I am sorry but this is Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst. There is no way to know whether or not your method, given after the fact, would have worked any better. This is especially true since we have no idea how the other BA got there.
I don't understand why you are faulting Elayne for trusting the information about there only being two BA. (In my estimation that information ended up being true. The first group of BA obviously did not know the others were coming.) Lan said it best when he stated that a portion of courage is going forward even when you know you don't know all of the information.
She did absolutely no reconnaissance other than what she received from Hark, who she had known for five minutes. I don't object to her taking action, I object to her rushing into a situation she make no effort to assess for herself. Black Ajah are not just a group of dark friends. I mean, seriously, even if there were only two there, what about wards, traps, any number of things? I can't believe I'm the only one who thinks that this was ridiculous, the way she went in there. She and her group looked at the house only long enough for Jaem to scout the outside. I'm not a pansy, but the thought of going in there w/o any kind of surety is enough to floor me.
Finally, I don't know why you are getting on Elayne's case about taking a risk with herself. Rand's risks make Elayne's look like a walk in the park. (And Rand risks the whole world when he risks himself.) For example in WH there is an, in my mind deliberate, parallel to this event when Rand raids the dark Asha'man place in Far Madding. Yet Rand's risk is FAR madder then Elayne's for he is informed by an unknown source AND there is reason to suspect there might be two more renegade Asha'man there beside them. And this is one of the smaller of Rand's mad risk taking. Twice he chases Forsaken into T'A'R and once he chased Samaael into Shadar Logoth. If you are going to get on Elayne's case then at least do the same for Rand.
I'm not on Elayne about risking herself. I'm on Elayne about risking all the other people with her without any better surveillance. I'm on Elayne about being so cock-sure that she'll be fine because her babies will be healthy that she didn't stop to think that "healthy" only means one very limited thing. She didn't succeed, other people saved her. But then she feels no guilt. I'm sorry, this was a bonehead thing to do. Imo, it has nothing to do with Rand, unless, of course, she decides to blame him because her hormones are wonky.
Elayne obviously made a mistake, but how much of one is difficult to discern. She also obviously feels some guilt for it; otherwise she wouldn't tell herself that she is not feeling guilt for it. I think she is smart enough to learn from her mistake, whatever that mistake was.
No, she is thinking that there is sadness, but, oddly, not guilt.
Are women really bad generals?
01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM
- 1515 Views
No.
01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM
- 948 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM
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Lol... too true
01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM
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And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains?
01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM
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I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance".
01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM
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but you are difficult to please
02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM
- 723 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light
02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM
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You can't have it both ways....
02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM
- 757 Views
Why not?
02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM
- 719 Views
Yeah
01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM
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Re: Yeah
01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM
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I thought the same in the past...
02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM
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Gah! Hate!
02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM
- 730 Views
Ah, come on...
02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM
- 704 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet.
02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM
- 716 Views

Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM
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Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops
01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM
- 677 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too
02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM
- 667 Views
Well, yeah. They're knowledgable and deadly in person. Generalship doesn't come into it.
04/10/2009 12:09:50 AM
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nope
01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM
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Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin
01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM
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Birgitte's not a soldier though.
01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM
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She says she's not, but so does Mat.
01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM
- 612 Views

Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general
01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM
- 754 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician.
02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM
- 731 Views
My opinion
02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM
- 1098 Views
That's a poor excuse
02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM
- 636 Views
I disagree
02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM
- 735 Views
Re: I disagree
02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM
- 933 Views
Oh, puh-lease.
02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM
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Re: Oh, puh-lease.
03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM
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Re: Oh, puh-lease.
05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM
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I always know I've out-argued an idiot when they fall back on the tired old "RJ wanted it that way"
06/10/2009 04:42:11 AM
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And I can tell you're through when you've gotten to three+ insults per paragraph.
06/10/2009 05:46:24 PM
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Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst
04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM
- 790 Views
Men and football.
05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM
- 712 Views
She didn't kill anyone! Why SHOULD she feel guilty? She gave necessary orders.
06/10/2009 03:33:15 AM
- 813 Views