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The Honorverse Best Seller List

Join us in talking discussing all things Honor, including (but not limited to) tactics, favorite characters, and book discussions.
Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:49 pm

cthia
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Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

Mettle of Honor
Peregrinator



Prologue

Someone's started a fire in the galaxy. And it's left Harrington's inner circle in a tizzy!




'Twould make an excellent follow up to UC!
Get the lead out RFC! Put the pedal to the mettle!

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Sat Sep 22, 2018 1:52 pm

cthia
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Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

The Five Mandarins & The Five Keys
—An anonymous Verge historian



A book of parallels.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:01 am

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

Salamander - A Lighthearted Comparison of the Species
—by G. A. Scientist



Prologue

The manticore modern persian is a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the head of a human, body of a lion and a tail of venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, while other depictions have it with the tail of a scorpion.


Honor is from Sphinx who has the head of a human, the kick of a horse and the body of a cat sitting atop her shoulder with nails similar to a P-38.

A Manticoran Sphinxian? - Now that just ain't fair.

No wonder this Sphinxian bred high-g girl felt like a pig in Manticoran slop.


Now let's check out what she has in common with her Salamander personna.

Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults.
Our Salamander certainly likes taking to water, much to the chagrin of her Grayson armsmen and she likes to sail her sloop whenever possible.

They are capable of regenerating lost limbs, as well as other damaged parts of their bodies. Researchers hope to reverse engineer the remarkable regenerative processes for potential human medical applications, such as brain and spinal cord injury treatment or preventing harmful scarring during heart surgery recovery.
Well, our Salamander falls short there, but perhaps vital research will be massaged out of captured MA computers if Darius is ever overrun by the GA. The treecat sitting atop the Salamander's shoulders may one day be the recipient of regeneration research.

Salamanders typically lay eggs in water and have aquatic larvae, but great variation occurs in their lifecycles. Some species in harsh environments reproduce while still in the larval state.
Our Salamander's birthing process is nothing like this but hers was by no means normal either, having utilized test tubes and surrogates. Although, reproducing in the larval stage might not be too far off what is accomplished with test tubes and DNA in the Honorverse.

The skin lacks scales and is moist and smooth to the touch, except in newts of the Salamandridae, which may have velvety or warty skin, wet to the touch. The skin may be drab or brightly colored, exhibiting various patterns of stripes, bars, spots, blotches, or dots.
Our Salamander does have stripes and bars, and also a star. Though there aren't many spots or blotches on her record.

Salamanders range in size from the minute salamanders, with a total length of 2.7 cm (1.1 in), including the tail, to the Chinese giant salamander which reaches 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and weighs up to 65 kg (143 lb). Most, however, are between 10 and 20 cm (3.9 and 7.9 in) in length.
Our species is certainly related to the giant Chinese Salamander. Rumored to be over six meters tall on some planets.

Salamanders do not have claws.

Ours does, though they normally sit atop her shoulders.

In larvae and aquatic salamanders, the tail is laterally flattened, has dorsal and ventral fins, and undulates from side to side to propel the animal through the water. In the families Ambystomatidae and Salamandridae, the male's tail, which is larger than that of the female, is used during the amplexus embrace to propel the mating couple to a secluded location. In terrestrial species, the tail moves to counterbalance the animal as it runs, while in the arboreal salamander and other tree-climbing species, it is prehensile. The tail is also used by certain plethodontid salamanders that can jump, to help launch themselves into the air. The tail is used in courtship and as a storage organ for proteins and lipids. It also functions as a defense against predation, when it may be lashed at the attacker or autotomised when grabbed. Unlike frogs, an adult salamander is able to regenerate limbs and its tail when these are lost.
The ears on our Salamnder's shoulders do flatten, often before the moment of catapulting to sever arteries and douse out eyes as a defense against predators. The tail is used both as an embrace to propel the mated couple into a soothing calm and as a forewarning against predators.

The skin of salamanders, in common with other amphibians, is thin, permeable to water, serves as a respiratory membrane, and is well-supplied with glands.
The skin of our species is thick, or there would be many deaths from nuclear non restraint.

It has highly cornified outer layers, renewed periodically through a skin shedding process controlled by hormones from the pituitary and thyroid glands. During moulting, the skin initially breaks around the mouth, and the animal moves forwards through the gap to shed the skin. When the front limbs have been worked clear, a series of body ripples pushes the skin towards the rear. The hind limbs are extracted and push the skin farther back, before it is eventually freed by friction as the salamander moves forward with the tail pressed against the ground. The animal often then eats the resulting sloughed skin.
The moulting process in HV Salamander is preceded by a nervous tick at the mouth.

Our species does tend to peel back the layers of skin of her enemies and then proceeds to eat them.

Glands in the skin discharge mucus which keeps the skin moist, an important factor in skin respiration and thermoregulation.
The skin of our specie's ships can regulate waste hest away from an enemy to avoid detection

The sticky layer helps protect against bacterial infections and molds, reduces friction when swimming, and makes the animal slippery and more difficult for predators to catch.
Our species is immunized against many diseases by being a genie. The many capabilities of her ship and her amazing IQ makes it almost impossible for predators to catch.

Granular glands scattered on the upper surface, particularly the head, back, and tail, produce repellent or toxic secretions. Some salamander toxins are particularly potent.
The shoulder of the HV species secrete a very potent treecat.

The eyes of most salamanders are adapted primarily for vision at night. In some permanently aquatic species, they are reduced in size and have a simplified retinal structure, and in cave dwellers such as the Georgia blind salamander, they are absent or covered with a layer of skin. In amphibious species, the eyes are a compromise and are nearsighted in air and farsighted in water. Fully terrestrial species such as the fire salamander have a flatter lens which can focus over a much wider range of distances. To find their prey, salamanders use trichromatic color vision extending into the ultraviolet range, based on three photoreceptor types that are maximally sensitive around 450, 500, and 570 nm. The larvae, and the adults of some highly aquatic species, also have a lateral line organ, similar to that of fish, which can detect changes in water pressure.
Our species have adapted similar advvantageous vision capabilities as well.

The system seems able to detect low-frequency vibrations (500–600 Hz), which may be picked up from the ground by the fore limbs and transmitted to the inner ear. These may serve to warn the animal of an approaching predator.
Her ships can detect ripples in space and approaching predators.

The California giant salamander can produce a bark or rattle, and a few species can squeak by contracting muscles in the throat. The arboreal salamander can squeak using a different mechanism; it retracts its eyes into its head, forcing air out of its mouth. The ensatina salamander occasionally makes a hissing sound, while the sirens sometimes produce quiet clicks, and can resort to faint shrieks if attacked. Vocalization in salamanders has been little studied and the purpose of these sounds is presumed to be the startling of predators.
The HV giant Salamander csn produce a warcry emanating from its shoukders stsrtling and disorienting predators.

Salamanders are opportunistic predators. They are generally not restricted to specific foods, but feed on almost any organism of a reasonable size.
Our Salamander has an incredible metabolism and will feed on anything of a reasonable or an unreasonable size. Food or Prey,

An aquatic salamander lacks muscles in the tongue, and captures its prey in an entirely different manner. It grabs the food item, grasps it with its teeth, and adopts a kind of inertial feeding. This involves tossing its head about, drawing water sharply in and out of its mouth, and snapping its jaws, all of which tend to tear and macerate the prey, which is then swallowed.

<Dammit Honor! :o Poor old Mac!>
"I'm gonna get you Stinker."
<You're too stuffed to run>
" "

They feed on algae and other soft-plants in the wild, and easily eat offered lettuce.
The appendage on this specie's shoulder consumes celery.

Defense

Salamanders appear to move rather slowly, and at first sight might appear to be vulnerable to opportunistic predation. However, they have several effective lines of defense. Mucus coating on damp skin makes them difficult to grasp, and the slimy coating may have an offensive taste or be toxic.
Sounds like our girl in her Q-ship disguise for certain and her offensive is certainly toxic and fatal.

When attacked by a predator, a salamander may position itself to make the main poison glands face the aggressor. Often, these are on the tail, which may be waggled or turned up and arched over the animal's back. The sacrifice of the tail may be a worthwhile strategy, if the salamander escapes with its life and the predator learns to avoid that species of salamander in future.
Salamanders of any type simply have amazing abilities.

The fire salamander has a ridge of large granular glands down its spine which are able to squirt a fine jet of toxic fluid at its attacker. By angling its body appropriately, it can accurately direct the spray for a distance of up to 80 cm (31 in).
The HV Salamander can accurately shoot missiles great distsnces.

The Iberian ribbed newt has another method of deterring aggressors. Its skin exudes a poisonous, viscous fluid and at the same time, the newt rotates its sharply pointed ribs through an angle between 27 and 92°, and adopts an inflated posture. This action causes the ribs to puncture the body wall, each rib protruding through an orange wart arranged in a lateral row. This may provide an aposematic signal that makes the spines more visible. When the danger has passed, the ribs retract and the skin heals.
Similar to our Salamander where protrusions in her outer skin shoot missiles as she positions herself for a double broadside.

Camouflage and mimicry

Although many salamanders have cryptic colors so as to be unnoticeable, others signal their toxicity by their vivid coloring. Yellow, orange, and red are the colors generally used, often with black for greater contrast. Sometimes, the animal postures if attacked, revealing a flash of warning hue on its underside and is highly poisonous. It is avoided by birds and snakes, and can survive for up to 30 minutes after being swallowed (later being regurgitated). The red salamander is a palatable species with a similar coloring to the red eft. Predators that previously fed on it have been shown to avoid it after encountering red efts, an example of Batesian mimicry. Other species exhibit similar mimicry. In California, the palatable yellow-eyed salamander closely resembles the toxic California newt and the rough-skinned newt, whereas in other parts of its range, it is cryptically colored. A correlation exists between the toxicity of Californian salamander species and diurnal habits: relatively harmless species like the California slender salamander are nocturnal and are eaten by snakes, while the California newt has many large poison glands in its skin, is diurnal, and is avoided by snakes.

Our Salamander is also capable of stealth and can make herself look less dangerous to her predators, even luring them in while disguising herself as an innocent and harmless freighter. Most predators know to avoid her at all costs.

Salamanders are not vocal and in most species the sexes look alike.

Our Salamander prefers not to blister battle steel off of bulkheads either.

Salamanders rarely have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs.

Our Salamander has eight or more toes sitting on her shoulder.
Our Salamander can make herself stick out like a sore thumb.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Thu Oct 11, 2018 12:06 pm

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

TheF R E EPublication


brilliant SCUTTLEBUTT ON THE R M N GRAPEVINE brilliant
Fleet Admiral Theemile


saber964 wrote:You really don't want to challenge Honor to a duel when she's pissed off at you. Because she's going to make you hurt before the death blow.

Summerville gut shot four times before blowing his brains out the back of his head.

Burdette reverse 7 sword cut. Massive pain before his head departed his body. He had a second or two of agony before the end.

cthia wrote:Definitely agree. Is there really a good time to challenge Honor? Now that I think about it, Honor's genie status isn't exactly common knowledge either, so none of her challengers really knew who, or what, they were going up against. Poor intel on their part if "know your enemy" is something they aspired to. You can bet Honor researched her foe in great detail in each case.

Theemile wrote:Forget the Genie stuff. You have a girl who at 12 years old killed 2 Peak bears in the Sphixian Bush with oversized handgun. As a teenager, she won pistol and rifle competitions. Entering the Academy, she qualified for the pistol and rifle competition teams, but instead took Neue Stile Handgemange, to challenge herself. As a Freshman, her natural abilities and native heavy worlder capabilities allowed her to routinely throw hand to hand combat instructors, and quickly move up the levels of the craft. As a field commander, she lead the raids against the Casimir field depot and Blackbird base with the Marines. At Grayson, she defeated a hit team with her treecat and a dinner service.

Really, no one has done their homework on Honor. Young shouldn't have messed with a heavy worlder hand to hand specialist in the shower, Macabeus shouldn't have tried to time the assassination attempt with her visit, Summerville shouldn't have tried a gun dual with someone who as a child took down apex predators, and Barnett shouldn't have attempted a swordfight with someone who can kill with a chaffing dish.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by C. O. Thompson   » Fri Oct 12, 2018 2:32 pm

C. O. Thompson
Captain of the List

Posts: 695
Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 2:32 pm
Location: Thompson, CT USA

cthia wrote:This almost went into another thread amounting to what Honor could be doing scores of years from now. But it is too good not to "share" in the fun.

Hope it passes Customs — located just past
:arrow: [Duckkdom]

Honor could always become a best selling author with...

— The Salamander's Playbook [Text Book]
— Tactics and Tricks [Text Book]
— The Art of the Bluff [Class Assignment]
— Life at White Haven
— Life on Grayson
— The Art of Fighting Without Fighting [Recommended]
— Vacation in Hell: Declassified
— Diary of Two Housewives
— A Cat on My Hat
— Genie of the Lamp: Autobiography [Insane Bestseller]


Foraker's Bestsellers:

— Tac-Witchery — Text book.
— On Cordelia Ransom
— How I Tamed a Shrew
— How I Ransomed Her Royal Heinous

and her galactic-wide runaway...
— Oops, I Did It Again


White Haven Bestsellers...
— The Jeune Ecole
— Sleeping With The Enemy

Victor Cachat's Bestseller:
— Killer Stare

Nimitz' Bestsellers:
— Celery Stalkers
— The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of the Feet

Can you imagine any titles to make The Honorverse Best Seller List?


.


I loved that OOPS! Moment.
Just my 2 ₡ worth
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:00 pm

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

THE SALAMANDER SCANDAL

EXTRY EXTRY! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
GRAYSON'S PROTECTOR STACKS DECK!
SEEMS THEIR FAITH JUST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!



Prologue
The cat is out of the bag. She can read minds!

It smacks too much of stacking the deck, dealing from the bottom, shaking the cards, bribing the referee. Truly righteous Christians? Seems someone failed their righteousness Test on Grayson.

Perhaps mustard seeds just don't grow amongst heavy medals.


***Press coverage begins here.***

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Wed Feb 20, 2019 8:46 am

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

The Diary of David Weber
Notes and drawings and handwavings

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Sat Jun 01, 2019 8:28 am

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

THE HAND that rocked THE CRADLE
The Salamander visits the biggest hell hole in the galaxy to order Mandarin

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by cthia   » Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:13 am

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

Megan Peterson's prized possessions. Autographed by Honor.

The Salamander's Playbook
Tactics and Tricks
The Art of the Bluff
The Art of Fighting Without Fighting

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: The Honorverse Best Seller List
Post by C. O. Thompson   » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:07 pm

C. O. Thompson
Captain of the List

Posts: 695
Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 2:32 pm
Location: Thompson, CT USA

:lol:

210 posts on this subject thread which, when boiled down to the essence say...
We are addicted to David Weber's writing.

We have it as bad as the men and women who hang out at the Methadone center with nine day beards and bright red eyes asking for spare change.


I hope that David and his family are well and happy in these screwed up times and...

HEY BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE SOME CHANGE FOR THE BUS RIDE UPTOWN?
Just my 2 ₡ worth
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