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What Jason and Dahnai describe isn't MAD. Mostly because it isn't Mutually assured destruction. It's a use of one of the standard elements of power commonly found in balance of power calculations. Trillane can do a little damage, but not nearly enough to destroy even House Merrane. House Merrane and Karinne together can certainly destroy House Trillane.

MAD in the current usage means that if anyone starts a nuclear war, particularly with the USA, all of the countries involved will be completely destroyed. MAD doesn't apply if there will be a winner from the particular conflict. In such cases the proper mode of analysis is called "Balance of Power". It involves all of the sorts of power a state can have ranging from military might through economic might to moral force.

Whether it is Mutually Assured Destruction or not depends a lot on the Omega Weapons used to destroy Karis.

If only the Merranes have them, then it is one thing. If other houses have them, or the technology to make them, then all it would do is to have one stashed somewhere - Fel has said that space is big and mostly empty of traffic, so hide one on a space station around a brown dwarf somewhere, as a lest resort weapon, and it is MAD.

Of course it is probably illegal for anyone except the Imperial fleet to own any, but it has been proved that it is possible to hide things from the Kimdori.

[cynical mode]On a similar note, in 1998, the British Government passed a law making it illegal to cause a nuclear explosion. It has made me feel much safer, because anyone nuking me will go to jail, and all our enemies now are sure that they can strike at Britain without fear of nuclear retaliation because of this law.[/cynical mode]

Sure it depends on Omega weapons, and it also depends on what delivery methods are available. It depends on how many weapons are needed to destroy a planet.

If it takes a dozen hits to destroy a planet and only half of the launched weapons can be expected to strike, then it takes 24 weapons to guarantee the destruction of one planet. If the opponent has a dozen planets then the strike will need 168 weapons. This leads back to the question of delivery. The one case where Omega weapons were used a fleet was the delivery mechanism. We don't really have enough information about the way Omega weapons work.

Against this the terms used and the actions described, particularly in Chapter 20 of Subjugation, fit with a Balance of Power description and don't fit a MAD description. Note the use of equilibrium and Merrane weakness being covered by Karinne might.

But oh, were there schemes. A day didn’t go by without some new plot being hatched in the Siann, but now, they weren’t nearly as dangerous. The ascendance of Karinne had tipped the scales back to the center, where the weakness of Merrane was covered by their alliance to the enigmatic, mysterious, dangerous House Karinne and their cunning and fear-invoking Grand Duke Jason Karinne. The House Karinne had brought equilibrium back to the Imperium, and Dahnai’s position as Empress and House Merrane’s place as the ruling house were secured.

Also when Dahnai threatens Maeri:

“Oh, and Maeri. If you ever try to disrupt food production again, I won’t even bother revoking your charter,” Dahnai told her in a sober, adamant voice. “I’ll just take your banner down from the hall, then have the entire Imperium hunt your house down and slaughter them to the last child. Do I make myself clear?”

Maeri's response boils down to, I understand the threat. Such a response doesn't fit with Trillane having a MAD capacity, and it does fit with Balance of Power. Specifically it is a use of Dahnai's political power to bring all of the other Houses into action against Trillane.

Nota bad point there carrot .

However that does take only into account their strengths at that time. Iin the years since who know what they have squirreled away.

Isengrim wrote:Sure it depends on Omega weapons, and it also depends on what delivery methods are available. It depends on how many weapons are needed to destroy a planet.

If it takes a dozen hits to destroy a planet and only half of the launched weapons can be expected to strike, then it takes 24 weapons to guarantee the destruction of one planet. If the opponent has a dozen planets then the strike will need 168 weapons. This leads back to the question of delivery. The one case where Omega weapons were used a fleet was the delivery mechanism. We don't really have enough information about the way Omega weapons work.

Against this the terms used and the actions described, particularly in Chapter 20 of Subjugation, fit with a Balance of Power description and don't fit a MAD description. Note the use of equilibrium and Merrane weakness being covered by Karinne might.

When you think about it, omega weapons are not even necessary. Given the Faey egocentric view, anything that kills the opposition leader is enough to count as MAD. Turning a whole planet into a radioactive wasteland is overkill. All you need is to turn their major cities into craters, and make sure you kill their Grand Duchess.

Yes, we know that each family has a public record of the succession going for several hundred places, and the new Grand Duchess would be expected to exact revenge, but given the egocentric nature of the Faey, would someone start a war if there was a good chance that they, personally, would die? That is MAD.

Don't get me wrong, I think it ought to be possible to devise a weapon set that sets the Imperium up for MAD, but that isn't the described situation. After all, it's not like Empress Dahnai doesn't have all the best tech available to the regular houses, and Maeri Trillane was still willing to start a war with her.