From: "Dana Shilling" dshilling@worldnet.att.net
When talking of the revolt Hal Mellanby said, "We made an
honourable surrender. We were promised fair trial. Instead, the security forces massacred everyone, men, women, and children. That night I watched them
all
die. My own wife, my friends, everybody."
Sounds just like TWB...Hal (and Dayna) could have turned up late for the meeting and hidden just like...well, you see where this is going.
Ah, but you see, that's the beauty of it. It does. So naturally we sympathise with Hal. But that explanation is given the lie by other things he does. First of all, Mellanby was the leader, and it's not that likely that he turned up late for the meeting (and what's he doing bringing a baby to a siege in any case?) Secondly, remember, Mellanby was caught same as the others, and tortured. But not only did he survive, he was not sentenced or punished. As I said, given what we know of the Federation he's unlikely to have escaped with a baby in tow-- it took the concerted efforts of five people on the London and even then they were lucky. Finally, I rather doubt that Blake would have spent his exile making weapons of destruction and then sanctimoniously not using them-- when we see him on GP he may not be actively pursuing the Federation, but he's certainly preparing to have a go again.
Mellanby says, "I had a chance of saving Dayna. I took it." But who gave him that chance? Answer (who else?): the Federation. He struck a deal to save himself and Dayna, and sold the rebels out in the process.
A more benign interpretation is that they didn't consider either a mind- wiped Hal Mellanby or baby Dayna much of a threat.
Where's the evidence that Mellanby was mindwiped? Anyway, if he was capable of escape, I don't think they'd be that lax in guarding him.
No wonder Avon likes him.
But *does* Avon like him? He's polite to him, yes, but so would you if you were somebody's guest (at least I'd hope). When Mellanby dies, Avon's hardly shedding any tears-- his response is a bit callous even by Avon standards.
Fiona
The Posthumous Memoirs of Secretary Rontane Available for public perusal at http://nyder.r67.net
_________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Fiona Moore wrote:
But *does* Avon like him? He's polite to him, yes, but so would you if you were somebody's guest (at least I'd hope). When Mellanby dies, Avon's hardly shedding any tears-- his response is a bit callous even by Avon standards.
Avon goes past polite - he's interested in Mellanby (and not just those bits that might help him survive). Expecting him to shed tears over someone he's known only a day is a bit unrealistic IMO, particularly since he appears to be the type to shut off his emotions in a crisis.
I think not only did Avon like Mellanby, but also that Mellanby was exactly the kind of person Avon might have been friends with in better circumstances.
Mistral
-
Fiona Moore -
Mistral