolution that ends with Clyntahn's vivisected, twitching body in multiple pieces on the ground.

Gracious, Rose, how passionate!

I basically agree with you. But I also think that he needs to be held accountable for his actions, particularly in participating in the decision that launched the war on Charis. Also in his capacity as treasurer, he has enabled the Jihad which has cost countless innocent lives just in Siddamark... probably well over a million.

I'd agree that execution would be inapprpriate, but there does need to be punishment, perhaps imprisonment. No matter how sympathetic of a character he has developed as, he does bear at least indirect responsibility for all those lost lives and there shouldn't be any get out of jail free card.

Don

Well, Rose, I'm not entirely convinced that putting a half inch ball through Clyntahn's gut from under the table wouldn't have been a more helpful contribution to the cause of peace, sanity and protecting the poor than anything Duchairn has yet pulled off.

We haven't seen textev on the security arrangements for Go4 as far as I'm aware, but I doubt very much that anyone else is allowed into those meetings. So it might well be doable, maybe not survivable, certainly.

We have seen people in Manchyr judged guilty of capital crimes and then pardoned, so it's possible both justice and mercy could be exercised in Duchairn's case. Particularly if he actually does something more to bring about the end of the current war between now and then.