1. Failed because the administration wasn't willing to take the step, and in fact disparaged him for suggesting it. Not because it wasn't a good idea/logical. Hence, allies asking us to do it.
2. Astrocracies were always going to fight Aurvandil. Aurvandil hates the Astrocracies and vice versa. In my opinion, it was inevitable. We got Allison out of power, sure... Where she promptly came to Terran via the treaty and is probably plotting to use the Zuma and the Luria's as well as Kabrinskia et al to destroy the 'moot. Terran didn't launch an aggression against the Astrocracies, as Hireshmont never fails to point out. They launched an aggression against Kabrinskia. And we won not because we beat them, in fact, I recall losing a fairly big battle just before the treaty talk started. We won because they allowed us to, and because Allison probably has something up her sleeve. She always does.
3. Okay, I can see you logic behind going to war with Kabrinskia to gain the respect of the Astrocracies to use that against Aurvandil. Two big problems though: Terran's war making ability stinks in part because our RC's suck and our Senate keeps putting that off until some later date, and Barca didn't gain any noteworthy experience from the war. Second one isn't Hireshmont's fault, first one is(at least in part).
4. The only way you could call them our friends if you go with 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. If you do, then it is true, we are friends. But as I have said before, Aurvandil and the Astrocracies are bound to collide sooner or later. They are complete opposites and hate each other and sooner or later that is going to turn into a conflict.
5. Nor do I. But you built your house of cards on a windy day and hoped that it wouldn't fall down. But, due to a series of unfortunate events that weren't quite under your control, they did fall.
Allison
had something up her sleeve. She accomplished her goal in signing that treaty for the most part, which was to further Kabrinskia's interests. You may think of what happened as a victory for Terran, but it was also a victory for Allison and Kabrinskia. Everyone got something they wanted. Whatever Allison does now will be something that she decided to do after the fact. I think she's between enemies right now, which makes her possibly one of the single most dangerous things on Dwilight. Sort of like a homing missile that hasn't picked anything to lock onto yet. With the Magistratum trial finally starting up, I predict that it will soon be the Church in her cross-hairs. In the meantime, Terran should be spared as long as they don't go out of their way to antagonize her.
I think you overstate things regarding Aurvandil. If Aurvandil does hate Sanguis Astroism, they have been careful not to say so. Very careful in fact. If Aurvandil wanted conflict with the Church, they could have had it last week when they declared war on Kabrinskia in order to arrest a Kabrinskian priest in Candiels. Instead the High Sovereign was careful (for him, that is) to emphasize that he was uninterested in conflict and quick to offer increased relations. Lysander even got a polite thank you once he agreed to raise relations, which he did hesitate to do. As for us, again, Aurvandil handed us all the Casus Belli we could ever need last week when they declared war on Kabrinskia without warning. If the situation was as much of a powder keg as you are insinuating, it should have blown up. Instead it went out with a whimper. A Crusade could certainly happen, but it's not inevitable; it depends on someone (or more likely, many someones) doing a lot of work to stir up antipathy, argue a case, get all the Elders and rulers on board, and on Aurvandil doing and saying things that can be put to use by demagogues to whip up the faithful. Hireshmont is doing what he can, but it is difficult work for someone like him who doesn't have strong connections with the elites in the Church, isn't well known by the rank and file, and is widely considered to have joined the Church for political reasons. When Hireshmont talks about a Crusade, we all know it's not his righteous faith that motivates him.
